ong comin' down de road. Sojer rid right up to me
an' stuck his bay'net at me an' says, 'Boy, whar de tater house?' An' I
sho' did show him whar 'twas. Dem sojers sho' was starved. Dey take
thirty tater punks, fifteen er twenty chickens, and five hams. Den dey
went in de smoke house an' grabbed off five er ten poun's er sausage,
middlln's, and sides. Dey take 'nough grub to load three wagons an' take
hit over to New Zion Church 'bout er mile frum us. An' right thar dey
camped that night.

"That was afte' de Siege er Vicksburg. Marse Jim didn' keer, but he sent
us ober nex' mo'nin' to git de leavin's, an' thar was a wagon load er
jes de leavin's.

"I 'members when us was sot free allright. 'Twas in de middle of da
winter y' know, an' Marse Jim was so mad 'bout hit he went off down to a
li'l stream or water an' broke de ice an' jumped in, an' he died 'bout
two weeks afte' of de pewmonia[FN: pneumonia].

"I was glad to git m' freedom 'cause I got out'n frum under dem
whuppins.

"Afte' dat us bought lan' frum de Wilsons whut was lef' an' I been a
fa'min' thar ever since."

Mississippi Federal Writers
Slave Autobiographies

CLARA C. YOUNG
Monroe County, Mississippi

Clara G. Young, ex-slave, Monroe County, is approximately 95 years old,
about five feet two inches tall, and weighs 105 pounds. She is a frail,
dark skinned Negro, with the typical broad nose and the large mouth of
the southern Negro. Her physical condition is especially good for a
woman of her age. She is very talkative at times, but her memory appears
to come and go, so that she has to be prompted at intervals in her
story-telling by her daughter or granddaughter, with whom she lives.
Familiarly known as "Aunt Classie," she is very proud of her age and
more especially of her long line of descendants.

"Law, Miss, I doan know when I was born, but I do know dat I'se
sebenteen years old when I was fust sol'. Dey put me an' my brudder up
on de auction block at de same time. He brung $1400 but I dis'members
zactly what dey paid far me. Wa'nt dat much, tho', fer big strong mans
brung mo' dan wimmens an' gals."

Long pauses accentuated the quavery voice of the old Negro, whose head
resembled a nappy patch of cotton, and who was so enthusiastic over
reminiscing about the days when she was young and carefree.

"I was born in Huntsville, Alabamy, an' my mammy an' pappy was name
Silby an' Sharper Conley. Dey tuk de las' name frum de old marster dat