the first time I seed her after we came from
Virginia cause she had red eyes." "Pader rollers" stayed busy all the
time trying to find slaves off their plantations without passes.
Marriages were performed by having the couple jump the broom. If the
[TR: 'couple' deleted, handwritten words above illegible] belonged to
different masters oftentimes one master would purchase the other; but
should neither wish to sell the man would then have to get passes to
visit his wife on her plantation. "Dey would leave the plantation on
Saturday afternoons and on Sunday afternoon you could see 'em coming in
just lak they wuz coming from church," remarked Mrs. Byrd.

There were frolics on the Byrd plantation any time that the slaves chose
to have them. "Yes sir we could frolic all we want ter. I use ter be so
glad when Saturday night came cause I knowed us wuz go have a frolic and
I wouldn't have a bit 'uv appetite I would tell my ma we gwine dance ter
night I dont want nothin teet. Yes sir us would frolic all night long
sometimes when the sun rise on Sunday morning us would all be layin
round or settin on the floor. They made music on the banjo, by knocking
bones, and blowing quills."

The Byrds did not provide a church on their plantation for their slaves
neither were they allowed to attend the white church; instead they had
prayer meetings in their own cabins where they could sing pray and shout
as much as they wished. "I nebber will fergit the last prayer meeting us
had," remarked Mrs. Byrd. "Two woman named Ant Patsy and Ant Prudence
came over from the next plantation. I believed they slipped over there
wid out gittin a pass. Anyway, they old master came there and whipped
'em and made 'em go home. I reckin he thought us wuz praying ter git
free." Continuing--

I nebber will fergit the fust time I set eyes on them thar Yankees. I
done already heard 'bout how they wuz going round ter the different
plantations taking the horses and carrying away the money and other
valuable things, but they had nebber come ter our place. So this day I
saw 'em coming cross the railroad track and they look jest lack thunder
there wuz so meny 'uv em. When they got ter our house every body wuz
sleep and they knocked and knocked. We had a bad dog that didn't take no
foolishness off nobody, so when he kept barking them Yankees cursed him
and do you know he heshed up? I sid, 'Dear Lord what sort of man is that
all he got ter do is curse that dog and he don