ar from her no more. Us still has de boy us 'dopted long years
ago; him and his wife lives wid us and dey keeps us from bein' too
lonesome.

"I has made a good livin' right here in dis old shop, wuked hard, and
saved my money, and now us is got a right nice little home out on Reese
Street. De Good Lord has been wid us in all our troubles as well as in
our good times, and I knows He is gwine to stay wid us de rest of de
time and den He will take us home to Glory.

"I'se mighty glad you hunted me up, for I 'members dem old days, playin'
wid your Daddy, down on de Pittner place. Atter us had all moved to
Athens, he was still my friend. Come back to see me again, and just
trust in de Good Lord; He will take keer of you."

As the visitor went down the street Bill's quavering voice was heard
again. He was singin' =Lord I'se Comin' Home=.

A STORY OF SLAVERY

AS TOLD BY

EMMALINE HEARD--EX-SLAVE

A paper submitted by

Minnie B. Ross

Revision of original copy
and typing by J.C.Russell
1-26-37

Story of slavery by ex-slave

Emmaline Heard
Ex-Slave

M. B. Ross

Emmaline Heard is a small, dark brown skinned woman who appears to be
about 67 but is probably older. Her mind seems to be active, however, as
she responds quickly to questions and expresses herself intelligently.

Henry County, near McDonough, Ga., is Emmaline's birthplace. Judging
from her earliest childhood memories and what she learned from her
mother, her birth must have occurred four or five years before freedom.
Her parents, Lewis and Caroline Harper had eleven children, of whom she
was the second youngest.

Mr. Roger and Mrs. Frances Harper were the owners of the Heard family.
The large Harper plantation was located near McDonough, bordering the
McDonough highway. The Harper home, a large 2-story frame dwelling,
faced the highway. The family consisted of twin boys and two girls, in
addition to the father and mother. They also owned a large number of
slaves, who occupied two rows of cabins, built close together, at some
distance behind the "big house."

In those days before the War, slaves were moved from place to place and
from State to State in droves, known as "speculators' droves," and sold
at public auction. Emmaline Heard's father was born in Virginia, but was
brought to Georgia and sold to the Harpers as a plow boy, at the age of
eleven.

The slave's cabins were constructed of rough-hewn logs, with