. Hornsby
Athens --

Edited by: Sarah H. Hall
Athens --

Leila Harris
Augusta --
and
John N. Booth
District Supervisor
Federal Writers' Project
Residencies 6 & 7.

ALICE GREEN

Ex-Slave--Age 76

Alice Green's address led to a tumble down shack set in a small yard
which was enclosed by a sagging poultry wire fence. The gate, off its
hinges, was propped across the entrance.

The call, "Alice!" brought the prompt response, "Here I is. Jus' push de
gate down and come on in." When a little rat terrier ran barking out of
the house to challenge the visitor, Alice hobbled to the door. "Come
back here and be-have yourself" she addressed the dog, and turning to
the interviewer, she said: "Lady, dat dog won't bite nothin' but
somepin' t'eat--when he kin git it." Don't pay him no 'tention. Won't
you come in and have a seat?"

Alice has a light brown complexion and bright blue eyes. She wore a
soiled print dress, and a dingy stocking cap partly concealed her white
hair. Boards were laid across the seat of what had been a cane-bottomed
chair, in which she sat and rocked.

Asked if she would talk of her early life the old Negress replied: "Good
Lord! Honey, I done forgot all I ever knowed 'bout dem days. I was born
in Clarke County. Milly and Charley Green was my mammy and pappy and dey
b'longed to Marse Daniel Miller. Mammy, she was born and raised in
Clarke County but my pappy, he come from southwest Georgia. I done
forgot de town whar he was brung up. Dere was seven of us chillun: me
and Viola, Lula, Fannie, Rene, Bob, and Isaac. Chillun what warn't big
'nough to wuk in de fields or in de house stayed 'round de yard and
played in de sand piles wid de white chillun.

"Slaves lived in mud-daubed log huts what had chimblies made out of
sticks and mud. Lordy Honey! Dem beds was made wid big high posties and
strung wid cords for springs. Folks never had no wire bedsprings dem
days. Our mattresses was wheat straw put in ticks made out of coarse
cloth what was wove on de loom right dar on de plantation.

"I don't know nothin' 'bout what my grandmammies done in slav'ry time. I
never seed but one of 'em, and don't 'member much 'bout her. I was jus'
so knotty headed I never tuk in what went on 'cause I never 'spected to
be axed to tell 'bout dem days.

"Money! Oh-h-h, no Ma'am! I never seed no money 'til I was a great big
gal. My white folks was rich and fed us good. Dey raised lots of hogs
an