out from one plantation to de other no time. All us know is
when we go to dey meetin en dey pray wid us. Peoples used to sing en
pray in de quarter on Saturday night en when dey dig grave en have a
funeral. Dey didn' do bout buryings den like dey do now. Burying dem
times en de funeral would all be over at de burying. Slaves didn' have
no way to go to de funeral but to walk. Den a white man would stop you
en if you have a ticket wid you dat have pass word on it, you could go
on."

"I can tell you all bout when dem Yankees come through dere. Some was on
black horses, some on red horses, en some on white horses. De one dat on
black horse wear black, de one on white horse wear white, en de one on
de red horse wear red. De horses had sense enough to double up when dat
man hollo from de top of dem. Dey was wearing soldier clothes en dey
come up to you house en set place on fire, kill cow or anything dey want
to. Dey burn up Carson house en stay dere till next day. Dey talk to my
mamma cause our house de next one to de white folks house. De white
folks done been gone. Dey ask her whe' dey hide dey money en she know
dey hide it to Stafford Hill, six miles from de house, but she didn'
tell dem. Don' know yet what became of de money, but dem Yankees loaded
an old chest on de wagon en took all de slaves dat wanted to run away
wid dem en left dere."

"Slaves didn' know what to do de first year after freedom en den de
Yankees tell de white folks to give de slaves one-third of dey crops.
What de slaves gwine buy land wid den, Captain? Won' a God thing to eat
in dat time. Had to plow corn wid ox cause de Yankees took all de horses
en mules dey wanted. My mother worked on three years dere for de white
folks en dey give her one bushel of corn en dey take two. One bushel of
corn en dey take two. Measured by de same basket."

"Well, I can' tell you bout people, but I can tell you bout my poor
soul. I think I know I'm bless to be here en raise three generation
clear up dis world. All my chillun dead en gone en God left me to live
among dese wild varments here. I have to cry sometimes when I think how
dey die en leave me in dis troublesome world. During slavery time, didn'
know what hard times was. I know you see in de Bible dat God sorry he
made man done so. I'm sorry dat de last war done. Every time you fight
war makes times harder. See three war en every one I see makes time
worse. Money gets balled up in one or two hand. Looks bad to