ners. I tell dem if dey ain' got no manners, dey ain' got
nothin cause manners carries people whe' a dollar won' carry you. Dis
education don' do everybody no good. It get some of dem standin on de
top of dey heads. Dat what it done to dem. Coase dey say everybody
chillun got to go to school dis year en dat a good thing cause dere be
so many runnin round makin mischief when dey ain' in school. I used to
tell my chillun I buy dey book en satchel en keep plenty meat en bread
for dem to eat en dey portion been to go dere en get dey learnin. If dey
get whippin at school, I tell dem go back en get more. Didn' never
entice dem to stay home."

"All I know bout Abraham Lincoln was dat he Abraham Lincoln en he de one
cause freedom. I recollect dey used to sing song bout him, but I done
forget it now. Say dey hung Abraham Lincoln on de sour apple tree or old
Jeff Davis or somethin like dat. Honey, dat all I know. Can' recollect
nothin more den dat bout it."

"Child, dis a pretty bad time de people got dese days, I tell you. Coase
I thankful don' nobody worry me. All treats me nice, both white en
black, what knows me. I be gwine down de street en folks come out de
courthouse en say, 'Ain dat Mom Jessie? Mom Jessie, don' you remember
me?' I say, 'I know your favor, but I can' call your name.' Dey tell me
en laugh en let me lone. It just like dis, child, I puts my trust in de
Lord en I lives mighty peaceful like. I ain' got a enemy in de world
cause everybody speaks appreciatively of me. Dere somebody bringin me
somethin to eat all de time en I don' be studyin bout it neither. First
one en den de other bring me a plate en somethin another. Don' want me
to do no cookin. Say I might fall in de fire. Honey, de lady come by
here de other day en tell me I gwine get de old 'oman money pretty soon
now dat dere been so much talk bout. I be thankful when it get here too,
child, cause I wants to get first one thing en de other to do some fixin
up bout my house."

"Well, honey, I tired now cause I ain' much today nohow. Can' recollect
nothin else dis mornin. Don' know what you want to hear bout all dem
things for nohow."

_Source_: Mom Jessie Sparrow, age 83, ex-slave, Bond Street,
Marion, S.C.--Third Report.

Personal interview by Annie Ruth Davis, Sept., 1937.

=Code No.=
=Project, 1885-(1)=
=Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis=
=Place, Marion, S.C.=
=Date, December 7, 1937=

=MOM JESSIE SPARROW=

=Ex-Slave, 83 Years