"My mother used to sit down and talk to us and tell us about slavery.
If she had died when I was young I wouldn't have known much. But by her
living till I was old, I learned a lot.
"My mother's old master was Tom Barnett, so she said. No, not 'so she
said' because I have seed him. He give her her age and all at that
time. I have it in my Bible. He said that she was twelve years old the
Christmas before the surrender. The surrender was in May, wasn't it?
"My mother's name was Susan Bearden. She married Ben Bearden. She worked
in Tom Barnett's house. She milked and churned and 'tended to the
children and all such as that. He never allowed her to go to the field.
Neither her mother, my grandmother. She was the cook. My mother's name
before she married was Susan Barnett.
"An old colored lady that they had there seed after the colored
children. She looked after my mother too. She was so old she couldn't do
nothin' so they had her to look after the children. My grandmother was
kept busy because she had the white folks to cook for and she had all
the colored folks to cook for too.
"There is an old lady down on Spring Street that can give you a lot of
information about slavery times.
"A boy was telling her that somebody was going 'round asking questions
about slavery and she said she wished he would come and see her.
"My mother never had any chance to go to school before freedom and she
never had any chance to go afterwards because she didn't have any money.
When they turned them loose the white folks didn't give 'em anything, so
they had to work. They didn't allow them to pick up a piece of paper in
slave time for fear they would learn.
"My mother remembered the pateroles. She said they used to catch and
whip the colored men and women when they would get out.
"My mother's old master was the one that told mama she was free. He told
her she was free as he was. After they learned that they were free, they
stayed on till Christmas.
"After Christmas, they went to another plantation. My gran'pa, he come
and got them all to come. My gran'pa's name was Harvey Barnett. His old
master's son had married and he had been staying with him. That made
him be on another place. There was a good many of the children in my
grandmother's family. Mama had a sister named Lucy, one named Lethe,
one named Caroline, one named Annie, and one named Jane. She had two
boys--one named Jack, and one named Barnett. She had another sister
named--I don't remember her name.
"After freedom, we sharecropped for a number of years up until my father
died. He died about twenty-four years ago.
"After that mama washed and ironed for about ten or twelve years. Then
she got too old to work and we took care of her. My mother died last
March on the ninth day. She always had good health for an old lady.
Never got so she couldn't get up and do her light work such as dress
herself, cooking, sweeping, and so on. She would even do her own washing
and ironing if we would let her. She would hide from us and pick cotton
till we stopped her.
"She was sick only one week and the doctor said she died of old age. He
said it was just her time. She didn't have nothin' the matter with her
but jus' old age he said so far as he could find. Dr. Fletcher was
our doctor. She died in Jerome, Arkansas about sixteen miles from the
Louisiana line. Leastwise, they tell me it's about sixteen miles from
the line. She always told us that she had her business fixed with the
Lord and that when she taken sick, It wouldn't be long. And sure 'nough,
it wasn't.
"I farmed until my mother and brother died. Then I came up here with my
sister as I had no children living. I jus' wash and iron now whenever I
can get somethin' to do.
"I have been married once. I had three children. All of them are dead.
My children are dead and my husband is dead.
"I belong to the Baptist church down on Spring Street. I always unite
with the church whenever I go to a place. I don't care whether I stay
there or not.
"My mama's master was good as far as white folks generally be in slavery
times. He never whipped my grandmother nor my mother. He was good to the
field hands too. He never whipped them. He would feed them too. He had
right smart of field hands but I don't know just how many. I don't think
he ever sold any of his slaves. I think he come by them from his father
because I have heard them say that his father told him before he died
never to 'part with Black Mammy. That was what he called her. And he
kept them altogether jus' like his father told him to. His father said,
'I you to keep all my Negroes together and Black Mammy I don't want you
let her be whipped because she nursed all of you.' She said she never
was whipped 'cept once when she got a cockle berry up her nose and he
got it out and gave her a little brushing--not as much as grandma would
have given her.
"He kept them all in good shoes and warm clothes and give them plenty to
eat. So many of the slaves on other plantations didn't have half enough
to eat and were half naked and barefooted all the time."
Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed: Mahalia Shores, Marianna, Arkansas
Age: 77
"I was born in Greene County, Georgia. My owner was Jim Jackson. He
bought my mother's father. She was raised on Jim Jackson's place. I
rec'collect a right smart about slavery times. He made us dress up and
let the nigger traders see what little niggers I got. We thought it
was nice. What fine limbs we had. Aunt Judy--some called her 'big
mamma'--lived down under the hill. She was old and seen after the
children. The biggest children took care and nursed the little ones.
On Wednesday and Saturday the cook made ginger cakes for the little
children. The house girl called us. She was Aunt Teena's girl. Aunt
Teena was a housemaid. See little niggers coming from every direction to
get our cakes.
"Jim Jackson's wife was named Mariah. They lived in a big fine white
house. When it was freedom a soldier come, brought a paper and Massa Jim
was settin' on the porch. Tom Chapman was his overseer. They rung the
big farm bell and had the oldest niggers stand in a line and us little
ones in front so we could all see. Tom Chapman read the paper and stood
by the soldier. He had two big plantations. Massa Jim got sick that day
and vomited and vomited. He lived a week or two weeks. They sent for Dr.
Ducham but he couldn't do him no good. He died. Massa Jim told them they
could take the teams and go to town, all he ax of 'em was to feed and
take care of 'em. Every one of the grown folks went and left us at home.
Aunt Judy seen 'bout us like she been doing all the time. They went over
to Greensboro to celebrate. They all come back. They was all ready fer
their breakfastes. It was twelve miles from Greensboro. Then the next
day Massa Jim or Tom Chapman, one called the grown folks to the house
and told them, 'You can stay and I will pay you or you can go. I pay
no more doctor bills. I don't feed you no more nor give you no
more clothes.' Some moved and some hired to him. Some went to his
father-in-law's place and some to his brothers' place and around.
His wife was rich. She was Dave Butler's gal. No, I mean Massa Jim's
wife--Miss Mariah. That big place was what her pa give her. Massa Jim
had five hundred little niggers on that place and lots more on the big
plantation. He had about two thousand little niggers. We went in droves
is right.
"I never went to a table in slavery time. We had our plates and cup and
took it to the pot and they put some victuals in 'em, then we went and
et where we pleased. We had all the meat we could eat and all the milk
we could drink all the time. Aunt Teena sewed and grandma would weave
cloth. They made white aprons. My hair was nice and old mistress would
tell Aunt Judy to curl my hair. They rolled it up on cloth and on little
light cobs. If they wet it, it would stay curled.
"Massa Jim sold his niggers when he wanted to. He sold my grandpa and
Uncle Steve. Grandma wanted him to sell her and he wouldn't do it. I
don't know what become of grandpa. After freedom Uncle Steve come back
to us all. Grandpa was crying. He come to our house and said he had to
go. We never seen him no more.
"Some of the slaves wouldn't be whooped by Tom Chapman. I heard them say
since I got grown he 'tacked 'em. It caused trouble. He couldn't whoop
'em then. Old master whooped some of 'em. Some would say, 'I take ten
licks offen you and that is all.' Then he would sell them the first
chance. They would go to the woods if he beat them too much. He didn't
abuse his niggers. He said his niggers was his property. Aunt Sarah
tended to the cows and Aunt Clarisa raised geese, turkeys, chickens,
ducks, and churned.
"The Ku Klux come to our house, called Uncle Billy--that was my papa.
They got him up out of bed. One man said, 'I ain't had no water since
the battle of Shiloah.' He had pa draw water till daybreaking. He had
a horn he poured the water in. We was all scared half to death. Next
morning there was a branch from the well done run off. Something took
place about a well. Uncle Neel Anderson and Uncle Cush dug wells for
their living. They come after them. Aunt Mandy had a baby. They pitied
her and Uncle Neel got so scared he run upstairs in his shirt tail and
stuck his head in the cotton. They found him that way. Uncle Cush said,
'Come on, Neel, and go with me.' They whooped Uncle Cush in his shirt
tail. If you didn't open the door they would break it in.
"I worked in the field in Georgia and Arkansas both. I cooked since I
was twelve years old. I married when I was twenty years old. I cooked
here in Marianna eighteen years and I have cooked three Sunday dinners
on Saturday and Sunday together. I would make three dollars when I done
that. I had five children and I raised one boy. I washed and ironed. I
get some help from the Welfare but I saved and my good old man saved so
we would have plenty when we got old. Folks burnt up two of my houses. I
got three more not fitten to live in till they are covered. I got good
property in Stuttgart but couldn't pay the tax on it and 'bout to loose
it. I tried to get a loan and never could. We niggers have a hard time."
Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden
Person interviewed: Rosa Simmons
823 West 13th Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Age: 85?
"Yes mam, I was here during that Civil War. I was fifteen years old
then. I was born In Tennessee.
"My boss man carried all the best hands to Texas and carried the scrub
hands across Cypress Creek here in Arkansas, and that's where I come. I
was fifteen when the Yankees come in on my boss man's place, so you know
now I ain't no baby. I thank God that He left me here to get old.
"Before the war. I nussed two babies--my mistress' baby and her sister's
baby. Yes'm we had a good master and mistress. We didn't suffer for
nothin' and we didn't have no overseer over us. Colonel Maples was my
master. No'm he wasn't no soldier--that was the name his mother give
him.
"When my folks first come to Arkansas we lived in a cabin that just had
a balin' sack hangin' in the door and one night a bear come in and my
brother and I broke a board off the side and fell right out in the cane.
We all hollered so some folks come down and shot the bear. I ain't never
seed a bear before and I didn't know what it was.
"I 'member when the Yankees come to my boss man's place. They wanted to
shake hands but he was scared to death and wouldn't do it. Another time
the Yankees captured him and kept him three months. They took his horse
and he finally come home on a mule that didn't have but three legs. I
guess the Yankees give him the mule. He turned the old mule loose and
said he never wanted to see another Yankee. If he saw any kind of a
white man comin' down the road he run in the house and hid between the
feather bed and the mattress.
"One time the Yankees come and drunk the sweet milk and took all the
butter, turkeys and hogs and then broke the powder horn against the
maple tree.
"The cook say 'I'm gwine tell Marse Joe you drink all this milk.' The
Yankees say, 'Let the damn fool alone--here we are tryin' to free her
and she ain't got no sense.' They said there wouldn't be any more hard
times after the war.
"But I sure have seen some hard times. I have washed and cooked and done
'bout everything.
"When I get up in the morning I got the limburger (lumbago) in my back
so I ain't able to do much. Sometimes I have something to eat and
sometimes I don't."
Mrs. Carol Graham
Mrs. Mildred Thompson
El Dorado District
Fannie Sims.
Customs.
"How ole is ah? Ise about 78. Yes'm ah wuz live durin de wah. Mah ole
moster wuz Mistuh Jake Dumas we lived near de Ouachita rivuh bout five
miles fum El Dorado landin. Ah membush dat we washed at de spring way,
way fum de house. What dat yo say? Does ah know Ca'line. Ca'line, lawsy,
me yes. Ca'line Washington we use tuh call huh, she wuz one uv Mr. Dumas
niggers. We washed fuh de soldiers. Had tuh carry day clo'es tuh dem
aftuh dark. Me an Ca'line had tuh carry dem. We had tuh hide de horse
tuh keep de soldiers fum gittin him. When we would take de horse tuh de
plum orchard we would stay dah all day to dark wid "Blackie". Dat wuz
de horse's name. Mah job mostly wuz tuh watch de chillun an feed mah
mistress chickens.
"Ah kin recollect when dey took us an started tuh Texas an got as fur
as El Dorado and found out dat us niggers wuz free. We went back
an grandma's mistress's son took us home wid him fuh stretches and
stretches. We lived on de ole Camden road.
"In mah days ah've done plenty uv work but ah don' do nothing now but
piece quilts. Dat's whut ah've been doing fuh mah white fokes since ah
been heah. Ah jes finished piecing and quiltin two uv em. De Glove[TR:?]
and de Begger. Mah husban' been dead 31 years dis pas' August. No, ah
counts is by dose twins ah raised. One uv em lives in dis heah place
right heah. Ah aint much count now. Sometime mah laig gets so big ah jes
had tuh sloop mah foot erlong."
Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed: Jerry Sims (Indian and Negro)
Brinkley, Arkansas
Age: Born 1859
"I was born in 1859 close to Natchez, Mississippi. Chief Sims was my
grandpa. He was Indian, full blood. His wife was a Choctaw Indian.
Grandpa was a small red Indian. They kept my pa hid out with stock
nearly all time of the Civil War. Both my mas' parents was nearly all
Indian too but they was mixed. I'm more Indian than anything else. I
heard pa talk about staying in the cane brakes. Mighty few cane brakes
to be found now. I come with my grandpa and grandma to Arkansas when I
was five years old.
"My ma belong to Quill and Sely Whitaker. I et and slept with Hattie and
Bud and Rob Whitaker. Quill Whitaker was a Union surgeon in the Civil
War.
"I don't think any of my folks was ever sold. They was of a porer class
and had to have a living and sorter become slaves for a living. I never
heard ma say how she got in bondage. Pa stayed with John Rob bout like a
slave.
"I am a farmer. I am not on the PWA. Times for me is hard. You see some
has so much and others hardly can live atall.
"It is not for me to say about the young generation. I have mighty
little to do with any of them.
"I have voted but not lately. I never did understand voting."
Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed: Victoria Sims, Helena, Arkansas
Age: 76
"I was born in Limestone County, Alabama. It was on a river. Where I was
born they called it Elks Mouth. Our owners was Frank Martin and Liza
Martin. They raised papa. Their daughter aired (heired) him. Her name
was Miss (Mrs.) Betty Hansey. Papa's name was Ed Martin. I stood on a
stool and churned for papa's young mistress. The churn was tall as I
was. I loved milk so good and they had plenty of it--all kinds. Soon as
ever I get through, they take up the butter. I'd set 'round till they
got it worked up so I could get a piece of bread and fresh butter and a
big cup of that fresh milk. They always fixed it for me.
"Mama was Minthy Martin. She cooked on another place. She was a nurse.
Her papa belong to one person and her mother to somebody else. Mama was
Minthy Bridgeforth but I don't have her owner's name. I guess she was
sold. I heard her say the Bridgeforth's was good to her. Some white man
whooped on her once. I never heard her say much about it. Papa's owners
was good to him. They was crazy about him. I knowed papa's owners the
best and I lived there heap the most. I was born a slave but I don't
know who I belong to. I've studied that over myself. I used to go back
to see papa's owners. They owned lots of slaves and lots of land. Papa
done a lot of different things. He fed and farmed and cleaned off the
yards and slopped the pigs. He done what they said do, well as I can
recollect. I wasn't with mama till after freedom. Mama said her white
folks was treated mighty mean during the War. Once the soldiers come and
mama was so scared she took the baby and run got in the cellar. They
throwed out everything they had to eat. They took off barrels of things
to eat and left them on starvation. One soldier come one time and wanted
mama to go to the camps. She was scared not to go, scared he'd shoot her
down. She told him she'd go the next day soon as she could get up her
things and tell her folks she had gone. He agreed to that. Soon as he
left she and some other young women on the place put out to the cane
brakes and caves. She said they nearly starved. The white folks sent
them baskets of victuals several times. Mama said she had some pretty
beads she wore. Somebody had made her a present of them. She loved 'em.
I think she said they was red. Mama's mistress told her to hide her
beads, the soldiers would take them. She hid them up in the loft of
their house on a nail. One day a gang come scouting and they rummaged
the whole house and place. When the soldiers left she thought about her
beads and went to see and they was gone. She cried and cried about them.
That was before she went to the canebrakes.
"When freedom come on, the owners told them they was free. They didn't
leave and then they made a way for them to stay on. They stayed on.
"I was grown when we come to this state but we lived in Tennessee a few
years. Mama had had nine children by that time. All was dead, but us two
girls and my brother. We come to Arkansas with our parents. We heard the
land was new and rich. I wasn't married then.
"I've worked hard in the field all my life till last year or so. I still
do work.
"Times is tough here I tell you. I get a little help, six dollars.
"Some of the young folks won't work, some not able to work. If anybody
saving a thing I don't hear about it."
Interviewer: Bernice Bowden
Person interviewed: Virginia Sims
1121 N. Magnolia
Pine Bluff, Ark.
Age: 93
Occupation: Retired Midwife
"I was born in 1844. I was twenty when peace was declared. I was born
in Virginia. Yes ma'am, but I was sold, put up on a stump just like you
sell hogs to the highest speculator. I was sold with my mother from
a man named Joe Poindexter and bought by Tom Murphy and brought to
Arkansas. My God, every Murphy round here knows me. Yes'm, my mother and
me was sold. Papa wasn't sold, but he come here the second year after
surrender.
"I was old enough to spin twelve cuts a day--had it to do. And I could
weave cloth just like they do now.
"Had seven brothers and I'm the onliest girl.
"I can recollect when Miss Mary Poindexter died. They said I was two.
"My mistis in Arkansas was Mrs. Susan Murphy. That was out on the
plantation, we didn't live in no city--my God, no!
"The way my people acts now, they looks foolish. I never heard a person
curse till I come up here. I was a grown young lady nineteen years old
when our master lowed us to get out and cote. You better not. The first
husband I married I was nineteen goin' on twenty. My husband fought on
the Southern side. His master sent him as a substitute.
"My master put good clothes on me, I'd say. 'Master. I wants a dress
like so and so, and I wants a pair of shoes.' Yes ma'am, and he got em
for me. I was forty-three and married to a nigger fore I knowed what
twas to cry for underwear.
"I member they was a white man called Dunk Hill and he said, 'Virginia,
who freed the niggers?' I said, 'God freed the niggers.' He said, 'Now,
Virginia, you goin' be just as free as I am some day!'
"General Shelby's troops was comin' on this side the ribber. That's
one time I was scared. Never seed so many men in my life. They wanted
something to eat. Mama cooked all night. They was nine hundred and
somethin'. I toted canteens all night long.
"I member when they had that Marks Mill battle. My husband was there and
he sent word for me to come cause he had the measles and they had went
in on him. I had to put on boots and wade mud. Young folks now ain't got
no sense. I see so many folks now with such dull understanding. Marks
Mill was the onliest part of the war I was in.
"General Shelby and Captain Blank, they whetted their swords together
when peace was declared. Captain said, 'General, I'm not crazy and
neither am I a coward. I looked up and seem like a man was comin' out
the clouds, and so I'm goin' to surrender.'
"Them cavalry men--they'd say, 'Ride!' and how they'd go.
"I seen em when they was enlistin'. Said they was goin' to whip the
Yankees and be back for breakfast in the morning.
"Marse Ben was goin' and Miss Susan say, 'Virginia, if you think he
ain't goin' come back you ought to kiss him goodbye.' I said, 'I ain't
goin' to kiss no white man.'
"Miss Fanny went up the ladder and sot rite on the roof and watched the
soldiers goin' by. Yes'm. Old master whipped me with a little peach
stick cause I let Frankie--we called her Frankie--go up the ladder. I
said I couldn't stop her cause she said if I told her papa, she and
Becky goin' to whip me. He whipped Miss Fanny. Old miss come in and say,
'Ain't you goin' whip this nigger?' She was mean as the devil. Oh, God,
yes. She so mean she didn't know what to do. But old master kep her
down. You know some of these redheaded women, they just as devilish as
they can be. We had some neighbors, Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Daniels and old
miss would be out there on the lawn quarrelin' till it was just like a
fog. Us niggers would be out there listenin'.
"But I was always treated good. You know if I had been beat over the
head I couldn't recollect things now. My head ain't been cracked up.
Nother thing. I always been easy controlled.
"I never went to school a day. After we was freed we stayed right on
the Murphy place. They paid us and we worked on the shares. That's the
reason I say I done better when I was a slave."
Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden
Person interviewed: Senya Singfield
1613 W. Second Avenue, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Age: 74
"I was born in Washington, Virginia right at the foot of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. My mother was sold when I was a babe in her arms. She was
sold three times. I know one time when she had four children she was
sold and one of my brothers was sold away unbeknownst to her. Her old
master sold her away from her mistress. She was a cook and never was
mistreated.
"I ain't never been to school. When I got big enough, my mother was a
widow and I had to start out and make a living. I've always been a cook.
Used to keep a boarding house, up until late years. I've washed and
ironed, sewed a right smart and quilted quilts. I've done anything I
could to turn an honest living. Oh I've been through it but I'm still
here. I've been a widow over forty years.
"I think the folks nowdays are about run out. They are goin' too fast.
When I was comin' up, I had to have some manners. My mother didn't low
me to 'spute nobody."
Interviewer: Samuel S. Taylor
Person interviewed: Peggy Sloan
2450 Howard Street, Little Rock, Arkansas
Age: About 80, or more
Occupation: Farming
"I was born in Arkansas in Tulip, in Dallas County I think it is, isn't
it?
"Charlotte Evans was mother's name and my father's name was Lige Evans.
Gran'daddy David was my mother's father, and Cheyney was my mother's
mother.
"Mr. Johnnie Sumner was the name of my young master, and the old man was
Mr. Judge Sumner. The old people are all dead now. Mr. Judge Sumner
was Johnnie Sumner's father. Me and Mr. Johnnie suckled together. Mr.
Johnnie came to Fordyce they say looking for the old slaves. I didn't
know about it then. I never would know him now. That is been so long
ago. I sure would like to see 'im.
"My mother ain't told me much about herself in slave times. She was a
nurse. She lived in a log cabin. You know they had cabins for all of
them. The colored lived in log houses. The white people had good houses.
Them houses was warmer than these what they got now.
"My grandma could cut a man's frock-tail coat. These young people don't
know nothin' 'bout that. Grandma was a milliner. She could make anything
you used a needle to make.
"Lige Evans was the name my father took after the surrender. He wasn't
named that before the surrender--in the olden times. My mother had
fifteen children. She was the largest woman you ever seen. She weighed
four hundred pound. She was young Master Johnnie's nurse. Mr. Johnnie
said he wanted to come and see me. I heard he lives way on the other
side of Argenta somewheres.
"I was my mama's seventh girl, and I got a seventh girl living. I
had fifteen children. My mother's children were all born before the
surrender.
"Mr. Judge Sumner and his son were both good men. They never whipped
their slaves.
"They didn't feed like they do now. I et corn bread then, and I eat
it now. Some people say they don't. They would give them biscuits on
Sundays. They had a cook to cook for the hands. She got all their meals
for them.
"They had a woman to look after the little colored children, and they
had one to look after the white children. My mother was a nurse for the
white children. My mother didn't have nothing to do with the colored
children.
"I didn't never have no trouble with the pateroles. Sometimes they would
come down the lane running the horses. When I would hear them, I would
run and git under the bed. I was the scaredest soul you ever seen. I
think that's about all I can remember.
"I was the mother of fifteen children. I had one set of twins, a boy and
a girl. The doctor told me you never raise a boy and a girl twin. My boy
is dead. All of my children are dead but two.
"I was raised on the farm. I want a few acres of ground now so bad.
"I never was married but once. My husband's name was David Sloan. I
don't know exactly how long he and me were married. It was way over
twenty years. My license got burnt up.
"You know I couldn't be nothin' but a Christian."