*Interview with John McGuire,*
*Herculaneum, Missouri.*
_Bondage Was Great Burden_
"I was born in Valle Mines in the northern part of St. Francois County.
My mother's name was Sophie McGuire. She was a slave of Henry Bisch and
my father was named Philip McGuire and was owned by John McGuire. I
lives here in Herculaneum and am 74 years old. My father worked in de
mines and my mother worked in and around de house and cooked. She was
more of a house girl. I had three brothers and seven sisters. All my
sisters is dead 'cept two. One of dem lives in De Soto and de other in
St. Louis. One of my brothers lives at Crystal City and one has worked
for over 20 years for de St. Joe Company here at Herculaneum.
"I'se heard my mother and father talk about what a hard time dey had
when dey was set free and went to housekeeping. First dey moved in a
house dat was already built and den dey built a log cabin. My father dug
de zinc and lead ore to make a living at Valle Mines. He would get so
much a ton and would sometimes make $2 a day and den sometimes he would
not make anything. I lived at Valle Mines till I come of age and den
moved to St. Louis where I worked for 30 years. I worked in a boiler
room, in de steel works, and drove a team. I hauled sand, cinders,
lumber, dirt, etc. I got about $1.50 a day when I worked in St. Louis. I
was married for about 35 years and my wife is dead and didn't have any
children. When I left St. Louis I worked in de mines at Fletcher and den
came over here and have been 'scalawaggin' around since I been here.
"I 'membered how my mother used to tell about an old colored man who
ground her scissors and he ground dem on both sides and dey would not
cut anything. Dat sure made her mad. I used to have to turn de old
grindstone for my father to get his ax sharp. He like to wore me out. I
feel like I growed up with more freedom now since we has no slavery. I
believe if de colored people had never been brought to dis country dey
would be further developed dan dey is this way. Our people has been
under bondage in dis country for over 200 years. Being in de bondage has
been a great hardship on our race. Dis condition might have some effect
today with some people. Dey might say, 'Well, dis fellow will amount to
nothin' 'cause his parents was slaves.'
"I can read and write and went to school in Valle Mines at night and
paid for it. It cost $1 a month and I went a part of two terms. I
learned to read and write from my father. My father's master would not
allow him to have any books, but de master's son would steal a book and
when dey was in de mines working I had some free time. My father and de
master's son would go off in one side of de mine and dere learn to read
and write.
"In some ways I think de young generation is much better off dan I am or
was. But, on de other hand, it seems to me like dey is more rude but as
de younger ones grows up maybe dey will be better. De younger generation
has a greater opportunity, but dey is behind in doing things against the
law. You all knows such like as stealing, killin', robbing and swindling
is going on now more dan when I was a boy. We have some mighty rude
colored children. Dere is several reasons for dis rudeness. It's caused
by letting children go as dey wants to go. De parents gets so dey feels
dat their child is too good to correct. Another reason is a whole lot de
breeding of de children. I think dat since slavery de Negro would have
been better off if he had been put on a reservation to hisself. It would
have come more natural to civilize de Negro dat way dan de way it is
now. Dere is a lot of white men get Negro women and a lot of white women
get Negro men. Dat would never have happened if de races had been
separated. I'se been down in Southeast Missouri and de colored race is
treated pretty bad down dere."