*Interview with Margaret Nickens,*
*Hannibal, Missouri.*
_"Mag" Preaches Thrift_
Margaret Nickens, now living at 1644 Broadway, Hannibal, Missouri, was
born in slavery on the farm of Pleasant McCann about six miles from
Paris in Monroe County, Missouri. She was a daughter of George Morrison
and wife, slaves of Pleasant McCann. The following is her story as she
told it:
"Mr. McCann was a rich slave holder. His daughter, Georgia Ann, was
married to a Mr. Dawson and lived in Liberty, Clay County. When I was
'bout eight years old de Dawsons come back to Paris to visit. Dey had
two children den so dey took me as a nurse for de children. Mr. Dawson
didn't believe in slaves and he didn't own none. My mistress had only
one slave to do de cooking and she took me for to be de nurse.
"De baggage and slaves and other things dey hauled in a covered wagon
and de white folks rode in a rockaway. When we was fixing to leave, dere
was lots of people standing 'round. My mother had to stand dere like I
wasn't hers and all she could say was, 'Be a good girl, Margaret.'
"When we was at Liberty de first soldiers we seen was General Price's
men and later we seen lots of Union soldiers.
"De day dat de slaves was freed Mr. Dawson told me dat I was as free as
he was and dat he brought me here and he would take me back if I wanted
to go. I said, 'If I still have a mother and father I wants to go to
dem.'
"When we got back to Paris my mistress Georgia Ann said, 'Oh, that black
good-for-nothing lazy gal, I should have left her at Liberty, but Mr.
Dawson would bring her.' I didn't like her 'cause she wasn't very good
to me and now I don't want to meet my mistress in either hell or heaven.
"I was about eleven years old den. We moved from dere to Palmyra. My
father split rails and built fences (they didn't have wire fence in
those days), and shucked corn and worked on farms or whatever kind of
job he could get to do. My father didn't get no land nor money like some
of de folks did. Most of de white folks was good to de slaves and didn't
whip dem unless dey was sure 'nough bad.
"My father come from Virginia and my mother from Kentucky when dey was
little. Dey never seen dere parents no more. Dey watched for a long time
among de colored people and asked who dey was when dey thought some body
looked like dere parents, but never could find dem. Dey was so small
when dey left, dey didn't even remember dere names.
"I have been working for de Col. Dan Dulany and de Mahan families here
in Hannibal for three generations, more'n sixty years. I'm not working
nowhere now since Mr. Mahan died about two years ago.
"I am saving my money, what little I has, but de younger folks now days
don't save anything. Dey just want a good time. I tell dem to save for a
rainy day even if it's only an umbrella, because it will rain some day."
Margaret Nickens is called "Mag" by her friends. She is about
eighty-five years old and lives alone in a home that she owns. She
reared and educated one daughter who taught school over a period of
forty years in the Negro public school in Hannibal. The daughter died
eight years ago.