(This old negro, known as "Uncle George" by the neighbors, is very
particular about propriety. He allows no woman in his house unless
accompanied by a man. He says "It jest a'nt the proper thing to do", but
he came to a neighbors for a little talk.)
"I was bawn in Union County, Kentucky, near Morganfield. My master was
Mr. Ray, he made me call him Mr. Ray, wouldent let me call him Master.
He said I was his little free negro."
When asked if there were many slaves on Mr. Ray's farm, he said, "Yes'm,
they was seven cabin of us. I was the oldes' child in our family. Mr.
Ray said "He didn't want me in the tobacco", so I stayed at the house
and waited on the women folk and went after the cows when I was big
enough. I carried my stick over my shoulder for I wus afraid of snakes."
"Mr. Ray was always very good to me, he liked to play with me, cause I
was so full of tricks an' so mischuvus. He give me a pair of boots with
brass toes. I shined them up ever day, til you could see your face in
'em."
"There wuz two ladies at the house, the Missus and her daughter, who was
old enough to keep company when I was a little boy. They used to have me
to drive 'em to church. I'd drive the horses. They'd say, 'George, you
come in here to church.' But I always slipped off with the other boys
who was standing around outside waitin' for they folks, and played
marbles."
"Yes, ma'am, the War sho did affect my fambly. My father, he fought for
the north. He got shot in his side, but it finally got all right. He
saved his money and came north after the war and got a good job. But, I
saw them fellows from the south take my Uncle. They put his clothes on
him right in the yard and took him with them to fight. And even the
white folks, they all cried. But he came back, he wasnt hurt but he
wasent happy in his mind like my pappy was."
"Yes ma'am, I would rather live in the North. The South's all right but
someways I just don't feel down there like I does up here."
"No ma'am, I was never married. I don't believe in getting married
unless you got plenty of money. So many married folks dont do nuthin but
fuss and fight. Even my father and mother always spatted and I never
liked that and so I says to myself what do I want to get married for.
I'm happier just living by myself."
"Yes Ma'am. I remember when people used to take wagon loads of corn to
the market in Louisville, and they would bring back home lots of
groceries and things. A colored man told me he had come north to the
market in Louisville with his master, and was working hard unloading the
corn when a white man walks up to him, shows him some money and asks him
if he wanted to be free? He said he stopped right then and went with the
man, who hid him in his wagon under the provisions and they crossed the
Ohio River right on the ferry. That's the way lots of 'em got across
here."
"Did I ever hear of any ghosts. Yes ma'am I have. I hear noises and I
seed something once that I never could figger out. I was goin't thru
the woods one day, and come up sudden in a clear patch of ground. There
sat a little boy on a stump, all by his-self, there in the woods. I asks
him who he wuz & wuz he lost, and he never answered me. Jest sat there,
lookin at me. All of a sudden he ups and runs, and I took out after him.
He run behind a big tree, and when I got up to where I last seed him, he
wuz gone. And there sits a great big brown man twice as big as me, on
another stump. He never seys a word, jest looks at me. And then I got
away from there, yes ma'am I really did."
"A man I knew saw a ghost once and he hit at it. He always said he
wasn't afraid of no ghost, but that ghost hit him, and hit him so hard
it knocked his face to one side and the last time I saw him it was still
that way. No ma'am, I don't really believe in ghosts, but you know how
it is, I lives by myself and I don't like to talk about them for you
never can tell what they might do.
"Lady you ought to hear me rattle bones, when I was young. I caint do it
much now for my wrists are too stiff. When they played Turkey in the
Straw how we all used to dance and cut up. We'ed cut the pigeon wing,
and buck the wind [HW: wing?], and all. But I got rewmaytism in my feet
now and ant much good any more, but I sure has done lots of things and
had lots of fun in my time."
Federal Writers' Project
of the W.P.A.
District #6
Marion County
Anna Pritchett
1200 Kentucky Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana
FOLKLORE
JOSEPH MOSLEY, EX-SLAVE
2637 Boulevard Place
[TR: Also reported as Moseley in text of interview.]
Joseph Mosley, one of twelve children, was born March 15, 1853, fourteen
miles from Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
His master, Tim Mosley, was a slave trader. He was supposed to have
bought and sold 10,000 slaves. He would go from one state to another
buying slaves, bringing in as many as 75 or 80 slaves at one time.
The slaves would be handcuffed to a chain, each chain would link 16
slaves. The slaves would walk from Virginia to Kentucky, and some from
Mississippi to Virginia.
In front of the chained slaves would be an overseer on horseback with a
gun and dogs. In back of the chained slaves would be another overseer on
horseback with a gun and dogs. They would see that no slave escaped.
Joseph's father was the shoemaker for all the farm hands and all adult
workers. He would start in September making shoes for the year. First
the shoes for the folks in the house, then the workers.
No slave child ever wore shoes, summer or winter.
The father, mother, and all the children were slaves in the same family,
but not in the same house. Some with the daughters, some with the sons,
and so on. No one brother or sister would be allowed to visit with the
others.
After the death of Tim Moseley, little Joseph was given to a daughter.
He was seven years old; he had to pick up chips, tend the cows, and do
small jobs around the house; he wore no clothing except a shirt.
Little Joseph did not see his mother after he was taken to the home of
the daughter until he was set free at the age of 13.
The master was very unkind to the slaves; they sometimes would have
nothing to eat, and would eat from the garbage.
On Christmas morning Joseph was told he could go see his mother; he did
not know he was free, and couldn't understand why he was given the first
suit of clothes he had ever owned, and a pair of shoes. He dressed in
his new finery and was started out on his six mile journey to his
mother.
He was so proud of his new shoes; after he had gotten out of sight, he
stopped and took his shoes off as he did not want them dirty before his
mother had seen them, and walked the rest of the way in his bare feet.
After their freedom, the family came to Indiana.
The mother died here, in Indianapolis, at the age of 105.