Interviewer: Pernella Anderson
[HW: Hicks, Will]
"I was born in Farmerville, La., I don't know what year. I was about
three or four years at surrender. I lived with my mother and father. The
first work I ever did was plow. I did not work very hard at no time but
what ever there was to do I went on and got through with it. All of our
work was muscle work. There were no cultivators.
"I stayed at home with my father and mother until I was 32 years of age.
I was thirty years old when papa died and mother lived two years longer.
About a month after mother died I married. We lived in a real good
house. My father bought it after slavery time. We had good furniture
that was bought from the hardware. The first stove that we used we
bought it and father bought it just after surrender. Never used a
homemade broom in my life. Now, Ma just naturally liked ash cakes so she
always cooked them in the fireplace. We wore all homespun clothes, and
we wore the big bill baily hats. We chaps went barefooted until I was 16
years old then I bought my first pair of shoes. They were brass toe
progans. I never been in the school house a day in my life. Can't read
neither write nor figure. I went to church. Our first preacher was name
Prince Jones. The biggest games I played was ball and card. I was one of
the best dancers. We danced the old juland dance, swing your partner,
promonate. Danced by fiddling. The fiddlers could beat the fiddlers of
today. Get your partners, swing them to the left and to the right, hands
up four, swing corners, right hands up four promonate all around all the
way, git your partners boys. I shoot dice, drink, I got drunk and broke
up church one Sunday night. Me and sister broke up a dinner once because
we got drunk. Whiskey been in circulation a long time. There have been
bad people ever since I been in the world."
--Will Hicks.
Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden
Person interviewed: Bert Higgins
611 Missouri Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Age: 88
"I was born in slavery times. I was thirteen when peace declared. I was
workin' in the field.
"No ma'am, I wasn't born in Arkansas. I was born in Macon, Mississippi.
"Marcus Higgins was my old master. He was good to me. He treated me all
right.
"He had a good big plantation--had two plantations. One in North
Carolina and one in Mississippi.
"Sold? Yes'm, I was put up on the block, but they couldn't quite make
it. Had six of us--boys and girls--and he sold one or two I 'member. But
that's been a long time.
"Yes'm, I can 'member when I was a boy in slavery. Run off too. Old
master ketch me and switch me. Look like the switch would sting so.
'Member the last switchin' I got. Dr. Henderson--I think he was old
master's son-in-law. Me? Well, he whipped me 'cause I'd steal his eggs.
I don't reckon I would a been so bad but I was raised up a motherless
child. My mother died and my stepmother died.
"I can 'member pretty well way back there.
"He'd send me off on a mule to carry the mail to his people around. And
I used to tote water. He had a heap a darkies.
"I could do very well now if I could see and if I wasn't so crippled up.
I was a hard worker.
"We had a plenty to eat and plenty to wear in slavery times.
"Old master would whip me if I went any further than the orchard. If I
did happen to go outside the field, I come in 'fore night. But I hardly
ever went outside. Sometimes I run off and when I come back to the
house, he'd give me a breshin'.
"I seen the Yankees durin' of the War. I run from 'em and hid. I thought
they was tryin' to carry me off. White folks never did tell me nothin'.
They'd come in and throw things outdoors and destroy 'em--old master's
provisions. And they'd take things to eat too.
"My father belonged to Marcus Higgins when I first could remember.
"After freedom we stayed there till I was grown. I don't never 'member
him payin' me, but I got somethin' to eat and a place to stay.
"I never went to school; I had to work. I farmed all my life till I come
to the city of Pine Bluff. I worked here 'bout thirty years.
"I've always been well treated by my white folks. I never sassed a white
person in my life as I remember of--never did. I think that's the reason
I was so well took care of 'cause I never sassed 'em. I've always tried
to do what was right.
"I think these here government people have treated us mighty well. They
have give us money and other things.
"When we got free old master read it to us out of the paper. We was out
in the field and I was totin' water. Some of 'em struck work and went to
the house and set around a while but they soon went back to the field.
And a few days after that he hired 'em.
"Old master was good. He'd let you stop and rest. He hired a overseer
but he didn't do no work. The time run out 'fore he got started.
"I think this younger generation is havin' a heap harder time than the
old folks did. Their disbehavior and the way they carry theirselves
now'days. So many of 'em will pick up things don't belong to 'em.
"I don't believe in these here superstitions. I tried carryin' a rabbit
foot and I know it never brought me no good luck. If you serve the Lord
and try to live right, pray and serve the Lord, and whatever you need
you'll get it."
#790
FORM A
_Circumstances of Interview_
STATE--Arkansas
NAME OF WORKER--Samuel S. Taylor
ADDRESS--Little Rock, Arkansas
DATE--December, 1938
SUBJECT--Ex-slave
1. Name and address of informant--Annie Hill, 3010 Izard Street, Little
Rock.