*Interview with Emma L. Howard*
--_Margaret Fowler, Fruithurst, Alabama_
_IS MASSA GWIN'ER SELL US?_
"Mammy, is Ol' Massa gwin'er sell us tomorrow?
Yes, my chile.
Whar he gwin'er sell us?
'Way down South in Georgia."
'Aunt' Emma L. Howard sat in a huge, old-fashioned rocking chair at her
home, 170 Elmwood St., Montgomery, and sang the old slave song. When she
had finished, her memory recalled the time, years ago, when she was a
slave on the plantation of William and Georgiana Shepherd in Lowndes
County, between Mac's Switch and Morgansville.
"Dat was one of de saddest songs we sung endurin' slavery days," she
mused. "It always did make me cry."
She thought a moment, smiled.
"I 'members I was de only light nigger in de fambly," she said proudly.
"I was brung up in de house wid de white chillun. Twice a week I went to
my mammy's cabin an' took a bath. I had my own sof' shoes an' my own
nightgown an' jacket an' played games wid my massa's chilluns."
She explained her duties about the Big House as sweeping the rambling
porches and yards. Sometimes she churned. Afterward she would join the
white children and played most of the day.
"We played hot-scotch, ring-'roun'-the-rosy an' lots of yuther things I
can't 'member," she explained. "I musta been 'bout seven years old den."
Emma says she is 84 or 85, but she looks older. She remembers very
little about her brothers and sisters. She can only recall "Sist'
Cellie, Sist' Harriett an' Sist' Liza." Liza helped Aunt Evalina in the
kitchen.
Emma lifted her eyes toward the ceiling, endeavoring to recall the exact
number of servants her master owned.
"Edie was de laundress," she recalled, "an' Arrie, she was de weaver.
Den dere was Becky, Melia, Aunt Mary, Ed, John, and Uncle George the
house man, who married Aunt Evalina. Jake was de over-looker (overseer).
He was a great, big cullud man. Dar was more, but I can't 'member. I was
jes' a little shaver den."
She remembers that the Big House was huge and white with a beautiful
parlor and guest room, where the visitors were entertained. Gigantic
white columns rose in front of the house, and clusters of magnolias
surrounded it. The slave houses were located about two hundred yards
back of the house.
"Massa Shepherd an' Mistis Georgiana was both good an' treated de
servants kin'," Emma said. "I 'members dat I used to keep de flies offen
Mistis Georgiana wid a big fan, an' once I went to sleep. She jest laugh
when she foun' me sleepin' dar beside her.
"Massa would only whup a slave fer two things," she recalled. "One thing
was if things warn't done up jes' right at hog killin' time, and de
other was iffen a nigger warn't clean when he 'ported for work on Monday
mornin's. Ol' Massa didn't do de whuppin's hisse'f. Jake did it, but
Massa sat dar on his horse to see dat only a certain number of licks was
give.
"How did we feel 'bout a white man who would be over-looker? We called
him 'po white trash.' He wasn't thought much of by anybody."
Emma said that everyone went to church on Sundays and that she liked to
sing the old religious hymns. When freedom came all the Shepherd
servants had been taught to read and write, she said, and each family
had enough money to buy a little home. "De Marster" would make each
family keep pigs, hens and such; then he would market the products and
place the money aside for them, Emma explained.
Talking further about work about the plantation, she said:
"Louisa cleaned de parlor an' kept Mistis' room nice." She took up a
recital of work on the plantation. "Atter dat she didn't do anything but
sew, an' Sist' Liza hoped her wid dat. After de weavin', we done sewin',
and it took a lot of sewin' for dat family. Eve'body had two Sunday
dresses, summer and winter, as well as clothes for eve'day.
"For de men's suits de wool had to be took off an' carded an' got ready
to make. But we had plenty of wool from our own sheep.
"When dey kilt de hogs for winter meat, dey took some of de hands out of
de field an' let dem ho'p. We had a smokehouse full of hams and
middlin's, an' when rainy spells came, us chillun would rake up chips
an' leaves an' make a smudge of smoke to keep de meat sweet.
"Massa Shepherd and Miss Georgiana was both mighty kin' hearted an'
treated their servants good. Once when Marse Shepherd sent us chilluns
down to de station wid a note, he say, 'Now, go fas'.' But we played
'long the way an' picked flowers. When we come steppin' back, he say, 'I
told you to hurry.' I held out de flowers an' say, 'See, us brung you
some flowers;' but he take up a little switch an' nettle my legs good.
"Massa always give us plenty of eve'thing. On Friday us worked an'
washed, an' on Sattidy us cleaned for Sunday. Den on Sunday Massa would
go 'roun' an' have a mouthful at every house to see dat eve'thing was
done up jes' right, an' if they wasn't, somebody got a whuppin' next
day.
"When us went to church on Sunday, Massa Shepherd, Miss Georgiana an' us
three chilluns rode in de rock-a-way. Dat was a carriage shaped mos'
like a bowl. De carriage was pulled by two big horses, an' de coachman
what sat up on de high seat had on a long double-breasted coat, shiny
black boots an' a tall silk hat. Massa had on a silk hat, too, but he
wore a tight-waisted coat. An' Miss Georgiana, she look lak a bokay.
[Illustration: _Emma L. Howard, Montgomery, Alabama_]
"She didn't lak to wear hoops, because she had sprained her ankle once
an' walked wid a limp. She liked to wear thin, cool, flowery dresses wid
lots of ruffles an' lace. She also wore a scoop of white straw, mighty
sof' over de years' an' flarin' high an' spreadin' over de face. It was
filled wid flowers an' tied wid long streamers of ribbon."
Emma said that Mr. Shepherd died during the second year of the war, and
that it was whispered he was poisoned because he was so good to his
niggers. "Just before the war closed," she said, "Mrs. Shepherd married
again and later moved to Texas.
"I was took on as a cook by a rich family named Marchiel, in
Montgomery," she said. "Dey treated me lak I was deir own daughter. I
was 'lowed to go out three nights a week, but no more, an' I had to be
home by 'leven o'clock.
"I got engaged to be married an' de boy had to ax for me. I 'member dat
Massa Marchiel say: 'If you don't take good care of her I'll take her
back.' When de younges' daughter married she lef' me her veil an'
wreath, an' dey give me a weddin' dress an' shoes.
"My husban' was a carpenter, an' we lived in dis house. When he died, I
went to work for a family dat once was de richest family in de State.
Dey comes to see me every few days, an' nex' week dey are comin' for me
to spen' de day wid dem. De reason I has stayed so well is dat folks has
always been so good to me."