*Interview with Everett Ingram*
--_Preston Klein, Opelika, Alabama_
_MY GRANDMA RAISED PLENTY CHILLUNS_
Uncle Everett Ingram mused: "Honey chile, my gran'mammy was de beatenest
woman to have chilluns dat you ever seen. I has hyared dat she raised so
many of dem dat she brung a mighty heap on de block; somewhere near a
thousan' dollars."
Uncle Everett is a familiar figure in East Opelika, where he has lived
for years. He was "a right good-sized scamp at freedom time" and
remembers much of what he has seen and heard. He was born in Russell
County, the son of Prince and Fanny Ingram. They had seven other
children; Jerry, Clara, Rubin, Jep, Lula, Eugene and Lucy.
Everett says of his life:
"Our house in de slave settlement was made of logs an' had one room. It
had a mud an' stick chimney, a plank floor an' a boxed-up bed wid one
leg at de foot. De mattress was stuffed wid shucks an' straw.
"My gran'pappy, Prince Walden, an' Lucy, his wife, come from Russell
County, too, an' belonged to de Covingtons. Later dey was sold to Dr.
Walden, at Uchie. When dey come to Uchie de county was full of Indians.
My gran'pappy useta drink likker wid 'em; but gran'ma, she was skeered
an' runned away to Columbus, Georgy. On her way dere, my mammy was
borned in de woods.
"I 'members dat when I was a strip of a boy, dey cooked ash-cake on
leaves an' de chilluns et pot-licker an' bread an' greens outen wooden
trays wid wooden spoons. Dey would sit under de trees an' eat. Each
family had dey own bowl, an' us et a-plenty, too. In cold weather mammy
kept all de chilluns in de house by de fire.
"Master had us a two-room house, 'ca'se my mammy was de cook an' weaver.
Dey made dey own silk den, too, an' raised de silk worms. Us useta get
mulberry leaves to feed de silk worms wid. Us used indigo, which us
cooked an' used for dye. Us would wear any kind of clothes on everyday
an' Sunday; an' didn't have no shoes 'til us was big chilluns.
"Ol' Marster an' Ol' Mistus, Mr. Bill an' Miss Lucy Ingram, lived in a
big weather-boarded house wid a wide hall an' a chimney at each end. De
kitchen was off from de rest of de house.
"I 'members dat de overseer useta whip mammy an' pappy, 'ca'se dey fight
so much. He useta take my mammy to de carriage to whip her. Marster was
in de war den. When he come home, de overseer tuk mammy by de han' to de
house an' tell Marster 'bout havin' to whip her. He'd jest shake his
head, sad-lak. He was mighty good to all of us.
"My gran'pappy was put in de speculator drove, put on de block an' sold.
"I 'members dat Mistus read de Bible to us an' my mammy was converted by
de white preacher. He baptized her. De colored folks used de white
church an' set in de back.
"An' honey, dey shorely did have good times dancin' on Sattidy nights;
an' sometimes dey would dance 'till Sunday mornin'. When de corn needed
shuckln', it was hauled up near de crib, an' on a purty moonlighted
night Marster would pass 'roun' de likker. It wouldn't be long 'til dey
was all happy an' had what dey called a general. De general led all de
hollers an' songs. Dey shorely did get dat corn shucked fast, too.
"Gran'mammy was a great doctor; useta give us turpentine an' castor oil
an' Jerusalem oak fer worms. She'd give us all kinds of teas, too. I
'members dat gran'mammy was also a midwife.
[Illustration: _Everett Ingram, Opelika, Alabama_]
"De Yankees comed through de yard in May an' tol' us: 'You's free.' De
Yankees wasn't so good. Dey hung my mammy up in de smokehouse by her
thumbs; tips of her toes jest touchin' de floor, 'ca'se she wouldn't
'gree to give up her older chilluns. She never did, neither.
"Daddy stole both de older chilluns, dough, an' went off. De Yankees
stole provisions an' stock an' hauled 'em off. De news got to Uchie an'
everybody hid out; Marster wid 'em. Dey hunted de money whut was hid in
de colored folks beds; nearly $2,000. De jewelry was dere, too. Dey
foun' some money at de big house an' said: 'Dis money ain't worth a
damn;' but dey tuk it jest de same.
"I married Hattie Graves. Den I j'ined de church an' was saved."