*Personal interview with Amanda Tellis*
*and her daughter Sarah Chastan*
*in Allenville, Mobile County, Alabama*
--_Written by Ila B. Prine_
Amanda Tellis, a tall, thin, light lulatto woman, who was born a slave
November 30, 1854, lives in Allenville, a negro settlement about four
miles north of Mobile, Alabama.
Amanda's father was a spaniard, whose name was John Quick, and her
mother's name was Sallie Pugh, her mother having the same name as the
people who owned her. Sallie, Amanda's mother, was born a slave in
Charleston South Carolina, and she and her mother were brought to
Alabama and sold when Sallie was twelve years old. The mother was sold
to someone in Demopolis, Alabama, while Sallie was sold to the Pugh
family in Grove Hill, Alabama.
Amanda was born in Grove Hill, Alabama and Mr. Meredith Pugh was her
master, and Mrs. Fannie Pugh was her mistress. Her young "Missus" was
Miss Maria Pugh, a daughter, one of seven children in the Pugh family.
Amanda said she willed to "Miss Maria" and she nursed and took care of
her until the surrender. Many times when Amanda would be promised a
whipping for not doing things as she should have, Miss Maria would save
her from the whipping, by throwing herself back from the table and
screaming for them not to touch Amanda, her nurse.
Aside from caring for "Miss Maria", Amanda said she spun three cuts of
thread a day, and when the writer asked what a cut was, she said: "A cut
was a broach full." During the war, (meaning the Civil War,) Amanda said
she and her sister Nancy spun 160 yards of cloth, and they finished the
last on the day of the Surrender, when the Cannons were fired at Fort
Morgan, and they were mustering the men out.
Amanda's life was a very easy one in comparison to some of the other
slaves. She said she had seen many of the slaves cruelly mistreated, but
her people were fortunate in having a good master and mistress.
However, at the close of the war, Amanda was told to pretend she had a
chill, and go to her mother's cabin, so she did as she was told. When
she reached the cabin, her mother, brothers and sisters each had a
pillow slip, filled with clothes and she was given hers and they ran
away, and came to Mt. Vernon, Alabama. Amanda was only eleven years old
then.
Her life has been varied since, having married three times. Her first
husband was Scott Johnson, and was the father of all of her children,
seven boys and one girl. Amanda lives with this girl now. Her second
husband was Vance Stokes, and her third was S.T. Tellis, a negro
Methodist preacher. Amanda said he was "no count and I did not stay with
him long."
Amanda is now confined to her bed and has been for the past seven weeks,
her body has wasted away, until she is skin and bones. Her eyes however
are still bright and keen, her hair snow white and she still has a few
teeth. Her mind seems to be clear, and her memory good, in fact the past
is now a part of her, and she told the writer she was so happy because
she had come to ask her about it, before it was too late.