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Don't member now nuthin' 'bout dem Klu Klux men en don't member de ole songs er 'bout slaves votin'." "Dunno 'bout de young persons, white er black, dey ez all so wild now." "W'en we all wuz freed we had nuthin en no place ter go, so dat mah mammy lived wid our Missis five y'ars longer." "De only story dat I member mah people tole me 'bout wuz on Fedd, a slave on de next plantation.
I needs milk en cod liver oil fer dis lettle boy but can't buy it. I dunno nothin' 'bout slave uprisin's. De songs I member ez: "All Gawds Chilluns up Yonder." "I want ter Shout Salvation." "Down by de River Side." INTERVIEW NARCISSUS YOUNG Rear 532 1st Street No. Nashville, Tennessee "I'se 96 y'ars ole. Bawn in slavery en mah marster wuz Isham Lamb en mah missis wuz Martha Lamb.
"I wuz bawn in Smith County on uther side ob Lebanon. Ah'll be 85 y'ars ole Christmas Day. Mah ole Missis wuz named Sallie, en mah Marster wuz George Waters. Mah mammy's name wuz Lucindia, she wuz sold fum me w'en I wuz six weeks ole, en mah Missis raised me. I allus slept wid her. Dunno ob any ex-slaves votin' er holdin' office ob any kin. I member de Ku Klux Klan en Pat-a-rollers.
I puts mah faith en trust in Gawd's han's; en treats mah nabers right; en lives honest. I 'longs ter de Christian Chuch, but don't wan'ter be called a "Campbellite." "De songs I members ez: Am I a Soldier ob de Cross. Am I Bawn ter Die? 'Tis 'Ligion Dat Can Gib." INTERVIEW NAISY REECE 710 Overton St. Nashville, Tennessee "I wuz bawn in slavery, in Williamson County, guess I'se 'bout 80 y'ars ole.
Mah mammy d'ed w'en I wuz three y'ars ole en I wuz raised in de house 'til I wuz big 'nuff ter wuk out in de fiels wid de uthers. Mah missis l'arn me ter sew, weav en spin. I also he'lped ter cook en wuk in de house. Atter I got big'er I went ter chuch wid mah white folks en had ter set wid urther slaves in dat part ob de chuch whar nobody but slaves would be 'lowed.
I guess I wuz 'bout 12 y'ars ole w'en I lef' mah Missis en mah mammy brought me ter Nashville en put me ter wuk. De mawnin' I lef' mah Missis, I went ter de Court House en met mah mammy; de Court room wuz jammed wid peeple. De Jedge tole me ter hold my right hand up, I wuz so skeered I stuck both hands up. Jedge sezs, "Frankie ez dat yo mammy?" I sezs, "I dunno, she sezs she ez."
I'm ther head of ther house now an' ye're related ter me." "I hain't clost kin," objected Cal, quickly. "Not too clost ter wed with Dorothy." "Ey God, no, boy, ye hain't but only a distant cousin but a hundred an' fifty y'ars back our foreparent war ther same man.
I would dance en de folks would gib me money er gib me candy en durin' de war de soldiers wuz de prettiest things." "Got nuthin' at freedum en wuz not lookin' fuh nuthin'. Ef marster had lived he might hab gib us sump'in. He wuz a good man en good ter us. Eber since mah freedum, I'se wuk'd as a laundress. Wuk'd fer one fam'ly ober 21 y'ars. 'Bout two y'ars ago I lefted a tub, en hurt mahself.
"Wa'al, thar's trouble-makin' sperits amongst both ther Doanes an' ther Harpers an' they seeks ter start all thet hell up a-bilin' ergin like ther devil's own cauldron.... Ef we've done maintained peace 'stid of war fer upwards of twenty y'ars hit's because old Caleb an' a few more like him hes been balancin' thet ladder till th'ar hearts was nigh ter bustin' with ther weight of hit.
Guess de reason I hab libed so long wuz cose I tuk good keer ob mahself en wore warm clo'es en still do, w'ar mah yarn pettycoats now. Hab had good health all mah life. Hab tuk very lettle medicine en de wust sickness I eber had wuz small-pox. I'se bin a widah 'bout 70 y'ars. Mah mammy d'ed w'en I wuz young but mah daddy libed ter be 103 y'ars ole.
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