ey is well en strong ergin. Folks tell 'bout some plantations
whar de 'omans ud run back home fum de fiel' en hev day baby, en den be
back in do fiel' swingin' er hoe fo' right dat same day, but dey woan
nuffin lak dat 'round Watkinsville."

"When er scritch owl holler et night us put en iron in de fire quick, en
den us turn all de shoes up side down on de flo', en turn de pockets
wrong side out on call de close, kaze effan we diden' do dem things
quick, sompin' moughty bad wuz sho' ter happen. Mos' en lakly, somebuddy
gwint'er be daid in dat house fo' long, if us woan quick 'bout fixin'.
Whut us do in summer time, 'bout fire at night fer de scritch owl? Us
jes' onkivver de coals in de fire place. Us diden' hev no matches en us
bank de fire wid ashes evvy night all de year 'roun'. Effen de fire go
out, kaze some nigger git keerless 'bout it, den somebuddy gotter go off
ter de next plantation sometime ter git live coals. Some er de mens
could wuk de flints right good, but dat wuz er hard job. Dey jes rub dem
flint rocks tergedder right fas' en let de sparks day makes drap down on
er piece er punk wood, en dey gits er fire dat way effen dey is lucky."

"Dem days nobuddy bring er axe in de house on his shoulder. Dat was er
sho' sign er bad luck. En nebber lay no broom crost de bed. One time er
likely pair er black folks git married, en somebuddy give 'em er new
broom. De 'oman she proud uv her nice, spankin' new broom en she lay hit
on de bed fer de weddin' crowd ter see it, wid de udder things been give
'em. Fo' thee years go by her man wuz beatin' 'er, en not long atter dat
she go plum stark crazy. She oughter ter know better'n ter lay dat broom
on her bed. It sho' done brung her bad luck. Dey sent her off ter de
crazy folks place, en she died dar."

[Document 5]

May 3, 1937

Mr. Edwin Bjorkman, State Director
Federal Writers' Project, WPA
City Hall, Fifth Floor
Asheville, North Carolina

Subj: Ex-slave Narratives

Dear Mr. Bjorkman:

I am quoting a memorandum of Mr. Lomax, folklore editor, regarding the
ex-slave stories:

"Of the five States which have already sent in reminiscences of
ex-slaves, Tennessee is the only one in which the workers are asking
ex-slaves about their belief in signs, cures, hoodoo, etc. Also, the
workers are requesting the ex-slaves to tell the stories that were
current among the Negroes when they were growing up. Some of the best
copy that has come in to the office is found