old, when
he was sold to Lewis Ripley of Beaufort, South Carolina, with whom he
lived for two years; he was then sold to Ed Tillman of Dallas, Texas; he
stayed on the Tillman plantation for about a year and until he was
purchased by John Troy of Union Springs, Alabama--the richest
slave-holder in Union Springs, Alabama; he remained with him until
Emancipation. He recalls that during one of these sales about $800.00
was paid for him.

He describes A.J. Lane as being a kind slave-holder who fed his slaves
well and whipped them but little. All of his other masters, he states,
were nice to children, but lashed and whipped the grown-ups.

Mr. Lane's family was comprised of his wife, Fannie (who also was very
kind to the slaves) five children, Harriett Ann, Jennie, Jeff, Frankie
and Mae Roxie, a brother (whose name he does not recall) who owned a few
slaves but was kind to those that he did own. Although very young during
slavery, "Parson" remembers many plantation activities and customs,
among which are the following: That the master's children and those of
the slaves on the plantation played together; the farm crops consisted
of corn, cotton, peas, wheat and oats; that the food for the slaves was
cooked in pots which were hung over a fire; that the iron ovens used by
the slaves had tops for baking; how during the Civil War, wheat, corn
and dried potatoes were parched and used as substitutes for coffee; that
his mother was given a peck of flour every two weeks; that a mixture of
salt and sand was dug from the earthern floor of the smokehouse and
water poured over it to get the salt drippings for seasoning; that most
medicine consisted of boiled roots; when thread and cloth were dyed with
the dye obtained from maple bark; when shoes were made on a wooden last
and soles and uppers fastened together with maple pegs; when the white
preachers preached "obey your masters"; that the first buggy that he saw
was owned by his master, A.J. Lane; it had a seat at the rear with rest
which was usually occupied by a man who was called the "waiter"; there
was no top to the seat and the "waiter" was exposed to the weather. He
recalls when wooden slats and tightened ropes were used for bed springs;
also the patience of "Aunt Letha" an old woman slave who took care of
the children in the neighborhood while their parents worked, and how
they enjoyed watching "Uncle Umphrey" tan cow and pig hides.

"Parson" describes himself as being very fri