er say nothing, but kept sitting dere. Dat morning he had a big
sack of money and he give it to my mother to hide for him. She ripped
her mattress, and put it in de middle of it and sewed it up. She den
made up de bed and put de covers on it. De Yankees searched de house
and took de jewelry and silverware and old Master's gold mug, but dey
didn't find his money.

My parents lived close to de old plantation dat they lived on when dey
was slaves. De big house was still dere, but it was sure dilapidated.
Ever'body was poor after de War, whites and blacks alike. I really
think de colored was de best off, for they knowed all 'bout hardships
and hard work and de white folks didn't.

At first some of 'em was too proud to do drudgery work, but most of
'em went right to work and build up deir homes again. Food, clothes,
and in fact everything needed, was scarce.

Mother always say, "If you visit on New Years, you'll visit all de
year." We always had black-eyed peas and hog jowl for New Year's
dinner, for it brought good luck.

The Nineteenth of June was Emancipation Day, and we always had a big
picnic and speeches.

I knowed one woman who was a conjur woman. Lots of people went to her
to git her to break a evil spell dat some one had over them. She'd
brew a tea from herbs and give to 'em to drink, and it always cured
'em.

I've seen people use all kinds o' roots and herbs for medicine, and I
also seen 'em use all kind of things for cures. I've knowed 'em to put
wood lice in a bag and tie 'em 'round a baby's neck so it'd teeth
easy.

Black-haw root, sour dock, bear grass, grape root, bull nettle,
sweet-gum bark and red-oak bark boiled separately and mixed, makes a
good blood medicine.

Oklahoma Writers' Project
Ex-Slaves

NANCY GARDNER
Age 79 yrs.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Well, to tell you de truth I don't know my age, but I was born in
1858, in Franklin, Tennessee. Now, you can figger for yourself and
tell how old I is. I is de daughter of Prophet and Callie Isaiah, and
dey was natives of Tennessee. Dere was three of us children, two boys
and myself. I'm de only girl. My brothers names was Prophet and Billie
Isaiah. I don't 'member much about dem as we was separated when I was
seven years old. I'll never forget when me, my ma and my auntie had to
leave my pa and brothers. It is jest as clear in my mind now as it was
den, and dat's been about seventy years ago.

Oh God! I tell you it was awful dat day wh