hings in the
Old Testament. That's all he would talk about; nothing 'bout Jesus,
just Paul and the Old Testament.

His Mammy went to every meeting. Like he says: "She knew them good
things was good for her children and she told us about the Bible."

Like his old Mammy, Uncle George is a firm believer in the power of
the word. "Prayers are saving!" Uncle George says, "But they's lots of
folks' don't know how to pray."

That's why he has prayers for sale--and he knows they are never
failing, "If you tack 'em up on the wall and say 'em over and over
every day they's sure to be answered."

Oklahoma Writers' Project
Ex-Slaves
[Date stamp: AUG 19 1937]

MARTHA KING
Age 85 yrs.
McAlester, Oklahoma

"They hung Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree!
They hung Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree!
They hung Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree!
While we go marching on!"

Dat was de song de Yankees sang when they marched by our house. They
didn't harm us in any way. I guess de War was over then 'cause a few
days after dat old Master say, "Matt", and I say, "Suh?" He say, "Come
here. You go tell Henry I say come out here and to bring the rest of
the niggers with him." I went to the north door and I say, "Henry,
Master Willis say ever one of you come out here." We all went outside
and line up in front of old Master. He say, "Henry". Henry say, "Yes
sah". Old Master say, "Every one of you is free--as free as I am. You
all can leave or stay 'round here if you want to."

We all stayed on for a long time 'cause we didn't have no other home
and didn't know how to take keer of ourselves. We was kind of scared I
reckon. Finally I heard my mother was in Walker County, Alabama, and I
left and went to live with her.

My mother was Harriet Davis and she was born in Virginia. I don't know
who my father was. My grandmother was captured in Africa when she was
a little girl. A big boat was down at the edge of a bay an' the people
was all excited about it an' some of the bravest went up purty close
to look at it. The men on the boat told them to come on board and they
could have the pretty red handkerchiefs, red and blue beads and big
rings. A lot of them went on board and the ship sailed away with them.
My grandmother never saw any of her folks again.

When I was about five years old they brought my grandmother, my mother
and my two aunts and two uncles to Tuskaloosa from Fayettesville,
Alabama. We crossed a big river on