beside me there
is no other."

Oklahoma Writers' Project
Ex-Slaves

HANNAH McFARLAND
Age 85 yrs.
Oklahoma City, Okla.

I was born in Georgetown, South Carolina, February 29, 1853. My father
was name James Gainey and my mother was name Katie Gainey. There was
three chillun born to my folks doing slavery. My father was a free
man, but my mother was de slave of the Sampsons, some Jews. My father
was de richest Negro in South Carolina doing this time. He bought all
three of we chillun for $1,000 apiece, but dem Jews jest wouldn't sell
mamma. Dey was mighty sweet to her. She come home ever night and
stayed with us. Doing the day a Virginian nigger woman stayed with us
and she sho' was mean to we chillun. She used to beat us sumpin'
terrible. You know Virginia people is mean to cullud people. My father
bought her from some white folks too.

We lived in town and in a good house.

It was a good deal of confusion doing de War. I waited on the Yankees.
Dey captured mamma's white people's house. Dey tried to git mamma to
tell dem jest whut de white folks done done to her and all she could
say was dey was good to her. Shucks, dey wouldn't sell her. She jest
told them she had a free husband.

My father was a blockader. He run rafts from one place to another and
sho' made a lot of money. He was drowned while doing this while I was
a good size child.

Dem patrollers tied you to a whipping post iffen dey caught you out
after 10 o'clock. They 'tempted to do my mother that way, but my papa
sho' stopped dat. I can't say I lak white people even now, 'cause dey
done done so much agin us.

I was free, but I couldn't go to school, 'cause we didn't had none. I
been in Oklahoma over 40 years. Have done some traveling and could go
some whar else, but I jest stays here 'cause I ain't got no desire to
travel.

All we ever wore to keep off diseases was asafetida, nothing else.

I done heard more 'bout conjure in Oklahoma than I ever heerd in South
Carolina. All dat stuff is in Louisiana. I didn't heah nothing 'bout
the Klu Klux Klan till I come to Oklahoma neither. More devilment in
Oklahoma than any place I know. South got more religion too. I jest as
soon be back with the Rebels.

Bushwhackers whipped you iffen you stayed out late, and sho' nuff if
dey didn't lak you.

I felt sorry for Jeff Davis when the Yankees drilled him through the
streets. I saw it all. I said, "Mama, Mama, look, dey got old Jeff
Davis." She said