s off. But I'm a member of the
Baptist Church and I've been a member for some 40-odd years. I was
past 40 when I heerd of a Methodist Church. My favorite song is
"Companion." I didn't get to go to school 'til after slavery.

I 'member more after de War. I 'member my mother said dey had
patrollers, and if de slaves would get passes from de Master to go to
de dances and didn't git back before ten o'clock dey'd beat 'em half
to death.

I used to hear 'em talking 'bout Ku Klux Klan coming to the well to
get water. They'd draw up a bucket of water and pour the water in they
false stomachs. They false stomachs was tied on 'em with a big leather
buckle. They'd jest pour de water in there to scare 'em and say, "This
is the first drink of water I've had since I left Hell." They'd say
all sech things to scare the cullud folks.

I heerd my mother say they sold slaves on what they called an auction
block. Jest like if a slave had any portly fine looking children
they'd sell them chillun jest like selling cattle. I didn't see this,
jest heerd it.

After freedom, when I was old enough then to work in the field, we
lived on Mr. Martin's plantation. We worked awful hard in the fields.
Lawd yes'm! I've heard 'bout shucking up de corn, but give me dem
cotton pickings. Fry'd pick out all de crop of cotton in one day. The
women would cook and de men'd pick the cotton, I mean on dem big
cotton pickings. Some would work for they meals. Then after dey'd
gather all de crops, dey'd give big dances, drink whiskey, and jest
cut up sumpin terrible. We didn't know anything 'bout holidays.

I've heard my husband talk 'bout "Raw head an' bloody bones." Said
whenever dey mothers wanted to scare 'em to make 'em be good dey'd
tell 'em dat a man was outside de door and asked her if she'd hold his
head while he fixed his back bone. I don't believe in voodooing, and I
don't believe in hants. I used to believe in both of 'em when I was
young.

I married Jake Bridges. We had a ordinary wedding. The preacher
married us and we had a license. We have two sons grown living here.
My husband told me that in slavery if your Master told you to live
with your brother, you had to live with him. My father's mother and
dad was first cousins.

I can 'member my husband telling me he was hauling lumber from
Jefferson where the saw mill was and it was cold that night, and when
they got halfway back it snowed, and he stopped with an old cullud
family, and he said w