Our furniture was made of oak 'cepting de chairs, and dey was made out
of hackberry. I still have a chair dat belonged to my mammy.

The boys didn't wear no britches in de summer time. Dey just wore long
shirts. De girls wore homespun dresses, either blue or gray.

Old Master never hired no overseer for his slaves, but he looked after
'em hisself. He punished dem hisself too. He had to go away one time
and he hired a white man to oversee while he was gone. The only orders
he left was to keep dem busy. Granny Lucy was awful old but he made
her go to the field. She couldn't hold out to work so he ups and whips
her. He beat her scandalous. He cut her back so bad she couldn't wear
her dress. Old Master come home and my, he was mad when he see Granny
Lucy. He told de man to leave and iffen he ever set foot on his ground
again he's shoot him, sure!

Old Master had a big plantation and a hundred or more slaves. Dey
always got up at daylight and de men went out and fed de horses. When
de bell rang dey was ready to eat. After breakfast dey took de teams
and went out to plow. Dey come in 'bout half past 'leven and at twelve
de bell rung agin. Dey eat their dinner and back to plowing dey went.
'Bout five o'clock dey come in again, and den they'd talk, sing and
jig dance till bedtime.

Old Master never punished his niggers 'cepting dey was sassy or lazy.
He never sold his slaves neither. A owner once sold several babies to
traders. Dey stopped at our plantation to stay awhile. My mammy and de
other women had to take care of dem babies for two days, and teach dem
to nuss a bottle or drink from a glass. Dat was awful, dem little
children crying for they mothers. Sometimes dey sold de mothers away
from they husbands and children.

Master wasn't a believer in church but he let us have church. My we'd
have happy times singing an shouting. They'd have church when dey had
a preacher and prayer meeting when dey didn't.

Slaves didn't leave de plantation much on 'count of de Patrollers. De
patroller was low white trash what jest wanted a excuse to shoot
niggers. I don't think I ever saw one but I heard lots of 'em.

I don't believe in luck charms and things of the such. Iffen you is in
trouble, there ain't nothing gonna save you but de Good Lawd. I heard
of folks keeping all kind of things for good luck charms. When I was a
child different people gave me buttons to string and we called them
our charm string and wore 'em round our nec