lls and so he
move up on de Illinois River 'bout three miles from de Arkansas, and
there old Mistress take de white swelling and die and den he die
pretty soon. I went to see dem lots of times and they was always glad
to see me.

I would stay around about a week and help 'em, and dey would try to
git me to take something but I never would. Dey didn't have much and
couldn't make anymore and dem so old. Old Mistress had inherited some
property from her pappy and dey had de slave money and when dey turned
everything into good money after de War dat stuff only come to about
six thousand dollars in good money, she told me. Dat just about lasted
'em through until dey died, I reckon.

By and by I married Nancy Hildebrand what lived on Greenleaf Creek,
'bout four miles northwest of Gore. She had belonged to Joe Hildebrand
and he was kin to old Steve Hildebrand dat owned de mill on Flint
Creek up in de Going Snake District. She was raised up at dat mill,
but she was borned in Tennessee before dey come out to de Nation. Her
master was white but he had married into de Nation and so she got a
freedmen's allotment too. She had some land close to Catoosa and some
down on Greenleaf Creek.

We was married at my home in Coffeyville, and she bore me eleven
children and then went on to her reward. A long time ago I came to
live wid my daughter Emma here at dis place, but my wife just died
last year. She was eighty three.

I reckon I wasn't cut out on de church pattern, but I raised my
children right. We never had no church in slavery, and no schooling,
and you had better not be caught wid a book in your hand even, so I
never did go to church hardly any.

Wife belong to de church and all de children too, and I think all
should look after saving their souls so as to drive de nail in, and
den go about de earth spreading kindness and hoeing de row clean so as
to clinch dat nail and make dem safe for Glory.

Of course I hear about Abraham Lincoln and he was a great man, but I
was told mostly by my children when dey come home from school about
him. I always think of my old Master as de one dat freed me, and
anyways Abraham Lincoln and none of his North people didn't look after
me and buy my crop right after I was free like old Master did. Dat was
de time dat was de hardest and everything was dark and confusion.

Oklahoma Writers' Project
Ex-Slaves
[Date stamp: AUG 16 1937]

ANDREW SIMMS
Age 80
Sapulpa, Okla.

My parents