d allowed to
sit in the seven back benches; should those benches be filled, they were
not allowed to sit in any other benches.

The wealthy slave owner never allowed his slaves to pay any attention to
the poor "white folks," as he knew they had been free all their lives
and should be slave owners themselves. The poor whites were hired by
those who didnot believe in slavery, or could not afford slaves.

At the beginning of the Civil war, I had a family of fourteen children.
At the close of the war, I was given my choice of staying on the same
plantation, working on shares, or taking my family away, letting them
out for their food and clothes. I decided to stay on that way; I could
have my children with me. They were not allowed to go to school, they
were taught only to work.

Slave mothers were allowed to stay in bed only two or three days after
childbirth; then were forced to go into the fields to work, as if
nothing had happened.

The saddest moment of my life was when I was sold away from my family. I
often wonder what happened to them, I haven't seen or heard from them
since. I only hope God was as good to them as He has been to me.

"I am 110 years old; my birth is recorded in the slave book. I have good
health, fairly good eyesight, and a good memory, all of which I say is
because of my love for God."

Interviewer's Comment

Mrs. Rogers is certainly a very old woman, very pleasant, and seems very
fond of her granddaughters, with whom she lives.

Submitted December 29, 1937
Indianapolis, Indiana

Federal writers' Project
of the W.P.A.
District #6
Marion County
Anna Pritchett
1200 Kentucky Avenue

FOLKLORE
MRS. PARTHENA ROLLINS
848 Camp Street (Rear)

Mrs. Parthena Rollins was born in Scott County, Kentucky, in 1853, a
slave of Ed Duvalle, who was always very kind to all of his slaves,
never whipping any of the adults, but often whipped the children to
correct them, never beating them. They all had to work, but never
overwork, and always had plenty to eat.

She remembers so many slaves, who were not as fortunate as they were.

Once when the "nigger traders" came through, there was a girl, the
mother of a young baby; the traders wanted the girl, but would not buy
her because she had the child. Her owner took her away, took the baby
from her, and beat it to death right before the mother's eyes, then
brought the girl back to the sale without the baby, and she was bought
immediately.

H