ver to an
excess.

EX-SLAVE INTERVIEW

WILLIS COFER, Age 78
548 Findley Street
Athens, Georgia

Written by:
Grace McCune
Federal Writers' Project
Athens, Georgia

Edited by:
Sarah H. Hall
Athens, Ga.

and
Leila Harris
John N. Booth
Augusta, Georgia
[MAY 6 1938]

Willis was enjoying the warm sunshine of an April morning as he sat on
his small porch. Apparently, he was pleased because someone actually
wanted to hear him talk about himself. His rheumatism had been painful
ever since that last bad cold had weakened him, but he felt sure the
sunshine would "draw out all the kinks." Having observed the amenities
in regard to health and weather, the old man proceeded with his story:

"Eden and Calline Cofer was my pa and ma and us all lived on de big old
Cofer plantation 'bout five miles from Washin'ton, Wilkes. Pa b'longed
to Marse Henry Cofer and ma and us chillun wuz de property of Marse
Henry's father, Marse Joe Cofer.

"I wuz borned in 1860, and at one time I had three brudders, but Cato
and John died. My oldest brudder, Ben Cofer, is still livin' and
a-preachin' de Gospel somewhar up Nawth.

"Chilluns did have de bestes' good times on our plantation, 'cause Old
Marster didn't 'low 'em to do no wuk 'til dey wuz 12 years old. Us jus'
frolicked and played 'round de yard wid de white chilluns, but us sho'
did evermore have to stay in dat yard. It wuz de cook's place to boss us
when de other Niggers wuz off in de fields, and evvy time us tried to
slip off, she cotch us and de way dat 'oman could burn us up wid a
switch wuz a caution.

"Dere warn't no schools for us to go to, so us jes' played 'round. Our
cook wuz all time feedin' us. Us had bread and milk for breakfas', and
dinner wuz mos'ly peas and cornbread, den supper wuz milk and bread.
Dere wuz so many chilluns dey fed us in a trough. Dey jes' poured de
peas on de chunks of cornbread what dey had crumbled in de trough, and
us had to mussel 'em out. Yessum, I said mussel. De only spoons us had
wuz mussel shells what us got out of de branches. A little Nigger could
put peas and cornbread away mighty fast wid a mussel shell.

"Boys jes' wore shirts what looked lak dresses 'til dey wuz 12 years old
and big enough to wuk in de field. Den dey put 'em on pants made open in
de back. Dem britches would look awful funny now, but dey wuz all us had
den, and all de boys wuz mighty proud when dey got big enough to wear
pants and go to wuk in de fields