avis says that
all the buildings on this plantation were whitewashed, the lime having
been secured from a corner of the plantation known as "the lime sink".
Colonel Davis had a large family and so he had to have a large house to
accommodate these members. The mansion, as it was called, was a great
big three-storied affair surrounded by a thick growth of cedar trees.

Mose's parents, Jennie and January Davis, had always been the property
of the Davis family, naturally he and his two brothers and two sisters
never knew any other master than "The Old Colonel".

Mr. Davis says that the first thing he remembers of his parents is being
whipped by his mother who had tied him to the bed to prevent his running
away. His first recollection of his father is seeing him take a drink of
whiskey from a five gallon jug. When asked if this was'nt against the
plantation rules "Uncle Mose" replied: "The Colonel was one of the
biggest devils you ever seen--he's the one that started my daddy to
drinking. Sometimes he used to come to our house to git a drink
hisself".

Mose's Father was the family coachman. "All that he had to do was to
drive the master and his family and to take care of the two big grey
horses that he drove. Compared to my mother and the other slaves he had
an easy time," said Uncle Mose, shaking his head and smiling: "My daddy
was so crazy about the white folks and the horses he drove until I
believe he thought more of them than he did of me. One day while I was
in the stable with him one of the horses tried to kick me and when I
started to hit him Daddy cussed me and threatned to beat me."

His mother, brothers, and sisters, were all field hands, but there was
never any work required of Mose, who was play-mate and companion to
Manning, the youngest of Colonel Davis' five sons. These two spent most
of the time fishing and hunting. Manning had a pony and buggy and
whenever he went to town he always took Mose along.

Field hands were roused, every morning by the overseer who rang the
large bell near the slave quarters. Women [TR: and] young children were
permitted to remain at home until 9 o'clock to prepare breakfast. At 9
o'clock these women had to start to the fields where they worked along
with the others until sundown. The one break in the day's work was the
noon dinner hour. Field hands planted and tended cotton, corn, and the
other produce grown on the plantation until harvest time when everybody
picked cotton. S