. The mother of the chillun was a good lady
an' she let me look on the books when she read to them an' larned me the
lessons 'long with her chillun. She said it wuz a pity I couldn't ov
went to school, cause I wuz a apt pupil. I larned easy, yassum, that's
what she said."

"My Ma wuz name Margaret an' she had thirteen chillun, six of 'em twins.
I wuz the oldest one, but I ain't a twin. I wuz born on a plantation in
Wilkes County right on the line of Oglethorpe. In the white family I
belonged to there wuz a mother, four boys, an' two girls, all grown.
They come to Wilkes County from Maryland. All four of the men went to
the war an' three of 'em died of sickness caught in the war."

Aunt Emma told of how the slaves had to live on the plantation and an
unpleasant story it was. There were no neat cabins all in a row making
up the "quarters" where the slaves lived. Instead they were made to live
around in any old hut they could find shelter in. Her mother and three
other women stayed in one room of the house the white family lived in.

The little slaves were fed pig-fashion in the kitchen, but they were
given just so much food and no more. They were alloted two garments at
the time, summer and winter: "Why, honey, I never had no shoes 'til
after freedom come. I've walked on snow many a time barefooted with my
feet so cold my toes wuz stickin' straight up with no feelin' in 'em.
The white folks had a trained shoe-maker slave an' he made shoes fer
them, but us little niggers didn't have none. The first shoes I ever
remembers had wooden bottoms an' sich a sound as they made when the
folks walked 'round with 'em on."

The slaves did plenty of hard work done on the plantation. The women
labored all day in the fields and then spun at night. Each one was given
the task of spinning six broaches a week. On Saturday "a white lady"
reeled off the spinning and if one of the women had failed in her task
she was severely beaten. The men worked all day and until ten o'clock at
night shucking corn or doing other chores by lamp light.

Every Wednesday night the slaves had to go to the spring and wash their
clothes by torch light. They did have all day Sunday as a resting
period, but they were not allowed to go to church and no religious
services were held for them. There was one day holiday at Christmas,
"but I never heard of a Santa Claus when I wuz a child," said Emma.

When a slave died on the place he was wrapped in a sheet, put int