lun. Pa rung de bell on de
plantation fur ter wake de slaves up fur to go to de fiel'. My Missus
wuz blind but she wuz a mighty kin' lady. Mek de cook bring plate of
vittals to see ef it wuz heavy nough for her little chillun.

"After freedom all us moved wid de Marse and Missus to Childs, South
Carolina and I mar'd Paul Haynes, who belonged to old Colonel Hampton.

"Paul wanted to preach but nedder of us had no learnin' an' I say to
Paul, 'Does you think you got nough learnin' to lead a flock of people?
I don' wan' you to git up an' mek me shame.' I tell him to go to de
Benedicts an' see what book he needs to study, come by town bring me a
pair of broggans for me, 'cause I wuz a-gwine to wuk and he wuz a-gwine
to school. For t'ree long years I plowed de farm an' sent Paul to de
Benedicts 'til he wuz edicated. De briars cut my legs an' de breshes
tore my skirt, but I tuck up de skirt an' plow right on 'til I bought my
little farm. Paul bin dead now 'bout twelve years, but he preached right
up to de day he died.

"I got a neffu but I lives alone, wen deys some one in de house I puts
down and dey picks up--I cleans up and dey tears up. I don' owe nobody
nuthin'. Wen de nurvus spells leaves me an' I feels a little strong in
de legs I wuks mah garden. I loves to be doin' somethin' to keep clean,
'cause I jes ain't no rockin chair setter".

Code No.
Project, 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S.C.
Date, November 11, 1937

Reduced from ---- words
Rewritten by ----

LINEY HENDERSON
EX-SLAVE, 70 YEARS

"Accordin to de way dey figures up my age, dey say I 70 now en I
believes dat right, too, en de government ought to give me somethin.
When we was born, de white folks put us chillun age down in de Bible en
I know from dat I been 19 years old de year of de shake. Cose I gets
clothes give to me, but no help no more den dat en all dis here wood en
coal bill put on me. No, mam, ain' got no support to help me out no
time. But justice will plum de line some day. I just gwine leave it in
de hands of de Lord. Ain' gwine cry over it."

"I tell you, I been wid white folks all my days en I was properly cared
for long as I been in dey protection. I suffers now more den I is ever
think bout would come to me. Yes, mam, I done raise over 20 head of
white chillun. Dat de God truth. I been in de white folks kitchen all my
days en if I feel right, I think dey ought to take of me in my old ag