nd clean ashes.

"Pots biled in de back o' de chimney, a hanging from a pot rack over de
blazing fire. It had pot hooks to git it down.

"Bread was cooked in a baker like de ginger cake was. Dey roasted both
kinds o' 'taters in de ashes and made corn bread in de ashes and called
it ash cake, den.

"Us lived in a one-room log house. Fer de larger families, dey had two
rooms wid de fire place in de middle o' de room. Our'n was at de end by
de winder. It had white or red oak, or pine shingles to kivver de roof
wid. O' course de shingles was hand made, never know'd how to make no
other'n.

"All beds was corded. Along side de railings, dar was holes bored to
draw de ropes through, as dese was what dey used in dem days instead o'
slats. Ropes could be stretched to make de bed lay good. Us never had a
chair in de house. My paw made benches fer us to set by de fire on.
Marse Zack let de overseer git planks fer us. My paw was called Lyles
Herndon. We had a large plank table dat paw made. Never had no mirrows.
Went to de spring to see ourselfs on a Sunday morning. Never had no sech
things as dressers in dem days. All us had, was a table, benches and
beds. And my paw made dem. Had plenty wood fer fire and pine knots fer
lights when de fire git low or stop blazing.

"Us had tallow candles. Why ev'ybody know'd how to make taller candles
in dem days, dat wudd'n nothing out de ordinary. All you had to do, was
to kill a beef and take de taller from his tripe and kidneys. See, it de
fat you gits and boil it out. Stew it down jes' as folks does hog lard
dese days. De candle moulds was made out'n tin. Fer de wicks, all de
wrapping string was saved up, and dar wasn't much wrapping string in dem
times. Put de string right down de middle o' de mould and pour de hot
taller all around it. De string will be de wick fer de candle. Den de
moulds was laid in raal cold water so dat de taller shrink when it
harden, and dis 'low de candle to drap easy from de mould and not break
up. Why, it's jes' as easy to make taller candles as it is to fall off'n
a log.

"Firs' lamp dat I ever seed was a tin lamp. Dat was at Dr. Bates' place
in Santuc. Him and his brother, Fair, lived together. It was a little
table lamp wid a handle and a flat wick. He had it in his house. I was
Dr. Bates' house-boy.

"My son tuck me back to Union last year, 1936, I 'members. Nothing
didn't look natual 'cept de jail. Ev'ything else look strange. Didn't
see nobody I know