d, at the cabins, in the
kitchen. Eat different places owin to what you be workin at when the
bell rung. Big bell on a high post.

My ma's name was Sina Sutton. She come from Virginia in a nigger traders
drove when she was sixteen years old and Miss Frances husband bought er.
She had nine childen whut lived. I am de youngest. She died jes before
de war broke out. Till that time I had been trained a house girl. My ma
was a field hand. Then when the men all went to the army I plowed. I
plowed four years I recken, till de surrender. Howd I know it was
freedom? A strange woman--I never seed fore, came runnin down where we
was all at work. She say loud as she could "Hay freedom. You is free."
Everything toe out fer de house and soldiers was lined up. Dats whut
they come by fer. Course dey was Yankee soldiers settin the colored
folks all free. Everybody was gettin up his clothes and leaving. They
didn't know whar des goin. Jes scatterin round. I say give 'em somethin.
They was so mad cause they was free and leavin and nobody to work the
land. The hogs and stock was mostly all done gone then. White folks sho
had been rich but all they had was the land. The smoke houses had been
stripped and stripped. The cows all been took off cept the scrubs. Folks
plowed ox and glad to plow one.

Sometime we had a good time. I danced till I joined the church. We
didn't have no nigger churches that I knowed till after freedom. Go to
the white folks church. We danced square dance jess like the white folks
long time ago. The niggers baptized after the white folks down at the
pond. They joined the white folks church sometimes. The same woman on
the place sewed for de niggers, made some things for Miss Frances. I
recollects that. She knitted and seed about things. She showed the
nigger women how to sew. All the women on the place could card and spin.
They sat around and do that when too bad weather to be on the ground.
They show didn't teach them to read. They whoop you if they see you have
a book. If they see you gang round talkin, they say they talkin bout
freedom or equalization. They scatter you bout.

When they sell you, they take you off. See drove pass the house. Men be
ridin wid long whips of cow hide wove together and the dogs. The slaves
be walkin, some cryin cause they left their folks. They make em stand in
a row sometimes and sometimes they put em up on a high place and auction
em.

The pore white folks whut not able to buy hands