go very
off'n.

I wuz tole 'fore freedum dat de slaves would git a mule, land en a new
suit, but our missis didn't gib us a thing. She promis' me, mah
br'rer, en three sistahs ef'n we would stay wid her a ye'r, en he'p
her mek a crop she would gib us sump'in ter start us a crop on w'en we
lef' her.

Mah daddy's marster wus named Bob Rankin, he gib mah daddy a hog, sum
chickens, let him hab a cow ter milk en land ter raise a crop on. He
wan'ed mah daddy ter git us tergedder ter he'p daddy raise a crop but
since mah missis had promised us so much, daddy let us stay wid her a
ye'r. On de nite mah daddy kum fer us, mah missis sezs I've not got
nuthin ter gib you, fer I won't hab nobody ter do nuthin fer me. We
went wid our daddy. We lived dere on Marster Rankin's farm fer ye'rs
in fact so long we tho't de place 'longed ter mah daddy. We had a
house wid big cracks in hit, had a big fier place, a big pot dat hong
on de fier en a skillet dat we cooked corn bread in. Had a hill ob
taters under de house, would raise up a plank, rake down in de dirt
git taters, put dem in de fier ter roast. We had meat ter eat in de
middle ob de day but none at mawnin' er nite. We got one pair ob shoes
a ye'r, dey had brass on de toes. I uster git out en shine de toes ob
mine, we called hit gol' on our shoes. We wuked in de fiel' wid mah
daddy, en I know how ter do eberting dere ez ter do in a fiel' 'cept
plow, I wuz allus ter slender ter hold a plow. We had grease lamps. A
thing lak a goose neck wid platted rag wick in hit. Would put grease
in hit.

Durin' slavery ef one marster had a big boy en 'nuther had a big gal
da marsters made dem libe tergedder. Ef'n de 'oman didn't hab any
chilluns, she wuz put on de block en sold en 'nuther 'oman bought. You
see dey raised de chilluns ter mek money on jes lak we raise pigs ter
sell.

Mah mammy tole me 'bout de sta'rs fallin' en den I se'ed de second
fallin' ob sta'rs. Dey didn't hit de groun' lak de fust did. I member
de comet hit had a long tail. I lef' mah daddy en kum ter Nashville
wid missis Nellie Rankin, (daddy's young missus) in 1882; hab bin 'yer
eber since. I'se dun house wuk fer a lot ob peeples. Kep house fer a
'oman in Belle Meade fer 14 ye'rs. Now I'se aint able ter do nothin.
I'se bin ma'ried twice. Ma'ried Jimm Ferguson, libed wid 'im 20 ye'ars
he d'ed. Two ye'ars later I mar'ed George Watkins, lived wid him 8
ye'ars; two ye'ars ago he died. I'se neber had any chilluns. I kep
wan'