in', shoutin' en eatin' good
things."

"We didn't git a thing w'en we wuz freed. W'en dey said we wuz free
mah people had ter look out fer demselves."

"Don' member now 'bout K.K.K. er 'structshun days. Mah mammy useter
tell us a lot ob stories but I'se fergot dem. I'se neber voted en
dunno ob any frens bein' in office."

"No mam, no mam, don't b'leeve in diff'ent colurs ma'rin. I member one
ole sign--'bad luck ter empty ashes atter dark.'"

"I'se hired out wuk'n in white folks house since freedum. I'se a widow
now en live 'yer wid mah neice en mah sistah."

INTERVIEW
EMMA GRISHAM
1118 Jefferson St.
Nashville, Tennessee

"I wuz bawn in Nashville. I'se up in 90 y'ars, but I tell dem I'se
still young. I lived on Gallatin Pike long 'fore de war, an uster se'd
de soldiers ride by."

"Mah marsters name wuz Wm. Penn Harding. Mah daddy wuz sold at Sparta,
Tennessee 'fore I wuz bawn en Marster Harding bought 'im. Mah mammy
erready 'longed ter de Hardings."

"I don' member much 'bout slavery I wuz small, but I know I wore a
leetle ole slip wid two er three bottons in frunt. Mammy would wash me
en I'd go out frunt en play wid de white chilluns."

"W'en de fightin' got so heavy mah white peeple got sum Irish peeple
ter live on de plantation, en dey went south, leavin' us wid de Irish
peeple."

"I wuz leetle en I guess I didn't think much 'bout freedum, I'd allus
had plenty ter eat en w'ar."

"Dunno ob any slaves gittin' nuthin at freedum."

"Our white folks didn't whup mah peeple; but de oberseers whup'd de
slaves on uther plantations."

"De Yankees had camps on de Capitol hill. En dere wuz soldier camps in
east Nashville en you had ter hab a pass ter git thro?"

"I member w'en de pen wuz on 15th en Chuch, en de convicts wuk'd
'round de Capitol."

"I went ter schul at Fisk a short time, w'en hit wuz neah 12th en
Cedar, en a w'ile down on Chuch St. Mah teacher allus bragged on me
fer bein' clean en neat. I didn't git much schuling, mah daddy wuz lak
mos' ole folks, he though ef'n you knowd yo a, b, c's en could read a
line, dat wuz 'nuff. En he hired me out. Dunno w'at dey paid me, fer
hit wuz paid ter mah daddy."

"I wuz hired ter a Mrs. Ryne fer y'ars, whar de Loveman store ez now.
Dere wuz a theatre whar Montgomery Ward store ez, a lot ob de theatre
peeple roomed en bo'ded wid Mrs. Ryne, en dey would gib me passes ter
de sho' en I'd slip up in de gall'ry en watch de sho'. I couldn't read
a wud bu