PPEL
705 Allison Street
Nashville, Tenn.

"I'se bawn in Marshall County, Tennessee. I'm de olest ob ten chilluns
en I'se 102 ya'rs ole. I feels lak I'se bin 'yer longer dan dat. Mah
mammy wuz brought ter Nashville en sold ter sum peeple dat tuck her
ter Mississippi ter live."

"Mah Marster en Missus wuz named Bob en Nancy Lord. Eve'y slave had
ter say Missus en Marster en also ter de white babies. I still says
hit, en ef I kum ter yo do'r, I nebber kums in 'till you ax me. Lots
ob mah folks seze ter me dat I ez too ole fash'on en I seze I don'
keer I wuz raised wid manners en too ole ter change."

"Our Marster gib us good food en clothes. I wuz l'arnt how ter nit,
weav, sew en spin. On rainy days we wuz gib a certain 'mount ob
weavin' ter do en had ter git hit don'. I dunno how ter read er rite.
De white folks didn' 'low us ter l'arn nuthin'. I declar' you bettuh
not git kotch wid a papah in you han'. Ef I had half a chance lak you
chilluns hab, I'd go ter bed wid mah books."

"Our Marster 'lowed us ter go ter chuch. I went bar'foot en had a rag
tied 'roun mah haid en mah dress kum up ter mah 'nees. Dat
preacher-man would git up dere en tell us "Now you min' yo Marster en
Missis en don' steal fum dem." I stayed wid mah Missis fer a long time
atter I got freedum en I cried lak a fool w'en I had ter leave dem.
Mah Missis seze "You ez jes as free as I ez," but I allus had good
clothes en good food en I didn' know how I'd git dem atter I lef'
her."

"Mah white folks wuz tight on us but, as ole as I ez, I offun think
dat day nebber hit a lick dat I didn' need. Ef'n dey hadn' raised me
right, I might hab got in meaness en bin locked up half de time, but I
ain't nebber bin 'rested, en I'se 'ferd ob de policemans. De fiel'
slaves wuz whup'd in de fiel's by de oberseer en de Marster en Missis
did hit at de house."

"I tell you we had a hahd time. Mah Missis woulden' let dem sell me. I
wuz a nuss en house gal. I wuz whup'd wid a bull whup, en got cuts on
mah back menny a time. I'se not shamed ter say I got skyars on mah
back now fum Marster cuttin' hit wid dat bull whup. Mah Missis also
whup'd me. W'en de Missis got ready ter whup me, she would gib us sum
wuk ter do, so she would kind ob git ober her mad spell 'fore she
whup'd us. Sum times she would lock us up in a dark closet en bring
our food ter us. I hated bein' locked up. Atter dey tuk me out ob de
house, I wuked in de fiel' lak de urthurs. Long 'fore day break,