m Jessie Sparrow,
age 83, colored, Marion, S.C., May 1937.

=Code No.=
=Project, 1885-(1)=
=Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis=
=Place, Marion, S.C.=
=Date. May 24, 1937=

=MOM JESSIE SPARROW=

=Ex-Slave, 83 years.=

"I dunno, child, I don' 'member nuthin more den I tell yuh de udder
time. Is yuh been to see Maggie Black yet? I dunno how old she, but I
know she been here. No, child, Maggie ain' dead. She lib right down dere
next Bethel Church. She move 'way from Miss Mullins house when Gus die.
Coase I ain' ne'er been in she house a'ter she move dere, but dey say
she hab uh mighty restful place dere. Dat wha' dey tell me. Maggie
oughta could tell yuh aw 'bout dem times. I ain' know nuthin more to
tell yuh. Don' tell yuh aw I know."

"Who my mammy wuz? My mammy been Sallie Stevenson 'fore she marry en den
a'ter she marry, she waz Sallie Bowens. Don' know whey dey ge' de Bowens
from cause my pa been b'long to be uh Evans. Dat how come Miss Betty
know so much 'bout me. She say we mighty nigh de same age. Coase I don'
never 'spute Miss Betty word, but I don' t'ink so."

"No, child, I dunno. Dunno how many chillun my mammy is hab. Dey aw been
die sech uh long time dat I don' forgot. Coase George, de carpenter, my
brother. He been train up by uh good carpenter man en Henry, wha' paint
aw dese house 'bout here, b'long to be annuder one uv we. It jes lak
'bout my own chillun, I ain' 'member how many dey wuz. I know dere 'bout
t'ree uv dem bigguns dead, but aw dem babies, Lawd, I ain' 'member how
many dere wuz. Can' never recollect nuthin 'bout how many dere been come
here."

"My mammy been de house girl in my white folks house. She marry when she
ain' but 13 year old. Dat wha' she tell me. She say she marry to ge'
outer de big house. Dat how come she to marry so soon. Say de white
folks take she way from she mammy when she won' but uh little small girl
en make she sleep right dere on uh pallet in de Missus room aw de time
'fore she marry. Coase a'ter she marry, she been de house girl right on
but she never stay in de Missus house when night come. Us chillun ain'
been 'low to stay in de big house. Dey hab uh room put on de kitchen fa
my mammy en she family to lib in. We chillun stay right dere in de yard
whey my mammy could look a'ter us in en 'round. My mammy hadder stay
'bout my ole Missus aw de day en help she cut en sew de plantation
clothes en wash en iron. Den she hadder help make quilts outer aw de
sc