"Dese peoples dese days don' know nuthin 'bout dem times den. I 'member
how dey use'er sell de colored peoples offen to annuder plantation some
uv de time. Man come dere to buy my Gran'mudder a'ter Massa Ben Gause
die en tell her to open she mouth so he c'n 'xamine her teeth. Say she
say, 'I won' do it.' Wanna know effen dey wuz sound 'fore he buy her.
Dat de way dey do when dey sell hosses."
"I 'member when dem Yankees come 'bout dere too. Hear Massa Jim
Stevenson say dey mus' herry en hide dey va'uables cause de Yankees wuz
comin' t'rough dere en sweep em out. Dey bury dey silver en dey gold
watch in de graveyard up in de Beech Field. (De Beech Field wuz de place
whey de Indian use'er camp long time ago cause de peoples use'er find aw
kinder bead en arrow head wha' dey left dere.) Den Miss Susan put trunk
full uv her nice t'ing to de colored peoples house. Ain' been 'fraid de
Yankees bother em dere. Didn't no Yankees come no whey 'bout dere till
a'ter freedom 'clare en den two uv em come dere en stay right dere to de
big house. Dey come to 'vide outer de corn. Hab pile uv corn sot aw
'bout de born (barn) dere wid name uv de colored peoples stick 'bout in
eve'y pile."
"Yas'um, I 'member dat aw right. Marry in March dere to my pa house. Us
ne'er left Massa Jim Stevenson plantation a'ter freedom 'clare. Ne'er
wanna hunt no better libin' den we hab dere. My Lawd, dere sho' wuz big
doing 'bout dere when I go' hitch up to Joe Woodberry. Pa kill uh shoat
en dey bake cake en hab aw kinder ration cook up. I hab pretty dress
make outer white swiss muslin wha' I marry in en aw dem peoples wuz
dress up dat evenin'. Dat wuz pretty uh sight uz dere e'er wuz when dey
ge' to blowing dat cane en knockin' dem stick en dey aw wuz uh jiggin'
'bout."
"Chillun, seem lak aw de good time gone from heah now. Peoples sho'
gotta scuffle fa wha' dey hab dis day en time en den effen dey ge' it,
dere ain' no sati'faction no whey 'bout it. T'ing ain' gwinna do nobody
no good effen dey gotta worry dey head so mucha 'bout whey de next
comin' from."
"Good day, honey. Come back 'g'in. Yunnah white en I black, but I lub
yuh."
_Source_: MOM GENIA WOODBERRY (Eugenia Woodeberry), age
89, colored, Britton's Neck, S.C. (Personal interview,
June 1937)
=Code No.=
=Project, 1885-(1)=
=Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis=
=Place, Marion, S.C.=
=Date, November 23, 1937=
=JULIA WOODBERRY=
=Ex-Slave, Age ____=
"Come in, chi
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