Annie Morgan
From:
Kentucky
Annie Morgan:
Story of Annie Morgan: (age 65, 207 W. 2nd St., Hopkinsville, Ky.) Annie
was born of slave parents. Her mother and father were slaves of the
Payne family.
Ques: Annie can you give me or rather tell me of some of your earlier
life with your parents, or what your mother and father has told you of
things before and after the Civil War.
Ans: Wal, wal, I do declare it has ben so long I'se jes don't remember.
I'se seem to remember de big days we uster hav on Proclamation Day wen
we used ter go to Grandmums who lived in Trigg County. Foh days befur
weuns would git redy ter go in a wagon and as dar was a heap of chilluns
it tuk quite a time an weuns would start by day break and dem wen we got
dar why all de rest of the daughters en sons of dar chilluns was alredy
that, den weun's hev a big time wid watermullins and ebything good to
eat. Some times Uncle Ben brot hid bajo and us chilluns would dance.
Ques: Annie did you ever have a dream to come true? Or do you believe in
dreams?
Ans: Sho does, sho does, why chile all my dream come true. I recollect
one wen my son was sick, I felt he wont gwine to git well. I asked him,
"Was he right with God", he says, "Dar is nuthin between me and de
Lawd". Den afterwards, I begin to worry gin about dis boy, I prays "De
Lawd" and ax him ter let me drem a drem bout him an nite time I did, I
could see dis boy jist as plaincrossing "Judgment Stream" and I says to
him in my drem, I say, "You come my son, he's crossin Judgment Stream, I
says ter ole man go in and hep him" and my son says to me, "I'm crossing
Judgment Stream, Mammy, and I got to cross it myself". I says "I no you
are cold now". I dreamed I spread a rug round him den he disappeared,
inter de building, by dat time I woke up so happy. Oh, Lawd, ter no my
boy was in Heben. I am sho I would not dremed dat drem unless "De Lawd"
tended me ter no my boy was saved. I sho nos dis boy is in Heben.
"Wen me an my man was married all de colored folks in the neighborhood
come to ma's and weums my husband and me jumped o'er the broom stick an
we was been married, ebery since. In dese days hit were too far ter go
git a preacher an most colored folks married dat way."
Story of Cora Torian: (217 W. 2nd St., Hopkinsville, Ky.--Age 71.)
Bell Childress, Cora's Mother, was a slave of Andrew Owen. He purchased
Belle Childress in the Purchase and brought her to Christian County.
Cora was born in Christian County on Mr. Owen's farm and considered
herself three years old at the end of the Civil War. She told me as
follows:
"I has dreamed of fish and dat is a sure sign dat I would git a piece of
money, an I always did. Dreamed of buggy and horse an it was a sign of
death in family and I no's hits tru. Dream of de ded hit always rains.
My Mistus and Marster fed and clothed us good and we lived in a little
log cabin of one room and cooked on an open fire. Some Marsters wud
whoop ther slaves til the blood would run down daw backs dese slaves
would run away sometimes den sum would come to Ise Marse and would have
to send dem back to dar own marsters and how my ole marster hated to see
dem go.
"I hang horse shoes oer my door to keep the Evil Spirits away. My Mammy
always wore and ole petticoat full gather at de waist band wid long
pockets in dem and den to keep peace in de house she would turn de
pocket wrong side out jes as she would go to somebodys elses house.
"I sho do no dar is ghosts, I seed one oncet hit was a man wid no head
on standin in my house and pullin the crammin out of de house and puttin
hit on de table. Oooh I no's dat is so cause I seed hit wid my own eyes.
"My Mammy had a woman dat lived wid us and she died, and sometimes
afterwards, she called me and I looked in de room and dis woman was
sitting on de side of de bed and wen i spoke to her she slowly ris up
and went thru a crack about two inches wide. now dats a fak!
"Humph, no I'se not gwine ter go near no hainted house, much less stay
in one. I'se scairt.
"Hee, hee, sho you can find things by spitting in yer han and de way the
spit goes if youse will go dar you will be sho to find hit.
"Aint got no time for fortune tellers, don believe in dem, day don't do
nuthin.
"Wen de moon changes if youse see hit thru de bresh you sho will have
bad luck, but if youse sees hit and nuthin to hinder youse from lookin
at hit straight and make a wish it who will come true. I'se no's cause
my son was way down South an I woant to seed him and I looks at de moon
and hit was changing and I wished de would come home and looked up de
road and "Lawd daw he were.
"Youse plants de pertatoes by de moon. Irish pertatoes planted on de
light of de moon will go ter vine and der neber will be a tater on de
vine. If youse plant dem by de dark of de moon yourall's pertatoes will
be plentiful.
"If youse maks soap it must be made by de light of de moon or de soap
will all turn to grease.
"If youse sneeze wen you eats you will shorely die.
"If youse see a blue gummed negro be shore one don bite you foh dey are
shore pizenous.
"If youse have yer year to ring, sho sing of death.
"Move on Friday, "Good Lawd No", youse would sho have bad luck.
"One tru sign of death, if a dog howls at midnight, you will sho to die.
If you dreams of you teeth falling out is a tru sign of death and if
youse dreams of a marriage is nuther tru sign of death.
"If I dream of a naked purson I'se is sho to die. No cat mus come in wen
dar is a ded body for de cat will sho eat de body.
"If a cat crosses youse path to de left some kind of bad luck is sho to
overtake on yer journey.
"If a peckerwood pecks on de roof of youse house you will sho lose some
member of youse family. Dey is pizen.
"No I'se jes ter scairt ter go whar day call up Spirits."
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Mary Wooldrige
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Negro Folk Songs
