Lucy Mccullough
From:
Georgia
[HW: Dist. 1
Ex Slave #68]
EX-SLAVE INTERVIEW:
LUCY McCULLOUGH, Age 79
BY: SARAH H. HALL
ATHENS, GA.
[Date Stamp: MAY 8 1937]
[TR: This first half of this interview was edited by hand to change many
'er' sounds to 'uh', for example, 'der' to 'duh', 'ter' to 'tuh'; as a
single word, 'er' was also changed to 'a'.]
"Does Ah 'member 'bout war time, en dem days fo' de war? Yassum, Ah sho'
does. Ah blong ter Marse Ned Carter in Walton county."
"Whut Ah 'members mos' is duh onliest beatin' Ah ebber got fum de
overseer on Marse Ned's place. De hawgs wuz dyin' moughty bad wid
cholry, en Marse Ned hed 'is mens drag evvy dead hawg off in de woods
'en bun 'em up ter keep de cholry fum spreadin' mongst de udder hawgs.
De mens wuz keerless 'bout de fire, en fo' long de woods wuz on fire, en
de way dat fire spread in dem dry grape vines in de woods mek it 'peer
lak jedgment day tuh us chilluns. Us run 'bout de woods lookin' at de
mens fight de fire, en evvy time we see uh new place a-blaze we run dis
way en dat way, twel fus' thing us knows, we is plum off Marse Ned's
plantation, en us doan rightly know whar us is. Us play 'roun' in de
woods en arter while Marse Ned's overseer cum fine us, en he druv us
back tuh de big house yahd en give evvy one uv us uh good beaten'. Ah
sho' wuz black en blue, en Ah nebber did fuhgit en run offen Marse Ned's
lan' no mo' lessen I hed uh pass."
"Mah mammy, she wuz cook at duh big house, en Ah wuz raised dah in de
kitchen en de back yahd at de big house. Ah wuz tuh be uh maid fer de
ladies in de big house. De house servants hold that dey is uh step
better den de field niggers. House servants wuz niggah quality folks."
Ah mus' not a been mo' en thee uh fo' yeahs ole when Miss Millie cum out
in de kitchen one day, en 'gin tuh scold my mammy 'bout de sorry way
mammy done clean de chitlins. Ah ain' nebber heard nobuddy fuss et my
mammy befo'. Little ez Ah wuz, Ah swell up en rar' back, en I sez tuh
Miss Millie, "Doan you no' Mammy is boss uh dis hyar kitchen. You cyan'
cum a fussin' in hyar." "Miss Millie, she jus laff, but Mammy grab a
switch en 'gin ticklin' my laigs, but Miss Millie mek her quit it." "Who
wuz Miss Millie? Why, she wuz Marse Ned's wife."
"Whilst Marse Ned wuz 'way at de war, bad sojer mens cum thoo de
country. Miss Millie done hyar tell dey wuz on de way, an she had de
mens haul all Marse Ned's cotton off in de woods en hide it. De waggins
wuz piled up high wid cotton, en de groun' wuz soft atter de rain. De
waggins leff deep ruts in de groun', but none us folks on de plantation
pay no heed ter dem ruts. When de sojer mens cum, dey see dem ruts en
trail 'em right out dar in de woods ter de cotton. Den dey sot fire ter
de cotton en bun it all up. Dey cum back ter de big house en take all de
sweet milk in de dairy house, en help 'emselfs ter evvy thing in de
smoke houses. Den dey pick out de stronges' er Marse Ned's slave mens en
take 'em 'way wid 'em. Dey take evvy good horse Marse Ned had on de
plantation. No Ma'am, dey diden' bun nuffin ceppen' de cotton."
"Us wuz mo' skeered er patter-rollers den any thing else. Patter-rollers
diden' bodder folks much, lessen dey caught 'em offen dar marsters
plantations en dey diden' hab no pass. One night en durin' de war, de
patter-rollers cum ter our cabin, en I scrooge down under de kiver in de
bed. De patter-roller man tho' de kiver offen mah face, en he see me
blong dar, en he let me be, but Ah wuz skeered plumb ter death. Courtin'
folks got ketched en beat up by de patter-rollers mo' den enny buddy
else, kazen dey wuz allus slippen' out fer ter meet one er nudder at
night."
"When folks dat lived on diffunt plantations, en blonged ter diffunt
marsters wanted ter git married, dey hed ter ax both dar marsters fus'.
Den effen dar marsters 'gree on it, dey let 'em marry. De mans marster
'ud give de man er pass so he cud go see his wife et night, but he sho'
better be back on his own marsters farm when de bell ring evvy morning.
De chilluns 'ud blong ter de marster dat own de 'oman."
"Black folks wuz heap smarter den dey is now. Dem days de 'omans knowed
how ter cyard, en spin, en weave de cloff, en dey made de close. De mens
know how ter mek shoes ter wear den. Black folks diden' hev ter go cole
er hongry den, kaze dey marsters made 'em wuk en grow good crops, en den
der marsters fed 'em plenty en tuk keer uv 'em."
"Black folks wuz better folks den dey is now. Dey knowed dey hed ter be
good er dey got beat. De gals dey diden't sho' dare laigs lak dey do
now. Cloff hed ter be made den, en hit wuz er heap mo' trouble ter mek
er yahd er cloff, den it is ter buy it now, but 'omans en gals, dey
stayed kivvered up better den. Why, Ah 'member one time my mammy seed me
cummin' crost de yahd en she say mah dress too short. She tuk it offen
me, en rip out de hem, en ravel at de aig' er little, en den fus' thing
I knows, she got dat dress tail on ter de loom, en weave more cloff on
hit, twel it long enuf, lak she want it."
"Long 'bout dat time dey wuz killin' hawgs on de plantation, en it wuz
er moughty cole day. Miss Millie, she tell me fer ter tote dis quart er
brandy out dar fer ter warm up de mens dat wuz er wukkin in de cole
win'. 'Long de way, Ah keep er sippin' dat brandy, en time Ah got ter de
hawg killin' place Ah wuz crazy drunk en tryin' ter sing. Dat time
'twon't no overseer beat me. Dem slave mens beat me den fo' drinkin' dat
likker."
"Mah folks stayed on en wukked fo' Marse Ned long atter de war. When Ah
wuz mos' grown mah fam'ly moved ter Logansville. No, Ma'am, I ain't
nebber been so free en happy es when I diden' hev ter worry 'bout whar
de vittles en close gwine cum fum, en all Ah had ter do wuz wuk evvy day
lak mah whitefolks tole me."
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Amanda Mcdaniel
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Mirriam Mccommons
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