Mildred Roberts
From:
Kentucky
COMBINED INTERVIEWS:
Customs: By Counties
Slavery: Local History and Dialect
ANDERSON CO.
(Mildred Roberts)
Story of Ann Gudgel (age unknown):
"I doesn't know how old I am, but I was a little girl when dat man
Lincum freed us niggahs. My mammy neber tole us our age, but I knows
I'se plenty old, cause I feels like it.
"When I was a liddle girl all of us was owned by Master Ball. When
Lincum freed us neggahs, we went on and libbed with Master Ball till us
chilluns was bout growed up. None of us was eber sold, cause we belonged
to the Balls for always back as far as we could think.
"Mammy worked up at the big house, but us chilluns had to stay at de
cabin. But I didn't berry much care, cause ole Miss had a liddle child
jest bout my age, and us played together.
"The onliest time ole Miss eber beat me was when I caused Miss Nancy to
get et up wit de bees. I tole her 'Miss Nancy, de bees am sleep, lets
steal de honey.' Soon as she tetched it, day flew all ober us, and it
took Mammy bout a day to get the stingers outen our haids. Ole Miss jest
natually beat me up bout dat.
"One day they vaccinated all de slaves but mine neber took atall. I
nebber tole noboddy, but I jest set right down by de fireplace and
rubbed wood ashes and juice that spewed outen de wood real hard ober de
scratch. All de others was real sick and had the awfullest arms, but
mine neber did eben hurt."
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Mrs Heyburn
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Wes Woods
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