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Anna Louise Tittman Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

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<strong>Anna</strong> <strong>Tittman</strong>, March 28, 1974, <strong>Springfield</strong>, IlUnois.<br />

Bobbe Hemdon, Interviewer .<br />

Q. Wss <strong>Tittman</strong>, would you tell me first when you were<br />

1<br />

b rn?<br />

A. Septe&er 22, 1884. Now September 22 is Ehmcipation<br />

f<br />

ay and as I<br />

say now, I have not been emancipated yet. (Lawter) I w born on West<br />

Washington Street and the house is still standing, and th refs no copper<br />

plate on it saying <strong>Anna</strong> <strong>Tittman</strong> was born here.<br />

Q. Maybe we should do something about that. ( a t e rider on<br />

West Washington? Do you remendoer?<br />

b<br />

A. 305 [West Washington]. It was across flwm a big old emtery that was<br />

all hills, and that was our playground. A man had put up a swing for us in<br />

a big tree and it swung out over the valley. And little e, she got in<br />

the swing one time, and they pushed rn up and what'd I do I was kind <strong>of</strong><br />

scared and I fell. I lost qy consciousness for a while arjd the kids ran<br />

home to w home. poor mther was sick; w mother diedwhen she was 39<br />

[yeam old] <strong>of</strong> cancer. We're a cancer family--not me and ,not father,<br />

but all the rest, four. And itfs gone to the second enemtion. So ny<br />

poor mther carfie running over and they said I was dead. Wll, the kids<br />

didn 't know. And the womn heard her<br />

they cam.<br />

Anyhow, they took care <strong>of</strong> her and they got<br />

and the doctor got there, what was I doing?<br />

You know, one <strong>of</strong> those little things.<br />

to get m well. Wasnft that sweet?<br />

Q. So you had no bad effects from your fall?<br />

A. No, no, no.<br />

Q. Is there a cemetery there still?<br />

A. Well, no. Tne Internal Revenue building is there But; [when they<br />

were buildhg] they tore it [the cernetergr] all up and piled up the bones<br />

in stacks, like so. (demmtrates with her hands)<br />

Q. Oh, really!<br />

I<br />

A. Yes, and the stones were gathered together. They we<br />

and all that sort <strong>of</strong> thing. But them were names on<br />

that becam-they didnft disturb that mtil the Board<br />

it for a high school. And the,hfgh school was built,<br />

was a young child; that's whe* I went to high<br />

the atreet fmm E then, but w$ had mved over<br />

could wa&k thm@ our neighboGt yard to st<br />

1

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