Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States

Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Various 75face was white.Mammy took me to de stick an' mud house de Yankees done give her. It was smoky an' dark kaze dey wuzn'no windows. We didn' have no sheets an' no towels, so when I cried an' said I didn' want to live on no Yankeehouse, Mammy beat me an' made me go to bed. I laid on de straw tick lookin' up through de cracks in de roof.I could see de stars, an' de sky shinin' through de cracks looked like long blue splinters stretched 'cross derafters. I lay dare an' cried kaze I wanted to go back to Mis' Polly.I was never hungry til we waz free an' de Yankees fed us. We didn' have nothin to eat 'cept hard tack an'middlin' meat. I never saw such meat. It was thin an' tough wid a thick skin. You could boil it allday an' allnight an' it wouldn' cook dome, I wouldn' eat it. I thought 'twuz mule meat; mules dat done been shot on debattle field den dried. I still believe 'twuz mule meat.One day me an' my brother was lookin' for acorns in de woods. We foun' sumpin' like a grave in de woods. Itole Dave dey wuz sumpin' buried in dat moun'. We got de grubbin hoe an' dug. Dey wuz a box wid elevenhams in dat grave. Somebody done hid it from de Yankees an' forgot whare dey buried it. We covered it backup kaze if we took it home in de day time de Yankees an' niggers would take it away from us. So when nightcome we slipped out an' toted dem hams to de house an' hid dem in de loft.Dem was bad days. I'd rather been a slave den to been hired out like I was, kaze I wuzn' no fiel' hand, I was ahand maid, trained to wait on de ladies. Den too, I was hungry most of de time an' had to keep fightin' off demYankee mens. Dem Yankees was mean folks.We's come a long way since dem times. I'se lived near 'bout ninety years an' I'se seen an' heard much. Myfolks don't want me to talk 'bout slavery, day's shame niggers ever was slaves. But, while for most coloredfolks freedom is de bes, dey's still some niggers dat out to be slaves now. Dese niggers dat's done clean forgotde Lawd; dose dat's always cuttin' an' fightin' an' gwine in white folks houses at night, dey ought to be slaves.Dey ought to have an' Ole Marse wid a whip to make dem come when he say come, an' go when he say go, 'tildey learn to live right.I looks back now an' thinks. I ain't never forgot dem slavery days, an' I ain't never forgot Mis' Polly an' mywhite starched aprons.N. C. District: No. 2 [320147] Worker: T. Pat Matthews No. Words: 805 Subject: CHARLES W. DICKENSStory Teller: Charles W. Dickens Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt[HW note: 26][TR: Date Stamp "JUN 11 1937"]CHARLES W. DICKENS 1115 East Lenoir StreetMy name is Charles W. Dickens. I lives at 1115 East Lenoir Street, Raleigh, North Carolina, Wake County. Iwuz born August 16, 1861, de year de war started. My mother wuz named Ferebee Dickens. My father wuznamed John Dickens. I had nine sisters and brothers. My brothers were named Allen, Douglas, my name[HW: question mark above "my name"], Jake, Johnnie and Jonas. The girls Katie, Matilda Francis, and EmilyDickens.My grandmother wuz named Charity Dickens. My grandfather wuz Dudley T. Dickens. I do not know wheredey came from. No, I don't think I do. My mother belonged to Washington Scarborough, and so did wechilluns. My father he belonged to Obediah Dickens and missus wuz named Silvia Dickens. Dey lowedmother to go by the name of my father after dey wuz married.