| Summary: | Folder contains 18 pages of former slave narratives compiled for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s.. -r- .r
WPA Alabama Writers Project r- EX SLAVES TALES -
Butler County, #3
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I~rfJaJ<4ad /55
(~CL J,.A.. t-17-ltf?.J.
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FEDERAL WI< l'l'EBS' PI,OJECT
llutler C;>u>ty. Alabema
AUNT JANE'S STOhY
Oh )'&s, chilluns, I wu.z here when de yankeys come through. I wuz ar
'young 0' man 'bout fourteen years ole'.
One mo' Dins ole t mlasu8 sed, "Jane, It ae gwine in m;y room but you stay
an de frount an' ..tch an' af you hear dam yankeY's ar cummint you run an' tell
me so I kin hide. Presently I heard de soun' of hosse. feet an' it soun'ed lak
thunder 80 I run an' tole mtllaue I heard ar funny aoun'. De yankeY's had come,
an' dey had big guns an' awards an' dey.us dressed up in Bojer clothes.
II1ssus sent me to tell de men to unhitch all de hosse. an' take dem to a
deep gulle,. an' hide 'em. So I run an' tole de mens whut mls8UB sed. den I run
back to de house but missul sed ahe did'n an' to see 'em 'cause dey would take eb'y
ting dey saw, she knowed. So in a little while dey wuz at mi.sus hou.e .allin' for di.
ting and callin' for de udder. 't'fhar' 8 your ma.rater1" dey ax m. Del I sed, "He
in de war. n Den dey ax me whar mls8us WUZ. en I sed she wu.z gone off. nWell, whut time
will she be back?" dey sed. I tole 'em I dunno. So dem yankey" ax me whar de gun.
and de ammernitlon ~ an' f tole 'em I dunno 80 dey went in de cubbard an' got all
de cooked grub en den dey ax me if I wuz hongry. Det: dey eat enI dey make me eat, too.
I wuz skeered to death but dey did'n try to b04der me. Arter while dey went to de
stable an' got er hoss an' tuck marster's saddle an' put on de hoss, an' carr'ed him
a .....y. Dey ax me so many questuns tel I 'lfUZ skeered to death. Den dey ax me ef I
want to be free an' I led "Ho auh" A ' dey sed dis country is gwine to be free aho,
den you kin 1lUl'k fur your.e' f. Den dey lef 'en er few day" mo' yankey. cum' through
an' dun de same way.
De .....r laoted 'er long time an' all de we!lll:len hed to knit an' spin de thread
an' weave de cloth to make de clothee fur de sojers. Uy mammy use to weave on 'er
100m an' misaus made de wemmen make clothes an knit de socks an' sent dem to de Bojers.
Den I kep hearin' dat de fokes "". gwine to be free an' after while de new. cum out dat
all de cullud fokes wu. free. Den I married er man an raised er famly but dat man died
an' I had twelve chilluns to take keer of, but mia~8 help me to take keer ob dem.
Den fer lollt.. time after dat I married 'er ntM.er man an' raised three mo' chilluns.
Dese three chillun. wu. born free so I wu. gittin' mighty ole'
Yaa, dem w.z good ole days befa t de war an' der nevah wuz no man as od &S rIJ3
ole' marata an' no 'oman as good as T1J3 ole' mis8us ant us Wl.lZ happy slaves. An' now I
i. almo.' done an' soon I will go to jine my whie fokes on'de ulder side of Jordan an'
in Haaben. ----------------------
This story ...... told to Lucy B. Walker by her mother, Jane alkIT and Lucy told it
to me.
1I11dred Scott Taylor
Georgiana, AlaMJIl!l
• .t.
yin••
[., lI11.cSred SCot.t. Taylor
Qlorg1an., Ala~.
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Yol
-I llI1' 40 lao
rubl)1n'. • 110' good d dl liMJ'IIIIUDt..·
al.-
J~
1s
DaI" I .rsuSder lady w1d Mila lllly.
•
an' ot. dl
r looka
1" llI1 ar
, 1t. 0 are ou I dUa'
tot.1n' 1ak ar lM&
? DoA' r WI' It wb n de quallV
1. cc.1n'? By 10h 101M t.bI ira has too biB II.
• - 4: - ..
r , eo t. , , c , at,'
brtl e h ",Mo, ' n her ba eorry nute noe.
r
c • - J.Io , n.j v1 lid ~
now.
Cl l
lo' eeka
, c..'l1lw. 0 b , 8 C 'line honey,
c
, •
arolin left
II , • l.1tl dy. "
• open ke(l up th bere
l ,
the
,
tot
uickly
t.o put. it out with
•
t' J~:J an(! Jerry
iththe
,
L1llI,
t1n,.ll1e .1
it
J t ,
1'1
8 ,
it clo ,
il1t.¥
et
eare(l
,"I.
o e Mar.ter en UDk.r Iude
•
.l1ab...). ~~ e;
. ., ) ~. r.Ji . .:""'"
• Y.... ch111un•• I member. de wah; (JIz t .... h.re ehen de yank.ee I ....tI "l
bou\S)yeer ole. Ole Mar.ter he went ott to d...ll. w1d whole pa..e1 u..ojere.'f h......" , .U ,
been .hn-fte long time. en nobody heme ~ look atter de p1antat10n. oep Ole Mi.t1. en I~
~ UDker JUde. wbat _s Ole Marater'a tu.at ala'l'. he ebber oned.
dr1...er. en Ole
.U•• _ dey ..."young
... born.d de .... day. en 01. lIar.tor·. pappy g1n Unker Iude
bH.y bab1e,,- ~!-hen Ole lIar.tor mol'ed Ole
"'a..
plantaUo he tnt UDker Iude w1d him, en UDker Iude ... de oa'1'ge -- Mar.ter went ott tor de wah.h. tole Unk.r Iud. tar look atter Ole Mi.t1. en eyy't1ng on de
plaoe' t ..11 h. come baek. 11.t Ole ~r.ter gone to de fth,UDk.r Iude ... ober••er t.r
Ole ~st1a. en ha made
todder, en meat t'er de
de nigger. wuk hord.r
sojara. ~
dan Ole lIar.tar d1d, to make co'n, .D~atl!l, en
" 01. MIet1e made de womena oyard bata, en spin en weabe OD d. loom. at er 100m look 1ak?
e
de
cO'n en all de todder an put 1t 1n weg1n. en tUk em ott."
em I d1dn't
year
It look 10k er 100m. dat what 1t look 10k; whot you .pec 1t look 1ak? .l11 d. women.,
en black, wuk hard mak1n~ jean. t.r de .oj.r. c1~~n mak1n 11n.ey ter de women'.
, 1 )
U. d1dn't hab no udder olo....e cep dem 11n.ey, but dey .ho waa good uno .n 1a. er long ? ~
1tten yer d1dn't atan too c10.e tar de t1re en .coroh em."
p '1- 1
" Us k&l..be,rin de yankees Gomin, en one mawn1n Ole Miatte abe _y: 'Jan., you go
7 A ,
front gate en .tay dar en watoh en .ee 1tten de yankea. cOmU down de big road. en when you 1P(( , Qo" U
.e•• em,You run tell ... qu1ck.' PBimeby. I .eed de yankee. coDl1n ,bo t ~ Dl11e down d. road.
en I run tell Ole ~at1., en she oal1 de womena en dey run dOwn~ d orohard to de b1g wood••
'/
en ~ 'i,~ell Unker Iude an~e onhitc~e 1IIll1.. en lead am down tar de b1g gul1ey bell1ns de
t1el. "II Ole Mi.t1s tole -Arun bllOk _~ de hous.,qU1Ck.to'de yank... get dar, en g1t her gale
...tch en cho1n outon de bureau drawer; but de Janke.. come 1n wh1l.t I •• gitten de ...toh en
~- oba1n, .n one ob em grabbed 1t out.n my han'.n put it 1n his pooket en tole .rnuddor yankee:
'I'.e grlns tek d~my gal.' 1i'~ hou.e en d .. yard wa. plum tull yanke.. en dey r1d
~ 1 ::If!:. ~ ~.c.
dsy ho.a.. all ober de t10wer. en ;,'1\down de Y1n.. en knock de pal1n. do"'r en went
" , ~
hou.e on tore up nyt1ng,look1n -Amoney en j ..e111\9 _ ~ey ax ... whar 1t •• h1d, en I tole
) -- , en dey .aid I 7r ly1n, en 1rren I d1dn't tell em,dey would k111 me '10k er dam
f , '1:b
Ilsbe1', en I .ho .....ka1rt. Dey et up all de .umpn _ eat 1n de k1tchen en tuk all de
~ , -a> i
meat en meal outen d••mokehouse en d1dn't let u. nudd1n, an dey "ent _ de crib en tnt ny
A
, <~~4J Z·
• •
Aunt ;rane'. Stan: Clreenv1l1e-2
,
Iter no mo.
wah', en dey ax me _bar
en I won't bab te r lIUk ter Ole
'"t<> '!Ie go"" _ de
"
"De yankees ax !DB don't I _nner be tree en I say: 'No,suh', en dey say lIv'body gwine be tree
~y ex me wbar Ole Mar.ter at, .n I .ey
01. M1.ti.",en~eay 'IrIunno wbar .he at~.he don. gone
ott aunmuz.· .. -dey ax me _har de guns, en I tole em" dldnt t hab no guns.r-o-- ~ 0 -
" Dom yank.e. m1ghter be.n dar Ull y1t ,itten one ob em badn't rid hia ho obar:l'. ba~
0" o..~ I-en
Man: dem beee en dem yankee. abo d ........ meaa up: In _bout _ min... dere wan't no
1 J' , ,.... 0... \
yank.ea nowhar aep down de big road wbar d..... jea togg1n up: Bout _ ..ak aoms IIlO ,xanJ<.ea
r ",...) 1 ~"<-
aome, but d.y mu.ter he~~ bout de beew,~.e d.y let dey ho•••• out.ide d. big gate an "~k.d
\ ,. up to de houae, but dey didn't stay 10~ dey wan't nuft1n let attar de rust yankeea done , - 1 ~
to' up evyt. En wh.n dey ready.... liP dey tuk d.y gun. en .tood ..y ott .n .hoot de bae • ~ 7 1 ? gum. all AO piecee, en de bee. tlewed~oun en us bad ter .tay way hal night. Unker llude,
) 0/ u.. e lIUk all night 10ng,mak1n bee guma outen -Ahollow log, .n ner y he hiTe ebary one ob d.m
be.. en put am in de new;gums, en d. ba.. d.y tote all d. honey en put it 1n de new _gum.
ra! aa dey could mek oomb ter it. :oem beea ahd _8 sm.rt.~
" en de wah done gone, Ole Mfrater he oome home,wid ODe be arms abot plum ott,en Ole
't:i 1:3f..It". ..w.;..........
Mi.ti••ha ary,she .0 glad~ en Unkar ;rude ha ary en hug 01. Mar.ter, en u. all ary en tek on,
we .0 glad Ole Mar.ter come back en 80 aorry he arm .hot ott. Ole Mareter tell all d. niggers
3.
U. ~a m1ghty
I ra18e m:r
en keep outen ,
je. lak
bard time en u. didn't mak no_
Ole Mar.ter dead en gone en Ole
dey looked atter u. wh.n.t
)
De timee .... better to de
en neber did
eN~
long
....
,
dey tree Dowen don't hatter .uk ter him no mo, en some er de young niggers went ott atter de , ,
aom. back, but de r .. ob u. jea ataY"d right wbar we
bard t1mo
dey ..a, when
which it
debllment.
time, but de white tolke had de me
0/
dittunae. mai'ed Ruru. en ue rabe '-':big tambly right dar on 01. Mar.ter'. plantaHon,en
~ <, 1\
ahillun., ain't II one ebar aeen dt, in.~ ob d. ja1~.e.
chi11un. je. lak Ole Kleti. rai.e her'n en data de ..y ~ rai.e am, ~ auk
-t::;:..; ,
atia but I members em
A'G, ~
we belonged ~ em _~ dey belonged ter us, I dunno
"'!'VU. had good eat en plenty oV'lt,en
~f\ V
we had good alose en cleaJl alo.e ter &md87, _ ;t'. lIlO'n ~ tritl1n nigger. got now• ..-zr
~ " • I goea to church en ainga en pray., en when de scad Lord teka DB.I's. ready'" 80, en I
"G )
epeaa ...ee ;resu. en Ole m.th en Ole IIarotar when I g1t... de Bab nly Lan'."
r'\. ;j.\;I'.IVt~,,,
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~ WPA ti "»,. ....;.;
.Jankeea, -
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