Marshall, Alonzo

Slave narratives from the Library of Congress.
Alonzo Marshall a slave in Kemper County, MS. 
Submitted to the site by Darleen Brown.
Subject: Ex-Slave Alonzo Marshall.

He was owned by John Marshall, before the war in 1860, and they lived on the line of Neshoba and Kemper county. He was not large enough to work in the field, but remembers very well when the war started. His "old Massa" had to go to war, got shot in the leg came home and was never able to go back. He also remembers some Calvary-men coming to his house and eating breakfast, also the drums beating of the Yankees, but they never came to where he lived.

Negro slaves were given passes to visit, the pass extended till four in the afternoon and if they were not home by that time they were whipped, just an ordinary whipping never beaten.
When they were given their freedom, his old Massa, gave him his choice of going or staying. If they stayed they stayed for what they ate and wore and were to be ruled by him as they had been. He stayed on awhile, but sometime that summer left, and just did any kind of job work for something to eat, the second year he settled at parson Seales, to work for what he ate and wore.

His mother had given all the children away but two by this time the youngest and himself, who was large enough to help her some. Mrs. Seales, made clothes for her family and for them. She spun and wove it all by hand. The next summer his mother hired him out to Mr. Mike Cook, who gave him $25.00 for the years work. He is now living in Stephen's quarters in the town of Philadelphia.