From the WPA Slave
Narratives:
Robert Laird
Robert Laird, ex-slave lives in Jackson, Mississippi with his second wife. He
was born in 1854, was owned during slavery by the Jones' of Copiah County. He
weighs about one hundred and fifty nine pounds and is about five feet and five
inches in height. His general coloring is a dark yellow and his hair is white
with age. He lives with his wife and daughter. He tells this of his life.
"I was owned in slavery time by Marse Jones. He owned a big plantation wid a
bunch ob slaves. Marse raised de general run ob crops on his farm; growed
cotton fer a little money and peas, corn an' taters an' de lak fer food stuff,
but what he went in fer de biggest was hogs. Ole Marse sho' did lak his hogs,
an' I growed up to lak em too. From de time I could leave my one room log
cabin I wanted to be 'round Marses' hogs, an' de fust wuk I ever done was
round de hogs. I did inji gwine to de pens wid big bucket ob slop an' hear
dozens ob dem hogs a squeelin' an runnin' lak some 'em wild. Yo' could hear
'em a mile. Ole Marse, he could talk to 'em, hit seemed lak dey could under
stand eber thing he say. I soon learned to gib dat ole hog holler. I did love
to hear de sound ob dat call a rollin' thro' de woods an' 'cross de pasteur an
fiel's.
"When I was little a settin' 'round de bright pine knot fires at nite, I
enjied de tales my grand mamy an' grand pappy use to tell. Some ob 'em was
scary an' when I'd go to my pallet on de cabin flo', I'd pull de civer over my
head to keep from seein' de ghos'es an' hob goblings dey would tell 'bout. Den
dey was al'as fearin' some 'em terrible from some sign dey had saw or from
some 'em dey had heard. I jes' lived knowing a big calamity was 'bout to kitch
us. Dey would tell what deir folks would tell ob how de colored folks was
captured by de slave traders an brung over here an' sole to de Southern
farmers. Some times dey was toted off lak pigs wid sugar or some 'em purty.
Den again dey was snatched right up an run off wid an' when dey would git 'em
on a boat dey would be gone.
"I dressed in jes' my long shirt dat was made from homespun cloth. Dey was
big, an' thick, an' rough, an' heavy. Dey would las' so long 'til I'd fergit
when dey was made. I wore brogan shoes when it was real cold but de res' ob de
time I went barefooted.
"Marse Jones had us slaves taught how to read an' write. He didn't want us not
to know nothin'. He couldn't read all on account of his bad eyes so he use to
hab me to set by him an' read to him. I could read purty good den an' I would
set fer hours on a stretch an' read to him. Some times from de Bible an' again
from farm papers, mostly 'bout hogs.
"Marse prized his timber too. He made us take a heap o' care ob hit, an'
wouldn't 'low no fires to git a holt in it. He laked his big pine forest next
to his house. I'se gone wid him many a time as he would go through it. He'd
stop an' jes' look, as far as yo' could see was tall straight pines wid de
ground as smooth as yo' han' wid nothin' but pine straw under 'em. Not one
sprig ob under growth. Hit sho' was a purty sight. In de fall ob de year Marse
would turn his hogs in de pine forest fer to eat de moss. Now a hog loves moss
lak a nigger loves possum an' taters.
Day is one thing I would love fer folks to know an' dat is how de colored
folks lak to take deir dogs at night an' go out in de swamps an' tree a
possum. Dats' times wid de dogs a barkin' an' de moon a shinin' an a possum up
a tree or in a stump hole. When de possum is kotched he will cull up, he is
den put on de end ob a pole, he stays all culled up an' holds on tight. Yo'
can throw dat pole 'cross yo' shoulders an' go home an' bake dat possum on de
hot coals in de fire place wid sweet 'taters an coffee. Dat is a eatin'. Dat
suits de niggers next to watermellon in de summer time.
"Marse had a fiddle dat us laked to hear him play. I never could dance but I
could jump up an' down an' pat my hands. I laked music so well 'till my feet
jes' wouldn't be still.
"Now in de 60's de war to free us got stirred up an' at las' started.
Sometimes us would hear dat us would git a mule or some 'em when us was freed,
but us didn't know much 'bout hit. We was scared ob de yankees an' while de
war was gwine on dey was having a battle over at Vicksburg, Mississippi. We
could hear de cannons an' see de lights. I can tell yo' us was all a scart a
plenty. One day Ole Missus heard de yankees a commin', right in de middle dat
awful battle dey hid de slaves. I can recollect dey hid me in de barn. I was
under some hay an' to scart to breath. I was dier, still an' quiet till I
thought I was a gwine to die. After ages Marse say fer us to come out. I
slipped out fearin' dey would kotch me no how.
"After de war us staid on wid Marse fer a few years wukin' fer Marse fer
wages. Den us got a little place an' started out fer our selves.
"I was alwas' a good farmer an' has made a heap o' money from time to time,
but jes' didn't take care o' hit in de right way to ever have anything. I was
alwas' lak my ole Marse I laked to fool 'round raisin' hogs. I got a heap o'
pleasures in my life time a raisin' hogs.
"Besides being a farmer an' raisin' hogs I'se been what yo' might call a
Missionary preacher. I'se jes' gone 'round whar de folks need to hear de
gospel an' preached it to 'em de bes' I could. I feels lak I has done some
good in dis world. I was considered a good singer too. All de churches I ever
went to dey would alwas' call me up an' git me to sing. "Ole Time Religion",
an' "De Ole Ship O' Zion", is among my favorites.
I married while I was a young man an' only raised two chillun to be grown. I
gib 'em a farmers education. My boy, he is a wukin' fer a feed company in
Jackson an' my gal wuks fer white folks. My wife died an' I married again
fifteen years ago. I'se a livin' wid my las wife now.
"I wants to warn de young generation dat if dey don't mend deir ways dey is
headed fer ever-lastin' doom, an' I wants to warn 'em to take care o' what dey
make an' invest right. I'se sho' los' a lot by not thinkin' in time. I'se glad
to see my race gittin' along but dey is gwine places too fas'.
Interviewer: Unknown
Transcribed by Ann Allen Geoghegan
Mississippi Narratives
Prepared by
The Federal Writer’s Project of
The Works Progress Administration
For the State of Mississippi
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"If you teach them where they come from, they won't need as much help finding where they are going!" Cordelia Carothers " Aunt Dee" Geoghegan (1894-1987)
Project Manager: Ann
Allen Geoghegan State Coordinator Assistant State Coordinators and
Transcriptionists: Ann Allen Geoghegan, Debbie Leftwich, and Rose Diamond and Linda Durr Rudd Banner designed by: Melissa McCoy-Bell Unknown worker photograph provided by L. Stephen Bell Photography, and family photo albums of Karen Schweikle, Lucy Gray and Jens Burkhart. Copyright © 2005-2008 by MSGenWeb Project. All rights reserved. |
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