From the WPA Slave
Narratives:
Harriett Miller
My ole Marster wus Mike Cook en ole Missus wus named Miss Nancy, en dey lived
west uf Magnolia, not fur frum de county line. Marster Mike hed a big white
house sot out uf in frunt uf de log kitchen. De kitchen wus one time dier
house dat dey lived in but when dey bilt de fine house dey tuk de old one fur
de kitchen.
My mammy died when I wus jist crawlin en I doan remember her, en my pappy wus
kilt en I niver knowd him. I stayed wid de rest uf de slaves in de quarters in
de house wid aunt Charity, en in de day time I wus rite in de yard wid de
udder black chaps en white chilluns.
My name is Harriet en I wus six years old when sot free, so I reckin I wus
born in 1859 en dat wuld mek me 78 years old.
Marster Mike hed a big plantation en hed plenty slaves. Dar wus uncle Henry,
his wife en six chilluns --- uncle Washin'ton, his wife en seben chilluns ---
uncle Levi, his wife en four chilluns --- aunt Aisley, who done de cookin ---
aunt Charity who hoped in de house en done de sewin en she hed two boys ---
aunt Liddy who done de milkin en her two small chilluns --- aunt Terry en her
chile --- den dar wus my grand pappy en my grand mammy en me.
My mammy died when her last chile wus born, en aunt Charity tuk me ter raise.
Aunt Aisly wus de cook in de white folk's kitchen. She hed ter do de cookin en
look atter de black chilluns whilst deir mammies wus in de field, en Missus
Nancy hoped aunt Aisly ter tend ter de chilluns, en when we wus bad she wuld
lift up our coat tails en switch us on de naked skin, en dat wuld hurt. We
niver wore but one garment.
Out in de back yard under a big china berry tree dey hed a plank, en ebery day
aunt Charity wuld put pans uf pot licker en bread crumbled up in it en we hed
dat fur our dinner, en den sum time in de eben, Miss Nancy hed aunt Charity
ter put us pans uf clabber sweeten'ed wid 'lasses, en sed she hed ter keep her
little niggers good en fat.
De Overseer wus named Mr. Adams, en he wus sho cruel. He wuld blow dat bugle
ebery mornin fore de break uf day en hed dem workers all ready to be in de
field at de break uf day. He wus rite dar ter see dat dey wurk, en iffen dey
wus slow wid deir wurk, he wuld mek 'em git faster. One day he cum on ter
uncle Levi en sed Why doan yer hoe faster en uncle Levi sed I am hoeing es
fast as dis dull hoe will low me --- den Mr Adams sed Let me see yer hoe -
Uncle Levi give him de hoe en Mr Adams sed It is sharp nouf fer yer en hit him
squar on de hed en cut his hed open, en uncle Levi niver got ober dat lick so
long es he lived, he wus atter dat bout half crazy, en complained uf a pain in
his hed allus.
De overseer wus so mean dat one day my grand pappy run way en hid in de woods,
en dug him outern a cave in de side uf de hill en stayed in dar, en at nite he
wuld cum ter de quarters en grand mammy wuld hev sum thing fur him ter eat;
but de overseer culdnt find him.
One day aunt Terry wus standin' in de big road talkin' ter grand pappy, en dey
looked down de road en seed de Overseer cumin' en grand pappy run back in de
woods, en when he kotch aunt Terry he asked her iffen she warnt talkin ter
grand pappy en she sed No en he sed he Jist knowd she wus en he tuk her ter de
whippin post en tied her dar en whipped her atter she hed benn stripped ter de
waist till de blood cum runnin down, en den asked her er gin bout grand pappy
en she stuck ter it dat she did not see him en he whipped her ergin on top uf
dat sore back, en she died. He hed a big post down by de well, en when de
slaves didnt wurk ter suit him he wuld wait till dey et deir dinners en den
call 'em down ter de well en mek 'em shed dar clothes en whip 'em, sumtimes
till de blood wuld cum.
When de slaves wus wurkin in de fields en de bugle wud call 'em ter dinner,
dey wud cum ter de big house en eat in de kitchen, but on rainy days, en
Sundays en Christmus dey hed ter cook in de quarters. Dey neber hed much ter
eat. De white folks got de good grub en de slaves got common grub. No slave
eber got a biskit, en dey niver got eny cakes or pies. Sum times dey wuld mix
meal en 'lasses up en baked it fur a cake, en den dey hed to mix meal en
pumpkin ter gedder fur bread. When dey wurk in de field dey got meat in deir
greens, en dey hed meat in de quarters ebery Sunday, en ebery Sunday dey got
sum butter frum de big house.
All de slaves hed patches round deir houses, corn, en tater patches, en raised
pumpkin's en kershaws en hed deir own gardens, but wus not 'lowed ter have
chickens, ner hogs, ner cows. Aunt Liddy done de milkin' en she wuld tek two
big water buckets ter de pen ebery mornin en ebery nite en bring back de milk.
De white folks hed plenty cows, en sheep, en hogs, en mules en horses, but de
slaves hed nudthin, en iffen de slaves wuld slip a bite outern de big kitchen
dey sho wuld be whipped fur it. When eber de slaves wus tied en whipped de
wuld pray lak dis, O, Lord, mek me free --- O Lord, sot me free. but dey
darsent say it out loud so de Overseer culd hear 'em.
Den sumtimes, er ole black man wuld cum frum en nudder plantation fur ter
visit wid de black folks, en he wuld preach fur us, en den dey wuld sing
Amazin' Grace en O, How I lub Jesus.
When de darkies wus in de field at wurk de allus sung to keep time wid de hoe
en dat wuld mek 'em wurk faster, en dey sung de ole time songs sich as On
Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand --- I doan remember dem singin eny udder songs,
but dey sho prayed to be sot free. Den one day de Lord answered deir prayer.
En nudder thing we used ter eat wus 'chufas --- Marster sont way off yonder en
got sum chufas ter plant fur his hogs, en used ter eat dem kase dey wus good,
en now people are tryin ter git rid uf de chufas grass, en seys it is no good.
Missus Nancy hed a big loom house en on rainy days en at nite she hed de women
ter cum dar en card de cotton, en sum uf de women wuld spin it inter thread,
en sum wuld put it in de loom. Some times she wuld mek dem pick burs outern de
wool en hev dat carded en spun inter thread. En she hed er indigo patch en
made dye fur ter dye dat thread, en den she hed dye rocks, en made 'em rub dat
rock ter dey de thread, en she wuld tek dat dye thread en mek pritty cloth in
de looms.
All de niggers culd dance. Dey culd 'back-step' en do de 'pigeon-toe' --- en
dar wus times when dar wus fine company in de big house dey wuld call de
niggers up en hev 'em dance fur fun. Sum of dem women culd do de 'pigeon-toe'
wid a bucket uf water on deir heds. I wus too little ter dance fur dem, but I
larnt how ter dance atterwards.
When de war cum on, ole Marster sed he wus too old ter go en fight but he hed
two boys that went. Young Marster Jim en Marster Joe. Marster Joe got sick
whilst in de army en cum home en died. Dat wus de furst dead man I eber seed.
Marster Jim stayed wid de army till it wus ober. He niver got hurt. Dey kept
lookin fur de Yankees, but I niver seed eny uf 'em en niver heard tell day eny
cum. De war didn't hurt my white folks.
Marster Mike hed sum fine chilluns. Dar wus young Marster Bob, en young
Marster Phil, en Young Marster Jim and young Marster Joe. en dem dar wus Miss
Emma en Miss Jodie. Miss Jodie wus sho good ter all de little black chaps.
When she hed er biskit en et all she wanted uf it she wuld give de rest uf it
ter us chaps. Dat is all de biskits I ever got. Sumtime she wuld slip me er
piece uf cake en it wus good. Sumtimes de older chilluns wuld slip in de
chicken house en git de eggs, en tek 'em ter de quarters en roast 'em in de
ashes en eat 'em. No body darsent tell kase dey knowd dey wuld be whipped.
Dey sed it wus one mornin in May Marster tole all de slaves dey wus free en he
made 'em promise ter stay wid him till de crop wus gathered en he wuld pay dem
fur it. Well he sot 'em all free and didnt give 'em enything. Dey left dar
bare handed. Dey hed nothin.
Atter all de slaves left dar I wus left en dey sont to young Marster Phil's
ter live wid him en Miss Viney. Dey wus kind ter me. I hed to nurse deir
crawlin baby en see dat she didnt git hurt. I played wid de white chilluns all
de time, en at Marster Phil's I slept on er pallet in de back room by Miss
Viney.
One day my grand pappy cum ober dar en tuk me fur ter live wid him en I stayed
wid my grand pappy en grand mammy till I wus grown. My grand pappy wus livin
atter dat time on Mr. Felder's place. He made er crop en Mr Felder fed him en
his family, en he wus wurkin on shares. We all had er hard time den en we
still hev er hard time. Dar is nuthin in dis ole wurl but hard time fur black
folks.
One day Henry Miller asked me ter go ter Magnolia wid him en 'tend de big
meetin en I went en whilst we wus dar we got de license en Elder Cunnin'ham
married us in de New Zion Baptist Church. No mam, I'se didnt hev er wedding,
not eben er new dress. We jist got married en went home. We hed 12 chilluns,
but sum uf dem is dead. Dar is Manuel --- Angelina --- Hattie --- Flora ---
Murry --- Lena --- Fanny --- Mary --- Martha --- Marshall en Arthur is de ones
dat is livin now. My ole man's bin dead 26 years en I seed sum mity bitter
times en sum mity good times since he left me.
I bought er little farm en paid fur it by hard wurk en fur de last four years
I cant pay de taxes, but dey hev niver told me ter move en I'se gwine ter stay
dar. My baby boy lives wid me en we hev er mighty hard time. He is got er wife
en five chilluns ter tek keer uf.
I'se got rheumatiz in my right knee en cant hoe eny more. I git sum corn en
tek it ter my son-in-laws en grind it in er chop mill en dat is our bread rite
now. Sum time de white folks give me er little money en I wants ter tell yer
iffen it wasent fur de good white folks we darkies culdnt live.
I'se a Methodist, I is; I'se a shoutin Methodist. Sum times I git mity happy
en den I jist tell de Lord how happy I is en dey call it shoutin. But dat meks
me feel good. When I die I hope I go rite inter heaven shoutin case dat wuld
mek me happy en I hope ter meet all good people rite up dar wid de Angels. I
tries ter live rite en I niver done no body eny harm, en I wants ebery body
ter go ter heaven when day die.
Interviewer's note: Harriet lives 7 miles west of Magnolia on Highway 24 near
the Powell old place, on the left side of the road. The house set back from
the road about 100 yards. She is old and stooped from the waist forwards when
standing. She will weigh about 110 pounds and is five feet high. Black color,
with her lower teeth protruding. She has a round face but sharp chin. She
wears half moon earrings in her ears. She is very talkative and seems to
suffer with rheumatism very much. She complains about her knee hurting her.
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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