From the WPA Slave
Narratives:
Allen Ward Age 81
Foreword: Allen Ward, ex-slave, age 81, born in 1856, was born by Westly Lee,
who lives east of Old Westville. Old Uncle Allen is white headed and bent; his
short square built body leans heavily on his sturdy walking cane. At times he
shakes his head wearily as he thinks back into the past, then his expression
changes quickly to a broad smile, from plesant memories of the long ago.
Between sighs and smiles he tells this story.
"I hates to talk 'bout all dis, as dem was bad days fer us niggers; wuk, eat,
an' sleep filled us' lives; jest de same things ober an ober, neber through,
alwas' driven on an' on. I don't lak ter think ob hit all. Den I finds myself
thinking again, now dat I'se a gittin' ole, a waitin' fer my ole age pension
an' things ter be done fer me, dat mixed wid de uder us did hab us' fun. Us
enjied good times tergether an' didn't hab to worry 'bout how us would make a
livin'. My master owned a big plantation. De little log cottages fer de slaves
was scattered ober de farm in convenient places.
"De fust thing dat I can recolect I must a been a little tot ob 'bout four
years, ha! ha! I jis' wore long shirts den an' on till I was a big strip ob a
boy. Dats de way dey dressed 'em. My fust duty was a waitin' on "Ole Misus,"
who fer years was a invalid. I had ter set by her bed-side an' fan de flies.
I'd grow tired a settin' dar so lon'; I wanted ter be out a runnin' 'bout,
longed to exercise an' play. Misus would sleep fer hours at de time, which
seemed ages ter me. I would fan on quiet lak an' still, soon I would grow
tired an' sleepy an' would drop off ter sleep, too, an' sometimes I would
tumble ter de floo', mos' ob de time I slept on a pallet on de floo' by her
bed, an' was called on through de nite to do little things fer her. Later I
was made ter do wuk 'round de house, such as bringin' in wood an' water, an'
keepin' de fires agwine.
"As I growed ole'r I was sent ter de fields. My fust wuk of dis kin' was a
pullin' up grass, thinin' corn, an pickin' cotton. I can neber fergit de acres
an' acres ob snowy white cotton fields wid a bunch ob us a pickin', scattered
in groups ober de big fields, wid de cotton sacks a hangin' from us' sholdiers.
Mars he hurried us on but us took hit as slow an' easy lak as us could out dar
in de hot sun. Us hollered an' sung spirituals an' uder songs dat us made up
ourselves. Many ghos' stories was tole dat was hair raisin' an' scary to us
little chaps. Tales ob all kind was tole as us picked on, listenin' fer de
dinner bell. Dat was what us was a wukin' fer.
"In my younger days I believed in haints, but learned years ago dat deir wont
no such thing. I learned ter figger 'em out to alwas' be a dog, or a cat, or
pranks played by de shaddows an' de moonlight. If a nigger dont go git too
scared he can fin' out what a haint is. One nite when I was a little chap I
was sont out in de side yard, de win' was a blowin' a little bit rash, de moon
was a shinin' dim lak. I was a goin' easy an' slow, a lookin' ober fust one
sholdier den de uder one. Seberal big dark objects went an' took on de form ob
monsters ready ter spring pon me, when I uped an' heard a whissin' muffled
sound. I rolled my eyes in de direction ob de noise an' ter my horror, under a
clump ob oak trees I saw two or three sure 'nuf' ghos' all white 'an bobbing
up an' down, swingin' dis way 'an dat way, an' a comin' closer and closer ter
me. I frez in my tracks, felt weak an' trembly, an' jist afore dey kotch me, I
runed ober myslef screamin' in de house. Dis proved ter be swings de white
chillun had lef' under de trees, wid big white pillows in dem. De win', an'
dim moonlight was all a little nigger fer a real ghos' scare.
"When de slaves lef' de plantation, deir masters gib 'em a pass, dey had ter
be back by a certain time, an' if dey failed men was sont after 'em. If a
slave was found wid out a pass he was punished. I can 'member 'em havin' merry
times at de frolics, a dancin' an' a singin' by de music ob de fiddles an' de
guitars. De time would natually slip too fas' an' de fust thing dey knowed de
patrol would be a ridin' atter dem, dey was 'fraid ter be drove in, an' laked
a little 'citement too, so de slaves would cut long grap vines an' stretch dem
across de road, by tyin' den ter trees De horses would be tripped an' the men
throwed from dem.
"My Mars was kind ter his slaves 'til jest 'afore de war broke out, den he got
pretty cruel. Dat was caused by him bein' so up-sot over de fear ob loosin'
every thing an' de dread o' war changed him.
"When I was 'bout eight years ole de slaves was freed De war days was bad
times fer us all, but when us got our freedom it was worse. Us didnt know whut
ter do, or how te look out fer our selves. Us tried ter make a livin' by
farmin' and fer the nex' three years us had a mighty hard time when Mr.
Richard Fathering heard ob us. He knowed my ma and pa. We was happy de day he
sent fer us. He moved us to Silver Creek in Lawrence County, ter work fer him
in his Tan Yard. We stayed wid him fer three years when we went back to farmin'.
"I had my romance too. I met de girl I loved at a big meetin'. I knowed right
deir and den I wanted Clara. I met her rejicing, smilin' an' lovin' lak. Fer
six months I courted Clara. Other niggers tried to beat my time wid her, but I
was smarter dan dem. We married in '77 and I aint never parted from her yit,
or married no body else. I aint never to dis day staid 'way from her a night.
We had ten chillun, half of em is dead. I think a heap o' Clara.
"Back in de days when I married, dey had de weddin' at de gal's house and
staid deir dat night. De nex' day dey'd go to his Ma's house an dat was de
enfare. Both ob 'em had good things cooked up an' sometimes give a dance. A
dance then lasted all through de night.
"I am an old man now, but I like ter see things move on. I enjoy livin' and
wish every body well.
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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