I done see dem sol' on de block on sales day. Dey hab dem all togedder and put dem up on a block and sell dem or eder swap dem. De spec'lators driv' dere drove of niggers jes' like cattle. Iffen de marsters hab a man w'at mean or no 'count, dey trade him off. Jes' like dey would swap a hoss. Iffen de uder man git a mean nigger dat jes' too bad. He jes' git de wuss of de trade.  I seed one or two droves of sojers but I dunno wedder dey was sump'n' or nuthin'. Dey was'n no fightin' 'roun' yere. My fadder was in de war. He go'd to de war wid de young marster to wait on him. Dey bofe come back all right. Nary one git hurt at all.  Dey was conjure men and wimmen in slav'ry day. Dey mek out like dey kin do t'ings to keep de marster from whippin' you. One of dem gib a ol' lady a bag of san', and tol' her dat keep marster from whippin' her. Dat same day she git too uppity, and sass de marster cause she feel safe. Dat marster he whip dat darky so hard he cut dat bag of san' plumb in two. Dat ruint de conjure man' bus'ness.  Dey uster tell 'bout folks w'at come back wid no head or shape' like a hog, or bull or hoss or goat. One tol' me dat a feller was in a grabeyard one night. He been stealin'. Dey was a li'l box up like a house ober a grabe and he peep in and see sump'n' w'ite in dere. He go and sleep in de chu'ch dat night cause he so scare' he t'ink he refo'm (reform) and neber t'ief anuder t'ing. Nex' mawnin' he hatter go back t'roo de grabeyard and he peep in de box ag'in. Den he see a po' li'l w'ite lamb w'at done fall in dere. W'en de do' open, it come in and w'en de win' blow de do' shut it couldn' git out.  Anuder time a feller git drunk and lay down and go sleep 'tween two grabes, but he t'ink dey co'n rows. Jes' dawn he wake up and see dem tombstone' he been huggin' all night, and did he lit out and run.  

Dey uster tol' us a story 'bout de fox and de rabbit. One time Bre'r Fox wanter kill Bre'r Rabbit. Bre'r Fox he lay down like he die and sont fo' Bre'r Rabbit. W'en Bre'r Rabbit come Bre'r Fox' wife say dat Bre'r Fox reques' dat he git he fiddle and play de las' chune (tune) ober Bre'r Fox' head. Co'se Bre'r Fox figger dat w'en Bre'r Rabbit git ober he head, he gwinter jump up and kotch him. Bre'r Rabbit he say Bre'r Fox ain' gap he de'f (death) gap, and he 'fraid he ain' gwinter play 'til he see him gap he de'f gap. Den Bre'r Fox he gap like he gap he de'f gap, and Bre'r Rabbit he fly outn' de do' and say, 'No, Bre'r Fox, you libin' cause dey ain' no dead pusson kin gap like dat,' and wid dat he bre'k and run fo' d' briar patch." Den Bre'r Fox fix to kotch Bre'r Rabbit 'gin. He ax lots of folks to he dance. Bre'r Rabbit he git superstitious. De crowd all gwinter to de dance. Dey pass by Bre'r Rabbit and say, 'Bre'r Rabbit, is you gwinter de dance?' Bre'r Rabbit he say, 'No.' Dey say, 'W'y? Huccome?' Bre'r Rabbit he say, 'By God, I don' bleeb in all agwine and none a-comin' back.  'lowed de culled folks to go to chu'ch. Dey could go and sot in a place at de back of de chu'ch. Dey was some ol' culled men w'at sorter preach 'roun' in slav'ry. Dey jes' preach 'roun' in de quarters. Atter freedom come dey mek two or t'ree culled preachers. Dey was Sam Hadnot , Dick Seales and Peter Adams from de ol' plantation.

W'en freedom come de marster tol' de slaves dey free to go w'er dey please. All dat wanter go kin go, and all dat wanter stay kin stay. 'Bout haffer dem go and 'bout haffer dem stay. My fadder stay one year mos' befo' he lef'. Dey git sump'n to eat and wear and med'cine and doctor. Dey was treat' better den dan now. Dey didn' hab no train or railroad den. De mos' convenient way to trabble dey hab five or six hosses to pull. I can't t'ink w'at dey call it. A stage, yes. Dey trabble lot by steamboat too. I been marry to Mandy in dere w'at sick, fo' 13 year'. Us hab sev'ral chillen and she hab some befo' I marry her. De shakers done git me so bad now I ain' been able to do much, but I allus been a man to do lots of wuk. I been a sawmiller and a farmer all my day.