Us lib on a plantation fus' but later it came t' be call' a town. I was bo'n an' raise on d' Sebrun Woods ' place neah Burkeville. I never see my daddy. My mother's name was Marthy Woods . Dey was two mo' slaves I 'member. Dey was Uncle Tom 'n' Uncle John Woods . I don' know if dey kin t' me. Udder slaves on d' plantation I don' 'member. My mother had a li'l log cabin fo' us. She was d' housegirl up in d' big house. I's too small t' work fo' freedom come. Atter we was free my mother gib me t' my mistus t' raise co'se she got mo' chil'ren. I stay wid d' w'ite folks 'til I mo'rn thuteen year' ol'. W'en I's small us play' mud cakes all day. Den we make us stick an' rag dolls. We mek dem ourse'ls co'se d' big folks ain' got time fo' no such foolishness. I play' wid d' li'l small w'ite chil'ren. Dey was Lizzie 'n' Henry 'n' Lewis , but d' bigger chil'ren I caint beg'in t' call dey names. Dey was a big fam'ly. Dey uster tell me w'en I big I don' know nuthin' 'bout bad slavery days 'n' I say I sho' don'. I kin' 'member seein' Yankees come thru' town. Dey was t'ree of dem. 'S near as I kin' 'member dey was jes' runnin' 'roun'. I don' know w'at dey do. I neber see no cullud people mistreated. My mistus wouldn' stan' fo' dat on d' place. One ol' man slave dey uster hab t' lam' on him co'se he so mean, but dey didn' whup on none d' udders. My w'ite folks carry me t' chu'ch jes' like d' udder chil'ren. Chu'nin' (churning), O Lawd, dat was my home. I know how t' chu'n w'en I littl'r'ner dan d' chu'n. W'en we li'l folks d' marster kep one ol' gentle milk cow fo' each chile. Us jus' tek a han'ful 'r' good ol' co'n pone, some call' it greasy bread, 'n' we go out 'n' milk our each cow 'n' drink d' hot milk wid d' co'n pone. M,m,m, dat was good. I learn' early to sew 'n' spin 'n' knit. Wish I had me a wheel right now t' wuk it. I never see' a bought material 'til I was 'bout 13 year' ol'. I was fas'. I could knit a real good pair 'r' sox in two weeks. Dey didn' let me wuk too hard, do'. Dey mek me play some. D' spinnin' wheel was a big wheel on a bench wid d' head a-sittin' on one side. Wish you all could see me spin. You neber see nuthin' like dat. D' udder women spin' d' wool but I's jus' learnin' so I mos' spin' d' cotton. Us spin' d' hanks 'n' cut 'em in t' 100 thread. If we want' t' color d' hanks we tie dem wid strings t' mek checks. If we want' plain color dey jus' dip in d' big boil dye pot. Us make d' dye on d' farm. Dey go in d' woods 'n' fin' maple bark, 'n' wil' peach tree, 'n' sweet gum bark 'n' shumake. Dey grow' a whole fiel' 'r' indigo nex' t' d' house. Dey put d' bark in a big pot 'n' boil it down thick. If d' dress t' be blue, dey jus' use d' indigo by itse'f. If d' dress t' be black dey use d' sweetgum 'n' shumake fo' dark red 'n' wil' peach for red red. Dey alays mix some d' indigo t' hol' d' udder colors. Dey had one sewin' machine w'at you han' crank. Eb'ry feller big 'nuf mek dey own dress. I mek my own since I big 'nuf t' tell. D' cloth us spun was on'y 'bout 18 inches wide. D' two slates on d' loom was 'bout dem wide. Us thread d' slates wid cotton thread. Fo' d' blankets 'n' d' feather ticks dey use bigger slates. I had a feather tick w'at I had kep t' 'member slavery, but I don' know w'at happen t' it. Us kep' lots 'r' goose 'n' chickens 'n' dey use dey feathers in d' ticks. Dey was sure monstrous sof'. We bake lots 'r' sweet 'tater pies 'n' dem days, 'n' shortenin' bread, wil' turkeys 'n' squirrel out de woods 'n' deers we cook dem too. Sometime' d' deer wouldn' keep fresh so dey fix 'im pickle' in salt brine 'n' he keep fine. I neber 'member Chris'mus 'n' such. I neber hear tell 'r' dem w'en I li'l. I neber see no 19th 'til I was grown. I been marry fo' 45 year' t' one man, dat Andrew . Us marry right yere in Orange in d' Meth'dis chu'ch. Us had five chil'ren, fo' libin'. Dis is ouah home wid petuneys 'n' zinnys 'roun' d' do'. Dey my fav'rite flower. Us neber see nuthin' like dat in slav'ry. I neber see nuthin' but one rose bush.