FootNote
The new kid on the block, FootNote is known for digitizing historical
documents... many of which are genealogical gems. With naturalizations,
city directories, war records, newspapers, town records, etc... this new
kid is quickly being recognized as an alternative to Ancestry.
While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
Works Progress Administration
Federal Writers' Project
1500 Eye St. N.W.
Washington, D.C.
Supplementary Instructions #9-E To The American Guide Manual
Folklore Stories From Ex-Slaves
Note: In some states it may be possible to locate only a
very few ex-slaves, but an attempt should be made in every
state. Interesting ex-slave data has recently been reported
from Rhode Island, for instance.
April 22, 1937
Stories From Ex-Slaves
The main purpose of these detailed and homely questions is
to get the Negro interested in talking about the days of
slavery. If he will talk freely, he should be encouraged to
say what he pleases without reference to the questions. It
should be remembered that the Federal Writers' Project is
not interested in taking sides on any question. The worker
should not censor any material collected, regardless of its
nature.
It will not be necessary, indeed it will probably be a
mistake, to ask every person all of the questions. Any
incidents or facts he can recall should be written down as
nearly as possible just as he says them, but do not use
dialect spelling so complicated that it may confuse the
reader.
A second visit, a few days after the first one, is
important, so that the worker may gather all the worthwhile
recollections that the first talk has aroused.
2. Give the names of your father and mother. Where did they
come from? Give names of your brothers and sisters. Tell
about your life with them and describe your home and the
"quarters." Describe the beds and where you slept. Do you
remember anything about your grandparents or any stories
told you about them?
3. What work did you do in slavery days? Did you ever earn
any money? How? What did you buy with this money?
4. What did you eat and how was it cooked? Any possums?
Rabbits? Fish? What food did you like best? Did the slaves
have their own gardens?
5. What clothing did you wear in hot weather? Cold weather?
On Sundays? Any shoes? Describe your wedding clothes.
6. Tell about your master, mistress, their children, the
house they lived in, the overseer or driver, poor white
neighbors.
7. How many acres in the plantation? How many slaves on it?
How and at what time did the overseer wake up the slaves?
Did they work hard and late at night? How and for what
causes were the slaves punished? Tell what you saw. Tell
some of the stories you heard.
8. Was there a jail for slaves? Did you ever see any slaves
sold or auctioned off? How did groups of slaves travel? Did
you ever see slaves in chains?
9. Did the white folks help you to learn to read and write?
10. Did the slaves have a church on your plantation? Did
they read the Bible? Who was your favorite preacher? Your
favorite spirituals? Tell about the baptizing; baptizing
songs. Funerals and funeral songs.
11. Did the slaves ever run away to the North? Why? What did
you hear about patrollers? How did slaves carry news from
one plantation to another? Did you hear of trouble between
the blacks and whites?
12. What did the slaves do when they went to their quarters
after the day's work was done on the plantation? Did they
work on Saturday afternoons? What did they do Saturday
nights? Sundays? Christmas morning? New Year's Day? Any
other holidays? Cornshucking? Cotton Picking? Dances? When
some of the white master's family married or died? A wedding
or death among the slaves?
13. What games did you play as a child? Can you give the
words or sing any of the play songs or ring games of the
children? Riddles? Charms? Stories about "Raw Head and
Bloody Bones" or other "hants" of ghosts? Stories about
animals? What do you think of voodoo? Can you give the words
or sing any lullabies? Work songs? Plantation hollers? Can
you tell a funny story you have heard or something funny
that happened to you? Tell about the ghosts you have seen.
14. When slaves became sick who looked after them? What
medicines did tho doctors give them? What medicine (herbs,
leaves, or roots) did the slaves use for sickness? What
charms did they wear and to keep off what diseases?
15. What do you remember about the war that brought your
freedom? What happened on the day news came that you were
free? What did your master say and do? When the Yankees came
what did they do and say?
16. Tell what work you did and how you lived the first year
after the war and what you saw or heard about the KuKlux
Klan and the Nightriders. Any school then for Negroes? Any
land?
17. Whom did you marry? Describe the wedding. How many
children and grandchildren have you and what are they doing?
18. What do you think of Abraham Lincoln? Jefferson Davis?
Booker Washington? Any other prominent white man or Negro
you have known or heard of?
19. Now that slavery is ended what do you think of it? Tell
why you joined a church and why you think all people should
be religious.
20. Was the overseer "poor white trash"? What were some of
his rules?
The details of the interview should be reported as
accurately as possible in the language of the original
statements. An example of material collected through one of
the interviews with ex-slaves is attached herewith. Although
this material was collected before the standard
questionnaire had been prepared, it represents an excellent
method of reporting an interview. More information might
have been obtained however, if a comprehensive questionnaire
had been used.
"Dey says I wuz jes fo' years ole when de war wuz over, but
I sho' does member dat day dem Yankee sojers come down de
road. Mary and Willie Durham wuz my mammy and pappy, en dey
belong ter Marse Spence Durham at Watkinsville in slav'ry
times."
"When word cum dat de Yankee sojers wuz on de way, Marse
Spence en his sons wuz 'way at de war. Miss Betsey tole my
pappy ter take en hide de hosses down in de swamp. My mammy
help Miss Betsey sew up de silver in de cotton bed ticks.
Dem Yankee sojers nebber did find our whitefolks' hosses and
deir silver."
"Miss Marzee, she wuz Marse Spence en Miss Betsey's
daughter. She wuz playin' on de pianny when de Yankee sojers
come down de road. Two sojers cum in de house en ax her fer
ter play er tune dat dey liked. I fergits de name er dey
tune. Miss Marzee gits up fum de pianny en she low dat she
ain' gwine play no tune for' no Yankee mens. Den de sojers
takes her out en set her up on top er de high gate post in
front er de big house, en mek her set dar twel de whole
regiment pass by. She set dar en cry, but she sho' ain'
nebber played no tune for dem Yankee mens!"
"De Yankee sojers tuk all de blankets offen de beds. Dey
stole all de meat dey want fum de smokehouse. Dey bash in de
top er de syrup barrels en den turn de barrels upside down."
"Marse Spence gave me ter Miss Marzee fer ter be her own
maid, but slav'ry time ended fo' I wuz big 'nough ter be
much good ter 'er."
"Us had lots better times dem days dan now. Whatter dese
niggers know 'bout corn shuckin's, en log rollin's, en house
raisin's? Marse Spence used ter let his niggers have candy
pullin's in syrup mekkin' time, en de way us wud dance in de
moonlight wuz sompin' dese niggers nowadays doan know nuffin'
'bout."
"All de white folks love ter see plenty er healthy, strong
black chillun comin' long, en dey wuz watchful ter see dat 'omans
had good keer when dey chilluns vuz bawned. Dey let dese 'omans
do easy, light wuk towards de last 'fo' de chilluns is
bawned, en den atterwuds dey doan do nuffin much twel dey is
well en strong ergin. Folks tell 'bout some plantations whar
de 'omans ud run back home fum de fiel' en hev day baby, en
den be back in do fiel' swingin' er hoe fo' right dat same
day, but dey woan nuffin lak dat 'round Watkinsville."
"When er scritch owl holler et night us put en iron in de
fire quick, en den us turn all de shoes up side down on de
flo', en turn de pockets wrong side out on call de close,
kaze effan we diden' do dem things quick, sompin' moughty
bad wuz sho' ter happen. Mos' en lakly, somebuddy gwint'er
be daid in dat house fo' long, if us woan quick 'bout fixin'.
Whut us do in summer time, 'bout fire at night fer de
scritch owl? Us jes' onkivver de coals in de fire place. Us
diden' hev no matches en us bank de fire wid ashes evvy
night all de year 'roun'. Effen de fire go out, kaze some
nigger git keerless 'bout it, den somebuddy gotter go off
ter de next plantation sometime ter git live coals. Some er
de mens could wuk de flints right good, but dat wuz er hard
job. Dey jes rub dem flint rocks tergedder right fas' en let
de sparks day makes drap down on er piece er punk wood, en
dey gits er fire dat way effen dey is lucky."
"Dem days nobuddy bring er axe in de house on his shoulder.
Dat was er sho' sign er bad luck. En nebber lay no broom
crost de bed. One time er likely pair er black folks git
married, en somebuddy give 'em er new broom. De 'oman she
proud uv her nice, spankin' new broom en she lay hit on de
bed fer de weddin' crowd ter see it, wid de udder things
been give 'em. Fo' thee years go by her man wuz beatin' 'er,
en not long atter dat she go plum stark crazy. She oughter
ter know better'n ter lay dat broom on her bed. It sho' done
brung her bad luck. Dey sent her off ter de crazy folks
place, en she died dar."
