Interviewer:  Bernice Bowden
Person interviewed:  Norman Burkes
                    2305 West Eleventh Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Age:  78

“I didn’t quite make slavery.  Me and freedom came here together.

“I was born in Union County, Arkansas.  My mother was born in Virginia and my father was an Alabamian.

“I’ve heered ’em say how they done in slavery times.  Whupped ’em and worked ’em and didn’t feed ’em much.  Said they’d average about three pounds of meat a week and a peck of meal, a half gallon of molasses.  That was allowed the hands for a week.  No sugar and no coffee.  And they’d issue flour on Saturday so they could have Sunday morning biscuits.

“My father was sold to Virginia and he and my mother was married there and they moved with their white people here to Arkansas.

“They called their owner old Master.  Yes’m, I can remember him.  Many times as he whipped me I ought to remember him.  I never will forget that old man.  They claimed he was pretty good to ’em.  He didn’t whup ’em much, I don’t think.

“If my mother was livin’ she could tell you everything about Virginia.  She was one hundred and two when she died.  My folks is long livers.

“My oldest brother was sold in Virginia and shipped down into Texas about ten years before I was born and I ain’t never seen him.

“They sold wives from their husbands and children from their parents and they couldn’t help it.  Just like this war business.  Come and draft ’em and they couldn’t help it.

“I think the way things is now, they’re goin to build up another war.”

Extra Comment

I was interviewing this man on the front porch and at this point, he got up and went into the house, so the interview was ended as far as he was concerned.

Interviewer:  Miss Irene Robertaon
Person interviewed:  Will Burks, Sr. 
                    Pine City, Ark.—­5 mi. from Holly Grove
Age:  75

“My parents names was Katherine Hill and Bill Burks.  They had five boys and three girls.  Their owners fur as I knows was Frank and Polly Burks.  They had a heap of slaves.  They was good white folks.  My folks stayed on two or three years.  They was both field hands.  They had to go to the house and Master Frank Burks told em they was free.  In 1880 Judge Scott paid their way and I come wid them to Forrest City.  There was a crowd.  He bought em out here to farm.  We come Christmas 1880.  I never will forgit that.  It was jes different in a new country and left some of our folks an all that.

“I was born close to Columbia, Tennessee.  I used to see the soldiers pass long the big road, both sides.  Seem lack theyd be in strings a mile long.  I never heard much bout the war.  They wouldn’t let white nor black children set round and hear what they was talkin’ bout.  Why they send em off to play—­build playhouses outer rocks and hay, leaves, any little thing they throw way we take it to play house.  White children played together then cause it was a long ways between white folks house, and colored children raised up wid em.  I don’t see none that now.