“After freedom my folks stayed on at Master Rucker’s.  I got to be a midwife.  I nursed and was a house girl after the war.  Then the doctors got to sending for me to nurse and I got to be a midwife.

“My father was a good Bible scholar.  He preached all around Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  He was a Methodist.  He died when he was seventy-seven years old.  He had read the Bible through seventy-seven times—­one time for every year old he was.”

Mrs. Mildred Thompson
Mrs. Carol Graham
El Dorado District
Federal Writers Project
Union County, Arkansas

Charley Williams, Ex-slave.  “Mawnin’ Missy.  Yo say wha Aint Fanny Whoolah live?  She live right down de road dar in dat fust house.  Yas’m.  Dat wha she live.  Yo say whut mah name?  Mah name is Charley.  Yas’m, Charley Williams.  Did ah live in slavery time?  Yas’m sho’ did.  Mah marster wuz Dr. Reed Williams and he live at Kew London (Se part of Union County) or ah speck ah bettuh say near New London caise he live on de Mere-Saline Road, de way de soldiers went and come.  Marster died befo’ de Civil Wah.  Does ah membah hit?  Yas’m ah say ah does.  Ah wuz bo’n in 1856.  Mah ole mutha died befo’ de wah too.  Huh name wuz Charity.  Mah young marster went tuh de wah an come back.  He fit at Vicksburg an his name wuz Bennie Williams.  But he daid now tho.  Dere was a hep uv dem white William Chillun.  Dere wuz Miss Narcissi an she am a livin now at Stong.  Den dere’s Mr. Charley.  Ah wuz named fuh him.  He am a livin now too.  Den dere is Mr. Race Williams.  He am a livin at Strong too.  Dere wuz Miss Annie, Miss Martha Jane and Miss Madie.  Dey is all daid.  When young marster would come by home or any uv de udder soldiers us little niggers would steal de many balls (bullets or shot) fum dey saddul bags and play wid em.  Ah nevah did see so many soldiers in mah life.  Hit looked tuh me like dey wuz enough uv em to reach clear cross de United States.  An ah nevah saw de like uv cows as they had.  Dey wuz nuff uv em to rech clar to Camden.

Is ah evah been mahried and does ah have any chillun?  Yes’m.  Yas’m.  Ah’s been mahried three times.  Me an mah fust wife had seven chillun.  When we had six chillun me and mah wife moved tuh Kansas.  We had only been der 23 days when mah wife birthed a chile and her an de chile both died.  Dat left me wid Carey Dee, Lizzie, Arthur, Richmond, Ollie and Lillie to bring back home.  Ah mahried agin an me an dat wife had one chile name Robert.  Me an mah third wife has three:  Joe Verna, Lula Mae an Johnnie B.

Is dey hents?  Ah’ve hearn tell uv em but nevah have seed no hants.  One uv mah friens whut lived on the Hommonds place at Hillsboro could see em.  His name wuz Elliott.  One time me an Elliott wuz drivin along an Elliott said:  “Charley, somebody got hole uv mah horse!” Sho nuff dat horse led right off inter de woods an comminced to buckin so Elliott and his hoss both saw de haint but ah couldn’ see hit.  Yo know some people jes caint see em.