“I was born in Shelby County Tennessee.  My folks all come from Richmond, Virginia.  They come to Kentucky and then on to Tennessee.  I am 68 years old.  My father’s master was Joe Rollacks and Mrs. Chicky they called his wife.  My mother’s master was Joe Ricks and they all called his wife Miss Fee.  I guess it was Pheobe or Josephine but they never called her by them names.  Seemed like they was all kin folks.  I heard my mother say she dress up in some of the white folks dresses and hitch up the buggy, take dinner and carry two girls nearly grown out to church and to big picnics.  She liked that.  The servants would set the table and help the white folks plates at the table.  Said they had a heap good eating.  She had a plenty work to do but she got to take the girls places where the parents didn’t want to go.  She said they didn’t know what to do wid freedom.  She said it was like weening a child what never learned to eat yet.  I forgot what they did do.  She said work was hard to find and money scarce.  They find some white folks feed em to do a little work.  She said a nickle looked big as a dollar now.  They couldn’t buy a little bit.  They like never get nough money to buy a barrel of flour.  It was so high.  Seem like she say I was walking when they got a barrel of flour.  So many colored folks died right after freedom.  They caught consumption.  My mother said they was exposed mo than they been used to and mixing up in living quarters too much what caused it.  My father voted a Republican ticket.  I ain’t voted much since I come to Arkansas.  I been here 32 years.  My farm failed over in Tennessee.  I was out lookin’ round for farmin’ land, lookin’ round for good work.  I farmed then I worked seven or eight years on the section, then I helped do brick work till now I can’t do but a mighty little.  I had three children but they all dead.  I got sugar dibeates.

“The present times are tough on sick people.  It is hard for me to get a living.  I find the young folks all for their own selves.  If I was well I could get by easy.  If a man is strong he can get a little work along.

“The times and young generation both bout to run away wid themselves, and the rest of the folks can’t stop em ’pears to me like.”

Interviewer:  Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed:  “Doc” John Pope, Biscoe, Arkansas
Age:  87

I am 87 years old for a fact.  I was born in De Soto County, Mississippi, eight miles south of Memphis, Tennessee.  No I didn’t serve in de War but my father Gus Pope did.  He served in de War three years and never came home.  He served in 63rd Regiment Infantry of de Yankee army.  He died right at the surrender.  I stayed on de farm till the surrender.  We scattered around den.  My father was promised $300.00 bounty and 160 acres of land.  Dey was promised dat by the Constitution of the United States.  Every soldier was promised dat.  No he never got nary penny nor nary acre of land.  We ain’t got nuthin.  De masters