“Well, I jes’ had this one girl.  I carried her along with me.  She would play round and then she was a heap of help.  She is mighty good to me now.

“I never seen a Ku Klux in my life.  Now, I couldn’t tell you about them.

“My parents’ names was Lou Sanders and Anthony Sanders.  Ma’s mother was a Rockmore and her husband was a Cherokee Indian.  I recollect them well.  He was a free man and was fixing to buy her freedom.  Her young mistress married Mr. Joe Bues and she heired her.  Mr. Joe Bues drunk her up and they come and got her and took her off.  They run her to Memphis before his wife could write to her pa.  He was Mars Rockmore.

“Grandma was put on a block and sold fore grandpa could cumerlate nough cash to buy her for his wife.  Grandma never seen her ma no more.  Grandpa followed her and Mr. Sam Shans bought her and took her to Mississippi with a lot more he bought.

“My pa’s ma b’long to John Sanders and grandpa b’long to Rube Sanders.  They was brothers.  Rube Sanders bought grandpa from Enoch Bobo down in Mississippi.  The Bobo’s had a heap of slaves and land.  Now, he was the one that sold gingercakes.  He was a blacksmith too.  Both my grandpas was blacksmiths but my Indian grandpa could make wagons, trays, bowls, shoes, and things out of wood too.  Him being a free man made his living that way.  But he never could cumolate enough to buy grandma.

“My other grandma was blacker than I am and grandpa too.  When grandpa died he was carried back to the Bobo graveyard and buried on Enoch Bobo’s place.  It was his request all his slaves be brought back and buried on his land.  I went to the burying.  I recollect that but ma and pa had to ask could we go.  We all got to go—­all who wanted to go.  It was a big crowd.  It was John Sanders let us go mean as he was.

“Miss Cornelia had the cistern cleaned out and they packed up their pretty china dishes and silver in a big flat sorter box.  Charles took them down a ladder to the bottom of the dark cistern and put dirt over it all and then scattered some old rubbish round, took the ladder out.  The Yankees never much as peared to see that old open cistern.  I don’t know if they buried money or not.  They packed up a lot of nice things.  It wasn’t touched till after the War was over.

“I been farming and cooking all my life.  I worked for Major Black, Mr. Ben Tolbert, Mr. Williams at Pleasant Hill, Mississippi.  I married and long time after come to Arkansas.  They said you could raise stock here—­no fence law.

“I get $8 and commodities because I am blind.  I live with my daughter here.”

Interviewer:  Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed:  Nellie Maxwell, Biscoe, Arkansas
Age:  63

“Mama was Harriett Baldwin.  She was born in Virginia.  Her owners was Mistress Mollie Fisher and Master Coon Fisher.  It was so cold one winter that they burned up their furniture keeping a fire.  Said seemed like they would freeze in spite of what all they could do.