Amusements

“There weren’t many amusements in slave times.  They had dances with fiddle music.  There was mighty few darkies could get out to go to dances because the pateroles was so bad after them.  I don’t know of any other amusements the slaves had.  They were playing baseball when I was born.  There were boys much older than I was already playing when I was old enough to notice, so I think they must have known about it in slave time.  They didn’t play much in that way because they didn’t have time.

Slaves who Bought Themselves

“I have heard tell of some Negroes that was thrifty and got money enough from side work to buy themselves.  They had to go North then because they couldn’t live in the South free.  I don’t remember their names just now.

Church

“The slaves had church.  Sometimes they had church at one another’s house.  I don’t think they ever built them a church house.  But they could go to the white folks’ church if they wanted to.

How Freedom Came

“My daddy’s master told my father he was free.  He told him that in 1865.  He told him that he was free to do as he pleased, that he could come when he pleased and go when he pleased.  ’Course, he told him he wanted him to stay around him—­not to go off.

Soldiers

“I have heard my father speak of soldiers, but they were too busy ’round Atlanta and up that way to git down where my father was.  They don’t seem to have bothered his town.  They never made my father do any labor in the army neither.  My father was mixed Indian, white, and Negro.

Marriage

“Slaves had to get the consent of their masters to marry.  Sometimes masters would want them to go and would even buy the woman they wanted to keep them contented on the plantation.  Sometimes the masters wouldn’t do anything but let them visit.  They would marry—­what they called marriage in those days—­and the husband would have to git permission from his master to go visit his wife and git permission from her master to come there.  He would go on Saturday night and get back in time for his work on Monday morning.  It was just like raising stock and mating it.

“I have been married fifty-one years.  I have been married twice though.  My first wife died in 1900.  I have been married to my second wife thirty-four years last April.  Those were real marriages.

Opinions

“I can’t say much along these lines.  The chance to make a living looks so dark I can’t see much of a future.  Things seem to be getting worse.  Nearly everybody I talk with, white or colored, seems to think the same.  It is like Senator Glass said.  ’If Congress would close up and go home at once, times would get better.’  People don’t know what kind of fool law Congress is going to make and they are not going to spend much money.  I don’t think Mr. Roosevelt’s pump priming will do much good because you must keep adding to it or it will go away.