“I never was sold.  I was give way.  One of the Wades married into the Mitchell family.  Mama belong to the Wades.  They give me and Mama and Aunt Sallie—­she wasn’t my aunt but I called her that—­to Wade’s daughter.  She was the young mistress.  The Wades wasn’t so good to their slaves.  When freedom was declared, Papa come and got me and Mama and took us on over to his place agin.  We started sharecroppin’ at Major Ross’s place.  In 1881 Chick McGregor paid my way.  I come to Arkansas.  I farmed all my life till 1922 to 1933 I been here in Brassfield sawmilling.  They took the mill away from here.  I cain’t plough, I’m not able.  I pick and hoe cotton.  I work day labor.  I never have got on the Welfare.”

Southfield
folklore subjects
Name of Interviewer:  Pernella Anderson
Subject:  Centennial Snow—­Spring in St. Louis addition

Name:  Mattie Ross
Occupation:  Gardening
Residence:  South Field, Oil Field. 
Age:  74
[TR:  Information moved from bottom of second page.]

Ah wuz born aftuh surrender.  Ah guess ah’m about 74 years ole.  Mah pa wuz er slave an mah ma wuz too.  Dey moster wuz name Green Traylor an dey lived right down dar at Tula Creek.  Mah mistess wuz named Martha Traylor an dey name me aftuh huh.  Mah name is Martha Lee Traylor.  Aftuh she mahried huh name wiz Martha Tatum.  We worked down dar.  Oh!  Mah Lawd!  How we did work—­all ovah dat bottom.  De puttiest fiel’ ah evah did see.  De Traylor’s owned hit den.  Later on de Tatums bought hit fum dem and years aftuh dat de Nash’s bought hit fum de Tatums.  But new all uv dat place is growed up.  Nothing but er pine thicket and er black berry thicket.  Ye caint hardly walk through de place.  Later on de Cobbs owned us.  George Cobb wuz his name.  He lived down in de Caledonia settlement.  Ah went behin’ him er many er day wid de hoe or he’d crack mah haid.  He use tuh be de sheriff here de years uv de boom an his nephew is de sheriff now—­Grady Wosley.  Later en while ah wuz a gull ah werked fuh de Swilleys an wuz partly raised on dey plantation.  De ole man wuz name Lawson Swilley.  His wife, Margaret Swilley, and I clare dem two people treated me white.  She mammied me er many er day.  Ah wuz bred and born right down dar er-round Caledonia.  Ah wuz a big gull durin de time uv de centennial snow.  Dis snow wuz called dat cause hit wuz de bigges snow dat evah been.  Hit wuz ovah yo haid.  We had tuh spade our way evah whah we went.  Tuh de wood gitting place, tuh de sping, tuh de hoss lot, and evah whah.  De anow wuz warm an soft.  We piled up so much snow till hit took hit er half er year tuh melt.  Dat snow stayed on de groun two months.

Ah am de muthah uv five gulls and fo’ boys.  Didn nairy one uv mah gulls come in de pen till dey wuz mahried.  Ah use tuh fish in er big ole fish pond rat down whah de wesson depot is now.  Years ergo people come fum Camden an othuh places tuh fish in dat fish pond.