“Fo freedom they would turn a wash pot upside-down at the door and have singin’ and prayer meetin’.  The pot would take up the noise.  They done that when they danced too.  I don’t know how they found out the iron pot would take up the noise.  They had plenty of em settin’ round in them days.  Somebody found it out and passed it on.”

Interviewer:  Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed:  Mollie Hardy Scott, R.F.D., DeValls Bluff, Arkansas
Age:  90

“I was born at Granville, Georgia in Franklin County.  I don’t know my age cept I was big enough to plow when young master lef and went to war.  My mother died bout time the war started.  We belonged to Miss Eliza and Master Jim Hardy.  He had two boys bout grown, Jim and John.  My father belong to the Linzys.  I don’t know nuthin much bout them nor him neither.  When the war was done he come and got me and we went to Barton County, Georgia.  When I lef they give me my feather bed, two good coverlets and my clothes.  White folks hated fo me to leave.  We all cried but I never seen em no more.  They said he take me off and let me suffer or die or something.  I was all the child my father had but my mother had ten children I knowed of.  We all lived on the place.  They lived in a little log house and I stayed wid em some an up at white folks house mostly.  No I never seed my folks no more.  We had plenty to eat.  Had meat and garden stuff.  We had pot full of lye hominy.  It last several days.  It was good.  I seed em open up a pot full of boiled corn-on-the-cob.  Plenty milk and butter.  We had wash pot full of collards or turnip salad.  Maybe a few turnips on top and a big piece of fresh meat.  We had plenty to eat and wear long as I lived wid the white folks.  We had goobers, molasses candy to pull and pop corn every now and then.  They fill all the pockets, set around the fire an eat at night.  Sometimes we bake eggs and sweet potatoes, cracklin hoe cake covered up in the ashes.  Bake apples in front of the fire on de hearth.  Everybody did work an we sho had plenty to eat an wear.

“I had plenty when I stayed at my father’s an we worked together all the time.  When he died I married.  I’ve had a hard time not able to work.  There ain’t no hard time if yous able to get bout.  I pieces quilts an sells em now.  Sells em if I can.  For $150 piece (has no idea of money value).  Some women promissed to come git ’em but they ain’t come yet.  I wanter buy me some shoes.  I could do a heap if they send fo me.  I can nurse.  I kept a woman’s children when she teached last year (Negro woman’s children).

“I brought four or five when I come to Arkansas of my own.  They all dead but my one girl I lives wid.