“I ‘member de War tho’.  Marse Tom, he went fust, wid de Van Dorns.  He was made a capt’in or somethin’ ’cause he was so brave.  He fought long wid de fust an’ was one of de fust to get hit.  Dey brung his body all de way from Richmond, or Virginny, I fergit which, and lawzy, if de Cunel an’ de Miss didn’ take on somethin’ awful.  Dey sho’ loved dat boy an’ so did all of de niggers.  Afte’ dey buried him dey took his sword an’ hung it on de wall of de parlor.  I reckin it still dar.

“Marse Ben went afte’ dat.  He was jes old ‘nough to go but he went an’ fought jes de same.  He come back when de war was over an’ dey was sho’ some rejoicin’.

“Time wa’nt much diffrunt den dan it was ’fo de War.  We stayed on wid our folks for a long time.  Den my pa started gettin’ a li’l work here an’ dar an’ purty soon he got all his chullun started out purty well.  We all went to de colored school what dey had down whar de railroad crossin’ is now, an’ dat was whar I l’arned to read an’ write.  I didn’ marry for a good while an’ den I went to work on de I.C.  Railroad.  I was fust a coal heaver an’ den a coach porter.  I was faithful to my job an’ made good money an’ soon built me a house of my own whar I raised my family.  I sent all my chullun to school an’ dey is doin’ well.  My wife worked right ’long wid me.  She died ’bout two years ago.

“I’se thankful I ain’t got no sad mem’ries ‘bout slav’ry times an’ dat I an’ my folks is done as well as dey have.  T’is de work of de Lawd.”

Wayne Holliday, who lived in slavery times, and whose father was a slave, is 84 years old, a dried-up looking Negro of light tan color, approximately 5 feet three inches high and weighing about 130 pounds, he is most active and appears much younger than he really is.  He is slightly bent; his kinky hair is intermingled white and gray; and his broad mouth boasts only one visible tooth, a particularly large one in the extreme center of his lower gum.

Wayne has the manner of a Negro of the old South and depicts, in his small way, the gallantry of an age gone by.

Prince Johnson, Ex-slave, Coahoma County
FEC
Mrs. Carrie Campbell
Rewrite, Pauline Loveless
Edited, Clara E. Stokes

PRINCE JOHNSON
Clarksdale, Mississippi

“Yes mam, I sho’ can tell you all ’bout it ’cause I was dere when it all happened.  My gran’pa, Peter, gran’ma, Millie, my pa, John, an’ my ma, Frances, all come from Alabama to Yazoo County to live in de Love fam’ly.  Dey names was Dennis when day come, but, after de custom o’ dem days, dey took de name of Love from dey new owner.  Me an’ all o’ my brothers an’ sisters was born right dere.  Dey was eleven head o’ us.  I was de oldes’.  Den come Harry, John, William, Henry, Phillis, Polly, Nellie, Virginny, Millie, an’ de baby, Ella.

“Us all lived in de quarters an’ de beds was home made.  Dey had wooden legs wid canvas stretched ’crost ’em.  I can’t ’member so much ’bout de quarters ’cause ‘bout dat time de young miss married Colonel Johnson an’ moved to dis place in Carroll County.  She carried wid her over one hund’ed head o’ darkies.