“I did git me dis little farm, 40 acres, but I bought it an’ paid for it myse’f.  I got de money by workin’ for it.  When I come to dis country I dug wells an’ built chimneys on’ houses. (Once I dug a well 27 feet an’ come to a coal bed.  I went through de coal an’ foun’ water.  Dat was on de Jordon River.) Dat clay chimney an’ dis here house has been built 52 years.  I’s still livin’ in’ em.  Dey’s mine.  One acre, I giv’ to de Lawd for a graveyard an’ a churchhouse.  I wants to be buried dere myse’f.

“A white lady paid my taxes dis year.  I raises a garden an’ gits de Old Age ’Sistance.  It aint ‘nough to buy grub an’ clo’es for me an’ de old woman an’ pay taxes, so us jus’ has to git ‘long de bes’ us can wid de white folks he’p.

“It aint none o’ my business’ bout whether de Niggers is better off free dan slaves.  I dont know ’cept ’bout me, I was better off den.  I did earn money after I was free, but after all, you know money is de root o’ all evil.  Dat what de Good Book say.  When I was a slave I only had to obey my Marster an’ he furnish me ever’thing.  Once in a while he would whup me, but what was dat?  You can’t raise nary chile, white or black, widout chastisin’.  De law didn’ low dem to dominize over us, an’ dey didn’ try.

“I’s gittin’ mighty old now, but I used to be pretty spry.  I used to go 60 miles out on de Gulf o’ Mexico, as ’terpreter on dem big ships dat come from France.  Dat was ’fore I done forgot my French talk what I was raised to speak.

“De white folks is mighty good to me.  De riches’ man in Picayune, he recognizes me an’ gives me two bits or fo’ bits.  I sho’ has plenty o’ good frien’s.  If I gits out o’ grub, I catches me a ride to town, an’ I comes back wid de grub.

“De good Lawd, he don’t forgit me.”

Mississippi Federal Writers Slave Autobiographies

[REV.  JAMES SINGLETON Simpson, Mississippi]

“My name’s James Singleton.  I’se a Baptist preacher.  I was born in 1856, but I doan know zactly what date.  My mammy was Harr’et Thompson.  Her marster was Marse Daniel Thompson over in Simpson County on Strong River at a place called Westville.  My pappy, he come from South Ca’lina—­Charleston—­an’ was give to do old folks’ darter.  His name was John Black an’ he was owned by Mr. Frank Smith over in Simpson.  He was brought down frum South Ca’lina in a wagon ‘long wid lots mo’.

“Me, I was sol’ to Marse Harrison Hogg over in Simpson when I was ’bout six years old, and Marse Hogg, he turn right ‘roun’, and sol’ me an’ sister Harr’et an’ brother John nex’ day for fo’ thousan’.  Two thousan’ fo’ John, ‘cause he’s older an’ bigger, an’ a thousan’ fo’ Harr’et an’ me.  Miss Annie an’ Marse Elbert Bell bought us.

“Marse Elbert had three mo’ sides us—­makin’ six.  Us slep’ on pallets on de flo’, an’ all lived in one long room made out of logs, an’ had a dirt flo’ an’ dirt chimbly.  There was a big old iron pot hangin’ over de hearth, an’ us had ’possum, greens, taters, and de lak cooked in it.  Had coon sometimes, too.