“Us moved from Tuscaloosa while I was still a young girl an’ went to Pickensville, Alabama.  Us stayed dar on de river for awhile an’ den moved to Columbus, Mississippi.  I lived dar ’til I was old ’nough to git out to myse’f.

“Den I come to Aberdeen an’ married Sam Baker.  Me an’ Sam done well.  He made good money an’ us bought dis very house I lives in now.  Us never had no chillun, but I was lef’ one by a cousin o’ mine what died.  I raised her lak she was my own.  I sont her to school an’ ever’thing.  She lives in Chicago now an’ wants me to come live wid her.  But shucks!  What would a old woman lak me do in a place lak dat?

“I aint got nothin’ lef now ‘cept a roof over my head.  I wouldn’ have dat ‘cept for de President o’ de United States.  Dey had loaned me some money to fix up de house to keep it from fallin’ down on me.  Dey said I’d have fifteen year to pay it back in.  Now course, I knowed I’d be dead in dat time, so I signed up wid’ em.

“Las’ year de men dat collec’ nearly worrit me to death a-tryin’ to git some money from me.  I didn’ have none, so dey say dey gwine a-take my home.

“Now I hear tell o’ dat barefoot Nigger down at Columbus callin’ de president an’ him bein’ so good to ’im.  So I ‘cided to write an’ tell ‘im what a plight dis Nigger was in.  I didn’ say nothin noxious[FN:  obnoxious], but I jus’ tol’ him plain facts.  He writ me right back an’ pretty soon he sont a man down to see me.  He say I needn’ bother no more, dat dey won’t take my house ‘way from me.  An’ please de Lawd!  Dey aint nobody else been here a-pesterin’ me since.

“Dat man tol’ me soon as de old age pension went th’ough I’d git thirty dollars a mont’ stid[FN:  instead] o’ de four I’s a-gittin’ now.  Now won’t dat be gran’?  I could live lak de white folks on dat much.

“I’se had ‘ligion all my born days. (I never learnt to read de Bible an’ ’terpet de Word ’til I was right smart size, but I mus’ o’ b’lieved in de Lawd since ’way back.) I’se gwine a-go right ‘long an’ keep a-trustin’ de good Lawd an’ I knows ever’thing gwine a-come out all right.

“‘Twixt de Lawd an’ de good white folks I know I’s gwine always have somethin’ t’eat.  President Roosevelt done ’tended to de roof over my head.”

JOHN CAMERON Jackson, Mississippi

John Cameron, ex-slave, lives in Jackson.  He was born in 1842 and was owned by Howell Magee.  He is five feet six inches tall, and weighs about 150 pounds.  His general coloring is blackish-brown with white kinky hair.  He is in fairly good health.

“I’se always lived right here in Hinds County.  I’s seen Jackson grow from de groun’ up.

“My old Marster was de bes’ man in de worl’.  I jus’ wish I could tell, an’ make it plain, jus’ how good him an’ old Mistis was.  Marster was a rich man.  He owned ‘bout a thousand an’ five hund’ed acres o’ lan’ an’ roun’ a hund’ed slaves.  Marster’s big two-story white house wid lightning rods standin’ all ’bout on de roof set on top of a hill.