“They used to give us rinds off the hams.  I was a big boy before I ever knew there was anything but rinds a pork meat.  We went around chewing away at those rinds of hams, and we sure liked them.  We thought that was the best meat there was.

“I used to go to the Baptist church in the woods, but I never went to school.  I learned to read out of McGuffey’s speller.  It was a little book with a blue back.  I won’t forget that.

“I try to be as good as I know how.  I’ve never given the state any trouble, nor any of my sons have been arrested.  I tries to follow the Golden Rule and do right.

“I have seven living children.  We moved to Miami when our daughter moved here and took sick.  We live at Perrine now, but we want to come to Miami, ’cause I aint able to work, but my wife, she is younger and able to work.  We don’t want to go on charity any more’n we have to.”

JENNIE COLDER: 

Jennie Colder was born in Georgia on Blatches’ settlement.  “Blatches, he kep’s big hotel, too and he kep’ “right smart” slaves.  By the time I was old enough to remember anything we was all’ free, but we worked hard.  My father and mother died on the settlement.

“I picked cotton, shucked cotton, pulled fodder and corn and done all dat.  I plowed with mules.  Dis is Jennie Colder, remember dat.  Don’t forget it.  I done all dat.  I plowed with mules and even then the overseer whipped me.  I dont know exactly how old I am, but I was born before freedom.”

BANANA WILLIAMS: 

Banana Williams, 1740 N.W. 5th Court, Miami, Florida was born in Grady County, Georgia, near Cairo in the 16th District.

“The man what I belonged to was name Mr. Sacks.  My mother and father lived there.  I was only about three years old when peace came, but I remember when the paddle rollers came there and whipped a man and woman.

“I was awful ‘fraid, for that was somethin’ I nevah see before.  We “stayed on” but we left before I was old enough to work, but I did work in the fields in Mitchell County.

“I came to Miami and raised 5 children.  I’m staying with my daughter, but I’m not able to work much.  I’m too done played out with old age.”

FRANK BATES: 

Frank Bates, 367 N.W. 10th Street, Miami, Florida was born on Hugh Lee Bates’ farm in Alabama in the country not very far from Mulberry Beat.

“My mother and father lived on the same plantation, but I was too little to do more than tote water to the servants in the fields.

“I saw Old Bates whip my mother once for leaving her finger print in the pone bread when she patted it down before she put it into the oven.

“I remember seeing Lundra, Oscar and Luke Bates go off to war on three fine horses.  I dont know whether they ever came back or not, for we moved that same day.”