WPA in Ohio
Federal Writers’ Project
Bishop & Isleman
Reporter:  Bishop
[HW:  Revised]

Topic:  Ex-Slaves. 
Jefferson County, District #5
July 6, 1937

GEORGE JACKSON
Ex-Slave, 79 years

I was born in Loudon County, Virginny, Feb. 6, 1858.  My mother’s name was Betsy Jackson.  My father’s name was Henry Jackson.  Dey were slaves and was born right der in Loudon County.  I had 16 brothers and sisters.  All of dem is dead.  My brothers were Henry, Richard, Wesley, John and me; Sisters were Annie, Marion, Sarah Jane, Elizabeth, Alice, Cecila and Meryl.  Der were three other chillun dat died when babies.

I can remember Henry pullin’ me out of de fire.  I’ve got scars on my leg yet.  He was sold out of de family to a man dat was Wesley McGuest.  Afterwards my brother was taken sick with small-pox and died.

We lived on a big plantation right close to Bloomfield, Virginny.  I was born in de storeroom close to massa’s home.  It was called de weavin’ room—­place where dey weaved cotton and yarn.  My bed was like a little cradle bed and dey push it under de big bed at day time.

My grandfather died so my mother told me, when he was very old.  My grandmother died when se bout 96.  She went blind fore she died.  Dey were all slaves.

My father was owned by John Butler and my grandmother was owned by Tommy Humphries.  Dey were both farmers.  My massa joined de war.  He was killed right der where he lived.

When my father wanted to cum home he had to get a permit from his massa.  He would only cum home on Saturday.  He worked on de next plantation joinin’ us.  All us chillun and my mother belonged to Massa Humphries.

I worked in de garden, hoein’ weeds and den I washed dishes in de kitchen.  I never got any money.

I eat fat pork, corn bread, black molasses and bad milk.  The meat was mostly boiled.  I lived on fat meat and corn bread.  I don’t remember eatin’ rabbit, possum or fish.

De slaves on our plantation did not own der own garden.  Dey ate vegetables out of de big garden.

In hot weather I wore gean pants and shirt.  De pants were red color and shirt white.  I wore heavy woolen clothes in de winter.  I wore little britches wid jacket fastened on.  I went barefooted in de summer.

De mistress scold and beat me when I was pullin’ weeds.  Sometimes I pulled a cabbage stead of weed.  She would jump me and beat me.  I can remember cryin’.  She told me she had to learn me to be careful.  I remember the massa when he went to war.  He was a picket in an apple tree.  A Yankee soldier spied and shot him out of de tree.

I remember Miss Ledig Humphries.  She was a pretty girl and she had a sister Susie.  She married a Mr. Chamlain who was overseer.  Der were Robert and Herbert Humphries.  Dey were older dan me.  Robert wuz about 15 years old when de war surrender.

De one that married Susie was de overseer.  He was pretty rough.  I don’t remember any white neighbors round at dat time.