“Mother got work as a housekeeper and kept us all together.  Uncle Bob got home from the War and we lived well enough.  I have lived at Evansville since 1881, have worked for a good many men and John Bell will tell you I have had only friends in the city of Evansville.”

Uncle Jimmie recalls how the slaves always prayed to God for freedom and the negro preachers always preached about the day when the slaves would be no longer slaves but free and happy.

“My people loved God, they sang sacred songs, ‘Swing Low Sweet Charriot’ was one of the best songs they knew”.  Here uncle Jimmie sang a stanza of the song and said it related to God’s setting the negroes free.

“The negroes at Mr. Childress’ place were allowed to learn as much as they could.  Several of the young men could read and write.  Our master was a good man and did no harm to anybody.”

James Childress is a black man, small of stature, with crisp wooly dark hair.  He is glad he is not mulatto but a thorough blooded negro.

Federal Writers’ Project
of the W.P.A. 
District #6
Marion County
Anna Pritchett
1200 Kentucky Avenue

Folklore
Mrs. Sarah Colbert—­ex-slave
1505 North Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana

Mrs. Sarah Carpenter Colbert was born in Allen County, Kentucky in 1855. 
She was owned by Leige Carpenter, a farmer.

Her father, Isaac Carpenter was the grandson of his master, Leige Carpenter, who was very kind to him.  Isaac worked on the farm until the old master’s death.  He was then sold to Jim McFarland in Frankfort Kentucky.  Jim’s wife was very mean to the slaves, whipped them regularly every morning to start the day right.

One morning after a severe beating, Isaac met an old slave, who asked him why he let his mistress beat him so much.  Isaac laughed and asked him what he could do about it.  The old man told him if he would bite her foot, the next time she knocked him down, she would stop beating him and perhaps sell him.

The next morning he was getting his regular beating, he willingly fell to the floor, grabbed his mistress’ foot, bit her very hard.  She tried very hard to pull away from him, he held on still biting, she ran around in the room, Isaac still holding on.  Finally, she stopped beating him and never attempted to strike him again.

The next week he was put on the block, being a very good worker and a very strong man, the bids were high.

His young master, Leige Jr., outbid everyone and bought him for $1200.00.

His young mistress was very mean to him.  He went again to his old friend for advice.  This time he told him to get some yellow dust, sprinkle it around in his mistress’ room and if possible, got some in her shoes.  This he did and in a short time he was sold again to Johnson Carpenter in the same county.  He was not really treated any better there.  By this time he was very tired of being mistreated.  He remembered his old master telling him to never let anyone be mean to him.  He ran away to his old mistress, told her of his many hardships, and told her what the old master had told him, so she sent him back.  At the next sale she bought him, and he lived there until slavery was abolished.