“My Mammy and Daddy, dey warn’t from dis part of de country.  My Mammy said dat not long atter she got to America from a trip on de water dat took nigh 6 months to make, dey brung her from Virginny and sold her down here in Georgy when she was jus’ ’bout 16 years old.  De onliest name she had when she got to Georgy was Nancy.  I don’t know whar my Daddy come from.  Him and Mammy was both sold to Marse Isaac Dillard and he tuk ’em to live on his place in Elbert County, close to de place dey calls Goose Pond.  Dey lived at home on dat big old plantation.  By dat, I means dat Marse Isaac growed evvything needed to feed and clothe his folks ’cept de little sugar, coffee, and salt dey used.  I don’t ’member so much ’bout times ’fore de big war ’cause I warn’t but 6 years old when us was made free.  Tellin’ de slaves dey was free didn’t make much diff’unce on our place, for most of ’em stayed right on dar and wukked wid Old Marster jus’ lak dey allus done.  Dat plantation was jus’ lak a little town, it was so big and it had evvything us wanted and needed.

“Slaves lived in log cabins what had red mud daubed in de cracks ’twixt de logs.  De roofs was made out of boards what had so many cracks ’twixt ’em, atter a few rains made ’em swink (shrink), dat us could lay in bed and see de stars through dem big holes.  Even if us did have leaky houses, folkses didn’t git sick half as much as dey does now.  Our homemade beds was made out of rough planks nailed to high poles; leastways de poles was high for de headpieces, and a little lower for de footpieces.  For most of dem beds, planks was nailed to de wall for one long side and dere was two laigs to make it stand straight on de other long side.  Dey never seed no metal springs dem days but jus’ wove cords back and forth, up and down and across, to lay de mattress on.  I never seed no sto’-bought bed ’til atter I was married.  Bedticks was made out of homespun cloth stuffed wid wheatstraw, and sometimes dey slept on rye or oatstraw.  Pillows was stuffed wid hay what had a little cotton mixed in it sometimes.  Atter a long day of wuk in de fields, nobody bothered ’bout what was inside dem pillows.  Dey slept mighty good lak dey was.  Dey fixed planks to slide across de inside of de holes dey cut out for windows.  De doors swung on pegs what tuk de place of de iron hinges dey uses dese days.  Dem old stack chimblies was made out of sticks and red mud.

“De fireplaces was a heap bigger dan dey has now, for all de cookin’ was done in open fireplaces den.  ’Taters and cornpone was roasted in de ashes and most of de other victuals was biled in de big old pots what swung on cranes over de coals.  Dey had long-handled fryin’ pans and heavy iron skillets wid big, thick, tight-fittin’ lids, and ovens of all sizes to bake in.  All of dem things was used right dar in de fireplace.  Dere never was no better tastin’ somepin t’eat dan dat cooked in dem old cook-things in open fireplaces.