“Slaves went to de white folks’ church and listened to de white preachers.  Dere warn’t no colored preacher ’lowed to preach in dem churches den.  Dey preached to de white folks fust and den dey let de colored folks come inside and hear some preachin’ atter dey was through wid de white folks.  But on de big ‘vival meetin’ days dey ’lowed de Niggers to come in and set in de gallery and listen at de same time dey preached to de white folks.  When de sermon was over dey had a big dinner spread out on de grounds and dey had jus’ evvything good t’eat lak chickens, barbecued hogs and lambs, pies, and lots of watermelons.  Us kept de watermelons in de crick ’til dey was ready to cut ’em.  A white gentleman, what dey called Mr. Kilpatrick, done most of de preachin’.  He was from de White Plains neighborhood.  He sho’ did try mighty hard to git evvybody to ’bey de Good Lord and keep his commandments.

“Mr. Kilpatrick preached all de funerals too.  It ’pears lak a heap more folks is a-dyin’ out dese days dan died den, and folks was a heap better den to folks in trouble.  Dey would go miles and miles den when dey didn’t have no auto’biles, to help folks what was in trouble.  Now, dey won’t go next door when dere’s death in de house.  Den, when anybody died de fust thing dey done was to shroud ’em and lay ’em out on de coolin’ board ’til Old Marster’s cyarpenter could git de coffin made up.  Dere warn’t no embalmers dem days and us had to bury folks de next day atter dey died.  De coffins was jus’ de same for white folks and deir slaves.  On evvy plantation dere was a piece of ground fenced in for a graveyard whar dey buried white folks and slaves too.  My old Daddy is buried down yonder on Marse Henry’s plantation right now.

“When a slave wanted to git married up wid a gal, he didn’t ax de gal, but he went and told Marster ’bout it.  Marster would talk to de gal and if she was willin’, den Marster would tell all de other Niggers us was a-goin’ to have a weddin’.  Dey would all come up to de big house and Marster would tell de couple to jine hands and jump backwards over a broomstick, and den he pernounced ’em man and wife.  Dey didn’t have to have no licenses or nothin’ lak dey does now.  If a man married up wid somebody on another place, he had to git a pass from his Marster, so as he could go see his wife evvy Wednesday and Sadday nights.  When de patterollers cotched slaves out widout no passes, dey evermore did beat ’em up.  Leastways dat’s what Mammy told me.

“Durin’ de big war all de white folkses was off a-fightin’ ’cept dem what was too old to fight or what was too bad crippled and ’flicted.  Dey stayed home and looked atter de ’omans and chillun.  Somebody sont Mist’ess word dat dem yankees was on de way to our plantation and she hid evvything she could, den had de hogs and hosses driv off to de swamps and hid.  Mammy was crazy ’bout a pet pig what Marster had done give her, so Mist’ess told her to go on down to dat swamp