“Marster was mighty good to his slaves when dey got sick.  He allus sont for Dr. Crawford Long.  He was de doctor for de white folks and Marster had him for de slaves.

“My mudder said she prayed to de Lord not to let Niggers be slaves all deir lifes and sho’ ’nough de yankees comed and freed us.  Some of de slaves shouted and hollered for joy when Miss Marion called us togedder and said us was free and warn’t slaves no more.  Most of ’em went right out and left ’er and hired out to make money for deyselfs.

“I stayed on wid my mudder and she stayed on wid Miss Marion.  Miss Marion give her a home on Hull Street ’cause mudder was allus faithful and didn’t never leave her.  Atter Miss Marion died, mudder wukked for Miss Marion’s daughter, Miss Callie Hull, in Atlanta.  Den Miss Callie died and mudder come on back to Athens.  ’Bout ten years ago she died.

“I wukked for Mrs. Burns on Jackson Street a long time, but she warn’t no rich lady lak de Cobbs.  De last fambly I wukked for was Dr. Hill.  I nussed ’til atter de chillun got too big for dat, and den I done de washin’ ’til dis misery got in my limbs.”

When asked about marriage customs, she laughed and replied:  “I was engaged, but I didn’t marry though, ’cause my mudder ‘posed me marryin’.  I had done got my clothes bought and ready.  Mrs. Hull helped me fix my things.  My dress was a gray silk what had pearl beads on it and was trimmed in purple.

“What does I think ’bout freedom?  I think it’s best to be free, ’cause you can do pretty well as you please.  But in slav’ry time if de Niggers had a-behaved and minded deir Marster and Mist’ess dey wouldn’t have had sich a hard time.  Mr. Jeff Davis ’posed freedom, but Mr. Abraham Lincoln freed us, and he was all right.  Booker Washin’ton was a great man, and done all he knowed how to make somepin’ out of his race.

“De reason I jined de church was dat de Lord converted me.  He is our guide.  I think people ought to be ’ligious and do good and let deir lights shine ’cause dat’s de safest way to go to Heben.”

At the conclusion of the interview Susan asked:  “Is dat all you gwine to ax me?  Well, I sho’ enjoyed talkin’ to you.  I hopes I didn’t talk loud ’nough for dem other Niggers to hear me, ’cause if you open your mouth dey sho’ gwine tell it.  Yes Ma’am, I’se too old to wuk now and I’se thankful for de old age pension.  If it warn’t for dat, since dis misery tuk up wid me, I would be done burnt up, I sho’ would.  Good-bye Mist’ess.”

[HW:  Dist. 2 Ex-Slave #17]

Ellen Claibourn
808 Campbell Street
(Richmond County)
Augusta, Georgia

By: 
(Mrs.) Margaret Johnson—­Editor
Federal Writers’ Project
Dist. 2
Augusta, Ga.

Ellen was born August 19, 1852, on the plantation of Mr. Hezie Boyd in Columbia County, her father being owned by Mr. Hamilton on an adjoining plantation.  She remembers being given, at the age of seven, to her young mistress, Elizabeth, who afterward was married to Mr. Gabe Hendricks.  At her new home she served as maid, and later as nurse.  The dignity of her position as house servant has clung to her through the years, forming her speech in a precision unusual in her race.