“Times is changing up fast.  Folks is worse about cutting up and carousing than they was thirty years ago to my own knowledge.  I ain’t old so speaking.”

Interviewer:  Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed:  Rosetta Davis, Marianna, Arkansas
Age:  55

“I was born in Phillips County, Arkansas.  My folks’ master was named Dr. Jack Spivy.  Grandma belong to him.  She was a field woman.  I don’t know if he was a good master er not.  They didn’t know it was freedom till three or four months.  They was at work and some man come along and said he was going home, the War was over.  Some of the hands asked him who win and he told them the Yankees and told them they was free fer as he knowed.  They got to inquiring and found out they done been free.  They made that crap I know and I don’t recollect nothing else.

“I farmed at Foreman, Arkansas for Taylor Price, Steve Pierce, John Huey.  I made a crap here with Will Dale.  I come to Arkansas twenty-nine years ago.  I come to my son.  He had a cleaning and pressing shop here (Marianna).  He died.  I hired to the city to work on the streets.  I never been in jail.  I owned a house here in town till me and my wife separated.  She caused me to lose it.  I was married once.

“I get ten dollars a month from the gover’ment.

“The present time is queer.  I guess I could git work if I was able to do it.  I believe in saving some of what you make along.  I saved some along and things come up so I had to spend it.  I made so little.

“Education has brought about a heap of unrest somehow.  Education is good fer some folks and not good fer some.  Some folks git spoilt and lazy.  I think it helped to do it to the people of today.”

Interviewer:  Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed:  Virginia (Jennie) Davis
                    Scott Street, Forrest City, Arkansas
Age:  45 or 47

“This is what my father, Isaac Johnson, always told us: 

’I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Mama died and left three of us children and my papa.  He was a blacksmith.’  I don’t recollect grandpa’s name now.

’A man come to buy me.  I was a twin.  My sisters cried and cried but I didn’t cry.  I wanted to ride in the surrey.  I was sold and taken to Montgomery, Alabama.’

“Angeline was his oldest sister and Emmaline was his twin sister.  He never seen any of his people again.  He forgot their names.  His old master that bought him died soon after he come back from North Carolina.

“His young master didn’t even know his age.  He tried to get in the army and he did get in the navy.  They said he was younger than he told his age.  He enlisted for three years.  He was in a scrimmage with the Indians once and got wounded.  He got twenty dollars then fifty dollars for his services till he died.