“I had eleven children my own self.  I let the plough fly back and hit me once and now I got a tumor there.  I love to plough.  I got two children living.  She comes to see me.  She lives across over here.  I don’t hear from my boy.  I reckon he living.  I gets help from the relief on account I can’t work much with this tumor.”

Interviewer:  Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed:  Maria Sutton Clemments, DeValls Bluff, Ark. 
Age:  Between 85 and 90 years
[TR:  Also reported as Maria Sutton Clements]

I don’t know jes how old I is.  Yes mum I show do member the war jes lack as if it was yesterday.  I was born in Lincoln County, Georgia.  My old mistress was named Frances Sutton.  She was a real old lady.  Her husband was dead.  She had two sons Abraham and George.  One of them tried to get old missus to sell my ma jes before the war broke out.  He wanter sell her cause she too old to bear children.  Sell her and buy young woman raise mo children to sell.  Put em in the nigger drove and speculate on em.  Young nigger, not stunted, strong made, they look at their wristes and ankles and chestes, bout grown bring the owner fifteen hundred dollars.  Yea mam every cent of it.  Two weeks after baby born see the mother carrin it cross the field fur de old woman what kept all the children and she be going right on wid de hoe all day.  When de sun come up the niggers all in the field and workin when de ridin boss come wid de dogs playin long after him.  If they didn’t chop dat cotton jes right he have em tied up to a stake or a big saplin and beat him till de blood run out the gashes.  They come right back and take up whar they lef off work.  Two chaps make a hand soon as dey get big nuf to chop out a row.

Had plenty to eat; meat, corncake and molasses, peas and garden stuff.  They didn’t set out no variety fo the niggers.  They had pewter bowls to eat outer and spoons.  Eat out in the yard, at the cabins, in the kitchen.  Eat different places owin to what you be workin at when the bell rung.  Big bell on a high post.

My ma’s name was Sina Sutton.  She come from Virginia in a nigger traders drove when she was sixteen years old and Miss Frances husband bought er.  She had nine childen whut lived.  I am de youngest.  She died jes before de war broke out.  Till that time I had been trained a house girl.  My ma was a field hand.  Then when the men all went to the army I plowed.  I plowed four years I recken, till de surrender.  Howd I know it was freedom?  A strange woman—­I never seed fore, came runnin down where we was all at work.  She say loud as she could “Hay freedom.  You is free.”  Everything toe out fer de house and soldiers was lined up.  Dats whut they come by fer.  Course dey was Yankee soldiers settin the colored folks all free.  Everybody was gettin up his clothes and leaving.  They didn’t know whar des goin.  Jes scatterin round.  I say give ’em somethin.  They was so mad cause they was free and leavin and nobody to work the land.  The hogs and stock was mostly all done gone then.  White folks sho had been rich but all they had was the land.  The smoke houses had been stripped and stripped.  The cows all been took off cept the scrubs.  Folks plowed ox and glad to plow one.