Due to the infirmities of
age "Uncle Joe" is unable to work and obtains his support from the
income received off the small acreage he rents each year to the Negro
family with whom he lives. Seated in an old cane-bottomed chair "Uncle
Joe" was dozing in the warm sunshine of on afternoon in early October as
I passed through the gate leading into the small yard enclosing his
cabin. Arousing himself on my approach, the old Negro offered me a
chair. I explained the purpose of my visit and this old man told me the
following story:
"I'se now past eighty-six year ole an' was borned in Panola County,
Mississippi 'bout three miles from Sardis. My ole mars was Mark
Childress, en he sure owned er heap of peoples, womens an' mens bofe, en
jus' gangs of chillun. I was real small when us lived in Panola County;
how-some-ever I riccolect it well when us all lef' dar and ole mars sold
out his land and took us all to de delta where he had bought a big
plantation 'bout two or three miles wide in Coahoma County not far from
Friar Point. De very place dat my mars bought and dat us moved to is
what dey call now, de 'Clover Hill Plantation'. De fust year dat us
lived in de delta, us stayed on de place what dey called de 'Swan Lake
Place'.
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