Was born in 1849 but I don' know jus' when. My birthday
comes in fodder pullin' time cause my ma said she was pullin up till
bout a hour 'fore I was born. Was born in North Carolina and was a young
lady at the time of surrender.
I don' 'member ol' master's name; all I 'member is that we call 'em ol'
master an ol' mistress. They had bout a hundred niggers and they was
rich. Master always tended the men and mistress tended to us.
Ev'y mornin' bout fo' 'clock ol' master would ring de bell for us to git
up by an yo could hear dat bell ringin all over de plantation. I can
hear hit now. Hit would go ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling and I can see 'em
now stirrin in Carolina. I git so lonesome when I thinks bout times we
used to have. Twas better livin back yonder than now.
I stayed with my ma every night but my mistress raised me. My ma had to
work hard so ev'y time ol' mistress thought we little black chilluns was
hungry 'tween meals she would call us up to the house to eat. Sometime
she would give us johnny cake an plenty of buttermilk to drink wid it.
They had a long trough fo' us dat day would keep so clean. They would
fill dis trough wid buttermilk and all us chillun would git roun' th'
trough an drink wid our mouths an hol' our johnny cake wid our han's.
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