EVERETT INGRAM               538-ALA/#060                                    041
         HONEY CHILE, MY GRAN'MAMMY WAS DE BEATENEST WOMAN TO HAVE CHrLLu S DAT
YOU EVER SEEN. I HAS HYARED DAT SHE RAISED SO MANY OF DEM DAT SHE BRUNG A MIGHTY
 HEAP ON DE BLOCK; SOMEWHERE NEAR A THOUSAN' DOLLARS.
         OUR HOUSE IN DE SLAVE SETTLEMENT WAS MADE OF LOGS AN' HAD ONEOO*.9IT
HAD A MUD AN' STICK CHIMNEY, A PLANK FLOOR AN' A BOXED-UP BED WID ONE LEG AT DE
FOOT. DE MATRESS WAS STUFFED WID SHUCKS AN' STRAW.
         MY GRAN'PAPPY, PRINCE WALDEN, AN' LUCY, HIS WIFE, COME FROM RUSSELL COU
NTY, TOO, AN' BELONGED TO DE COVINGTONS. LATER DEY WAS SOLD TO DOCTOR WALDEN, AT
 UCHIE. WHEN DEY COME TO UCHIE DE COUNTY WAS FULL OF INDIANS. MY GRAN'PAPPY USET
A DRINK LIKKER WID 'EM; BUT GRAN'MA, SHE WAS SKEERED AN' RUNNED AWAY TO COLUMBUS
, GEORGY. ON HER WAY DERE, MY MAMMY WAS BORNED IN DE WOODS.
         I 'MEMBERS DAT WHEN I WAS A STRIP OF A BOY, DEY COOKED AS-CAKE ON LEAVE
S AN' DE CHILLUNS ET POT-LICKER AN' BREAD AN' GREENS OUTEN WOODEN TRAYS WID WOOD
EN SPOONS. DEY WOULD SIT UNDER DE TREES AN' EAT. EACH FAMILY HAD DEY OWN BOWL, A
N' US ET A-PLENTY, TOO. IN COLD WEATHER MAMMY KEPT ALL DE CHILLUNS IN DE HOUSE B
Y DE FIRE.
         MASTER HAD US A TWO-ROOM HOUSE, 'CA'SE MY MAMMY WAS DE COOK AN' WEAVER.
 DEY MADE DEY OWN SILK DEN, TOO, AN' RAISED DE SILK WORMS. US USETA GET MULBERRY
$$EAVES TO FEED DE SILK WORMS WID. US USED INDIGO, WHICH US COOKED AN' USED FOR
  DYE. US WOULD WEAR ANY KIND OF CLOTHES ON EVERYDAY AN' SUNDAY; AN' DIDN'T HAVE
 N
 O SHOES 'TIL US WAS BIG CHILLUNS.
         OL' MARSTER AN' OL' MISTUS, MISTER BILL AN' MISS LUCY INGRAM, LIVED IN
A BIG WEATHER-BOARDED HOUSE WID A WIDE HALL AN' A CHIMNEY AT EACH END. DE KITCHE
N WAS OFF FROM DE REST OF DE HOUSE.
         I 'MEMBERS DAT DE OVERSEER USETA WHIP MAMMY AN' PAPPY, 'CA'SE DEY FIGHT
 SO MUCH. HE USETA TAKE MY MAMMY TO DE CARRIAGE TO WHIP HER. MARSTER WAS IN DE W
AR DEN. WHEN HE COME HOME, DE OVERSEER TUK MAMMY BY DE HAN' TO DE HOUSE AN' TELL
MARSTER 'BOUT HAVIN' TO WHIP HER. HE'D JEST SHAKE HIS HEAD, SAD-LAK. HE WAS MIGH
TY GOOD TO ALL OF US.
         MY GRAN'PAPPY WAS PUT IN DE SPECULATOR DROVE, PUT ON DE BLOCK AN' SOLD.
         I 'MEMBERS DAT MISTUS READ DE BIBLE TO US AN' MY MAMMY WAS lONVnRTED2[Y
 DE WHITE PREACHER. HE BAPTIZED HER. DE COLORED FOLKS USED DE WHITE CHURCH jN' S
ET IN DE BACK.
         AN' HONEY, DEY SHORELY DID HAVE GOOD TIMES DANCIN' ON SATTIDY NIGHTS; A
N' SOMETIMES DEY WOULD DANCE 'TILL SUNDAY MORNIN'. WHEN DE CORN NEEDED SHUCKIN',
 IT WAS HAULED UP NEAR DE CRIB, AN' ON A PURTY MOONLIGHTED-NIGHTMARSTER WOULD P
ASS 'ROUN' DE LIKKER. IT WOULDN'T BE LONG 'TIL DEY WAS ALL HAPPY AN' HAD WHAT DE
$ CALLED A GENERAL. DE GENERAL LED ALL DE HOLLERS AN' SONGS. DEY SHORELY DID GET
 DAT CORN CHUCKED FAST, TOO.

         GRAN'MAMMY WAS A GREAT DOCTOR; USETA GIVE US TURPENTINE AN' CASTOR OrL
AN' JERUSALEM OAK FER WORMS. SHE'D GIVE US ALL KINDS OF TEAS, TOO. I 'MEMBERS DA
T GRAN'MAMMY WAS ALSO A MIDWIFE.
         DE YANKEES COMED THROUGH DE YARD IN-MAY jN' tOL' US:  "yOUS&orEE."&DE Y
ANKEES WASN'T SO GOOD. DEY HUNG MY MAMMY UP IN DE SMOKEHOUSE BY HER THUMBS; TIPS
 OF HER TOES JEST TOUCHIN' DE FLOOR, CA'SE SHE WOULDN'T 'GREE TO GIVE uP HnR-OlD
ER CHILLUNS. SHE NEVER DID, NEITHER.
         DADDY STOLE BOTH DE OLDER CHILLUNS, DOUGH, AN' WnNT-OFF.&DE hj kE SSTO
LE PROVISIONS AN' STOCK AN' HAULED 'EM OFF. DE NEWS GOT TO UCHIE AN' EVERYBODY H
ID OUT; MARSTER WID 'EM. DEY HUNTED DE MONEY WHUT WAS HID IN DE COLORED FOLKS BE
DS; NEARLY $2,000. DE JEWELRY WAS DERE, TOO. DEY FOUN' SOME MONEY AT DE BIG HOUS
E AN' SAID;  "DIS MONEY AIN'T WORTH A DAMN;" BUT DEY TUK IT JEST DE SAME.
         I MARRIED HATTIE GRAVES. DEN I J'INED DE CHURCH AN' WAS SAVED.
  X   XXX
STP