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GEORGE TAYLOR, AGE-                                                     ALA.# 16
     MY GRANDFATHER'S NAME WAS MAC WILSON AND MY GRANDMOTHER'S NAME WAS ELLEN
WILSON, AND DE OL MISS'S NAME WAS MISS MAMIE HERRIN.  ALL DE COLORED FOLKS' CHIL
LUN CALLED MISTER HERRIN OL MARSTER, AND HE SURE WAS A GOOD MARSTER, TOO.
I REMEMBER DAT AFTER I GOT TO BE A BIG BOY DEY PUT ME IN DE FIELD CHOPPING COTTO
N, BUT I NEVER COULD PICK COTTON. I KNOWS DAT MY PAW SAID I WAS TOO CRAZY ABOUT
 GIRLS, SO HE TOOK ME AND MADE ME PLOW.
     OL MARSTER HAD A BIG PLACE, I DON'T JES EXACTLY KNOW HOW MANY ACRES D(Y6W S
, BUT I KNOW US HAD PLENTY OF COTTON, CAUSE SOMETIMES DEY WOULD PICK FOUR OR FIV
E BALES A DAY.  AND DEN I KNOW DURING COTTON MY PAW HAULED COTTON ALL DAY LONG T
O DE GIN WHAT WAS RUN BY FIVE OR SIX MULES.
     DURING DE BUSY SEASON ON DE PLANTATION OL MARSTER HAD DE OLDER WOMEN COOKIN
G AND SENDING DE DINNER TO DE FIELD.  DERE WAS TWO BIG BASKETS, ONE TO PUT DE BR
EAD IN, AND DE OTHER BASKET TO PUT DE MEAT IN.   EVERY MORNING AT THREE O'CLOCK
DE  WOMEN BEGUN COOKING AND EACH HAND BROUGHT HIS OWN MEAT AND BREAD TO THIS CAB
IN TO BE COOKED. EVERY PERSON'S PLATE HAD THEIR NAMES ON EM.  EVERYBODY HAD TO B
E UP BY DAYLIGHT AND READY TO BEGIN WORK. DE MEN HAD TO GET UP BEFORE DAYLIGHT T
O BEGIN TO HARNESS DE MULES, AND SOON AS LIGHT DEY WAS IN DE FIELDS. DERE WAS 25
0 HEAD OF COLORED PEOPLE, EXCUSING CHILDREN.  DEY WOULD RAISE FOUR, FIVE AND SIX
8HUNDRED BALES OF COTTON A YEAR.  US WORKED DEN, DERE6WERE)'T  O6Wj KI G   O T&D
EN, NOT EVEN ON SATURDAY AFTERNOONS, BUT I BELIEVES I WOULD LIKE IT BETTER DAN I
 DOES NOW, CAUSE DE CHILLUN WAS TAUGHT TO BE MANNERLY DEN, BUT NOW DEY CUSS IF
  YOU SAY ANYTHING TO THEM.
     US HAD A GOOD PLACE TO STAY, DE OL MARSTER'S HOUSE WAS A BIG TWO STORY HOUS
E, AND OUT CABINS WAS BUILT OF BOARDS AND WAS IN A ROW.  US DIDN'T HAVE NO STOVE
S, JES COOKED OUT IN DE YARD OVER A FIRE WITH STAKES ON EACH SIDE OF IT, WITH AN
 IRON BAR ACROSS EM TO HANG DE POTS ON.  OL MARSTER RATIONED OUT DE FOOD, AND EA
CH MAN WAS ALLOWED SEVEN POUNDS OF MEAT, DE WOMEN WAS ALLOWED SIX POUNDS AND FIV
E POUNDS FOR EACH CHILD.  DEN DEY GIVE US A PECK OF MEAL, FIVE POUNDS OF FLOUR A
ND SOME MOLASSES.
     I NEVER DID EAT AT HOME WITH MY FOLKS, CAUSE I MESSED IN DE BIG HOUSE, AND
EVERY TIME DE WHITE CHILLUN EAT, I HAD TO EAT TOO.  DERE WAS PLENTY OF PEACH, WA
LNUT, AND CHESTNUT TREES ON DE PLACE, AND US COULD EAT ALL DE NUTS US WANTED; AN
D DEN DE SLAVES HAD DERE OWN GARDENS IF DEY WANTED TO.
     DEN I REMEMBER8+OW DERE6WAS FOUR MEN6>+O7PUT DEHOGS IN DE PENS TO FATTEN,
SOMETIMES, DEY WOULD PUT AS MANY AS A HUNDRED OR 150 AT A TIME. DEN IT WAS DEIR
 DU,Y TO TOTE FEED FROM DE FIELDS TO FEED EM.
     MY]  WHEN I THINK OF DAT BIG SMOKE HOUSE, MY MOUTH JES WATERS.  AT
HOG KILLING  TIME, DERE WAS CERTAIN MEN TO KILL, AND CERTAIN ONES TO CUT EM UP.
 DERE WEREN'T NEVER NO SPECIAL TIME TO HOG KILLING, JES WHEN DE OL MARSTER SAID
 DO IT, WE DID IT.
    8YOU SEE US WAS ALWAYS UNDER HIS DIRECTION, CAUSE IF US WANTED TO GO A)>>HER
E, US HAD TO GIT A PASS, EVEN TO CHURCH. DE WHITE FOLKS HAD METHODIST CHURCH,
AND DE COLORED HAD DE BAPTIST CHURCH.
     I ALSO REMEMBER DE TIME I WAS PUT UP ON DE BLOCK TO BE SOLD, AND WHEN DE MA
N ONLY OFFERED FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR ME, AND OL MARSTER TOLD ME TO GET DOWN,
 ,HAT I6WAS DE MOST VALUABLE NGGER8HE8HAD CAUSE I6W S2 O2S  !, ND3 O lD& OSO
 MUCH WORK.
     MY MAW WAS DE WEAVER, AND DERE WAS A WOMAN NAMED ASSELLA WHO DID DE DYEING.
  MY PAW GATHERED DE BARK, SUCH AS RED OAK, ELM, MAPLE AND JUNIPER BARK, AND DRY
 IT AND DEN GRIND IT UP. DEY ALSO USED BORAX, ALUM AND BLUE STONE, TO SET DE DYE
.  DE WOMEN MADE DE CLOTHES OUT OF DIS CLOTH DAT WAS WOVEN ON DE PLACE.
     YOU ASKED ABOUT WEDDINGS.  US DIDN'T HAVE WEDDINGS LIKE US  O  OW. DE6W Y U
S MARRIED WOULD BE TO GO TO DE BIG HOUSE, AND OL MARSTER HAD US JUMP OVER A BROO
M STICK, AND DEN US WAS CONSIDERED MARRIED.  BUT DERE WAS ONE THING DAT US
WEREN'T ALLOWED TO DO, AND DAT WAS TO ABUSE OR CUSS OUR WIVES, AND YOU BETTER NO
T STRIKE EM, CAUSE IT WOULD BE JUST TOO BAD.
     YOU KNOW, MISS, I HAVE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME. I REMEMBER6>HEN DERE WAS ONLY
 ONE HOUSE BETWEEN SAINT LOUIS STREET AND FRASCATI, AND DAT HOUSE WAS DE GUARD H
OUSE. I ALSO REMEMBER DE OLE TIME REMEDIES DAT DEY USED IN DE OLE DAYS.  DEY USE
D RED OAK BARK FOR FEVER AND COLDS, AND DEN DERE WAS HOREHOUND, AND BLACK SNAKE
 ROOT DAT DE OL MARSTER PUT WHISKEY ON.  OL MARSTER MADE HIS OWN WHISKEY.  AND O
H] YES, DE CALOMUS ROOT GROWED IN DE WOODS WHERE DEY LIVED.  I NEVER SAW DEM
SEND TO NO STORE FOR MEDICINE.  I NEVER HEARD OF NO HOODOO STUFF, TILL I WAS GRO
WN, AND ANOTHER THING FOLKS DIDN'T DIE OFF LIKE DEY DO NOW.  WHEN ANY ONE DID DI
E, DEY ALWAYS HAD A BIG FUNERAL, AND DE MEN WOULD SOMETIMES HITCH UP A OX TEAM O
R MULE TEAMS, AS MANY AS COULD GET IN WOULD GO.  DE COFFIN WAS HOME MADE AND STA
NED.  DERE WAS PLENTY OF HANDS TO DIG DE GRAVES, TOO.
     I TELL YOU, MISS, FOLKS IS PRETTY MUCH DE SAME, IF DE WHITE FOLKS TREAT DE
 NIGGERS RIGHT, YOU COULDN'T GET DEN TO LEAVE DEM.  I REMEMBER WHEN DE YANKEES C
OME THROUGH, I WAS STANDING ON DE OL MARSTER'S PORCH, AND I SAW EM COMING, AND W
HEN MARSTER GOT UP ON HIS CRUTCH AND GO TO DE STEPS AND INVITE DEM IN, AND BELIE
VE ME DEY COME IN TOO.  DEY JES NATURALLY TORE UP OL MARSTER'S PLACE; THEN DE FU
RNITURE ALL ROUND AND BROKE HEAPS OF IT.  I KNOWS BEFORE DEY GOT DERE OL MARSTER
 HAD MY PAW, AND JERRY LEE, AND MACE POUNCEY, AND ANOTHER MAN TAKE FOUR BARRELS
 OF MONEY AND CARRY IT DOWN TO DE SPRING AND PUT IT IN DE SPRING, AND I'M TnLLrN
G YOU, MISS, YOU COULDN'T ANY MORE GET NEAR DAT SPRING, DAN NOTHING, CAUSE DE QU
ICKSAND MADE DEM BARRELS BOIL UP, ONE AT A TIME, AND DE WAY DEY HAD TO GET DEM B
ARRELS WAS TO BUILD A SCAFFOLD FROM DE RIVER, AND LET A LINE DOWN AND CATCH AROU
ND DEM BARRELS.
     AFTER WE WAS FREED, OL MARSTER COME IN DE YARD AND GOT IN DE MIDDLE-OF jLL
 OF US, AND TOLD US DAT DE ONES DAT WANTS TO STAY WITH HrM, tO2STjND-ON-ONE2bI E
, AND DE OTHERS TO STAND ON DE OTHER SIDE.  SO MY PAW GOT ON DE SIDE WITH THOSE
WHO WANTED TO LEAVE, AND US LEFT OL MARSTER AND PADDLED DOWN DE RIVER, IN A PADD
LING BOAT TO BELLE'S LANDING.
     AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE, I'VE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME, I EVnN-RnMnMBnR SEErNG-J
EFF DAVIS.  I KNOWS I AIN'T HERE FOR LONG, BUT I AM READY, CAUSE I'VE BEEN FIGHT
ING FOR JESUS 29 YEARS, AND I AIN'T TIRED OF FIGHTING YET.  I AM A DEACON IN DE
BAPTIST CHURCH.
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