AARON FORD                   0278-SC_/#
     I WAS BORN BOUT TWO MILES BOVE LAKE VIEW ON ZONIA ROGERS PLACE.  BOYS USED
TO TELL ME I WAS BORN ON BUCK BRANCH.  THINK I WAS BORN DE 12TH DAY OF FEBRUARY
CAUSE I WAS BOUT 16 YEARS OLD WHEN FREEDOM CAME.  ANOTHER PERSON BORN DE SAME DA
Y EN DE SAME YEAR EN I MIGHT LOOK ON DEY TOMBSTONE EN GET DE DATE.
     MILES FORD WAS MY FATHER EN MY MOTHER, JENNIE FORD, BUT DEY DIDN' LIVE ON D
E SAME PLACE.  FATHER BELONGED TO ALIAS FORD AT LAKE VIEW EN MOTHER COME FROM TI
MMONSVILLE WHAT USED TO BE CALLED SPARROW SWAMP.  RAILROAD RUN THROUGH DERE CHAN
GE NAME FROM SPARROW SWAMP TO TIMMONSVILLE.
     JUST LIKE I TELL YOU, ZONIA ROGERS WAS MY BOSS EN HE WASN' SO BAD.  HE WHIP
 ME A FEW TIMES WHEN I DID THINGS DAT I OUGHTENED TO DO.  SOMETIMES I WAS PESTY
EN HE WHIP ME WID A SWITCH, BUT HE NEVER WHIP SO HARD.  I TELL DE TRUTH, ZONIA R
OGERS WAS A GOOD MAN.  GIVE HIS SLAVES GOOD POLE HOUSES TO LIVE IN UP IN DE QUAR
TER.  SOMETIMES DEY SLEPT ON DE FLOOR EN DEN ANOTHER TIME, SOME HAD HOMEMADE BED
STEAD WID DE FRAMEWORK MADE OUT OF BLACK GUM.
     WE HAD MEAT EN CORN BREAD TO EAT ALL DE TIME EN DEY GAVE US FRIED MEAT EN R
YE BREAD EN FLOUR BREAD TO EAT EVERY NOW EN DEN.  MADE RYE BREAD IN TIME OF DE W
AR, BUT DIDN' GET MUCH FLOUR BREAD TO EAT.  MASSA WOULD WEIGH MEAT OUT ON HIS HA
ND.  IF ANYBODY WANTED MEAT, HE HAND IT TO DEM ON HIS HAND EN SAY, "HERE IT IS".
  DEN SOME OF DE SLAVES HAD GARDENS DAT DEY WORK AT 12 O'CLOCK EN AT NIGHT.  NEV
ER WAS MUCH TO CATCH POSSUMS, BUT WAS GREAT HAND TO CATCH RABBITS.  BOSS HAD DOG
 NAME TRIP DAT HE WOULDN'T TAKE TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR.  IF I HAD HIM NOW, I WO
ULDN'T TAKE TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR HIM
             NEITHER CAUSE DAT DOG WOULD STAY AT A TREE ALL NIGHT.  SEE HIM STAY
 DERE FROM EARLY IN DE DAY TILL DARK.
   X   XXX