EASTER NORRIS                366-SC/#24                                      016
         FOLKS THINKS THAT I WAS BORN ROUND EASTER, BUT THAT AIN'T S;. MAR.H ,HE
 9TH IS WHAT THEY ALWAYS TOLD ME. THE YEAR I CANNOT RECOLLECT HEARING, BUT [Y *Y
 COUNT THAT I KEEP I AM RUNNING CLOSE TO EIGHTY YEARS. WHITE FOLKS GIVE ME MY AG
E TO KEEP WHEN I MARRIED, AND I HAVE KEPT IT EVER SINCE, SO I CANNOT BE FAR WRON
G.
         IT WAS THE CHIEF OF POLICE'S GRANDPA THAT I KNEW AND IT WAS OFF HIS PLA
CE THAT MY OLD MAN COME FROM. I WAS BORN EASTER NORRIS AND I MARRIED NATHAN LOCK
HART WHEN I WAS YOUNG, MAYBE FIFTEEN, AIN'T SURE ABOUT THAT. HE WAS A LITTLE OLD

G CHILD, SO THEY SAY. WE THEN LIVED WITH MISTER CLAYTON CLARK. FREEDOM BROKE WHE

N I WAS AROUND THIRTEEN, AND WE THEN WENT BACK TO THE LOCKHART PLANTATION. THERE
IS WHERE I NURSED HENRY, A LITTLE BABY. HE IS NOW THE CHIEF OF POLICE. MISS BESS
IE, HIS MOTHER, HAD ME TO CLEAN UP HER YARDS FOR HER.
         MISS BESSIE FIXED ME UP TO BE BAPTIZED AT THE LIMESTONE BAPTIST CHURCH.
 IT WAS THEN NEAR JOHNSON STREET AND ACROSS FROM WHERE CENTRAL SCHOOL  OW STANDS
9IT6WAS A N O .H R.H.6WE8HAD TO GO TO ,HE  PRI G7 OND CALLED AUSTI)'S7 ONDWHE
ERE ALL THE BAPTIZING TOOK PLACE IN THOSE DAYS. MISTER AUSTIN HAD A MILL THERE R
UN BY A BIG WATER WHEEL. THE WHITE FOLKS CARRIED ON THEIR BAPTIZING THERE, TOO.
THE FIRST WARM SUNDAY IN MAY WAS WHEN I WAS BAPTIZED.
         ALL SATURDAY I PRATED AND MISS BESSIE TOLD ME WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO, A
ND READ TO ME FROM THE BIBLE ABOUT BAPTIZING AND ABOUT JOHN THE BAPTIST BAPTIZIN
G CHRIST. YES SIR, THE BIBLE SAY CHRIST WENT DOWN IN THE WATER, IN THE WATERS OF
JORDAN. MISS BESSIE WAS TELLING MY MA HOW TO FIX MY CLOTHES WHILE SHE WAS READIN
G THE BIBLE TO ME. ALL MY CLOTHES WAS WHITE BUT MY SHOES. IN THOSE DAYS THEY DID
NOT HAVE WHITE SHOES. I WORE WHITE COTTON STOCKINGS. I HAD A WHITE DRESS TO WEAR
TO THE POND AND I TOOK TWO PAIRS OF WHITE STOCKINGS. A CROWD WAS TO BE BAPTIZED
AT 2:30 O'CLOCK THAT EVENING. THE SUN WAS GOOD AND HOT. I WENT WITH MY FOLKS. MI
SS BESSIE WENT AND ALL THE WHITE FOLKS WENT TO SEE THEIR NEGROES GO UNDER.
         THE DRESS I WORE TO THE BAPTIZING WAS STARCHED SO STIFF IT SOTTD OUTL I
 WORE A WHITE HANDERCHIEF OVER MY HEAD THAT MISS BESSIE GIVE ME. ON TOP OF THAT
I HAD A WHITE BONNET THAT HAD FRILLS AND TUCKS ALL OVER IT. WHEN WE GOT THERE TH
E BANKS OF AUSTIN'S POND WAS LINED WITH NEGROES SHOUTING AND SINGING GLORY AND P
RAISES. THEY SANG ALL THE SONGS THEY COULD THINK OF AND THE PREACHER LINED OUT S
ONGS TO THEM. THE PEOPLE TO BE BAPTIZED CONGREGATED BEFORE THE PREACHER, AND HE
TOLD THEM WHAT TO DO. THEN WE WENT IN AND PUT ON THE CLOTHES WE WAS TO GO UNDER
IN.
         I HAD A LONG WHITE GOWN GATHERED FROM MY SHOULDERS AND IT HAD A BIG KIN
D OF SLEEVES. ON MY HEAD I WORE A WHITE CAP AND DEPT ON MY WHITE STOCKINGS, BUT
 PULLED OFF *Y BLACK \HOE\. NEVER HAD NO WHITE \HOES ,HAT I NK OW6OF6W Y BACK ,H
EN. I FELT SO GOOD THAT I SEEMED TO WALK REAL LIGHT. WHILE WE WERE GETTING IN OU
R BAPTIZING CLOTHES WE SHOUTED PRAISES AS THE PEOPLE ON THE BANKS SANG. SOME OF
US JUMPED UP. WHEN MY TIME COME I STARTED TO THE POND AND JUST BEFORE THE PREACH
ER TURNED TO TAKE MY HAND, I SHOUTED "LORD HAVE MERCY" AND CLAPPED MY HANDS OVER
MY HEAD. SOMEBODY SAID, "DAT CHILD SHO IS GITTING A NEW SOUL".
         DOWN IN THE WATER I WNET. FIRST IT HIT MY ANKLES AND THEN I FELT ,HE8HE
M OF MY SKIRTS GETTING WET. I LOOKED DOWN AND MY GOWN WAS FLOATING ON TOP THE WA
TER. I TOOK MY HAND AND PUSHED IT DOWN. THE PREACHER PULLED ME TO HIM AND I WENT
IN WATER TO MY WAIST. I SAID "OH LORDY" WHEN THAT WATER HIT MY STOMACH. THE PREA
CHER SAID, "NOW SISTER, YOU JUST HOLD YOUR BREATH AND SHUT YOUR MOUTH; TRUST IN
THE LORD AND DON'T ACT LIKE A GRUNTING PIG, BUT HAVE FAITH". THEN THE SINGING SE
EMED FAR OFF AND THE PREACHER'S VOICE GOT DEEP. HE PUT HIS BIG HAND OVER MY MOUT
H AND TOLD ME TO LIMBER UP MY BACK. HIS OTHER HAND WAS UNDER MY BACK. HE PUSHED
ME OVER, AND DOWN IN THE WATER I WENT; THEN UP I COME. THE PREACHER PUT A TOWEL
OVER MY FACE AND WHILE I WAS GETTING WATER OUT OF MY EYES AND MOUTH, HE WAS SAYI
NG ABOUT THE LORD DONE REACHED DOWN FROM HEAVEN AND CREATED A NEW SOUL. I FELT R
EAL FUNNY WHEN I TURNED TO WALK UP OUT OF THE WATER,. I COULD HARDLY WALK FOR I
HAD ON SO MANY CLOTHES AND THEY WERE SO HEAVY. AS SOON AS I COULD I GOT INTO THE
CLOTHES THAT I WORE TO THE BAPTIZING AND PUT ON MY BLACK SHOES AND THE PAIR OF W
HITE STOCKINGS THAT I HAD FETCHED WITH ME. WHILE AUNT KIZIE LOCKHART WAS TYING T
HE HANDERKERCHIEF AROUND MY HEAD THAT MISS BESSIE GIVE ME, I TOLD HER ABOUT HOW
I FELT. SHE SAID, "WHY, SURE CHILD, AIN'T YOU DONE WASHED YOUR SINS AWAY AND GOT
CONVERTED?"
         THEN SHE GRABBED ME BY THE HAND AND WE WENT OUT AMONG THE PEOPLE S+OUTI
G PRAISES TO THE LORD. I AIN'T NEVER FELT THE SAME SINCE. AUNT KIZIE TOOK ME ROU
ND TO SAY "HOWDY" TO MISS BESSIE. WHEN THE PREACHER HAD G OT THEM ALL BAPTIZED,
WE WENT INTO THE CHURCH AND HAD SERVICES. THE SHITE FOLKS WENT ON HOME AFTER THE
 BAPTIZING WAS OVER. AT THE CHURCH WE SHOUTED TILL WE COULD NOT SHOUT  O  OR(.F
OLKS DON'T LIKE THAT NOW. THEY DON'T FEEL GOOD WHEN THEY JOIN THE CHURCH NO MORE
, EITHER. I AIN'T HAD NOTHING TO COME AGAINST ME SINCE I WAS BAPTIZED. MY HEAD L
OSES LOTS OF THINGS, BUT NOT MY RELIGION.
         LOTS OF FOLKS WAS AT MISTER HENRY'S PA'S HOUSE oOR HS r FArR DrNNnR.-M
ISTER HIRAM AND MISS BESSIE GIVE THE INFAIR AFTER THE WEDDING. MISS AGNES, HIS S
ISTER COME BACK FOR THE WEDDING. MISTER HENRY HAD SHARP SNAPPING EYES AND HE WAS

 GOOD LOOKING THEN. HIS EYES CAN STILL SNAP. WHEN HE LOOKED AT MISS MARY HIS FAC
E WOULD LIGHT UP. HER NAME WAS MISS MARY GILMER AND SHE LIVED UP NEAR THE LEAD M
INE. SHE SURE LOOKED GOOD IN WHITE. I DID NOT SEE THE WEDDING, SO I HAD TO LOOK
 CAREFUL AT THEM WHEN THEY COME IN MISS BESSIE'S FRONT DOOR SO I COULD TAKE IT A
LL IN.
         THE INFAIR SURE WAS FINE. THE TABLE WAS MOST BREAKING DOWN WITH TURKEY,
CHICKEN HAM, SALADS, PIES AND CAKES. ALL THE THINGS TO EAT, ALREADY FIXED ON THE
 PLATES WAS FETCHED IN FROM THE KITCHEN BY THE NEGROES. THE CHICKENS AND TURKEYS
 JUST SET ON ,HE TABLE FOR ORNAMENTS AND WAS NOT TOUCHED UNTIL ,HE  XT DAY.
         THE INFAIR STARTED AT THREE O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON. THERE WERE THREE
OR FOUR TABLES FOR THE PEOPLE TO SIT AT. THE DINING ROOM AND ONE OTHER ROOM WERE
 USED TO SENT THE GUESTS AT THE TABLES WHILE THEY ATE. I CAN STILL SEE MISS BESS
IE'S WHITE LINEN TABLE CLOTH THAT REACHED NEARLY TO THE FLOOR . SUCH A TIME AS I
HAD THE WEEK BEFORE, WASHING AND IRONING THE BIG LINEN NAPKINS AND SHINING THE S
ILVER.
         THEY ALL LOOKED MIGHTY FINE AT THE TABLES IN THEIR FINE CLOTHES. I COUL
D NOT HELP LOOKING OFTEN AT MISTER HENRY'S WIFE MISS BESSIE HAD DONE STUDIED EVE
RYTHING OUT SO AS IT ALL WENT OFF FINE.
  X   XXX
STP