CYNTHA JONES 1174-ARK/#037 024 WELL, HERE'S ONE OF EM. BORN DOWN IN DREW COUNTY. SIMPSON DABNEY WAS OLD MASTER AND HIS WIFE NAMED MISS ADELINE. I RECKON I DO REMEMBER BOUT THE WAR. YES MA'AM, THE YANKEES COME AND TH EY HAD ME SCARED. I WOULDN'T KNOW WHEN THEY GOT IN THE YARD TILL THEY WAS ALL AR OUND ME. HAD ME HOLDIN' THE BRIDLES. MY YOUNG MISSIS' HUSBAND WAS IN THE WAR AND WHEN THEY FOUGHT THE-l STBB ATTLE AT PRINCETON, SHE HAD ME DRIVE THE CARRIAGE. WHEN I HEARD THEM GUNS I SAID WE BETTER GO BACK, SO I TURNED ROUND AND MADE THEM HORSES STEP SO FAST MY DRESS TAIL STOOD OUT STRAIGHT. I THOUGHT THEY WAS GOIN' TO KILL US ALL. AND WHEN WE GO T HOME ALL THE WINDOWS WAS BROKE. MISS NANCY SAY, "CYNTHA, SOMEBODY COME AND BRO KE ALL MY WINDOWS," BUT IT WAS THEM GUNS BROKE EM. OLD MASTER WAS A DOCTOR BUT MY YOUNG MISSIS' HUSBAND WASN'T NOTHIN' BUT A HUNTER TILL THEY CARRIED HIM TO WAR. HE WAS SO SKEERED THEY HAD TO MOST DREG H IM. I SEEN TWO WARS AND HEERED TELL OF ANOTHER. I MEMBER WHEN THE YANKEES COME AND TOOK THINGS I JUST FUSSED AT EM. I T HOUGHT WHAT WAS MY WHITE FOLKS' THINGS WAS MINE TOO. BUT WHEN THEY GOT MY OLD MA STER'S HORSE MY DADDY WENT AMONGST EM AND GOT IT BACK CAUSE HE HAD CHARGE OF THE STOCK. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER HE GOT EM AT NIGHT OR NOT BUT I KNOW HE WENT IN THE DAYTIME AND COME BACK IN THE DAYTIME. OLD MASTER'S CHILDREN AND MY FATHER'S CHILDREN WORKED IN THE FIELD JUST ALIKE. HE WOULDN'T LOW A OVERSEER ON THE PLACE, OR A PATROLLER EITHER. DOCTOR DABNEY AND HIS SISTER RAISED MY MOTHER. THEY BROUGHT HER FROM O ME ME FURRIN' COUNTRY TO ARKANSAS. AND WHEN HE MARRIED, MY MOTHER SUCKLED EVERY ONE OF HIS CHILDREN. I JUST WORKED IN THE HOUSE AND NUSSED. NEVER WORKED IN ,HE6 IELD rLLI WAS GROWN AND MARRIED. I WAS NINETEEN WHEN I MARRIED THE FUST TIME. I STAYED RIG HT THERE IN THAT SETTLEMENT TILL THE SECOND YEAR OF SURRENDER. WHEN I WAS TWENTY-ONE THEY HAD ME FIXED UP FOR A MIDWIFE. OLD mOCtOR lL ARK WAS THE ONE STARTED ME. I NEVER WENT TO SCHOOL A MINUTE IN MY LIFE BUT THE D OCTORS WOULD READ TO ME OUT OF THEIR DOCTOR BOOKS TILL I COULD GET A LICENSE. I GOT SO I COULD READ PRINT TILL MY EYES GOT SO BAD. OLD DOCTOR CLARK WAS THE ONE LEARNED ME MOST AND SINCE HE DIED I AIN'T NEVER HAD A DOCTOR MESS WITH ME. IN FIFTEEN YEARS I HAD 299 BABIES ON RECORD RIGHT THERE IN RISON. THA,' S WHERE I WAS FIXED UP AT - UNDER FIVE DOCTORS. AND ANYBODY DON'T BELIEVE IT, TH EY CAN GO DOWN THERE AND LOOK UP THE RECORD. WE HAD PLENTY TO EAT IN SLAVE TIMES. DIDN'T HAVE TO GO TO THE StORE&jnD BUY IT BY THE DRIBBLE LIKE THEY DOES NOW. JUST GO TO THE SMOK(HOUSE AND GET I,. I GOT SUCH A BIG MIND AND WILL I WANTS TO GET ABOUT AND RAISE SOMETHING 'VEHA T NOW SO WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO BUY EVERYTHING, BUT I AIN'T ABLE O>.9 D TWENTY-ONE CHILDREN BUT IF I HAD EM NOW THEY'D STARVE TO DEATH. I BEEN MARRIED FOUR TIMES BUT THEY ALL DEAD - EVERY ONE OF EM. WHEN FREEDOM COME MY OLD MASTER GIVE MY MOTHER #500 CAUSE SHE SAVED HS MONEY FOR HIM WHEN THE YANKEES COME. SHE PUT IT IN THE BED AND SLEPT ON IT. HE HAD FOUR FARMS AND HE TOLD HER SHE COULD HAVE ANY ONE OF EM AND ANY OF THE STOCK , BUT MY FATHER HAD DONE SPOKE FOR A PLACE IN CLEVELAND COUNTY - HE HAD DONE BOU GHT HIM A PLACE. AND OLD MASTER ON HIS DYING BED, HE ASKED MY MOTHER TO TAKE HIS TWO YOU NGEST CHILDREN AND RAISE EM CAUSE THEIR MOTHER WAS SICKLY, BUT SHE DIDN'T DO IT. I DON'T KNOW HARDLY WHAT TO THINK OF THIS yOunGnR&GnnnrAc . bED OB E THEY'D GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL BAREFOOTED BUT NOW'DAYS, TIME THEY IS BORN THEY GOT SHOES AND STOCKIN'S ON EM. I USED TO SPIN, KNIT AND WEAVE. I EVEN SPUN THREAD TO MAKE THESE ROPES THEY USE TO PLOW. I COULD SPIN A THREAD YOU COULD SEW WITH, AND WEAVE CLOTH WITH STRIPES AND FLOWERS. HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO DYE THE THREAD.THAT'S ALL DONE IN THE W ARP . CALL THE OTHER THE FILLER. NOW LET ME TELL YOU, WHEN THAT WAS GOIN' ON AND YOU RAISED YOUR MEAT AN D CORN AND POTATOES, THAT WAS LIVIN] X XXX STP