Name: McCullough, Lucy

Address: Athens, Georgia

Age: 79

Written by: Sarah H. Hall (Athens, Georgia)

Citation: Federal Writers' Project: Slave Narrative Project, Vol. 4, Part 3, Kendricks-Styles (1936), Library of Congress, Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/mesn043/

Interview

"Does Ah 'member 'bout war time, en dem days fo' de war? Yassum, Ah sho'
does. Ah blong ter Marse Ned Carter in Walton county."

"Whut Ah 'members mos' is duh onliest beatin' Ah ebber got fum de overseer on
Marse Ned's place. De hawgs was dyin' moughty bad wid cholry, en Marse Ned hed 'is
mens drag evvy dead hawg off in de woods 'en bun 'em up ter keep de cholry fum
spreadin' mongst de udder hawgs. De mens was keerless 'bout de fire, en fo' long de
woods was on fire, en de way dat fire spread in dem dry grape vines in de woods mek it
'peer lak jedgment day tuk us chilluns. Us run 'bout de woods lookin' at de mens fight de
fire, en evvy time we see uh new place a-blaze we run dis way en dat way, twel fus' thing
us knows, we is plum eff Marse Ned's plantation, en us doan rightly know whar us is. Us
play 'roun' in de woods en arter while Marse Ned's overseer cum fine us, en he druv us
back tuh de big house yahd en give evvy one uv us uh good beaten'. Ah sho' was black en
blue, en Ah nebber did fuhgit en run offen Marse Ned's lan' no mo' lessen I hed uh pass."
"Mah mammy, she was cook at duh big house, en Ah was raised dah in de kitchen
en de back yand at de big house. Ah was tuh be uh maid fer de ladies in de big house. De
house servants hold that dey is uh step better den de field niggers. House servants was
niggah quality folks."

Ah mus' not a been mo' en thee uh fo' years ole when Miss Millie cum out in de
kitchen one day, en 'gin tuh scold my mammy 'bout de sorry way mammy done clean de
chitlins. Ah ain' nebber heard nobuddy fuss et my mammy befo'. Little ez Ah was, Ah
swell up en rar' back, en I sez tuh Miss Millie, "Doan you no' Mammy is boss of dis hyar
kitchen. You cyan' cum a fussin' in hyar." Miss Millie, she jus laff, but Mammy grab a
switch en 'gin ticklin' my laigs, but Miss Millie mek her quit it."

"Who was Miss Millie? Why, she was Marse Ned's wife."

"Whilst Marse Ned was 'way at de war, bad sojer mens cum thoo de country. Miss
Millie done hyar tell dey was on de way, en she had de mens haul all Marse Ned's cotton
off in de woods en hide it. De waggins was piled up high wid cotton, en de groun' was
soft atter de rain. De waggins leff deep ruts in de groun', but none us folks on de
plantation pay no heed ter dem ruts. When de sojer mens cum, dey see dem ruts en trail
'em right out dar in de woods ter de cotton. Den dey sot fire ter de cotton en bun it all up.
Dey cum back ter de big house en take all de sweet milk in de dairy house, en help
'emselfs ter evvy thing in de smoke houses. Den dey pick out de stronges' er Marse Ned's
slave mens en take 'em 'way wid 'em. Dey take evvy good horse Marse Ned had on de
plantation. No Ma'am, dey diden' bun nuffin ceppen' de cotton."

"Us was mo' skeered er patter-rollers den any thing else. Patter-rollers diden'
bodder folks much, lessen dey caught 'em offen dar marsters plantations en dey diden'
hab no pass. One night en durin' de war, de patter-rollers cum ter our cabin, en I scrooge
down under de kiver in de bed. De patter-roller man tho' de kiver offen mah face, en he
see blong dar, en he let me be, but Ah was skeered plumb ter death. Courtin' folks got
ketched en beat up by de patter-rollers mo' den enny buddy else, kazen dey was allus
slippen' out for ter meet one er nudder at night."

"When folks dat lived on diffunt plantations, en blonged ter diffunt marsters
wanted ter git married, dey hed ter ax both dar marsters fus'. Den effen dar marsters 'gree
on it, dey let 'em marry. De mans marster 'ud give de man er pass so he cud go see his
wife et night, but he sho' better be back on his own marsters farm when de bell ring evvy
morning. De chilluns 'ud blong ter de marster dat own de 'oman."

"Black folks was heap smarter den dey is now. Dem days de 'omans knowed how
ter cyard, en spin, en weave de cloff, en dey made de close. De mens know how ter mek
shoes ter wear den. Black folks diden' hev ter go cole er hongry den, kaze dey marsters
made 'em wuk en grow good crops, en den der marsters fed 'em plenty en tuk keer uv
'em."

"Black folks was better folks den dey is now. Dey knowed dey hed ter be good er
dey got beat. De gals dey diden't sho' dare laigs lak dey do now. Cloff hed ter be made
den, en hit was er heap mo' trouble ter mek er yahd er cloff, den it is ter buy it now, but
'omans en gals, dey stayed kivvered up better den. Why, Ah 'member one time my
mammy seed me cummin' crost de yahd en she say mah dress too short. She tuk it offen
me, en rip out de hem, en ravel at de aig' er little, en den fus' thing I knows, she got dat
dress tail on ter de loom, en weave more cloff on hit, twel it long enuf, lak she want it."

"Long 'bout dat time dey was killin' hawgs on de plantation, en it was er moughty
cole day. Miss Millie, she tell me for ter tote dis quart er brandy out dar fer ter warm up
de mens dat was er wukkin in de cole win'. 'Long de way, Ah keep er sippin' dat brandy,
en time Ah got ter de hawg killin' place Ah was crazy drunk en tryin' ter sing. Dat time
'twon't no overseer beat me. Den slave mens beat me den fo' drinkin' dat likker."

"Mah folks stayed on en wukked fo' Marse Ned long atter de war. When Ah was
mos' grown mah fam'ly moved ter Logansville, No, Ma'am, I ain't nebber been so free en
happy es when I diden' hev ter worry 'bout whar de vittles en close gwine cum fum, en all
Ah had ter do was wuk evvy day lak mah whitefolks tole me."

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