SLAVE NARRATIVES - Library of Congress

Interviewer Thomas Elmore Lucy
Person interviewed Henry Baaaell, Raasellville, Arkansas
.age 78
n My father's name was Ed Russell, and lie was owned by Br* Tom Russellf
de first pioneer settler of Russellville-~de* man de town got its name from«
My naiae is Henry, and some folks call me f Bud. f I was horn at Old Dwight
de 28th of October, 1866. Yes suh, dat date is correct *
"I was too young to remember much about happenin f s soon after de War,
but I kin ricollect my father belongin 1 to de militia for awhile during de
Reconstruction days# Both Negroes and whites were members of de militia^
w My folks come here from Alabama, but I don't know much about them
except dat my grandmother, Charlotte Edwards, give me an old wash pot dat
has been in de family over one hundred years* Yes suli, it f s out here in de
7a f d now. Also, I owns an old a* handle dat I keep down at de store jlst
for a relic of old days* It's about a hundred years old, too*
"My wife was Sallie Johnson of Little Rock, and she was a sister of
Mrs, Charley Mays, de barber you used to know, who was here sich a long
time*
"For a long time I worked at different kinds of odd jobs, sometimes in
de coal mines and sometimes on de farms, but for several years Pre run a
little store for de colored folks here in Russellville* Ain f t able to do
very much now*
"I remember very well de first train dat was ever run into Russell-
ville* Must have been 68 or 69 years ago* A big crowd of people was here
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