SLAVE NARRATIVES - Library of Congress

How Freedom Came
"I don f t remember how freedom cameo They were reftigeed—I call it
that—my father and mother were* My sister was born in Texas, and they
were back in Arkansas again when I was born* I was born and raised right
here in Arkansas* They were running from one place to the other to keep
the Yankees from freeing the slaves* I never even heard them say where
they were freed* I don f t know whether it was here or in Texas*
Right After the War
"I have no knowledge of what they did right after the War* The first
thing I remember was that they were picking cotton in Pine Bluff or near
there. It was a smoky log house I had to stay in while they were out in
the field and the smoke used to hurt my eyes awful*
Ku Klux and Patrollers
"I don f t remember nothing about the Ku Klux* I heard old folks say
they used to have passes to keep the pateroles from bothering them* I
renember that they said the pateroles would whip them if they would catch
them out without a pass* When I first heard of the Ku Klux Klan, I thought
that it was some kind of beast the folks was talking about* I didn f t hear
nothing special they did*
Occupational Experiences
"When I got old enough, I worked a farm—picked cotton, hoed, plowed,
pulled corn*~all such things* That is about all I ever did—fanning*
Farming was always my regular occupation* I never did anything else—not
for no regular thing*