SLAVE NARRATIVES - Library of Congress

They would fir great big tables* Sometimes they would marry in the house;
that was in the winter# Then sometimes they would marry outdoors* Then
they would set a long table for all their associates to eat just like you
would fix a table for your friends* Looked like they would be so glad to
see their boys and girls marry* They would have regular preacher and marry
just like they do now*
••There wasn f t no breeders on our place* But I have heard of people who
did keep a woman just for that purpose* They never whipped her nor nothing*
They just let her have children* As soon as she had one, they would take it
away from her so that she could have another one right away*
Jayhawkers
"When my young master was gone to the War and the jayhawkers would come
aroundt my young master f s mother would take all the colored women and
children and lock them up and she would take a big heavy gum and go out to
meet them* The jayhawkers were white people who would steal corn and horses
and even slaves if they could get them* But colored folks was sharp* They
would do things to break their horses f legs and they would run and hide* My
uncle was a young boy* He saw the jayhawkers coming once* And he ran and
pressed himself under the crib* The space was so small he nearly broke his
ribs* His mistress had to get him out and take him to the house*
*My grandmother used to take me with her after dark when she'd go out
to pray* She wouldn't go anywhere without me* One time when she was out
praying, I touched her and said to her that I heard something in the corn
crib* She cut her prayer off right now and went and told it to her old
mistress, and to the young master, who was in the house just then telling
the Negroes they were all going to be free* The jayhawkers spied us