SLAVE NARRATIVES - Library of Congress

Page # 2 355
Uncle James Tubbs*
Coase mah gr&ndma and me had had some putty good races. She tryin 1 ter cotch
me hut ah loves her terday fer dose races we had. Mah ma died when ah wuz
one munt ole* Mah pa married agin and mah step-ma wuz mean to me so mah
grandma come an got me and raised me. Ah hant nevah been in jail. Haint
'nevah been rested er nothin. Ah wish the chilluns of terday wuz like dey
wuz when ah wuz a boy. We lived in er two room log house. Our house had a
double chimney and we cooked on dat. You know v^e f d put a big back stick uv
wood on. Mah pa loved his big back sticks of wood to hold the fire*Wudden
no stoves at that time. We cooked on chimney fires. We et ash cakes. Hit
sho wuz good too. Granma say ash cake wuz healthy. Ah bleve fokes ought
ter eat a feis- of dem now. "We had a putty good school house made outn logs.
Ah stop school when ah wuz in the third grade. Ah learnt purty fair. "We
uster have ter take rocks an beat corn ter make meal. We wud have ter go
sometime fifty mile to git ter a griss mill. An Ttfien we couldn* git coan
mashed inter meal we wud make hominy and hit sho wuz good too.
Ah use ter card fer granma while she wuz spinnin. We made our socks,
gloves, and thread. We didn* have dat ter buy. When ah wuz a boy every 1
body farmed and we had a plenty. Didn 1 have drouth in does days. Any kine
of Ian 1 would produce. Ah use. ter get a many lashin bout pickin cotton. Ah
couldn 1 pick until ah got dem lashins. Some fokes say lashin don f help but
ah clare dey do*
Ah use ter pick cotton and sing. Ah can recollect so well de song* Hit
went lak dis:
Me an* mah wife had a fallin out
She wanted me ter work on de railroad track
Etc* (See enclosed song )
Ah jes love ter talk bout when ah wuz a boy. We had a log cabin fuh a
church house. In dem days on meetin 1 Sunday fokes would go ter church and
carry de chillun but now not neither the chillun nor dey ma's go either*