Jessie Sparrow
From:
South Carolina
=Code No.=
=Project, 1885-(1)=
=Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis=
=Place, Marion, S.C.=
=Date, May 17, 1937=
=No. Words =
=Reduced from words=
=Rewritten by=
==
=MOM JESSIE SPARROW=
=Ex-Slave, 83 years.=
"Honey, my white folks been well-to-do peoples. Dey ain' been no poor
white trash. Dey hab 'stonishing blood in dey vein. I been b'long to
Massa Sam Stevenson wha' lib right down dere 'cross Ole Smith Swamp. Dey
ain' hab no chillun dey own, but dey is raise uh poor white girl dere,
Betty. Dey gi'e (give) she eve'yt'ing she ha'e en dey school she too."
"De ole man, he mind ain' been zactly right when he die. Dey say he bury
some o' he money down dere on he place jes 'fore he die. Coase I dunno
nuthin 'bout it, but dats wha' dey tell me. Dey say dey never is find
dat money a'ter he been dead. Reckon it dere yet, I dunno. Peoples
use'er aw de time be plough up kegs en box full o' money en va'uables
wha' de well-to-do folks been hide dere."
"De white peoples use'er bury dey silver en dey money en aw dey
va'uables late on uh evenin' er early on uh mornin' when de Yankees come
'bout. De Yankees 'stroy aw us white peoples va'uables wha' dey is see.
Um----dem Yankees sho' was 'structive whey dey is went."
"My ole mammy been Sally Stevenson 'fore she marry en den she wuz Sally
Bowens. My ole Missus take she 'way from her mammy when she wuz jes uh
little small girl en never wouldn't 'low her go in de colored
settlement no more. She been raise up in de white folks house to be de
house girl. Never didn't work none tall outside. She sleep on uh pallet
right down by de Missus bed. She sleep dere so she kin keep de Missus
kivver (cover) up aw t'rough de night. My mammy ain' never do nuthin but
been de house girl. My Missus larnt (learned) she how to cut en sew so
she been good uh seamstress is dere wuz anywhey. She help de Missus make
aw de plantation clothes en dere ain' never been no better washer en
ironer no whey den my ole mammy wuz."
"When I wuz uh little small girl, us lib right dere in my ole Missus
yard. Dey le' us chillun play aw us wanna den. Never did hadder do none
hard work tall. My Massa is some uh time send we chillun in de field to
scare de crow offen de corn. Ain' never been no hoe hand in me life.
When dey send we to scare de crow 'way, we is go in de field when fuss
(first) sun up en we is stay dere aw day. Coase we is come to de house
when 12 o'clock come en ge' we sumptin uh eat. Dese white folks 'round
here don' hab no chillun to scare de crow offen dey corn nowadays. Dey
has aw kind o' ole stick sot (set) 'bout in de field wid ole pant en
coat flying 'bout on dem to scare de crow 'way. Dere be plenty crow
'bout nowadays too. I hears em hollerin aw 'bout in dis sky 'round 'bout
here."
"I 'member when I use'er nu'se de white folks baby. I al'ays did lub to
nu'se de babies, but I didn't never lub to nu'se no ug'y baby. I lub to
hab uh pretty baby to nu'se. Didn't lak no boy baby neither. Don' lak
boy baby nohow. Lubbed little girl baby. Lubbed to take de little girls
en dress em up in dey pretty clothes en carry dem out under de trees to
'muse dem whey dere wuz plenty peoples 'bout to see em. Mammy al'ays 'ud
fuss at me 'bout puttin' on dey best clothes, but I ain' never do lak
dese nu'se do nowadays. I take care o' my babies, didn't never 'low em
wallow in de dirt lak yunnah see dese nu'se do 'bout here dese day en
time."
"I 'members one time I been nu'se little boy baby en I is larnt he hair
to curl jes uz pretty. I bresh he hair eve'y morning en twist it 'round
me finger en he is had pretty curl uz dere wuz anywhey. Never lak de
Missus to cut my baby hair off neither when I had larnt it to curl."
"I been lub to wash little baby clothes too. I is primp em up so nice.
Never did put no starch much in em. I do me best on em en when I ge'
t'rough, dey been look too nice to le' de child muss up."
"Honey, I can' stand no chillun fuss 'round me no more dese days. Don'
hab no chillun fuss 'round me peaceful little place. I tell aw me
chillun en grandchillun en great-grandchillun dat I can' stand no
chillun fuss 'round me no more. My Sammie, he marry three times en I ax
him why he wanna marry so many time. I ain' never see no man I is wan'
since my ole man die."
"I ain' wha' I use'er to be, child. I ain' able to do nuthin more now
but dem little bit o' clothes wha' Miss Betty hab. Coase she clothes
ain' hard to wash. Miss Betty mighty clean, honey, she mighty clean. She
don' strip she bed but eve'y udder week en den de sheet ain' dirty one
speck. She does wash she self eve'y day en de sheet don' ge' de crease
out dem from one time dey wash till de next. I say I gwinna wash Miss
Betty clothes jes uz long uz de Massa'll le' me em."
Source: Personal interview with Mom Jessie Sparrow,
age 83, colored, Marion, S.C., May 1937.
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