Joana Owens
From:
Kentucky
Joana Owens:
The following is the life and traditions of Joana Owens, 520 E.
Breckinridge St., Louisville, Kentucky, an old negro mammy who was born
during slavery.
"My mother and father was slaves, and there was two children born to
them, my sister and me. We used to live at Hawesville, Kentucky, on the
Ohio River. My peoples name was Barr, and their masters name was Nolan
Barr. You know they all had to take their masters name in slave days.
I will never forget how mean old Master Nolan Barr was to us. I was
about fourteen years old and my sister was a little younger. We lived in
an old log cabin. The cracks was filled with mud. My Mother done the
housework for Master Barr's house. My father and sister and me had to
work in the fields. He had a big farm, and owned lots of slaves, and
when the old master got mad at his slaves for not working hard enough he
would tie them up by their thumbs and whip the male slaves till they
begged for mercy. He sure was a mean old man. I will never forget him as
long as I live. I don't know exactly how old I is, but I am close to
ninety now. After I growed up and married a man named Owens, we come
here to Louisville to live. That was a short while after the slaves was
freed. I can remember how me and my sister used to go down to the river
and watch the red hospital boats come in, bringing the wounded soldiers
in to be cared for, and me and sister would go long
singing--Nigger--Nigger--never die, if you want a chicken pie."
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