Lucy Key
From:
Arkansas
Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed: Lucy Key,
Forrest City, Arkansas
Age: 70 plus
"I was born in Marshall County, Mississippi. I seen Yankees go by in
droves. I was big enough to recollect that. Old mis', Ellis Marshall's
mother, named all the colored children on the place. All the white and
colored children was named for somebody else in the family. Aunt Mary
Marshall stayed in the house wid old mis'.
"Old mis' had a polly parrot. That thing got bad 'bout telling on us.
Old mis' give us a brushing. Her son was a bachelor. He lived there.
He married a girl fourteen or fifteen years old and Lawrence Marshall
is their son. His sister was in Texas. They said old man Marshall was
so stingy he would cut a pea in two. Every time we'd go in the orchard
old polly parrot tell on us. We'd eat the turning fruit. One day Aunt
Mary (colored) scared polly with her dress and apron till he took bad
off sick and died. Mr. Marshall was rough. If he'd found that out he'd
'bout whooped Aunt Mary to death. He didn't find it out. He'd have
crazy spells and they couldn't handle him. They would send for Wallace
and Tite Marshall (colored men on his place). They was all could do
anything wid 'em. He had plenty money and a big room full of meat all
the time.
"I recollect what we called after the War a 'Jim Crow.' It was a
hairbrush that had brass or steel teeth like pins 'ceptin' it was
blunt. It was that long, handle and all (about a foot long). They'd
wash me and grease my legs with lard, keep them from looking ashy and
rusty. Then they'd come after me with them old brushes and brush my
hair. It mortally took skin, hair, and all.
"The first shoe I ever wore had a brass toe. I danced all time when I
was a child. We wore cotton dresses so strong. They would hang you if
you got caught on 'em. We had one best dress.
"One time I went along wid a colored girl to preaching. Her fellar
walked home wid 'er. I was coming 'long behind. He helped her over the
rail fence. I wouldn't let him help me. I was sorter bashful. He
looked back and I was dangling. I got caught when I jumped. They got
me loose. My homespun dress didn't tear.
"I liked my papa the best. He was kind and never whooped us. He belong
to Master Stamps on another place. He was seventy-five years old when
he died.
"I milked a drove of cows. They raised us on milk and they had a
garden. I never et much meat. I went to school and they said meat
would make you thick-headed so you couldn't learn.
"I think papa was in the War. We cut sorghum cane with his sword what
he fit wid.
"Stamps was a teacher. He started a college before the War. It was a
big white house and a boarding house for the scholars. He had a
scholar they called Cooperwood. He rode. He would run us children.
Mama went to Master Stamps and he stopped that. He was the teacher. I
think that was toreckly after the War. Then we lived in the boarding
house. Four or five families lived in that big old house. It had
fifteen rooms. That was close to Marshall, Mississippi.
"Me and the Norfleet children drove the old mule gin together. There
was Mary, Nell, Grace. Miss Cora was the oldest. Miss Cora Marshall
married the old bachelor I told you about. She didn't play much.
"When the first yellow fever broke out, Master George Stamps sent papa
to Colliersville from Germantown. The officers stayed there. While he
was waiting for meat he would stay in the bottoms. He'd bring meat
back. Master George had a great big heavy key to the smokehouse. He'd
cut meat and give it out to his Negroes. That meat was smuggled from
Memphis. He'd go in a two-horse wagon. I clem up and look through the
log cracks at him cutting up the meat fer the hands on his place.
"I had the rheumatism but I cured it. I cupped my knee. Put water in a
cup, put a little coal oil (kerosene) on top, strike a match to it and
slap the cup to my knee. It drawed a clear blister. I got it well and
the rheumatism was gone. I used to rub my legs from my waist down'ards
with mule water. They say that is mighty good for rheumatism. I don't
have it no more.
"No sir-ree-bob, I ain't never voted and I don't aim to long as I'm in
my mind.
"Times ain't hard as they was when I was coming on. (Another Negro
woman says Aunt Lucy Key will wash or do lots of things and never take
a cent of pay for it--ed.) Money is scarce but this generation don't
know how to work. My husband gets relief 'cause he's sick and wore
out. My nephew gives us these rooms to live in. He got money. (We saw
a radio in his room and modern up-to-date furnishings--ed.) He is a
good boy. I'm good to him as I can be. Seems like some folks getting
richer every day, other folks getting worse off every day. Times look
dark that way to me.
"I been in Arkansas eight years. I tries to be friendly wid
everybody."
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Anna King
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George Key
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