Mamie Hanberry
From:
Kentucky
CHRISTIAN CO.
(Mamie Hanberry) [TR: also spelled Hanbery.]
Annie B. Boyd:
Annie B. Boyd, born August 22nd 1851, resides at corner of Liberty and
First Street, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Born a slave belonging to Charles
Cammack near Gordonsville, Kentucky in Christian County. "My mother and
me war put on de block in front of de Courthouse in Hopkinsville and
sold to Mr. Newt. Catlett and we brung $500.00. Marse Catlett lived on
the corner of Seventh and Clay Streets, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Wen I
was older the white folks had me foh to nurse dar chilluns. I noes wen
de war broke out marse had a store and den marsa took me to his wife's
kinfolks down in de country till freedom war declared den my stepfather
come an' got me. Of course I hed ter work and den I went ter nurse foh
Dr. Fairleigh and nussed his daughter Madge. De white folks wont good to
me. My marster was a good man but my missus wont no good woman. She
uster box my ears, stick pins in me and tie me ter de cedar chest and
whoop me as long as she wanter. Oh, how I did hate dat woman.
"Yes, once in my life I seed a ghost. We was goin' thru de woods to a
neighbors ter a prayer meeting en a man stepped out in de woad without
no head wid all his clothes on en I had jes wropped my head dat day and
wen I seed him all my hair strings en all jes stood straight up. I got
hot den I'se got cold and he jest stepped ter de side of de road en I
went by running. Yes, we got ter de prayer meeting en den we went back
home de same way en did us niggers run?
"I was nurse in slave time en I carried de chilluns all ober de house en
one day I had de chilluns upstars en my missus called me en I went ter
see whar she wont and while I'se war gone de baby got hodter Indian
Turnip an hed bit it by de time I git back dar en I called my missus en
she come en made me eat de rest of de turnip en my face enall swelled up
en my eyes war closed foh days. After missing de baby en tending ter de
uther chilluns all de day an night wen I put de baby ter bed I bed ter
knit two round ebery night en would be sleepy en my missus would reach
ober en jab a pin in me to keep me awake. Now dat is what I calls a mean
woman.
"I kin read en write at first of freedom I sent ter school some en
learned ter read and write.
"I sho do believe in dreams. I had one once I laid down on de bed ter
take er nap en den I dreamed dat somethin was a chokin me en I pulled at
my dress en a big snake dropped out of my bosom rolled down on de bed.
Den on de floor en when I woke up sho nuff dar war a snake on de floor
by de bed en I killed it en den I knowed dat I had an enemy sho nuff in
a few days a woman I thot was my friend turned gain me. By killing de
snake I knowed dat I would conquer dat enemy.
"I noes wishes cen come tru seems ter me I hev but my memory aint so
good but still I believes hit.
"Wen de smoke flies low hit sho is goin ter snow."
"Spilling salt or ter waste salt is bad luck. I always wen I makes my
bread put de salt in de bread den I puts some of de salt in de fire ter
bring me good luck.
"Sometime de moon affects people wen it changes hit makes some folks
crazy en dey is hard to git alon wid."
"If you plant Irish pertatoes on de light of de moon you hev nuthin but
top. Whatever ter be made underneath de ground like turnips, potatoes,
onions is ter be planted by de dark of de moon. Beans, peas, corn in de
light of de moon.
"Yes, spit will cure, cause I had ringworms once en in de morning wen I
woke up afore I spoke ter anyone I'd take spit en put on my face en hit
sho cured de ringworms."
(Signs)
"If you nail a horse shoe ober de door hits a good luck ter you.
"I thin "13" is an unlucky number I'se heard so much talk of hit till I
believes hit. Breaking a mirror is sho bad luck if you break one you
will hev seben years bad luck."
"Blue gummed niggers is shon bad luck wen I sees one gits as far away as
I kin foh if one bites you you is a ded nigger foh dey is pizen as er
diamond back."
"De white folks jes made niggers carry on like brutes. One white man
uster say ter nuther white man, "My nigger man Sam wanter marry yer
nigger gal Lucy what does yer say en if he said hit war all right why
dat couple war supposed to be married. Den Sam would work foh his
marster in de daytime en den would spend de night at Lucy's house on de
next plantation."
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Kate Billingsby
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George Dorsey
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