Patsy Hyde
From:
Tennessee
INTERVIEW
PATSY HYDE
504 9th Avenue N.
Nashville, Tennessee
"Dunno how ole I ez. I wuz bawn in slavery en b'longs ter de Brown
family. Mah Missis wuz Missis Jean R. Brown en she wuz kin ter Abraham
Lincoln en I useter y'ar dem talkin' 'bout 'im livin' in a log cabin
en w'en he d'ed she had her house draped in black. Marster Brown wuz
also good ter his slaves. De Missis promus Marster Brown on his de'th
bed nebber ter let us be whup'd en she kep her wud. Sum ob de
oberseers on urthur plantations would tie de slaves ter a stake en gib
dem a good whup'in fer sump'in dey ought not ter done."
"All cul'ed people wore cotton goods en de younger boys run 'round in
der shurt tails. Mah Missis nit all de white chilluns stockin' en she
made me sum. I had ter hold de yarn on mah hans w'en she wuz nittin'.
I members one time I wuz keepin' flies off de table usin' a bunch ob
peacock feathers en I went ter sleep standin' up en she tole me ter go
back ter de kitchen." "I went en finish mah nap."
"One day ole Uncle Elick woke Marster Brown fum his atter-noon nap
tellin' 'im dat de prettiest men dat I ever seed wuz passin' by on de
road. He went ter de winder en said, "Good Gawd, hit's dem damn
Yankees." Mah white folks had a pretty yard en gyarden. Soldiers kum
en camped dere. I'd slip ter de winder en lissen ter dem." "W'en dey
wuz fightin' at Fort Negley de cannons would jar our house. De
soldier's ban' play on Capitol Hill, en play "Rally 'roun' de Flag
Boys, Rally 'roun de Flag."
"De slaves would tek dere ole iron cookin' pots en turn dem upside
down on de groun' neah dere cabins ter keep dere white folks fum
hearin' w'at dey wuz sayin'. "Dey claimed dat hit showed dat Gawd wuz
wid dem."
"In slavery time peeples b'leeved in dreams. I members one nite I
dreamed dat a big white thing wuz on de gatepost wida haid. I tole mah
mammy en she said, "Gawd wuz warning us." De ma'rige cer'mony in de
days ob slavery wuz by de man en 'oman jumpin' ovuh a broom handle
tergedder."
"I don' member much 'boud de Ku Klux Klan, but I does member seein'
dem parade one time in Nashville." (She evidently refers to the Klan's
last parade in 1869 in Nashville, immediately preceeding the
disbandment of the Klan at Fort Negley.)
"I members dat de northern soldier's ban' would play Union Ferever,
Rally 'roun de Flag, en Down Wid de Traitors en up Wid de Sta's en
Stripes."
"De songs I members ez:
I'se a Soldier ob de Cross.
Follow de Lamb.
I would not Live Allus.
I Axs not ter Stay."
"I member w'en de stars fell. Hit wuz so dark en eberbody wuz skeered,
en I member a comet dat looked lak a big red ball en had sump'in lak a
tail on hit. Eber one wuz skeered en wuz 'feard hit would hit de
groun' en burn de worl' up. I member de fust street lites in
Nashville. W'en de lamp mans would kum 'round en lite de lamps dey
would yell out "all ez well" en I also members de Southern money goin'
out en Yankee money kum'n in, en also w'en dere wuzn't any coal 'yer
en eve'ythin' wuz wood en mos' ob dis town wuz in de woods."
"De slaves wuz tole dey would git forty ak'rs ob groun' en a mule w'en
dey wuz freed but dey nebber got hit. W'en we wuz free we wuz tuned
out widout a thing. Mah grandmammy wuz an "Ole mammie" en de Missis
kep her. Atter freedum a lot ob Yankee niggah gals kum down 'yer en
hire out."
"W'en I wuz a young girl hund'eds ob people went ter de wharf at de
foot ob Broadway on de fust Sunday in May ob eber'y year fer de annual
baptizin' ob new members inter de Baptist (culored) churches ob de
city. Thousands ob white people would crowd both sides ob de
Cumberland Riber, Broadway en de Sparkman Street Bridge ter witnus de
doin's. On leavin' de chuches de pastor would lead de parade ter de
wharf. Dey would sing en chant all de way fum de chuch ter de river en
sum ob de members would be ovuhkum wid 'ligious feelin' en dey would
hop up en down, singin' en shoutin' all de time, or may be dey would
start ter runnin' down de street en de brethern would hab ter run dem
down en bring dem back."
"We useter hav' dem champ meetin's en dey wuz "honeys," en I enjoy dem
too. We wore bandanna handkerchiefs on our haids en long shawls ovuh
our shoulders. At deze meetin's dey had all kinds ob good things ter
eat en drink."
"Atter mah freedum I dun washin' en Ironin' fer white families. Neber
ma'ried but I neber worries no matter w'at happens en dat's may be
cause ob mah livin' so long."
"Things ter day ez mighty bad. Not lak de ole days. Worl' ez gwin ter
end soon."
"Atter I got ter feeble ter do washin' en ironin' fer mah livin', I
went ter de Relief Office ter git dem ter he'ps me, but dey wouldn't
do a thing. I had no place ter go er no money ter do wid. Dis culid
'oman tuk me in en does all she can fer me but now she ez disable ter
wuk en I dunno w'at ter do. Ef'n I could git a small grocer order each
week til I git de ole Age Pension hit would he'p lots."
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Ellis Ken Kannon
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Measy Hudson
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