Tyler Frazier
From:
More Arkansas
El Dorado District
FOLKLORE SUBJECTS
Name of Interviewer: Pernella Anderson
Subject: TALES OF SLAVERY DAYS
Story:--Information
[Feb 6 1937]
This information given by: Tyler Frazier
Place of Residence: Ouachita County
Occupation: Domestic
Age: 75
[TR: Personal information moved from bottom of first page.]
Ah wus a young nigger bout nine or ten years ole when de slaves wus
freed. Ah got freed in Texas. We went tuh Texas on a steamboat an dey
wuz a lot uv people on de steamboat. We sho 'joyed dat trip. We went wid
our mistress an moster. Dey wuz de Lides, Mistuh John Lide's parents. De
Lides run one uv de bigges' stores in Camden now, if yo knows dem dey is
de same Lides. One uv de boys wuz named Blackie Lide, one John Lide, one
named Hugh Lide. Dem wuz granchillun. Hannah Lide, Minnie Watts now, dey
wuz de granchillun. Now let me see, one Miss wuz named Emma Lide. Dem
sho wuz good fokes. Ole miss died when we wuz on ouh way tuh dis
country. An ole moster been daid since way back yondah. But when we got
tuh dis country we settled bout seven or eight miles fum Camden in
Ouachita County. Ole moster wuz named Peter Lide. We jes went tuh school
nough tuh learn our A.B.C.'s cause we had tuh work in de fiel. We
carried our meat tuh de fiel an cooked hot ash cake fuh dinnuh. We kep'
spare ribs and backbone all de year roun'. We pickled de backbone an dem
spareribs. We worked evah day. Wednesday night wuz wash night. Dat's
when de women would do de washin. We'd go tuh de fiel way fo day.
Back in dem days we had er log church. Ah went in mah shirt-tail till ah
wuz six. Mis Lide made mah fust pair uv britches. Ah membuhs one time ah
went to Miss Lide's garden an stole watuh mellons. Ah put em in a sack
an when ah want tuh come outn de garden ah got ovah de fence an got hung
an moster caught me. Ah'm tellin de truth. Ah aint had no desire tuh
steal since.
Moster Peter Lide's favorite song wus dis: "Hit's er long way tuh
heaven." Ah kin mos heah him singin hit now. He wuz a Christian man. He
wuz white and owned slaves but he wuz a good Christian. We didn' know
bout no money. When we got sick dat's when we got biscuit. We didn' know
bout Thanksgiving day and Christmas. We heard de white fokes tawkin bout
hit but we didn' know whut hit meant.
When anybody would die dey made de coffin. Didn' have no funeral, no
singin, no nothin' jes put dem in de groun. Dat wus all. Nebber stop
work. We nevah plowed er hoss. We used oxen teams. We made good crops
den. We raised all our sumpin tuh eat.
When ah wus a lil' bitsy boy Mrs. Lide use tuh tell us stories at night.
She give us our fireside trainin. She tole us when anybody wuz a tawkin
not tuh but in. Ah'm seventy five yers ole now an ah aint nevah fuhgot
dat. We ole fokes aint got long tuh stay heah now. We lives in de days
dats past. All we knows tuh tawk bout is what we use tuh do. When mah
time is up ah is ready tuh go cause ah is done mah bes' fuh mah God, mah
country and mah race.
Next:
Aunt Mittie Freeman
Previous:
Mary Frazier
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