Victoria Sims
From:
Arkansas
Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed: Victoria Sims, Helena, Arkansas
Age: 76
"I was born in Limestone County, Alabama. It was on a river. Where I was
born they called it Elks Mouth. Our owners was Frank Martin and Liza
Martin. They raised papa. Their daughter aired (heired) him. Her name
was Miss (Mrs.) Betty Hansey. Papa's name was Ed Martin. I stood on a
stool and churned for papa's young mistress. The churn was tall as I
was. I loved milk so good and they had plenty of it--all kinds. Soon as
ever I get through, they take up the butter. I'd set 'round till they
got it worked up so I could get a piece of bread and fresh butter and a
big cup of that fresh milk. They always fixed it for me.
"Mama was Minthy Martin. She cooked on another place. She was a nurse.
Her papa belong to one person and her mother to somebody else. Mama was
Minthy Bridgeforth but I don't have her owner's name. I guess she was
sold. I heard her say the Bridgeforth's was good to her. Some white man
whooped on her once. I never heard her say much about it. Papa's owners
was good to him. They was crazy about him. I knowed papa's owners the
best and I lived there heap the most. I was born a slave but I don't
know who I belong to. I've studied that over myself. I used to go back
to see papa's owners. They owned lots of slaves and lots of land. Papa
done a lot of different things. He fed and farmed and cleaned off the
yards and slopped the pigs. He done what they said do, well as I can
recollect. I wasn't with mama till after freedom. Mama said her white
folks was treated mighty mean during the War. Once the soldiers come and
mama was so scared she took the baby and run got in the cellar. They
throwed out everything they had to eat. They took off barrels of things
to eat and left them on starvation. One soldier come one time and wanted
mama to go to the camps. She was scared not to go, scared he'd shoot her
down. She told him she'd go the next day soon as she could get up her
things and tell her folks she had gone. He agreed to that. Soon as he
left she and some other young women on the place put out to the cane
brakes and caves. She said they nearly starved. The white folks sent
them baskets of victuals several times. Mama said she had some pretty
beads she wore. Somebody had made her a present of them. She loved 'em.
I think she said they was red. Mama's mistress told her to hide her
beads, the soldiers would take them. She hid them up in the loft of
their house on a nail. One day a gang come scouting and they rummaged
the whole house and place. When the soldiers left she thought about her
beads and went to see and they was gone. She cried and cried about them.
That was before she went to the canebrakes.
"When freedom come on, the owners told them they was free. They didn't
leave and then they made a way for them to stay on. They stayed on.
"I was grown when we come to this state but we lived in Tennessee a few
years. Mama had had nine children by that time. All was dead, but us two
girls and my brother. We come to Arkansas with our parents. We heard the
land was new and rich. I wasn't married then.
"I've worked hard in the field all my life till last year or so. I still
do work.
"Times is tough here I tell you. I get a little help, six dollars.
"Some of the young folks won't work, some not able to work. If anybody
saving a thing I don't hear about it."
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Virginia Sims
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Jerry Sims
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