Hannah Davidson

In the full version of the interview, the interviewer recounts in the first person the cruelty enslavers inflicted on Hannah Davidson and the other enslaved people. Hanna Davidson describes a life of continuous work and repeated whippings. Enslavers Emmette and Susan Meriwether kept Hannah Davidson, her sister, and others enslaved for over twenty one years after they were legally free.  In this excerpt, recorded in the first person, Hannah Davidson describes religion and songs she sang as a child.  
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Excerpt:

…We didn’t have any churches… We used to sing, ‘Swing low, sweet chariot’. When our folks sang that, we could really see the chariot…  

The only fun we had was on Sunday evening, after work. That was the only chance we got. We used to go away off from the house and play in the haystack… Sundays the slaves would wash out their clothes. It was the only time they had to themselves… We never observed Christmas. We never had holidays, son,  no, sir! [she is referring to the interviewer.] We didn’t know what the word was…  

School? We never saw the inside of a schoolhouse. Mistress used to read the Bible to us every Sunday morning.  

We sang two songs I still remember.    

I think when I read that sweet story of old,   

When Jesus was here among men,   

How he called little children like lambs to his fold,  

 I should like to have been with them then.    

I wish that his hands had been placed on my head,   

That his arms had been thrown around me,   

That I might have seen his kind face when he said   

‘Let the little ones come unto me.’    

Yet still to his footstool in prayer I nay go   

And ask for a share of his love,   

And that I might earnestly seek Him below   

And see Him and hear Him above.  

Then there was another:    

I want to be an angel   

And with the angels stand   

With a crown upon my Forehead   

And a harp within my hand.   

And there before my Saviour,   

So glorious and so bright,   

I’d make the sweetest music   

And praise him day and night.  

And as soon as we got through singing those songs, we had to get right out to work. I was always glad when they called us in the house to Sunday school. It was the only chance we’d get to rest…  

…Us kids always used to sing a song, ‘Gonna hang Jeff Davis [president of the Confederacy] to a sour apple tree as we go marchin’ home.’ I didn’t know what it meant at the time…  


Interviewee 
Formerly enslaved person
Birth Year (Age)Interviewer
WPA Volunteer
Enslaver’s Name
Hannah Davidson1852 (approx. 85)K. OsthimerEmmette and Susan Meriwether
Interview LocationResidence StateBirth Location
Toledo, OHOHKY
Themes & KeywordsAdditional Tags:
Songs, ReligionBallard County, First Person, Witnessed Extreme Cruelty, Sold, Union Troops, 

Davidson_H_2

Callie Williams

Callie Williams was four years old when the Civil War ended.  In this first person excerpt, the interviewer documents Callie Williams’ description of the life of enslaved people that was passed on to Callie Williams by her mother.  In this excerpt, Callie Williams describes the role of song in the life of enslaved people.
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Excerpt:

…Most of the time the slaves would be too tired to do anything but go to bed at night, but sometimes they would sit around and sing after supper and they would sing and pray on Sunday. One of the songs that was used most was ’Yon Comes Old Master Jesus.’ If I remember, it went something like this:     

‘I really believe Christ is coming again    
He’s coming in the morning    
He’s coming in the morning    
He’s coming with a rainbow on his shoulder    
He’s coming again by and by’ 

They tried to make them stop singing and praying during the [Civil] war because all they’d ask for was to be set free, but the slaves would get in the cabins and turn a big wash pot upside down and sing into that, and the noise couldn’t get out….


Interviewee 
Formerly enslaved person
Birth Year (Age)Interviewer
WPA Volunteer
Enslaver’s Name
Callie WilliamsApprox. 1861 (Unknown)Mary A. PooleHiram McLemore
Interview LocationResidence StateBirth Location
Mobile, ALALUnknown
Themes & KeywordsAdditional Tags:
Religion, SongsThird Person, Dialect, Slave Patrollers, Hired Out

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Bert Mayfield

The interviewer recorded this excerpt as a first person narrative by Bert Mayfield.  In the excerpt, Bert Mayfield describes “stirring offs” – the social gatherings that accompanied work needed to make food from  maple syrup. Bert Mayfield also describes the role religion played in his life.  This excerpt contains two songs that were recorded by the interviewer. 
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Excerpt:

 …[Bert Mayfield describes how sugar was tapped from the enslaver’s maple trees.  The syrup was boiled down to be useful at]…these “stirring offs” which usually took place at night.

The neighbors would usually come and bring their slaves. We played Sheep-meat and other games. Sheep-meat was a game played with a yarn ball and when one of the players was hit by the ball that counted him out. One song we would always sing was;

“Who ting-a-long?
Who ting-a-long?
Who’s been here since I’ve been gone?
A pretty girl with a josey on”.

My old missus Meg taught me how to read from an old national spelling book, but I did not learn to write. We had no church, but the Bible was read to us on Sunday afternoons by some of the white folks. The first Church I remember was the Old Fork Baptist Church… The first preacher I remember was Burdette Kemper. I heard him preach at the old church where my missus and master took me every Sunday. The first Baptizing that I remember was on Dix Fiver near Floyd’s Mill. Preacher Kemper did the Baptizing and Ellen Stone, one of our slaves was Baptized there with a number of others—whites and blacks too. When Ellen came up out of the water she was clapping her hands and shouting. One of the songs I remember at this Baptizing was:

“Come sinners and Saints and hear me tell

  The wonders of E-Man-u-el,

Who brought my soul with him to dwell

  And give me heavenly union.”

…On Sunday’s we would hold prayer meetings among ourselves… 


Interviewee 
Formerly enslaved person
Birth Year (Age)Interviewer
WPA Volunteer
Enslaver’s Name
Bert Mayfield1852 (Unknown)Eliza IsonSmith Stone
Interview LocationResidence StateBirth Location
Garrard County, KYKYBryantsville, KY
Themes & KeywordsAdditional Tags:
Garrard County, Religion, Songs, Social Gatherings, Education

Mayfield_B_2

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