TENNESSEE NARRATIVES
Prepared by
the Federal Writers' Project of
the Works Progress Administration
for the State of Tennessee
INFORMANTS
| Batson, Frances | [1] |
| Casey, Julia | [3] |
| Chappel, Cecelia | [5] |
| Childress, Wiley | [9] |
| Falls, Robert | [11] |
| Gaines, Rachel | [17] |
| Goole, Frankie | [19] |
| Gray, Precilla | [24] |
| Greer, Jenny | [27] |
| Grisham, Emma | [28] |
| Hudson, Measy | [31] |
| Hyde, Patsy | [33] |
| Kannon, Ellis Ken | [37] |
| Martin, Scott | [40] |
| Matthews, Ann | [43] |
| Moore, Rev. John | [47] |
| Moss, Andrew | [49] |
| Moss, Mollie | [55] |
| Odell, Andy | [60] |
| Parker, Laura Ramsey | [62] |
| Reece, Naisy | [64] |
| Simpkins, Millie | [66] |
| Star, Joseph Leonidas | [70] |
| Thomas, Dan | [74] |
| Watkins, Sylvia | [76] |
| Young, Narcissus | [80] |
INTERVIEW
FRANCES BATSON
1213 Scovel St.
Nashville, Tennessee
"I dunno jes how ole I ez. I wuz baw'n 'yer in Nashville, durin' slabery. I must be way pas' 90 fer I member de Yankee soldiers well. De chilluns called dem de 'blue mans.' Mah white folks wuz named Crockett. Dr. Crockett wuz our marster but I don't member 'im mahse'f. He d'ed w'en I wuz small. Mah marster wuz mean ter mah mammy w'en her oler chilluns would run 'way. Mah oler br'er went ter war wid mah marster. Mah younger br'er run 'way, dey caught 'im, tuk 'im home en whup'd 'im. He run 'way en wuz nebber found."
"We wuzn't sold but mah mammy went 'way, en lef' me en I got up one mawnin' went ter mah mammy's room, she wuz gon'. I cried en cried fer her. Mah Missis wouldn't let me outa' de house, fer fear I'd try ter find her. Atter freedum mah br'er en a Yankee soldier kum in a waggin en git us. Mah white folks sed, I don' see why you ez takin' dez chilluns. Mah brudder said, 'We ez free now.' I member one whup'in mah missis gib me. Me en her daughter slipped 'way ter de river ter fish. We kotch a fish en mah missis had hit cooked fer us but whup'd us fer goin' ter de river."