Occasionally, I will run an article on the W.P.A, slave narratives. The purpose of Arbuckle Footnotes is to help educate readers about what times were really like in the 19th century in Indian Territory. In the narrative below, I have had to edit the language recorded by the writer. For some reason they recorded in the English of the narrator with an exaggeration of the 1930’s America. I hope you enjoy the article.
--Dennis Muncrief Well, to tell you de truth I don’t know my age, but I was born in 1858, in Franklin, Tennessee. Now, you can figger for yourself and tell how old I is. I is de daughter of Prophet and Billie Isaiah. I don’t ‘member much about dem as we was separated when I was seven years old. I’ll never forget when me, my ma and my auntie had to leave my pa and brothers. It is just as clear in my mind now as it was den, and that’s been about seventy years ago.
Oh God! I tell you it was awful that day when old Jeff Davis had a bunch of us sent to Memphis to be sold. I can see Old Major Clifton now. He was a big Negro trader you know. Well, they took us on up dere to Memphis and we was sold just like cattle. They sold me and ma together and they sold pa and de boys together. They was sent to Mississippi and we was sent to Alabama. My pa, O how my ma was grieved to death about him! She didn’t live long after that. She didn’t live long enough to be set free. Poor ma, she died a slave, but she is saved though. I know she is, and I’ll be sid her someday.
It was thirty years before my pa knew if we was still living. Finally in some was he heard that I was still alive, and be began writing me. Course I was grown and married den and me and my husband had moved to Missouri. Well, my pa started out to see me and on his was he was drowned in de Missouri River, and I never saw him alive after we was sold in Memphis.
I can’t tell you much ‘bout work during de slave days ‘cause you see I was just a baby you might say when de War broke out. I do remember our Master’s name though, it was Dr. Perkins, and he was a good Master. Ma and pa sure hated to have to leave him, he was so good to dem. He was a rich man, and had a big fine house and thousands of acres of land. He was good to his Negroes too. We had a good house too, better dan some of dese houses I see folks living in now. Course Dr. Perkins’ Negroes had to work, but they didn’t mind ‘cause he would let dem have a little patches of they own such as ‘tatoes, corn, cotton and garden, Just a little, you know. He couldn’t let den have much, there was so many on Dr, Perkins’ plantation.
I don’t remember seeing anybody sick in slavery time. You see I was just a kid and dere’s a lot of things I can’t remember.
I am a Christian. I joined de church nigh on seventy years ago and when I sat that, I don’t mean I just joined de Church. I mean I gave myself up to de Heavenly Father, and I’ve bee gwine straight down de line for Him ever since. You know in dem days, we didn’t get religion like young folks do now. Young folks today just find de church and den call themsleves Christians, but they ain’t.
I remember just as well when I was converted. One day I was thinking ‘bout a sermon de preacher had preached and a voice spoke to me and said. “De Holy Ghost is over your head, Accempt it!” Right den I got down on my knees and prayed to God that I might understand that voice, and God Almighty in a vision told me that I should find de church. I could hardy wair for de next service so I could find it, and when I was in de water getting my baptisement, that same voice spoke and said, “Now you have accepted don’t turn back ‘cause I will be with you always!” You don’t know nothing ‘bout that kind of religion!
I ‘member one night shortly after I joined de church I was laying in bed and dere was a vine tied ‘round my waist and that vine extended into de elements. O my God! I can see it now! I looked up that vine and away in de elements I could see my Divine Master and he spoke to me and sid, “When you get in trouble shake dis vine; I’m your Master and I will hear your cry.”
I knowed old Jeff Davis good. Why I was just as close to him as I am to that table. I’ve talked with him too. I reckon I do know that scoundrel! Why, he didn’t want de Negroes to be free! He was known as a mean old rascal all over the South.
Abraham Lincoln! Now you is talking ‘bout de Negroes’ friend! Why that was de best man God ever let tramp de earth! Everybody was mighty sad when poor old Abraham was assassinated, ‘cause he did a mighty good deed for de colored race before he left dis world.
I wasn’t here long during slavery, but I saw enough of it to know it was mighty hard going for most of de Negroes den, and young folks wouldn’t stand for that kind of treatment now. I know most of the young folks would be killed, but they just wouldn’t stand for it. I would hate to have to go through with my little share of it again.
Footnotes
