"The boss man over grandpa and grandma in Virginia was John Glover. But
he was not their owner. My grandpa was about white. He said his owners
was good to him but now grandma had a pided back where she had been
whooped. Grandpa come down from the Washington slaves so my papa said.
That is the reason I holds to his name and my boy holds to it. Papa said
he had to plough and clean up new ground for Master Birdsong. He was a
young man starting out and papa and mama was young too.

(She left and came back with some old scraps of yellow and torn papers
dimly written all over: Anna Washington, born 1860 at Hines County at
Big Rock. Mother born at Capier County. Father born at White County,
Virginia--ed.)

"This is what was told to me by my papa: His grandmother was born of
George Washington's housemaid. That was one hundred forty years ago. His
papa was educated under a fine mechanic and he help build the old
State-house at Washington. Major Rousy Paten was the Washington nigger
'ministrator.

"I had a sister named Martha Curtis after his young wife. I had a
brother named Housy Patton. They are both dead now. Pa lived to be
ninety-eight years old. My mama was as white as you is but she was a
nigger woman. Pa was lighter than I is now. I'm getting darker 'cause
I'm getting old. My pa was named Benjamin Washington.

"I heard my pa talk about Nat Turner. (She knew who he was o.k.--ed.) He
got up a rebellion of black folk back in Virginia. I heard my pa sit and
tell about him. Moses Kinnel was a rich white man wouldn't sell Nellie
'cause of what his wife said. She was a housemaid. He wrote own free
pass book and took her to Maryland. Father's father wanted to buy Nellie