what did have 'em a nigger woman what dey had chillun by sure took care
of de whole gang. I riccolect one white man in particular, an' I knows
you is heered of him too. How-some-ever, I won't call no names. He lived
down on de ribber on de island. Dis white man, he was a overseer for a
widder woman what lived in Helena an' what owned de big place dat dis
man oberseer was on. Dis white man, he hab him dis nigger woman for de
longest. She have five chillun by him, three boys an' two gals.

"After a while dis man, he got him a place up close to Marvell where he
moved to. He brought his nigger fambly with him. He built dem a good
house on his farm where he kept them. He give dat woman an' dem chillun
dey livin' till de chillun done grown an' de woman she dead. Then he
married him a nice white woman after he moved close to Marvell. He built
him a house in town where his white wife live an' she de mammy of a heap
of chillun too by dis same man. So dis man, he had a white fambly an' a
half nigger fambly before. De most of de chillun of dis man is livin' in
this county right now.

"Yas suh, Boss, I is sure 'nough growed up with dis here county. In my
young days most all de west end of this county was in de woods. There
wasn't no ditches or no improvements at all. De houses an' barns was
most all made of logs, but I is gwine to tell you one thing, de niggers
an' de white folks, dey get erlong more better together then dan dey
does at dis time. De white folks then an' de darkies, dey just had more
confidence in each other seems like in dem days. I don't know how 'twas
in de other states after de War, but right here in Phillips County de
white folks, dey encouraged de darkies to buy 'em a home. Dey helped dem
to git it. Dey sure done dat. Mr. Marve Carruth, dat was really a good
white man. He helped me to get dis very place here dat I is owned for
fifty years. An' then I tell you dis too, Boss, when I was coming up, de