her. They said, 'She such a smart little thing.' They went to see her
owner and bought her on the spot. They took her away from her people and
she never heard tell of none of them no more. She said there was a big
family of them. They brought her to Brownsville, Tennessee and Johnny
Williams bought her. That was my grandma.

"Mother was born there on Johnny Williams' place and she was heired by
his daughter. His daughter married Bill Thomas, the one what done bought
my papa. Her young mistress was named Sallie Ann Thomas. Mama got
married when she was about grown. She said after she married she'd have
a baby about the same time her young mistress had one. Mama had twelve
children and raised eleven to be grown. Four of us are living yet. My
sister was married when I was born. White folks married young and
encouraged their slaves to so they have time to raise big families. Mama
died when I was a year old but papa lived on with Johnny Williams where
he was when she died. I lived with my married sister. I was the baby and
she took me and raised me with her children.

"The Ku Klux wanted to whoop my papa. They all called him Dan. They said
he was mean. His white folks protected him. They said he worked well.
They wouldn't let him be whooped by them Ku Kluxes.

"Miss Sallie Ann was visiting and she had mama along to see after the
children and to help the cook where she visited. They was there a right
smart while from the way papa said. The pattyrollers whooped somebody on
that farm while she was over there. They wasn't many slaves on her place
and they was good to them. That whooping was right smart a curiosity to
mama the way papa told us about it.

"When mama and papa married, Johnny Williams had a white preacher to