September 16, 1936


Charlie was born in Sandtown, (now Woodbury) Meriwether County, Georgia,
eighty-five or six years ago. He does not know his exact age because his
"age got burned up" when the house in which his parents lived was burned
to the ground.

The old man's parents, Ned and Ann King, [TR: "were slaves of" crossed
out] Mr. John King, who owned a big plantation near Sandtown [TR: "also
about two hundred slaves" crossed out]. [TR: HW corrections are too
faint to read.]

Charlie's parents were married by the "broom stick ceremony." The Master
and Mistress were present at the wedding. The broom was laid down on the
floor, the couple held each other's hands and stepped backward over it,
then the Master told the crowd that the couple were man and wife.

This marriage lasted for over fifty years and they "allus treated each
other right."

Charlie said that all the "Niggers" on "ole Master's place" had to work,
"even chillun over seven or eight years of age."

The first work that Charlie remembered was "toting cawn" for his mother
"to drap", and sweeping the yards up at the "big house". He also recalls
that many times when he was in the yard at the "big house", "Ole Miss"
would call him in and give him a buttered biscuit.

The Master and Mistress always named the Negro babies and usually gave