"De chillun passed as white, en went ter white schools en churches.

Miss Patsy wuz good ter all de slaves, en she wuz abolitionist at heart, 

but she didn't let Marse know it."

	"I nebber visited no place 'cept with de slaves at Marse Thomas's

son-in-law, Ishum Hubbard's.  He wuz abolitionist, too."

	"De plantation wuz big.  I nebber wuz over all of it.  Old Marse he 

tended lots o' cattle en diffu'nt stock, en he raised wheat, en I jes

doan know what all.  Miss Patsy done de cooking' with de girls en some de men

fum de farm he'pin her.  All us et de same, en had plenty of it,"

	"on sech days like Sundays en holidays us didn't do no wuk cept jes'

what had ter be done.  Miss Patsy she had funny ideas bout usin' de milk

on Sunday, en she allus had it poured out somewhar.  But dat poor white 

help mos' allus tuk it home with them, ef dey cud get hold of it."

	"I went ter church on Sunday, but I set en er back o' de church.

Det wuz er ole slave preacher what wuz talked about, named Brother Josh

Cain.  I member hearin' em say what er good preacher he wuz.

	"Miss Patsy had lots o' funny supe'stitions.  Effen she heard er dog 

howlin' at night, she t'ought somebuddy wux a going ter die en de family

En hoot owls near de house mean somebuddy gwineter be daid en dat house

fo' long; en ef er black cat done cross your path it ud sho' bring bad

luck.  Den, too, ef you spill de salt dey's sho' ter be some fussing."

	"Ef I wuz sent on er errand, en dey's feared I'd stay too long, dey'd

say, Effen you stay too late de Raw Head en Bloody Bones will git you,'

so course day scared me, en I jes' tried ter be back when I'se sposed

ter be.  Dar wuz er ole'Oman living' way back en er woods en folks done

say that she wuz er witch."
			

Works Progress Administration (WPA) Ex-Slave Narratives

Anna Maria Coffee, Ex-Slave Narrative