one side, en de men an boys on de other side along narrer hall.  Dem

sho' wuz sad times.  All us knowed it gwinter be de las' time us folks ud

be together, en mos' likely, none us nebber see our folks no more.

Eve'y onct er while, er keeper comes t'rough ker keep em fum talkin' 

en plannin'."

	"Sale day come.  De market place wuz bout er city block big, with 

seats fixed roun' like er race track.  All de boys and men wuz fixed on 

one side; de big ones first, en so on, down ter de little ones.  De 'omans

en girls dey wuz fixed de same way on er udder side de market."

	"I wuz put on de block en sold fer $900.00, ter Thomas Hurt.  He

bought three brothers together, so's dey woan be sep'rated, en he paid

$1500.00 fer de three.  I thought Marse Hurts wuz goin' ter be er poor

white trash owner, kaze he wuz dressed en coarse jeans pants en er ole

common shirt, with er big wide belt, en wore high top boots.  Mos' all

rich folks comin' ter sales done wore pleated bosom shirts and broad-

cloth suits.  But when Marse Hurts open his belthe got jes' plenty money."

	"Us went ter Halifax, Nawth Cahlina, en I wuz put to tending the 

chillun.  Dey wuz jes' us four slaves, what he'd bought at the market.

en Richmond.  But he had plenty o' poor white trash help, what wuked fer

flour, meal, syrup, en fer anything else he'd give em as pay fer dey wuk.

	"Marse Thomas en Miss Patsy di'nt 'low us ter call de chillun nothin'

but jes' dey first name, an dey had er mought big family, fifteen of 

em.  Miss Patsy she wuz er pretty, fair, brown skin cullud 'oman; but

Marse Thomas he had tuk her en she wuz zame as his wife, en dey had all

dem chillun."

			

Works Progress Administration (WPA) Ex-Slave Narratives

Anna Maria Coffee, Ex-Slave Narrative