File                                                  District #6

copied                                               Clark County
             1-15-41                                              Racial Group
bw


                           19/3/270



                          WILLIAM EMMONS

                          Ex-slave, age 93.

      "I wuz bawn near Carlisle, in Nicholas County, Kentucky. My

mother wuz owned by a fam'ly named Riggs, and 'I lived on de Riggs plan-

tation till I wuz seven years ole.  Den I wuz sol.' to Roy Emmons, an'

mother wuz sol' to Banaster of Moorfiel', Kentucky.  Father's real name

woz Boyd, but Hiram Norton owned him."

      "Atter mother en I wuz sep'rated, I went to see her onct in a

while.  I had four sisters en three brothers but I nebber knew much bout

em.  One my brudders an' I went to de wah togedder."
       "Dee plantation of Emmons  wuz 1500 acres of good land.  De house

wuz big an' de jes' had ever thing.  Dey wuz 'bout 15 slaves on de place,

 an' dey had sev'ral cabins wid three rooms an' big fire places five feet

wide.  We had straw mattresses fur our beds, an' a few chairs, but mos'ly

 stools an' benches."

       "My white folks treated us good, considerin' whut some others had

 to tek. We nebber had no beatin's; dat wuz one thing my folks diden

 'low. We wuz'nt nebber paid fur our wuk, ner 'lowed to be foun'  readin'.

 White folks said, "Dats one thing we woan 'low; larnin' fur dese darkies".

 Dey give us three pairs shoes a year,  an'jeans en cotton  clo'es.  All

 de goods fur de clo'es wuz wove at home den. Mother wuz a weaver, a'

 she cud weave 12 quirks of yarn in no time."

       "I done lots of wuk all my life, but now I aint able to do nothin'
 but jes' "set an' thing of things.  I use to drive de stock to de




			

Works Progress Administration (WPA) Ex-Slave Narratives

William Emmons, Ex-Slave Narrative