Mrs. Mildred Thompson
C COPY“)	El Dorado Division
	.		‚	Federal Writers‘ Project
		~		Union County, Arkansas.
61
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‘~o ‚	FOLKLORE SUBZ~CTS

	Ellen Crowley an old Negreaa of .Teffereon county, known aa “old Aunt Ellen“ to both white and colored people. She was quite a character; a slave during Civil War and lived in Mississippi. She later r~iarried and moved to Aran.

	Aunt Ellen was much feared and also respected by~ the colored race owing to the tact that she could foretell the future and cast a spell on those she didn‘t like. This unusual talent “co‘ite about“ while on a white

plantation as a nurse. She foretold of a great sorrow that would fall on her white folks and in the year two children passed away. One day soon after she was being teased by a small negro boy to whoa she promptly put the‘curae‘ on and in later years he was subject to “fits.“

	She said she was “purty nigh“ 200 when asked her age ‚ always

in the nude, and on arising she would say: “I didn‘t sleep well last

the debil sit at my feet and worried my soul“ or vice versa “I

good rest the Lord si t at my head and brought me peace.“

	She was ixisnaculate about her person and clothes end alweys wore a red bandana around her head.

	Her mania was to clean the yard. would say: “I been married seven times but only husbands she could remember by name. Negroes ‘ t worth remembering.“

	She was ever faithful to those she worked for, and was known to walk ten and twelve miles to see her white folks with whom she had work.

Would coiae in and say : “Howdy ‚ I ‚ se cozae to stay awhile • I ‚ 13. clean the yard for my victuals and I can sleep on the floor.“ 5h. would go on her way in a few days leaving behind a clean yard and pleasant memories of‘ a
(Ex-Slave)
slept

night, had a
When asked about her marriage she

Jones ‚ Brown and Crowley were the

She said the other “four no count
faithful. servant.