30805
	. Interviewer~~	MiaaIreneRobertson~~

.	Person interviewed —a - ~ - !iW* !çL~.* • 7OX~2Ut !i.tY1à~ 4~atieae ~ ~ - u

Age~~ 101
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	“I was one hundred and one years old last Saturday (1938) • I was born in Bedford County, middle Tennessee. My parente‘ names was J‘udy and Abraham Gant. They had the saine master. They had three boys and two girls. Our owners was J‘im Gent and £lizabeth Gent. Ma bad seven children, four gale and three boys. le called her Miss Betsy. ~im Gent owned seven hundred acres of good land In one body and scme ~re lend s~~ere else. My young masters end mistresses was: Malindy, 3ennie~ Betsy, Mary, Jim, 701m, Andy.

They had twenty..five or thirty slava I knowed. H. was pretty good to his

slave.. He didn‘ t whoop much. Give ‘em three or four licks. He fed ‚ em

ai]. well. We had warm clothes in winter.

RI never seen nobody sold. My brothers and sisters was divided out.

Mise Betey wae my young mistress. I could go to see all my folks. I never seen no hard times in my life. I had to work or be oa.U.ed lazy. I loved to work. I been in the field when the eun cane up and got part my ploughing done. Go back to the house and eat and feed my mule ‚ ~ rest around in the shade. Folks didn‘ t used to dread work so bad like they do now. I lay do~n and re8t in the heat of the day. They had big shade trees for us niggere to rest under, eat under, spring water to drink. I‘d plough till emack dark I couldn‘t see to get to the barn. We had lighted ~ote to feed by. The feed be in the troughs and ~ter in the big trough in the lot ready. My eupper would be hot too. It would be all I could eat too. Tee, I‘d be tired ~it I could sleep till next niorning.