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~) ‘j o L
67
	Interviewer	-	~Seinu~1S. Taylor
	Person interviewed	           Annie 3ohnson
		804 Izard Street, Little Rock, Arkansa8
Age~~ 78






	n]: was born In Holly Springs, Mississippi, and I was four years old when the Civil War closed. My parents died. when I was a baby arid a white lady named Mrs. I~iary Peters took me and raised me. They moved from there to Champaign, Illinois when I was about six years old. My mother died. when I was born. Them white people only had ‚ two slaves ‚ my mother and my father, and‘my father had run off with the Yankees. Mrs. Peters was their ralstress0 She died when I was eight years old and then I stayed with her sister. That was when I was up in Champaign.

	“The sister‘s name was LLrs. Mary ~nith. She just taucht school here and there and around in different places, and I went arouxid with her to take care of her children. That kept up until I was twenty years old. All of her traveling was in Illinois.

	“I didntt get much schooliiig. I went to school a while and taken sore eyes. The doctor said if I continued to go to school, I v~ould strain ray eyes. After he told rae that I q~uit. I learned enough to read the Bible and the newspaper and a little soxnethin~ like that, but I can‘t do much. My eyes is very weak yet.

	“When I was twenty years old I married Henry ~ohnson, who was from Virginia. I met hini in Champaign. We stayed in Champaign about two years. Then ~e carne on down to St. Louis. He was just traveling ‘round looking for work and staying wherever there was a job. Didn‘t have no home nor nothing.