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	9/14/37		.	411
Guthri e

( Ex—slave stories )


~I~ILLIP JOHNSON ~ AN EX-SlAVE



Ref:‘- Phillip JohflSOfl, R.F.D. Poolesville, Md.


	The subjeot of this ~ketEth is a pure blooded W~gro, w~iose icinicy Jmir is now white, likewise his scraggy beard. He is of medium sise and some— what stooped with age, but still aotive enough to plant and tend ~ patch of corn and~the chores about hi8 little plaoe at Sugarlands. His home is a sn~l1 cabin with one or two rooms upstairs and three down, including the kitchen ~whioh is a leanto, The oabin is in great dißrepair.

	Phillip John is above the av~rage in intelligence, has some eduoation and is quite well versed in the Holy Soriptures, having been for many years a Methodist preacher among his people. lie uses fairly good E~glish and freely talks in answer to questions. Without giring the questions put to him by this, writer, his remarks given in the first person and as near his own idiom.~.re as follows:

	“I‘ Il be ninety years old next Deoeinber • I dunno the day. My Misais had the colored folks ages written in a book but it ~s destroyed w~ien the Confederate soldiers came through. But she had a son born two or three months younger than me and she remember that I ‘~s born in December, 1847, but she L~d forgot the day of the month.

	III ~s born down on the ~ river bottom about four miles below Ed~ard‘ s Ferry, on the Eight Mile Le, between Edwardi!ft\ Ferry and Seneoa • I belonged to oie Doota.h White. H.e owned a lot o‘ Ian down on de bottom. I dunno his first name•• Everybody~ called him Dootah White. Yes, he ~s related to Dootah Elijah White. All the Whites in Montgomery County is related. Yes sah, Doctah White ‘as good to his slaves. Yes sah, he had n~ny sla~ee. I dunno how many. My