~.3a0
	:~‘	~	35





~	.
	“I member w‘eri de sta~~rs f~e11. Hit wuz so dark en eberbody

•wuz skeered, en Imernber a comet dat looked lak a big red ball en had sump‘lri lak a tall on hit. Eber or~e wuz skeered en wuz ‘feard hit would hit degroun‘ en burn de wont up. I xnember~ de fust Street lites in Nashville. W‘en de lamp mans would kurn ‘round en tite de lamps dey would yell out “all ez well“ en I also members de Southern money goth‘ out en Yankee money ki.~m‘n in, en also w‘ewdere wuzn‘t any coal ‘yer en eve‘ythin‘ wuz wood en most ob dis town wuz In de WOOdS0“

	“De slaves wuz tole dey would git forty ak‘rs ob groun‘ en a mule w‘en dey wuz freed but dey nebber got hit. W‘en.we wuz free we wuz tuned out widout a thing. Mah grandmø~tmny wuz an “01e mamrnle“

en de Missis kep her. Atter freedum a. lot ob Yankee ñiggah gals
:	kum down ‘yer. en hire out. ~	. ~ ~

	W‘en I wuza yoûn,g girl hund‘eds ob people went ter de wharf~	~ ~ at de foot ob Broadway on de fust Sunday in May ob eberty year fer ~ ~

~	~ de ann~iai baptizin‘ ob new members inter de Baptist~ (culored) churches :• i.~ ~ ob de city. Thousands ob white people would crowd both sides ob de Cumberland Riber, Broadwayen de Sp~r1ánan Street Bridge ter witnus

de doi& s . On leavin‘ de chuches de pas tor would lead de parade ter de wharf. Dey wo~~i1d sing en chant all de way Thin de chuch ter de

:	riveT en sum ob de members would be ovuhkuin wid ‘liglous feelin‘ en dey would hop up en down, sin~1nt en shoutin‘ all de time, or may be dey wOuld st~irt ter runnin‘ down de street en de brethern would hab ter run demidown en bring dem back.

	We useter hay‘ dem ohanip meetin‘s en dey wuz “honeys,“ en I j enjoy dem too. We wore bandanna handkerchiefs on our haids en long 1~ ~ ~ ovth ou~r shoulders. A1~ dexe meetin‘s dey had all kinds ob

~	!~ngs ter eat eu drink.