41001?				‘~: ~ 74
	. -	~	~	INTE~VI~
	‚	    DAN THOMAS
		941 Jeffer‘son Street
		Nashville, Tennessee


“i 1wuz bawn in slavery In 1847 at Memphis, Tennessee en mah marster wuz Deacon flays, Mahmamrr~ wuZ de cook at de big house~ ‘~ah mammy d‘ed soon atter I wuz bawn, C!) de Misais had me raised on a bottle. Marste~ en Missis treatus all dero slaves kindly en plenty ter eat en evety one wuz happy. I dtrnno nuthin ‘bout mah daddy er whar he went. I hab no kin in dis won‘ • All I eber yeard wuz dat all ~ah fo1k~ ku~ fum Afric~a. Mah Missis wouk~t tell me dat i mus‘ be good en mine en eberbody will laktyouen ef she d‘ed, dey wouldtek keer ob me,

: »at.e.z ~V~St deyhabdon.“	~

III	wu.ked ‘~round dehouse t‘~j, I WtLZ ‘bout ten y‘&rs oie en

~	de Marster put me ter Wuk in lus big whiskey house. W‘en I ~got

‘bout 21.y‘arsoJ.e, I would go out ter collect bills fum

Marster‘s customers en hit tuk nie ‘bout a week ter git all ‘round.

. ~	I ~wuzA‘t ‘lowed tortek money but had ter git dere cheeks. I also wukčd 18 ~‘ars a~ bar tender. Marster en Mistress d‘ed tbout four

	liars ‘fore whislčy went out ob de United States, I stay wid. dem . ~ f t u :i dey dt ed ‚~‚

	.	~ ~ de Marster en Missis d‘ed de doctor seZsI wouid hab ‚ t•čr Ie~eMernpbis on ‘oo~nt ob ~uy 1~ealth~ I kum ter Nashville en

	g~1~ ~ atde Upow~er ~‘iant“ ăurin‘ de Won‘ War, en stayed clere ‘tu htt wuz ovtth, I den getewuk at Foster en C±~eighton in ~ia~b~vi1le : y~‘ dey to~.e me d at I wt~z too oie ter wuk • I

~v~t*t x~Ow bi 1~a~~lin‘ slop su piokin‘ up things dat de