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	U-sLAYs S.i~ORL~S	Pegs One
~lbTexas)



Awtt Virginia Bell ‚ 1205 ~ithvsn St., liOust OU, was born a slave near Opilouses, Louisiana, on the plantation of Thomas Lewis. Although saie remet— ber. being told she was born on Christmai Day~, ens does not know tne year, but Bays B~e guesses she is about 88 years oid~.





1~Iell, awl, thi fus‘ question you. ask ~e, ‘bout how old

I is~ I don‘ know zactly. You see it ain‘t like things is to— day0 The young folks can tell. you the ii‘ ‚ zact age and everytbing,

but in tnose cia~T8 we didn‘ pay xm~ich ‘tention to such things. But

I knows I was ‘ n in slavery ttiuea and sly pappy t ol‘ me I was b o ‚ n

on a Christmas Day, x~t dic1n ‚ ‚ member jus ‚ what year.

	1~Ie was owned by Uassa Lewis. Thomas Lewis was his name, and

he was a United States laver. I ain‘t gwineter talk ‘gainat ~y w~iite folks like some cullud fol1~s do, ‚ cause Massa Lewis was a aighty fine man and so was Miss ~Lary, and they treated us ~iigkity good.

	~MasB& had a big plantat ion ne ar Opelousas and I was bo‘ n there. I 1me~oer ttie neignoor folks us•d to bring their cotton to the gin on his farm for ginnin ‚ and bal in ~ . My ai‘ B naae was D,lia, That was ail, jus ‚ Della. ~ papw‘ B name was Jim Blair. Botia of them was from Virginny, but from diff1rent places ‚ and was brou~gzit t o Louis lana ~y nigger trade‘s and sold t O Mas sa Lewi. I know na~ p~py was lot s older than my mother and he had. a wife and

fivs chilien back in Virginny and i~ad oem sold away irom tnea ~

hire.
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