Interviewer: Mamie Hanbery
Person Interviewed: Annie Morgan
Location: Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Age: 65
Place of Residence: 207 W. 2nd St., Hopkinsville, Ky
Story of Annie Morgan: (age 65, 207 W. 2nd St., Hopkinsville, Ky.) Annie was born of slave parents. Her mother and father were slaves of the Payne family.
Ques: Annie can you give me or rather tell me of some of your earlier life with your parents, or what your mother and father has told you of things before and after the Civil War.
Ans: Wal, wal, I do declare it has ben so long I’se jes don’t remember. I’se seem to remember de big days we uster hav on Proclamation Day wen we used ter go to Grandmums who lived in Trigg County. Foh days befur weuns would git redy ter go in a wagon and as dar was a heap of chilluns it tuk quite a time an weuns would start by day break and dem wen we got dar why all de rest of the daughters en sons of dar chilluns was alredy that, den weun’s hev a big time wid watermullins and ebything good to eat. Some times Uncle Ben brot hid bajo and us chilluns would dance.
Ques: Annie did you ever have a dream to come true? Or do you believe in dreams?
Ans: Sho does, sho does, why chile all my dream come true. I recollect one wen my son was sick, I felt he wont gwine to git well. I asked him, “Was he right with God”, he says, “Dar is nuthin between me and de Lawd”. Den afterwards, I begin to worry gin about dis boy, I prays “De Lawd” and ax him ter let me drem a drem bout him an nite time I did, I could see dis boy jist as plaincrossing “Judgment Stream” and I says to him in my drem, I say, “You come my son, he’s crossin Judgment Stream, I says ter ole man go in and hep him” and my son says to me, “I’m crossing Judgment Stream, Mammy, and I got to cross it myself”. I says “I no you are cold now”. I dreamed I spread a rug round him den he disappeared, inter de building, by dat time I woke up so happy. Oh, Lawd, ter no my boy was in Heben. I am sho I would not dremed dat drem unless “De Lawd” tended me ter no my boy was saved. I sho nos dis boy is in Heben.
“Wen me an my man was married all de colored folks in the neighborhood come to ma’s and weums my husband and me jumped o’er the broom stick an we was been married, ebery since. In dese days hit were too far ter go git a preacher an most colored folks married dat way.”