Person Interviewed: Naisy Reece
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Place of Birth: Williamson County TN
Age: 80
“I wuz bawn in slavery, in Williamson County, guess I’se ’bout 80 y’ars ole. Think I wuz fou’ w’en de wah started.”
“Mah mammy en daddy wuz Mary en Ennock Brown.”
“Mah missis en marster wuz Polly en Randall Brown.”
“Dunno ob any ob our fam’ly bein’ sold. W’en freedum wuz declar’ we wuz tu’n loose wid nothin’. Mah daddy tuk us down in de kuntry, raised crops en made us wuk in de fiel’.”
“I’se cooked a leetle fer urther peeple, but mos’ ob mah wuk has bin laundry. I didn’t go ter schul much. I dunno w’at ter say ’bout de younger gineratshun; dere ez sich a diff’unce now ter w’at hit wuz w’en I wuz a girl. Dunno any tales dat I useter ‘year.”
“Didn’t see any Klu Klux Klan, but I alluz got skeered en hid w’en we’d ‘year dey wuz kumin’. I ‘long ter de Baptist Church. I neber went ter menny camp-meetin’s, but went ter a lot ob baptizins.”
“Mammy tole us how de sta’rs fell en how skeered eberybody got. I saw de long tail comet.”
Signs: “Good luck ter git up ‘fore day-lite ef’n youer gwin sum place er start sum wuk.” “Bad luck ter sweep flo’ atter dark en sweep de dirt out.”
Songs: “I Couldn’t Hear Anybody Pray.”
“Ole Time ‘Ligion.”
“Cross De Riber Jordan.”
“I’se neber voted, en hab neber had any frens in office. Neber knowed nothin’ ’bout de slave mart er de ‘structshun days.”