Tap Hawkins Ex-Slave Narrative

              r9/3/270 
File					District #6 
Copied					Clark County 
1/15/41					Racial Group 
BM 
TAP AND SUSIE HAWKINS. 
Tap Hawkins, Ex-slave, age 87. 
"I wuz bawn en Stokes County, Nawth Cah'lina.  I wuz bout thir- 
teen years ole when dem Yankee sojers come on us all's place, tarin' 
up de crops en drivin' off de hesses.  Day stole big whole middlin's 
of meat hams, en all day want fum de smokehouse.  Dey tuk all day eud 
carry off." 
"Us belong ter Joel Hawkins.  Us tuk de name er Hawkins kaze slaves 
allus tuk de name of dey white folks.  Mother en father wuz named Vinnie 
en Patrick, but everbuddy called my pappy Pat.  Dey wuz ten of us 
chillun; Phyllis, Martha, Hetty, Gabe, Kit, Willum, Sam, Jack, 
Moses, en me." 
"Our plantation waz'nt big like some; dey wuz bout 500 acres of 
land, en dey has fifteen er twenty slaves, en bout five or six cabins. 
Our quarters diden' hev nothin' mos', on'y rough beds nail togedder 
en straw ticks ter sleep on.  Dey wuz plenty of kiver, but I Jes' could 
'nt res' a'tall on em now.  Us had stools, benches, en mebbe some ole 
chairs'.  Dey wuz all het with big fire places." 
"Mother wuz de cook at de big house, en atter de white folks has 
dey supper, us all go ter de kitchen en et our'n.  Dey wuz plenty ter 
eat.  Us done raise our own meat, en butchered it on de plantation. 
It wuz lots better'n de meat you git now.  Sometimes us butcher er 
sheep or lamb, en sometimes er beef.  Us diden' hev lots os possum 
en coon like some of em mough a done.  Mother wuz er ole fashion