Susie Hawkins Ex-Slave Narrative

              Copied                                                District #6 
Racial Group                                          File 
1-15-41                                               Clark County 
bw 
19/3/270 
SUSIE HAWKINS 
Ex-Slave, 79 years. 
"I doan member much bout slav'ry days, but I does member peekin' 
t'ru'de fence at Yankee hosses eatin' cawn in Paynes' fiel'." 
"I wuz bawn in Stokes County,  Nawth Cah'lina. My fathah en motha 
wuz Henry en Leethy Payne, en us tuk ouah'name fum Marse Bob Payne who 
owned us.  Dey wuz nine, chilluns in my fam'ly; Mille, Lett, Jim, Adeline, 
Willum, Dave, Hunter, en me." 
"I doan member much, kaze I wuz jes' a little tot.  I done heerd 
my pappy say how dey faired; he wuz glad when us wuz freed, kaze he say he 
allus want to raise his chilluns free citizens en give em as good a eddica- 
tion as he could." 
"I know us moved fum Paynes, en had a little place ouah own whar us 
raied terbaccer en farmed, en had cows en hosses. When de school open us 
chillun went to school." 
"I doan member any, games us played, jus' now; but I know us Chillun 
played jus' like de othah chilluns." 
"I member folks singin' er song bout, "Ole Jeff David T'inks He's 
Mighty Smart", en de name of Abra'm Lincum wuz poplar den en folks t'ink he 
wuz a moughty big man." 
"I done heerd Booker T. Washington speak; he wuz sho' a great speak- 
er en a man whut done lots fer his people." 
"I moved up here fum Stokes County, in 1903; Us goes to de Church 
er God.  I never seed no' babtizin's tel atter freedom, but I done saw lots 
since."