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duly 17, 1939
Fannie Colbert, (Negro Farm Woman)
Star Town, N. C.
Ethel Deal, Writer
Dudley W. Crawford, Reviser
Original Names: Changed Names:
Fannie Colbert Flora Collins
Emily Eva
Hickory Haddon
Baker Mountain Banks Mountain
Sue Suky
Brookford Brooklyn
Sigmon Sams
Star Town Morton
Jake Joe
Mts. Coulter Mts. Curtis
Zane 'Tune
Charlie Cris
Flora stooped over the fountain to get a drink,
came up with a gasp and said, "Lord have mercy, how
good that ice water tastes."
The fountain was in the court house hall; terribly
crowded today. A woman waa scolding a little girl she
was leading by the hand. I'd stopped for a moment by
the fountain to watch the people, and was attracted by
an old colored woman who took out a big white rag and
mopped her face as she frowned at the scolding woman and
said: "I declare to goodness, some people don't know
nothing when it comes to taking care of children. Now
ma, I raised fourteen of 'em and never had no trouble
with none of them.
"Yes, all the mother they ever had. I got seven of
my own and I raised four for my sister, Eva./ Her husband
killed a nigger woman, the trifling thing. When they
tried lam right here in this court house, they give him
life sentence in the penitentiary at Raleigh. That left
Eva with her four small children to raise. Theytse living
in Fadden then. Itse living over at Banks Mountain. I
went over to Evats to see how they's getting along. She
had gone to work and left them kids to shift for themselves.
I jist brung them home with me. I already had sister Sukyts
three ohildron to raise. ihe died of cancer nineteen
years ago.
*Well, Ifse tried to roles them and raise them right,
ome people don't oare how ohilluns is brung up. Pse
brung mine up to go to preaching and nunday School and to
respect their daddy and mammy like the good book says.
my daddy and mammy brung ma up like that. Then they
spoke T knowed whet to do and I done it. Children these
days usually tell the parents what to do theirsolves.
"When I was a girl we lived at Brooklyn, that's two
miles from Haddon. I went to work in the Brooklyn ootton
mill when I was twelve years old. I swept the floors and
made good money too, nine dollars and a half a week, worked
twelve hours a day.
"Every Saturday when I drewed my money 1 brung it
home and give it to my mammy. I'd no more tore my pay
envelope open and look in it than I'd a flew. my mammy
was a good woman, and we was raised to be honest and truth-
ful. we didn't know nothing else.
The children now growing up, when day draws dor
chock gives the parents whut doy seas fit. Ay mammy give
me twenty five cents a week. I thought that was big moneys"
A oar going around the square advertising a show
attracted Florets attention.
"This is the gospel truth. I never seed a show
till I was twenty years old. Now kids go to the show
before they can hardly walk. After my mammy give me
a quarter she took the rest and went to the store and
bought her rations for the week. We didn't live high
but we lived good.
"Lordy, how I'd like to see that show," said Flora,
as the music started again around the square.
"I ain't seen a show since before my last baby was
born. That's been, let me see, sixteen years ago. When
you have as many mouths to feed as I've had, you've got
no money to go to shows. But thank the Lord I'se fed
them and raised them. rya was no good at raising chil-
dren. She could help some with them if she wanted to.
No, she spends her money for herself. Before her husband
killed that woman she didn't half raise them kids, 31st
loft them at home to do the best they could. Last year
Eva's oldest daughter got in a family way. I don't
know who the man is. I jist took her back to Eva and
told her she had to take care of her herself.
"I've got three girls, they's all born in August.
My oldest boy died with cancer same as my sister did.
"I'm thirty nine years old, got seven children,
one dead. I went to the eleventh grade in school, but
didn't finish it. I go to preaching and Sunday School
and I make my children go too. I say start them right
and they don't know no better. We have a hard time on
the farm feeding such a crowd, but they can all work.
I like the work at the mill the best but its hard around
here for colored people to get jobs.
"We live out here at MY.. Sam's place now, close to
Morton. I always come to town with a white lady who
lives close to ma. She's a fine woman, 'course she's
old and crabbed end sick lots, but a good old soul. She
says to me the other night, I had to go over there about
midnight, to rub her back with liniment. 'Flora: she
says, 'I don't know what I'd do without you.' "My four-
teen years old boy jist lives there. She thinks a lot
of him.
"What kind of a house do you live in Aunt Flora,
and do you have a nice landlord?."
"Yes, Mr. same is a nice man to work far. He's not
always a grouching and growling about something. We
been living there three years now, never have no trouble
either. When Toe, that's my man, and the boys catch up
with their work on the farm they go out and work for the
other people.
"We picks a lot of berries and can them. Its not
much fruit on the place, but I always fill all my jars.
We never have got to the place where we been hungry, and
we have never been on relief. Work was my mammy's motto
and its always been mine. If people done more work and
less whining and complaining I think they'd get along
better. I never been in court nor none of my family has.
I'm awful proud T seed you.
"I wish I could read the story after its writ up.
I'll have to go now, Mrs. Curtis will be looking for me.
I forgot to tell you how my place looks. We live in a
big old two story house with six rooms in all, four up-
stairs and two down. It needs a new roof and paint. Mr.
Sams said he'd put on a roof this fall. 40 have a good
spring just below the house, a fine place to keep butter
and milk. I couldn't do without a cow, with such a crowd.
Cornbread, milk and butter is our supper. At dinner we
have two vegetables with pie. Breakfast fatback, corn
meal mush and coffee. When we kill hogs we have fresh
meat. That don't last long with so many to eat."
At this point in Flora's story a little old lady
come in. Ohs wore a print dress, white with a black
polka dot, her hair was snow white, she wore a black
sailor hat, and carried a large shopping bag.
"I declare Flora, I've hunted all over town far
you. I was setting out there in the truck with Tune
waiting ter Cris to come from that farm meeting, when
Tune looked up at the window and seed you. I says
'Tune, I bet Flora got in trouble, if she is upstairs
in the court house so I come up to see."
Flora laughed, "No, I ain't in no trouble. It was
cool up here, cnd I was enjoying telling thic lady
about how I was raised."
"The town clock has done and struck four. I like
to git home fore night, I got to milk a cow and they's
chickens to feed. My peaches is out on the roof drying.
They has to be brought in."
"Oh I'll come over an milk far you," said Flora.
"Toe crm it the fruit off the roof for you."
The little old lady turned to me with a smile. "I
declare," she said, r/ don't know what I'd do if it
wasn't for ?lore and Toe. They are as rood to me as
my own children."