The old master felt they were the hands of the next generation and if they were strong and healthy, they would bring in a larger amount of money when sold.

Lizzie’s hardships did not last long as they were set free soon after young Robert’s marriage.  He took her in a wagon to Keysburg, Kentucky to be with her mother.

Lizzie learned this song from the soldiers.

  Old Saul Crawford is dead,
  And the last word is said. 
  They were fond of looking back
  Till they heard the bushes crack
  And sent them to their happy home
  In Cannan. 
  Some wears worsted
  Some wears lawn
  What they gonna do
  When that’s all gone.

Interviewer’s Comment

Mrs. Samuels is an amusing little woman, she must be about 80 years old, but holds to the age of 60.  Had she given her right age, the people for whom she works would have helped her to get her pension.

They are amused, yet provoked because Lizzie wants to be younger than she really is.

Submitted December 1, 1937
Indianapolis, Indiana

G. Monroe
Dist. 4
Jefferson County

Slave story
Mr. Jack Simms’ story

Personal Interview

Mr. Simms was born and raised on Mill Creek Kentucky, and now lives in
Madison Indiana on Poplar Street diagonally North West of the hospital.

He was so young he did no remember very much about how the slaves were treated, but seemed to regret very much that he had been denied the privilege of an education.  Mr. Simms remembers seeing the lines of soldiers on the Campbellsburg road, but referred to the war as the “Revolution War”.

This was a very interesting old man, when we first called, his daughter invited us into the house, but her father wanted to talk outside where he “spit better”.  When his daughter conveyed this information Mr. Simms’ immediately decided that we could come in as we “wouldn’t be there long anyhow”.

After we gained entrance, the daughter remarked that her father was very young at the time of the war, whereupon he answered very testily “If you are going to tell it, go ahead.  Or am I going to tell it?”

Beulah Van Meter
District 4
Clark County

Billy Slaughter
1123 Watt St.
Jeffersonville

Billy Slaughter was born Sept. 15, 1858, on the Lincoln Farm near Hodgenville, Ky.  The Slaughters who now live between the Dixie Highway and Hodgenville on the right of the road driving toward Hodgenville about four miles off the state highway are the descendants of the old slave’s master.  This old slave was sold once and was given away once before he was given his freedom.