“And then there was a lake old master told us to stay out of.  If he caught you in it, he’d take you by the shirt collar and your heels and throw you back in.

“I know he nearly drowned me once.”

This information given by:  Lewis Brown
Place of residence:  808 W. Eighth, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Occupation:  Retired minister
Age:  84

Name of interviewer:  Mrs. Bernice Bowden Subject:  Child Rearing Customs of Early Days

“In them days, folks raised one another’s chillun.  If a child was at your house and misbehaved, you whipped him and sent him home and his mother give him another whippin’.

“And you better not ’spute your parents!”

This information given by:  Lewis Brown
Place of residence:  802 W. Eighth.  Pine Bluff.  Arkansas
Occupation:  None, retired minister
Age:  84

Circumstances of Interview

State—­Arkansas

Name of worker—­Samuel S. Taylor

Address—­Little Rock, Arkansas

Date—­December, 1938

Subject—­Ex-slave

1.  Name and address of informant—­Lewis Brown, 2100 Pulaski Street, Little Rock

2.  Date and time of interview—­

3.  Place of interview—­2100 Pulaski Street, Little Hock, Arkansas

4.  Name and address of person, if any, who put you in touch with informant—­

5.  Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you—­

6.  Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.—­

Personal History of Informant

State—­Arkansas

Name of worker—­Samuel S. Taylor

Address—­Little Rock, Arkansas

Date-December, 1938

Subject-Ex-slave

Name and address of informant—­Lewis Brown, 2100 Pulaski Street, Little
Rock.

1.  Ancestry—­father, Lewis Bronson; mother, Millie Bronson.

2.  Place and date of birth—­Born April 14, 1855 in Kemper County, Mississippi.

3.  Family—­Five children.

4.  Places lived in, with dates—­Lived in Mississippi until the eighties, then moved to Helena, Arkansas.  Moved from Helena to Little Rock.

5.  Education, with dates—­

6.  Occupations and accomplishments, with dates—­Farming.

7.  Special skills and interests—­

8.  Community and religious activities—­Belongs to Baptist Church.

9.  Description of informant—­

10.  Other points gained in interview—­Facts concerning child life, status of colored girls, patrollers, marriage and sex relationships, churches and amusements.

Text of Interview (Unedited)