Portrait: artist's interpretation. No photograph of Mrs. Williams is known.
Mrs. Williams
Recorded in Norfolk, Virginia, ca. 1937-1940
Their Story
Mrs. Williams, whose first name is not given in the recording, spoke about slavery in a short and often hard-to-hear interview. She opened by recalling a beating by an overseer and her defiance, telling him that he had whipped her nearly to death but "ain't whupped salvation out of me."
She said that as children she and the enslaved children worked alongside the white children like brothers and sisters, going barefoot when they did and putting on work shoes when they did. She described being put on the auction block on New Year's Day and bought by a white man who owned five plantations with cattle, dairy cows, and everything one could wish for; she said this purchase "carried me away from hell to heaven." She also spoke, in passages that are largely unintelligible, about cruel punishments of enslaved people, including a man who was chained down.
Near the end, encouraged by the interviewer and other women present, she sang a song that asks, "Do you praise God in the corn field?" The rest of the recording is fragmentary talk about God and preaching. She was recorded by Roscoe Lewis in Norfolk, Virginia, sometime between 1937 and 1940.
The Recordings & Transcripts
The recording Norfolk, Virginia, ca. 1937-1940
Transcript
Interview With Mrs. Williams, Norfolk, Virginia, ca 1937-1940
Mrs. WilliamsI think God's going, how many more angels is out there? Kill me now!
Roscoe LewisWho was that overseer, what was his name?
Mrs. WilliamsI say you done whup me nearly to death. I tell you ain't whupped me, you ain't whupped salvation out of me; ain't even whupped grace out of me. And I been born to God. I said, “Now kill me!” I said, “Glory to God's children.” But he kept on ??? . Drag me over to ??? . That's why I kept my ??? . God give me a ??? .
Roscoe LewisWhat did that white man do to that old [slave (?)]? Tell us about that.
Mrs. WilliamsThe overseer?
Roscoe LewisYeah, that old overseer, tell us about that.
Mrs. WilliamsThe old overseer, and I was, the children, my old master left back behind. He did us so nice he ??? because we was just like brothers and sisters to the white kids, was. We always worked together. One went barefooted. He make you farm. We went barefooted. And [indeed (?)] if they can put on their shoes, work shoes, like that, and halfway, we put on ours. And when we, if they pulled off theirs, we pulled off ours. We were just laying, just ??? .
Unidentified Woman Interviewer[speaks incomprehensibly across Mrs. Williams]
Mrs. WilliamsAnd my old Mrs. [Scholton (?)] sometime ??? . Say, “I leave you more ??? the better you do me. Yes, I do. For my niggas and my money.” And I was going ??? my niggas with ??? [lot's of money (?)]. And said to me, “When I die and go on to Washington,” he said, “Put them to ??? . “And then the youngest girl had to be married before she could have her [plantation (?)]. When I sat on her [line (?)] and carry me up on New Year's day, put me on the block, and she hide. I looked to her, I say, “I don't a fool what that man behind me.” I said, “She [done ??? me folks (?)].” I, I said, “She done market me just selling my own folks back in slavery.” I wonder how he got, [cough] that white man had five plantations. And ??? that plantation ??? [kennels (?)] everything: cows, work cows, dairy, work cows ??? everything God could wish for was in there. In that plantation. I [be in the rain soaked (?)]. [cough] Just how slavery be. That's was slavery. Bought me. Carried me away from hell to heaven. And ??? me to ??? , like I was raised. I don't raised no always been take care of her. I knew I always on my eighty years and I know how you ??? it. But I was raised ??? . And the—
Unidentified Woman InterviewerGo on and tell them bout the ??? . Killed the slave ladies.
Mrs. WilliamsAnd, oh, to the ??? time. When we was chi—
Unidentified Woman InterviewerTell them bout the ??? .
Roscoe LewisThat's all right. Go ahead. Go on. That's all right.
Mrs. WilliamsAnd when, when we ??? we, we, we, ??? about to dig a hole that deep. And we got in good with the, with the ??? . ??? .
Unidentified Woman Interviewer??? .
Mrs. WilliamsAnd, and, and put straw to pour tar down in there. And then stick a leg and send it down her leg.
Roscoe LewisWhat did he do about it?
Mrs. WilliamsNothing. [That was only for ??? Tom Colby (?)].
Roscoe LewisWhat do you mean?
Mrs. Williams[Tom Colby (?)].
Roscoe LewisWell, now what did you—
Mrs. WilliamsHe mean ??? and these young girls and boys ??? was ??? and haul picking cotton for them. And see all like that would go on. ??? cotton. ??? Our people. ??? [recording noise] ??? in church. ??? And they put that one man and they chained him down. Chained him down with a chain. They ??? a ??? chain. ???
Unidentified Woman Interviewer???
Mrs. WilliamsThe line from here to that ??? . Do You Praise God?
Unidentified WomanPraise God ??? .
Mrs. WilliamsDo you praise God all the time?
Roscoe LewisWould you sing that song you sang Mrs. Williams?
Unidentified Woman InterviewerSing the song you [learned (?)].
Mrs. Williams[sings]
Do you praise God in the [corn field (?)]? Do you praise God when you was digging corn? Do you praise God when he [was coming back (?)]? ??? . Do you praise God when you was singing now?
Unidentified Woman InterviewerSing how you sang that song. ??? . Sing that song.
[the women seem to hold a discussion among themselves]
Mrs. Williams??? I'm telling you the ??? .
Roscoe LewisBless you.
Mrs. Williams??? I'll show you. And see I'll tell you how to preach ??? to ??? . ??? And the lady in the store ??? and he ??? after ??? he preached. ??? And when you have God in your ??? all my God. ??? . [cough] I know someone would help me die right. [Mrs. Williams sings] God is ??? of God my ??? [recording ends]
END OF SIDE B
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Recorded by Roscoe Lewis, Norfolk, Virginia, 1937-40. From Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories. Bracketed notes and question marks in the transcripts mark sounds or words that are hard to hear.