The interview below with Mattie Traylor Ross (circa 1943) gives a brief mention of the beginnings of Lott Burgy Cemetery in El Dorado, (Union Co.) Arkansas. I am including the entire interview because I thought it was wonderful. If you have trouble understanding the dialect, I have included my interpretation at the end. April ------------------------------------------ Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 Arkansas Narratives, Volume II, Part 6 Library of Congress "Centennial Snow - Spring in St. Louis Addition" Interview with Mattie Traylor Ross (circa 1943) Interviewer: Pernella Anderson Ah wus born aftuh surrender. Ah guess ah'm about 74 years old. Mah pa was er slave and mah ma was too. Dey moster wuz name Green Traylor and dey lived right down dar at Tula Creek. Mah mistess wuz named Martha Traylor and dey name me aftuh huh. Mah name is Martha Lee Traylor. Aftuh she mahried huh name wuz Martha Tutum. We worked down dar. Oh! Mah Lawd! How we did work - all ovah dat bottom. De puttiest fiel' ah evah did see. De Traylor's owned hit den. Later on de Tatums bought hit fum dem and years aftuh dat de Nash's bought hit frum de Tatums. But now all uv dat place is growed up. Nothing but er pine thicket and er black berry thicket. Ye caint hardly walk trhough de place. Later on de Cobb's owned us. George Cobb wuz his name. He lived down in de Caledonia settlement. Ah went behin' him er many er day wid de hoe or he'd crack mah haid. He use tuh be de sheriff here de years uv de boom an his nephew is de sheriff now - Grady Wooley. Later on while ah wuz a gull ah worked fuh de Swilleys an wuz partly raised on dey plantation. De old man wuz name Lawson Swilley. His wife, Margaret Swilley, and I clare dem two people treated me white. She mammied me er many er day. Ah wuz bred and born right down dar er-round Caledonia. Ah wuz a big gull durin de time uv de centennial snow. Dis snow wuz called dat cause hit wuz de bigges snow dat evah been. Hit wuz ovah yo haid. We had tuh spade our way ovah whah we sent. Tuh de wood gitting place, tuh de spring, tuh de hoss lot, and evah whah. De snow wuz warm an soft. We piled up so much snow till hit took hit er half er year tuh melt. Dat snow stayed on de groun two months. Ah am de muthah uv five gulls and fo' boys. Didn nairy one uv mah gulls come in de pen till dey wus mahried. Ah use tuh fish in er big ole fish pond rat down whah de Wesson depot is now. Years ergo people come fum Camden an othufh places tuh fish in dat fish pond. Mr. Sam Austin sole old man Burgy er piece uv groun' to bury folks in and he wuz de first man tuh die an be buried dar. So dey name hit de Burgy Cemetery. Down dar in Memphis Addition atah the colored Prof. Dykes place dar use tuh be one uv de bes' springs. Course at dat time hit wuz er big old fiel' den and de watuch wuz jes lak ice watuh. Dat make me think. Mah pa sed he went tuh de wah tuh cook fuh his old moster, Green Traylor. Well pa said der wuz er spring whar dey got watuh. Said he went tuh git watuh outen de spring and had tuh pull dead men outn de spring an dat dey drinked of'n dem dead men all while de wah wuz going on. Name: Mattie Ross Occupation: Gardening Residence: South field Oil Field Age: 74 ----------------------------------- Notes: Mattie Traylor Ross is buried in Lott Burgy Cemetery in an unmarked grave. From her Arkansas Death Certificate she was born January 1, 1869 and died April 4, 1944 at the age of 75. She was the wife of Tom Ross. Lott Burgy is buried in an unmarked grave. The St. Louis Addition is located north of Barton Middle School and south of the Medical Center of South Arkansas. The borders are roughly College Avenue to the west, Fifth Street to the north, Northwest Avenue to the east and Faulkner St. to the south. The Memphis Addition is an area located east of Madison St., north of Main St. and south of Champagnolle Rd. --------------------------------------- Interpretation: I was born after surrender [Confederate surrender in the Civil War]. I guess I'm about 74 years old. My pa was a slave and my ma was too. Their master was named Green Traylor and they lived right down there at Tula [Tulip?] Creek. My mistress was named Martha Traylor and they named me after her. My name is Martha Lee Traylor. After she married her name was Martha Tatum. We worked down there.oh my Lord!.how we did work! All over that bottom. The prettiest field I ever did see. The Traylors owned it then. Later on the Tatums bought it from them and years after that the Nashs bought it from the Tatums. But now all of that place is grown up. Nothing but a pine thicket and a blackberry thicket. You can hardly walk through the place. Later on the Cobbs owned us. George Cobb was his name. He lived down in the Caledonia settlement. I went behind him a many a day with the hoe or he would crack my head. He used to be the sheriff here the years of the [oil] boom and his nephew is the sheriff now - Grady Wooley. Later on while I was a girl I worked for the Swilleys and was partly raised on their plantation. The old man was named Lawson Swilley and his wife, Margaret Swilley. I declare! Those two people treated me white. She mothered me many a day. I was bred and born right down there around Caledonia. I was a big girl during the time of the centennial snow. This snow was called that because it was the biggest snow that had ever been. It was over your head. We had to spade our way everywhere we went..to the wood getting place, to the spring, to the horse lot, and everywhere. The snow was warm and soft. We piled up so much snow till it took it half a year to melt. That snow stayed on the ground two months. I am the mother of five girls and four boys. Not one of my girls became independent until they were married. I used to fish in a big old fish pond right down where the Wesson Depot is now. Years ago people came from Camden and other places to fish in that fish pond. Mr. Sam Austin sold old man [Lott] Burgy a piece of ground to bury folks in and he was the first man to die and be buried there. So they named it the Burgy Cemetery. Down there in Memphis Addition atop the colored Prof. Dykes' place there used to be one of the best springs. Of course at that time it was a big old field. The water was just like ice water. That makes me think. My pa said he went to the [Civil?] War to cook for his old master, Green Traylor. Well pa said there was a spring where they got water. Said he went to get water out of the spring and he had to pull dead men out of the spring and that they drank off of those dead men all while the war was going on. Mattie Ross