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<v Kara Miles>— aunts would they leave you alone? Would they go with you?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>No. They didn't have nothing to do with me when I got to the school.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>They all out fending for the themself. No, they didn't keep them [indistinct 00:00:15] or nothing, when they got ready to go, so he said she'd come to him and tell me, ready to go, or she can she can tell [indistinct 00:00:22] or something.

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<v Kara Miles>How old were you when you got married?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I was 22 when I got married. I said I won't, I'll never get married. I told them, I said "I'm going to stay with Ma and Pa as long as they live." I wasn't gonna get married, no sir.

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<v Kara Miles>Why didn't you want to get married?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Actually, so I don't know how come I didn't make up my mind. After a while, after I was full grown, I decided to get married. All my other sisters got married younger than I did. My sisters got married at 17, one got married at 18, but I said, "I ain't gonna get married. I don't care. Y'all get married if you want to. I ain't gonna get married." I didn't think I was gonna ever get married. But after a while, and I told my granddaughter here the other week, she ain't married neither. I told her, I said, "You can't find a young man, I said "Get you a second-hand nigger." I said, "That's what I got. A secondhand" and I had never been married.

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<v Kara Miles>Your husband had been married before?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah.

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<v Kara Miles>His wife had died?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>His wife died.

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<v Kara Miles>Was he a lot older than you?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah, he was older than I.

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<v Kara Miles>How old was he when you got married?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>He was about, I was like 22 and he was like 39.

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<v Kara Miles>What made you marry him over anybody else?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I don't know. He out-talked me I reckon. For I had said I will not marry nobody, and I reckon he just out talked me. I think that must have been it, 'cause I had decided I wasn't gonna get married. But after I married him, he act just like I was one of his children. He was just as nice to me as he could be.

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<v Kara Miles>Did you have a wedding?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>No. We just went on to town in May and got married. I didn't want to do none of it nohow, so when I did decide I went right on.

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<v Kara Miles>Well, after you got married, were you glad that you did?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I was glad I got married then. I wish I had gotten married two years before. I was satisfied.

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<v Kara Miles>Because you said your husband had his own land and his own house and everything.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah, his own home, everything. He had everything that a farmer would want. Everything. I didn't have no trouble with nothing about anything. He didn't want me to work nowhere but home. I still would go help folks in 'bacca, but he didn't want, he'd remind me, I'd come right straight back home when he turn out. You got to come on back home.

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<v Kara Miles>Did you used to work on the farm with him?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Working on the farm and when putting in 'bacco time you know they ain't nothing else to do, then all this crop got [indistinct 00:04:07] then. Ain't no work much to do but put in 'bacco. So I'd help folks in 'bacco. He didn't want me to do it, but I tell him I wanted to, so he give way.

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<v Kara Miles>Why did you want to?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I just wanted to be with the other folks talking, laughing.

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<v Kara Miles>So was this on his farm or you would go back to where your parents were? Where would you [indistinct 00:04:38] —

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I'd go to the next neighbor.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>To the next neighbor, White. Sometimes I'd work with the White, with the next neighbor White folks and I worked with the Colored. Worked with both. They would come and ask. They didn't hardly ever ask him either 'cause the folks knew he was like that. He didn't want me to work.

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<v Kara Miles>How had you met him?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I met him through the church house and he started coming out there to see me. He was driving. He had a car and my daddy didn't have one and I would go to church. I could go to church and go to meetings. Meeting like association and union meetings there. He'd take me around like that. I thanked Ma and Pa both the day I got married because they felt like I was marrying somebody would take care of me.

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<v Kara Miles>Sounds like he made life a lot easier for you.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I did.

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<v Kara Miles>What you had.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I sure did. He was as nice to me as he was his children.

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<v Kara Miles>Did his have children from his first marriage?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah. But they didn't bother me and they didn't seem to have nothing to do with it.

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<v Kara Miles>Did they live with you all?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Went right on with me. Right on to whatever I was doing. They would tel me sometimes, "Miss [indistinct 00:06:20] if you hadn't want so anxious to work, Pa wouldn't say nothing to us." I said, "Well, so and so got to be done. Let's go." And they'd go on with me.

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<v Kara Miles>Did you have your own children?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I didn't have but two. I had two children [indistinct 00:06:42]. He done had his number. He done had his number. I went right in there and then to the big family then. I didn't have but two children. Both of them were boys. I guess that's all I know.

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<v Kara Miles>Huh?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I already asked what did I know now. Far as I can go out there.

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<v Kara Miles>Can you answer some more questions if I ask them?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I don't know. If I know and I —

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. Well I want to ask you a few more questions then. What would happen when people were sick? Were there like home remedies? Did people know how to use roots or different things to make people well?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>— Well, my mother was like that. We used to tell momma, she was like, "Hey doctor." Course she could fix up something or another and even give it to a baby. Now your baby would get better. We told all the people it's like, "Hey doctor."

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<v Kara Miles>Do you remember any of her remedies?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>You used to couldn't ask the old folks much. You ask them and they tell you "That's none of your business." And so I couldn't think of much of nothing. My sister could think, she would say what momma had done better than I could. I don't know how come it but, I just couldn't remember like she could.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. Do you ever remember back when you were younger, ever seeing the Ku Klux Klan around here? Around where you lived?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>No. I remember seeing one or two. That's all I remember seeing with them old high hats on their heads. I remember seeing some of them like that but they didn't bother us, but they may bothered somebody.

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<v Kara Miles>Did you ever hear them bothering anyone?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>My husband's sister's son, they burned a cross in his yard.

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<v Kara Miles>Why? Do you know why they did that?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>That was their job against anybody, they didn't appreciate somebody, I don't know why they do that. They burned a cross and his yard. They sure did. And had old quilts and things wrapped around that cross so that it'd burn and my husband's sister's son, but we didn't ever have it in our yard.

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<v Kara Miles>Do you remember any Black people getting lynched or getting killed by White people?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>No I don't remember nothing.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. Okay. Tell me what school did you go to?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>The first school I went to was Hattie's Chapel that was out here going on 80. That was the first school I went to and the next school I went to was in Buford County when my daddy moved down in Buford. It was cooler. It was in Shady Grove. They used it for a school and church both for it.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>They used it on big farm so they used it for a church and a school both. And the next schoolhouse I went to was right up here where I was living at, almost where I'm living at now. Calico. That was the last school I went to.

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<v Kara Miles>What grade did you go to in school?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I didn't get no higher than seven.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. Why did you stop in the seventh? Did your parents make you stop?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I got married then.

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<v Kara Miles>Oh that's when you got married. Okay. That's a good reason I guess. Did you like school?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah I liked school. I went to school just as long as I could. Because you know I was 22 when I got married and it was right after they were getting me from going to school. But they don't go to school like that now. They are in a higher grade. But long then I was so late going to start with.

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<v Kara Miles>Did you like your teachers?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I [indistinct 00:12:04]. I don't remember. Every teacher I went to I didn't like. A Miss Sattergreen was one teacher and Estelle Rusha was one, and Carrie Clark, I went to her a little while, for about 3 months. They were teaching in an old house because they didn't start teaching until way up in the session and they were building that school there so they used that house until they could get decided where to build a school. Carrie Clark, and I think that's the last school, that school in Calico then I got married.

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<v Kara Miles>While you were still in school, were you able to go to school every day? Or did you have to stay out some days and work on the farm?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah. We had to stay out and cut down corn stalk and, beat down corn stalk. They had a stick like a bat and beat down the corn stalk. Beat down the corn stalk and a hoe, to chop down the corn stalk. That's the way we do it and done that after I got married.

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<v Kara Miles>So while you were in school would you go like a couple of days each week or were there certain weeks or months that you didn't go? How did you?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I went every day about I went. I had to cut down them stalks and knock down them corn stalks. We had to do that because momma and daddy didn't have nothing to cut them down with like they got now. You had to cut then down with a hoe.

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<v Kara Miles>Did any of your brothers and sisters go further in school?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I didn't have but one my youngest sister she went to Kenston College.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>She's the only one that went to college.

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<v Kara Miles>I wanted to ask you about church. What church did you go to?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Huh?

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<v Kara Miles>What church did you go to?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Well I went to Hattie. That was the first school I went to and church too. Hattie. And I would go to it. I went to Shady Grove where it was used for a church and school too in Buford.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I went to that one. And the other school I went to was Calico.

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<v Kara Miles>Was this Baptist churches? What kind of church were these?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Hattie's was a Primitive Baptist and Shady Grove was Missionary Baptist, and so when I moved down here to go to Calico I went to Calico school, and Primitive and we'd have together at the same school.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. Did your parents go to church like every Sunday?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>No. They didn't go to church but once a month.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. Did church only meet once a month.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>When I started going to church they weren't meeting but once a month.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. So you would go to church once a month, and what would you do the other Sundays?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Play. Run around and play or go to somebody's house. People, they'd go visit [indistinct 00:16:21] then, they don't visit much now, they go to church.

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<v Kara Miles>Did you go to Sunday School?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah I went to Sunday School. I liked that.

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<v Kara Miles>Yeah? What did you like about Sunday School?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I like it because you could ask questions. I would actually ask questions, "What was this" and "What was that" and if the deacon couldn't tell us we would ask. If he didn't tell us or if he didn't tell it right we didn't know it. If we ask, "What this means" "What that means".

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<v Kara Miles>Did Sunday school meet every Sunday or did that only meet once a month too?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>No. Sunday school was every Sunday. When they moved out to Calico we went to one and went to prayer meeting in the evening to one church and the morning to the other church.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. So you'd go to Sunday school every Sunday?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>We would go to Sunday school every Sunday. Not every Sunday because I know some Sundays we'd miss 'cause my husband, he would drive. He was the only one in the family that was driving, after I got married. He was the only one in the family that was driving so some Sundays he didn't feel like going he said, so we stayed home that Sunday and just visit somebody's house. Or walk. We did walk to school a time or two.

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<v Kara Miles>Did you like going to church?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah, I liked that.

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<v Kara Miles>What did you like about church?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I like it 'cause I enjoyed myself and meet your friends. What I didn't understand I'd come back and ask questions. We all know what they were talking about and knew how to ask. They all would say, "You ask too many questions."

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<v Kara Miles>Do you remember your baptism? Were you baptized? Do you remember that?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah I remember that. I remember the preacher baptized me, Walt Gardner, baptized me I think about 13, he had baptized the same time. We were baptized in a creek. We didn't have no pool in no church long then. We were baptized in a creek.

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<v Kara Miles>How old were you when you were baptized?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I was 12. I said I wouldn't join until I was 12 years old so I wouldn't have no sin. You know I didn't know what I was doing. No, I didn't know. I said [indistinct 00:19:22] for 12 years old he was talking with his [inaudible 00:19:25], I said, "I'm going to join the church when I get 12 years old, I won't have no sin." I didn't know no better.

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<v Kara Miles>Were baptisms done once a year? When were baptisms done?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>That was anytime. Anytime them boys joined the church, if he wanted to be baptized and the next week they would baptize them or the next month. Whatever time he wanted to be baptized.

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<v Kara Miles>And how did you let the church know that you wanted to be baptized?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Well, I called out "John" when you're [Indistinct 00:20:09] John and they set a day and said everybody meet at such and such hour, and the preacher would go in the water up ahead and all the candidates take up with your hands and walk in the water. So if anybody started to fall they could hold him so everybody would take up with their hands and go down in the water. I loved to go to a baptism.

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<v Kara Miles>Why? Tell me about them. What did you like about them?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I loved to see them dip them folks in that there water. And then see and then they'll come up and they would just shake their head. They didn't know if it was right or no, but they baptized. They shouldn't be joining a church baptized unless you know you're right with the Lord but you don't know how I feel and I don't know what you feel about that so we had to take it.

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<v Kara Miles>So when you were raised to be baptized, would you stand up in church one Sunday and say, "I'm ready. I want to be baptized". How would you let them know that you were ready to be baptized?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Well I took the seat. They set the seat out there and after I take the seat, they know I was wanting John and then they set the date.

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<v Kara Miles>Oh because it has a special seat.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>A chair, set a chair out there. They do now but they used to set a bench.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. Is that the mourners bench?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah, what they call it a mourner bench.

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<v Kara Miles>And so you would go sit down there if you were there? If you were ready you would go sit down there?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah, go sit down there.

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<v Kara Miles>And that's how they would know. Did you have to dress in a certain color or anything when you went to the creek?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah, you always put on your stocking, don't go in no shoes with your stockings on.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>And your [indistinct 00:22:31] they wore gloves. Men though they put on they pants. You know some everyday pants because everything going to get wet.

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<v Kara Miles>Yes. Did you have wear like a white dress or could you wear any kind dress you wanted to?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>No we didn't wear no white.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Just whatever clothes we had on we'd go in like that.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. Did you have something over your head?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>They tie us head up.

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<v Kara Miles>In a towel?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>In a towel or any other piece of material you know you could tie.

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<v Kara Miles>Were baptisms big events? Did lots of people come to watch baptisms?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah a lot of folks go to a baptisms if they know it. Last baptism I went to folks were show up shouting her in the water. And one was in Greenville it was colored by, a cypress, a Christian Church color, a Christian Church [indistinct 00:23:41] I think. And when we went and they were baptized that day, I know someone was shouting in the water.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. Do you remember revivals? Did your church used to have revivals?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Yeah. They'd have a whole week revival.

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<v Kara Miles>Whole week? What would they do during that week?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Preachers preach and we would have a preacher that'd preach that whole week to raise money. You know you got to have some money. If they didn't got to have it, they raised some.

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<v Kara Miles>The last thing I want to ask you about is organizations. Did you ever join any fraternal organizations or anything like that? Any social organizations? Clubs? Lodges? Anything like that?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>What was that? Oh like a club? I don't belong, I do belong to a Senior Citizens Club and I had a home what they called Home Mission Club and they had that in church.

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<v Kara Miles>What was that club?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Home Mission.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. Is that a church organization?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>That was members of the church.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. All right. Well, I'm out of questions. Is there anything I didn't ask you about that you think is important to tell me about this period of time that we talked about?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>I don't know nothing else either.

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<v Kara Miles>Anything that you think people today, that children today don't know about that you think they should know about that period?

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>There's one thing that people don't pay no chance, don't seem like to me they don't pay much attention to it as they used to, a girl gets a certain again she ought to be particular about how she bathes, especially at certain times but seem like it used to people would pay a whole lot of attention to that but seem like now, they don't care about it, like going in your water, do anything they want to do at that time. But they used to be particular about that. The mother and father. The mother would. But they get time at it. I don't know how they fail but they goes along with it.

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<v Kara Miles>Okay. Well I thank you for talking to me.

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<v Lucy Leary Dudley>Well, you're sure welcome.