Note: The audio recording from which this transcript was based is of very poor quality.
Dave White: [interview begins with a prayer like the Lord’s Prayer] Our father who art in heaven. [Hallowed(?)] be thy name. Thy kingdom come. [Begins intoning] Thy will be done. Give us this day our daily bread. Just like in that day. Deliver us not only from temptation but deliver us from ??? sinning or and forever dying. Oh, calling on our God this afternoon. Where as old time days. [Calling down (?)] and all of you this afternoon. Calling on you holy. ??? holy ??? days. Oh a, Lord have mercy. ??? . [Your mercy keeps us going (?)]. Sometime up. Sometime we are down Lord. Oh, Lord. [Prophet give me. We are poor, tore down (?)], ??? . Oh, Lord. King ??? round and round about way ??? . ??? this evening ??? for Jesus. Oh, Lord, have mercy. ??? . Your mercy give us ??? . Oh, calling on our Lord God this afternoon. Oh, Lord. ??? up there on the cross. Oh, Lord. ??? . Take us there oh Lord. We don’t want to ??? these ??? . Oh, what you need, put it in the ??? . ??? the same God. [end of prayer]
Dr. Lorenzo Dow Turner: ??? ?
Dave White: ??? I born on, on ah, on slavery [plantation we were in Hempstead (?)]. I was born on ??? plantate [plantation]. I was on Hempstead. My people was under slavery. That’s the place I born at. [But anyway (?)], I ain’t born nowhere but there. I could tell you, that’s all I could tell you about that. But now–
Dr. Lorenzo Dow Turner: Your full name?
Dave White: My full name? Dave White. Dave White. Born and raised on the St. Simons Island. An old slave from the St. Simons. Hmm?
Dr. Lorenzo Dow Turner: How old are you?
Dave White: I really don’t know. I born in slavery. Now I can’t tell you my own age. Hmm? You know why I say, I don’t really like to talk [big (?)] about it. I don’t know my own age, but I was born in slavery. I didn’t born since freedom. I born in the old slavery. That’s the time I come up. [recording speeds up]
Dr. Lorenzo Turner (?): ???
Dave White: Yes sir. Down in the fields. ??? [that’s dirt (?)] look down. ??? That’s what you told me ???
Dr. Lorenzo Turner (?): ???
Dave White: ??? I ain’t got none. I got to ??? a whole length of time. ??? Old slavery time. I love [it (?)]. Yeah. I love the old time. ???
Dr. Lorenzo Turner (?): ???
Dave White: Yeah. [I ain’t got no length of time (?)] ??? I like to do what the Lord [say (?)] ??? .
Dr. Lorenzo Turner (?): ???
Dave White: ??? . Some men ??? length of time. I tell you I don’t ??? I don’t know it. ??? I’m coming down. That is what all I know of about this point. ??? I don’t know all of it ??? I don’t know nothing about that. ??? Slave days is where I come from, but now I don’t know nothing about it. I’m ???