Interview with Margaret & Ronald Spears & Dwight Douglas

The following is an unrehearsed taped interview with Mrs. Margaret Spears with input from her youngest son, Ronald S. Spears and her eldest son, Dwight A. Douglas. The interview was conducted by A.G. Dunston of the History Department at Eastern Kentucky University conducted on the 26th of March, 1992 at Mrs. Spears home, 464 East Irvine Street in Richmond, Kentucky.

MS: My father’s father was . . . His slave owner was the Covington’s.

AD: Okay. Your father’s father’s slave owner was Covington.

MS: Mmm-Hmm.

AD: Okay.

MS: And they were a part of the Wagers from Waco, Kentucky.

AD: Okay.

MS: My father worked for the Wagers at Waco. He made a nickel and he put it in the bank at the Waco bank. No _____. No. Just a nickel.

AD: Yeah. Yeah.

MS: And he put a nickel out there.

AD: Okay.

MS: And then when he left town . . . My grandfather, Papa Obie, he would raise some of the best . . . People would come from all over Kentucky. He raised watermelons, canteloupe, and corn.

AD: Okay.

MS: They would come from all the way from . . . You know, any parts of Kentucky.

AD: Okay.

MS: Plus, the property that they owned at Waco was . . . The slave runners came through our property. It was after . . . Which we just sold about 5 or 6 years ago.

AD: In . . . In Waco?

MS: Hmm-Mmm.

AD: But he was a former slave?

MS: Who? My great-grand . . .

AD: Your great-grandfather . . .

MS: Was a slave owner.

AD: Was a . . .

MS: So, he left the property to my grandpa.

AD: Oh, okay.

MS: Which was Papa Obie and then . . .

AD: Papa?

MS: We called him Papa Obie.

AD: Okay.

MS: Hmm-Mmm.

AD: Okay. Papa Obie. O-B-I-E?

MS: Hmm-Mmm.

AD: Covington?

MS: But supposedly . . . Uh-huh.

AD: Okay.

MS: Supposedly, there was some silver and some coins, ______whatever they used then.

AD: Okay. Um . . .

MS: Was supposed to have been buried out there where they got connection that he was running slaves, and they buried out there on this property.

AD: Okay.

MS: And there have been whites, blacks, and everything with these detectives . . .

AD: Yeah.

MS: Trying to find this money nobody’s ever found.

AD: Okay.

MS: So, they said there was quite a bit of money.

AD: Okay. So, this was your grandfather? Obie?

MS: Was my grandfather.

AD: O-B-I-E Covington.

MS: Hmm-Mmm.

AD: Okay.

MS: But my great-grandfather, I don’t know his name.

AD: Okay. Okay. So, then, the grandfather . . .

MS: Was Obie.

AD: Your grandfather was Obie.

MS: You see, I didn’t know him.

AD: Okay.

MS: But, he was married, and then, my grandfather . . . my grandmother was named Mariah.

AD: Oh. Mariah.

MS: And she was a little short lady. She was about that tall. And she was dead when they had that family picture made. And, she was about one of the few blacks that . . . She was a Walston. She was . . . Her white slaves were Walston’s.

AD: Walston’s? Kentucky Walston’s? Were they in Kentucky?

MS: Hmm-Mmm. Hmm-Mmm. Hmm-Mmm.

AD: Okay.

MS: W-A-L-S-T-O-N.

AD: Okay.

MS: And the property that my grandfather had was, you know, was in his side of the Covington . . .

AD: Right.

MS: So, they just cultivated and they never asked anybody for anything.

AD: Okay.

MS: We were raised very independently.

AD: Okay.

MS: And it was passed down through generations, you know.

AD: How many children did your grandfather, uh, Grandfather Obie and Grandmother Mariah have?

MS: They’re on there.

AD: Seven?

MS: They had all of them but one and that was Aunt Rosie. Aunt Rosie died when she was about . . . Oh, Aunt Rosie died when she was about 17 or 18.

AD: Okay.

MS: And that’s all of them except Aunt Rosie.

AD: So, there were eight kids and, and one died early.

MS: Hmm-Mmm. They raised them all except that one, and all of them have children.

AD: Okay.

MS: All those have children.

AD: Okay. Uh, so he had . . . They had . . . Grandfather Obie and Grandmother Mariah had eight children.

MS: Hmm-Mmm.

AD: One died young. Rosie died young.

MS: Hmm-Mmm. Hmm-Mmm.

AD: Okay. Out of that eight, where is your father?

MS: My father is dead. All of them are dead.

AD: No . . . In this . . . Which son was he?

MS: I don’t which one he was. Now, this was my 5:00oldest aunt.

AD: Okay.

MS: This was my second oldest aunt.

AD: Okay.

MS: My daddy was next.

AD: Okay.

MS: And then _______.

AD: Okay.

MS: And then _____ was named Grace.

AD: Okay.

MS: This was my daddy.

AD: Okay. What was his name?

MS: His name was Robert Henry?

AD: Robert Henry?

MS: Mmm-Hmm.

AD: Okay. Robert Henry Covington?

MS: Hmm-Mmm.

AD: Okay.

MS: And there is a Robert Henry, Jr. He’s in California, and he is a . . . something. He works on parts for missiles.

AD: Oh, okay.

MS: He is an electronical engineer.

AD: Okay. That’s Robert Henry, Jr.?

MS: Hmm-Mmm.

AD: That’s your brother?

MS: Hmm-Mmm.

AD: How many of them are . . . are you? How many children did Robert, Sr. have?

MS: My daddy?

AD: Yes. Uh-huh.

MS: He had my sister, Mae, who died two years ago. My sister Mae, Robert, myself, Jessie, and my mom had twins, which was six, and my sister, Liz.

AD: Okay. Okay. Is it seven children?

MS: Mmm-Hmm.

AD: Okay.

MS: No! My brother, James.