Slave narratives, a folk history of slavery in the United States from interviews with former slaves. Florida Narratives, Volume III: a machine-readable transcription.

Hants. 005 002

I~RMA Qircumstar~e s of interview STA~: Ilorida NAMJ~ OF~O~~R: ADJE~SS z DATJ~ SUBJ ~CT: j. Nair~ and atidre si of informant: Josephine Anderson, Tampa, ~ 1orida. 2 Ju.les A. front L~armipa, Florida October 15, 1938 Jblk Stuff, Hiants. 2. Bate and tinte of interview: 3 Place o1~ mt erviews Tampa, 4. Nan~~ and address of person, info r~ni z 5. Narie and address of pers~, 6 . I~scriotion of room, house, October ~ 1937 Florida if ai~, who put you in toi~h with j f any, aec ompan7ing y n surrow~dings, etc. ( No additional informati on available for other forms)

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ISQO word. ~ojj~ s~ru~ir, ?LORThA ~ 3 hanta Joiephine Anderaon Taipa, florida October ~Q, 1937 Jules A. Froat HANTS I kamt t.ii notkzin bout alav,q tiau cept w1~at I biar.d folks talk about. I ~e too young to rm~mbar ~riuch but I reclsck ~ ee in my gra7w~ milk d ows *n do do w*ehin . Granpa ~aa old an dey let hirn do 1ig1~it work, mos1~ fieh an hunt. SI cloan member nothin bout my daddy. H. died wkiin I ~ai a baby. My atepfather w~ ~teph.n Andsreon, an iq iu~n~a naas ~e Dorcae ~ He come f um Yajinny but my ~~uy wa~ borned an r~ ie ed in ~ii1min~tofl. My name ~e Josephine And.r~on fore I i~arried Willie Jonei. I had two ha1f~brothers youngerzi me, John Henry an I~d, an a halt aiiter, J ZLii~. De boya had to aind 4. ca1~ee an eh.epa, an ~1sie nursed de mi ~ue baby. I done de cookin, moi , an helpid my maiany apin. NI was ony five year o34 when dey brung me to $ander8on, in Baker Cotmty, florid*. My itopfather went to work for a turpentine man, m~kin barre1~, an he work at dat job till he drop dead in de cauip. I reckon h. inuata kiad hoart d~eaee. $1 doan recleak ever eseln my ~mmy wear shoes. i~ven in de wint r skie go barefoot, an I reckon cold didn t hurt her feet no moron h r hands an face. ~e all wore dre~ae. mad o homeepun, D thread wa~ spun an de cloth wove right in our own home. My m*my an granmaiziny an me done it in spare tia .

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FOILK STUfl , ftOWZDA4 4 i~ants I, Josephine ~nd raon ~ Tampa, florida Octob ~ ao, 1937 Jules A. I?rot My veddin dross was blue~bluo for true. I thought it ~e ds prettiest dress I ever see. We ~s married in do oourt~4iouse, an dat bi a mighty happy day for me. Moe folks darn days get married by :Layin a broom on de floor an jumpin over it L~t seals de marriage, an at de same time brings em good luck. Ya see brooms keep. hanta away. ~*~on m~n falke dies, de old debbil sometimes doan want em down der. in do bad place, so he makes witcth~s out of em, an sends em back. One thing bout witches, day gotta count everthing fore dey can git aoroaet it. You put a broom aoro3at your door at night an old witches gotta oUnt ever straw in dat broom fore skie can come in. N~:3ome folks can Joe nach see hanta bettern others. Teeny, my gal can. I reckon das cause she been horned wid a veil~you know, a oaul, ~umpuii what be over some babies faces when dey is born,d. Folks bornod wid a caul ~an see spornte, an tell whas gonna happen fore it comes true. Use to *rry Teeny right emart,~ seem spornte day an night. My nueban say he gonna cure her, so he taken a grain O corn an put it in a bottle in Teeny s bedroom over night. Don he plant,d it in de yard, an driv plenty eticks roim de place. ~tien it ~s growin good, he put loaf~ mold roun de stalk, an watch it ever day, an tell us don t ~ ~c~4y~ touch de stalk. It raise three big ears o corn, an when dey ~ae good roastin sizehe pick em off an cook em an toll Teeny eat ever grain offn all three coba. He watch her while she done it, an she am never

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1~OLK STUFF fl.ORIDA . ~ . Rants f. ~ J ~ JosVhine Anders ou Timpa J?lorida October ~O, 193 ! jul..es A. Frost been worried wid hanta no more. ahe sees em jes the earns, but dey ijoan bother her nons. ~ tust time I ever knowed a hant to come into our quarters was when I was jus big noughto go out to parties. De game what we use to play was spin de plate. i~ver time I think on dat game it gives me de ikiivers. One time there ~s a strange young man corne to a party where I was. Said he name Richard Green, an he been takin keer o horses for a rich man what was gonna buy a plvnta ion in dat ~.unty. Re look kinda slick an dres8ed~up1~~diffunt from de rest. 4;l1 de gale begin to cast sheep s eyes at him, an hope he gonna choose deia when dey start playin games. ?rett~ soon dey begin to play spin de plate an it come my turn tust thing. I spin it an call out Mister Greene He jumps to de middle o do ring to grab de plate an B~ng ' bout LOU? guns go off all at oncet, an }!ieter Green ft~11 to de floor plum d~d shot through de xiead. Tori we knawed ~ho done it, de sheriff an some more men jump down from de loft, ~iire dey been hidin an tell us quit hoflerin an doc~n be acairt. Dia mttn be a bad deeper y~u know, one o them out laws what kille folks. ~ swa kinda foreigner, an isa tryin ~ke blieye he a niggah, ao e they don t find him.

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FOLK STUPT, YLORIDA ~&aatts V 6 Joaiph ~~ Anderson Taapa, florida . October ZO, 193? Jules A. Frost Well we didn t tael Uke playin~ no wore gansa, an ver after dat you ooundn t git no niggahia to ~ pesa dat house alone atter dark. Dey say de place was hant.d, an if you look through de winder any dark night yu could see a n in dire epir~nin de plate. 1i: akio &Udn t r~eier look in, cause I done seen i~re hanta aready th~n I ever wants to see agin. ~s nig t I was gem to a~ gran y~* th US . It ~i 3es comm dark, an when I got to de eriek an start aeroe on Lie f~~ot 1og, dSX O 011 d~ other end o dat log a a nan wid his haid cut off an Layin pluat over on his shoulder. ~ look at me, kinda pitiful, an don t say a word~ but I closely never mUted to s~ee wkir~t kie gonna talk about I pure flew back howe, I ~a so icairt I GoL~1dn t tell de folks what done happened till I set down en got at; breath. Notber time, not so long ago, ~iem I live down in Gar~, X be walkin doima de railroad track soon in de atornin an for~ I knowed it, dore waa a ~hite meil wilkin long aide o me. I j.s.~ thought it vers somebody, but I wadn t aho, so I turn off at de fust street to git way from dere. De nez mawnia I be boin to ~rk at de saat time. It were kinda foi. gy an dark~ so I never seen na~ody till I might; nigh run mt o dia same ran, an dere ho goec baut half a at op ahead o me, h is two hands tee t in on hie be~4i ~d. ~I ~s so alose up to him I ~ou1d see him plain as I see you. kil }~ad fin~:ernai1s dat long, . all clean.d an poliskisd. H, ~as t~11, an had on a derby hat an stylia.b black c1otha~. ~then I walk slow he alow down, an ~tian I stop, he atop, never ouest looki~ reims. i~y

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J OLI( STUff, fl~oaID& ~ }i*nte . joa~ix~ Anderson : Tempe, florLda October ZO, 1937 Jules . Yre~t Ay feats make a noies on de cinders twsem de nus, but he doan sehe a sits o noue. i~t sea de fustthing got me scairt, bet I figger I better find otit for eho ifen h. b~e a epsrrit; so I say, gook an loud: Lookee here, lUster, I ils an old colored wo~n, an I knows my place, an I wieht you wouldn t walk wid me co&rnta wh*t folks might say. u~i. never looked roun no ~siorst~ if I ~n t there an I oui my oyeu tQUfl tO ace il th~X S te eoasbody I oazi holler to for help. ~iem I lo3ksd back he ~a gons; gone, like dat, without makin a anmd. Den I knowed lie he a liant an de nez day when I t oil somebody bout it dey z~y kis be de geniz~aem what got killed at de crosein a spell back, an other f 3lke hae seen him jua like I did. Dey say dey can 1~ar babies cry in at de troatle right near dere, an ain t nobody yit ever found em. #ti*t am de ~ny hant I ever seem. ~e da~ I go ~ut to de &moks~h h~iiae to git a mean o tatere. tt ~s after sundown, but still purty light. ~ien I gits dere de cbor b. unloeked an a big men standin half inside. Amt you dom stealin our taterst I hollers at his, an powi }ie gone, jes like dat. Did I git back to dat ki~us.~ le mighty glad to eat grits ~n cornbread dat night. ~~ n we livin at Titueville, I see m~ old emaniy con~in up di road jus as plain ~a day. I stan on de porche LXIZI to run an meet her, whem all of a sudden she be gone. I begin to cry an toll de folka I ain t gO~~na ee~ ray ~zaay agizi. An sho nuff, I neYer did. S~e die at $nd r ~oz1, back in west florida, fore I got to see her.

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)1OU~ ~ruirt, FLORIDA . i~aztt . ~ Joaphine kndsrsom Tampa1 r~lorida Octvbar ~ l93!~ Jul.e ~. frost Do*e I blive i~ witohasl S-a -*~ y, I knows more bout em dan ta jas bli.~. I ~ 1~j by em. Right here il die hcuaa. You am neyer beam rid by a uvitaht WeLt, you mig~sty lucky. t*y come in de night, gir~nerly coon after y~u drop off to eleep. Dey put a bridle os your had, an a bit in y~ir n~outh, an a saddle on y~ur back. Den dey take oU their akin an hang it up on de wall. De~ dey git on you an oas nighta dey like to ride you to death. You try to holler but you kamt, counta the ir~zi bit in y~ur mouth, an y ~u feel Uk. somebody holdin you down. Den dey ride y~u bat~k kI413~ ~L1~ ifltQ ~ZJUX~ b~id. ~kefl ~ kilt de bed ~3~U jui p a~i ~x ub do kivere,an de witcka be guns, like d~. But you know ~~)U b t~~ rid x~iighty httrd, cauae yca ail wet wid eweat, an y~u reel plum tired out. Sont~ folka aay y~u jue b es dreamin, counta de blood atop circu lat in in yQur back. Shuck.. ~ Day ah~ nver been rid by a witch or day airt e~yin dat. Old witch dootsr, he want ten d~ollora for a pises o tx~ing, ~iat ne aay eame kinda chars worde over. Tells ~e to make a iaage o dat 31d witch ~ta &u~h, an tie dat .tring rouri it. necks ~1en when I bake it in de oven, it swell ~p an de i~gic etring chat off her breath. I dith~ t have no ten dollar, eo he cay tien I git up five dollar he make me a hand- you know, what collared folks cala a jack. Dat be a charm what will keep de vitchs aisy. I knowe how to make ~ but day doan do no good thout de magic worda, an I dean kn~w d~. You take a little pinch a dried make eJ~in an eame graveyard dirt, a~i a~*a red pepper

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POLK $~U??, FLORIDA ~. Hante ~ ~ ~ J*eephins Andersr* Teapa, F1ori~& Oato~.r 20, 1937 J~1i3.~.m A. Frost an a look o your hair wrapped rotin sona black rooster feathers. Den you spit whiskey on es an wrap sa in red flanne3 an uw it in t o a 1~a1l bout dat big. Den y 3U hang ~ it under y our r i~ht armpit ~ an ever week ;ou give it a drink o i~iekey, to keep it strong an pc~wfu1. f,i~t keep c~e wit ehea furn ridin y ~ u ; but nary one o des. chenu work wict dia old witch. I got a purty good iee who she is, erz she got a charm powfuil.r dan both of den. But ehe kamt git acrosst fiez eed, not till she coumt ever seed. ~u do~n bli,i d*t~! Huhi I reckon I know~~ ~-I done tried it out. I gite ass iii beg. pure fresh flaxaoed, ar~ I sprinkle it ail roun de bed; den I put soas on top of de mattress, an under de sheet. Den I goes to bed an sleeps 11k. a baby, an dat old witch dean bother we no wore. Ony crnc~st. Soon s I ~ak. up, i light as a lanp an look on de floon an dere, eide o my bed eis ix~y dr~as, layin right over dat flax eeed, so s ehe c~u1d ~aik ever on de dresi, big as life. I snatch up de dreae an throw it on de bed; den I go to sleep, an I ein ~ been bothered no wore. ~SQMe folks reads de ~ib1s backwards to keep witches tua ridin *~rn, but &%t dQan do as no good., caties I kamt read. ~ut flazseed work ~1o goc~d I ~ioan be etudyin niglit-ridin witches no more.~

Samuel Simeon Andrews. 013 010

90032 t ~ VI FEDERAL ~RITERSt PROJECT ~ American Guide,(Negro ~riters Unit) Jacksonvill , Florida Rachel A. AuBtin Slave Interview Field Worker October 27, 1936 Complete John A . imms 2,616 Worda Editor 11 Pagea .. . Samuel Simeon AndZeWB ~ ForS almost 30 years Edward Waters College, an African Methodist Episcopal Sch ol, located on the nor1~. side ~ Kings Road. in the western section of JackeonviLke, has employed as watchman, Samu~1 Simeon Andrewe(affection-~ ately called Parson ) . a former slave of E J . Lane ~ o! Georgia, Lewis Ripley of Beaufort, South Carolina, Ed T1I1-~ man of Dallas, Texas, and John Troy of UniOn.Springs, Alabai~ra, . ~ Parson was born November 18, 1850 in Macon, Georgia, at a place called Tatum Square, ~where slaves were held, housed and sold. Speculators (persons who traveled froi~ place to place with slaves for sale) ~ had houe ed 84 elavee there-. many of whom were pregnant women. Besides Parson, u two other slave-children, Ed Jo.nee who now lives in Sparta, Georgia, and George Bailey were born in Tatum Square t~t night. The morning after their births, a woman was sent from the nearby A.J. Laxie plantation to take care of the three mothers; this

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.t. ~ 1 Slave Interview Page 2 Rachel A. Austin FEC Jackeonviile1 Florida . nuree proved to be WParaonhe~ gm~ndmother. His mother told hirn afterwardB that the meeting of mother and. daughter was very jubilant, but silent and. pathetic, because neither could with safety show her pleasure in finding the other~ At the auction which was held a few days later,~ hie mother,Rachel, and. her two eons,. Solonion Augustus and her infant who was later to be known as Parson, were purchased by A.J. Lane who had. previously bought Parson s father, Willis, from a man named Doiphus of Albany, Georgia; thuewere husband and wife re-united. They were taken to Lane s plantation three miles outof Sparta, Georgia, in Hancock County. Mr. Lane own d 85 slaves and was known to be very kind. and consicl.erate. Parson lived on the Lane plantation until he was eight years old, when he was sold to 1Lewis Ripley of Beaufort, South Caroflna, with whom he lived for. two years; he was then sold to Ed Tilirnan of Dallas, Texas; hestayed on the TilInian plantation for about a year and until he was purchased by John Troy of Union Springs, Alabania-. the richest slave-holdsr in Union Springe, Alabama; he remained with him uutil Emancipation. He recalls that during one of these sales about *800,00 was paid for hirn. He describes A.J. Lane as being a kind slave-holder who fed his slaves well arid whipped them but little.L~ll of his

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12 S~.ave Interview . Page 3 Rachel A. Austin . ~ Jacksonville, Florida S other mastere, he etatee, were nice to chiidien, but lashed and whipped~th grown~pe. :/ S Mr.,5 Lane s family wae coinprieed of his wife, Fannie (who also was very kind to:..~theB .aves) five children, Harriett Ann, Jennie, Jeff, Frankie and Mse Roxie, a brother (wnoee name de does not recall) who owne4a few slaves but was kind to those that he did own. Although very young during slavery, Parson remembers many plantation activities and oue.~ tonis, among which are the following: That the master s ohi~dren and those of the slaves onthe plantation played together; the farm crops consisted of corn, cotto~n, peas, wheat and. oats; ~ that the food for the elaves was cooked in pote which were hung over a fire; that the iron ovens used. by th slaves had. tops for baking; how during the Civil War, wheat, corn and dried potatoes were parched and used as substitutes for coffee; that his mother was given a peck of flour every two weeks; that a mixture of sait. and sand was dug from the earthern floor of the smokehouse and. water poured .over~ it ~to~ get ~ : the sa It drippings for seasoning; that most medicine consisted of boiled roots; when thread and cloth were dyed, with the dye obtained from maple bark; ~ when shoes were made on a wooden last and soies nd uppers fastened together with maple Pegs; when the white preachers preached obey your masters ; that the first buggy that he saw was owned by his master, A.J. L9.ne it had a seat at the rear with rest which was usually occupied by a

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~: Slave Interview . !~ page 4 Rachel A. AuStiu~ . . ~EC . Jacksonville, Florida ~ ~ ~ . man who was called the ~waiter0 there was ~o top to the Beat and the waiter was exposed to the weather. He recalls when wood . en elate and tightened ropes were used for bed springs; also the patience of Aunt Letha an old. woman slave who took care of the children in the reighborhood while thei~~parents worked, and how they enjoyed watching Uncle TJniphrey tan. cow and pig hides. Parson describes himself as being very fri~sky as a boy and states that he did. but very little work and got but very few whippings. Twice he ran a~way to escape being whipped and hid in asparagus beds in Sparta, Georgia until nightfall; when he returnea the. master would not whip him because he was apprehensive that he might rim away again and be Btolen by poorer whites and thu cause trouble. The richer whites, he relates, were afraid of the poorer whites; if the latter were madeangry they would round up the owners sheep and turn them loose into their cotton fields and, the sheep would eat the cotton, row by row, S S He compares the~relationship between the rich and poor whites during slavery with that of the white and. Negro people of today. . With a face full of frowns, Parson teilsof a white man persuading hie mother to let him tie her to show that he was mae t er promt si rig no t t o whip her and eh e bel i eve d h im When he had placed her in a buck (hands tied On a stick so that the BUck would turn her in any direction) he whipped her until the blOod ran down her back. .

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!~i :14. Slave Interview Page 5 Rachel A. Austin FEC Jaclcsonville, Florida With changed expression he told of an incident during the Civil War: S .aves,he explained had. to have passes to go from one plantation to another and 1f one were found witJ>lout a pass the.~patroI1er& would pick him up, return him to his master and receive pay for their 8ervioe~JThe patroU~s were guards for runaway slaves. One night they came to Aunt Rhoda s house where a crowd of slaves had gathered and were going to return them to their masters; Uncle Timphrey the tanners quickly spaded up some hot ashes and pitched it on them; ail of. the slaves escaped unharmed, while all of the ~pa~rollerefl were badly injured; no one ever told on Uncle Unphrey and when Aunt Rhoda was questioned by her master she stated that she knew nothing about it but told them .b~ the patrollere~ had brought another nigger with them; her master took it for granted that ehe spoke the truth since none of the other Negroes were hurt. He remembers Secing this but does not remern~er how he, as a little boy, was prevented from telling about it. ~ . . Asked about his remembrance or knowledge of the slaves belief in magic and spells he said: I remember this and can. just see the dogs running around now. My mother s brother, Uncle Dick and Uncle July swore they would not work longer for masters; so they ran away and livect in the woods. In winter they would put cotton seed in the fields to rot for fertilizer and lay in lt for warmth. They would kill hogs and slip the meat to some

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::~ iei Slave Interview . Page 6 Rachel A. Austin : Jacksonville, Florida ~ . slave to cook for food.. ~vhen their ow~r.s looked for them, Bob Amos who raised nigger hounds (hounds raised eolely to track Negro slav B) was ei~mmoned arid. the dogs located them and surrounded them in their hide-bout; one went one way and one the other and escaped in the swampe~they would run until they caire to a fence each kept some graveyard duet and a few 1ight-~ wood. splinters with which they smoked their feet and jumped the fence and the dogs turned back and eould track no further. Thus, they stayed tu the woods until freedom, when they came out and worked for pay. Now, you know Uncle Dick just died, a few years ago in Sparta, ~eorgia.~ Then the Civil War came he remembers hearing one night Sherman is coming. It was said that Wheeler s Cavalry of the Confederates was always running and fighting.t Lane had moved the family to Macon, Georgia, and they lived on a place called u Dunlap s Hill Tha~t night four preachers were pr eaching Fellow soldiers, the enemy~is just here to Bolden s Brook, sixteen miles away and. you may be carried into judg ment; prepare to meet your God. While they were preaching, bombe began to fly because Wheeler s Cavalry was only six miles.away instead of 16 miles; women sQreamed. and. children ran. Wheeler kept wagons ahead of him so that when one was crippled the other would replace it. He says he imagines he hears the voice of Sherman now,. saying Tell Wheeler to go on to Souti~ Carolina; we will ~OW it down with grape shot and plow jt

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Slave Interview . Page 7 Rachel A. Auetin ~ Jacksonville, Florida ~ ~ s fi in with bonabshell, Emancipation ea~iie and. with it great rejoicing. He recalls that Republicans were called ~Radica1e~ jUBt after the close of the Civil War. ~ . Mr. Lane was able to save a . . of hi~ rn~a~t,. silver, and. other valixablea during the war by having a cave dug in the hog pasture; thehogs trampled over it daily. Parson states that among the papers in his trunk he has a piece of. money called shin plasters which was ueed. during the Civil War. The slaves were not allowed to attend schools of any kind; and. school facilities inmiediately following Emancipatiorx were very poor; when the first teacher, Miss Smith, a Yankee, cathe to Sparta, Georgia and began teaching S~rxday School, ai . of the children were given testaments ~or catechisnie which tneir parente were afraid for them to keep lest their masters whip them, but the teacher called on the parents and~ explained to them that th y were as free as their former masters. ~ ftParsonid states that when he was born, his mas~ ter named him Monk His grandfather, Willis Andrews, who was a free man of Pittsburg,Pennsylvania, purchased the freedom of his wife Lizzie, but was never able to purchase their four child ren; hie father, also named Willis, died. a slave, was driven in an ox-cart to a hole that had. been thtg, put in it and covered up; ~ 16

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~ ~ Slave Interview . Page 8 Rachel A. Austin FEC jacksonville, Florida hia mother nor children could stop work to attend the funeral, ~ut after the Emancipation, he and a brother relurned, found UncI~ Bob who helped bury hin~ and located his grave. Soon after he had. been given his freedom, Parson walked from ~ Union Springs, Alabama where his last master had taken him back to Macon, Georgia, and rejoined his mother, Rachel, his brothers, Samue 1 Augustus San Franci BOO Simon Peter, Lewis Carter, Powell Wendell and sisters, Lizzie and. Ann; they ail dropped ~ the name of their master, Lane, and took the nase of their grand fat her, Andr ewe . Parson possesses an almost uncanny memory and attributes it to his Inability to write things down and therefore being entirely dependent upon his memory. He had passed 30 years of age and had two children who could read and write before he could. His connection with Edward Waters College has given him a decided advantage for education and there are few things that he cannot discuss intelligently. He has come in contact with thousands of studente and ai . of the ministers connected with the African Met~4djst Episcopal Church in the State of Florida and has attend- ed all of the State and. General Conferences of this Church for the past half century. He has lived to be 85 years of age and says he will live until he is 106. This he Wil . do because he diairns: Your life is in your hand and. tells these narratives as proof:

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. . ~ ~ ~ :,~ 18 Slave Interview . ~ Page 9 Rachel A .Auetin ~ Jacksonville Florida . ~ EIn l886when the present Atlantic Ooaet Line Halirold was called the S~F~W~ and I was coming from Savannah to Florida, some tranips intent upon robbery had removed spikee from the bridge and just as the alarm was givon and the~train about to he thrown from the track, I raised the window and jumped to eafety. I then walked back two miles to report it. More.. than: 70 were killed who might have been saved had they jumped as Idid. As a result, the S~F. and L gave me a free pass for life with which I rode all over the United States and once into Canad,a. He proudly displays this pass and states that he would like to travel over the United States again but that the school keep2 him too c1ose~ ~d nI had been very sick but took no medicine; my wife went out to visit Sister Nancy-S shortly afterwards I heard what sounded like walking, and. in my imagination saw death entering, push the door open and draw back to leap on nie; I jumped through the window, my shirt hung, but I pulled it out. Mr. Hodges, a Baptist preacher was hoeing in his garden i~extdo r ~ ~okedat me ath laughed. Awoman yelled there goes Reverend. Andrewe, ~ and. death is on im I said no he isn t on me but he edown there. Pretty soon news caine that Reverend Hodges had dropped dead. Death had com for someone and would ~ iot leave without them. I was weak and. he tried me first. Rev erend Hodges wasn t looking, so he slipped up on him.

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~t$ 19 Slave Interview Page 10 Fjach~l A, Austin FEC Jacksonville, Florida Parson came to Umatilla, Florida, in 1882 from Georgia with a Mr. Rogers whob~roug~t him and six other men, their wives and children, to work on the railroad; ~ he was made the eection ~boss which job he held until a white ~~an threatened to dock him because he was wearing ~. stiff shirt and ~aetting over a white man when he should have a shovel. This was the opinion of a man in the vicinity, but another white friend,~~a~is warned him and advised him not to leave Umatilla, but persuaded him to work for him cutting cord. wood; although Parson had nev~er seen wood. corded, he accepted the job and was soon given a pass to Macon, Georgia, to get other men; he brought 13 men back and soon became their TtbOS 8 and bought a house and decided to do a little hunting. Then he left this job he did some hotel work, cooked and served a3 train porter. In 1892 he was ordained to preach and has preached and pastored regularly from that time up to two years ago. He is of medium size and build and partially baldheaded; what little hair he has is very grey; he has keen eyes; hja eyesight is very good; he has never had to wear glasses. :11e is as supple as one half his age; it is readily demonstrated as he runs, jumps and. yells while attending the games of his favorite pastimes, baseball and football. wherever the Edward

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20 Slave Interview . Page 1 . Rachel A Austin . y~j~ Jacksonville, Florida Waters College football tea~i goes, there Parson wants to go also, Vflienever the crowd at a gans hears the scream Come on boye, everyone knows it is Parson Andrews. ~rParsonfl has had two wives, both of whom are dead~ and is the father of eight children: VJilli8 (deceased) Johnny, Sebron Reece of Martin, Tennessee, Anxiie Lee, of Macon, Georgia, Hattie of Jacksonville, Ella (depeased) Mary Lou Rivers 0 ~ Macon, Georgia, and Augustu~s eomewhere at~sea. ~ P~.rson does not believe in taking med cine, but makes a liniment with which he rube himself. He attributes hi~ long life to hie sense of having quitting sense and not allowing death to catch him unawares. He asserts that if he reaches the bedside of a kindred in time, he wil . keep hirn from dying by telling him: Come on r~w, don t be crazy and die. . He states that he enjoyed hie slavery life and since that time life has been very Sweet, He knows and. re ~~ mcrnbers most of the incidents connected with EemberS of the several Conferences of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Florida and. can tell you in what minutes you may find any of the important happenings of the past:~ 30 ~ oi~ 40 years . . I

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21 FEDERAL ~R ITERS PROJECT Anierlcan Guide (Negro writers Unit) Jacksonville Florida Rachel A. Austin . Field Worker omplete Slave Interview October 27, 1936 John A. 9irnms Editor REFERENCE I. Personal interview with Samuel Simeon Andzewe . in the dormitory of Edward Waters college Kings Road, Jacksonville, Florida

Bill Austin. 025 022

k~ E~ L~ EI~RS~ PB~EC! ~ ~r1cari Quid~s, (Negro Writers1 unit) ~ Jackeonville, YIOZ ida BILL AJ~1STIH Martin 1d~cbardIon ~ J ield Worker Slave InterYiew Complete . . 966 Word.. . 4 Pa~ Bill Austin ~ he se~s his n~e is hOT W 111I ~ je en ex who gaine ~ hie freedom because hie mistress found it more thvant. to free him than to watch hla. A*stin livee D~e Gres4wood, Jackson Coiuit7, honda, on a ~ll farm that he and~ bu children operate. He says that h ~oee not know his a&~, does not rex~ber ever having head~ it. But he moat be pretty o1d~, he saye, ~caiise I was a right uiart size when Mistih ~th pent off to fight. He thinks he may be over .a h~ndred aM he looks it ~ bitt he is not sure. A*stin was born between Greene a~ Hancock Counties, on the Oconee River, in Georgta. He ~.ses the nemes of the counties intercban~sab1y; he cannot be definite as to jist Which Ofl i as him birthplace. The line between teii~ was ri~tt there by as ~ he says. His father was Jack; for want of a s~rna~ofhis oin be took that of his father and called himself Jack ~aith. kriEg a t~Ora17 shorta of funds on his master~a part, Jack and 3il1~s mother wrs sold. to a plan ter in the northern part of the state. It was not until lon a~ter hii SU~a2acipation that Bill ever saw either of them sum. Billes father Jack wa~s regarded as a fairly good carpenter, ~eon and~ bricklayer; at tisse his aaster would let hi s do small Jebe of rs~paiz .. ing o! bUi1~1 IJg for nei~bortig planters. ?hese Jobs s~*et1ae~ ne$tsd ht~ hazns~ bit. of cor~al, cloth for dresses for his wifi aM ahil4re~, sad

026 023

Bill j~utin ~ ~ Martin Richardson ~ 2 2 Greenwood ~ Plonid.a p other small gifts; thess bo either used~ for his small faini1~ or bartered with the other slaves. Sorzetimes he sold them to the slaves for money; cash was not altogether imbtoun among the slaves on the ~iith place. 1Luatin gives an interestixi~ iescniption of his ~ster, Thon~as ~nith. He sa~rs that sumptin~a he was real rich and~ ai . of as had. a ~ood time. The wi~k wasntt irnrd then, caue if we bad big crops he irould borrow ~ 8o3~ he p from the otber ~.ite folks. He v.sed to give us meat every day, and. pl nty of other things. One tii~ he bought all of u.s shoes, and on Sunday niait woitid let v~ g~ to wherever the preacher was holdin~ ~eting. ~ He i~sed~ to givs ~ papa money eumptimos, too. ~Bu~t they ~sed1 to whisper that he would gamble a lot. Te useL to ~ 8ee a whole lot of men cone up to the house e~aptiaies and stay up most of the ni~it. Swuptimos they would~ stay three or f~.r days. Az4 once in a while after one of these big doings Mistmh ~rtith would look worried, and. e wouldn~t get no meat and~ vary little of ariythiz~g else for a long ti~. Ke would. be crabby and beat us for auy little thing. He ised to tell ~ papa that he wo~ildn~t have a 6 cent until he ~e sone s~ A few years before he left to enter the waX the slave o~er ca~ into posseBsion of a store near his plantation This. itors was in Greensboro. Zither because the business ~eid or because of another of hie OConomic ~bad Spellsl ~ ownership of hla plantation passed to a ~n nan~sd Kimball and. ~ost of the slaves, with the SX ptiofl of Bill AUstil ~fld 01* or two wom.n ithi transferred with the plantation or so1~. Bill ~$$ kSPt to dO srranda and general work aro~nL tI~ eton. Bill learned. c~ about the opOration of the store, iith t~ r.~lt that When Mr. ~iith left with the Ssutbern 4rs~ he loft hie wife a~ BiU to conti~ Lt~ O~pSration, 17 th~1 ti ~T ~d ~ ~ stories

027 024

Page 3 3i11 Austin . F 24 Martin Richard.aon Gre nwOOd, ~ Florida ~hjspere~ among the slaves in the ~ighborho~d ~ ~ ~o ~. ~jth their .. ~stere into the coxintr7 store ~ of how this or that slave ran away, and ~ with the white ~n.power of the ~ ssction engaged in ~r, remained. at large ~ for long periods or escaped altogether. These stories always interesst ~atin, pith ~ the re,alt that o ~ morning he was absent ~en Mrs. Smith opened the store. He rs~ined away 1eight or nine days, I guesst, before a friend of the ~ths fo~M him near Macon and threatened~ that he would Ihaif kill hi& if he ~ return inw~d1ately. Zither the threat ~ or the fact timt in Macon there were no readily available foodstuffs to be eaten all da1y ai in the store ~ oaiasd1 44~istin to return. 11e was ro~M1y berated by bis mistress, but fiiiall7 fox.. given by the iorried i~ian iho needed his help aroiu~ the store ~ than ~ ehe nee~e1 the contrite promises and effeaive declarations that he ~OU1& ~ tbehave airight for the rest of hie life.~ And~ he did behave; for several whole ~nths. But by this tii hewas tagreatbigboyt, aUd.hehe4 ca~it sight of ayouzigwca~aniho took his fancy on his trip to Xacc~ . She was free herself; her father h&t boi~t her freedom with that of her nether a few 7ears before, az~d did oddS jobs for the uhite people in the city for a livelihood. Bill had tho~tts of coing back to ~con, i~arrying her, and bringing her back ~to work for Xi.sue with n~.t He asked permission to go, and was refused on the gro~nda that his help was too badly neoded at the store. ShortlY afterward be bat again disa~pear.~ MisaW, however, knew too ~h of his plans by this tla, and it wae7~ifftcult t.~.k to haT hi~ $PFhOfldM in Macon. 3il ~ ~ flOt ~S ~

028 025

BillAustin . 25 Martin RichardsOD re UWOOd~ ~ Y .orida each great objections to ti~.e apprehension, ither, he ea7~, because ~ ~ tiire he had 1ea~ned that. ~ the yotmg woman iii Macon hai no slighteet intention to give up her freedom to join him at GXSenBbOrO. A relative of Mrs. Smith ~ve Austin a iov.nd. beatiri~ on his return; for a time it had the desired effect, and. he stayd at the store and. ~y no ftrther tro~b1e. lira. &iith, however, tho~ht of a surer plan of keepizig him in Greensboro; she called. him and. told hint he uiigttt have his freedcm. Bill never atte~npted to a~in leave the place a1thoi~ he did. not ro~ ceive a cent for his iork ~ intil his master had died, the store passd into the hands of one of Mr. ~iithts sone, and. the e~ncipation of ai . the slaves was a ~tter of ei~t or ten years~ history? When he finally left Greene and. Hancock Counties ~ aboat f ifty..~ five years ago, Austin settled in Jackson County. He n~xried~ and began the raising of a family. Lt present he has nineteen living chil&ren, z~rs grandchild~ren than he can accuxately tell, and. Le living with his third vifs a won~an in her thirties.

029 026

PI~RLt. WBITJ2~31 P2DJE~ Ai~nican 0u3.de, (Negro 1~riterst Unit) Jacksonville, hlolida Martin Richardeofl held Worker Complete Slave Interview March 18, 1937 1. Henry Harvey, old resident of Jackson Cointy; GreenwoodMalone Road, about 3~ ailes N. L of Greenwood, honda. 2. Interview With e~ibject, sear Gxeenwood, honda, (b.ral, Boute 2, Snsads).

Slave customs and anecdotes. 035 032

32 FLORIDA FOLKLORE ~ ~ 4~L~ ~NECP9~ Mary Minus Biddie, a&e one hundred live was born in Pensacola, Florida, l833~ and raised in Columbia GoLuity. She is married, and has several children. For her a&e she is exceptionally active, being able to wash ~nd do her house work. With optimism she looks iorward to many more years of~ life. Her h ~alth is excellent. Having srent thirty-two years of ~ life as a slave skie relates ~J vividly some of her experiences. Her m~ster Lanoaster Jaxnison was a very kind man and never mis .. treated his slaves. He was a man of mediocre means, and instead of havi~ a large plantation as waa usual in those days, he ran a boarding house, the revenue therefrom furnishing him substance for a livelihood. Fie had a small farm from which fresa produce ~as obtained to supply the needs of his lod&ers. Mary s lamily were his only slttvea. The family eorisjsted o~ her mother, father, brother and a sister, The ohildred called theold master Fa and their Lather ~Pappy. The master never resented this appell~tion, and took it; in 6ood humor Many travelers Stopped at his boardin~ house;,,Mary s mother did the cooking, ber father tended~ the farm, and Mary, her brother and sister, did chores about the p1~ee. There was a large one-room house built in the yard in which the taraily lived. Her father had a separate garden in which he raised his o~vri produce, also a smokehouse where the family meats were kept. W12356

036 033

-~ 33 Meats were six~oked in order to preserve them. During the day Mary s 1 ather was kept so busy attending his master s tarin that there was no time tor him to attend to a little farm that he wa.s allowed to have. He overcame this handicap, however, by setting up huge soaftolds in the field which he burned and from the flames that this fire emitted he could see well enough to do what was necessary to his farm. The master s first wife was a very kind ~man; at her death Mary s master moved from Pensacola to Columbia County. Mary w~iS very active with the plow, she could handle it with the ability of a man, 1his prowess gained her the title of plow girl.TM COOi~JNG. Stoves were unknown and ~okin& ~ done in a fireplace that was b4lt of clay, a large iron rod was built in across the opening of the fireplace on which were hung pots that had special handles that litted about the rod holding them in place over the blazing lire as the xood cooking was done in a rnoveable oven which was pleiced in the Lirephtce over hot coals ox corn cobs. Potatoes were roasted in ashes. Oft times Mary s father ~uld sit in front of the fireplace until a late hour in the ni~ht and on arising in the morning the children would find 1~ a corner a number ol roasted potatoes v~hioh their father had thou~htiully rc~sted and which the children readily consumed.

037 034

-~ 34. ~~TIN~ ~ Matches were unknown; a flint rock and a file provided the tire. This occured by striking, a ille against a hint rock which threw oil spc~rk& that teJ.1 into a wad oi dry cotton used ror the purpose. This cotton, as a rule, readily oau~ht lire, Thj~ ~s tire and all the l ire needed to start any blaze ~E~V ING The white tolk wove the cloth ~n regular looms which were made into dresses for the slaves. ~or various colors of cloth the thread was dyed. The dye was made by digging up red shank and wild indigo roote whioh were boiled; The substance obtained being some of the best dye to be lound, ~E~(~GES ~ Bread was made 1 roni flour and wheat. The meat used was pork, beef, mutton &ind ~ For preservation it was s~noked and kept in the smoke house. Coliee was used as a bevera6e and when this ran out as oft times happened, ptirched peanuts were used tor the purpose. Mary and lamily arose before da~break and prepared breakfast for the master and his family, after which they ate in the same dining room, Vhen this was over the dishes were washed by Mary, her brother and sister. The ohiictren then played about until meals were served again. WASHING and SOAP was Washing/done in home m&de wooden tubs, and boiling in iron pots Similar to those of today. Soap was made from fat and lye.

038 035

~:~ ~ r -~4~ ~ A~i!tJ SE~E~i~. The only amusement to be had was a big oandy pulling, or hog killln& and ohioken cooking. The al~ves from the Burroundin& plantations were allowed to come together on these occasions. big time was h~d, ~ The sl~ves went to the white folks ohurob on SUflaa3J8. They were seated in the rear of the ohuroh. The white minister woula arise and exhort the sl~ves to ~rnind your masters, you owe them your respeot. An old Christian slave who perceived things dirferently could sometimes be heard to mumble, ~Yeah, wese jest as good as deys is only deys white and we s bL.~ok, huh.~ She dare not let the whites hear this. At times ineetin s were held in a slave cabin where some inspired sl~ve led the services. In the course of years Mr. Jamison married again. His second wife was a veritable terror. She was al~ys ready and anxious to whip a sl~ve for the 1 east misdemeanor The master told Mary and her mother that befog e he would take the chance oX them runnin~ away on account of her meanness he would leave her. AB soon as he would leave the house this was a signal i or his wjj~e to start on a slave. One day, with a kettle of hot uater in her hund, she chased Mary, who ran to another plantation and hid there until ~ the ~ood master returned. She then poured out her troubles to him. He was very ind1~nant and remonstrated with his wife for being so cruel. ~he met her late in 1~ter years; her son-in-law becoming an&ry at some of her doings in regard to him shot her, which resulted in her death. Instead of mourning, everybody Seemed to rejoice, for the menace to well being h 4 been removed. Twice a year Mary s fathez and master went to Cedar Keys, Florida to get salt. Ocean Water was obtained and boiled, salt resulting. ?he~r always returned with about three burrels of salt.

039 036

. 4 ..1511. The greatest event in the lue of a slave was about to occur, and the most soLroWful in the life of a master, FREEDOM ~ at hands A Negro was seen coming in the distanoe, mounted upon a mule, approaching Mr. Jami8on, who stood upon the poLoh He told him of the liberation o1~ the eLves, Mr. Jamison had never before been heard to ourse, but this was one day that he let ~o a torrent of words th~t are unworthy to appear in rrint. ife then broke down and cried like a s1~ve who was being lashed by his cruel rn~ster. He called Mary s mother and father, Phyliss and Sandy, I ain t got no more to do with you, you are free, he said, if you want to stay with rue you may and I ll give you one~.third of what you~ise. They decided to st~ty. ~hen the crop Was harvested the master did not do as he had prontised, lie bave them nothing. Mary slipped away, mounted the old mule Mustang and gt~lloped away at a mules snail speed to Newnaneville where she related what had happened to a Union Qaptain. He save her a letter to give to Mr. Jamison, In it he reminded him that 1f he di dn t give Mary s family what he had promi s od he would be put in jail. Without hesitation the old m~ster complied with these pungent orders, After this incilent Mary and her family left the good old boss to seek a new abode in other parts. This Was the first time that the master had in any way displayed any kind of unfairness toward them, perhaps it WtLS the reaction to havin~ to liberate them. :~ ~R~I~GEg There waa no inarriabe d~rin~ slsvery according to oivil or reli~ioue ~ CLLstOnt among the si ayes . If a sI ~ve saw a woman whom he desired ho told his ~ster, IL the woman in question belonged on another plantation, the master ~Ould consult her master; one or my boys ~.nte to marry one of your gals, he wouj. d say As a rul e it ~ agresabi e that they should li ye together &8 ma~ and wile. This was encouraged or it increased the sl~vo population by

040 037

.s44.. new borns, rienee, being au a8set to the masters. The two slaves thus joined were allowed to see one another at intervals upon special permission from the master. He must have a pass to leave the plantation, Any slave oaught without one while oil the plantation Was subject to be oau~ht by the p~.derolIers0 ( a low class o~ white who roved the country to molest a slave at the least opportLtnity. Some or them were hired by the masters to guard against slaves running away or to apprehend them in the event that they did) who would beat them unmercifully, and send them back to the plantation from whence they oame~ AS a result ol this form of matrimony at emancipation there were no sl~.~ves le~wfully married. Orders were given that i they preferred to live together as man and wiLe they must marry aooordin~ to l~w. They were given nine months to decide this question, after which if they continued to live together they were arrested for adultery. A Mr. Fryer, Justie~ of the Peaoe at Gainesville, was a~si~ned to deal with the situation around the plantation whe~e Mary and her family lived. A big supper was given, it ~s early, about twenty~.five sl~ve couples attended. There ~s gaiety ana laughter. A barrel of lemonade was served, A big time was had by all, then those couples ~o desired to remain together were joined in wedlock according to civil custom. The party broke up in the early hours of the morning. Mary Bicidie, cognizant of the progress that science and invention has made in the intervening years from Emanoipation and the present time, could not he p but rera~rk of the vast improvement of the lighting system of today and that of 8lavery. There were no ~ or kerosene. The first thread that ahewer spun was for a wick to be used in a candle, the only ~neans of light. Beef tallow was used to make the candle; this was pl~oed in b~ Candle mould while hot. The wick waS then pl~oed in the center of the tallow ~ it rest in the mould; this ~s allowed tc~ cool, When this

041 038

~. 7 38 ohentloal process ocoured there was a regulear sized candle to be used for 1 ijiting. Mary now past the century mark, her lean bronze body resting in a rocker, her head wrapped in a white kerchief, and puffing slowly on her citty pipe, expressed herself in retard to presidents; Roosevelt has dont mo than any other president, why you know ever since freedom they been talkin bout dis pension, talkin bout it tim s all, but you see Mr. Roosevelt he don corn an gived it tu us. What? I ll say he s a good rightus man, an um sho go vot fo him. Rosidin~ in her little sabin in Eatonvi le, 1lorida, she is able to smile because she has some means of security, the Old Age Pension.

Rivana Boynton, Miami, Florida. 044 041

. L:~~::.#~k ~ rtns,fl.Sds k J ~ (:)rt1 n.tabaytor ~ tM?fliOtG ~ ~~fli~ t~ ri yfltflh,Milt ,FIIWL S. I. ~. ~r O9 snd ~ut then, tnre you borfl %:*me time In IS~ on Jo)rn an ~ 8 ~1o21Ss onr ~s D3sfltstSot bst~*etn ~%wrsh msi ~Thafleston neat the Otopgi* ~ line, ~ ~. :~.r you %t~t b flL ai ~ Pi:&Ut*tiOfl O? tat~m, ~flis$; aufl of T~~L~g ~ect1on wet lt tut Thor nta~ rice, corn .v!$Mt, nd tots o? eattan, . nisnd earything ti~ et s w~ttb1ot, tatars ~i~i nfl tint, ~. r ~ did you ~~*n tht9 tii~ an ~ e!~.fld? ~P%fl ~ of ebons ~id ycu do snd dist did ypu play?. I had 14 thin cotton in de fields and ntnd ~. . tlt nies a ts table, t obned tSn with *~ fly ~ueb, s~w*tj~s s lbtto front s tree and niatizes t7td t taney baab, . us :~otut . fl9UtO~ kiM ta you? ~ Yoe, I ti~v taivtred ~by tSt aig witb r~y tiasy, ; fly, ~rt11ty sia ~s wen tbe? e at tts as plantation and tisa! X dontt know. Then wn~s ylenty o~ dem up in d !!~1Lrnth edR, t ~ .aoe, b C) ~ ronenber tst kind of oo*ing nteaeiis :ibur ntt)~r *aedt jeu, a~ had apSdna ant . %~4g j~e*~ kettles t)at ~ dey Sang V~ de eMsy by a Ion ~atu, fl~c dey anted te ~* tut dey tr~*n~ ~ de ebs~s and . dey treated to bekip Sn the sfldain1 tbsb4s ~nt tba ttddt de loettle eon eon with seals tatfl dey n. . hot. eytd it de pass irt ~a drn*tie 267e

045 042

~.g : ~ 42 ca . ic: ~ .}flCfl& SfldSfl and t~fl tlntti arcnsad flan dey wut f r ne ~ fl!k) td . ri : t: ;~ r; ~ :.*N~ tisin focx~a sud hovi t~iet3. t~bey o*E~dI ~ G t cf; Gt/o?~tit~ t~c i~ ~ conld think of to eat n c) j ct tL ~:~trber rtk i tct~ tt*tt*ti t or substttnte soiree by ~~L~{Iing U:~ COfli or ~cat*~t :0. ~O i tL~ roifl coffee. *1 ~ ~3 ; ot~ : ~(:r:a; TCPj ever h&tb~, whe; ~ ou were F ~ any ct1~cfl kfrt l n? -tread bO.~j43~ corn ~ bras t ~ ~ or Lc4tt*r C2!!9~ and tfe~tte b~en& . . ~ . ~ c ~m !~CD~4)P? ~V~~Stht$ sea ~ te ~~ ss,itt fla cUti bit itt ~ay. . . n. ~ en yo~~ vr;t ~ ~t c~hiid~ vthfl sort cf ~ ~ : . ste* 4e i~* : otw nother uving~ ~ ~id ttI~y bate a ~ irnt ~ ~ the 4 ~e J ace, a I 4A they ~ tbatzs ~ et tebefr ~ tLCLIOtV? . : ~ :~iV&7~ ; ad fireplaces or opt fires on t~ p1aflatt~z, but, ttft ~ a long wtU* ty a sy bad }arb* stews to couic ent tb wcnld give dt slaves pot 154j*MP to eook o ceu t ~ r -et ~ as ~y lit c~S fft~e tH~ tUst ~d sUieS, ti~ e ~ it vt~4 ~p Gist, e sU ate With wooden ~ ;A1 s ~ er ons. r~ jd. dow tatter en~1n out at 1w~t a:i~I iaflt . tg1t~, len isetd C~og ei~~ 4pm Into 8 ? fl( le aucb irnde ot tth pana ~s1A s b~MIe on arid s holdS tw the candle in the cei~tr~ tErn tAiON~, L: , fL~ 2 70U lU? SU oPOU~11 OP T*WG~ to get tbeciutofl . e ~8d SWs3ilWithtWOW lO4e on apitlisytodav t!ie wute~, . :i. ~ yoti nner~r wttn you fir j aa~ it~e in regular . . toiMfl 00 IC~ would trees. I.. wtitn ist our p~aes, g ~:. j~ ~ orn family wo$t t the rice fields at in thecotton ~ tTho Len, or tat aoe t of work 414 tbe~ o? They did ai . kinds of work In the floUs, ~

046 043

Co a ~ ~ s ~ : $~ ~ ~ 43, ~ ?la. . . . - . % ~ 15. if the2T ~ bi tt,s tOtS OD *b ift $I* pi1, tt set t vnp!!cljdtb ydO? ~ ~ ~ :1 va s hOur~ taM and M SS~~*g tbi7 tOld ~S t* do, Lkn tis~a Aid : ~~ ~ we n rnai~ ail ~h. tias. ~ 16 ~~ O ~rOt1 t.n~bw ~vn b.~$~ig ta e~i ~ ~ ..~ ~ J1~,,, ~ ~ Yhis ne doue ~s me ~.aains. t tnoiie no psfl tu t$, ~1 M t~ yot2flg peteoz~ bat son 4? WSA aU yon .?. ~ vw *ipp r) 3~ flCtht~? ~ ~. I!~~ ~ ~ ~ y&r~, r~ay to, . i: ~e1~ d~ ti* bOUS WtPt end d~ vtst the tdstnsa told : ~ dot . Is. tien you were a chi$ do :~oiz ns b bmw papi. vp~s eioth o~, run thread, G? $CItSd tt cottes snd., or te1~st cOtton, 01 ~ft~at rort & tag was used the cettis balai? . q00 ~ . . ~ 19. t~ ;~y:)~ renenber flt nort Dt SP tb*7 ~u4? saw 414 ~ got j;jy) lye rot wakt~ ~ tho eoap? . ~ os, 11t3 help t~.t, !si ~e a~fl~ lye ond sott seap~ sever .. . 9oed ~rny cala soap until I n~js bn~ . . inns at 91d th~ use toe 4.ftij tbnad and cloth and bot did they t t~2e cba~t~? ~ ~!h y used tvd$g~ . te lue, eoppens tO? ?IIZaV, Sd ~ ed oak CbXpS for rid. . ~ Li. ; jc3. ~rnup aotlst nA, big, vc~ nebti*e wttb eutsab hflss ~ . ~. ~ (X,: etwh side tor t)s ftngnflt . ~ ~ ~ Yes, and dey itd enllar wooda keels. ~ ~ anyt1nttuptben~ . j ~2. o :~ ~ eat~ber the sy they i~ *Se* by had Sn the eo~~~pt Y, wy at*fr all ~ tut eh)sa an the p1nt~tt~~ a, ~ ~ rct~s~g:~* styla; fl cthtSn f~t~*~* nw~ ?e.cL~. ~:e!~s ainje t4* ~W t iithitlMfl . ~ . Toe, . ). . . ~ ?~. < ~ ~ rexsb~t tn ~siii St haj MMiSp in_t~~ SS ~ e tv!~o~ U~ st ~*4 ~ Sis ad um~ su:. d~fl

047 044

; T~~,Ta~1OV / ~ !~gs~4~~ 44 ja~,F1a. . I ~ ~ . Yea. My Stt~S~ abs .~* e t ~ : ~ * o, t LTh Qfl $1~ betaS tt, ~t n~~s et tS SItS thin tiSe mu tn*s ted ni ttmt~ ~.fl. made t1~ eut of flUt paper and otbea wald itarob their *11*4 stift wttb fla. a~* to saks their sktpts *tn4 ai out. ~ thOM I* ThOR. t~oops :mro jn t. the thing tot aty1*~ ; ~ ~ ~33. ~ t 2Y~1 rmambit wbain yuu first sur :- S tint *LII4SS11? Yes, ~Sy didn t hs~s them tber so . . RG~ ~c ~ re~7i ber **n y u tint ~tiw 1~ d ~rtn~s instead oit bed ?Oj~S? ~ . ~ ; ! slept tn a ~ip~ b~k. ~ w sni. bad a nps bed t~at~ $}~ *ned the rnpe WttS a ein bids, ~ mads ~)9~vr ej~3 c*~ ebtut ~ ~tt;~fl t*t ber. etd ait tI)O ~ ha~p and ebudta up tine and Ott the U*s txtt! t on, The cow hides were p semd on top et the imttrecoes to ~ pr tn tbeoe~ s ~7, :~ ~ did you te the fim~ $ggy end . stat i~1& St ? look Uk*~ It ste ~ e: ~ like ; ~ . ~ ~ 0 ~ \Yfl~il Derffer; ber zr ~iar m*&tr ntsi . . ~ ~ ~Jo. ~ not~ was sold fnn me t z~ I vies nail, t stayed in iiy utcletE et 4 at nict, 2~, ~. ~ ~J3 1 Sti~e~ t) t! flfl ~S11S4 sb4seplat* n ? ~~:;~ hut interus tini~ biatfllL al e qsnts b9pp ftO~ dWrii$ yGfl ~Y)~ ~th, EMC? as ~ber~Ma~e flfl ptning through ys, c2(~tion~: :L~t 704. flt~se e~. irnppain~a a1 what was tL 3 ~eaetian of tits Stbt NSC OSS ~ th~ I ~ o~ter~ba n ~ stade war wiss on. I tsndto tivPs the big sczrit SlisUt? and Sask th shelled eon s ?ce the Ocrntednats eslMLten, They us * to es soin s of the eon and tlfl gas e m ot it to the nidt*n. s ~ ~ tyway the ~ got tans aM tMv did sot c*st s them to got it. Xt as titLe ways ~te VSS !flh s ne)i~b titrottt~ tbeflt Sh ftd St ~ SS!!Mt1 i~fl~ aSI es thougbt S ~ VS ZS bS$S S tt,deatee o ~tk7 s ~tiVK3 dca tiR t *d n bapw as cflJ4 ~ bs~ SSSM L s s ~7Hwyrak, Mz~nk, biin~% . . ~ ~ s U*~p~ tot tha ~ s *0* *07* . s ~ s :itinsh te tl* rn~s ti~k ans of Ssntb *SSU**I?

048 045

. ~ . . ~ s ~ 45 ~ o of neiun te tbsgI~ they wen sa afld$an aseta~jtn~ our sana. Won. t~ ~ ~jt ~ ISt t~ay~9~ .o34~tee an omtngt arid wetd Wtter bids vfl oar food und vslnb3a t!itr~, foe TheyM ttW evoryt!lstg tbsp watteS ~ So n . hoped aS ~ bids t~ tttt~ , itc~~ c1~ Imies ad wnm .tls patates. and cown4. them with cot tan .. so. . sand aU t M, the our tWs fl7 ;1w df(~ tO~ *itd tMaksd tlw, for tl**t !:it~cinos z~nd he set Out eid two et tb. gttle. t~o tat the : tO s tfly, ~4 beten be ~pt b ct.~ attet tM~ fles, ~: ;~e Tanke ur~r oet wp, . . . ~:~ta n~sus bud o: led n. tagetbow and told ne what to OUI. how r 1*; 10v ~ X? tifly ask ~ott vI*t2~ .. ~ . ~ i. . b ti cod to ~t*tt1 yeti taU ~s yeet4 It Mioy ask you if V~?G civo ycu r~eit yOu nay . ye ~ )~ow, tie jnst . . dldkttt 4t arr teoat~ bitt t did, ~Ui~ Z ws4 d Ist *1* ~o~tse,Ziotdtda ttn11a1i ,torXdt4gLtrne.to o wc~ bc~4cd, ant t) flj ROut rnissa te c o~ ~ t ~ yoa kill her, ~n,t ytni teks ~tr nest avny faa iii. . 4~ t ~OJ 3n~rt he D n~t yeti ha her honre dawn. S they t?4~1tod u~ tile stable und cerne o? the ot1~pr ~ itt they tild n t bin mi 1x~ao te hoe S w ~ ~ t) ~1UV the flit of tb* flSt !~& ~b 7 * t*P StOPP 4 t ~ \othtn* met, hones wou1~ 3t~ the ~*ri nil vt-n 4 arc! tbfl GUD !CSV 9F*ILS ~* S~P$t34fl~o ~1~r j ~) m~ airr atiasus upetatn *o ~te ~ 11~ftt goy flon t?~y ca~ t tut IMda and we bsggd **4 Weed ?3t1 1~Bt Then tb~ IcoeM ~ IMt tboy tat saim of u eat), ttz ees mid en of the sa*fl flat ott with the of the it OUn tin, ~*y teck ~ I the tubage tktt van buried SU tbc~ bta and ~nrVth1ZIJ tRay sted. Rat ~ ~ 4j~3 not ban the house and nunsns ne n ... Vs6 . 31 . :1~D ~ OU ~tGa any ~SgtOSS $iO iiiilt*bM ~ O? M*~ . tb MIPtSfl u~iiy? . . w~ . 61% ~ ~2t . .it~ ~ ~OW aftj Ket~ *s s,~tiated in the sasthera .. ~ . axWt ~o H ~o ~).j \~)~i ns~ter jein 1* atadenflt That ~io 10* flflS3bi~: C? E ~ .~g rota fr ~~ ~ wet ~ as he .rnindM ~ killst? 013 h70 boys ant. ~ fl U ~ tid it *ii b!ICk* ~ ~ ~ ~ t

049 046

% . . * :~ 46 3t-~ ;~jd Voll live in ~aniaiS Sn Sins and tb Northn~ . *- toreeB fl~D31~4 t)* oti~i tile staW, aM do y~ rs*bsr the cnltetflt in ~io~* tea ~ fl ~ the ~ii*tatj tn s yflu lived? * ~ a 17e lind north of Sawtiah, Z d&t kt~iaw how ter it * uns, but t t wem tt~ South 0aroitna. ~ ;~Ya, ~ Id ~ ~ t3&StSI~18 hOUSO gfl robbed or bsod dmrtn&j Us tIr-o of Shett~an~ tse~tt . ! ~~ ~r rothtt, tnt the ~GU5G WtS iiot ~z d, ~ ~e sand it toi tSw. L;oe ?:~~~ kInd of ut4t !s did they woar t !ng the dlvii art :~*~3~#xo QIYI ~ t7 s ~7. ~b~t nort of nedtetne was used tu the dt :S JUSt *f t ~ ; tfl ~ tr ? Lbscribe a ~ ~ doctor o? that TNPDiOEI11 : t b ~ usod to take ta oQt of the S~yfl*s $bce String that ~7et7 ~0flt:c n ti~ ar ts&. W~ used i3 .. il aM ti~i*nt .. ~ ~ te, t1ut turperntirn ~ . n,.., . a r J~ b uit~!. t. 10 :- Ott rena. ~be sbont northern people -or Out. stds psop3s iflt7~- r ~ to o. on ~ixntty after MIG ~mz t . :~p ~* ~fl2 ~ ~~ho . t~~jt white folks, I ~ didn go to ~Q~fl )~~ - ~ o. C*\: ~3.j 70 r fBXIIUY S life OOfltPSfl after rSinci~ticn with Ht hc/~taro? ~ . ~ - ~: ~ jt bettor and so did the rest, j C; : .) :t ~ :.~. OV? ctnflhht about po1ittet~1 meetin&e and elixW ~ af~:or the war? * . C) ~*ta)i~ to ian a bietet .. to go to e~troh or the pui&1ie r iis,s ~ ~ I a ) ~ ~ t ~ ~: ~ imyt hing ~ e~rdIng the letten sal stories from . ~: ~ tt?)O nip at d .~ ~rtb attn t)* art ~ ~ -: :tONj Qfly flew oes of 7~a tflWtjfltSfl G S~tQ ~ skilled I ~ -~~at ticqi1sr tisseS wwkt . * 2~. Irk naking abne eS ~ruUure, t~*y bi4 to ~1s nw~t a HtJ~v3y~~jfl~ weU or get fl44~~4, ~ .

A governor's slave. 050 047

FEDERAL WRITERS PBOJECT . ~ . 4 Amen C 8fl Gui d (l~egro Wri tera Uni t) . .~ Monticello, Plorida - Alfred Parrell . Field Worker Slave Interview Compile te J anuary 1 2 1937. 777 Words . r 4 Pages -.~ ~-vwO~t k ~A-V3L Matilda Brooks, 79, who livea in ~Aonticel .o, ~ a., wae once a slave of a South Carolina governor. Mrs. Brooks was born in 1857 or 1858 in Edgefield, S.C. lier parents were Hawkin8 . and Harriet Knox, and at the time of the birth of their daughter were slaves on a large plantaai* .tion;belonging to Governor Frank Pickene. On this plantation were raised cotton, corn, potatoes, tobacco, peae, wheat and truck produet2. AS 80011 aa Matilda wae large enough to go into the fields she helped her parent8 with the farming. The former slave descril3es Governor Pickens as being very good to his slaves. He 8upervised them personally, ~atiicugh offiei~l dutie8 often made thi8 difficult. . He saw to it that their quarters were comfortable and that they a1way~3 had sufficient fo o d. When they became il . he ~vo ul d hjmcelf doctor on them with pille, castor oil, turpentine ~nd ether re~rn djes. Their diet ~ onaiB,ted largely of pote. tce~, Corn bread, syrup, greefl8, peaa, and occasionally harn~ f() :t~, ~j other meats or poultry. ~eir chief beverage wae COf:ee made frout parched corn. 4~

051 048

Slave Interview ~ . i~1fred Farxell ~ ~ . ~ Monticello, RLa. Page 2 ~ 48 ~ FEC Sinc there were no stovee during ~1avery, they cooked their ooda in large iron pot8 suspended from rack8 built into the firep1ace~. Fried food8 were prepared in iron 1~pj~ t, large frying pans wi th lege. The se p ans were p . aced over hot ooa1~, and the season1n~ wae done with salt which they secured from evaporated aea.~water. After the food wa~ fried and~ while the coals were till glowing the fat of oxen and sheep was melted to make candles. Any grea$e left over was put into a large box, to be u8ed later for eoap~making. Lye for the soap was obtained by putting oak ashea in a barrel and ouring water over them. After standing for several day8 ~ until the ashes had decayed ~ 1~les were drilled into the bottom of the barrell and the liquid drained off, This liquid was the lye, and it was then trickled into the pot into which the fat had been placed. The two were then boiled, and after cooling cut into squares of soap. Water for cooking and other purposes was obtained from a well, which al 80 served as a refrigerator at times. M~. tilda does not recall seeing ice untilmany years later. In the evenings Matil da a mo thor woul d weave c~o th on hei ~ enny and an inprovi sed loom. This cloth was SC;1etj~es dyed in YariaU8 colora blue from the indigo plant; :~e11 ~ fror the cro cue and brown from the bark o f the . red oak. Cther colors were Obt9.lned from berries and other plant~.

052 049

Slave Interview ~ Alfred Parrell Page 3 . Monticello, P2~a. p~ij ~ 49 In sea8ons other than picking~time for the cotton the children were UsUally allowed to play in the evening8. When cotton crope were large, however, they spent their eve~iings picking out eeeds from the cotton boUe, in order that their parents might work uninterruptedly in the fielde during the day. The cotton, after being picked and aeparMed, would be weighed in balance ~nd packed tightly in crocust bage, Chicken and goose feather8 mere jealously saved dt~. rin these days. Thiey were ueed for the rnattre ae8 that reek. ted on the bede of wooden 82at8 that were built in cornere against the welle. Hoop akirts were worn at the time, but fc~r how long afterward Matilda does not r~nember. ~ie only reca11~ that they were di a~ppearing about 4the tinie I saw a windxx~j11 for the first time . The coming of the Yankee eoldiers created. much excit~ ment among the slave2 Ofl the Picken8 ~.antation. The slaves ~: were in ignorance of activiti s going on, and of their a~. Pruach, but when the firs~ one was si~ited the news 8pread just like dry grass burning U ~ hill . Despite the kind~ ne ~ of Governor Pickens the sLaves were h~py to claim their new~~ freedoms Some of them even ran away to join the ~r~ern armie s before they were officially freed. Some a~ terr ;t~a to shoe their loyalty to their old owners by joining the L~o~thern armies, but in this section they were not per~

053 050

Slave Interv iew . AUred Farrell ~ ~ Pa~. ~4 ~-~ M nticello, ~La. p~c nutted to do $0. . . ~ After she was relea$ed from slavery Matilda came ~ her parent8 to the Monticello section, where theKnoxeB be~ cz~ne paid house 8ervants. The parenta took an active part in politic$ in the section, and Matilda was sent t~ Bchool. Thi te teachers operated . the school e at first, and were later rep1~ced by Negro teachers. Churches were opened with Negro ministers in the pulpits, and other neceasities of con~nunity life eventually came to the vicinity. ~ Matilda still lives in one of the ear1ierhom~s of her parents in the area, now de8cribed a8 Rooster.Town by it~3 re$idents. The section is ~in the eastern part of Mont~ Cello.

054 051

Slave Interview ~ ~1fred Farrell . Monticello, ~a. ~ Bage 5 P~c BIBLIOGRAPHY . __-D-~_ --~~-w--~ Interview with subject, Matilda Brook2; Roostei~Town , eastern part of city, Monticello, Jefferaon County, ~ a,

"Father" Charles Coates. 068 065

~.; j . V ~ .4 FEDERAL ~RIT~RS PROJECT American Guide,(Negro IV~ters Unit) . Jacksonville, Florida Viola B. Muas Slafe Interv1~w Field~Worker ~ Decen~bex 3, 1936 Coniplete 1,888 Words ~ ~ 8 Pages Father Charles Coatee Father Charles Coates, aa he j s call ed by all who know hirn, was born a slave, 108 years ago at Ricbmond, Virginia, on the plantation of a man named L1Angle. His early boyhood days was apent on the L Angle pla e filled. with duties euch a~ minding hogs, cows, bringing in wood. and euch light work. Hie ~rearing apparel consisted of one garment, a shirt made to i each belowtlie knees and with threequarter a~leeves. He wore no 8hoes until he was a man past 20 years of agee Th~ single garment was worn suznmer and winter alike and the change in the weather did. not cause an extra aniount of clothes to be furnished for the slaves. They were required t~ n.~ovc about so fast at work that the heat from the body was ~U.fficient to keep them warm. When Charles was still a young man Mr. L Angle sold iiir~ oj~ time payment to WB.~ Hall; who several years before the Civil ;TTar moved from Ricbmond to Washington County, Georgia, Cara: ~ ing 135 grown slaves and many children. Mr Hall made C ~arjee his carriage driver, which kept him from hard labor, 0~er slaves on the plantation performed such dUties as rail

069 066

1I~ ~ Slave Interview Page 2 ~ Viola 13. Muse ~ ~ FEC JackBOflViIIe, Florida splitting, digging up trees by the roots and other hard work, Charles Coatee remembers vividly the cruelties practiced on the Hall plantation. His duty was to see that all the slaves reported to work on time. The bel . was rung at 5:30 a.rn. by one of the elaves.(Charles had the ringing of the bell for three years; this was in addition to the carriage dziving. He tells with laughter how the slaves would ~grab a piece o! meat and. bread and run to the field as no time was allowed to sit and eat breakfast. This was a very different way from that of the master he had before, as Mr. L Anglet was much better to his slaves. Mr. Hall ~aa different in many ways froni Mr. L Angle, He was always pretending . says Charles that he did not want his slaves beaten un~eroifully. Charles being close to ~r, Hal . during work hours had opportunity to see and hear much about what was going on at the plantation. Andhe believes that ~r, Hall knew just how the overseer dealt with the slaves. On the Hall plantation there was a contraption, simiJar to a gallows, where the Blaves were suspended and whipped. At the to1: of thiB device were block8 of wood with chains run through ~ole~ and high enough that a slave when tied to t~e chains by his Iifl~e~s would barely touch the ground with his toes. This was done E~O that the slave could not shout or twist hie body while being ~thiPPed. The whippi~~wae prolinged until the body of the slave s Covered ~ ith Wb~1PB and. bloodtrickled down hie naked body.

070 067

D Slave Interview . Page 3 0~ 6~7 Viola B. Muse . Jacksonville, Florida Women were treated in the same manner and a pregnant ~ woman received no more leniency than did a man, Very often after a eevere flogging a slave s body was treated to a bath of water containing salt and pepper 00 that the pain would be more lasting and aggravated. The whipping was done with sticks and a whip called the 0cat o nine tails,~ meaning eve:y lick meant nine. The cat o nine tails was a whip of nine e1~rape attached to a stick; the straps were perforated so that everywhere the hole in the strap fell on the flesh a blister was left. The treatnient given by the overseer was very terrifying. He relates how a slave was put in a room and locked up foi two and~three dAys at a time without water or food, because the overseer thought he hadn t done enOugh work in a given tiri~ie. Another offense whichbrought forth severe PUfli,Bh ~ ment wa~ that of crossing the road to another plantation. A whiPsping wae given and very often a slave was put on starvation for a few days. One priv,~aege given slaveson the plantation was appreciated by all and that was the opportunity to hear t~e word of c~, The white peoplegathered in log and sometimes frame ~ and the slaves were permitted to sit about the church yard On wagons and on the ground and. 1i te~ to the preaching. ehen : the slaves want d to hold church they had to get special permission fro~~ the r~aater, and at that time a slave hut was used. A white Preacher was called in and. he would preach to th~ r~ot to steal,

071 068

Slave Interview ~ Page 4 ~ Viola B. Muse ~ FEC Jacksonville, Florida. . . lie or rim away and. . be eure and git all dem weeds outen dat corn In de field and yot~ master will think a heap of you. Charles does not remember anything else the preacher told them about God. They learned more about God wh n they eat outside ~the oh~irch waiting to drive their mastere and family back home. ~ Charles relates an incident of a slave named Sambo who thought himself very smart and who courted the favor ~of the master. The neighboring slavee screamed so loudly while being whipped that Sanibo told his master that he knew how to make a contraption which, if a Blave waa put into wh ~e being whipped would prevent him from ~iaking a no i se The devi ce waa made of two blocks of wood cut to fit the head and could be fastened around the neck tightly. When the head WaB put in ~the upper and lower parta were clamped together around the neck so that the slave could not scream, The same effect se choking. The atomach of the victim was placed over a barrel which allowed freedom of movement Then the lash was administered and th slave wiggled, the barrel moved. Now it so happened that Sambo was the first to be put intohis own invention for a whipping. The overseer applied the lash ratherheavi .y~and Sambo was compelled to wiggle his body to relieve his feelings. In wiggling the barrel under his stomach rolled a bit straining Sanibo s neck and breaking it. After Sambo died from his neck being broken the master discontinued. the use of the device, aehe saw the lose of property.in the death of slaves.

072 069

Slave Interview Page 5 Viola B. Muee FEC Jacksonville., Florida . . Charles *ae still a carriage driver when freedom came. He had. opportunity to aee and hear many thinge ab ut the s private life . When the news o~ the advance o ~ the Union Army came, Mr.~ Hall carried his money to a. secluded spot and buried it in an Iron pot so that the soldiers who were con fiscating a . . the property and money they could, would not get his money. The slave owners were required to notify the slaves that they were free so Mr. Hall sent hie eon Sherard to the cabins to notify all the slaves to come Into ~ his presence and there he had his eon to tell them that they were fr~JThe Union soldiers took much of the slave owners property and gave to the slaves telling them that if the owners took the property back to write and tell them about it; the owners only laughed because they knew the slaves could not read nor write. After the soldiers had gone ~ the timid and scared slaves gave up moat of the land; some few however, fenced in a bit of land. while the soldiers remained in the vicinity and they managed to keep a little of the land. Many of the slaves renamed with the owners. There they worked for small monthly wages and took whatever was left of ca8t off clothing and food and whatever the sold miesue gave them. A pair of old pants of the maete~ was highly prized by them. Charles Coates was glad to be free. He had been well taken oare of and looked younger than 37 years of age at. the close of slavery. He had not been married; had been put upon the block twice to be sold after belonging to Mr. Hall. Each time he was

073 070

Slave Interview ~ ~ . Page 6 Viola B. Muse FEC !~ 7() Jacksonville, Florida offered for sale, his xnaatez wanted so~ much for him, and~re..~ fueing to sell him on time payments, he was always left on hie master s hands. His n~aster said. being tall, healthy and. robust, he was well worth much money.~ After slavery, Char 3es was rated as a good. worker. He at onoe began working and saving his money and in a short time he had accumulated around $200. . The first sight of a certain young woman caused him to fal . in love. He says the love was mututal and after a oourtsh~ of three weeks they were married. The girl s mother told. Charles that she had always been~ .very fra~ll, .bU~ he did. not know that she had oons~unption. Within three deys after they were married she died and. her death caused much grie(for Charles. ~ He was reluctant to bury her and wanted to continue to stand and louk at x~er fao . A white doctor and a school teacher whoae.names he does not remember, told him to put his wife s body in alcohol t~ preserve it and he could look at lt all theO time. At that time white people w~o had plenty of mpney and. wanted to see the faces of their deceased used this method. A glass casket was used and the dressed body of the deceased was placed in alcohol inside the casket. Another casket made of wood held the glass casket and the whole was placed in a vault made of stone or brick. The walls of the vault were left about four feet above the ground and a window and ledge were

074 071

Slave Int rview Page 7 ~ ViolaB. Muee ~ ~EC Jacksonville, Florida. . placed in front, eo when th~ c~aket waa placed inside of the vault the bereaved cold lean upon the ledge and look in at the face of the de eaeed. The wooden casket was provided with a glaea top part of the way so thatthe face could easily be seen, - Although the process of preserving the body in ai oh~ . cost ~16O, Charles cUd not regret the expense sayin~, ei hp.d plenty of money at that time. After the death of his wife, Charles left with ~ e his mother and father, Henrietta and Spencer Coatee and went t Savannah, Georgia. He said they were so glad to go, that they walked to within 30 miles of Savannah, when they sap a man driving a horse and wagon who picked them up and carried them into Sa vannah. It was in that city that he met k~s present wife, Irene, and they were married about 1876. There are nine grandchildren and e ight great-~grandchildren living and in March of 1936, when a party was given inhonor of Father Coatea 108th birthday, one of each of the four generations of his family were present. The party was given at the Clara White Mission, 615 West Ashley $treet by Ertha M~M~ white. Father Coates and hie wife were very much honored and each spoke encouraging words to those present. On the occasion he said that the cause for hie long life was due to living close to nature, rising early, going to bed early and not di e4pating in any way. He can shout ~ ( jumping

075 072

Slave Interview Page 8 ~ 72 Viola B. Muse Jacksonville, Florida ~ about a foot and a half from the floor and. knocking hie heels together.) He does chores about his yard; looks years younger than he really is and enjoys good health. His hair is partly white; his memory very good and his chief delieght is talking about God and hie goodness. He has preached the gospel in~hia humble way for a number of years, thereby gaining the name of Father Coatee. 4

076 073

FEDERAL WRI TERS PROJECT American Guide,(Negro ~itere Unit) Jacksonville Flor ida 73 Viola B. Muse Field Worker Complete Slave Interview December 3, 1936 REFERENCE I. P rsonal interview with Charles Coates 2015 Windle Street, Jacksotville, Florida

Irene Coates. 077 074

~ & FEDEBAL WRITERS PROJECT Amer loan Guide (Negro Wr I t er Un t t ) 74 jaokaoriville Florida Viola B. Mu9e Slave Interview Field Worker Deoember 16, 1936 Complete 1,143 Words 5 Pagea ; 1i~~. ~ Immediately after slavery in the United States, the southern white people found themselves without servants. Women who werl accustomed to having a nurse, maid, cook and laundreas sound themselves without auffio lent money to pay wages to all theae. There waa a great amount of work to de done and the great problem confronting married women who had not been taught to work and who thought it beneath their etanding to soil their hands, found it very diffio lt. ~ There were on the other hand many Negro women who needed work and. young girls who needed guidance and tr~.in~.ng~. ~ The horns ana guiaaxice or tfle aristooratio white people offered the best opportunity for the dependent un sohooled freed women; and it was in this kind of home thatthe ex slave child of this story was reared. Irene Coates oZ 2015 Wind.le Street, Jacksonville, Florida, was born in Georgia about 1859. She was close to six years o.f a~e when freedom was declared, She was one among the many Negro children who had the advantage of living under the direct supervision o~ kind white

078 075

75 Slave Interview Page 2 Viola B. Muse. ~EC Jacksonville, Florida and. receiving the care whi h could only be excelled by an educated mother. ~ Jimmi and. Lou Bedell were thei~amea Of the m~n and wife who saw the n ed of having a Negro girl come into their home as one In the family and at the same time be assured of a good andefficient servant in years to come. . When Lrene wa~o1d enough, she became the ~ of the Bedeil baby and when the family left Savannah, Georgia to oome to Jacksonville, they brought Irene with th~. . Although Irene was just about six years old when the Civil War ended, she has vivid recollection of happenings during slavery. Some of the incidents which happened were told her by her slave associates after slavery ended and some of them she remembers herself. T;To incidente which she considers caused respect for slaves by their masters and finally the Emancipation by Abraham Lincoln she telle in this order, The first event tells of a young, strong healthy Negro woman who knew her work and did. it well.1 She would ~rab up t wo bags o f guana ( fer t I li z er ) and. to te em at one t ime ~ aal d Irene, and was never found shirking her work. The overseer on the plantation, was very hard. on the slaves and practiced striking them across the back with a whip when he wanted to spur them on to do more work,

079 076

Slave mt ervleir ~ ~ Page 3 ~ Viola B. Muee ~ ~ ~EO ~ Jacksonville ~ Florida . Irene says, one day a crowd of women were hoeing in the field and. the overseer rode along and struck one o~ the women across the back with the whip, and the one neareat her spoke and said, tha ~ i~ he ever struck her like that, it would be the day he or~ she ~u1d dte. The over seer heard the remark and the ~ first op portunity he got, he rode by the woman and. struck her with the whip and started to ride on. The woman iae hoeing at the time, she whirled around, struck the overaeer on lits head with the hoe, knock ~h4~ Ing him from his horse, Bhe then pounced upon hia and chopped his head off. She went mad. for a few seconds and proceeded to chop and mutilate his body; that done to her satisfaction, she then killed hie horse. She then calmly went to tell the mas~~r of the murder, saying I ve done killed de overseer. the master replied 1Do you mean to say you ye killed the overeeer7 she answer ed ye s and. that she had. killed thehoree also, Without hesitating, the master point~. Ing to one of his small cabine on the plantation aaid-~ ~You see that house over there? ehe answered yes at the same time looking Well said he, take all your belongings and move into that house and you are free from ~ thi e day and if the mi stress wants you to do anything for her, do it if you want to. Irene related with much warmth the effect that incident had upon the future treatment of the slaves. The other incident ocoured in Virginia. It was upoii an occasion when Mrs. Abraham Lincoln was visiting in Richmond. A woman elaveowner had one of her slaves whipped in the presence of Mrs. Lin

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Slave Interview page 4 Viola B. MuBe . . FEC Jacksonville, Florida coin. It waa eaaily noticed that the woman was an expectant mother. Mre. . Lincoln was ~orrified~ at the situation and. expressed herself as being 80, saying that she was going to tell the Prea~ ident as soon as she returned to the White House. Whether this ~noident had any bearing upon Mr. Lincoln s sotions or not, those slaves who were present and Irene says that they ail believed it to be the beginning of the President s activities to end slavery. Besides these incident , Irene remembers that women who were not strong and robust were given such work as sewing, weaving and minding babies. The cloth from which the Sunday clothes of the slaves was made was called aueenbur~and the elave women were very proud of this. The. older women w~i e required to do most of the weaving of cloth and. making shirts for the male slaves. The n an old. woman who had been sick,. regained her strength, she was sent to the fields the same as the younger ones. The ones who could cook and tickle the palates of her mistress and master were highly prized and were seldon if ever offered ~or sale at theatotion block. The slaves were given fat meat and bread made of husk of corn and wheat. This caused them to steal food, and when caught they were severely whipped, . Irene recalls the practice of blowing a horn whenever a sud,den rain came. The overseer had a certain Negro to blow three times and if shelter could be found, the slaves were expected to seek it until the rain ceas d.

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Slave Interview ~ Page 5 ~ 78 Viola B. Muse ~ ~ Jacksonville, Florida. j The master had. ahed~e built at intervals on the plantation. These acoomodated. a goodly number; if no shed was available the Blaves stood under treeB. Ifneither waa handy and. the slavea got wet, they could not ~o to the cabine to change clothes for fear of losing time from work. This was often t~ie case; she aays that slaves w re more neglected tha~~ the cattle. Another custom which impreseed. the child mind of Irene was the tieing o~ slaves by their thtnibs to a tree limb and whipping t hem Women and young gir I a we ri treated the ea~ne as we re men. After the Bedells took Irene to live in their home they traveled a deal. After bringing her to Jacksonville, when Jackson- ville was only a small port, they then went to Camden County, Georgia. Irene married while in Georgia and caine back to Jacksonville with her husband Charles, the year ofthe !i~~ke at Charleston, South Carolina, about 1888. Irene arid~ Charles Coates have lived in Jacksonville since that time. She relates many tales of happenings during the time that this city grew from a town of about four acres to its present status. Irene is the mother of five children. She has nine grand children and eight great grandchildren. ~ Her health is fair, but her eyesight is poor. It is her delight to entertain visitors and, is conversant upon matters pertaining to slavery and reconstruction days,

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FEDERAL WRITERS . PROJECT American ~uide,(Negro Writers Unit) jaokaonviil e Florida Slave Interview Deo~mber.16, 1936 Viola B. Muse Field ~ rker Comple te O I. Irene Coates, 2015 Windle street, Jacksonville, ylorida

Neil Coker. 083 080

49. 80 ?WERAL wRZttit ?RO3EO? Am rloan Guide, (Ne~ro Wrttere~ Unit) ~ Jacksonville, Florida ?~artin D Ridhrtrdeon ~ . Grandin, florida. ~ Field Worker . . Slave Interfln Complete . g Pagea . fl65 Words . . ~ WEIL corza . SI 1* fl S- ~r. t:-nn,ia.st . . lnts* eattng tales otthe chan&s.s that oaa*to the section of ~ Florida that ie situated dong the rutnam.Cia~: . . County lines are told by Nett Coker1 *34 former Slave wbo lives two rules south of PaRS, on the. rond Grandin. Coker is the eon of ~ et4~e mother and a h&U.MQgrO. Fj~ t ther, he states, was S nator John W . all, who held a seat in the: 3enate for sixteen ~ ye~ .~. re, Re tas born in Vtrflnia, tug received hie t~ily naine rrorn &n c4.d rantly bearing the same na, in that state. Hens born, as niarly t a he Can rernbmber, abbut 185?, . . . j! One of Coker s tiret remtniscenoes te of the ro~4 o,, vhtch he still lives, Th~rIr~ his thtldhood twa known # the. 1fleflavty Road, so c~ii1td becuase tt n b~ilt, eor* . .132 ~.~are ago, kr EI ! ~fl of that na~, who hatted frot* West,~ ?lorl a, . . . : ~ The ellszny RoAdt~ was at one Urns the main route ot 1 . . 28708. .~ I ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ L ~ ~ . : ~ T

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81 traffic between Tallahassee and St, Au~.ustine0 (intereet~. ing .y enough, the road is at least 30 miles southwest of St. Aur~ustine where it passc~e throug~i Grandin; the reason for cutting it in such a wide circle, Cokor says was because of the ferocity of the Seminoles in the swamps north and ~zeet o~ St. Augustine. ~ ~!a~ons, carriages anc stages passed along this road. in the days betor the War J~3etween the 3tates, Coker says. In addition to these he o.lainig to have seen many travellers by foot, and not infr quently furtive e3c~oed s1~vee, the latter ~ueually under cover of an~ appropriate backgr~ und of ~.ar1:~ese. ~ ~ The road again c~ime thto considerable use during the late days of the ~Var. It was d~uring these days that ~he . Fe~ern.1 troo~E, both ~thites and Ne~roes,passe~ in seemingly enc~le5s Droce~sIon on their~way to or ~ rorn encounters0 On one OOcaSi Thn the rorr~cr slave recounts having seen a procession of sold1~~rs that took nearly twodays to ~s~ they travelled on hor~e an afoot. Several amusin~ incidents are related by the ex~ slave of the events of this perioi~., Dozens of the Negro ~cI~iE?rs~ he says, discarded their uniforme ror the ~udier

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s . . s ~ 82~ olothins that hat belon wd to th ir masto!s lt tome? ttaye, and uld be ldentifted ae salAten as they passed only with ditfloulLy. Others wcttld pause on their trip at some piemtatbn, ascertain thenaTne of the meanest~ overseer on the ptaoe, ~ . . then tte him thekward on a ~ horse and force litai to aooonparij them, Particularly retributive were the punishnents vtstted upon flessrs, tkYe and Prevatt. ~ ct~enera1Ir neo~Inzed as the rost vicious e ~.ve drivers of the seotton, ~ . Rellatny, Coker says buttt the road wiSh slave labor ttnd ne an investment, !oa1tz1~ much money on thus on it for many years4 A SiISrk able reature of the toed is thAt deeptte Its nge and the tact that County authorities have parrnttted Ste toner good ~rndtn~j.. to deterlerate to an. alrnoat4rnPaseable saM~ (Lt $OTN? BeaSOPS, there is n mtstakin~ the tact that this ra once ~ ma~jor~ thoroughfare, . ~ - The reflon ~at stretches from Creen Cove Spfln~a .~ ~ ... in the Northea t to Grandir in the ic thwest, the totter slave ~.. claims, was onoe dotSd il Ui lakes, creeks, and even a few or the lakes and none Qf the other bodies e~tlt adat,. s however, ~ ~ . t . Mnongthe more notable et the bodies ofwater was a streszn s he don notnow remember Ste n~ne ~ that ran for a~t ~ 2 O mites tfl an easterly direottan rrmn Starte, tiLts etr~ ~a one of the fr~ skat that the former flan can remember having eee~ in Flortda; its power was utiflaodror the turntn~ ot a t*Wer

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J / . - /~ - mill which he $tievss ..rouM e i n~ or othersratn, The tafle in the river th4t turne the wfler mill, he statee~ as at least five or six t~et high, aM at one point tiMer the Laits a man named (or poeetbtj ntcNnend) !ar*ee operated a sa*~ nfl. Cotter believes that this mitt, too, derived itl vower from the little stream, 14e says that the streaM has been extinct 8inee ht reached marthoo& It er~ed. in %rub ThM, - beyond Grandin and Starke, - - Some of the names of the cl ~ 4 3J~k~S et the -section were theset kThooktyn Tske; ~gro1M Lake; &4dier Pond (near- reystone); Ralts?$oon Pond, near Putm nEZ; Ntsk!e j~, ~em ~ others. On one of them wi-s the Lars! grist mUt of ~ Ut rfl Coker suggests tMt tjzlsflshtbethe oflfln Gf the toivn of MeRs or t~ie nreaont pertod, . - . To add to its n~iuru1 wate! facilities, cokerpoints ou t, t.DadfoZ d Qounisy ai so had a oan4. This canal nui from the jnt~r1or of the county to the St, John s River near flreen Cove Bpring , and with ~!sndartn on the otheraide of the -river silt a fllfljot ehippin point, the cana . bandtett sich of the cosex~n of Bradrord and Clay Counties, - . - Cotter rec~i--e vivi&tj the Indtans of the - area. in the dajs before t 7O~ These, ha olaims to have bean friendly1 but. - rnened; te1I~e h~- d ea not recall any of The XndianLw e . - Negr~- staves -from the teflon &rt~--fld St. Aug---*ttne ~ . : and what is St }lS4tinfl und. to espape &4 use 8o-fla~ ~ s FLOWS on their way to the - arTh~~- - alx*st $0*tlOfl n was ~ - - - -

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eea~84 equivalent to vreedoi to reach that. section, with its friendLy Indtans and impenetrable forests and swamns, The little town of roirose yvobably had tM most unusual name of all the etrangp ones prevalent at the time, It ra sailed, very siripi,y, 8hnkeeIa~ 00kw makes no ettort to OXflJSifl the appolati ii. . . e

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.sr L~ ~ 1 d ~ 85 ~c34~. F~1 ~1AL W~T~5~ ?R \~OT t~er~oan Gutde ( ~!e~ro ~irt tore Prit t) Jacksonvtlle, F1ort&~ ~art1n r ~ ~tIc~v~deon rlr)id ~~or~r~r 14 Tht~rv1ew wtt)~ ~ubjoct, Neil cer, rr~ndt~, Putn~ ~otinty.

Young Winston Davis. 089 086

flDtM1~ vAntAs ~~jtct ~ Miertoon Gut4o~ t$esro Writer. Unit) s Jaakeonttfle, florida Ilaohel Austin Stave Interview . t oretafl s JaoksGntLU Oomptete . . 6~ Pa~ee 1,343 Words ~ ax~1~SNt~tM!Lt ~ roun,~ Winston Davis states that be vas bort in Osant, Alabama, Surie 28, 1855 on the plantation ot Ohartee Davis who ~ owned about ~ seven )I**nArGA siavee and ~ was considered ~ ext wea1thy~ KI ndnesc . and consi4eration for hIs slaves, made them love him, ; I ~ . . % . Reverend Dafle waS rsQ~r youj~ during he years in slivery but when he was asked ~to tell a etbtn~ about the d~e of SiftVeX7, reptiedt X remember many thin ~a abqut uianry, tut know they Will flot corne to tne rn nnay, 1,11 teil what ~I ecu, think ott . . ~ ~ . . - .$ .~ I . . %i~~ tella at the use of iron pots~ flrep3aces ~tth r de u et~ to hold the pots atove the tire for cooking peas, rice, gtal, meats, tt ~ ; the hoas4nado oottee Wo ~ meal, irflr~. nnd welt water, tAnflt% o *hide tor leather, *pin ing of thread from cotton and the wav1nj~ bas, ~ ~ . ~ -. . ~ !Sten ne ~o 4~fterenoe,~ he ~te~ *ft~ the ~~mafl. ~ of men and women for WG*; n parents v~%e4 tiDy ban ant sos n did sottie $tbe that we w~*4d tht$ then siay toc u~tzvj un; why \ ~ j ~ : A ~r ! ~ s

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a try mother h.t~ biUd s raflroad before abe waS aarrt d to my Pz~tbsr,. My motherts tt~V~ h siaM was *alt any (rota berg shuo1~s, . some ot the masters dSdn t este. hot they treated buSs . bande, wives, :perente an4 children; any of them mip)tt~ bi e pftflia ted from the other, A good pflce tot a n%g er use 8i8OO on, ctovn and. if one was what was c4slled a sta1Ito~ (healthy), able to e t plenty ebtidren he would )rtnj; abmt SaSoo. . . . . They had what ne called lejaljnoney s some ot it tutsuesa it was lnrned * n t lost ~ house by tin a Zew years atio, ~ . . ~ !Ti~w, my master had three bo~e aM two @rls; his wife, !itsabeth, was atnut Ukethe ..tnaxl,rnlLsnsg ?ZastAr . Da!te was good, but positive; . he dt6ntt allow other whites to bothrr hLI slaves, ~ . s ~ . When the ~wa? CaRte, his two thysi went tiret, final 7~asthr Thsvis went; he art one s~ri. never. r~ttzrmd, ... . $1mo Yankees killed cows, eth~ se th y went along tnt did not destroy~ any property tr~*&nd where I was0 We had pret ~chere ar4 d~ootore, butno schools; the Wb&%e~, preachers told us to fr*y tnxi would z ea the Bible (ihiob we could not understand) cwtd told us nob to steal s~s, Most of th ~ect~i p usetl boite from the woqda nt~ 04unt Jane0 arid Uncle Bob0 nt s ~ known toi, ustn 64%$S& S Snake 1 bett, s shoe~stn.nt~ ter atott~eb troubtee .*H t~v~~ Myrtl~~ tor tevers~ *hSV* ~$Od 1*11e ohtie,ityoucanmt%%. # ~ . . . . ~

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. ~ . t . . H I m, nt flr ~L4n t hive a chance to ~tt in politics dtzrtng stavsfl, bat after Emanaipatton, he went tam diatety tnto the Rerubjt ~tri Fartfl a few tnto the Daocnttc,PartY; then . were many other parties, too . ~ . . . ~ . ~ T1~e n~it~flona were V~thodin rind liapttet; my master ~ waS Eaptiet and that a what t air; we coulA attiM chur~t but ~ ~ dare not try. to get any education, lese we punished wtth etnpa, ~ There are~sany thIngs t rerneinborjust ltke.lt was~ yeflerday .4-. the ceneral p~intehtnent was with etrsp ~ some at the sinves uflere4 tentt~y n the ptantattons; if the mnste~ ne poor rnt% bat :~* he ne n~ean ~ the mot~e naitiw or ~~ : slstvee h had~ the bett7r he was~ In some cessa ft tes the general 1t~w thatmad soute o$ the Masters as Uzey wer ; aa~ the, law required them th have ~ an nverseer or foreman (be ni Catted Those mann) by the 1niggers i~nd usustly carne t!oat the tower ~ t p ;oreD class e of whites; he dtdn t~ tltke . ~.~geflt iaeuaflly and took nuthor ity to do as h . e pjeased with them~ at ttrn s~ S~ plantatians preterrett arid did hne nigger riden :th . ut ir fl. ~ nezt to the Qver*seer or foreman, but tMy were liked better than the ferewan t~nd in ny thetanon wtwe treated like tGreiner but the tat would nOt l t them becafled i onmei~ . Some .. of the mt~sters stood between the ~ ~fl1FL ~ ~er riderst . aM forain ~nM some C tSO9~ the nig~ertwae PQ0U7 boss, . The p4ithaente, as i: ~ said were ~j~j: ace anwn ~ . wouLd ha$ the flaires up by both thuabs ~ Ut t their ton just

092 089

. 2 . . 89 touchfl the f1o r~ ~men and then, aflke. 1%ny eitwes ran away; ~ others were toned ~ 1~y their tVM ~4UerIt to do ail flit~ Jr mean thtnijs, $ome elans would dig deep holes aLong the, routo.pt the Patr~I1en an&thetr boises soutdtaiI Sn soie.- times bnakint~ the lets of the b ret, an or 3aj of the *141v; Sottie slaves thok ~ of the protection thetrnaatet. would i4ve them with the overseer or other UntAtton oeSrI., would d* their dsvilmcnt and ~ $ ~ to their maten :who $td not allow s mai fron. anothe~ . plantation to bother hts ehm, ~ I have known pregnantwamen to ~o ten mtle~ to help 4 ornai devilm nt0 My mother was a vers flrong womtn (ae t 142 i$ te hetpet bUUS s r eSlroad), and ~lt that eM could w)4p a~y oMtna4 flan, would not ~et a passport unten she fett UKe tt$ once s&mn CAught r another plantation vtthCut a ~passpoVt1 she, had aU of. us with her, made all of the chiLdren ria, :tut touldnt z unhOr~ self .~ somehow ehe .went upetreaa, ont et. *e men!e b*i+s. ten wu broken rind ehe toUt him oome And gat me but ahi kflew ~ master allowed no one to camS en hie plafl to witeh lite ~ J. ~ y father wts~ t blackpnith. and made the ohatre used for stocka, (like hn~ndoufl ) ~ueed on legs ~ aM banc .. ii~ The slave. were roroed to lay flat on thoir,ba*s.andnre ~ don to~ the board nvtde tor tha4urpoee; tj~~yjai~ ten ~ ~s houpa, ~ . sometimes throu~b~ rain . and cold; ht ~ hojl& and groa~ 1~zt.. I . f s . t~st did not always get him reteased . 0m. j~aie be me badly $Pc# then; some Ne~d wothen t. s

093 090

90 were ~orOed into ~esoci~tio~i, &xiie ~~ere ~beo~ten al~oat to Thath becauSE) they re~ used~ The P~o~ ~en .. c~rre not bother or even ~r;oa~: tIC) aorne u~! their wo~ien~ ~ . In one I: ~tanoe an o~rner o~ a plantati m thr~atoned a ~ic~ ~ro ~1th~r o 6~7er.theai~t; che t~d ~iri rind he went oryin~., to this or~rier ~iho ~ turned threatonec.~ hirn ~~nd PX ~Obfl~b2Py did hit ~the kiornan ~traii~ht to htEi r~r~t~~r this 3w0!thon.rt went an~~ when he fintohed ~r~ ~ tory, 4~is nt~tster i~~ntr~cd1ate1y toQk ht~ toa~r~ and drove to th~ o~ . ~ P13,flt~tt0fl *1 drove t~o f~st th~t. one of his horoes dropped de~c1; w;~n the o~r~r carne out h&~ lev~11ed ti doublo.~barrel ~ Un ~ i~~trn ~nd chot hirr deact~ kTo, euh; some r~eter~ ~~1AI. riot nflow :Tou to bother t~1e~ ~1 tv~,s, ~ liA peculiar ot~e ~ that ot Old Jirr~ who lived on anothr ~:?an~atton wac 1c~t to 1oo~ out for the tires ~ do oth~r c~orea ~ro~nd the ~:ousc t h~le n.Lu~t r was at ~mr~ A bn,d rw~r opread, ,~n(~ do ~you knotr those rr~ean devils, ov~rsoero or near by plantations c~o otit, and ~ot ~er dUt~ . C deOp nob, ~~nd desrite her criee~, b~iried :~.er ~ip to her nook .~ not~1n~z. wets lert o~t but her head and. ~air. A cr~ wd o 3roun~:; ~ boy3 ~a~ jt a Il arid I was one anon~ ~ the crowc th t holr~d c1i~ her outs ROh, thc~~.*et~3 ~, iot,~ fl~O~E~ I knovz but suet ornt Cet it tc~ et~er. y t~)otLer~ c ~ar~c wr ~ CarOline an~t r~y f~tther j:~,trjo~,; all took thc~ name of D vis from our mt~ter~ There were thirteen o!~iildren ~ I nr~ the orly on~ ~:ltve.0 re r~W1S appears ~elI. preserved ior ~is ~ he ~ta

094 091

. . s88s_~t 91 most of his teeth aw~ LI eU&itly ~rfl; I4I heaLth sees to be OO4~ aithough he it a cripple and ass a cani for nlkins always; this ow4itLon . he . beitnea is th result of ~n atMet. of xteurnattern, . . ~ ~ I He te a preachn ~4 has paflored in Alabsm tens arid flortds, ~ He ~iae had. aeveral yearS of tfltntn~ tn pttb3SG schools and under rnintater~. ~ . ~ ~ . ~ # . T ~ - . ~ . . Re has lived .n 3acksonvtlie eine. 1918 corntng hen from V~aycroes, O*oitt*. ~ ; . . . ~. He was married for the Aflt eM only ttme duflr~ his 6~ -years o: life to )~S. ~ LUtte P~ ~t, N b~r 19, 1935, There re no ohti4r n. Re ~ tes no reaSon tot rei~a nti% stnfl ~ t, but Iii s reason for marry ing W*3 ~ ~ ~4 ~LV eo~e lA4~ the pz4tvtlegp iu~a sea how Lt f els to be4a1106 hue~&nd, . ~ ~ - k

095 092

1 . I J 92: ..S e $ .. .4 . f . it)KML WEXTEM VR(>IWZ American catde, (Negro WI ttPerS~ IJnLt) Jaekeon viite, florida Slave inteflt Yous~~ Wtngton DnLa * TI, 10th ~I. . s R$ohel Austin ~ 5e retv~ Ccntiete . 6 Pa~j ea . . . ____________ I, tuterview wtth Younj~ ~jy~fl~ Datte, 142 Jacks nvtile, F1ort~ \ s .

Douglas Dorsey. 096 093

&4i~~I~~ i~J~) ~ ~ ~ . ~ . ~ 93 FEDERAL ~RITERB PROJECT Anierican Guide,(Negro writers Unit) South Jaok onvi .le, Florida James Johnson Slave Interview Field Worker January 11, 1937 Complete 1,444 Worde 7 Pages ~ In South Jacksonville, on the Spring Glen Road. lives Douglas Dorsey, an ex-clav , born in Suwannee County, Florida in 1851, fourteen years prior to feeedom. His parents Charlie and Anna Dorsey were natives of Maryland and. free people. In tho e days, Dorsey relates there were peop~eknown aB Nigger Traders who used any subterfuge to catch Negroes and sell them into slavery. Thereawas one Jeff Davis who was known as a pro~ fessional Nigger Trader, his slave boat. docked in the slip at Maryland and Jeff ~vis and his henchmen went out looking for their victims. Unfortunately, his mother Anna and. his father were caught one night and were bound and gagged and taken to Jeff Davis boat which was waiting In the harbor, and there they were put into stocka. The boat stayed in port until it was load ed with Negroes, then sailed for F1~rid~. where Davis disposed of hie human cargo. Douglas Dor~ey s parente were sold to Colonel Louis Matair, who had. a large palantation that was cultivated by 85 slaves. Colonel Matair s house was of the pretentious southern

097 094

4~! Slave Interview Jaznee Johnson FEC South Jackeonvill e F .or id& colonial type which was quite prevalent thiring that period. The colonel had won hie title because of his participation in the Indian War in Florida. He ~wae the typical wealthy. southern gentleman, andwae very kind to hie elavee. Hie wife, however was just the opposite. She was exceedingly mean and could easily be termed a tyrant. ~ There were several children in the M~tair family and their home and plantation were located in Buwaxinee County, Florida. Douglast parente wereaseigned to their tasks, hie mother was house.~niaid and hie father was the mechanic, having learned this trade in Maryland as a free man. Charlie and Anna had several children and Douglas wae among them. When he became large enough he was kept in the Matair home to build fires, ae~ sist in serving meals and other choree. Mre, Matair being a very cruel woman, would whip the slaves hereeif for any miademeanor. Dorsey recalle an incident that ie hard. to obliterate from hie mind, it is aa follows: JJoreey e mother was called by Mrs. Matair, not hearing her, she continued with her duties, suddenly Mrs. Matair burst out in a frenzy of anger over the woman not answering. Anna explained that she did, not hear her call, thereupon Mr8. Matair seized a large butcher knife and struck at Anna, attempting to ward off the blow, Anna received a long gash on the arm that laid her up for

098 095

Slave Interview . Page 3 ~. 95 James Johnson ~c South Jacksonville, Florida for some time. Young Douglas was a witness to this brutal treatment of hia mother and. he at that monieri~ made up hie mind to kill hie mistress. He intended to put strychnine that was used. to kill rats into her coffee that he usually served her. Fo~tunate~ ly freedom came and saved him of this act which would have resulted In his death. He relates another incident in regard to his mia~ tress as follows: To his mother and father was born a little baby boy, whose complszi~n was rather light. Mrs. ~Latair at once began accusing Colonel Matair as being the father of the child. Naturally the colonel denied., but Mrs. Matair kept ha2?zssing hirn~about it un~ tu he finally agreed to his wife s desire and. sold the child. It W8~8 taken from its mother s breast at the age of eight months and. auctioned off on the first day of January to the highest bidder. The child was bought by a Captain Ross ana taken across the Suwannee River into Hamilton County. Twenty years later he was located by his family, he was a grown man, married and farming. Young Douglad had. the task each morning of carrying the Matair children s books to school. Willie, a boy of eight would teach Douglas what he learned in school, finally Dou~las learned. tue alphabet and numbers. In some way Mrs. ~4atair learned that Douglas was learning to read and write. One morning after breakfast she called her son Willie to the dining room where she was seated and. then sent for Douglas to come there too. She then took a quill

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Slave Interview . Page 4 ~ Jamea Jolinaon FEC . South Jacksonville, Florida pen the kind. us d at that time, and. began writing the alphabet arid numerals as far as ten. Holding the paper up to Douglas, she asked hirn if he knew what they were; lie proudly answered in the affirmative, not suspecting anything. She then ~asked him to name the letters and nunierala, which he did, she then a9ked him to write them, which he did. When he reached the n~ber ten, very proud of hie learning, she struck him a heavy blow across the face, saying to him If I ever catch you making another figure anywhere I ll cut off your right arm. Naturally Douglas and also her son Willie were rriuch surprised as each thought what had. been done was quite an achlever ent. She then called Mariah, the cook to bring a rope and. tying the two of them to the old colonial post on the front porch, she took a chair and. sat between the two, whipping them on their naked backs for such a time, that for two weeks thefr clothes stuck to their backs on the lacerated flesh. To ease the soreness, Willie would steal grease from the house and together they would slip into the ~n and grease each other s backs. As to plantation life, Dorsey said t~at the slaves lived in quartera especially built for them on the plantation. They would leave for the fields at aun up and remain until sun down, stopping only for a meal which they took along with the~ Instead of having an overseer they had wh~,t was called

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Slave Interview . Page 5 ~ James Jolineon FEC South Jacksonville, fl rida ~ a driver by the naine o ~ Januray. His duties were to get the slaves together in the morning and. see that they went to the fields and asBigned them to their tasks. He worked as the other slaves, though, he had. more priveligea. He would stop work at any time he pieae~d and go ar~nd to inspect the work of the others, and thus resthimseif. Most of the orders from the master were issued to him. The crops consisted of cotton, corn, cane and. peas, which was raised in abundance. When the slaves left the fieldsi they returned to their cabins and. after preparing and eating of their vening meal they gathered around a cabin to sing and. moan songe seasoned wIth African melody. phen to the tune of an old fiddle they danced a dance called the ~reen Corn Dance and. Cut the Pigeon Wing. Sometimes the young ~n on the plantation would slip away to visit agirl on another plantation. If they were caught by the Patrols while on these visits they would be lashed. on the bare backs as a penalty for this offense. A whipping post was used for this purpose. As soon as one slave was whipped, he was given the whip to whip his brother slave. Very often the lashes would bring blood very BOOfl from the already lacerated skin, but this did not stop the lashing until one had. received their due number of lashes, . Occasionally the slaves were ordered to church to hear

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98 Slave Interview Page 6 Jameed JOhflBOfl ~ . FEC South Jacksonville, Florida a whIte minieter,they were seated in tLe front pews of the master s ehu~ oh, while the whitee sat in the rear. The mini8ter e admonition to theni to honor their masters and naistreeses, and . to have no other God but them, as~we~airnot aee~bhe other God, but you can see your master and mietrees. After the services the driverts wife who could read and wr~.te a little would tel . them that what the minister said ~ all lies. . Douglas says that he will never forget when he was a lad 14 years of age, when one evening he was told to go and. / tell the driver to have all the slaves come up tothehouse; soon the entire host of about 85 slaves were gathered ther all sitting around on stumps, some standing. The colonel s son was visibly moved as he told. them they were free. Saying they could go anywhere they wanted to for he had. no more to do with them, or that they could remain with him and have half of what was raised on the plantation. The slaves were happy at taie news, as they had hardly been awarethat there had been a war going on. None of them accept~ cd t ~e offer of the colonel to remain, as they were only too glad to leaver the cruelties of the Matair plantation. Dorsey s father got a job wtth Judge Carraway of Suwannee where he worked for one year. He later homesteaded 40 acres of land that he received from the government and. began farming.

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Slave Interview . ~ Page 7 . 9 Jarnea johnson FEC South Jacksonville, Florida. Dorsey B ~ather died in Suwannee County, Flor ida. when Douglae wae a young man and. then he and hie mother moved to Arlington, Florida. His mother d~ied. several years ago at a ripe old. age. L uglae Dorsey, aged. but with a clear mind. lises with his daughter in Spring Glen.

103 100

FEDERAJJ WRITERSt PROJECT American Guide (Negro Writ erst Unit) South Jacksonville, Florida Jamea Johnson Field worker Complete Slave Interview January 11, 193? s . REFEHE~CE I. interview with Douglas Dorsey, living on Spring Glen Road, South Jacksonville, Florida .

Folk stuff, Mama Duck. 108 105

los ?V~ATh ~DITORI1~L ID~TI1rxcA~T lIN ~ (M3t ~r ~T~: t ~ ~- ~*~ I ~ V~) ?~-F~ .~M ~ ~ ~ ~ . I~~~jWW&L D~1QI~L_IL1LS1r~I1.U ~m-u~i. ~ ~ ~ ~ . TE; GU~~ _____________ ~J4~ L UIDi~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ T ~3L~ ~ ~ C314T ~NT3 1)tVI3I~~ _______________ ________________ ~ :PL..~T~ ~ E~iI3 3)t~ ~YXI0N ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~iN~L ~ -:vi~r. No . ~ ~ ..~ !/~7~ IN T ~ _______________________________ ________________________ - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ j ~ 1~a . ~ T~~*J1.~I~1* -P~l-U~* ~ ~ ~ ~_ ~-J-~~ ~) ~ ~~ IN ~ R:~~VI~ NO) . ~ ~ ~ ~ ? ~ ~ ? IN ~L i4~:VI ~ Nt) ~ j-a~-*~~-~-u-i u~* ~ ~ )~) ~ ~Th ~1 t ~ . L~ &&~ ~U. ~h -~ ~ ~__~~_~_ ~ VJLUNT~}t OQN3ULTANT : ~ ~ ~ ~ __s__a_,-a- u~~rjiit a i ~ ~ L~~S_J ~ L~a-.r-. -Ira--*---~* 0 ~ ~ 97 4~~ ~44~e~ Posit ion________________ J ~T3i ~ j~j938 ( 3ThTT.:: o~ I~ 1500 T~ksonu!111e yes ~fAtr P~j~c1~rr~OE-: T:M.~INf; ~i~iINaTc~N cni ri~i:~u .~13JI:rNc~:rr~N ~ i~st~~ flW~T(~ C~I~I~I~1 ::~ flJGTON CRiTICISM oeit i~n W355~

109 106

FORM A Cix~i~tances of Interview. STA1~E Florida NA:~ o F WOR~ R: ADDRESS: DATE: SUBJI~T: 10 Name and 2. Date and 30 Place of 4. Nana and fo nant. 5. Narre and address of person, if any, accompanyiri~ you. 6. I~scription of room, house, surroundings, etc, Jules A. Frost Tampa, Florida I~cember 15, 1938 F~~1k Stuff, L~n~ Thick addresE of infornant ~ Thick , Tampa, Florida time of interview: May 19, 1937 interview: Tampa, Florida. address of person, if any, who put you in touch with in (No additional information available for other forms). :106

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15CC words FOLK STUFF, FLORIDA Marna Duck Tampa, Florida May 19, 1937 Jules A. Frost tt~~jr ~ ~ 1~~r~- L u ~ ~ ~kio is the oldest per2On, white or colored, that you know of :i.n Tampa? See M~ina Duck, the grinnuing NegrQ elevator boy told me. She bout a iiunnert years old. So dow i into the scrub I went and found the old woman hustling about from ~iashpot to pump. ~ mighty busy now, cookin breakfa~it she said, o~ ?~ ~ come back in b~ut an ~i~ur I ll tell you what I can bout old timos in Tampa. On the return visit, her skinny dog met me with elaborate der~!on strations of w~lcome. Gawn way furn here Spot. Dat ge i~en am gwine feed you noti n. 1Lo~ keep y~ur. dirty paws offon his clothes. Ma~ duck sat down on a rickety box, motioning me to another one on the shaky old porch. ~l ake keer y~u doan fall thoo dat old floor, she cautioned. It s bout ready to fall to pioces, but I way behind i:~ t~ie rent, ~o I kamt ask eiT~ to have it fixed. I 8z~3C j0U have 1i~) class in the windows -doesn t it get you wet when it rLi.:s? i:ot me. I gits over on de other side of de room. It didn t have m~ door neither ~ihen I i~oved in. De young folks r~un here useta u~e it for a co~rtin no~se~

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FOLK STUFF, FLORIDA . ~~ama Duck Tampa, florida ~y 19, 1937 ~ loS Ju1e~ ~L Frost A what? C3urtin huuse~ Dey kept a~coxruiii after I moved in, an I had to sh~o em sway. Dat ~ung rascal C~i~ fl ~onder~~he one of em. I c1ar~ to g3odness and Marna Duck raised i~er voice for the tre~pa~~r s benefit, I wisht I had me a fence to ke3p folks outa my yards ~ua a ck, cjuack, quack, the young Negro mocked, and passed on g rin~~ing. Dat doan worry rae n3ne; I doan let n~t~~in worry me. Jorry makes folks gr~i he~ded. She scratched her head where three grey braids, about the lengtl\and thickness of a flapper s eyebrow, stuck out at cdu ~ng1es. I sh~ got plenty chancet to w3rry ifen I v~nts to, sne uused, as ~i3 si~)ped water frum a fruit- jar f~u1 with fingerr&~rks. Relief folks got ~e on dey black list. de~ w~n t give me rations dey give rations t~ y~ung folks whas workin, but won t give me nary a mouthful. *rA~~L:/ is that~ Jell, dey wanted me to go t~ de poor couse. I was wilLin to 4~O~ out I wanted to take L~y trunk along an dey w.~uldn t let me. I got s3jA~1e t~iirigs in dere I been imviri ni~h onta a hu~mert years. Got La~ 31d blue back ~ebster, or~liest bo~.k I ev~ had, scusin my Bible. T~iin~ I wan~Ia tnrow dat ~t~ff away~ 1o o, suhi Mama Duck pushed

112 109

TOLK s~rtJFF, F LORIDA ~Mizna Duck Tampa, fl.orida May 19, 1937 Jules A. ?rost the dog away from a cracked pitcher on the floor and refilled her fruit jar. So day black list me, cuuse I won t kis2 dey feets. I am kisein nobod~y a feeta-~ ~wouldn t kies my own mariuny e. Well, we d all do lote of thinge for our mothers that we wouldn t do for anyone else. Maybe you w3uld, but not me. My mammy put me in a hickry basket when I was a day an a half old, with nothin on but my belly baud an diaper. Took nie down in de cotton patch an sot me on a stump in de bum sun. ~:iat in the world did shed~th~t for! Cause I was black. All de other younguns was bright. My granmammy done hear me bawlin an go fotch me t, my znanmiy a house. Dat you mammy! she ask, sweet as pie, when granma~iy pound on de door. \\ ~Doan y ou never call me mammy no more granmammy say . Any woman what d leave a poor lii mite like dis to periah to de~th am litten to be no datter o mmne. so granmarnmy took me to raise. I am never seen my maniny an I a in n ev e r want od to . tat did your father think of the way she treated youP

113 110

FOLK STUFF, FLORIDA Mama ~ Duck Tampa, florida 110 May 19, 1937 Jules ~. Fragt uNever knew who n~y daddy was, an I reckon she didn t either. Do y~u r~rnember anything about the Jivil ~r ~ ~Vhat dat i! The Civil ~r, when they set the ~1aves free. tOh, you mean de fu~t war. I reckon I doe~ had three chillern, boys, borned fore de v~iar. ~-ien I was old en~ugh to w3rk I was t~tken to Pe1~ian, Jawja. Dey let me nu~ de chillern. Den I got married, We jus g~t married in de kitchen and went to ~ur log hause. UI never g~t nc beatins fum my rna~iter when I was a slave. But I seen col-ored men on c~e Bradley p1anta~.ion g t frammed uut pl6flty. De whip~in boss was Joe ~3y1vester. He had pet$ amongst de women folks, au let ~iorne of em o:f 1i~ht wnen tney desarved good be~~tins. How did he punish his pet~i ~ tISoiiieti~ie~ he jL~ O3p em cro~st de ear wid a b~tt1in stick. ~ what ~ Eattlin stick, like dis. Y~u do~n kn~w what a b&ttlin stick is! ~ie11, dis here i~ une. Us~ it for washin clothes. Y3u lift e~ outa d~ wash pot wid de batilin stick; den you lay era on de battlin block, dis ner~ 3tump. Den y~u beat de dirt ~ut wid de battlin stick.

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FOLK STUFF, FLORIDA ~ Marna Duck Tampa, F1orid~ May 19, 1937 Jules A. Fro8t A stick like that would knzck a hor~o dovin~ ~n t nigh as bad as what some of de others got. Soriie of i~is pets arnungst de mens got it wu~ser d~n de wo~ens. He strap em cro~st de sharp side of a barrel an give ein ~ few right smart licks wid a bull WLI1TD.11 And what did he do to the bad ~nes? It~{O make eza cross dere hands, den he tie a rope roun dey wrists ~i:i throw it over a tree limb. Den he pull e~ up ~o dey toes jus touch d3 ~r3und an ~rnLck em on de back anrurup ~id a L~eavy wo~den paddle,. fixed full o iioies. Den he make em lie down on de ~round while he oust all dem blisters wid a raw hide whip. Didn t that kill them? Saine c3uldn t work for a day or two. Sometimes dey thr3w 8alt orLae on dey back2, or smear on turpL~tine to make it git well quicker. I s~p ose ~ ~u re giLd those d&ys are over. ui~t me. I waz~ a eap better off d~n as I is now. ~i1U8 nad ~ 2U1~P~i~ t~~) eat an a. place tO stay. h~o sich thins as gittin ~n a black . ~ list. idignty ~i~rd on a pus~on old aa me not to ~it no rations an not have n~.i reg1a~r job. How uld ar~ y3u? ~1 d~an know, zackl~ . ~k~it a uLi~it I didn t 8how y-au my pitcher

115 112

F~~LK STUFF, FLC RIDA L~ama Duck T&~p&, Florida i;ay 19 1937 ~L1~ Jules A. Frost wnat was in de paper, did I ~ I kamt read, but s~mobody say dey put flow old I is under ILI~ pitcher in th~t pi~per. t Mama Duck ru~~xnaged through a cigar box and brought out a page of ~ pittsburgh newspaper, tht~d in 1936. it w~s so badly warn that it was almost illegible, but it sh~wed a picture of Mama Duck ~nd be low it was given her age, 109.

116 113

113 STATE EDITORIAL IDEL~TIFIC ~ON FORI~I J$ ~TE:__FLORIDA .1~C~IVED FRC~t ST~.Th OFFICE ___ JAQ~Q~jV~LL~_____ ~L:; ~ ~ ?~.~TE GUIDE ~ LOC AL GUIDE i~ON~GUIDE ~ :~ . ~ o~ o OlITENTS D IVISI o~A~ERIcA~ FQi~K ITUFFL~L ~~xzi ~ ~ .~ FLETE i?:j!-:t THIS SIOTION? ____ ~a:TAT PERCFi ~T~GE RELTAIUS________ ~ i~?iI T L ?~VISE ~ ______________ ~ASIIINGTC~~ CRITICIST . ______________ ~ :~EFIi~ L RrTISE ~o . ~TASiJIIGT~T~ OERITICISLI_______ _____ ~f~FI~:AL REVISE TO. ________________ ..~ASI~Ii~GT~I; CRITICISII________________ ~ :~FINAL REVISE iC. ~ I ~ ~.TAsIII::cTo~ CRITICIS!.~ ~ ~ -r ~ -r ~ ~?~T~l-- ~ s .-. ~ i~S _______________________ 7 ~~Ui~TEER CUI~SULT~I.:T: i~aLie_________________________ __________ ~ ~sition . - -~- ~ddre s s______ ______________________ By______ I~ o s I t I ~ ) ~ ~ ~I : Marc~h_21~J~939 W3545

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FLORIDA FOLKLORE FORM A Circumstances of Interview STATE, Florida NAME OF TIORI R, ~Tu1es Abner Frost ADDRESS, 712 ~al1ace S. Bldg., Tampa, Plorida JATE, ~~!ay 19, 1937 ~UBY~CT, Florida Folk Stuff I\Iaterial ~ ~~ama Duck 1. Tarie and address of informant, Mama Duck, Governor & India Sts., Tampa, Florida 2. Date and time of interview, May 19, 1937, 9:30 A.!.~. 3. Place of interview, her home, above address4 4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in touch with informant, T. D. Davis (elevator operator), l~23 ~Tefferson St., Tampa, Florida 5. Name and address of person, if any accompanying you (none) 6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc. Two room unoainted shack, leaky roof, most window panes missing, porch dangero s to walk on. House standing high on concrete blocks. Located in alley, behind other i ~egro shacks. NOTE: Letter of Feb. 17, l9~9, from Mr. B. A. Botkin to Dr. Corse . states that ray ex-~slave story, Llama DucI~ is niarred by use of the que st ion and. answer method In orde r to make this material of use as American Folk Stuff material, I have rewritten it, using the first person, as related by the informant.

118 115

~TI3~t ~.3ofl:p ;o taGt~Je4I JO ~9Sfl~ a~q~u~e-~&aiiI ~TJetr~q o~. s~,tr8tIrve-t.o jo ~~zr qspq~s o~. s~w o ;jo uo~u~ ~ PTO T~aOI Jo ~ e~u~:t~ :&9T~LI~UT UT POUT~ S~i.tVIod ~iat~o oi ~txTATT ~e ~ioj ~Ufl~A soop ~ ~I9TL~ aoj e~ ~ov 91X~OO~. pa~ppr ~z~& ~ - GtUO~ ~Tre~Td: TT~W~ ui: ~p9p~~q ~&I~I.tT~p. ~IT~tt I :3tUp1 UTT~ L:t~A ~UT~&~r2 ~ ~9~To~8tu9 TT~V1S :q.Ix~uLtoJiIT jo uo ~.d~io~o~j 6 QUoU ~aT~T~&T f:~ BThO~ ~flGIII pU ~ ~~TTmluuIoO 9 QUoU s~.s~1I~U T PU~ STTT~ t8TOGdS L UouItlIoo ~pouLIo;ztod s~&~i~ s ~ pire a&~is ~ s~& ~u~ ix~io;u~ . GUON ~ sa~-p t1:q.TA S~U~TLIt~TTdD1OOo~ ~U 8 SUO~~ctfl~O~ 9 J se~p tt~1.T~ UO~~Ofl~ . 0L91 ~.noq~ e~u~s ~tha~ u~ pa~p ~n ~ ~s~i:~p tT~~PA~ U~ ~ ~ 9~ . UAOtz~IUn ~T- Itt~ ~ 8~8I ~.noq~ ~& (pUoTlrqofl3: ~IqBqo~I) p~T~o~pj q~t~q jo o~p pu~ OO ~~ ~ ~ ..~- . 04T20N LI~.S9OUV -t ~8pTtIoLil: ~ TU~ C . a~.s ~TPUI ~ 4iou1ta~oo ~r~na ~rix~ ~ ~o ssa~aav ca~iv ~VN 4~t~na ~ni~w~ TW .I9~~ ;;t4s )t- o~~: wp~1xo~ ;Lo~cgns 6~6T Q-t ttO~X~ U9 ~&9~X ~L~6T 61 A~BP~ (i~&aTA.ie~uT I~UT~WO) ~ LVa Bv ~xoL~: ed:iireji . ~PTE S ~ ~~tL SS~H GV ~ ~ieuqv seUt~r ~~io~ ~o ~ epwoLil: :a1iva;s ~ ~ ~STH T ~tios~ioa ~ cil ~

119 116

Complete NERICi~N FOLK STUFF Approx. 1,000 words ~ i~oi~ ~iouidi ~Tu1e s A . Fro s t . I fOrn1an~ M~ ~ i5uic k ~ ~ ~ Tampa, Florida Tampa, Florida Interviewed 5/19/t37 Rewritten 3/15/ 39 MAMA DUCK Gwan away f ni here, Po Boy; dat gernnienain t ~wixie feed. you nuthin. You keep yo dirty paws offen his close. Come in, siii i. Take care you dbn t fall thoo dat oit po?ch f10 ; hit bout ready to go t pieces, but I way behind on rent, so I cain t ask em to have hit fixed. Dis o1~ house amt Litten f~r nobody t live in; winaer glass ~ one an root leaks. young Loiks in ciese marts clone be n usin it fer a co t hause Lore I come; you know-S a place ~o do dey courtin in. Ke~ a-~comin atter I done move in, an I had to shoo em away. Dat young rascal cornin yondah, he one of em. I claiah to goodness, I wisht I had a fence to keep folks outa my yaM. Reckon you don t know ~ihat he be ~uackin lak dat fer. flat s cause my name s i~Iama Duc~. ~ He d.oin it jus t pester rae. But dat don t worry nie none; Idone quit ~ orryin . I sho had. plenty chance to worry, though. Relief folks got rae on dey black list. Dey give rashuns to young folks what s wukkin an don t give me nary a mouthful. Reason fer dat be teause dey wanted me t go t de norehouse. I wanted t take my trunk long, an dey wouldn t lemme. I got some things in d.ere I be n havin nigh onto a hunnert years. Got my ol b1ue~back ~rebster, onliest book I evah had, scusin mali tiible. ihink I wanna th ow dat away? ~o-~o suhi So dey black-list me, cause ..~ won t kiss ciey reets. I ain t kissin nobody s, wouldn t i:iss my own ma!aray s. I nevah see my mammy. She put me in a hick ry basket when I

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~. ~ ~~~arna Duck ~ onry a day and a hair old, with nuthin on but inah belly band. an diTper. i1oo~: me down in de cotton patch an sot de baskee on a stump in de bum sun. iiidn t want me, cause ~ be black. ~ll ~e otha youn~ins ci hers be bright. Gran raainiy clone toiT i~e, niany a time, how she heah me bawlint an go an git me, an~ ~otch me to niannay s house; but my own niammy, she say, tu n rae down cold. ~Jat you, i.~ia~~nmy~ she say, sweec as sie, vilien granmammy knock on de do . tviiont you nevah call rae T~Iammy~ no nb , gran taammy to1 ~er. ~ny worrian ~hat d leave a ~o li~l mite lak dat to perish to d.eath ain t iitten t be no aotter o niine. ~ 30 gran1nia~.iray tuk nie to raise, an1 I ain t nevah canted no raararriy but her. ~evah knov~eo. w~o ray aacic~.y vas an I reckon my raamnriy uidn~t :mo~~, neithah. bavtn at :~icharu, vahjinny. ~y sis tala anT brothah be n cieaa too many yeai~s to count; I o.e las o~ de tani ly. I kin re~ae:~ber fore ue iust war stcrt. I hau three chillen, boys, t~:ller n ~ie ~ ien ireeao~~i come. ~ah ~ust raastah c~.idnt ~aai~e de li~l chilien wuk none. All I cone w~ts play. ~7 en I be ai enough t wuk, dey tuJ: us co FeLaan, Jawjah. I never wulckod incLe riel s none, not aen. Dey allus le.L~:1e fluss de chiliens. Jen I got m~ri~d. hit v~a ~nt no church weddin ; vie ~ot turned in gran raamay~s kitchen, den ~ae go to our own log n.ouse. By an~ by inah taahster sol me an raah baby to ue ~aan what had de ~olantation nex to ours. ~is na:~e ~as ~Tohn Lee. He ~as good to me, ~n let

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mama Duek . 3 118 nie see iay chi11ens~, I nevah got no s On~.1est thins I evah got was a 11 1 slap on de han lak dat. Didntt hurt none. But Itse seen eullud men on 1e Bradley p1anta~t1on git turtble beatin s. De whippin boss was Joe Sylvester, a white n~an. 11e had pets mongat de wimmen folks, ant used t let ?~r~ ~f easy, w ~~ dey d~esarTed a good beatin . Sometimes e jes bop em erOst de ear wid a battlin stiek, or kiek em in de beehind. You don t know what s a stick? ell dis here be one. You use it ~er washin close. You. itt s de alose outa de wash pot wid dis here battlin stick; den you tote em to de battun block - dis here stwiip. Den you beat de dirt out wid de battun stiek. De bo ss go t pe ts mongst de mens too but dey got it a li l wusser n de vitninens. ~tfen dey wan t too mean, he Jes strap em croat de shar~p side of a bar l an give em a few right smaht licks wid a bull whip. But dey be some niggahs he whip %good. an hard. If dey sass back, er try t run away, he iaek em cross dey han s lak dis; den he pull em up so dey toes jas teteh de ground ; den he smack em erost de baek an rump wid a big wood paddle, fixed full o holes. Know what dein holes be for? Ev y hole mek a blister. Den he mek em lay down on de groun , whilst he bus all dem blisters wid a rawhide whip. I nevah heard. o nobody dyin t m gitt in a beat in . Some

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Mama Duo~k 4 119~ couldn t wuk ter a day or so. Sometimes &e whippin boss th ow salt bruie on d~ey backs, or smear on turpent me to inek it well ~uieker. I dOfl t know, zackly, how old I Is. Mebbe wait a minute, I didntt show you my pitcher what was in d.e paper. I oa1n~t read, but somebody say dey put down how old I is undah utah pitcher. Dar hit ~ don t dat say a hurindrt ant nine? I reckon dat be right, seem I had three growed~-up boys when freedom corne. Dey be y one st o here when I c orne t o Tampa . lilt b long tt 01 man Mugge. Dey be a big cotton patch where Plant City is now. I picked some cotton dare, den I come to t~ampa, an atter a while I got a job nussin Mister Perry Wall s chilien. Cullud Thlks ~jes m.ek out de bess dey could. Some of tern lived in tents, till dey c d cut logs an build houses wid stiel -an -dirt chim-~ bleys. Lotta folks ask rae how I come to be called Mama Duc~k.~ Dat be Jes a devil-~ment o mine. I named my own se f dat. One day when I be thout twelve year old, I come home an say, Well, gran mammy here come yo 1 1 ducky home again . She hug me an say, Dress mali li 1 dueky. Den she keep on eallin me dat, an when I growed up, folks jes put de Mama on. I reckon I a heap bettah off dem days as I is now. Allus had. sumpin t eat a place t stay. No se oh thing ez gittin on a black list dem days. Mighty hard on a pusson 01 az me not t git no rashuns an not have no reg lar job.

Willis Dukes. 123 120

(~ ~ff~a~) ~ ~ ~ I 120 FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT American Guide,,(Negro ~ritere Unit) . ~ Madison, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker January 20, 193? Complete 787 Words 5 Fac~~es ~D Born in Brooks County, Georgia, 83 years ago on Febus ruary 24th, Willie Dukes jovially declares that he i& pn the high road. to livin a hund ecl years. He was one of 40 elavee belonging to one John Dukes, whowas only in moderate oircuxnstances. His parente were Amos and. Mariab Dukes, both born on this plantation, he thinks. As they were a healthy pair they were required to work long hours in the fields, although the master was~not actually cruel to theni. On this plantation a variety of products was grown, cotton, corn, potatoes, peas, rice and. sugar cane. Nothing was thrown away and the slaves had only coarse foods euch as corn bread, collard greens, peas and occasionally a little rice or white bread. Even the potatoes were reserved for the white folk and. house niggere.~ As a child Wilii5 Was required to tote water and. wood., ~eip at milking time and run errands.0 His clothing consisted of only a homespun shirt that was made on the plantation, Nearly

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Slave Interview Pe~ge 2 Pearl Randolph FEC Madison, Florida everything used was growr~ or manu~aotured on the .plantation. Candles were Diade in the big house by the cook and. a batch o~ slaves from the quarters, all of them being required to bring fat and tallow that had been saved for this pu.rp se. These can~ cUes mere for the use of the master and mistress, as the slaves used fat liglitwood torches for lighting pur ses, Cotton was used foi making clothes, and. it was spun and woven into oloth by the slave women, then stored in the comrnieary for future use. Broggan shoes were made of tannec1~leather held together by tacks made of maple wood. Lyesoap was made in large pots; out into chunks and issue~3. froni the smoke house. Potash was secured from the ash s of burnt oak wood and allowed to set in a quantity of grease that had also been saved for the purpose, then boiled into soap. The cotton was gathered in bags of bear grass and deposited in baskets woven with strips of white oak that had. been dried in the sun, Wi~lisrernenibers the time when a alave on the pla t~tion escaped and. went nOrth to live. This man managed to conirnunicate with his faitily somehow, and it was whi pered about that he was living very high and actually saving nioney with which to buy his faniily, He was even going to school. This fired ail the slaves with an ambition to go north and this zr~ade them more than usually interested in the outco~ne of the warbetween the states. He was too young to fully un derstand the meaning of freedom but wanted very much to go away to

125 122

SL~3~Ve Interview Page 3 122 Peai l R~tnd.o1ph FEC adison, Florida some place where he could earn enough money to buy hie mother a feal silk dress. He coiffid.ed this information to her and she was very proud of him but gave him a good spanking for fear he expressed this desire for freedom to his young master or mistress. Prayer meetings were very frequent during the days of the war and very often the slaves were called in froni the fields and excused from their labors so they could hold these prayer meetings, always praying God for the safe return o~ their master. The master did not return after the warand when the scialers. . in blue came through that section the frightened women were greatly dependent upon their slaves for protection and livelihood. L~a~y of these black man chose loyalty to their dead masters to freedom and shouldered the burden of the support of their former mistresses c~ieerfully. After the war Willis father was one of those to re~ main with his widowed mistress. Other members of his family left as 800fl as they were freed, even his wife. They thus remained separated. untli lier cieatn. . nuls saw his rirst bedspring ~ou~ ~O years ago and ile still thinks a feather mattress superior to the store bought variety. He recalls a humorous incident which occured. when he was a child and :~ad been introduced for the first time to the task of picking a goose. After demonstrating how it was done to a grpup of slave

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Slave Interv1e~w Page 4 Pearl Rand,o Iph FEC -~ ~ Madison, Florida children, the person in charge had. gone about his way leaving them busily engaged in picking the goose. They had. been told. that the one gathering the most feathers would receive a piece of money. Sometimes later the overseer returned. to find. a dozen geese that had. been stripped of all the feathers. They had. been told to piok only the pin feathers beneath the wings and about the bodies of the geese. Need. we guess what happened to the over ambitious children? He had heard of ice long before he looked upon it /~ ; and he only thought of it as another wild. experiment . W~hJ buy ice, w-x when watermelons and butter could be ley down into the well to keep cool? One p:r WilliB happiest moments was when he earned enough money to buy hie first pair of patern leather shoes. To pos~ ness a paid of store bought shoes had been his ambition since he was a child, when he had~to shine the shoes of his master and those of the master s children. . ~ He next owned a horse and buggy of whichhe wa~ very proud. This Increased his popularity with the girls and bye and~i bye he was ~ ~ to Mary, a crin with.whorn he had been reared. Nobody was surprised but Mary, explained Mr. Dukes. Me and everybbd~ else knowed us ud get married some day. We didn t jump over no broom neither. we was married like white folks wid flowers and cake and. everything. Wiiuis DLikes has been in Florida for Lawd knows how

127 124

. ~7 Slave Interview Pearl Randolph y~adison, Florida. Page 5 FEC long and prefers this state to his home state. He still has ~ few realtives there but has never returned since leaving so long ago. 124

128 125

FEDERAL WRI PROJECT s Arnerieai~ Guide,(Negro Writers Unit) Madieon, Florida 125 Slave Interview January 20, 1937 Pearl Randolph Field Worker Complete p I. Personal Interview with Willis Dukes, Valdosta Roads near Jeelamb Church, Madison, Florida

Sam and Louisa Everett. 129 126

~4 ~ 90031 . . ~ ~ . .~ ~ 126 ~FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT . I American Guid.e,(Negro ~ritere Unit) J . ~ Mulberry, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker October 8, 1936 Complete John A Simme 1,139 Worcie Editor 6 Pagea . Sam and LouiSa Everett. . / Sani and. Louiee Everett, 86 and 90 yeare of age respectively, have weathered together some of the worst experiences of slavery, and as they look back over ~ the years~ can relate these experiences as c1ear1y.a~ if they had happened. only yesterday. . Both were born near ~Torfoik, Virginia and eoia as slaves several times on nearby plantations. It was on the plantation of Big Jim MoClain that they met as slave children and departed after Emancipation to live the lives of free people. Sam was the son of Peter and Betsy Everett, field hands who spent long back breaking hours in the cotton fields and came home at nightfall to cultivate their small garden. They lived in constant fear that their master would confiscate most of their vegetables; he so often did. Louisa remembers little about h r parente and thinks that she was sold at an early age to a separate master. Her name

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12~ Page 2 FEC Slave Interview Pear . Randolph Mulberry, Fl rida~ as nearly as she could remember wae Norfolk Virginia. Everyone called her Nor. It wasnot until after ehe was freed and had sent her chi liren to school that she changed her name to Louisa. ~ Sam and. Norfolk spent part of their ohild . hood on the plantation o ~ 0Big Ji& who was very cruel; often he would whip his slaves into insensibility for minor offences, He sometimes hung them up by their thumbs whenever they were ca~ht atteznpting to escape er fer no reason stall. On t hi s plantat ion we re more than 100 slaves who were mated indiscriminately and without any regard for family unions. If their master thought that a certain man and woman might have strong, healthy offspring, he forced them to have sexual relation, thoucrh even ;d~\~ t~hey were z~iarried to other slaves. If there seemed to be any slight reluctance on the part of either of the unfortunate ones Big Jim would malce themcco.naunimat.e this relationship in his presence. ge used. the same proc~ edure if he thought a certain ~ouple was not producing children fast enough. He enjoyed the9e orgies very much and often entertained. his friends in this manner; quite often he and. hie guests would engage in these debaucheries, choosing for theme selves the prettiest of the young women. Sometimes they forced the unhappy husbands and lovers of their victims to look on. Louisa and Sam were married in a very revolting manner To quo t e t he woman:

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Slave Interview . ~ Page 3 128 P~r1 Randolph Y~O Mulberry, Florida Marse Jim oalled. me and. Sam ter him and. ordered. Sam to pul . off hie shirt that was all the McClaln niggere \ ~ wore- and he said to me : Nor ~ do you think yot~ can stand. this big nigger? He had. that old bull whip flung acrost his shoulder, and. Lawd, that man could hit so hardt So I jes said ~ yassur, I guess so,~ and tried to hide my face so I couldn t see Sa&e nakedness, but he made me look at him anyhow~~ t, Well, he told. us what we muet git busy and do ~n hie presence, and we had to do it. After that we. were considered man and wife Me and Barn was a hea~thy pair and ~ h d fine big babies, so I never had. another man forced on me, thank God.. Sam was kind. to nie and. I learnt tolove him. Life on the MoClain plantation was a steady grind. of work from morning until night. Slaves had to rise in the dark of the morning at the ringing of the Big House bell. After eating a hasty breakfast of fried fat pork and. corn pone, they worked in the fields until the bell rang again at noon; at which time they ate b6iled vegetables, roastedeweet potatoes and lack molas8es. This food was cooked in iron pots which had. legs attached to their bottoms in order to keep them from resting directly on the fire. These utensils were either hung over a fire or set atop a mound of hot coals. Biscuite were a luxury but whenever they had. white bread it was cooked in another thick pan called. a spiders!

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Slave Interview Page 4 129 Pearl Randolph FEC Mulberry, Florida Thia pan had a top which was covered with hot embers to inBu~e the browning of the bread on top. Slave women had no time for their children, The8e were oared for by an old woman who called them twice a day and fed. them pot likker (vegetable broth) and ekinnned milk. Each child was provided with a. wooden laddie which he dipped into a wooden trough and fed himeeif. Theo .der children fed those who were too young to hold a laddIe. So exacting was. Big Jim that slaves were forced to work even when sick. Expeatant mothers toiled in the fields unti1~ they felt their labor pains. It was not uncommon for babies to be born in the fields. There was little time for play on his plantation. Even the very small children were assigned tasks. They hunted hen s eggs, gathered poke berries for dyeing, shelled corn and drove the cows home in the evening. Little girls knitted stockInge. ~ There was no church on this plantation and itinerant ministers avoided going there because of the owner s cruelty. Very seldom were the slaves allowed to attend neighboring churches and still rarer were the opportunities to hoidmeetings among themselves. Often when they were in the middle of a song or prayer they would be forced to halt and. run to the~i~ !louae Woe to any slave who ignored I

133 130

S~.a.ve Interview ~ Page 5 Pearl Randolph FEC 13() Mulberry, Florida the ringing of the bell that summoned him to work and told him when he might knock off from his labors. Louiaa and Sam last heard the ringing of this bell in the fall of 1865, All the slaves gathered in front of the Big House to be told that they were free for the time being. They had heard whisperings of the War but did not understand th.e meaning of it all. Now Big Jim stood weeping on the piazza and cursing the fate that had been so cruel to him by robbing him of aJ~l his ~niggers.~ He inquired if any wanted to remain until all the crops were harvested and when no one consented to do so, he flew into a rage;seizing his pistol, he began firing into the crowd of frightened Negroes. Some were killed outright and others were maimed for life, Finally he was prevailed upon to stop. He then attempted to take hie o~ life. A few frightened slaves promis ed to remain with hirn another year; this placated him. It was necessary for Union soldiers to make another visit to the plantation before Big Jim would allow his former slaves to depart. Sam and Louisa moved to Boston, Georgia~where they sharecropped for several years; they later bought a small firm when their two eons became old enough to help. They continued to live on this homestead until a few years ago, when tneir advanc ing ages made it necessary that they live with the children. Both of the children had settled in Florida several years previous and.

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Slave Interview Page 6 ~ ~ Pear . Randolph ~ Mulberry, Florida wanted their parents to corne to them. They now live in Mul~. berry1 Florida with the younger BOfl. Both are pitifully in. ~ firm but can still remember the horrorB they experienced under very cruel owners. It wae with difficulty that they were pre- ~ vailed upon to ralate some of the gruesome details recorded here,

135 132

FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT American Guide, (Negro Writers Unit) Mulberry, Florida 132 Slave Interview October 8, 1936 John A. Simme Editor Pearl Randolph Field Worker Complete REFERENCES I. Personal interview with Sam and Louisa Everett, P. 0. ~ Box 535 % E. P. J. Everett Mulberry, Florida

Duncan Gaines. 136 133

. FEDERAL ~R PROJRCT . .~ 33 American Guide,(NegTO yJrlters Unit) Madison, FloridA ~ Pearl Randolph ~ Slave Interview Field worker Novemler 24, 1936 Complete 1,19? Words ~ 5 Pagea ~ ~ Duncan Gaines . . Duncan Gaines, the eon of George and. Martha Gaines was born on a plantation in Virginia on March 12, 1853,.He was one of four children, all fortunate enough to r~ain with their parents until maturity. They were sold many times, but Duncan Gaines best remembers the master who was known as old man Seever, ~ On this p1ai~t1on were about 50 slaves, who toiled ai . day in the cotton and tobacco fields and caine home at duek to cook their meals of corn pone, couards and sweet potatoes on the heartha of their one. room cabins. Biscuita were baked on special occasions by placing hot coals atop the iron tops of long legged frying pans called spiders, and. the potatoes were roasted in the ashes, likewise the corn pone. Their masters being more or less kind, there was pork, chicken, syrup and other foodstuffs that they were allowed to raise as their own on a small scale, This work was often done by the light of a torch at night as they had little time of their own. Ir~ this way slaves earned money for small luxuries and the more ambitious sometimes saved enough money to buy their free~ dom, although this was not encouraged very much.

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~1ave Interview Page 2 ~ -~ ~ Pearl Randolph ~ FEC ~ ~ Madison, Florida . The early life Of Duncan was carefree and happy. With the exception of carrying water to the laborerB and running errands, he had little to do, Most of the time of thefl slave children was spent In playing bal . and wrestling and foraging the woods for berries and fruits and playing games as other children. They were oft n jpined in their pkay by the master s children, who taught them to read and write and fired Duncan with !the ambition ~to be free, so that he could wear a frill on his colar and own a pair of eho.ea..that ~ did not ~iave brass caps on the toee~ .nd require the application of fat to make them shine, Wearing his shoes shined as explained above and a coarse homespun suit dyed with oak bark, indigo or poke berries, he went to church on SundAy afternoons after the whites had had their servicesand listened to sermons delivered by white ministers who taught obedience to their masters. After the services, most of the slaves would remove their Bhoea~and carry them in their hands, as they were unaccustorried to wearing shoes except in winter. The women were given Sat~day. afternoons off to .aund er their clothes and prepare for Sunday s services. Al . slaves were required to appear on Monday mornings as clean as possible with their clothing mended and heads combed, Lye soap was used both for laundering and bathing. It was made from fragments of fat meat and skins that were carefully saved for that purpose. potash was secured from oak ashes. This niix

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.~. Slave Interview Page 3 ~ Pearl Randolph FEC Madison, Florida ture waa allowed to set for a certain period of time, then cooked to a jelly -like consistency. After cooling, the eoap was out Into sq~uare bare and lowanoed out (aii*wano ~) to the alaveB according to the number in each family. Once Duncan waa given a bar of sweet soap by his mistress for doing a particularly nloe piece o~ work o~ polishing the harness of her favorite mare and so proud was he of the gift that he put it among hi s Sunday clothes to niake them smell sweet. It was the birst piece of toilet sopa that he bad ever Been; and it caused quite a bit of envy e ong the other slave children. Duncan Gaines does not remember hiB grandparents but thinks they were both living on some ne ~rby plantation. His father was the plantation blacksuiith and Duncan liked to look on as pl wehares, single trees, horse shoes, eto were turned out or sharp ened,\His mother was strong and healthy, 80 she toiled all day in : the fielas. Duncan always listened for his mother s return from the ~ field, which was heraled. by a song, no matter how tired she was. She was very fond. of her children and did not share the attitude of many slave mother who thought of their children as belonging solely to ~ the masters, She lived in constant fear that old. niarse Seever would meet with some adversity and be forced to sell them separately. She always whi pered to them about de war and fanned to a flame their desire to be free.

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Slave Interview Page 4 -~ ~ Pearl Randolph FEC Madieon, Florida At that time Negro children l9tened. to the tales of ~ various anima~ stories and such childiah ditties as: Little Boy, Little Boy who made your breeches~ gamma cut em out and pappa sewed de etitches ~ ~ Children were told that babies were dug out of tree stumps and were generally made to shut up~ if they questioned their elders about such matters. Children with long or large heads were thought to be marked to become wise nien,~ Everyone believed in ghosts and en tertained all the superstition~ that have been handed down to the present generation. There was much talk of ~hoodooisin and anyone ill for a long time without getting relief from herb medicinee was thought to be fixed or suffering from some ein that his fat1~er had committed. Duncan was 12 years of ag~ when freedoni was declared and remember the hectic times which followed. He and other slave chilciren attended schools provided bythe Freedmen Aid and other social organizations fostered by Northerners. Most of the instruct- ors were whites sent to the South for that purpose. The Gaines were industrious and soon owned a prosperoui farm. The~ seldom had any money but had plenty of foodstuffs and clothing and a fairly comfortable home. All of the children secured enough learning to enable them to read and write, which was regarded

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Slave Interview . Page 5 Pearl Randolph FEC Madison, Florida ae very unusual in those days. Slaves had. been taught. that their brain was inferior to the whites who owned them and for this reason, many parents refused to send. their chi1d.r~n to school, thinking it a wa te of time and that too much learning might cause sonic injury to the brain o ~ their supposedly weak-niinded children. Of the various changea, Duncan remembers very little, 80 gradual did they occur in his section. Water was secured from the spring or well. Perishable foodstuffs were let down into the wel , to keep cool. Shoes were made from leather tanned by setting in a~ solution of red. oak bark and water; laundering was done in wood en tubs, made from barrels out in halves. Candles were used for light Ing and were made from sheep and beef tallow. Lightwood torches were used by those not able to afford oandlee. Stockings were knitted by the women during cold or rainy weather. Weaving and spinning done by special slave women who were too old to work in the fields; others made the clot h into garment e . Everything was done by hand except the luxuries imported by the wealthy. Duncan Gaines is now a widower and. fast becoming infirm. He looks upon this new fangled age with bare tolerance and feels that~ the happiest age of mankind has passed with the discarding of the simple, old fashioned way of doing things.

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FEDERAL VIRITERS PROJECT American Guide, (Negro Writers Unit) Madison, Florida 138 Pearl Randolph Field Worker Complete Slave Interview Noveniber 24, 1936 REFERENCE I, Personal interview with Duncan Gaines, Second Street near Madison Training School for Negroe , Madison, Florida e

Clayborn Gantling. 142 139

139 9 - ?WEML WSITZkIS PROJEQ? Mnerienn ~utde, (flecro Writerst Unit) - Jacksonville, F1?rtda Rachel Auetin . Sl~e Int~~fl~p Secretary - . Apfll 1r3~ 1937 Cotrnlet.e - ~ - - 1,3k ~oHe - 6Pa~tes . - ~ - - S~~QWL~9MX.WJt. . . . . Cleflorn Gantling was born in~ Dawaon~ c;eortia, 1 streIt County, Jarnia~ ~ 1848 on the plantation ot Judce t Uitsme.. - SudS Will2sms owned 102 bea~a of sLaves uM ni knorr. ---- to be tolable nice to em in sornwa~y~ aM pretty rotw~h on !em in other way0 tnys !~r, ~~wit1tng. ~4e vroutd nt fl us no coffee, cept on Sunday I~rninp~s t-en we would halte aborts or ~eeond~ of wheat, which t de 3~ea4inet of flour at mills, yu~ know, bit We hM plent bacon, corn bnM, biters and peas, ~ . f - As a child ~ uster have to tote nt~ to de old . people on de tann and tend de con ant teed de sheep0 ~ Now, t can say rtgbt zackly how things wuz during slavery cause tts been a ions time a~~a butwe ~d cotton aid corn fields ~fld 4* h&fldB plow d hard, picked cotton cr&bled per4er~~ - sath~rM pas a~M done an the other hard wort to. be done on d plantations0 . t %?qz not~ big matt to do aU of dat thin~s tx~t t ~ plen! o slOe it done.~

143 140

efls 140 . Dey made lye soap mi de (anas and used t~dtgo from iyoo for ! we niggere slept on ha~ piled on t~, or pl~~k~ but de white folks had better beds,. . . Mt don t tmcmber m~ ~~~rnta tnt my mas was Oniled Harriet Williams and ny pa was called Henry Williams; dey wuz called !illtaws after nw npster, !ty mac and pa. woxted ver~ ~ hardand ~ot some b!ating t*it I don t know what for, Dey wuz all kinds of money, five ntt ten dollar alle, tiM .0 On then, 1:nt I dtdrI t ncr see thorn with any, . ~ . SThen war came alon~~ and Sherman onme throup)a the old people ~uz very skeered on acoow t ot the whtte owners but thcr~ was no ti~httni~ close me, !~y t !tster s so: s Lee rind fletcher joined the ~ and lots of de other tnasterc went; de sorvanto w, tz sont along to wait on de :zoun~ white men0 rues. youtd 11ko to 3cr4Ow~ i~ any nrc U11ed~ I s:outd smile, two : know were ki1led~ . I . Ikiring those days for medicine, the old people ned such things a~s butterfly root and bntert3.y tea, c.:~:e tea, red onit b~rk, htppeoat .~ somethin . that ~row ~ wan ned for D vers ~fl(j bnthir g htldren4 They witz white doCtors and plenty of colored grannies, . - ~t n de Ya~eea Came they acted dii r nt and was naturally better to sortants thanour wtst~rshad been; we colored folks done t1~bnt we could ~but thatwas not so o$ ripht after freedoms ~ Still lt grond on aM gjowed on eitting ~~!

144 141

efls 141 bsttar, . . . . . . . . * fi.fet. SnMom w Sis! tnt to ~t.. ehtu OWS on ~undt~1ys with pasee i but Ui y never mentionS 004; tby .ala7i . tol4 tie to be ~go d nt~en and atM our tatins aM masks s, Jua8; nul... .ba4 ten or twelve heads of children. but X cane ~.a.r the nase of em now; hie wife pu salted Use snd ~ tnt she was Jest bout let 1!ars, !Uliams. X bed . bout .ei~teqp heeds of t~oys tiM five ~tas c~yealt; ten was . Co many, I oan~ memberaU of dem, . ?~r, Gantiiuiz: s asked tc~ r iat.e ~ ~t6nts % that he could reme ber of the livns of siRTes, und he oontiruedl Weh, ~tk31e horn would blow et ry morntnj rar y to eSt up nztca rIE te wo~q when tho sun Zlr$ it Y~2Iv!fl ~1Ot .. th the fleidworlung, you would be thtpped with whips and leatbW e trope. T . meab,r stunt fiefly was beat until as oct14 hardly . ~yet ilc!nrb bUt t can m abe! what for ~zst a yrna khow ehe had . w woit along till ehe got~ bitter, ~Ly ma bd to wo* pntt ht~rd bat in: !tde.t sister, Judy, was too JOUfl to PLUt t~uch~ . k b.sp o a. slaves w uld nan away aM hide tn de wools t . . J . t to keep . from wot~cin~ so hard ~aat the *hite rolke to keep thorn f ns nnning . . . . t . lawfl so thnt %bey could riot ketdz es would p*t a Main around theneo3c*g*wou~hniga nth bsokaMbe sknsdo tp arothe routh tb, waist and another roursit thi fret so the could not man, still *ey Md to v ~t uM aien in oem, tofl .~ .. .. . -~ ~ : ~ ~ .: .. :~.. t t .: .... :C:f~&t~J.~Z.~. ... . .~ t

145 142

t- ~t3s 142 sometimes they would voir these ~$a1ne for three or tour months. Then a el.nve would dto they had ~ioo~en. boxes to r t em inflir~d dug holec ttnd just put them in, A Slave might go to flftie~tet or brother s tuners3~, . 1~ ~ $~y reoofleottnn je verj bad anti So rnuoh te forgotten, . It,t y have seen slaves sold In 4ro~es like cows; they called ~ ~ea xkdri~ees, aM white men n~t drivtn pm like hOtT~e ~&M cove for :~ ~e ~ ~othere and t;thers were sold nnd pnrted fron theIr chtlltLnj /;)thcc mu sold to white r ~le in dttftn;~ ~ I te~11 you chile, I ~ wa pitiful, bit God did not let it laflt dwua~, I lafl b~afl . slnve~~ norntnr~ and nicht pr ay for d itveranoe, Borne of em woul4 at~nd u~ in & fields or ben~ over. cotton ftnd corn end tray out loud for Gv~d to botp em and tn time you see, He dtd. . .~ . ~They had tait you call pattyrol ler zho would cat4h you from homo and twen. you ~ out and send yo~z back to yo~u m.ast*~~ if n. mr~pter lut slaves he jea oo ld not rule (some of sxx wut hard raid jes would not mind de boss), he would a~ him fl ht viantod to &~o to another plantation and if ho said he did, then9 he would g4ve hIrn amas and that pass would tfldI ~Gtve this fl~ fT6t hell, Of oourse when the 0pattyroiler s or oth~eX piantrtion boris wnuld react tJte pr~es he would beat Lin neat; to CJefl,t} and send him t*olt. Ofcourse the nigger could itot read s and did not know tat the pass sdd YoU set, 6y did nfl t~ ne nifTer to han a book or piece of paper of any kind ar4 you q knowdeywuznotgotflahnnyoferntoreAA, . . a. I

146 143

~\ C ~ ~ t e74* 143 ~iwometi baA ~ liard too; iiomen ~ae utta.e bases would hati to 1~O to wo* in S thorntngs with the rest, com back, Es s. their chLZlun ~M c back to the tieN, sti; two or ~ hoiArs then g~ back aM est dinmrj atte~r dinner. dey vmui&ha to &Gt9 de tt!t6 and n~y tw or thzee more h ~ufl. ti art C tfl3 ~vzrse ~he ohtilun a atn, ~o bac* to the field and . at?iy tilt nt~it, ~ One O! ~ two old women would etny~ 1M ?~ \ i&, house and kee~~ all de ohtflun *241* theIr, mothers * rk~d in 4, tieNs, . . ~ % . .) . . .. if . I ~ . I - \ . . . Now dey to a heap nor e t could ten fl%~y~: ~fli- d a4t t?4a or no more now~ ~ ~ . . . . E : ~ ~ ~anti tas ane to Plorida % Jennin~a ?t nthtton ~ n . Lake !~ ~ 4 nd~ stayS two yean~, t.~i fl. vefl~ ta Everett!a -~ lsntaatton and stayed one ye~ r, Prom there he nnt to n~ caiiid Hi~ lift and stayed two or thrn ye~are,. He left then ~ OEnt t~ent ~ Saper, farmed and etue~ nnttt he moved hie tamity to Jsckso~vttie4 Revs he worted o~ pu*~C WO*i Until he started ~ hq~e ~ chickens ~vhich he c nttmed up to about t6ut~ too years aao,. *ow,he ~ oid,t* 6G anythini3 but.just tSLt ~t!!d1d and talk,4nd eat.~, ~ H . ~ 1? s 1 ~ ~ ~ He Uves with his &water, mrs.: Minnie H ily ar*d her }t~ebtu4~ ri , n~j Rolty art. Lee treet, ~ j t tIre GantZins osnnot read or wflt*, ~tnt t s volt tnter*st iS - / L . . . . I % I 7 ~ % . ~ - . L ~ ~ ~ t j I ~ ~ ~ & ~ J t \ ~A?

147 144

. . ~75- 144~ . Me haa.b~en a ~ernber of the Afri ~n Methodist ~piscopal Church for more than i tfty years, ~ has a yen Cood appetitie snd althoug)i hr~e lost :L1s teeth, he h~s ne~~r worn a ~late or had an~j den~a1 work done. flE? iS neve~ abk ~ 1 : a~ hr~d but little tn d~cnl c~ttentton during ~i~3 ii~rottme, Hie ror~n te bent and~he vt~1ke with a cane; a1thou~h ho ~ inpj ~e confined to hie home, it if fror~ choice as he c4eldom wet~r~ aimes fl ~ ount of bad fc~et, ~ts eyeet~~ht 1~ very ~o(~ (:Lfld h~s ho~bby i~3 sew1n~,. H6. thX ~F~P(1 hi~ ~tfl needles without aa ~istance of ~a~eo~ au he ha e no~r vorn them. Mr~ r~rant1th ~ ce1ebr~ted hie 89th btrth~y ~bn the 20th ~y of Nove~ ter 193G. ~ . . He is very ei~a)~, a:L60 ver7 short; quite active for ~iiS ~ r~nd of a very Genial d1Gpo~itton, alwayo ~3nh1 ~. fl~.

148 145

~145 . ~ EDERAL ~VR1T~W i~oJ~CT Arneri~O~r~ Guide ~ (Nd ~:o ~1rit rg Unit) Jackaonvtllt7, ~ lollIda \ PaE;e6 ~1,a~e Interview RaOhel Au attn ~3ecreta17 Comple te L, Intervtew with Mr, C~4yborn Cant1ing~ 19~3O Lee ~3treet, Jaokeorwt11~, Florida.

Arnold Gragston. 149 146

14G~ ~ FEDEML WaX TER5 PROJ~O? American C~u1d~ (Neg~i o Writers Unit) Jacksonville,, Florida . . S !~artin Richardson Slave interview S Field Wozter S !atonvllle, Florida 9 Paces 1494 Words ~ S ~ ~ S S (Verbatim interview wtth Arnold Gragston, .. 974l~year~oid S ex~s~ave whose early life was spent helping slaves to freedom across the Ohio River, whtle he, htrnse1f~ reraatne4 In bondage. As he puts It, he guesses he could be called a cor4uctor On the underground railway, ~on1y. we dt II t call ~ tt that then. X don t know as we called it anything .~. we juat knew there~~,5 was a lot of slaves a1~ays a~want~n! to, get tre , and I hat to help em.) ~ S S S- ~ Mo t .Ot the slaves d&dn~t know whei~ they waeb~rn, but I did. You sees ~ was born on a Oiu ietrna, rn rnin a. ~ . S w~ in 1840; 1 was a full grown man when I tinaU,y u:ot in~ free6~om~~, ~efore I. g~ot it, though, I helped .5 a lot ot others get theirs. Lawd only knows how many; mi~t have been as much as two~..three hundred, It was way more than a hundred, I know~ 0But that ail caine after I was a young man ~ grown enoug)h to know a~ pretty ~rI when I saw one~ and to ~o chasing after her, too. I was born on a plantation that b~ion~,ed to !~r1 Jack TaLb in Mason Counts, ~st ~ rose the.rtver Ln kentucky. ~r, Tabb was ~ pretty ~c~ d. man. He used to beat us, sure; but not nearly soinuch asothrre d1d~, some of his own ktn people, even. But he was ktn~aI~unny sometimes; he uset to Mvi. a special slave wbo ditdntthave nothi& to do but teach the r t o: us ~ we had about ten oti thepi*fltatton~1 and. a i*t on the 26707 -~ ~\

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. - 147 other plantatiori near us ~ how to read and write and tiggex . Mr. Tabb I tic ed us to know how ~ to- t~ger. But sometime a when he would ser~d for us and we would be a long tiTus comi&~ he would ask us where we had been,~ If we told him we had been leaz nin to . read, he would near beat the daylights out of us after gettin so~ihebody to teach.us; I Uzink he did some ot that so that the other owners wouldn t say he was epOiUnt }4S ala,.., ~ He was runny ~LbCUt US marryin , too, }!e would let us ~o ~ ourtin on the other plantations near anytime we liked, it we were good, and it we Lound somebody we want~ed to marry, ar4 she was onaplantation that b lon~ed -to one of his kin folks or a frieM, he would swap a slave so that the husband and Wifeeould. be together. Sometimes, when he oouldr~ t do thie, he would let a ~laYe work all day on his plantation, and~ live with his wife at night on her plantation. $oine of the other owners was always talking about his spoiliri us. - - . ~ ~ . - He wasn ~t a Mmmacrat like the rest ot ent in the county; he b~?lOfl~ed to the know~riothin~ party an~L he~was a real leader in it. He used to always be makin sp~eehes, and sometimes his beat friends wouldn t be speaking to him for days at a time, . Mr, Tabbwaa always specially good to me, He ueed to let me O ail about ~ I ~zess he-had to; oou 4r~ t ge~t tQO muoh w~ k out of nie even when he kept~ me right unl*r his eyes, I . - learned fast, too, and t think he kinda liked that. - Re used ~ to call -~3andy Davis, the slave who tau&it me~ the smartest Nt&~er - - ~: . ~ ~ #i ~ :: :~ ~ ~ ~ .~. ~~ ~

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.9 : . ~ \ sits 148 in x.ntuair.~ . . I lt/was cause he used tolet we go around tn the day . and ni~ht So much that X carne to be the one who carried the runnLn~way staves ov r the flyer, it was tunny the sy I . started it, too, . ~ : I NI didntt have no idea of ever gettin mixed up in any aoi t of business like that until one epectal night, ~ X hadntt even thought of rowing across the river rnyselt. . . N ~t one nigjat I had gone on another plentation courtth, and the old woman whose house I went to told me ehe had a it . . . pretty girl th re who wanted to go across the rtver s~y~d would X take hefl I was scared and backed Gut In a hurry, Sitz then t saw the girl, and sb was suth a pretty little ~htn~, browns skinned and kinda rosy~ and looking as Eared as I wa~st e fln , sott wasn t long beforel was listenin to the old wdrnan tell me when t take herandwhere to leave her onthe other a1&e,~ t didn thave nerve enough to db it that n~t~ though, and I told them to wait for me t:ntil tornoflow. night. All the next day I kept seeing Mister Tabb laying a r*whide across my back, or ehootin me, and kept seeing that scared little brown girl bAck at the house, todking at me with her bt~ eyes and aSking me if I wouldn t just rowler across to Ripley. Me and Nr, Tabb lost, an~. soon as dnst settled that night, t was at the old ladyts houSe . ~ 01 4on t knOw how I enr rowed tbe boat ai~ro .e s U~

152 149

ri ver the current wa~ strong ~nd I was trembling. X oouldn t see a thin~~ there in the dart, but I ~1t that ~iri s eyes, We didn t dare to whisper, so I couldn t tell her how sure I was that~ Mr~ 1~a lt r some of the others owners wou tear me up when they round out what X had ~ done, I . just knew they ~ waui find out. . . ~ . ~ ~ . I ~as worried~ too, about where to put her out o~ the boat, I couldn t ri e her across the river a11~ night, and )~ didn~t know ath1n~ about the other side, had heard a lot atout it ~rom other 8lave$ bu~t I thought it w~s just about like Mason County, with s1~:.vee and ma stars, overee rs and raw-P hides; and so, I just knew that i~ X pt~11ed the b at up and went to asking peo~ie where to take her I wo ld get a beating or get killed.~ ~ N.I don t know whether it aeeme~. like a long time. oz~ a short time, now ~ it~s so lonE ago; X know it was a-long time rowing ther~ in thec ld an~ worryin But it was ahort~ too, o~~uee aa soon as I did get onthe oth r stde the big.~eye~, brown~skin girl wo~4d be ~one, Weil, pretty ason X eaw a taU 1i~It and. T remembered~ what the &Id ady had. told me about looking for that 1t~ht arid rowing to it. t dtd;. and when X got up to it, twomen reached down.an~ ~7abbed her; I started ~rernbIin ail over again, and prayi&, ~ Then, one of the men ~ ~ ~ took my~ arm and t jtast felt down inside oZ me that the Lord hadgot ready for me~ You. hungry, ~oy? ta what he asked me, and if he hadnt ~een hoId~in me X thtflk X would have ~U . . 149

153 150

150 backiar~ Into the riirer, R Tha t wa~ my tira t trip ; 1. t took me a long t ime t &;et over my ecarect feelin , but X ftnafly It~ and X soon rOund myself ~O1fl? bsok aoroea the rt ver, with two ~M three people, !5~4 sonietirnes a whole boattoad~, X ~ot so I uaed to make three ana tour trips a~rnonth~ ~ . ~ N.What did my passen~:\e,ra look Uke? I can t tell you any~ more ~bou~t it than you can, and you waen t there0 ~ter that firet girl no, Inever did aee ~aer a~1n.~5X never saw my paeeeri~e~r~. I would have to~be the black ni~bte .ot the mo~o~ wi:~en I would carry them, ~&M T wot4~~ meet m out in the open or in a houee without a stn~ie it~it, ~ The on3~y wai Ikn~ who they were wae tO ask them; ~Tht you ayV ~ AM they-would answer, ~enare. I don t know what that word meant ~ it came rroni th B~bIe. I only know that~that was the passwordIused~, and a:L1,of them that I took over told ~.t to me betb re I took them, ~ ~ ~ S ni guens 3t0u wonder what t d1~ with them after I ~ t tuern over theriver Weil, ther tri Ripley wa~ a n~an named. Mr~ Rank .ns; I tIIIflk t~ r est 1 his ~narne wa~ .Sohn~ He ~ had a re~ u1~ar statt n there on Ma place for es~pin~ elavel. You see1 Ohi was a free state and once they ~ot5over the river fromKentu~y or Vir~in1a, Mr~ Rarikins cuid strut then~ all arouriA town, aM nobody woul4 bother t~ j~ ~y~y ~ ~ ~ to i n~ em quietly at.nt~ht was eo that whoever br ught tem eot~id ~o back for more, and because we had to t~ c~ret**i that noneo~ ~Ue

154 151

S. ~ 4,54 . 151 ownere had followed us, Every once in a while they would follow a t at and catch thetr elave ~Ck. Sornetim s they would shoot at whoever was trying to save the poor devils4 ~~!~r0 Ranktns had a regular station Thr the a1a~es, He had a big iLg)1th0U8ein his yards ab.:;ut thirty feet hi&1 and he kept it burffl~n all nicht. It always meant freedom ror 9lave If he could E;et to this light. . O .~ I 3ornettmee ~ Rankins would have twenty or thirty slaves th~.t had. run away on lais place at the time, It must have cost him.a, whole lots to keep them.and. feed em, tute I thiflk sc;~n of ht~s friends helped him, ~ ~ ~ Those who wanted to stay ~ound th~t part of Ohio could stay, but didn t many of em ~ it1 t~caus.e there wa~ too ;~:UCh dan~,:er that you: would be wa1kin~ a1on~ ~ free one night, ~fee1 ahand ver ~rour mouth~ and be back aoro6a the river and in slavery again in the morning. And n body in the world ever ~ot a chance to know ae IRI~th m4t ei~ as a elave that had esoaped and. been caught, ~ . S 1*50 a whole 1~t of eni we.nt on North to other pt~rt~ or Ohio, or to New York, Chioa~o or Ca~nada; Canada was popular then becau~e all of the slaves thought it was the laat sate be~ : ore you ~ot ail ~the way ~ o~ heaven. I donut think ther ~ was much chance for a alave to raake a itv~in~ in Canada, ait. didn t many o~ em corne back. They seem. like they rather. atarve up ther ~e In the cold than to5 i~ b& k in .1~~e271~ ; . .~ ~ ~ ~ ~ S~ ~ ~ ~ ~. ~

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s e ~52 . The Army 800fl etartedtaking a lot of ew, t o. They could enlietin the Uni.on Argiysy~d ~et good wa e8, mon food than they ever had, and have ail the little gals wavin at em when they paeed, Them blue unifone was a nIce o~ange, too, / . * I ~ j No, I never got anything trom a sin@e one of the. people ~t carried ov r the flier t freedom./ ~ I didn t want any. thing; fter . had made a few trips 1 got to like it, and ~ though I could have been free anynl&at myself, t figgered I wasntt ~ tttri~ alon& so bad so I would stay on Mi , Tabb .e place aM help the others get free. ~ I did it for fair years. . ~ ~ lt ; on t know to thisday how he ne.ver~knewwhat I w~ doing; I usedto take some awful ~chances, andhekn w I must have been up to something; I wouldntt do.muchworkth the day, would neter be in my house at ntght, and when he would . happen to visit the plantation where I had sai4 I Was g t wouldn t be there. Sometimes .1 think he did know and wanted me to get thesla.ves aw y that way so he would&thave to cause hard ~ feelins by freeth1 tern. ~ . . . . . 01 ~ Mr~ Tabb used t talk a lot to Mr~ John Fee; Mr. Fee was a man who. lived in Kentucky., ~at .Lord~ how that. man hated slavery~ He used to always tell us (we never let our. owners see us listentnt . to him, thqu~h) that God didntt . int nd for some men t be free andsome men be inai yery. He used th talk to the ownere, too, when they *044 listen to him, thit

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mostly they hated the sight of John Fee, . In the night, though, he was a dirferent man, for every slave who carne through his place going across the river ~e had a good word, something to eat and some kind of rags, too, ir it was cold. He always knew just what to tell you to do 1f anythin~~ went ~wronh;~, and sometimes I think he kept slaves there o l his laoe till. they could be rowed across the river. Heired us a lot, ni almost ran the. business in the g,round after I had. been carrying the slaves across for n~rly four years, It was iii 18G;5, and one nicht i: carried across about t~~elve on the same nicht. ~omebody must hnve seen us, because they set out (~tte1 me ~s soon as I sterred out oi~ the boat back. on the Ken~ tuoky side; 1~rom that time on they were after ni . 5o~nettmes they would almost catch me; I had to run away from Pr, Tabb s rlantn.,tionand live in the fields and in the woods. I didn t 1:now what a bed wa~ from one week toi another. I would sleep :i~n a cornfteld tonlc)it, ur in the branches of a tree tor~orrow rii ht, nr~id buried in a haytile the next ni~ht; the River, where I i~~d carried so many across myself, ~ no L~,OOd to me; it was watched too close. ~Finally, I saw th t I could never do any more good in ?ia8OI I Cou~ ty, so I dec~ided to take my freedom, too. I had ~ wi1~E? by this tirr~e, ~nd ~ne ntL~ht we quietly slip~,ed across and headed for Pr, Rankin s bell and li~ht. It looked like we had

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.1 . ~ ~ 5t4. 154 to ~o almost to Qitha to ~et acrosa th t rivefl X could hertz the bell and aee Ute 1L~j~ht on Mr, anktn s place, but the harder I rovsed, the farther away Lt got, spit X kim Lt t AlAn t mak~ it 11i1 ~et ktIled,. That ttfl*UIY,Z puiled1up by th ltrbta . house, and: went on to my SteedS as just a few months beton all of the o1~vee got their e, I didn t stay tn Ripley, thoush; t wasn t taking no ebanoes! r went on to Detrott and still live there with most otto children and 3 . ~flnAohi1dren, . The btsF~er ones don t care eo4aiti h about hearin it now, bit V:e littli ones never ~et tired o! heartn how~th ir grandpa brou~ht ~rnaneipation to loads o? eSves he Could touph and feel, but never oouid. see. . . . . t s as dfl* ~ ~ t

158 155

~58~ ~ 155 FEDERAL WRI TERS PROJPCT Amerioan Guide (Negro Writero Unit) Jaokeonv~Ue~ Fiori&a Martin Richardson Slave Interv&ew Airnold Gra~eton L intervi w with aub~ject, Arnold Gra ston, present addre~e, . S Robert Hungerford OoiIe~.e Carnpu~!~ EatonviUl (1~ O. Mattlub f land) florida. (8ubject is relativ o~ President of Hun~erfor& OoI1e~e and stays sever ~3. months in ~atonviUe at frequent ~ ter vals. Ht~ b~me is Detrc. it, ~t hX~an),

Harriett Gresham. 159 156

t ~ ~.i ~ . ~ 156 FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT Amerloan Guide,(Negro Writers Unit) Jacksonville,, Florida Pea4 Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker December 18, 1936 Complete 1,601 Words Harriett Greaham 8 Page s u Born on December 6, 1838, Harriett c~reBham can recall quite clearly the major events of her life as a elave, also the Civil War as it affected the slaves of Charleston and Barnwell, South Carolina. She was one of a group of mul~ttoes belonging to Edmond Bellinger, a wealthy plantation owner of BarnweU. With her mother, the plantation seamstress and her father, a driver, she lived in the big house quarters, and wa~ known as a house nigger. She played with the children of her mistress and seldom mixed with the other slaves on the plantation. To quote some of her quaint expressions: Honey I amt know I was any d,iffrunt fum de chilien o me mistress t ~el atter de war, We played and et and fit togetter lak chilien is bound ter do all over der world. Somethin allus happened thoi.igh to remind me dat I was jist a piece of property. 1 heard der gun aboomin away at Fort Sumpter and fer de firs time in my life I knowed what it was ter fear anythint cept a sperrit. No, I amt never seed one myself but.- By der goodness o God I done lived ter waltz on der citadel green and march dom a ile o soldiers in blue, in der

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Slave Interview . Page 2 Pearl R~tndo1ph ~ FEC Jacksonville, Florida arms o me huaban and over ~e haid de bay nets shined. 1 donelived up all my days and. some o dem whut mighta b longed ter somebody else is dey d done right in der eight o DOd. How I knowl so old? I got docu-. ments ter prove it. The doouments is a yellow eheet of paper that appears to be stationery that le crudely decorated at the top with crisaed oro8sed lines done in ink. Its contents in ink are as follows: Harriett Pinokriey, born September 25,1790. Adeline, her daughter, born October 1, 1809, Betey, her daughter, born September 11,1811. BeIind~., her daughter, born Octob r 4, 1813. Debora1~, her daughter, born December 1, 1815. Stephen, her son, born September 1, 1818. Harr i e t t s Grandc hi ldx en Bella, the daughter of Adeline born July 5, 1827. Albert, BOfl of Beuinda ~ born August 19 1833. Laurence, 8Ofl~ of Betay born March 1, 1835, Sarah Anii Elizabeth, daughter of Belinda born January 3, 1836. H~.rriett, daughter of Belinda born Deceni ber 6, 1838. (This record was given Harriett by Mrs. Harriett Bellinger, her mietrese. Each slave received a elmular one on bein~ freed.) As a child Harriett played about the premises of the Bellinger estate, leading a very carefree life as did all the slave children belong~.ng to Ed nond Bellinger. When ehe

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Slave Int rview Page 3 Pear . Randolph FEC -& Jacksonville, Florida was about twelve years old ehe was given email taeke to do such as knitting a pair of stockings or dusUng the furniture and ample time was given for each f these assignments. This was a i~ry large plantation and there was always something for the score of slaves to do. There were the wLLe acres of cotton that must be planted, hoed and gathered by hand. A special batch of slave women did. the spinning and weaving, while those who had been taught to sew, made most of the clothing worn by slaveB at that time. Other products grown here were rice, corn,sugar cane, fruits and. vegetables. Much of the food grown on the planta~ tien was reserved to fe3d the slaves. While they must work hard to complete their tasks in a given time, no one was allowed to go hungry or forcedto work if the least ill. Very little had to be bought here. Candies were made in the kitchen of the 0big house, usually by the cook who was helped by other slaves, These were made of beeswax gathered on the plantation. Shoes were made of tanned dried leather and re-in~ forced with brass cape; the large herds of cattle, hogs and. poultry furnished sufficient meat . Syrup and sugar were made from the cane t~~at was carried to a neighboring mill. Harriett remembers her master as being exceptionally kind but very severe when his patience was tried too far. Mrs. Bellinger was dearly loved by ai . her slaves because she was very thoughtful of them. Whenever there was a wedding, frolic or holiday

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Slave Interview ~ Page 4 P3arI Randolph FEC 1 9 Jacksonville, Florida ~ or quilting bee, she was sure to provide some extra goody and 80 dear to the hearts of the women we e the cast off clothes she so often bestowed upon them on these occasions. The slaves were free to infite those from the neigh- f boring p~Lantations to join in their social gatherings. A Negro preacher delIvered sermons on the plantation. Services being held. in the church used. by whites after their services on Sunday. The preacher muet always act as a peaceiiiaker and mouthpiece for the master, so they were told to be subservient to their masters in order to enter the Kingdom of God. But the slaves held. secret meetings and had praying grounds where they met a few at a time to pray for better things. Harriett reniembers little about the selling of slaves because this was never done on the Bellinger plantation. All slaves were considered a part of the estate and. to seil one, meant that it was no longer intact. . There were r~ors of the war but the slaves on the Bellinger place did. not grasp the import of the war until their master went to fight ~on the side of the Rebel army. Many of them gathered about their~ mistress and wept as he left the home to which he WOUld never return. Soon after that it waswhiapered among the slaves that they would be free, but no one ran away. After living in plenty all their lives, they were forced. to do without coffee, sugar salt and beef. Everything available

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Slave Interview Page 5 Pearl Randolph FEC ~J7ack3onvil1e, Florida ~ was bundled off to the army by Mrs. Bellinger who shared tue popular belief that the soldiers must have the beat in the way of food. and. clothing. Harriett still remembers very clearly the storming of Fort Suxnpter. The whole co.untryside was thrown into confusion and niany slaves were mad with fear. There were few men left to establish order and many women loaded their slaves into wagons and gathered such belongings as they could and fled. Mrs. Bellinger was one of those who held. their ground. ~ Whenthe Union soldiers visited her plantation they found the plantation in perfect order. The slaves going about their tasks as 1 nothing unusual had happened. It was necessary. to sum- mon them from the fields to give them the message of their freedom. ~ Harriett recalls that her mistr!ss was very frightened ~ut walked upright and held a trembling lip between her teeth as they waited for her to sound for the last time the horn that had su~rimoned several generations of human chattel to and from work. Some left the plantation; others remained to harvest the crops. On&and all they remembered to thank God for their free- dom. They immediately began to hold meetings, singing soul stirring spirituals. Harriett recalls one of these songs. It is as follows: \ T ank ye Marster Jesus, t ank ye, \ T ank ye ~arster Jesus, t ank ye, ~ ~ T ank ye Marster Jesus, t ank ye ~ . Da Heben gwinter be my home.

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Slave Interview . Page 6 Pearl Randolph FEC Jacksonville, Florida. No elav ry chains to tie nie down, And. no mo driver s ho n to blow fer me No mo eto ks to fasten me down Jeeue break eJ.av ry chain, Lord Break elav ry ohain Lord, Break slav ry chain Lord, Da Heben gwinter be my home. Harriett s parents remained with the widowed woman for a ~vhi1e. Had they not remained, she might not have met Gaylord Jeannette, the knight in ~ .ue, who later became her husband. He ~ffaa a member of Company 1 , 35th Regiment. She is still a bit breathless when ehe relates the details of the military wedding that followed a whirlwind court hip which had its beginning on the citadel green, where the soldiers station~d there held their dress parade, After these parades there waa dancing by the soldiers and belles who had bedecked themselves in their Sunday best and come out to be wc~ed by a soldier in blue, Music was furnished by the military band which offered many patriotic numbers that awakened in the newly freed Negroes that had long been dead patriotisni. Harriett recalls snatches of one of these songs to which she danced when she was 20 years of ages It :~s as follows: ~ Don t you see the lightning flashing in the cane brakes, ~ Looks like we gonna have a storm ~ Although you re kistaken its the Yankee soldiers

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Slave Interview Page 7 162 Pearl Rando1p~ FEC Jacksonville, )~1Orid& Going to fight for Uncle Sain. old master W$~B a colonel in the Rebel army Just before he had. to run away~ Look out the battle is a falling ~ The darkies gonna occupy the land, Harriett believes the two officers who tendered con~ ~ra~latione ahortly after her marriage to have been Generals Gates and Beecher, This was an add,ed thrill to her, As 8110 lived a rather secluded life, Harriett Greeharn ~axi tell ve~y little about the superstitions of her people during slavery, but knew them to be very reverent of various signs and. ornena,In one she places much credence herself. Prior to the Ci~vi~ War, there were hordes of ants and everyone said this was an omen. r war, and there was a war. ~ ~ She was married when schools were set up for Negroes, ~ut had. no time for school. Her master was adamant on one point arid. t:~at was the danger of teaching a slave to read and write, so Harriett received little book learning. H~rriett Greeham is the mother of several children, :randchildren and. great grandchildren. Many of them are dead, :~~e lives at 1305 west 31st street, Jacksonville, Florida w&th a grand daughter. Her second husband is also dead. She sits on the ~ ;rch of her S haoby cottage and sews the sti tohe s that were taught :~r by her mistress, who is also dead. She embroiders, crochets,

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~lave Interview Page 8 ~ ~ ~earl Randolph FEC 1-U3 Jacksonville, Florida knits and. quilts without the aid of glasses. She likes to show her handiwork to passersby who will find. themselves listening to some of her reinini scences ~ if they linger long enough to en~ cage her In conversation- for she loves to talk of the past. She still corresponds with one of the children of her mistress, now an old woman living on what is left of a once vast estate at Barnwell, South Carolina. The two old women are very muc1~ attached to each other and each in her letters helps to keep alive the memories of the life they shared together as mistress and slave.

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REFERENCE I. Personal interview with Harr1et~ Gresham, 1305 West 3 .Bt, Street, Jacksonville, Florida FEDERAL ~YRIT~RS PROJECT American Guide,(Negro ~i.tere! Unit) Jacksonville Florida Slave Interview Decernber 18, 1936 Pearl Randolph Field~ Worker Complete 164

Rebecca Hooks. 174 171

FEDEFAL WR I PROJE CT American aulde,(Negro W~1tere Unit) Lake City, Florida Slave Interview January 14, 1937 Pearl Randolph Field Worker CoEp~ete REFERENCE Persona.~ Interview with Rebecca Hooks, 1604 North Marion Street, Lake City, Florida. 171

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~M FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT Ameri an Guide,(Negro Writere Unit) Lake City, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker January 14, 1937 Complete 1,021 Words 6 Pages Rebeoc~J~s Rebecca Hooks, age 90 years, is on~ of the few among the fast~thinning ranks of ex-slaves who can give a clear picture of life befo de wah.~ She was born in Jones County, Georgia o ~ Martha and. Pleasant Lowe, who were slaves of Wilii~ni Lowe. The mother W~B the mulatto offspring of William Lowe and a slave woman who was half Cherokee, The father wa~ also a mulatto, purchased from a nearby plantation. Because of thie blood mixture ~ parents were~ known as house niggere, and. lived on quarters Iccateci. in the rear of the big house. A house nigger was a servant whose duties con~ ~3i8tCd of chores around the big house, such as butler, maid, cook, stablernan, gardner and personal attendant to the man who owned him. These slaves were often held in high esteem by their masters and of course fared. much better than the other slaves on the planta~~ tien. Quite often they were mulattoes as in the case of Rebecca s parente. There seemed to be a general belief among slave owners that mulattoes could not stand as much laborious work as pure blooded Negro

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Slave Interview . . Page 2 Pearl Rand.olph FEC 173 Lake City, Florida slaves. This accountE probably for the fact that the niajority of ex~-slaves now alive are rnulattoes. The L0W38 were originally ~ Virginia and did. not own as much property in Georgia as they had in Virginia. Rebecca estimates the nurther of slaves on this plantation as nurzibering no more than 25. They were treated kindly and cruelly by turns, accordeir~g to the whims of a master and rnistre~ who were n~ne too stable in their dispoeit ons. There was no dziver~ or overseer on thin plantation, as Old Torn was devil enough himself when he wanted to be, observes Rebecca. ~Viiiie she never felt the full force of his cruelties, ehe often felt sorry for the other slaves who were given a task too heavy to be completed in the given t~1me; this deliberate~ ly, so that the master might have some excuse to vent his pentup feelings. Puniahr~ent was always in the form of a severe whipping or revocation of a slave s privilege, auch as visiting other .planta-~ ti~ns~te. The Lowes were not wealthy arid it was necessary for thent to raise and manufacture as niany things on tne plantation as possib.Le. Slaves toiled from early ~iorning until night in the corn, cotton sugar cane and tobacco fields. Others tended the large herds of c:attie frorr~ which milk, butter, meat ~nd leather waa produced. The leather was tanned and made Into crude shoes for the slaves for the short winter months, No one wore shoes except during. cold.

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Slave Interview Page 3i Pearl Randolph FEC 1~4 Lake City, Florida weather and. on Sundays. Fruit oroharde and. vegetab .ee were a180 grown, but not given as much attention aa the cotton and. corn, as theae were the main nioney crops. As a child Rebecca learned to ape the ways of her mistress. At first this was considered very amuB1ng.V~henever she had. not knitted her required riwnber of socks during the week, she simply informed theni that she had. not done it because she had not wanted. to besides she was not a ~nigger. This etubborntese accompanied by hysterical tantrurr~s continued to cause Rebecca to receive many stiff punishments that might have been avoided Her roaster had given orders that no one was ever to whip her, so de- ~ vious methods were employed to punish her, such as marching her down the road. with hands tied behir~ her back, or locking her in a dark room for several hours with only bread and. water. Rebecca resez~abied very much a daughter of Wiiiiaz~ Lowe. The girl was really her aunt, and very conBeicus Of the resen~b1ance. Both had brown eyes and long dark hair, They were about the saine height and the CiOthC~ of the yoi~g inistrese fitted Rebecca like a glove. To offset this likeness, Rebecca s hair was always cut very short. Finally Rebecca rebelled at having her hair all cut off and blankly refused to aubr~it to the treat~nent any longer. After this happening, the girls formed a dislike for each other, and Rebecca was guilty of doing every mean act of which she was capable to torment the white girl. Rebecca s mother aided and abetted her in

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Slave Interview Page 4 Pearl Randolph FEC 175 Lake City, Florida this, often telling her things to do. Rebecca Cud. not fear the form f punishment administered her ant she had the cunning to keep on the good side of the master who had a fondness for her becauce she was so much like the Lowes. The miatresB dez~iand that she be sold or beaten was alwaye turned aside with Dear, you know the child can t help it; ite that cursed Cherokee blood in her. There seen~ed to be no very strong opposition to a slave s learning to read and write on the plantation, so Rebecca learned along with the white chilth en. Her father purchased books for her with money he was allowed to earn frori~ the sale of corn whiskey which he made, or from work done on some other plantation during his time off. Re was not permitted. to buy hie freedom, how ever. I Ou Sundays Rebecca attended church along with the other slaves, Services were held in the white churches aster their services were over. They were taught to obey their n~asters and work hard, and that they should be very thankful for the institution of slavery which brought them from darkest ~friea. On the plantation, the doctor was not nearly as pop ular ae the granny or midwife) who brewed medicines for every ail ~~ont. Each plantation had its own granny who also served the mie tress during confine~nent. Some of her remedies follows: For colds: Horehound tes, pinetop tea, lightwood drippings

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Slave Interview Page 5 0 Pearl Randolph FEC 1?6 Lake City, Florida on Bugar. For fever: A tea made of pomegranate seeds and crushed r~int, For whooping cough: A tea made of sheep shandy (manure); catnip tea. For spasms: garlic; burning a garment next to the skin of the patient having the fit. Shortly before the war, Rebecca wae married to Solomon, her husband. This ceremony consisted of simply jumpIng over a broom and having some one read a few words fron a book, whicnxay or may not have been the BIbJ.e.,After the wai, many couples were remarried because of this irregularity. Rebecca had learnect of the war long before it ended and knew Its ir~port. She had confided this information to other slaves who couldread, and write. She read the small newspaper tbat her mas~ ter received at irregular Intervals. The two eons of William Lowe had gone to fight with the Confederate soldlers(One never returned) and everywhere was felt the tension caused by wildspeculation as to the outcome of the war. Certain commoditIes we.Le very scaroe Rebecca renter~ibers ~irinking coffee made of ~okra seed, that had beer~ dried and parched. 1h.ere was flO silk, except that secured by running the blockade, arid this was very expensive. The eriokehouse floors were carefully ~craped for any moEGel of salt that might be gotten. Salt had to be ~veporated fron sea water and this was a slow process. There were no disorders In that section as far as Rebecca

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Slave Interview Page 6 Pearl Rando Iph FEC I ( 7 Lake City, Florida renaeiribera, but ehe thinks that the slaves were kept on the Lowe plantation a long time after they had been freed. It was only when rumors came that Union soldiers were patrolling the countryside for such offenders, that they were hastily told of their freedom. Their forn~er master predicted that they would fare much worse as freemen. and so n any of t~e~ were afraid to vent~ure into the world for themselves, reniaining in virtual slavery for many years afterward, Rebecca and her husband were among those who eft the plantation. They share cropped on various plantations until they carne to Florida., which is more than fifty yeare ago. Rebecca1s hue band died several years ago and she now lives with two daughters, wilo are very proud of her.

Slave interview. 181 178

Federal Writerst Project America Guide, (Negro Writeri Unit) I Florida Saniuel Johnson Slave Interview Complete September 11, 1937 Lying comfortably in a bed enoaaed with white aheet~, Revs SquireB Ja~k~on, former slave and mintater of the ~ospe1 living at 706 Third Street oheerfully related the atory of hii life. Born in a weather- beaten shanty in Madison, Fia. September 14, 1841 of a large fa~nily, he moved to Jaokaonvule at the age of three with the Master and hia nrnther, Very devoted to hie mother, he would follow her into the cotton field as 8he picked or hoed cotton, urged b~ the thrash Ing of the overseer s lash. His master, a prominent political figure of that time was very kind to his s ~vea, but would not permit them to read ar~d write. Relating an incident after hav Ing 1earr~ed to read and write, one day as he was reading a newspaper, the master walked upon him unexpectingly and deria rided to kr~ow what he was doing with a newapap r. He linriediately turned the pa per upside down and declared Con federates done wo~ the war. The ir~ster laughed and walked away without punishing him. It is interesting to kiow that slaves on this plantation were not allowed to sing when they were at work, but with a .1 the vigilance of the overseers, nothing could stop thoae 8iler~t songs of labor and prayers for freedom. On 3undays the boys on the plantation would play home ball ar~d shoot marbles until o1~nirch tine. After church a hearty meal

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~31ave Interview Page 2 Sarnuel Joimsori FEC J~oksonvil1e ~Florida cons1~it1ng of rice and salt picked pork was the usual Sunday fare cooked in large iron pots hung over indoor heartha. Sometines coffee, made out of parched corn meal, was added as an extra treat. He remembers the start of the Civil war with the laying of tlae Atlantic Cable by the areat Eastern being nineteen years of age at the time. Hearing threats of the War which was about to begin, he ran away with his brother to Lake City, many times hid Ing in trees and groves from the posse that was looking for him. At nicht he would cover up his face and body with spanish moss to sleep. 0n0 night ho hid in a tree near a creek, over slept him self, in the morn1n~ a group of white wo~ien fishing near~ the creek saw him ar,d ran to tell the men, fortunately however he escaped. After four days of wearied travelling being guided by the north star and the Indian Instinct inherited fron his Indian grandmother, he finally reached Lake City. Later reporting to General Scott, he was Informed that he was to act as orderly until ft~rther ordered. On Saturday riorning, February 20, 1861, Goneral Scott called him to his tent and said Squire; I have ju8t had you appraised for ~1OOO and you are to report to Col. Guist in Alachua County for service immediately. That very night he ran away to ~ ellborn where the Federals were camping. There in a horse stable were wounded colored soldiers stretched out on the filthy ground. The sight of these wounded men arid the feeble medical att~nt1on giver~ them by the Federals was so repulsive to

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Siav~ Interview Page 3 .. Sa2~11ei Johnson FEC jac~onvillO, Florida hifi, that he decided that he didn t want to join the Federal Arn~T, Ir~ the silent hours of the eve~iing ho stole away to Tailaha s see throughly o onvinoed tha t War waan t the place for h1i~. While in the horse shed make-shift hospital, a white ~io1dier. asked one of the wounded colored soldiers to what regi~ ment he belonced, the negro replied 54th Regiment, Masaaohuse~ta. At that time, the only raIlroad was between Lake City and Tallahassee which ho bad worked on for awhile. At the close of the war he returned to Jacksonville to begin work as a bricklayer. DurIng this period, Negro skilled help was very rxuoh in denand. The first time he saw ice was in 1857 when a ship brought ~or:aO into thi8 port. Mr. Moody, a white man, opened an icehouse at the foot of Julia Street. Thta was the onl~ icehouse in the cIty at that time. Or~ Sur~da~s he would attend church, One day ho thought he heard the call of God beseeching him to preach. He began to preach in 1868, and was ordained an elder in 1874. So:~e of the interesting facts obtained from this slave of tho fourth generation wore: (1) Salt was obtained by evaporating zioa water, (2) there were ~o regular stoves, (3) cooking was done by 1~n~in~ fror~ pots O~ ra ls in the fireplaces, (4) an open well ?Jfl~3 used to obtain water, (5) flour was sold at $12.00 a barrell, (G) shin plasters was used for mo~ney, (7) the first buggy was c~l1ed rookaways due to the elasticity of the leather springs, (3) Rev. Jackson saw his first buggy t~s deaoribed,in 1851.

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Slave Interview . Page 4 Sai~uol Johnson Jaok~onv1l1e, Florida During the Civil War, cloth as well as all other cannnoditlea were very high. Slaves were required to weave the cloth, The vJonlon would delight In da~iolng as they marched to and fro in weaving the cloth by hand. This was one kind of work the alavea enjoyed doIng. F;ven Cotton seeds was picked by hand, hullIng the seeds out with the f1nger~, there was no way o ginning it by ~ ao1i1ne at that time. Rev. Jackson vividly recalls the croker- ~aoka boing used around balo2 of the finer cotton, known as short cotton. Durin~ thia same period he nade aU of the shoes he wore by hand fron cow hides. The women slaves at that time wore gra~i 3blrts woven very closely with hoops around on the inside to keep from contacting the body. Gleefully he told of the Saturday night baths in big wooden wa~htuba with cut out holes for the fingers during hie boyhood, of the caator oil, old faahlon paragorlo, calomel, and burmo chopa us od for medIc trie a t tha t time The herb doc tors went from home to h r~e during tlme~ of ll1~ iess. Until in~ny years after the Civil trar there were no practlcin~ ~Tegro physiclana. Soap waa riade by mixing bones and lard together, heating and then atralning ilito a bucket co~talnin~ a1u2~i, turpenting, and rosin. Lye soap wa~ made by p1acl~ burnt a~ho~ Into straw with orn shucks placed into harper, water is poured over this mixture and a trough la used to sleze the liquid that drips into the tub and let atand for a day, Very little moss was used for nmttroaaes, chicken feathers arid goose feathers were the principal oo~atituenta dur Ing his byhood. Soot mixed with wator wae the beat medicine one

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~Iav~ i!~tePview Page 5 ~~:1UOI Johnson FEC ~ 182 r~ckso~vi1Ie, Florida S could ume for the etomach ache at that time. Rev. Jaokaon married in 1882 and has aeven ions and aeven daup~htera. Owna him own home and plenty of other propert~y around itho neighborhood. Niiiety stx yoara of age and etUi feeli ai ~pI7 as a man of fifty, keen of wit, with a memory am good can be oxpeoted. This handecme bronze piece of ~imanity with anew white beard over hi a beaming face ended the interview saying, I am waitin nOW to heai the eal . of God to the promue land. He OncO was considered as a candidate for aenator after the Civil war but declined to run. He maye that the treatment during the time of slavery WR8 very tough at timnea, but gathering himseLf up he ~id, no atormn lasta forever and I had the faith and courage oi1 Jc~uS to carry me on, continuing, even the beat mastera in alavery 3ou1dn~t b am Cood as the worst person in freedom, Oh, God, it :L~ good to be free, and I am thankThl.

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Re f ererioe Personal interview with subject, 1~ev. Squires Jackson, ~7O6 Third Street, Jacksonville, Florida. Federal Writers Project A~norioan Guide, (Negro V~ritera Unit) Jacks Florida 183 3~uo1 Johnson G o~ip1ote Slave Interview September 11, 1937

"Prophet" John Henry Kemp. 187 184

90028 FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT ~ 184 Ar~erj an Guide,(Negro Writer Unit) N~ Daytona Beach, Florid.8 IJ. Rebecca Baker Slave Interview Field Worker January 11, 1937 Con~p1ete 980 Worda 5 Pagea Pro~phetJohxHenr~L~ A long grey bearci, a pair of piercing owl-like eyes and large ba.re feet, mark Prophet Kemp among the citizenry of Daytona Beach, Florida. The Prophet , christened John Henry~ as nearly as he can remember~ is an 80 year old. ex slave whoac rernininiscencea of the paat,ctelight all those who can prevail upon hi~to talk of his early life on the plantation of the section. ~ Prophet Kexnp does not talk,only of the past, however, hie conversation turns to the future; he believes himself to be equally competent to talk of the future, and. talks more of the latter if permitted. Oketibbeha County, Mississippi w~ the birthplace of the Prophet . The first master he can renieraber was John Gay, owner cf a plantation oil some 2,700 acres and. over 100 slaves and~ heavy drinker. The Prophet calls Gay fab~ter , and. becou~s very vague when asked if this title is a blood tie or a name of which * he is generally known. ~ Ac cording to Kemp Gay was one of the . meane s t plantation

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Slave Interview Page 2 L. ~ebeeca Baker FEC Daytona Beach, Florida owners. in the entire section, and frequenfly voiced hie pride in being able to employ the cruelest overseers that could be found in all MisaiBeippi. Among theBe were Buch men as G.T. Turner,Nele T. Thonipeon, Billy Hole, Andrew WinEton and other men with statewide re~utatione for brutality. ~Vhen all of the erueltiee of one overseer had been felt by the slavee on the Gay plantation and. another meaner man s reputation wae heard of 0x1 the Gay plantation, the master would delight in telling hie slavee that if they did not behave, he would send for this man. Behaving .- the Prophet says, meant living on less food than one ehould. have; mating only at hie command and for purpoeee purely of breeding more and etronger slaves on hie p antation for eale, In some oaeee with women- subjecting to hi~ every demand if they would eecape hanging by the wrists for half a day or being beaten with a cowhide whip. About these whippinge, the Prophet telle many a blood curdling tale. ft One day when an old woman was plowing in the field, an overseer ca~ e by and reprix~ancLed ~i~r for being ~O e1o~ ~r~e gave him. aorn~ back t~lic, r~e tooic out a long c1o~ly ~rrover~ whip and iaehe~ hereeverely. The woman became sore a.rid took ~ her hoe and chopped him right across hie head, and child you chould have seen how she chopped this man to a bloody death. Prophet Kemp will tell you that he hates to tell

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~1ave Interview Page 3 18 14. Rebecca Baker ~ rEc J~ay~ona Beach, Florida these things to any investigator, because he hates for people to know just how mean hia fahter~ really was, So great was the fear in Which Gay was held that when Kemp s mother, Arnette Young, complained to Mrs. Gay, that ber husband was constantly eeekthg her for a mietress and. threat~ ening her with death if ehe did not submit, even Mrs. Gay had. to advise the slaves to do as Gay demanded, Baying-AMy husband is a dirty man and will find. some reason to kill you if you don .t.~ I can t do a thing with hi~m. Since Arnette worked at the big house there was no alternative, and it was believed that out of the union r~ith her master, Henry vias born. A young slave by the name of Broxton Kemp was given to the woman as husband at the tige John Kemp was born, it is from this man that r. Prophet took his name. Life on the plantation held nothing but misery for the slaves of John Gay. A week s allowance of groceries for the average ~niaIl family consisted of a package of about ten pounds containing crudely ground meal, a slab of bacon-j called side meat and. from a pint to a quart of syrup made from aorght~m, depending upon the season, AU. slaves reported for work a 5 o clock in the morning, except those who oared for the overseer, who began their work an hour earlier to enable the overseer to be present at the morning checkup. This checkup determined which slaves were late or who had committed some offense late on the day before or during the night. These were singled out and before the rest of the slaves began their

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Slave Interview Page 4 L. Rebecca Baker FEC Daytona Beach, Florida~ work they were treated to the sight of these delinquents being 9tripped and. beaten until blood flowed; women were no exception to the rules The poe~iible lose of his slaves upon the declaration of freedom on January I, 1866 caused Gay considerable concern. His liquor~ridden mind was not long in finding a solution, however, he barred all visitorB fron~i his plantation an& insieted that his overesers see to the carrying out of thiB detail. They did, with euch efficiency that it was not until Ma~y 8, when the g~verrnnent finally learned of the condition and sent a marehall to the plan~a~-~ tion, that freedom carne to Gay s slaves. May 8, is Still celebrated in this section of Mississippi. as the official emancipation day. Relief for the hundreds of slaves of Gay came at last with tne declaration pf freedom for them. The, govArnxnent officials divided the grown and. growing crops; and some land was parcelled out to the former slaves. Kemp may have gained the name Prophets front his con~tant reference to the future and to his religion. He says he be~ lieves on one faith, one Lord and one religionS, and preaches tille belief constantly. He claims to have turned his back on all re~ ligions that do not do as the Lord says.~ In keeping this belief he says he represents the True Primitive.Baptist Church , but does r~t have any connection with that church, because he believes it has not lived exactly up to what the Lord expects of him. . e

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Slave Interview . Page 5 . L. Rebecca Baker ~ Eo . 88 Daytona Beach, Florida Kemp claims the ability to read the future with eaee; even to help determine what it will bring in some cases, H reads it In ti~e palms of those who will believe in hin~ he determines the good and bad ikck; freedorri from sickness; success in love and. other benefits it will bring from the use of charthe, roots, herbs and magical incantations and formulae . He has recently celebrated. what he believes to be his 80th birthday, and says he expects to live at leastanother quarter of a century. w

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FEDERAL ~VRITERS PROJECT American Guide,(N gro Writers Unit) Daytona Beach, Florida 189 L. Rebecca Baker Field Worker Complete Slave Interview January 11, 193? . REFERENCE I, Personal ~nterview with John Henry Kemp, Daytona Beach, FJ.ori da. s

Slave interview with Cindy Kinsey, former slave. 193 190

~f~t ~ I ( ~ ~ 190 : ~ ~ : ~ SLAVE I N TERVIEW ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ WITH -~-~ ~j ~ CUDY KI1~SBY, FO~ER SLAVE ~ ~ ~ ~-~- ~ . ~ : fi~BOUT 86 Y~E~ARS QF A~..., ~ ~ -~--~--~----~ -a-- - ~- ~ ~ ~ -.----~-~----~-- ~ ~_~i~.x -~ u r~-~-~~ ~. Barbara Dar3ey. .~pprox 1050 words. Yes maam, ohil , I amt suah e zackly but I think I bout 85 mobby 86 yeah old. Yes maam, I was f suah bahn In de ~ slavery times an I balm right neah d~e Little 1~ock in Arkansas, an dere I stay twell I ~omed right from dero to heah in ~ .ori&y bout foah yeah gone. ~ ~ Yes maam, my people de liv on abig plantation neah de Little Rock an we all hoe cotton. My Ma? Lawzy me chile she name Zola young an my ~appy he name 1~elson Young. I had broddehs Danel, ~reeman, George, Will, sand Henry. Yes maam, freeman he de younges an bahn after we d~one got free. ~&n I had sistehs by de name ob Isabella, Mary, bora, ~ dat amt all yet, you want I should name era all? Well then they. wa~ too 0elie ~ bally, and me Cindy but I amt roy own ~isteh is I, hee,hee,hee. ~ My Oie Massa he name Marse Louis Stuart . an my Oie M1~8y, dat de real oie one you know, she name, ~-~~nowlet.mo-see,does -~I..~ricoliek, lawzy me,ohile, I suah fin it ~ hard. to member some things . O ~ yes ~ her name hi t war Missy ~anoy, an her ohilluns dey name iittle Marse SLirnie an Little Missy Panny. I don know hucoum my pappy he go by de name Young when 01e Massa he name Marse Stuart lessen my pappy he be raised by nother Mas~a fore Marse Louis got him, but I disrememba does 1 eber heerd. him say. EYes maam, chile I suah like dem days V~e had. lot 26719 ~

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SLAVE INTERVIEW ~ WITH CINDY KINSEY, FORMER SLAVE ~ ~ 8~~EAI~ OFAGE. page 2 . ob fun an nothin to w~orrify about, suah wish dem days v/us now,chile, us niggahs heaps better off den as now. Us always had plenty eat and plenty wearin close too, which us amt nevah got no more. We had plenty calm porie, baked in de ashes too, hee,hee,hee, it shore vms good, an we had. side m at, an we had other eatin too, what ever de 01e Marse had, but I like de side meat bes. I had a good dress for sunday too but amt got none dese days, jes looky,chile, dese oie rags d bes t got. My $unday dross? Lawzy ine,chiie, hit were aiway a bright rod cotton, I suah member dat color, us dye de cott n right on de plantation mostly. Other close ~ dont ezackly ricollek, but de mostly dark, no colahs. My ma, she boss all de funeris ob de niggahs on de plantation an she got a long wh~.te veil for wearin, lawzy me, chile, she suah look bootiful, jes lak a bride she did when she boss dem funeris in dat veil. ~he not much skeered nether fo dat veil hit suah keep de hants away. ~~isht I had me dat veil right now, mout hep cure dis remutizics in ma knee what aiim me so bad. I d.isrememba but I sposen she got buried in dat veil, chile. She hoe de cotton so 01e Marge Louis he always let her off fo de bury~ngs cause she know how to manage de other niggahs and keep dein quiet at de tE~Z~l~.

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~:: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ SL&VE INTERVIEW WITH ~ ~ on:JDY XIN~SEY, PORM~R SLAVE ~ ABOUI 86YEARS OPAGFJ. . ~O 3 . 192 ~ No maam, chile, we dldnt hab no Preachor-~mans much, hit ~too fah away to git one when ~1e niggali die., We sung songs and my ma she say a Bible vurs what 01e Missy don lernt her. De vurs lawsy me ~chile suah wish I could member hit for you, Dem songs ? I don jes recollek, but .hit seem lak de called ~imme Dem ~o1den ~flippahs an a nother one hit wah Ise ~ Goin To Heben In De Charot Ob Piah , suah do wish I could recollek de words an sing era fo1~ you chile, but I caint no more, my mm, hit airit no good lak what it lister be. Yes maam, chile, I suah heerd ob ~r. Lincoln but not so much. What dat mans wanter free us niggahs 4~. when we so happy an z~ot nothin to worrify us. ~ maa~, I didnt see none deni Yankee sojers but I heard od. dem an we alwy skeerd dey come. Us all cotch us rabbits an weah de lef hine foots rouri our nek wif a bag ob akker~edit~y , yessum I guess d.at what I mean, an hit shore smell bad an hit keep off de Thvah too, an if a Yankee cotch you wif dat rabbit foots an dat akkerfedity bag rotm yo iih nek,he suah turn you loose right now. T, Yes ineam chi ~ e Is e a Bap ti s and sho proud ob it. Praise de Lord. and go to Ch rch dat de onliest way to keep de debbil offen youh trail and den sometime he almos kotch up wif you. Lawsy me, chUe, when de Presaher-.mans baptl:Z me. he had duck me under de wateh twell I mos dz-on, de d bbi . he got such a holt on me

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~- SLAVE INTERVIEW ~ ~ WITH # C flIDY Kfl~SKY FORMER SLAVE . ~~~ BoU~Q6 YEARS OPAGE. page 4 . . j 93 an jes wont let go, but de Preacher-.inans he kep a duckin me an he flnaly shuck de debbil loose an he airit bother me much sence, d~at is not vrery much, an dat am a long time ago. ~ yes maarn chile, some ob de niggahs dey run off from 01e Marse LouIs, but de alway oom~ back bout stahved, hee,hee,hee, an do dey eat, an Oie Mars e he alyay take em back an give em plenty catins. Yes maam, he alway good to us and he suah give us niggahs plenty eatins all de time. When Crisrnus come, you know chile, hit be so cole, andOld Marse, he let us make a hig fiali, a big big ~iah in de yahd ro~u.n which us live, an us all da~nce roundeflah, and. 01e Mi85~ she brang us 0riemus Giff. ~/hat war de giff? Lawzy me chile, de mostly red woolen stockings and some times a pair of shoeses, an my wus we proud. ~n ~1e Marse 1ouis he giv de real old niggahs, both de mens ~zi de owmans, a hot toddy, hee,hee,hee. Lawzy me, chile, dem was de good days, who give an oie niggali like me a hot toddy dese days? ~n talkin you bout dem days, chile, sho mek me wish dey wus now.

Randall Lee. 197 194

~_ ) ~ 194 FEDEF~AL ~ iRITE}~S PR~J~T ~zaerioan Gui de (Negro inters tint t) Jaok$onvtlle, Florida VIola j3. ~.1S slav. tntervt.w ?tsld yorker Pft atka. ylorida co~ ipl ete 2~953 words 12 peges ~ ~k~ ~ ~aMall L of 500 3r~nss~i 3trset~ Palatka, Florida, was born at Camden. ~outn ~arolinit about sev.nty.seven years ago, maybe loner. He was the son of ~1obert ar~d ~eThia Lee. ~tho during slavery were Robert a~id !)elhie~ ;~:jller, tascin~ the name of t~eir master, as was the otastom. His rnsster was Dootor ~il1.r and his rnistrs~ wa~ Mrs. Car~iula Miller. ki~ do~ not kno~v his mezter s given naine as no other neue wa~ ever heard around the plantatiua, exoe?t ~QOtOr Miller, RaAdail was a small b~y waen the war betwe~n the states broke outs but jud~iii~ from what he renisaibers he mu~t have been a boy around six or seven years of ste. ~urin~ tns fei yet~rs he spent in slavery. Randall had riaz~y experi.noes ~1ori ~a~de sx~t~ deep impressions upo~t his brain that the m.n~ry of thim still re~nath5 clear. .i ~!te one ti~n~ t~t o~uses one to believe that hoirn~st bays bsei~ aro~tnd seven ye~t s of age ist~ state~ant that he was not old ex~u~ to harn, task3 of any importano. placed u~n him, ~ ret, he was trusted along wtth a~otb.r boy abotit his owr~ ace, to oarry butter fro.. the plantation dairy bvo miles to the r~c-r) ~ I ~

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:~: ( ~ -2- 195 bis house. ~o cine wo~ild tr~.tet a obtid youn~er than six ye~rs of ags to ~a~idle butter for fear of lt b.in~ cirop).4 into the dirt. He ni~st h*ve at Ie~at reaohsd the a~e ~vhen he was sent two miles with a paokage and was ex~oted to deliver the paokei~s intact. ~e must have ~zn~rstood the neoesstty ~:~ flot )1&ytn~ on the way. 14e stated that he knew not to stop on the two. ~I1ie ~oirney an~ not to let the butter ~ .t dirty. Ra~1iaU had tr~ j)l~st1re of oatohtn~ the pt~ for his father for Doator iller gave sOEch of his best Negro man a ~ to rates for himself and fa~lj, He was a11ow~d to build tt pen for it and raies ~&nd fatten it for killing. ~ heA ki1Iin~ time oai~ie he was given time to btztohr it and grind all the~ sa~isa~e h, could make to feed his faii~ily. 3:/ that method it helped to solve the feodir~ problo~ii an~ also satisfied the slaves. ~ It was iaore like so many fa~dlIea livin~ ar~n~ a big ho~ies with a boss 1ookin~ o ir them, for they were al1o~d a privil~o that v r~r few rn~t.rs ~aVS their ~1av s. on the ~Lil1,r plantatIt~n th~re was a cotton sin. Dootor Miller owned the !;;LA afld it was operuted by his slaves, He grew the cotton. ploiced it, ~~-i~med it and wove It r1~ht t~re. He aiso had a baler and uiede the ba~ing to bale lt with. Ho onlj h~I to buy the iron bank tk~ held the bales lnt~tot. ~ootor t4ller was a nob man and had a far rsuohing sight into how to :~ ~ k si ~Vss to th e b est &dvanta~e . Ms was kin d to t hein an cl ~cn e~ that the best way to ~et the best ou~t of macn was to keep them well and ha?py. Ute f~rr~n~meat was very muoh the ~e~ral waj i~ that he al1oi~d the young men und w~mnen to work tn the fiel~is and the old wocmen and a few old men to work around the house, l~ the ~in and at the loom. The old w en mostly dId the s1)lflnth~ of thread and wsavinj~ of cloth alti u~h in s~t~s instanoes flootor

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~tllsr f~xirid a san wk~x wa~ better ada~tsd to weaving than any of hie w en ~lav s. EveryQn. kept his plantatIon nier feno. and mon wI~ were old but strong and who hed soie, Icno*lidg. of oarperztry were sent out to k.ep the Linos in r& ~a1r an i often to build new ones. The fezioe~ were not like t)~se of today. T~ej were built of horizontal raUs about six or seven f..t lon~, r~mnin~ sigza~ fatthion. Inetsad of ha,in~ strat~ht lin. feu.. and oete at r.~ular pointe they did not use posts at all. Tb. bottom rails rested u~o:~ the groend and the zi~za& fash1~n in whioh they w ~re laid save strength to th. f.r~.. No nails were ll9ed to hold tri. rails in ~leo.. It stook was to b. l.t In or out of the pie ~ the planks were unlooked so tc speak, and th. stook allowed to enter after w~i1oh t s~r *~r o laid baok as before. . Boys and ~trls unLer ten years of ~ge were niner s.nt into the fi.ld to wor~c on the ~ 111er plar~tatoi but were required to mind the smaller ohiithen of the family and do chores around the ~ bi~ houses for the idstress and her children. ~uoh work as mending was ta~ht the dom.etiomind.d ohil& en end tending food on th pots was alloted oth re wtth inborn ability to oook. They were treated weU and tau~it manners and later wat ussd as dtnin~ room girls aft.:I nurses. ~andaU s fatter and mother were oonsiderd luoky. His Lath. was over seer an~ his iiother was a wa1~ iss. ~ootor Miller was a kind and o sid.rat. own r; never b.X1sv.d in p~aniehu~ in; slaves unless in extreme oa:~es. L~o o*~r~r, white or oolor.d o~ild whip hi s ~3 laies w tt1~ut tiret br1ngin~ t~e 21*vs before htr* and having a full ~nderetandin~ a~ to what the offcnes was. f it warranted whippin~ tk~s it had to be fr;t~9eA tri his preseno. s he owld e.. that it was not given anmero t full y. He i ndeed was a dootor and preoti s.d hi s profess ion t n the

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- keeping o~ his slatse frca bodily barra sa weU as keeping them well w.ll. H. save them mecitoin. when they did not feel well and eaw to It that they took needed rest if th.7 were stoic and tired. ~ Robert L.., RaaIall s fat)~, was bro.i~ht from flrginia and sold to ~ otor ~4iller when I~ie was a ~roung man. Tb. on. wt~ old him tOld Dootor ~i1ler, sHero s s niger w~x wont take a whipping. He knows hie work end will do it and aU you Will need to do is till hirn what yc~a want and Its as good as dons. Robert jje never lvari.cL from the rsoommexElation hie former in~ter gay. -then lie sold hirn. The Ol1 tale of corn bread baked on th. hsu th oci.r.d with aeI~e and sweet potatoes o lcid In like maz~isr are VIVId memories upon t~h. mind of ~~ndall. syrup water and plenty of sweet and butter milk. rice and oraokling breud are other foods w~1ch were plentiful around thi cabin of Randall s parents. cows were nun~ro&~s and the family of Doator i4ller did not need much for their o oneimption. ~Yhtl. tk~ey sold milk to neighboring plantations, tt~e Ns~ross were not derilsd the amcnint n.osssar~ to keep ail strong and he~dt~V. None ox the children on the phrntatlon ~vere thin and !crawny nor did they over oo~npIatn of b.in~ hungry. I~he tanning ard was not far fro!n the ho~ee of Dootor ailler. Lits own b~tober si ~ was ne~rb~r. He hai his oo~ butchered at intervals and wkien one died of unnatural o auses it was sIcinnd and t~ie hi i tanned n the ~ Randall as a obi 1 1 de li ghted t n stoj~p Ing arou~nd the tanninS ~~ d and ~? tOhifl~ the men salt the his. They, after salting it dt~ hole and bUZ~~ Lt for a number of days. ~fter the salting process was finieh~i it was treated with a solution of water and oak bark. When the oak bark soltition h~d doris its work it was ready for use. Shoes made of l~ ther were not dyed

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5 . ~ALt that tim. but the natural oolor f the flnteh 1 II1~ was thotig,ht wary b.autiftzl arts tI Ke, who wen lttoIcy ez*uj~ki to po~.~a a pair were ~1a1 to ~ot thLI In their n~tura1 oolor. TO dye st~e~ various oolora is a new ttdn~ ~ hen the number of ysars leather has been dyed is ocmpared with the hundreds of y.ars people knew notbia~, ahout lt. .8p,oiafly ~iierloa~ p.o~p1.. RIMa1I S paternal grandparents were also owned by Dootor uLill.r and were ~t sold after h. bou~bt thoa~ LeVI Lee was his grandfather s nai~. tie ~Jas a tin. worker in the field but ~ talcsn out of it to b. tau~bt the shoe~ni~1cers trade. The in~ter ~1ao.d him under a whit. shoemaker who tau~ht bita all the fine points. If ther. were any, he kr~ew about the trade, ~r Mill.r had an y~e for busi:iess who oo4d maki shoes was a ~rent savtn~ to him. Liii made ail the Sho.8 and boots tho rn~ster. mistress an~1 the Miller fa~1~ wore. Besldes~ he made shoe foe the slaves w1~ wore thu. Not all slaves osi.d a pair of thoee. toys and ~ir1s sander el~hte.n went b* e-footed exo.pt In winter. jc3tQr ~i11er had oo~j~ssion for tk~en and did not aUow them to suffer from th. c~oI.i by ~oin~ bar .foot.d In winter. Ax1oth~r gco~:i t~d,n~ tQ be remetab.rsd was the 1ar ~. nuaber of ohloIc,r~, d~oks ~ ~ee~i ~ikitoh th. slaves rals*id for tas dootor. Every slave f a~d1y f~ ouI ~1 rest hi s ttr~i Li bO dy Uj)ofl a feather bed for lt W 8 allowed hirn after th. ~ eriibers o f th e r~ ~s te r s fard ly were s uppi I t Mo ~ w ~tres ses also ~ r. .1 5. d uni~er the feather bedsarid slaves did not need to hay. as tbto~ a feathir bed on t~iat aooount. TheI ~re oot~fortabI. thou&h an~ Ra21aU r.~mber~ how h. ~nd the other ohild.ren used to fall down in the ~ntctd1e of the bsl anti booia hidden fr~rn view, so soit was tho feather mattress. It was espeolafly j~ood to ~et in bed ir~ winter but not ~o p1~taant to get tip UYLISSS P~PP) had mad the fir. early .nou~h for the 1~r~e on..room oabln to get ~rm. The ebtidren ~U.d their own p~.nte pa~p~r and mammy in slavery tiMe.

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.4. 4 !:t&a:I~~11 re~Inb rB hOW ~Zt.r a f ot Waeh1n~ in, t?* old wood.it tub, (wbioh, by the way, wa~ elaply a birrel otit tri half and ho1e~ o~at in tb two at ~ for fii~prI to oatob a hold) b. w.~1d stt a f~w sinut.e with his feet held to the fire ~o the~r oould ir~r. H. slzio aatd his aaaT3~r wa~1d r~sb greas. ~iz~d~r the s .s of his f..t to kse~ i~iini from ts~dng s ld. It 5.ezaed to the c~b11d that be had Just i; ~ t~ bid wh.n the old tallow 3an~ile was 11~jIted and kils pappy arose aad fell upon his lcn..s and pray .d a1O~d for sod s bisasings ~ t~iaak.d him for a*Kthsr day. The fiSld hank wem to b. in the field by ft~ o olook salit m.~ to rt~e b.fors day s~vnm r and winter. Not so bad In swwier for lt i~s e~n day ~zt In wtn~r the at~r was oold and darkn.~s was longer pessing awa~y. Whsn da4l~ht caas flald hank ~:~aJ beei~ ~~or1cia~ ~n ho~ir or i~re. floboet y..., ReadaU s fath.r was an oar5eer and it lflttflt for him to be ~ap and o~at with the rest of ths ~ so he could see I f tM n~ were ~ olng a I In ght. ~ . ThS Rar~IaU (~hil~1rsfl ~re ot forced tip .erIr bsa~is. they didnot eat brsakfa~st with their pa~p~r . Thur rsoth.r was dlntti ro t gIrl In h.r mistress ~o~1se.sQ fed the ohilc~eri rl~ ht frc~n ths )~ill.r tabus. The s was no objeotlon offered to this. Doctor ~ilh.r was kind but he did not want his slaves ~ill~it.~ad too IuiLLoh. T~1.refore, h, did ~t allow mtiob preaI~tdi~ig In the sI~irob.. Thej .ould haTe prs~~er misting aU they ~inted to, but iastrttotions from the 81b1. wex. thou&ht dangerous for th. ~la~sa. lie ~bd not wish tbsn to b..oa. too wiis aM ~t3t it ifltQ their heads to r~ai ~ay and get frei. There was t~lk about fr eed sad rpotor MIU.r kn.w it w~a1d b. only a natter of tim. when h. would loose aU his BuTes. HS 5iiJl t RaMaI1 s mother one day, Dslhi& you ll soen b. as Zr.. u I s~ ~h. itid. 13ho zaf mass:,? and h. answer d, wyou sure will. Iotldng n~rs ~a said to s.~r of t~.

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IG,q l~74 1~ s ~ i*~~t il 3h.rmsa s sra~ aens thro~h nottf7tng thi al is.. thsy w.rs f r... rho prss no of th so34l.rs oe~a~d s*ash a ooren tton eraund tho pleats.. tian that RazvleU a aladwea tnd.ltbly lapreu.d with th.Irdoin~ ~1e north.rasoldi.rs talc all tha f ~ tb.7 o~*l4 ~it th.lr hsn~ on ~n4 todc pou.sston of ths attls and horsss sad ataiss. Litt, th brat)ar of Raalell, end wk w&s neasd dt.r his pit.rnal gren~tbsr, was p~it on e nuls arid the mule lo~.d wIth pnvlstons and sent two atlas to the sol r s saw. IMVI luCid that, forb.etds being well tr.at.d h. r.osimd s.v.ral pies.. of money. Tb. f. riil soldt.rs ilai.d ~atth hin sad pv. hin .11 th food h. wanted, a1tbu~h ths 11tl1.r sls~V. and thslr okitlI sn ~re f.d and thus s no rea~ (QI tkis ob.tld to b. bungr~r. LoTI Ls . th. &randfath,r of youn~ !~m~I and RaMell, hat a trou w)dls th. s,ldI.ra wez s~ai .tI rawd about th. pisD.. Us dreea.d .~t e pot of mon.y~ wa18 burisl lxi s ..rtstz~ pl.*is; ths parson w~ et~wed lt to him told hin to ~o di~ for it on tbs f1~t rainy night. H. k.pt th. dream s asoret sn4 on th. first relay nl~kit hs went, dug, arid t.aad th. pot of mon.yrtght whsr~ his dream hsd told bin it would b.. U. took Uis pot of aon.y to his .sW~n sad taU no ana a~rthtn~ e~tit it. HI hid it .i s..~r.ly sa possibi.. but wh.a ths soldiers wers s.srohia~ for gold and sllmr ~n.i th.~ did not ~ th. Isp. . s oabln ot&t ox ths aserob. Wh.n they found th. xwn.7 t~i7 t~ugbt L.vt e asst.r had gtieti him ths n~.y to hids se tkis7 took it from bin. Lstt nouraM s long tin. about ths lose of his a.~y and oftsn t.l~ bis ~rsn4ohil~.r~ th*t h. w~l& hava basn ws .i fiad whsn fr.doa oan if h. had not bs.n rapab.d of his ~nS7. .paddyrol.sa 0~S the a.~ wsrs ceUsdwtx w.rs s.nt by ths !k.bels t wat.h th .l~iv~.e to pTIVSIit thir soosping dtu in~ wir tta~, were vsry eottwe .ft.r tri,sdora. ThsYtnttiRi~td th. M.po~ sad thast nsd this with lose of lit. if thsy ~Ud not stey ntd ~ k f r thsir f.ra.r aist.rs. Dotor ytll.r lid ~t w&at

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MV f his ~1aiss trt~at d In 8 Aoh Rann~r. Hi told t~iea they were free an~ oouU teks w~at.vsr nsa. they desired. aob.rt Lee. during slavery was Robirt Miller. as were ail of ths dootor s slaves. after ~1svery ~s erxIe~ h. o~ss the nam Lee. His b~othsr ~aron tQQk the naine p~1exi~nder not ttatnktn~ how Lt looked for two brothers of th same parents to have different surn~rn~. Ther. are eons of eftoh brother Ii~vin; tx~ Palatics now. one est Lees and t~i. others, Alexander. Rar~taU, as was formerly st.ted, E? ~t a very little ttr~. In s1~very. Most of his knowledge oonoerning oustorn8 whtuh long a~o ht vs been abaritlonM ~nd repi ~&oed by more mo~erA onss~ t s of early reoonstruot Ion 4a~s. Just after the ~tv11 Wsr. ehen his father b~ft~i farming on hts own plantatton, his mother r riiatned horn. and oared for her houa and oht1~eu. 5tha w~s of fair o~mp1.xio~i, having been the da~bter of a ha1f~ brsed Indtmr~ and Negro rnoth.~. lier f~tbsr wae~hite. Her n~t1ve state was ViEgtnta and ehe bore 3O!~5 of the aristooratto traits so common a~w,n~ those born in that state of s ~: uoh 2arez~t~e. 3he often bo~ted of her blue blood Virginta stook.~ Robert Ift . Rar*i~U s father was very prospez~s In early r.oonstruot ion day3. He owned ra, iaU es and a p1oi~,. The plow was m~Ie o f potnt t ron ~1th a woodefl handle, not like plows oft~daj for they tre of oast iron and 3te~I. . Chlu ~cszis, duolcs and geese w~rt~ raised in abundance and money bigan ao. owItuIe~tifl& ra?idli for Robert and ~eLhis L~ee. Theybsgan ir~provin~ t~r ~roperty and try1n~ to ~ive their children son~e ed~ioatton. It was ver~r hard even for those Iivin~ in small towns end out in the o~intry to ~o to so~o1/t~a~ they had money to pay for thel r eth atiort. The north sent t~io h.rs down but not every hamlet wa~ favored with stiob. (1). Razziall w~i5 t~w;ht to farri~ arid he learned well. Re saved hie money es he worlcsd and grew to manhood. Yars after friedor~ h. left South Carolina

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2 11 ~ 202 and went to ?alatka. yl0rtda~p ~VhSt hi is tO&ft7~ fi bought some land asd &l~k~tigh most of it is haiimoek land a*d not*toh good, h. bas at int.rvals b..a offered good pris.efor lt. Sonic whits p.p1. d~irtng the .booas of 19a5m26 offered bisa few dollars as a.r for Lt but be r.fussd to sill thinking s better prie.. would b. otf.r.d iS hi bill on. (2) 704a7 ftt%ds RaMall Lias. ~ an old ~a with fairly o4 hsalth h. stated that h. ~ not kiad a doctor for y~~rs end kits thtaktag fao~1t1s~ ar tu good order. Hie .yesight is faUia~ but h. doss not aUo~ that to bsndtoap hia tn ~.tting abc*it. Hi talks flus*~tly about wbst hi riasd~ ri o~musrntng slavery and t~iut whtoh his par.nte told him. lis is bitw..i a mulatto aM brown skin with good. mt~d gray tuid blaok hair. ~is f.a~rn u . regular. not skiowing ~ )1.gr. blood. 0. te taU a~d looks to w.t~h about on. hun~.d .~nd s1zty-fL~ pounds. Ht. wife liv.. wit~i his in their tso etory frame houa whioh skx~~ that tr~.y ba~s hat better day. ftnanolaUy. Th. man and wife both show thtereat in the pro~ .ss of the IKgr~ r~. aacl ~ioes u somi books about ta. history of the ~.gro. One book o! p& tto4sr interest, and of whiob Vii wife of RadaU Lee thinks a gre&t deal, was wrttt.n. aooording to her story. k~ J*n BrowA. it i~ oa lsd sj~b. H~ory of ~ ~oloi sd ~ao. in ~jartoa.~ ~tie owld sot find but a few p~ps of it shin tnt.nt~.d ~rd..lWad shs had o~~rn~d tb~~ nttr~, book for years. Tb. pegse sh had and showed *ttk eush ~rifb wire 415 to 449 inolustvs. Tb. book was *rltt.n In Vis ysar 1836 and the few ps.~.e prodtio.d by ~ hs ~ gay. information oono.rntng th. M.gro~ Lo~ ~1oy of 3t. Lftlats. ~tssour1. It te the ame man for shorn th oit, of Lo~jo7. I11ifl t3 is n*iisd. The other book eh. holds wtth prid. and g~a. de jealously is~ Th. Co1l.~. of I4f.~ by Hury ~avenport Iorthrop D.D.. Honorebi. Jo..ph R. Gab arid ?rofoosar I. ~ar1ani Penn. It was .at.r.d. aooordtng to th. Ait of cQn~r.sB in the y.a 1900 by Horaoc C. Pry. in the offto. of the Ltbrattaa of conp .a. at ~faihtAgt3Xi, D. C. (3) ~

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-1o~. 203 slap,. Xnt.rvtiu ft~~U laSS ~ YiorLds yLo1~ ~ M~es $514 ~ rk.r ~omp1 it~e Up&gsa I. Re~nd&1Ift., 600 Brwieon3tr..t, ?a~1stka, plortia. 2. Ws. 8.531. ~*tea, 412 $oI th E ~1sventh5trsst, Palatks. 71oz tds. 3. Qbi.rvation of Pt.ld ~eit.r.

Edward Lycurgas. 207 204

90034. 1 FEDERkL iRrrERs PROJECT . 204 American Guide,(Negx~o Writers Unit) Jacksonville Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker December 5, 1936 Complete 2,030 Words 7. Pagea ~dwaz~4 ~Ip~P:a8~_ - ~ n Pap tell us ncther etory~bout do war and bout de fuet time you eaw mamma. It hae been almost 60 years aince a group of children gathered about their father s knee, clamoring for another story. They listened round~eyed to etorlee they al~ ready knew because ~pap had told them so many tinies before. These narratives alongwith the great changes he has seen, were carefully recorded in the niind of Edward, the only one of this group now alive. S ~Pap was always ready to oblige with the story they never tired of. He could always be depended upon to begin at the beginning, for he loved to tell it. It all begunwith our ship being took off the coast / \ S of New,~ort News, Virginia. We wuz runnin the bl~okade sellin \___ ~ S guns and. what-Snot to them Northerners. We amt bad nothin to do wic1~ de war, unneretand. we English folks was at~er 4 money. iiiose The North and South s of course . I hear my captain say many a time as how they was playin ball wid the poor niggers. One sue t You cant k eep your nigger~~eesen YOU pft~ ~ and treat ~ like

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Slave Interview Page 2 Pearl Randolph ~ . FEC Jackeonville, Florida other folka. Mind. you. dat waant de raie reaeon, they was mad. at de South but it vas one oZ de waya dey oou1~ be hur~ed to free de niggers. ~ 4, . De South. aays *Dese is our niggere and we ll do th~in as we please, and so de rumpus got wuae dan it ias afore. The North had. a .1 do money, . and. called itself de Gov nient ~ The South amt had nothin , but a termination not to be Out did, so we dealt ~rid de North. De South was called de Rebels . ~ So when dey see a ehip off they ooaet, they hailed lt and when we kep goin , they fired at US. ~wan t long afore we wae being unloaded. and marched. Ofi .to~ tne lousiest jail I ever been in. M~ captain kep tellin ~m we was Engli eh eubj ecte a rd oould. not be hej.t. Me, I was a acairt man, cause I was always free, and. over here dey took it for granted da~ all black men BhOUld be elavee. I, The jailer felt of my niueclee one day, when he had ~acched me out at the point of hie musket to fiLi. de watering troughe for de horses, He wanted to know who I blong ter, and offered to buy ries VThen noboay claimea me, t~y W9~B rorced to ie~t me go long Wid de other Britiehers and as our ship had been destroyed, we had to git back home beet we could. Dey didn t dare ho 4 us.no longer. nie de war was still being fit, we was forced to eep arate, oause a lot of us would catee epicion, traipsing bout do counr7y. Me~ I took oit eoutnwari and way from de war belt, traveling as far as Saint Augustine. It was a dangerous journey, as anybody iae liable to pick me off for a runaway slave. I was forced to hide in de day time

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Slave Interview . Page 3 . 20G Pearl Randolph FEC Jacksonville, Florida . . ~ . if I wae near a settlement and travel at night. I met many run~ away slaves. Some was tryimg to get North and fight for de free~ Ing of they people; others ~.s jee runn1n~ way cause dey could, Many of dem didn t had no idea where dey was goin and told of having good marsters. .Th.it one and aI1~ dey had a good strong notion ter eee what it was like to ciii your own body. ~ f10 felt worida better when I r~hed Saint Augustine. Many ships landed there and I knowed I could get my way back at least to de West Indies, where I come frt m. I ehowed my papers to everybody dat mounted ter anything and d y knowed I was a free ~ nigger. I had plenty of moitey on me and I made a big ter do mong de other free men I met. One day I went to the slave market and watched ein barter off po n~ggere lake dey was hogs. Whole families sold together and some was split mother gone to one marster and father and children gone to others. 1They d bring a slave out on the fla~tform and open hie mouth, pound his chest, make him harden kis muscles so the buyer could see what he was gittin . Young men was called bucks and young women wenches . The person that offered the best price was de buyer. And dey shore did git rid uf some pretty gals. Dey alwa~ looked so shame and pitiful up on dat etan . wid. aLA. deni men dere .ookin at em wid what dey had on dey minds ehinin in they eyes One little gal walked up and left her mammy mourning so pitiful cause she had to be sold. Seems like dey all belong in a family where nobody ever was sold. My she was a pretty gal.

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Slave Interview Page 4 Pearl Rand,olph FEC Ja~kaonv1I1e, Florida SAnd data why your am s named Julia stead ot Mary Jane or Hannah or soniethin else- She cost nie $950.00 and. den my own freedom, But she was worth it-cvery bit of itI After that I put off my trip back home and made her home my home for three years. Den with our two young ohi1d..~ ren we left Floridy and. went to: the West Indlee to live. We tra~1.- ~ ed. bout a bit gettin as far ae England. We got letters from your ma s folke and. dey jee had to see her or else somebody wouJ.d er died, so we sailed back into de war.~ ~ Freedom was declared 800fl after we got back to die ccunt~y and. de whole country was turned upside down. De p0 niggere went mad. Some refused to work and dey didn t stay in one place long nough to do a thing. De crope suffered and soon we had etarvat~on timee for bout two yeare. After dat everybody lernt to think of a rainy day and things got better. Edward recalls of hearing hie father tell of eating WIld hog salad and cabbage palms. Itwas a oonamon occurence to see whole fair~iliee subsisting on any wild plan~iown to be poisonous if it contained the least food value. The freedmen helped those who were newly liberated to gain a footing~ Prior to Emancipation they had not been allowed to associate with slaves for fear they might engender in them the desire to be free. The freedmen bore the brunt of the white man s suspicion whenever there ;*ae a slave uprising. They were always aocuelng them of being instigat rs. Edward often heard

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Siave Interview . Page 5 208 Pearl Randolph FEC Jackeonvifle, Florida his mother tell of the ~patter-~roi1ere , a group of wI~te men who caught and. ac3niiniatered eevere whippings to the e unfortunate Glaves, Thye alBo ~orra1ed elaveB back to their rnaeterB if tney were caught out afternine o clock at night without a pass from their masters, . . George LycurgaB was born at Li~e;poo1,Eng1and and. beoai~e a seaman a~t an early age. Ed~ward thinks he might have had. a fair education if he had had the chance. The mother, Julia Gray, Lycurgas, was the daughter of Barbara and David Gray, e1~ves of the Flenhinga of Clay County, Florida. Theseslaves were inherited. from generation to gene-i ration and no one ever thought to sell one except for punis~iment or in dire necessity. They were treated kindly and. like most slaves o~ the wealthy, had. no knowledge of the real cruelties of slavery, but upon the death of their owner it became necessary to parcel the slaves outto different heirs, eome of whom did not believe in hold-s Ing these unfortunates. Theae wouid~be abolitioniste,were rot averse to placing at auction their share of the slaves, however. It was on this occasion that George Lyourgae saw and bought the girl who was to become his wife. Both are xi w dead, also ~i1 Cr tr~e eeverl ohildran, szoept Ed~Ward. who t~lle their etory here. Edward Lycurgaa was born on October 28, 1872, at Saint Augustine, Florida shortly after the return o~ the family from the West Indies, He lived on his Zather s farm sharing at an early age the hard. work that seemed always in abundance, and. listening in awe

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Slave Interview Page 6 ~ Pearl Randolph . Jackeoriville Fior ida to the stories of the recent war. He heard hie elders give thanks for their freedom when they attended ohu~oh and wondered what itw was all about. No one failed to attend ohureh on Su idays and ai . work ceased in a vi.oinity where a camp meeting was held. Partners flocked to the meeting from all parte of Saint Johns County. They brought food in their large baekets. Some owned buggies but most of them hauled thei.r families i~n wagons or walked, The camp meet inge would sonietimes last for eeveral days according to the spirit ual fervor exhibited by those attending. Lycurgas recalls the stirring sertnons and sp1ritual~ that rant through the woods and could be heard for several miles on a clear day. And t ~e river baptiems~ These clh4naxed the meetings and were attended by large crowds of whites in the neighborhood. All candidatee were dressed in white go~ne, stockings and towels would about their heads bandana fashion. Tow by two they marched to the river from the spot where they had dressed, There was always sori~ie etiring song to acc~nipany their slow march to the river. Take me to the water to be baptized was the favorite spiritual for this occasion. As in all things, some attended camp meetings for the opportunity it afforded them to indulge in lllicit: .ove making. Others went to show their finery and there was plp.nty of it according to Lycurgaa statement. There seemed to be beautiful clothing, fine teams and buggies everywhere a sort of reaction from the restraint

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/ Slave Interview ~ Page 7 Pearl Rax~do1ph FEC Jacksonville, T1orid~ ~ ~ ~ ~ upon them In slavery. Many wore clothing they could not afford. There Beemed to be a deeper interest in politice during these times. ~as6 meetings, en~1neered by ~carpet baggers were often held. and. 2argely attended, although th father of Edward did not hold with these activities v ry much, He often heard the preacher point out Negroes who attended the meetings and attained prominence In politics as an example for members of his flock to follow, He believes he recalls hearing the name of Joseph Gibbs. Next to the preacher, the Negro school teacher was held in greatest respect. Until the year of the ahake (earthquake of 1886) there were xi~o Negro sohool teachers on Saint John~e County and no school buildings, They attended classes at the fort and were taught by a white woi~ian who had come from up nawth for thi s pur~ ~ 1 ~ pose. Edward was able to learn very little from his blue back Webster because his help was needed on the farm. He was a lover of home, very shy and did not care much for courting. He remained with his parents until their dasthe and. did not leave the vicinity for many years. He is still unmarried and. resides at the Clara White Mission, Jacksonville, Florida, where he receives a small salary for the piddling )obe about the place that ~. heis able to do. ~ . ~ (

214 211

~EE~T ~ I,Pereonai interview with Edward Lycurgas, 611 WeBt ABhley Street, Jacksonville, Florid8~ FEDERAL WRITEI3S PROJECT knerican Guide,(Negro Writers Unit) Jackeonville Florida 211 Slave lut er vi ew December 5, 1936 Pearl Ran&lph Field Worker Complete I

Amanda McCray. 215 212

&.~ ~r ~ ~ ~_it~J\31 i~ TE1J~RAL 1VRIT~RS:$ PROJECT ~ American c~iid,e,(Negro Writers Unit) ~ . Mad1iaon, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Fi~1d~ Worker Novemb r 13, 1936 Coa~p1e te 1,310 Worde 5 Pagea ~ Amand~a Mo ray - Mre. MoCray was aitting on her porch crooning aoftly to herae11~ and rocking so gently that one rnight eaeily have thought the wind. was swaying her chair, Her eyea were closed, her hands incredibly old. and. workworn were slowly folding and unfolding on her lap. . She li stened qui etly to the mt ervi ewer s request for some of the high lights of her life and finally exclaimed: I Chile ~ t ~y you look among the living fer the high lights? ~ There was nothing resentful in this expression; only the patient weariness of one who has been dragged through the boundaries of a yesterday from which he was ineej*rable and catapulted into a present with which he has nothing in common. After being assured that her life story wc~s of real interest to so ~ one she warmed up and talked quite freely of the life ar4 times a~s they existed in her day. How old was ehe? She confeseel quite frankly that ehe ~ a never knowed her age. She wae~grownup during the Civil War when ehe was commandered by Union soldiers (invading the coun~y and employed as a cook. Her owner, one Redding.. Peaell, possessed

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Slave Interview . Page 2 213 Pearl Randolph . ~ Madison, F1O?id& a hundred or mre slaves and waa, according to her stat enient very kind to them It was on lais plantation that she was born. Anianda~ MoCray is one of several ohi3~ren born to Jacob and Mary ~~TiUiame, the latter being blind since Ainanda oould remeniber. ~ Children on the Painell plantation led. a carefree exi stence unt il they wer e about 12 years of age1 when they were put to light chores like carrying water and food, picking seed from cotton lint (there were no cotton gins) and ;inding the smaLL er children. They were dtI ~ schooled in all the current superstitione and. listened to the tales of ghosts and animale that talked and. reasoned, tales common to the Negro today.~Little Mand~ believes to this day that hogs can see the wind and that ai . animals talk like men on Christmas morning at a certain time.~ ~hildien wore moles feet and pearl buttons around their necks to insure easy teething and had~ their legs bathed in a concoction of wasp nest and vinegar if they were slow about learning to walk. This was supposed to strengthen the weak limbs. It was a common oocurenoe to see a child of two or three years still nursing at the mother s breast. Their masters enoou.raged the slaves to do this, thinking it made strong bonee and. teeth. ~ At Christmas time the slave children all trouped to de big house and stood outside crying Christmas gift to their fllaater and mistress, They were never dissapointed. Gifts consisted ~nOatly of candies, nuts and fruits but there was always some useful

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glave Interview Page 3 P~ar1 Randolph J~C Madison, Florida article of clothing included, something they were not aooustomed to having. Or~e little Mandy received a beautiful silk dress from h3r young mietre s, who knew how much ahe liked beautiful clothes, She was a very happy child and loved. the dress so much that she never wore it except on some special occasion, Amanda vas trained to be a house servant, learning to cook and knit from the blind mother who refused to let this handicap affect her usefulnes e She liked best ~ to sew the fine niuslins and silks of her mistrese, making beautifuihoopect dresses that required eight and. ten yards of cloth and sometimes as many as seven pettic ats to enhance their fullness. ~ Hoops for these dresses were made of grape-~vinee that were shaped while green and cured in the sun before using. Be~tifUl imported laces were used to trim the petticoats and pantaloona of the wealthy. The Pa~nell slaves had a Negro minister who could hoict services an~ time he chose, so long as he did. not interfere With the work of the other slaves. He was not obliged to do hard menial labors and Went about the plantation all dressed. up in a frock coat and store~bought shoes. He was more than a little oonsothous of this and~ was held. in awe by the others. He often visited neighborIng plantations to hold his services. It was Ztom this minister that they first heard of the Civil War. He held whispered prayers for the suooeea of the Union soldiers, not because freedom was so desirabis

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Slave Interview . Page 4 Pearl Randolph FEC ~ 215 Mactiaon, Florida to them ~ but for other elavea who were treated. so cruelly ~ There was a praytng ground where the grass never had~ a chanoet ter grow fer the troubled knees that kept it erushed~ down ~ ftj~ianda waa an exceptionally good. cook arid so widespread was tbia knowledge that the Union soldiers employed her as a oook in their oaxap for a short while. She does not remem ber an~ of their officers and thinke theye were no better nor worse than the others. These soldiers oomrnitted~ no depredations in her section except to oonZiecate whatever they wanted. in the way of food. and. clothing. Some married. southern girls. Mr Parnell made ~and grants to all slaves who wanted to remain with him; few left, so kind. had he been to them all. Life went on in much the same manner for Arnanda s family except that the children attended school where a white teacher inBtruoted. them from a blue back Webster Amanda was a young woman but ehe managed to learn to read a little. Later they had colored. teachers who followed much the sa~e routine as the whitsi had. They were held in awe by the other Negroes and. every little girl yearned to be a teacher, as this was about the only professional field open to Negro women at that time. After de war Negroes blossomed out with fine phaetons (buggies) and. ceiled. houses, and. clothes-oh my~ Mrs. McCray did not keep up with the politiosof her

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Slave Interview Page 5 ~ P~ar1 Bandoiph ~ FEC Madison, Florida ti ~e but remembers hearing about Joe Gibbs, member of the Florida. Legislature. There was much talk then of Booker T. Waahington, and. uiany thought hi~ a ool for trying to start a school in Alabama for Negroes. She recalls the Negro poet master who served two or three terms at Madison. She could not give his name. There have been three wideapread. ~panice~ (de-.~ pressi.ona) during her lifetime but Mrs. Mocray thinks this is the wora~b one. During the Civil War, ooffee wae so dear that mea . was parched and used as a substitute but now, ~he remarked, you can t hardly git the meal for the bread.. Her husband. and. children are all dead ami she lives with a nieQe who is no longer young herself. Circumstances are poor here. The niece earns her living as laundress and. domestic worker, receiving a very poor wage. Mrs. McCray is now quite infirm and. almost blind. She seems happleettalking of the past that was a bit kinder to her. At present she lives on the northea t corner of First and. Macon Str~ete. The postoffice address is # Il, Madison, Florida.

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i WnEBAL IRITE~St PROJEOT Am~rIoan Guide,(Negro ~1tere Unit) Madison, T:Lorld,a 21? Pearl Rand.o .ph Field Worker Complete Slave Interview November 13, 1936 I. Pereonal interview with Amanda. MoCray, First and }Laoon Streets, Madison, Florida

An ex-slave who was resourceful. 232 229

P~D~AL WRITERS PRO~CT 229 . (The Arx~enican Guide, Negro Unit) . J AQKSOITVILLE1 ~BLA . ~ Martin Richardson ~ ~ Slave Interview Field Worker . Palatka Complets. . JaX1U~ar7 13, 193 ?. 842 Words ~ . ~ 4 Pages ___ A~ EXr ~AV~3 WHO WAS R~~SOUBC~FUL ~1- ~ W~1 ~R ~ U- -~~~wr ~a~r ~ u~i In a I j ttl e bi ack smi th shop at 1114 Madi son Street, P.m latka, is, a busy little horse..shoer who was born in slavery. ei ghty.~ s even ye an ago ~4~ey ~oo~e~ bi ack smi th, 1 e&*he~~ tanne~, ex~.~marb1e shooting champion and a nuinberof other things, representB one of the most resourceful foz~er slaves yat ~ found in the state. ~ ~ - . Moore was bern in 1850 on the plantation of 5olm B. /-~ ~.- S - Ovez ~treet, in Forsythe County, Georgia. He was one of the six chu dren of ~iza Moo ne; all of them remained the p rop~ erty of Overtree tmtil freed. - On the Overtree pi antation the s . ave cliii dren were allowed con~iderable time for play until their tenth or twel f th ye an s~ Lira daey to ok fui 1 dvan tage o f thi s opp.o r tunity and became very skillful at marble.shooting. It was, here that he first learned to utilize his talents profitably. Massa Overtree discovered the ability of Lindsey and ano then urchtn to shoot marble8, and began taking them into town to compete with the little slaves of other owners. There would be betting on the winnera. . . Mr. Overtree won some money in this manner, Lindsey and~ his oo~anion being consistent winners. But Lindsey ~- ~ s ~ ~ ~.# . ~.) ~ Yp~1

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~AVE INTBRVI~~W PALA~CA, ~LA. . ~a.ge 2 2 ~() MARTIN RICH~BDSON FEC aw pos8ibilitiee other than the glory. of hie victories in this new game; with pennies that some of the spectator8 tossed him he began making small wagere of hie own with his compet~tora, and. soon had amas~t~ qu3te a small pile of ei1~ ~sr for those days, . ~ Al tho ugh sho e s were unite ard.. o f in y s yo uth, he used to watch carefu11y~ whenever a cow was skinned. and its hide tanned to xaake s oe8 ~or the women and the folics in the big house . Through hi s attention to the tanning opera ations he learned everything about tanning except one eol ~ tion that he could not discover. It ~,as not until years 1~ ter that he 1ear~ned that the j ealouely~guarded ingred.i.nt wae ~atn sal.t and water. By the time he had learned it, however, he had 80 mastered the tanning operations that he at once added it to hiB sources of li~elihood. Lindsey escaped much of the farm work on the Overtree place by learning to skillfully as iat the women who mad.e cloth out of the cotton from the fields. He grew very fast at cleaning rods , clearing the looms and other operations; when, at thirteen, it became time for him to pick cotton he had. become so fast at helping with spinning and weighing the cotton that othera had picked that he almost entirly e~ caped the picking himself. Soap-making was anot~ier of the plantation arts that

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SLAVE INT~RVI~W . ~ PALA~A Page 3 23 M.DJICHARDSO~ Lindsey mastered early. His ability to save every posaiblo ounce of grease from the meats he cooked added many choice bite of pork to hie otherwise meatle8s fares he was able to spend many hours in the shade pouring water over oak aahes that ther young alavea were passing picking cotton or hoeing potatoes in the burning sun. ~ Lindsey s first knowledge of the approach of freedom came when he heard a loud bras8 band coming down the road toward the p . antation pI aying. a strange, 1 ively tune while a nu~nbe r o f spi di er s i n bi ue uni fo r~s marched behind. ~ He ran to the front gate and was erdered to take chai ge ~of the. horse of one of the officera in auch an abrupt tone until he begin to shaking in my bare feet~ There followed much talk between the officers and Lindaey e mi8treaa, with the . soldiers finally going into encampment a short diat~ice away from the plantation. The aol diers took connuand of . the apring that was Used for a water supply for the plantation, giving Lindsey ano~ ther opportunity to make money, He would be sent from the plantation to the .~ring for water, and on the way back would pass through the camp of the soldiers. These would be happy to pay a few pennies for a cup of water rather than take the long hike to the Spring themselves; Lindsey would empty bucket atter bucket before finally returning to the . plantation. Out of hie profits he bought his first~pair of

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~LAV 3~ tNT~RVIEW PALATKA . Page 4 MARTIN RICHARDSON FEC shoesds~~.. though nearly a grown man. The soldier8 finafly departed, with all but five of the Overtree slaves joyouely trooping behind them~ Before leaving, however, they tore up the rai1road~ and its atation, burning the ties and heating the rails Until red then twi~ ting them around tree-trunks. ~ih~~t fields were trampled by their horses, and dev~astation left on all sides. Lindsey arid his mother were among those who sta~yed at the plantation. When freedom becazuie ~enera1 his father be~ ~afl farming on a tract that was later turned over to Lind~. sey. Lindsey operated the farm for a while but later de~ sired to learn horseshoeirig, and apprenticed himself to a blacksmith. At the end of three years he bad become so proficient that his former master rewarded him with a five~dollar bonus for shoeing one horse. Possessing now the trades of blacksn~ithing, tanning ax~d weaving~..and- pinning, Lindsey was tempted to follow some of his former associates to the North, but was discouraged from doing so by a few who returned, complaining bitterly about the unaccustomed cold and the difficulty of making a living. He moved South instead and settled in the area ark.. ound Palatka. He is still in the section, being recognized as an excellent blacksmith despite his more than four~.score years.

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~1AVE I~T~VIEW PALATE~A M.D,RICHARDSON Page 5 FEC Interview with subject, Lindsey ~iioore, 1114 Madison Street, Palatka, Ela,

Mack Mullen. 237 234

234 FEDERAL WRIT~RS~ PROJECT American Guide, (Negro Writers Unit) Jacksonville, Florida J;M. Johnson Slave Interview Field Worker ~ September 18, 3.936 Complete . John A. Sir~ms ~ 322 Words ~ Editor 7 Pages ~ C & ~\~j\ ~J j I ~ ~ Mack Mullen, a former slave who now lives at 521 W. First street, Jacksonville, Florida, was born in Ainerious, Georgia in 1857, eight years befor Ernan cipation, on a plantation whioli oovered. an area of approximately five miles. Upon this expansive plantation about 200 slaves lived and labored. At its main entranoe stood a large white colonial manBion. - In this abode lived Diok Snellings, the master, and his faniily. The Snellinge plantation pro duoed. cotton, corn, oats, wheat, peanuts, potatoes, cane and. other commoditlea. The live stock consisted primarily of hogs and cattle. There was on the plantation what was known as a crib, where oats,corn and wheat were stored, and a smoke house for pork and beef. The slaves received their rations weekly, it was apportioned acoording to the number in the family, Mack Mullen s mother was na~ned Ellen and his father Sam. Ellen waa house woman and Sam did the black-

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Slave Interview Page 2 235 J.M. Johneon FEC JaokaonviLle, F1orid~ amithing, Ellen personally attend.ed. Mra. Snellinge, the maeter e irife. Mack being quite young did. not have any par~ tiou .ar thttiee a~eigned to him, but stayed around. the Sne11~ inge manei.on and. played. Sometimes mareter Snellings would take him on hie knee and talk to hirn. Mack remembers that he osten told him that some day he was going to be a noble man. He aaid that he was going to make him the head overseer. He would often give him candy and money and take him in his buggy f9r a ride,. Plantation Life~ The elave e lived in cabine called quarters, which were constructed of lumber and logs. A white man was their overseer, he assigned the slaves their respective tasks. There was also a slave known as a oaller~ He came around to the slave cabins every morning at four o clock and blew a cow horn which was the signal for the slaves to get up and prepaxe th~iselves for work in the fields. All of them on hearing this horn would arise and prepare their meals by six otclock they were on their way to the fields. They would work all dAy, stopping only for a brief period at midday to eat. Mack Mullene says that some of the most beautiful spirituals were sung while they labored. The women wore towels wrapped around their heads for protection from the sun,and. most of them smoked pipes.

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Slave Interview Page 3 J.M. Johnson FEC Jacksonville, Florida . The overaeer often took Maok with him astride his horse as he macle hie rOUfldB to inspeot the work being done. About suri- down, the 1cow-horn of the caller was blown and. all handa stopped work, and made their way back to their cabine. One behind the other they marched singing I rn gonna wait ~ fil Jeaus Cornea. After arriving at their cabine they would pre pare their meals; after eating they w uld sometimes gather in front of a cabin and cia~ioe to ~ the tunes played bu the fiddle and the drum. The popular dance at tnat time WaB known as the figure dance. At nine p.m. the overeeei~ould come around; everything was supposed to be quiet at that hour. Some of the slaves would turn in0 for the night while others would remain up as long as they wished or as long as they were quiet. The slaves were sometimes given special holidAys and. on those days they would givenquilting~tprties (quilt making) and dances. These parties were sometimes held. on their own plantation and. sometimes on a neighboring one. Slaves who ordinarily wanted to visit another plantation had. to get a permit from the master. If they wei e caught going off the plantation without a permit, they were severely whipped by the patrolz~en~ (white men especially assigned to patrol duty around the plantation to pre vent promiscuous wandering from plantations and runaways. ) Whippj~: There was a white man assigned only to whip the slaves when they were insubordinate; howwver, they

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Slave Interview . Page 4 23~7 J.M. Johneor~ Fh~C Jack sonville Flor ida were not allowed to whip them too severely as Marstel Snellings wou1d~ not permit it He would say a elaire . is of no use to nie. beaten to death, Mxri~g~: When one slave fell in love .~with another and wanted to marry they were given a license and the matrimony ~ae sealed. There was no marriage ceremony per~formed. A license was all that was necessary to be considered niarried. In the event that the lovers lived on separate planta tions the master of one of tbemwould buy the other lover or wed ded one so that they would be together. When this could not be arranged they would have to visit one another, but live on their respective plantations. ~ ~&~.p~iL Th~ slaves ha~ a regular church house, which was a small size building constructed of boards. Preach Ing was conducted by a colored minister especially assigned to this duty. On Tuesday evenings prayer meeting was held; on Thurs ~ day evenings, preaching; and on Sund~both morning and evening ~ preaching. At these services the slaves ~rould get happy and shout excitedly. Those desiring to accept Christ were admitted for baptism. ~ On baptismal day, the candidates attired in white robes which they had made, marched down to the river where they were immersed by the minister. Slaves from neighboring

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Slave Interview Page 5 03 J.M. Johnson ~EC ~ Jacksonville, Florida. plantations would come to witness this sacred ceremony. Mack Mullen recalls that many times his mareter on going to view a baptism took him along in hiB buggy. It waa a happy scene, he relates. The alaves would b there in great numbers scattered about over the banks of the river. Much ehouting and. einging went on. Some of the i~terS and brothers would get so happy that they would lose control of themselves and. fall out, It was then said that the Holy Ghoet had. struck em. The other Slaves would vi w thie phenomena with awe and reverence, and wait for them to come out of it. Those were happy days and that was real religion, Mack Mullen said. ~ The slaves were not given any formal education, however, Mullen s master was not as rigid as some of the slave holders in prohibiting the slaves from learningto read. and write. Mrs. Sneflings, the mistress, taught Mack s mother to read and write a little, and Mr. Sneilinga also taught Mack B father how to read, write and. figure. Having learned a little they would. in turn impart their knowledge to their fellow slaves. ~ Mullen vividly recalls the day that they heard of their emancipation; loud reporte from guns were heard echoing through the woods and plantations; after awhile Yankee soldiers came and informed them that they were free. Mr. Snellinga

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Slave Interview . Page 6 J;M. Joimson ~ FE~ 239 Jacksonville, Florida showed. no reelatance and. he was not harmed. The elavea on hearing this good. news of freedom burst out in song and. prai s e s to God,~ it was a gala dAy No work was done for a week; the time was spent in celebrating. The master told hie slaves that tliey were free and. could go wherever they wanted to, or they could remain with him if they wished. Most of his 200 slaves ref eed to leave him because he was con idered. a good. master ~ They were thereafter given individual farms, mules and. farm implements with which to cultivate the land; their for- mer master got a share out of what was raised. Theie was no more whipping, no more forced labor and. hours were lesB drastic. Mack Mullen s parents were among those slaves ~ rho remained; they lived there until Mr. Snellinge died, and then moved to Isonvillen, near Americus, Georgia, where hie father opened a black- srnith shop, and. made enough money to buy some property. Another child was added to the family, a girl nain ed Mari ah . By thi e t irne Mack had become a young man wi th a strong desire to travel, sohe bade hie parents farewell and headed for Tampa, Florida. After living there awhile he caine to Jacksonville, Florida. At the time of his arrival in Jackson ville, Bay Street was paved with blocks and t~%ere were no hard ~urfaoed streets in the city.

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Slave Intecview Page 7 J.M. Johnson FEC Jacksonville Florida. He waa one of the construction foremen of the Wtndsor Hotel. Mack Mullen is tall, grey haired, sharp featured and of Caucasian strain(his mother was a uiulatto) with a keen mind and an appearance that belies his ?5~yeare. H 1a~ente that he was freed because his master was good to hie slaves; he saye we had everything we wanted; never did. I think I d come to this got to get relief. (1)

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REFERENCE I. From an interview with Mack M hen, a former slave at hie reeldence, 521 West First Street, Jacksonville Florida. FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT American Guide,(Ne~ro W~riters Unit) Jacksonville Florida 24i J~M. Johnson Field Worker Complete Slave Interview Septeniber 18, 1936 John A. Slmriie Editor

Louis Napoleon. 245 242

242 FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT . ~ Amerioan Guid.e,(Negro ~ritera Unit) Jacksonville, Florida J.MdI John3on Slave Interview Field Worker November 17, 1936 Complete 1,450 Words 6 Pages ~ LOr~4~ ~a~oleon About three miles froua South Jacksonville proper down the old. Saint Augustine Road lives one Louis Napoleon an ex slave, born in Tallahassee, Florida about 1857, eight years prior to Emanoipation, His parents were Sciplo and Edith Napoleon, being originally owned by Colonel John S. Sammie of Arlington, Florida and the Floyd family of Saint Marys, Georgia, respectively. Sciplo and Edith were sold to Arthur Randolph, a physiolan and large plantation owner of Fort Louis, about five miles from the capitol at Tallahassee. On this large plantation that covered and area of about eight miles and composed approximately of 90 slaves is where Louis Napoleon first saw the light of day. Louis father was known as the wagoner. ~Iie duties were to haul the oorrnnoditiea raised on the plantation and other things that required a wagon. His mother Edith, was known as a lbreederw and was kept in t~e palatial Randolph mansion to loom cloth for the I~ndolph family and slaves. The cloth was made from the cot ton raised on the plantation s fertile fields. As I~uia was so young, he had, no particular duties, only to look for hen nests,

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Slave Interview J~M. Johnson Jacksonville, Florida 243 gather egg. and, play with the master s three young boys. There wela seven children in the Randolph family, three young boys, two Urnisay~~ girls and ~wo grown eons. Louis would ~o f ieh1n~ and hunting with the three younger boys and. otherwise engage with them in their childiah pranks. He eaye that his master and. mistreas were very kind to the slaves and. would. never whip them, nor ~ou1d he allot the ~d.riv~r who was a whi~te man named Barton to do so. Barton lived in a honie especially built for him on the plantation. If the ~d.river whipped any of them, all that was necessary for the slave who had been whipped was to r3port it to the master and the 1driver~ was di3missed, as he wa~ a salaried man. ~ The slaves lived in log cabins ~speciaily built for them. They were ceiled. and arranged in such a ~nanner as to retain the heatin winter from the large fireplaces con 8truoted therein. Just before the dawn of day, the slaves were aroused from their s1~uznber by 8. loud blast from a cow horn that was blown by the driver as 8. signal to prepare themeelvee for the fields. The plantation being so expansive, those who had to go a long distance to the area where they worked, were taken in wagons, those working ~earby walked. They took their meals along with them and had their breakfast and dinner on the fields. An hour was allowed for this pur 2033. The slaves worked while they sang spirituals to break the mo~ ~iotony of long houa of work. At the setting of the sun, With their Page 2

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Slave Interview Page 3 J.M. Johnson . FEC Jacksonville, Flortda day a work all done, they returned to their cabine and. prepared their evening e meal. Having fi~iahed thee, the religious among them would gather at one of the oabin doore and give thankB to God in the form of long eupplicatlone and old faahloned songs. Many of them ~ being highly emotional iculd re epond. in shouts of hallelujahs soinetimee oausing the entire group to become happy c~onclud1ng in shouting and praise to God. The wicked slaves ex pended theit pent up emotions in song and. danoe, Gathering at one of the cabin doors they would sing and da.noe to the tunes of a fife, banjo or fiddle that was played by one of their number. Finlahed with thie diver ion they would retire to await the dawn of a~new day whioh indioatet more work, The various plantatione had. white men employed as patrols whose duties were to see that the s .avee remained on their own plantations, and if they were cat~ght going off without a permit from the maater, th~y were whipped with a raw hides by the driver. There wa an exception to thia rule, however on Sundays the religious slavee were allowed to visit other plantations where religious servioes were being held. without baying to go through the matter of having a permit. Re~l~~1i!pj~. There was a free colored man who was called ~Father James Page, owned by a family of Parkers of Tallahassee. He was freed by them to go and preach to his own people. He could read and write and~:wou 4 visit all the plantations in Tallahassee,preaoh Ing the gospel. Each plantation would. get a visit from hia one Sun dAy of each month. The slaves on the Randolph plantation ivould con-

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Slave Interview . Page 4 ~ J.M. Johnson . FEC A4J Jaokeonville, Florida . gregate in one of the cabine to receive him where he wou1d~ read. the Bible and. preach and. sing. Many timee the eervioea wer e punottated by much ehouting from the happy one s . At these servicee the sacrament wae served to those who had. accepted. Christ, those who had. riot, and were willing. to accept Him were received and. prepared Zor.bapti~rn on the next visit of Father Page. On the day of baptism, the candidales were attired in long white flowing robes, w~iioh had been made by one of the slaves. Amidst einging and praises they marohed, being flanked on each side by other believers, to a pond or lake on the plantation and. after the usual ceremony they were ducked~ into the wat er Thi e was a d~y of much shout ing and praying. ~ The two missy girls of the Randolph family were dutiful each Sunday morning to teach the alavea their catechism or Sunday School lesson. Aside frog this there was no other tr~ining. Th~ ~W1e!~~ ~ Mr Napoleon relates that the dootor s two oldest eons went to the war With the Confederate army, also the white 1driver, Barton. His place was filled by one of the slave e named Pe t er Parke r . At the closing of the war, word. was sent around among the elavea that if they heard the report of a gun, it was the Yankees and. that they were free.

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Slave Interview Page 5 J.u. Johneon p~ Jaokaonvil . , Florida It was in May, in the middle of the day, cotton and. corn being planted, plowing going on, and. slaves busily engaged in their uaual activitlee, when euddenly the loud. report of a gu~n reeoimded, then could be heard the slaves crying almost en.-masee,~dexns d~e Tan kees, Straightway they dropped the plows, hoee and other Zarin im pJ.emente and hurried to their cabins. They put on their beet olothea ~to go eee the Yankees, Through the countryside to the town of Ta J,ahaesee they went The roads ~ were quickly filled With these happy souls. The streets of Tallahassee were clustered with these jubilant people going here and there to get a glimpse of the Tan kees, their liberators. Napoleon says it was a joyous and. un forget able occasion, When the Ranctoiph slaves returned. to their plantation, Dr. Randolph told them that they were free, and if they wanted to go away, they COUld, and. if not, they could remain with him and. he would give them half o~ what was raised on the farms. Some of them left, however, some remained, having no place to go, they deoi4ed lt was best to remain until the crops came off, thus earning enough to help them in their new venture in home seeking. Thoee slaves who were too old and not physically able to work, remained on the planta tion and were oared for by Dr. B~.ndolph until their death. Napoleon s father,Scipio, got a transfer from the government to hie former master, Colonel Sa~mia of A.rllngton, and there he lived for awiille. He soon got employment With a Mr. Hatee

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Slave Ii~terview ~ 6 J.M. Joim on FEC Jacksonville, Florida of the town and. after earning enough money, bought a tract of land. from him there and farmed. There his family lived and. in~ creased. Louis being the oldest of the children obtained odd. jobs with the various~ settlers, among theni being Governor Reid of Florida who lived in South Jacksonville, Governor Reid. raised cattle for market and Napoleon s job was to bring them across the .~ ~ 9 Saint Johns River on a Wex~ to Jacksonville, where they were sold. . Louis Napoleon is now aged. and infirm, hiB father and. mother having died many years ago. He now lives with one of hi3 younger brothers who has a fair sized orange grove on the south side of Jacksonville, He retains the property that his father first bought after freedom and. on which they lived in Arlington. His hair white and he is bent with age and ill health but his mental facul ties are exceptionally keen for one of his age. He:proudly tells you that his master was good. to his niggers~ and. cannot recall but one time that he saw him whip one of them and that when one tried to run away to the Yankees, Only memories of a kind master in his days of servitude remain with him as he recalls the dark days of slavery.

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VEDERAL WRER PROJE CT American auide,(Negro Writers Unit) Jacksonvi 11e Florida 248 JJL. Johnson Field Workex Complet e Slave Interview November 17, 1936 Persona . interview with Louis Napoleon, South Jacksonville, Florida

Margrett Nickerson. 252 249

) ( j ( 3 ~ FEDERAL WRITERS PRGJECT Araeri~oan Guide, (Negi~ Writers Unit) Jacksonville, Florida o ~i o f~ vi ~ Rachel A~ Austj~ Field Worker Complete Slave Interview DeCember 5, 1936 REFERENCES 1. Personal interview with Margrett Nickerson, 1600 Myrtle Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida 2. Sophia Nickerson Starke, 1600 Myrtle Avenue, daughter of Margrett Nicke raon, Jacksonvi 11e Flo rida S ~ ~ 55 ~ S ~ ~ S~ ~ ~ S ~ S 5 ~ ~ ;S ~ S ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~S 55

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g () () :3 ~i FEDERAL WRITERSt PROJECT AmericAn Guido, (Negro Writers Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Rachel A. Austin Slave Interview Field Worker December 5, 1936 Complete 2,066 Wordi s Pages Margrett Ni~ck~!~r!21fl In her own vernacular, Margrett Nickerson was born to William A. Carr, on hi s plantation near Jackson, Leon County, many years ago. When que stioned conce rrdng her li fa on thi s plantation, she continues: 1~ow honey, its been so long ago, I don member ev ything, hut I will tell you whut I kin as near right as possible; I kin member five uf Marse Carrts chilluit; Florida, Susan, Lijah, Willie and Tom; cose Carr never lowed us to have a p5~eoe uf paper in our hands. Mr.Kilgo was de 1\ist overseer I member; I was big enough to tots meat an stuff frwn de smokehouse to de kitchen and to tote water in and g t wood for granny to cook de dinner and fur de suokiers who flU sed de babie s, an I carried dinne rs back to de an \ On dis plantation dere was bout a hunnerd head; cookin was done in de fireplace in iron pots and de meals was plenty of peas, greens, cornbread burnt co n for coffee - often de marster bought some coffee fur us; we got water fruiii de open well. Jes fore de big gun. fiahed dey fotched my pa frurn de bay whar he was inakin salt; he had heerd dem say de Yankees is coming and wuz so glad. Dere wuz rice, cotton, co n, tater fields to be tended to and cowhides to be tanned, thread to be spirmed, and thread wuz made into ropes for plow lines. 01e Marse Carr fed us, but he did not care what an whar, jes so you made dat money and when yo made five and six bales o cotton, said: . - . .~

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2 or- Yo am don nuthin . ~ When de big gun fiahed on a Sattidy me and Cabo and Minnie Howard wuz settin up co n fur de plowers to come ~ long and put dirt to em; Carr read de free papers to us on Sunday and de 0 tfl and cotton had to be tended to - he tole us he wuz goin to gi us de net proceeds (here she chuckles), ~hat turned out to be de co n and cotton stalks. Den he asked dorn whut would stay wid him to step off on de right and dem dat wuz leavin to step off on de left. My pa made soap frum ashes when cleaning new ground he took a to put de ashes in., made a little stool side de house put de ashes ~0 ~ red water on I t to drip; at night after gittin off fruin wo rk he d put i.n de grease and make de soap - I made it sometime and I make it now, myself. My step~pa useter make shoes on de plantation and fur ove body on de his fambly; dey s wuz diffunt, fine. My grandma wui Pheobie Austin - my mother wuz naine Rachel Jackson and my pa wus n&ie Edmund Jaokson; my mother and uncle Robert and Joe w~is . \ std fr.~m Virginia and fetched here. I don know no niggers dat listed in de war; I don member much bdut de w~r only when de started talking bout drillin men fur de war, Joe Sanders was a lieutenant. Marse Carr s Sons, Tom and Willie went to de war. We didn had no doctors, only de grannies; we n~os ly used ( ipecac) fur medicine. As I said, Kilgo wus de fust overseer I ricollec , then Sanders and Joe Sanders after him; John C. Haywood carne in after Sanders de big gun fished old man Brockington wus dere. I never saw a hopper in and frum co~whi de s fu r de farm an s plantation cept oie Marse and hi~ppecat wuz flex and when

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- 3-, nigger sold, but dey carried dem frum our house and I never seen ~ no mo . ~ We had church wid de white preachers and dey to .e us to mind oui masters and m~issus arui we would be saved; if not, dey said we wouldn . Dey never tole us nothin bout Jesus. On Sunday after workin hard all de week dey w~u1d lay down to sLeep and be 80 tired; soon ez yo git sleep, de overseer would coins & wake you up an ~nake you go to church. ~ ~___e~ _ When de big gun fiahed old man Carr had six sacks ut confederate money whut he wuz carry xtg wid him to Athens Georgia an all de time if I any uf us gals whar he wuz an~ ax him Marse please gi us some money (here she raises her voice to a high, pitiful tone) he says I amt got a cent and right den he wuld have a chis so full it would take a ~wholT \ passle uv slaves to move it. lie had plenty corr., taters, pum kins, hogs, \oows ev ything, but he didn gi us nuthin but strong plainclose and k lenty to eat; ~e slept ~n oie common beds and my pa made up little cribs d put hay in dem fur de chillun. Now ef you waiited to keep in wid Marster Carr don drap you sho e s in de fi e Id an leave ~ em d beat you ; you mu s to te shoes frum one field to de tother, didn a dog ud be bettern you. He d say t You gun~hai ded devi I drappin shoes and thin over de field . Now jes lis en, I wanna tell you all I kin, but I wants to tell it right; wait now, I don wanna make no mi stakes and I don waima lie on nobody-j I am mad now and I know taint no use to lie, I takin my time. I done prayed an got all de malice out o my heart and I am gonna tell no lie fer um and I ai~n gonna tell no lie on um. I am never seed no

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-4 slaves sold by Marster Carr, he wuz allus tellin nie he wuz gonna sell me but he never did~ he sold n~r pa s fust wife though. Dore wuz Uncle George Bull, he could read and write and, chile, de white folks didn t lak no nigger whut could read and write. Carr s wife MissJane useter teach us Sunday School but she did not ~ low us b bech a book Wi. d u s hand s . ~ Geo~~uli sad beat ~iim fur nothin; dey would beat him and take him to de lake and p~*t him on a log and shev him in de lake, but he alwaya swinimed out. V~hom dey didn do dat dey would beat him tel de blood run outen him and deA trow him in de ditch in de field and kivver him up w~d dirt, head and years and den stick a stick up at his haid. I wuz a water toter and had stood and seen urn do him dat way moro n once and I stood and looked at urn t~l dey went way to de other i~ws and den I grabbed de dirt ofen him and t d bre sh de di rt off and say tank gi t his hoe and go on back ~o work. Dey beat him lak dat and he didn do a thin to git dat sort uf treatment. ~. I had a sister name Lytie Holly who didn stand back on non 1~1V ein; when deytd g t behin her, she d git behin dem; she wuz dat sthbbo n and when dey ~uld beat her she wouldn holier and jes take it and go on. I got some whuppi.n s wid strops but I wanter tell you why I am cripple today: ~I had to tote tater vines on my haid, me and Fred rick and de hant 5 would be a callin fur em all over de field. but you know honey, de two us us could g t to all uvum at once, so Joe Sanders would hurry us up by beatin us with strops and sticks and run us all over de tater ridge; he c ri pple ;2 s bo th up and. den we dia gi t to al 1 uv em. At ni ght niy pa would try to fix me up cose I had to go back to work nex day. I never

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5 walked straight trum dat day to dis and I have to set here in dis chair now, but I don feel mad none now. I feel s good and wants to go to he yen I am gonna tel no lie on White nor black oose taint no use. ItSome uv de slaves run away, lots uv um. Some would be cot and when dey ketohed em dey put bells on em; tust dey would put a iron ban t round dey neck and anuder one round de wal et and ri vet um tegethe r down de back; de bell would hang on de ban round de neck so dat it would ring when de slave walked and den dey wouldn git way. Some uv dem wore dese be 1 1 s three end four mont n and when dey time wuz up dey would take em off ein. Jake Overstreet, George Bull, John Green, Ruben Golder, Jim Bradley and a hos uv others wore dem bells. Dis is whiit I know, not whut somebody else say. I seen dis myself. En missus, when de big gun fiahed, de runerway slaves corned out de woods fr~im all directions. We wuz in de field when it fiahed, but I members dey wuz all very glad. cc, After de war, we worked but we got pay fur it. 01e man Pieroe and others would call some kin of a perlitical (political) ineetin but I could never understazi whut dey wuz talkin bout. We didri had no kin uv schools and all I knows but dem is dat I sent my ohilluins in Leon and Gadsden Counties. I had lots uv sisters and brothers but I can t member de names of none by Lytie, Mary, Patsy and Ella; my brothers, is Edmond and Cornelius Jackson. Cornelius is livin now somewhere I think but I dont never see him. ~When de bi g gun fi shed I was a young mi s sy totin cotton to de scales at de ginhouse; of de ginhouse wuz close by, you had to tote de cotton to it, but ef it wuz iXir way wagins ud come to de fields aM weigh it up and take it to de ginhouse. I was still livin near Lake Jackson and we went to Abram Bailey s place near Tallahassee. Carr turned us out without nuthin

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6- and Bai. 1e~j gi d u s hi s haminoc and we went dez . fur a home. Fuet ue out down saplin s fur we di dii had no hou se and took de tops uv pine a and put on de top; den we put dirt on top u~ dese saplin ~ and slep under dem. When de rain would come, it would wash all de dirt right down in our face and we d hafter bul I u s a house all over ag in. We di dn had no body to buil a house fur us, oose pa was gone and ma jes had us gals and we out de saplin s fer de man who would bui 1 de house fe r us. We live on Bei s place a long time and fin ily bull us a log cabin and den we went frum dis cabin to Gadsden County to a place name Concord and dere I stay tel I come he re fo re de fish. I had twelve chillun but~ right now missus, I can only member dese names: Robert, Lijali, Edward, Cornelius, Little, Rachel and Sophi . I wa s conve rted in Leon Counk~3y and afte r freedom I 4~ned de Meth~dist church and my membership is now in Mount Zion A.M.E. Church in Jacksonville, Florida. My tust husban was Nelson Walker and de las one was name Dave Nickerson. I don think I was 20 years old when de big gun fished, but I was more 17 1 reckon I juz a little older den Flossle May (a niece who is 17 years of age) is now. (1) Mrs. Niokerson, according to her infoxmation must be about 89 or 90 years of age, sees without glasses having never used them; she does not read or write but speaks in a convincing maimer. She has most of her teeth and a splendid appetite. She spends her time sitting in a wheel chair sewing on quilts. She has several quilts that she has pieced, some from very small scraps which she has out without the use of any particular pattern.

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-7.. 256 She has a full head of beautthil snowy white hair and has the use of her limbs, except her legs, and is able to do most things for herself. (2) She lives with her daughter at 1600 Myrtle Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida0

Douglas Parish. 260 257

P1~ERAL IRITERS PROJECT Amertoan Guide,(Negro Writera Unit.) Monticello, Florida Rachel A. Austin Slave Interview Field Worker November 10, 1936 Complete . . 1,00? Words 5 Pages ~ Douglaa Parish was born in Monticello, Florida, May 7, 1850, to Charles and Fannie Pariah, slaves of Jim Parish. Fannie had been bought from a family by the name of Palmer to be a breeder that i~a bearer of strong ohiidren who could bring high prices at the slave markets. A ~~breederU always fared better than the majority of female slaves, and Fannie Parish was no exception. All she had to do was raise children. Charles Parish labored in the cotton fields, the chief product of the Parish plantation. As a amall boy Douglas used to spend hie time shoot Ing marbles, playing ball, racing and. wrestling wits the other boys. The marbles were made from lumps of clay hardened in the fireplace. He waa a vey good runner, and ae it was a custom in those days for one plantation owner to match hie snigger against that of his neighbor, he was a favorite With Parish because he seldom failed to win the race, Parish trained his runners by haying them race to the boundary of hie plantation and back again. He would reward the winner with a jack-knife or a bag of marbles. Just to be first was an honor in itself, for the fast

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Slave Interview . Page 2 Rachel A. AuBtiL FEC 2~8 Monticello, FIorlI.a est i unner repreaented. hie master in the Fourth of July rac~~ when rurinera frora ail over the county competed for top honoi?s, and. the winner earned a bag of silver for hie master, If Pa~: ish didn t win the prize, he was hard. to get along with for several daya, but gradually he would aocept hie defeat with resolution. Prizes in less important races ranged froma pair of fighting cooks to a slave, depending upon the seriousneaB of the betting. Douglas first job was picking cottonseed from the . When he was about 12 years of age, he became the stable boy, and soon learned about the care and grooming of horses from an old slave who had charge of the Parish stables. He was also required to keep the buggies, surreys, and spring wagons clean. The buggies were light four wheeled carriages drawn by one horse. The surreys were covered four wheeled carriages, open at the sides, but having curtains that may be rolled down. He liked this job very much because it gave ~im an opportunity to ride on the horses, the desire of all the boys on the plantation. They had to be content with chopping wood, running errands, oleaning up the plantation, and similar tasks. Because of his knowledge of horses, Douglas was permitted to travel to the coast with his boss and. other slaves for the purpose of securing salt from the sea water. It was cheaper to secure salt by this method than it was to purchase it otherwise.

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Slave Interview Page ~ 259 Rachel A. Austin MontioCilo, F1orid~ Life in slavery was not all ba~t, according to Douglas. Pariah fed his slaves weil, gave them comfortable quartera in which to live, looked after them when they were eick, and. worked them very moderately. The food. was cooked in the fire place in large iron pots, pana and. ovens. The slaves had greens, potatoes, corn, rice, meat, peas, and corn bread to eat. Oooaeion ally the corn bread was replaced by flour bread. The slaves drank an imitation coffee made fr~m~parahed corn or meal. Since there was no ice to preserve the left over food, only enough for each meaJ. was prepared. . Pari ah seldom puni ehe 1 hi s slave s and neye r did he permit his overseer to do so. If the slaves failed to do t~eir work, they were reported to him. He would warn them and show hie black whip which was usually euffioient. He had seen overseers beat slaves to death, and he did not want to risk losing the money he had invested in hi s After hie death, his son managed the plan tation in much the same manner as hie father. ~ But the war was destined to make the Parishes lose aU their slaves by giving them their freedom. Even though they were free to go, many of the slaves elected to remain with their mistress who had always been kind to them. The war swept away much of the money which her husband had left her; and although she would liked to have kept all of her slaves, she found it impossible

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Slave Interview Page 4 Rachel A. Austin j ~ Monticello, Florida to do so. She allowed the real old slaves to remain on the prem j se a and. kep t a few of the younger ones to work about the plan tation, Douglas and his parents were among those who remained on /~ the plantation. His father was a skilled brick4iayer arid. carpenter, and. he was employed to make repaira to the property. Hie mother cooked for the Parishes. Many of the Negroes migrated North, and. they wrote ~aok stories of the 0new country where 1de white folks let you c~o jas as you please. These stories influenced a great number of other 1~egroee to go North and. begin life anew as servante, waiters, laborers and oooks.The Negroes who re~ined in the South wire forced. to make their own living. At the end of the war, foods and commodi ties had. gone up to prices that were impossible for the Negro to pay. Ha~n, for example, cost 4O~ and 5O~ a pound; lard was 25~ cotton was two dollars a bushel. Douglas father taught him all that he knew about 0arpentry and. brio1~ ,aying, and the two were in d~nand to repair, remodel, or build houses for the white people. Although he never attended. school, Charles Parish could. calculate very rapidly the i~umber of bricks that it would take to build a house. After the es tabU ehing of schoo le by the Fre dm s Bureau, Do ~ rather ~nade him go, but he did not like the confinement of school and. soon c3.ropped out. The teachers for the most part,were whit., who were COnce~ij~~ only with teaching the ex-slaves reading, writing, and.

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Slave Interview . P&ge 5 261 Rachel A. Austin FEC Monticello, FLOrida . arithmetic, The few colored teachers went into the oormnunity in an effort to elevate the standards of living. They went in ~ the churchee where they were certain to reach the greatest number of people and spoke to thtof their mission, The Negro teachers were cordially reoeivecl by the ex-slavee who were glad. to weloome some Yankee niggera into their midst. Whereaa the white teachers did. not bother with the Negroes except in the o .aeeroom, other white men ~ why showed a deo1d~ed interest in them. They were called ~carpet baggere because of the type o~ traveling b~g which they usually ~oarried, and this term later became synonymous With political adventurer . These men aought to advance their political schemes by getting the Negroes to vote for certain men who would be favor ab .e to them. The~~~ht the Negro votes or put a Negro in some unimportant office to obtain the goodwil of the ex slaves. They uaed~ the ignorant colored minister to further their plans, and. he was their willing tool. The Negro s unwise use of his ballot plunged the South further and further into debt and as a result the outh was compelled to restrict his privileges.

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262 FEDERAL !RI TER8 PROJECT American Guide,(Negro WxiterBt Unit) Monticello, Florida Rachel A. AuBtin Field Worker Complete Slave Interview November 10 1936 BEFERENCE I. Personal interview with Douglaa Pariah, Montleello Florida

George Pretty. 266 263

flDF~RAL WR~~RS PROJF~QT . ~meri an GLitde.(Negro ~riters Uni~t) ~ - ~ 2 Pa131tka~~ F lorida . Viola B. Mule ~ Negro FoLk Lore and Queto~, ~ie1d Worker November 9, 1936 Con~p1ete 3,756 Words 15 Pages ~ . ~ ~P.W~i ~ . George Pretty of Ver~ Bach and. Gifford, florida, was born a free kan, at Aitoona, Pennsylvai4a, Jantary 20,1852. Ri father Isaac Pretty was also free born. Hie aater~.1 grand . father Alec Mccoy and his paternal grand~father George Pretty were born alavee who lived in the southern part ~ Pennsylvania. B3 does not krnw how hie father ca~ e to be born free but knows that h~ was told that from early childhood. In Aitoona, according to George, there were no slaves dw~ing hie life there but in southern Penr~eylvania slavery existed for a time. His grand.~parente moved from southern Pennsylvania Liuring slavery butS whether they bought their freedom or ra~ away front their n~aetere was never known to Ceorge. As in rflcBt of t ~e southland, the customs of the Negro in Altoona abounded in superstition and ignorance. They had about the sar~e beliefs and looked upon life with about the same degree of intelligence as Negroes in the south. The north being much colder than the south naturai~ly had

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Negro Folk Lore ax4 Oustoine Page 2 ~ S Viola B. Muse TJ~O . S Paiatka, F lorida . long ago uaed coal for fuel. Open grates were used for cooking just as open fireplaoes were used in the South. Iron skillets or spiders as they ealled thin, were used for oooking many foods1 m eats vegetable s pie a puddings ~ and even cake s were baked over the fire, S The old familiar, oftei~ referred to as aouthern aeh cake, was cooked on the hearth under the F~rate, xight in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The north;beoauee of its rapid~ advance ~n the use of modern ways of cooking and doing ~any other~ t~inga has been thought by niany people to have esoaped the crude methode of cooking, but not ao. george tol4 how a piece of thick paper was piaged. on the hearth under the grate and corn dough put upon it to bake. Hot ashes were raked over it and it was left to cook and brown, i~en it had rernatned a long enough tiae, the ashes were shaken off, the cake bru~thed clean with a cloth and no grit wa~ encountered when it was eaten. Isaac Pretty1 George a fatter owned a large h~rr~e~e shop at Altoona and made and sold. hundreds. of dollars worth of saddles and harneas to both northern and southern plantation owners. (i) There was a eor~~tant going and. coining of northern and southern ownere southern onee seeking places to buy iruplem~enta for farming and other inventlon as well as trying to locate runaway Blavee.

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265 Negro Polk Lore and Ottatoas Page 3 Viola 8. Muse lic Pa1atka, plorida bolitionists were active in the north and there ~ W~rS theme who assisted slaves across the ~undary Und between free and elan states, . who Negroes in tha northAwere free and~ bad intelligence enough saw the gravity in assisting their slate brothers in the south, Soie risked their lins in spreading propapnda whtch they thought wo ld. aid the enslaved Negroes in becoming free, In andaxound Altoona, Negroes were very progressits and. appreciated their freedom, and had a great deal of sys~th~ for t ~xeir fellows and did all they could to demonstrate their at~ titude toward the slate traffic. Jonsy was soli itedand freely given to help aboittionists apread. propagan~ about freedom. . It is striking to note the similarity of living conEti tions inl ennsylnnia and Georgia, florida and the Garolinas. $~ alavee who lite its Floridi. now but who caine here since the ~ams cipation of tnt N~gro tell of living conditions of their respective t~tatee; they are very similar to the modes of 4ving Sn Altoona, during slavery. Ca) ~ Soap was made front grease and lye Just as it was ve4e in the south. Shin~plastn(paper ~ioney similar to gre~ i*ck which rapresent~4 amounts lees than a dollar) were veryplefliful and After the civil War confederate money of all ktnds was as o luch tr h. tood atuffs which were raised on the faa At A1~toona were: Corn, peanuts, white,potatoes az~ peas~ Enough pn~~$re raised to

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Negro Yolk Lors and a~i.toms Pa~s 4 26G Viola B. ~use . . Palatka, Florida f~tid the atook and take oaro of the family for ~2 months. Pot~oe~ ~srs rataid in large quantities and fat they were J~ug they were banked for the winter. By banked, it is meant, large holes were ctug in the cCU4~Of . the houes or under the ~iouse or inside of an outhouse; pire straw was put into this pit and t~ ~e potE~toea piled in; i~.ox~ straw was laid. on andmore po~ t&;oes piledin until all ~ ere in the pit. Dirt was ~hoveled over the lot and it wae left until for using tha. }~ortharn people uBed and. still use a large amount of ~vhite,or~ttriah potatoes, - In ouring hi ee of oows for making leather the sstne .~etIiod was e~npioyed as that thied in the aouth. Ridee were first ~3~ited and water ~ae poured over the~t. Tii~y were oc~er8d with dirt ~ l!ft to soak a few days. A solution of r d oak bark was made by soaking the bark in water and this solution was poured over the hides. After it soaked a few days t~e hair was scraped off with a ~3tiff brush ~nd when it dried leather was ready for making shoes and harness. eorge e rather dealt extensively in leather and wh n he could not get enough oured himself, he bought of others wh~ could supply hint. ~ ~ ~ Now George e mo t ~er was very handy at the spi rining ~th3el and. loom. He reriembere howthe bunch of ootton was combed tn ~r~paration for spinning. ~.rda with teeth were arranged on the

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Negro 7O k Lors and Customs Page 5 . Viola 13. Iuii . J EC ~ ~ ?~Llatka, Florida 8phntng wheeland the maca of ootton was combed through it to aeparats it into fibers. The fibers were rolled between the :~ iT~erI and then put upon the spinning wheel to be spun intO thr~d. As it was spun, it was wound upon spools. After the SPOOlS w.~re filled ~1oey were taken off ant put on the boa. Threads were c~trtLv1g aoros~ the loom soma above others and~ the shuttle running oaok ~Lfld forth thxo~h the threa~e would make cloth. *13. that was doflE~ b7 band power, A person working at the loom regularly soon be~ ~ profioient and George s mother was one who bore the name of ~)3ing a~ very goodweaver of oloth. Most ~f the clothes tire family ~?O ~ ~re ~ e home spun. ~ ~--- ~_ Undernar and sleeping garments were made of the natural oolored homespun cloth. When colored cloth was wanted a dye wa made to dip t~ea in so as to get the desired oolo~. Dyes were :1 by soaking red oak bark in water Another was made of elder berries and1 when a real blood red was desired polk berries were ua~d, Polk berried made a blood red dye and was ooneiiered very eautiful, Walnut hulls were uaed to make brown dye a~d it was last.. ifl~ in its effects. ~ In making ci~ bold its oolor, the oloth and ~ye were bOiIE~d together, After it, had t$ken~ well, the cloth was removed from the dye and ri*eed wsll~ the rinse water was salted so a~ to 3ct the odor. . ~ ~ Pu~B !or washing olothe~ and ba~hing purposes were

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Negro ~Ik Lue and Oustoas . P*$e 6 268 Viols B. flee . flu Palatka, Florida made of wood. Son were made from bsrre .i out In tn parts. In outting a stay was left longer on each side and haies were cut length vise in it so there would be sufficient room for all ~ of the fingers tofit. That ns~tor lifting thetub about. . H A very interesting i e oi George s nt. was ~ plated in hie statement of the longevity of his irsnooefl s, te may call it ignorance but it seems to be more innocence when oo~ pared to the in iden.t of Adam and Eve a~ told in the Holy Bible In the book of Genesis, He was 33 yea*s of ~ge before he knew he was a grown man, or how lite fls giten ~aans . In plain werde ~ he CUd. not know where babies came from, nor how they were bred. Whenever George s mother was expecting t be confined with a baby s birth, hie father would say to all the children to- ~ether, large and small alike, your mother has gone to New York,~ Baltimore, .l3uffalQ or any place he would think of at the time. There ne an upstairs room th their home and she Would stay th e six weeks. She would go up as soon se flgne of the coming ohild would present themee~.ves, A midwife came, cooked three meals a day, l id the ohild~ ren and helped keep the place in order. . . in older tine people taught their ohiWen to respect older persons, they obeyed everyone older than themselves. The large children were just as obedint as the aafl ones ee na .. t it ~s not hard to maintain ~nae and OXd r within ar~ .~ .~**.. ~ . ~ I

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~eg~o Folk Lore and Guatoas Page 7 269 Viola B. Muse FEC ?alatka1 FlOrida The midwife in this ease simply toId~ ail of the ~hild.ren that ehe did not want any of them to go upstairs, as B h~ had important paper s ~ spread Out all over t he f loor and did ~ot want therr~ disturbed. No questions were asked, she was obeyed. .. George does not remember having heard a single t~a~)y C2~ the whole time t:iey were being born in that upper roow, and. he said many. 8. baby was born there. Deooruni reigned throug1~out the household for six weeks or until their mother was ready to caine do~vn. when the time was up for mother to come down, hie father would casually sai, Wohiluren your ma le cowing home today and what do you recon, someone has given her another baby. . The children would say, a1i~ost in conoert, what you say pa, is it a boy or girl?! He would tell them which it was and nothing more was said nor any further in~~uiry made into the happening. The term broke ~~er lee was used to oonv ey the weaning Q! pregnanoy. Geore reiat~a ~ow hie ~ other told him and his sie~ ter not to have a~ty thing more to do with ~ary Jones, cause she ~1one broke her leg.1 Georpe said ~a taint nothin matter wid nary; I see her every day when the bell rings for 12; ehe works across the street from Pa s h op and. she and me sate on the steps and talks till time fur her to go back to work. Hie mother said, dont spute me George, I know ehe is broke her leg and X want yaU to stay way Zr~a her. George said, Ma I amt eputing you, ~es some.

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Negro Talk Lore and Custome . Page 8 . 270 Viola B. M~~5 F~C Palatka, riorida body done mieintorm you data all. She amt got no broke leg, aho walks ~a good. as me. Hie mother eaid athen Pm a lie. George quiokly~replied, no in&, you amt no lie, but somebody clone told you wrong. Notiiing ~te said furtheron the question of vary Jones until that aame eYening when Isaac Pretty oarne home from the shop. The mother took him aside and told hlii of how she had been diaputed and called a. lie by Georg. and added that he wanted George whipped for it.. . n Come here George ofti~e a ooinmanding ~oioe ~thortly after the mother and father had been in oonferenoe. Gs or~e obeyed and his father took hivi apart from t.~ie family and looked himself and George in a room. He said. George I know I ~ done rig~~t by not telling you, you are grown. You are 33 years old n Ow and I want t o te 11 you some t hinge you should know . ~ George waa ai . eyes and ears, for he had been toi4 when previoualy asked how old he wt~a, I~Sj tel). you when you get grown. That was aU, he had heard from hie parente for years and he was just waiting f~ him to teil him Hi s father told him how babies we re born and about his mot~er confinIng herself in the upper room all the different times when she expected babies. He told him that. hie mother had never been out of town to Boetoa or Balti~ ors on any of the past ~ 000aaions. In fact he told George all he knew to tell him. Now the atartling thing about it all ii that

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Negro Folk Lore and. Customs ~ Page 9 271 ViQift 13. Muse Pala~ka, Florida S when he had finiahed giving the information about babie~ I~e ~ia1d, Now George you.v ~nOther told nie that you called her a lie toda3r. George at once said, Pa I dIdPTI t call her a lie, I 3es told someone had misinform heD bout Mary, that sh.e amt got her leg broke cause I see her every day. Hie father eaid i know t~~int right tci whip you fur that Oeorgs but your Ma said she wanted me to whip you and I U. have to do it . ~ That settled it. George received. hie f1r~t le~3~On in sex and received the last fiog~ ;tng hie fathex evor gave him. He was now grown and could take his place as a man. AfterwardB the mother took all her daughters aaide :~ ~j told t1I~T tIIC ~38J!1~ ~.5 I55 8 b~d tO)4 George. (That is a~ie told tAle 9rown girl3 about sex life.) S OE~orge and hie older sister talked the whole plan oyez after they got ~ ci~anoe and decided that since they were now ; rown, they did. not hare to ~i~e their earnings to their parents :~. c~y longer. They decided. to move into one of their father i houses en ~ e place and furnish ~t up, They were making right gool money oonaic1~ering the times related George, and with both of th~ pulling to~ether they soon would have sufficient money saved up to ~y a pjeoe of land and start out on a plot of ground of their own.. George told hie father their plane. Hie father asked ~ow much money he had. Re told him 200 dollars or more. His father ~Li(I, you1Ye eavsd 200 dollarsout of w~iat I ve allowed you?I

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Wega ~ *b*k kO *n4 ~s~s $fl tO 272 viola Sa~ *ss fi PzUAt~, nhria . I : ~ G,orgi ansr~4 ta fl* ZSSS.rstin4 *s SL*b*: fli4~S is . krtovt how t*t that $11 ~t Georg ~.. e Std be tdii *, fl$ StUte ~ annre4, ~fl fsr my Isy. ~ ~ . . I A tri 4~fl S%$X tht eoflveratte, I.ia Patty f ~rn1 ~ t~d one of hi a houas, With the nneesnt sqnt~ent tnt lat Gaetg and hie sister in tt~4. The had their own b*d:aosn . :~n4 .b4h botght eCMfl~ lfd. the jUl aM Gsor~e Wth *0fla4 the ~ai~ sM 4~H the nirt t}singtinj bU set~ 41U%% dW,.i*tfl*g zathing ?2ttnd in the~ sy cf theit progx~sa, i* s Zn antht h*4 psased both hUdxen 1M aa ~tt. S~~ted s niet a ci Th0fl07. Oofl~e ne pnpeflt to arty sn4. tat. fl$O . : of a ~ia~ Ris sistex~ !iin1 who iAnd ~ . with hh. kM .~ sn4 almost as riuch ~*onsy and when she *anie4 cbs Se an sMelt to the nfl at hfl 1 hoioe rather theA S ittbiZ1t7. ~ Oeorg~s M alose l nt t with MtW* is his adt life, The obis eantact i4 th his tot~fl *0* 33~ flsr .. 0 bU ~ IXSt t~~i1 !~ Ht George *hifl as lasting as * 11 te b n fioi i. She se S o1o!*e saust to nattas. She bsltsv* d in *nd kflfl tl* root: aM herbs which on ~ ~. i4 *41 athients. this in~ h**$M darn to her ChUs: r~n aM 0*lrf:0 fletty Za~ t kIMM! 0t*fl*00t *1*4 herb i* ~ WOWS. Ha an t4sntifl each as they are pr.sflJsd te b$M.. Sys b..:, ; ~stoa tes snot und by the or4is*rj~ faittly wSn r ~ ~ poitag ~p and 4mxis~ 14* sta~ at Attasa. So its sUai in $o sa up t st $$~t *t$i 1MM tMt ii* ** MS 1I**1~St* S L_ i~t f i

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273 Negro Folk Lore and Customs . . Page U Viola 13. 1~ee . Pala,tka, FLorida was also called in to probe for a bullet but for fever or colds o~, even ohild..birth h! ~aeooneid~ered an wmneoe~ary expense. ~ Herbs and roots were widely utilized in olden th~~yo and during eiave~y and. early reconstruction. The old~ slave nas brought his prao~ioee to this era and he 1i otten found gather-P ing and using them upon hie friends and neighbors. ~ George Pretty knows t ~at black snake root is good for blood t~oub1e for he has used it on i~any a person with safety ~nd 3urety. 8asair~a tea is good for colds; golden rod tea for fever; fig leaves for t~rt~sh; red oak bark for douche; slippery ~ithn for fev3r and female oornpiaint(when bark is inserted in t~e vagina,.); catnip tea is good for newborn babies; sage tea i~ good fox painful rnen~truation or siaokened flow; fig leaves bruised and applied to the forehead for fever are very effective; they are aJac g ood to draw boils to a head; okra blossoms when d~isd are good for 3oree~. (t:~e ~iried blossoms a~e soaked in water and applicd to the ~re a:~d bound with oleanold linen ~i~th)~ red shank 1 good, for ~ number of diseases; missing iink root is for colds ar~U asthma, leorge said thi e is a sure cure for asthma. Fever grass is a pur~ ~ ative when taken in the form of a tea. The blades are steeped in hot water and a tea made. Fever grass is a wide blade grass growing otraighter than n oat grass, It has a blue flower and is ound growing wild aro nd many places in Florida. It is plentitul in certain parts of Palatka, Florida. ~

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Negro Fc~ik Lore and~ Oustoine Page 12 ~ V to ~ :R Muse ~ ~ ~ Palatka, fl~ortda Riding ve1~iolee in early dz~ya were called bu~ gles. The first one George re~nbere was tie go o~rt. It h~d two wh~ele and was w&tho~it a top, Only two people could ride in a ~o cart. Tbe e(1uilibriu~ was kept by buckling the harneea over ~nd uMer the horee ~ belly. The strap which ran imc~e.~ the belly w~a o~il d the baily girt. There was a Bide strap which ran aLow , the horse s side and the belly ~irt ~cae fastened to this. Loope ~ere put to vant~k~e pointe on the side strap and through these the ehafte of the ~3art were run. The strap going w~dar ~fld over the horse kept the cart from going too far for~vard or baokward. During G orge 8 early iix~e plows iook~i very r~uoh Like t ~ey ~1o tod~ay. They had iY~oden hand1s~ but the pa~rt w1~ich turned the ~round was made of point iron,(he could ~ot desc~ribe point iron.) Pjow~ were r1ot made of ca$t iron or steel as they are today. ~ Two kinds o~f~ plows were used~ so far ai G orge remembers. ()fl~ was called the ~kooter plow and the other the turn plow. The ~kooter pow he deeortbee as one which broke t~e grou~mIup which had ~een previously planted. !lhen the c~arth ~ teeded loosentn~ u~p to rake i~iore fit for planting, this plow i~~aa used over the earth, leaving lt rather emooth and light. The turn plow wae used to turi~ the ground ~o~1p1et~1y over. where grass and. weed.e had pxown, th~ earth needed ~ urntng over so as to thoroughly uproot the weeds and grass The ro~xnd W~LB usually left a while so that the weeds oculd dis and rot

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Negro Yolk Inc and Ouatas Pafl 33 vi laLlua . . . . no 5 Palatka, rionS . . ~ and tha: nfl with hoes would go over the grot~4 ant nk. . itt re&dy for p3axtting. . Ibis freedom case it Negroes in thi elan tex . ritory, George remabers that Sben*n s aray dSViUe& a tong tise after the Civil WSX hid end*d. He saw thea right in Pansylnnia. Hct WAS auch impressed y4th their blue suits ant bran buttons and which fitted them so well, some of the men ~n suits with bratd on them and titer supposedly were the officers of the outftL Negro and white nfl were in the ~ same ~ oorn~fli*s he aw ad aU nxe manly and alking proudly. . . . ~ ~ ~ . As George wn fflteen yeaxe of ag when freedom o;;w~e much of which he related happned attn bancipation. Hi being out of the slave territory did not hanHa.auoh contact with th~~ ~daves, 3~ut he lived around his grand parents who. had bQen niavet in the southern part of the et~te. Attn L&1rfl7 .th:~ I~OYed~ up to LltooS~ with G~rge s parents and br ~M ~ueh .. Sn the way of oustoats to Georg.. ~ Grandfather M000y and also gij~4ftth ~ Pretty toiA of many wperienoes that they went t$rougb d~*z~ng their ensinsent. Th ~ ~erro and !hite overteer was auCh in andains ... s 4oan thUG SJI4 b~7ing andy selling of ch.t44xen from .. ~ their PSXflt* ae nd to .Mte left Lt sad sntory with G OXfl. ~ . . ~ . ~ tsaao Pntty s asiuy w~ ia;g~,~ .He b&d: flflfl girls ~ and. seven boy,, GeOfl being the eMest. GS*Zg* ripmssbers hot hi.

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Negro lUk Lors ar4 Customs ~ Page 14 276 viols B. Mua . . 7X0 PAIatkLt, Funds . . k heart wonX4~ ache when his grandftttzn told ot the obildxen who wers torn rom their aot?srt ~ &jj$fl and ~14, never to sea their parents ~ agatE He went into deep thought ont ~W he would hate ~ haSs to 1*Y been ~ separated from his mother and father to say noth~ng ?~ leaving hi~ brothers e,r4 sisters. fey were brought up to lOTS eaah oth r and the thOVgkIt oZ bre~kitg the family ties seemed to his very enel. . ~ ~ ~ flezi George ra~ told that he was grown as formerAi nsate4 he afled hie mousy andiwh n the great earth wiake n Charles ton 000Ufldh tOUt dowit tiare to see. what ii hat done t~ the place. : Before that tise in 1883 he remsbnet ha ving seen the first blook of toe, Ihen he got there, the Charleston people had been. s*king i.e for s. ten toits. It fl~ about that time that George saw th ~ first uair of bed springs. . ; .Gelbrn rammed in Pe~nsylvsnia and ot:ner states far titer to!~ for a .. long tise after treedO*, Ris first trip to florida ae ~ s in ;k8fl. He Qarne direct ires Litons., Pennsylvanis,with a w~it~ ma, w~ioee name he has f r~otten as he did not main in the mants ~SPL 1 very iong after X5&OkLI1~ the state. . . . since that time he bas. fa~ ji~fl In sud arcmnd d*tferent parts ~j ~at~ . lit. n~w he raU. 0 1ers Beach e~i4 aufon, flort*. He Mkee reguL tripe to talaS, ~ being as such at homo theS: ~ : ~ the Ottia on the Met Coast. ~ .

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Ne~ro J olk Lore ant GiistoMe . Page 15 277 Vioi~& 3. Muse ne P~1ia~tka, ?1ort4e George iaye that he has never had a dootu attend ht* in ~ life, neither while he was in titoona, nor since he ~ae been in FloridA. He Q~1~ai!&~a to be able to tdentify any root or herb that grows in the ~toode in the State of Florida having ~tud1ed thea oona t~i tIy since hi, arrival here. Before ooaing ~ thia state he knew &i~I the roots and herbe around Altoona a~d is still acquaint.~ ed ~iith then as hi makes regular visits there, since he moved away 4~3 ~a~ra ago. (1) \ George Pretty is a d~~rk ooaplexloned rnan~ about five feet three, inchei in heighth~ wei~he about U5 pounds and looks to be ic~t~~h younger than he is., When aeked how he had maintained hie youth, ~ ~ ~i~t t hat livIng close to nature had done it together with his !~~.ner oZ hying. Ne does not dia1*~t,, neither doeshe drink $tr4ng ~~ttink. He is ~ ready informant. Eaving . heard that only in~ formation of elayery w~8 wanted, be . voLunteirei inforii~ation wIthout any fora~aUty or urging on the part of the writer. (i) (a)

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278. Viols L Musa yield Work~s Gapifli lip Geor~ Pretty1 taro Beach eat Gifford, Florida a. Obnrvstion o 7~eI~ ~rker nitRa ~nins ~y ~ Unit) Ne~xa tflk Lore and Otrnto*. Ionmb r 9~ 1936 e

An ex-slave who went to Africa. 282 279

4~ ~ ~ ~ r ~ ;~ ~.4 I \ ~ ut:J(~ 4 ~ ~ . .;\ ~ ~DER~L WBIT~S PROJECT . . ~ TH~~ AMERICAN GUIDZ . . . . (Jegro Writers Unit ) . ~ .~ Jac1~:son~i11e, ~a, ~ ~ . . vi o2. a B.. Muse . ~ sLA ~i IN~ ~RVI3W Field ~orker S ~ ~ ~ 19~ 7e Complete ~ ~ 1,315 Words . S ~ S G gage a AN ~ ~ ~9~4~ ~Q4 ~ S . ~ an ex~e1ave who now.I.ives in Jackeon~i11e near the intersection of M ncrief and Edgewood. Avenues, *ae a member e! one of the fir8t colonization groupe that went to the feet coast of Afri a following the emancipation of the &aves in this cowi~s try. S Tite forn~er si ave wa8 bo rn at I~ve Ci ty ~ $6 uth Carol ma, on J an. 28, 1846, of a haLf-breed ~ ~1 Q!!S 89.XOfl father. ~er father owned ~ the pi antation adj oining that of her master. . ~ . S When she reached the adole cent age Anna was placed ~m~er the direct care o! her mi treee, by~ whom she wae given direct charge~ of the dmningb~room and entx ustei with the keya to the in pvieions and supplice of the household. S . A k**dred love grew between the slave girl aiid her miatrese; ~he recolla that everywhere her mietresa went aheuae taken ei- $0. E2~e wae kept in the big houae . ~ie wae not given any. edu.. Cation, though, ae some of the siavee on nearby plantation. wore. Beligion was not denied to the tomer slave and her f ellowe. Mrs. Abigail ~ her owner, permitted. the slaves to att nd ro~ vivaL anti other 8e1~TiCes. The slaves were allowed to o O~7 ~

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~ VE INT~RVIBW ~ . . . ~ . VIOLA B. 1W8! . . . Page 2 280 JAc (S0NvILLE, :~:La. . bal COfly of th~ church jn Dove City, whil e the whiteB . o coupied the main floor. The slaves were forbidden to sing, talk, or make any other sound, however, under penal ty of severe beating8. . I . k Tho8e of the slaves who felt the eperrit during a service must keep silence until a!ter the servicf, when they could tell it to the deacoflt a colored man whO would li eten to the conreasione or profeaaione of religion of the elavee until late into the ni~ht. The Negro deacon woul d rel ay hi a converts to the white mini ster of the church, ~ w1~o woul d meet them in the vestry room at some apeoi~. fied time, ~ ~ S Some of the questions that wou . d be asked at these mee tinge in the vestry room would be: ~ S Ihat did you com up herq for? S SBec~ueeI got religion . How do yo u know yo u go t rel i gion? S 0Beoauae I know my eine are forgi~~1, ~ How do you know your eins are forgiven? Because hove Jeeus and. I love everybody . Do you want to be baptized? . Yes sir. ~ ~ ~ S : S !h.y do you want to be baptized? ~ S Cauee it will make me like 3eeue wante me to be . ~ S When several persona. were ready , there would be a baptism

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SLAVE INT:~av4t:~w . . . ~ ~ VIOLA B, ~WSE ~ . . s Page 3 ~ 28 ~ ~A ~ . . ~ in a n arby creek or river. ttex th1~, ~1aves would be permitted to hold occasional serviTeb of the~rown in the log housethat was 8Om~i3fl~ ~ UI3ed &B a school . ~ . ~ . Mra. Sco ~ remembers vividly the j oy that she fei. t ~ and o t~her slaves expreased when firet newa of their emancipation wa~ brought to them.. B~th he and ~ier mistress wer, fearful, she eays; her mistress because she did not know what she would do without hei slaVe8, amd Anne. because ~he thought thf Union soldiera would harm Mx~s, I*ve. When the chief officer of the soldieri came to the home of hex mistress, ehe saya, he demanded entrance in a g~uff voice. Dten, he saw a rind upon Mrs, Dore e finger and asked V~here did~.yo get thia?~ ~hen told that the ring be1~onged to hei hu2band, who was dead, the officer turned~ to his soldier and told them that th~y ~iou1 d get back; ahe e al ri ght.L ~ * Prov iaion~ inten4ed for the Confederate arxaie8 were broken open by the Union soldiar8 and their followers, and Annats aothe~, to protect. her master, organized groupe of ~lavea to tote the ~at from the box .car~ anct hide it in dugout under the mistress houBe~. This meat Wa~ later divided between Negroes and whites. A Provost Judge followed the advance of the ai~y and he obtained e. liet of all 02 the alave~ hld by each maeter. Ire. Dove gave her list to the official, who Called eachelav by nuns and, asked ihat . that slave . had done on the pL antation. ~ H aeked, a . eo whether an~ pa~yment had been made to them Bince the ~anci. patton Proolam~t1on had been signed, and when anewer d in the n~ .

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~: ~ ~ *~- -~--~ ~J ~ ~ .-~ ~ V~? /~ ~)gJ . ~ ~ ~ ( E~AV~ INTERYXiV ~ ~ ~ . . ~ . . ~ ~ ~ VIOi~A B~ MUSI ~ . ~ : . ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ Pe~ge 4 5AG~SONVILLE .. . ~ ~ Jr~~ ~ . ~ ~ ~tiie i~~4d them t~at You are. free now arid must be paid for a~ of the work you have done I:Liicf th ~ Procl ati,on wa~ sign d and that you iril~1 do in the future. Don t you work for aflybody wit1~~~~ payt, . ~ ~ . ~ . The Provost ~Tudge also told the alavea that they might 1e~vs if th y~ 1ike~ ani Anna was az*ong those *!I~o lett. ~e went to vi.~t the husbi. d of her mothi~r in Charleston, Wit~i hex moth r and ?ivs other children, Aua cros8ed riven on log raft. and iode on t:I!ains to Charleston. . ~ ~ . ~ ~ ILias Mtafoi d was Anna . etep~fatherin ~ar1eeton, and at tsr $pending a year there with.him the entire fami1~ joined a coie~i. zing ei~edi~bion to West Africa. fliere wers 650 in the ei pedit4on. and it left in 1857. franeportatioa was free. The trip took 8everal weeka, but tinally the siisil ship, ~ dod at ~$*d Baeaa. Mumford did not like the p1ace, however, and continued on to Monrovia, Libei ia. Re did not like I(onrovia, either, and tried BeYer. . other porta. before being told that ~e would have to get off, anyway. ~ta was at Harper Cape, 1. Africa Heise he a~ostim~ediate1y began an incIu~try tbat was to prove lucrative. Oysters were largeas ea~ioere~, aeoord~ing to Anna, and while the f~ 1y gathez s~i these he would burn thea and ext~ aot lilie from them. This he mixed with the natiti CIq irni made brick, In addition to hiB bri k~aking Muaf rd out treu. for 1umber~ and with ~ii ~ own bZ ICk and liuab.r Would ooutruct housse and structures, One euch structure br.ught him ~ OO,GO,.

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-~ ~ ~ ~ q ~ ~ Y~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ :~ ~ ~ ~ ~ il ~ I ~ ~ ~ ave Interriew ~ . : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~. ~ c vi o 1 a B . Muae ~ : !a~ ~ ( ~ ~ ~ 3 ~a~ksonYi11 ~ . .. . y$~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ An.o the~ mannG? iii whi ch MUm~ rd added to hi e growing we ei t)i wa through the cashing of ck~ecke for the Rtaeionariea of the se~ tion. O~dinari1y they would bare to se d t~ieae back to the ~ ~ ~ te~ State8 to be cashed, and~ when he offex e~ to C3~ t~eII ~ at a diecount i - they eagerly utilized the .epp3rtunity to maTi t1Pi.~ th~ Was a ~orivenience for t~ae~ sud more wealth for MuaLford, . ~ ~ Anna found other . thinga bea*des h ~p~ne sa in her eight yeari in Africa. There were death, aicikneei, a~d pestile u. ~te ~ tione ~ao g th latter the &fricen ants, eome of ~hiCh reached . ~ . huge proportion2. Most dref.ded were the.Miision ant ~. whiCh~i~ fe8teci evex 7 house, building e~id. etructure~ Bometimee )uilding. ~ had. to be. biarned to ge.t rid of t~hem. The bite o~ these an~ wO so serious that after 5ixty yeari~ Anna itiU exhibita places on ~ her feet wh re the ants left their inde1~ibIe traces. 4mothe 1f the ant p e st a was the Drive r ant ~ so ~ ~. powerful and atflbbo ra . ~ that even bod.iee of water did not stop them, ~ey wou1td j.dn th~. eelvee toge~ther above the ~urfac~ of the water aM B~r!e ae brid. glifor the pasBage of the other ante. The ~iver anta moved in ewarme and their approach toul d 1~e seen at grat cUatansee. When they were seen to be oozing toWa~?d a eettlement t~e nativel uou 4, cloae their doora and wind~)ws and b~zild fires aro~ nd their homea to avoid them. T~eae fire:~had to~e kept burningtor weoki. Bight and more peraon. died a tq ~roa thi African te~r da.~ S ring the early colonizati,a attOE~te; three.~of~ tho e. j~ ~Mnft*. ~ . fa~ai1 y al one warF. vi OtiJUIB O f i. t. t t W$~ ~ ~ *S~$3PZ 1~ $~~$ t*$$ ~ ~

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if a victim of the fe rer becan~e wetby dew ~e was sure to die, After eight yeare 1~~iford and t~e relnatndeF ~ hie f atily re turned to ~meri ca, where the ac.cr~ed ohecke he po ae ied ~ to z oseh.. ifl~ made h~ reaeonabiy veal thy~. . Anna rnarri~ R bert Sco tt an~ ~ mo ye d to J aak. sonyill e where ehe hae I ive~ sinc ~ ~ ~ . ~ At .x~inety.one ehe stil . occupi,e~ the little faz~n on the ont~ skirta of Ja~eonyj11e that was purche~,d With lhe money iett to her out of her mother s inherjtanc~ ~ (from ~ie ~ Mz~i an tran actjo~e of Mumford) and Robert e ~ Bavinga, w:id~in front, of her Pictureaque~j~ti~~. cottage apirts yarz~ for the neLghbore ~f~~~ early ezperience~, ~ . H#####A# Stave Znter~r1e* ~ .~ ~ . Viola ~B. Muee - ~ . ~ 3aCksot~Yi11 , . s I . s ~ I /

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. _________ . .~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1~ ~ ~\ / Iflt 2?V1,ev with~ eub4ect, Mx a. Mna Sc $t, ~dg~wood and Mon~ri~ StaYS Intez~j~ Vio1~ B, Mu8e ~ Jack~onyj1I. Avent~ea (float. ~. :8~~ 9U) Jackso~ vj11e, lia, O 1 ~ ~ : O ;~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Slave interview. 289 286

9003G I ~ ~ 286 FEDERAL WRITE1~ PROJECT American Guide, (Negro writers TJuit) ChaBec~~11e, Florida JeM; Johnson . Slave Iuteru iew . Field Worker . ~ August 28,. 1936 Complete John A. Simme 3, 206 Words ~ Editor 13 Pa~ee . ~ . In Chaeeville, Florida, about twelve milea from Jacksonville on the south ai~de of the Saint Johns River lives William Sherman(looally prox~ounced spjninianj~,) a former slejve of Jack 1~.~rts, nephew of President Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy. C ,) ~ William Shexu~an was born on the plantation of Jack Davis, about five niiles from Robertsville, South Carolina, at a plaoe called Black Swamp, June 12, 1842, twenty three years prior ~to Emancipation. His father who was also named William Sherman . was ~. free . y~, having bought his freedom for eighteen 1~iundxed.dol1are from h1s~ .. .. ~ master, John Jones, who also lived in -the vicini~ty of the Davis plantation, ~i1liam Sherman, senior, bargained with his master to obtain his freedom, however,, for he did not have the money to readily pay him. He hired himself out to some o~ the wealthy plantation owners and applied what he earned toward the payment for his freedOm. He was a skilled blacksmith and oabine~t maker and his services Were always in

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.. 28? Slave Interview ~ Page 2 James Johneon Chaeevifle, Florida demand. After procuring hi 8 freedom he ~ bought a tract of land . from hi s former mast er and bul lt a home and black smith shop on it. As wae the cuetom during slavery, a pereon who bought hie freedom had to have a guardian; Sherxnan e for~maeter, John Jones, acted aehie guardian. Under this new order of things Sherman wae in reality his own ma~ster. H was not bossed, had. hie ov rn hours, earned and kept hie money, and was at liberty to leave the territory if he desired. However, he renialoed and married Anna Georgia, the mother of Wi1lian~ Sherman, junior, She was also a slave of Jack Davis, After William Sherman, senior, finished hisday s work he would go to the Davis plantation to visit his wife and some tinies remain for the night. it was his intention to pt~rohaee the freedom of his wife Anna Georgia, and their son William, but he died before he had sufficient money to do so, and also before the Civil War, which he predicted would ensue b tween the North and South. Hie son William says that he rememb rs well the events that led. up to his father s burial; he states that thewbite people dug his grave which was six feet deep. It took them three days in which to dig it on account of the hardness of the clay; when it was finished he was put sorrow fully away by the white folk who thought so much of him. Wifliarn ~wae a boy of nine at that time, and he r members that his mother was so grieved that he trIed to console her by teii~

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Slave Interview Page 3 James ~ Johnson . . ~ ~EO ~ OhaseviUe, Florida . ~ . Ing her not to worry papa 8 goin to corn back and~ brins ue some more quails (h hadbeen accuetomed to bringing them . quails during his life) but William sofl~owing1y said he never did corne back. Anna Georgia was a cook and general h uae woman in the Davi home. She was a half breed, her mother being a Cherokee Indian. Her huebaiid1William, was e. desoeridant ot the Cheehaw Indians, some of his forbearebeing full-. blooded, Cheehaws. Their Indian blood was fully evident, atat William junior. The Davis family tree as he ki~ew it was as . follows: three brothers, Sam, Thomas and. Jefferson Davis (Pree-. ident of the Confederacy. ) Sam ~vas the eldest of the three and had four children, viz: Jack, Robert, Richard and Washington. Thomas had four viz: James, Richard, Rueha and Minna. Je fer eon Davis family was not known to William as he lived in Vir-. ginia, whereas, the other brothers arid their families lived near each other at Black Swamp. ~ . Jack Davis, the master of William Sherman, Wa 8 t he son of Sam Davi e bra t fler of Jerr ereon D vi s Thomas anti Sam Davis were comparatively large men, ~ while Jefferson was thin and o~ medium height, resembling to a great extent the late Henry ~ J lagler of Florida East Coast Lanie, states William. Many times he would come to visit hie brothere at Black Swamp. f3~e would drive up in a two-wheeled buggy, drawn by a horse,

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:~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .- Slave ~ Ifl1~sryie, ~ ~ . Page 4 . 289 Ja~ee Jolmeon ~ . . ~ . Chas~vi lie ~ . j 1~ri da ~ . . ~ . . ~ . : s Oft tinies he visited his nephei, Jack and they wo~i 4 get ~. together in a. 1engtI~y c nvex~aation, Son~etiiies he would re . main wi. th the Davis family t r a ~ w days and then retuz~n ~ to ir. On theee vi. e its Will lam etatee that he saw ~ ~ him peraonafly. These visite or 80J0UZfl8 occurred prior to the Civil Wa . Jack Davis beine a comparatively poor man ~ had. only eight alavee on Ma plantation; they wer housed~ ~ in 1o~ cabine made of cypresB timber notched.together in such a way ae to give t t ~ the app arance ~ of having been b*IIt ~ ; t z 2 e~Ui8Z lumber. ~t was much larger ar~ of different arohi . \ teoture thaE the ~ alave cabine, however..~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ . The few elavee that heJtad~sroae at 4:00 o c1ock~ in the morning and prepared themselves for the field. . ~ey stopped at noon for a light lunch whi oh ~ they :a1*8~Ye . took wi th them and at sun- down they qui t work and went to their . re epe o tive cabine Co iton corn, p0 tato e and o ther ~ commod ~ ~ . . ities were raised. There wa~ no regu1ar ove~reeer employed. ~ ~ . Davi , the maeter acted in that capacity.. He was very kind to . them and ae1d~m used the whip. After the outbreak ott: the Civil War white men called ~ataroUer. were j,oeted around the ~ va~rio~ plantations to guard a~ainei ~mnaway,, and if ~. . alav,8 were oaught off their ;eape tive pia~ntatione without pernii~e V - from their maetere they Were severely whipped. mi. ila.. no~ the . . ~ ~ ~

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::~ ~ ~ :~ ~ ~ r ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ T ~ ~ 2 ~ ~ ~ ~ I I Slave Interview S . S ~ ~ Page ~ ~ . S ~ ~ Jamee- Jobzie~n S ~ FEC ~ ~ . S ~ ~ ~ S Ch ~evi1ie, ylorida ~ ~ S ~ . S routine for Jack Davie~ slaves for he gave the !patai oiIere S, specifto orders that if any of them were eaught off the ~ ~ . S~ plantation without a permit not to molest them. but to let them proceed where they were bound, Will eaid that one of the slaves ran away. and when he was caught hi e . mast er gave him a light whipping and told him ~ to ~ ~go on now and r~ away if you want to . ~ He said. the elave . walked away bu~ never at~ . tempted to run away again . states that he wae eome~hat of a. pet around the plantation and did almost as he wanted to~.. He wouJ~d go hunt ing, fi slung and aw~,mrning hi a master e soue who were about his age. Some1~imee he .*OU34 get into a fight with one of the boysand many times be would be the vie~ t or, hie fallen foe w~ld eometimea exclaim that that licking that you gave. me eure hurt, ~ and that ended the affair; there was no further ill feeling between them. s ~ S fifij~o~t&oj~: The ~ slaves were no~t allowed to study. The white children i tUcU~d a large Blue Back J~j~er i ~t~4~ and whe one had thoroughly learnet its ooutente be wae ooneid,ered, to be educated, S . ~e~~&~: ~ The slaves had thetr oun Church but eometiaee went to the churches of their white rnaetera. where they were relegated to the extreme rear. Jobn ~elley, a white man, . preaohed ~o them and ~rould ad~on1eh them a. follows; you auat obey your maater and. m~ieaue, you muet be good ~ ~ ~

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~7 p ~ ~ r9~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~4 ~ ~w ~ I ~ -~ ; j ~ ~1 ~ 8~.ave Inter~1iew ~ 6 Jamea J~o1ine n FEG 291 OhaaeviUe, J lorida ~ ~ ~ . : ~ ~ ~. ~I~I ifter the beginiii.ng of th~ *ar they .heW~eeflnge.R among themSelves in b1ieir cabifla. . ~ ~ ~ I . . . B~M~.! . Th 18e slaves who ~ believed ax4 ao ept.. ed the 6brietian ~ Do trine were ad itt dinto ~ the ohuroha!ter being, baptized i n one of the ~ surrounding ponde . . ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~W:ft~~~ There w&e a very wealthy plantation owner ~ who lt~ed near the Davie plantati~n; he had e ~even planta.. tiona, the smallest . one waa cn1tivated~ by three ku dred slaves.. ftifliei they would work nearlyaU~ night. WiU ~ atatea ~. .. ~ ~t ~ . it iae not an unusual ib~i*~~ to hear ~ in the early morn~ ~ Inge the II e oZ ~a! ~hida whips oracking like the report of. a gun against . the bare backs ~oZ the ~ slaves who ~ were being whipped, ~i . . They ioi4d rnan. artd groan in agony, ~ut the wiUpping went ~ ~ Un.. ~ til the maater awrath waa appeaeed. John Stokee, a White planta~. tion owner who lived near the DaT plantation encouraged elaves to et al froii~ their maatera and bri~ the stolen goodeto hIm; he ~ wouldpurobaee thegoode for in~Eh lese than their vaiu . one time One of the elaT 8 ~put it out . that Masea Stokes wa~ b~ing ~ atolen goods. Stokea ~ of thieand. hie rath iae arou8ed; he had. to find the 1fligger . who wa~ otroulating thu ~ui r. Ho went after btin in great fury and finaili euoci*d.d in l oatirig him, whereupon, he gave him a ~ good laoixig and. warned hia if . he ever . heart anything like that again from him he ~a . go1~ng ~ ~ : to kill hi~ The ac ousatione we~ true h~*I r, ~t the slave 4

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Slacre Interview ~ .~ Page 7 Jani~a ~ J hnao ~ . . ~ ?EO Cha3evi1ie~ F1o~ida ~ ~ . deetat d In further disouasion of the affair for Old Masa& ~ Stolces. wae a treacherous man, On anot1~er oocaaion one of The Stoles slaves ran awa.y s~id he sent Steven Kittlee, known a8 the dog man, to oa.tch i~he eeoape, (The dogs that went in purauit of the runaway slaves were calle& Nigger dog& they were used. Bpebif j cally for catching rwia~a.y s ave e ) Thi e parti oular slave had. qu~i t e a head a~art on the dosa that were trailing him and. he hid. among some ~ f1oa~Ing 1oge~ in a large pond; the dogs trailed him to . the pond. and. began howUng, Indicating that they~were approaching their prey. They entered the pond. to get their victim who wae aecure .y hidden from aight they diesapeared and the next seen of th~ was their dead. bO~1ieB floating upon the water of the pond.; they had. been ki1 .-~ cd. by the e ecap%~ ~Tbey wer e f~11 b1ooded hounds such aa were used. in hunting escaped slaveB and were about fifty in n umber. The 8 ave made hie escape and. was never seen~ a~atn. Will relates that it was very cold and that he does nt und retant how the e18ve cotild. staaid the icy waters of the pond, bttt e~ident1y he did survive it. Civil War: It iras rumored that Abraham Lincoln s_r-j-L ~ J-~~_J . said. to Jefferson Davie, work the slav~ee until they are about twenty-fiveor thirty years of age, then liberate them. ~via replied: I ll neyer do it, before I will, I ll wade knee deep in blood, The result was that in 1861, the Civil War, that etruggle which was to mark the final emancipation of the slaves

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4~ g ~ ~ ~ I f .. . . - . .~ .. Slave Thter~iew Page 8 293 Jaaee Jobns ~n ~ ~ ~ irz ~ . Ohase ~i.lle, Florida ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ . ~ began. Jeffere nDavie brothers, Sam and. Toni, ~o~ned the QonZed~ate forces, toge~therwith their 80fl8 who were old. enough to go except James Torn s son, who could not . go on ~ aooount of 111 health and was left behind as overseer n Jack ~vie plantation. Jack Davis joined~ the artillery re~ irnent of Captain Bazo rs ~ Company . The war progr eBsed, SIierm~n was on ~i e ~ ~amoue march The Tankeee !ia& mftde euou sweeptug &d~vanoee until they were in Robertevi1le~ South Carolin abou t five hu s from ~Blaok Swamp, ~ The report of gwi fire azid oanno could be heard. from the plantation. Truly the ~ ~ S Yanks are her e everybody thought . The only happy folk were . ~ the slaves, the whit s were in distress. Jaok 1~vis returx1ed~ from the field of battle to his plantation. Re was on a short Xuriough . e wife MI SBUS ~ DaVI a ask ed him excit edly, . z ~ thought the Yankees ~sre going to win, Re replie4: No 1f I d~id I d kill every ~ the plage. Will who was then a lad of nine~teen was standing nearby and on h aring his ~ maeter e remarks, said: The Yankees amt gonna kifl nie cause ~ um goin to Laurel Bay (a swamp located on the p~.antation.)~ WiLt says that what he really meaiit was that hie master was not ~ going to kill him because he intended to r~n ofi az4 go to the Yankees. That afternoon Jack Davis returned. to the front awl that night Will told hie mother, Anna Georgia, tMt he was going to Bobertevilie and join the Yankees. He an&h1~a cou~ia S - s ~ S ~ ~ S.

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j ~- ~ ~ ~ ~ j ~- . . . ~ ~ j ~ ..~ Slave Inteririew . .. ~ . Page 9 2 Jabs ~ jObflBOfl ~ . FEC ~ . . haaeville, Florida ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . who lived, on ithe Davia plantation a1ipped~. off and wended : their way to a111 of the aurrounding .p1ant~ationa ap~eading the.. . newa that the TankeeB wer e in . Rober t avi11e~ ai4 exhort~ ~ ing them to follow and join them. Soon the two bad a Zoilowing of about five hundxed~ slaves wbo ~abandoned~ their niastere pla ntatione to meet the Tankeee . En mae8e they niarohed break Ing down fenoe a that obetruc t ed the ir Paeaage oaxefuUy avoid ~~ng Confed~erate pickets who were eta~t1~one~I throughout the ~ .. countryside. After marching abo~t five miles ~ they reached a b~ i dge that Bpanned the Savaiinah Rive r, a p int tbat the Yankee e held. There wa~ a Union 8O1d.ie~ atanding gua~d~ aut before he S realized it, thia group of five hundred elavee were upon him. Becoming oognizant that someone wae Upon him, he ~hee1ed around 1 1 the daxkneee, With gun 1eve1~ed a the app~oaoi~ing slaves and. cried Hi1t~! wiii s ooua-in then spoke up, ~Doan ehoot boes we a jee friends. LZter recognizing who they were,they were admitted liito the camp that waa e~tabIiehed arouucl the bridge. There were about seven thouaan~ of Gen ral Sherman a soldiere S oampe& there, hav1r~g oroseed the Savannah River oa ap ntoon b~ idge tha. they had conetruoted whil enrout e from Green pr Inge ~eoxgia, ihioh they h~ taken. The guard., who had let thee people approaoh eo near to him without ~a1isIng their appro ohwae

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~- ~J ~ ~ / f I ~ ~. .~H . ~ ~. p ~ Slave InteMew .~ . ~ . ~ Page 10 295 ~ James Johnson ~ . . J EO . . ~ Chaseville., florid3 . . . ooi~r~t marfla1~eci that z~..ght ~or being dilatory in his dutiee. . The Federal officera to. d ~ the slaves that they could go along wi. th them or go to Savannah, a place that they had already. . captured. will d.e3id d~ that it was beet ~Zor him to go to Sa vai~h. .H ; left, but the majority f the ela veB remained with the os. They wer e enrolut e to Ba2?UBW011 South. Oaxolina, to BeizeBlia Creek Fort that waa held by ihe Coiffederatea. As ~ . ~- ~ .~- ~ .~.. ---.~ I ~ the Federal ~ troop~ marched ahead, they wer e followe4 by the ~ unteer slaves. Most of these unfortunate ela~ee were. s .ainby ~bueh wiiaokers ( Confederate snipers who fired upon them from arnbueh. ) After being killed they were deoag~tated and their heacta placed. upon iosts that lined the fields so that they could be seen by other slaves to warn them of what would befall them if ~ they attempted to escape. The battle at ~Blie Oreek .Fort~ was one In which bOth armies displayed great heroism; most of the Fede$l t roope that made the first ~ attaok, were kUled as the Confederate s B eeuied. to be irres istible . After rushing up r ~nforoernenta the Federals were euooeesf~il in capturing it and. a large number of Rebele. . . . G neral Sherman e custom iae to march aheaL of his army and, ct rights of war. for themto pesa. At this point of the war, many of the 9 M8. WeXe esoaping from their plantatione and joining ihe Yankeee. AU of those slaves at, ~BlaokSw~p I1~ did not voluntarily run away and go to the ~Tanksea were now ;e., ~ ~ \~ ~

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.-~ ~ I ~ ~ ~ ~- . 7 ~ ~ . . . Slave Int ervte* . ~ ~ . Page ~ 11 ~ Jantee Johnson . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ TZC. ~ OhaaeviUe, FIOr1d~I . ~ ~ ~ by right . of oonquest ~ of rthe Feterale. ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ will nOw found hirnee ~ in . Savannah, ~eorgia, aft!r ~efueing to go to Baraawell, South Garolina, with the Fedexa)~ ~hi e 1 efusal saved ~htrn from the fats of hi a unfor tu- nate brothers who went . Savannah was fi 11 ~ wi th ~ am~ke the aftermath of a. great battle. Lying in tIIe Broat liver between uf, SOuth Car lina, ar4 Savannah, Georgia were two Union guii boata, thelTa~a~ and. ~n O ~ ~ which had taken part in the b~tt1e that resulted in the aptui e of 8ave~nnah. Ev rything wae now peaceful again; Savannah ~ Was nov sa Union oity .. Matiy of ~ the elave were joining the Union army. Thoae elavea who joined were trained about tw days ath then s nt to the front; ~.ue to lack of training they were soon killed. T~ie weather was coid~, it ~ wae Februazy, 1862, frost wae on the groi~ind. Will ~ aoon left S ~ vannah Zor Beaufort South caro 1ii~a whi oh had ~ fallen be Lore ~ the Yankee attaCk. So 4iere, and eiave~ tiUect1the streets. The elaves were given ail of the food and olothea ~th&t they could carry confiscated goode from the Rebe le . ~ Aft r a t1o ~ struggle in which both 8idee lost heavily and whioh laet d~ for ab~izt five Y~ftr8, the war finally ended Mayl5, 1885.ttll wae thena yoi~ng man twenty-three y..4?~ Of age and was tiii in. Bea~ifort. K~ aaya that day i~ a gala da7. EverYbodY celebrated (except th~ Sottthern era)~4~s slaves Were ~q. ~ . ~ \ ~ ~ ~ ~

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s~ ~ .~ ~ .~ .~ .~ ~-~.- t ~ SLave InteDview . . . . $ Page 12 297 ~ ~ james Johnson . . J~C : Chae ville, Florida ~ . . . . . \ . . - . ~ Thousanda O! B~ederal Boldi ers we~e in ~ evi denoe ~ ~ The union army was ~ ii otor toua ~ and. ~ie~man 8 March waa a ~ ~ . euooeaa. ~~etatea that when. Jefferson Davis waa captured . ~. he was d,ieguiaeci in womexi s olothee. ~ . . . Sherntan atatea that florida had ~ re~utat1on o~ having very cruel masters . He says that whe~ elavee got very unruly, they were told that they were going to be sent to Flor ida so they, oould be~ handled. Th~Xing the war thousande of ~ slavee fled rom Virginia into Connecticut and J Hampehire. In 1867 Wifliazit Sherman legt Beaufort a d went to Mayport, Florida. to live. ~e re~iaine4 thea ur~til 1890, thea ~ to rona,Florida,~ living there for awhile; he finally aett~e~I in Chaeev~ille, Florida, where he now liwee, During hie many years of lire he baa been married twioi and baa been the father of aixteen ohilciren, all of whom are dead. He never ~eceivei any formal education, but 1earn.~ ed. to read. and atudied taxidermy ~ioh he practiced for many years, . . He wa~ at one tise inspector of Eleot ns at ayport. during Reconstruction Days. He recalled a.n incident that occurred during the . perforaan~ o! ~ hie duti es there, which was ~as tollowa : Mr Jo:hn Dogge~t who was rwining for OfZi ~ on the 1 mooratio tioket brought a number of ~ oolOred people to ~ayport by boat fxo~ Ohaae, ville to vote ~ Mr. Doggett demanded ~bAt they ~ should ~o~te ~ but Wjll Sherman s .qtauy insiet~t ~at they sb~uld not vote h~ u . ~tba~ . . . . . . ~. ::. . : ~

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t ~ ~ I 7~ ~ ~ j ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ t~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ .. l:~. ~ : : . ~ ~ ~..y. ~ ~. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ .. ~ : ~ ~ ;: ~:7: : ~ ~: ~ .: : ~ t ~ t ci Slave 111$rview ~ ~ Pag IZ ~ ~9A ~ ~ Jaae3 Johnaan ~ ~ t ~O ChaBev~tl e, ~ Ylori4~ . ~ ~ . ~ . . ~ ~ ~ bad1 not regieterid and were n t ~iualified. After attoh a~gUi~Ig ~ ~ Mr. Doggett eaw that Sherman o uld not be made to see the light0 a d left with his .pDoepeotive votera. ~ Willtaitt .Bherinafl pflos aervet upon a United States Federal jury thiring his. color fulitfe. . . ~ . . In appea~anoe he oould easily be r egarded ~aa a phenomenon, He is ninety..fo~ir lear of age though he ~ppaars . ~ ~to be ~ only about fifty$ive Hi.a hair ie black and. not grey as would be ezpecbed; his Lace is round and~ unlined; he has. dark pieroingbt~t kindlyeyea. ae is of mediiint atature. He has am exoe$ionally alert ~iind at4 recalls ~pait events With the ease of a youth. The . ind.ian blood that flows in hi a veine ta platnly ~ vi aible ~ iii hi a ~ featur es the dolor of hi a ~ skin and. the te xtu~re of hiahair. . He gives aa his reason for hie lengthy life the Ind,ian blood that ie in him and says th8~t he expects to live for nix?tey-four ~tore year.. Today he livia alone. He raises 1. few vegetables and is content in the memories of hie past lite which has been full. (2) ~ . ~ ~ ~ .~c ;j j

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. .~ f:~ .. ~ . ~ ~:~: ~ ~ ~ ~ s -. ~ ~ 7~E~ERAI1 1RiT~as PR~C.T Aznerloan Guide,(J~* ~tt3?8 Unit) . ~ Oh~s~vi~e, ~ T4LoZ ~a 299 J~i~ Jo~n ~on ?Ie.~ Worker Complet e Slave.. Interview Auguet 28, ~ 1936 Jobn A. Bimme Editor ~ . / I Moat of hie :t~4enda : Qftj~ ~ ~ ~ hence he adopted that name. 2, persona i terv&ew With William Sherman, former 83.ave, at his home in colored quarters, Ohaseville, Ylorida. a -. . ~ . : ~ ~ ~ I .

Salena Taswell. 306 303

j. 4 PELm~AL Y~!UTER8$ PROJECT ~ garben Quid. :~ 303 lijgnj~ F1~i~ida I Uora Lt.?ayle - pa.. isni0fla. . . Sfl4 3 . fl~~rttssa H. ~ 1 4ltoe ~ I~~ flJj, Tasnll, Z564 tWJ 0th St., M$ri,P1a. # I ~ and about when, ~en ycu born? Lt Per~, 0*. in 1844. . 2 If yc u nfl .baVfl ~t LI plattstion or tan, what sort of fans sbng section ~!7at~ . it tu?. . ~ Ob 1*, Jnson$ s pliltation neat ?tTh Ge. aor th of t~ o* ~ . a q~ dtd~ you pass the time as a thi1d~ flat ~ofl of thons did you d and what diii you play? ~ ~ 3: wo*ed n. the table in n~ ?Ja ay% dintn ~ ~ : I di&t . play, ~ t satbnes pulled tlro*ds for iwflb. t~he was a ~ # fMe sewnetrqss rot the plantation, 4 ~ as ~ ~iQtt 1~IL8~D lUnd to ytu~ . . . # ~*~si I tisa the pst. s r~ ~ow ~n~r ei ae~ were t)~~ on tI* ses plantation or tan? ik~ snot have Md about t (\ ~ t ~ G. lb you renor~b.r what kind of e~ing uthnsi1s~zoisr tiiother ~ used? ~ ;t~o bad copper kotties, crocks, and iron ketti. a, ~I waited on de bi eSu Llama cctS dar~,, That day ~e ~ bad. thicken hab ~S battw cakeG aM dried I . flmt wire y. train foods az4 bow we they cooked? ~ li hid *flPflbiflg flat was gs~ (I a~e in rn~ LtRti a kiteisa) 3w~tpota~*~s biscruits1 torn brad, pin ad snvflHn is eat ~ 26717 . . ~ : ~ ~ : I

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304 . to you remoS*r imking imitation or substituts oofle by grinding tip corn or peanuts? No, vs a1tra~ bad the best of Java ooffee. I usod to grind it in the coffee mill for ~ Ussay, t) L gnu renvnber ever taving, ~xbon you vers young any other kInd o? br~~ad benidos t~CDfl brewl? tm0 t~*tter eakee, btoouit~ and white broad. 10. ~t ~iou ror~rdbsr enporating sea water t get ~rnit? No. ~ did ~t fl~ so tar frora t*c n m~d the 01e Docta be wa~ rich izudlsi )it mach things. Tint . tr now be e one to be so rieb, 13e clittt Sarg. the poor folks when he does. tored thon, but t1~ ~ u1d be so glad that ho ~ ttts taU that they kep a givin ~ him thi*tgs., bed quilts, e~ icloens, just evert thiug. Fi*rt he ttc~ mich G bic plantation abcttt 200 or 300 aunt but . I didntt live on the plantation. t woe kcd t~ is bone, t ~ . . u. ~ bO*Ht 7 i~ ($f 3 a Ohi1d~ tat sprt of atovedo ton remttbe ~ . wir wthor havin g. Did they have a hanging ~ot tn the fire p)aoe, and did thy naive their ctandlon of their o~m taliowi . . ~ 4 mot*~r CUd not cock, e she was a seamstress servant. They had tireplaoes on . the plsntat ~ on and they always nssd tallar c~tac at the doctorte plao until after . the rnnoipation, then the doctOr vsas ut~ . of the ffrstones to bav tuml oil 1ai~e~ 1i~ Did ~ ijjc a ~i open well ~ putip to get ~1e wtiter~ (t ?~7o~ Je trott to the e~in~g to got ti~e vzator ~e toted t In cedar biekota. T)~ S~I .tXtIJ c~ ~ bo~wd into a t*U e~m~d hole deep eno j~~b to dIp tilt vater out of it. It was the beffl.~ ~a ~ ter. They bad .a tovin tnw~ at ~jLeOfl. :i;~. Do ~ou y~et~i:~ber WIn 70fl 1I Bt ~aw i tu regt~tar VOZII? Yen. They bad. totales in~ Georgia.

308 305

. 305 14. Did ~ oe .tmdiy wea in ~t1w flee fisids or In tb cOtton fields on the tenu, o~ w)tt eort o? WOrk Md thfl d*? . Ny tath.rwas a blackaib. Be dU *11 . ~ . .tdths Of b1a6krnt~thtng. 1~G even ~sd plows. 15. If tSy v Si in tue house or about the ~1aso, wimt ~t o? wo~ k did ~hey do? L~ amtS! was ~oiio of the best seanintreanemj eb~ sewed all day long with bar flngen. She mais t)* finefl silk &cssen arid even made tatioSd ~sutta. . 16 Dc~ ~ r~j ren ~ ever helpirzjj ~ tan end ours hider and pig btdnt . 1~~r did~ those thi:tgs ort tin plantatici, ~ ~bey cured ~.bat skins and zthosp &dLfl : too. Ttt sS3ep s~thtn wouid 4ry so s1S3~r ttnt ~ t)~y ~ . . *ouid let the ~iaves no ~m them at uigbt to keep them wan and hasten the d~ySng, 17 fiS s ~7OUOtJ~ ~SflO~ ~ wt*t ~ sort Of work did you do? it yol beLpsd your tr~otbet around the tonne o~ cat flrevo~ or awe ~ pt the ynrd,aa~eo, ~ ~ . ~ . i: cleated and dusted and weit~4 cn tia 4~4 : fl4 beds and tnt everflhing in ordor, tu~bed disks, polished etlvenan and did tb nst tnafl * *. 18. then you were ~L chIld cia you z eiStbev. bow ps~pte WG~: *10th, or t ~un t1n~ea6, ot~ ~1eked ont co ton ted, or nt~ted &a tou, orttsortofbagwssandctt.tbeuotonbalfltidid not need to rtt wt t used to ~1a~ with t~ ~teeis . They gbutd Si oo~~ t a on fis pIMAtStiOU S1*y~und a ~ herne to null ttS glu. ~ ~ ~ T}~y . wei~~ the cattozi . w ith a bean as4~waight~. g~od slave picked 200 lbs. ot4Rottonjh days i~afl07 eo~i1d pick 3 :. ~ 430 1b~%N dsp, I ~ flitd ~ tit early tU tb day artd nm in ahead 0f . C~i6~ swz and no one v~tac taic~i she h~d b ea ou, ~ Thstts hOW she woUd get ahead o? the t~~st. . 1O.Do . you rcr~wber .. vfliat sort of soap they used? 1Jc ~ did they get the lye for iskixig the soap? . Th~ tiade nett soap boiled tAt s ~b34 kattl e ~ Th.T UMS the ly otit of a )*s packed in *tn ~ ttn4: that 1~d bols la tI~m bott~t, Th~ wotUd ia4 s a hoi low in th~ top ot the bait*1 and pout rain ator bi it, Ibis ~ . ~ ~ ~ H ~. .

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306 would ~ gradually soak tirough the ~ ashes and seep out of the botta of the barni W~ich they tipped up so that it would drain the lye out into a nsa l, Then they would take the lye and boil lt in the kett3a with old grease and meat rinds. The lye as n y strong. TT~y bad to be cn~ Atl not to cet any of it on their hands or it would take the ~ir1n off, ~s they would stir the p ease and ly it would foam and cook liks a jelly and when it coiled we hsd soft soap. It would sure chase the dirt, but it vas hard on the bane s. ~ o Yhat did . they une for dye1n~ tI;road and cloth, and )*al did they dye them? The~. uould dig. IUdiO roots and cook the . root s kud branches for blue d?re For nurple they mixed red and blue. They wonid pick t! ~ be~ie~ off V-t ~llberr$ butin f r rod The rom e yellow and mixed yellow and rod f r or~mgo; end $11cv: arid bl~.te for ~ ~Xt. 21. Old ~rotn nOth(.) w~e bic, wooden vrceh~abs with out-out holes on OGCh~ StEIG for hic ftn rs? Yen .~O n~X1O cedar tube on tho ~ lantation. t 1~4~ We . bad sane tztn wh ~nade largs wtmd bevis on t of ~ ju~glee cut 3r logs of the tnpla tree . Wey would run ~ 1, e~ ~ through a nachino aid they would cons ont round and then they would nnooth thon 4oirn, They uttxed broad in those big bowls. 2~i ~ your pono ~T:tp the way they mad ~ shoes by hand 5fl the country? Vc3~, stIl cxn shoes were made on the plantation, 23 ~ ~b ~T ~ rotie ter nitiug the o token feathers an .. d goose feaths ers al~crsyt tr :0w featberbeds? Yes. 24. Do you re1w~~ber ~Then wot~en WODE3 hoops in their skirts, and w en th3y StOPPOd wearing thri and tvore narra skirts? Yes . The ctor1 z ThlIcs van s so stylish that tho~T would not lot the servants wear hoops, but we could ~ot the o34 auen that they threW lLtfl and halve a big time p1~..ay~ng with th itt and we would go sro*adt with then on when they were gone and coul i~t see us ~ 25. Do ~iou renenber wienyon fir t saw yotr first windntll? flavor did see one. ~ 26. Do you remember thon you firSt t~St bed springe instead of bed ropes?

310 307

3O~7 Yec . . When I ~~as a A ~ ~ I ~4spt in a gwuiy ~aek bm~k. irith the ea~1ta aatled a~tnait U,. wail i t~io de1 In a oor~p of the ro~is and then there wao a post at t! ~ corner or the bed aM two Polen uai3ad fro!~I the poet to the i~a11a ~d the ~znny ~acki yore nailed to those po1~i. My bed ~iae a t~ ..~Etory bed. There ~as a~tother gut~2~aek bed ubo~e ~e ~~itth po1e~i taatei~d to the sa~,io poit. ~ toii s old rage and made rag foe r~ii1t. to nover w pith, I woz ~o~1 tu thB dOCt~ )~uie tu the da~ttm bist I ba& to a1ee~ in the 1~ at T~*n after X ~?a8fl~~ fi 8I~ no ~:re I neVb~~ ~Io ~ a:~ytbtnC ~ but a rop bed. ~~n ~pt~ng~ et~ms t wondored ~vh~t ~t~or~ went~d wid ~ Rope bode ~~t~ i~~d ar~u~~b. ~r/, ~ ;h.e~n did ~roia co tho firet ~ and ~hctt did it 1c)o~ like? Th(~ ~o(~t~)r, hO 1~W~ tI~O b ~t of ~ t1~in~ 1e h~t~ a rear ~ ~7 ~ ~or~ot1~ ~ he driv t~o ~or~c~ t.~ hit. Ui~c1o !~ibort, ~o waz Ida dr~ve~ ~, ~1~n the doctor w~tnted to pt Ot~ g~at ~ty1e ~ aM go to the ~thtion to meet ~ r~oh ~or~a~ 3~e ht~d ~ ~ th~ fancy cabe ~ t~ dr~tvo~ ~tFtin .. ~ u~ ht~b in ?r~nt~ b~zt ~theu ho v~nt to - ~eo h~t~ patiente ~ ho ~d tuko ~ f~t to OD ~ ho i~1 two ~dd1e p~k~ ~v~itYi a ~ttz cp that b~3 w~~a~: tI~1s0w 070D 1IiE~ ~hOUid~?, n~ ~ ~it one ~ck I,~ig1ng tr~ fz~nt ~id th ~ o~ hor h~x~i.n ~ bebiM. ~1. ~ ~ ~ 70ur ~ai~ront~? No!, ~! ~ ~ ~t~hei Wtt~ thk ii fl~or~ he~~ z~na ~oid t h~~. ~1~o ~iu~ a ~ ~o I : evcir ao~d ~r g~a~d~otber and I d~n~ t k ~w, any ~oro about ~y ~c~ndtather than a ~ ~g3 ~ ~ ~ ~ Gr ~ !2~~O~ L~iiCd ~ Vv(~3 ~~on .)10nt7. I ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ of~ tbe~i. r : ~ ~ ~:h(it tL~4~~ h~atortc&1 evonta ~p~en~d dtu~1n~ yo~x~ Y~Y~)t~1, d~ ~ a~ Sbo!~ t~ ~ pa~ai.~ th~ oi~ ~our ~cction? ~ t~ ~ ~ ~tt~no~i the h!~ig~ and ~That ~ the r~eu~tton or t~o Oth(f!~~ ~ to t~~? S1k~nt~ a~ \~r~!1t tbrou~i ~~7 b~it tho~7 did riot d~o any d~mu~ leo, They 4~Z~ ~tOd t1~:~ to ~ ~ a ?~d buried 1ot~ o~ ood aM ~~iuabie t1~thC~, ~d ~ th~t C ~. . ~C ~ to~~k thee to th~ ~r~x~ke ~ ~nd told t~ic~M ~ tif) 1~E3 Ip ~ ~ yea, ~ did ~ t ~ ~11 bOUBOu thOi~ . :~.1. ;)td ~O~% krio,.: ~ !~e~s ~ttho eniiE~ted or ~oZned tho northern ~

311 308

Pagel 308 Yes plenty went ~ith their boss but ran off to Shei ~ mn~nt B a~r~i!~7 ~en ie earn along . &no woian ~ e ~iuaban~ I k~ow d~ ~. Bethel, he ~tay.d with his mnaater and didn~t run oft with the ~orthe~r n ar~, ~hen he wa~ ~1vsn ~2i~ fz eedc~i, hi8 uiaster give him nice houa.. 3:~ Diii you know any ~egroe8 itho enlisted in the Soutther~n Ar~ny? Lbou ~ all ~ I knew. . ~ . f-td your ~na~ter soin the Coimt ederaey? ~ at do you re~r~ber of his ~cturn fromthe v ar? ~r wa~ he ~oiinded or kIlled? ~ i:Tj$ two SOIta jO1UE~tI the ar~ . Jan~ ~ kIlled, bitt Bud, he would never get through tel J.n~ war stoz iee vn~n lie ~me ba(~k, ~ Did you live t: ~ avar~rtah when She~!flan a ~id the northern fordoa marked through the Btate, and do you r~e~~er th excitement 1:: :~oux~ to~rn 01 arowi~ the plantatioii T:her~ ~rou lived? . ~ro. ~ D d iX~ 1~mzt(;rte hou~c ~et robbed or b~wne thiring the time of ~ B march? 1~To. ~ 10. ~hat kind of unifor~ms dtd they ~ar during t~e civil v~ar? iUuo and ~ J?. ~hat sort of medicine tias u~~d in the days just a~ter the war? i)escribe a ~Ye~o doctor oi~ thIt pe!Iod. ~ never got 8ick~ Sornat~a~i they would give i~e oil with a drop or two of turpentIne in s big ~:poonful. They put turpentine on eut s and s oro~. ~F3. ~ .~ ~t do yo~ rer~e~ber abo~it Northern. people or outsIde people inOv1ni~ into C- oom ~unity after the war? Yes ;rake T~:no~~, ho a~ ~. color d teaci er. I~ was ~e~it down to teac~: the ~colored school. 1~o t~W~ht around from Atlanta to 1~ lorida. Ho took yellow~ f~ver ~d died ~T bI~OthGX he te~ched ~&:~ool, but I never went to sc~ool. I lamed r ~ fror~ my m~syts c~iiIdro~m I amt ~ torgot orn~ I e~o~1d ~ay tern now.

312 309

309 39. flow dU vota family s life conpare after flwteipation with it hef o~e? I had it the f~ii~ I had lt ~pod with t~ many, but tho z~st wus xttd no ~t itttie ~iageC. ~~ur plantattoc we. 8 cit ~ 1M a frea ~1a~ ~tie ot it. e slaves vottsd so vol 1, antI riMe ~mmy for the nmnry t~nd ~ai ~d their fttedcm enr~ b 2 O~ tnanclpna ~ S!tUfl I }ic~rd one come to ht . n~c3. say I boat . dat mt ~:~iO s& ! ~nretthed doc~n lu bit:; oneket an~ paid hit. 40 ~t you k~iow enflbi~tc about polttler . r2Oetj~~ astI clubs fon~od uft the USr? X lnOGI?ed about de iSkiux but I never diti see norm. 41. Ec ~ bi~ ~ regarding the thtta~ anti! ~toriee fron 1tp ~s ~Tho miiatod north after ths warY I bear talk tbout sono ::tnf r~Ys ~otnt arter dem ant bflYQ:11%~ haetc vtvtn ~J y in~4 j~ de tust rIac.. 42. ~ore there ~ny Ne~ oee or our acquctuta ce t*o tzero skillsd in any particular litt of work, &~ no give detiillt3? . ~ ~~araers T;1&? tarntttr e Md ~:~:ob~ ~ b intps on lust like that tit nd Qsld bed. %j~r nude tanc~ &Mr~ tm~ p ~t cowhide coats sttctehaaerons on, 43 ~.ttt ~ofl nt v~ nol syste,n ;a~: tho~~e fo~ the irLr~tr action ot the uie,~? .Ttii thex~ any Le~o t:~ ~ ~t ?~VU fl 7011? ootntntty? : Yen, ~ son, he vient to r~o f~c!~ool three months ct, y .ar. The son ~id that he studied ~eb~terts ~~Y)1 1er, Sat~vey1o .!~eade~,, lovrned his umta cad studied tome in history Gegcaphy ~md aflhms. 44 . mw old W(~t? :~rou ut the olc~ ~ ~ of the civtl t;art 21 yt;kan . 45 aenorii~ the t~ype of EW~D17 religious r~eotbtg, the preechars, etc. I wont to town to my ms sy~u C~reL. I nat fl.ong side on sean and held the bctby1 t~y fat tr, he 1101(1 meetings ~ the pientation and prayer meetIngs jize t like they have ncw.

313 310

310 ~1 o D~ i :otl! friends bohne In obsrrm and eon4ure teigs arid tat ~sa been their szportnee wtt1t~ itagie an. spoils? t gizers tone claim de~ bellen t~ ~ zeth things, bitt I J~ t t? OW wieet!r:cr tMy 1 ?O O? riot . i7. )id ~ ever u.ce an ox to plcn,with? hat ~ fl or ntmr~ Yes, I see ~on ~4ow wS.d bozen, E)ey used tho kind o? ploys they riMs ~ on the plantstion. S plow, but t i~ecd to han fun a gotnt t~ ona~ Sn the ~id oz tic~ hee1 wagon ont. I d go down dc htfl In tt~ tre~d ~et In the dt~ c~S and boner ait~ t bt~~ ti:t~:e. cn . Jt~~ :iuch did varIous ?oodn and drinks and ctxtio itien cost just e~t the nd of t1 ~e war and aft~tt~rt~t I d !ttt ttOV wttat thi.ricrM

A Marine in ebony. 314 311

f C~~~4f ~ c~omp1sti~ ~ T~. I1 wi&a App1~X. 4~ ~ words jt~:ii e. 105? 311 ST~ ~ pi~gmi p p r- fi ~ u ~ r i I~ P2 .~par.d f i Va. iz ~b1io SOI~O3Z - _J_- I__I L ~ ~ -r--r- -~ *1 ~ ~ Cm us ~i s i~ N srsn byth Yediral Writire PrO~sot of tb* ~ Pxo~rss ~4miniatrttion _-*-J- ~ ~ __~ ~ * S-rL~~ ~. -N ~L 1 J~ tu u uij ~-~r is-~--u u j ~LriWu ~ ~ . 3y~i aaA.Prost Pro:i a Vt?gillta plantation to Y1O~ida tbrou~h ps~2s of Iriian wax~ fa~ shan~iaied ~ on a ~erm~isnt masl aid carz tid round th. erldj . shipwreeksd aM ~roppd into tho lap of iemonoe theee are on1~r a few of i;he Co 1~i 1~~i1 yice~ ~ from the uuvrltt en di8r7 of o1~ Uncle Days, ex si&r. and soldier of tbi tuni. . ~ ~ t. re~por~,z fouM thi v~ ~an sitting on th. porch of ~ his Thor City shE1ck~ thoughtfully ehswing tob~aco and fiit~e~Ln~ hie horns-ciad, caz~. At i~1rst hi ~nE3wAred in ~~ wrpy mo~~sy11ab1es, ~zt by th. xr~~ ot a ~oo~ e1ga~ , hs cr~dua11i 1~t hiniseif ~ disolosing minute dstaila of a most j I ~na*ab1e nsrtee of ad rentttr*so Uia 1angua~e is a ~uOsr mlztni oef goechy, ~.a tei nm and broad a~3W acquired bi IOD B~OC1~t1O~ with Nasieti eon~hs. ~rrie~ to ens of these anvIe ~waisted Behai~a wo~n, the rs~~bil. mi~b3ar end adventur.i Pr4)Ye4\ rolling stOnCB ao~t~me~ become ~uttab1o foundations foz hoiries he livsd fetthtu~y with thi samo wife fo~ fifty ons years. S~ippin tore di hst . ain t no job to mek a preachor f xn a young. ster; hit s plsnty tou~~z~!, ain t nevah be n ~z ry I went to sea; effan a boy gwlne take to 12~ICft an iiisa*n, he kin ~t plinty t both at . ~ 7 s&~me ai in ~ pQ~ti.~ 2672?

315 312

zr. A. Inst . 1~. 2 312 Tt3rJPa J~1a. ~ ml 034 !tSfl bit sif a .oivjervativi chew from his ~ne11 plug oaxs~ fully irappid the ~tMei in his hentlksxchiif aM ohsv~ed t1*UChtf~a11y foi some time bsfor ho oontiaied. I wasn t bawn in P1erida~ ~mt I b. n hers io long I iseokon hit bout de ea~ thing. I kin js~ r~mbr leavint ~xto3k. ~r daddy an ~ ant de odder chilinn b 1o~g to a frmnohi~an nw%d Pineknsy. Itiata be n bsut 1860 or 1861, w en ~ihstah gina to worry bout what gvine happen effen w~ oo~ an~ di Vah~~ e1ave~w~s ~t b~t. ~ proce dd slowly, nnd in language aIaIOat unintelligible at times, as hi talked, amokid and oh.wed~ aU at the same time; but here, the i e~ porter realized, were aU the elsi~nts of a true story that needed only r~otebook and typeiriter to transform it into readable form. Anta~ntau aroused by the Dred ~oott ieoieion, anti the fu.rthoi irri~ thtion caused by the P~zgitivs S)~ve law were kioking up plenty of trouble thiring Buchanan s ~bninistration. South Camlina had already seceded. :~r8jor AMer~n was k,~ping th Thiion flag. flying at Thrt ~ator, hut k~test reports said that th re was i~ iirzaediat den~ir of hostilities when Pierre Iinckney, thrifty Virginia. planter of Trnoh extraction, went into confexsnee with his neighbora~ and decided te x~ve While thi getting. out w~s stil good. ~Vith ~s little publicity as poscibli, th~ arranged the dieposal of their real estate. ~ need to sell their slaves and livestock; thsy ~~uld need both in the new location. If they could nmnags to get to Charleston, they reasoned, surely the7 coul4 arrange for a boat to St. iu~ustinS. The Indi3ns ~it~it be troublesome there, but by settling near i;he fort th y should be reasonably safi. Beto~re the caravan of sxcarts and heavy wa~pn~ came within a i~it

316 313

3. A. Pr et ~ ~ ~ 313 Te~i!pa, 11a. of the old seaport town, it bioe~ evident that they h~ bettr keep to the woods. Union soldiers1 although atlU inactiv., might at any tiii~ di. ci e to confiecate their be1onging~, eo they pushed on to the eouthwei d. Long weoke dragged by before they finally reached St. *n~istins. ~r talk, ~:tfld th. poasibility of attack by sea again eau3ed them to ohan~e t~1eir p1ar~. Ebolizig their u~ny~ they chartered a boat aM i~b~rked top K y ~IO8t Surely they ~u24 bi safe that tar south. ~o of ~hjp flr~jnia n~~ichbor~, Fielding A. Brewni, bad a,ttlsd there t)ii$y yoai e before. ftk~-. in~ ad~rint~cs of the periodic eel~s of aa1iia~ed goode from wrecke on ths treacherous keye, he had become wealthy and ~ said to hold a r,eponeiblo rositio:~i with the city. F~veryone was in a che.rtnI aood aa the blue outline of IGip West peeped O!VSr the horjzon, and aU cams on deck to eat oh a ~1iii~s of their hew hozns. Suddenly diexr*y clutched at rr ry heart aa a Federal r~n.~otuwar O sI,unc out ot the harbor end eteu?aed out to z~et th~i, mi long.f eared oriaia had come. fl~ey were prisonera ~ of war. Pinckn y and his nei~hbors were marched into Fort Peylor. Their O wives~ children ~nd clava were allowed to settle in the city a~i4 cari foi. theaselvea as beat they could. Pinckney slaves cofl5isted of one family, D~rid Taylor and wife, with their f*~i1y of ten piokaninnies. CO1OI*1 )bnt~zaery, Federal re. ci~tiiting off1cer~ took adYantage of the h lpleaaneae et the elan o~nve to sow discord an n~ the blacka, and befOre iz~ny deys bi~ Dave, father of the aubject of this Sketch. had JLXL.d do Yankees as color sergeant and had biel sens north, whers hi wa~ killed izi the attack on )br t Sumter. rn~a determined and ei~~etic 260-pound wits aerved ~e. ?inoby faithfully thr.ugh the war and 1oi~g afterward. Toun~ Dave, or Buddy, . t~

317 314

Pag 4 :r. A. 11i o.t, Tnznpa0 73a. . t) SOn of big Dare, although only in bla early teena, was her ohtet aid. ~~ n the wax wao over aM ~b Pinoknoy walked out of Port Tayloi a tree ifl&n, the pox t ly l3ert~h p ~h~o ohed thi ennoune~nexit th&t 8hs waa a f~se f eitizsn. Dali dons brune ins hsah~ ~h blustered with nphaejo~ an heah I~s gwine t Btay. Sonie yeas after the w~r ?is~e Pinoknsy died. When hie ~~od wits became ill frantic disi,~ay per7nded thi ~erwint~ ~artere, 1&e hir last ~ent9 dre~v; nesi , !J~s. Plnekney oallo~t the wee~1n~ Hannah to her bed~ dna ~Lfld laid ~ ba~ of wney ir~ her heM. ~Lb get you ath the children back ~o ald Vfr~1nia, she whispered v~fth her la~t breath. ~Vhin the beloved Niss ~ia was laid to ret~t b~r the sid e of her luis band In the Catholic cemetery, the bewilder~ i ThEinnah took the rr~ciney te c~ ~Mte mane an ol~ frie~ of the family, and a8ked l4ri t~ buy the tick.~ ets back to Virginia. I~ ad~i~ed against it; said that the old 1~nns ~u1d not be there to comfort themi. Ibuses hiad been burnod, trees cut down arid old landrarka destroyed. Th~ euggeated t1~t they take the bund. cir3d doUar~ In void and btiy a little borne iii K y ~1ezt, w!~ici they did. Reo~,nstruotion dais were a~ tryii~ to Ky Westera as ta others all over the devastated land of Dixie. Slave ow~iera, stripped o~? their 1)08693310U5. taxed viith an in~isnae war debt and with no ~ney or eq4ps. raont to begin the slow climb back to riornmlcy were pathetic fi~tr,e as they bli3tered their hands at toil that thsy ha~ never known before. i.~c~7 of the sl~ve~ vz~ more than i~1Ui~g to 8t~y with their former 11~teT a~ but with xc inc~me, the probl*nof teediri~ th~mzelvos was the main issue with ~he whites, so it was out of the question to try to fill. other n~uths, and examelaves often had t~ shift for thari~elvea, a hope.lese

318 315

y. A. Prost, i ags 5 31~ Tampa, 71a~ f task tor a rao that had never besn called upon to xert tnttlatiys. Hannah Te710? aM hr miinroue offeprtng~ wex a fair ixo~p1i ot theGe Irreaponsible people. Liks a ship adrift without .ki~per or ruddi ~ they weise at tus mercy of s~ery adverse wIM ot IfliBfO?tUfl. ~oh irrn Ing thsy w nt out with frant ic ~nr~ to earn or In ao~ wai xrocurs sustenance foi on. niOi e day. !bung Davi hounded ths sponge fiaherxran until they save him an extra job. Hi made ths x ound~ of th f1ahin~ docks, continually on the lookout to be of he1p~ anxiou. to do anything at any t1n~ in sxohang tor a few az tiolea of food that hi could carry proudly home to hie moth,r. Dim was mighty tryin tin~a~ i~naed the old ~n, en I don t b1ai~ my man~ fsi wai min ~ pante when ahi had so n*ich to worry bout. She had a way o grabbin me by ds years an ehovin ~ny bald twixt hir kne e whilst ah wuk on n~ sumpin awftil. 1~ * Mer I was a~airt o dea frax~rniin a. I reckon dat was de caua o me ~ 1n tt eea. ~ah rais tsll you bout dat. One day 1T~ mamygimme tiftsen cnta an say c~ down to de market and fotch me soms fish. Ah hasen don t you let no grasa grow unda yo feet Go on de run an come back on c~. jw~ Do s you f all down, je keep on a~go1n some how. wi~~ dat she turn an spit on de atep. !bu aee dat spit, abo say. ~ hit be dry w en you git back, I ~nna beat di meat offen yo boues. ait ~ weil, I atahted, an I ah~ wasn t loam no tims. Bout hahf way to de mahkit, I meta a couple o eteward* t a a U. S. navy cutter anchored ~ off ds navy ~rd.

319 316

y. A. Froet, p~ e 31G Tampa~ lia. Ii&1 on, der~ boys dsy aing out, wha you gwini so faa ? ~ab di. here bab&cet an tote hit down to do dock. I kt~owod I couldn t ~it back borne fore dat spit dnisd, an I be n figgerin bow I could peaoify my ma a eo a to mise dat beatin I fig~~er et I mek a q~uarter oir haht a doUar en gin it to er, she mebb forgit de p~dd1in . So I take de baheket an toiler em down to de watr front. W en we git done dey waa a sailor waitin fer em wid a boat ~f m d cutter. I ~ot de bahaket in de boat an stood waitin to my r~ney. ~ Ybu ain t finished yo job yit, dey say. Oit yo ai f ta dat boat an put dat stuff on bo d, .~ v?Wven I gits on clock a ouflud bor bout m~ size say Waniia look about a bit? So I folien him below an ts I knowed it, I feel de boat kinda shakin. I n~n to a porthole an look out. Dare was Key ~?sat too far away to SWITrI back to. . I run up on deck, an dens was de stew~ird w at gin me de beheket to tots. W at th sU you dom on bo d die dip, be ahak me. nI toUs im I ain t wantin t stay x~o mo n he wante me, an he taksa me to de oap m. I reckon ho b long to do navy now, eay. de oap m, so C~y fix some papers an I makes n~ mark on em. Ahftah a bit I find we bound to N Orl.ane. Pore we got ler, a ehip liov longside an ~in na a message to put about, I ahak a 1L I Irishman, named Zack, wha we gwine, an he say, Outa de won . ~71811e wep S I say, I!~~ mairmiy think I be daid. I couldn t read nor write,, an didn t know how to tail noboddy how to back a letter to my merrm~ , so I jss let hit ~o, an we ataht back de way we come. I thought hit be n etc rain aU de time, but w sn w p ah~ th o de Florida straite I ~ee w at a real storm s like. I didn t know, ont~13.

320 317

~ . A. Irset, ~ .~ 3I~ Pan~a, lia. f w. was haut way dom ds South ~msrioan coast, headin fer cape ibm, dat w. dons paiia Kay ~V at, but X couldn t got off,if I d wanted to, canas I d dons jined de x~ivy. ~. litt seem lEik monthz foxe we roun de Cape en he id back north on do Pacific; an hit seem lak. a year fors we drop anchor in ~bng Kong. Dey tell me de admiral was stationed dare an de cap * had to report to him. ~V i1s he ~ dom dia, we cita shors leave. W en J~ack au me git~ on land, we couldn t onneratan a ~rd, b t we nek si ns an a tough4ookin Qithk ri tion fer us to toiler him. w. ~o down a dark street an~ turn thoo an alley, then into a big ro~ 1i~:;hted with colored paper lanterne. On de f10 we see some folks aleepin wit some Lt l footstools lontjside ein, an some of em was emokin 1ong~ ~ t~~mied pipes. X figger mebbe dey min put us to aleep an knock us in de haid. I look back en see de do swingin ahnt, slow liks, so I nm back an stick my foot in bit and shove hit back open. J~ack an me run b ~ok de seime way w~ coma. Pretty ~ soon we find anotha sailor an~ ~ wit him t a y~11er man d t could speak 3ngliah. Ei pin a li 1 yaller t~*g on cur shirts an say hit de badge o de chines. ~ov m nt, an~ we be aafs~ cause we b long to di TI. S. na~~ry. we go out to see de sighta, but nevah hear one n~ ~rd o English; so ahfteh a tiIM we ~o back to de ship an stey onteLl. we put to sea again. Nex we sails to ~ Panw~ a. W in we ties up dei e 3~ack an me ~es ashore. Ah ne~nh befo see such pretty high.~ra11er ~1a in~aU ir~ life. looks lak dey made o marble, d17 50 puffiok. ~ V. an Tack gits likkered up de fuat thing, an7~ don lose im. Dat ~~ry IM some, cause we need each otha. Wit hi. haU an ~ arma

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~. A. Prost . p~s B Tampa, lia. we xrk one pr.tty & od man. Dat li l IriE~n!1~~n was a fighUn too . Weighed only 90 pounds, but strong an wiry. ~ se hi git liaked ~ do tims, but ha ailus ready fer a~tha fi~~t. D dn t lak for to Iks to call him Irish. 3~ fadder ias Irish and ~ za~dder ~msrioan, he say; 1 b n born aboard a Dutch brig in ?rno3~ waters. Now you toll ~ what flag I b loiiga undah. W in we git~ back to de ship, de boys tells ne some ~n~lish sailors beat ~Taok lip in de sportin botts.. Son~buddy sines out Beat it d ~arin s oo~in 3, an dey all run fer de ship an hf ~aok den. 01 don t ahak no ii~ qu.e$iona; je. stQht back on a run tOfIM ~ buddy. At dat time I weigh 180, en was pretty hus c~r fir my age. B in likkered plenty, I nsvah thougbt bout ~ttin beat up ~bse t. Wl.n I gitE; back, dere was a big Limey atahndtn wid hie arms crost de dc . LU dn in, otay in, an aU de outs stay out, hi say. ~bw I be n trained to reapeo white iolks ihat is white . folks e~ er serial I bawn; but w en I think bout Zack in den, baut dead, mibbi, dat Lim y don t look none too ~hite to mi. I take a z unnin steht an but lin in a. belly ~vid ~r haid. ~ ~ D n x do ~was looked, ab i: bue hit down, Dez s was 3ack, bout liaht don f , Blood all over de fie . Ev1 thinR lU Is root busted up an tipped over. I ha~tla 1x~ to u back do , but hit looked. I kick out a winder, heaves im onto my shoulder, an rima back to de ship. W~.n we comes up, den was de oeptm ataidin at de rail. His blue eyes look li~k he lovi to kill us. ~ Pall ~ hi 887Sf 5fl~ ~ve does. O ~or d~ h ec~ya, an we yes. ~)bw, hi says. ~ an dis abouti w. :i~.0 says Zack, I didn t steht no fight. I je. ~oee into a

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~ .A.PTSst . PagS9 319 T~mi*, Fia. ~rn1 on, peaceful 11k, an a dai~a Lb~ says, pointizi~ to a Britisb flag on dere Olin ship, Tbusee dat flag?$ ~ ~~7e, says ~ack, ~ ztill I dOn~t 36S nuthin~. I boon oye? de seven f~eaa,~ sa~s de Lin*y, ans X ~ei dat ol flag mistress of all of em. You ~ ~fl around some says Zack, but I done a li l sailin mahee f. Fust place I wnt was to Franc . (~ ass look lak hit n,d rain, (So be tells dat Limey what he do ne te bit). Nex I ~ to ~r~eny, be says; ground m t~od; need ter~ 1izer. (So he tells iii what he don on German soil). Atter d~t I ships 1~ England 3aok tell. de I4in.y, -lookin thn strai~it in de eye. lUst thing I see Ven we land ia dat ~rit1eh flan w at you be n braggin so loud about. ~ (So he teils dat .Li~y w at e used de flag fer). Poi o God, Gap ia says ~ack0 dat Litney~ Ian on m wid bots t~t fore I .say anotha wor~. Neiah ~t in oi~ lick. Pack is, cap m, I ain~t be n dom ~ ~ sense I do~ let die hers ehip.~ t, ~b below, sa~s de oap~a as clean ~o se t u~. Die de lahat t 1!M you t~ ~w1 ne git shore leave on d is trip. Th~ try to ).ook xiiad, but I see he wantin to lahf. De flex i~ay, tln l. Dave finishd ~ with a whix~icai ami2a I see de bos n readin in de paper bout de war twixt America an England. Hit was bo~xt our li 1 iar~-what ~ stahted an we finislE d . The dusky old ~etei~n of n~ny battles unwrappd the ~aall piece of black tobacco In the soilid handkerchief, ~eoided on conservation, and s1~w1~ wrapped it up again. 1~ex oo~s orders from de admiral in ~ng . rong to sail 1~er

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:. L. Prost, Pa~ 10 32() Tampa, 718.. Rio Yansiro V1 sn w drop anc~r, dem wae eome o da mianea lookin w~harf mt a I evah see Killers dey w, wiflin to knock axqbody off f any tine, fer e few cents. We lines up fsi shore leave, but dey mek Yack ail me stay on de ship. tr ruons in I anazna lone ~t us in bad wid de cap m. But Ah reckon hit w~s fer de bes On of our men oeme back wid a year cut off an a busted nose. Nether one nevth come back at all. on. ~ I ~ee ~ i aztnin up a long pennant an aU de s~i1om lchf an dahnce about lok dey ozazy. I~,t was d41 ~mai :~swa~ bonn ~7ei~h anchor u~1 head fer N Ybrk. Vieil, Taylor, da officer say, when he pay mi off, you gwine ship v icl u ~ again? I ~tta ~p ~ I tells im; got a job t rini~h up it Riey teat. ~ So dey gin i~ my discharge an a cbv ir~nt pah~ on de Mallory liner 21y~~:: Ven I gits to ~ey 1~est faat place I ~es was to dat fish ~hket w ers my menny do ne sont ins three year an e ix montht~ befo . I buy fifteen cents wuth o fish an go on 1am. W en I git dorS, dey was jes settin down to dinnei~. Watt, Ah say, put on one i~ platS.~ w ~iariniy look at me lak she do ne see a ghost Den she xttn an gin ~ on lue, t Hoi on, ~h tella ai , you ain t forgot dat boatin ylt? I dons L~t y0 fish, an I gin er de paheel. ti.~ boys ~ah boy, ahi Gay, Ah beatin on yuh kaae Ah so proud t see yt h. Heali Ah done wear black ter yuh, an gin ytzh up fer daid an bress de I~1, heah you is, lak eo~ back f m de ~ ave,~ Ah retch down in m pocket an~ pull a paheel en lay hit in hei han ; three hunnei t sebenty eicht dollahe, all de money I done made wid de

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;r~ A. Fx o~t, Pass il 321 (J~~qpa~ Fia. C~v rnent sence Ah let , an I ~in Mt all to er. She 1~k t had ~ fit; ~ 1~ ~ Ah t ~ ~ de he ad ~rnan o dat I enb ly ~vhi ist ~h st : y~d. Dut ~o s~ .lt wat er ot ick to rn ~h eouictn t stay ashoni So ahftah ~.h visit ~ ~ d art ~ spells ~h ~es down to de docks an ~i~i t chip on a :co .1~hster tr~u~. Dat ol tub tek ne all ovh de won . Preszed Thr details of ~or~e ~ f hi~ ph~~ioal encountet s on this second 7: y~~.~e, Uncle Dave ~eeme~ in ~oep thoucht~ ~nd fir~i .y said: t:~ll, Ah tell you bout do time I fout de bu~.1:~~ of de ship. We was still In Key West, waitin fer with. Die ol tn~np ship, she ~ot a crew i)ickec~ up t m aU ovah de won . . Dsr ain t no sich thin~j ~is a color lins (i~t~e, At x~iees tim , white an black aU ~it in de some lins. i~s dj pahe by de tabl , each one t~ik a knife en! cut off a i~ieoe o xneab. Dens was a bis, hi~h-~yaUer Ealti h2~ah, v~hat thou~t he dons owzi de ~:thip. Trouble wiz ?~nioan nicj~ah~, he say, dey ain t ~t no ~pernit. I be o~fisairo oen ~iy o~m oountnsear4on~t iow ze i~nee to no~oiy, white ox black. ~ So ~en dey line ~ip dis here Haitian come crowdin in ahead o de tUst !!~fl Ifl de line, ~II~ he cut~ off de bee lean r~oat fore we gits ouri. ~ is,~ Ah ~iy to de nan ahead o r~iO, huccoiae dat whi~ z~ian &)n t bus dat darin 3raller E~wab wide o~en? V, Dat s Rousseau, e says; Ain t nobuddy on dis ship bi~ ez~u~h to 711t tri on de t~1i erfi o de line. I size im up &nod, w ile we eats. He vi~1~h 196, ~ey tells ne, an nobuddy be n lucky nnff to lay ita out. Cordin t sith, rules, dey couldn t t~anc up on im. cap m i~iek ei ybuddy ficht sln&.e. !~iantt no sici . thing e~ quarrelin ~tfen two sailors ~itc in a rucus, day pipe em up on de mein deck.

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~~ag.12 3. A. Prost, ~ 322 Tempa, lia. Do what? the roporter a ked. :~ ipe em up de boa n blow a whistle an call era in t fig~ht it out, vi ilo c~e othaa watch de fun. Den dey cotta shako han s, an hit done settled ~1WeU, ~g1 ses dis here Haiti. nig~ah be a l1 l bi~er n ms, but J~h ::~iccer I gwine gin im a ohajnc to ataht sunp n de nex time. So atter I t 3k08 a ccnipleo th iths, I ~es down early an ~jts tust in de ~ins. ~Tho ~uf:~, ~bus~eau come~i ur ~n oro~ic1s in theQd o rte. ~h pushes him ~ ~ne ~iHe, au its ahez~d o him. He ratees hie eyebrows, sorte. suppried iI~e, ~n cita ~:thead o rie. I be fixin to knock im clean ov h de rail, but by ~b.t tine, do C~p ni had is eye on us. ~ Pee-~e~ e~p, ~o de whis ~le; ~ do b~s ~ ein~j out. . ~~Taylor,~ I ahnswer. Cox~ie to ~e rnahtt.~ .~i tells era how it ~ how I f ixin to knock dat ni~gah so far thto de OEuf we be thoo eatin fore he kin swim baok. I Pipe irnup, bo$tn,~ says de cap in. ~71buss~3au c~omes in, and d~ whole crew wid im, t see de fight. f, Pall off yer shirts, sc~rs de cap m, en we done it. p, 11e it s~ys de bos n de deck a be n Blabbed down.~why bloody ~it up, Cap xn? Ibw bot~t lettin em fight on shore? r~Day wes a fl~itform aide a buildin nax to de w;ter. Dey ~ll 1i2~S de rail an let us ~O ashore t aera~ hit out. Boy, datwt~s some f ight~ : e r~i ontell we w~s lak two ce~me roost~rs- both tired out, but still ~ t keep goin . Ve jes stan dere, han s on each otha s shoulders, lookin into each otha s eyes, blood runnin down to our toes. Pretty Boon he back off an try to rush ~. I side steps, an gits in a lucky

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~r. A. Prost, ~ ~ Taupa, lia. lick below de hsart. He drapa to hie kneis, en rolls sieh on hi. back, wallin hie eyes lak he dyin . Dey lay lin on de deck an souse im wid a bucket o watsr, but hs sleeps right on. De roe ~ back to de mess lins, all butrne I wan t hoIlgL y. De nix day I gite in line early, but dey wan t no flaiti nig~h t muscle in ahead o ras. }~s kep to his bunk mi~,hty rii~i a week. 3 ti ging from the ap~earanc~ of this Zceble old man, one *u1d hardly t~~ink that he was once u roUickin~ aciappez ~ with re~dy tiBta like raw~ hide mallets. Old Dave dutifully ~4ves full credit to the law of heredity. i M daddy W~S 131X ThE~t six, an weighed 248 pounds, be said proudly. Nevah done a haM d~y a wuk in is lits. ~1hen pressed tor an xplanation of this 3e~E1ing phenonisnor~, the o1~ man sniffed diedain~tu1ly. ~rDOe3 8tOOk breeders wit a ~lO,OOO. .ataUion put im on de plow? . . . D~y called my da~Idy de ~1O,OOO niggah. Uncle Dave ~ et ~ stroking hi~ cane for a few m.inut ea then smiled fintly. 1i~ xr~mny w~s mighty nigh as big, au zievah seen o sick day in her lite. Wit a staht lak dat hit ain t no bonder I growed up all back . bone ciii muscle.~ ~l, tI~ere have beex~ many instan3es of atrocious enialty to slaves, Ucacle Davc believes that other cases have been un,luly znagaified. He says that he was never whipped by his r~st er, but reinamber~ nwnez oua chastise . r~flt8 a~ ~he hai~1s ot MISS ~ e3Sie, his young owner, dsu~hter ot Pirre Pinckney. Di ~ou~ inissus used to beat mi a right sma~t, he recalled with an &iiaed sails. I b lOflg34 to her, y aes. Shi w~a ~ coupl o years :younger n ~M. I mind I used to be hangin x~M de kitchen, watohin im. cook caksi~ ~tfl~ otha ~od things. J~sn dey be don., I d beg for ons, an

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324 :r. j~ Frost, Pass 14 ThTnp3, F1e~. dey t~k ~ off In c~e otha lOon0 BOtS I cou1d~ t oteal any. Boon as de young misfms be ~ns, I ~o an kick ov~h her p1ayhou~s ~n upset heim toys. When she corns bac~k, she be hoppixi mad, an staht beatth me. ~Teasis, her ma d say, ~nu U kill Buddy, beatin! hirn dat way. Idon t cars, she say, I ll beat hirn to d3ath, an~ E~it me a bettQb one. I d 1.0 11 0 n d an ho Uer loud, an p~c4 en ahi hurt me pow f~~ b ~td. By rri by, when ~he ~it ovrh her riad speU, sh ~ off in aa th~ ~ pri c~r~e b~: ~1d s~~ie o~ ~ ~od ~hing~ to me. The old i~n a e~ es twir~k1.d. Dat be w ~it I se atter ~zLL de time, he explained. Th. perils of a life at s~a are not as great ~o fiction writers ~one~ titnis indicat , accor~ixig to this old sea dog. Th~ soya that in all his Toyz~\ges he has been tu only one aerious wreck. That was on a rest of coral keys off th. Bahamas. T~y say dey ain t i~ wind so bad but what it blows o ~ good to so~ buddy. obs.riid the old ineii. Dat sane wi~ what land us on de rooks dons blow ins to de bsa woman in de won , Ah rckon. Ths chewed slowly, as he gazed out over the ding~r housetops toward the I7~SS of feathery c1ouda~ which nawt have been floating over the rocky shoals off Nassau. ~i was de daughter o d wrecking mahater, a Nassau nig~ah by de name o Aleck ~tor. W sn de crew done ~ot us off de shoal ~nd was towlu de ~zreck in~ dare she ~ etahMin~ on de dock, waitin fer her daddy. Big, oYergrown gal, black an devilish- 3aokin noways hand same; but acm~ how I jea couldn t kS*p my oye~ offen her. I notice she keep eyein rns~ too.

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Page 15 325 J. .~ Frost, mmpap Fia. ~~tOfl W. gitE3 ashore, I didn t bee no time gittin in a ~ word f rnahse f YOre I ~cnowed It, we w~is talkln bout wha we ~w1ne lire. . . Fifty one years le a mighty lonij tims to stick to one imman, ap.oiefly w en you be n lookiri over so many fore rn~k1n up yo~ mind. . . Die i~ her. Un~1e Dave extended a tinted photograph. His ~nar1ed fingers trenbied ~s he h~nde lt over0 and there was a auspicious aoftn.as in the 1ine~ of ~:1~ v,i inkled o Id f ace~ as h lookid to ndly at the likanese of the stolid, c~~ k r.3ttU 08. Iq~it be n mighty loneeonis eine ehe done Ief~ dia won to year ago, he said with feeling, as he o&rstully wrappd up titi picture aM put lt away. Uncle Dave has definite idias ot hia ~ own regarding domestic oon my. ~ Tro~ib1e wid young folks nowadays Is dey don t bav m ~od unneretahndin fore dey ~its n~irt ied. For we eyer faces de preacher, I tella her ehe ain t gibtin no model man fer a Inisbant. X laks ~ likker, an I g~1n have lt On I wz~nts lt. ~bw lissen, I teu.a er, elton I cornea ho~ drunk, ~ you gO t bressin rn out A:;n t you even tetch ae; Jea gimno a li 1 piller an~ 1~iine Co IL-y dO1~Ifl on de fi somewherea Atter I drap off sleep, you kin teal de houee down, and hit don t botha me nons. W ~n I wakes up, I be all right. ~u. a. fest time I me horns full o likker she don. fer~t v at I tell Lei , an taht sitovin m . X done bna ei on de jaw eo pow 1~1 Iiahd ~Lti; 1ff her fest offen de ~1~ an ehe lan in de corner on her held. W en I w~ikes up en B Sa w at I done, I wish ! could hit inahee f de sam way. F m dat day on~ we nevah had no xis trouble bout de lildcer qusation. Th. iri~gb:~ of years ha~ at last cooled th h~ b3~o~i, but a hiix~ of

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:1!. A. Fr oat, P~ 16 ~ Tampa, Fia. dep~rted swa hbuckling days stiLl. glietew~ in the old eyes as ho aits on lita narrow porch and recaU~ acsne~ of the old daya. ~ on, 1nte~e~ted In the peychoio~~~ of the Southern te~o, thia ~h~ 1veled old r~in, ~itii hi~ ha1f bantoriz~0 1~lfa. &ithetio attitude off~3 Un int~ re~tinc iitud~r. Boriowed from ~ ~i~e of history, lis seemc a euriosity~ like a fossil ~tgio~lly reEtored to life, endowed with the power of speech, telling ot events ao ~eepiy buried in the past that they aa~m ai~st unreal.

Acie Thomas. 330 327

. ~ ~ 90()19 ~ ~ f, ~ I~ ~ ~ . ~ ~. ; . .. ~ nDE L . IRITFRS PROJECT ~ . 32~ Am~ri aziGui4e~(Negxo i~iter. Uuit) . ~ . ~ ~ Jacksonville Fiori4a ~ . . Pearl Randolph ~ Sia*e Interview Field Worker . ~ Iove~ber 25, 1936 ~ Complete . ~ ~ . ~ 1,650 Worda . ~ . . ~ ~ ~ 7 Pagea ~ . . . . . 4o~e~Tbo~a.~ . ~ . Mr. Thomaswae at home today. Ther are many da~ when one might paa~ and repass the ihabby lean to that ja his home without seeing~any aignaoZ life, That i. becau e he spends much oZ his tile foraging about the ~ 8treete 0f Jacksonville for whatever Iie can get in the way of f od. or o 4 ~ . . . clothe ~ ~d perhape a littl ~ mci~ey, ~ ~ ~ . ~ . He is a heavily beaxd~d, bent old man and a. familiar figure in the r aider~tial eotione of the city, *here he same or begs a very meager livelihood. Many know hie ~ story arid marvel at hie ability to relate incidente that muet have occured when he was quite small. ~ . ~ Born in Jeffereon County, Florida on July 26, 185?, he was one of the 150 ~ slaves ~ belonging to the Yolsom b~othe~s, Toni and Bryant Hi e parente Thomas and Mary and their parente a. far as . they could remember, were ail a part of the Folioni es tate, The Poleoae never sold. a slave exc pt h ~eri~ed this d4re punia~ment in,some way.~ ~ . . ~ Aale heard Yague ru~iors of the cruelties of some ala~e owners, but it ias unknown among the Polaoma. He t~Iink~I this was dUeto the tact tiaM cs:tai.n ~po white trash in the Tiotnity . 4 . ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~.

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Slave IMerview P~ge ~ ~ ~ Pearl Ran . dOIPh ~ . FEC ~ 328 Jaokeonvilie,. 11ori~da ~ ~ ~ . of thetrplaniatioxi owned 81aYe~. It was the habit of the 7o1 ~ eoma to bu$ o~ut theee people whenever they could do . eo ;by -~&ir means l foul, acoording to hie statement... An1 by and ~ by $~ere were no poor white~s ~ I tying neax them It was he further ~ated . like ~b~ning a. nigger aaoul, t~ Marfle Torn or Mar8e Bryant threatened to eU him to some pot white trash, And it alita ~\ ~ br~u~g good result.- better than tearing the htde off n him ~ou1* ~ . . ~ ~ S done. ~ S ~ ~ ~ AB a child Acte epent much o~ his tiae roaming Over the broad ac~ ee Dt the Fo1ao~t p1aX~tation ViIh other slave children, They waded ~ in the treame, fished, chased rabbit. ax4 ~ always knew w2~ere the choi~eet wild berries and flute grew. Ils knew all the wood 1ox~e common to children OZ his tinte. Thu he ~ learned moetly from o uein Ed Who wae several years Older tba he ~ c~uite Willing to enlighten a SmalI boy in theee matters, ~ He wae taught thst hooting owls wer very 3ealou. ~ ~ S of their night hour. and vhenever they hooted near a field of they were saying: Task dane o~ no d.one~ t s my . t1~e go homel miippoorvili. flitted about the woods in cotton picking time chat t ering . about ~ Jack marrying a widow. Ile ooult not remember thee 8tOXy that goes with this. Oppoastas were a ehaan ~&oed tribe who41sometimes uandered onto the wrom~sid.e of the day and got caught.1 They never overcame thia skimS as 1,ng se they vers ~ in captivity. ~ S . All bull XU$keB and tree steps were to W

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/_4 Th ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Slate Int~rview ~ ~ . . . . ~ l age 3 . ~ Pea3~1 B~ndo31ph ~ ~ * FEC 329. ~ JackBonville, flOridM; ~ . ~ ~ ~ aeaxehed. One aight find his baby brothez tbere at any tie., . When oi~ got up~ some ~Ze be wae required to do email taek, but the mae~) waa hot very~ exacting. There tere the important tasks of ferreting out the niste of etray hens, turkeys, gui~eae and g.eae. The e nests wer robbed to prevent the fowle from hatching too flar from the hen houee . Quite a number o~ theae eggi got roasted ~in. ~ remote corners o~ the plantation by the finders, who. built fires and Wrapped. the eggs iii wet rage and~ covered them wi ta aah~e When they were done a loud ~ ftflflQUflCed that fact to . the roaeter. Potatoes were oooked in the eanie manner and often without the rage. Coneequently .theee ~two taake wer never neglected by the elave ohiidren. Cotton pick lEg vaa not a bad 3 b either- at leaet to the young. ~ ~ men there was the ride to the cotton h6ues at the end of the day atop the basketa and coarse burlap eheets fifled with the day s pickings. Ade s f ndeet aabitio; was. to learn to ~anipu1ate the eoe.lee that told him who had~ done a ~ good day B work and. who had not. His oou in Ed did thie envied task whenever the overseer oould not find the time . . . Many other things were grown hrn Corn for the oattls and roisting ears, peanute, tobacco and sugar cans. Tha eane wae ground on the ~1antation and onverted into barrels of~ .yrup and ~brown augar~ The cane grinding eeaeon vae always a gala one, There ~ae alwaye plenty of ~uioe, with the skiamings and frisk syrup for all. Other industries were the blackemithehop uh,rs

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-~ r ~ v~ ~ ~ Blave intex~1ew . . ~ . P~e ~ Pearl Randolph . ~ ~ 1~C . Jaokeonville, Florida ~ ~ ~ : . . ~ . horses and alave6 wexe shod. The smoke houses whCi~s jooree of hogs and oo~s were prepared and. ~img for ~ future uwe, The sewing was presidet over by the mietr sa. ~ Clothing were rnade ~during the summer and~ stored away for th cool winters. Young slave girl. ~ were kept b y at knitting cotton and wo~1en stocking~. Candles were mad~e it the *big house kitchen and on~.y for coneumption by the househ ld of the master, Slaves used fat lightwood knots or their open fireplaces for lighting purpo~s. 4 There ta; always plMy of everything to eat for the slaves. Viey had white bread that had been made on the place. Corn meal, r ic e, potato es, syrup vegetable. end bpme~ cured. meat . ) ood was co~ed in iron pote hung ver the fireplace by rings made o: the same iaetal. Bread andpaetries were made in the Ikillet and ~epider, ~ . ~ Much icrk was needed to supply the demanda of 8o large a plantation buL the slaves were often given tiae off tox~ frouas (dancee),(q~lting~~we~1dinga). ~iese gathering. were attind. e4 by old and yOung from neighboring plantations There iae ~ always plenty of food, masters vying witb another for the honor of giving hiB slaves the finest parties. . There was dancing and mueio. On the Tolso~plantation Bryant the youngest of the masters furnished the a~sio. K. played the fiddle ant . liked to see the slaves dance cutting the pigion wing. ~ ~ Maul matches ~ wer a~s at ~ the! aff~i~r., The wo~

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~1ave Interview ~ Page 5 Pear . Randolph FEC I Jackeonville, F orida ~ . . ~ oa~ne aU rigget out in their ~ beet which wa~ not bad at aU, a~ . the nilatresees often gave them the ir caat of~ e, Some of theae were very fine indeed with, their fz llle and hoops an~ many petticoats, Thoie who had. no f lnery contented themee1ve~ with scent. Ing their hair and bodies with sweet herbs, which they also chewed, Quite often they were rewarded by the attention of some swain from a distant plantation. In thia case it was necessary for their res~ psetive owners to consent. to a union Slaves on ~ the Folsom plantation were always mar ri ed peoperly and q~tite of t en had a si z.able wedd.ing, the master and mietresi often came and. made merry irith thejr slaves, . . Aale knew about the war because he .~e obs of ~_c, ~ the ~lavea comniandered by the Confederate army for hauling food and ammunition to different pointe between Tallahassee and a city in Virginia that he is unable te remember. It waa a common occurrence for the soldiers to visit the~plantation owners and command a cer~ tain number of horses and slaves for services euch aa Acie dip. He thihke that he might have been about 15 years old when he was freed. A soldier in blue came to the plantation and brought a document that Torn, their master read to aU the slaves who had been summoned to the Nbig house for that purpOse. About half of them consented to remain With him. The others went away, g1~ of their new freedom. pew had made any plans and were content to wander about ~ the country, ~ living as they could. Some were more sober minder, and Acie s father iss among the latter~ Ue remained on the Folsom place for a short w~ii~s; he ~ then settle& down to ekars- orop.. . ~

335 332

: ~ :;l~.: ~ ..~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~: 1: ~ ~ .~ .~ . ~L ~ ~ . . :~ ~ ~:. ~ : . ~. : ~ ~ Slave Interview ~ Page 6 Pea~i ~ Bandolpi ~ . ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ JaokeonviUe, rlorida ~ ~ ~ . . . ~ : ~ . ~ t ing ~in ~effereon : Coimty. Their fiz~st .ye~x was ~the ~ ha~daet becauee of the:~y ad3~etaente .t.halt had to ~be made. Then;tb~flge b ale better4 By meane ~f h&rd work aui the c~~oper~On o~ riendly ~ whites Ihe ~ ilavee in the s,otlon ~c~on leaxxied to sh~it ~ for th8m~ . selves. ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Northernere cale South in swarme andopen & ecboola for the e~e1aves, but Acte Iaa. not fortunate en ug~ to ~ get very far in lii. blue back~ Webeter. There as too auch work to be doi~e and hie father trying t~buy the lar4. Nor did ILe take .&n~ interest in the polItical ae tinge he~d i~ii ihe neighboxh o4.. ~ ~ Hie parents shared wjt~ him the common belief th~ eueh thing. ~ ~ were not to b stared ~br the h~b1s. Some believed th&t too iauch book learning made the brain weak . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ Acie met and married Keziah Wright, who wa. ~ the daughter of a woman hie mother had ~:x~own in elavery. ~ StrangeLy . enough they had never met ae children. With hii w~te he remained in Jefferson Oounty, where nine of thsir thirtl n, children were born. ~ With hie family he moved to Ja keorkviue ar4 had been living here a right . good while when. tbe fire ooourred in i9O~ 3e was employed as a city lab rer ~and helped ~o bU Id street oar lines and pare ~ streets.. He also helpet with the i staUation of electric wiring iz~ many part of the oi1~y. He ~s. 1n3ured while work ing for the City of Ja k8o~Ti11s, but claims tbAt he was neVer ininy

336 333

~ 7 ~ ~:~ ~. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~- ~- ~ r ~ ~ Slave In ~ervi~ew P&i~s ? Pearl P~to1p1t FE~ 333 Jaokaonvii2~ Tlc~~ ~ ~ ~ manner remunerated~ for thie~in3ury.. .~ . . ~ ~ Lcie worked~ I~ard &nd~ ac~,zuiated 1a~ in the Monorief section and live. within a few feet of the apot where h t. house burned many yeare ago. ~e wai vezy a$ae he pointed out this ap~ot to hi visitor. L few scraggly bedgee and an apple tree, a charred~ bit of fence, a chi~iney ~owtda~tion are ~ the only markers o~ the hon~~ he Irnilt after yeare of a hard 8~ruggl to bave a h~e, Hie 2ar4 je all gone except the eoant five -acree upon whioh he lLvee and~ this ie o~n1y an expanse of bi~ooa et aw, Re ~e no longer able to cultivate the lind, ~not sien having e. kitchen gard.en, ~ . . Eeziah, the wi ~e, died eeveral yeare ago; 1ike~ wise all the ohi 4ren, except two. One of theee a gi~lyis ~ eome whereup Nawtb , The Bon hae TieiteI him twice in fi~e~yea aild. . B~eI18 never to have anything to give the oldman ho exPreee e him~ eels a. d.eeiriiig~ much to quit di irnfrlendly ~or 4 e~nce he hai nothing to live forezoept a lot of daad msmori . ~ ~ Au done lest 11f flOt. Everything : got done gone. all1eept K:eziah, She cornea and visita me and we talk and walk over there where we ueter and seton the po~oh. She 10* ~he gym. ~t al oie 1koie oa of ~ daae dayl in the n ar future, and. I ll be a~ghty glad. to, go over yon4er where all I got is at, ~ ~ . ~ . . . ~t ~ t

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I ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ * * ~ .~. * FEDER ~ ~RI ~BS ~ PROJECT American Guide, (~egx~o Writ ers Unit) Jacksonville Florida 334 Pearl Ra~do1ph Field Worker Complete * * I B~&ve Inteirriew Nov mber 25, 1936 REFER!~~TCE I~ PersOnal interview with Jackaonvil&e FloridA Ade Thomas, Monorief Road *~ * ~ **~ ~*~* ~ *. *** ~

Shack Thomas, centennarian. 338 335

FEDERAL ~ikITERS1 PROJ~C~ ~ S Ama Guide, (Negro ~it er~ Unit) ~ 335. South 3aokoonvil3.s, Florida S ~ I~artin fliohardeon SLave liderview S Field Worker ~ Deo ber 8, 1936 5 Complete S 1,500 Vord;a ~ 6 Pagea S S ~ ~ ~ Beady eyed, grey whiekered~, black little Shack ~rhoaae, site in the min in front of hie hut on the 0 4 Sa~nt Augu:~etine Road about three miles south of Jacksonville, 102 yeare old and tIIl of humorous reminisoer~ces about moet of thoae yeare.To hie frequ~snt visitora he~ relates tales of hie past, d~te~ointed1y eome Bimee~but With a DemSrkable clearueee\ S and cotiviotion. S S The old~ ex..alave do es no t r emember the c sxa t time of his birth, except that it was in the tea; l8$4~ the day ai~i.r the end of the Indian War. He does not recail ihiohof th I*4**n ware, b~t Baye that it was while there were etifl many Indians in Weat Florida who were ver~j~rd for him to %mdarstand wh he got big enoi~gh to~ 1k, to them. Re we,e born, he saya on a great big place that b longed to Mieter Jim Campbell; Id n t know j List ~cactly how bg, but there wae a lot of us workIng on it when I was a little fellow. Ths plao e wa. ovjdently On. S ~ the plantet tone aear ~ Tallahassee; Thomas remember. that aa soon as he was 1a~ ge enough ha helped hie parente aM others rai.. o rn,p.anut,, a little btt oZcott~~n4.

339 336

~. .~ ~. ~ ~ : ~ _ ?~4~ ~ ~ -~ ~ Slave Inte:rvi.ew ~ . . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Page ~ Z ~ ~ ~ .~ ~ Martin 1~ioharci.on TEC South Jacke iwilI.e, ~1o~ida. ~ ~ . ~ : potatoes Squ& h 3ust grew wiLd in the wood2; we ~ U e~ to oat them when we oou1di~ t get anything ehe ~ much, ~ ~ ~ ~. . ~ The . cex~tenna~an ~r eaember e hi e . parent e ~ olearly; ~. ~... ~ hie mother was one Nanoy and 1~ie fath r e name was Adam. Hi~ father, he eaya, used to spend hours after the candl s were o;t~i~ hia and hie brothere about hie capture and su?a,nlrilavery, . . ~idarn W&8 a native.of the W~8t Coaet of Africa, and when quite a young man *ae attracted one day to a ~ 1arge~ ship tbat had j uet oome near hi s home WI th many othere ~ he wae at ~ract ed~ ret . ~ I aboard by b~gh~hand~kerohiefe1 ahawle and other articles in ths . ~ hande of the aeamen. Shortly afterwarde he was ee tirely . boun4 in the ~: hold of the Bhip, to be later ~o1d s mewhere in A~erioa, Th maa d~e know exactly where Adam landed, but knows that hi a ather had been in Florida many yea.i~ before his birth. . I guess that s why I can t etadd red thing~ now, he eaye; my pa ~ hated the eight of lt. . . . . Thomas epent .aI~1 of. hie enslaved years on the ~pbeI1. plantation, where he deacribee pr ~emanoipation oonditione a. better \ 1;han he used to hear they wae on the other ~1ace8. ~mpbefl himself je described as moderate, if not a1btualiy kii~dly . He ~&td . not permit ~ liii elaves to be beaten to any treat extent. The most he wou24 gus us was a ewitchthg. , ai~ most of the time we could pray out of that.! But eometimee he would ge~ .a hard man working for him, ~~ho~ugh, the old ~ o nl4nuafr? 1One ~of them ~I 1d to bu~ok an4 g~gt ~ ~ 8b~1i*8G~ibti&.aPUfl1BbaeZ1t used particularly With runawa~ . ~ :

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. ~ . ~- ~ ~ ~* $3.alvP. Inte?view . Page 3 ~ ~ ~ . Martin Richardaon ~ FTC ~ ~ . South Jacksonville . ? .~rida . where the slave would be gagged and tied in a squatting poelsion a~4 left in the 81m for hours. Re cle.liie to have eeen other laves s~apended by their thumba fox varying per~oda he repeats, t1~ough, that theee were not Oampbell a practices. . ~ . ~ ~ ~ . During the years before eurr1nter~ Thomas saw much traffic in slaves, he saya. EaGh year around N w Ye~re, itinerant apecu3~ato:~ w uld come $o hia vicinity and either hold a public sale, or leadthe elavee, tied together, ~to the plantation for in~ apaction or sale. ~ . ~ ~ . . ~ ~ I j whole lot of times they wouldn t sell em, they d j~u t trade em like they did horses. The man(plantatioh owner) would hare a couple o ~ 034 women who oouldn t d.c much any more and he d swap em to the other man for a young un. I seen Iota of em traded t hat way, and sold for rnoney too . ~ . . Thomas recalls at least one Indian family that lived in his neIghborhood un~til he ~ left it e!ter th S War, This fa~nily, he say~, did. not work, but ha4 a little.place of their own. They didn t have much to do wi th nobody, though, ~ he addS. ~ Others of his neig~bore during these early yaar~ were aboliticn4a ndid. White residente of the ~are&, These, he says wotil4 take in runaway slaves and ~eit ~er work em or hide ~em until they cou.1.d try to get North. When they d get caught Lt it, though, the~i take em to town and beat em like they would us then take their places .and rUn em out.

341 338

~ ~ t \ . ~. ~ Slave Interview ~ . Page 4 Mactin Richardson ~ FEC ~ ~ ~ ~ 8 South Ja kaonville, Fi~rida~ ~ ~ .. Later he aame to know th lpu~tro1eU and, the refugeee~ Of the former, he hae only ~ to a~r that they gave him a lot of trouble every ti~ he didn t hava a pass to 1eave~ they only ~ give ~ me one twice a w ek, ~ and. ~ o~ the latter that it was they who induced the slaves of Campbell to remain and. finieh their crop aster the Emancipation, receiving one-~fourth of it for their ehare. He tate s that Campbell excee d.ed, thi e amoun~t in the d.ivi sion later . ~//~_~ After eurrincier Thomae and hie relatives rema.ined~ on the Campbell place, woz~king tor $5 a month, payable at each Ohrietmae. Re reoal .a how rich he felt with this money, ae oompare~t with the other free Negroes in the section, AU of the children and his mother ;~ were paid. the amount, he etatea, L~ ~ ~he old man remembers very clearly the ou toms that prevailed both before and aftie hie freedom. On the plantation, he says, they never taoed actual want of food, although hie meal were plain. He ~. ~ ~b ate moetly corn . aeal and bacon and squaeh and po tatoe s, he ad~de and: every now and~ then d eat more than that ~ ~ Re doeen t recall exactly what, ~ but says i~iaa Oh, lote of greene and. cabbage ana. syrul, and sometimee plentyof meat too. ~ His mother and. the other women were given white cotton he thinks it may bave been duck- dreesea eTery flow and. then ~ he states, but none of the women really had to confine the~taelvei to white, cause they d dye em as soon ae tbf~d get sen. For d.ye, hi aaya they would boil Wild indigo, poke berne., waLnuta and eome tree. for which he baa an undecipksrable naae.

342 339

~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ . ~ ~ Slave Interview. ~ ~ ~ Page 5 . 339 Martin Blohardeon . . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~C South Jacksonville, Florida ~ ~ ~ . ~ Campbell s ~1avea did not have to go barefoot not during the colder . ~yway ~ Aa soon aa winter wou~4 corne, each . ~ one of~ th~ waa given aOpair of bright, untanne~ eather brogans, that wou d be the envy oZ. the vioin y. Soap for the elavee wae made by the women of the plantation; by burning ~ook1e-burr , black jack wood. and other materiale, then dding the aothmulated fa$ of the paet f w weeks. Tor light t1~ey were given tallow candles. Asked if ~ there was any certain time to put the oandles out at night, Tbomae answers that 1Mr, campbell d1dn ~ care how late you staled up at night, .juet so you was reacty to work at daybreak.~ ~ The ex-slave doesn t renember any feathers in the covering foi his pallet in the oorner of his cabin, but says that Mr. Campbell alway~ provided the slaves *ith blankets and the women 1r1~th quilts. By the time he was given hie freedom, ~iomas had learned several trades in addition to farming; one of them was carpentry. When he eventually left his $5 a month job With bis master, he began t~a~elling over. the state, a pi~actioe he has not disoontinued until the preeentf Re worked, he says, in such towns as Perry, Saraeota, Clearwater and every town in Florida down to whexe the ocean goes under the bridge. (i robably Key West . ) Es ~ oazne to Jacksonville about what he believee t be half a century ago. He remembers that it was 1ever so long before the fires (1901) and way baok there when there wasn t but three families over here in South Jacksonville: the Sahde, the Eend~ioks and the Oaks. I :worked ~ for all of them, but I worked for Mr . Bo~&en the long sat, . . . . . ~ ~ ~ .:. ~.

343 340

34Qs Slave Interview Martin Rtoha~decn South Jac,keonvflle, . Florida The reference ii to R~L BOwden, whom Thomas olaime ae of his firet eaployere in thia section. ~ S ~ S The old man has 22 children, the e)4eet of those living, looking older than Thomas himself. 1~ie child! ja fifty odd years. Re has been married three times, ai~d lives now with his 50 year old. wife. . S In front of hi~ shack ja a huge spreading oak tree Re says that there w~r e three of them that he and his wife, t ended when they first moyed to Jackeonvi 11e. That one there was 80 little that I ttaed. to trim it with my pockelt..knife,I he etatee, The tree he mentioned is now about two- a~6m a-half feet in diameter. . Right after my first wife died, one of them trees withered,Vthe o)4 man ~elle you. ~I did ail I oou 4to save the other one, but pxetty soon it was gone too. I guess this other one ja waiting forme, he laughs, anct points to the remaining oak, Tbomaa p~otests that his health is excellent, except for just a little haze that cornea over my eyes, and I can t see so good. He claims that he has no physioal aches and. pains. Despite the more than a century his voice is lively and his hearing fair, and hie desire for travel still very much alive. When interviewed he had ~Juet completed a trip to a daughter in Clearwater S and would have gone fa ther than tbatp but my eon woitldn t send. me no fare like he promiesdi S Page 6 J EO

344 341

Martin Richardson 71e14 Worker Ooaplete Slaire Interyje, Deoeaber 8, 1936 r. ~ Interview with subject, Shack, Tbomae, living on ~1d Saint Augueft~~ Road, South ~laokeonvjl1e P1orjcj~, . . . : ~ ~ \ . nDERix;~ ~ PRojE~ r Ame4can .GVi4,~(Negro Writers . TJnit) 8o~th Jacksonville, florida, at ~1 . ~ . ~ ~

A centenarian. 345 342

e ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~JOO33 ~ ~ ~ . . . ~ . J~DERAL WRITERS PROJ EOT ~ ~ ~ American GLiide, (Negro 1V~itere Unit) 342 . . . Jaokeonville, Florida Rachel A Austin Slave Iflterview Field Worker November 30, 1936 Complete . 867 Words . . 4 Pages ~ ~ A Centenarian Jw - ~-- -~- _~__~ I . ~ Luke Toflne, a centenarian, now. residing at 1.225 west eighth Street, Jacksonville, Florida, was the ninth child bornto Maria and Like Towns, elavee, December ~4, 1835, in a village in Tolberton County, Georgia. Mr. Town s parents were oWned by Governor Towns, whose name waa taken by ail the ohiid.ren born on the plantation; he statee that he was placed. on the public blocks for sale, and was purchased by a Mr. Mormon, At the marriage of Mr Mormon s daught er, Sarah according to custom, he was given to this daughter as a wedding preeent, and thus became the slave and took the name o~ the ~illeye and lived with them until he.becaxne a young man at Smithville, Georgia, in Lee County, ~ His chief work was that of carrying water, wood. and working aroithd the houae when a youngster; often, he etatei ~ t he would hide in the woods to keep fron woi~king. Because hie mother was a ohild bear~.ng woman, ehe did not know the hard labors O! slavery, b~t had a small patch o~ cotton and a garden ne~r the house to care tor, All of the others worked hard said he but bad kind masters who fed thee well, ~

346 343

Slave Interview .~ . Page 2 Rachel k. Austin lEO ~ 343 Jacksonville, Floric~a . When asked if his mother were a christian, he replied why yes: indeed she. was, and believed in prayer; one day as she traveled from her patch home, just as he was about to le t the gap ( this iras a fence built to keep the hogs and. horses shut in) down, she knelt to pray and a 11g~ appe ... a . re.d before her and froni that time on she dicL not believe iii any ogyiem, but in God. . . if X canno t remember much now~ he says of what happened. in slavery, but after slavery we went back to the flame o~ Towne~ I know I got some whippings and. during the war ~ lay job was that of carrying the master s luggage. (i) After the war he went to Albany, Georgia and begarr working for himself, hau~.ing salt from Albany to Tallahassee, Florida; this salt was sold to the stores. His next job was that of sampling cotton, ~ Just before he was 30 years old he was married to Mary Julia Coats, who lived near Albany, Georgia. To thea were born the following children: Willie, George, Alexander, Henry Hills. man, Ella Louise, and twine~ Walter Luke and Mary Julia, who were name ci for the par ent a . . . He was converted to the ~.ptibt faitl2when hie first chIld was born; there were no churches, but services were held in the blackem~th shop on the corner o~ Jackson and, State 5treete. Later he bacame ~ member of Mount Zion Bapt~~ ~ Ohuroh

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~ Slave Interview . Page 3 344 Rachel Auatin . F~EC ~ . ~ Jacksonville, Florida A bany, Georgia, and. served there ~or 50 years as a deaoon, ~ R. remained In Georgia tintli 1899 when he moved to Tampa, YLorida and. tbere he operated a cafe. He joined Beulah Baptist Church and. aerved. ae deacon there until he sold. hie bu inese and carne to Jacksonville, 19 .?, to live witlihie youngest daughter, Mrs. Mary Houston, beo8uae he wastoo old to Operate a business. In Jacksonville h oonnected himself with the BethelBaptiat Churot, and while too old ~o serve as an aotive d~eaeon, he was placed on tlte honorary list because of his previoue . record of church service. ~. ~ ~ As a relic of pre..4reedom days, Mi~. Towns has a pieoe of paper money and a oiie-oent piece which he keeps securely looked in his trunk and allows no i~e to open the trunk; he keeps the key. ~ . Mr TOwns, who will celebrate hie bne hundred~. riret birthday, December 24, 1936, is not able to QOhe~ efltly relate incidents of the past; he hears but little and that with great difficulty, ~ : . He says he has hie second eyesight; he reads without the use of glasses; until very recently he has been very active in mind and. body, having registered in the Spring of 1936, signing hie own naine on the registration booke.He has almost all of his hair, which is thick, s~1very white and of artist length, He has most of his teeth, walks wi thout a oane except when painful; dresses himself without assistance, ~

348 345

~ ~ ~ ~ Slave Interview ~ . . . ~ Page 4 ~ ~ . Raohei Austin ~ . ~ . YEC ~ . 345 3aokeo~viUe, Florida ~ ~ ~ . . . ~ ~ ~ . Mr. Towns rieee at eix o olook each morning, oftin earlier. Malcee hie bec~(h haB never. allowed. anyone to make ~ hie bed :ror~hirn) and beoauee i~ is 8t111 dark has to lie aoroee the be~~ to await the breaking of day. Rie health le very good and. hiB appetite strong. ~ ~ ~. . ~ Upon the oocae~ou.: of hie one-huridred~th birthday, December 24, 1935, hie daughter Ire, Houston gave him a ohu d e ~ ty and invited one hundxed. gueet; one hundr ad. stockings we e made, ~illed~ with fruits, nuts and. candies andone given ea h gueat A h~ge oe.ke with one hundred candles ~ ad.orned~ the table and during the par ty . he out the cake Lt thi e patty, ~ he shoved ail the joys and. pleasures of a ohilth Rie other daughier Mrs. E;L ~ MoMillait, of New York City, and. eon, Mr. George/ Towne, for years an instruetor in LAt1~~a University, At anta, Georgia, wea preaent ~or the oooaeion. . . . Mr. To~na haa been noted during hie lif.td s for having a remarkable meaory and has many timee publioly deliverel orations from many of hakeap are e uorke Ri 8 memory began fail ing him in 1936. . ~ ~ He le very well ed~.toated~ and~ now epende moat of his time sitting on the porch reading the Bible. (a) ~

349 346

b ~ ~- b 0 7EDERAL 1!RITE~S~ PROJEC~ ; An~erican Guide,(Negro ~ritera Unit) Jackeonville, Florida :346 Rachel A. Austin Fie 4 Worker ~ Complete Slave Interview November 30, 1936 !~P~!~!~ - ~ ~ ~ ~ I. Luke Towne, 1225 West Eighth Street, Jaokeonville, F1orid~ 2 Mary Hous ton daught er of Luke Towns 1225 West Eight~i street J&okeonvil .e, ~1orida ~ r e.

Willis Williams. 350 347

J~l~4L WRIP~SS PROJ~OT ~rican GU.ide~ (Negro Writere Unit) ~ ~ Jacksonville, honda Viola B. M~ise 3 .aye Interview ILarch ~ 19~~7 Pie1~ Torker Co~~up1ete 2,466 tords ~ 9 pages Willis Williams of 1025 ~verson Street, Jacksonvii1e~ P1onid~ ~a~3 born at ~11ahassee, P1onid~a, Septe~ztber 15, 1856. ~e was the son of Ransom and Wi ~ ina Wi1Ua~s, i~io be1onged~ d~nin~ the period. o~f sL!~very to Thc~Ikas H~7ff~LH, a rich merchant of Tallahassee, Willis doe~ not kuow the naa~ea of his paternal grand.parents but r~o~mbers his maternal gran~mother was Rachel Pitzgiles, ~o casse ctoin to ~ristt the f~nily after the Civil War. Thoz~as Keyvard~ the ~naster owned, a plantation out in the cot~ntry from Ta .l~iiassee and. kept slaves out there; he also owned a fine hozue in the city as well as a large grocery store end~ prodace house. Willi2e mother, Wi1hemiXia~ was the cook at the town house and~ his faker Williams did carpentry and other 1 ight work arouid the place. Ke ~.oos not remember how hi s father learnel the trade, but pre~zi~ea that Mr . Eeyward~ put him ux~de r a white carpenter unt il be had learne&, The first he re~a~nbers of his father was that he d~ carpentry work. ~ At the t~x~ Willis was boni and. during his early life, even rich people like Mr. Eeyward~ did. not have cook sto ~re~. They kz~w nothing o~ stich, The only means of cooking was by fireplaces Which, as h~ re~nembers~ was wide with au iron rod~ across it, To the rod a 1~rge iron pot was suspent1e~i and~ in it oo~t was cooked~, An iron skillet with a lid. was w~ed.

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for baking and~ it also was ued. to cook meats and otI~ r food.. The cori~uon naxi~ for the ~itezis il was spi&ert arid e very hone had. one. Willis fared. well during the first nine years of his life which were spent in s lavery. To h~n it was t~e sane as freedom for he was not a victim of any unpleasant experiences as related. by some other ex~.e1ave~. ~e playe~i base bal . and. looked after his youn,~er brothers ai4 sister while his mother was in the kitchenS He ~s nsv~ flogged but received~ chastises. me:tt once fro~n the father of Mr. Heyward, That, he related~, was light aM not nez~r1y ao severe as many parents giYe their children today. Wilhemin~a, his mother, aM the cook, saw to it that her children were well fe&, Phey were feu riait frora the mastert ~ table, so to speak. They did~ not sit to the table with the nester and. his f~uily, but ate the same kind~ of food~ that was served~ them, ~ornbraad. was beketi in the Heyward~ kitchen but biscuits also were baked twice daily and the Ne~oea were allowed to eat aa many as they W1ehe~. The dishes were made of tin aM the drii~kThg vessels were mada from goures. !ew white people had china &iahsa and when they did possess them they were hi~ily prised~ and great care was taken of them. The few other slaves which ~. Keyw~rd kept arotmd~ the town houe tei4ed~ the ~ard~u ami the xna~y chickens, ~cks ana. geeee ou the place. The gard.en afford.ed~ all of the vegetables necessary for fed.in~ Uaate~ Eeyward, bi s family and~ slaves, He did. not object to the slaves eati~ chicken an& green ve4~tables and sent provisions of all kin~is from his store to boot, Althoi~t M~ . ~eyward. was weal thy there were maz~y thin~s he cot~ld ~ bi~ for Tallaliaaeee did. ~ot afford~ them. Willis r~a mbers that c~ 6~les were mostly ~aed~ for light. Kom.~de tallow wee ~2aid in i~a~ng thes~. Page 2

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Pads 3 The naoiilds, whioii were made of wood, were o tb~e correct size. Cotton string twisted right from the t~aw cotton was ci~t into iesired length and. placed. in the monlde first, then heated tallow ~as poured. in until they were filled. The tallow was allowed. to set and. cool, then they were re-b ~sd, ready for use, In those days coffee was very expensive and. a substitute for it was made from parched. corn. Plie whites used. it sa well as the slaves, Jilhis rei~zaber~ a man na~ned. Pierce who cured. cow hides, Es iaaed. to buy them and. one ti~ Willis ~inned. a cow an~ took the hide to him and sold. it. Sixty4ive and seventy years a~o everyone *sed, herses or ~lea and. they had to have shoes, The blacksmith wore leather aproua and the horses end. ~mlee wore leather collars, ~o wie knew ariythin~ about composition leather for n~king shoes so the tanning of hides was a lacra~ tive business, Clothing, d.lLring Civil ~ar days and. early Beconstraction, was si~,le as corz~pared to present d~y toga. Cloth wogen from homespun thread was the only kind ~e~oea had. Every house of &y note could. boast of a spi~n Ing i ~eel anti I oorn~ Cot ton, pi cketi by t~laves ~ was cleared of the seed and si~i.ii into thread and~ woven into cloth by them. It was co~mnon to know how to spin and. weave, Some of the cloth was dyed afte:rward.s with ~ e made from indigo and polk berries, Sorzie was used in its natural color, Cotton was the main prodact of i~st southern plantations and the owner usually clepend.ed. upon the inc~ne fro~n the sale of hi~ yearly crop to maintain his hais and ~p~p of his slaves and cattle, It was necessary for every fa~ to yield as ~ch ae possible and. nnch ener~ was directed toward ~owtng and. picking large crops, Althou~i hr. Heyward. was a stic~ ceasful merchant, he did not lose sight of the fact that his country property

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Pe~s4 y. ~ ~ ~ y could. yrield~ a bo~intifu1 s ~tpply of cotton: ~0~fl 5M tobacoo~ Around. the tow~. boiLse Mr. Eeyward. maintained. an at~spb~re of hcu~ life. He wanted. his fwnily and hie servants well cared. for aM spared no axpense in ~i~ig life bap~r. As Willis re~mbers the beds were wMs of Florida ~ sud. feathera, Boards were laid. across for slats and. the ma~ress placed. upon the boards. on top Of the moss mattre~8 a feather one was placed which mails sle~rping very coux~ortable, In sum~r the feather mattress was often removed., sunned., aired. and. replaced. in winte r, Goo se and. the d.owny feathers of c~hickans were saved. and stored. in L~~rge bais until enough were collected. for i mattress and~ it was consid.ered. a prize to possess one. Jvery family of note boasted. the ownership of a horse attd. bi~gg or severa~L of each. The kind. most popular thtring Jillis~ bo~iood. was the one~ seated affair with a shore wagon~iiks bed. in the rear of the seat, Sometimes two se8ts were iited, The seats were removable and could be use& for carrying ba~ge or other 11g~t wet~hts. The brott~iam, surrey and. landa~L lore u~ k:nown to Willis. 3efore the Civil ~ar and. nring the time the great struggle was ix~ full awing, women wore hoop skirts, very full, held. ottt with ~tal hoops, Pantaloons were worn beneath them and. aroi~.nd. the ankle ~ere they were gathered. very closely, a ruffle ed.ged with a narrow lace, finished. them off, Th~e waist was ti~it fitting baa~ and. sleeves Thi h could be worn long or to elbow, were very fall, Women also wore thoir haiz high i~.p on their heads with frills around the face, Jegro won~t~ ri~t after slavery, foil into imitating their forn~r mistres see and. many of them who were fortitnate enough ta get euployu~nt used. part of their eari~ings for at least one good. dress, It was usually ma4e of woolen a yard. wide, or silk.

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~~ ~ ~ QGv II )Loney has ~.ndargo~ a change as rapidly as some other commonplace early things. In 1illis /life, money valusd. at Lees than one dollar was made of pa~jer just as the dollar, five dollar or ten dollar bills were. There was a difference however in the parer repreeer~ting change and not as much care was taken in protecting it from being imitated.. The paper money used for change was called shin plasters and. mich of it flooded the southland. during Clvi . War days. Mr.Eeyward did. not enlist in the ai~ to help protect the so~uthts dause but his eldest son, Charlie, ent. ~is younger son was not old. enough to go. ~iliis stated that Mr. Heyward did. not go because he was in business and was needed at horns to look after it, It is not ICnQTnI whether Charlie was killed at war or not, but, Willis said. he did not return ho~ne at the close of ~r. When the news of freedom ca~ to Thoii~as Eeyward1 s town slaves it was brought by McCookts ~valry. Willis re~anbers the uniformE worn by the northerners was dark blue with brass buttons and the Confederates ore gray. After the cavalry reached Tallahassee, they separated into sections, each division taking a different part of the to~u. Negroes of the household. were called together and iere ixiforir~d of their freedom. It is re~embered by Willie that the slaves were jubilant but not boaetftil. Mr. Beyward. was dealt a h~cd blow dL~ring the war; his store was con~ fiscated and. used as a commissary by the northern ar~r~. When the war ended he was deprived of his slaves and a great portion of his former wealth vanished. with their going. The loss of his wealth and. slaves d.id. not bttter Mr. Hayward.; to the contrar7~ he was as kindhearted as in days past. UCC0OkVE; Cavalr7 did not ren~in in ~allahaaeee very long and. ias

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Page 6 _j, J(~l re~place~ by a colored. oozizpany; the 99th Infa~itry. Their dnty was to ~iaix~ tain order with1x~ the to~. An orche tra was with the outfit and. Juli. r ~embers that t~ie~ were vei~ good i~teicians. .L Ie~o ~io had. been the slave of a ~n of Tallahassee was a mezr~ber of the orchestra, Eis n~e was Singleton and his for~r master invited. the orchestra to co~ to his house a~ play f~ the faWi ~. The Negroes were gLad to reflder service, weat, ath after that entertained. maiy white families tri their h~s. The southerz~ soldiers who reftrned~ after the ~ar a~peared to receive their iefeat a~ ~o~1 ~aports~ anin t as ~ch friction between the races exiate1 ~ ~ b imagine& The ez~slave, while he was gla~1 to be free, wanted to be sheltered~ tinder the singe~ of his for~r master aM mistress. In most cases they were hired. by their former omen aM peace rei~ned~ arouth the ho~ or plax~tat ic~i This wat tru~e of Tallahassee, if riot of other sections of the south. Soon after the smoke of the cannons had died. ~ and people began thiiikiu~ of the futt~re, the Negroes turned their thougjits toward educatioit. They graspe4 every o~ortwiity to learn to ree4 aM write. Schools were fostered by northern white capitali8ts aM white women were sent into the south1and~ to teach the colored boys an& girls to reM, write aM f i~ire, M~ Negro who ~ad ~been fortunate snou~i to gain soue knowledge during slab very could. get a position as school teacher. As a result many poorly pre~ pared persons entered. the school Soom as tutor. Tilliam Williams, 1j11j8g father, foimd woxk at the old. Plox ida Oentral aM Peninsular Bai1road~ yard.s aM iorked for many years there, Ke sent him childrsu to school and Ji11i~ advanced~ rapid.ly, Dariii~ slavery Negroes attethecl che~c~i, sat in the balcony, aM very ofte~i log churches were built for them, Ueetin~s ~re held. under

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Pa~s7 353 bush harbors. After the war frage and log cimrehes served. them as places of worship. These buildings were erected. by whites ~ao caz~ into the south.. land to help the sx~elaye~ Negro ii~n who claimed. God had called. thei~ to preach served. as ministers of most o~ the Negro churches bu.t often white preachers visited the~ia and. instiiicted~ them concerning the 3~ble and. what God. wanted them to do. Services were conth~cted. three tises a day on $i~ da~y, niornin~ at eleven, in afternoon about three and. at ni~t at ei~t o5clock. The manner of worship ~was ve~ y much n keeping with present da y mod~es Preachers appealed. to the emotions of the ~flock1 and. the con~ e~ gation responded with ~aZ~UB, 5hallelu.te., ~ clapping of hand.s, shouting eM screa~iing. Willis remarked. to oi~e white man during his early life, that he wondered why the people 7elleU so lo~y and. the man replied that in fifty years henc the Ie~oes would be educated, ki~ow better and. would. not dx~ that. Es Thxther replie% that fifty years ago the hite people screemed. aM shouted that way. Willis wond.ere now when he sees both ibite and. colored. people re pend.ing to preaching in uu~ch the sa~ way as in his early life if edncat on has mate i~c~i differe~oe in msz~y cases. MD.ch ~L1pez sUtion ax4 ignorance existed. an~ng the Negroes daring elavezy and. early recons tru.ction Some wore bags of m~l~hur saying they would keep aw~y disease Saine wore bags of salt and. charcoal believing that evil si,irits would be kept a~ from them. Others wore a silver coin in their shoes and. some macle holes lu the eoin~ thread.ecl a string thrOugh it, attached it to the az~kle so that no one could. conjare them. Sonic who thought an e~i~ *I~ht sprirkie goofer dUSts ~ their doo~ steps s~spt very clean around the d.oor step in the evening and ailowed. no one to COE~3 in afterward.e, . The Negro i~n who spent zmwb tii~ around tbe 1~anx~tea daring

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Pa~.8 4 ~ )~ ~3~:i slavery learned mu.c~h about herba and root s and. how they were used to care all manner of iliB. The doctor g~e pre.cticetly the sane kind. of medicine for most aili nts. The white doctors at that tii~ had not been schooled to a great extent and. carried medicine bade arotuid. to the sick room WhiCh contamed pille and. a very few other kinds of z~edicines which they had. made froiii herbs and rooti~ Some of them are used to day b~t Willis said ~aost of their n~dicine~ wets pills, Ten years &fter the Civil War Willis Williams had advanced in his studies to the extent that he pas8ed the govertniexit o~aminat~on and. became a railwe~r mail cle&. Be ran froia ~llahassee to Palatka ai~3. River Junction on the honda Central and Peninsi~lar Railrowi.. There was no other railroad going into Tallahassee then. The first Ne~ o railway mail clerk accorting to Willis ~ knowLed~s ranning from Tallahassee to Jac~sonvil1e, was 3enjemin IP. C~. The first colored mail clerk in the Jacksonville Post Office was O&zp ~ ~ wae sent to prison for rifling the mail, Willis Myers suc edet 3tghes and Tillis ViUia~a micceeded. Myers. Willis received a telegram to come to Jacksonville to take Myet place and. when he came s2~pected to stay three or forn days, bUt, after getting here was retained pen~anently and remained in the seri ice until hie ret irez~nt. His first run from Tallahassee to Palatk~ and River J~ction bean in 1875 and. lasted until 1879. In 1879 he was called to Jacksonville to succeed M~er3 e~d when he retired forty years later, had filled the position creditably~ therefore was retired ~n a pension ihich he will receive until his death, Willis tilii~s in in good health, attends Ibenezer Methodist Zpisco~al IUrCh of ihich he is a ~ber. ~e ~os see sea all of his facalties and is able to carry on an intolli~e31t conversation on his fifty ~ eare in . . . ~ . ~ . ~ ... . ~ .~ ..~ I: . :

Claude Augusta Wilson. 358 355

9 0008 ~ ~ ~ ~ flDEEAX~ ~I~RS~ PROJECT ~ ~ Jae.~iCan G~@de, (Negro W~riters Unit) . . ~ ~ i ~ . Lake ~ City, ~ Floiid&. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~. . S Ja ee Johneon Slave Interview S Tt~1~d~ Worker . S S I~o~ember 6, 1936 5 5 5 Complete ~ - ~ ~ ~ worcia . S 8: Pagea . S ~ i5 ~Er..rni~t;L~orL . S ~ In 1857 on the plantation of Tom Dezte~ in Lake ~ . S ~ ~ ~ City, ~Oo1tmibia County, F1~rida, was born a Negro, C1a*~d~e I A~gusta illeon, o~ slave parenti. Hie aster Tom Dexter iiae very kind. to hie elavei, and was eaid to have been a Taritee. Hie wife lary Ann Dexter, a eoutherner~wae taie direct oppoette, ehe5 iae very mean., Claude ae eight ysare old vhx~ Eman ipation S ~. ~ . ciao. ~ s ~ ~ ~ ~ S ~ ~ . S ~ The Dexter p1at~tation was ~ui4e a large place, eoverkg t 100 ox ~toz e acres. There were about 100 s3*vee, including c~il~r~. They had regular one rool quarters built of loge Ilijob ias quite in~ ignifieant in ccmpar~eon Wttb the palatial Dexter maneion. The ~ ~ ~ ~ : slaves iould arise early eacI~ aorning, bei~g awakenet by a dri~v ~ ers. who waa a white aan, and b~ sun.up ~ould be at their re8pect~ve \ S taska in the fielcia. &1l day. they worked,~t.pping M noon to get ~ ; a bits 1o eat,which they carried on the fte~da fro~ ~ S ~ S S ~ At ~ mii~-d*wn $hey iculd: qflj~S work5 and .retuxn t* $S11 ~X oabiaa, prepare their meals and go.~ip cOin S ly x~stiri~g to await the dawn of 55~

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~. ~ ~ ?~ ~ ~ d~1 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -~f~( ~ ?1 ~jave tnt ~ryie~ . . Paie S 3 ~ 6 3&aes Johnson ~ ~ . FEC Lake Citi, Florida . . ~ ~ ~ ~ $o their routine duties. Lt Sundays they would gather at a ~ ~oor1y constructed fraaie building which iaa kuo~n as the ~Meeting su., In thi e bailing they wo~i1d give prai se and tbanks to their God. T~i~ rest o~ the day was spent in relaxation as this Was the only day . of the we ek in which they were not toroed to work. . - . ~ CIMLda Augusta worked in tus fielda, hi. aother : and sister worked in the Dexter aansion. Their duties . were ~ general hotise wo:rk, ~ook1rig and ~ewing. His mother wat very reb~1liou. toward, her duties and constantly harraeae~ the Mi.sui ~ let.ting her work in the fte~de with her husband until finally ehe was I permitted~ to iiake th e~ange fron the ~ house to the fields to be near her ~. . ~ The miesue taught C~.aude e sister to sew and to the present day most of ber female dae endants have sOue ability in dzees aaking~ . ~ . . . he ~aneion wa8 furnished With the latest furniture of the tiMe, but the elave quartera ha~i only the oheepset and barset neGeseities. HiS mother had no stove but cooked inthe :tire plaos using a ekjllet and epider( ill t, a ~iallaetal veesel with handle need for cooking; spider, a~ kind of fryix~g pan), Wineton .s Siaplified Di tionary, 1924. The cooking vas not done dir.ofli on the ooa~l. in ~he fire place but plaod on the hearth aM bot . ~ 3, ~ ~ ~

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f Slave !nterview . Page ~ 3 5 Q r James ~ Johnson S S . J E0 ~ Lake Otty, Florida . S coals ~puUed aroux~d them, more coals being pulleci about until the food was cooked as desired. Corn broad, beans, iweet potabou (irisb potatoes being ~known) and collard greens wer the prin~ ~ cipal :f~ ode eater~, Corn bread iae made as ~ it is today, only cook ed differenlly, The corn seal after bciug ~iixed rae. wrapped in tannion leaves (elephant ears) and placed in hot coals, The leaves wo1~4d paroh to a crisp and when the ~ bread was removed it was a ~ beautiful brown and. imburned. Sweet potatoes w re ~ roasted in the hot coals Corn was oft en roast ed ii~ the ahuoka There was a sub etitute for coffee that afforded a etrikizig axi in taste . The husks or the graine of corn were parched, hot water was then poured ~ ~ the result was a pleasant liquid aubsfltut for coffee. The!e la ariother b3~ead used. asa desert, known as potato bread., made by b tiing potatoes until done, ~sn mashing, adding grease and. aeal, this was baked and then it was rea4y to darvs. For light., oand~ee were made of taIlow~ which was poured into mouLd when hot, A oord~ was un tbxoiigh the center of the candle impression in the i~ou1d in which the tallow was poured.~ when this co ied the candle with cord was ail ready for lighting, S The only means of obtaining water wa from an open well, No ice was teed, The iiret toe that au4. ever saw in its regulax fora ~.e in after E~anoipati.on. This ice was naturally frozen and shipped from the north to be . ld. lt was called Lak:. l e. ~ S ~ S .5

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j. . ~ . ~ ~ Slave Xntsri~ie~ ~ ~P9go . . 358 .J.ae. Johnson . p~z ~. La~e City, Florida ~ . ~ ~ ~ Tar3ning and~ o ring pig an~ cow hides ~ae done,, . b~t ~ ~. Claude never eat the procese parforme4 d~wing e1a~ery. C~audt had no epe ial d~utiee on the p1antet~on on~:acoount et hie youth, After ooti;on was picked. f~ om the fields the seeds were picked out by iand~, the cotton wae then carda4 fo~ *~irther uee4 The cotton eeet wae used ae fertilizer. In ~baUng cotton burlap bage were used on the ~ba1ee, The eoap used was made froiu a~aking hiokor~ or oak woo~I and b~rn1ng it to aehee~ The a ea were placed in a tub e1nd water poured ovem them. T1iia wae le!t to B,t~ After aet ting for a certain tize the water from the ashes waa pour$ into a pot oonta1inirig grease. This waa boiled. for a certain tiae an& the~ left to oool, The ~eeu1t wae a pot mil of eoft mibetanoe varying in. color from white to yellow, this wae oa11ed~ lye soap. This wae then cut in~to:bare ae &eeixed Thr use. ~ . . ~ Tor dyeing thread~ and. cloth, red. oak bark, eweet gum bark and. eho make roota were boi1ed~ in water, The sash tube were 1ai~ge wooden tuba having one bandle With holes in it ~Oa the ~1nge:e. Ohioken and goose teatheri weie always carefully sa~et ~ to make feathei ~at~esaea. Claude rea~eabers when iomen vOrs hoop kirt.i Re wae about 20 yeare of age when narrow ekirta biceEie faahionable for women. During e1a~ery the faaily only used slats on the beds, it was after the war that he saw hie first eprtng bed, and at ~that tine the first buggy. Thte buggy vas dri~ by ~ s

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Slave Interview Page 5 ~ James Johnson FEC ~ 359. Lake City, Florida ex~governor Reid of Florida who then lived in South Jackson . ville. It was a four~wheeled affair drawn by a horse and looked sensible and natural as a vehicle, ~ ~ \ The paper money in circulation waa called shin plasters. Claude s uncle, Mark Clark joinedL the Northern Army . Hi s master did not gc~ to war but remained on the planta . ti.on, One day at noon during the war the ginhouse was seen to be afire, one o~ the slaves rushed in and found tbe master badly burned and. writhing in pain. ~e was taken from the building and given first aid, but his body being burned in oil and so badly burned it burst open, thus ended the life o~ the kindly master of Claude.~ The soldiers of the outheru Army wore gray uniforme with gray cape and the s~oldiers of the ~orthern Army wore blue. After the war euch medicines as castor oil, rhubarb, d~lomel and blue mass and salts were generally used. The Civil War raged for some time arid the slaves on Dexter s plantation prayed for victory of the Northern Army, though they dared not show their anxiety to Mary Ann Dexter who was master and mistress since the mast e Olaude and hi s family remained with the Dextere until peace was declared. Ire. Dexter informed the slaves thay they could stay with her if they Bc de sired and. that ehe iould furnish everything to cultivate the

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S~aye Interview ~ \ Page 6 Ja~iea Johnson . ~ FEC 360 Lake City, Florida . \ ODOpe and that she urould give them half. of what ia8 raieed. None o~ the ~lavee reaaix~ed but all were anxious to eec what ireedom was like. ~ . ~ Claude reoalle that a ~ix~iie teas drove up to the h uBe dxiveu by a colored Union eoldler, He helped move the hoi~aehoI.d furniture from thir cabin into the wsgon. The family then got in ~ some in the seat wi th the drivers a~ othere in back of the wagon with the furniture. When the driv r pulled off he eaid to Clau4s e mother who iae sit ting on the seat Wi th hi*~~ Doazi you know you i. free now? !eh Sir, she anewered, I been praying for die a long time. Come on d~n lee go. he anawered, and. drove off. They passed through Oluetee, then Sandereon, Maoolenny and~ finally Baldwin. It was,raining and they were about 20 n~ilea from the ir destination Jacksonville, but they drove on.. They reached Jackeonville and were taken to a houee that BtOOd. on Liberty Street, near A~LamS. tihite people had. been living there but had. left before the Northern advar~os. there they unloaded and were told. that this would be their new home. The tom waa full of oolor ed soldiere all armed. Iith mueketa. NOms and drums .oould~ be heard beating and blowix~g every morning and evening. The ~ colored ao idier a appeared to rule the toi~n. More elavee were brought in and there they were given food by the Governmertt which ooneistd of hard tack (bread~ reddieh in appearanos ax4 sxtr~elyhar& ~hioh bAd to be eo&ked in atsr before atiag. ) The meat was known es BaIt box.,.

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S1a~e Intorview . ~ ~ ~ . ~ I Jsaei $Ohfl$o* . ~ ~ . - . ni, Lake City, florida . . . Taie looked an& taetsd~ 3omewhat like oorne~ beef. After being . in Jacksonviili ~ short while C1M.It began to peddi.e ginger bread. and applee in a little basket, selling moat 0f hi e iare to the colored eoldiers . Hi B father got employment . with a. ra~1road company iii Jaokeonvtlle, known se the Florida Cent~a1 Ra~ay and recelved. 99# a day, whioh W8B oonaidsred vert good~ pay . !ia mother got a job with a family as houSe woman at s salary of ~ eight ~ . dollars a month. They were t ma oonsid~red~ getting along tiM, They remained in the hottee where the Goverrzent placed theai for about a year, then his father bought a piece of land in tain and \ built a houBe of straight boards There they r esided imtil his death, ~ ~ - By this time many of the white people began t return to their ho~ea which had been abando~sd and~ in which slaves found ahelter. In many instances thewhit s ha~ to mike monetary or other conseesione in order to get their homea back. It ias said. that oolored people had taken poeeAeaioxL of one of thelarge white o1~Urches of the day, looate4 on aogan street, bItween Ashley and~ Church Streets, Claud.e relates t~Ia~ all this was when Jackeonvllls was a mere village, ~h 00w and hog pens ~n what isa oiieidared as dovn ~ town. ~h prir~oipa1 str,.t~. were: Pin.(now lain), Narket and~ Toreyth. The lee irig stores ~ were iflson . and clark. i. T~~ aS storsi. handled groceries, dry gOO4~S and whisky.~

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Slave Intervi.~ . ~ Page . 8 Jaae Job~taon ~ ~ J EC . 362 Lake Oit~ florida - . ~ a means ~ traaep rtatiozi two whee1ed~ draya were uSed, au4~ or ~ oar s ~ vhioh was to . come into uss ~-~1&~ later were not operating at that time, To cross the Saint Johns River ou had to go in a row boat whioh was ~the ~ only ferry az4 vas operated by the exgovernox ~ Reid of Florida, It docked on the north aide o~ the river at the foot o~ Ocean Street, and on the . south aide at the Zo t of old Kitigs Road. It ran between these two pointa ~ carrying passengers ~ to and. fr0. . . The 1eadi~ng white Zamilhe. livUg in Jaokeonville at tiriat time were the Rartridges, ~ostwioks, Doggetta, Bayele and L Efl~1eB. . . . Claude Augtiata Wilson, a aan along in years has lt red to see many changes take ~p1ace among his . people since The D~noipation which he ja proud of. A peaceful o1d~ ger~t .eman he is, atiU alert mentaUy and physically despite hie 79 years. Hie youthZ~I appearance bellei his age. f

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~. ~ ~ ~ :~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . . . . . . . ~ ~ .~ .. ~ ~ ~ ~ .. flDErn PiRI~1~R8 ffiOJ!CT . Amer ioen Guide, ( ~Tegro wzi ter e Unit) ~ lAke City, florida Jaizies JO~fl~0~ 7ield Worker O ziiplet~ ~ Slave Interview NOve~iber 6, 1936 I. Perao~ai intervj~ with Claude Augusta. Wilson, Sunbea3l, Flor1~ia. :~ ~ ~. : ~. ~

Dade County, Florida ex-slave. 371 368

5 It was this way: The ~ee1ei Boys were Conf ederates. They came down the road could be, a -slngin : t Hirraht Hur raht Thirraht I I~irrah for the Broke Brook 19s. Th.irraht Hurraht HUrraIit . airrab fr the Broke Brook boys of South So of course, wr thought they were our soldiers singin ~iTefl, they came and toi our boss that the Yankees were we had better hide our Lood ax~ valuable things for they d take they wanted. -~ as happy as our songs. coming and everything So they holped our ~ssy hide the things . They dug holes . and burled . the potatoes and covered them over with cotten seed. Then our Massy gave . them food for their kindness and set out with two of the girls to take them to a place of safety, and before he could come back for the Missue IBE YANKEES T~E DPON US t . But before they got there, our Missus had called us together and told us what to sa~ You can save our lives. If they ask you if we them, YES t Now you beg for ust are good to you, you tell If they ask you, if we give youx~meat, you tell them YEs t Now the rest didn t house, so I did nt tell a 4- I, .LI.1. get any meat, but I did cause I worked In the lie, for I did get m~t, but the rest didn t get r 368

372 369

. ~ ~ : ~ ~ G 369: ~ saw the. Yankees coming. They never itopped for nothing. Their horses would jui~ip the woim rail fences aixi theytd come right across the fiePs an everything. ~ They caine to the house first a~ boundour Missus up stairs so she oouldn t get away, then they oan~ out. to the sheds ar~1 asked us ail kind of questions. we begged for OUT ~1SSUS and we say: Qir I~i1ssus is good. Don t kil hert tI~nt take our meat away fromust . t nt hurt our rissust . Dont burn the house downt ~e begged so hard that they unloosened her, but they took some of the others for refugees and. some of the slaves volunteered ar~ went off with them. They took potatoes and all the hams theywanted, but they left our fils sus ~ C aus e ~ save her life . . ~ ~The Uncle what I libb ed wi th, ~ he was awful fu.ll of all kinds of devilment. He stole sweet taters out of the bank. He oalled them~. t~ot~ 1~Ot ~ and sometimes he called them blow horts . You know they would blow up big and fat when they were roasted 1n the ashes. My uncle, he liked those blow hort~ mi~,hty well, and one day, when he had some baked in the fire~1ace, OLe MassY Hoover, he canas along and peeked in through the hold in de chirnley wall, where the stones didn t fit too good. . ~ ~

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Oh, my sakest ~ uncle, he say, ~ ~ ~ ~ amt ready yet. I amt ready~~~~ to meet you I don t want to die ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ ~ ~ * ~ .. . . ~ ~ ~ .. ~ ~ . ~ .. .: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ . ~ 370 7 He stood there and peeked In an saw n~ uncle eatin t rv.~se blow harts. He had a big long one $hakifl the ashes oft on it. H~e was blowing it to cool it off s~ he could eat it and he was a~sayin t Um . does blowborts is mighty good catin . Then Massy, he come in Wi d his big whip ~ and caught him and t led hirn to a tre e a~ paddled him until he blistered ard then washed his sore back with strong salt water. You know they used to use salt Lor aB. kinds of sores, but it sho did smart. . ~r aunt, she was an Indian ~man. She did nt want my uncle to steal, but he was just full of all kind of devilment. ~55~T liked him, but one day he played a trick on him. ~r Uncle took sick, he was so sick that when my Massy cerne to se e him, he aeked him to pray t hat he should die . So Mas sy Hoover he went home and wrapped himself up in a big long sheet and rapped on the door real hard. Uncle, he say, who s out there? What you want? . !~ssy, he change his voice and say, I ar~ Death. I hear that you want to die, a I ve come after ~r soul.. Corn with met Get ready. ~xztt~k I ein in a hux ryt

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e 371 ~y }Ais$us whipped n:~ once, but not so very hard. I was wider Her daughter, Miss Molli e. She liked me and always cailed me Tinker . ~1en she heard me oryin~ ar~1 soin on, she csiled : Tinker, come here. ~Vhat s the itatter? Did you Missus whip you? ~ Then my Missus said, Tinker was a bad ~ir1, I told her to sweep the yard and she went orf and hid all day. kbllie, she took me up in her arias and said, They raustin t whip Tinker; she s my little girl. . If it hadn~t been for L~iss ~llie, I don t know where Pd be now. I married ri ght ai~ter freedom. 1~r hu sband, iilexarder Boynton and I stayed right on the plantation and farmed on the shares . V~E had planty of children, ~ .18 in aU. -j three sets of twins. They all grew up, except the twins, they didn t any of them ~et old enough to ~et married, but all the rest lived and raised children. They are all scattered around, but my youngest son is only 38 years old. I have grand~children.~ 40 years old. I don t know just how many, but I have 20 grand children and I have three generations of gran&-children. Yes, my granth children, soite of the, have grand~children. That niekes five generations. I tell them that I sin a gitzy, gitzy grand.~nx~ther. ~I live ri ht here with my dau~,hter. She s my baby girl. It* not very strong anyiriore, but I have a big time telling stories tomy great~ ~rand~chi1d ~en and ~eat~great~rand children .

Miami's ex-slaves. 377 374

MtA1~I S FIX.. SLAVES ~ There Is a unique or~aAizatioA in the colored population of Miami known as the ~Ex Slave Club. This club no~ olainis twenty-five members, all over 88 years of age and all of whom weresla.ves in this oountry prior to the Civil War. The members of this interesting group are shown iii the aooompanyin~ photograph. The stories of their lives as given verbatim by these aced men and women are recorded in the following stories: MN~ TRIP: My name s Annie Trip. How my name s Trip, I married a Trip, but I was borned in Georgia in the country not so very far from Thomas.. ville. Pm sure you must ha heard of Thoxnas rille, Georgia. Well, that s where I was borr~ed, on Captain Hamliri s plantation. ~Captain FIa.rnlin, he was a greatest lawyer. Henry Hamlin, you know he was the greatest lawyer what ever was, so dey tel . me. You see I was small. My niother and father and four brothers all lived there together. Some of the rest were too small to remember rnuoh, but dey wuz all borned dare just de sarney. Wish I wuz dare right now. I had plenty of food then. I didn t need to bother about money. Didn t have none. Didn t have rio debts to pay, no bother not like now. Now I have rheumatism arid everything, ~t no money. Didn t need any money on Captain Hainlln s plantation. And Annie walked away oomplainin~ about rheunatism and no money, eto. before her exaot a~e and address oould be ob~ tal ned. ~ JAillie Sampson, l82~(. 14th St. Miami, florida, was born in Manning, S. C. only three years ~bfo Peaoe . W12355 DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, FOLKLOR2

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I My mother and father were bcr~i on the saine plantation and I di n t have nothin to do sept play with the white ~hi1dren and have plenty to eat. My mother and father were field han s. I learned to talk from the white ohiidren. ~4Ij~IE ~AIA.:~ Annie Gall, 1661 ~W 6th Court, Miami, Florida, was four years oLd when ~peaee oarne.* nI was borned on Faggott s plaoe near Greenville, Alabama. My mother, she worked for Faggott. He wuz her bossnian. ~en she d ~o out to de fiel s, I rnern.. b r I used to watch her, for somehow I wuz feared she would get away from me. ~Now I member dat jes ez good as twas yesterday. I didn t do aiythlng. I just runried round. - ~~Ve just 1stayed on after de L~anoipat~on . My mOther, she was hired theii. I ~ue~s I wuzn t fraid ob her leaviri after dat. JES~IEROWELL: Jessie Rowell, 331 W~il9th St., Miami, Florida was bora in Mississippi, between Fossburg and Heide1ber~, on the Gaddis plantation. My grandmother worked in be house but my mother worked in ihe field hoe Ing or picking cotton or whatever there was to do. I was too little to work. leA:Ll that I c~n~ member is, that I was j~St a little tot running round, arid I would always watch for my mother to oome home. I was always glad to see her, for the day was long and I knew she d cook something for me to eat. I oan member dat es good as twas yestiday. Ne stayed on after freedom. Mother was give wages then, but I don t know how much. Lr_JiiI~ Margaret ~ hite, 6606 18th Ave., Liberty City, Miami, Florida is one of those happy creatures who doesn t look as if she ever had a

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~3 oare in the wor~4, She speaks ~oodEn~1i~h: 1 am now 84 ~ old, for I i~ as 13 whan the Emarloipatlon Proolamatlon was ruade. It didia t m~i~ioh difference to nie, I had a good homeend was treated very nicely. My ma.ster was John Eokels. He owned a large frt~it place near F~dera1, ~My father was a tailor and mad~e the clothes for his master and his servants. I was never sold. ~ M~ rnasterjust kept me. They liked me and wouldn t let me be sold. He never whipped me, for ~ was a slave, you know, and I had to do just as I was told. tu woriced around the house do1n~ maid s work. I also helped to oare for the children in the home.~ ~ Prisoilla Mitohell, 1614 NW 5th Ave., was born in Macon County, Alabama, March 17, 1858. Y see, ah wuz oney 7 years old when ah wuz niancipated. I can meniber pickin cotton, but I didn t work so hard, ah wuz too young. II wuz my Massy s pet. No, no he wouldn t beat me. ~enever ah s bad or did little things that my mother didn t want me to do and she d go to whip nie, all I needed to do was to run to ta~T Massy and he d take me up and not Let my mother git rne.~ This is a sample of the atti:ude that very many have toward their masters.

380 377

N ~E~J~CAY: Fannie 1~oCay, 1720 NV~1 3rd Court, Miami, Florida was born on a plantation while her father and mother w re slaves; she claims her age is 73 years which would rna~ze her too young to remember mancipati on but nevertheless she w~ slave property of her masteru~d could h~ive been sold or given away ev n at that tender ace. Her parents, too, stayed on quite a while after the rnan~ cipE~tion . Being one of those who didn t have too much time to talk too muoh, her inaiA statement was: Bout ail hi ken member is dat hi hused go hout wid de old folks when cloy went out to pick cotton. Hi used to pick a little along. ni had plenty to eat and when we went away, my Massy had a little oalf that I like~i so well. I begged my ~assy to give it to me, but he never gave me none. ~A~TIET~O)~A$: Hattie Thomas was six years old when peace was deolared. $he was borned near Custer, Ga. on Bob Morris plantation. At the tender age of five, she oan remeniber of helping to care for the other ohildren,~some of WhO:I were her ov;~i brothers aril children, for her mother kept her eight ~ohildren -~~~ith her. \ Bob ~Aorris plantati~n being a large one, the problem of feeding all t~e slaves and their children was, in itself, a large one. Hattie can well remember of towing the milk to the lon, wooden troughs for the children. Her mother and the other servants would throw bread crusts and oorn breads into the niilk troughs and when they would become well. soaked, all the little slave-ohildren would line up with their spoons.

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5 So it happened that the ones who could eat the fastest would be the ones who WOUld get the fattest. - ~~Ve hac~ a good plenty to eat and it didn t make much dlfferenoe how it was served. ~1e got it justthe saine and didn t know a~.y better. ge stayed o~i after de rncrnelpation an ah wants t1 tell y ah worked ha~rd in dose da~r~. Of oourse, ah worked har~e~t after Peace wuz declared. ~ t I wuz on dat ~laiitation when there wuz ~io matohes Yes d~tt wuz befo matohe~ vjuz made ~tn many~.a time ah sta~ted fire In de open fire place by 1c~ookin tv~o stones togeth6r until I d sen sparics into a wad o 3otton until it took fire. ~Now, mind y this was ca Bob Morrison s plantation between Custard and Cotton Hill, Ga. We had no made brooms; we just bound broom oorii tops together and used. thent for brooms and brushes. We didn t have no stoves either. We just cooked in a high p~t on a rack. I done all dat. ~A1i haint had rio husband for 33 years, but ah raised t~o sets o ohilluns, nine in all and ho~ ah has 25 grandohildre!A and I don t know how many great gran ehilhin. ~4~ID LE~ i~vid Lee, 1006 } H ist Court, LLiarni, Fia. is proud of his inissus and the training he received on the plantation. Ah can t tell y ~aok1y mah a~e, b~it ah knows dat when Freedo:n was declared, ah ~ bi~ nough ter drive a havis ant buggy , for ah had nice folks. Ah could tell u ri~ht sraar~ bo ~it urn. Ah libbed near Cusp~r, Ga. on Barefi.eld s fahni. Dare daughter, hiss Ann Barefield, she taucht a school fe~miles away, round pas the Post Hoffice. Ah s poseri ah mus bee~ 9 or 10 years hold, for ah oarried ~Jiss Ann backwards and forwards t school hev ry r~a:nin1 and der~ in the hevenin , ah d stop round fer

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$~: 43l?~9 de j~ai1s when ah d ~o fer to carry her home. Miss Ann, she used ter ~ibme money, but hi didi~ t know what t do wid hit. Ah had all de clothes ah cou ~d weab and all ah could eat and didii t need playthings, to~ld~ t read much, and didn t know where to buy any books. Ah had bit good. ~Then peace wuz signed, dey gib me lots of Confedera:e bills to play with. ~Ah had ten dollah bills and lots o twenty~dollah bil1~, good bills, but y know de~z wi~zn t wuth nothin . Ah have a twenty.-dollah bill rotm sorn ers, if hi could evah fin hit. ;: AYes, ail had hit good. M~ mothah, she sta~yed on de plantation, too. She did de ohurnin and she run de loom. She wuz a ~ od weaver. Ah used ter . hoip 1~ter rur~ de loom. fl~e stayed on a while after Freedom and den our Massy he civ my mothah a cow and calf along wid otter ~reserits an he carried us back to my father an we had a little heine. tI~1 loved mah Missus just as good as ah did my own mothab. She whipped me a few tirne~s but then de ~hippins wuz iionlyx~ps on de head wid her thirm~ble. ~th spose ah needed hit, for ah did like sugah ~ (Growth; more confidential he ex~1ained); ITNOW, ah ~.vould~ t steal nothin else, butuh~ ah, ~uh~ah did like su~ah1 Missu~, she had a big barrel ob lumpy su~h in de pantry. De doo wuz ~inner1j locked, but sometimes when hit wuz hoperi, ah d ~o in an take a han fu . ~Ah membah once, ah crawled in tru de winder and inah Missus she s pioionated ah wuz in dare eatth sugab, so she oalled, Dav id, you ans er me, you all s in - - - ~ .~ p ~ ~ _ _~ ~ - - -