%images;]> mesn-044 Slave narratives, a folk history of slavery in the United States from interviews with former slaves. Georgia Narratives, Volume IV, Part 4: a machine-readable transcription. Born In Slavery: Ex-Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Projectmesn Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress.

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 2000/05/26
Untitled Section 001

United States SLAVE NARRATIVES A Folk History of Slavery in the FTom Interviews with Former Slaves TYPEWRITTEN RECORDS PREPARED BY THE FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT I 1936 1938 ASSEMBLED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PROJECT WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SPONSORED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Illustrated with Photographs WASHINGTON 1941

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VOLUME IV OEEORGIA NARRATIVES PART 4 Prepared by the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of Georgia

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INFORMANTS Telfair, Georgia Thomas, Cordelia Thonias, Ike Toorabs, 3ane Mickens Town, Phil Upson, Neal Van Hook, Tohn F. Vinson, Addle Virgel, Eriiraa Walton, Rhodus 1 Ward, Williani 11 Washington, Lula 25 Wilibanks, Green 29 Williamson, Eliza 37 Willingham, Frances Willis, Adeline 48 Willis, Uncle Winfield, Cornelia Woxuble, George Wright, Henry 128,132 134 136 148 151 16 . 168 176 179 194 71 97 115 205 123 Young, Dink Walton COMBINED INTERVIEWS Adeline Eugene Mary Rachel Laura Matilda Easter Carrie Mal inda Arnel I a Ellen Campbell Rachel Sullivan Eugene Wesley Smith Willis Bennef leid Eriimaline Heard Rosa and 3asper Millegan Camilia Jackson Anna Grant Emmaline Heard Folklore Conjuration Folk Remedies and Superstitions Mistreatment of Slaves Slavery Work, Play, Food, Clothing, Marriage, etc. 221 226 230 235 245 251 254 255 256 212 213 215 216 216 217 218 219 219 220 COMPILATIONS 261 269 282 290 308 355

Plantation life as viewed by an ex-slave. 004 001

:~ Et ~1 .()0129 PIANT~TION LIFE AS VIEWED BY AN EX-SLAVZ GEORGIA TELFAI~ R.P.D. # 2 Athens, Ga. Written by: ~di ted: Mi s s Grace Mc Cune Athen~, Ga. Mes. Sax~ah H. Hall Athens, Ga. r and Mrs. Lei .a kiarris Augusta, Ga. I

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2.. I { )O129 ~a9~GIA T~LFAXR x-Siaie, ge ~4 ~ Boxl3l,R.Y.D.#2 Athens, Geor~ja Yes chile, I. lI be glad. to tell you de story of my life I can t tell you much bout slav ry cause I wuz j six months old when freedom come, but I iia~h~ared q,uite a lot, and. I will tell you all I kin xuember bout everythuxi. Said. o ,d Aunt Georgia Telfair, who live$. with her son to whom her devotion is quite evident. Both Aunt Georgia and the little home show the excellent care tnat Is given them. ~ My pa, she said, wuz Pleasant Jones, an he b 1on~ed to Marse Young L. G. Harris. Deylived at de Harris place out on Dearing Street. Hit wuz all woods out dar den, art not a bit lak Dearin~ Street looks now. Rachel wuz my ma s am. Us dont know what her las naine wuz cause she wuz sold o1~t wnen she wuz too little to p~n ber. Dr . Riddin (Redd~ing) bought her an his fanibly always jus called her Rachel Riddin . De Riddin place wuz whar Hancock % Avenue is now, but it wuz all in woods rowi .. 4ar~, jus lak de place whar my pa wuz. Atter dey wuz married ma had to stay on~ wid de Rlddixi fanibly an her chiliuns b lon~ed to de Riddin s t cause dey. ow~edher. ~issMaxey. Riddin ~ wuz my brudder s young Missus, an I wuz give to her sister, MissLu~~la Riddin for to be her own maid, but us didn t git to wuk ior em none cause it wuz jus at dis time all de slaves got sot free. Atter dat my pa

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2 ~ tuk US ai . wld him an went to farm on de old Widderspoon (Wither$poon) place. . ~ It wuz way or1~ in de woods. Pa ~it down trees an built us a log cabin. 11e maae de chimbly OU~\\O11 sti ks an red mud, an put iron bars crost de fireplace to h~ g pots on ~ to bile our vittuls an made ovens for de bakin . De bes ~y to cook tatoes wuz to roas em in de ashes .wld de jackets on.. Deyain nothin better tastth dan ash~roasted tatoes wid goo4 hoine-niade butter to eat wid e~ An us had de butter, cause . us kep two good cows. ~ia had her chickens an tukkey~ an us raised plenty of hogs, so we nebber wuz widout meat. Our reg ~ lar Sunday breakfas wuz fish what pa cotch out of de crick. I used to ~it tired oui~ of fish den, but a mess of fresh crick fish would sho be jus right now. . U~ always kep a good gyarden Lull of beans, corn, on~ ions, peas an ~ an dey warn t nobody could beat Us at raisin lots of greens, speci~lly turnips an colla d greens. ~ Us saved heaps of dry peas an beans, an dried lots of peaches an apples to cook in winter. When de wind wuz a howlin an de ~roun all kivvered wid. snow, tua would make ~dried fruit puffs f r us, dat sho did hit de spot. ~ t?When I wuz bout eight years old, dey sont me to school. I had to walkfrom Bpps Bridge Road to Knox School. Dey calls it Knox Institute now. ~ I toted my blue back speller in one han and fly dinner bucket in de other. Us wore homespun dresses wid bon7

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~3 ~ 4 nets to match. De bonnets wuz all macle ir~ one piece an had. drawstrings on de back to make em t~it, an slats in de brims to make eni stifi~ an straight. Our dresses WUZ made long to keep our legs warm. I don t see, i~or to save me, how dey keeps dese young-uns rom 1~reezin now sii ce cey let em go r u.n Inos naked. . DOur brush arbor church wuz nighwhar Brooklyn Iviount Pleasant Church is now, an us went to Sunday school dar evvy Sunday. It warn t much oi a church tor looks, cause it wuz ruade out of poles stuck in de ~roun an de roof wuz jus pine limbs an brush, but dere sho wuz some good meetin s in dat old. brush church, an lots 01 souls roun dc way to de heb enly home riGht aar. ~ S ~ S Our reg lur preacher wuz a colored. man named b~horrison, but i ;ir. Cobb preacneci to us lots oi~ times. he wuz a white dem man, an he say Lie co ld a sot all fli~iit an lissen lon~ as us sunc~ deni old songs. ~o:ie oi~ eu I done dar rorgot~, but de one I lak bes ~ o~s s orter lak ais: ~ I want to be an angel An viid. c~e an~els stan A crown upon my i~orehead ~nd a harp wi in my han . t not~ier tune wuz Roll, Jordan Roll. Little ohillun wuz iarnt to s1fl~ , L~ow ~3weetly do de i ime i~ly, VThien Please Xll~ i.~rother,t an us enillun siio woula do our best a singin dat little old sons, so Preacher Cobb would. praise us.

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Ji1~~3n :A~ jlflCd ae church dere wuz ~ 01 US baptized de Same day in da crick hack o~ LiC church. .~huie i~reacher iirowri wuz a haptizin us, a bi~ cro~vd wu~~ sta~cLin on ~e oank a shout in an sifl~ii~ Dis is cie ~ealin ~Jater, &n Liak~in i or cie Promise i.an~ 3on~e 01 ei~1 wuz a 1~r~yin too. ~tter cie uaptizin v/uz doii~ uey uiad a bi~ dinner on c~e ~roun s ~or de new members, but us didn t see no jujs c~at uay. Jus nad plenty 01 ~OOci some thin t eat. tt~T.~Clj ~3 warn t in sch)Ol, L~ an ray brucicier wukke in dC fiel V~~1u pa. In COttOn p~antin time, ua lixeci uu de rows an us trap ~ seeds in t~1 Lex aay us woulc~ rake ~irt over Cid ~1Li WOO~CIi raKes. ~a lilacie ~ rakes nisse I. L~ey riaa. sLlort woouen teel Jus ri~)~V ~or tu kivv~r ~e S~Cu. oIkses buys wnat day uses flOVT ant don t ~ak~ u~ ~o tixi~ makin notnin lak ci.at. ~In dem ciays x oun ~e house ax~ in d~ fiel bu:is Jus D1i:~ icce o:L: olo es. it. WU~ Jus a loU:~~ s:uirt. ~~ey uldfl t notilin else ~en, bui ~. SilOt WOU..Ld laK t-i see you try to boys ~D tI~OUflt lookin lak dat novr. - %oL~y ~irsci ~ ou; to ~ Jac~ eir~ ~ vi~ien I vzuz t oo~.; ~:o taon :~ear3 O~ ~C) dO wasuin ironin an cleanin up (:13 il)US~, an I wukk~ lor ~ ~ i iaarii c~c~. ~y iCiflhC ~3~-t all I W.~flt3~ ~ at ~ ~~ou~e an paid me in o1c~ clo~s, niidc~lin ~ sirup, t:.~toes, an ~~1e~t ilour, but i. nev:~r aic~ ~it no i~ioi~ ~27 ~or day. Lot nary u cent. w o~ kn o~

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-5 Us wukkec~ rai~)ity hard, but us had ~ ood times too. De bigues tun us had wuz at candy pu1lin s~ I~a cooked de candy in de wash pot out in Le yard. 1ust sne poured in sorae iiome~niade sirup an ~ut in a heap 01 brown su:~ar irora de old sirup barrel an aen silo bileu it c~~own to vihar ii you urapped a iitile o~ it in coiL wa~er it ~ot liard quick. It wuz ready Jen to be poureci out in ~rea~y plates an pans. Us ~reased our I~an a wici lard to keep cie candy IroLl stickin to ein, an soon as it ~ot 0301 enou~h de coup1~ would start pullin candy an si1TL::~ir1 . LL~.t ~ iu1i;~:; i:)y tiap~y IiiUS1C~ v1~ien you i~s sin~in an pul liii candy ~7id yo bes :eller. ~ien c~e candy ~ot too stift an hard to pu l no mo , 3 started catin , an it siio wouic~ ever rio :1: away ~rom .~ar in a hurry. You ain t nebber seed no han ciii 1jij1~f~ Is c~ancin lessen you lias ~atciied a crowd ciai~ce atter de: et ae candy ~7iIat aey done heer~ ~uliin . ~~Uiit1fl s ivu~ a i~~U o~. i~un. ~oLIeti~es ~WO 01 three ramblies uiad ?~ ~uiltin~ ta~etner. i~oikses would c1ul2t soxue an den dey ~assec~ roun a~ today. c01:1O would b3 cookin wkaile de D~iei ~3 WUZ a uuiltint an LCI1 vi~ien sup~r ~7U~ reaciy dey all stopped to eat. i)elU colla d ~roens wid cornpone an plenty oi ~in~er cakes an fruit pu:rs an oi~ olu pots o.. CD~i~CC wuz LIi~.;UtY Line ~atin ~ to us den. u~~~? dere lduTfll t r~~tiiin 1~~:in w~ien us ui~ cornsauck in s. ~. ~en ral ~ w~ cornsiiuckin wuz appointed to lead ofi in

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~&*. .1 de fun. lie sot up on top of de big pile of corn an hysted de song. ile woula. ~it em started orf singin soniethin 1a~c, Salue is a GOod Gal, an evvybod.y kept time shuckin an a sirigin . De ~en ra1.icept singin 1~aster an? 1~aster, an shucks wuz jus flyin .. When pa started passin de jug !rouxi dem Ni~er3 $110 xiufi begun to s1n~ loud an rast au you wu.z b1i~ed ror to low ~a11ie mus be a U-ood ~a1, de v~ay de shucks wuz commt oft or daicorn so I~as . Dey kep it up ttil de corn wuz all shucked, an ma ho11ere~, ~3upper ready~ Den dey made tracks ~or de kitchen, ant dey didn t stop eatin an drinkin dat hot coffee iOfl~ as c~ey could swallow. Ain t nobody led eni no better backbones, an spareribs, turnip greens, tato pies, an sich lak dan my ma set out tor ein. Old time v~ays lak dat is done gone ror gool now. Folkses ain t laic dey used to be. L)ey s all done ~ot ~reecty an? don t keer bout dom nothin. ~or nobody else no moi e. Ma combed our hair wid a Jim Crow comb, or. cyard, as soiiie rolkses called em. J~ our hair wuz bad nappy she put sortie cotton in de comb to keep it irom j~u111fl so oud, cause it wuz avn~u1 nard to comb. t~vvybody tried to raise plenty o1 gourds, cause c~ey wuz so iiandy to use I~r dippers den. Water wuz toted irom ~ae sprin~ an kep in pi~ins. Don t spec you ebber did see a pi~ ~~in~ i)aDs a woocien bucket wid wire hoops roun it to keep it from

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..~7.. s leakint . De wash place wuz nex to de spring. Pa fixed us . up a big old stump wriar us hao. to battle de cIo es wid a bat- tlin stick. it tuk a s1~iit of battlin ~o ~it de dirt out soLietinles. . Ulf you turned a chunk over in ~e l~ire, bad luck wuz SIlO to come to you. It a dog howled a certain way at night, or ~ a scritch owl corne in de fl1~iIt, death wuz on de way to you, an you always i~iad to be keerflul so maybe had spirits would leave you alone. Pa built us a flew kitc~~en, jus lak what de white folkses had dem days. It sot out in de back yard, a little piece of a way from our nouse. de iaade it oui oi logs an put a big old chirably wid a bi~ fireplace at one end. 3enciies wuz built roun de sides tor seats. i~ere wa~n t no floor in it, Out just dirt floor. Dat wu~ one ~ran ~dtciien an us wuz mighty proud -c~ 4~ O.L iL . ~ My w .ite folkses beg:ed me riot to leave em, when I told em I wuz gwine to r~iarry Joe Telfair. I d d ~ie been wukkin i or ein fl1~i1 on to six years, ~n wuz mos twenty year~i old. Dey gini~ r~~e ray weadiri cio es, an when I seed ciera clo es I wuz one proud Nig~ er, cause dey wuz jus ~ak I wanted. De nightgown wuz made out of white bleachin an nad lots oi tucks aii rutiles an it even nad purr sleeves. ~~3uio nougii it ciid De petticoat had rur lICS an puffs plum. up to ue wais ban i)ei ~ wuz a cosset kiver

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~8- 9 dat wuz cul; to ~it an all tancy wid tucks an trimmth , an de drawers, dey sho~ wuz pretty, jus i~u11 or ruiTles an tUCkS ~ ~OUfl! de 1e~. Liy dress ruz ucrearil ountin , lak 1~~iiiat o.ey calls serge dese days. It had a pretty lace tront what my ma bou~ht from one oi~ de Lioss ladies. ~ hen I got all dressed up I wuz one I.iO~ ;ran lo3kin brlie. - * % ~ Ifs ~ ot married in de new kitC.LIefl an lt WUz pluxu 1~ull, caUse nia ~ad done axed 76 t~olkses to ~e weu~din . ~orae ot em WUZ JOC ~3 ~olkses, an us iiad eight waiters: rour gals, an tour boys. Dc same Pre~eher Brown what baptized lilO, married us an den us i~iu~I a bid; su~p.e.r. My Liissus, Lula Weir, ~iacL done baked a ~:::reat big pretty cake cL~or nie an it tasted jus as good as it Ipoked. .~ttteT us ~t &t11 Us could, one Oi de waiters called de sets lorus to ~ance e res o1 de night. An sich ciancin as Us did iiave~ Folkses.d n t know how to dance dat good no run . Dat WU: sh~o nu1~f happy c~ancin . Yes ivIa arn, I ain t nebber sonna fo1-~git w~iat a iran w~c~din us had. Next day us move~ ri~ht here an I~ done been here ever since. Dis place b lon~ed to Joe s gran raa, an she willed it to him. Us had lb cuijilufl, out ain t but five o~ ein livin flow, an Toe he s been daid tor years. Us alway$ ruade a good livin on de tarm, an still raises mos ci~ wAaat us needs, but I done got so. po ly I can t wuk no more. I ~3e still tryin to live right an walk de narrow way, so as I kin go to heb en when I dies. I se gwine to pray tor

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you an ax de Lawd. to bless you, ror you has been so good au patient wid me, an I se shot thank~i~uI my son sont you to se~e me. You done helped me to feel lots better. Good bye, an God bless you, an? please Lia am, coriie back to see rue again. ****~~*~~ ****** g ~ :11)

Plantation life. Cordelia Thomas. Ex-slave - age 80. 014 011

CORDELIA THOIvIAS 130 BERRY STREET ATHENS GEORGIA Written byF ~: ~. Grace MeCune (~/~ ~.~:xi~c Athens - . ~J Edited by: Sarah Ei. ll&i1 Athens - Leila .aarris Augusta - arid JohnT~ Booth District Supervisor Federal Writers Project Residencies & 7. ii-~ c~i4 o PLANTATION LIFE

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. ~rOO~# . 12 Cc3RDELIA THOMAS Ex-Slave ~ Age 80. ~ . long, hot walk over rough, hilly roads brought the visitor to Cordelia s place just after the noon hour of a sweltering ~Tu1y d~ay, and the shade of the tall water oaks near the.little eabinwas a most welcome sight. The house stood. only a few feet from a spur of railroad track but the small yard was enclosed by a luxurious green hedge. Roaes predominated among the many varieties of flowers in evidence on the otherwise drab prerriises. A dilapidated porch across the front of, the residence had no roof and. the floorboards were so badly rotted that it did not seem quite safe to walk from the steps to the front door where ~orde1ia stood waiting. Come right in, Missy, she invited, but be keerful not t fall through dat old porch floor. The tall, thin Negress was clad in a f8ded but scrupulously clean blue dress, a white apron, and a snowy headeloth crowned by a shabby black hat. Black brogans completed her costume. Gordelia led the way to the rear of a~narrow hall. t s will be cooler back here, she explained. Sunlight poured through gaping holes in the roof, and the coarse biown wra~oing paper pasted on the walls was splattered and streaked by rain. The open door of Cordelia s bedroom revealed a wooden bed, a marble-topped bureau, and a washstand of the Victorian period. A rocker, two straight cnairs, a small table, arid a trunk completed the furnishings of

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2.- j3 the rooni and left but little space ror its occupant to iuove about. ~. I se jus a mite tired, Cordelia stated, cause I jus got back from dc courthouse whar dein. ~ e1fare omans done girnrae a sack o flour and some other bundles what I ain t opened up yit, but I knows dey s got somepin in em to hoip me, cause dein folks is sho been :~ii~i ty good to me since ray rheuinatiz is been so bad I couldn t wuk enough to make a livin . De doctor, he say I got de blood presser. I don t rightly know jus what dat is, but it looks lak somepin s a~ pressin right down in my haid tu i feels right foolish, so I reckon he s right bout it a~bein de birod presser. When I gits down on my knees it takes e long time for me to git straight up on my eet again. De Lord, He s done been wid ~e all dese yesrs, and old Uordelia s~oin to keep right on kneelin fore Hir:i and praisin irn often tu lie eides de time has come for her to go home to heben. I was borned. on ~vi~rse ~ndrew ~ackson s plantation down in Conee (Oconee) Count~y, twixt here and 1ij~h shoals. ~arse kndy, he owned ray iviemmy, and she was named Lrn lyJackson. Bob Lovve WaS rr~y Daddy, and he b Ionged to Marse Ike Lowe. The Lowe plantation was nigh whar Marse Andy s was, down dar in Conee County. Cause neither one of deir marsters wouldn t sell one of em to de other marster, i~iamniy had to stay on de Jackson plantatien and Daddy was kept right on wu~in on de Lowe place atter dey

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3. 14 had. done got married. I~&arse Bob, lie give Daddy a ticket what let hirn go to see Mammy evvy ~ednesday and Sadday night, and dem patterollers couldn t bother him long as he kept dat ticket. ~Vhen dey did find a slave oft his niarster s plantation widout no ticket, it w~s jus too bad, for dat meant a beatin what most kilt him. Mammy said dey didn t never g t ray Dacidy, cause he allus had his ticket to show. 1 don t ricollect much bout days fore de big war ended cause I was so little den, but many s de time I heared Mammy arid A)addy and de other old folks tell bout dein times. Us chillun hsd de bestes time of anybody dera days, cause dey didn t low us to do nothin but jus eat all us could and play de rest of de time. I don t know how it was on other places, but dat was de way us was raised on our old rnarster s plantation. De cracks of de lo~ cabins wtiar de slaves lived was chin1~ed wid red mud to keep out de cold and rain. Dere warn t no glass in de windows, dey jus ha~i plank shutters what dey tasten~ ed shut at night. Thin slide blocks kivvered de peepholes in de rough plank doors. Dey had ~o have de~ peepholes so as dey could see who was at de door fore dey opened up. Dein old stack chimblies what was made out of sticks and red clay, was all time gittin on fire. Dein old home- rriade beds had h~i~h posties and us called em teesters. To take de place of springs, what hadn t never been seen round dar in dem days, dey wove heavy cords lengthways and crostways. Over dem cords dey laid a flat mat wve out of white oak splints and on dat dey put de homespun bed ticks stuffed wid~ wheat straw. Dey could have right good pillovis if deywas a mind

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4. . 15 to pick de scrap cotton and fix it up, but dere warn t many of eni keered dat much bout no pillows. ~ Slaves didn t do no cookin on cur place cause Marster fed evvybody up at de big house. Missy, I ain t never gw~ine to forgit dat big old fireplace up dar. Dey piled whole sticks of cord wood on it at one time, wid little sticks cross~ ways under ein and, let me tell you, dat was a fire what would ~ cook anythi ng and evvyth Ing . De pot s hung on swingin racks and dere was big ovens, little ovens, long-handled fryin pans, and. heavy iron skillets wid tight, thick lids. It sho was a sight de way us chillun used to raake way wid dem ash-roasted taters and. dat good, fresh butter. Ils chillun had to eat s.upper early cause all chillun 1I~d to be in bed fore dark. It warn t lak dese days. Why Missy, chilluns now stays up most all night run fin? round dese parts. Marster was sho good bout seem dat his Niggers had plenty to eat and wear. For supper us et ourbreadand milk wid wooden spoons out of wooden bowls, but for dinner dey give us veg ables, corn pone, and taters. Marster raised all de sorts of veg ables what dey knowed anything bout in dein days, and he had big old fields of wheat, rye,oats, end corn, cause he lowed dat stock had to eat same as folkses. Dere was lots of chickens, tur~ keys, cows, hogs, sheej, and some goats on dat plantation so as dere would allus be plenty of r~ieat for evvybody.

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5, ~ 1G ~Our Marster evermore did raise de cotton ~ Iots~ of it to sell, and plenty for clothes for all de olkses, white and black, what lived on his. place. 11 de cloth was home-naade cept de calico for de best Sunday dresses. Chillun had to spin dethread and deir rnamniies wove de cloth. Fore de end or de war, whilst I was still so little I had to stand on a box to reach de sp~nnin wheel good, I could spin six reels a day. Chillun was happy iithen ho~- k1llin time corne, Us warn t lowed to help none, cept to tetch in de wood to keep de pot bum whar de lard was cookin . Our Mist ess all s had de lard rendered in de bigges washpot, what dey sot on rocks in de fireplace. Us didn t mind gittin de wood for dat, cause when dein cracklin s got done, dey let us have all us could eat and, jus let nie tell you, iviissy, you ain t never had nothin good lees you has et a warm skin cracklin wid. a little salt. One tinie when dey was renderin lard, all us chillun wascrowdin round close as us could git to see which one could git a cracklin fust. Mist ess told us to stand back fore somebody got burnt; denl4aramy said she was gwine to take de hides of our backs bout gittiri so close to dat fire, and bout dat time somebody hind me girrinie a quick push; and in de fire I went. Marster grabbed me most time I hit dem red coals, but one t~and and arm was burnt so bad I had to wear it In a sling for a long time. Den Marster laid down de law and told us what he would do if he cotch us chillun harigin round de Lire whar dey was cookin lard again.

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6. Folkses said our Marster must have a powerful sweet tooth on account ot he kept so manybee hives. When bees swarmed tolkses rung bells end beat on tin pans to git ein settled. Veils was tiea over deir haids to keep de bees from gittin to dei.r faces when dey went to rob de hives. Chillun warn t never lowed to be nowhar nigh dunn dat job. One day I sneaked out and got up close to see how dey done it, and dem bees got all over me. Dey stung~ue so bad I couldn t see for days and days. Marster, lie jus fussed and said dat gal, Cordelia, she was allus whar she didn t b long. Missy, I ain t never wanted to fool wid no more bees, and I don t even lak honey no more. Slaves all went to church wid deir white folkses cause dere wern t no Nigger churches dem days. All de preachin was done by white preachers. Churches warn t nigh and convenient dein days lak dey is now and dey was such a fur piece from de plant tions dat most of de folkses stayed all day, arid dem meetin days was big days den. De cooks was told to fix de bestes dinners dey could git up, and chillun was made to know dey had better mind what dey was boutwhendeywa sin demeetin houseorit was gwine to be irnade mighty hot for ein wh en dey got back home . Dat was one thing our Marster didn t low no foolin bout. His Niggers had to be-have deyselfs at de meetin house. Long bout August when craps was laid by, dey had brush arbor rneetin s. White folks brought deir slaves and all of em listened to a white preacher from Watkirisville named Mr. Ualvin Johnson. Dere was lots of prayin

021 018

7. ~ 18 and shoutin at dem old brush arbor vival meetin s. Dey had cainpxneetin s too. De old Freeman place was whar dey had sonie ot dein tust carnpmeetin s, and Hillsb~ro, Mars Hill, and Bethabara was some of de other places whar Marster tuk us to cazripmeetin s. Missy, you jus don t know nothin bout citernent if you ain t never been to one of dem old-tirne c~rnp~ rneetin s. . When tolkses would git ligion deywould holler and shout a-testityin for de Lord. ~tter de rneetin dey dammed up de crick and let it g t deep enough for de baptizin . Dey dipped de wtiite folkses tust, and den de Niggers. You could hear em singin a xriile away dem cid songs lak: On rordan sstormy anks I Stand, Roll, Jordan Roll, ~ All God s Chilluns isa-goin Home, and Whar de Livin Waters Flows I jus can t in~iber halt of dem good old songs cause my rnem ry ain t good as it used to be. ilere Gordelia paused. She seemed oblivious to all around her for several minutes, and then she suddenly smiled. Lordy, Missy, she began, if I could jus call back dem days wid our good. old Marster to look atter us and see dat us had what us .needed to eat and wear and a good coiaf table cabin to live in, ~ouldn t dis be a happy old oman? Lots of de other old folks would lak it too, cause our white folkses d~y sho did take good keer of deir slaves. Did you ever hear of dein lo rollin s? On our place dey spent bout two whole days cookin and gittin ready. Marster axed evvybody from fur and nigh, and dey allus corne cause dey knowed he was gwine to give em a good old time. De way dey

022 019

8, 19 rolled dem. logs. was a sight, and de riore good corn liquor Marster passed round, d faster dein logs rolled. Come night time, Marster had a big bonfire built up and sot lots of pitchpine torches round so es dere would be plenty of light for ein to see how to eat dat fine supper what had done been s t out for ein. Atter supper, dey danced nigh all de rest of de night. Mammy used to tell us bout de frolics next day, cause us chillun was rr1ade to go to bed at sundown. Corne day, go day, no niatter what might happen, growin chillun had to be in bed at deir reg lar time, but Marn~ny never forgot to tell~us all bout de good times next day. ~ Mammy said dem cornshuckin s. meant jus as much !un and jollification as wuk. Dey gathered Marster s big corn crap and ranged1it in long, high piles, and sometimes it tuk sev ral days for dem corn)huckers to git it all shucked, but evvybody stayed right dar on de job tu it w~s finished. At night, dey wukked by de light of big tires and torches, den dey had de big supper and started dancin . Dey stopped so often to swig dat corn liquor Marster pervid ed for em dat fore midnight folkses started fallin out end drappin down in de middle of de dance ring. De others would git em by de heels and drag em off to one side tu dey come to and was ready to drink more liquor and dance again. Dat was de way dey went on de rest of de night. Corpses~ Buryin s Graveyards~ Why, Miss, dere warn t nigh so many folkses a-dyin all de time dem days as dere is

023 020

9. now. Folkses lived right and was tuk better keer of and dere warn t so much reason for em to die out den. When somebody did die, folkses corne from miles and miles around to de buryin . Dey give de slaves de same sort ot funerals de white folkses had. De corpses was washed good all over wid hot water and home-raade soap, den dey was dressed and laid out on de COOilfl boards tu de cyarpenter rrlafl had time to make up de coffins. Lordy, Missy, ain t you never seed no coolin board? I spects dey is all gone fl(~W though. Dey looked a good ueal lak ironin boards, only dey had laigs to stand on. Lots of times dey didn t dress de corpses, but sus wropped ein in windin sheets. Dem home-made, pine coffins didn t look so bad atter dey got em painted up and lined nice. Dey driv de wagon what had de corpse on it right sl w to de graveyard. De preacher talked a little and prayed; den atter de mourners had done sung sornepin on de order of Harps From DeTomb, dey shovelled in de dirt over de cofrin whilst de preacher said comfortin words to de fambly of de daid. Evvy plantation had its own. graveyard wid a fence around it, and dere was a place in it for de sleves nigh whar deirvthite folks was buried. Honey, didn t you never hear tell of Dr. ~ rank Jackson? He was sho a grand doctor. Dr. J~ackson made up his own medicines and toted em round wid him all de time. ~e wes close kin to our Marse Andy Jackson s faxnbly. All dem ~Tacksons down in Gonee was good white folks.

024 021

io..$ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ stayed on wid Old ~ Ma~ster f or a little while atter de war ~as ~ver, afld den ri~htawayMaxniny died and Daddy hired me out to Mrs. Sidney Rives (Reaves ?). I spect~ one reason she was. so mighty good to me was cause I was so littieden. I was nigh grown when I left her to wuk tor Dr. Palmer s faxnb1y~ All his ehillun was little den arid I was deir nuss. One of de best of his chillun was little Miss~inice. 8~ie is done growed to be~ a school teacher and dey tells me she is still a-teachin . Itwarn t long atter my Daddy died dat I left de Palmers a~d started wukkin fOr Mr. Dock Dorsey s fambly. If dere ever was agood~ Christian oman in dis here old world it was Miss ~3a1iie Dorsey, Mr~ Dock Dorsey s wife. She had been Miss ~allie Chappell fore she married Mr. Dorsey. Miss Sallietried togit evvybody what stayed round her to live right too, and she wanted all her help to go to church reg lar. If Miss Salue and Marse Dock Dorsey was livin now, dey would pervide for Old Delia jus lak dey used . to do. All deir ehillun was nice. Miss Fannie and Miss3ue, dey was extra good gals, but someh9w I jus can t call back de names f dem other ones now. Dey all had to be good wid. de sort of man~my and daddy dey had. Miss ~lli, she was sick a long time fore she died, and dey let me wait on her. Missy, I tell you d.e gospel truth, I sho did love dat oman. Not long fore she passed on to Heben she told her husband dat atter she was gone she wanted him to merry up wid her cousin, Miss liargrove so as he would havre ~

025 022

I J,1. som!bQd~y to help him ralseupherchillun, 8nahedone zact1y~ what she axed hurt to. ~ ~11 of ray own white folkses haS d~one died out, and Old De Ja won t be heremuch longer. One of de~Thorntons here ~ I forgits which one married up wid my young Mjst ess, Rebecca Jackson. lier gal got xaarried up wid Dr. rago, a horsedoctor. . ~ insurance man n~xaed Mr. Speer married into de 3ackson fambiy t o o . Ee nioved ~ hi s fambly from here to de mount ains on acC ount of hi s s on s health and I J los track o f era d en. % Lordy, Chi1e~ What you want to know boUt my weddin fQr, nowhow? Dere ain t never gwine to be no. more: weddin s lak dey had back dere in dem times cau~se folkaes thinks dey got to have too much nowadays. Then olkses got married den dey was a-thinkin bout makin sho nough homes for deyse1fs~, 8.fld gittin~ ~iarried meant somepin sort of holy. )Laminy said dat niost times when slaves got married dey jus juzixped backwards over a broomstick whilst deir Marster watched and den he pernouriced dat dey was man and wife. Now dey is got to go to de courthouse and pay out good money for a license and d~en go git a preacher or seinebody. lak a jestice jedge to sa~r de marriage words over em. Me and Solomon Thoxiias had to go buy us a ~ li cerise too but us did.n t mind bo ut ~uttin out dat money cause us was so rauch in love. Iwore a pretty ~i1te dress and a breakfast shawl, and atter us had dx~ne went to de preacher mants house and got married, us come right on here to dis very house what had b longed to aolomon s daddy fore it was Solomon s. ~Js built two more rooms

026 023

. . . ~ 12. on de house, but all de time Solomon lived us tried to keep de* place lookin a good deal lak it was de day us got married. ~ Atter ~olomon died, I sold oft most of de land to de railroad for de right of way 2or dat dere track what you sees out dere, and it sho has raade plenty ofwuk for meto keep dat soot what dem engines is ~ll time a ~spittin out cleaned ofT my things in de house. It draps down through dem big holes overhead, and I can t git hold or no money to have de roof patched up. Me and ~olonion, us had 11 chiliun, but dey is all daid out but three. One of niy boys is in I~altimore and another boy lives in Louisiana somewhar. ~1y gal, Delia, she staysover in de Newtown part of ~thens here She would love to help he~ old Mammy, but my Delia s got ehillun of her own and she can t git nothin to do cept a little washin for de white foikses, and she ain t able to pervide i~iat her oi~n household needs to eat. Dem boys of raine is done got so fur oft dey s done forgot all boixt deir old I~arnmy. When us fust got n~rried, Solomon wukked at Mr. Orr s cotton house, and he stayed dere a long time fore he went to wuk for i~1r. Moss and Mr. Levy. All dem white folks was good to nie and. ~o1omon. I kept on wukkin for de Dorseys tu us had so iriany chillun I had to stay home and look atter em. Solomon got sick and he laydere sufl erin a long, long time, but Mr. Moss and Mr. Levy seed dat he didn t want for nothin . Even atter

027 024

13~ 24 Solomon died dein good white mens kept on commt out now and den to see if rue and. Solomon s ehullun had what us needed. Solomon, ray Solomon, he went out of dis here world, in dat dere room whar you sees dat old bed, and. dat is perzactly wh~ir I wants to be when de Blessed Loi~. lays his hands on me and tells rr~e to come on liome to Glory. I wants to be toted out of dat room., through 5is hail sind on out to de graveyard sus lak my man was. I knows dat evvything would be done nice jus lak I wants it if Mr. Moss and kir. Levy was a-livin cause dey was both. Masons, and members of de 1~sons is all done swore a oath to look atter deir own follcses. Dey said ~$o1ornon ~nd his farnbly was lak deir own folkses, i~1r. Moss and i~1r. Levy did. Most of de folkses, both white and black, dat I has knowed. and loved has done gone on over de Jordan, out of dis world of trouble, and it will be happy days for all of us when us nieets again in de place of many mansions whar dere won t be noth~n for nofle of us to pester ourseifs bout no more. All of ray life, I se had a great desire to travel, jus to go evvywhar, but atter all dese years of busy livin I spects all de trav ~uin I ll ever do will be on de road to Glory. Dat will be good enough for rae cause got so many more of em I loves over dar dan is left tiere. As the visotor passed out of earshot of ~ordelia s cabin the last words she he~ird from the old Negress were: Good-bye again, Missy. Talkin to you has been a heap of consolation to me.

Ex-slave - Ike Thomas interviewed. 028 025

~Th ~n ~ ~ ~ ~ Ai~rta ~inoz ~T7~ .~ iqfrve~~i Re-seai,oh Worker~ . ~ 1()014(; ~ 25 ~~$1.ave ~ - Ike Thomas Interviewed Ike Thomas was born uear Monticello lu Jaspez County on the Thomas plantation. His mother and~ father were 801d when he was a little boy, and M1S8u~s Phomas4n picking her hou~ae boy~ took Ike to raise for a carriage boy. She pioked~ her little niggers by ttie way they wore their hats. i:e they set them on the back of their heads, they grew up to be highibminded , but if they pulled them over their eyes, they d grow tip to be sneaky and steal . f~Mr 8. Thomas let him sleep on a tt undle bed pulled. Out at night and put under her beil in the day ana, fed him under the table. She d pat a piece o:t meat in a biscuit and. hand. it down to him and warned him if they had. company not to holler when he wa~ thru. ~o he d touch her on the knee but hi s mouth was so bi g and h e d e at so fas t th at h e j es kep on teohing her on the knee. ~ During the war )when they got word. the ~nkeea were coming, \ Mrs. T~iomas wo~xia. hide her little niggers sometimes in \the wardrobe back of her clothes, sometimes between the ~.

029 026

mat tre s se s or some time s in the o ane brake s After ~ the Yankees left) sh d ring a bel . and they would. / know they could come out of hiding. 4~Vhen ~ first ~ ~ \. heard the slaves were free, they didn t believe it so .\_ they jast stayed on with their white folks .) ~ the ~egroes were mean or ran away, they wo~ild. be chased by~ hounds and. ~ back ~or punishment~~r ~ Wh n still a young man, Ike ran away with a negro \~ouple coming in a buggy to Blanton Mill near Griffin and. worked. for Mr. William Blanton until he died, Ltter he had been here a while, he got married. His wii~e s people had the wedding supper and party. He was a fiddler so had to fiddle most all night then the next day his white folks gave him the food. for the wedding dinner that he had at his own house. Ike says every(~e ~en)years the locusts come and its sure to be a short crop that GOd. sends all sorts of ousse& (ourses) sometimes its the worms that eat the cotton or the corn or the bugs that eat ~t.he wheat. He doesntt believe in hante or conjurin . He proved to Mr. William that hants in Sid Sootta house wuz jes sheeps. It seems Bid. Scott was a t~ean nigger ,o~

030 027

everyone wa~ afraid otA He was cut In two by t~ie saw mi11~ a~d~ fter h j s ~unera1 whe~ever a~one~ae~I h1 s hotise at night t~t~ could heaz, his hant going rat.~a.. tat .tat~bang bang bang s like feet r~uming . ~/ ~ie night when Ike was coming home from fiddlin at a white folk8 party, he had. to pass Soott ~ hOtiS~. Now they kept the cotton seed in half of the house and the other half was empty. When ~ got close, he made a racket and sure enou~h the noise 8tarted. The moon was about an hour up and he saw these ~unny white things run out from under the hou8e and. scatter. It soared him at first bi~t he looked and looked and saw they were sheep that (sound a hole into the cotton seed a~ would go in at night to eat. . Before the war the negi~oes had a big celebration on the 4th o:~ July, a big barbecue, ball same, wrestling matches, lots o~ music and singing. They had to have a pass from their Masters to attend and pay to get in. The patta roll caine by ~to see your pass and 1! you. ~ ~ a I 2~ I4JJ~4Jt4 ~-1J didn t have one they d. whip you. and send you. home. ~-~-~- xI~~ :~t~ ~AL~i2) LL;~ ~ ~ ~ j C~4L.. ~ ~ ~ ~& u~J1 ~A~1 ~&4~j~ f ~) ~A ~ W~t/~ ~t&~tJ( ~ - ~ u:~~ ~-~J ~ After he came to Blanton s, ~ey~~cou.ld come and go as theypleasedThrthey were free. f~ke has been a member ~ of 8everal Societies but something has always happened

031 028

~40P 28 to the president and. Secretary or ~they ran off with the ~money so now he just has a sick and accident policy. ~ Ike will be 94 year8 old next month. His hair is white, his eyes bltu red with age, but he s. qu.ite active tho he does walk with a stick. Ike Thomas Heidt Bridges Fai~m near Rio Georgia September 4, 19~6

Jane Mickens Toombs of Washington-Wilkes. 032 029

~ ~ ~ :- ~ ~1t~- :: / / :1. ~Oii~G 29 k~:2~ I s, JANE MICKENS TOO~BS of WASHIN TON-.WILK~ by Minnie Branham St ones tr ee t Was h ngtonJilkes GEORGIA

033 030

3() JAN~~ ~IIC~ENS POO~tB~ of WASHINGTON.J1.LKES A story of happiness and contentment on a big plantation where there were a heap of us slaves is told by Jane Miokens ~Poombs who said she was five er six years oie whende Wah corne on (1860 ) or rnab,~ y a li t ? le o I er . She is a bright old woman, well and spry despite the fact she wuz conjured onst when I wuz young an dat lef me lame an dis eye plum out an de t other bad. ~ When asked about the conjuring she said: No m, I don t I zackly know how t wuz, but enyhow somebody what knowed how ter. I wu k root~ ~got me laine on dis side, an ray eye out, jess kase I wuz a decent, nice ookin gal, an went on tendin ter my . us me s s an pay i d ein no mind . Da t s d e way d ey d one in d ein ~ days, jess jealjous of nice co ored niggers. Yassurn, I wuz sick fer nigh on ter two years an de doctuhs never knowed what ailed nie, ~ey clone everything dey could, but I wuz conjured an dey couldn t hep me. ~ doctuh man fruui up yander in New Talk culli down here ter see his folks, an he tried to ~re me, but doctuhs ka,~n t ~~ conjured folks, so I had ter lay an suffer tu de conjure wore out. Dem whut done dat knowed dey done me wrong, but I kept trustin .tin my Lawd, an now dey s gone an I se er sturnblln rou.a yit. No mai, I never knowed jess whut dey done ter rae, but hit wuz bad, I kin tell yer dat, hit might nigh ~kilt me,

034 031

31 . page 2 Aunt Jane was born on the G~u11att Plantation on the line of ~ii1kes and Lincoln counties. Her I~1other was Liza Gu.llatt and her father ~o1m Mickens who lelonged to Mr. augustus I~IcMekin. Yassum, lily Pa ~uz John Mickens an his J~Iarster bought him in A1abam~. All de slaves whut belonged to de i~ cJ~ekins oalled deyselves Mickens. I wuz one of fifteen chillun an? ~ er long in betweenst de oldest tj~t~ ~e de youngest su.m ers. I v~uz named fer ray Mistess Jane Gtillatt whut died. Young Marse G~eorge Gullatt choosed me out, dough, an~ Pd er be~ his en ef Freedom ha d t er c orne . You know dat ? ~ d e way d ey us e t er d o bac k in slavery time, de young Mistesses an Marsters choosed oat de little niggers dey wanted fer their n. ~ This is another case where the father and Mother belonged to different families. The father had a pass to go and come as he pleased, although his family lived a little distance away. Jane said her father s master would have bought her mcther i ~ the War hadn t come on and they were set fr e. Jane told of the log cabins in the Quarters where all the negroes lived. She said they were all in a row wid er street in de front, er wide street all set thick wid white mul berry trees fer ter inak shady fer de chillun ter play in. They ~ 4~ never had any punishment 44 switchings by their ~iistess, and that was not often. ~ ~ They played dolls, us had home made rag dolls,. nice uns, an we d git dem long grass piumes (Pampas grass) an mak dolls out n dexntoo. ~ Us played all day long every day.

035 032

32 page ~3 r ~Y Mistess chillun wuz all growed up so jess us little niggers played tergether. ~ ~ ~ My Mother spun an wove de cloth, an dyed hit, but our. 1~Iistess made our clothes. My Grandma, Nancy, wuz de cook ant shefed all de little u.ns in de Mg oie kitchen whtit sot out in de yard. She had a tray she ~ut our victuals on an Ub, Uh, whut good things we had ter eat, an er plenty of everything! et ~ss whut our white folks had, dey didn t mak no difference in us when hit ~uin ter eatin . My Grandaddy looked atter de meat, he done everything bout dat, an he sho k.nowed h w ter fix it, too. De fust thing I recollects is bein round in de kitchen. when dey wuz makin ginger cakes an my Mistess givin nie de pan she made ein in fer me ter sop hit out.J Dey ain t nothin whut ~ smells go~1~kdi~ki~ iii~1em days, I kain t smell no viotuals lak dat now. ~verything wuz cooked on a big oie open fire place in one end of de kitchen. Dem good oie days done gone now. Folkes done got wiser an wickeder ~ dey ain t lak dey use ter be. At Christmas Santa Ulaus found his way to the Quarters on the Gollatt plantation and each little slave had candy, apples, and sich good things as dat. Aimt Jane gave a glowing description of the preparation for the Ohristmas season: Lawdy, how de folks wu ked gittin ready fer Ohris inus, fer three er b days Us

036 033

) ) )k) (- pa~e- 4 dey stayed in de kitchen er cookin an er bakin ~ daye wuz de bes light bread great big loaves baked on de fire place, an cakes an mo good ginger cakes. Dey wuz plenty cooked up to las er long time. An another thing, dare want no cookiLL on Sunday, no niam, no wu k of no kind.~ My Mistess had de cook cookin all day Fridays an Saddays so when Sunday conie darewuz hot coffee madean dat wuz all, everything else wu~ cooked up~ an cold, Everybody went to Church, de grown folks white and black, went to de preachin an den all de little niggers wti~ called in an de Bible read an ~sp1ained ter dein. Dare wuz preachin down in de Quarters, but dat waz at night an wuz~ led by de colored preachers.~i recollects one night dare wuz a servl g~ont~~~of de cabins an all ; us wuz dare an oie Uncle Alex Frazier wuz up a 1mm off a ~: hymn bout Broad is de road dat leads ter Death An there an here we travel. when in come some mens atter a colored fellerwhut had stole some sheep an hogs. Dey kotch im, but sho broke up de meetin . ~ ~ ~ de hot summer time Uncle ~oorge ~u1latt use ter preach ter de slaves out under de trees. Uncle (george waz a kind of er preacher. ~(y Pa didn t low his chillun ter go roun . No m, he kep us home keerful lak. Young folks in dein days didn t go all over de country lak dey does now, dey stayed at home, an little chillun wuz kep back an dey didn know no. badness lak de chillun do

037 034

page-5 terday. Us never even heared de oie folks talk nothin whut we oughtn t ter hear. Us jess played an stayed~ in a child s place. When we wuz sick de white folks seed dat we wuz tended t o . Dey us e t er mak ~T erusal em Oak candy an g i ye us . Dey to ok de leaves of dat bush an boiled eni an den use dat water dey wuz boiled in an put sugar nough in hit ter mak candy. An dey used plenty of turpentine on us too plenty ov hit, an~ I be- lieves in dat terday, hit s er good medicine. ~1hen asked about the ~iar, Aunt Jane said she didn t remember much about it.~~1 But dare s one thing bout hit I sho does I member, an dat s my young ~iistess Beckie s husband, ~1r. Frazier, : being off fightin in de Wah, an she gittin er letter fr.um him : sayin he wuz commt home sich an sich er day. She wuz so happy she had all de grown slaves wu kin gittin ready fer him. Den dey brung her er letter sayin he had been kilt, an she wu~z in de yard when she read hit an if dey hadn t er kotch ~er she d OV fell. I members de wonien takin her in de housean gittin her ter bed. She wuz so up sot an took hit so hard. Dem wuz ~__~j~T hard times an sad uns too. Course I wuz too small ter know rauch whut wuz gwine on, but I could tell hit wuz bad fr~im de way de older folks looked. \\ I recollecta when dey say ~reedom had cum. Dare wuz a speakin fer de slaves up here in town in Barnett s ~~Ote. Dat ruornin 01e kiss sont all de oldes niggers to de speakin an kep us little uns dat day. She kep us busy sweepin. de yards an sich as dat. An she cooked our dinner an give hit to us herself.

038 035

35 page. 6 ~. I members de grown folks leavin early dat mornin i~ a great big waggin. ~ t~ while after de Wah, Pa took us over to de ~cMekins place an~ we lived dare fer a long time. He died an lef us an den us had ter do de bes we could. Col. Tolbert hired me fer ter nusshis chilluri an ~went over ter his place ter live. ~ Jane said she isa t superstitious but likes to see the \~ new moon clear and bow to it for good luck. She said it is 1~etter ~ to show it a piece of money, but as she doesn t always have money ;~~handy, she jess bows to hit nice an polite . She keeps up with the weather by her rheumatism and the cat: ~ Ef I has de reumatics I knows hit s gwine ter rain, an when de cat comes round an sets washin her face, look fer rain, kase hit s er coniin . I ve heared folks say dat hit s bad luck ter stump yo lef foot, but I don t know boud dat. But I tell yer, when I meets er cati allus turns er round fore I goes on, dat turns de bad luck er way. 1 When 19 years of age Jane married Albert Tooinbs. He belonged to the Tooriths family of ~iikes county. ~u.nt Jane said Albert brought her many gifts while he was courting: He warnt much on bringin candy an nothin la~dat ter eat, but he brung nie shawls an shocs surnpin I could wear, t They had four children, but only one is living.

039 036

36 page~ 7 ~hen I wuz a growin up , said aunt Jane, folks had ter wu . She worked on the farm spun wov e . d ofl~e S earns t er wu k and knitted stockings, sox and ~1oves. She said she carded too, an in dem times ef a nigger wanted ter git de kinks outtn dey hair, dey combed hit wid de cards. Now dey puts ail kinds ov grease on hit, an buy straightenin~ combs. Swnpin dat costs money, dat s ail dey is, old fashion cards ll straighten hair jess as well as all dis high smellin stuff dey sells now. Lint Jane likes to tell of those days of long ago. Her zneniory is excellent and she talks well. She says she is living o~ herMissJan~e!..s .time. ~ J Yassum, my ~Iiss Jane died wh~ she /wuz so young, I specks I jess livixi out her days kase I named lier her. But I does miss dem good oie days whut s gone. I se hungry fer de sight o.v a spinnin wheel ~ does you know whare s one? ~ Th lags a t b ok lake ~ d ey us e t er ~ a s ~ f er whut . we has ter eat, dare ain t no victuals ever smelled ~ et as good as dein whut dey use ter have on de plantation when. I wuz acomin on.jYassum, folkes has got wiser an know mo dan dey did, but ~dey s!~.wickeder ~ dey kills now stid er conjurin ~lak dey ~did me. ~ ~

Phil Towns. Old slave story. 040 037

(p s~1 . 1.()O~11- p ~ M/ckr ~) g . &della S. Di~n ~ Old Slave Story On rune 25 1824 a son was born to Waahington and Clara Towns who resided In Richniond, Virginia. This was the fourth child 1~a a t~iily which finally nuinbei ed thirtec~n. Phil, as he was called, does not recall many incidenta on this eatate aa the family moved when he was in hi8 s ~ei13. ~ ~ia grandtather aad grandmother ~re brought here trc~n Ati~ica and ~. their ieecription ot tue cruei treat~nt they received is his most vivid recollection. His grandmother, Hannah, livd to be 129 years ot age. ~ --- - Mi . George Towns, called ~~overnorR ~y ai . of his alavea as well aa hie intimate friande, moved to Georgia and settled at Reynolde in Taylor County. Th~i e he purchased a huge tract ot land-.- 1350 acrea~- and built hie new hox~ upon this level ax e~ on the Flint River, The big house a large unpainted atxucture which housed a ~iily of eighteen, wae in tiz mici~t of a grove of treea near ti e highway that foi~d one of the divisions of the plantation. It was again divided by a. local railway nearly a mile froxit the rear of the house Eighty.~e igIit slave s were housed in the ~quarters which were on -~ each side of the I4ghway a little below the ~ a hoene. These quartera diffei ed fran those foi~nd iii the surrounding territory as the size of the hOuses varied with the niniiber in the f~aily. The interiors ~ lie nicely furnished and in most instances the fatailie s were able to secure a~y furniture they desired. Feather rnattreasea, trundle beds and cribs were coemnon and in families where there were many children, large fireplaces some as niany as eight feet wide - ~re provided so that every o~a might be Y~7

041 038

District 7 A~eUa S. Dixon 2- ~:&-~to-4~ ~ comfortable in winter. A variety of cooking utensils were given and large numbers of waffle irons etc. then considered luxuries are found here. To co~asider only the general plan of operation, this Dlantation was no different from the average one in pre-civil war days but there was a phase of the life here ithlch made it a most unusual home . Governor was so except ionally kind to his slaves that they were known as ~Gov. Towns free negroes to those on the ne ighboring tamis. He never separated familles, neit1~r did he strike a slave except on rare occasions. Two things which might provoke his anger to this extent were : to be told. a lie and to find that a person had allod sons one to take adTantage of him. They ~re never given passes but obtained verbal consent to go w1~re they wished and always remained as long as they chose. Phil Towns father worked in the field and. his mother did light ~rk in the house such as assist Ing in sp inning. Mothers of three or more children were not ccxnpelled to work, as the master felt that their children needed care. Fr i early childhood boys and gii~1s were given excellent training. A boy who robbed a bird s nest or a girl who frol~ieked in a boisterous manner was severely reprimanded. Separate bedro~ns for the two sexes were maintained until they married. The girls passed t1~ru two stages.-- childhood, and at sixteen they becairie gala . Three years later they might marry if they chose but the husband had to be older-- at least 21. Courtah ips differed from those of today because there were certain hours for visiting and even though the girl might accc~npany her sweetheart away fran houe she had to be back at that hour. They had no clocks but a titse inarkw was set by the sun. A young man

042 039

District 7 Ad&.la S. Dixon -3- was not allowed to give his girl ~ny i~orm of gift, end the efforts of acme girls to secretly receive gifts which they clalnied to have found , ~re in vain, for the se ~ere taken frc~n them. After the proposal, the procedure was practically the same as is observed today. The oonaent of the parent and the master was ne ce asary. Marriage s were mostly held ~t night and no pains ~re spared to maic them occasions to be remembered and cberi&~ed. ~autif~1 clothes --her own selections -~re given the bride and friends usually gave gifts for the house. These celebrations, attended by visitors from many plantations, and always by the Towns family, ended in gay frolica with cakes, wine etc. for i~fres1nnent s. I~ii ing the first year of married 1~fe the couple remained with the a mother who instructed her in the household arts. Disputes between the newly~ds were not tolerated and punishment by the parents was the result of snagging . At the end of a year~ another log cabin was added to. the quarters and the couple began housekeeping. The moral code was exceedingly high; the penalty for otfendera - married or ein~le white or colored - was to be banished from the group entirely. Thus illegitimate children ~re rare enough to be a novelty. Young Phil was in his teens when he began his first job - coach driver for 00v. TOWE8. ThiS W~S JUSt before they moved to eorgia. Ii~ traveled with him wherever he went, and as the Goy. purchased a plantation in Talbot County, (the house still stands) and a home in Macon, (the site of Mt. I~ Sales Academ), a great deal of his time was spent on the road. Phil never did any other work except to occasionally assist in sweeping the large yard. The other xt~bera~o~

043 040

Di5trict 7 ~h a1 .a S. Di~n ~ this group apilt rails, did ~ie1d work, spinning, tailoring and any of the many things that had to be done . ~aoh person might chooae the type of work ~ ~:4~ S~ he liloed beet. ~ Opportuiiltles to mai~ cash money ~re plentiful. ~y made basket8 and did hand work which was sold and the money given the maker. A man or woman who paid GOT. Towns ~15O. 00 might hire him3e1~ to the Goy. for a year. When thia was done he waa paid caah for aB. the work he did and ma~ are able to clear aeTeral hundred dollars in a year. In addition to thia opportunity tor earning money, every adult had exi acre of ground iliich he might cultivate as he choae. Any money made from the sale of this produce waB hia own. 1~creation was not conaidered bnportant ~d so no provision was made in. the regular routine. It was, bo~ver, poaaible to obtain time off at frequent interval8 and theas might be tex~ned irregular vacation periode. ! vsning enter- tainment at which aquare dancing was the main attraction, ~re conmion. t~uiU music, from a hon~made harmonica, was played ~en banjoes were not available. Theas instrumenta iore made by binding with cane five to ten reeds of graduated lengths. A hole was cut in the upper end of each and the mueic obtained by blowing up and down the acale Guesta came froen all neighboring ternie and engaged in the ~Green Corn dance which was similar to what is now called Buck dancing. Near the end of auch a hilarous evening the gue ate were aerved with persimmon be.~r and ginger cake 3) ~ then considered e delicac.~ ~ 7; Goy. Towns waa intere ated. in assi sting any one 1etIO -~ learn4~. The little girls who expressed t~ae desire to become ~ladiea~ ~re kept in the big house end very carefully trame d. The taste a of the ae few were developed to the extent that they excelled the ordinary Rq,uarter~ children end ~re the envy of the group at social affaira.

044 041

District 7 Ad.efla S. Dixon 41. Sunday was a day of ~e~erence and all adults were required to attend rel igious servi ces. The trip was usually niade in wagons ozearts etc., although the yowig wcanen of ~ big house rode handaon~ sad.&le horses. At each church there ~a placed a stepping block by which they de~nded frcni their at,eecls. Thite and colored uorshipped at the saine church, consthtct~d with a partition separating the two parts of the congregation but not extending to the pulpit. Proteseions of faith were accepted at the a~ne altar while Baptianal services ware held at a local creek and ail candidates ware baptizad on the aan~ day. Regular clothing was ~rn at this service. Children were not allov~d to attend church, and chriatenings were not c~mnon. &~a1l boys, reared entirely apart from t~ strict religious observances, used to slip away and shoot marbles on Sunday. The health probleri was not ~ ery acute e~e as these people were provided with everything ~a~e ~ contented mind ~ ~ ~ lar~ p~?t i~ ~i~4Mn~ a robust body. Hoiever, a Lbctor who lived nearby cared for the sick. Two Cees were set - tbe larger one teing eharged if the patient recovered. Haine remedies were used for minor ills ~ catnip tea for thrash, tea tro~n Samson ~akeroot ~or cramps redwood and dogimod. bark tea,~or ~ ~ ~ ~ 44t~-CL~ ~ .~ ~ ~ ~ ~1ao~4e~?~-woT!!t*. ~ ~ ~ root teas ueed~ by this A generation. Peach brandy was giTon to anyone suspected o~ having ~tetmonia~ ii, the patient coughed, it was certain that he was a Tictim of the disease. In these days, 4t e-e~y~ bhsu~h~ bse~Pe~i 4~ mother t nan~her children. -~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ during pregnancy. I~ another naine was given the child, the correct one would be so timly ituplanted in his subconscious mind that he would never be able to resiet

045 042

District 7 Ad~11a S. Dixon the impulse to turn his head ehen that nai~ was called. E~he ~ven.th child ~a ~ ~ ~ ~z ~*v~I 4A~m ~ ~ ~: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ was always thought ~o be exceptionafly lucky, ~ the be~n~t~t dfl~U~i1 bet1N~5!1 tK~ ~ This bel let persista today in many localities. :~very family was giTen a weekly supply of rood but this ~s moie tor convenien than anything else as. they ~re free to eat anything their appetites called for. They killed chickens, ate vegetables, meats, etc. at any time. The ~m~nce of guests at the quartera roused Mrs. Towns to activity and ehe always helped to prepare the me~u. One of ber favorite items 1ft8 chicksii ~ prepard four different ways, in pie, in stew, fried, and baked. She gave full directions ~tu t -4-.~-~ for the preperation of t1~ss delicacies ~ ~&-~u~th ~ &d iU.Od cooks. Poinid cake was another favorite and she Insisted that a pound of butter an~d a dozen eggs be used. in each eal . Then the neal ~.e nearly ready, al* usually made a trip to the cabin to see if it had been i~b~r prepared. The hostess could always tell without any ccnixnent whether she had satisfied her mistress for if she had a serving was carried back to the b 1g house .btbk~rh~~. FishiDg was a form of roenunerative reozeation enjoyed by all. ~mryone usually ~nt on Saturday afternon, but if only a few made the trip ~ the catch was shared by all. Sowing was no easy job as there ~re few small ~r~en among the iervente. The cloth made at home, was plentiful, however, and sufficient clothing was made for all. Scr~ie persons preferred making their own clothes and this privilege was granted; otherwise they were made in a caimton aewing room. ~n yards was the amrage amount of cloth in a dress hoir~apnn and gingham,

046 043

Diitiiet 7 AdeUa 3. Dixon u ~P ~7i~ the usual materials. ~e men wore .uite of ~abuz g end/~~t This vas dyed to more durable colors ~ .~a~i.#aig$~~a ~e mate rront railroad bark (brown). Phil believes that the screeching of an ow5i. .a~ -si ba~k~ -~$ the ____ ~ bellowing of a COW) UILI~ ~ U111~ is a -s~ii~ ~f Liath. . . ~ howling of a dog ~ ~ after de~t k ~ t si& of death becauae tI~dsath ot a h~mtw be Ing is xs~a1sd ~LJ~k ~w ~ tWA4 ~fMMt4~ to e~1thDaie. ~ ~ ~t ~&L TS~ ~ho~gh ~ may IA ~g_J1 find soene way to rid ourselves of the ~ithrp w~es ot the ~ - tbe death will occur just the sane. __ ~)~ L~ ~4~L4~ ~1 nearly ail plantations ~r were some si~es ~ ~W~St wLsk 4e ..ais isat1y,~_r~r thiL er st~tla~ ~easeiie, hi~ thenasiTo. 1* the ~od.s. ~3O7 em~gglsd food to tiisir hiding pia~ by night, end reitiainsd i~y in ~ sc~ inatancss, many months. Their belier in IitChSa~eft caused them to xseort to most ridiculous u~ene of avoiding diacovery, Phil told the story of a rn : who visitsd a siijurez~ to obtain a hend for ~iich be paid fifty dollars in gold. ~3 a~mbol va. a hickory Itiak which he ud ihenevor h vas bsing e~d, end in this i~n~er ~rdot off hie pursuers. I~ws vas es~ oi~ tifficulty in this ~ 4m~1~~ 4 ~i ~~4:r~ ~ ~ ~ iL ~ pro~*dure, The ati~I! alma I~ad. is- ~ *~ up ~ at a fork or cross roads. ~ ~ ~~4~)~A&L4A ~ F ~t~ ~-Of~~A~ -t5~~ quite a distance to reach such a spot but then the stick was so placed htwian beings end sven bloo~h~iiide lost hts trail. With ~his assistance, he vas able to rsaain in tus woods as long as he iikot. ~.ai a ~rs trsquent visitors in t1~ sabine of tia vquarters~~. ~ . morning while B.tty, a cook, vas confined to bed, abe sent for Mrs. Towns to teil her that a ~iske bad lain across her chest turing the ia~eriou. night end had

047 044

District 7 . ~ . A4eUa 8. Mx i tried to get wider taie ~ovsr ihere ber ye~ng baby lay asleep. M~ a. ~bwns was skeptical about the size td activities of the1~ tl but aent ror several n~n to asareh tbe houes. They had given up thi search tien one chanced to glance above the sick ionien a bsd end there lay the reptile on a shelf. Th. bed was roped and moqed to another part ot the rocmi and preparations made to shoot biia. ~uilte imre piled high on the bed so that the noua. of the gun would not frighten the baby. Then all was ready Mi s. ~vns asked tI~ ld man with the gun -- ~ddy Luke San 70U i ~ the snake? Yeeata, mistress, he repli.d. ~ddy Luke, can you ~4 the snake? Yess~mi, mistre as. 1~ddy Luke can you ~ i~ the snake? ~!OSSUDt, mistress. wSlioot j V, He took careful aim end fired. ~ huge r.ptil rolled to the tloor. /(t~t4A~ ~ U)~M 1T~.r returned to the yard to Ieu ~ work near the woodpile~ ~e zn~ts .s discoverad by ie ot the doge ~ barked until a lo~ e moved end the cond snake killed. ~ ~ $nall snakes were not feared *~ bksas .IJJ ~ and for several years ~ it was cuatanar~ toe women to carry a tiny green snake in their bo~ms. Itis fad was discontinued when one of the women was severely inju~s4 tIU OUgh a bite on her chest. Phil remembers ihen the stars feil in 1833. Thy ca~ dom like rain, ! be said. ~en aake why he tailed to keep scm, he replied that he was afraid to touch thea svsn after they basana black.

048 045

District 7 AdeUa S. Dixon ~ 9- . . ~ ~ ~- )A~ -~ ~ - Freedom was discus~d o~th~4-w, plantatjon~ffor many years before the Civil Lt~~ ~t~~1c~4J ~ ~i War began. &a contented as ~ey ~re ~beva-so~ !~i~g ~ L.e~f.mr4.~ . ~ t ~ ~ b~ thg abaolulely free. An ex&.ve e dscription of the . v~ ~ ~al cause O f the Civil War de aerves a place here ~4: ~ ~ that Lincoln had sent ~ a vere~ message a to T~via rsque et ing that he free the slave s. Ne favorable- response was mce ived. Lincoln had a conterenee with IvJr. I~vi s a~d~to ~ a Bible and a gun. He tried in vain to convin~-~ Davis ~. that he wa~ wrongaecoi ding to the Bible so he finally threw the two upon t1~e table and aI~s4 I~vis te-~te)~e hie ehoice Be chose the gun. Lincoln grasped the Bible and ~ home ~e Davis began the war but ~ Liucoln had Godonhisside and so heen~it. Oxie f GOT. TOiIiB sons went to the ai~ny and Phil ~s sent to care for him . while he was there; ~ an ariatocrati ~~~~r went to ~ war without his ~ Valet. ~ duty ~as to cook tor him, keep his cloth~i~ clean, and ~e bring the ~ ~ ~ &~L1J41 t2&L~.t~L/ body home if he was killed ~ ~ poor p.e~ e ~re either buried ~ior.~ or left lying on the field for vultures to cons~mie. Food ~a not so plentiful in the ~ . ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ! t ~ !~. t ~ L ~ and #.hs4r diet ot tlapjacke end canne d goods was varied only t~~urjh 4~ ~t ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~-~t*~A~: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~:;;;f coffee end ihiskey w~e~ uaa ~tvew ~ All cooking was done 4~t~r between two battles or during the lui . in a battle. M~Q ~? ~ ~ ~ ~ VAA~ ~Lt ~ t J obn Toms was so on sent back hoitm as ~ felt he was too ~ ttLbJ~1~ to be killed in batt1e~ ~iis servi a were needed at home. Near the close ot the war, Sherman made a visit to this vicinity. As was his .1~4~k ~ usual habit, he had s~to1i~d this reputation o~ Go,. Towns before he arrived .*_.~t. ~? ~ ~ -.:~~: ~ ~ ~ 8t_~I~_I 1~r~e He tound condit ions 80 ideal that &~t ~ ~ usi- tou~~J~- ~: ~

049 046

Di ~ot V 44~Ua 8. :Dj~n ~ \ ~1O~: 4 ; ~ ~ ~4 .~ L~ ~ ~-Ta1L~,& ~ ~L ~it ~4&7 Ofl his ~ Phil i~8 0 iW.~d A~ ~z~aan tims ~ touo~ h r~ ~ nd epst iith the Y~UkB. gbow~ ( 1~1,1u Central city pax~ t, nov. ~ i~o~igitt ti*~t anytiiin~ a rank., iait ~ ~ S \ waa t1 uh. ~ne~gave hbi a .~ti~e and told him to go end aut the tirpt man \ !) be met, he fo11o~d instruetioni mii though ba I L w the man. ~R9a1tZiflg how 4f too .ish\he had acted, he rsadi1~ apo1ogi~d end~ explained lby. ~ ~14iers ~ ~-L. 4~ ~ ~4 u~ ~i~5k~i~ v~ j ~A A ~r~ri;;~i:~it ~ ~ ~ ~ s~ch ~l~i ~t~u1d run in terror at the ight o~ one ~ %s con.~.rat.. ne~~ iiacoisred thi.. ~ kt-ue~4~311;!1LIa~at ~ma~ ~ ~httsr ~. c1o~ 1~1J~ ~Uwh4 S ot the ~r ~j~imr. atatioi~d in th toia to keeP erde?. Uni~u t1a~i ~re p .a d~ eveiijhez, end a 8ouths~1.zs ~ ae~i*d ot not rss~soting tbe tlag it he STOIk paa sd under on uithout bowing. Penalties ror this oft n~ ers, to b hung up by the $h~uab~, to srry gr.a~po1sa toi a cs~tain ti , and ninnei ous otbs~ pmiahments ~iich saud a dsa3. of diaootnfort to the. ~ictias bu~ aent the soldiers an4 .~a .awss Into p.ala of 1aiighte~. Th. sight of a Ysaka. so1di.r~:wa,; sno4o~e~4~a COntSdaI at. e~ into hy3tsa4.&. $~R_~ &#~4 4~V%~ ~ a3~avsi laughed wben told they ~ free, ~it Goy. T,*ii mii e3aos$ jn&it% tarent. Hie slav.a, he said, ~rs alwaya practically Irs., so a little 1sg&~ foz~Ik did not ~ mtteh~~4r ~. Narly avery oz~ x~1ned t~rs and vorksd for ia~s.. Tor tI~ put thirty-five ysa~i, Phil To*ia baa bsn abnoat totally dissbLd. Lan Lit. a eaua no novslty to him fo~ hi a~i eir~n uasd to U,. IongSr whin they honored thir e Asra mors. H. baa ighty.~tour rslativea in Tiiginia a13~ oLde~)~ tMfl h but atatsa tb&t friendi ibo have Yiaitd th.r y he looks

050 047

Di~i;Z~iet 7 4eUa 3. Dixon -Il- 4? more a~d ~ then ~ of tham. Hi8 great ~O8fre is to return to Virginia, a. he be1ie~sa he viU be able to ~ ~ tamiliar lendmerke in ip:Lte of the chenge~ that have teken place. Mr. Alaz Biosk, oZ MacOn, mekee no chai gea tor th o34 shaek in w 4ch liys~ his tood tuz~nieIM bi the i~per~ment of Pablic 1~l~exs is .upplem.nted b~y intereate( fri.Rd*o I

Plantation life. Neal Upson. Ex-slave age 81. 051 048

-~-~ ~ . . -. ~ ~ . ~ - .-..~- ~ ~ -~- ~ ~48 .~ WiJ ~i:i I ~ PL~NT TION LIFE NEAL UPS ON 450 4th Street Athens, Georgia Miss ~race.McGune ~ ~) Athens Vdritten by: Edited by: Mrs. ~arah if. liall ~Athens - and ~~ohn N. Booth Dist rict Supervisor Federal ~rit ers Pro je et Reeidendies 6 & 7 Augusta, Ga. August ~ 1~8

052 049

~ UH ~ ~ J.~flJ~~Lt)~17 ~ ~ . 49 NEAL UPSON . . Ex-~S1ave .. . ~ ~ ~ . ~ . AlterrIste rein and sunsMne had. continued for about 10 days and the ditches half filled with water, slippery banks of red clay, and. the swollen river necessitating a detour, added to the various difficulties that beset the interviewer as she trudged through East Athens in search of Neal Tjpson s shabby, three~roorn, fratrie house. A magnificent.water oak shaded the vine~cOvered porch ;there a rocking chair and swing offered a coir~fortab1e place to rest. Good rnornin , Miss, was the srnilin~ greeting ~of the aged Negro man who answered a knock on the front door~ How is you? Won t you come in? I would ax you to have a cheer on the porch, but I has to stay in de house cause de light hurts my eyes. He had hastily removed a battered old felt hat, several sizes too large for him, and as he shurried down the hail I~is ~iair a~~peared almost white as it framed his black face. his clean, but fa ded blue overalls and shirt were patched in several places and heavy brogans cornp ete~ his~cos~ tunic. The day was hot and hunild and he. carefully pisced two cheirs v~here they would iiave trie advantage of any breeze that ~fligbt find its way thr~ugh the open flaliway. Miss, I se mighty clad you cone today, he began, cause I does git so lonesonie here by myself. ~y old oman

053 050

ii. ~ ~ wuks up to de eourt ouse, cookin for de folkses in jail, ar4 lt s ailus late when she gits back home. Souse rae for puttin my old hat backon, but dese old eyes jus can t stand de light even here in the hail, less I shades em. ~h~n asked to tell the story of his life, he chuckled. LaWSY, ~iissy ~ he seid Does you mean dat you is willin to set here and listen to old N~e~i talk? Tain t many foikses i,~that wants to heer us old Niggers talk no more. I jus loves to think back on dem days cause dem was happy times, so much better n times is now. Folkses was better den. Dey was allus ready to hoip one another, but jus look how dey is now~ 1 was borned on Marster L~ rank ~ Upson s place ~ down in Oglethorpe County, nigh Lexin ton, Georgy. Marster. h~ad a plantation, but us never lived d~ar for us. stayed at de home place what never had rnore n bout80 acres or lend round it. Us never nad. to betrottin to de sto evvy time us started to cook, cause what warn t raised on de home place, ~Aarster had em raise out on de big plantation. . Evvything us n~eded t eat and wear was groWed on ~~rse Frank s land. ~9Iarold and ~Tane Upson was my Daddy and Mammy; only folkses jus called Daddy Hal. Both of em vies raised right der on de Upson place whar dey played together whilst dey was hlIlUnb Mammy said she h8d washed and ~ewed for Daddy ever since she was big enough, and when dey got grown dey jus up and

054 051

~. 1114 ~: got married. Xw~s deir only boy and I was de baby ahile, but ~ dey had four ~is older n me . Dey was : Gordelia Anna . Par~ thene, ~:jfld Eus. Ella was named for ~1arse ~rank s onliest chue, little Mss Ellen, and our little Miss was sho a gpod. little chile. Daddy made de shoes for all de slaves on de ~ ~ ~ plantation and Mammy was called ~eho~se oraan. She done de cookin up at de big ouse, and ~nade de cloth for her own fambly s clothes, and she was so smart us allus had. plenty t eat and wear. I was little and stayed wid. Mainnyup at d.e big ouse and jus played all over it and all de folkses up der petted iae. Aunt Taiua was a old slave too old to wuk. She was all de tinte cookin gingerbread and hidin it in a little trunk what s ot by de firepla e in her rooni. ~ When us chillun was good Aunt Tame give us ~~erbread, but it us d.jdn t mind wI:wt she said, us didn t :it none. Aunt Tame had de rheumati~ and walked vid a stick and I could git in dat trunk jus bout anytime I wanted to. I h did. git bout evvyt1iin~ dem other ~ ~ chillun had swappin Aunt ~i s gingerbread . . ~When our ~ wh ite . folkses went off, Aunt Tarna toted de keys, and she evermore did mal ~ dem Niggers stand round. Marse Frank jus laughed when dey ~nade coraplaints bout her. In surwnertirae dey cooked peas and other vegttables for us chillun in a wasilpot out in de yard in de shade, and us et out of de pot wid our wooden spoons. Deyjus give u~s wooden bowls full of bread anc~ milk for supper.

055 052

Iv. ~ ~ ~ 52: Marse Frank said he wanted ein to lam me how to wait on de white rolkses tabI~ up at de big ouse, Sand dey started me off wid de job of fannindefliesaway. Mistress Serena, Marse Frank s~wife, niade me a white coat to wear in de dinin room. ~ Missy, dat little old white coat n~de me git de onliest whuppint Marse Frank ever dId. give me. Here old Neal paused for a hearty lau~h. Us had eoxap ny for dinner ~at day and I felt so big showin off fore em In dat white coat dat I jus couldn t xaake dat. turkey 1kTing fan do right. Dem tiirkey wines we~s fastened on long handles ~nd a~ter Marster had done warned ~~ie a time or two to mind what I was bout, the old turkey winC went d own I n de gravy bowl and when I j erked it ou~t it splattered all over de preacher s beat Sunday suit. Marse drank got up and tuk me right out to de kitchen and when he got through brushin me off I never did :~ave no more trouble wid den. turkey wings. ~vvybody cooked on open fireplaces dem days. Dey. had swingin racks what dey celled cranes to hang de pots on for bum . Dere was ovens for bakin and de heavy iron skillets had long handles, One of dem oldakillets was so big dat Mammy ~ cook~~bisuis in it at one time. I allus did love biscuits, and I would ~o out in de yard end tradeAunt Tama s ~1ngerbread to de other chilluris for deir sheer otbiscuits. Den dey would be skeered to eat de gingerbread cause Itold. ein I d teli ~ p on ein. Aunt rr~a thought dey was sick and told Marse Frank de

056 053

V. chuliuns warn t eatin riotM . lie ax d m what was &e matter and d. y told him dey h~d done traded all deir bread ~ to me. Marse Frank den axed me if I warn t gittin enough t f eat caus e he lowed dere was enou~h dar for all. Den Aunt Tarna had to go and tell on me. She said. I was v~iss dan a hog atter biscuits, so our good Marster ord~ered her to see dat li l Neal had enough t eat. ~ n.I ain t never gwine to forgit dat whuppin my own daddy give rae. lie had jus sharpened up a fine new axe for hisseif, and I t ~eided it off to a white boy named Roar what lived nigh usvthen I seed~him out tryin to eut wood w~ a ) sorry old dull axe. I siold Mm ray daddy ~ fine new axe for 5 biscuits. When he found out bout dat, he lowed he waa gwthe to give me somepin to niake me think fore I done any more tradin of his th1n~s. Mist ess, let me tell you, dat beatin he gi~ve nie ever~orewasa-layi~tonOfderod. One day Miss Serena put me in de cherry tree to pick cherries for her, and she told. me not to eat none tII I finished; den. I could have all I wanted, but Ididn t mind her and I et so many cherries I got sick and fell out of de tree. Mist ess was skeered, but ~arse Frank said: It s good enough for hin, cause he didn t mind. ~ MaIELmy never did give me but one whup~pin neither. Daddy was gwine to de circus ~nd I sus cut up bout it cause I wanted to go so bad. Mist ess give tac some cake arid I hushed

057 054

vIe~ ~ 54: l4ng a~ I w~ eatin bu:t. soon as de~ last cake er~ib was swallowed I start~d bawlin again. ~ ahe give ~ a stick of .~andy and soon as I et dat I was squallin wuss dan ever. Mammy told ~jst ess den da~t~ she knowed how to quiet rae and. she retch under de bed. for a siaoe. Niien she had done finished layin daTe. shoe on tue and put it back whar she got it I was aho willin to shet my mouth e~nd let eni all ~o to de circus wid.out no more racket from me. De Lust school \~~eflt to was in a little one room rouse in our white folkses back yard. Us had a~~te teacher and all he larrit slave hillun was jUSt plain readin ~ ~ -.-----~-~- and wri.tin . I had to pass Dr. Villinghamn s office lots and. he was all de time pesterin me bout spellin . Oneday he stopped me and axed rae if I could spell bunible bee widout its tail, and he said dat when I lernt to spell it, he would ginime sonie candy. L~r. Sanders, at Lexin ton, girnrae a dime onet. It was de rust money I ever hac.. I w~s plumb richand I never let my Daddy ~ave no peace tu he retched me to town to do my tradin . I w~~s ail sot to buy myself a h~t, a sto~bou~at suit of clothes, and some shoes what warn t brogans, but Missy, I wound up wid. a ~in~ercake and a nickel s wuth of candy. I used to cry and holler evvy tinie kiss ~erena went o~f and left ~e. ~nenever I seed em gittin out de carriage to hitch it up, I started beg~ gin to go. Sometimes she laughed arid said: All right Neal. ~ut w~~en skie said) No Neal, I snuck out and bid under de high~

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VII. 55 ~~i~eseat and went along jus de same. Mist ess ailus. f ound me f o re us go t ba ck home but s he j us la ugh ed and sai d: Well, Neal s ray little ~/igger anyhow. Dem old cord beds was a sight to look at, but dey slept good. Us cyarded lint cotton into bats for mattresses and put ein in a tick what us tacked so it wouldn t git lumpy. Us never seed no. iron springs dein days. Dera cords, crisscrosse~ from one side of de bed to de other, was our springs and us had keys to tighten era wid. If us didn t tighten em evvy few days dem beds was apt to fell down wid us. De cheers was homemade too and de easiest settin~ ones had bottoms made out of rye splits. Dem oak~-split cheers was all right, and some times us used cane to bottom de cheersbut evvybody laked to set in dem cheers ~iat haci bottoms wove out of rye splits. tt~~rster had ne of dem ol& cotton gins wi~at did~n t1 rn---. ~ ~ have ri~ engines, It was ~iked by mules. Dem old mui ~s was hitched to a long pole ~that dey pulled round and round to make de gin do its wuk. Dey lied some gins in dem days what had treadi~jliS for th~ mules to w8lk In. Dem old treadrillis looked sorter lak stairs, but most of ein was turned by long poles what de mules pulled. You had to feed de cotton by hand to dem old gins end you SilO had to be keErful or you v~s gwine to lose a hand and maybe a airm. You had tc jump in dem o~d cotton presses and treed de cotton down by hand. It tuk most all day long to gin two bales of cottn and if dere w~-s ti~ree bales to be ginned ~is tad. to wuk

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rrios~t all night tc finish up. ~ ~ ~ ~ Dey mixed wool wid de lintootton to~pirithread to make cloth for our winter clothes. Mammy wove a lot of dat cloth iindde clothes made out o~ it sho would keep out de cold~~ Most of our stockin s and socks was knit at honie, but now and den somebody would githold of:a sto ~bought pairfor $unday-go- toraeetin wear. . ~ ~ ~~oIored folkses went to churen wid deir own whit % ~ . -- -~ folkses Ei~r~d sot in de gallery. One Sunday us was all settin in ~ ~ . :~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ .. dat church listenin to de white preacher, Mr~ Eianaford, telLin how c~e old debbil wa~ gwine to ~it dem what didn t do ri~htil ffere Neal burst into unoontro11~b1e laughter. i~is sides shook ani tears ran down his Lace. Finally he be~n h1S~ StQry a aiti: Missy, I just ~ to tell you bout dat ay in deineetin ouse. done A Nigger had/run off from his marster and was hidin~ out rrorii one place to enother. At night he v:ouid go steal his somepin t eat. Ee had done stole some chickens and had em wid. hirn. up in de ~ ~ ~ church steeple whar he was hidjn dat day. When daytizae corne. he ~ ~ .. went off to sleep lak ~iggers will do when ~eyain t got to hustle, and when ne woke. up ircacher ~ansford was tellin e~ bout de debbil was gwine to git de sinners. Right den a old rcoster what he had stole up ~nd crowed so loud it seemed lak Gabriel s truiupet on Judzaent Day. Dat runaway Nigger was skeered cause he knowed dey vias gwine to find him silo, but he warn t skeered nuffin compered to dein Ni~gers settin in de gallery. Dey jus

060 057

Ix.. ~) t knowed dat was de voice of de debbil what ha& done come atter . era. Dem Ni~ers never stopped prayin and testifyin to de Lord, tu de white foikses l~ad~ done ~ot dat runaway slave arid de rooster out of ~Ie steeple. ~!is marster was dar and tuk him home end ~ ive hi~r~ a good snurid thrashin . ~3laves was lowed to ~~ave ~raycrmeetin on . - ~ ~ Chue~day (~ues~y) and ~ri~id~y round at de d~jftUrit plantations wnsr deir marstcrs didn t 1eer, end dere warn t rn~~ny what objected. De good rnar~ters Cli give aeir slaves ~rayermeetixi ~asse~ on dem nights so de ~.etteroliers ~.~ou1dn t ~it era and beat cia up for heIn off deir ~fiarSt~r S 1an~s. Dey x:~ost nigh kilt some sieves what dey catch out when dey didntt have no ~ass. ~hite preachers done de ~.lkin at de Lle tin bouses, but at dein ~.diuesday and friday ni.~ 1t ~rayermeetin s, it was all done by i~i~gers. I was too little to je~iber much boL~t dem ~ect~~ s, but ray older sister~ used to talk lots bout c~ lone otter e viar h&; brurlg our freedom. Dere warn t ~any sl~v~s w!~ot co Id re~. so dey ~us talked bout w~~at dey ~LE~d done ~~cared de white j~re~ci~ers s~y on ~unday. One of de C~v rite texties ~as de third er~~t ~r of ~ and ~nost of em 1jus ~ae:nberecI ~ line or two from dat. ~issy, from wriat folkses said bout dem meetin s, dere w~ sho e lot ot~ good ~rayin and testify~n , tC~:~USC SO many sin~icrs rej.;orite~~. and was saved. Some times at dem ~und~y :~e tin s at c~e white tolkses church dey would have t~:) or three ~jreachers de same day. Dc fust one would give

061

~x. de text and preach for at least a hour, den another one would cive a text and. do his preachin and bout dat time another one would rise up end say dat dem rust two brudders had. done ~ but 4~~hewas~wine o tnT to double dat number. Den he would do his preachin and atter d~t one of dem others would g t up ~nd say: Brudders and Sisters, us is all here for de s~rae end only purpose - dat of savLn souls. Dese other good brudders is done preached,. talked, and preyed, and let the g~p down; now I m. gwine to raise it. Us is ~wine to ~it ligion enough to take us straight through dem pearly gates. ~row, let us sing whilst us gives de new brudders and sisters de right hand o~ rellowship. One or dem old songs went sort of lak dis.: Must I be born to die And l~y dis body down? When dey i~ac~ done finished ~l1 de verses ~mnd choruses o1~ dat dey started: J~niazin Grace, dow sweet de sound Dat saved a wretch lak me. Fore dey stopped dey usually gp~ round to singin : tOn Jordan s stormy banks I stand, And cast a wishful eye, ~ro Uanaan s fair and happy land ~ t b~r mypossessions lie. Dey could keep dat up for hours arid it was sho good singin for dat s one thing iiggers was born to do - to sing when dey gits ligi n.

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U~T ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ;~tf~ 4 Old Aunt fl~ ra c me ttp atx~ wanted t6 Jine de ~hurch she told ~bout how she had done seed de flebenly ii~ht and changed her ~way of livin ~ ~ ~ Thlkses t stitled den bo t de . goodness of de Lord and a1E~ I~I~t17 b1esS1fl~S what 11e give t s~!~ts and sinners, but dey is done stopped givin lUxa rnuc1~ th~ks any more. Derri days, dey zaxnined folkses: ~f~rl~ dey let em jine up ~: -- - ~--~- ~ - ~r ~ ~ ~ wid de ch reh~ When dey started zarninin Aunt Flora, de- preacher axed her: is you done been borned again and does yc,u believe dat ~Tesus (~hrist done died to sav~ sinners? Aunt Flora she started to cry, and she said: Lordy, Is 11e daid? Us didn t know dat. it my old manhad done seribedfor de pap r laic I. told hirn to, us would have knowed when ~Tesus died?~ seal ~ lak giggled, : fl~j~y.9 he said, ain!t dat ~jus /one of d: m ol~tt~ie Niggers? ~ey just tuk dat for ign aneeandiet her corne du into de church. Dem days it was de oiistorn$or marsters to hi ~ out what slaves dey had dat warn t needed to wuk on 4elr. o~ land, so our marster hired out~ ~wo of irty sisters. Sis ~ ~ hired t o a fambly bout 16 miles front our plac She didri t 14k it d a r s o s he run away and I foun d h e r hi d out I n our t at e ~r ~ ouse ~ ~ . One day when us was playin she called to me right l w end soft lak a~Ad told me she was hongry aud for me to git her s rnepln t eat but not to tell nobody she was dar. She said she had be n dar widout nothi n t eat f r s everal days . She was s k eered ~ Marst er might whup her. She looked so thin and bad I thought she was gwine to s

063 059

.)~ 59 die so I told Mammy Her arid Marst er went arid brung Anna ~ to de ~ ouse and fed her. )at pore chile was starved moat to death. Marster kept her at honie for 3 weeks and fed her up good, den he carried her back and told dem. folkses what had hired her dat dey had better treat Anna ood and see dat she had p1ent~ t eat~. Marster was drivin a fast hoss dat day, but bless your heart, Anna beat hirn back nome dat day. She cried and tuk on eo, beggin him not~ to take her back dar no more dat he told her she could stay hone. My other sister stayed on whar 8he was hired out tu de war was over and dey cive us our rreedom. ~Daddy had done hid all Old Marster s hosses when de yankees got to our plantation. Two of de ridin hosses was in de smokehouse and another good t rotter was in de hen ~ ouse. Old Take was a slave what warn t right bright. ~ 11e slep in de kltenen, and he knowed whar Daddy had hid dein hosses, but dat was all he knowed, Marster nad give Daddy his money to hide too, and he tuk saine of de plasterin off de wall iii ~arster s room and put de box of money inside ~1 wall. Den he tixed dat plas~ term back so nice you couldn t tell it had ever been tore oi~f. De night dem yanke es e ra, Daddy had gone out to de wuk ouse to ~it some pegs ~ t o fix . s ~iiepin ~ didn t have no nails dem days). When de yankees rid up to de kitchen door and found Old Jake right by hiaself, dat pore old. fool was ~keered so bad he jus started right off babb ,in bout two hosses in de smoke ouse arid one in d~e hen ouse, but he was trexablin so he couldn t talk piain.

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. .. ~ . XIII. ~ 60 ~ . ~ ~ ~ 034 Marster hearedde fuss dey ruade axid he corae d~o*n to de kitch-~ en to see what w ~ de matter. De yankees den ordered Mar~ter j to git em his hosses. Marster called fleddy and told him to git de hosses, but Daddy, tie played foolish lak and. stalled ~ ~ round lak he didn t have good sense. 3~ex sojers raved and. ~ ~ fussed all ni~tht long bout dem hosses, but dey never thought bout lookin in de smoke ouse and hen ouse for em and bo t daybreak dey left widout takin n.T~thin . ~ Marster said he was she proud of my Daddy for savin dem good hosses for him. Marster had a long pocketbook what fastened at ~ ~ one end wid a ring. One day when he went to git out some money he drepped. a roll of bills dat he never seed, but i~addy picket it up and handed it back t hii~:right alay. Nowmy D~dy~c ~i3~ ~ have ke~t dat money jus as easy, but he ~s a ~e~tiona1 ~ : ~ 1; . I and believed evvybody ought to do right. ~ . ~ Aunt an s old. nian Und e Griff come to live ~ wid her on our pIece atter de war was ov r. Fore den he had belonged to a man named Oo1quitt~ ~ )~trster pervided a honaef r ~ hiiii and Aunt Tame tu dey was both daid. ~ Y~ hen dey was buildin de tust co1oredMeth~~~~ch in dat section Uncle G~riff give a whole hundred dollars to d~e buildint fund . Now it tuk ~a h p of scrimpin for hirn to save dat rauch nioney cause he nev~ ~ad ~ made over ~IO a raonth. Aunt Tama h~d done gone to Glory a long time when Uncle G~riff di d. Atter dey b~ied him dey corne ba k and was rangin d things in h1~ iitt1e~cabin. ~!hen dey rn ve~

065 061

ISv. dat little trunk i~at Aunt Tame used to k~e~ gingerbread in, dey tound jus lots of money in it. ~arster tuk keer o! dat r~i~ney til h~ found Uncle ~rift s wn sister and den he giv it all to her. ~ ~One ~tiine Marster fussed some of hi ~ mone~r a~ lie didn~t iant to cuse nobody, so he cid~ed he wo~ild tix~.out whc~ had done ~e . debbilment . 1~e put a big rooster in a coos ~ wi~ his haid atickin out. Dent he called all de Niggers up to de yard and told em somebody had. been stealin his mone~ , a~ 5at evvybod3r must ~git in line and march round dat oop and ~ tetch it. . ae said dat when de guiit~ cines tetched it de old. rooster would row. ~vvybody tetchedit cept one old ~anand his wif ; dey jus wou1dti~t corne nigh dat coop whar dat r o~ter was a-lookin at evvybody out of his little red eyes~ ~ Mariter had dat old man and oman sarohed and found all de money what had been stole. ~ . . wMeinm~y died bo t ayear atter de war, arid I x~ver will forgit how Mist esscr1edari~d said: Neal, your xtrainrny is done gone, and Idon t knowwhat I ll douidou~her.t Not long at~er dat Daddy bid. for de contract t o carry de mail and he got de place, but it niade de white folkses xaighty mad, cause some white folkses had put ~ Dey Iowe~ dat Daddy better not never start out ~i4 dat mail,. e~a~use ith~ did he was gwifle to be sorry ~ Marster begged Daddy not to risk it and told him if he would stay dar wid. ~im he would let him have a plantation for as long as he lived, and so us stayed on

066 062

f ~ ~ :x~. 62 dar til Daddy di:ed, and a long time atter datus kept~ on wukin for Old ~ arster. ~ ~ White folkses o~ined u~ back in de days fore de war but our own white folkses was mighty good to deir slaves. Dey had to lam us bedienee Lust, how to live right, and how to treat evvybodv else right; but de best tbing dey lamed us was .. Is ~ ~ ~ ~I1 ~ :T :~ how to do useful wuk. De onhiest tii~ae I member stealin any~ thing dept Aunt ~ania s gingerbread w~s one time when I went -to town wid L addy inde bugg . y. When us started back hoxa~ a man got in de seat wid ~)addy and I had to ride dowD in de back or de buggy whar Daddy i~ad hid ~ug of liquor. I could hear it ~ slushin round. ~nd so I got to wantin to know how it tasted. I pulled out de corncob stopper and tuk one taste. It,, was. so good I jus kep on tastin tu I passed out, and didn t know when us gr)t noiiie or nuffin else tu I waked up in my own bed t next day. Daddygivemeatennin whet I d.idn~t rorgit for a long time, but dat was de wussest drunk I ever was. Lord~, but I did. love to rollow my Daady. ~ ~ V Folkses wara t sick much in dem days lak dey is now, but now us don t eat strong victuals no more. Us raked out hot eSlIes den and cooked good old asheakes what was a heap better ~ V for us dan dis bread us buys from de stores now. Marster fed us plenty of V ake V fresh meat, and ash roasted *taters, and dere ~ ~_~_ Vl_JVU- 11~~ what warn t nobody/could out wuk u~. V ~ ~ V

067 063

S ~ ~ S ~ death was soniepln w~iat didntt h*pp.n~ osten 5on our plantatior~,~. but when somebody did die folkseswthi3~d go from miles and miles around to set up ~nd pray aU night to oornt~t de fambly of de daid. Dey never made up de coffins fil atter somebody died. Den dey measured de corpse an~ x~dede eoffin to fit de body. Dein coffins was lined wid bl ek calico and painted wid. lampblack on de outside. ~ Soxrtet mesdey klvi ered S de outside wid black calico lak de 1mm ~ Coffins for w1~ite folkses was jus lak what dey had raade up for deir slaves,and dey was all buried in de same graveyard on deir own plantations~ When de war was over dey closed de little 0fl~~ roorn school what our good ~arster had kept in ~Us back yax~4 ~o~r . hi~ s1aves;~but ou. i young~Miss Eileniarnt~rny $iSt;er ~rig11t~ on~ ~ ~~~otWharshe couldteach~.s ohc~ Daddy fixed ~ a room onto our house for her school and she soon had it full of. ehillun. Dey made me study too, and I sho did sate to have 4o go to school to my own sister for she e~e~ored~d take ~evvy chance to lay dat stick on me, t~ut I s pects ~e had ~r1g~ tough tirae wid me. When time conie ~ round to Olebrate se~Izoo1 corrix~ienc ernent I was one proud little Nigger ~ ca~ise I nevei had been so dressed up in my lire before. I had on aredwaist, S ~ and a gooj~ I~~~jhpjs; but de gr~ndest thing of all bout dat o ti~itwasdat Daddy 1etrne~fiI~ ~8wa*~ch ~Evvy-~ body ooit~e for dat oel~ration. Dere was over 300 folks at dat ~_S___ _ ~L ~ ~1~-~ ~ big5 dinner, and us h~d Iota of barbecue an~d ~l1 s;Ort8 of ~good

068 064

t~Angs tteat. Oid~rs~er was dar, ~nd ~wI~en 1 stood up flfore ~il dem folks and :s~id ray little speech widout. misaln a imrd, ~ ::~rster slw did laugh and clap his hands. ~ 11e oaUed me over to w~ar he w~s settin and said: I knowed you could lam fl~ you~ ~ ianted to.t Beet of all, he give me~~8 ~1O1e doil&D. I wa~ ~ ~ ~. ~ .~ ~-~ ~-j---.~ ~~- !tF~i~Jl~flfLLI~J 1~ r~rt~1 1: i~T .1 0 . ~ ~f dfl~ r~..ii~t ~ ~ ~ ~ -~ ~ ... .II:1~ ~ ~ :. ~ rich den,piuxab.rioh. One of mysisters~ou1dn ~ lam notMn ~. ~e only letters she could ever say w~s G-~O ~~D. No matter what ~rou axed ~er to spell she allus said ~ G ~-~ . t $~ ~ a good field hand though and a good oman and she lived to be aiore dan go years old. . ~ : ~ ~ Now, talkln lout froIi~kin us really used ~to danee. What I means, is sho nough o1d-time.break-~downs. So~e.~ ~ ---~ times us d1dn ~t heile no musie~ oeptjus ~be~t1n~time ~ ~nd bucketsbut most tiiiies Old EIioeEU~son played his~tid&ie ~ ~ ~ f~or us, ~nd it had to be tuned again atter e~vy set us dan~ed. Re. never knowed but one tune and he pl~yeddat over ~nd over. S ~e- times dere was 10 or 15 couples on de floor at de sai~etii~e~arid us dj~n t thlflk nothin of danei ~ ~ ~11 night long. t~s hail plinty of old corn c~ui e for refreshment, and 8tter ~11e hadtwo or t.~ire cups of dat juice, he could git Turkey In desStraw out of dat fiddle lak nobody s business, ~ ~ One tirn.e a houseboy from another ~1antation wanted to come tO one of our ~addyrii~ht den~es,, so his ~rater told him . ~ - to shine his boOts for SuxI~ay and~fixh s hoss or de night and lenhe could git off ror de frolic. Abraham shinedhia m~rster s . 64~f:~

069 065

t I .3~u..._ . . . . I . . . . J boots tU. he ooald ee Usait in a; ad isy loojist se graM he . . s ~ ~ wastempted to tr7 ~em on. Dey ~waa a littis tigitbaths thought he could nar ~ ant he nfttei to show biua.tf. fl in es. *t. t dance. . Dey warn t so stay to w lk in ant. hi wac tratd.ke.aight~ git sa.aoratoh!d up walkin t roughds tislda.S he snusk..hia Marster s hoes out and rode to de dance. When Abraham rid up dar in dem shiny hi got ai . de gala fleation. . Nons of sa wadtet to danoe iid ~d. otherMiggsrs.. Bat Abraham was..sko atruttin tU somebo4y run in ~ told his 14e .t~ois hM Oase broke its neck. le had ti.d..it to a limb aM.ehoi noush. sai way, dat hoes had done got tangled up and hune its own qel~ Abrehea begged &e other Nigger boys to help kistake de flit hose home, but he ha&Aons tuk dcii gals aM hs:.dIt?t git as.heip. Es long . s. had to walk lzfmiles home in dem tight ahosa~ .1. aim hat.dM$t riz up when h got dar and it wern t long tore him arster wat.cellinf: Abraham, bring me my boots . Dat Nigger .woiilt holler out t . tras seht I ss asoosin . But daboote wouldn t cams ott. ostaehus foots had .done aslied up in e~b iii. minter kspt os salUn and when Abraham se$ he ocn in t put .it off nt longsr, he ja out dem boots off his toots and went in and toM what hs bad done. eis. meister se awful mat and said he was a good mind to take Is hide oft Abrahams back, Go git myhoss quick~ Nigger, tors:l ioat kills you hs yelled . Den &brabaa . told him: *pstg; I . knows you is gwine to kill me now, but your: hon it done. daid.! usa pore flrfle.m had to out . and tell ds whole stqry and his .aarster t. . s : . s s

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j~?L got, to l ughln sp. bout how he tuk. ~ g~as away~ ft Q~&~ other boys and how dem boots huzt 14m dat It, ~coi~ ia~ ~ ~ never would stop, mien he finally did s~op ~a~hi~ ~nd s~~i ills sides lie said: Dat s aliright Abrah~n~ Don t never.~et . :~ ~ ~ . f ~ ~ . nobody beat your time wid de gals. And dat1s all he ever said to Abrahani bout it~ ~ ~ . ~ : lNhen fly sister got marrieU, us sho cUd have a grand time. Us cooked a pig whole wid a shiny red apple in &ts mouth and set it right in de middle of de long tabl,e w~aat us had built out In de yard. Us had evvything good to go wid dat iDig, and atterdat sup er, us danced aflnLghtlong. My~is~ ster never had seed dat man but onetin~e 1fore she zriarrie~ hjz~i. ~ w Daddy and his cousin ~im ~wore wid, Q~ie~. another dat it one died~ fore de other ~at de one what was left would look atter de daid e s faxtibly and s ee dat none of ~ de, chillun was bound out to wuk for nobody. it warn t long att!r dis dat Daddy died. I was jus fourteen, and was WUkiXL for a~ brick masbn lamm dat trade. ~ ~Daddy ad done been ~ck a ~ : ~ ..:~i ..:. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~. ~ ..~ ~ ~ ~ .:~ ~ ~ ~ .:~: :~. Tj: : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ while, and one night de fambly woke nie upand ~&id he was dyin~. I run Cast as I could Cor a doctor but.. D~d.dy was done daid when I got back. ~ hIIII right side of i~axnmy in de old grave yard. It was m9~ a year atter dat fore us had de funeral sermon preached. Dat was de way folkses done den. Now Meminy and Daddy was botb. gone, but old Marster said us chilluu co~4ld live d~r long as u s want ed ~ to . I went on ba ek to wuk te aus e I was crazy to be as good a~aason asmy Daddy was. In Lexin ton dere is a. rt5ok wall still standin round a, whole square what. Daddy

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XI. 01 built in slavery time. Long as he lived he blowed his bugle evvy rwrnin ~o wake up ail de folkscs on ~jarse Frank s plantatiori~ ~e never railed to blow dat bugle at break ot day cep on 3undays, end evvyboay on dat place pended on him to wake em up. I was jus a-wukin away one day when Cousin ;rim sont for rae t~ .~.o tc to~:n ~id him. Missy, dat man brung ~ie rir~.ht ilere to J~thens to de old courthouse and bound r~e out to ~a white vLan. He done dat very thing atter swearin to my Daddy rie wouldn t never let dat a~peri. I didn t w8nt to wuk dat way, so I run away ~nd ~zent back home to wuk. De sheriff come and ~5:ot :i~e and said I I~ad to go back whar ~L was bound out or ~ o to ~ail. .Eretty soon I runned away again and ~ient to ~tlanta, an~L dey nevcr bothered me bout dat flO more. ~ De onliest time I ever got r sted was once when I co~ ::e to town to see bout ~:ittin somebody to pick_cotton for ne end us as .~. ~.ot to a c rti~in Nig.~er s house de police come in and cau~n~ em in a crap ~em~. 1~ir. ~icUurie, de policeman, said I would nave to go long wid ue others to jail, but rie would hoip rue atter us ~ot dar and :te did. liC ranged it so ~ could hurry beck i~ome. Bout de best times us had in de plantation days was de corn shuckin s, log rollin s~~nd syrup c okin s. Us allus finished ur, dem syrup c~okin s wid ~ c8ndy pullin .

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~. : 68 ~ ~ ~ ~ ?~ ~ ;~ ~: .~ *4~tter he had all his corn gathered nd~ put in big long piles, Marster vited d~e folks s froni ai . round &~m parts. ~ Dat was de way it was done; evvybody holped de others git de corn shucked. Nobody thought of hirin folkses and payin out cash xnoney for extra wuk lak dat. Dey lected a gen ral to lead off de singin and atter he got ein to keepin time wid de singin de littlebrown jug ~as pessed round. When it had gone de rounds a time or two, it was a sight to see how fast dem Niggers could keep time to dat singin . Dey could do all sorts of double time den when dey had swigged enough liquor. When de corn was all shucked dey feasted and den drunk more liquor arid danced as long asdey could stand up. De logrollin s and candy . pullin s ended de same way . Dey was sho grand good tinies. 1 tanned wid de white folkses for32~rears~ aM never had no trouble wid nbbociy. Us allus settled up fair aXId square and in crop time dey never bothered to come ~round to see what Neal was dom , cause dey lcnowed dis Nigger~was wukin all right. Dey was all mighty good to nie. Atter I~got so old I couldn t run a farm no more I wuked in de white foIk es gyardens and tended deir flowers. I had done~be en wukin out Mrs steve tJ s flowers and wh en she ~ come to p y she ax d what ray name was. When I told hei it was Neal lrpson she wanted to know how I got de Upson name. I told h r M . Frank Up on had done give it to nie when I was his slave. She called to Mr. Steve and dey lak to have talked xn to death/or rn~ Marse rank arid Mr. Ste~ve s daddy was close kinfolk es. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .

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u~. Atter dat I wuked d~eir flowers long as I was able to walk way off up to deir pl oe, but old Neal oa~t wukno~more. Mr Steve and his folkses conies to see me sometimes . rid I ~se allus powerfui glad. tosee em. .. ~ ~ ~ ~ .~ I used to wuk sotne for 1~Liss lWiary ~oon. She is a mighty good oman and she knowed my Daddy and our good. Old~ Marster. Miss Mary would talk to me ~3Ut dem old days and she allus s~id: tNe l, let s pray, ff0~i6 lefts Miss ~iary never did git married. ~he~s one of dem soiltaryladies. ~ Now Mi s sy h ow corne you want s t o know ~ ~ b ~ ut my weddin!? I done been married two. times, but it was de tust time dat was de sho nough citin one, I courted dat gal for a long, long :time while I was to~ skeered to ax her Dad y for her. I went to see herevvy Sunday jus terminedto ax~hini for her to~ I left, and I would stay 1at~e atter supper, but j~ust couldn t ~git~ up nerve enough to do it. One Sunday I ~orn1sed myself I would ax him if it kilt me, so I weint over to his house early dat mornin and told Lida, dat was ~ sweetheart ~s name . I says to her : I silo is gwlne to ax him today. ~ ~fl dinnertime ome, su~ertime come, and I was gittin shaky in my j~ts when her Daddy went to feed his hogs and I went along s~id him. Missy, &is is de way.i fine liy did ax him forhis gai. ~Le said ~he wO goirit to have some fine meat come winter. I axed him if it wthld be enough for all of~hisfanibiy, and he said; 1k~* come you ax dat, boy? ~ Den I jus got e tight hold on dat old hog p ri. 8n~ s~id:: ~

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70 Well, Sir, Ijus thought 1f you didn t have enough tor all of em, I could take LIda. I felt myself goin down. 11e started laughin fit to kill. Bcy, he says, tIS you tryin to ax for Lida? If so, I don t keer cause she s got to git married sometime. I Was so happy I left him right den and. run back to tell Lida dat he said it was all right. ~ % Us didn t have no big weddiri . Lida had on a new calico dress and I wore new jeans pants. Marster heared us was gittin married dat day and he sont his new buggy wid a message for s to corne right dar to hirn. I told i4da us better go, so us got in da~ buggy and driv Ott, ~xid de rest of de folkses followed in de wagOn. M rster met us in front of old Salem Church. He had de churc~. open~and Preacher ~rohn Gibson waitin? dar to riarry us. Us warn. ~t spectin no church weddin , but Marster said dat Neal had to git married right. 11e never did forgit his Niggers. Lida she s done been daid a long time, and I se merried again, but dat warr~ t ~ ~ ~:~ By now, Neal was evidently tired b~ ~ bu*~ as the interviewer prepared to leave, Neal ~ ~ soniepin to tell my old oman vthen she gits home. $1~e don t.Iak to leave me here by myself. I wish ~ere was somebody o~ me ~o ~ ~ .~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ to evvyday, for I se had sich a good time today. I:dOflS~C~ ~ ~ it s gwine to be long fore old Neal goes to be wid. demi done been tellin you bout, so don twait too long to come ~ack~~ see me 8gain. .

Plantation life as viewed by ex-slave. 075 071

PLANTATION LIRE AS VIEWED BY EI-SLAVE ~TOHt~ F. VAN HOOX Newton Bridge Road. Athens, Georgia by: Mrs. Sadie B. ~Area6- Athens - Written Horn sby Edited by: Mrs. Sarah It. Hall Athena - and sohn N. Booth Area Supervisor of Federal Writers Project ~ Areas 6 & 7, Augusta, Ga. Dec. 1, 1938 3~4~

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3~OHN F. VAN H00K Ex~ &1ave L ~ 76 ~rohn F. -Van aook was a short, stout man wjth a shining bald pate, a fringe of kinky gray hair, kindly eyes, and a white mustache of the Lord Chamberlain variety. Eis shabby work clothes were clean and carefully mended, and he leaned on a cane for support. sohn was looking for the Farm Bureau Office, but he agreed. to return for an interview after he had transacted his business. When he reappeared a short time later and. settled down in a comfortable chair he gave the story of his early life with apparent enjoyment. In language remarkably fre e of dialect ~Tohn began by telling his full name and added that he was well known in Georgia and the whole country. Until I retired, he remarked, I taught school in North ~arolina, end in Hall, ~ackson, and Rabun Counties, in Georgia. I sin farming now about five miles from Athens in the Sandy Creek district. I wasborn in 1862 in Macon County, North Carolina, on the George Seller s plantation, which borders the Little Tennessee River. I don t know enything nmch, first hand, about the war period, as I was quite a child when that ended, but I can tell you all about the days of ~econstruction. What I know about the things that took place during the war was told me by my mother and other old people. W3586

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J. I ~ My father *as Bas Van Hook and he niarried Mary Angel,. ray mother. Mother was born on Marse Dillard. Love s plantation, and. when his daughter, Miss Jenny, married Marse Thomas An~el s son, Marse Dillard gave Mother to Miss ~Tenny and when Little Miss enny Angel was born, Mother was her nurse. Marse Thomas and Miss renny Angel died, and ~other stayed right there keeping house for Little Miss Jenny and looking after her. Mother had more sense than all the rest ot the slaves put together, and she even did Little Miss Jenny s shopping. . My tather was the only darkey Old Man Isaac Van Hook owned, and he did anything that cerne to hand: he was a good carpenter and mechanic and helped the Van Hooks to build mills, and he made the shoes for that settlement. Thomas Aaron, George, Tarnes, Claude, and Washington were my five brothers, and my sisters were Zelia, Elizabeth, and Candace. Why, Miss, the only thing I can remember right off hand that we children done was fight 8nd frolic like youngsters ~ ;ill do when they get together. With time to put my mind on it, I would probably recollect our games and songs, if we had any. Our quarters was on a large farm on sugar Fork River. The houses were wuat you would call log huts and they were scattered about promiscuously, no regular lay-out, just built wherever they happened to find a good spring convenient. There was never but one room to a hut, and they w~rn t particular about how niany darkies they put in a room. White folks had tine four-poster beds with a frame built around the top of the bed, and over the frame

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~.-1 ~ 3.; hung pretty, ruffled ~thite curtains end a similar ruffled curtain was around the bottom of the bed; the curtains made pretty ornarnents. Slaves had beds of this general kind, but they warn t quite as pretty and fine. Corded springs were the go then. The beds used by most of the slaves in that day and time were called Georgia beds,t and these were made by boring two holes in the cabin wall, and two in the floor, and side pieces were run from the holes in the wil to the posts and fastened; then planks were nailed around the sides and foot, box-fashion, to hold In the straw that we used for mattresses; over this pretty white sheets and plenty of juilts was spreaded. Yes, main, there was always plenty of good warm cover in those days. Of course, it was home- ade, all of it. My grandfather was a blacksmith and farni~hand owned by Old Man Dillard Love. According to ray earliest recollection my grandmother Van Hook was dead and I have no memories about her. My great, great grandmother, Sarah Angel, looked after slave children while their mothers were ~t work. She was a free woman, but she had belonged to Marse Tommy Angel end Miss Jenny Angel; they were brother and sister. The way Granny Sarah happened to be free was; one of the women in the Angel family died ~nd left a little baby soon after one of Granny s babies was born, and so she was loaned to that family as wet nurse for the little orphan baby. they ~.ave her her freedom and took her into their home, because they did not want her sleeping in slave quarters ~iile she was nursing the white child. In that settlement, lt was considered a disgrace for a white child to feed.

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~ir 4. (~) at the breast ot a slave woman, but it. was all right if the darkey was a fre e w. After she got t oo old to do regular work Granny Sarah used to glean after the reapers in the field to get wheat for her bread. She had been a favored slave and allowed to do pretty much as she pleased, and. after she waa a free winan the white folks continued to look after her every need, but she loved to do for herself as lone as 8he was able to be up and about. What did we have to eat then? Why, most everything; ash cakes was a mighty go then . Cornbre ad dough was made into little pones and placed on the hot rocks close to the fire to dry out a little, then hot ashes were raked out to the front of the fireplace and~ piled over the ash cakes. When thoroughly done they were taken out and the ashes washed off; they were just like cake to us children then. We ate lots of home~made lye ho~iny, beans, peas, and all kinds of greens, cooked with tat meat. The biggest, and maybe the best thing in the way of vegetables that we had then was the white-head cabbage; they grew large up there in Carolina where I lived. There was just one bi~ garden to teed all the folks on that farm. Marse George had a good possum dog that he let his slaves use at night. They would start off hunting about 10 o clock. Darkies knew that the best place to hunt for possums was in a persimmon tree. It theycouldn t shake him out, they would cut the tree down but the most fun was when we found the possum in a hollow log . Some of the hunters would get at one end of the log, and the others would guard the other end, and they would build a fire to smoke the possum out. Sometimes when they had to pull him out,

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. 5. (t) they would find the possum in such a tight place that most of his hair would be rubbed off before they could get him out. Darkies hunted rabbits, squirrels, coons, all kinds of birds, arid specially they was fond of going after wild. turkeys. Another great sport was hunting deer in the nearby mountains. I managed to get a shot at one once. Morse George was right good about letting his darkies hunt and fish at night to get meat for themselves. Oh! Sure, there were lote of fish and they caught plenty of em in the Little Tennessee and Sugar Fork Rivers and in the numerous creeks that were close by. Red horse, suckers, and salmon are the kinds of fish I reinerriber best. They were cooked in various ways in skillets, spiders, and ovens on the big open fireplace. Now, about the clothes we wore in the days of the war, I couldn t rightly say, but n~y ~&other said we had good. comfortable garments. In the summer weather, boys and men wore plain cotton shirts and jeans pants. The homne- raade linsey-woolsy shirts that we wore over our cotton shirts, and the wool pants that we wore in winter, were good and warm; they had brogan shoes in winter too. Folks wore the same clothes on ~indays as through the week, but they had to be sure that they were nice and clean on Sundays. Dresses for the women folks were made out of o ot ton checks and. they had sunbonnets too. Marse George Sellars, him that married Miss Oa line Angel, was my real master. They had four children, Bud, Mount, Elizabeth, and, and er; I just can t bring to recollect the name

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6. of their other girl. They lived in a two-story freine house that was surrounded by an oak grove on the road leading from Franklin, Nc~rth Oarolina, to Clayton, Georgia. Hard Sellars was the carriage driver, and while I am sure Marse George must have had an overseer, I don t remember ever hearing anybody say his name. Really, Miss, I couldn t say just how big that plantation was, but I am sure there must have been at least four or fivehundred acres in it. One mighty peculiar thing about his slaves was that Marse George never had more than 99 slaves at one time; every time he bought one to try to make it en even hundred, a slave died. This happened so trying to keep a hundred or more, long as he did that, there warn t his slaves. His slaves had to be and there they had to work steady marn, Marse Tommy Angel was mighty his sister, was good as could be; mother to her sister, }Liss ~a 1ine Tommy was too hard on lier. I heard some talk as hard. in the field all day and come whipped for mighty small offenses. tied hand and foot over a barrel and or cat-o ~nine tails lash. They had often, I was told, that he stopped and held on to his 99 slaves,. and any more deaths than births among in the fields when the sun rose, until the sun went down. 0hZ Yes, mean to his slaves, but Miss Jenny, that is the reason she gave my ~ellars; because she thought Marse to how after the slaves had worked to the house at night, they were Marse Gecrge would have them would beat them with a cowhide, a jail in Franklin as far back

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n. (. t as I can recollect. Old 31g ~.ndy Angel s white folks had him put ~ in jail a heap of times, because he was a rogue and stole everything he could get his hands on. Nearly everybody was atraid of hint; he was a great big double jointed man, end was black as the ace Qt spades. No, mami I never saw any slaves sold, but ray father s mother and his sister were sold on the block. The white folks that bought em took them away. After the war was over my tather tried to locate em, but never once did he get on the right track of em. Oh! Why, my white folks took a great deal of pains teaching their slaves how to read and write. My father could read, but he never learned to write, and it was from our white folks. that I learned to read and write. Slaves read the Bible more than any~ thing else. There were no churches for slaves on Marse ~eorge s plantation, so we all went to the whit folks church, about two miles away; it was called Clarke s Chapel. Sometimes we went to church at Cross Roads; that was about the saine distance across sugar Fork River. My mother was baptized in that Sugar Fork River by a white preacher, but that is the reason I joined the Baptist church, because my mother was a Baptist, and I was so crazy about her, and am tu yet. There were no funeral parlors in those days. They just funeralized the dead in their own homes, took them to the graveyard in a painted home-made coffin that was lined with thin bleaching made in the loom on the plantation, and. buried them in a grave that dt t have any bri eka or cement about it . That brings to my memory

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Q .J.. those songs they sung at funerals. One of them started off something I ike thi s D t WantYou toGrieveAfter Me. Ify mother used to t eli me that ~t en sh e was baptized they sung You Shall Wear a L1i~ ~ Whenever I get to studying about her it seems to me I can hear my mother singing that song again. She did love it so much. No, main, there didn t none of the darkies on Marse George Sellar s place run away to the North, but some on Marse Tommy Angel s place ran to the West. They told. me that when Little Charles Angel started out to run away a bird. flew in front of him and led hirn all the way to the West. Understand me, I em not saying that is strictly so, but that is what I heard old folks say, when I was young. When darkies wanted to get news to their girls or wives on other plantations and didn t want Marse George to know aboat it, they would wait for a dark night and. would tie rags on their feet to keep from making any noise that the pat~erol1ers might hear, for if they were caught out without a pass, that was something else. PateroUers would go out in squads at night and whip any darkies they caught out that could not Show passes. Adern Angel was a great big nan, weighing about 200 pounds, and he slipped out one night without a pass. When the paterollers found him, lie was at his girl s place where they were out in the front yard stewing lard for the white folks. They ktiew he didn t belong on that plantation, so they asked him to show his pass. Adam didn t have one with him, and he told them so. They made a dive for him, and then, quick as e flash, he turned over that pot of boiling lard, and while they were getting the hot grease off of them he got away and carne back to his cabin. If they had caught

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9. 80 Adam, he would have needed some o~ that spilt grease on hi~ after .. tile beating they woU1~ have give him. Darkies used to stretch ropes end. grapevines ecross the road where they knew paterollers would be riding; then they would run down the road in front of them, and when they got to the rope or vine they would ;Tump over it arid watch the horses stuxable and throw the paberollers to the ground. That was a favorite sport of slaves. . After the darkies got in 1~rom the field et night, ate their Supper, end finished up the chores for the day, on nights when the moon shone bright the men would. work in their own cotton patches that Marse George allowed them; the women used their own time to wash, iron, patch, and get ready for the next day, and if they had time they helped the men in their cotton patches. They worked straight on through Saturdays same as any other day but the you~rig folks would get together ort Saturday nights and have little parties. How did they spend Sundays? Why, they went to church on Sunday and visited around, holding prayermeetings at one another s cabins . Now, Chri stmas mornin ~ Yes marn, that was a powerful time with the darkies, if they didn t have nothing but a little sweet cake, which was nothing more than gingerbread. However, Marse George did have plenty of good things to eat at that time, such as fresh pork and wild turkeys, end we were allowed to have a biscuit on that day. How we did frolic and. cut up at Christmas2 Marse George didn t make much special to do on New Year s Day as far as holiday

085 081

o.,. wasooncerried; work was the primary object, especially in connection with slaves. Oh- oo-h! everybody had cornshuckings. The man designated to act as the general would stick a peacock tail feather in his hat and call all the men together and give his orders. lie would stand in the center of the corn pile, start the singing, and keep things lively for them. Now and then he would pass around the jug. They sang a great deal during cornshuckings, but I have f rgotten the words to those songs. Great excitement was expressed whenever a man found a red ear of corn, for that counted 20 points, a speckled ear was 10 points and a blue ear 5 points, toward a special extra big swig of liquor whenever a person had as many as 100 points. After the work was finished they had a big feast spread on long tables in the yard, and dram flowed plentiful, then they played ball tussled ran races and did anything they knew how t o amus e thems elves. Now, Ladies, ~ohn said, please excuse me. lieft my wi fe at home re al s I ok and I j us t mus t . . hurry to t h e d rug st ore and get some flaxseed so I can raake a poultic&for her. As he made a hasty departure, he agreed to complete the story later at his home, and gave careful directions for finding the place. A month later, two visitors called on sohn at his small, unp