Untitled Section 001

s United States 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 SLAVE NARRATIVE A Folk History of Slavery in the From Interviews with Former Slaves TYPEWRITTEN RECORDS PREPARED BY THE FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT

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VOLUME XIV soum CAROLINA NARRATIVES PART 1 Prepared by the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Mministration for the State of South Carolina

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INFORMANTS Abraxns, M. E. Adams, Ezra Adams, Mary Adams, Victoria Adamson, Frank Andrews, Frances Arthur, Pete Bacehus, Josephine Ballard, William Barber, Charley Barber, Ed Barber, Millie Bates, Anderson Bates, Millie Bees, Welcome Bell, Anne B~vis, Caroline Black, Maggie Bluford, Fordon Boulwar~, Samuel Boyd, John Bradley, Jane Brice, Andy Briggs, George Bristow, Josephine Broome, Anne Brown, Hagar Brown Henry Brown, John C. Brown, Mary Frances Brown, Sara Bryant, Margaret Burrell, Savilla Burton, C. B. Butler, George Ann Butler, Isaiah Butler, Solbert 1 5 9 10 13 17,18 19 Cain, Granny Caldwell, Laura Caldwell, Solomon Cameron, Nelson Campbell, Thomas Cannon, Sylvia Caroline, Albert Chisoim, Silvia Chisoim, Toni Cleland, Maria Clifton, Peter Coleman, Henry Coleman, Rev. Tuft Collier, Louisa Collins, John Corry, Bouregard Craig, Caleb Cunningham, Dinah 166,168 169 170 172 176 180,187 197 199 201 2Q4 205 210 216 218 224 227 229 234 238 240 244 245 250 254 ~ 260 263 26 ? 288,293 299 304,306 308 313 20 26 29 34 38 42 46 48 51 55 57 62 65 70 74 75 80,89 93 98 104 107 112,115 118,122 127 131,134 14~ 149 152 153 15~ 161 Daniels, Lucy Davenport, John N. Davenport, Moses Davis, Charlie Davis, Charlie Davis, Heddie Davis, Henry Davis, Jesse Davis, Lizzie Davis, Louisa Davis, Wallace Davis, William Henry Dawkins, Elias fin, Will 319 Dixon, Thomas 324 Dorroh, Isabella 326 Downing, Laurence 329 Dozier~ Washington 330 Duke, Alice 336 Durant Silva (Sylvia) 337,342

Folk lore: folk tales (Negro). 004 001

Project 1885 ~ 1 ~ T ~ ~ Prom Pleld Notes, ~ Editedby: ~ ~ District No. 4. ~ Eimer ~urna~e ~pri1 27, 1937 . POLK LORE: FOLK TALES (Negro). ~ Marse Glenn had ~4 slave$ . On Sat day nicht ~ de darkies would have a little fun on de side. way oL~ from de bi~ house, ~ dovvri in de pa$tUr dar wuz about de~bi~es ~u11~~what I i$ ebber seed. Dat wuz de place whar us collected moe ev ry Sa day night ~er~ our lii mite o fun frum de white ~o1ks hearin. Sometime ~tWUz . ~ so dark dat you could not see de in~ers on yo han when you would raise it fo your face. Dem wuz sho scheech~ nigkit~ .. &e .~ sbhreech.. . ~ .~. ~ ~ ~ ~ lest what I is ever witnessed. in all o my born riatu al days. Den of cose, dar wuz de moon.~light rii~hts when a. darky could see; den he see too much. De pastur wuz big ami de trees made dark spots in it on de brightest nights. All kind o varmints tuck and hollered at ye as ye being ~wirie alori~ to rea~h dat gully. Cose us would ~o in droves sometime, and den us wouldgo alone to de gully sometime. When us started together, look like us would ~it parted fo we reach de gully all together. One of us see som tin and take to run.~ nin .Maybe de other darkies in de drove, de ~iouldN t see riothin . jss den. Dats zactly how it is wid de spirits. De mout (might) sho de self to you and not to me. De acts raal queerall de way round. Dey can take a notionto scare de daylights outtin you when you is wid a gang; or dey kin scare de whol6gan~ den, on de~other hand, dey kin sho de ~eLf off to jes two or three. It ain t never no knowin as to how and when d m thin~s is gwine to come in you~,.. path ri.g~it Th your ve~ yes; Ipeciallywhen you is partakin in some raal dark secret w1~ar you is planned to act raal sof and ~Viiet like all de way thrott~b.

005 002

POLK LORE : POLK TALES ( Negr o) Page 2 2 Dem things bees 11~ht on dark nights ; de shiri s de -~ self jes like dese lectric Ii~hts does out dar in dat street ever night, cept dey is a scaird waary light dat dey shines wid. On 1i~ht nights, I is seed dein l k, furs dark like a tree shad er; den dey gits raal scairy white. T aint no use Ler white folks to low dat it ain t no haints, an grieveinents dat follows ye all around, kaise I is done had to many spriences wid dem. Den dare is dese young ni ~ers what ain t fit to be called darkies, dat tries to ac eddicated, and says dat &t ain t &) spe rits dat walks de earth. When dey lows dat to me, I rolls ray old eyes at dem an axes dem how comes dey runs so Las through de ~voods at rii~ht. Yes sirree, dein fool niggers sees dem jes as I does. Raaly de white folks doesn t have eyes fer sech as we darkies does; b~it dey bees dare jes de same. t, Never mindin all o dat, we n us d to steal our ho~ ev er sa day night and take off to de gully what us d ~it him dressed and barbecued. Niggers has de mos es ~un at a barbecue dat dare is to be had. As none o our ~an~ didn t have no li~iori, us never felt rio scruples bout no~ gettin de cue ready ito Sunday. TJs d ~it back to de bi~ house along in, de evenin o Sunday. Den Marse, he come out in de yard~an low whar wuz you nig~ers dis inornin . How come de chilluris had to do de work round here. Us would tell some lie bout gwine to a church siety meetin . But we ot raal scairt and mose cided dat de best plan wu~ to do away wid de barbecue in de holler. Conjin 9)oc. say dat he done put a spell on oie lvlarse so dat he wuz blevin ev y. think dat us tole him bout Sa day ni~ht nd Sunday morning. Dat give our minds lier; but it turned outdat in a ~ew weeksde Marse come out rom uader de 8peii.

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POLK LORE: Polk Tales (Negro) Page3 3 ~r Doc never even knowed riothin bout it. Marse had done got to countin his hogs ever? week. When he cotch us, us wuz all punished wi.d a hard. long task. Dat cured me o believing in any conjuring an ch arid n b ut I s t il 1 k.no s dat dar e j s h a s ; ka is e ev e r t irne you goes to dat gully at night, up to dis very day, you ken hear hogs still ~runtin in it, but ~ou can t see nothing. .&fter Marse Glenn tuck and died, all o de white ftlks went off and lee de plantation. Some mo folks dat wuz not o quality, come to live dare an run de plantation. it wuz done free.dom den. Wo nt long fo dem folks pull up and lef raal onexpected like. I doesn t recollect what dey went by fat is done slipped my mind; but I must ai knowed. But dey lowed dat de house wuz to draffy arid dat dey couldn t keep de smoke in de chimney an dat de doo s would not stay shet. Also dey lowed dat folks prowled aroun in de yard inde night time a keepin dem awake. Den Marse Gleen s boys put Mammy in de house to keep it fer ern. But Lawd God. Mammy said dat de furs night she stayed dare de hainta nebber let her git not narr y mite o sleep. Us all had lowed. dat wuz de raaJ. reason dem wh ite folks lef out so Las . When Mammy could not live in dat big house whar she had stayed fer years, it won t no use fer nobody else to try. Mammy low dat it de Marse a lookin fer his money what he done tuck and burned and de boys couldn t find no sign o it. Atter dat, de sons tuck an tacked. a sian on de front gate, offering ~2OO.OO to de man, white or black, dat would stay dar and fin out whar dat money wuz bur ried. Our preacher, the Rev. Wallace, lowed dat he would stay da~ and find out whar dat money wuz from de spirits. He kriowed dat dey wuz tryin to sho de spot What dat money wuz..

007 004

POLK LORE: POLK TALES (Negro) ~ . Page 4 He went to bed. A do~ began running down dein steps; and a black cat run across de room dat turned to white befo it run into de wall. Den a pait o~ white horses corne down de stair... way a rattling chains fer harness. Next a woman dressed in white c ~come in dat room. Brother Wallace upand lit out dat hause and he never went back no mo . . t ~riother preacher tried stayin dar. He said he swine to keep his head kivered plum up. Some tin unkivered lit and he seed a white goat a grinnin at him. But as he wuz a brave man and trus de Lawd, he lowed, What you want wid me nohow ? The coat said, what is you dom here. Raise, I knows dat you ain t sleep. De preacher say, I wants you to tell me what oie Marse don tuck and hid dat money? Dc goat grin and low, ~ come you don look under your pillar, sometime? Den he run away. De preach-. er hopped up and looked under de pillar, arid dar wuz de money sho niuf. Peers like it wuz de one on de lef end o de back porch, but I jes remembers bout dat. SOURCE: Mrs. LE. Abrarns, Whitmire, S.C.; told her by old uncle Mad Griffin, ~Thitmire, (Col. 62 yrs. ) Interviewer: Caidwell Sims, Union, S.C. 2/25/37.

Reflections of Ezra Adams - Ex-slave 85 years old. 008 005

i~,o:jeeb #1655 ~enry . Grand; Columbia, S C, 390400 .. ~ ~ REFLLECTIONS OF EZR~& ~ADAI~. EX SL~&VE 83 TEARS OW Ezra Adama is incapable of self-Support owix~g to ill health. He is ~ very well taken care of by a nieoe, who lives on the Caughman land just off ~ s. C. ~6, and near Swansea, S. C. ~ - -.- ~ ~My maxnrt~ and pappy b long to Marster Lawrence Adams ho had a big : plax~ation in de eastern part of Lancaster County. He died four years after ~ de Civil War end is buried right dore on de old plantation, in de Adams family ~ burying grounds I was de oldest of de five ohillun in our family. I members : I was a right sme.rt size plow)oy, when freed m oome. I think I zmiat of been ~ bout ten or eleven years old, then. Dere s one thing I does know; de Yaxilcees ;~. . didn t tech our plaxxbation, when they come through South Carolina. . Up in do ~ no x theru part of de county they did destroy ~ et al I what folks had. ~ You ain t gwine to believe dat de slaves on our plantation didn t stop ~ workin for old marster, even ~wh p~ they was told dat the~ was free. Us didn t : want no ~re freedom than us wae gittin ou our plantationalready. Us knowed ~ too well dat us was well took care of, wid a plenty of vittles to eat and tight log and board houses to live in. De slaves where I lived, knowed after dO~ war ~ ~ dat they had abundance of dat somethin called freedom1 what they could ~ t sat, . ~ . wear, aM sleep in. Yes sir, they soon found out dal freedom ain t nothin , ~ less you is got somethin to live ou and a place to call home. Di livin on liberty is lak young folks Iivin on love after they gite i~rried. It just don ~ t work. No, sir, it las so long and not a bit ~ longer. Don t tell ~ ae& It sho O ~ ~ don t hold good ehen you ha. t w rk, ox when you gite b ngry. You )~e dat ~ pCor i~: te folks and niggerS kias got to work to live, regardis ~s of Ubex:, love, ~ ~ O ~ ~ ~

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;. 2. P and all them things. I believes a person loves n~re better, when they feels good. 3: biows from experienoe dat poor folks feels better when they has food in. deir frame and a few dimes to jingle in deir pockets. I 1a~owe what it means to be a nigger wid nothin Many times I ~md to turn every way I l owed to git a bite to eat. I didn t care much *bott~.. clothes. Ithat I needed in sieh t~mee was food to keep my blood warm and gwine long. Bo~~, I don t want to think, and I knows I ain t gwine4o say~ a word, riot a wor~of evil against deir dust lyin Over yonder in deir grave . I was old enough to kn~ what de passin way of old marster and missus meant to me. De very stream of lifeblood in me was dryin up, it peared laic. When merster died, dat was !~r fu t real sorrow. Three years later, missus passed way, dat was de time of my second sorrow. Then, I minded xi~rself of a little tree out dere in de woods in November. Wid erery sharp and cold wind of trouble dat blowed, n~re leaves of dat tree turnt loose and went to de ground, suet lak they was tryin to follow her. It seem lek, when she was gone, I was just lak dat tree wid all de leaves gone, naked and friendles s It took me a long time to g t over all dat ; same way wid. de little tree, it had to pass through winter and wait on spring to see life again. I has faV~d nxst all n~r life and, if I was not s o old, I would be dom dat same thing now. If a poor man wants to enjoy a little freedom, let him go on de farm anhW~t for hisself~. It is eho worbh somethin to be boa and, on de farm yOu can be bois all you want to, less de men low his wife to hold dat po~t~~nt post. A ~ wid a good wife, one dat pulls witi him, can see and feel some pleasure and f~eDienOe some independence. But, bless yoi~r soul, if he gits a woman ~what wants to be both husband and wife, fare-yc~u- well-end~g odbye, too, to . . . all ~ ~Love, pleasure, and iud.ependen e3 cause you sho is gwine to ketch h~l here and ?~ ~1O mild climate whenever you ~oes way~. ~ A bad man is worse, b~xt a bad women

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3.. is alnvst terribl . White ~n, d re is too many peoples lu dese big towns and cities. Dere is more of them than dere is jobs to i~.1ce a 11V1n wid. When some of th i find out dat they can t make a livin they turns to mischief, de easy way they thinks, takin? wiciout pay or wrk, dat which b longs to other people. If I understands right, de tust sin dat was oon~aitted in de world was de ta Cin of somethin dat didn t b long to de one what took it. De gentleman what done dis was dat n~n Adam, back yonder in de garden. If what Adam done back yonder would happen now, he would be guilty of crime. Dat s how ciety names sin. W011, what I got to say is dis : If de courts now~ would give out justice and punishment . as quick as dat what de Good Master give to Adam, dere would be less crime in de land I believe s . But I ~ spose de courts would be better if they had. de same jurisdiction as de Master has. Yes, sir, they would be gwine some then. ni tells you, dis gittin what don t b long to you i~a de main cause of dese wars and troubles bout over dis world now. I hears de white folks say dat them . Japanese is dom dis very thing today in fightin them Chinamene. Japan say dat China has done a terrible crime against them end de rest of de world, when it alut t nothin but dat they wants somethint what don t belong to them, end dat somethin is to git nxre country. I mey be wrong, anyhow, dat is what I has heard. What does I think.de colored people need most? If you pIe~.s sir, I want to say dis I alu t got ~mz~h learnint ~ t oause dare was no schools hardly round~ where :i: was brung t~p~ but I thinks dat good teachers an&~Wonk is what de, colored . race needs worser than anything else. If they has arum, they will be ~nore . asheas to coniait crime n~ et of them will be ; and, if they has *rk to do they aintt t~fl. 1~o hat. ti~ to do so ~aoh wrong. Course dere is swine to be black sheepe~~~ in ~ flocks,. ~ it is gwine to tak. patience to git them out, but they Will oo~ OUt,. .j~34t as $110 as 70U 18 born.

011 008

4. 8~ t Is de colored people superstitious ? Listen at dat You makes me laugh. All dat foolishness fust started wid de ~aok nan. De reason they is superstitious comes from nothin but stomp~dowu ignorance. De white ohillun has been nursed by colored women end they has told them stories bout hauts and sich lak. So de white ohillun has growed up believin song of dat stuff tu they natohally pass it on from generation to generat ion. Here we is both white and colored, still believin some of them 11es started back when de whites fst come to have de tie ~ks round them. t, If you wants to 1a~ow what I ~ thinks Is de best vittles s gwine to be obliged to omit (admit) dat it is cabbage sprouts In de spring, and It is collard greens after frost has struck them. After de best vittles, dere cone some more what is mighty tasty, and they Is hoghoad and chlttling s wid tatoes end turnips. Did ~ou see dat? Here I is talkln bout de joys of de appetite and water drapping from n~ mouth. I nust be gittin hongry. I lsk to eat I has been a good eater all n~r life, but now I is gittin so old dat eordin to de scriptures, De grinders cease cause they are few , and too, Those dat look out de windows be thirkened My old eyes end teeth is bout on, and 1f they does go soon. t1~y ain t gwine to beat dIs old frame long, cause I is gwlne to soon follow, I feels I ~Dpe w~n I does go I can be able to say what dat great General Stonewall Jackson say w1~n he got kIlt In de Civil War I Is gwiae to cross de rIver and re at under de shade of de trees . ~ ~ ~ (c~bc~~* ~C~~i~i ~M~1 ~ C~t~(ri ~

Ex-slave stories. 012 009

Project 188e ~ 1. Folk Lore ~t~ ~ Edited by: e,., ~ Distriet No. 4. ~ ~ O J J Mu.rx ay. ~ May 27, 1937. . EX~SLLVE STORIES Aunt Mary davia was swinging easi ly bank and forth in the porch awing as the writer stopped to speak to her. When questioned, she replied. that she and her mother were ex-alaves and~ ha~i belonged to Dr. C. E. F1emin~. She was born in (~o1umbia, bu~t they were moved to G lenn Springs where her iriother cooked for Dr. Fleming. ~he remembers going with a white woman whose hu.sban~ was in jail, to carry him something to eat. She said that ~ r. Jun IlLuster was in that jail, bu.t he lived to get out, and later kept a tin shop in Spartanbuxg. Yes sir, Dr. Fleming always kept enou~gh Thr u~s Niggers to eat ~iring the war. He was good to us. You. know he married Misa Dean. Do you. know Mrs. Ly .es, Mrs. Simpson, Mr. :~d Fleming? Well, ~iey are m~y chilliins. Some man here told. me one day that I was ninety years ol~1, but I do not believe I am q~ ite that old. I don t know how old I ani, buSt I was walking duringslavery times. I can t work now, ~or my feet hurt me and. my fingers ain t straight. She said all of her children were dead but two, that she knew o~. She said. that she had a rooni in that house and whiteb people gave her different things. As the writer told her good-bye, she said, Good-bye, and may the Lord. bless yo~. SOURCE: ~ ~xnt Mary Ada~B, 363 8. Liberty Street, Spartanbttrg, S.C. ~ ~ Interviewer ; P. ~ 8. Du~e, Spartanbuxg, S. C.

Ex-slave 90 years old. 013 010

Project #1655 Everett R. Pierce Columbia, S. C. - VICTORIA ADA ~S ~ EX~SLAVE 90 YEARS OLD. You ask me to tell you something bout n~r8e1f and de slaves iii slavery times? Well Missy, I was borned a slave, nigh on to ninety years ago, right dawn here at Cedar Creek, in Fairfield County. it~T massa s name was Sann~iel Black and xn~ssus was named Marttha. She used to be Nartha Kirkland befo she marrie4. There was five ohullun in de family; they was : Ah oe Maiming Sally Kirkland and de baby, &igene. De white folks live in a great big ~house up on a hill; it was right pretty, too. You wants to know how large de plantation was I lived on? Well, I don t know zackly but it was mighty large. There was forty of us slaves in all and it took all of us to keep de plantation goin De most of de niggers work in de field. They went to work as soon as it git light enough to 8 ee h~ to git round; then when twelve o clock come they all stops for dinner and don t go back to work t~J, two. All ofthem work on til it git almost dark ~o raa am, they am t do niich work at night after they git s home. Massa Samuel aintt had no overseer, he look after his ow~ plantation. My old granddaddy he1p him a whole heap though. He was a good nigger and massa trust him. . After de crops was all gathered, de slaves still had plenty of work to do. I stayed in de house wid de white folks.. De most I had to do was to keep de house clean up and nurse do ohillun. I had a heap of pretty clothes to wear, ~ cause n~ mie sus give me de old clothes and shoes dat Missy Sally throw way. De meWs sa and niiesua was good to me but sometime I was so bad.

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2. 1.1 they had to whip me. I titi~mbers she used to whip me every time she tell me to do something and I take too long to move long and do it. One time ~ XDJ.88U8 went off on a visit aiid left me at home. ~Vhen she come back, ~a1ly told her that I put on a pair of Bubber s pants and scrub de floor wid them on. Missus told me it was a sin for me to put on a man s pants, and she whip me pretty bad. She say it s in de Bible .. .. dat: A man shall not put on a woman s clothes, nor a woman put on a man s clothe s . I am ~ t never see that in de Bible though but from then tu now, I ain t put ou no more pants. De grawn-up slaves was punished sometime too. When they didntt feel like taking a whippin they went off in de woods and stay tu ~ssa s hounds track them d own; then d bring them out and whip them. They might as well not run away Some of them never come back a-tall don t know what become of them. We aintt had no jail for slaves; never ain t see none iii chains neither. There was a guard-house right in de town but us niggers never was carried to i~. You ask me if I ever see e. slave auction ed off? Yes ina am, one time. I see a little girl bout ten years old sold to a soldier imn. Dis soldier man was married and didn t had no chillun and he buy dis little girl to be company for his wife and to help her wid de house work. White folks never teach us to read nor write much. They learn ed us our ~ B, C s, and teach us to read some in de testament. De reason they wouldn t teach us to read and white was ~ cause they was afraid de slaves would write their own pass and go over to a free county. One old nigger did learn enough to write his pass and got way wid it and went up North.

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3. 12 tt~iiS US Martha shot did look after de slaves good when they was sick. Us had medicine made from herbs, leaves and roots; some of them was cat nip, garlic root, tansy, and roots of burdock. De roots of burdock soaked in whiskey was mighty good medicine. We dipped asafetida in turpentine and hung it ~ round our necks to keep off disease. Befo de Yankees come thru, our peoples had let loose a lot of our hosses and de hosses strayed over to de Yankee side, and de Yankee men rode de hosses back over to our plantation. De Yankees sked us if we want to be free. I never say I did; I tel . them I want to stay wid ir~r mis su~ and they went on and. let me alone They stroyed most everything we had cept a little vittles; took all de stock and take them wid them. They lurned all de buildings cept de one de mas sa and mis sus was 1 ii~ in. It wasn t long after de Yankees went thru dat our missus told us dat we don t b long to her and de massa no more. None of us left dat season, I got married de next year and left her. I like being free more better. Any niggers what like slavery time better, is lazy people dat dont t want to do nothing. UI married Fredrick Adams; he used to b long to Qss Teeny Graddick but after he was freed he had to take another name. 1~r. Jess Adams a good fiddler dat xi~ husband like to hang round, told him he ~ could take his name if he wanted to and dats how he got de name of Adams. Us had four chillun; only one livint ~ dat Lula. She married John Entzxninger and got several ohillun. ~ gra&chillun a heap of comfort to me.~ Home Address: Colonial ~eights, %olumbia, S. C.

Ex-slave 82 years old. 016 013

Projeot#1655 390315 ~ . 13:~ H ~ W.W.D~zon Winnaboro, s. c. . FE~NK ADA~Q~ ~YA ~ I 1me~ber$ when you was barefoot at de bottom; now I see you a settin dere, gittin bare at de top, a~ bare as d. palm of ne, hand. ~ n ~ t5 been possum uni wid your pappy, when he lived on de /7 Wateree, just de war. One night us got into tribulation, I tells you& Twas bout midnight when de dogs make a tree. Your pappy climb up de tree, ~it bout halfw~y up, heard eumpin dat once you~hears it you never forgits and data de rattlin of de rattles ou a rattle snake s tail Us both ~ stinotly hear dat sounds What us do ? Me on de ground, him up de tree, but where de snake? Dat vas de misery, U$ didn t know. Dat snake give us fair warum though$ Marater Sea (date your pa) t low: Frank, ease down on de grounds I ll just stay up here for a while.t I lay on them bares, skeex~ed to make a rusele. Your pa up de tree skeered to go up or dOWn& Broad daylight didn t move us Sun oo~ up he look all round from his vantage up de tree then come down, not ttil then, do 3: gits n n~r foots. Then I lauch and laugh and laugh, and ask Marster Sam how he felt. Marster Sam kinda frown and say: D~i I feels like hehl Git up dat tree& Don t yOu ee &5~t tpossUfl~ up dire? I say: But ithere de snake, Marster? Re 8a7: Dat rattler done gone home where me and you end dat possum gorma be pretty 50Qfl~t ~ III b longs to de Peays. De father of them all was, Kershaw Peay. My mareter was his eon, Nicholas ; he was a fine ~an to just look at. My mistress was always tellin him bout how fine and handsoae~s~like he was . 11e ~m~st of got use to i~ howsoii~ver, mareter grin every time she talk like dat.

017 014

~My pappy was bought from de Adameon peoples; they say they got him off de ship from Afrioa. He sho was a ~.n; he run all de other niggers Iray from my mamn~ az~d took up wid her widout aekin de marster. Her nati~ was Larinia~ When us got free he ~ sisted on Adamson was de uaiae us would go by. He name was William Adamzon. Yes sirs ~i~j brothers was : Justua liii lyard, and Donald and ~ sisters was Martha and ij~ t t Deed I did work be1~o freedom. What I do Z Hoed cotton, piok cotton, t tend to calves and. slop de pigs under de vision of de overseer ~ho he was ? Pirat one naine Mr Cary, he a good ~n. Another one Mr Tim Gladden, burn you up whenever he just take a notion to pop his whip. Us boys run tro~d iii our shirt tails. Ue lek to see if he could lift de shirt tail widout teohint de skin. Just as often as not gli, he tech de skin. Little boy holler andI~.rster Tim laugh. Us lire in quarters. Our beds was nailed to de sides of de house. Most of de chillun slept on pallets on de floor. Got water from a big spring. IDe white folks ttend to you all right. Us had t~o doctors, Doctor Carlisle and Doctor James. ~i see some money, but never own any then. Bad plenty to eat: Meat, bread, milk, lye hoininy, horse apples, turnips, coUards, pumpkins, and dat kind of truck. ~ Was marster rioh? E~v come he wasn t? He brag his land was ten miles square ad he had e. thousand slaves. Them poor white folks look ed up to hi~a l~k d Ali~ighty; they sho did. ~ They would have stuck their hands inj de Ztr. if h. had of asked them to do it. He had a fish pond on top of~ de house end terraoes ~td at.rarberries, all over de plaoe.

018 015

15 See them big rock columns dawn dore now? D~.ts aI . dats left of his grandness end greatness. They done more de whippin post dat was in de backyard. Yes sah, it was a cessity vrid them niggers. It stood up and out to mind them dat if they didn t please de master and de overseer they d. hug dat post and de lend of dat whip lash gwine to flip to de hide of dat back of their s. . I ain t a oomplainin . He was a good n~.ster, best st in de land but he just have to have a whippin post cause 11 find a whole passle of bad niggers when you gits a thousand of them in one flock. Screech ow . holler? Women and men turn socks and stockth~s wrong side out quick, dat they did, do it ~w, u~yself. I s black as a cro~* but l a got a white folks heart. Didn t ketch me f oolin round wid niggers in radical times. I s as close to white folks thon as peas in a pod. Wore de red shirt and drunk a heap of brandy in Columbia, dat time us went dawn to General Uaapton into power. I dare I hollered so loud goin long in de procession, dat a nice idiite lady run out one of de houses dom dere in Columbia, give ~ two biscuits and. a drum stick of chicken, patted me on di shoulder, end say: Thai~k God for all de big black men dat can holler for Governor Hampton as loud as dis one does . Then I hollers some more for to please dat Lady, though I had to take de half chaired chicken out dis old mouth, and she laugh bout dat tU she ~ cried. She didi Well, I 11 be rookin long balance of de~e days~ e. hollerin for Mr. Roosevelt, juat as loua as I holler then for IIan~pton.

019 016

4. 1G My young marsters was : Austin, Tom, and Nicholas ; they was al 1 right cept they tease you too hard maybe some time and ~t to mix in wid. de fairs of slave muaements. Now what make pou ask dat? Did me ever do any courtixi ? You knows I did. Every he thing from a he king down to a bunty rooster gits kited t bout she hing 1 s lay wake many nights bout sich things s de nature of a he, to take after de she. They do say dat a h~ angel ain t got dis to worry bout. I fust courted Martha Harrison. Usinarry and jine de church. Us had nine chillun; seven of them livin A woman can t stand ~avin chillun, lek a man. Carryin sucklin ~ and ~ tending to them wore her down, da, wid. de malaria of de Wateree brung her to her grave. Il ~ sorrow over her for weeks maybe five months then I got to think Ing how I d pair up wid dis one and dat one and de other ones Took to ahavin again and g~ine to Winxisboro every Saturday, end different churches every Sunday. I hear a voice from de choir one unay, dat makes me s it up and take notice of de gal on de off side in front. Well sin a spasm of fright fuet hit me dat I might not git her, dat I was too old for de likes of her, and dat some no count nigger might be in de way. In a few minutes I come to m~ri lf. I nsa right up, walked into dat choir, stand by her side, and wid dis voice of mine, dat always !braots tention, jined in de hyimi and out sung them all It was easy from dat t line on. I marry Kate at de close of .at. revival. De day after de weddint, what you teokon? Don t know? Well, after gittin akt she we~it to de field, poke round her neck, basket on. her head and picked two hundred pounds of ootton. Date de kind of wo~ she is . ~

Stories from ex-slaves. 020 017

Project. 1885...1 \J i/~ . PO~LORE 390117 ~ited by: . Spartanburg Diat~.4 Birner Turnage~ ~. ~ June 10, 1~37 . ~ ~ 2TORI~S IROM EL-SIAVES . . . I was born In Newberry County, S C. near Belfast about 1854. 1 wa~ a slave o:~ John Wallace. I wa8 the only child, and when a Bnlall child, my mother was sold to Joe Li~gins by my old master, Bob Adams. It is said that the old brick house where the Wallaces lived was bt~iIt by a Eichleberger, but Dr. John Simpson lived there and sold it to Mr. Wallace. In the atticib was an old. skeleton which the children thought bewitched the house. None o~ them would go upstairs by themselves. I suppose old Dr. Simpson left it there Soxnet irnes later it was taken out and buried.. Marse Wallace had many slaves and kept them working, but he was not a strict master. I married Allen 4.ndrews after the war. He went to the war with his master. He was at Colwnbia with the Confederate troops when Sherman burnt the place. Some of them, my husband included, was captured and taken to Richmond Va. They escaped and walked back home, but all but five or six sell out or died. My young master, Editor Bill Wallace, a son of Marse John, was a soldier. When he wa~ sick at home, I tanned the flies from him with a home-made fan of peacock feathers, sewed to a long cane. . .. . After the war, the bush.whackers , called ~u Klux, rode there. Preacher Pitta brother was one. They went to negro houses and killed the people. They wore caps over the head and eyes but ~ no long white gowns An old muster ground was above there about three miles, near what is now Wads iiorth School. 8ourc.:~ Prances ~~fld~:eW (col. 83), Newberry, 5.0. . interviewer i G. Leland Summer, Newberry, S.C.

Stories from ex-slaves. 021 018

Project. 1885~1 ~ OLI ORE ~ Edited by: Spartaribur~ Dist.4 390241 ~ ~ Elmer Turna~e Sept. 22, 1937 ... . STORIES PROM EL~SL~VES . I live in a com bortable two..~room cottage,which my ~ori owns. I can t do much work except a little washing and ironing. lvJy grand~ children live with me. I~iy other children help me a little when I need it I heard about the 40 acres oa~ land and a mule the e~ slaves would ~et after the war, but I didn t pay any attention to it. They never got anything. I think this was put out by the Yankees who didn t care about much cept ~ettin~ money ~or themselves. II come from the Indian Creek section o~ Newberry County. After about 1880 when things got natural, some of the slaves from this section rented small one..horse farms and i~ade their own money ~ar~ living. Some ~ould rent small tracts o~ land on shares, giving the landlord. one-~half the crop for use of the land. 9~erything is changed so much. I never learned to read and. write arid all I know is what I heard in old times. But I think the younger generation ofnegroes is different from what they used to be. They go where they want to and do what they want to and don t pay much attention to old folks anymore. My mother s mother come from Virginia and my mother s father was born and raised in this county. I don t reme~ ber anything about e Nat Turner Rebellion, and never heard anythd~n~ about it. We never had any slave up.-risings in our neighborhood.tt Source: Prances indrews (83), Newberry, S.C. Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. 8/11/37.

Folk lore: folk tales (Negro). 022 019

: (~ j ~ 4// v\~& V~~ ~ 390084 Projeot 1865...(1) Folklore 1~b.d by ~ ~ . Spart~nburg, S.C. R.V. Williams Distri b No. 4 ~ lVIay 27, 1937. ~ ~ ~~ Folk Lore: Folk Tales (negro) . 1 v~ias tbout nine year oie when de big war broke ioose~ My pa arid ma longed to de Scott8 what libbed in Jonesville Township. When Igot big nough 1o work, I was gib to de youngest Scott boy. Soon atter dis, Shern~n cone through Union County. No rna m, I nebber seed Sherman but I seed some of his soldiers. j~4~t5 de time I run off in de wood and not Xiarry a soul I awed !vvhar I was till de dus had done settled in de big road. Every Sunday, Marse Scott sent us to churoh in one of his waggins. White folks rid to church in de buggy and Marse went on de big saddle hoes. Bout dis time, Marse Scott went to Columbia to git coffee and sugar. He stay mos two weeks, katze he drive two fine hosses to de bug~y tiong wid a long hind end to fetch things to and fro in. De roads was ~ real muddy end de hosses haf to res ever night, Den in Columbia, he would have a little joyment befo u.s come back home. SOURCE: MiSS Dorothy Lair~bright, W. Main St., Union, S.C. (Story . ~ told her by Uncle Peber Arthur. Information b~r Ca .dweli Sims, Union, S.C.

Ex-slave, 75-80 years. 023 020

Code No. NO. W~Pd~f . Project, 1~5~(i) Reduced f~om~words ( Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ___ --- -- Date, January L, 193e ~ Pige i. -- ~ ~ 20 JOS~~PHINE BACOHUS . Ex-Slave, 75.40 Years 39O41~ No, my mercy od, I don know not one thought to speak t o you bout 8e ems 1. 1 ke I doe s know your face but I be en so siok all de year dat I can hardly remember nothin. Yes, sweetheart, I sho oaught on to what you want. bh, I wishes I did know somethin bout dat old time war cause I tell you, if I been know anything, I would sho pour it out to you. I got burn out here de other day en I am got near a thing left nie, but a pair of stockings en dat old coat dere on de bed. Dat hoW-~Oome I stayin here wid Mise Celia. My husband, he dead en she took nie in over here for de present. t uni, I haven t never had a nine months child. Reckon dat what aiim me now. Bein dat I never had no mother to care for me en give me a good attention like, I caught so much of cold dat I am never been safe in de family way. Yes,mam, I bad my leg broke plenty times, but I aine never been able to jump de time. Lord, I got a misery in ray back dere. I hope it alu de ~meumonias. ~ ~ ~ Well, you see, I couldn tell you ~thin bout my mother cause I never didn know nothin bout my mother. My Jesus, my brother tell bout when dey had my mother layin out on de coolin board, I went in de room whe she was en axed her for somethin to eat en pushed her head dat way. You know, I wouldnt touch ni y hand to do no thin I ike dat but I neye r know Dat t t de

024 021

Oode No. No. WOrds______ Projeot, i~5-.(i) Reduced. fr in ~words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, B.C. ~ -..--- ~-.-- -~- Date, January ~ 193e Page 2. - C O olin board dat what dey used to have to lay all de dead. people on, but dis day en time, de undertaker takes dem en fixes dem up right nice, I say. I tellin you, I am had no sense since I lost my people. Sometimes, I axes de Lord what he keepin rue here for anyhow. Yes,rnarn, dat does come to me often times in de night. Oh, it don loQ~k like I gwine ever get no better in dis life en if I don , I just prays to God to be saved. Yes, Lord, I prays to be lifted to a restful home, ~ Just like as I been hear talk, some of de people fare good in slavery time en some of dem fare rough. Dat been acoordin to de kind of task boss dey come up under. Now de poor colored people in slavery time, dey give dem very little rest en would whip some of dem most to death. Wouldn none of dem daresen to go from one plantation to another widout dey had a furlough from dey boss. Yee,mam, if dey be n catch youoomin back widout dat walkin paper de boss had give you, great Jeruseleum, you would sho catch de devil next mornin. Myblessed a mercy, hear talk dey spill de poor uigg~r s bio od awful much in slave r y t ime Hear ~ heap of dem was fre e long time fore dey been know it cause de white folks, dey want ed to keep . dein in bondage . 0h my Lord, dey would cut dem so hard till dey just slash de flesh right off dent. Yes,niam, dey C a . 1 dat t hing dey be en whip dem wid de cat o nine tail No, darlin, I hear talk it been made out of pretty leather plaited.

025 022

o ode No . . ~ ~ No Wo rds________ Project 1~85-~(i) Reduced from,__~word8 Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ____________________ Date, January 14., 193e pige J ~ ~ j 22 most all de way en den all dat part down to de bottom, dey just left it loose to do de cuttinwid. Ye8, honey, dem kind of whips was made out of pretty leather like one of dese horse whips. Yes,mam, dat been how it was in slavery t ime Yankeesi Oh, I hear folks speak bout de ~ankees plunder-. in through de country plenty times. Hear bout de Yankees gwine all bout stealin white people silver. Say, everywhe dey went en found white folks wid silver, dey would just clean de place up. Dat de blessed truth, too, cause dat e xactly what I hear bout dem. ~ Lord, pray Jesus, de white people sho been mighty proud to see dey niggers spreadin out in dem day3, SO dey tell me. Yes,mam, dey was glad. to have a heap of colored people bout dem cause white folks couldn work den no more den dCy can work c3.ese days like de colored people can. Reckon dey love to have dey niggers back yonder just like dey loves to bave . dem dese days to do what dey am been cut out to do. You see, dey would have two or three women on de plantation dat was good breeders en dey would bave obillun pretty regular fore freedom come here. You know, some people does be right fast in . catchin ohullun. Yes um, . dey must been bless wid a pile of dem, I say, en every colored person used to follow up de same name as dey white folks been hear to.

026 023

Oode No. ~ No. Words~_~ Project, i~5- (I) Reduced from words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ~ Date, January II~, 193e page 1h ~ . ~ 2~ ~ No urn, I never didn go to none of dem coinshuckin en fodder pullin en all dem kind. of thing. Reckon while dey was at de oornshuckin, I must been somewhe huritin sornethin to eat. Den dem kind of task Was left to de men folks de was most of de time cause it been so hot, dey/force to strip to do dat sort of a job. LOrd, I sho reniembers dat earth shake good as anything. When it come on me I was settin . down wid my foots in a tub of water. Yes, my Lord, I been had a age on me in de shake. I remember, dere been such a shakin dat evenin, it made all de people feel mighty queer like. It just come in a tremble en first thing I know, I felt de difference in de crack of de house. I run to my sister Jessie cause she had been live in New York en she was well acquainted wid dat kind. of gi~ine on. She say, Josie, dis am nothin but dem shake I been tellin you bout, but dis de first time it com here en you better be a prayin. ~n, honey, everything white en colored was emptied out of doors dat night. Lord, dey was scared. Great Jeruseleun~ De people was scared everywhe . Didn nobody know what to make of it. I tellin you, I betcha I was 30 years old in de shake. I Now I gue s s t ime you get done ge t t in up all dem ~ memo.~ ranclum s you gwine bay e a p ile I tell you if you ke ep on, you sho gwine have a bale cause dere a lot of slavery people is spring up till now. I ought to could fetch back more to speak to you bout, but just like I been tell you, I waan never

027 024

Code ~o. No. Words_____ Project, 1~5 (1) Reduced from____words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by~ Place, Marion, 8.0. _____________________ Date, January 14rn, 393e Pag 5.. . 24 cared for by a mother en I is caught on to a heap of rough ness just on account dat I ain~ never had. a mother to bave a care for me. Oh, de people never didn put much faith to de doctors in dem days. Mostly, dey would use de herbs in de fields for dey medicine. Dere two herbs, I hear talk .of. Dey was black snake root en 8a~pson snake root. Say, if a person never had a good appetite, dey would boil some of dat stuU en mix it wid a little whiskey en rock candy en dat would sho give dem a sharp appetite. See, it natural cause if you take a tablespoon of dat bitter medicine three times a day like a person tell you, it bound to swell your appetite. Yes,rnarn, I know dat a might y go od mixture ~ uOh, my Lord, child, de people was aho wiser in olden times den what dey be now. ~ey been have all kind of signs to forecast de times wid en dey been mightytrue to de word, too. Say, when you hear a Cow low en cry so mournful like, it am gwine be long fore youhear tell of a death. Den dere one bout de rain. Say, sometimes de old rain crow stays in de air en hollers en if you don look right sharp, it gwtne rain soon. Call hirn de rain crow. He hollers mostly like dis, Goo- oop, goo oop. Like dat. De people used to have a bird for cold weather, too. Folks say, Don you hear dat cold bird? Look out, it gwine be cold tomorrow. De cold bird, he a brown bird. If you can see him,

028 025

Code No. . No. Words_____ ~ Project, i~5 (1) Reduced f~ji words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis ~ Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. - ~ ~ - Date, January 4~, l93~ Page 6. 25 he a fine lookiri bird, too. . ye~ u~, right large en strong lookin, but don nobody hardly ever see him dese days. En I reckon you hear talk bout dis one. Say, not to wash on de first day of de New Year cause if you do, you will wash some of your family out de pot. Say, somebody will sho die. ~at right, too. Den if posBible, nius~b boilsome old peas on de first day of de New Year en must cook some hog jowl in de pot wid dein. Must eat some of it, but don be obliged to eat it all. ~2n ought to have everything clean up nicely so as to keep clean all de year. ~ Say, must ali~ays put de wash out on de line to be sure de day fore New Years en have all your garments clean. 9fliat my ideas bout de young folks dese days? Well, dey young folks en dey am young folks, I say. Cose I don bother up wid. dem none, but I think wid my o~mi weak judgment, dey quite different from when I corne along. Folks is awful funny dis day en time to my notion. Don care what people see dem do no time. I sho think dey worser den what dey used to be De way I say dey worser, I used to have to be back at such en such a time, if I Went off, but now dey go anytime dey want to en dey comes back anytime dey want to. I sho think dey worser. De fact of it, I know dey worser. Source : Jo sephine Bac chus color ed, age 75 SO Mar ion S, ~ Personal tnt erv iew by Annie Ruth Davis Dec . 1937.

Stories from ex-slaves. 029 026

Project 18854 POL~ORE ~a~ir-~ ~d~ted by: Spartanburg i. 4 h ~J U .LO~) ~mer ~ June 14, 1937 . . STORI~$ FROM ~J~SLAVES I was born near Winnaboro, S.C., Pairfield County. I was twelve years old the year the Confederate war started. My father was John Ballard and my mother was Salue Ballard. I had several brothers and sisters. We belonged to Jim Aiken, a large land. owner at Winrisboro. He owned land on which the town was built. He had seven plantations. He was good to us and. give us plenty to eat, and good quarters to live in. His mistress was good, too; but one of his sons, Dr. Liken, whipped some of de niggers, lots. One time he whipped a slave for stealing. Some of his land was around four churches in Wiririsboro. ?tWe was allowed three pounds o~ meat, one quart o mola8-. ses, grits and other things each week ~ plenty for us to eat. Whenfreedom come, he told us we was free, and if we wanted to stay on with him, he would do the best he could for us. Most of us stayed, and after a few months, he paid wages. After eight months, some went to other places to work. The master s wife died. and he married a daughter of Robert Gillarn and moved to Greenville, S.C. The master always had a very big garden with plenty of vegetables. He had fifty hogs, and I helped mind the hoes. He didn t raise much cotton, but raised lots of wheat and corn. He made his own meal and flour from the mill on the creek; made home-.made, clothes with cards and spinning wheels. (- ~Tkiey cooked in wide chimneys in a kitchen which was away off from the bi~ house. They used pots and skillets: to cook with.

030 027

Polkiore: $tories Prom ~Ex-~S1aves Page 8 27 The hands ~ot their rations every Monday night. They got their clothes to wear which they made on old spinriltig wheels, and wove them themselves. The master had his ~ tan~rard and tariiaed his leather and. made shoes for his hands. He had several overseers, white men, and some negro f ore.. men. They sometimes whipped the slaves, that is the overseers. Once a nigger whipped the overseer and had to run .away in the woods and live so he wouldn t ~et caught. The ni ~er foremen look-. ed after a set of slaves on any special work. They never worked at night unle8s lt was to brine in fodder or hay when it looked like rain was coming. On rainy days, we shucked corn and cleaned up around the place. We had old brick ovens, lots of em. Some was used to make molasses from our own sugar cane we raised. The master had a sick..house where he took sick slaves for treatment, and kept a drug store there. They didn t use old... time cures much, like her~bs and barks, except sassafras root tea for the blood. We didn t learn to read. and write, but some learned after the war. My father run the blacksmith shop for the master on the place. I worked around the place. The patrollers were there and we had to have a pass to get out any. The ni ~er children som times played out in the road and were ch sed by patrollers. The children would run into the master s place and the patrollers couldn t get them cause the master wouldn t let them. We had. no churches for 8laves, bt t went to the white charch and set in the gallery. AXter freedom, ni~gers J~uilt brushharbors on the place.

031 028

~o1k1ore: $torie8 Prom Ex..Slaves Page .3 28 3laves carried news from one plantation to another by ~ -iding mules or horses. They had to be in quarters at night. I remember 11W mother rode side...saddle one Saturday ni8ht. I reckon she had a pass to go; she come back without beine bothered. Some cames children played was, hiding switches, marbles, and maybe others. Later on, some of de nigger boys started playing cards and got to gambling; some went to de woods to ~amble. The old cotton gins on de farms were made o ~ wooden screws, and it took all day to gin four bales o cotton. I was one of the first trustees that helped build the first colored folks church in the town of Greenwood. I am the only one now living. I ~married Alice Robinson, and had five sons and one daughter, and have five or s ix grandchildren. . braham Lincoln, I think, was a good man; had a big rep~ utation. Couldn t tell m4ch about Jefferson Davig. Booker T. Wash-.~ ington ~Everybody thinks he is a great man for the colored race. of course I think slavery was bad. We is free now and better off to work. I think anybody who is any count can work and live by himself. ~I joined de church when I was 17 years old, because a big preaching was going on after freedom for the colored people. I think everybody should join the church and do right; can t get anywhere without it, and do good. Source: William Ballard (88), Greenwood, s.C. Interviewed by: G.L.Summer, Newberry, S.C. (6/~O/37)

Ex-slave 81 years old. 032 029

~oject ~I655 w. w. Dixon 390284 Wi~sboro, S. C. p. CE~B1ZY BI~RB~R ~ EX~.sIAVE 81 Yi~kRS OLD. Charley Barber ives in a shanty kind of ho se, situated on a pl t of grOufl~1 containing two acres all his o~aa. It is a mile arid a half southeast of Wmnxtsboro, S. C. He lives v .th an anaemic daughter, i~!aggie, vthose chief interests are a number of cats, abowb the prern ses~ and~ a brind1c~, crurnple.~h0rfled co~r that she ties out to graze every morning and milks at evefl~flg. Charley is quat of figure, short neck, popeyed, and has ~thite ha5.r. EIe tIllS the two acres and produces garden truck that he finds a sale for among the employees of the j~isboro mi1l~, just aorOss the railroad from his home. He likes to talk, and pricks up his ears,( so to speak ) when~ ever anything is related as having ocourred in the past. 11e will importune those present to hear his version of the event un~al. Well sah, dis is a pleasure to have yQu call pou me, howsOme!er it be unexpected dis morni& Shoot ( driving the chickens out of the house) Shoo ~ ~Git out of here and go scratch . a livin for them chickens. ~ ~ fol~ losqin you. yet and you won t wean aiid git to layin again. Fust thing you .~ know ~rou ll be $pOilifl de floor, when us is got company dis ~ ery minute. Seat L ~ag~te git them cats out de chairs . long ~ nough~ for Mr. Wood to set in oue i~hj1st ~& .8 come to see me dis morniflt . ~ . ~!Azia~ dat1 s jt1~ ~You ~wants me to talk oirer de days dat am cone? how dis caine ~out and how dst~ come bouts from de . d~ty Iwa~ bo~rL, to di~ very : h~c~*~ Lees Ug~u1~ up~,GUr2~m0k68ta0k8 be~o ~ begin.. ~ you wants a .~ . ~ ~owater~~4: . : ~ ~ ~ . I ~ s~xtr~ft~t )~y gooth~eSS~ Do you hear

033 030

. 2~ dat ~a~ie? (Rubbing his hands; his eyes shining with pleasure) Take another look end make another guess. Seventy-five? You is growint warm but you ll have to come again L ~31ess your soul Marse Wood, you know what old ~dder Shifton say? She low dat: In de year 1881, de world to ~i end will surely come . I was twenty five years old~ when all de niggers and most of de white folks was be~ lievin dat old lady and iooldnt for de world to come to an e~.d in 1881. Dat was de year dat I j med de ~ caus e I wanted to make sure dat if de end d~d come, I d be c~ght up in dat rapture dat de white I~ethodist preacher was ~ ~ preachin bout and explainin to my rnarster an~i mistress at deir house on de ~iazza dat year. Iti j~ eighty -one years old. I was born up on de ~ateree River, close to Great Falls. My marster was Ozmond Barber. i~ mistress was name M~.ss ~ Elizabeth; her de vrife of I~arse Ozmond. i~r pappy was name Jacob. i~r n~~j went by de name of Jemima. They both come from Africa where they was born. They was tice~. ~n a ship, fetch cross de ocean to Virginny, fetchto Winzis boro by a slave drover and s old to n~r mar s father ~ Dat what they Stell me. When they was saili& over, dere was five or six hundI ed.others all to~ gether down under de first deck of de ship, where they was locked un. They never did talk lak de other slaves, could just~ say a few words, use deir hands, and make signs . They want deir couards tu nips and de ir t~ators raw. They ~ sweet milk so much they steal it . ~ / ~Pappy care nothint bo~t~i~.es.. and wouldn t wear shoes in de winter ti~ne or any -birne. It wa~ tgjflst ~ law to bring them over I~ere when they did, I learn ~ince* But what -is de law no~w~ and what ~s do law then, ~when bright shmy rn~ey was ~u sight Money make de ~~toir~bile go. Money make de train ~ MGUe7 make de mare go, and at dat lzi.me t ~ speet money xnake~ de slaips gQ.

034 031

~! ~ . ~ Yes sir, they, my pappy and ma~nrny, was just smuggled in dis part of de world, I bet yOut ~ . War cQme On, my inarster went out as a captain of de Horse ~arines. A tune was rm~ch sung by de white folks on de place and. took wid de ~ niggers. It wert lak dis: ~ .~ tI m Captain Jenks of do torse Marines I feed ~fC~j horse on cor~n and beans. Oht Itrn Captain Jenk~ of de Horse Marines _ . And captain in de army ~ ~ ~ tty~hefl de Yankees corne they seem to have special vengeance for nry white folks . They t ok everything they could carry off and burnt e~ery~hing they couldn t carry off. ~ Mistress and de ohillun have to go to Chester to git a place to sleep and eat, wid ~ De niggers just lay troiii~.d de place tu master rode in, after de war on. a hor se ; him have. money and fr iends and git things goint agin. I stay on dore tu 76 Then I come to Wiruisboro :and git a job as : section hand laborer on de railroad. Out of d~e Lust r~ioriey,~(I git paid off ~ de pay train then; company run a special pay train out of Columbia to~CharlOtte. : They stop at every~ station and. pay de hands o~f at de rear end of de train in cash) Well as I was a sayin ~ Out de Lust money, I bu.ys me a red shirt arid dat 1~1ovember I votes and de Lust vote I put in de bo~ was for Governor Wade HamptOn . Dat was de Lust big thing I doxie a. ~ .. ~De uext big thing I done WB.S fall in lov~e w~d IVlary Wylie. ~ Pat come tbout on ~e ~eOOitd pay day. De other nigger gals say her ~narry me~ for my monel bu~t I never ha~fe be1~ie~d ~.t. White ~&1.GS do dat ~ ~ ~ ~ a bLueg~U~ ~i~er ~a1, aU vrool ~m de top of Iter he~ ~ .~ ~ ~ . . ~ ~ ~ ~I i

035 032

I gonna have money in de b ck of her head when her pick out a man bo marry. ! lier gonna want a man wid muscles on his arms and back and I had them. U~in dat pick end shovel on de railroad just give me what it took to gi-b Mary. Us had teu chillu.n. Some dead, &ome marry arid leave. iv~r wi e die year befo last. i~aggie is puny, as you see, and us gits long wid de goodness of de Lord and de white folks. 1 btlongs to de St. John Methodist Church in Middleslx, part of Winns.~ boro. They was havin a rival (revival) ineetint de night of de earthquake, last day of August, in 1886. Folks had hardly got over de scare of 1881, bout de w rld commt to an end. It was on Tuesday nig,ht, if I don t disremember, t bout 9 o clock. De preacher was prayin just after de fust sermon, but him never got to de amen part of dat prayer Dere come a noise or rumblin lak ~ far off thunder, seem lak it come from de northwest, then . de church begin to ~ ~ rock lak a baby!s cradle. Dere was greatexcitenent. Old J~u4 Melvina holler: ~ tDe world comint to de end . De preacher say: Oh, Lord.y , and run out of de .~ pulpit Everbody rein out de church in de i V~hen de second quake cox~, bout a minute after de fust, somebody started i~p de cry: De devil under de .. churchL De devil under de churohL ~ De devil gwine to take de church on his back :: and run away wid de churohL People never stop runnin tu they got to de I; : court house in town. Dere bhey, dare de devil done take St. John s Church on his back and fly away to hell wid it. Marse H~nry Gailiard xn~kea speech and tell them -what it was and beg them to go home . Dat Mr. Skj~ner, de telegraph manat de depol, say de main part of it was way down bout Charleston, too far away for any~body to git hurt ~here,, less a brick from a chinmey fall oxi sonie. body!~ head. .De fljg er:S~~ 3tly belie~res what a fine man,, lak Mars~ Henry,:~ell~ them. De crowd git qiueb. Some of them go home but many of them, down in de

036 033

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~ ~ ~ ... ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~:: ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ .. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~. ~! ~ low part of town, set ou de railroad track in de moonlight, all night. I wcts mighty sleepy de nex mornin but I work on de railroad track just de same ~ Dat night folks come back to St John s Church Lind it still dere, and such a ~o~pourin of de spirit was had. as never was had befo or since. UJ~St thir~kL Oat has been fifty-one years ago. rfhem was de glorious horse and buggy days. Dere was no air-~ships, no autos and no radi~s~ ~Nhite folks had horses to driTe. Niggers had mu~les to ride to a base~a11 game, to see vthite folks run lak de patarollers (patrollers) wa~ after them and they holler lak de world was on fire.~ ~. .~ ~ ~: : ~.? ~ - ~: ~ ~ ~ ~ .~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ : ~ _ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - ~ -~ -~ ~

Ex-slave 77 years old. 037 034

Project ~~1655 ~: ~ Dixon $~innsboro, b 3~ 390341 -~ ~ ) p .n ~ ~ j~Jj_J D$~t~JM~ EX-SiJ~)E 77 YEARS OtiD. Ed Barber lives in a small one~room house in the thdst of a cotton field on the plantation of Lir. A. Li. Owens, ten ~ailes southeast of V~innsboro, ~. C. he lives alone and does his o~inoooking and housekeeping. Ileisabrigitmulatto, lias an erect carriace and postu~~e, appears younger than his age, is intelligent and enjoys recounting the taies of his lifetime. His oven race doesn t cive him rauch countenance. 1~ijs friends in the old days of roconstruetion were white peo pie. He presumes on such past affiliation and considers himself bettor than the full -blooded Negro. n ~ t ~ been a long t ime s iaice I see you. Liaybe you has forgot but I ain t forgot de Lust -birne I put dose lookers on you, in ~ 7~3~ Does you tmenbers dat day? It was in a piece of pines beyond de Presbyterian Church, in Winnsboro, S. C. Us both had red shirts. You was a ridint a gray pony and I was andin a red. mule, sorrel like. You say dat vrasn t 76? ~ie1l, hovi come it wasn t? Ouillah Harrison, another nigger, was dere, though he was a man. Both of us got to arguin . He low he could vote for H~pton and I couldn t, cause I wasn t 21. You say it was t 78 t stead of ~ 76 dat day in de pine s when you was dere ? ~el1 I Well I I sho been thinkin all dis time it was 76. n Member de fight dat day v~hexi Mr. Pole ~arnadore 1~iook Mr. Blanchard down, while de apeakin was a gwine on? You does? bell, us come to common gree ment on dat, bless GOdS ~ Thern was s c~ary times I i~a1e bein just half nigger and lia)! ~thite nan, I lmow ed which side de butter was on de bread. Who I see dere? Well, dero was a string of red shirts a mile long, dat c me into Winnsboro from White Oak. ~nd another

038 035

2. 35 from Flint Hill, over de Pea Ferry road, a mile long. De barrooms of de town did a big business dat day. Seem lak it was de fashion to git drunk all long them days. ttThem red shirts was de monkey ~ rrench in de cotton-gin of de carpet bag party. I s here to ~e1l ~jou. If a nigger git hungry, all he have to do is go to de white folk s house, bog for a red shirt, and explain hisseif a derriocra~. ~e might not ~it de sIiirt right then but he git his belly full of everything de ~7hite folks sot, and de privilege of corain to dat trough sometixnQ a~in. You vrants me to tell you tbout ~ ho I is, where horn, and how old I is? ~ell, just cross exanine me and I ll tell you de ~Cacts as best I knows how. tu was born twelve miles east of Winnsboro, ~. G. j~T ~~~.rster say it was de 18th of January, 18Q0. tti~r ricther name Ann. lier b long ~o my inarster, James x~iarber. Dat s not a fair question when you ask me ~iho ~ry daddy was Well just say he was a white man and dat irty mother never did marry nobody, while he lived. I was de onliest child ii~~ mother ever had. ~ ttj~f~~~ freedom niy mothor raised me on de Larse Adam iiar1~er place, up by Rocky Liount and. Mitford. I stayed derc ttil all de ~ cite ~ent of politics die dovm. 1~r help was not wanted so much at de lee-bion boxes, so I got to roarnin round to Lust one place end then another. But wheresomever I go, I kept a thiz c in bout ~osa and de ripe may-pops in de field in cotton pickin time. I landed back to de y~arber place and after a skir aish or t~ o wid. de old folks, marry de gal de Lord always tended for me to rr~.rry. Her name was ~osa Ford. You ask me if s he was pr etty? s a strange thing Do you ever hear a white pers on. say a colored woman is pretty ? I never have but befo God when I was tr~npin round Charleston, dere was a church dere called St. Mark, dat all de society folks of

039 036

3. 36 iTE~ color went to. No black nigger welcor~e dore, they told me. Thinkin as how I was bright tnough to git in, up and coos dere one sunday. ~h, how they did carry on, bow and scrape and ape de white folks. I see some pretty feathers, pretty fans, and. pretty women dores was uncomfortable all de ti~!ne though, tcause they was too thifalootint in de ways, in de singin , and all sorts of carryin ons. tiGlad you fetch me back to Rosa. Us marry andhad ten ohillun. Francis, Thornpkins, ~1illiarn, Jim, Levi, Ab and Oz is dead. Katie marry a ~oykin cuad is livin in New York, ~r wife, dosa, die ondis plp~oe of J~ir. U~rens. ni lives in a house by n~rself. I hoes a little cotton, picks plums and blackberries but dewberries bout played out. u;kyr inarstor, Jainc;s Darber, went through de Civil ~1ar and died. I begs you, in de naine of do good ~ thite folks uf 76 a~~d Wade Ilampton, not to forget rae in dis old age pension business. 11What I think of Abe Lincoln? I think he was a poor buekra white man, to de likes of me. Although, I tspects i~1r. Linooln meant well but I can t help but wish him had continued spi itt it them f once rail s whi oh they s ay he Imowed ;~~ll ~ bout and never took a hand in runnin do government of whi eh ho mowed nothin tbout. Marse Jeff Davis was all right, but hirn oughta got out and foughf some., lak General Lee, General Jackson and t~0j80~ Bonaparte. Us might have won de de war if he had turned up at some o~/big battles lak Gettysburg, Chickonmarogert, and Appleinattox %Vhat you thix& bout dat? Yes sah, I has knowed a whole lot of good white men. Marco General Bratton, Marse Ed ~.. ~bley, Marco Will Durham, dat owrted dis house us now settin in, and Dr. Henry Gibson. Does I know any good colored men? I shot doos& Derets Profes-

040 037

~ -~ sor Benjamin Russell at 3lackstock. You Imows him. Then dere was Ouil .ah ~arriSOfl, dat o~wr~ a four hoss team and a saddle hoss, in red shirt days. One time de brass band at Winnsboro, S. C. vranted to ~o to Umuden, ~. C~ to play at de s peakin of ffaiipton. He took de ~rhole band from Wixinsboro to Camden, dat day, free of charge. ith& Deway dat band did play all de ~ay to Ridgevray, dc~y~n cth road to LonE;to~n, cross de Camden Ferry, and ri~ ht into de town. Dere vra~ horns a blowin drums a beatin and people a shoutin : li~r~d~ for Hamp~ tonL ~ Sou~ :ras a sin~in : Hang Dan Cha~berlain on a Sour Apple Tree . Ouillah come home and found his wife had done had a boy baby. ~Vha~ you reckon? Ii~ name dat boy bab~~ Wade Hampton. When he corae.home to aie, he lay his hand on dat boy s head and say: Wade, member who you name for and always vote a straight out democrat ticket . which dat boy did &~

Ex-slave 82 years old. 041 038

Project #1655 w. W.Dixon 4) Wixmsthro, s. C. 390217 MILLIB BARBER ~ B~SLkVE 82 YEARS OLD. tiHope you sind yourself well dis rROI UiII , white folks. I s just cou~non; speet I eats too rm~ioh yesterday. You know us celebrated yesterday, tcause it was de Fourth of July. Us had a good dinner on dis 2,000 acre farm of 1~r. Y~ rens. God ble8s dat ~white boss maul Y~hat would us old no count niggers do widout him? Dere s six or seven, maybe eight of us out here over eighty years old. Most of them is like me, not able to hit a lick of work, yet he take care of us; he shot does. ~Tr. O~rens not a meiaber of de church but he allowed dat he done found out dat it more blessed to give than to receive, in case like us. You wants to know ail bout de slavery time, de war, de Ku Kiuxes and everything ? My tongue too short to tell you all dat I know. However, if it was as long as my stockin s, I could tell you a trunk full of good and easy, bad and hard, dat dis old life-stream have run over in eightytwo~ years. I s hoping to reach at last them green fields of Eden of de Promise Laud. Scuse me ramblin ~round, now just ask me questions~ I bet I can answer all you ask. ~~4r pa name, Tom McCullough; him was a slave of old 1~.rster John McCullough,whose big two-story house is de oldest in Fairfield County. It stands today on a high hill, just above de banks of Dutchman Creek. Big road run right by dat house. My n~xnrr~ name, Nicie. Her btlong to de Weir family; de head of de faniily die dunn de war of freedom. l a not supposed to know all he so I Il pass over dat My mistress name, Eliza; good mistress. Have you got down dere dat old n~rater just

042 039

2.39 took sick and die, cause he wasn t touched wid a bullet nor de life slashed out of him wici a sword? Well, my pa b longin to one man and nty rnanu~ty b longin to another, four or five miles apart, caused some confusion, mix-up, and heartaches. # I~r pa have to git a pass to corne to see my mammy. He come sometimes widout de pass. Patrollers catch him way up de chimney hidin one night; they stripped him right befo mammy and give him thirty-nine lashes, wid her cryin and a hollerin louder than he did.. Us lived in a log house; handmade bedstead, wheat straw n~attres~, cotton pillows pi enty coverin and pi enty tp eats ~ ich as it was Us never git butter or sweet railk or coffee. Dat was for de vthite folks but in de surr~ner time, I minds de flies off de table wid the peafowl feather brush and eat in de kitchen just what de white folks eat; them was very good eatin s I s here for to tell you. Ail de old slaves end them dat worked in de fiela,got ratio~is and de ehillun were fed at de kitchen out house. what did they git? I members they got peas, hog meat, corn bread, lasses, and butternilik on Sunday, then they got greens, turnips, taters, shallots, couards, and beans through de week. They were kept fat on them kind of rations. ttDe fact is I can t tmember us ever had a doctor on de place; just a granny was enough at child birth. ~~iave women have a baby one day, up and gwine round de next day, singin at her work lak nothin unusual had happened. Did I ever git a whippin ? Dat I did. How many times? More than I can count,~ifingers and toes. what I git a whippin for? Oh, just one thing, then another. One !time I bre~c a plate while washin dishes

043 040

O 3.4() and another time I spilt de milk on de dini& room floor. It was always for sornethint, sir. I needed de whippin . Yes sir, I had two brothers older than me; one sister older than me and one brother younger than me. ~,T young marster was killed in de war. Their names was Robert, Smith, and Jimmie. M~T young mistress, Sarah, married a Sutton and moved to Texas Nancy marry Mr Wade Rawl s Mis s Janie marry Mr . Hugh Melving. At this marriage my mammy was g~e to Miss Janie and she was took to Texas wid her young baby, Isaiah, in her arms. I have never seen or.heard tell of them from dat day to dis. De Yankees come and burn de gin house and barns. Upen de smoke~ hous e, take de meat give de s lave s some shoot de chickens and as de mistress and girls beg so hard, they left widout burnin de dwellin house. My oldest child, Alice, is livin and is fifty one years old de 10th of dis last May gone ~r first husband was Levi Young ; us lived wid Mr. Knox Picket some years after freedom. We moved to Mr. Rubin bumpkin s plantation, then to George Bouiwares. Well, u~r hu~band die s~id,l took a foal notion, lak most widows and got into s lavery again. I marry Prince Barber; Mr. John Hollis, Trial Justice, tied de knot. I loved dat young nigger more than you can put down dere on paper, I did. He was black and shiny as a crow s wing . Him was white as snow to dese old eyes Ah, the joy, de fusses, de ructions, de beati&s, and de makin ups us had on de Ed Shannon place where us lived. Us stay dere seven long years. Then de Klu Kiuxes corned and lak to seared de life out of me. They ask where Prince was, searched de house and go away. Prince come home bout daylight . Us took fright went to Marster Will Durham s and

044 041

asked for advice and protection. 1~ rster Will Durham fixed it up. Next year us moved to dis place, he ovin it then but ~arster JLrthur Owens owtis it flow. Dere is 2 000 acres ~ in dis place and another I 000 acres in de Rubin bumpkin . place j 0mm it. ~Prince die on dis place and I is left on de mercy of Iviarster Arthurj livin in a house wid two grandchillun, James twelve years, and John Roosevelt Barber, eight years old. Dese boys can work a little. They can pick cotton and tote water in de field for de hands a~d rnarster say: ~very little help . ~My liirin chillun am t no he~.p to me . Dere s Willie, . I don t know where he is. Prince is wid L~1r. Freeman on de river. Na~gie is here on de place but she no good to me. II spect when I gits to drawin dov~n dat say is comm1 then dere will be more folks playi& is. today. pension de white folks in my backyard than dere ~p 41

Ex-slave 87 years old. 045 042

Pro3ect 1655 ~ 3 w. w. Dixon 390253 ~ : ho ~ Winnsboro, S. C. ~ . 2 c~ ANDERSOI ~ BATBS . EX-51411E 87 YEARS OLD. . Mderson Bates I lires with hi s son- in- law and daughter Ed and Dora Owens, in a three- room frame house, on lands of Mr. Dan Heyward, near the ~ ~ranite Company, Winnsboro, S. C. Anderson and his wife occupy one of the rooms and his rent is free. His son -in- law has re~ia~ employment at the Wirinsboro Co-tton Mills. His wife, Carrie, looks after the house. And-. erson and his daughter, Dora, are day laborers on the neightbor1~od farms, but he is able to do very little work. (tI was born on d~ old Dr. Furman place, near Jenkinsville, S. C., in de year 1650 . My pappy was name Nat and mamy name Winnie . They was slaves of old Dr. Furman, dat have a big plantation, one hundred slaves, and a -whole :~ ~ of little slave chillun, dat him wouldnt 4~ let work. They run ~ round in de plum thickets, blackberry bushes, hunt wild. strawberries, blow can vthistles, and have a pod. time. . . ~ ~ ... ~ ~De~old Dr. Furman house is ramshackle but it is still standin out ~ . dere and is used as a. shelter for sawmill hands dat is ~ittin do~wn de big pines and sawin them on de place.. ~ ~. ~Where did. niy pappy and mammy come from? Maxx~rny was born a slave in de Furman family in Charleston, but pappy ~w as bought out of e~ drove dat a Balti- more speculator fetch from Maryland 1on~ befo de war. Doctor practice all round and tbout Mont~eello, happen long one day, see my ppppy and cive a thou sand dollars for him, to dat speculator. I thank God for dat~ Dr. !urman, 12W old xnarster, haire a brudder called Jini, dat run de ~I~: School, fus~b uearWixuisboro, then it xw~e to Greenville, 8. C. ~ ~

046 043

2. 43 tIM21 mistress name Nancy. lier was of de quality. E er voice was soft and quiet to de slaves. lier teach us to sin~: Dere is a happy land, far, far way, where brig1~t angels stand, far, far way, OhL How them angels singL Oh t How them bells ring L ifl dat happy land, far, far wayL Dere -~~ra~ over a thousand acres, inayb two thousand in dat old Fur~ man place. Them sawmill folks ~iire ~3O,OOO.OO for it, la3t year~ tti~y pappy arid inararny was field hands. L~y brudders and ~isters was: Liddie, Millie, Ria, ~lla, Harriet, Thomas, Smith, and Liarshall. All dead bu-t me and Liarshall. lt ~ was fifteen when de Yankees come thru. They took off everything, ho&S~3s, mules, cows, sheep, goats, turkeys, geese, and chickens. ~Iocs? Yes sah, they kill hogs end take ofV what parts they want and leave other parts bleedin on de yard. Vflien they left, old marster have to go up into Union County for rations. tt~at ~ funny, you wants to set dovm dere tbout riry courtship and weddin ? ~ Well, sir, I stay on de old plantation, work for n~r old marster, de do&~or, and fell head over heels in love wid Carrie. Dere was seven more ni :gers a flyin round dat sugar lump of a gal in de night time when I breezes in and takes charge t of de fireside cheer. I knocks one down one night, kick another dut de next night, ~-- and choke de stuffin out of one de nex night. 1 landed de three leg stool n de head of de foiu th one de last time. Then de others carry deir fections to some other place than Carrie s house. Us have some hard words bout rr~r bad manners, btvt I told her dat I couldn t tro . my feelin s wid them fools a settin

047 044

3. E 44~ ~ . round dere giggl& wid her. I go clean crazyL Then us gi-b married and go to de ten~i~aore quarry ~rid Mr. ~.riderson. I w ork dere a while and then go to Captain Macfie then to his son, Wade and then to Marse Rice Macfie. Then I go 1~iack to de quarry, drill and g t out stone. They pay me ~3.5O a day ttil de Parr Shoals Power come in wid lectric power drills and I was cut down to eighty cents a day. Then I say: Old grey hossl Damn leotric toolin , l s gwine to leave. I went to Elopewell, Virginia, and work wid de DuPonts for five years. War come on and they ask me to work On de acid. area. Dc atmosphere dere tear all de skin off xrry face and ar~ns, but I stuck it out to de end of de big war, for $7.20 ~ day. I drunk a good deal of liquor then, but I sent money to Carrie all de time and fetch her a roll every fourth of July and on Christmas. After de war they dismantle de plant and I come ba.ck to work for Wir. ~leazer, on de ~aluda River for ~2.OO a day, for five years. ~ tiCarrie have chillun by me. Dere w~s ~nderson, ~ son, ai&t see him in forty years. Essie, my daughter, marry Herbert Perrin. Dora, another daughter, marry Ed Ovrens Ed makes good xn~ney int at de faott~y in Winnsboro. ~ They have seven ohillun. Us tries to keep them ohillun &ii scho l but they d ntt have de good times I had when a child, a eatin cracklin bread and buttermilk, liver, pig- tails, hog ears and tuniip greens. ~tDoes I tmember anything boul de K .u Kiuxes? Jesus, yesi My old marster, de doctor, in goin ro~d, say out loud to people dat Klu 1~iuxes was . doixi some thi igs they ough~not to do, by .storti~ moitey out of niggers just T cause :tbey could. ~ . - tiW~en: 1~ was gone . to Unio~i one clay, a low~dowa: ~iL of white ~ men come ~ ~ wid false faoes, to de house and ask where Dick Bell was. Miss Ne.nc~r say her . ~ .~ ~ ~.

048 045

4. I 45 don t know. They go hunt for him. Dick rn~.de a bee~iine for de house. They pull out hoss pistols, fust time, tpow Dick run on, secon time, pow . Dick run on, third time, pow and as Dick reach de front yard de ball from de third shot keel him over lai: a hit rabLit. Old miss run out but they g t him. Her say: I give you five dollars to let him lone. They say: Not nough. lier say: tI give you ten dollars. They say: Not nough. lier say: I *jve you fifteen dollars. They say: Not nough. Her say: I cive you twenty- five dollars. They take de money ~id say: ~s ll be back tomorrow for de other Dick. They mean Dick James. ~ Nex day, us see them a comin again. Dick James done load up de shotgu~~~ wid buckshot. When they was comin up de ~ro~~t steps, Uncle Dick say to us all in de big house: Gjt out de wayL De names of de men us find out afterwards was 3ishop and Fitz~erald. They come up de s-~eps, wid Bishop in de front. Uncle Dick open de door, slap dat ~un to his shoulder, and pull de trigger. Dat man 1~ishop hollers: Oh Lordy. He drop dead and lay dere tu de coroner come. Fitzgerald leap way. They bring Lick to jail, try him right in dat court house over yonder. *~.that did they dowid him? Well, when Marse iJill Stanton, Marse ~iisha Ragsdale and Lliss Nancy tell bout it all from de beginnin to de end, de judge tell de jury men dat D1~k had a right to protect his home, and hisseif, and to kill dat white man and to turn him loose. Dat was de end of de Klu Kluges in Fairfield. *

Folk lore: folk tales (Negro). 049 046

~ ~ ~ ~ C~J/v\d&.4~~ ) Project 185 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ Prom Field ~otes 3~r ~~r ~ ~ ~S edited by: Spartanburg, Dist.4 ~ \J . Elmer Turnage ~ April 2.. 193? . FOLK LORE: FOLK TALES (n~egro) ni sho members when de soldiers corne home from de war. All de women o ks, both black as well as shite wuz so glad to see em back dat we jus jumpec. up arid hollered Oh, Lawdy, God bless you. When you would look around a little, you would see some wid out an arm or maybe dey would be a waltin wid a cruch or a stick. Den you would cry some wii~ut lettin your white folkasee you. But Jane,de worseet time o~ all fer us d.arkies wuz when de Ku Klux killed Dan Black. We wuz little chilluns a playin in Dans house. We didn t know he had done riothin ~inst de white folks. Us wuz a playiri by de fire jus as nice when something hit on de wall. Dan, he jump up and try to ~it outten de winder. A white spooky thing had done come in de ~ right by me. I was so scairt dat I could not git up. I had done fell straight out on de flo . When Dan. stick his head uutten dat winder something say bans and he ~el1 right down in de Lb . I crawles under de bed. 7~hen I ~ot dar, all de other chilluns wuz dar to,lookin a~ white as ashec. dough frol hickory wood. Us peeped out and den us duck under de bed a~in. Ain t no bed ebber done as much good. as dat one. Den. a whole lot of dem some in de house. De wuz all white and scairy lookin . It still makes de shivvers run down my spine and here I is ole and you all a settin around wid me and two mo wars done cone since dat awful time. Dan Black, he wo tit no mo kaise de took dat nigger arid hung him to a simmon tree. Dey would not let his folks take hirn down either. He jus stayed ar till he fell to pieces.

050 047

POLK LORE: POLK TALES (Negro) Page 2 Lfter dat when us chilluns seed de Ku Klux a cornin , us would take aa run breadneck speed to de nearest wood. Dar we would stay till dey wuz plum out o sig~it and you could not even hear de horses feet. Dem days wuz wors n de war. Yes Lawd, dey wuz worse n any war I is ebber heard o1~. Was not long after dat l ore de spooks wuz a gwine round ebber whar. When you would ~o out atter dark, sornethin would start to a haintin ye. You would ~it so scairt dat you would mighty ni run every time you went out atter dark; even iffin you didn t see nothin . Chile, don t axe me what I seed. Atter all dat kuhn and. a burnin you know you wuz bliged to see things wid all dein spirits in distress a swine all over de land. You see, it is like dis~ when a man gits killed beTh he is done what de good Lawd intended fer him to do, he cornes back here arid tries to find who done him wrthn~. I mean be don come back hisseif, but de spirit, it is what comes and wanders around. Course, it can t do nothin , so it jus scares folks and haints dem. SOURCE: Aunt Millie Bates, 25 Hamlet street, Union, SC. Interviewer: Caldwell Sims, Union, S.C.

Visit with Uncle Welcome Bees--age 104 years. 051 048

330207 project #1655 ~ FOLKLORE : 48 Mrs. Genevieve W. Chandler ~irrells Inlet, s. ~. Georgetown County VISIT WITH UNCLE VVELCOME BEES ~ - ~ A~E 104 YEARS The road is perfectly oamouflaged from the King s Eigh~way by wild plums that lap overhead. On~y those who hav e traveled this way before could locate the turn in to Uncle Welcoinets house. When you have turned in and come suds denly out from the plum thicket you find your roadwinding along *ith cultivated patches on the left -- corn and peas -~ a fenoed- in gaHeza, the palings riven out by hand, and thick dark woods on the left. A lonesome, untenanted cabin is seemingly in the way but your car swings to the left instead ot climbing the door-step and suddenly you find you are faoir~g a bog. The car may get through; it n~y not. So you switch off and just sit a minute, seeing how the land lies. A great si iging and chopping of wood off to the left have kept the izm~.tes from hearing the approach of a car. ~Ihen you rap therefore you hear, Come in . A narrow hall runs through to the back porch and off this hail on your right opens a door from beyond which comes a very musical squeaking -~ you know a rocking chair is going hard ~ even before you see it in motion with e. fuzzy little head that reste on someone s shoulder sticking over the top. And the fuzzy head which in size is like a s~ll five cent ooooamrt~, belongs to Uncle Welcorne s: :great grand. On seeing a visitor the grand, the mother of the infant, rises and smiles greeting, and, learning your errand, points back to the kitchen to show where Uncle Weloon~ sits. You step doi~n one step and ask h~m if you xi~ay come in and he pats a chair by his side. The old man isn t so 6~27

052 049

~ U.i z2 ~ . FOLKLORE WojeO .~ .ir.&uu~# ( Mrs. Genevieve W.. Chandler i~&irre118 liilet, S. C. Pa~ge 2 GeorgetOwfl County VISIT WITH tJNCL~ WELCOME BEES ~--AGE 104 YEARS as he ~wae when you saw him in the fall; the winter has been hard. But here it is warm again and at most four in the April afternoon, he site over his plate of hopping John ~ he and innumerable flies. At his feet, fairly un~ der the front of a sn~ll iron stove, sits another great-grand with a plate of peas between her lege. Peas and. nos, hopping John . (Someone says peas and hominy cooked together n~kes liniping Lizzie in the Low-Country. But that is another story. ) ~ *Unole Welcome, isn t Unols Jeemes Stuart the oldest liver on Sandy Island? Welcome z Jeemes Stuart? I was n*rried n~.n when he born. Jeeniea rioe field . (Worker in rice-field) posed himself. In all kinds of weather. Cut you down, down, down Jeemes second wife gal been n~rried before but he husband dead. I couldn t tell the date or tii~ I born. Your ~uasa (~.ster) take it down. When I been n*rry, Dr. Ward Fadder (Father) amt been ~rry yet. ~r mother had twelve head born oatland. He bought n~r mother frein Virginia. Dolly. Sam he husband naine. Sain oome from sa~ course. When n~r mother been bought, he been youflg wox~,n. Work in rice. RLow right now (Meaning April is time to plow rice fields ). I do carpenter work and mind horse for plantation. Come from Georg.town in boat. Have you own oarri~ge. Go anywhere you want to go. Oatland church build for colored people and po~buokra. I helped build that church. The

053 050

Project #1655 . FOLKLORE Mrs. Genevieve W. Chandler Murrells Inl.t, S, C. Page 3 Georgetown County VISIT WITH TINGLE WELCOME BEZS --- AGE 104 Y ARS boss n~.n, Mr. Bett~n. ~r son Isaac sixty-nine. If him sixty nine, I one hundred four. That s m~r record. I~ueea didntt low you to n~rry t5~1 you twenty two. Ben A .lston own Turkey Hill. When him dead,~. 1 was twelve years old. Mei (Knocking his chest) Welcome Bees P~rkersvi11e, S. C. (Near Waverl Mills, S. C.) Age 1.04.

Ex-slave 83 years old. 054 051

Project ~1655 v~. w. Dixon . Winnsboro, ~. C. 390258 ~ . A1~Th~E BELL EX SlAVE 83 YEARS OLD. C he~i wt.:~i1t~4ziz,c~ I ~.0 ~ Anne Bell lives with her niece, in a one~room annex to a two~ room frame house, on the plantation of ~Jir. Lake Howze, six miles west of Wirnisboro, S. C. Her niece s husband, Golden Byrd, is a ahare~cropper on ~r. Howze s place. The old lady is still spry and energetic about the cares of housekeeping and attention to the small children of her niece. She is a delightful old lady and well worth her keep in the srr~.ll chores she undertakes and performs in the household. tidy marster was John Glazier Rabb; us call him i~iarse Glazier. ~v~r mistress was ~ancy Kincaid ~atts; us call her Miss i~ancy. They lived on a big plantation 5ia Fairfield County and dere I come into dis world, eightythree years ago, 10th day of April past. tt ~r pappy name just Andy but after de freedom, he took de name of Andrew Watts. ~r old mammy was Harriett but she come to you if you calls her Hattie. My brudders was Jake and Rafe. ~r sister name Charity. They all dead and cone to glory long time ago; left me here tione Dy i~rself and I s settin here tellin you bout them. t1~:~~ ~ was de cook at de Big House for marster, Miss Nancy, and de chillun. Let inc see if I can call them over in my mind. Dere was Marse John, wentoff to de war, color bearer at Seven Pines, Yes sir, him was killed wid de colors a flyin in his hand. Heard tell of it many times. He lies right now in de old Buck Church graveyard. De pine trees, seven of them, cry and sob tro~d him every August 6th; datts de day he was killed. Oh, nxy Godi .

055 052

z 52 Marse James went wid. oi~ Colonel Rion. They say he ~ot shot but No, bless Godi Narse Clarence. He went wid Captain Jim I~Iacfie, went through it all and didn t get a scratch. Next was ~ss Jesse. Then come Marse Horace, and Miss Nina. Us ohillun. all played together. ~iarse Horace is livin yet and is a fine A. R. P. preacher of de Word. Miss Nina a rich lady, ~ot plantation but live InonC de big bugs in Winnsboro. Sh married Mr. Castles; ~he is a widow now. He was a good miii, but he dead n~vr. De one I minds next, is Charlie. I nussed him. He married Colonel Province s daughter . Dat s all I can eall to mind right now. Itgourse de white folks I b longs to, had more slaves than I got fingers and toes; whole families of t~~em. De carp nter and de blacksmith on de place made de bedsteads. Us had good wheat straw mattresses to sleep on~ cotton quilts, spreads, and cotton pillows. No trouble to sleep but it was hard to hear dat white overseer say at day break : Let me hear them foots hit de floor and dat befo I go~ Be livelyL Hear me? A~d you had to answer, Yas sah he d move on to de nex house I does member de parts of de bed, was held together by wooden pins. I sho members datL fla!rn13:y :~arriett was de cook. I didn t done no work but tend to de chillun and tote water. tl~oney? Go way from here~ bo s s ~ Lord no s ir I never s aw no money. What I want wid it anyhow? How did. they feed us? Had better things to eat then, than now and more different kind of somethin s. lis had pears, lasses, shorts, middlings of de ~Sst, corn bread, and all kinds of milk and vegetables. bullets couldn t kill hirn. Hirn corned back. Then come

056 053

. 53 t, Got a whuppin once They want ed me to go after de turkeys and I didn t want to go past de graveyard, where de turkeys was. I shot Id t want to go by them grave s s s oared iiow to go by a graveyard in de dark I took de i and somebody eis e n~ist have got de turkeys. Sho I didn t drive them up~ Slaves spun de thread, loomed de cloth, and made de clothes for de plantation. Don t believe I had any shoee I was just a small gal anyhow then, didn t need them and didn t want them. Yes, I~s seen nigger women plow Church? I wouldn t fool you, all do slaves big enough and not sick, had to go to church on de Sabbath. They give us a half Saturday, to do as we like. it1 was bout ten years old when de Yankees come. They was full to de brixawid mischief. They took de frocks out de presses and put thorn on and laugh and carry on powerful. Befo they went they took everything. They took de meat and Visions out de sm ke-houso~,and de tiasses, sugar, flour, and meal out de house. Killed de pigs and cows, burnt de gin- house and cotton, and t ok off de live stock, geese, chickens and turkeys. ttAfter de freedom, I stayed.. onwid manmty right dere, tu I married Levi Bu s had two ohillun. Dis my granddaughter . I vis itin . I never speot s to have as good a home as I had in slavery t u, t il I gits n~T title to dat mansion in de sky. Date de reason Ilikes to sing dat old. plantation spiritual t Swing Low Sweet Chariot Jesus Gwinter Carry ne Home Does I believe in ~ ligion? ~That else good for colored folks? I ask you if dere ain t a heaven, what!s colored folks got to look forward to? They can t git anywhere down here. De only joy they can have here, ~ ~ ~ IT~::. : ~ ~ S ~ ~ S ~ ~ ~ ~ S S

057 054

40 54 is servi& and lovin ; us ~an ~it dat in 1i~ion but dere is a limit to de nigger in everything else. Course I knows ray place in dis world; I umbles myself here to be zalted up yonder.

Slavery reminiscences. 058 055

Project 1885-.1 POLKLORE Spartanburg, Dist .4 July 26, 1937 Edi~ed by: Elmer Turna~e 390242 55 SLAVERY R~Ifl ~ IS OEI~I CES tu was raised in the wood across the road about 200 yards from here. I was very mischievous. My parents were honest and ~ were Christians. I loved them very much. My father was William Bevis, who died at the a~e of eighty. Miss Zelia Hames of Pea Ridge was my mother. My parents are buried at Bethlehem Meth.. odist Church. I was brought up in Methodism and f do not know anything else. I had two brothers arid four sisters. wiy twin sister died last April 1937. She was Fannie Holcombe. I was in bed with pneumonia at the time of her death and of course I could riot go to the i~uneral. For a month, I was unconscious. When I was a little girl I played Andy~.over with a ball, in the moonlight. Later I went to parties and dances. Calico, chambric and gingham were the materials which our party dresses were made o~. ?$My grandmother, Mrs. Phoebe Bevis used to tell Revolution.. ary stories and sing songs that were sung during that period. Grandmother knew some Tories. She always told me that old Nat Gist was a Tory ... that is the way he got rich. Hampton was elected governor the morning my Pather went in his carriage to Joriesville to vote We all thought that H~impton was fine. When I was a school girl I used the blue back speller. My sweetheart s name was Ben Harris. We went to Bethlehem to school. Jeff and Bill Harris were our teachers. I was thirteen. mother died. for Hampton.

059 056

Slavery Reminiscences . Pace 2 We went together for six years. The Confederate War commenced. He was very handsome. He had. black eyes and black hair. I had seven curls on one side of my head and seven on the other. He was twenty~four when he joined the ?~Boys of Sixteen1. 11e wanted to marry me then, but f ther would not let us marry. He kissed me good bye and went o~ to Virginia. He was a picket and was killed. while on duty at M&rs Hill. Bill Harris was in a tent near-by and heard the shot. Le brought Ben home. went to the funeral. I have never been much in~love since then. I hardly ever eel sad. I did not reel especially sad during the war. I made socks, gloves and sweaters for the Con. ederate soldierB and aleo knitted i~or the Norld ~Var soldiers. During the war, there were three looms and three shuttles in our house. I went often to the muster grounds at Kelton to see the soldiers drill and to flirt my curls at them. Pa always went with me to the muster field. On e he invited four recruits to dine with us. We had a delicious supper. That was before the Confederacy was paralyzed. Two darkies waited on our table that night, Dorcas and Charlotte. A fire burned in our big f ire~ place arid a lamp hung over the table. After supper was over, we all sat around the fire in its flickering lieht. ttMy next lover was Jess Holt and he was drowned in the Mississippi River. He was a carpenter and was building a warf on the river. He fell in and was drowned in a whirlpool. Source: Miss Caroline Bevis (W. 96), County Home, Union, S.C. Interviewer: Caidwell Sims, Union, S.C. (7/13/3?)

Ex-slave, 79 years. 060 057

OodeNo. }1o.~e~Th___~ Project, i86 (1) Re&ueed~ fi m ~rd.a Prepared. by Lnnle Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Mirion, 8.0. ___________________ 57 Date Jane ~ . I 937 Page 1. ~ ~ MLGGIE BLACK ~ Ex-Slave, 79 years . 3902.87 Honey, i: d,Oflt know wha to tell yuh bout d.ein times baok dere. ~!uh aee I waz jea uh young oh11~ when d.e free war 0108e en I alu know nnzoh to tell yuh. I born oter d.e river ere to Massa Jim Wilkereon plantation. Don know wha come uv my oie MaE~sa ohullun a ter dey head. been gone. Yuh e, honey, Mas sa Jim Wilkerson hab uh heap uv~ slave en he hire my nmd.der out to Colonel Durant place rlghl down d.e road. dere whey Mies Durant .ib now. Coase I been back o er d.e river to visit mongest de peoples d.ere a ter freedom ~ o .are, but I am ne er lib d.ere no more. Gawd. been good. to me, honey. I been heah uh long oie time en I eau see macha d.ese days, but I gettin iong aorta 80 - 80. I Witz train up to be uh nu se oman en I betoha I got ohilinn :more den any ~O year oie bout heah now d.at I nufee when &ey wuz fast come heah. No, honey, am got no ohillun uv me own. Aw my ohil .un white lak yu.h. Ho, no mam, dey wear long oie frock den en uh girl oomin on d.ere when d.ey ge to be any kind. uv uh girl, d~ey Pu t dat fr ook down Oh my ohi id. d.ey ein short z~ough dese days. Am hab zntthinbut ~h string on dese d.ay en time. Dey izse er wear dem big oie hoop skirt dat sit out broad. lak from d.e ankle en d~en dey wear little panty d.~t: show down twixt dey ikirt en d.ey atkle. 3es tie em rund. dey kneea wid. some. aorta string en le em show dat way bout

061 058

Ood~e No. 1go. woris ~ Projeot, .~85~.(1) Reduced. ~ ~~rd,e Prepared. by Annie Ruth Davi8 Rewritten by ~ Place, Marion, 8.0. Date JLine 2 . 1 937 PageL ~ d~ey ankle. I member w black ohullun ud. go in d~e WoOd.8 en get wild. grape vine en bend. em rouiid. en put ein und.er us skirt en make lt stand. out big lak. Hadder hab ith big oie ring fa de bottom uv de skirt en den one uh little bit smaller eve y time dey ge closer to de waist. Ne er hab none tall in de waist cause d.at wz e ppoee to be little bitty t ing. Dey weave aw d.e cloth d~ey use d~en right ere on de plantation. Wear cotton en woolens aw de time den. Coaee de Madam, ehe coa .d. go en ge de finest kind. uv silk cause moe uv her t ing come from broad. Ohi .d, I o n see my oie mammy how ehe look workin dat apinning wheel jee uz good uz of dat day waz dis day right heah. She set d.ere at d.atole spinning wheel en take one ehettle en t row it one way en den anrmder de udder way en pull dat t Ing en make it tighter en tighter. Sumptin say zum, znm~ zum, en den ytih hadder work yah feet d.ere too. Dat waz de ~y dey make dey cloth dat clay en time. ~ I, Honey p e oplee hadde r work dey band. fa e ye yt Ix3g dey hab moe den. Dey grow dey own rice right dere on de plantation tri dem days. Eadder plant It on e~e uv de land wha ~nz water den de u&d~r~. ~and ivus. Dy hadder le ~ ge good en ripe en den dey~ud eut it en hab one uv dem bI~ rioe whippIng days. Heap nv people come from plantation aw

062 059

Cod.. iso. ~o. Wordi ~ ~ ~ Projeot, 188541) . Rethiced. ~ ~~____ Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten bf ~ Plaoe, Marion, 8.0. _____________________ Date, Jane 21, 193 ? pige . ~ . bout en help whip dat rice. Dey jee take d.e rice en beat it ~eroas eame hose dat d~ey hab fix up somewhey dere on d~e plantati on. Honey d.ey hab hos s je~ .ak d~ee e hoe s ytth se e oarpente r use b out heah dese d.aye . Dey !iid. hab lmnd.re de uv bushels uv dat rice dere. Den when dey ge t r~mgh, ~ey hab big supper dere fa aw d.em whaT whip rice. Gi!e ein aw de rice en hog head. d~ey te er wan . Man, d~ey ud. hab &e nicest kind. 11V iflUSiC dere. Knock d.em bones togedder en slap en pat d~ey hand.e t aw kind uv pretty tim. Dee d.ey hab rice mortare right d.ere on de plantation wha dey fix d.e rice in joe uz nice. Now dey hab to take it to d.e mill. Ytth see dey hab uh big block outer in d.e yard. wid. nu big hole in it d.at dey put d.e rice in en take dese t ing cal . pestles en beat down onit en d.at wha knock de shaft offen it. Coase dey ne er hab no nice pretty rice lak yah ee d.ese days cause it waan t uz white uz de rice dat dey hab bout heah die day en time, but it waz mighty sweet rice, honey, mighty sweet rice. J~TO Ifl~1fl, d.id.n t hab no schools tall den. Ne er gi e de colored peoples no l arnin no whey fore free&oii o .are. Tha 1 it tie 1 ~T ~ orne my way wttz ha I whe n I stay wid Mise Martha Leggett &own dere to Legg.tt e Mill Pond.. 1L ter freedom dare uh lady from de north come dere en }tiss Legg tt send. we ohillun to school to dat lad~y up ou de hill dore in de woo&e. No, honey, yuh am n~ er see no bresh tent

063 060

Code iTo. Isro. Werde________ Project, l885~(l) . Reduced fr6m~ ~rde Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by~~ . Place, Marion, S.O. t) Date, Jane 21, 1937 Pag 4. ~ . boat heah dis day en time. Dis jes de way it waz make. Dey dig four big holes en put poetee in aw four corner boat lak uh room. Den dey lay log cross de top uv dat en kiver it aw o er wid. bresh (brash) d.at dey break cater de woo de Ne e r hab none uv de e I de e he t up ~n &ey haul log dere en roll em under dat bresh tent fa we ohillun to set on . Oh, de teacher ~ hab uh big box ta her stand jee 1 ek uh preache r yb ody dat go to e ohoo 3. de re hab one UT dem t ing eaU elate dat yuh ne er hadder do nuthin but jee Wash it offen. ~n dey hab deee oie l arum book wba yuh call Webetere. My white folke al aye waz good. to me honey. ~e ter do didn t hab to/no field work in aw me life. When I etay dere lid. Mise Leggett I hadde r pick up 1 itt .. chip th ~t de yard when I Lust come home from school en den I had&er e go way up in de big field en drib de turkey/up. We didn t find. dat no hard. t ing to do lak de peoples talk lak it aumptin hard. to do dese days. Te wuz l arxit to work en didn t mind it neither. Altaye minded to ue own bueineae ~ Oh, gourde wizz de ing in dem d.aye Dey waz ha ~.s peoples hab to drink cater en wash dey hominy en rice in aw de time . ~ Dey wi~ de besteet kind uv bowl ta we ohillun to eatoorn bread en clabber oater. Peoples die day en time don hab no aech aroekery lak de people ue.Ter hab. Reney, dey hab de prettiest little clay boWLe den.

064 061

Ood.e No. 1go. ~rord.e Project, 1886 (l) Reduced fr ~1viord Prepared by Annie Ruth De~vis Rewritten by . ~ Place, Marion, 8.0. ~ . Date, June 21, 1937 Fige 6. 1Lnnu&er t ing de peoprea do den d~at yah aLu ne er hear baut nobody doing tisse days, dey alTaya boil suniptin fa dey oewe to eat lak peas en corn in uh big ole black pot somewhey dere i~i de back lot. Cosse it vaz jee half oookd, but dey sho done dat. ~Iobody ne er t oug ht bout not oook1n ~ fa dey cow den. Dat wtt~ sho uh difterent day from die, hoxiey. De little ohillun wu~ 3es uz foolish den caus de peoples ne er tell dem bout nathin tall in dat day en time, Lw d.ese little chillun bout heah dese days don hab no shame 1b~iit ein no whey. Dey hab head. fui . uv eve yt ing, honey, aw aorta grown people knowings. 8ou~: Maggie Black, ex slave, age 79, MarIon, 8.0. Personal interview, ktne 1937.

Folk-lore : ex-slaves. 065 062

Project 1885 1rn. District #~ ~ Spartanburg, S.C. i90120 June 7, 1937 ~ FOLK-LORE : EX SLAVES II was born In Laurens Qounty, S. C., at the brick house , which Is close to Newberry County line, and ray master was Dr. Felix Ca j~es. The old brick house is still there. My daddy was Joe Grazier and my mammy, Nellie Grazier. We had a pretty good house to live i~i in slavery time, and some fair things to eat, but never was paid any money. We had plenty to eat like fat meat, turnips, cabbages, corn bread, milk and pot-liquor. Master sent his corn and apples, and his peaches to old man Scruggs at Helena, near Newberry, to have him make his whiskey, brandy, and wine for him. Old man Scruggs was good at that business. The men hunted some, squirrels, rabbits, possums,and birds. ?fIfl the winter time I didn t have much clothes, and no shoes. At nights I carded and spinned on the mistress s wheels, helping mymaxnmy. Then we got old woman Wilson to weave for us. t Master had a b ig plantation of several farms, near about 1,000 acres or more . It was said he had once 250 slaves on his places, counting children and all. His overseers had to whip the slaves, master told them to, and told them to whip them hard. Master Calms was most always mean to us. He got in~ad spells and ~ihip like the mischief. He all the time whipping me cause I wouldn t work like he wanted I worked in the big house, washed, ironed, cleaned up, and was nurse in the house when war was going on.

066 063

-2- . 63 - ?tWe didntt have a chance to learn to read and write, and master said if he caugh~b any of his slaves trying to learn he would skin them alive . There was a church in the neighborhood on Dr. Blackburn s place, but we didn t get to go to it much. I was 17 years old when I joined the church. I joined because the rest of the girls joined. I think everybody ought to join the church. On Saturday afternoons the slaves had to work, and all day Sunday, too, if master wanted them. On Christmas Day we was give liquor to get drunk on, but didn t have no dinner. tt~j~en I was sick old Dr. P. B. Ruff attended me. Old Dr. Calm s, I member, traveled on a horse, with saddle-bag behind him, and made~ his own medicines. He made pills from cornbread. I saw riiariy slaves sold on the block saw mammy with little i~fant taken away from her baby and sent away. I saw .faniilies separated from each other, some going to one white master and some to another. I iiarried at 14 years old to Arthur Bluford. ~e had 10 children. I now have about 8 grandchildren and about 7 or 8 great grandchildren. I was married in the town of Newberry at the white fo J~ s Methodist church, by a colored preacher named Rev. Geo. De Walt. ~hen freedom come, they left and hired out to other people, but I stayed and was hired out to a man who tried to whip me, but I ran away. Dat was after I married and had little baby. I told my rnaimny to look after my little baby ~ ~ was gone.

067 064

3-, I stayed away tw~o years till after Dr. Calmes and his family moved to Mississippi. SOTSRCE: Gordon Bluford (92), ~Tewberry, S. C. Interviewer G. Leland Summer, 1707 4ndsey St., . Newberry, S. C.

Ex-slave 82 years old. 068 065

Project f1655 Henry Grant Columbia, S. C~ 330218 SAMtJEL BOULWARE EX~SI V~ 82 YE~RS OLD. Sanuel Boulware s only home is one basement room, in the home of colored friends, for which no rent charges are made. He is old and feeble and has poor eyesight, yet, he is self supporting by doing light odd jobs, mostly for white people. He has never married, hence no dependents whatever. One of the members of the house, in which Samuel lives, told him someone on the front porch wanted to talk with him. From his dingy basement room he slowly imunted the steps and came toward the front door with an irregular shamble. One seeing his approach would naturally be of the opinion, that this old darkey was certainly nearing the hundred year mark. Apparently Father T~e had aimost caught up with him; he had been caught in the winds of a~t1~lict ion and now he was tottering along with a bent and twisted frame, which for many years in the past, housed a veritable physical giant. The winds of 82 years had blown over him and now he was calmly and hwnbiy approaching the end of his days. Humility was his attitude, a characteristic purely attributable to the genuine end old-fashion southern Negro. He slid into a nearby chair and began talking in a plain conversational way. Dis is a mighty hot day white folks but you knows dis is July and us gits de hot days in dis month. De older I gits de more I feels de t hot and de cold I has been a strong hard working man mo et ail ir~r life and if it wasn t for dis rheumatism I has in my right leg, I could work hard every day now. Does I ~~,er nich bout slavery times? Well, dere is no ~y for me to disremember, unless I die. 1~y mammy and me b long to Doctor

069 066

2 . 66 Hunter, some called him Major Hunter. When I was a small boy, I lived wid my mammy on de Hunter plantation. 1~.fter freedom, I took de name of my daddy, who was a Bouiware. He b long to Reuben Bouiware, who had a plantation twcr and one~ha1f miles from Ridgeway, S. C., on de road dat leads to Long-town. N~y mistress name was b ffie. She and marster had foth sons, no girls a tall. George, Abram, ~i11ie, and Henry, was their names. They was fine boys, cause they was raised by Mistress Effie s o~vn hands She was a good woma~i and done things ~ zackly right round de plantation. Us slaves loved her, cause she said kind and soft words to us. N~.ny times l s seen her pat de little niggers on de head, smile and say nice words to them. Boss, kind treatment done good then and it shot does good dis present day; don t you think I ~s right bout dat? W~rster had a bad temper. ~4hen he git mad, he walk fast, dis way and dat way, and when he stop, would say terrible cuss viords. Ythen de mis~ tress heard them bad words, she would bow her pretty head and walk l~r~y kinda sad lek. It hurt us slaves to see de mistress sad, cause us wanted to see her srnilin and happy all de time. ~ fl~fl~T work d hard in de field every day and as I was just a snall boy, I toted water to de han4~~ in de field and fetched wood into de kitchen to cook wid, i~jnn~r was de mother of twelve chillun; three of them die when they was babies. Ps de oldest of de twelve and has done more hard work than de rest. I had five brothers and all Of them is dead, cept one dat I ive s in Savannah Georgia I has four s isters one 1 lying in Charleston, one in New York City, one in Ith~ca, i~. Y., and one in Fairfield County, dis State. Does n~c folks help me along any? I ~o sir, they shot don t. I

070 067

gits nothin from them, and I don t expect nothin neither. Boas, a nigger s kinfolks is woree than a stranger to them; they thinks and acts for theirselves and no one else I knows I ~ a nigger and I tries to know my place. If white folks had drapped us long time ago, us would now be next to de roviri beasts of de woods. blavery was hard I knows but it had to be., it seem lok. They tells me they eats each other in Africa. Us don t do dat and you knows dat is a heap to na. ttUs had plenty to eat in slavery time. It.wasn t de best but it filled us ~p and give us strength nough to work. Marster would buy a years rations on de first of every year and ~when he git it, he would havo some cooked and woul l set down and eat a meal of it. He would tell us it di&n t hurt him, so it wontt hurt us. Dats de kind of food us slaves had to eat all de year. Of course, us got a heap of vegetables and fruits in de sunimer season, but sich as dat didn t do to work on, j_n de long summer days. Marster was good, in a way, to his slaves but dat overseer of his name John Parker, was mean to us sometimes. He was good to some and bad to others He strung us up when he done de whippin ~ got many whippints on. count of her short temper. 1~~hen she got mad, she would talk back to de overseer, and dat would make him madder than anything else she could do. t1Marster had over twenty grown slaves all de time. He bought and sold them whenever he wanted to It was sad times to see mother and chillun separated. I s seen de slave speculator out de little nigger ehillim with keen leather whips, cause they d cry and ran after de wagon dat was takin their inaniinies away after they was sold. De overseer was poor white folks, if date what you is ~

071 068

4. t 68 1bout, and dat is one thing dat made him so hard on de slaves of de plantation. Jul de overseers I knowed bout wa~ poor white folks; they was white folks in de neighborhood dat was&t able to ovin slaves. All dis class of people was called by us ni~gers, poor white folks. tiUs slaves had no schoolin , cause dere was no teac~her and school nigh ~ plantation. I has learnt to read a little since I got grown. spelling come to nie xiatural. I can spell tost any word I hears, old as I is. ~&rster and mistress was Baptist in ligious faith, ~.nd b long to Concord Baptist Church. Us slaves was allowed to tend dat church, too. Us set up in de gallery and j med in de s ingin~ every Sunday . Us slaves could jine Concord Church but Doctor Durham, who wa~ de preacher, would take de slaves in another room from de white folks, and git their fessions, then he would j ins then~ to de church. ~ t My daddy was a slave on Reuben Bouiware s plantat ion bout two miles from Marster Hunter s place. He would git a pass to come to see rnaxwxty once every week. If he come more than dat ho would have to skeedaddle through de woods and fields from de patrollers. If they ketched him ~idout a pass, he was in for a skin crackin whippin He knowed all dat but he would slip to see xnanmiy anyhow, whippin or not. Most them there patrollers was poor white folks, I believes. Rich folks stay in their house at night, less they has some sort of big frolic amongst theirselves. Poor white foThs had to hustle round to make a living, so, they hired out theirselves~to slave owners and rode de roads at night and whipped niggers if they ketohed. any off their plantation widout

072 069

5. G9 a pass. I haL found dat if you gives to some poor folks, white or blaok, something a little better than they ils used to, they is sho gwine to think too high of theirselves soon, dats right. I sho believes dat, as much as I believes I s setting in dis chair talkin to you. 111 members lak yesterday,de Yankees commt 1on~. Marster tried to hide the best stuff on de plantation but some of de slaves dat helped him hide it, showed de Yankee soldiers just where it was1 when they come dore They say : Here is de stuff, hid here cause us put it Then de soldiers went straight to de place where de valuables was hid. and dug them out and took them, it sho set old raarster down. Us slaves was sorry dat day for marster and mistress. They was gittin old, and now they had lost all they had, and more that dat, they knowed their slaves was set free. De soldiers took all de good hosses, fat cattle, chickens, de meat in de smoke house, and then burnt a1~ empty houses. They left de ones dat folks lived in. De Yankees pear to ins, to be lookin for things to eat, more than anything else. Does I believe in ligion? Dat is all us has in dis world to live by and it s gviine to be de onliest thing to die wid. l3elief in God and a umble spirit is how I s tryin to live these days. I was chrIstened Lust a ~iethodist, but when I crowed up, I jine de Presbyterian Church and has mained a member of dat church every since. Thank God ~ s had ~ nough son e not to believe in haunts and sich things I has ~ p~ sum hunt at night by myself in graveyards and I ain t seen one yet. My maum~r say she see haunts pass her wid no heads but these old eyes has never seen anything lak dat. If you has lone somebody a terrible wrong, then I believes dat person whe~i they die, will t pear to you on c~unt of dat .~

Reminiscences: the Red Shirts. 073 070

g project 1885...1 . polkiore Edited b : . Spart aribur ~ Dist . 4 Elmer Turnage Feb. 7, 1938 . RB~NIINISCE~CES: TIlE BED SHIRTS ~ 39C027 ttThe Red Shirts had a big parade and barbecue in Spartanburg~ They met at the courthouse. There were about 500 Red Shirts, besides others who made up a bi~g crowd. I remember Lour leaders who came from Union County. One of the companies vvas lea by Squire Gilliam Jeter, arid one by Squire Bill Lyles. The company from the city was led by Capt. James Douglass~ arid Buck Ke1J.ey from Pea Rid ewas there with his company. Everything drilled in Spartanburg that day. The speakers of the day from Unior~ were Squire Jeter and~~~~Douglass. While they were speaking, old Squire George Tucker from lower Pish Darn came with his company. Mr. Harrison Sartor, father of Will Sartor, was one of the captains. We saw Gen. Wade Hampton arid old man Ben Tillmari there. A~bout this time I was bound out to Mr. Jim Gregory, a black.. -~\ smith. The wealtny landlords bought ne&oes. Mr. Jim Gregory was the blacksmith Thr old Johnny i~eador and~ nt Polly, his wife. He told me that Wncie Johnny bought a man, Heath, for 3,500. He also bought Heath s wife, L~iorrow, or4int Polly, but I don t know what he paid. The i~.eador house is just this side o~ Simstown. Aunt Polly s father, Triplett Meador, built that mansion. The brick were made in. a home kiln which was near the house. aunt Polly was a little girl when the house was built. While the brick for the sitting.~room fireplace were still wet, he made little Polly step on each one of them to make the impression of her feet. So those foot prints in that fireplace are A ~ Polly s when she was five years old. She grew up there and married, and lived ther until her death. ~

074 071

Remiflis cences 1 ttMiss Ida Knight s house (formerly the Sims house) was built riot later than 1840. ~Thornpson lived there first. Dr. Billy Sims married Dr. Thompson s sister, Miss Patsy, and that is how the house got into the Sims family. The old post oflice was known as Sixnstown, arid I believe it was up near the Nat Gist mansion. Simstown was the naine Lor the river community or years, because the Sirns ~~ettled there and they were equally or more prominent than the Thompsons and Gists in that community. All the Sims men were country doctors. To this coni~unity at the close of the Confederate war, came old man Ogle Tate, his wise, a~ Ben Shell, as refuge~s, fleeing.from the Yankees. When they came into the community9 Nat Gist gave them a nice house to live in on his plantation. ttivlr Gregory got all the.sheet iron used on the Meador and Gist plantations, and. also on the Sims and Thompson plantations. Plows were made in his blacksmith shop from 10 inch sheet iron. The sheet was heated and. beaten into shape with his hammer. After cooling, the tools could be sha~peried. Horse and mule shoes were made from slender iron rods, bought i~or that purpose. They were called slats , and this grade of iron was itno~vn as slat iron . The shoe was moulded while hot, and beaten into the correct shape to fit the animal s foot. Those old shoes fit much better than the store~bought ones of more recent days. The horseshoe nails were made there, too. In fact, every farm implement of Iron w~s made from flat or sheet iron. I spun the first pants that ~: wore. Ma sewed them ~or me, and wove and finished them with her hands. She made the thread that they were sewed with by hand on the loom. I made cloth for all m~ shirt8. I wore homeS-made cotton underwear in summer and winter, for we were poor. Of course my winter clothes were heavier.

075 072

Rernirlis cences ~?2. We raised some sheep, and the winter woolens were made from the wool sheared rrom the sheep every May. Wool was taken to the fac-. tory at Bivensville and there made into yarn. Often, cotton was swap-. ped for yarn to warp at home. Then ma ran it off on spools for her loom. Sleigh hammers were made from cane ~otteri oft the creek banks and bottoms. A~unt Polly Meador had no patrollers on her place. She would not allow one there, for she did. her own patrolling with her own whip and two bull dogs. She never had an overseer on her place, either. ~ Teither id she let Uncle Johnny do the whipping. Those two dogs held them arid she did her own whipping. une hi~ht she vvent to the quarter and found old Bill Pea Legs there after one o her negro women. He crawled under the bed when he heard~unt Polly coming. Those dogs pulled old Pea Legs out and she gave him a whipping that he never forgot. She whipped the woman, also. ~ Morg was Morrow s nickname. Morg used to sit on the meat block and cut the meat ior~Unt Folly to give out. Morg would eat her three pounds of raw meat right there. Uncle Johnny asked her what she would do all the week without any meat. She said. that she would take the skin and grease her mouth every morning; then ~o on to the field or house and do her work, and wait until the next Saturday for more. ~tl do not know how old am, but I well remember when ~hee1er s men came to the plantation. They tore up everything. We heard that they were cumiri~, so we dug holes and buried the meat ana everything we could. ~ie hid them so well that we could never find some of them ourselves. Wheeler and ~6 men stopped on the Dick Jeter place. I think that was in 1864. The Jeter place touched Miss Polly s planta-. tion. The Jeter place was right near Neal Shoals on Broad River. M~. Jeter had the biggest gin house in the eutire township. Old Mr. Dick

076 073

73~ was at home because he ~as too old to go to the war. pa was still in the war then, of course. Ma and I arid one of the other children and a ~ew darkies were at o~r home. We saw ~ hee1er and. his men when they stopped at that gin. house. They began to ransack immediately. Wheeler gave some orders to his men and ~al1oped o~f towards our house. The negroes ran but ma and I stayed in the house. Wheeler rode up in front oe the door and sooke to my mother. He s i . that he had to feed his men and horses and asked her where the corn was. She told him that the gin house and the crib which contained the corn did not belong to her, so she could not give him the keys. At that he ordered his men to remove a log from the crib. By this means they broke into the crib arid got all the corn. They then ransacked the house arid took everything there was to eat. They tore out the bi~ cog wheel in the gin and camped in it for the night. Next morning they set Lire to the gin and then galipped away. Soon Mr. Jeter s big gin had gone up in Lianies. They took all of our corn and all o:f the fodder, 200 bundles that we had in the barn, away with t hem. Source: Mr. John Boyd, County Home, Union, R.P.D. Interviewer ~ Caidwell Sims, Union,S. C. 1/26/38 Rerniflis ceri ces

Stories from ex-slaves. 077 074

Project, 1886.1 ~ POLXLO~E 39QQ~j ~ edited by: ~ spartaziburg Dist,4 Elmer Turnage ~ May 24, 1937 STORIES PROM EX-~SLAVES 9 was born in Newberry County, near the Laurens County line, above Little River. Me and. my mother belonged to the Workman ~ami1y. Lfterwarde, I be1on~ed to Madison Workman. He was a good m~n to his slave8. My work was around the house and home. I was too young to work In the Lields until after the war. I can t remember much about them times. I married there and soon after come to town and lived, where I have worked ever since. I do washing and other work. On the farm, the old i~olks had to cook outdoors, or in a kitchen away off from the house. They had wide fireplaces where they put their pots to cook the meals. I remember the old LittLe River Presbyterian Church where people would go on Sundays. They would go in the mornings, and again in the afternoons and have preaching. Source: Jane Bradley (80), Newberry, S.C. Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. May 17, 193?

Ex-slave 81 years old. 078 075

!;~r~~ project ~1655 . ~ ~$~(_~ r ~ ~ ~ w. ~ ~ n Wjnnshoro, S. C. 330257 ~ i;~DY BRICE ~ ~ 75 ~ YEARS 9L~ Andy Brice li~rec with his wife and two small children, about twelve miles east of ~tidgeway, S. C., in a two-room frame building, chiimiey in the center. The house is set in a little cluster of pines one hundred and fifty yards north of state hi~hway ~4. Andy, since the amputation of his right leg five years aco, has done no work and is too old to learn a trade. lie has a recular beggar s route including the tov~ns of ~.idgeway, ~ imisboro, Woodward, and i3lackstock. His amiability and good nature enable him to go home after each trip with a little m ney and a pack of miscellaneous gifts from vthite friends. Howdy Ca~ /xiL I come to ~ 1innsboro dis mornin fromway cross ~:.Tate.~~ee where I live now mongst de bull frogs and skeeters. Seem lak they just sing de whole night thru: De bull frog on de bank, and de skeeter j_n de pool. Then de skeeter sail round my facewid de tra la, la la la, la la la part of dat old song you is heard, maybe many times. I see a ~pit box over dere. By ehan~e, have you got any bacco? i~Eake me more glib if can chew and spit.; then members mor and better de thingd done past atid gone. It1 was a slave of Mistress Jane. Her was a daughter of old Marster William Brice. Her marry Henry Youn~e and xnaxxt ny was give to Marse Henry and Miss Jane. My pappy name Tony. Man~r name Saille. You is seen her a many a day. Marse Henry got kilt in de war. His tombstone arid Mistress Jane s tombstone ~n in Concord Cemetery. They left two ehillun,Miss Kittie and Miss Maggie. They both marry.a Ca1dwell~ same name but no kin. Miss Kittie marry Marse Joe

079 076

2. ~I. Caidwol . and.move to Texas. Miss Maggie x~arry Marse Camel Ca .d.well and. move to North Carolina. . My pappy die dunn de war. ~kfter freedom, mau~ty marry a ugly, no eo~t nigger name Mills Douglas. She had one child by him, name Janie. i~t manm~iy name her dat ou-b of memory and lc ve for old mistre ~s s in slavery time. I run away from de home of rrxy step-pappy and. got work wid Major Thoanas Erbe. I work for him tu I become a full grown man and come to be de driver of de four- ho a wagon. ttQfle day I see Marse Thomas a j~j~1t de ears on a fiddle and rosinin de bow. Then he pull dat bow cross de belly of dat fiddle. Sumpin bust loose in me and s ing all thru my head and tingle in nty fingers. I make up my mind, righl. then and dere, to save and buy nie a fiddle. I got one dat Christmas, bless GodL I learn and been playin de fiddle ever since. I pab one foot while I playixit . I kept on playint and pattint dat foot for thirty years. I lose dat foot in a smash up wid a highway accident but I play de old tunes on dat fiddle at night, dat foot seem to be ~reuab de end of dat leg (indicating) and pats just de same. Sometime I ketch myself lookin down to see if it have come back ar~ jined itself up to dat leg, from de very charm of de music 1 UIa1CiU~ wid de fiddle and de bow. I never was vez~ popular wid. my own color. They say behind it~r back, in t76, dat I s a whit folks nigger. I wear a red shirtthen, drink red liquor, play de fiddle at de lection box, and vote de ~vrhite folks ticket. Who I marry? S ~ m&rry E~llen Watson, as pretty e. gi~ger cake nigg r as ever fried a batter cake or roll ed her arms up in a flash tub How I git her 1 I ~ never git her ; dat fid ~ ~ die got her. I play for ail de white folks dances down at Cedar Shades, up at Biackstook. De money roil in vthen someone pass tro~d de hat arid sayz 1D6 ~ S ~ ~- fiddler? Eilen had more beaux ro~d her than her cot~ld eha ce a stick at but ~!!~ ~. .~ S ~ - S

080 077

. 3. 77 ~ de beau she lak best was de bow dat could draw music out of theta five strinGS, and draw money into dat hat, dat jingle in r~r pocket de nez day when I ~o to see her. tI members very little bout de war, tho I was a good size boy ~then de Yenkees come. ~3y instint, a nigger can make up his mind pretty quick bout de creed ofvhite folks, whether they ~a buckra or ~ rhether they am not. Every Yankee I see had de stamp of poor white trash on them. They strutted round, big Ike fashion, a bustin in rooms widout knockin , talldn free to de white ladies, and familiar to de slave cals, ransackin drawers, and runnin deir bayonets into feather beds, and into de flower beds in de yards. What church I b lon~ to? None. Dat fiddle dre~s dov~n from hebben all de sermons dat I understan , I sings de hyrinas in de way I praise and glorify de Lord. Cotton pickin was de bi~~est work I ever did, outside of dr~vin a wagon and playin de fiddle. Look at thera fingers; they is supple. I carry two rows of cotton at a time. One week I pick, in a race wid others, over 300 pounds a day. Con~aencin Monday, thru Friday nicht, I pick 1,562 pounds cotton seed. flat make a hale wei~hin 500 pounds, in de lint. . Ellen and me have one child, Salue Ann. Ellen joy herself ~ have a good time xu~ssin white folks chillun. Nussed you; she tell me bout it many time. Spect she mind you of it very often. I ~io~vs you couldn t ~it round dat woman; nobody could. De Lord took her home fifteen years ago and I marry a widow, Ida Belton, dovm on de Kershaw County side. YOU W&11t6 me to tell bout dat lection 4~ at Woodward, in 1.878? You wants to know de beginnin and de end of ~t? Yes? Well, you couldn t wet dis old. man s whistle idd a swallow of red liquor now? Couldn t you or

081 078

4. 78 could you? Di s was de way of it : It was s et fo r Tuesday . Monday I drive de four ho s s wa~o~i dowii to dis very town Mars e John MeCrory ~n d Mars e Ed ~oodward come wid me. They was ~n a bug~r. when us ~ot here, us got twenty sixteen shooters ~ pul them under de hay us have in de wagon. Bar rooms wc~~ here. I had fetched my fiddle tiong and played in i)iarse Fred liabernick s bar ttiI dinner time. Us leave town bout four o clock. Roads was bad but us ~ot home bout dark. Us put de ~uns in li!arse Andy ~1obley s store. Marse ~d and me leave ir~rse John to sleep in de store and to take care of de ~UnSS De flex? mornint . rolls open in de little school house~by de brick church. I was dere on time, help to fix de table 1~y de w~dow and set de Imilot bo:ces Qn it. Voters could come to de window, put deir arms thru and tuck de ~~ote in a slit in de boxes. Uere was two supervisors, Marse thomas for de~rQocrats and Uncle Jordan for de~ica1s. ~rse Thoi~~ had a book ~nd a pencil, Uncle Jordan had ae saine. %tJOe Foster, big buckra nigger, want to vote a stranger. IJarse Thomas challenge dis vote. in them ti~mes colored preachers so furiate de women, dat they would put on breeches and voto de ~blic~ radical ticket. ~e stranger look lok a woinan. Joe Foster spute L~rse Thorriast word and Marse Thomas -knock him dov~n wid de naked fist. Marse Irish ~illy Drice, when him see four or five hindred blacks crowdin round iJarse r2hO~1~S he jw~p thru de window from de inside. w~hen he lit on de ground, pistol went off powL One ni~cer drop in his tracks. L~Wciieen men come from nowhere ~3.nd sixteen, sixteen shooters. Marse Thomas hold up his hand to them and say: ?Wajt~t Hirn point to de niggers and say: ~ i They start to running t cross de railroad, over de hillside and never quit runnint ~il they ~it half a mile away. De only niggers left on dat ground was me,old Uncle Kantz, (you know de old mul tto,

082 079

r 5.~ ~ 79 : : club-fOOt nigger) well me and him e~nd A1b~rt Glathiey3 de hurt nigger dat . . was shot thru de neck ~was de only ni~gers left. Dr. Tom Dou~1as took de ball out M.rb s neck and de whit e folks put him in a wagon and sent him home. I drive de wagon. ien I got back, de white boys i~s in de grave yard gittint fl~fl~ off de tombstones to fill out de -bailey sheets dore . . was $0 many votes in de box for de Hsmpton ticket, they had to vote de dead. I ~ speot dat was one resurrection da~r all over south Car olina.~ : : ~ : ,,:,, , ~ L ~

Stories from ex-slaves. 083 080

project 1865..~1 Folklore edited by: ~ ~partariburg, Dist,4 390367 Elmer Turna~e Nov. 10, 1937 . STORIES PROM EX-.SLAVES 1 Is ~gwine over to Tosch to see Maria. Everybody know I~aria. She ~o by Rice ~ Maria Rice. She sont fer me to cure her misery. First, I went from my home in lower Cross Keys, across de Enoree, to see Maria. When I reached dar whar she stay, dey tell me dat her daughter over to Tosch. Done come arid cOt her. ~A kthd friend dat de Lawd put in my path Letched me back across de Enoree arid over to Tosch to Maria s gal s house. I is gvine straight over dar arid lay my hand on Iviaria arid rid her o ~ dat ~isery dat she sont v~ord v~as ailing her all dis spring. Don t make rio diff uns whar you hurts ~ woma~m, man or suckling babe ~ if you believes in de holler o my hand, it ll ease you, allus do it. De Bible say so, dat s why it be true. Ain t ~wirie to tell you nothing but de truth arid de whole truth, so help rae Jesus. Gone 65 years, I is been born agth dat long; right over in Padgett s Creek church, de white Loiks church, dat s what de Lawd tuck my sins away and washed me clean agin wid His blood. Dat s why I allus sticks to de truth, I does. Dey all lows dat I is swine on 89, and I has facts to be~ lieve it am true. I longed to W~arse Jesse Brig~s. Did you know dat it was two Jesse Brig~s? Yes sir, sho was two Jesse Briggses. What I gwine torelate to you is true, but in respect to my old Marse, and in de case dat dem what reads dat book won t understand, you needs not to write dis statement down. ivly marster was called Black Jesse , hut de reason fer dat was to kep him from gitting mixedup wid ~ otherJesse. Dat is de secret o~ de thing.

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flx...Slave 3tories (Geo. Bri~ggs) Pace 2 4 I 8i~ .~ iOW dat s je~ Ler your own 1i~ht arid kriovvledge, ari~~ not to be ;j~: wrote down. He was de blacksmith fer all de Cross Keys section, and fer dat very thing he got de name by everybody, Black Jesse . S I ailus Ion~ed to d:~t iriari and he was de kindest ~nan v~hat de countryside had knovv1ed~~e of. tIn Union County is whar I ~as boni arid raised, and it s vchar I is gwirie to be buried. Ain t r~ever left de county but once in ~y life, arid if de Lawd ~ee i~itten, ain t swine to leave it rio mo , cept to reach de Promise Land. Lawd, Lawd. De Promise iand, dat s vv~ar I is gv~ine ~nhen I leaves Union County. Dey carried me a hundred miles to cure a sick vio~i1an, onliest tiri~e 1 ever left Union County. I loves it and I is fit throu8hout arid enduring de time dem Yankees tried to ~it de county, to save it. ~%hat is I gwine to leave it fer? Mr. ?errin and all de white folks is good to me since my marse done gone and left his earthly home. And he is waitirx~ up dar vvid Missie to see inc a~in. Dat I ~s sho of. . tListen brother, de Lawd is setting on His throne in Glory1 He hear every word dat I gwirie to tell you. Poiks Lergits dat when dey talks real often sometimes, don t dey? I put my hand on any flux man or woman and removes de pain, 1 dey have faith in my hand. I don t tell nothing but de truth. I was born on Gist Brig~s plantation in Union County, in de lov~er section of Cross Keys. Marse Sexton and all dem good folks in lower Keys says dat I sho is 88. Give my name right flat, it s George Briggs; giving it round, it like dis, George McDuffie Briggs. L~y papa s name was Ike fllburn,*and my mother s name was Margaret Briggs. Pa longed to Marse Lige Wilburn. Mama longed to Jesse (Black Jesse) Briggs. Dey both born and raised in Union County. Dese was my brothers and. sisters, corning in de order dey was born to my parents in: Charlie, Dave, Aaron, Tom, Noah~

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.. 5tories Prom Ex.Slaves (Geo. Briggs) 82 Charlotte, ?olly, F~nnie, Iiattie,Hor~ce, Cassi~.e. I m de oldest, and assie and me lives IIi Union County. Fannie and Mattie lives in Ashe~ ville, arid de rest is done journeyed to de Promise Land. Yes Lavd, to de Promise Land. Liarse arid. iviissus was good to us all. 1~!iSSUS name was Nancy. She die early and her grave is in Cross Keys at de Briggs graveyard. e stilL! Lern~~ie git my mind together so dat I don t git :1ixed up and c~r:i g t you de Briggses together. Here tis: Oheney and Lucindy, Lucindy married a Floyd from SQartanburg,and de ~1oy~ds lived at de Burn t Factory. Cheney Brig~s had a son, lienry Briggs. No t s o La s t fe r I s e guiy i ne t o s t art w ay ba ck da t t ime when us was lii d~rky boys way back in slavery. ~ie started to vvork wid de marster s mules and hosses. Then us was real little, we played hoss. Be ~o Cheney Briggs went to arkansas he was out play hoss. His brother, Henry, was de wagoner and I vvas de mule. Henry was little and he rid our backs sometimes. Henry rid old man Sam, sometimes, and old man Sam jes holler and haw haw at us chilluns. Dis wa~ in sech early childhood dat it is not so I can zactly map out de exact age us was den; anyway, from dis we rid de gentle hosses arid mules and iarn t hovv to Leed dein. Every word dat I tells you is de truth, and I is got to meet dat word somewhars else; and fer dat reason, de truth is all dat dis old man ever tells. In dat day v~e lived in a log cabin or house. Sometimes us never had nothing to do. Our house had only one room, but some o~ de houses.had twO rooms. Our n had a winder, a do , and a common fireplace. Now dey makes a fireplace to scare de wood away. In old days dey made firelaces to take care of de chilluns in de cold weather. It warm de whole hou8e, c~se it was so big and dar was plenty wood. Pace 3

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~ Stories Prom gx...slaves (G~eo. Br1~gs) Pace 4 ~7ood wasn t no ~rob1em den, and it ain t no problem yet out in de lower Keys. In town it is, and I ain t guessiri~. I done seed so. H: ~ . . I sho can histroriize de Confederates. I come along wid de Secession i~1ag and de musterings. I careful to live at home arid please de Marse. In de war, I se mo dan careful and I stick clo$e to him and plea$e him, and he mo dan good. Us did not git mobbed up like lots of dem did. When Tice Myers chilluns was born, he had a house built wi~d a up-.stairs. But never no stage coach stopped dar as I ever heard tell about, arid I done saw 75 years at Pad~ett s Creek. . Way tis, from de bundle of de heart, de tongue speaketh. Been in service reg lar since Monday4 I went to Neal Greege s house but she wasn t dar. I is speaking bout Ria (Maria Rice). She done gone to town. At de higlmay, de Lawd prepared a friend to carry me to Union, and when I got dar l take and lay hands on Ria Rice. She layiri~ down and su ~ferin~, and I sot down and laid my hand.,on her. ~e never say nothing, jes pray. She be real quiet, and atter while, she riz up arid take a breath. She kept on a setting up fer so lone dat her husband make her lay back down ~er fear dat she git worser. ~ I stay dar all through de night and she sleep sound arid wake up dis morning ~eeling like a new woman. . . ~ Befo breakiast, here is de words o1~ praise I lifted to de Lawd, over dar on Tosch. You set down de coser (chorus): First to de graveyard; den to de Jed~ement bar! Is you got dat verser? Den git d ~: A1i~ de deacons ~ot to ~o; all de members got to ~o; ~ ~ . ~ all de sinners got to ~o. ~ Mo longs to it, but dat s all I takes ~ when I is praising Him ~er relieving pain through me. (He sings each line five time8. He takes off ~us hat, bows, holds his hands over bis ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~iea~, and close8 h~t eyea while 8in~ging. His hair is snow white. ) ~

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~ Stories P;~m ~x~S1aves (Geo. Bri~s) Page 5 84 ~ Lawd, help me ~.is mornit~gJ Here s another first line to one o.t our songs: ~U1 dem preachers got to so . Nehemiah, when he wid de king, de king axed hirn to reveal de wall ~vhar his Lather was buried. Nehemiah did what de king had done axed. him. I tends Galilee Baptist church in lower Cross Keys; and at Sedalia, I goes t~ Ne~ Hope I~~ethodist church, but I don t know nothing else but Baptist. We peoples is barrence (barren o the Holy Spirit), but not God; He, Hisseif, is born of God, arid all is of de sanie source and by dat I means de Spirit. ~li has to be bornof de Spirit to become chilluns ot God. Romans, Chao.3, lows so~ethin~ like dis: He dat is dead in sin, how is it dat he can continue in sin? Dat tell us dat every man, v~hite or black, is de child o1~ God. ~tnd it is Christ dat is buried in baptism, and we shall be buried in like mariner. If Christ did not rise, den our preachin~ is in vain. And ii we is not born agin, why den we is lost and our preachin~ is in vain. nhm picking up de Nev~ Testaiaent, consider all dat you hear me arguing and saying is from a ~ia~ t anti. not from edication. Rom~ns e~, lows: Speak plain words, not round words, kaise all de round words is fer dem dat is edicated. Jacob had twelve so~as. Dey went arid bundled up deir wheat, and eleven bundles bowed to de one. Dat Joseph s bundl~ what he done up. Other brothers up and ~ot and sold Joseph into captivity to de Egyptians. Dat throw~d Jacob to send R uben to Egypt. Den dey bowed to Jacob and his sons. It run on and on till dey all had to go to E8ypt, and all of dem had to live under Joseph. when I was a little shaver and come to inysel~, I was sleeping in a corded bed. (He scratched his head) I jes studying . ~.

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r ~ 9tories :~ rom Ex~S1aves (ceo. Bri~s) Page 6 ~ fer a minute; o~an t zact .y ident1~y my grandpa, but I can identify my grandma. We all raised on de same place together. She naine Cindy Brig~s, but dey call her Cina kaise dar wa~ so many Ciridy8 round dar. One thins I does member bout her, ii she tote me~ she sho to whipine. I was raised strict. ~Lll my life I is stayed in de Thr (far ) end o~ Union County whar it borders Laurens, wid de ~noree dividing de two coun~ ties. It is right dar dat I is plowed arid hoed and raised my craps fer de past 75 years, I reckons . Lavvd have mercy1 No~ I doesn t re. calls de names of none of dem mules . Dat t5 so fur back dat I is jes done forgot, dat s all. But I does recall fur back things de be8t, sometimes. Listen good. now. When I ~ot big arid couldn t play round at chillun s doings, I started to plattin cornshucks arid things fer making boss arid mule collars, and scouring~...brooins arid. shoulder~ats. I cut hickory. poles and make handles out of dein fer de brooms. Marse had hides tanried,and us make buggy whi~s, wagon whips, shoe strings, saddle ~trin~s and sech as dat out of our ho~e.~tanraed leather. ~ de galluses dat was wo in dein days was made by de darkies,. White oak and hickory was spIlt. to cure, arid we made fish baskets, feed baskets, wood baskets, sewing baskets arid all kinds of baskets fer de Missus. ~ll de chair bottoms of straight chairs was :: . made from white oak splits, and de straight chairs was made ita de ~ . shop. You made a scouring brush like dis: (He put his hands together to show how the splits were held) By splitting a width of narrow splits, keep ontiu you lay a entire layer of sp1i~s; turn dis. way; den ~ way, and den.hirid to ether and dat h ld dem like you want dem to s~tay. Last, you work in a pole as lone as you want it fer de ~--~ bind it tight ~rrd tie w~.d de puzUest knote. ~

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8G I git money fer platting ~a11uses arid making boot strings and other little things. ~11us first, I desires to be well ~ua1i4ied wid what I does. I is gwine to be qualified wid everything dat I does, iffen iE does it er money or no. Dat s de reason white people has ailus give me words o~ encouragement. Now I gvvine to sing a song ~er Miss POily, k.aise she de ~rarid.~daughter of de late Sheriff Long, and I goes to see her ~rarid-~ ma at de Keys (Cross Keys House). Dar she come no~i. How is you dis morning, Miss Polly? De L~vcd sho does shower you, L~iss Polly, arid dat s de reason I is ~ine to siri~ fer ~you dis morning. You ll be able to tell ivir. Jimmie (her father) dat Uncle ~eorge sing fer you, Jesus Listening All De Day Long . Jesus listenin~ all de day long to hear some sinner pray. De winding sheet to ~rop (wrap) dis oody in, De coffin to hold you fast; Pass through death s iron do . Corne ye dat love de Lawd and let your joy be know d; Dis irongate ypu must pass through, i you gwine to be Born a~in. He saris these lines over three times Rnd then bowing, said: ~&iri t it glory dat we can live whar de Lawd can use us? Dat s power. A~ strong man entereth in; a weak man cometh out. flat represent Christ gwine into your heart. t?Sho I can remember when dey had de mustering grounds at de Keys. Dar deymustered and den dey turn t in arid practiced dri1lin~ dem soldiers till dey larn t how to march and to shoot de Yari.kee8. Drilliri~, dat s de proper word, not practice. I knows, if I ain t ed icated. Dey signed me to go to de l6th.~regiment, but I never Stories Prom Ex~S1aves ~Geo. Briggs) Page 7

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~r ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~ ~ . ~ .~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : : ~ ~ . . . . . ~ . ~ ~ !~!!~: 5tories li roni ~x.-81aves (Geo. 3rig~s) . Pace 8 8~? reached de North. When u~ ~ot to Charleston, us turn t aroundand de bosses fetched U8 right back to Union through Columbia. Us heard dat Sherman vvas com1n~, fetching fire a1on~ hind hirn. ~ . . ~ E. ttDon t krio~v nothing bout rio militia to make no statement, but it went on and turn?t back. another regiment had a barbecue somewhars in Union County beTh it went off to war; might a been de 18th re~irnent, but I does not Leel dat I can state on dat. My soul reaches from God s footstool up to his heavenly home. I can histronize de poor white roiks wives and. chilluns en ~ during de tune 0 de Civil War fer you. When dese poor white men went to de war, dey lest deir little chullun arid deir wives in de. hands of de darkies dat was kind and de rich wives o~ our marsters to care Ler. Us took de best care o~ dein poor white dat U8 could under de circumstances dat prevailed. We was sont to Sullivan s Island, but befo we reached it, de Yankees done got it arid we ~on?t lowed to cross in 64. But . jes de same, we was in service till dey give Capt. Pranklin Bailey mission to i~etch us home. Dar we hag. to ~it mission ffer everything, jes as us nig~ers had to git mission to leave our marsterts place at home in Union County. Capt. Bailey come on back to Oross Keys wid us under hi$ protection, aria we was under it fer de longest t une at t er W e d o ne ~ ot h orne . ~Per 66 years Ibeen licensed as apreacher, and fer longer dan dat I been a m mber o ~ Padgett s Creek Baptist church. Mo work I does, mo work I has to do. You know b~ow to pray. Well, you does. not know how to make polish o~t off piriders~ . . L . . t..I ain t .ed~i ated yet, but even Lise what teaches school H ... ou~t to de keys (de bi~ bJ~ack school), dat bi~ b~Lack buck dat teache~ - ~ c~oulc~.n t do dis b~ere ox~e.

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Sto ries 1~r om Ex.$laves Ge. Bri~gs) th ~ heap of ed icated folks can t give lt. Here it i$: What s de big~gest fi~ger ir~ de i~ger ten? Yi~ With. his old black, rough and ~nar1ed fore ~inger he drew on the ta~b1e the i~i~ure 1 tNOw you see dat? Dat s de i~ger 1. A naught ain t nothing by itseLf or multiplied by other naughts; but set it down in front of de fi~ger 1, and it takes on de value 9. Dar you is got ten ~ one and nine Is ten. Dat tiaught becomes some. thing. I Is old, and I ain t had narry bit o ~ schoo1in~, but I likes to be close to de orchard, arid I knows it 8 dar by de smell o~ it. flat s de way I is when~I gits aIon~ side ed icated Loiks ~ I knows dat dey is. It s like dat sum dem $cholar$ couldn t git; standing alone dat naught ain t worth riothin~, but set it up a~ain$t dat which is of value arid it takes on value. Set a naught a~ inst dat which is otie arid you has ten; set u~ another naught dar and you has a hundred. Now ii somebody was to cive me a note worth ~1O, and I found room to add another naught a1on~ sid of de first; den dem two naughts what ain t worth nothing by deirselves gives de note de value o~ ~ if dey is sot along ~vid de one. ~d icated Loiks caUs dat raising de note. I is i~g nant and I calls dat robbery. ~nd dat s like MOU and me. ~e is na~hts and Christ is de One, and we ain t nothiti~ till we carries de Spirit of de Lawd along ~wid us. tOri de patb~ay of life, may you aUu8 keep Christ in front of you anayou will never ~o wrong. i~e Lawd will den see fit to ~jve TOLL a soul dat ~i11 reach roni F118 Oot..8t001 here on earth to His d~e11i ~ pl e n high. He e~ide&with a d~eep sob arid ~oo~-bye. so~u~e : ~ ~ S ~~~S ~ai5~p ~ ~ ~ : ~ in~er~ ~ : ~a~weU Si~ U~fl~,n S ~ O . Page g

Stories from ex-slaves. 092 089

Project 1885..1 ~ OLKLOR~ . 39O13~ Edited by: Spartanbu~g Dist.4 Elmer +urna~ 89 ~ July 20, 1937 STORIES PROM EX-SLAVES Some white men called in question today about de reigning governor enduring time of de Civil Viar. I knowed dat, arid cides dat, I knovved him well. lt was Governor Bill as us called him. What you want to git, is history about muster grounds. Yes, it was on Jones Ferry Road, jest south of Cross Keys whar dey had what dey allus called de muster field. Now, Jones Perry Road leads across Enoree River into Laurens County. Enoree River is de thing dat devides Union C~~~ty from Laurens County, dat it is. 1~Well as I remember, Mr. Bill Ray was in de mustering o ~ de 18th Regiment. Billy, Robert, Sam and I~Iiss Nancy was Wir. lex s chilluns. Understand me, don t think dat Bob arid sam was in de Regiment ... satisfied Billy was, kaise he used to pass our house on horse back, coming from de Laurens side where he lived. Sixteen-year-old boys come in de same time dat I did. Course I ain t told all dat I kn w$, kaise dat wouldn t be proper. All I. tell you, I wants it to be recognized. De better it s done, de better it 11 help you. I goes from home arid stays five days or more, and don t nothing happen to a thing at my home. I does ~er de sick and de Lawd blesses me. He looks atter my things while I am away. He soon shows ~is presence atter I gits dar. He calls Ler me and I feeds Hirn,

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St or les Pr om Ex..Slaves ( Ge orge Brig~s ) Pace 2 tOnce had 26 biles (boils). Dat make nie consider my disobedience against de Lawd. Den I went to Hirn in prayer. He told me Satan done got ahead of Hirn. Dat show me dat I done forgot to be.particular. I ~ot mot ticular and pray mo often, and in six weeks my biles had done all gone. Dar is times when I gits lost fer not knowing. I can t keep up, kaise I cannot read. Mari in Sunday school reads and I hears. He read de olden testament; den he read de new Testament. Dat my schooling. I dar unto you, Irgot by all my life by praying arid thinking. I sho does think a lot. ( Uncle George s Lacial and scalp muscles work so when he thinks, that his straw hat moves up and down.) When good man prays fer bad man, de Holy Ghost works on bad man s consciousness, and afo he knows it, he s a..saying Lawd have IvIerc~ stead of G daxn , like all wicked folks says every day. He ..-~dat de Holy Ghost dat I still is speaking of~ jest penetrates de wicked man s consciousness widout him a-..know~.. Ing it Dat penetrat ing make de bad man say Lawd have Mercy. I hoe.s and I cuts sprouts, and den I plows. When you plows, mules is allus so aggravating dat dey gits you all ruffled up. Dat de devil a...working at you. Dat s all old mules is anyhow. I does not 0U88, no-.how, kaise it sho am wicked and I is had de Holy Spirit in my soul, now gone sixty.~~five years, since I jined Padgett Creek Church. When m~ old mule git8 to de row s end, and. he act mulish ~ kaise dat s in hirn and he don t know nothing else to do ~ I means to 8ay either ha or gee , and osten since I jined Padgett Creek Church t finds myself saying Lawd have Mercy stead o~ gee or ha . So you see dat de Lawd has conmiand, whar..so-ever i:~ I was wicked, Satan would.

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Stories From Ex-~S1aves (Geo . Bri~s.) Page 3. 91 PtA child fo God allus will agree wid de Word of God. ~Ve iriens dat claim to be leaders in de Kingdom, got to step up arid sho folks what dey must . Man learns r1~ht smart from Exodus tbout how to lead. A~ male child was born to rule de world. Moses still de strongest Impression dat we has a~ r lers. God sits His-.aelf into de heads of men dat he wants to rule and He don t tell nobody eiise nothing bout it neither. Mr. Roosevelt de president and he sholooks atter de P0 Loiks. He ain t no ig nant man neither, kaise he got de li~ght. F01k8 ain t a.~w1ne to drown him out neither wid dere wiCked words gainst him, kaise he strive in de Lawd s name to do ~is will. Mr. Roosevelt got learning like I is from de throne of God. He may have education also, but if he is, he sho knows how to keep dem both jined together. yolks readsto nie how he got crippled and how he washed in dem springs in Georgia, and dat keep him a.~wine right on anyhow. it ain t dem 8prin~3 by deseif, but it s God a dippiri~ his hand down dar fer de Pres~ ident to ~it well. Oh yes, suh, I knows dat he twan t de pres.. ident when he was a.. ~ashin~, but dein de plans dat de Lawd had done already planned and you and me never know d nothing ~bout all dat. You and me does not know what is planned up in stot fer us i.fl de future neither. I 8 a Baptist, and at Pad~ett s Creek we does not believe in no back.-.slidin~. Once in de Spirit, allus in de Spirit . A child of ~o r n is allus a child of your n. Dat de way de Baptist teach ~ once a child of God, allus God s child.

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Stories From EX Slave$ (Geo. Brlggs) Pa~e4 92 3. T ath t rio sech thing a~ drappirig back. If you draps back, you ain t never been no child of de Lawd, and you never had no business being baptized. Christ was baptized in de waters of Jordan, won t (weren t) He? Well, He never drapped back, did 11e? He say we must follow in Hi$ footstep$, didn t He? Well,. dar you is and ~ dat s all dar is to it.. God gits in de heads of men to help de aged and de pO also. I never axes fer nothing, but when I sets around de courthouse and inform5 men as I been doing dis evening, de Lawd has dem. to drap a nickle or adirne or a quarter in my hand but He never gits dem to a half of a dollar. Source : George Brig~s (88.) Bt . 2, Union, S . C. Interviewer: Caldwell Sims, Union, S.C. (7/l2,~37) f

Stories from ex-slaves. 096 093

Project. 18854 0 POLKLOHE ~Qfl1A~ edited by: O Spartanbur~ Dist .4 ~ ~ Blmer Turnage 93 July 12, 1937 0 STORIES PROM EX-SLAVES What-so-ever I can indlI traveling dat way over 73 years. I:~ he ax de Lawd and have faith, he ken do; and ifien he don t have no Laith, by den he can t. When a man comes along dat want8 his ~wn way, and he won t pay no attention to de Lawd, by den de Lawd don t pay 1~im no mind; and so dat man jest keeps a-gwine on wid his way and he don t never reach de Oross..Jesuaaay, deny yourself, pick up de Cross and follow Me. I see a man in de courthouse dis morning, and he was 1 ike Nicodemus . Why dat ma~n want t o be res d back 1 ike he was when he was jest 21 years old. I seed. him setting down dar in Mr. Perrin s office, and I knowed his troubles when he low dat he done been to every doctor in town. De trouble was, he never had no ~faith in de doctors and nobody else. How could he have faith in Jesus when he never had none in nothing else? Brother, you has to have faith in your ellowznafl beTh you has Laith in de Lawd. I don t know how come, but dat s de way it is. My plan is working by faith. Jesus say, Work widout faith ain t nothing; but work wid aith ll move mountains . O Dat man told me he gwine give me a hundre.d dollars if I rid. him off misery. Dat show he never know nothing bout Thith. 000 O ~ ~ ~ 0: 00 .0,0 0 0 ~ O

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St orie$ Prom Ex-Slaves (Geo . Brig~s ) Pace 2 . 94 PtI:r ~. Ernslie Nicholson ax me to rid him of a niisery, I couldn t take no money from him, and he de richest mari in all Union ~ ~tir. Nicholson would know better dan to offer me money, kaise he has faith. You know he s a good Presmuterian (Preibyterian). Dey looks at de back o~ my head, and de hair on it ain t rubbed against no co11e~e and fer dat reason dese ~OUfl negroes don t want me to preach. Dey wants to hear dat man preach dat can read. Man dat can read can t understand less ri some divine man guide hirn. .1 speak as my Teacher gives it to me, dat s de Lawd. In so doing, I testify de word dat no man can condemn. Dat is my plan of Salvation: to work by faith widout price or purse, as de Lawd, my teacher has taucht me. Dar was no church on our plantation when I was a boy. All de Baptists went to Padgett s Creek, and all de Methodist went to Q,uaker OhurOh and Belmont. Padgett s Creek had a section in de back of de church fer de slaves to sit. quaker Church and Belmont both had slaves galleries. Dar 18 a big book at Pa4getts ~Wi.4~ t hree pages of slaves names that was members. Mr. Claude Sparks read it to me last years All de darky members dead, but one dat s me. Nobody never read de Bible to me when I was little. It jest a gift of God dat teached to me through de Holy Ghost. It s de Spirit of de one in Three dat gits into you, and dat s de Holy Ghost or de Holy Spirit dat gives me my enlightment.

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Stories From ~.S1aves ~Geo. Brig~s) Pace 3. 95 If I can git to de do of Padgett s Creek Church, I can jest feel de Power of God. ( Uncle George pats his Loot and softly cries at this point, arid his face takes on a cairn and peaceful eipression.) Le y~u eats befo you gits hongry, you never will feast on dead air. I makes it a practice to feed my soul and body beTh dey gits hon~ry. Even I does eat by myseLf, dis old man take off his hat and ax de Lawd to bless his soul and body in nourishment fer de future. I ain t never seed i~:jr. Lincoln, but from what I learn t dey said dat God had placed in him de revelation to give de plan dat he had fer every man. Dat plan fer every man to worship under his own vine and ~ tree. Prom dat, we should of liked Mr. Lincoln. Dis here Dick Look..-Up , No sir, I don t know hirn, kaise I caught his name since I corne on dis side o ~ de river. Mr. Perrin knows him, and I heard him say dat every time any-. body ax him how old he he add on ten years . flat s how come dey ~ot in de paper he a hundred and twenty-.five years old. NOw me and Mr. Perrin doesn t speak unless we is obleeged to know dat what we is gwine to say is de truth. Us is careful, kaise us knows dat de Lawd am looking down from his throne, arid dat He is checking every word dat we says. Some folks does not recall dat fact when dey speaks, or dey would be careful. I ll say it slow so dat you can catch it ; I start in time of de Confederate War. Wid dirt du~g up out of de smoke-. house, water was run tkirough it so us could get salt fer bread.

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St ones Prom EL-Slaves (Geo . Br i~gs) Pace 4 9G Hickory wood a8hea was used ~er soda. I~ we didn t have no hickory wood, we burnt red corn cobs; and. de ashes ~rorn dem was used ~er cookir~g soda. Molasses was made from waterme1~a8 in time o~ de war. Dey was also made from May.~.app1es or may-~.pops as some call dem, and sometimes dey was made from persimmons and from wheat brand. In on~ederate days, Irish potato tops was cooked fer ve~etable8. Blackberry leaves was ocassionally used fer greens or ~er seasoniri~ lambs quarters. ~ Dis way waterme1~on was. done: Soak watermel~on twenty and tour hours to de se i; strain off all juice and put on fire to bile. When dey thickens dey bees good, Yes sir, 800d, good, wid may~.pops: peel de outside green off, den bust ein open and mash up together; strain juice off and cook thick. t Simmons and wheat bran are mashed up together and baked in water. Let set twenty and four hours and cook down to molasses. Dat winds up dat part o~ it. Git plums and blackberries and de like of dat and make up in Jelly, or can Ler scarce times, dat s de way we done den and folks does dat yet. Dese is some of de particular.. est things of de Confederate times dat I come back from Sedalia to give you, dat s right. (This old negro, who had already been interviewed by the writer, came a lone way and looked..up the author to tell hirn some incidents which he had forgotten to tell in the first intervieE~) Some customs 18 done went by now, bu~b~ dey was practiced in Sedalia, and as to whar dem was done Ler off as Spartanburg, I cannot say.

100 097

Storie8 Prom Ex-Slaves (Geo. Bri~s) Page : In Confederate time, ai . wimruens stayed close home and c~.rded anc~ spun all de day long. Dey wove all dere own clothes. Men at home, old men, made leather shoes an4 shoe striri~s and belts and ~alloses. Our darkies tried hard to be obedient to our master 30 dat we might obtain (keep) our pleasant home. Obedience makes it better dan sacrifice. I restes my ~miud~~ dar.tt Source: George Briggs ~8 ) Rt.2, Union,S.C. Interviewed by: Caidwell Sims, Union, S.C. (7/7/37)

Ex-slave, 73 years. 101 098

Code No. No. W~te Project, iSb5-~(I) Reduced f~~~words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, 8.~. ---~ -- Date, January 27, l93~ Page 1. 390010 jos:a;p~i~:~ BRI8TOW ~x 8lave, 73 Years u Remernb ers de Oonfede ra te War Mi s s Ye s main I ni supposed to be if I can live to se e ~ February bout 73 year old. What age Hester say she was? Dat what I had thought froni me en her conversation. Miss, I don remember a thing more bout de war den de soldiers comm through old Massa s plantation en we chillun was tfraicl of dem en ran. Knew dey was dressed in a different direction from us white folks. All was in blue, you know, wid dem curious lookin hats en dem brass buttons on dey bodies. No,mam, dey didn stop nowhe bout us. Dey was rid.in on horses en it seem 111e dey was in a hurry gwine sornewbe . En dey didn stop to old Ma s sat s houe e ne it he r No rnai~ not to my ~ knowin de y d idn . Weil, we was livin out to de plantation, we calls it, en M .ssa en Mlssus Was livin up here to Marion. Mr. Ferdinand Gibson, dat who been us Massa in slavery time en Miss Oonnie, dat what we used to call her, was us Missus. To my knowin, dey didn have no chillun dey oim, but dey sho had plenty colored people. Yes,rnam, seems like to my remembrance my Massa ran bout 30 plantations en sides dat, he had a lot of servants right up here to de big house, men en women.1 $1 was real small in dem days en f~ar as I can remember, we lived on de quarter dere to old. Massa s plantation in de

102 099

Ood.e No. ~ . . No~. Words________ Project, i~5 (i) Reduced frorn~ i&i~da Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis . Rewritten by~ ~ Place, Marion, S.C. ~--~-- ~-------- Date, January 27, l93~ Page 2. country. Us li ~tle tots would go every mornin to a place up on de hill called de milk house en get our milk ~ twe en meals while de old folks was off workin. Oh, dey had aold woman to see after we chillun en tend to us in de daytime. De old lady dat looked after us, her name Was Mary Noviin. Lord, Mr. aibson, he ha~d big farms enmy mother en father, dey worked on de farms. Yes um, my mother en father, I used to never wo~ildn know when dey come home in de evenin, it would be so late. De old lady, she looked after every blessed thing for Us all day long en cooked for us right along wid de mindin. Well, she would boil us corn meal horniny en give us dat mostly wid milk for break-~ fast. Den dey would have a big garden en she would boil peas en give us a lot of s up like dat wid dis here oven bread. Oh, dem what worked in de field, dey would catch dey meals when dey could. Would have to cooJ~ v,ay in de night or sometimes fore day. Cose dey would take dey dinnerrations wid dem to de field. More or less~ dey Would cook it in de field. Yes uin, dey would carry dey pots wid dem en cook right dere in de field whe dey was workin. Would boil pots en make bread, too. I don know how long dey had to work, mam, but I hear dem say dat dey worked hard, cold or hot, rain or shine. Had to hoe cotton en pick cotton en all such as dat. I don know, ruam, but de white folks, I guess dey took it dat dey had plenty colored people en dey Lord never meant for dem to do no work. You know, white folks in dem days, dey made de colored people do.

103 100

Oode No. . No. Worda~ Project 1~5-(1) Reduced fr rn~ ~wOrd8 Pre~red by Annie Ruti~ Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ~ 1O() Date, January 27, 193e Pag~~. De people used to Bptfl en weave, my LordI Like today, it cloudy en rainy, dey oouldn work in de field en would have to apin dat day. Man, you would hear dat thing windin en I remember, I would stand dere en want to spin so bad, I never know what to do ~ Won long fore I got to 1 ~ could use de shuttle en weave, too. I bad a grandmother en when she would get to dat wheel she sho know what skie been do in. White folks used to give de colored people tasic to spin en I mean she could do dat spinnin. ye~s~m, I here t tell you, dey would make de prettiest cloth in dat day en time. Old time people used to have a kind of dye dey called indigo en dey would color de cloth just as pretty as you ever did see. ~ IIDen* I recollect s dat dey would have to shuck corn some of de days en wouldn nobody work in de field dat day. Oh, my Lord, dey would have de big eats on dem days. Would have a big pot right out to de barn whe dey was shuckin corn en would boil it full as it could hold wid such as peas en rice e n couards. Would Cook big br,~d ~ to o en would save a 1 head for dat purpose often tirn~es. Colored people didn have no schools nowbe in dat day en time. No um, us didns go to no church neither cause we was way off dere on de plantation en Wasfl1 any church nowhe ~ bout d.ere, Miss. I likes to be truthful en I te J.in you, when we Was Comm. up, we never didn know nothin ~cept what we catch from de old folks.

104 101

Ood.e No. No. Word8________ Pro jeot i~5-~(1) Reduced fi ~i ~*6icis Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by ~ Place, Marion, S.C. -~ Jul Dat e January 2 7 1 93 ~ hge 14~ ~ ~ ~ - Old Masca, he used to corne to de plantation drivin h t s ro C kaway en my Lo rd a me ro y we cliii lun did love to run en meet him. Dey used to have a great big gate to de lane of de plantation en wI~en we been hear him 00mm, we ~uld go a runnin en holler, Massa comini Massa o~mj~3~ En he would corne ~ idin through de big gate en say, Yonder my little niggersi How my little niggers? Corne here en tell me how you all. Den ~e would go a runnin to hirn en try to tell him what he ax us. Yee um, we was sho pleased to see old Massa cause we had to stay right dere on dat plantattonall de time round bout dat old. woman what tended to us. Used to hear my mother en my father speak bout dey had to get aticket from dey boss to go anywhe dey wanted to go off de place. Pataroller catch dem off de plantation sornewhe widout dat walkin ticket, dey would whip dem most to death. ~ Never didn hear bout old Massa whippin none of dem, but he was very tight on dem, my father say. Cose he give dem abundance of rations en sotne thin to eat all de time, but colored people silo been work for what dey would get in dem days. Didn get nothin dey never pay for. It been like dis, what rations us parents would get, dat would be to dey house en what we chullun been get would be to de old woman1s house what took care of us. Well, Miss, some people stays here Wid me, but dey works out en I tries to help dem out somehow. No,mam, we all stays right here togetheren while d~ey on de job, I tries to look

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Oode No. ~ No. Words_________ Project, i~k~5-~(1) Reduced f~ m~i~rds Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. . w -- - - ~ ~-----~ Date, January 27, l93~ Pag T5. out for de chillun. I just thinkin bout when we come to a certain age, honey, it tough. Ohi ,lun is a heap of trouble, I say. Weil, I was de mother of five, but dey all dead tcept one. My husband, he been dead seven years. Yes urn, dis a bad little girl settin here in my lap en dat one over dere in de bed, he a boy what a right smart larger den dis one. (Little girl just can stand alone).(Little boy wakes up)~. Son, dere you want in to ge t up e n I don know whe near a rag to put on you is. Dere, you want a piece of bread fore you is dress. Who undressed you last night nohow? Boy, you got to stand dere en wait till your mamma come home cause I can find none your rags. What de matter wid. you? You so hungry, you just standin dere wid. your niouth droolin dat way. Dere your bread en tea on de bureau. awine on en get it. (Little bo s breakfast consisted of a cold biscuit and a little cold coffee poured in an empty coffee can. The little girl sat with a clump of cold hominy in her band on which she nibbled.) Lo rd I th ink what a ble s s in it would be i f chu lun de se days was raise like dey used to be, Miss. Yes,rnani, we had what you call strict fathers en mothers den, but chillun am got dem dese days. Oh, dey would whip you en put de lash to you in dat day en t irne Ye s um Mi s s j f we neye r do r ight ~uy father would put it to us. Sho meant what he say. Wouldn never whip you on Sunday though. Say dat he would get you tomorrow. Den when Monday come, he would knock all bout like

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Code No. NO. Words________ Project, i~5 (i) ~ Reduced f~rn words Prepared. by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. - -~- - Date, January 27, l93~ ~ge 6. he had forget, but toreckly he would call you up en he would sho work on you. Pa say, I m not gwlne let you catch me in no lie ~ When I tell you I gwine cut you, I gwine do it. Miss, I is bad my mother to hurt nie so bad till I would just fall down en roll in de sand. Hurti Dey hurt, dat dey did. Wouldn whip ~ou wid no clothes on neither. Would make you pull off. Yes,mam~ I could sniffle a week, dey~been cut me such licks. Thought dey had donenie wrong, but dey know dey am been dom rue wrong en I mean dey didn play wid me. Miss, I think folks is livin too fast in de world today. $eemsto me like all de young people is worser, I say. Well, I tell you, dey be ridin out all times of night en girls nieetin up Wid. tise Fortune. At least, our colored girlE does. En don Care what dey do neither~ Done BOOU1 to care what dey do nor ho~ dey do. De girls nowadays, dey sets dey livin. Girls settin higher den what dey makes dezuselves dese days. Source: Josephine Bristow, cc~lorecL, 7Z ~ ~riofl, S.L;~ Person~1 jfl~G(~VjCW ~y Annie E~ii~th Dz~vis, ~ l93E~

Ex-slave 87 years old. 107 104

Project f1655 w. ~. Dixon : :104 7~j~msboro, S. C. 390283 ANNE BROOMS EX-SLkVE 8 7 YEARS OLD. Does you recollect de Galloway place just dis side of ~hite Oak? ~ e11 dere s where I was born. ~Then? Can~t name de zact year but r~r r~. say, no stork bird never fetch me but de fust railroad train dat come up de railroad track, when they built de line, fetched me. She say I was a baby, settin on de cow ketcher and she see me and say to pa : Reubin, run out dere and get our baby befo her falls off and gets hurt under them wheelsL Do you know I believed dat tale t+~j~ I was a big girl? Sure did, tu ~vvhite folks laugh me out of itL ttMy ma was name Louisa~ My marster was Billie i3rice, but speot God done write sumpin else on he forehead by dis time. He was a cruel inarster; he whip me just for runni& to de gate for to see de train run by. !~r missus was a pretty woman, flaxen hair, blue eyes, name Mary ~i~onton, tU she marry. Us live in a two-room plank house. Plenty to eat and enough to wear cept de boys run round in their shirt tails and de girls just a one-piece homespun slip on in de suimner time. Dat was not a hardship th n. Us didn t know and didn t care nothi& bout a spectable pearance in those days. Dats de truth, us didn t. Gran pa naine be; gran ma, name Rachel. Shoes? A child never have a shoe. Slaves wore wooden bottom shoes. My white folks went to New Hope Church. Deir chillun was mighty good to us all. Dore was Miss Martha, her marry Doctor Madden, right here at Winneboro. Miss Mary marry 1~~ rster John Vinson, a little polite smilin man, nice man, though. Then Mise Jane marry Marster John Young .~ He passed

108 105

out,leavin two lovely ohillun, Kitty and Maggie. Both of them marry Calthrells. Dere was Marster Calvin, he marry Congi~e$sman Wallace s daughter, Ellen. Then dere was lViarster Jim and Mars~er William, de la&t went to Florida. It was a big place, I tell you, and heaps and heaps of s1av~s. Some times they g t too many and sell them off. My old. mistress ory bou-~ dat but tears did&t count wid old marster, as long as de money come a rimnin in and de rations stayed in de smoke house. ttUs had a fine carriage. Sam was de driver. Us go to Concord one Sunday and ~ew Hope de next Had quality fair neighbors Dere was de Cockerells, Pisoopalians, dat tend St. John in 1~innsboro, de Adger~ big buckra,went to ion in ~ ~innsboro. Marster Burr Cockerell was de sheriff. Members he had to hang a man once, right in de open jailyard. Then dere was a poor buekra family name 1~rshall. Our white folks was good to them, cause they say his pappy was 0105e kin to de bi~~est Jedge of our country, John 1~1arshall. Y~hen de slaves got bad off sick, mars-ter send for Dr. ~alter Brice, his kin folks. Some times he might send for Dr. N~.dden, him s son in~law, as how he was. Vihen de Yankees come, all de young inarsters was off in de Federate side. I see them now,gallopin to de house, canteen boxes on their hips and de bayonets rattlin by deir sides De fust thing they ask, was : You got any wine? They search de house; make us sing: Good Old ~ime Ligio~ put us to ruxn n after de chickens and a oookin Y4hen they leave they burnt de gin house and everything in dere They burn de smoke house and 2

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3. wind up wid burni& de big house. You through wid me now, boss? I shoe ~ gla i of dat. Help all you kin to git me dat pension befo I die and de Lord will bless you,~honey. De Lord not gwine to hold His hand any longer tgjnst us. Us cleared de forests, built de railroads, cleaned up de swanps, and nursed de white folks. Now in our old ages, I hopes they lets de old slaves like me see de shine of so~ne of dat money I hears so much talk ) bout. They say its free as de gift of graoe from de hand of de Lord. -~ Good mornin and God bless you, will be my prayer always. Has you got a dime to give dis old nigger, boss? ~

Mom Hagar (verbatim conversation). 110 107

proj~ct #~ 1655 . 330206 ~ FOLKLORE 107 LIrs. Genevieve w. Chandler i~urrO1lS Inlet, S. C. Ge org etown County MOM HAGAR (Verbatim Conversation) Mom Hagar Brown lives in her little weathered cabin on fort~~ odd~ acres left byher husband, Caleb Brown. Caleb died in Georgia where he had been sent to the penitentiary for stealing a hog that another man stole. Aunt Hagar has gr~ds settled all around her and she and the grands divide up the acreage which is planted in corn, sweet potatoes, cotton, and some highland rice. She ministers to them all when sick, acts as mid- wife when necessary, and divides her all with her kin and friends white and black. She wages a war on ground ~ moles, at which she laughs and says she resembles. Ground-mole beans almost a foot long protect and decorate her yard . She has apple and fig trees and scuppernong grape vines grow rank and try to climb all her trees. (Monday morning she hobbles up on a stick - limping and looking sick.) Comes in kitchen door. Lilie: Aunt Hagar, how you? Hagar: Painful. Doctor tell me I got the tonsil. ~ant to represent me one time and take them out~ I say, No Doctorl Get in hospital, cantt get outi Let me stay here till my change come. Yeddy? I ain t wutht Ain t wuthi Ain~t got a piece o~ sense. Yeddy? Ellen say she want God to take she tomorrow? When you ready it s God ~ take me

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Proje t #-1655 Page - 2 Mrs. ~enevieve ~4g Chandler Murrells Inlet, S. C. Georgetown County . now1~ All right sont (Greeting Zackle who enters kitchen.) Aunt Hagar, how you feel?tt UI ain t wuth son. How s all? Need a little more gritsi Hear Zackiel Mom Hagar, that ain t hinder him ordering anotherL (The fact that food is scarce doesn t limit Zackiets family.) Ilagar: You hear bout this Jeremiah broke in somewhere get all kinds likker and canned things and different thing? Zackie: Must a broke in that place call Stumble InnLt (Very seriously.) That Revenue man been there. Hagar : I yeddy la st night L Say he there in news-paper. . biary say, t see em in paperl Mrs. White gone to child funeral. That been in paper too. 1~ary see ~ that in paper. Easter say old lady gone dere. Doctor say better go. Child sick. Child seven years old. Fore they get there tell em say, tOhild deadi People gone in patch to pick waterrnillon. Ain t want child to go. You know chilluni Child gone in. Ain t want ~em for go. You know. Child pick watermillon. Ketch up one - I forgotten what pound they say. Roll. Roll duh Zackie: ~iagar: Zackie: Lillie:

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Project #-1655 ~ Page - 3 109 Mrs. enevieve W.~ Chandler Murrells Inlet, S. C. Georgetown County watermilion Roll t em on snake I Child say, No. Must a scratch.t Child get unconscion that minute. Ease out so. I cry. I oryL Lillie: ttYou know tem, Mom Hagar?t Hagar: Not Nol Lili, fever got mel Cold get me till my rump dead. Got hospital boy rouse one time say, Ma, less go home L Red stripe snake bite me ~ Hagar: tIK1U KlUX? (Chin cupped in hand - elbow on knee looking way off - ) Reckon that the way them old timey people call em. Have to run way, you go church. Going to come in to ketch you or do any mischievous thing - come carry you place they going beat you - in suit of white. Old white man to Wi Idem e s s Pl anta ti on Pari sh ol d man name Tre at hi s w! fe bad. Come to house, ain t crack. Come right in suit of white. Drag him out right to Woodstock there where Mr. L~n get shoot. P~t a beating on that white man there till he mess upi Oman never gone back to him yeti A man wuz name (I forgot what the man nan~ wuz) wuz . white man mess round wid a colored woman and they didntt do a God thing but gone and put a. beating on you, They say, Snake bite em?t See blood run on boy leg. Gone right out. Jess ~.

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Proje~t #-:L655 Page ~ 4 Mrs. ~ enevieve W. ~ Ch~thd1er IL~urre11S Inlet, S. O. Georgetown County darlingi Come In. Grab you and go. Put a beating on you till you can t see. Know they got a good grub to lick you wid. r2hey git done you can t sit down. Ain t going carry you just for play w1th.~t Morn Hagar, you wanter vote? Hagar: Oh my Godi Aunt Hagar are the colored people happier now ti-ian the old tirney slavery time people? Hagar: Young people now got the world by force. Don t care. Got more trick than law low. Tricky! Can t beat the old people. Can t equal to em. Some the young people you say AMEN in church they make fun o you. Every tub stand on his own bottom. Cantt truss em. Ma say some dem plan to run way. Say, Less runt Less run~t Master ketch dem and fetch dem in. Lay em cross barrel. Beat dem till they wash in blood. Fetch em back. Place tem cross the barrel hogsket barrel ~ Christi They ramp wash in blood! Beat M~ sis~ . ~ ter. He sister sickly. Never coui.d clear task - like he want. My ~Ia have to work he self to death to help Henritta so sickly. Clear task to keep from beat. Some obersheer mean. Oaks labor. (Meaning her Ma and ma s family were laboring on Oaks Plantation . the plantation where Goy.

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Project #4655 Page ~ 5 Mrs. ~Geno*1eve~ W. Chandler Murrells Inlet, S. C. Georgetown County Joseph Aliston and Theodosia his wife lived on Waccamaw) Mother Sally Doctor. Ma got four chillun. One was Emr~~ line, one Getty, one Katrine one Hagarl I older than G~b (Katrine). Could a call doctor for Gob 1f I had any sense. (Big nuff to gone for doctor when Gob born.) ~ Stay in the fieldL Stay In the fieldL 4 Stay In the field till the war been end~ (This is Aunt Hagar s favorite song) Morn Hagar Brown ~ age 77 Murrelis Inlet, S. C. July 4th, 1937.

(Some recollections of Mom Hagar Brown). 115 112

project # 1655 . FOLKLORE Mrs. Genevieve W~. ~ Chandler 390210 Murrells Inlet, S. C. Georgetown County (Some recollections of Mom Hagar Brown) Visitor; Mom Hagar, how old did you say you were? Hagar: ttj~0~Ij take care of my aget Had me gang of chlllUfl when ma die. I had Samuel, I had Elias, I had Arthur, I had Beck. Oh, my Godi Man, go ways I h~cl Sallyl I had Sally again. I didn t want to give the name Sally aga in . Say First Sally come carry in. ~ I~1a say, Gin em name SallyL I faid (afraid) that other one come back for him. Had to do what Ma say. Had to please em Ma name Ssl ly . Ma chillun Catrine, Hagar, E~mmeline, Gettie. I born Columbia. Come Freedom, when we left Columbia, ma finer till we get in Charston. Freedom come, battle till we get Oaks. (Battled till they reached the Oaks Plantation - ~.t) Stay there till people gin (begin) move bout. Come Watsaw. Gone Collins Creek.t In the tReb Time you know, when they sell you bout - Massa sell you all about. Broke through them briar and branch and thing to go to church. Them pati~ol getyou. Church Old Bethel.t You don t know ~ em Be en, gon I .. I yeddy ruai (heard my mother) Ma say, I too glad my chillun amt been here Rebs timel Gin you task you rather drown than not done that taski Ma say Auntie poor we weak creeter, couldn t strain. Ma had to strain to fetch sister up with her task. ~ere (there) in rice~

116 113

Project #-1655 ~ Page - 2 Mrs. Genevieve W... Ohandler Murrells Inlet, S. C. Geo rgetown County field. Ma say they on flat going to islant (island), see cloud, pray God send rami ~then rooster crow, say they pray God to stop t~n~ Hooster crow, broke up wedderl, Vthen rooster crow, scare ~ Broke up rami Ma sj~y t:~iey drag the pot in the river when the flat going cross. Do this to make it rain, Massat Don t done you task, driver wave that whip, put you over the barrel, beat you so blood run down~ I wouldn!t take ~einL LIa ~say, I too glad my chillun amt born then~ UAfly cash money? Where you gwine get t em? Only cash the gospelt Have to get the gospel. Give you cloths Give you rationi Jess (just according) many chillun you got. Ma say chillun feed all the corn to the fowl. C~iillun say, Papa love he f owli . Papa 1 ove he fow 1 L t Three peck a days Three peck a days Parent come t o door . ~N0 ~ a grain of c orn leave ~ Poor peoplel Come, dropi Not a grainL ~verybody on the hill help. One ~.ve this; one give that. Handle em lightL (Very careful with. victuals). Gone you till Saddy (Saturday. ) (Will last you until Saturday when you are rationed again.) When Ma get down, she say, ti gone1eave~ i gone

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Proje.ct~4L1655 Page - 3 114 Mrs. ~ Genevieve. w. ~ Chandler Murrells Inlet, S. C. Georgetown County leave here nowt But, oh, Hagarl Be a mudder and Ladder for Katrinel I say, (I call Katrine Gob ) I say, Better tell Gob to look atter meL Ma say, when I gone I ax the Master when he t ke me, to send drop 01 rain to let true believer 1~iow I gone to GloryZ When they lift the body to take tem to the church, rain, Titt Titi Titi Titi on the houset At the gate, moon shine out Going to the church~ Bury to the tOaks.t Gob say, Titty, all you chiliun bury at Oaks. Ma to Oaks. ~ come you wariter bury ~Natsaw? I say, t Vthen the trumpet sound, I yeddyt (1/then the trumpet sounds, I ll hear iti) I marry right to Collins Creek hill. Big dance out the door! I freel I kick upi Ma, old rebs time people t Motu Hagar Brown Age - (She says Born first o Freedom but got her age from ~ a contemporary and reported 77) . Murrells Inlet, S. C.

(Brown) ex-slave story (verbatim). 118 115

Project #-1655 ~Q~OA FOLKLORE ~ 115 Mrs . ~ Genevieve W. Chandler ~ ~ ~ Murrells Inlet, s. C. Georgetown County EX-SLAVE STORY (Verbatim) My old man can member things and tell you things and he word carry. We marry to ~urkey. ~iill Plai tation. flot supper. Cake, wine, and all. Kill cow, hog, chicken and all. That time when y u marry, s, mich to eati i~inance weddix~gI Now - we laap-oil ohillun ; they lectric light chillun nowl We call our wedding lamp-oil wedding . Eall jam full o people; out-of-door jais full. Stand before the chiinbley. When that first war 00MO through, we born. I don t know just when I smell for case in the world. Big storm? Yinnah talk big storm hang people up on trss? (Nosh~ Shake? I here in house. flouse gone, Rack-a-racka-rackerl My husband run out - with me and ~y baby left in bedi Baby just coae in time of the shake. Ilion I first have sense, I aeaber I walk en the frost bare feet. Cow-belly shoe. My husband mother have baby on the flat going to Marion and he Auntie Cinda have a baby on that flat. Fron yout (youth) I been a Brown and marry a Brown; titis Muer change. Old tilsey sing? 1. Wish I had a hundred dog And half wuz hound I Take it in ay fadder field

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Pro3ect #- .655 Page - 2 :116 )LX S. Genevieve W. Chandler J&urrells Inlet, S. C. Georgetown County And we run the rabbit downi chorus : Now he ha t eh lie hateht ~Le hatchi And I run the rabbit down t 2 I wi. sh I had a hundred head t dog And half of thea wu~ hound I d take e~ back in ay bacco field And run the rabbi t down. Chor~18 : Now he hat eh - he hat eh L . kLe hatch - he hatoht N ~ he hat eh ~ he ha t eh L And I run thorn rabbit downi That wuz a sing we used to have en the plantation. Then we make up sing - we have sing for ehillun. Make em go sleep. Every one have his iwn sing. Bye-o-baby L G, sleepyl Bye ~ .-baby I Go sleopyl Wh*t a big alligator C ~ing to catch This one boyl

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Project # 1655 ~ Pa~ ~ 3 :1 Mrs . ~ Gene? ieve ~ W. Cha filer itu.rreUs Inlet, S. C. georgetown County Dise her the Watson one boy Child! bye-o-baby go eleepyt What a big alligator Cciiilng to catch this one boyl ZElle JOXdSfl Nissus, I too plague with bad hart trouble to give you the aingi Song and o~nveraati.n Given by Mo~ Luisa Brown (Born tiae et Reb people Wax ) Waverly Mills, S. C. Near - Parkeraville, S. C.

Folklore stories from ex-slaves. 121 118

project ~-.1655 I Jessie A. Butler ~ Charleston, s. c. Approximately 930 words FOLKLORE Stories froza Ex- slaves Henry Brown Ex slave Age 79 Henry Brown, negro caretaker of the Gibbes House, at the foot of Grove street, once a part of Rose Farm, is a splendid example of a type once fre quently met with in the South. Of a rio~ brown complexion, aquiline of fea.. ture, there is none of the Gullali about flenry. He is courteous and kindly in his manner, and speaks more correctly than the average ~pgro. n ~r father was Abram Brown, and xr~r mother s naine was Lucy Brown, he said, r They were slaves of Dr. Arthur Gordon Rose. ~r grandfather and grandmother were grown when they came front Africa, and were man and wife in Africa. I was born just about two years before the war so I don t remember anything about slavery days, and very little about war tI~ries, exoept that we were taken to Deer Pond, about half mile from Columbia. Dr. Rose leased the plaoe from Dr. Ray, and took his faniily there for safety. ~ mother died while he was at Deer Pond, and was buried there, but all the rest of n~ people is buried right here at Rose Farm. 1~r two brothers were a lot older than m, and were in the war. After the war my brother Torn was on the police force, he was a sergeant, and they called him Black Sergeant. ~ brother Middleton drove the police wagon: they used to call lt Black ~ria. ~r father, Abram Brown, was the driver or head ~n at Rose plantation. ~. . Dr. Rose thought a heap of him, and during the war he put some of his fine ~ ~ furniture and other thing. he brought fron England in n~r father s house and : told him if the Yankees o~e to say the things belonged to hia. Soon after ~ ~ 390125 118

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Project 1655 Jessie A. Butler Charleston, 8. C. Page 2. that the soldiers caine. They asked my . father who the things belonged to and he said they belonged to him. The soldiers asked him who gave them to him, and he said his master gave them to him. The Yankees told hixn that they thought he was lying, and if he didn t tell the truth they would kill him, but he wouldn t say anythilig else so they left him alone and went away, Work used. to start on the plantation at four clock in the . niorning, when the people went in the garden, At eight or nine o clock they went into the big fields., Everybody was given a task of work. When you finished your task you could quit. If you didn t do your work right you got a w~iipping. The babies were taken to the ~gro house and the old women and young colored girls who were big enough to lift them took care of them. At one o clock the babies were taken to the field to be nursed, then they were brought back to the negro house until the iaothers finished their work, then they would come for them. Dr. Rose gave me to his son, Dr. Arthur Barnwell present. After the war Dr. Rose went back to England. stay in a country with so n~.ny free negroes. Then his Rose had the plantation. Those was good white people, god white people. t The colored people were given their rations once a week, on Monday, they ~ got corn, and a quart of molasses, and three pounds of bacon, and son~timea meat and peaa. They had all the vegetables they wanted; they grew them in the gardens. ~When the boats first oa~ in from Afrida with the s~J ~ces, a big pot of peas was cooked and the people ate it with their hands right from Rose, for a Christi~s He said he couldn t son Dr. Arthur Barnwell

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Project ~L1655 - Jessie A. Butler I O Charleston, s. C. Page 3 the pot. The slaves on the plantation went to meeting two nights a week and on Sirnday they went to Church, ~here they had a white preacher Dr. Rose hired to preach to then~. f~ After the war when we came back to Charleston I went to work as a chimneysweep. I ~was seven years old then. They paid me ten cents a story. If a house had two stories I got twenty cents; if it had three stories I got thirty cents. ~Vhen I got too big to go up the chimneys I went back to Rose plantation. !~r father was still overseer or driver. I drove a cart and plowed. Afterwards I worked in the phosphate mines, then came back here to take care of the garden and be caretaker. 1 planted all these Cherokee roses you see round here, and I had a big lawn of Charleston grass. I amt able to keep it like I used to. Henry is intensely religious. He says the people don t notice God now because they re free. Some people say there amt no hell, he continued, but I think there must be soins kind of place like that, because you got to go some place when you leave this earth, and you got to go to the naster that you served when you were here. If you serve God and obey Eis conu~.ndments then you go to Hirn, but if you don t pay any attention to what he tells you in His Book, just do as you choose and serve the devil, then you got to go to him. And it don t make any difference if you re poor or rich, it don t matter wh~t the milliner (millionaire) man says. He seemed so proud of his garden, with its broad view across the Ashley River, showing his black walnut, pear and persimmon trees, grape vines and roses, that the writer said, *Eenry, you lcnow a poet has said that we are nearer God

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Project ~ Ll655 Jessie A. Butler Charleston, s. C. in the garden than anywhere else on earth. Well xria axn, you see, he replied, with a winning smile, that s where God put us in the first place. I~ge4 . 121

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5~26O 264~ (~ project ~16bb ~ ~ ~ugU8~U$ Lsd~on ~~);~u.L:~:3 (;k1~rJ~.8ton,5.(~. Fag. X ~l ~ No.~or~e:14 1t$ ~ ii~c-8LAv~ BORN 18b? GRAND PAa~ rS CAME DIRECTLY FROM AFRICA ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ X wSi nicknanie ~ ..a a~e ~ uetery~~&y name wae Henry but iri,y cali me roby.My sist.r,Josepriine,coo waa nickname an call Jaesee.Our m~,s tro3a tia~i a COUIjfl by ~ha~ name.ky oiaes breduer waa a Sergeant on me Uhir I~tOfl ?OJ.iCS ~orce around lb tS.I k~iaa two other aiatsr ,Louise an Rebecce. My 12I~3 owner was Ar~ nur Barnweli kiOei.Thin Co .Lonei A.G.Rhod,s bought the plantation who iioi i~ to Capen Frederick ~.~iagener.Ja ea Sottile ehen go~ in poaesaaion who sol it to the DeCos~aa.an a lew w.eka ago Mri.Albert ~a11itin Siumia,~o i m toi is a former rnsnber oi~ t.ongreaa,bought it.Now I m wonderin il ehe ii goin to .LI me atay.I hope eQ cu~ l in o~ now en cant work. M~ p~ waa nami Abraham Brown;he wae bo n on Goals him in Biaurort c;ounty.uo:Lonhi. ~thoQea bought him ior tue ~river,then he n~Ovs heri.i didn~ know much bout h~m;he ai4n t Live 20 LOfl~ aZiia siavsry CUB he was 01. Colonel ithodos had a eon an a aaughEer.~h. ion went back to 4ngland afta hie death an the iaughtsr went to Germany with he~ hueban .They ain t never come back so tns pL~c. was sol ~or tax. Airin the ~ar w, waa carry to ~iaer ?oncl,;welve muiei on dii ~ ox CoiuTnbia, ~ sn ;kis war wee end pa brought aiy aiater,Louiae,ktebeccs,who wae too Bm~II ~ o work,Jo.iphmne an me h0we.A~LL my peopie ii iong liZsd .My grand pa an grand ma On pa aide come right Zrom AIrica.They isa sboiem an brought hire. They Ui. to isli UI OZ how white men bad pritty cloth on boat. which they w1 to exchange for come Ot their o nameni .W en ih.Y tekS the O nainent to tbi bois they i~ae carry way dOWn to the bottom an wai iock in. They WU ~flCh0red on or

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:~ S~26O~64~ uo~e~~ ~L ~ Page U 123 ; ~uguaiU5 La~aon :~x-SLAvi~ cont d. near auUivan s Isian w ers they been Xeed Lake dogs. A.; big pot was use rur CoOkifl .ifl that pot peas was cook an ist to coo.L.3~,erybody went to the pot with the han a an~ ~ eat iruw the pot. I wee bo n two years berore t~s war an was seven w en 1~ ~as in ib~i.J. never went ~o school but rive months in my lire,but coui~ iearn eaay.Very ie.Lcic~n i had to be t&i. to do flu saine tning twice. The slaves had a plenty o vegetabiss afl. the tiuie.Meeter pianted t ree acres jus ror the s ava which wee attenied to in the mornin s before tas ~iuti.Al~ provision was made as ~o the distribution on i~tionctay evenin s alte tas . M~ waster bad iwo piace;one on Big Laien an on Coals Is~Lan an Beau iort ~ourity.Ne tian t nave any overaeer.~y pa was hie driver. Pa aay t fia place was given t o Mr.tthoaee with a thousand acres ot ian by ii~ragian .But it dwind.Led t~ ~nirty rive w en the other was taken back by Engiand. There wasn t but ten slaves on this piantation.Ths dr~er CaLL the slavea at four 10 they couid git their breakru ~rh.y always work ~ne garden rira an a~ aeven go in the co n an cotton risi .Soae rinish their taa b~ ;~aeive an othere work cii seven but had the aa to tinish.No one was whip ieee he needed it ;no one sise could whip mast er Lavea .He wOILLdn t stan ror it.~s had ii bst;er Ehen than now cause shie men lynch an~ burn n0~q *n~ do other triinga they couion4t do irien.khy shoot you down Like ~oga now,an noihiri said or done. f40 slave wee suppose 10 be ihip in Uhari s;on except at the Sugar Houae~rj~~e~s was a jai). ior whii~a bui Ix a slave ran away an got there bi Could disOwn tua master an tb~ ~i;ate ~uidn t le h~.m take you.

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5.260 264 IuN ?iQjSCt 1~16b5 AugUaU3 L*deon Fags lu 124 EX. SLAV c ont a. Ail CO.LJ.U~ peopil hal to bave a pa~a w .n ~bey went ~rav&Lin ;xree as ~eiI ai aiavea.lr one tidnt the pa~ro~LLir8 itho waa hired by rich ~hi~s ~en woui4 givi you a gooa wti.tppin an sen you back hoine.My pa didn ; need any On. tO write h~a pase cause he could irite aa well as inaa~ir.FEow tie go~ t118 educatlOfl,i dian t knov. Sat day ~a a workin day but ~he ~ae ~iaa much shorterth~ other ciaya.inon didn t ha!e tise tO 1~ro1ic caiiae they had to un tood ior ~tie x ib~Ly;~iaster never give nough to ~aa the who.LeieekJ pick o co ri,~ ree pound O~ beacon,~Auar~ o moiaa.as,a c~uart o aa~Li,an a pack o tobacco ias given ~he men.The wife got the eatne thing but chillun accordin to age.On.Ly one hoiiday ciavea had an that was Uhriatmas. Uo nahuckin partlea waa conauc~ed by a group o~ ra mere who sake their a.Lavee or ein them ~o ftie nlighborin onea cii aiJ. the c~ n wae ahuck . J~eh one wouLd xurniiti ZOOd nough ior a~Li 8.LaV~S a~ hia parEy.Some ua. ~o bave nothin but bake potataa an aome kini ox vege~abJ~e. An uninar r i ed y oung ~an was CaLL a b&L~ -han .~ su he ianc t o mar ry he jua went ~o inaa~er an ay there s a gai. he would Like ;o have br iili. MaSter wou~Ld say yea en thai night more chicken would bi I~ry an everything eatable would be prepare a; ~aaser expenae~Ttie eevp~e ent home afta ~e aupper,wlvhout any readtn of ~a~r1Mon~,~an an ~i1f e. A~ ~an ones married hie me r~ didn t )t~ u. . wee esli rrog~ her l en bout aighi y.~r. old.vhn he gro. to e young eau eJ~~.ry ;hin iee ~ ~ over,he met $h:Le ~oi~an ~ho h. Mks an &~o they were marrie~rhey was mar .~ ned a month w en one niglu %hey s~ar;ed ;o ~eii or their experiences an

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3..26O 264~ ?rojeC~ ~I655 AugustuS Ladson Page IV 125 B~X~SLAVi~ con; d. hol% ui~ny tait~ea ~tiey was soi~ine huaban ~ noi~v tie ~vaa soi~ irom fus ~a~ner who .Lik6d him dear.Ly.Re ~o.i. how has ma ~ w en ~tiey ~ ook him away sri h3w h:a m6S~e~ bher~ use ~o bran tus baDy slaves a~ a year ci .~en tie sho~ect tier ~tie b~~I1 st~G i~in~ cause she ehen re~Aaze~ha~ Etie ha~ m~rrae~ her sari. ~eves c~a~&~ haV6 tO U8e ~he~,r ~wn ren~ecty XOr SickneEs rar gooa cioc-~ Eore been hired ~o i~ok a~ ~h~i. ihere was,~ts as,~hough,some weed use Xor zever an hee~ache as:b.Lacker*ke roo~,burry~ork,ji~npsin ~eed,Oni that tie on the head ~hacki br~.ng s~i.ea~ ~row you Lake haLL,an hickory i,ear.jr she hickory as keep on cne head ~oo .i~or~g iL WiLL blia~er ~. ~I,n fti i~ar w~a iign~iri ~he ~t~i~e men burn the bridge a~ ~ne ioo~ QI Spring Si~re ; so ~ne Yankees cou~.Ldrit gi& over bu; ~hsy bua.L poritoos i~u.Le ~Gme make the horses awati croae.Cr~e nigtic ~t~uit~ at Deer Pond,i h.sr soRethirig iike thuri~ r unU.L bout e.i~e~en ~tie riex~ aay.~c eri ~he ~hang I ~ ough~ was ~ thuncter u~op ,ma8ter &e.LJ. us ~hE~ everi~n we was Lree.I wasn t surprise to kto~ icr as i,ic~ie as j was J. know the Yankees wa~ go~n ~o iree us him ~ tIC.Lp Va t~a. L waa ~gr~ec~ ~wace,arY tiaa ~wo gais an a boy ~i~ki xira wixe,~L have teree boys ~a~ti ~tie secor~t;~he youngea is jua e~bt. Lincoi~ri ~ jus wba~ (.iou in~en him ;o ~o,but .i. thank riothin boui (aihcun on account or what be say an one ai kus speech bous co.uuu peop.~e. E ~ $aid: keep ~ibe niggire cto ~ri. ~ ~ro see co~~u~ boys goan round r~ow ~vi~h paper xi penCa.L in their han s iont iook rea.i~ ~o me.i)urin s.Lavery he i~o id be whtp tu. no~ a ikin ~ae .i.ez on has body. ~y pa ~a e preacher ~tiy .1. bcome a jirisnan so ear.Ly~he preacti on ~be pi~aniation ~o ihe a.Laves.Ozi Sunley the e.~avea i~eni ~o the white church. He use ~o eii us oi~ he.Li. an how ho~ i~ is.I wa so rrad or heil iii 1

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. ~ ~ 5~26O264~ ?rojec~ ~I6b~e ~PUgU~U~ La~12on ?age V 12G ~X~8LAVE cont d, \~~ea ai~ays ~ryin ~o do the tigti~ ching SO I couidx~ ; go ~o thafl terrabie p.iace. L don s care bout ~haa ~ori an a~a vanas~es cause tbe Greet Dey ~a con~an t en j abali. Ley cAo~n an my ~~smTnerin ~origue goin to .iie aaier~ an my heaa ~L wan t ~ hO IIae flO E ma ue wi ~ h ha s bu ~ et er nai. in ; ho Ilee vena rha t Mgn up ~here,i~ aiL L needl m go~n vo stiii. ;rua Him.Belore the comin ox Chrii mira ~8 kiLl rox Has naine sa!ce;~ociay ~ cux~e Hain.i; ~ nearjy ~an~e tor Ehe ~or.Lc~ UO cotxie ~o en tor }~e saie bout ~o tbous~nd years I aba.LL come again an thai ~itxie is faa epproacnin . SOUktC ~ In~ervaew with Henry Brown,63? Grove Stre t.He ~s. much concerned witn the 5co~isboro ~aa sud discuise~ ~t~e iuvaeion 01 iEa.Ly in~Q ctefen~s~esa ii~tia o~ia an~ eiiigeni Ly.

Ex-slaves 85 years and 96 years old. 130 127

?rojeCt #1655 w. W. Dixon, ~~innsboro, S. C. JOHN C. BROWN AND ADELINE i~tOWN ~ ~o!1Si~VES 8&TRARS A!ID_~96 ARS~QL1~ John C. Broui and his wife, Adeline, who is eleven years older thcxi himself, live in a ramshackle four-room frame houso in the midst of a cotton field, six inileB west of Woodw~rd, S. C. Johnassisted in laying the f ourida tio~2 ~nd building the house forty-four years ago A single china~ber~y tree, gnarled but stately, adds to rather than detracts from,the loneliness of the dilapidated house. The premises ax~d thereabout are owned by the Federal Land Bank The occupant s pay no rent Neither of them are able to work. They have been fed by charity and the W.P.A. for the past eighteen rnorrths. (John talking) I., Where and wheni born? Well, dat ll take some hear say , Mister. I never knowed my mammy. They say she was a white lady dat visited my old marst er and mistress. Dat I was found in a basket dressed in nic e baby clothes, on de railroad track at Dawkins, S. C. De engineer stop de train, got out, end found me surnpin like de princess found Moses, but not in de buirushee Hirn turn me over to de conductor e De conductor carry rae to de station at Dawkins, where Marse Torn Dawkins come to meet de train dat tnornin and claim nie as found on his lend. Him sey him had de best right to me. De conductor didn t ject to dat. Marse Torn carry nie home and give me to Miss Betsy. Dat was his ~ife end my mistress. Her always say dat Sheton Brown was my father. He was one of de slaves on de place ; de carriage driver. After freedom he tell me he was my real pappy. Hirn touk de neme of Brown

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. p~ . 2. 128 arid dat s what I go by. s My father was a ginger bread colored man, not a full-blooded nigger. pat s how I is aliogether y~llow. See dat lady over dere in dat chair? Dat s my wife. Her brighter skinned than I is. How come dat? Her daddy was a f ull blooded Irishman. He come over here from Ireland and was overseer for Marss Bob Clownoy He took a .f~icy for Adeline s mammy a bright latto ga~ slave o~2 de place. White womezi in them days looked down on overseers as poor white trash. Hirn couldn t git a white ~ ife but made de best of it by~puttin in his spare time a honeyin round Adel~ne s rnarnriy. Marse Bob stuck to him, ~nd never jected to it. p, When de war come on, ~arso Richard, de overseer, shoulder his gun as a soldier and, as him was educated more than most of de white folks, him rise to be captain in de Confederato Army. It s a pity him got kilt in dat war. . . t, My marster, Torn Dawkins, have a fine mansion. He owned all de lend round Uawkins and had bout 200 slaves, dat lived in good houses and was we well fed. My pappy was de man dat run de mill and grind de wheat and corn into flour end meal Him never work in de ~ field He was boys dat Hj~n tend to de ginnin of de cotton and drive de carriage. t, De Yar~kees come and burn de mansion de ~.n~house and de mill. They take all de sheep, mules, cows, hogs and even de thickens. Set de slaves free and us niggers have a hard time ever since. t, My black stepmammy was ~o mean to ~e dat I run away. I didn t know where to go but lend~d up, one night, at Adeline s maxrnny s and steppappy s house, on Marss Bob Clowney s place. They had been slaves of Marse Bob and was livin and workin for him. I knock on de door. )Sarnmy Charity, dat s

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Adeline s rnanm~, say: ~ dat? I say: xe . Her say: ~y~ iio ~ me? I say: tJohn . Her say: tJo~who?t ~ say: tJust Jo1i~t. Her say: ~de1j~e, OpErn. de door, da-tts just some poor boy dat s cold and hungry. Charity is n~f fust iiame Your pappy am ~ t come yet but 11 1 et dat boy in ~ til he come and see what he can do bout it. tt~fl~efl Adeline open dat door, I look her in de eyes. lier eyes melt to- ~rards me v id a look I never see befo nor since. Mind you, I wa~ just a boy fourteen I t spe et s and her a woman twenty-five then Her say~ You darlin little fellow; come right in to de fire. Oh,i~r~ She took on over meL Us wait tu her pappy come in. Then him says What us gox~na do wid himV Me line say: Us gonna keep luxa. Pappy say: 4There he gonna sleep? Adeline look funny. MAImV say: tTJ~tfl, fix hira a pallet by do fire. Adeline clap her haaids ana say : ~ You don ~ mind dat, doe s you boy? I say : No ~i~a ~ am, I is slept dab way niarxy a tin~e.~ ~We11, I viork for Marse Bob Clowuey and. sirnyed wid Adeimne s folks two years. I sure made ri~yse1f use~u1 in dab family. )~Tever spicioned ~ rhat Meline had. in her head, ~ one cIa~y I climbed up a hickory nut tree, flail de xiuts dO1NXL, come down and was helpint to piok them up when she bump her head mine and s~y : ~ Oh Lordy L Then I pat and r ub her head and it come over me what w~s in. dab head% Us went to de house aud her told de folks d~.t u~ swine to marry. ~Her 1ed~ me to de altar ~at nex Sunday, Give~ lier name to de preaohor as ~4e1ine ~ Oab~a~. I give de name of Joim C1o~vue~r Browii. ~5~rse ~ob was dere and 1au~h. When 4e preacher call ~u~r name) ~ Johti; C1ovm~ey Brovna . HOu2. hil1~m o mejretty Last. I~ ~ ~i~~or i ~ ~ for $45.00 a lear, wi~ rat~otis ~ U~ ~iL~4 ~hz~ee po~xn4a ~ baorn, ~ peek o~ ~in~aL 4~wo cups ot f~iouz~ one

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. . ~ . . . 4. ~ quart of lasses, and one cup of salt, a week. ~ . tiUs never left Marse Robert as long as him lived. When us have four chi.llUfl, hirn increase de amount of flour to four cups and de lasses to *~ ro quarts. Then him built dis house for de old folks and Adeline and de chillun -~o live in. I help to build it forty -four years ago. Our chillun was Glance, Jim, John, Charity, Tom, Richard, and Adeline. . ttI followed Marse Robert Clovmey in politics, wore a red shirt, and voted for him to go to de Legislature. Him was lected dat time bu-b never cared for it no more. tt~deljne t long to d e church . Always after me to j me but I can t be- lieve dore is an~rbhing to it, though I believes in de law and de Ten Command nents. Preacher calls me a iz~tidel. ~t4,~ help it. They is maybe got me figured out wrong. I believes in a GreatSpirit but~in n~ time, I is seen so rnatiy good dogs and hosses and so n~any mean niggers and white folks, dat I clar ~I is confused on de subject. Then I can t believe in a hell and everlastin brimstone. I just think dat people is lak grains of corn; clerc ls:some good crains and some rotten grains. Dc goodgrains is res rected, de rotten grains never sprout again. Good people come up again and flourish in de green ~ . fields of Eden. Bad people U9: O~e Up~. ~Deir bodies and bones just make phosphate guano,.. round de roots of de ever bloornin tree of ife. They lie so much in dis wor~4, maybe de Lord will just make tile? soap out of them. What you think else they would be fit for? (~ )

Interview with ex-slave age 88-90. 134 131

project~1655 390344 FOLKLORE .i3~ i~artha S. Pinckney Charleston, S. C. ~ Approx. 660 words INTERVIEW ~ITH EX-SWTE Age 88 90 ~ry Franoes Brown is a typical prc duot of the old school of trained house servante, an u.nusual delicate type, somewhat of the Indian cast, to which race she is related. She is always clean and neat, a re?ined old soul as individuals of that o las s often are . Her memory, sight and hearing are good for her advanced age. Our home Marlboro. Mas Luke Turnage was my master - Mar1boro-Faotory~ Plantation ~anie tBeauty Spot . !~r inissis was right particular about neat and clean. She raise me for a house girl. ~r znissis was good to me, teach me ebbery ting, and take the Bible and learn me Christianified manners, charity, and behaviour and good respect, and it with me still. We didn t haveany hard times, our owners were good to us - no over share (overseer) and no whippint he couldn t stan that. I live there tu two year after freOdom; how I come to leave, my mother sister been sick, and she ask mother to send one of us, an she send me. ~1~r mother been Miss Nancy cook. Miss Nancy was 1~s Luke f s mother - it take me two years learning to eat the grub they cook down here in Charleston. I had to learn.to eat these little piece of meat ~ we had a dish full of meat; the big smoke house was lined from the top down.. (Describiri~ how the meat hung) I riebber accustom to dese little piece of meat, so ~ what dey got here. MiSais, if you know smoke house, didn t ~ you find it hard? ~r master had tu he didn!t know what to do with. ~ white ; people were Gentile. (lier tone implied that she considered them the acme of gentle foflcs ). I don t ktiow what the other people were name that didn t have

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Pro j ect #1 6 55 FOLKLORE ~ ~rtha S. Pinckney 132 Charleston, S. C. Page 2 as much as we had but I know my people were Gent11e~ Just here her daughter and son appeared, very unlike their mother iI~ type. The daughter is quite as old looking as her mother; the S()fl, a rough stevedore. When the writer suggested that the son must be a comfort, she looked down sadly and sa d in a low tone, as if soliloquizing, He way is he way. Going back to her former thought, she said, All our people were good. i~s Luke was the worse one. (This she said with an indulgent smile) Cause he was all the time at the 4ee ground or the jair ground. Religion rules Heaven and Earth, an there is no religion now harricanes an washin -aways is all about. Ebberything is change. Dis new name what they call grip i~ pleurisy cold putrid sore~throat is called sornothin yes, diptheria. Cuttin (surgery) come out in l9l1~ They kill an they cure, an they save an they loss. ~~T OEran nia trained with md lane she bin a Thd ian, an Daniel C. icC&ll bought her. Sht nebber loss a baby. (the first Indian relationship that the writer can prove)~ You 1~ow Dr. Jennings? Ebberybody mus know him. After he examine de chile an de mother, an ee airight, he h ld de flurse responsible for any affection (infection) that took place. Ohs I know de spiritual but Tvljssis, my voice too weak to sine deyaint in books; if I hear de nam~ I can sing The Promise Land , Oh, how Mas Joel Easterling (born 1796) use to love to sing datl

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Project #1655 ~rtha S. Pinokney Charleston, S. C. FOLKLORE Page 3 133 t, I am bound for de Promise Lands Ohi who will arise an go with me? I am bound for the Promise Lands Itve got a niother in the Promise Land, j~~r mother calls me an I mus go, To meet her in the Promise Lands SOURCE: ~ry F~ranoes Brown, Age 88-90, s. . East Bay Street, Charleston,

Interview with an ex-slave. 137 134

\~ 390005 4 Project ~1655 ~ FOLKLORE Cassels R. Tiedeman Charleston, s. C. INTERVI~N WITH !%}I EX4 SL&VE Mary Frances Brown, about ninety sears of age, born In slavery, on the plantation of Luke Turnage, In Marlboro County, was raised as a house~servant and shows today evi.. denee of most careful training. Her bearing Is rather a gentle ref1n~d type, seemingly untouched by the squalor In which she lives. She willingly gives freely of~her small store of strength to those around her. _~ Her happiest days tern to have been those of her early youth, for when she was questioned about the present times, and even about those closely associated with her today she sowed her head and said: Deir way is deir way. 01 let me tell yo~ now, de world is In a haad (hard) time, wust (worse) den it eber (ever) been, but religioni It eberywhere in Hebben an in de ert (earth) too, If you want em. De trouble is you am t want em; t e right dere jes de same but de time done pass when dis generation hold wid anyt Ing but de debbul. When I a gal, grown up, I had a tight missus dat raise me, you hab to keep clean round her, she good t kind ant I lub her yet, but dont t you forgit to mind what she say. My massa, he t .OW flO whipping on de plantation, he talk heap an he scold plenty, but den he hab to. Dere was haad time for two year after de war was ober (over) but after dat it better den it is now. Dis is de wust time eber. I amt t eber git us e to de WI tUe (victual ) you hab down here.

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135 Project #-1655 . Page - 2 Casse .s R. Tiedeman Charleston, S. e. I lib ober Mount Pleasant twenty five year after I come from de old place up Marlboro, de~n I come to Charleston. It Dey wer e happ y t irne ba ok dere . My ma s s a he i~n round ebery way, spend plenty money on horse race, he gib good time to eberybody ant tell us we mus tek good care of de mis sus when he alntt dere. An de wittles we hab I ain t nebber see de la k no t line . ~ Dein we re de t ime s to lib I old now but I ~ forglt what my missus lam (learn) me. It ri~ht here in me.~ . Mary France s was a sked 1f she could sing spin tua . s The following ie one that she sang in a very high pitched wavering voice and then she complained of shortness of breath on account of her heart. . We got a home obe r der e, Come an let us go, Comean letusgo, Where pleasure neber (never ) die . Chorus : Ohi let us go where pleasure neber die, Neber die, Come and let us go, Where pleasure neber dies neber die. Mother is gone ober dere, Mother Is gone ober dere, Where pleasure neber die, . ~ :: Where pleasure nebe r die . ~ . S chorus; ~ ~

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~roject #-1655 Page 3 Cass~1s R. Tiedeman Charleston, s. C. Father Is gone ober dere, Father is gone ober dere, where pleasure neber die, Where pleasure neber dies Chorus: lister is gone ober dere, Sister Is gone ober dere, Where pleasure neber die, Where pleasure nober dies Chorus: Brudder Is gone ober dore, Brudder Is gone ober dore, ~Vhere pleasure neber die, There pleasure neber dies Chorus: Source: Interview with Mary Frances Broii~rx, 83 East Bay St., Charleston, S. C. (age 90) 136

Mom Sara Brown. 140 137

od.e 1go. Ito. ~ ~ PToJeot, 1885~(1) Reduced from___ Prepared. by Annie Ruth Dayja Rewritten by~ Place, Marion, 8.0. ___________________ Date, July 8, 1937 ~age 1. MOM 8ARA BROWN Ex $lave 85 years 390174 Oh, ray GodS, d~e doctors have me In Blavery time. Been here tie startin of d~e lrst war. I belong to d~e Oueaao dat live ~L5 miles low ? .orenee on d~e road what take you on to Georgetown. 3: reeolleots de Yankees come d.ere in de month of Jane en tree de colored peoples.7 My white folks give me to de doctors in dem days to try en learn me for a nurse, Don know exactly how old I was in dat day en time, but I can tell you what I done. My Lord, hj34,oan tell dat. Oouldn never tell how many baby I bring in dia world, dey oome 80 fast. I betoha I got more den dat big square down dere to de eourthoume fall of em. I miras 13 head. of ohillun in one family right here in dis town. You aee dat all I ever did. have to do. Wae learnt to do dat. De doctor tell me, eay, when you ash to a 1om*n, don younever heeltate to go en help her en you eave da1 baby en dat mother both. Dat what I le alwaye try to do. Heap of de time juet go en let em pay me by de chance. Oh, my Lord,. a oman birth one of dem babies here bout two weeke ago wid one o~ dem veil over it taoe. De Lord. know what make d~at I don but dem kind of baby eho wiser den de e other kind of baby. Dat thing look just like a thin akin dat stretch over de baby face en come ~own low it s chin. Have to take en :pul:L it back over it s forehead en den de baby can ~- eee en holler ai . it ever want to. My blessed, honey, wish

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Code No. No. Word.s ~ ~ ~ . ~ . Project, 1886~(1) Reduced. fr~i~d~s Prepared. by Annie Ruth Davis Rew~jtten by~ P laO e Maxion S O . . ____________________ 138 Date JUly 8 :i. 937 p age 2~ ~ i: had many a dollar as I see vet . over baby face3 Sho know aLL bout dem kind. o~ thinge. Oh, honey, I tell you d.e people bless dia day en ~t1me. Don know nothin bout how to be thank~a1 enough ~or what dey have dese dayR. I tel , de tru~th de peopleesho had. to ecratob bout en make what dey had In slavery time. Baby, dey plant patches o:~ okra en parch dat en make what coffee dey have. Den dey cou n get no shoes like dey hab dese days neither. Jast make em out of de hide of d.ey own oows dat dey butcher right d.ere on de plantation. Coase d~e peoples had. plenty sometin to eat like meat en turkey en chicken en thing like d.at. Oh, my G~od., could.n eee de top of de smoke house for ai . de heap of meat dey have in dem timea. ~n milk en butter, honey, dey d.id.n never be widout plenty o~ dat. De peoples bout here dese days axes ten cents a quart for eweet milk eu five cents a quart for ol sour olabber. What you think bout dat? Dat how.~.oome people have to hunt jobs so imioha dese days. Have to do some sorts work cause you know dey got to put sornetin ~ in dey mouth eomewhe or another. Oh, my child, slavery days was troublesome times. 8ugar en salt never run free wid. de peoples den neither. I know de day been here when sait was so scarce dat dey had. to go to de seashore en get what salt dey had. . I gwine to tell you all bout dat. Dey hitch up two horses to ai wagon en den dey make another horse go in front of

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o ode :N~o ~ No Words ~ Project, 1885.( .) Rednoeci. f~m ~r~je Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by~~ Place, Marion, S.C. ___________________ :L39 Date, July 8, ~L937 ~ ~ d~e wagon to rest d.e other horses long d.e way. Dey mostly go bout on a Monday en stay three ~aye. Boil aat salty water down dere en fetch two en three of dem barrel of salt back wid. em d~ey get dat way. lt was just like d~ie, it take heap of salt when d~ey had d.em big hog.~ki11in d~ays. En d.e sugar, d~ey make dal too. )Ilade d~e sugar in 111 blocks dat dey freeze just like dey freese ice dis day en.~time. I know dey do dat know it. Dey make molasses en some of it would be lighter den de other en dey freeze dat en make de prettiest 111 squares just like de ice you see dese days. Dey have sometin to freeze it in. Dis here oI~t black mammy know heap of things you am never hear bout. Oh, baby, de . peoples eho bless dese days. Oh, my God, de colored peoples worship to de white folks church in slavery time, You know dat Hopewell Church over de river dere, dat a slavery ohureli. Dat whe J go to oburch den wid. my white folks. I had a lii chair wid. a cowhide bottom ~ d~at I always take V I go wid me. If I went to ohuroh, dat chair go in de carriage wid. me en den I take it in de church en set right by de side of my Miss. Dat how lt was in slavery time. Oh, my Lord, dere a big slavery people graveyard. dere to dat Hopewell Church. Honey, y~ mind. 1f I smoke my pipe a lii whilst I settin here talit ln wid you. I worry so much wid. d~I~ high blood dese

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Code No. ito. ~ Projeot, 1885~..(1) Reduceci ~m Prepared by Annie Ruth Dayj~ Rewritten by~ Place, Marion, S.C. ___- . 140 Date,Juiy 8, 1937 Page 4. ~ d~ays en a ringin In my ears dat my pipe de only thing d.at does seem to satisfy my soul. I tell you dat high blood a bad. thing. It get such a hold. on me awhile back d.at I oouldn d.o nothin, oould.n pick cotton, oould,n say my ~ nie, oouldn1 even say, GodS a mighty - thing pretty. Oh, I d~on know. I start smokin pipe long time ago when I first start nur~1n babies. Had. to do sometin like dat den. 1go, Lord, I never believe nothin bout dat but what God put here. I hear some people sayd.ey was conjure, but I doxi~ pay no attention to dey talk. Dey say somebody poison ein for sometin dey do, but .ere amT nobody do dat. God gwlne to put you down when he get ready. Am nobody else do dat. Oh, my Lord, I been here a time. I sho been here a time en I thank de Lord I here dis day en time. I oan thread my needle good as ever I could en I am have no epeok neither. ~ew night en day. De ohillun have dey lamp dere stud.yin en I hab my lamp dore sewin. My old Miss learnt me to sew when I s tay right in de house wid her all de time. I etay bout white folks all my life en dat how-come I so satisfy when I wid. em. ~ 8ouz~: Mom 8ara Brown, age 85, ex-slave, Marion, S.C. Personal interview, Jtine 1937.

Mom Sara Brown. 144 141

Code No. ~ rn. Project, U~5 (1) Reciuced fr~m words Prepared by nnie Ruth Davis Rewritten by ~ Place, Marion, S.C. ___________________ 141 Date, September 10, 1937 ~ - ~ -~- ~- . MOM BARt BROWN 390281 Zx-Slave, a5 Tears NI stay in house over dere cross Catfish Swamp on Miss Addie McIntyre place. Lives wid. dis granddaughter dat been sick in bed for four ieeke, but she mendin some now. 5he been mighty low, child. It start right in here ( ohest) en run down twixt her shoulder. She had. a tear up Co 4 too, but Dr. Dibble treat her en de cough better now. She got three ohillun dere dat come 3ust like steps. One bout like dat en another like dat en de other bout like di~.# NDe house we stay in a two room house wi4 one of dese end ohi~nney. All sleep in de same room en Qook en eat in de other room. My bed on one side en Sue bed on de other side. Put chil .un on quilts down on de floor in de other e~ of de room. Baby, whe S dem curtains you say you gwine give me ? I gw me hang de se up in Sue room. ~e y help me fix up de room nice en decent like.N It all on me to feed en clothe both dem obillun en de baby too. It just too much on me old as I is. Can do nothin worth to speak bout hardly dese days. Can hold my head down cause dis high blood worries me so ~uoh. It get too hot, can1 iron. Xf am too hot, I makes out to press my things somehow en sweep my yard. bout. Soifletimes I helps little bit wid doctor Case but no t often. Can wash de baby ein de mother but can

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Oo~ie No. .~ No.Worda_ Project, i~85. (1) ~eduoed fr ~tni words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Plaoe, Marion, 8.0. . ~ 142 Date, September 10, 1937 hge 2. do no etayin~ ~tp at night. No, baby, can do no settin up at night.W NI tries to oateh aU. what jittie I Can to help along cause c3.at how I ias raise up. Government truck bringe me little somethin once a month pack up in ~okagee like dry milk en oatmeal en potatoes. Give dat to all dem dat can work en am1 got nobody to help dem. Dat dry rnilk a good thing to mix up de bread wid en den it a help to fix little milk en bread for dem two little ones. De potatoes, I stews dem for de ohillun too. Dey mighty fond of dem. Now de oatmeal, de ohillun don eat dat so I fixes it ~or 5tie en~ every now en den I takes a little bit wid my breakfast. ~ ~ don! know much what to tell you bout Abraham Lincoln. I think he was a mighty great man, a mighty great man, what I hear of him.fl NI remembers de Yankees come dere to my white folks plantation one day en, child, dere was a time on dat place. 11 dem niggere ~ s just a kickin up dey heels en shoutin. I was etandin dere on de piazza lookin at dem en I say, I don see why dey want to carry on like dat for. I been free all de tise ! Then dey get through de Tanke es tell dem dey was free as dey lassa ias en give dem so many bushels of corn en 80 flUCh meat for de y own. Some take de y p i .e en go on off en some choose to stay on dere wid. dey Missus. She ~s good

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Ood.e No. No. Words_____ Project, 1~5~..(1) Reduced f~ ~i~words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Reithtten by~ Place, Marion, 8.0. . ___________________ 143 Date, September 10, 1937 P~g ~L ~ to ai . her colored people en dey stay on dere for ~.rt de crop. Give dem so much of de crop accordin to de chillun dey had to feed. I know dis much, dey all know dey gwine get 12 buBhels of corn a year, if dey am get no more. Dat a bushel every month. Tes, dat how it was. so Lord, baby, I don know a thing bout none of dat thing Call conjurin. Don know nothin bout it. Dart de devil work en I am bother wid it. Dey say some people can kill you, but dey am bother me. Some put dey trust in it, but not me. I put my trust in de Lord cause I know it just a talk de people have. No, Lord, I can remember dat neither. j hear dein say Raw Head. en Bloo6y Bone s would catch you if you be bad, but how it started, I dont know. I know I don know nothin bout how dey look en I don want to see dem neither. No, child, people say dey ho to be, but I am see none. How de y look I don know SI don know what to think bout de times dese days. De times worse den dey used to be, child, You know dey worse. Dis here a fast tise de people livin on cause everybody know de people die out heap faster den dey used to. Don care how dey kill you up. No, child, dey sho woreer. My people en yunnah people. Don it seem so to you dat dey wo~8er? ~ WBaby, I got to get up from here en leave noi cause I huntin medicine dis mornin. I am got time to tell you nothin else dis time, but I gwine get my sind fix up on it

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Gode No. No. Words______ Project,1$85-(1) Reduced f~m words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.O. ~ - -------~- .- ~- i~ate, September 10, 1937 hge k. en den your old black mammy comm back fore long en stay all day wid you en your mamma. What time dat clock say it flow, honey? I got to hurry en catch de doctor fore he get away from his office en be so scatter bout till nobody can tell whe he is. Dr. Dibble a good doctor, a mighty good doctor. When he come, don never come in no hurry. Takes pains wid you. Dat been my doctor. I ~e just devoted to him. Source: Mom Sara Brown, ex-slave, age 85, Marion, S.C. Second Re~port. Personal interview, September, 1937 by Annie Ruth Davis, Marion, S.C.

(Some recollections of 'the Reb time day' given by Aunt Margaret Bryant). 148 145

Pro.~eat #~1655~.~ : 390209 FOLKLORE . :145 Ifrs. - enevieveJL~Ch nd1er Murrells Inlet, S. C. Geo rg et own County (Some recollections of The Reb Time day given by Aunt Margaret Bryant) Visitor: ttHow are you Aunt Margaret ? Margaret: tMissus, I ain t wuthi I ain t wuthi Visitor: Aunt Margaret you ve been here a long time. How old are you? Margaret: I can t tell you my age no way in the worldl V~1hen freedom come, I been here. Not big nuff (enough) for work for the Rob, but I been here Reb time. Been big nuff (enough ) to know when Yankee gun.boat come to Watsaw (Wachesaw ) . Whole gang t Yankee come to the bous e and d cm1 t do a thing but Ice teh ( cat ~h ) a gen g o ~ fowl and gone on. And tell the people (meaning the slaves) to take the house and go in and get what they want. Theobersheer (overseer) hear the Doctor whistle t o the gate and wabe (wave ) him ha ck And then the Doctor know the Yankee been there and he gone on to the ore ek house and get all he gold and ting (thing ) out the house and gone -- Marion till Freedom then he come back. Yankee come in that night. Moon shine lak a day Stay in the Doe t or hous e that ru gh t Morning come, take a gang of fowl and gone oni ~ Visitor: Aunt Margaret, what was your name before you were married?

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Project #-1655 Page - 2 Mrs~. Genevieve \w. Chandler Iviurrells Inlet, S. C. George town County Margaret : ~ One ~rother and si ster? I ai n t one when I come here. Ain t meet aunty, uncle - none. Me and my brudder Michael wuz twin. I ain t meet none when I come here. All been sell. Me and my Ma One here. i~iary One. Husband title, husb.and nichel (initial) been One.t Number one carpenter give em that name Michael One - and. he gibe tem th~.t name. Born Sandy Island. ~ Been to landing to Watsaw when gun~boat come. Just a sneak longL Boat white. Hab (have) a red chimbley (chininey.) Didntt try to carry we off. Tell em Go and help youself. Been after the buckra. (The Yankee trying to catch the buckra ) I see my Ma dye with some bush they call indigo, and. black walnut bark. Big old pen for the sheep - folds. My Pa sister, Ritta One had that job. Nuss (nurse) the chi 1 lun 0h11 lun hous e . One woman nu s s (nur s e ) all the chillun while they ma in the field - rice field. All size chillun. Git the gipsy (gypsum) weed. Beat tem up for worm. Give ~ when the moon change. Take a buck et and follow dem. And tell the iDoctor how much a worm that one ma he and t hat one ai d count dem ( them ) . When the moon change do that. i have one born with caul. Loss he caul. Rat carry em. Ain t here; he see nothin. (The custom seems to be, 14G

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Project#-.1655 . Page - 3 14~ Mr s. Genevieve L. ~ Ch n dl er Murrells Inlet, S. C. George town County to preserve the eau.) Child born feet ~ see turn too. (See spirit) ttTalk chillun? Put dub switch. Put you Bull pen. Hab tam (have them) a place can t see you hand befoele you. Cari t turn round good in there Left you in there~. till morning. Give you fifty lash and send you to work. You ain t done that task, man and woman 1ick~ Couldn t manage my nia. Obersheer (overseer) want to li ck ma Mary One say t Going drownded me self ~ I done my world Fore I take a lick, rather drownded meself.~ Obersheer gone tell the Doctor. Ti0 her long rope. Right to Sandy Island. Man hold the rope. ~ Jump in river. So Doctor say, you too good labor for drown. Take dem (therri ) to Wat saw ~ Me and she and man what paddle the boat Bring her to weave Two womans fuh card; two spin. Ma wop tem- off. Sail duh sheckel (shuttle) through there. POU. buekra come there and buy cloth from Ma. Buy three and four yard. Ma sell that, have to weave day and night to make up that cloth to pleas4 pbersheer. Come big day time. Little chillun, whey (where) Mama? Tell em Ma to the weaving haus e ~ t have mono y fuh pay Bring hog and su oh like a s tha t t o pay . UYou know Marse Allard age? Me and Marse Allard suck

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Project #-1655 ~ . Page - 4 148 Mr s ~. Ge nevi eve W. Chand le r Murrells Inlet, S. C. Georgetoiivn County together. 1~Ie and Iviarse Allard and my brudder Michael. My ma fadder mlx wid (with) the Injun. Son Larry Aikens. Stay Charston (C3aarlestown). J~8t as cleani (Meaning Larry, her Uncle, very bright skin. Mixed with Indian.) See tem the one time. Come from Charston bring D6ctor two hTse.tt Given by Aunt Margaret Bryant Age - (Born before Freedan) Murreils Inlet, S. C. I

Savilla Burrell, ex-slave. 83 years. 152 149

!~ ~ ~ ~ ~ r ~ ~:7 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Projeot#1655 390179 j... ~ :~ ~ w. w. D1xoz~. ~ ~ 4 ~) ~linnsboro, S. C. : ~ ~ ~ y~s. Our preacher, Beaty, told me that you wanted to see me today. I walked three miles dis mornixi before the suri gits hot ~o di house. Ois house is ire, grand daughter s house. Willie Qaldwe .1, her husband1~work dawn to de cotton mill Him make good money and take good care of her1 bless the Lord, I say. ~ ~My Marster in slavery time was Captain T m Stur. He had bi~ plantation dow~i dere on Jackson Crick. 1~r Mistress name was ~ry Mm, though she wasn t his fust wife~ jest a second wife, and a widow when she captivated him. You know widows is like dat anyhow, cause day done had ~ sperience wid mens and wraps dem ro~d their littl~e finger and git dein under their thumb~fo$~the mens knows what gwine ~ Young gals have a poor ch&nce against a young widow like Miss Mary ~nn was. lier had her troubles with Marse Tom after her si-b him, I tell you, but maybe best not to tell dat right nOw anyways . Mar$e Torn had four chillun by his Lust wife, dey was John, Sam, Heuretta and I oan t member de naine of the other one; least right now. Dey teached me to call chillun three years old, young Marse and say ~ Missie. Dey ithip you if dey ever hear you say old Marse or old ~issie. Dat riled d~em. t ~ . ~ ttM~r pappy name Sam, My mother name Mary. i~y ps.ppy did not 117e OX)~ the same plaoe as mother. He was a slave of de Hamiltons, and ~ he g~t a pass. sometimes to come and be With hers not often. Graudmairm~ name ester aud she belonged. ~bo our Marse Tom 8t~ll, too. ~

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ttDey sell one of ma ~ ohillun once, and when she take ou and. cry bowt; it, Marse say, stop dat sniffin dere if you don t want to git a whipp in . She grieve and cry a ~ nighb bout it . Clothes t Yes Sir Us half naked all de time. Gro~wn boys weitt tround bare footed and in dey ~hir-b tail all de suinrner.tt ~ ~ . . ~*Marse was a rich man. Fore Christmus dey would kill thirty hogs and after Christmus thirty more hogs ~ He. had a big gin house and sheep goats, ;..~ ~ cows, mules, hosses, turkeys, geese, and astallion; I members his naxtte, Sbook ~ ~: . ~ ~ - Foot . ~ Us 1it~le niggers was skeered to death of dat stallion. Mothers used to say to ehillun to quiet dem, Better hush, Stock nt_Foot will g t you . az~ tramp you doiivn. t Any child would git quiet at d~t. ~ ~ ~ . It Old Marse was de daddy ~ of some n~ilatto chilluu. ~ De lations wid .t~m th~rs or dese ohillun ~s what give so much grief to Mistress. ~e neighbors would talk 1bout it and he would sell all dem ohillun away from de~ mothers to a trader. ~r Mistress would cry boi~t dat. - doctor __ - -- J sozt ui~law, Dr. Martin, I pen )um ~ ~ sla.ves oastor o~f b1eed dem . ~ : fl%15 lived iz~ a log cabin wird a stick ohinniey. One time de sticks got afire and burnt a big hole lu de back of de chimney in oo) winter time wid the w~itd blowing, and dat house was filled wid fire-sparks, ashes, and smoke for weeks tfore dey tore dat ohiimiey down and built another jest like the old one. De bed was nailed to de side of de walls. How many rooms? Jest one room,tt tiNever seen any money. How many slaves? So many you couldn t count dem. Dere was plenty to ea~sioh as it was, but in the summer time before us~ git dere to eat de flies would be all over de food and some wa~ swiirimin in de grai,y end milk pots . Marss laugh bout dat ahd say, it made us fat.

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.~... ~ ~ ~ .~ ~ ~ : ~ :~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~. : ~~ ~. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~. ~ ~ ~ -3 - some t lines and make dem take pills . SUs looked for the Yartkees OU dat placelike us look now for and de host of angels at de second comint Dey come one day in Dey took everything earryable off de plantatiGn and burnt de stables, barns, gin house auddey left the slave houses. ~ ~ Lfter de war I ~rry Osborne Burrell and live on de Tom Jordan place. I se de moth~r of t~relve chillurl. Jest three living ~ I lives wild the Mills family three miles bove town. M~j ~ got killed at de DuPont Powder Plant at Hopewell3 Virginia, during de World ~ War. Dis house ~OU settiti in belongs to Charlie Caldvrell. Re marry my grand daughter, Willie B. She is twenty~three years old. Young ~arse Sam Still got killed in de Civil War. Old Marco live on.. I went to see him in. his last days and I set by him and kept de flies off while dere. I see the lines of sorrow had plowed on dat old face and I membered h d been a captain . on hos s back in dat war It come into my tmembr9~XIoe de song of Moses; de Lord had triumphed glorily and de hoss and his rider have been throwed into de seafl. ~ YOU been good to lisk. Dis is the fust time I ~can git to : speak my mind like dis mornill All de ~ seem rimnin here and yonder, aft r dis ~nd after dat Dere is a nudder old. slave I se qwifle to b*~ng ; . ~ hi~ do~wn ~ here Saturday and taUc to you again. de Savior February. big house, 151~ . ~ ~ ~.j ~ ~ ~. ~ : ~

Stories from ex-slaves. 155 152

Project 1885-1 ~ 152 FOLKLORE ~fl ~fl Edited by: Spartanbur~, s.c. %#~ ~ Elmer ~urria~e Sept. 15, 1937 STOF~IES PROM J~X.-SLAVES I v~orks on de shares arid makes a Lair living on a rented farm; don t own no land. I vvas born in ~~e ~vberry County, near de old Longshore store, about 12 miles northwest ~ Nevvberry Courthouse on de Henry Burton place. My parents belonged. to Henry Burton in slavery time. He was our marster. I married Betty Burton, a ni~er girl whose parents below~ed to 1 Jarse Henry Burton, too. ~e had a good marster arid mistress. Dey give us a good place to sleep arid lots to eat. He had a big our.~acre garden where he raised lots of ve~etab1es ~er his slaves. He had plenty meat, mo1as~ ses and bread. ~e ground our corn arid v~heat arid made our own feed. ItMarster wouldn t let anybody bother his slaves. :~e wouldr t lcw his overseers or de padrollers to whip ein. He never whipped one. ;~e had no school and no church; but was made to go to de white roiks church and set in de ~allery. Then Freedom come, de r~i~gers be~in to ~it dere own church, and. built small brush huts called ~ bru$h ~arbors . 7e didn t do work on Saturday arternoons, but went hunting arid fishing den, while de ~omen iolks cleaned uj~ around de place fer Sunday. De marster liked to hunt, arid he hunted foxes which was plenty around dere den. Now dey is all gone. Vie danced and had gigs. Some played de fiddle ~d some made whistles from canes, having dif~erent lengths ~or different notes, and blowed em like mouth organs . ~ Source; C.B. Burton (79), Newberry, S.C. . Interviewer: G.L. St~mmer, Newberry, 5.0, (9/10/37)

George Ann Butler. Ex-slave. 75 years. 156 153

~~e;t ~ e;~ Folklore ~ ~* I 1 3 Phoebe Fauc tte . Hampton County GEORGE ANN BUTLER ExSIave 75 Years West of the paved highway at Garnett one may reach., after several miles, the old Augusta Road. that fd11ow~ along the Savannah River from Augusta to a landing point a little south of Garnett, Miles from the busy highway, it passes, in quiet majesty, between fields and woods, made rich by th&river s overflow and heavy dews. Nature has done her best in produc~ Ing beautiful evergreen trees of immense size and much luxun ant shrubb ery of many kinds ~ Live oaks magnolias, yellow slash pines, hollies, and many evergreen shrubs keep the woods even in winter, a fascinating wilderness to hunters and nature lovers. On this road George Ann Butler lives, and has lived for the seventy-five ~years of her life. Ii was born an raised on de Greenwood place. It belonged to oie man Joe Bostick. He owned all Jdese places long dese here road. He own de Bostick place back yonder; den he own de Pipe reek place next dat; den Oaklawn; den joinin dat . was Greenwood. De Colcockts Elxnwood was next. My Husband was birth right here on de Pipe Creek, an been here ever since. He kin tell you riioretn I kin. I was George Ann~Curry before I marry. I can t remember so much bout slavery time. I was crawlin over de floor when slavery time ~ dey tell me. But atter de war, I membera. Cou 4n t find no oor~ seeds Couldn t find no cotton seedi Couldn t find no salti You k~owe it was hard times when dere wasn t no salt to seaso* de

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Project #- 1655 Page 2 Phoebe Faucette Hampton County vegetables. fiad to go down to de salt water an get de water an boil it for salt. Dat been a long way from here. Must be flft7 or sixty nillel An dey couldn t go so fast in dein days. Sufferin been in de neighborhood atter de war pass L Cotton was de thing~way back yonder. An right long dis road dey d haul it. liaul it to Cohen s Bluff& Haul it to Matthews Bluff& Haul it to Parichuclal Don t haul it dis way no morel Sexid de cotton to de raliroadi But in dein days it was de ships dat carried it to Savannah. Cotton seem to be play out now - dey plant so much. I hear em tell bout de war, an havin to drill an step when dey say step ~ throw up dey. hands when dey say throw up de band. Everythinghad to be done jes sol D. wax was sure a terrible thing. Source: George Anne Butler,R. F. D. Garnett, 8. C. V 0

Isaiah Solbert Butler, ex-slave. 79 years. 158 155

390392 project 1655 FOLKLORE 155 ~ Phoebo Faucette Hampton County .~i?) ~~1bert .~ / ISAIAHABUTLER, EX-SLAVE 79 YEARS ~Yes, dis is Isaiah Butler, piece of him. Aintt much left of him now. Yes, I knows all bout dis heah country from :1 ay back. I was born and raised rlgfht on dis same place here; lived here all my life sides from travellin round a little space. Dore ~ as a rice field not far fromdis house here, v;here I plo~ed up more posts that had been used as landmarkst Dis place was de Bostick place, and it jined to de Thomson place, and de Thomson place to Edmund Liartin s place dat was turned over to Joe Lawton, his son~in~law. Bill Daniel had charge of de rice field I was telling you bout. ne was overseer, on de Daniel Blake place. Den dere was de 1~aner place, de Trowell, de Kelly, and de Wallace places. Back in dem times dey cultivated rice. Had mules to cultivate itL I~ut cotton and corn was what dey planted most of all; 4,000 acres I think dey tell me was on dis place. I know it supposed to be more than ten miles square. I~obody know de landmarks tcept me. ~hen de Bostick boys came back from out west last year, dey had to come to me to find out ~~rhere dere place was. Dey didn t know nuttint bout it. Dey used to use twenty plow, and de hoe hands was over a hundred, I know. I member when de Yankees come throup~i. I was no more n a lad, nine or ten years old. Bostick had a big ginhouse, barn, stables, and such like. And when de soldiers come a goat was up on de platform in front of de door to de loft of

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Project #-1655 P~e - 2 156 Phoebe Faucette Hampton County de barn. were were some steps leadin up dere and dat goat would walk up dem steps same as any body. De fuss thing de Yankees do dey shoot ~ dat goat . Den dey start and tear up eberyt ing. All de white folks had refug~UP North, and dey didn t do nuttint to us niggers. ttpore dat time I was jes a little boy too young to do nutt ~ Je s played arouii in de street 01e Mr Ben Bos~~ tiek used to bring clothes an shoes to u.s and see dat we was well cared for. Dore was nineteen houses in de street for us colored folks Dey w~iz all left by de soidiers But in de year 1882 dere come a cyclone (some folks call it a tornado), and knocked down every house; only left four standing Pie ce s of clothe s and Ings were carried for four or five miles fromhere. It left our~ house; but it took everyt Ing we had :ct t OOk de wall s of de house., j e s ~ left de fioori& ant lt wuz turn round Took ~ ing L I ~.d jes b eeu mit~Pi ed ~ b out a year and *o know how dat i.s We j e ~ had to scuffle and scuffle roun till de Lord bless us. Dore wuZ plenty of deer, squirrel, possum, an rabbits in dem times; no more dan dere is now, but dere wuz no hinderance den as now. De deer come right up to my door now; dey come all trount dis house, exid we cqin t do nuttiil De other day 1~ . one wUZ~ over dere by dat pea~ohtree, an not long ago four of em etme walki~ti right through dis yard . I don t go fi shin ~ no m~ore ~ ~oik:s ~&7 de s tre~fl~S t s all dr~d up ~Bat I used t o be :~

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Page ~ 3 Project #~-1655 Phoebe Faucette Hcmpton County a good fisherman, me ~ me oie woman. She s spryer n me flow. used to allus protect her when we wuz young, an now its her dat s acarin for me. We had our gartens in de oie days, too. Oh, yes m. Little patches of couards, greens an t ini~s, but now I ain t able to do nuttin , jes hang ro n de piace here. tt1\1y father used to belong to General Eutier, Deiinls Butler was his name. My mother was a Maner, but originally she wuz draw out of de Robert estate. 01e B~n Bostick fuss wife wuz a Robert. Dey wu.z sure wealthy folks. One of cri went off to sail. Bill F. Robert wuz his name. He had so much money dat he say dat he goin to de end of de world. He come back an he say he went so close hell de heat draw de pitch from de vessel. But he lost his eyesight by it. V~a n t (tb was not) long after he got back dat he went stone blind. I~y oie boss, preacher Joe Bostick wuz one of de best of men. 11e wuz hard of hearin like I is, ant a good. oie man. But de oie lady, oie Miss Jenny she wuz very rough . She hired all de overseers, and she do all. Iftn anybody try to go to de old man wid anyt ing, shetd talk to em herself ant not let em see de old man. In slavery time de slaves wuz waked up every morning byd de colored over~driver blowin a hoin. Oleman Jake Chisoim wuz his name. Jes at daybreak, he d put his horn through a crack in de upper part of de wall to his house an blow it through dat crack. Den de under~ driver would go out an round em up.

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project #~- 1655 Page - 4 Phoebe Faucette Hampton County then dey done all dey day-~work, dey corne home an cook dey supper, ant wash up. Den dey blow de horn for tein to go to bed. Sometime dey have to out de fire an finish dey supper in de dark. De under-driver, he d go out den and see who ain t go to bed. He wouldn t say anyt ing den; but next mornin he d report it to de overaeer, ant dem as hadn t gone to bed would be whipped. My mother used to tell nie dat if a~iy didn t do dey day s work, dey d be put in de stocks or de bill-bo. You know each vm.z given a certain task dat had to be finish dat day. Dat what dey call de day-work. ~en dey put tern in de stocks dey tie em hand and foot to a stick. Dey could lie down wid dat. I hear of colored folks dom dat now to dere chillun when dey don t do. Now de bill-bo wuz a stabe (stave) drove in de ground, an~ dey tied dere hands and den dore feet to dat, st~ndin up. Dey d work on Saturday but dey wuz give Sundays. Rations wuz give out on Mondays. ~~dmund Lawton went over to Louisiana to work on de Catherine Goride place, but he come back, cause he say dey blow dey horn for work on Sunday same as any other day, and he say he t t t i to work on no Sunday . Dey dn t have a j ai I in dem times. Dey d whip tern, and dey d sell tern. Every slave know what, 11th put you in my pocket, sirL mean. De slaves would walk when deytd go anTwhere. If n dey buy a bunch of slaves in New Orleans, dey d walk by night and day. I member when one young girl come back frcm refugin vdd de white folks, her. feet ~ were jes ready to bu~ss. open, and dat wuz all.

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Project #-1655 Page ~ 5 159 Phoebe Faucette Ha~npton County~ You couldn t travel unless de boss give you a pass. De Ku Kiai had patrol all about in de bushes by de side of de road at night. And when dey caught you dey d ir~iip you almost to death! Deytd hca~sewhip you. Dey didn t run away nowhere cause dey knowed dey couldntt. Iftn you wanted to send any news to anybody on another plan tation, de overseer d write de message for you and send it by a boy to de overseer of de other p1~tation, and he d read it to de one you v r o t e t o . When de war wuz over, oie man Jones come over frui~i Georgia and sell t ings to decolored folks. He d sell em everyt ing. He took all de colored folks money! II learned to read when I .~ uz goin to school when I ~n~z about fifteen years old, but~ I learned most I know after I v~z married, at night school, over on de Morrison place. De colored folks had de school, but course Mr. Morrison was delighted to know dey v~z havin it. As for church, in de olden times, people used to, more or less, attend under de bush-arbor. In 1875 when I jined de church, oie man John Butler wuz de preacher. Ghosts? .I se met plenty of um! ithon I wuz courtin I met many a one One got me in de water, once. And another time when I ~ crossing a stream, I wuz on de butt end of de log, an dey wuz on de blossom end, an we meet jest as close as I is to you ~ now I say t o hirn same a s t o anybody I sure a t t

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Project #-1655 Page ~ e 16() Phoebe Faucette Ha;~ pton County ~Oifl to turn back and fall off cils log. Now de best t lng for ~ou to do is to turn round and let me corne atter (after) O you;. You jest got to talk to en~ same as to anybody. It don t pay to be fraid of tem. So he wheel round. (Spirits can wheel, you know.) And when he get to de end of de log, I say, Now you off and I off. You kin go on cross now. Dey sure is a t ing, all righti Dey look jest like anybody else, cept n itts jes cloudy and misty like it goin to pour down rain. But it don t do to be fraid of em. I am t t fraid ~f nuttin myself. I never see em no more. Guess I jes sorta out-growed tem. But dere sure is sech a t ing, all rightt De -~r~ite folks d see tem, too. I inanber hearin ole Joe Bostick, de preacher, say to a man, by de name of Tinlin, Did you hear dat hog barkin last night? ;~ell, de spirit corne right in de house, Come right up over de manti~piece. ~ v~uz in de field workin same as I allus j ~ done, and I hear d oie Joe horse a snortin . 01e Joe didn t want nuttin . He jest want to see whatI wuz dom . Abraham Lincoln done a .l he could for de colored folks. But dey cain t none of em do nuttin without de Lord. Source: Isaiah Butler, Garnett, S. C.

Solbert Butler. Ex-slave of 82 years. 164 161

161 Project #- 1655 . :~orv~77 Approx. 800 Words phoebe Faucette ~ ~ iiampt on County SOLBERT BUTLER EX. SLAVE OF 82 YEARS Lilies from the highway old Solbert Butler lives alone under the shadow of the handsome winter home of an aged northerner upon the same soil that he has se n pass from Southerner to Negro, to Southerner, to Northerner. Though shrunken and bent with age he still enjoys talking. _ UI lives in de Deer Country. A couple of months ago, I saw eight in a drove at one time, like a drove of sheep, or sech like. ~ can t raise nuthin round h;re. ~e~r l1 eat up your garden. And de wild turkeyL And de partridgel But you can t shoot em without de~~eIs give you a license to do it. Now he comm next month and clere 11 be more shootin I But he amt able to hunt none hiss~lf. He kin ride bout in de woods in de car. Dey are blessed people, thoughL Dis used to be de Bostick place. Old M1assa Ben Bostick lived fourteen miles from here. J-)ere was Ben Bostick, Iva Bos tick, Joe Bostick, ~Lr. Luthei~, ~ddie Bostick, an~ Jennie Jo Bostick. i)e place was divided up between em. O- oht I couldn t number de plantations old Mr. Bostick owned. I think he owr ed fifteen plantationst He was de millinery (millionaire)t Oh, de 130 sticks, 0-ohL ~ De house dey live in, dey call urn - ~ what was it dey call um - de Paradi Se house No one go to dat ~ house but only de rich. At Christmas dey d go up dere. And oh, I couldn t number iti Oh, it was paradise. he was good to ein. A~i he whip em gpod, toot Tie em to de fence post and whip em. But I

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project # 1655 Page - 2 Phoebe Faucette Hampton County . dldn thave anythint of dat. I was a little boy. Jes bout six year oldwhende warbroke out. But I got plenty of vihippln s aU r1~i~. Massa take me as a little boy as a pet. Took me right In de carriages Had a little bed ~Ight by his own aiI~ take care of me. ~very morning d~y bring in dey tray, ant go back. My uncle was a~carriage man. i~eykept two fine horses jes for de carriage. Massa d come up to de Street every Monday morn~ Ing with big trays of rations. 11e d feed his colored folk, den go on back. ~ . ~ (J4nother old ex-~slave from the same plantation had saId that on Mondays the week s rations were given out . ) ttDey planted cotton, corn, peas, potatoes, rice ~ an dey d lick youI ill. de time, d~ey d lick you. After ~dey d lick tem until de blood come out, den dey d rub de red. pep~e.r and sait on ~ em . ~ O1~ my . God L Kin yo say dem as ~ done s e eh as dat a mt gone to ~ reward? My uncle was so whIp he went Into de woods, an live dere for months, Had to learn de independent life. Mr. Aidridge was de overseer. Old Mr. Aldridge gone now. But dere can t be no rest for him. Oh my God no! He do em so mean dat finally oie Massa hear bout It. kid when he do hear bout it he dis charged him. H had everything cli s~ charged - to de colored driver. Den he got Mr. Ghisolm. After .~ Mr. Chisoim come in, everyti4nt j~e-s~t as sweet an smooth as c( ;tld be~ ~erets a uiee set of people for you ~. de Ohi~so1ms. ~

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Project#~1655 . Page ~ 3 163 fho~be Fauce tte Hampton County TIN O of ~ em 11 vin ~ n ow One a t Garne t t an ~ one a t Lur ay I be lieve. I refugeed wid ~iassa. Dey come together in Virginia. ~ Dey surrendered in Virginia. Set de house afire. And set all dey :~ouses. Dey burned Massa s cotton. Over 200 balesl But if n de color~d folks begged for some, dey let tem have some. I stayed right wid Massa. He carried me everywhere he went. Carried me all de way to ~uI1li Haven, Georgia. ?~Afte1i de war de colored folks jes took an plant de crop. an make do livin wid de hoe. ~)idn t have no mule, no ox, or thint like dat. ~hen oie Massa come back, he took de cotton, ant give de colored folks de corn. De Yankees kill all de hog. Kill ail de cow. Kill all de rowl. Left you ni~thin to eat. If de coloredfoik had any chicken, dey jes had te take dat an try to raise tem somethin to eat. flIt~sj a Methodist. I wac converted under&der Drayton come from Georgia at st. Luke i~1ethodist Church on de Blake Plantation. De Blake Plantation right dere. It jines dis one. J~e oie Methodist white folk s ch~irch where I was baptized been take down. it was called de Union Church. But de cemetery still dere. It right up dere not a mile down de road. Dere was a good oie preacher name of Rev. Winborn AsaLawton. Ant de camp meetint ~ Oh Lord, Lordi ers had over a thousand dere Come from Orangeburg. Come from Aikeni An~ com~way from CherawL Come from Charleston, Beaufort, and Savannahi . De colored folks

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project #~~!~655 phbebe F~u cette Hampton Oount~ Page~4 164 ~ot a church now up here on. what used to be de Pipe Creek place of oie Ben Bostick where de white folks used to have a Bapti~b church. De co1orec~. folks church call i.t Kenyon Cburch.~ Datts de church dey white folks moved to Lawtonville den to Estlil. Bu.t when de colored folks built, de~ built de church to face de Jiast. Built on de same foundation bu~ face ~t east, facing a little road dat had sprung up and wind round dat way right In close to de church. But de white folks church was face west, facing de Augusta road. Dat big space twixb de road and de church was a grove. Ghosts? :i: used~ to tem. I see em all de time. Good cornpanyL I live over clere 1~ myself, an dey cornes in my house all de time. Sometime I walk along at night an I see rem. A ~n when ~1Ou see tem you see a sight. De~ play. Dey da~i~e round 1 ~ouna . Dey haPPY all right . But de~ Il . devi I you t 00. When dey find out dat you scary, dey ll devil you.. Dey don t do o ~ ~ S nuthint to nie. Onl y talk to me. l~ll be in my house an dey ll come talk t o nie Or I Il be walkin down de road an mec t ein. Dey Il p~ s ~ de t ime of ~ aal wid me Like: - t Ue~y .$olbert 1 How far yOU goin ~ Solbert ? S f~j~ jes goin down de road a little piece ) l ll sai. : ~ tph~1ruht. S S S . S somei;ime deyt Il say, ~orniu~ Bolbert liow you 1

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projec:b #~1655 ~ Page 5 Phoebe Faucette Hampton County ttDey all favors. Dey all looks alike. You remembers when dst car come down de road jes now? W~11, I see a bunch of ein right dens Dey get out do road for dat car to pass . Oh, you can t see tcm. No matter how much I thowa t~ to you ~ you cantt see ~ But me I Dey swell wid I see t em al. I de time . De big house up dere. it full of ems. De white folks see em, too. Dat Is some of de white folks, I see de other day a white nian dat has to work up here start toward de house when de ghosts was COnIIn out thick. When I tell him you ought to see him turn ant ~ One of tem push me over in de ditch one time. I say, SNow ~iat you done da~ for?t t Well d~t amt ri~thin t Amt ni~.th1n . But don t you do dat no more. I talks to em j~ de sanie as if dey wa~ somebody . Some folks ut~rows em. But not nie, You have to be born to see t~j, I~ n you ~be born wrapped In de caul, you kin see tem. But i~ you amt, yO1.L can~t see S t Sour~ce: * o1b6)~t Butler, 82 years, R.F~D. Scotia, S. C.

Folk-lore: ex-slaves. 169 166

Projeot 1885 1 District ~4 ~ Spartaxiburg, S. C. May 31, 1937 POLK-.LORE : EX SLAVES I was born on the other side of Maybinton, in N~wberry County, South Carolina. Old. Squire Kenner was my master and his wife, Lucy, my mistress. My pa was Joseph Gilliam who was a slave of John Gilliam, and my mamma was Lou Kenner, who was a slave of Squire Kenner. I stayed with my maimna at Squire Kenner s and waited on my mistress, Mrs. Lu y Kenner, who was the best white woman I know of ~ just like a mother to me, wish I was with her now. I stayed there till my mistress died, was right by her bed. It sure was a good place to live. Dey didxitt give us money for work but we had enough to eat and place . . to sleep and a few clothes. Squire had a big farm he got from the Hancocks s orne of his kin. He idn t have ove rseers ; he looked after his ~n farms. Master had a big garden and give us lots from it to eat. We hunted possums, rabbits, squirrels, wild turkeys on the river. We lived right near Broad Rive r. HI remember de padderrolers; dey come to my pa s house and want to come in, but pa had an old musket gun end tole them if dey come in dey wouldn t go out alive end dey went away. After the day s work was doue, the slaves would set down and talk, a~d on Saturday afternoons, they would stay home, go fishing or wash tip, and sometimes the chaps would go; to de river and watch the ~oats full of cotton go by. On

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167; Sundays we go to church. They made us go to Baskets church, de white folks church, and set in the gallery. On Chrjs~jnas Day we would get tire off and master would give us good things to eat. We never had any corn-shuokings and cotton pickings there. Ail of the family and the, s laves do that work on moon-shiney nights. We had some games we played, like M lly Bright, Hiding Switches, Ma Thles. We played on Sunday, too, unless the mistress calls us in and stops us. When a slave got sick we sent for the doctor. We never put much store in herb root tea and such like. The Y~kees went through Maybinton but didnTt get over as far as us. Some say they stole cattle and burned ginhouses. Squire Kenner was killed in the war, aid when the war was over we stayed on with de mistress; she was like a maxima. She had a son who was killed in the war, too. ~Axiother son lived there and we worked for h~in after Mistress died, but he soon moved far away and sold out his plantation. His naine was Howsen Kenner. - I married Walter Cain at Mr. Walter Spear man s house, a good white man, ai~d the white folks give us a good supper after the wedding. I had one child, 2 grand children, end one great-grant~ohul d. I j olned the church b efore I married cause I wanted to do better, do right and live right, and get religion. 1 think ever~body ought to join the church and live right. That is the reason the Lord blesses nie in lots of ways today . We had good time in s lavery so netimes I wi eh I was back the re.~would have s omebody to take of you and h 3~p you . If my mistress was living I would rather be back in slavery. ~ ~ ~/ 8O~J~ E~t Grz~O~ ~ by~fr~, L. $~er,N~wbpy~~, -2

Stories from ex-slaves. 171 168

project 18~35-.1 POLE JORE ~~Qfl~39 ~dited by: 5partatabu~g Dist.4 ~U ~ Elmer Turna~e 5ept. 22, 1937 STORIES PROM EX.~SLAVES ~ ~ .~ i was born near the village o ~ Iv~aybinton, arid lived on old. Squire Kenner s plantation. Squire Kenner arid his wife, mistress Lucy, was good to me. My mistress was so good I wish I was 1ivin~ with her now, I sho wouldn t have such a hard time getting something to eat. I am old arid have rheumatism arid can t get about good now. Vt1 live with some of my grand children, but they can t make so much for us. Vie manage to eat, though. We rent a two~room house about two miles from Newberry Courthouse. tu don t know nothing about 40 acres of land or the slaves after the war. We just stayed on with the master tu he died, for wages; then we hired o tt to other people for wages. I don t know no~bhing bout slaves voting after the war. There was no slave up..~ risings then in our section. Ever siri e the war was over, the slaves have worked for wages on plantatio~is or moved to town arid got little jobs here and there where they could. Some of the slaves would rent small farms from land owners or work the farms on shares. None o ~ the slaves in our section come from Virginia. Source: Granny ~ Cain (90), Newberry County, S.C. Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. 8/10/37

Stories from ex-slaves. 172 169

Project 1885..1 390059 FOLKLORE ~di t e d. by: Spartanbur~ Dis t 4 Eimer Turnage May 24, 1937 STORIES PROM EX-SLAVES ~1 was born In Union County, S.C., not far from the Thrry on Tyger River . My mother was a slave of George R. Tucker who lived on the E~ioree fiiv r, I can t remember slavery times nor the war; but I remember about the end of the war when everybody was coming home. My mother was a weaver, going to the white folks houses arid weaving clothes for them ~or small pay. Carding and spinning was done by all the white families at home. The farms had. large gardens and raised most everything to eat. Large patches of turnips, cabbage and green vegetables was t he cust orn at t hat t ime Source: Laura Caldwell (77), Newberry, S.C. Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. May 20, 1937

Stories from ex-slaves (Caldwell). 173 170

project 1685-. . . ~ Folklore ) r1,1 ) ) Edited by: 5partanburg, Dist.4. ~ ~u~c- Elmer Turnage 7 Dec. 15, 1937 ~ f 1/ \ { ~ ! STORES FROM EX-SLAVES I own a little farm, about ~22 acres, arid I live on it wid my wife. I ain t been married but once, but we had 15 chilluns. Dey is all done married and leCt us. I is gittin~g so I can t do much work any more, specially plowing. I lives below Prosperity. I was born above dar, near Beaver Dam Creek on de old Davenport place. My daddy was Alfred Caidwell arid my mammy was Suella Cald..~ well. She was a Nelson. Dem and. me belonged to Marse Gillarn Daveri...~ port. Marse Gillam sho was rapid. I saw him whip my mammy till you couldn t put a hand on her shoulder and back widout touching a whelp. Marse Gillam killed a man and dey put him in jail in New. berry, but he died beTh de trial come oi~ ~. Atter dat, I was put in de hands of his son, Sam Davenport. Dis was atter freedom come. He was a purty good man, but my mammy was always careful . ~At night she say, Come in chilluns, I got to rasten de do ti~t.t We lived in a little log house den. When we moved from dar we went to ~r. Welch s place, jes dis side of it. De riiggers never had any churches till atter de war; den dey used brush arbors or some old broke~down log house. We never had schools den, not till later. I never had a chance to go a-tall. I member de Ku Klux and. how dey rid around in white sheets, killing all de niggers. De Bed Shirts never killed but dey sometimes whipped niggers. My daddy voted de Republican ticket den, but I know d two niggers dat was Dexno rats and rode wid de Red Shirts. Dey was old Zeb and old JeU Bozard. O 0 ~ ~ ~O o ~

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$tories Prom Ex~S1aves Page 2 171 We laad a bi~ camp meeting sometimes at a log house dat was called Hannah s Church . It was named Lor a ri1~ger man of slavery time. He bou8ht de land Lor de church when t~reedom come arid give it to dem. Dis church is on de other side of Bush. River, near Mr. BoulWare S place. In old tiraes we had plenty to eat dat we raised on de farm. ~e had gardens, too. We raised hogs and made our own tiour. ~e never vvorled on Saturday afternoons arid Sundays. On Christmas we got together ana triea to have extra things to eat, and maybe a ~fe~v drinks. In old times we had lots o corn~shuckiri~s and log~ro11-~ irigs. De nig~ers all around vvould come and help, den we would ~it a feast o~ lamb or pig that was cooked while we was working. ttsome old folks use to make medicines out of herbs. I member my ma would take fever grass arid boil it to tea arid have us drink it to keep de fever away. She used branch elder twigs and dogwood berries or chills. Another way to stop chills from Coining was to dip a string in turpentine, keep it tied around de waist and tie a knot in it every time you had a chill.. A~braham Lincoln was a good man. Seems like all de niggers loved him lots. I don t know much about Jefferson Davis. Booker Washington was a good man. I member he was once in Newberry arid I heard him preach in de old courthouse. ( ?) I joined de church when I was 12 years old.. In dein days de old folks made chillun go to church when dey was 12 years old, arid join den. Dat w~s de reason I joined. I was a Methodist but I joined de Baptist later, because, well, I saw dat was de right way. Source: Solomon Caidwell (73), Newberry, S.C. RPD Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. 12/7/3L

Nelson Cameron. Ex-slave 81 years. 175 172

project #1655 vi. W. Dixon, %)~7U~~ 1~2 ~jnnsboro, 8. G. NELZON CAMERON EX-SLAVE 81 YEARS. Nelson Cameron arid his wife Mary to gether with a wi dowed daughter, Rose, and her six children, live in a four room freine house, two miles south of Woodward, S. C., about sixty yards east of US highway #21. He cultivates about eighty acres of land, on shares of the crop, for Mr. Brice, the land o~ner. He is a good, respectable, cheerful old darkey, and devoted to his wife and grandchuldren~ s, Marse ~Vood Ned Walker a old Gaillard nigger says as how ho was down here t other day sellin chickens, ~ere he got them chickens I s not here for to say, and say you vanna see me. I s here befo you and pleads guilty to de charge dat I m old, can t work much any longer, and is poor and needy. I You sees dere s a window pane out of n~ britches seat end drainage holes in both my shoes, to let de sweat out when I walks to Bethel Church on Sunday. Whut can you and Mr. Roosevelt do for dis old Izra .lite a passixi thru de wilderness on de way to de Promise Landl Lak to have a little manna and quail befo I gits to de river Jordan. p, My old rnarster name Sain Bries. His wife, my mistress, tho fair as de lily of de valley and cheeks as pink as de rose of Sharon, is called Darkie s Dat always seem a misfit to ins. Lily or Rose or Daisy would have suited her much more better wid her laces frills fi ounc es and ribbons. Her mighty good to de slaves. Take deir part gmat de marster sometitce, when him want to wimp them. Sometime I sit on de door eteps end speculate in de moonlight~ whut de angels am like end everytime, my mistress is de pictare dat come into dis old gray head of mine You say yo u don t want p0 try,

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2. you wants facts? n Well here de facts : My mammy naine Clara. Don t forgit dat I come . back to her directly. My young mistress was Mise )~ggie. Her m~r~,y Marse Robert Clowney ; they call him Red-head Bob . Him have jet red hair Him was lected arid went to de Legislature once. No go back ; he say dere too much ding dong do-nuttin foolishness down dere for him to leave home end stay way from de wife and chillun half de wi~iter months. n Marss Sam never have so pow ful many slaves. Seem lak dere was more women end chillun than men. In them days, pa tell me, a whi4e man raise niggers just lek a men reise horses or cows. Have a whole lot of mares and pendin on other man to have de stallion. Tust thing ycu know dere would be a whole lot of colts kickin up deir heels on de placc~. Le.kwise a white man start out wid a few women folk slaves, soon him have a plantation full of little niggera runnin round in deir shirt-tails and a kickin up deir heela, whilst defr xnenunies was in de field a hoeing and geoing at de plow handles, workin lak a man. You ketch de point? 1.11 X s one of them lit~ tie niggers. My pa name Vender. Him b long to one of de big bugs, old Marie Gregg Cameron. Marie Gregg, him low, always have nior e money end niggers than you CO uld shake a stic k at more land than you could welk over in a day and more cuss words than you could find in de dictionary. His bark was woreer than his Pa was de tan yard i~n ; he make leather and make de shoes for de plantation. After freedom date, de way he make a livin for mammy and us ~ chillun was by makiri boot s and shoes end half sohn them for . white folks it Blacketock, 3. C . / iarae Sam BriC. mighty glad for ~znmy to contact sich a man tO be de pappy of her chilluno s. ~ live in a log house wid a little porch in front and de mornin ~ ~ . glory vines use to climb bout it When they bloorn, de bees would come a

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3. 174 huir~rnin~ round and suck de honey out de blue bells on de vines. I niember5 ~at well nough, dat was a pleasazit memory. Is I told you n~ maumry name Clara? My brothers and sisters, who they? George dead, Calvin dead, Hattie (name for pa s young mistress) dead, Samson, who got his ear scald off in a pot of hot water, is dead,too. Vs existing still. I did mighty little work ilL slavery timeo Membera iaot much bout de Yankees. . t Freedom come, pa corne straight as a martin to his gourd, to mammy and us pickanirinies. They send us to school at Blackstock and us walk fourteen miles, end back, every day to schools At school I meets 1~ry Stroud, a gal comm1 from de Gaillard quarter. Her. eyes was lak twin stare. Her hair lak a swarm of beeso All my studyin books was changed to studyin how to g t dat swami of beee in a hive by myself. One day I walk home from school with her and g t old. Uncle Tom Walker to marry us, for de forty cents I s aved up Us happy ever since . Nex year I work for Ben Calvin a colored man on de Cockere .l place de Gaillard place ~ Us did dat to be near her pappy, Uncle Morria Stroud~ t, All thru them Carpet Bag days my pappy stuck to de white folie, ~Ld went long wid de Ku Kiuxes. His young mistress, vise Harriet Cameron, marry de Grand Titan of all de Holy invisible Roman 1~mpire. Him naine WS8 Col. Leroy McAfee. Pappy tell me all bout it ~8aree Col~ McAfee come down from North Ca line., and see Marse Feaster Cameron at old Marse Gregg Cameron s home and want Marse Feaster to t eke charge down in dis State While on dat visit him fall in love wid Marss Fees s sisters Harriet, and n~.rry her. You say Marss Tom Dixon dedicate a book to her, de Clansman? Well, well, wellZ To think of dat. Wish my pappy could a knowed dat, de Sundays he d take dat long walk to Concord Church to put flowers on her grave. They all lie dere in dat graveyard, Old Marss Gregg, ~.ree ~ eroy, Misa Harriet, and Marss Feas. De day they bury Marss Feas de whole county was dere and both ~en and

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4. won~n sob when de red earth rumbled on hie cofri~ top. Peppy had nie by de hand and cried lak ~ baby, wid do rest of them, dat sad day. u Does you member de time iii 1884, when my pappy made you a pair of boote for $10.00 and when you pay hirn, him knock off orte dollar and you pay him nine dollar3? You does? Well dat is fine, for I sure need dat dollar dis very day. et Does I member de day old Marse Gregg die? Course I does. It happen right here in Winneboro. Hirn come down to tend John Robinson s Circus. Him lak Scotch liquor; de tar smell, de taste, end de fect, tc~ke him back to Scotland where him generate from. Them wae bar- room days in winrL3boroO De two hotels had bar-rooms, besides de other nine in town. Marse Gregg had just finished his drink of Scotch. De parade of de circus was passing de hote 1 where he was and de steam piano come by a j . ~1aroe Gregg jwnp up to go to de street to see it. When it pass, him say : It ~ a damn hum s bug a~i~ drop dead.

Thomas Campbell. Ex-slave 82 years old. 179 176

Project *1355 w. W. Dixon .~ 390284 Wirmsboro, b, C, J_i .) . . THORAS C~.MPBELL !~-SLAvE 82 YEARS OLD. tt~od mornin ~arster Woodi 1~iarster Donan MoCants and 1~rster \~rardiaw MeCants both been tellin me dat how you ~yants to ~ee me but l s been so poorly and down at de heels, in ~r way of feelin dat I just aintt of a mind or disposition to walk up dere to de tov~n clock, where they say you want me to come. Take dis bench seat under de honey suckle vine. It shade you from de sun. It shot ~ j~ hot ~ t s surprise dat you take de walk down here to see a onery old man lak me. ttYes sir, I was born, cordin to de writin in de Book, de 15th day of March, 1855, in de Horeb section of Fairfield District, a slave of o1~ Marster ~~ohn Kermedy. How it was I don t know. Things is a little mixed in my mind. Fu~t thing I m~bers, and dreams bout sometimes yet, is bein in Charleston, standint on de battery, seeint a big ocean of water, wid ships .~d their white sails all bout, de waves leapin and gleamint bout de flanks of de ships in de bricht sunshine, thousands of white birds flyin round and sometimes 1ightin~ on de water . My mammy, her name Chanie, was a holdint ~y hand and her other hand was on de handle ~ of a baby carriage and in dat carriage was one of de Logan chillun. ~hether us ~ long to de Logaxis or whbther us was just hired out to them I s unable to member dat. De slaves called him Narater Torn. U5 come back to Fairfield in n~r fust ohildhodd, to de nn s . Marster John Kennedy raise more niggers than he have use for; sorrietiine h sell them, sometime he hire them out Him sell rnax~y and me to Marster James B. MoCants and I been in de MoCants family ever since, bless GOdS. ~

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t1~i)ar~e James was a great lawyer in his day. I was his house boy and office boy. When I ~et older I take on, besides de b .aokin of his boots and shoes and sweepin out de office, de position of carriage driver and sweepin out de churche ~arster James was ~very li4oi.zs. W~o nry pa was? Lat has never been revealed to me. Thank GodL I never had one,if they was lak I see nigger chillun have today. ~r white folks was all de parents I had and me wid a skin as black as ink. X~ y belly was always full oil what they had and I never suffer for clothes on my bac~c or shoes on xmj f ets. Does I members de yankees? Yes sir, I member when~they co~ae. It was cold weather, February, n.w dat I think of it. Oh, de sights of them days. They c~np all round up at M~. Zion College and stable their hosses in one of de rooms. They gallop here and yonder and burn de Pisco pal Church on Sunday mornin . A holy war they calIed it but they and V~heeler s men was a holy terror to dis part of de world, as naked and hungry as they left it. I ~rry Savannah Parnell end of all our chillun,dere is just one left, a daughter, Izetta. Her in Tampa, WLorida. DOeS I members arything bout de K Klux? No sir, nothin . I was always wid de white folks side of politics. They wasn t concerned bout me. I~arster James have no patience for dat kind of business anyhow. Him was a lawyer and believed in lettin de law rule in de daylight and would have nothin. to do wid work dat have to have de cover of night and darkness. Does I member bout de red shirts? bure I doeam De inarster never wore one. Him get me a red shirt and I wore it in Hampton days. What I 2. 17r~

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178 3. recollect bout them cbines ~ Ij~ you got t~.me to l1sten~ I ~ spect i can make anybody laugh bout what happen right in dis town in red shirt nays. You say you glad to listen? Well, here goes. One time in f76, de demo crats have a big meetin in de court house in April. iVl ch talk last all day. ~vTh~t they say or do up dere nobody know. Paper corne out next week callin de radicals to meet in de court house fust L~iond~y in i~iay. 1~rster C~lei~n I~11cCants, a lawyer, was one of old marster s sone. He tell me all tbout it. ttDe day of de radical republican meetin in de court house, ~rster Ed Auen had a drug store, so him end ~arster Ozmond Buchanan fix up four quart bottles of de finest kind of 1iquor~wid croton-oil in every bottle. Just befo de meetin ~ called to order, i~1arster Ed pass out dat liquor to de ring leader, tellin him to take it in de court house and when they want to suade a nigger theirway~ take him in de side jury rooms and suade him wid a drink of fine liquor. When de meetin got under way, de chairnian pointed a doorkeeper to let nobody tn and nobody out tU. de ineetin ~ over~widout de chairman say so. They say things went along smooth for a while but directly dat croton-oil make a deii~ud for tention. Dere was a wild rush for de door. De doorkeeper say Stand back, you have to dress e chairman to g t permission to g it . Chairman rap his gavel and say; Whe de matter over dere I Take your seatsi Parliment law quire you to dress de ch .ir to git permission to leave de hail . One old nigger, Andy Stewart, ft ring leader shouted: To hell wid Parliment law, l s got to git out of here. Still de doorkeeper stood firm and. faithful, as de boy on de btar~in deck, as Marater Glenn lak to tell it. One bright n~ilattc~ nigger, Jim ~bley, got out de tangle by movin to take a

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4. . 179 recess for ten minutes, but beTh de motion could be carried ot~t de croton~ o~1 had clone its work. Half de conv~ention have to put on clean clothes and de court hous e steps have to be cleaned befo they could walk up them again. You ask any old citizen t~Out it. Him will member it. Ask old Doctor Bu hanan. Hi- brother, de judge, was de one dat help i~Jarster Ed Aiken to fix de croton oil and whiskey. tiWell dat seem to make you ~.augh and well it might eau se dat day been now long ago ~ Sixty-one year s you s ay? How time git s along. Well, sixty one years ago everybody laugh all day in Wirmeboro, but Mars ter Ed never crack a smile, when them niggers run to his drug store and ask him for somethin to ease their belly ache.%t

Sylvia Cannon. Ex-slave, age 85. 183 180

o~e No. No. te~6w Project i8~ (1) Re~uced f~J~ 7i*orta Prepared by Annie Ruth Davi~ Rewri~ten by . Place, Marion, S.C. ~ ___________________ 18() ~ Date, October 5, 1937 Fige i. ~ ~ ~ STLVIA OANNON, 390345 x-$lave, Age ~5 Yea sam, I been S, little 81fl8i.1 girl in slavery time. I just can remember when I V88 BOld. )Le en Becky en George. Just can remember dat but I know who bought me Tiret be long to de old Bill Gregge en dat whe1 Misa Earlie Eatohel bought me from. Never did know h Becky en Geo rge went. Yes,mam, d~e Bill Gregg8 had a heap of siavei cause dey had my grandmammy en my granddaddy en dey bad a heap of ohillun. My mammy, she belong to de Gregge too. She been Mr. Gregg e cook en I de one name after her. I remembere ehe didn talk much to we ohillun. Mostly, Bile did Bing bout all de time. Most of de old. people sing boit; so Heaven, eweet Heaven, When shall I see? If you get dere fore me, You tell my Lord. I on de way. o Shall I get dere? ~ If you get dere fore I do, Yoti tell my Lord. I on de way. . . o Heaven. aweet Reaven, Ihen shall I see7 o wh~n shall I get dere? Oh, dat be a old song what my grand~ammy used. to sing way back dere. ~

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Ood.e ~o. S No. Word~ : ProJeCt, i~5~(i) Red oed frd~iiITworde Prepared by Annie ~itb Davis Rewritten by ~ Place, Marion, S.C. -~--~ 181 Date, October 5, 2.937 Page L~ ~ -- I don know exactly how~~1d I is cause de peoples used to wou .dn tell dey ohullun how old. dey vas fore dey was grown. I 3u~Bt am able to say bout my right age, b~it I know my sister was older den me en she de one keep count us ohillun age. She told. me I be bout ~k or 85 years old, so my sister tell me. She done gon en left me en I try to keep oount, but I don know. Dere been bout ik head ofwe ohillun en dey all gone but me. I de last one. 1 can tell you die much, I was just a little small girl when Miss Zarlie Ha.tohel bought ~e en she wouldns let me hold de baby cause she was fraid I would drop it. I just set d~ere Son de floor en set de baby s tween my legs, bat my Lord, Miss Hatohel been so good to me dat I stay on dere wid her 8 years after freedom oo~. Mise Eatohel tell me I better stay on dere whe I can get flour bread to eat. Tes,mam, never got a ~hippin in all my life. Mi8s Eatohel, ehe shake me by de shoulders once or twioe, ~it never didn whip me in all my life dat I knows of. ~t de reason, when my parents come after me, I hide under de bed. My mammy, she went in de name of Hatchel en all her ohillun went in de name of Hatohel right down dere in de Zffing!~m section. 5 No, honey, don nobody be here Wid me. Stays right here by myself. Digs in de garden in de day encornes in de house at night. Yea,me~, I thought dis house been belong to me, but dey tell BO dis here plaoe be city property. Rich man up dere

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Ood.e No. No. WOCd~B________ Project, i8~5 (1) Reduced fr itTword~ preparsd by Azuiie ~ith DaviB Rewritten by ~ ~ ~ Place, Marion, 8.0. _________________ ~ Date, October 5, 1937 ~ ~ in florence learn bout I was worth over $ 1,500.00 en he te . me dat I ought to buy a house dat I was gettin old. Say he ha;d a ntoe place he want to Bell ~e. I been learned. dat what white fo1k~ tell me, I muet settle down on it en I give hirn d.e money en tell him give me de place he say he had to 8ell me. I been trust white folks en he take my money en Bettle me down here on city property. He eay, Morn Sylvia, you stay here long as you live Cause you aine gwine be here muCh longer.I I promise my GodS right den not to save no more money, child. People back dere d.idn ~ spend money I Ike dey do de se days en dat I~w-coiae I had dat money. Dey wou 4 3uet spend money once a year in dat day en time. Tes,mara, I pay dat man over * 900.00. Been peyin on it long time en got it all paid. but l~7.OO en city fine out what dat man had. done. Otty tell me ~uet stay on right here, but don pay no more money out. Dey give me dat garden en tell me what I make I can have . ~ Courthouse man tel). me dat I ought to &~op my thanks to de Heavenly J~.ther dat I is free. If de town picks up any sick person, dey bring dem here en tell me do de best I can for dem. Tell me to keep good order so de people von be sbame to come en see bout me. Got two house8 dere join together. Dere be four rooms in dis front one en three in de other house. Woman go ~xp north en leave her things here en tell me if ehe am ome back, oc~d have dem en she am oome back yet. Been gone two ~ years, ~ ~ ~ ~

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QodeNo. NO.W01d8______ Project, 18~5-~(1) Reciuoed f~ om.Word.s Prepared by Annie Ruth 1~avta Rewritten by ~ . Place, Marion, 8.0. - i83 Date, October 5, 1937 1i~e ~ Yee,mani, I been niarried twice. Tir8t hueband die en den another sick man come along en ax de city for me. I work on h jut en make teas for him, . but he die in bout two yeare I beg de town to let me go out to de poor farm en atay, but dey say I done pay too much to move Tell me 8tay on here en keep de house up de best way I can. NNo wn, I am able to do no kind of work much. No more den ohoppin my garden. Oan hardly see notkxln on a sunny day. I raise my own 8eed all right cause sometimes I oan~ see en find myself te cut up things en dat make me has to plant over another time. City tell me do like I was raise en so I been ~ hoppin here bout 20 years. Oh, now go way from here. My son born in de year of de eartlquake en if he had lived, I would been bless wid. plenty grandohiliwi dese days. Tee,mam, I remember all bout de shake. Dey tell me one man, Ur. Turner, give way his dog two or three days fore de earthquake oome en dat dog get loose en come back d.e night of de shake. Come back wid chain tied round him neck en Mr. Turner been soared most to death, 80 dey tell me. He say, Oh, Mr. Devil, don put de obain on me, I ll go wid you. Dat ~e hie dog come baok en he thought it was de devil come dere to put de obain on him. Tes,mam, dere was euch a outtin up every which a ~ay cause de people thought it was de Jedgment Comm. I went a runnin dere to de white folks house ensuch a prayin en a hollerin, I aine never ~ see de like fore den en am ee it since den neither. Dere ~as stirrin everywhe dat night

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. Code No. j~ Word~8________ Project, 1~~5 (1) Reducet f;oi-_~: Words Prepared by Annie Thith ravis Rewritten by Place, Marion, 8.0. ~ ~ 184 Date, October 5, 1937 Page 5. -.~- en de water in de well was juet a e .aehin. I tried to pray like de reet of d.c people. 8ome say dey was ready to get on ~ de old ehip of Zion. I out loose -from de white folks en went in de woods to pray en see a big snake en I am been back since. I know dat am been nothin but a omen en I quit off Outtin up. I know it aifl~ been no need in me gwine on like dat oause I am never do no harms dat I knows of. yea,mam, white folks ~.d to whip 8o~ f dey niggere in slavery time, dey be 80 mean.. Hear tell bout some of dem would run away en go in de woods en per~ah to death dere fore dey iould come out en take a whippin. 9ome was mean oauee dey tell atoriee on one another en been swear to it. My mammy tell me don never tell nothin but de truth en I won get no whippin. I been raiee up wid de white folks en I tell de truth, I can hardly stand no colored people. Oh, honey, dere won no euch thing as cotton mill, train, sawmill or nothin like dat in ay day. People bad. to Bet dere at night en pick de seed. out de cotton wid dey own bande. Didn hear tell bout no ~ telephone nowhe in dem daye en people never live no cloSer den three en four miles apart neither. Got old )Laaea horn right in dat room dere now dat be could talk on to people dat be 16 milee from whe he was. Oometn here, child, en I ll let you eee it. Bee, die old. horn been made out of eilver money. You talks in dat little ~ what you say ~ out dat big end. Man ax me didn I want to sell it en I tell ~hia I am got no mind to get rid of it cause it been bilong to

188 185

Code No. No. Worde ~ Pro3ect, 1S~5-~(1) ~eduoed fr&~word~s Prepared. by Annie Thith Davis Reiritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ~ ~~_: ~ - is~: Date, October 5, 1937 ~g. ~ old. Massa. Den if I get sick, I oall on it en somebod~y come. Iouldn take notliln for it honey. ~ Times was aho better long time ago den dey be now. I know it. Tee,mam, I here frettin myBeif to death after dem dat gone OoLored people never had no debt to ~y in elavery time. Never hear tell bout no colored people been put in jail fore freedom. Had more to eat en more to wear den en bad. good clothes all de time ca~ise white folks fUrnt~h everything, every.thing. Dat is, bad plenty to eat such as ~ had~. ~d plenty peas en rice en hog meat en rabbit en~ fish en such as dat. Colored people sho fare better in elavery time bedat de white folks had. to look out for dem. Had dey extra crop what dey had. time off to work every ~aturday. White ~olka tell dem what dey made, dey could bave. Peoples would have found we Oolored people rich wid. de money wemade on de extra crop, if de slaves hadn never been set free. Us had big rolls of money en den when de Yankees come en change de money, dat what made us poor. It let de white people down en let us dom too. Left us all to bout starve to death. Been force to go to de fish pond en de huckleberry patoh. Land. went down to $ 1.00 a acre. White people let us clear up new land en make us own money dat way. We bury it in de ground en dat how~come I had. ~ money. I dig mine up one ~.day en had over $ l5O~OO dat I been save. Heap of pioples money down dere yet en dey don ~ow whe to find 4+1 ~ : ~:

189 186

Qode No. Project, 1~5- (~) Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Place, Marion, S.C. Date, October 5, 1937 No. Word.s_~~~~ Rethiced from~ ~words Rewritten by ~ iso ~ouro~: Sylvia Oairnon, age ~5, ex slave, Marion St., florence, ~ 8.0. Personal interview by Annie Ruth Davis, October, 1937.

Sylvia Cannon. Ex-slave, age 85. Florence, S.C. 190 187

Ood.e No. ~. ~ ~ ~ P~rojeot, 1885.(1) Red~oed f~r~ ~worde Pz~.par.d~ by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten bf~ P3a e, Marion, S.C. ____________________ 187 Date, Lugtzst 4, 1937 Fige ~ ~ 8YLV~I OAK1~ON b~:~$1ave, age 85. 39~2 r Plorenee, 8.0. ~ i: lives here by myself oauee my huebaM been dead three yeare. Moved here fore my ohl .lun went to de war. I go to work en buy dli here home en get whe I eau pay tax en people tel . me not to move. $ay, rent me bed. en catch me a dollar, if it sin a ein to rent your bed. for a doUar. One of de big officere of de town tell me dat last week en he die next day. Goverzmient take my house en when dey carry sick peoples from de jail, dey bring em here fore dey die, It alu but one night journey. Lin gwine le t dem be I ive enough to ran away. Lin got no kin to leave de house to en dey tel). me stay on here. Dey say I work 80 hard. to get die houae dat dey alu gwine make me leave here. (Aunt 8ylvis has a aign in her front yard. It seeme ehe took the frame of a large picture and. inserted a pieoe of pasteboard into it. 8he explained that thie sign is a warning to evil doers not to molest her. She says that they mast not come past this ~ sign. The words on the sign are somewhat illegibly written. The interviewers were able to make out these words : This te a house of the Lord. Don t go pass. Thie is a house of the Lord..................... Sign is d*ted. Maroh 1, 1937).

191 188

Ood.e I~ o. No. Word.s_________ Project, 1885.(i) Redu~ced i~T words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marlou, $.C. - - - - 188 Date Augaat 4 193 7 Paie 2 . ~ ~ -~- I don know how old I is but I remembers I was 8 years old when freedom oome. I born down dere In de Efflngham seotion on Mr. Gregg plantation. My ha1f.~.sister say I uaiat always remember de Ohrletmae day oause dat de day I was born. Father en mother belong to de oi~t Bill Gregge en dat who 1 Mise Earlie Hatohel buy me from. After dat, :i: di~.n never live wid. my parents any more, but I went back to See dem every two weeks. Got a note en go on a Sunday evenin en oome back to Mise Hatohel on Monday. Mies Hatohe . want a nurse en dat how~.oome ehe buy me. I re~nembere Miss Hatohel puttin de baby in my lap en tell me don drop hlm.Didn have to do no work much In d. m daya, but dey didn~ allow me to play noi~ neither. When de baby sleep, I sweep de yard en work de garden en piok eeed. out de cotton to spin. Jursed little while for Mies Eatehe . en den get free. ni see em sell plenty colored peoples away in dem days cause dat de way white folks made heap of dey money. Coase d.ey am never tell us how mueh dey Bell em for. Juet stand ni up on a blook bout three feet high en a speculator bid. em off just like dey was horses. Dem what wa~ bid. off di~ never say uothin neither. Don know who bought my brothers, george en 3arl. (8he oried. after this statement ) I see em sell some slaves twice fore I waS Bold en I see de slaves When dey be travelin like hogs to .Darling$on. 8ome of dem be women folks lookin like dey gwine to get down dey so heavy.

192 189

Cod.e 1~1o. i~c. Worde________ Project, 1885 (1) Reduced. f~ th words Prepared by Annie ~uth Davis Rewritten by ~ ~ Place, Marion, 3.0. ~ . Date, AugList 4, 1937 Page 3. We fare good. In d.at day en time. Everybody round dere fare good. 1~iy Massa always was good. to his slaves oause all de colored people say he was good. man to us. Dey never whip me in all my life. Tell me if I don know how to do anything to tell dem en dey ~thow me how. I re~nember~ I~iise Hatohel oaught en shook me one time en when I tell her huithand, he tell her to keep his hands off his little NLg~~er. Dey all was good to me. When I start home to see my mamma, dey cry after me till I corne back. I~any a time my Missus go work in de fleld. en let me rn~nd de chiliun. We live hi ~e quarter bout -~ mile from de white folks houee in a one room pole house what waS daubed wid dirt. Dere was bout 20 other colored. people house dere in de quarter dat waS close together en far apart too. De ground been us floor en us fireplace been down on de ground. Take eticke en make chimney cause d.ere won no bricks en WOn ~IO Saw mille to make lumber when I come along. Oh, my white folks live in a pole house daubed wid dirt too. Us just had some kind of homemade bedstead wid pine straw bed what to sleep on in dem days. Sew croaker sack together en stuff em wid. pine straw. Dat how dey make dey mattress. Dldn get much clothes to wear in dat day en time neither. Man never wear no breeches in de summer. Go in hie shirt tail dat come down to de knees en a opian been glad enough to get one p ieee hoineepttn frock what was made ~ wid dey hand. Make petticoat out of old dress en patch en patch till

193 190

~ Ood~e N~. No. Words_______ P-to jeot 1885 (i) Reduced from ~ iords Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by~ Plaoe, Marion, 8.0. ____________________ j9() Date, Augast 4, 1937 Page 4. eouldn tell which place weave. Always put wash out on a 8aturday night en dry lt en put lt baok on Sunday. Den get oak leaves en make a hat what to wear to church. We dldn never have but one pair of shoes a year en dey was d.ese here brogans wid. thiok soles en brass toes. Had. shop dere on de plantation whe ~ white man made all de shoes en plows. Dey would save all de oowhide en soak lt in salt two or three weeks to get de hair off lt en d~ey have big trough hewed out whe dey olean it after dey get de hair off it. After dat, it waS turn to de man at de shop. I remembers when night come on en we go back to de quarter, we cook brea~1. In de ashes en piok seed. from de cotton en my mamma set dere en sew heap of de time. Den I see em when dey have dem hay pullings. Dey tote torch to gather de hay by en after dey pull two or three stacks of hay, dey have a big supper en danoe in de road. en beat sticks en blow carie. Had. to strike fire on ootton wid. two rooks cause dey didn have no matoh In dem days. - ~ I tellin you my I~iiiseus sho was good. to me in dat day en time. 8he been so good. to me dat I stay dere wid. her 20 year after I got free. Stay dere till I marry de old. man Isenia cannon. You see my old. Massa got killed In de war. She tell me I better stay whe I oan get flour bread to eat cause ehe make her own flour en bake plenty biscuit in de oven. Den she kill hogs en a oow every Ohrletmas en give us all de egg~

194 191

Qode 1~To. ~ . No. Words ~ ~ . ~ H ~-rojeot, i86~.~(1) Rednoed. f~m _worda Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, 2.0. ______________________ Date, August 4, 193? Page 5. ~ t nog erl liquor we want dat day. Dig hole in d.e ground. en roast cow over log fire. When I get hard. up for meat en oouid~n get nothin else, I eatch rabbits en birds. Make a death trap wid. a lid en bait it wid. oabbage en oorn en oatoh em d~at way. Den another time, I dig deep hole in ~e ground en ~ob it wid clay en fill it up wid. water. Rabbits hunt water in de night en fall in clere en drown. i: used to ~et trape heap of time9 to keep &e rabbite from eatin up de people gardenB. Polka eat all kind Of things d.urin de war. Eat honeysuckle off de low sweet bueh after d.e flower falls off en pine mass dat dey get out de burr en sour weeds. Wouldn nobody eat dein things d.eee days. Coase d~ey let de slaves have three acres of land to a family to plant for dey garden. Work d~em in moonlight nights en on a Satarday evenin. Oh, yes, ~~ey have white overseers den. I hear some people say dey was good people. I~t night de overseer would walk out to see oould he oatoh any of us walkin widout a note en to dis day, I d.on~ want to go nowhe widout a paper. It just like dis, de overseer didn have to be right behind you to see dat you work in dem days. Dey have all de fields name en de overseer just had. to oall on de horn en tell you what field to go work in dat day. Den he come along on a Saturday avenin to see what you done. if you am do what he say do, he put de Nigger dog on you en he i ~ you all night till he 1*

195 192

u ode i~o I~o Word.s ~ - ~ ~ 7 ~rojeot, 188b-(1) Red~uoed from word.e 2repared by ~thn1e Ruth Davis Rewritten by~ Place, i~iar1on, s.C. ~ j9~ Date, Augu.st 4, 1937 Page 6. ~ find. you 1~o matter whe you hid.e he tlnd. you en hold. you till 1e overeeer get dere. Bite you up if dey get reac~h of you. When de overseer come, he carry you to d~e Btables en whip you. Dey dat am never got no whipping, you oan d~o nothin wid. dem dese days. i: got lvilSB Hatohel horn bout here now dat been through nearly 100 head of peopie. If you talk on It, tiere de 100 head of automobiles to see whal it is. I eoN old Lia~a 9 sword last week for ten oent~, but I am gwlne d.o away wid his old. horn. (4 ft long, 15 in. cross big end I in. from top end.. L~outh piece Is gone. Catch about 15 in from top). Can talk to anybody lb to 16 miles away en dat how~..come I don want to sell it cause if anything happen, I can oail people to come. DIS horn am no tin, it silver. It de old. time phone. Got old Liassa mau . too en dis here Grandpa oxen bit dat was made at home. De white folks didnT never help none of we black people to read en write no time. Dey learn de yellow Ohjilun, but if de~ eatch we black ohillun wid. a book, tiey nearly bout kill us. i)ey was sho better to dem yellow ohillun den de black ohiliun dat be on de plantation. I~orthern women come d.ere after de war, but ley didn let em teach nobody nothin. I go to ohurch wid my white folks, but dey never have no church like dey have dose daye. De bush wa~ dey shelter en when it rain, dey inset round from one house to another.

196 193

o od.e No .No Worda________ Project, 188541) Reduced. frOrn~ ~worde Prepared~ by Annie Ruth Dav1~ Rewritten by ~ ~ Plaoe, Marion, S.C. _____________________ t9c. Date, Augtiat 4, 1937 Page ~7. ~ ~ ~ ~ R1d~e to cthuroh In d.e ox oart oauee I had. to carry 3.e baby everywhe I go. White folke didUT have no horse den. De peoples sho been blessed. wid. more religion in ~em days den dese days. Dld.n never have to look up nothin den en 1f you. tel . a story, you. get a whippin. ~ow de peoplee te~.1 me to tell a story. I been oleanin up a lady porch en she tell me to tell anybody what oonie dere dat she am1 home. L lady oome en ax for her en I tel). her she say anybody come here, tell em I am home. If you done believe she here, look in d~e bedrooni. Miss Willoox oome out dere en beat me in de back. I te .l her don read. de Bible en tell me to tell a story.. I am gwine tell no story cause my white folke learnt me not to do dat~. I knows people was better In dem times den dey le now. Dey teach you how you ought to treat your neighbor en never hear no bad. stories nowheT. Ma~ea en Missus taught me to say a prayer dat go like die: De angels in ~eaven love us, Bless mamma en bless papa, Bless our Miss~ia, Bless de man dat feedin us, For Christ sake. De peoples use herb mediolnee for dey ouree In dem days dat dey get out de woods. I make a herb medloine dat good. :ror anything out de roots of three herbs m1~ together. O.o~1~n

197 194

Oo&e Ifo. _______ Project 1885 ( i) ____ Prepated by Annie Ruth Davis Plaoe, Marion, S.C. _____________________ Date, Aug~z~t 4, 193 ? tell you how I make lt cause d~at would. rain me. Town people try to buy de remedy from me, but Dr. MoLeod tell me not to eell it. Dey o~er me ~ 1500.00 for It, but I never take It. ~ You want my mind, my heart, de truth en I gwlne te .l you it juet like I Bee it. Since de colored peoples got de law, d~ey get In all kind of devilment. Dat how~oome If I had. to go back I would go back to slavery en Stay wid. my white olks.~ . I!o. Words_______ Reduced from words Rewritten by Page 8. kou4:Q~: ~Z~Ma ~ eX-81aV~ g~e ~ FlQ~Oe~, S . C. Personal interview by E. grady Davis and. Mrs. Luche Young, and written up In qu~estIon and. anSwer form. Rewritten in story form by Annie Ruth Davis. 194

198 195

~ 195 ~(TNERLL $O1~ 8tar in ~e east en Btar in ~e weat, I wish de atar wae 1x1 my breaet. Mother is home, sweet home, Mo ther le home a we et home, Want to join de angel here. What & blessed. home, aweet home, What a bleesed. home, eweet homes Want to join &e angel here. (You ean aing bout father, brother, eister en ail.) Sylvia Cannon, Ex~S1a~e, age 85, May 21, 1937, P .orenoe, S.C.

199 196

19G F~JJi~FcAL SONG Come ye dat love de Lord., ~n let your joys be known. Hark from de tomb, En hear my tiMer voice. By de grace o~ God Itli meet you On Canaan Happy Shore, Oh mot he r whe ri will I me e t you on C anaan Happy Shore? in by de grace o:t Go d I 11 mee t you on Canaan .. Happy Shore. (Shaking hands, marching around grave. White en Colored marched. from ohuroh to graveyard.. Old. people in de ox cart en young people walking. Did.n have coffins like dey do now. Build de aoffin in black it wid. imut. B .aokarnith make di nails. Could Bee in de box.) Sylvia Oannon~ ~..8lave, age 85, May 21, 1937, Florence, S.C.

Heaven's Gate church. 200 197

Code No. No Words ~ Projeot No~ 1885- (i) Reduced ?~rnMorTi Prepared b~Mrs Ge ev!e~e Chandler Rewritten bj~ Place, Murrells inlet, S. C. ~ Date, I~I~h 25, 1937 ______________ Typed b~LM. C., N Y. A. Q~~Q-~-~ ~:3~ ~AV~N S (SATE. CIrWRCI4 ~ (Verbatim conversation by TJnole Albert Carolina . ) ~ When asked about ~efounding ~ c~~jRev. Albert Carolina answered: In the beginning of Freedom they separate us from whites. Sixty one the war begun; s ixty four the war was o er. O Rev. Zacharias Duncan wuz the man. He the ne built Heaven Gate churoh. Brother Henry Smith and Brother David Kidd and old man Jackson Heywood wuz the old ones built it. Some more been there. Can t think of them. Old man Jim Beaty wuz one. Can t remember no more. He wuz Al Iston man. (That means he was a s lave owned by the Alistons ) Uno le Dave K dd, he owned a tract of land in the Savannah. Brought us up in Sabbus (Sabbath) sch1pol. Sunrise prayer~ meeting. . ~h. ~ Th ~.. O cloCk ~ ,rvtc.o &~ifl Ten o clook Sunday school. Leven otolookf servioea~ai~. /Eight at night~service again. Raise us taughen (taug~it) ~ the church. Steal off Slavery t im~ in they own house and have o lass meeting. Driver o orne find em, whi em. Ph patrolls come riding dawn tht road. Four plait whip. Two big black dog. White pat-roller. Ketch without pass, they whip me. Crawling. (I was crawling) . But I walk then and. walk every. s moo! Bo -cart s what they call it - Bo~cart . (Crude home made baby walker . ) Bout seventy seven years since :t start. Remember nother thing going on in them time. Maus ser gin (give) the women a task. In t done it Next day didn t done it. SatuHay o task time ~ DriverZ I tell yuh th truth, you could hear those people, t~der1 Murderl . . ~ . . I ~ . ~ . ~. ~ j.-~ ~ ;. O. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ . ~ ~ : ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~ O ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ S : .~ ~ ~ ~ I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 5~S ~ ~ ~~O ~

201 198

No Words___________ Reduced front Words Rewritten by Page ~--~- 2 198.~ Code No. project No. 1885 (1) prepared by Mrs ~ Gen vi ve W. Chandler Place, :Mu.rren8 Inlet, S. C. Date, ~1aroh 25, 1937 Typed by M. C., N. Y. A. Judge Kerehaw w as a fine man. His boy William--I and William born ~ the same day. We never has get up without it. learn you at night Didn t have any school. ~1other s father Indian. Brighter than, who? lNho round here bright as my Grand-father? HannahZ Hair was long. Wouldn t stay home. Lives in th swamp. Wouldn t stay out. Grand-motheP ~ruz African. She had a little bowl make out of o y met th bed yet, without family prayer -.and ne~ er Didn t low them with a book in they hand. The Driver if he like you. Try to out wage (educate) you at night. j. . Uncle Albert Carolina, age 87 (colored) Murrells Inlet, S. C, March, 8th. 1937. (A description followed of how his grand-parents built a kiln of clay pots and baked thert. ) .

Silvia Chisolm. Ex-slave 88 years old. 202 199

.~ ~ Project #-1655 Folklore 09 Pboebe Paucette ~ t, ~ampt ou County SILVIA CEISOLM Ex$lave 88 Yeara Old Aunt Silvie , sitting out in the sunshine in the yard of a sniaU ~~ro cabin, on a warm day In January, seemed very old and. feeble. Her answers to questions were rather short and she appeared to be preoccupied. I been fifteen year old when de Yankee come.. - fifteen de sixth of June I saw ~ em burn down me ~ s home t everythin I members dat 01e man Joe Bostick was me Massa. An I knows de Misaus an de Massa used. to work us. Had de overseer to drive usi Work us till de Yankees comel When Yankee come dey had to runi Dat how de buildin burni Atter dey dn t find no~one in it dey burn I De Marshall house had a poor white woman in iti Dat why it didntt burni My Massa s Pineland place a t Garne tt Wa s burn, too Dey never d Id build dis un (one) back. Atter dey come back, dey build deir house at de PLi3land place. ~: WU3 mindin de overseer s chil .un. Mr. Beestinger was his namel An his wife, Mise Carriel I been eight year old when dey took me Took me frau me mother. ant father here on de ripe Creek pla ce down to Bla ck Swamp Went down forty two mile to~ de,. overseen ~ I never see my mother or my father a%tiymore . . Not til atter freedomi ~ An when I come be ck den I been married. But when I move back here, I stay right on dis Pipe Creek place from den on. ~ been right ~ all de time. ~ ~ ~ Atter I work for Mr. Be stt*ger, I wait on Mr. Blunt.

203 200

4k~ro je ct #~165& Pag e - 2. . 200 p~ioebe Faucette hampton County You know Mr. ~1unt, ain t you? His place out dere now. Mr. Bostick was a good oie man. lie been deaf. Hia chillun tend to his business - his sons. He was a preacher. His father was oie man Ben Bostiek. De Pipe Cx eek Church was oie Missus A3OS ti t s Mammy s chtu ~ cli. When de big church burn down by de Yankees, dey give de place to de colored folks. Stephen Drayton was de firSt pastor de colored folks had. Dey naned de church, Canaan Baptist Church. Start from a bush arbor. De white folks ohure~h was paint white, inatde an out. It was celled inside. Dis church didn t have no gallery for de colored folks. Didn t make no graveyard at Pipe Creeki Bury at Black Swampi A~ at Lawtonville& De people leave dat church an go to Lawtonville to worship. Dey been worshipping at Lawtonvlfle ever since before I e~ild wake up to know. De Pipe Creek Church jes stood dere, wid no service in It, ttil de Yankee burn it. De church at Lawtonville been a fine church. Didn t burn iti Use it for a hospital dunn de wan ~ 88 year old. now an can t remember so much. Ail I se blincil Blind in both eyel Silvia Chisola, R. F. D. E tiil, S. C. Source:

An ex-slave who climbed up with white folks. 204 201

4Projeci -fb1655 . ~ Stiles M. Scru~gs Columbia, S. C. 390408 ~ 201 ~N EX-SU VE WHO CLIMBED UP WITH WHITE~ FOLKS. Tom Chisoim, a sixty two year old bricklayer, 11 Railroad Street, Columbia, s. C., is a son of Caesar Chisolm, who represented Colleton County in. the South Carolina iiou~e of Representatives for ten. years. Caesar was oxie of the few leadIng Negroes, who voted and spoke for the Democratic Party and was friendly to the leaders of white supremacy uxitil he cUed in 1897. Tom relates the following story: My daddy was born in slavery and he was always treated good by his n~aster, de late Jimeson Chisoim, of Colleton County. He could read and figure up most anything, when he was set free, and he had notions of his own, too. For instance, he marry my raaJnrfly. She die s oon after I was born, and daddy say to me : ~ Son, your inarrmy is gone, but you need not fear dat any other woman will ever bos s you. I s through with wives. And he never marry again. ttl come to Columbia with him, when he serve in de Legislature. ?~hen he tell de fliggers and white folks, back in Golleton, dat he was not aimin to run for de Legislature no more, they was sad. One time I go with him to Smoak s, where Congressnmn George D. ~ was to speak on one of his campaigns. I felt pretty big, when Congressn~an Ti11n~an smile and grasp dehand of my daddy and se~y: You s goin to say a few words for me befo I starts, eh, Chisoim ? I sho will, if you laks, say my daddy. Soon he mount de platform, and befo he say a word, both de white and de niggers clap deir hands and s1~amp deir feets and smile. My daddy bow, smile, and say: Ladies and gentlemen: We, us, and oompa~y sent George Tillinan to ~ongress long ago and knows iithat he hal done Now we s gwine to s end him back, and I is a libtle in doubt as to whether he is gwine to take us to Washi.ngton, or bring Washington down

205 202

2. 202 herel He say, he jus gi started. But de crowd was laughin , danoin , ana huggifl de Congressman, and daddy 1au~h and set down. lie introduce Master Duncan C1j~~h ffeyward at Walterboro in 1902, when Mas~ ter .L~eyv ard was making his first race for governor. He raise such laughter and pay so many witty compliments to WIaster Heyward, dat Governor ileyward, ~then he v~as tiected appoint n~r daddy to an office in Columbia, and we come 1~o Columbia to live in 1903. L~r daddy retire at de same time dat Governor uie~,rward q~uit office, 5_n 1907. 11e later wrote insurarce on de lives of niggers, aTid he prosper. lt Bout 1885, u~ daddy happen to he walkin near de corner of Gervais and Pulaski streets, and two ni~gers meet dere at de time and begin to quarrel. My daddy stop and watch them awhile. One of thai ni~gers kill de other, and some time afterward a nigger lavzyer come to see my daddy and ask him: tYiasn t you dere? I sho was, say ~ rj daddy. De nigger lawyer laugh and slap daddy on de Lad: and say: Come on. Daddy come back in a few hours pretty tipsy. Dat lawyer spend a lot on me, say daddy, tbut de fool never let me tell him jus what I knows. t_t~ day or two afterward he was in de witness box. De nigger lawyer say: Now, Mister Chisoim, tel). your tale in your own way. Daddy say: I saw de defend ant and de man, now dead, as they meet. They glare at each other and begin to talk harsh and cuss each other. Then, one skrike at de other and they back way and be~ gin to reach in deir hind pockets. Daddy stop, and de nigger laviyer fairly scream: Yes, yes, go on& That all I saw, say n~r daddy, cause I run to cover. I made it to de next corner in nothin flat and pick up speed afterward. So I was two blocks way, when I hear de shootin L De nigger lawyer nearly fa~xit. lie say: tW~0 bought you ~ Daddy say he would have told him at de ~ start, if d had de chance. At another time, we was daim on de 700 bIo ck of Wayne Street ~ at a nigger gatherin . We often spend days down dere collectin weekly insurm~cs dues, and we

206 203

3. 203 imowed most of de people0 Dere happen to be a young nigger dere, back from de ~1est for a visit, and he was a great bragger. 11e was tellin baut corn in Texas. Dere, he said, co~m grow twenty feet high, with stalks as big as the aria of John L. Sullivan, when he whupped Kilrain, and half a dozen big ears on each stalk. ~)e crowd was thunderstruck. ttIL~y daddy cleared his throat and say: Dat am nothin in de way of corn.~ One day was walkin past a forty-acre patch of corn, on de Governor lieyward plantation by de Jombahee River and de corn was so high and thick, I decide to ramble through it. tj3Out halfway orer, I hears a com~~~otion, I walks on and peeps.. Dere stands a four-ox wagon backed up to de edge of de field, and two niggers was sawint down a stalk. Finally they drag it on de wagon and drive off . ~ I seen one of them, in a day or two, and asks bout it. 11e say: ~We shelled 356 bushels of corn from dat one ear, and then we saw 800 feet of lumber from de cob. Dat young n~~n soon slip out from de crowd and has never been seen here since. I thinks daddy was outdone with nie, cause I was not quickv~itted o~d ~nart, lak him. ~e tell nie once: You must learn two good trades, and I think carpenterin &nd brick- layint safest. I done that, and I has never been sorry, cause I s made a good livin . Governor Iieyward was always a good friend of daddy, and he was proud to see us niakin good in de insurance business.

Stories from ex-slaves. 207 204

Project. 1885~~ . P0LKLORE 330062 Zlited by: spartanbur~ Dlat.4 Elmer Turna~e 204 May 24, 193? STORIES PROM EX.SL VES I was born near old Bush River Baptist Church, in Newberry County, S.C. I was the alave of John Satterwhite. My mother lived with them. I was a small girl when the war was on. My brother went to war with Marse Satterwhite. When de Ku Klux arid. paddrollers traveled around in that section, they made Mr. Satterwhite hold the ni~ers when they was whipped, but he raost~a1l the time let them loose, exclaimiri~, they got loose ~ he did not want many of them vvhipped. ~ mother had a kitchen way off from the house, wid a wide flreplace where she cooked victuals. There was holes in back of de chimney with iron rods sticking out of them to hold de pane, pots, kettles or boilers. ~People there did riot believe much in ghosts. They were not much superstitious, but one time some OS the negroes thought they heard the benches in Bush River Baptist Church turn ov r when nos. body was in the church. Negroes most always shouted at their religious raeetin~s. Before de negroes had their own church meetings, the s1ave~ went to the white folks Bueb River B ptiat church and set up in the gallery. I moved to Newberry when I was young, after I got married. Source: Maria Cleiant, Newberry, 8.0. (80 years old). Interviewez : G.L. SurnLLier, Neiberry, S. C. (5/17/37)

Ex-slave 89 years old. 208 205

Project ?P1655 w. w. Dixon 390296 Wixm8boro, S. C. ~ Ai PETER CLIFTON EX-1SU~VE 89 YEARS OLD. You want me to start wid n~r fist memory and touch de high spots I ~ jj, dis very day? 1 . take a long time but I glad to find someone to tell dat to; I js& I members when I was a bOy, drivin de calves to de pastures a highland moccasin snake rise up in de path. I doe dat forked tongue and them bright eyes right now. I so scared I couldn t move out my tracks. De n~rcy of de Lord cover ins wid Hi~ wings. Dat snake uncoil, drop his head, and silently crawl away. Dat was on de Big~ gers ~bley place tween Xersh.aw and Camden, where I was born, in 1848. tt~r pappy name i\led; my man~ny name Jane. My brudders and sisters was Tom, Lizzie, J~1ary, and Gill. Us live in a log house wid. a plank floor and a wooden chiimaey, dat was always ketchin afire and de wind commt through and fillint de room wid snioke and c~.nders. It was just one of many others, just .ak it, dat made up de quarters. Us had peg beds for de old folks and. just pallets on de floor for de chillun. Maft~i esses was made of wheat straw but de pillows on de bed. was cotton. I does member dat marr~ny had a chicken feather pillow she made from de feathers she saved at de kitchen. My grandpappy name Warren and grandm&imny name I~ a De rule on de place was: Wake up de slaves at daylight, begin work when they can see, and quit work when they can t see But they was careful of de rule dat say: You mustn t work a child, under twelve years old, in de field . 1~r master s fust wife, I heard him say, was Mistress Gilmore. Dere was two ohil ,un by her. Master Ed, dat live in a palaoe dat last time I visit Rock Hill and go to member myself to him; then dere was Miss Mary dat n~.rry

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~2OG~ her cousin, Dr. Jjm &bley. They had one child, Captain Fred, dat took de Catawba riflee to Cuba and whip Spain for b .c~wiut ~ de i~4a1ne. You say you rather I talk bout old master and de high spots? Well, Master Biggers had a big plantation and a big mansion four miles southeast of Chester. He buy n~r inaimny and her chillun in front of de oourb ho~1ee door in Chester, at de sale of de C1jfto~ Estate. Then he turn roun~1 and buy ni~r pappy dere, cause my inami~j end sister Lizzie was cryin bout him have to leave them. Mind you I wasn t born then. Marster Biggers was a widower then and went down and courted de widow Gibson, who had a plantation and fifty slaves tween Kershaw and Camden. Dere is where I was born. Marster had one child, a boy, by ri~r mistress, Miss Salue. They call him Black George. Him live l6ng enough to marry a angel, ~iss Kate ~cCrorey. They had four chillun, Dere got to be ninety slaves on de place befo war come on. One time I go wid pappy to de Chester place. Seem Isic more slaves dere than on de Gibson place. U8 was fed up to de neck all de time, though us never had a change of clothes. Us smell pretty rancid maybe, in de winter time, but in de suimner us no wear very muob~ Girls had a slip on and de boys happy in their shirt tails. Il Kept fox hounds on both places Old. Butler was de squirrel and poe sum dog. ~VVh,at I like best to eat? i~/Aarster1dere is nothin bettei~ than possum and yallow sweet taters. Right now, I wouldn t turn dat down for pound cake and Delaware grape wine, lok my mistress use to eat and sip while she watch n~ iiie.i~ and old Aunt Tilda run de sp6imin wheels. De overseer on de place was naiue Mr. Mike Melton. No sir, he poor man but him come from good folks, not poor white trash. But they was cussed by marster when after de war they took up wid de ~ publican party Sad day for

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3.~ 2O~ old xnarster when hirn didn t hold his mouth, but I ll get to dat later. ~t~rster Big~ers believe in whippin and workin. his slaves long and hard; then a n~.n was scared all de time of being sold away from his wife and chillun. His bark was worse then his bite tho~ for I never knowed him to do a wicked thing .ak dat. How long was they whipped ? Well they put de foot s in a stock and clamp them together, then they have a cross piece go right across de breast high as de shoulder. Dat cross-piece long enough to bii~4 de hands of a slave to it at each end. They always strip them naked and some time they lay on de lashes wid a whip, a switch or a strap. Does I believe dat was a great sin? i ~o sir. Our race was just lak school chillun is now. De rnarster had to put de fear of God in them sometime, somehow, and de Bible don t object to it. II see marster buy a many a slave. I never saw him sell but one and he sold dat one to a drover for ~45O.OO, cash down on de table, and he did dat at de requestof de overseer and de mistress. They was uneasy bout him. t They gi~e us Christmas Day. Every woman got a handkerchief to tie up her hair. Every girl got a ribbon, every boy a barlow 1~ ife, and every n~an a shin plaster. De neighbors call de place, de shin plaster, Barlow, Bandarma place. Us always have a dance in de 6hristmas. ~After freedom when us was told us had to have names, pappy say he love his old arster Ben Clifton de best and him took dat titlement, and I s been a Cl fto~ ever since. Go way, white folkal liVhat everthing mate for? De birds, de corn tassle and desilk, man and woman, white folks and colored folks mates. You ask me what for I seek out Chrtst~a~ for to ~.rry. Dere was sumpin bout dat gal, dat day I meets her, though her hair had bout a pound of cotton thread in it,

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4. 208 dat just tracted me to her lak a fly will sail round end light on a lasses pitcher. I kept de Ashford ~ erry road hot tti . I got her. I had to ask her old folke for her befo she consent. Dj~ took bout six months. E~verything had to be regular. At last I got de preacher, Rev. Ray Shelby to go down dere and marry us. Her have been a blessin to n~ every day since. . Us have seven chillun. They s scattered east, west, north, and south0 De only one left is just David, our baby, and him is a baby six Lobt hig~i and fifty-one years old. Yes sir, us had a bold, drivin pushin niarster but not a hard- hearted one. I sorry when military come and arrest him. It was dis a way, him try to carry on wid free labor, bout lak him did in slavery. Chester was in military district no. 2. De whole state was under dat military government. O~d marster went to de field and cuss a nigger woman for de way she was workin choppin cotton. She turnt on him wid de hoe and gash- ed him bout de head wid it. Hirn pull out his pistol and shot her. Dr. Babcock say de wound in de wdman not serious. They ~wore out a warrant for Marster Biggers ~ arrest him wid a squad, and take him to Charleston, where him had nigger jailors, and was kicked and cuffed bout lak a dog. They say de only thing he had to eat was eorn-meal- xm.~sh brougit ~ round to him and other nice white folks in a tub and it was ladeled out to them thru de iron raum into de palms of dore hands. Mistress stuck by hilfla went and stayed dowa dere. The filthy prison and hard treatments broke him down, and when he did get out and come home, him passed over de river of Jordan, where I hopes and prays his soul finde rest. Mistress say one time they threatened her down dere, dat if she didn t get up *10,000 they wopid send him where uh. would

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5. 2()9 never see him again. ~We11, I must be goin Some day when de crops is laid by and L~Q us get debole wevil whipped off de field, I 11 get David to bring n~ and dat Christina you so curious to Winneboro to see you. Oh, how her gonna laugh and shake her sides when I geb home and tell her all bout what~s down on dat paperl You say it s te be sent to Washington? Why~, de President and his wife will be tickled at some of them things I s sure they will II make Christ ma have a great excitement when I tell her we is to be talked bout way up . I ~ spect it will keep her wake and 11 be hunehin n~ and asking ~ all thru de night,what I give in. t Oh, well, s thankful for dis hour in which I ~ been brought very near to de days of de lor~long ago. Maybe Vil get a pension and maybe I won t. Just so de Lord and de Preaident take notice of us, is enough for me.~

Folk lore: folk tales (Negro). 213 210

.t Project 18~5-~1 I~rom Field Note8, ~ ~PA A Edited by: Spartatiburg, Dist. 4 ~ Elnier Turna:e 10 April 29, 1937 POLK LORE : POLK TALES (Negro) tI wuz born in Pairfield, dat is over yonder across Broad River, you kflOS what dat is, don t you? Yes sir, it wuz on Marse Johnson D. Coleman s plantation. And he had a p1antat~onI Dese nie.. gers here in cariisiej-~.. and ni~gers is all dey is ~ dey don t ktiow what rio plantation~is. When I ~ot bi enough fer to step around, from de very fus, my maw took me in de bi~ hot~se. It still dat, cep it done bout fell down/now, to what it wuz then. But some of Marse s folks, dey libs down tax still. Den you see, dey is like dese white folks up round here now. Dey ain t ~ot no bi~ money like dey had when I wuz a runnin up. Time I got big enough ~er to run aroun in my shirt tail, my maw, she lowed one night to my paw, when he wuz settin by de fire, dat black little ni~er over dar, he ~ot to ~1t hissef some pants kaise l se ~gwine to put hirn up over de white ~okes table. In dem ti es de dPos and winders, dey nebber had no screen wire u~p to dem like dey is now. Pokes didn t know nothin bout no such as dat den. My Marster and all de other bi~: white fokes, dey raised pea gouls. Is yu ebber seed any? Well, ev y sprint us little niggers, we coch dem wild things at. night. Dey could ly like a buzzard. Dey roosted up in de pine trees, right up in de tip top. So de Missus, she hab us young uns clam up dar and git em when dey ~i) . fiLrst took roost. U~i would clam down and my maw, she would pull de long eathers out ri de tails. Per weeks de cocks, dey wouldn t let nobody see ein if dey could help it. Dem birds is sho proud. When dey is lot de feathers,~dey juastruts on 4e fence8, andde fences wuz rail in. dem days. L~ n dey could s e dereseif in a puddle o

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FOLK LORE:FoIk Tale8 Paie 2 211 water alter a rain, dey would stay dar all day a struttin arid car~ ring on like nobody s business. Yes sir, dem wu~ purty birds. After us ~ot de feathers, de Missus, she ud low dat all de ni~er ~als~ gwine to come down in de wash house and make fly brushes. Sometime de Missus ud gib some o ~ de gals some short feathers to ppt in dere Sunday hats. When dem cals ~got dem hats on~ I used to ~it so dis-. gusted wid em I d leave em at church and walk home by my sef. Any-j way, by dat time all de new fly brushes wuz made arid de ivlissus, she hab farts make from de short feathers for de white fokes to fan de air wid on hot days. Lawdy, I se strayed fur fromwhat I had. started out ~er to tell you. But I knowed. dat ~ou young fokes didn t know riothiri bout all dat. In dem days de dining room wuz bi: and had de windows open all de sumner long, and all de doos stayed streched too. Quick as de mess of ~ictuals began to come on de table, a little nigger boy was put up in de swiri~, I calls it, over de table to fan de flies and. gnats off en de Missus victuals. ~is swing wuz just off ri de end. of de thog~ table. Some of de white fokes had steps a leadin up to it. Some of em jus had de little boys maws to fech de young uns up dar till dey ~ot fru; den dey wuz fetched down again. Well, when I got my pants, my maw febehed nie in and I ~ dumb up de steps dat Marse Johnson had,to git up in his swing wid. ~t fus, dey had to show me jus how to hole ~e brush, kaise dem pea-~ cock feathers wuz so long, iffen ~ou didn t mind your bizness, de ends of dem feathers would splash in de gravy er sumpin nother, and den de Missus table be all spattered up Som o ~ de Marsters would whorp de nigger chilluris fer dat carelessness, but Marse Johnson, he always good to~ his ni~gers. Mos de white foies good to de r~ig~ers round bout whar I comes from.

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.~ Page 3 ~ polk Lore; ~ o1k Tales It twad rit long for I ~ot used to lt and I nebber did splash de feathers in rio rations. But ~fen I got used to it, I took to a~oin to sleep up thar, ~iIarse Johnson, he gould jus git up and wake me up. All de white fokes at de table joke me so bout bein so lazy, I soon stop dat foolishness. ~y maw, she roll her eyes at me when. I come down atter de marster had to wake m~ up. Dat change like ever thins else. When I ~ot bigger, I got to be house boy. Dey took down de swing arid ~ot a little gal to stand jus hind de Missus chair and fan dem f1ies.~De Missus low to Marse Johnson dat de style done chance ~vhen he want to L~now how come she took de swing down. So dat is de way it is now wid de wirnmen, dey chances de whole house wid de style; but I tells my chilluns, ain t no days like de oie days when I wuz a shaver. ~~tter de ear, I come up t~o Shelton and ~ot to de P Hamilton ~4ace. I wuz grown den. I seed a young girl dar what dey called ~vie . Her paw, he had b longed to de Chicks, so dats who she wuz, Evvie Chick. Dar she sets in dat room by de fire. Now us got leven chilluns. Dey is scattered all about. Dey is good to us in our oie aie. Us riz em to obey de Lawd and mine us. Dats all dey knows, and iffen fokes would do dat now, dey wouldn t have no sassy chilluns like I sees here in Carlisle. :E~vv& , what year wuz it we got married? Yes, dat s right. It wuz de year of de shake Is you beerd ~ bout de shake ? Come out here Evvie and les teil him dat, kaise dese young fokes doan knownothiri . It wuz dark, and we wux eatin supper, when surnpin started to niakin de dishes Lau out ri de cupboard. At fus we thought it wuz somebody a ~umpin UP and down on de flo.

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I olk Lore: :~o1k Tales Paie 4 . 2i.~ Den we knowed dat it wuz suxnpiri else er makiri dem dishes Lau out o de cupboard . At LUS we t hought it wuz Judg~ ment day kaise ev ry thing started fallin worser and worser. De dishes Leu so Last you. couldn t pick em up. Some o us we~it down to de spring. De white ~okes, dey come along wid us and dey mate us fetch ththgs from de big house, like Line china dat de Missus didn t want to git broke up. She tole us dat it wuz er earthquake and it wasn t no day o Jud~ment. Anyway, we lowed de white fokes might be wrong, so us ni~gers started to a prayin , and den all de ~~iggers on de plantation dat heerd us, well de come alori~ and jined. wid us in de prayin and. sin~in . Us wuz all a shakin mos as bad as de earth wuz, kaise dat wuz a awful time dat we libbed through Ler bout twenty minutes~..~. de white fokes lowed it ~astedonly ten, but I ain t sho about dat. When we ~ot back to de big house, de cupboard in de kitchen had done fell plum down. In de nigger houses, de chimneys mos all fell in, arid de chicken houses ev rywiaar wuz ehuck down. ~Vhile we wuz a lookin aroun, and de wiramen Lokes, dey wuz a takin on mi:htily. another shake come up. Us all took 1er de spring a~in; dis one lasted bout lone as de first one. Us prayed and sung and shouted dis time. It sho stopped de earth a shakin and a quiveriri some, kaise dat thins went on ~fer a whole week; ceptin de furs tu wuz de heaviest. All de otherones wuz lighter. Iflen it hadn t been fur .~ ~ us all a beggin de Lawd fer toshoe us his merck, it ain t no teLLin how bad dem shakes would er been. Miss Becky Levister, you knou her, she live up yander in yo~ur uncle John s house now, she wuz wid us. She wuz jus a little ~irl den. Her paw wuz Mr. Kelly He died for ever you wuz.~born. Not long a~o I seed her.

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Folk Lore : Polk Tales ~ Page 5 ~ 214 She lowed to rr~e, uncle Henry, do you recoiiect~~e time o de shake? Lacken she think i d fergit such as dat. It wuz in/le time g de worsest things dis oie ni~ger is ebber seed hisseif, arid I is~. ~ :wine on 82 now. Miss Becky, she wuz a settin in her dar wid some or~drivin her, but she ain t fer~ot dis oie ni:~er. If I is up town and Miss Becky, she ride by, she look out and lows Howdy. uncle Henry , and I allus looks up and raises my hat. I likes mannerable white fokes, rnysef, and den, I likes marmerable ni~ers fer as dat goes. Some o ~ dese Lokes, now both white -- I hates to say it ~- and ni~gers, dey trys to act like dey ain t ~ot no sense er sumpin . But you knov~ one thing I krios real fokes when I sees dem arid dey can t fool me U1nt Evvie tells the following story about her father, Rufus Chick. The story is known by all of the reliable white folks of the surrounding neighborhood also: MY paw, Rufus Chick, lived on the Union side of Broad ~Uver, the latter ~ of his lits. Mai. 3ames B. Steathnan had goats over on Henderson Island that my paw ~ used to care for. He went over to the Island in a batteau. One afternoon, he and four other darkies were coing over there when the batteau turned over. The four other men caught to awillow bush and. were rescued. My paw could not swim, and he ~ot drowned. Por three weeks they searched for his body, but they never did find it. Some years after, a body of a darky was found at the mouth of the canal, dewn near Columbia. The body was perfectly petrified. This was my paw s body. The canal authorities sent the body to a museum in Detroit. It was JanuaryU, 18 ?? when my father got drowned.

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~o1k Lore: Folk Tales ~ Page ~ 2151 ~ When I wuz a young i~ellow I used to race vvid de horses. I Wuz~ de swi es runner on de plantation. A nigger, Peter Feaster, had ~ a white horse o~ his own, and de white Lokes used to bet amorigs~t de selves as much as ~2O.OO dat I could outrun dat horse. De way us did, wuz to run a hundred yards one way, turn aro~ind and den run back de hundred yards. Somebody would ho d de horse, arid another . .... . :p man would pop de whip fer us to start. ~uick as de whip pop,~d, I wuz off. I would ~it sometimes ten Thet ahead of de horse fore dey could ~it him started. Den when I had ~ot de hundred yards, I could turn around quicker dan de horse would, and I v~ould ~it a little mo ahead. Corse wid dat, you had to be a swift man on yer feets to stay head of a fas horse. Peter used to git so mad when I would beat his oie horse, arid den all de n~ ez~e would laf at him kaise de white fokes ~ive me some of de bettin money. Sometimes dey would bet only ~lO.OO, sometimes, 415or ~2O. Den I would race wid de white Lokes horses too. Dey nebber ~ot mad when I come out ahead. After I ~ot through, my legs usect to jus shake like a lear. So now, I is ~ib plum out in dem and I tributes it to dat. Evvie, she lowed when I used to do dat after we wuz married, dat I wuz gwine to give out in my legs, and eho nuf I is. Uncle Henry says that his legs have given out in the bone.. SOURCE: Henry Coleman arid his wife, Evvie, of Catlisle, S.C. Interviewer: Caidwell Sims, Union, S.C.

Folk-lore: ex-slaves. 219 216

Project 1885 ~1~1 District #4 Spartanburg., S.C. ~ 390100 May 31, 1937 ~ 21G FOLK-LORE : EX SLAVES UI was born about 1857 and my wife about 1859. I lived ;ri Squire Keller s farm, near the Parr plaoe, and after the squire died I belonged to Mrs. Elizabeth (Wright) Kell r. My mother died when I was a boy and my father was bought and carried to Alabama. My father was Gilhiarn Coleman and my mother, Emoline ~iright. My master and mistress was good to me. The old Squire was as fine a man as ever lived on earth. He took me in his home and took care of me. After the war the mistress st~yed on the place and worked the slaves right on, giving th~a wages or shares. The slaves were not whipped much; I member one man was whipped pretty bad on Maj. Kinard s place. He had a colored man to do whipping for him - his name was Eph. There was no whiskey on the place, never made any. Us did cook- Ing in the kitchen wid wide fireplaces. When the Yankees came through at the end of the war, they took all the stock we had. The mistrees had a fine horse, ~ its tail touching the ground, and we all cried *hen it was taken; but we got it back, as some men ~vvent after it. I married in 1874 to Eilen T. Wj~lj~j8. She belonged to Bill Reagan. After I married I worked in the railroad sh pe at helena , and sometimes I fired the engine on the road, for about eight years Then I went into the ministry. ~/ ~ : ~ ~ . ~ ;

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2- and I preached I was called by the Spirit of the Lord, gradually, 51 years. I have been superannuated two years. i have one child, ason, who pullr~an service at Washington, D. C. It1 owned ItL~ little house arid several acres and am still liiiing on it.t SOURCE: Rev. Tuff Colerrian and wife (80 and 78), Newberry, S.C. Interviewer: G. Leland. Summer, Newberry, S. C. is in the

Mom Louisa Collier. Ex-slave, 78 years. 221 218

Code No. No. ~riia_______~ Erojeot, 188541) Reduced. fi in_~~word.s ~ ~ Prepared. by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by i: Place, Marlou, 8.0. __________________ Date ~ 2 F 1 93 7 Page 1. ~i 8 MOM LOUISA COLLIER ~ .. Bx.s8iave, 78 years. ~9OO95 I born en raise up d.ere In Colonel Durant yard. en I In my 78th year now. Dat seem ak I oie, don1 it? Co~ee Colonel Darant hab plenty ud~der oolored. peoples sides us but d.e y ne e r 1 lb de re in de ya rd. .ak we De y 1 lb up In cia quartera on de plantation. My pa~py name Ben Thompeon en he hadder stay dere close to d.e big houa e cause he wu~ de Colonel driver. De Colonel ha~ uh big oie carriage wha to ride In den. It hab uh little seat in de front fa my pappy to set In en den it hab two seat hind de d~rlver whey de Colonel en he family is ride. I kin see dat carriage jes uz good. right now dat my white folks hab to carry em whey dey Is warina go. Den my mammy come from de udder side uv Pee Dee en ehe name, Lidla Ba~ss. She waz de servant around de yard dere en dat o ount fa we to ne er s tay in d.e qua rte re wid de uth~ er colored peoples tfore fre edom d.eolare I ne er hadder do no work long uz I lib dere in d.e yard cause I am been bwt five year oie when freedom declare. My grandmamrny lib right dere close us en Colonel Thxrant hab ehe jee to look a ter aw d.e plantation chillun when dey parents wiiz workin . Aw uv d.e plantation peoples~ ud take dey ohillun dere fa my grandinamzny to im ee.

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Code No. Ito. Words~ -~ Projec~t, 1885 (1) Rethioe3. fromworda Prepared. by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, L!arion, 5.0. ___________________ Date, ~Iay 27, 1937 Page 2. . 2i9 I member one day d.ere come uh crowd uv peoples dere dat dey tel I us ohillun waz de Yanke es . Dey come right dere t rough de Colonel yard en when I see em, I wuz fraid uv em. i: ran en hide under my grandmammy bed Don know wha dey say cause I sin ge close nough to hear mithin wha dey talk bout. De white folks had.der herry (hurry) en put t1ings in pots en bury em or hide em~somewhey when dey hear dat de Yankees waz oomin oauee dey scare dem de1y Yankees might take dey t inge lak/is oarry way udder folks t inge. I hear em say dey ne er take mithin from de Colonel but some uv he wood. My white folks was well-off peoples en dey am ne er use no harsh treatment on dey plantation peoples. De Colonel own aw dia land bout here denen he see dat he overseer on de plantation provide plenty uv eve t ing us need. aw de time I hear tell bout some uv de white folks1ud beat dey colored peoples moe to death, but I am ne er see none uv dat no whey. I is muiber when &ey ud. sell some UT de colored peoples way offen to annuder plantation eomewhey. Jes been bid. em offen jee lak dey wz cattle. Some uv de time dey ud. sell uh man wife ~ way en den he badder ge annuder wife. A ter freedom declare, we ne er lib dere at de big house no mores MOTe in de colored settlement en den we am eat at de big house no more neither. Dey le~ us hab uh garden uv we

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Code 1~o. NO. Word ~~_ Project, 1885a(I) Rethioed from___~~rda ~ ~ Prepared by Annie Ruth Davia Rewritten by~ plaoe, Marion, 8.0. ~)~() Date, May 2 ?, 1937 P~age Z~. own dieu en raise us own ohioken en aw dat. I member de Colonel gi e us so muoha t Ing eve y week en lt Md~er las us from one Saturday to de next. My mamzny ud. go to d.e Colonel barn eve ty week en ge she portion uv mea . en me at Dat d.e way dey p ay d.e hand. fa d~ey wo rk d.en . II~ ~ gi e em no money d~en. Peoples whax lib on Colonel mirant p1~ntat1on am know nuthin but to lib on d~e fat uv de land. Dey hab plenty cows d.en en d~ey gi e us plenty uv milk eve y d~ay. I member we ohillun uee er take we tin cup en go up to d.e big house en ge us milk to d~r1nk en den some uv de oows ud be so gentle lak dat we chillun le follow em right down 8 ide tie path. Den when d.ere ne er witz nobody lak d.e Oolonel overseer bout to see us, we is ketch d.e cow en ge some mo re milk. I a . ~ys ud. lub to drink me milk dat way. We is eat plenty green peas en tatoes en fish in dem days pie too en dey is use tatoe/right smart den~ ~ Aw de oolored peoples on Colonel Durant plantation hab good bed wha to sleep on en good clothes to put on dey back. Coase we ne er hab no bought ~i niture in dem days, but we hab bedstead. wha dey make right dere en benches en some uv de time d~ey is make wha dey call way back chair. Den we je make ~ke own bed. outer hay cause de white folks ne er spare de colored peoples no cotton den. Hadder out de hay

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Ood.e No. Ito. Words_________ Project, 1885 ti) Reduoed ti~m~_words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, B.C. ___________________ Date, May 27, 1937 p8~ 4~ in de fall av te year en dry lt jes lak dey dries lt La to feed. de oattle on. Den dey hadder take sack en sew em up toged.der en put d.e hay In dese. Dey e .eep right smart lu dem d~ays. Don nitoha people sleep on straw bed d.eee day en time en dey d.on dress lak dey use er neither. I member de long dress dey le wear den. HacHer hold. em up when d.ey walk so dey won tetch ~Ie floor bout em. Den some tiv dem Is wear wha dey oall leggens. Dey~ud. gather em r~nd de knee en le em show bout de ankle. Dey wu~ pretty, dat dey waz. De white folke ud. make de plantation olothee outer calico en jeanes cloth en d~at time. De jeanee oloth be wha dey make de boy clothes outer. Dey is weave aw d~ey cloth right &ere on de plantation en den dey uee er dye ~Ie thread. en weave aw sorta oheck outer d.e different oolor thread. What dey make d.e ye outer? Dey ge1 bark it outer de woods en boil d.e oolor outer/en ~en dey boil de thread in dat. Dat how dey is make dey dye Ne er see de peoples hab no hat lak dey hab now neither. Aw de colored. peoples wear what dey call shack bat den cause dey been make outer ehuok. Dat aw de kinder hat we Is hab . Peoples use er ge aw kind.eruse~u1 t1ing outer de woods in dem days way back dere. Ne er had.der buy no me icine tall den. Am neTer beenno better coughoure no whey den de one my oie mammy use Ter make fa we ohil xtn. 8he larnt bout how it

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Gode ~No. ~o. Word.s________ Project, 1885 (1) Reduced ~ Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marlou, 8. 0. . _____________________ Date, May 2?, 1937 P~e . ~ . made when she stay round de Missue en dat how corne I know what In it. Jes hadder go In de woods en ge some cherry, call dat wild. cherry, en cut some uv de wild cherry bark ast (first) t1ing. A ter dat yu.h hadder find. some uv dese lorig~1eaf pine en ge de bud. outer dat. Den yuii hathter go to whey d.ere come sweet gum grow en ge de top outer dem en ge ~ some malien to put wid it. Am ne er no cough stand aw d.at mix up toge~ierin no a.ay en time. Dey gi e dat to de pe ople s La da t t ing wha dey us e e r cal 1 de grip o ough. Den dey use er make uh t ing dat dey call bone set?? tea. I forge how dey make it but dey gi e it to de peoples when dey hab de Levers. It been so bitter dat it ud lift yah up fore yuh is get lt aw down de t roat. Am see no Lever me ioine lak dat nowada~. Yas um, I niembe re when dey hab plenty uv dem corn.~. shaoking to one annader barn. De peoples ud. come from aw de plantation bout dere. Dem cornehuokinge waz big times, dat dey wu~z. Gl e eve1~rody aw de hopping-john dey kin eat. Jes cook it aw in uh big pot dere in de yard to de big house. Ahi nuthin ne er eat no better den dat hoppingmjOhX1~ is eat. Den de peoples tise er come from aw de plantation 1bout en hab big dancing dere. Dat when I mb to be 1bout. Dey hab tiii big fire build up outer in de yard en dat wha dey dance round bout. Call dat uh torch fire. Dey ud hab fiddle en dey dance wha dey call de reel dance den. 1 1member I uee er

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Cod~e No. !(o. Words_______ Project, 1885 ti) Reduced. fi~ in words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. _____________________ Date, May 27, 1937 P~e ~ lub to watoh ey feet when dat fid.dle ud. ge to playing. i: jes orawl right down on me knees d.ere whey I~ud. see dey feet jes uli going. t I ne er hab macha schooling fore freedom deolare ~Tause I been raise up on de plantation. Dis child (her daughter) pappy WI2~ de house boy to de big house en he ge more schooling den I is. De Missus larnt he~ how to read en write she self. A ter. ~free~om declare, I go to school to uh white man up dere to de oie Academy en den I is go to annuder school down dere to uh blacksmith shop. I go to uh white man dere too. Ne er hab no colored. teacher den cause dey am hab n~gh schoo1in~ den. Dese ohilliin. dOnT know nuthin bout dem times. I tell dese ohillun I don know wha dey wanna run boat so mucha cause d.ere plenty tTing to see dat pass right dere by us house eve y day. ~: t i~ dia uh better day en time to lib en cause dis uh brighter day now dat we hab. Source: Mom Louisa Oollier, age 78, colored, Marion, S.O. Per8onal Interview, May 1937.

Ex-slave 85 years old. 227 224

Project 41655 w. w. Dixon Wjxrnsborc, S. C0 39042C 224 ~om~ COLLINS EX-~SL~WI~ 85 YEARS OLD. John Collins lives in a tvro~room frame cottage by the side of US 21~ just one mile north of the to~m of Winnsboro, ~. C.~on the right side of the hi~hway and a fevr hundred yards from the intersection of U~ 21 and US 22, The house is ovrned. by i~r. John Arneen. lUs son, John, who lives with him, is a farm hand in the ernpicy of I~. John Ameen, and is his father s only support. They tells me dat I was born in Chester County, just above de line dat separates Chester and Fairfield Counties. You 1 now vrhere de dark corner is, don t you? Well, Dart iS in 1airfield County and part is in Chester Co~mty. In dat corner I first see de light of day; twas on de 29th of february, 1852. Though I is cighty-five years old, I s had only t~mnty one birthdays. I ketches a heap of folks ~rid dat riddle . They ask me : How old is you Uncle John? I say: I is had twenty-one birthdays and won t have another till 1940. Now fi~:ure it out yourself, sir, if you is so curious to knovr my ageL One tine a smart aleck, jack~1e~, .tlethodist preacher, of i~r race, corao to n~r house and figured all day on dat riddle and never did git de correct answer. lie scribbled on all de paper in de house and on de back of do calendar loaves. I sure laughed at dat preacher. I fears he lacked some of dat good old time ligion, de way he sweated and scribbled and fussed. ky daddy was name Steve Chandler. L~r niaimrrry was called Nancy. I don t i~1ow whether they was married or not. I~1~I daddy was sent to Virginia, while de war was g~rine on, to build forts and breastworks around Petersburg, so they say, and him never corne back. I members hin well. He was a tall black man, over six feet high, wid broad shoulders . My son, John, look just lak him. Daddy used to

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2. 22~ play v i~d matmTly just lak she was a child. Iietd ketch her under de armpits and. jump her up mighby nich ~o de rafters in de little house us lived in. ttL~Ay ma~mw and me vras slaves of old L~.rse Nick Collins. ~1iis wife, rr~r mis~ tress, ~ras name LaSS Nannie. i ~ass Nannie vras just an angel; all de alaves loved her. i3ut rnarster was hard to please, and he used. de lash often. De slaves ~~.rhisper his naine in fear and terror to de chillun, when bhey want to hush them up. They just say to a crying child: Shet up or old Nick will ketch youL Dat child sniffle but shet up pretty quick. ttiviarster didn l have rnan~r slaves. Best I member dere was about twenty men, women, and chillun to work in de field and five house slaves. Dere was no good s twixt field hands and house s ervants De house servants put on more airs than de white folks. They got better things to eat, too, thah de field hands and wore better and cleaner clothes. ttM~r marster had. one son, Wyatt, and two daughters, Namnie and Elizabeth. They was all right, so far as I member, but bein~ a field handts child, off from de bi~ house, I never got to play wid them any. < ~ttMy white folks never cared r~ch about de slaves having tligion. They went to de Universalist Church down at Feasterville. They said everybody was going to be saved, dat dere was no hell. So they thought it was just a waste of time tellin~. niggers about de hereafter. t In them days way up dere in de dark corner de. white folks didn~t had no schools and couldn t read orwrite. How could they teach deir slaves if they had wanted to? De Yankees never come into de dark corner It was in 186q dat us found out us was free; then we all left. I come dov~n to Feasterville and stayed wid I i~r. Joiiathan Coleman. From dere~)I went to Chester. 1i~Jhile I was living d.ere,

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3 . I married i~ggie Nesbit. Us had five chillun; they all dead, cept John. L~ vrife died two months ago. It ~ ~ tired now, and I is sad s thinkthg about I&ggie and de days dat are cone. Them, I~emories flood over me, and I just v ant to lay do~ ni. Maybe I ll see you sometime again. I feel sure I ll see Ua~gie befot many months and us ll see de sunrise, cloirm here, from de far hebben above, Good day. Glad you come to see me, sirs

Stories from ex-slaves. 230 227

: project 1885-~1 : Polkiore Spartanburg, Dist.4 . 390333 Nov~. 29, 1937 STORLES PROM EX~5L VES Time is but time, an~ how is I to know when I was born when. everybody kriov~s dat dey never had no calendars vvhen I come here. Pew it was dat ever seed even a Lady s Birthday Almanac. I is 75 ~ ~4 years old. I was dat last January on de 13th day.. I was born in old Tjriiori County about 4 miles south of Gafiriey. Marse Mike Montgomery had a placedat reachedfrom town ~vay yonder to Broad River vvhar de Ninety-~nine Islands lays. Now, de ~vay de road lays, dey counts it twelve miles from Gaffney. ~hen I v~as a boy it was lots further dan dat. Never know d why, but de Red Shtrts whipped my pa, Tom Corry. Dey jes corne and &~ot hirn out?n his house. He come back in de house. Chilluris was not give no privileges in dem days, so I never axed no que$tions, kaise I was ~ear d. Chilluns jes trots into your business dese days.. My pa say he was a slave on dem Ninety-nine Islands. All I know is what he told me. Mr. Mike Iviontgomery built lots of boats. Dey carried from 50 to 60 bales o cotton down at one time. De cotton was carried in de fall. De Smith place jined de ~iontgomery place arid dat run into de Nancy Corry place. I have Thrded de river dar lots o~ times.Broad River is shallow, deepest place in it back den was at .~ mouth o~ Kir~ Creek, jes below Cherokee Pails. It aintt so broad dar. . ~ ~Pa was de boatman for Mr. Mike. De boat was big and 1on~, . and dey always started off early in ~.e morning wid a load o~ cotton. Old iiian Dick Corry had to stand in de boat jes behind pa. Dey had. two steermen. So many rocks in de shallow water dat it kept de steermen ~i~ busy ~ rooks. ~eypus~e~ de boat off d~e roc~ wid. long. .po~es. ~ : . ~ ~ : : ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ : . . . . ~ . . . . ~ ~d,ited by:. Elmer Turriage

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~. ~ stories ~ rpm ~x~S1aves (Bouregard Corry) Pace 2 228~ Dey had ~to work away from de rocks. Sometimes dey had to get out in de v~ater arid roll some rocks from dere path if de water wasn t cold. ~Vharever nicht caught dem, dar dey stopped and pitched a camp. Dey fished arid killed wild ducks or birds dat ~vas plentiful den, and cooked dem alori~ v~id br ad and other thiri~s fetched from home. On de way from Columbia dey had lots of store~bou~ht things to eat . Store~..bought things was a treat den. Now ducks arid things is a treat. Times sho chari~es fast. ~ Spring was took up wid faridn~. Every mari, white and black, had a family back in dem days. Dat dey did, rIch or poor, white or black, all raised families. Menfarrned arid hauled maaure and cleaned. up de plantation lots and fields and grubbed in de spring. Women cooked and washed and ironed and spun and kept house and made every~ body in de house clothes, and made all de bed clothes, Dey stayed home all of de time. Men ~ot through work and set down at home wid deir wives and never run around. Now all ~goes. Dat s all dey does dese days is ~o. ~We had plenty of bread and milk and ~e raised hoes and killed all kinds of wild things like turkey, ducks and birds, arid caught fish. Men had suns dat dey used. every day, and dey hit things, too. Poiks kept in practice. wid guns arid had shooting matches. ~ ; ifter dey stopped boating, wagons come in. Den things begin to oh3n~e. Dey still is changing. Wagons went to Spartanburg to take cotton. Folks never went to Columbia no more. Spartanburg. begin toSrowand it S~1O ~til~ is at it. Sour ce : Boure axd. Corry ( N 7 5 ) Rt ~ 2 Gaf ney S . C. :(n~~erviewez~: Oaldwell Sims, Union, S.C. (ll/2~/~7).

Caleb Craig. Ex slave 86 years old. 232 229

i-II Project #1&5 ~ C. 390370 . 229 CALEB CRAIG ~- !J41~ ~ Caleb Craig lives in a four-room house, with a hail, eight feet wide, through the oenter and a fireplace in each room. lie livee with his grandeon, who looks after him. ~Who I is? I goes by de name of C. C. All de colored people speaks of me in dat way. C. C. dis and C. C. dat. I don t jeot but. my real name is Caleb Craig. Named after one of de three spies dat de Bible tell bout, Him give de favorite report and, cause him did, God feed him and clothe him all de balance of him life and take him into de land of Canaan, where him and Joshua have a long happy life. I seen a picture in a book, one time, of Joshua and ai, one . end of a pole on Joshua s shoulder end one end on Caleb s Eu, wid big bunches of grapes a hangin from dat pole. Canaan must to been a pow~ erful fertile Land to make grapes lak dat. Would you believe dat I can t write? Some of th~ adultery (adult) teachers come to my house b~zt it seem a pack of foolishness; too nuch trouble. I just rather put n~r money in de bank, go dere when I want it, set dat C. C. to de check, and git what I want. VVhen I born? CIwistn~.s eve, 1851. Where bouts? Blackstock, S. C. Don t none of us know de day or de place ~s was born. Us have to take dat on faith You know where de old Bel . house boys Blaok~tock is ? Dere s where I come to light. De old stagecoach, tween Charlotte and Columbia, changed hosses and stop dore but de railroad busted all dat up. My n~imi~r rtaite Martha. Marse John soon give us chillun to his daughter,

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2. 23O~ Miss MBZ1Ofl lU dat way us separated from our ma~m~j. Her was a mighty pretty colored woman and I has visions and dreams of her, in xn~ sleep, sometiuie yet. My sisters would call me Cs~e but her never did. lier say Caleb every tim.e and all de time. Marse John give her to another daughter of his, Mies Nancy, de widow Thompson then, but afterwards her inai~ry a h o s s drover from Kentucky, Mars e Jim Jones. I can tell you funny things bout him if I has time befo I go. *Us ohillun was carried down to de June place where Mise Marion and her husband, Marse Ed P. Mobley live. It was a fine ho~e, built by old Dr. June. Marse Ed bought de plantation, for de sake of de fine house, where he want to take Mise Marion as a bride. Dere was a whole pas sie o f niggers in de quarter three hundred or maybe n~re. I didn t count them, cause I couldn t count up to a hundred but I can now. Ten, ten, double ten, forty-fiTe and fifteen. Don t dat make a hundred? Sho it do. Clothes? Too n~ny dere, for to clothe them iaioh. I b long to de shirt tail brigade til I got to be a ~n. Why I use to plow in n~r shirt taill Well, it wasn t so bad in de eu~r time and us had big fires in de winter im, inside and outside de house, whenever us was workin . Tu I was twelve years old I dons nothin but play. Money? Heil noL Excuse me, but de question so surprise me~ l s caught off qr guard. Food? Us got farm s ich as corn-meal bacon, lasses, bread, milk, couarde, turnips, tators, peanuts, and punkins. De overseer was Mr. Brown. ~ i~rster was nuich talked bout for worki& us on Simday. It. was a lordly old fellow, as I member, but dere was neT,! ~ lak pl~win on Sunday, though I do member de hands workin wut

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Uncle Dick, a old ~nan~ night. De grave was dug was dat de hay and de fodder. Marse Ed, a great fox hunter, kep a pack of houMs. Sometinie~they run deer. Old Uncle Phil was in charge of de pack. Him had a special dog for to tree possums in de nighttime and squirrels in de daytime. Believe me, I lak possum de best. You lak possum? Well il git n~r grandson to hunt you one dis coniin October. Marse Ed didn t low patarollers (patrollers) on de June place. He tell them to stay off and they kriawed to stay off. Slave drovers often come to de June place, just lek mile drovers and hog drovers . They buy, sell and swap niggers just lak they buy, sell and swa~~ hosses, mules, and hogs. Us had proachin in de quarLers on Sunday. de preacher. De funerals was simple and held at day. A man dat had a wife off de place, see little peace er happiness. He could see de wife once a week, on a pass, and jealousy kep him stracted de balance of de Week, if he love her very iiuich. I i~rry Martha Piokett. Why I marry her? Well, I see so ~ny b.ook knee, box ankle1 . apindly shezik, flat nose chillun, when I was grawin up, dat when I come to choose de filly to fold ~ oolts I picks one dat thee mistakes wasn t so lakly to appear in. lis have five ohullun. Luo~ n~rry a Sims and live in Wizmsboro, S. C. Maggie marry a Wallace end live in Charlotte, N. C. ~.ry .rry a Brio. and live in Chester, S. C. Jane not married~ ~he live wid her sister, ~g, in Charl~tt . John lives boys lVhite Oak and farms on a large place I own, not a scratch of pen against it . by de govermne~it or a bank. I live on 27 acres, just out de town of Wjnnsboro. I expects no pensien. ~ graudohillun come and go, back ~ ~4 fo arda and tell n~ bo~Et

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4. 232 cities, and high falutin things goin on here and dere. I looks them over sometime for to see if I did&t ~1o ~ tor deir figurea, in s .eotin and marryint Martim, dat s more important to them than de land U leave them when I die. When )&arth& die, I n~rry a widow nanie Eliza but us never generate any ehillun. Her dead. Not nough spark in m~ to undertake de third trip, though I still is e. subject of tentions. What bout ~rse Ed and Marse Jim Jones? Well, you see, ~kzse Jim was close wid his money. Marse Ed was a spender. I tend Marse Ed to a ohiok. eu i~.in once. Marse Jim rode up just as ~rse Ed was puttin up ~3OO.OO on a pile brass wing rooster, ginst a.black. breasted red war hoes rooster, dat de 1~cCar1eys was backin ~rse Ed 1~ et de bet . But him never told Marse Jim, dat befo he rode up, him had won *500.00 from them same ~n. After de main was over, Marse Jim, bein brudder-inslaw to Marse Ed, rode home to dinner wid him. After dinner they was smokin deir cigars beTh de parlor fire dat I was viving up. Marse Jim lecture Marse Ed for throwin way z~rney. Marse Ed stretch out his long legs and sayz Mr. Jones does you member dat day us tended de circus in Chester and as us got to de top Of de hi .l a blind begger held out his ou~ to us and you put in a quarter? Mr. Jones say he does mem ber dat. Marse Ed went ons Well, Mr. Jones, I had a dream last night. I dream us comm through de Cumberland Mountains wid a drove of m iles from Kentucl y. You was ridi& a piebald hoes, de sane one you rode into South Carolina de fust time you come here. You had on a faded, frazzled grey shawl, bout lak de one you had on today. Us was in front, de outriders behind, when us got to de gap in de mountains. De drove stampede just as us git in de gap. Us was both kilt. You got to heaven befo I did. When I did git dere, you was befo de High Court. They examine you and turn over de leaves of a big book and find very little dere to your credit. it last they say, I think it was de

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5. 23:~ Poatle Peter dat ask de question. Him say: Everything is record d in dis book. Us can find nothin Do you happen to member anything you did to your oredit down dore on earth? Then you stand up wid dat old shawl rouiid your shoulders and say z AhaI I do meniber one thing. One day 1 was in Chester and put. a quarter of a dollar in a blind mania tin cup. De postle then tell de recording angel to see if him could find dat deed. Him turn over de leaves tu him found it on de page Then de twelve postles retire and liberate on your case . They come baek and de judgepass sentence which was: The sentence of de High Court is, that in view of your great love of money, James Jones it is de sentence of de court dat you be giron back de quarter you give de blind beggar in Chester and dat you, James Jones, be sent iu~mediate on your way to hell. Th~~ they both laugh over dat and Marse Jim got real happy when he find out Marse Ed quit de nein wid $200.00 to de good. Address z Caleb Craig, Wir,nsboro, s. C. That part of the suburb of Winmaboro called Mexico Just east of the Southern Railway Company and north of Wimusboro Cotton Mills.

Dinah Cunningham. Ex-slave 84 years old. 237 234

.. ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ :. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Project #1655 -~ ~: w. w. Dixou 390255 .~ ~ Winusboro, S. C. ~. ~ . 2:34. DINAH CUNi~INGHAM . 1~D(-SL&Vi~ 84 YEARS OLD . Dinah Cunningham Ii~v~~s about seven miles west of. Rid.geway, S. C.~, on the Hood place about a hundred yards off the old. Devil s, Race Tra k road. She lives with her daughter and son in~1aw and their three children. They live in a two room frame house with a shed room annex. In the annex, Dinah and the smaller children sleep. They are kind to Dinah, who is feeble and can do no farm labor. ~ Dinah is as helpless about the h9me as a child. tt s come up here bout seventeen rnil e s for to let you s ee me. Spect you don t see much in dis old. worn out critter. Now does you? tWell, here I is, and I wants you white folks. to help me, cause I s served you from generation to generation. Wid de help of de Lord and trustin in Jesus de Lamb I knows s goint to git help. When is they gwine to start payint off ? s heard them s ay how you got to be on de roll and ~i~ned up befo de fourth day of July. So here I is~ I was born de Lust day of March, 1853, out from Ridgeway, sunrise side. I~r marster was David Robertson and n,y mistress na~n~ Sally. Her was mighty pretty. Her w~s a Rembert befo she marry Marse Dave. They had one child dat I was de nurse for and her name was Luray. Her ~narry Marse Charlie Ray. ~ De onliest whippin I got was bout dat child.. 1 had de baby on de floor on a pallet and rolled over on it. Her make a squeal like she was much hurt and mistress come in a hurry. J~fter de baby git quiet. and go to sleep, slif said: tDiXIth~ Ihates to thip you but de Good.Book s~, sparede rod a~n~ SpOi.l de child. WiLd da , she goes out and g~.t ~. littl~ swi.toh off de crepe U~rrtle bush and come back and to k ~y left hand an ier I~ft han.~,

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. ~ ~. :~-;~: ~ V ~ V ~ ~ ~ 2.~j dat had all de rings on de fingers, and us had it tro~d dat room. I make a big holler as she plied dat switch on dese very legs dat you sees here today. They is big and fat now and can scarcely wobble me t~g but then, ~ :~ they was lean and hard and could carry me long like a deer in de woods. My vthite folks was. no poor white trash, I tells Youl Good inarse f and good mistress had heap of slaves and overseers. One overseer name Mr. V1h De buekra folks dat come visitin ~ use to laugh at de way he put ~Vi grease on his hair, and de way he scraped one. eootTbackTaid~eop~de..~round j or de floor when they shake hands wid him. He never sayThiuch, V ~ just set in his chair, pull de sides of his mustache and say Yas sah and No sah , V to them dat Bpeak to him. He speak a whole lot though, when he git down in ~ de quarters where de slaves live. He wasn tl~ke de eazn~ inanthen. He woke everybody at dayligh~,snd sometime he help de patrollers to search de h~uses for to ketch any slaves widout a pass. ~ ~ l us had all us need to eat, sich as was good for us. Marse like bo V see his slaves fat and shiny, just like he want to see de carriage liesses s1ic~ and spanicy, when he ride out to preachint a~ Mnswell and sometime de Episcopal church at Ricigeway. ~r young mistress jine de Baptist church after V she n~arry,~ and I member her ha~in~ ~ time wid sewint buckshots in de hem of V . de dress her was baptized in. They done dat, you knows, to keep de skirt V from floal n on top of de water. You never have thou.ght bout dat? Well, just ask any VB~Ptist preacher and he ll tell YOU dat it has been done. V fl~V. de Yankees come, they went Vt~ouCh de big house, tore up V . V V V :1~ eVeX 3jthifl~, ripped open de feather beds and cotton rnattre$ses, searehin for ~ j ewels Then they had Ufi slaires ketch de chickens, flung open de smoke-~hoizse, take de meat, meal, flour, and put them i.u a foux -hoss wa~on ~ ~ ~ ~ / ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~. ~ .~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .

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~r ~ ;~ ~d went Ofl dOWfl to Longtowu. Them was soandlous days, bOSSL I hope never to see de likes of them times wid dese old eyes again. I tmember ~ bOUt de Ku Klux just one time, though I heard bout ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ them a heap. They come on de Itobertson place all dressed up wi.d sheets and false faces, ridin on hoesback, hunt~n for a republican atid a radical xi.igge:, (I forgits his uaxue been so 1on~g~L, but they dicin 1 find h~ni. They sho was a si~ht and liked to soaredus all to death. ttWas I ever married? Sure I was, I marry Mack Cunningham. Us was jined in de holy wedlock by Marse alex Matherson, a white trial justice. Ask him arid he ll tell youwhen it was. I s got some chillun by dat husband. There is William at Charlotte and Rosy at Ridgeway Rosy, her marry a man name Peay. Then there is Millie Go~er at Rembert and. Lila Brovm at Smaliwood, de station where Marse Charlie Ray and my Mistress Luray was killed by a rail~ road train runnin into de automobile they was in. Then there is i~r daughter Delia Belton, at Rid&eway and Jolui L . a son livin and ~ at Cedar Creek. ni b long~ to de ~t. Olivet Church dat you knows bout. White folks COmes there sometime for to hear de ingin They say us can carry de song better than white folks. Well, maybe us does love de Lord just a little bit better ~ and at ~ j~ our ri~ uth is in our heartE. ~ t*What you gwine to charge for all dat writin you got down there? If you ~rites much more maybe I aintt got enough money to pay for it. I got ~ ~ a dollar here but if it~ more than dat you 11 have to wait ~ on me for de balance. You say it do&t cost nothiri Z Well, glory hallelujah for datt i~U just. SO.: ~ ~ tro~rnd to de eol red restaura~it and enjoymyseif widbeef stew, rice, new ~ . ; potatoes~ ~xnaearoni and ~ cup of coffee. I wpnder what theytil he~v! ~ dessert. t Speot it U be some kmt of puddm . But I cl be more pLeased ~f you would - ~ of t~2~s doUa? and go get you a good dmner,~ too. I would 1i.ke to

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4~ 23~ ~1ease you dat mucht 1t~Ti~.y de ~ Lord be a watch tweon me and you tu us irteets

Lucy Daniels. 241 238

Project # 1655 FOLKLORE 23 ~ Phoebe Faucette Hampton County LUCY DA~NIELS Aunt Lucy is a tall well-built old woman who looks younger than her years. She delights in talking, and was glad to tell what s he kne w ab out the olden times. I don t know how old. I been when de war end. If I been in de world I wasn t old. enough to pick up nuthin . Miss Lulie Bowers say I ll be 78 first of March coming. ~iss Lulie was my ~ young Missus I love Miss Lulie and I thinks she thinks a heap of me ~ my young Missus, and her father, my young Massa. He good to his darkies. He was a rich man - even after de war. Miss Lulle say she was de only young lady that could go off to college after de war. miss Lulie help me powerful. She give me shoes, and beddin. She and me grow up together. Sbe is in de bed sick now. I je s ~ come from dere Had de doctor to see her. I hear em tell bout how de soldiers burn em out. My mother would tell me. My father had gone off to fight. Say deytd tie de hams ant de things on de saddle ~ and burn de ex~ pensive houses. Thite folks jes had to hide everything. She talk bout all de men was gone and de women had to pile up, four or f1~te in one house to protect deyselves. My father way when dey been roug~fewgieing~ ~refugeeing) de Beaufort Bridge been burn down. He say he been so hungry one time he stop to a old ladyts house and ask her for something to eat. She say she didntt have nothing but some dry bread. ~e take de bread, but he say lt been so hard, he threw some of it away.

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Project #- .655 Page - 2 239 Phoebe Faucette Hampton County But he ~ay he so hungry he wish he hadn t throw lt away. It was a hard time. Used to have to weave cloth and dye thread. Had a lOOJfl to weave on and a spinning wheel. My grandmother say de Yankees come to her house and take everything, but she say one little pullet run out In de weeds ~and hide and de soldiers couldn t find her. She say dat pullet lay and hatch and dat how dey got start off again. ~ey scr~rnble and dey raise us some how or another. UI had nine chillun for my first husband and one for my second husband. I raise tem all ttjll dey grown; but all dead now cept three. My husband died. last year, I had to work for my chillun. But my second husband, he help me wid t em. Datts all I kin tell you, Miss. I don t remember. so much. Chillun in those days were&t so bright as dey is now, you know. Source: Lucy Daniels, 78 ex-slave, Luray; S. C.

Stories from ex-slaves. 243 240

project 1885~I . ~ ~ polkiore 390330 ~ Edited by: ~)~1 spartatibUr~, Dist.4 Elmer Turriage Nov. 30, 1937 STORIES PROM ~X~SL/~V~S My ~arni1y belonged in slavery time to old Marse Pierce Lake who was de Clerk oa~ Court in town, or de Probate Judges He lived at de old Campbell Havird House and. I lived dar wid him. My niotiaer belon~ed to dis Lake ~auii1y arid she was named Martha Lake. I don t anow wiho my ather was, but I was told he was a white man. Vie slaves had good enough quarters to live in, arid dey give us p1erit~y to eat. De house I live in riov~ is tair, but it has a bad roof. It is my wi ~e s chillun s place. I~y wile had it and left it to dem. She was Ellen Galiman, a widow when I married her. Only my blind daughter now live wid me. I was married live times and had eighteen cililluns by three wives. Each o~ my wives died be~o I married a~in. I didn t separate from any. My mother s fatL~er lived wid ::arse Lake. He an. his vile conic roxn Virginia. sI was a boy in slavery arid v~orke and piddled round de house. Sometimes I had to work de corn or in de garden. We had plenty to eat. As de old sayin~ is, ~ e lived at home and boarded at de same place. We raised everything v~e had to eat, vegetables, hogs, cows and de like. Marster had a big ~arden, but he didn t let his slaves have any garden 01 deir own. We made all pur clothes, home.~.spun. My mother used to spin at ni~ ht and work out all day; lots 0 niggers had to do dat. Marse Lake was good to his niggers, but he hadto whip dem onietjthe~ when dey was mean. He had six or ei&it slaves, some on d.c upper place arid some on de home place. We got up at daylight, and worked all day, except for dinner lunch, till it was sundown.

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.Stories ~roni.j~r.3laves (John Davenport) ~~ie never worked at nlg~it in de fields. Sometimes Marse would have corn~shuckings and de neighbors would corne in and help catch up wid. shucking de corn; den dey would have something tc eat. De young folks would come, too, arid help, and dey would dance and frolic. ? I didn t learn to readarid write. Marse never said any~thing about it. My sister learned when some of de white women school teachers boarded at Marse Lake s house. De teachers iearn t my S 8.~. ter when she was de maid. o de house, and she could read and write good. Didn t have a school or ciiurch on de plantation. ~tter de war, some or: de niggers started a brush arbor. BeTh de war, some ofus niggers had to come to town wid de white folks and go to deir church arid set in de gallery. 1De patrollers was sometimes mean. I ~ dey catch .d. a nigger away fr m home widout a pass dey sho whipped him, but dey never got any of us. Dey corne to our house once, but didn~t git anybody, We had to work all day Saturdays, but not Sundays. Some.. times de yellows wou.ldslip off and hunt or fish a litt1e~on~ unday. Women would do washing on Sat rday nights, or oth r nights. We had ~ three days holiday wh en Christmas come an d we had plenty good things to eat, but we had to cook it ourselves. De marster would give de chillun little pieces 0 candy. ~ Ohilluri had games like marbles and anti~over. ~ey played aiiti.~.over by a crow~i gitting on each side o~ de housean.d. throwing a ball from one side to de oth.er.Whoever g~t de baii~would run aroundoia de othe~ side arid hit somebody ~wid it; den hewas out o~ ~: de~ game. We ~Ver believed much in &iOStS or SPOOkS. I never s~ any. $~me o;~ de folks had. remedies ~ curing, li1~ a weed~ called Page 2

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Page 3 Stories Prom Ex~S1ave8 (John Davenport) It was good for chills arid fever. De tea is awful bitter. Little ba~s o:C asafetida was used to hans around de little chiliun s necks to ward off sever or diptheria. We used to call de cows on de plantation like dis: co~ winch, co~.~winch . We called de mules like dis: co, CD , arid de hogs arid pigs, pig...oo, pig-.oo . we had does on de place, too, to launt vvid. When freedom corne, de ruarster told us we could ~o away or stay on. i~ost o us stayed on wid him. Soon atter dis, he ~ot mad. at me one day and told me to ~it o ~ de place.. I Come to town and stayed about tv~o weeks, piddling arounrd to ~ it along. I i~ou.nd. out whar my mother was ~ she had been sold and sent away. She was in. Saluda (Old Town). I.werit to her and stayed two weeks; den she come to Nev~iberry and rented a little cabin on Beaver Darn Creek, near.Silver Street. . t?1 remember hearing about de Yankees. .~hen dey corne througb here dey camped in town to keep order and peace. I remember de Ku Klux, ~too, how some of em killed niggers. 1 voted in town on de Republican ticket . ~ I am still a Republican. None o ~ my friends held o ~fice, but I remember some o ~ dein. Old Lee Nance was one, and he was killed by a white man. 9Since de war, de .nig~ers have worked mostly on farms, renting and wage~hands. Some 0 dem have bought little places~ Some moved to town and do carpenter work, and others jest piddle around. ~Someof de dances de ni~ers had was, 3ump Jim Crow ; one t~~~r v~iould jump up anddownwhile tripping and danci~ig in.~de. 8am~ spot. Sometimeshesay, Every time Ijump, Ijump~Tirn Crow. We ha~ wt~at was esUed a J~ber same. He wot~ld dance a ~ ig an~d I Juber that, Ju~ber kil).ed a yellow eat . ~. ~ j ~ ~ d ~ ~

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. . ~ ~ ~: ~ ~ ~ ~ :. ~ stories Prom EX Slavee (1lohn Daveriport~ ~ Page 4 I never thought much about Abraham Lincoln nor. Jefferson Davis. Only seed. de pictures of dem. Reckon dey was all right. Don t know noth1ri~ about Booker Washit~ton, neither. ~ II was 25years old when I joined de church. I joined be.cause I thought I ought to, people preaching Christ and him ~ruci.fled; and I thou~ ht I.ought to do right. Thir~k everybody ought to join de church and be religious. . ?t~fhat I think o~ de present generation is hard to say. Dey is not like de old people ~vas. De old generai~Ion of chilluns could be depended on, but de present nig~ers can t be. tao, de slaves never expected anything when de war was over, dem in de neighborhood didn t. Some say something about sit.tiri~ 40 acres of land. and a mule, but we never expected it. None ever got anything, not even money from de old marsters or anybody.~ Source ~3ohn N. Davenport (N, 89 ) Newberry, s. C. RPD Interviewer: G.L. Suxum~er, Newberry, S.C. (11/3/37) ~ ~ ~

Stories from ex-slaves. 247 244

Projeet.1885.d . . FOLKLORE 39011G Edited by: 244 : Spartanbu~rg Dist . 4 Elmer Turna~e June 8, 1937 STORIES PROM EL~SLAVES I was born, March 10, 1848, on Little River in Newberry county, S.C. My master in slavery time was Gilliarn Davenport. He was good to his slaves, not strict; good to his cattle, and expected his ~e~roes to be good to them. But he was quick to ~ resent ariythin~ from outsiders who crossed his path. ?t~L .1 that part ~:ff the country was good Lor hunting. The deer, fox, and wild turkey have cone; though a few years ago, some men brought some foxes there and turned them loose, think~ ing they would breed, but they gradually disappeared. The kiL. dees were many. That was a sign ofgood weather. When they flew high and around in a circle, ~t was a sign of high winds. 9 ishing in the rivers was much done. They fished with hooks on old..time canes. They had fish baskets, made of wooden splits, with an opening at the end like the wire baskets now used. L~ they were set anytime, day or night, a few hours aftcrwards would be enough time to catch saine fish. An old sign was: when the youngest child sweeps up the floor, somebody was coming to see you. If a disb-.rag was 4rop-. ped on the floor, somebody was coming who would be hungry, Source: Moses ~avenport ~89j, Newberry, S.C. Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. (b/lo/37)

Charlie Davis. Ex-slave, 88 years. 248 245

Ood.e N~. :I~To. W,1t4$ . ~ Project, 18 5~(1) Rethiced. ft om ~words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by~ 215 Pla e, Marion, S.C. Date, July 28, 193 ? Pagi~i~~ ~ CR~RLIE DAVIS . ~xs.~$1ave, 88 Years 3SO14~) ni cou1d~n tell how old. I is only as I ask my old. ~iassa son en he tell me d.at I was born ahead. of him oause he had. de day pu~t d.own in he family book. I had. one of d.em slavery bible, but i: have a burnin out so many times d~at it d.one been burn up. I belong to Mr. George Crawford. people. Mr. George d.e one what die up here one of d.em other year not far back. Dey who been my white folks. I can tell you a good. deal bout what de people d.o in slavery time en how dey live den, but I can tell you nothin bout no jump abou~t things. My Massa did~n low us to study bout none of d.em kind. of frolickings in dat day en time. Ti gwine tell you. it just like I experience lt in dein days. We ohillun lived well en had. plenty good. ration to eat all de time cause my mammy cook for she Miesue d.ere to de big house. All she ehillun lived In a one room house right d.ere in de white folks yard en eat In d.e Miesus big kitchen every day. Dey give my mammy en she ohillun juet euch things as de white folks had to eat like biscuit en cake en ham on coffee en horniny en butter en aU. d.at kind. of eatin. Didn have no need. to worry bout nothin tall. My Massa had. a heap of other colored. peoples dere besides we, but dey never live dat wav.~ Dere been bout 80 of dem

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Code No. rcro. Words ~ ~- ~ Project, l88~3-(l) Reduced. from~ wc~i ds Prepared by ~nnie Ruth Davis Rewritten by~~ . 24U Place, Marion, ~.O. _____________________ Date, July 28, 193 ? ~e . ~ dat live up in de quarter just like you see dese people live to d~e sawmill dese days. Dey live mighty near like us, but did.n hav no flour bread. to eat en d~idn get no milk en ham neither cause ~ey eat to dey own house. Did.n get nothin from d.e dairy but old. olabber en dey been mighty thankfal to get dat. Oh, ~ey had a pretty good. house to live in d.at was furnish wi~i dey own thing~ dat d.ey make right dere. Den ~.ey had. a garden of dey own. My Massa give every one of he plantation family so much o~ land. to plant for dey garden en den he give em every Saturday for cloy time to tend. d~at garden. You see dey had. to work for d.e white folks all d~e other week day en d.ey know when dey hear d.at cow horn blow, dey had to do what de overseer say d.o. never coulOEn go off d.e place wid.out dey get a mit (permit) from de overseer neither else dey tore up when dey come back. i~o mam, di~n dare to have nothin no time, Didn low you to go to school cause if you was to pick up a bo 0k, you ge t b out 100 las hes fo r dat 1~o mam ddn have no eimroh for de colored. peoples in dem r3ays. Ju~st had. some of dese big oaks p 11e up one on d.c other w in d.e wo ode en dat whe we~ go to cimroh. One of de plantation mens. what had more .earnin den de others was d.c one what do d.e preachin dere.

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o ode No . ~ ~o Wordi . . Project, l885~(l) Red~uoed fr~OuII ~rde Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by~ 24? Place, Marion, S.O. ____________________ Date, July 28, 1937 ~Ie 3~ ~ My Massa waen never noways ecraggeble to he colored peoples. Didn cut em for every kind. of thing, buSt I is see him beat my stepfather one time cause he ran away en stay in de woods long tinie. Oh, he beat him wid a switch or a stick or anything like dat he could. get hold of. ~Di .n never know nothin bout doing no hard. work in U.S ohil .un days. When I was a boy, I mine de crows out de field. Oh, crows was terrible bout piokin up peoples corn in times back dere. You see if dey let de crows eat de corn u,p, dey had. to go to de trouble of planting it all over again en dat how come dey send. we ohillun in de field to mind. de crows off it. We just holler after em en scare em dat way. Crows was mighty worser in dein days den dey is die day en time. TI sho remembers when freedom was declare cause I waS bout 1. year old den. Then d.em Yankees talk bout oommn r ound. my Mas sa take al I we o o 10 re d. bo ys en all he fas t horses en pat em back in de woods to de canebrake to hide em from de Yarkees. It been many a year since den, but I recoliecte dat we waS settin dere lookin for de Yax~keea to get U any minute. Wasn obliged to make no noise neither. Ob, we had big ohun~ of lightwood en cook meat en hoecake en, couarde right d.ere in de woods Den my Massa take one of dem oldest plantation boys to. de war wi . him en ein . nobody never hear tell of him no more. He name Willie.

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Oo&e 1go. ~o. Word~1 ~ Projeot, 1885~(1) Reduced. tr m__ii~orda Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis R written by~ 248 flaoe, Marion, 8.0. ___________________ Date, Jtiiy 28, 1937 Page 4. o my Lord, when dey hear talk bout ~e Yankeee ooznin, dey take all d~e pot8 en d.e kettles en hide em in ho .ee In d~e fields en dey put dey ail~er bout some tree so d~ey know whe d.ey bury lt. Den dey hid.e d~e meat en de corn to d.e oolored peoples house en when d~ey hear talk of d.e Yankeee gwine away, dey go en get em again. Dem Yankees never deatroy nothin bout dere, but d~ey le make my Maesa give em a oart of corn en a mid,d. .in of meat. Yee um, I look at ~ea Yankees wid. me own eyes . Dey was all dxeeeed up in a blue uniform en d~ey was just as white as you le. Oh, d~ey said a lot of things. Say d~ey was gwine free d.e niggers en if it had~n been for dem, we would. been slaves till yet. Coase I rather be free den a slave, but we never have so much worryatione d~en as people have dose days. When we get out of clothes en get sick in dat day en tune, we never ha& to d~o nothin but go to us Massa. Jow, we have to look bout every which a way. My Massa ask my mother was she gwine live with him any longer after freedom was declare en she say she never have no mind to leave d.ere. We live on dere for one year en d~en we atuIied to get another place. I believes heap of dem white folks died just on account of us get freed.. Dey never d~Hn want us to be free.

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Code No No Wo rd.s________ Project, 1886 Cl) Re uced~ f~orde Prepared. by Annie Ru~th Davia Rewritten by~ ~T~i i Plaoe, Marion, 8.0. . ~ Date, Jaly 28, 193? Pij~T. ~ . ~ TI heard a ~ say somebody had. oonjured. her, but I d~Oflt believe in none of dat. I knows I got to die some of Iese days en dat nilght oome bei?ore me. I don bother wid. none of dat kind. of thing, but I ll tell you bout what I has experienoe. I had. two d.ogs d.ere en somebody poison em cause d.ey tell me somebody ~.o eat. Oh, I know dey was poison. De polioe say ~.e dog was poieon. A oman d.o it dat had. chillun what was afraid of my dog en d~at how..come she poison it. I slio think she done it oauseit just like dii, anything peoples tell me, I believes it. I have seen &em thinge peoples say is a ghost when I was etayin here to Lake View. I plant a garden side de road. en one night I hear somethin en I look out en d.ere was a great big black thing in me gard.en d.at was makin right for d.e house. I eau. me wife en tell her to look yond.er. De thing was comm right to d.e house en my wife hurry en light up d.e lamp. I hear d.e peoples say if you d.idn light up d.e lamp when y~u see a spirit, dat it woul~t sho come in en ran you out. I ha . done paid. some money on de place but after I see dat thing, I d.IdII have no mind. to want it. Had. de best garden en chickens dere I ever had., but I never bother no worry bout dat. Just piok n right up en leave dere to come here en I bee/here ever since. I knows dat been somethin come dere to scare me out dat house. Dat am been nothin else but a epirit. Am1 been nothin else. Source: Charlie Davis, age 88, colored, Marion, 8,0. ~ Personal interview, July 193?.

Charlie Davis's musings. 253 250

Projeol #1655 ~ . ~ ~. ~Ienry arant - Coluznbia, ~. C. 390398 ~5() ~ R4vIs s~~~~s ~ Charlie Davis now seventy-nine years old was a small boy when the slaves were freed. lie lives alone in one room on Miller Alley, Columbia, s, C., and is healthy and physloally capable of self- support. lt1 1~s been wonderin what you wanted to talk to dis old nigger bout since I fust heard you wanted to see me I takes it to be a honor for a white gentleman to desire to have a conversation wid me. Well,~here I is, and I bet I s one of de blackest ni~gers s seen for a season. Somehow, I ain t shame of rn~j color a~tall. If I forgits I is dark oomplected, all I has to do is to look in, a glass and in dere I sho don t see no white man. tu3058, ~ ~ kinda clad I 3.~ a black mans oause YOU kflOWS dero ain t llIUoh expected of them nowhow and dat, by itself, takes a big and heavy bu den off ~eir shoulders. De ivhite folks worries to~ imich over dis and over dat. They worries cause they alu t got no money and, when they g its it they worries agin cause they is fraid somebody is gwine to steal it from them. Yes sir, they frets and fumes cause they can t sociate wid big folks and when they does go wid them, they i s ~ bothered cause they am t got what de big folks has sot. It ain t dat way wid most niggers. Nothin disturbs them iaioh~ cept a empty stomach and a cold place to sleep in. Give them bread to eat and fire to warm by, then, hush your mouth; they is sho safe then& De possum in his hollow, de squirrel in his neat, and de rabbit in his bed, is at hom*~. So, de nigger, in a tight house wid a big hot fire, in winter, is at home, too. ~S~i~ sort of ease and comfort is bout what all people, both vihite and black, is ~tX~iViU for in dis world. All of us laks dat soniethin called tent

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2. 251 ~ ni ~t, in one way or de other. Many white folks and some darkies thixilcs dat a pile of money, a fine house to live an, a spexisiire in torbile, fine clothes, and high ciety, is gwine to give them dat. But when they has all dis they is still huntin de end of de rainbow a little ahead of them. Is de black man nervous or is he natohally scary? Well, sir, I is gwine to say ye s and no to dat A nigger gits nei vous when he hears somethin he don t understand and scared when he sees somethin he can t n~ake out ~VVhen he git s sho nou~h scared, he moves right then not tomorrow. Lak de wild animals of de wood8, he ain t fraid of de dark, much, if he is movin bout, but when he stops no house is too tight for him, in summer or winter. If he sees a strange and curious sight at night, he don t ~iave to ask nobody what to do, cause he knows dat he has foots. It is goodbye wid. old clothes, bushes, and fences, when them foots gits to tendin to deli business. When you hears a funny and strange noise and sees a curious and bad sight, I b lieves you fust g t nervous end then dat feelin grows stronger fas , tu you git soared. I knows de faster I moves, de slower I gits scared. From ~uy age now, you can tell dat I ~i.s mighty little in slavery time. All I knows tbout them terrible times is what I has heard. I con~ pretty close to them tioklish times but I can t help from thinkin even now, ~ dat I missed a sperience in slavery time dat would be dom nie good to dis very day. Dere ain t no doubt dat many a slave learnt good lessons dat showed them how to work and stay out of de Jail or poorhouse, dat s worth a little. I has heard n~ n~imr~ say dat she b long to de Wyricks dat bas a big plantation in de northwestern part of Fairfield County and dat n~r daddy b long to de Graddioka in de ~ northern part of Riohiand COm~ty. Dese two ~p1antations was just across de road from each other. Matnn~j said dat de patrollers was a~ thick

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3. as flies round dese plantations all de tim, and my daddy sho had to slip t round to see TNazrm~r. Sometime they would ketch him and whip him good, pass or no pass. De patrollers was nothin but poor white trash, mamn~r say, and if they didn t whip some slaves, every now and then, they would lose deir jobs. My mau~ny and daddy got married after freedom, ~ cause they d dU t git de t ime Lor a weddin . They called deirse .ves x~ and wife a long time they was really married, and dat is de reason dat l s as olcias I is now. I reckon they was rig~it, in de fust place, toause they never did want nobody else toept each other, nohov. ~ere I is, I has bee~i married one time and. at no time has I ever seen another woman I wanted. My wife has been dead a long time and I is still livin alone. ~A~11 our chillun is scattered t~j~ ~ over de world soms~ where and dat somewhere is where I don t know. They ain t no help to ~ now, in n~r old age. But, I reckon they ain t to be blamed flflUth: cause they is young, full of warm blood and thinks in a different way from de older ones. Thea, too, I spects they thinks deir old daddy would kinda be in deir way, and de best thing for them to do is to stay away trom ~. I don t know, it just seems lak de way of de world. s ~ oo~ from de Guinea family of niggers and dat is de reason I is so s~ll and black. De Guinea nigger don t know nothin cept hard work, and~ for him to be so he can keep up wid bigger folks, he has to turn round tas You knows dat if you puts a little hog in a pen wid big hogs, de little one has got to ~ve bout in a hurry aai~ngst de big ones to g it nough to and de saine way wid a little person, they sho has to hustle for what they gite. I has no head for learnin what s in books, end if I had, dere wasn t no schools for to

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4. 2531 learn dat head, when I c~o~ long. I lias ~na e ~or~ ~ney, ~ long tiir ougia de years but never kxiowed how to save it Now I is so old dat I can t n~ke much, and so I just live someh~w, deS s all. President 9ooeevelt has done his best to help de old, poor, and for- gotten ones of us all every color and race, while dis ~ pros sion has been gwine on in dis country. Is us gwine to git dis new pension what is gwine but, or is dat other son~bod,y gwine to think he needs it worser than us does% Dat s de question what sorbs z~r mind mo et dese days I ion t need much, and maybe I don t deserve nothin but I sh would lak to git hold of dat little dat s tended for n~ by dat man up yonder in Washington.(Roosevelt) Does 3; b lieve in spirits and hauts? My answer to dat question is dis: Muat n~ tremblin spirit fly into a world unknown? When a person goes way from dis world, dere they is, and d~ere they is gwine to stay, tu judg- meut.

Heddie Davis. Ex-slave, 72 years. 257 254

CodeNo. No.W~rde_____ Project, 1~85 (i) Reduced ff&LI~ worcis Prepared by Annie Ruth DaviB Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ____________________ Date, January 21, 193S 3SC012 Page 1. HEDDI~ DAVIS ~x $lave, 72 Years Lizzie ~~avis sends word for Heddie Davia to corne over to her little shack to join in the conversation about old. times and. Hecidie enters the room with these words Sie, I gwine hug your neck. Sis, I did Bornethtn last night dat I oughtn t done en I can hardly walk dia mornin. Pulled off my long drawers last night en never had none to change with I ~ bear to get down en pray or nothin like dat, my knee does ache me so bad. I gwine up town yonder en get some oil of wintergreen en put on it. Yes um, dat sh a good thing to strike de pain cause I heard bout dat long years ago. sis, am you got no coffee nowhe dis rnornin? God knows, de Lord sho gwine bless you, 8is.~L What honey? No um, I won here in slavery time. I was just tereckly after it. Well, I come here a Lewis, but I In-. herited dc Davis name when I rnarrieth Old man Peter Lewis was my dadd3,~,~en my mother~she was a North Carolina woman. Oh, I heard dat man talk bout de old time war so niuch dat I been know what was gwine fly out hie mouth time he been have a mind to spit it out. My daddy, he belonged to de old man evans Lewis en be been de one his boss pick to carry to de war wid hirn. Yes unt, he stayed up dere to Fort Suinter four years a fightin en hc~ped shoot dem old Yankee robbers. My old man, be had one

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Code No. No. Words______ Project, i~S5 (1) Rec3. ced fro~m~words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. _____________________ Date January 21 193 ~ ~jj a~ ~ ~ ~ of dem old guns en I give it to his brother Jirnniie. He lives way up yonder to de north en. he carried dat gun wid. hini just cause I give it to him, he say. He marry my younger sister en she grayer den I iSe Think dey say dey lives to Rockingharn, North Oarolina. Yes, honey, my daddy was sho in dat wash out dere to Fort Sumter. Lord, have mercy, t never hear tell of crabs en shrimps in all my life till ~y daddy conie back en tell bout a old. woman would be gwine down de street, dere to charleston, cryin, Shrirtips, more shrimps. But, my Lord, I can half rementher nothin dese days. If I had de sense I used to have, I would give de Lord. de praise. Honey, he said a lot of stuff bot~t de war. Told a whole chance o f some th in Tell us bout de parade en eve ryt bing but I is forgetful now en I just can think. De Bible say dat in de course of your life, you will be forgetful in dat how I is. Just Can think like I used tee. You see, I gwine in 70 now.~ Oh, I was born dere to Mullins in January on de old man Evans Lewis plantation. Den we moved dere to de Mark Smith place after freedom settle here. Dat long high man, dat who been us boss. His wife was naine Salue en de place was chock full o f hand. s No main my wh it e fol. ks dn care bout no quarter on dey plantation. Colored people just throwed. tbout ail over de place. Oh, I tell you, it was a time ause de niggers was dere, plenty of dem. Some of dey house was settin side de road, some over in dat corner, some next de big house

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.. Code No. No. Words____-~ Project, 1~5 (1) Reduced from___words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by 25G~ ~ Place, Marion, S.C. -- - - ~ - - --- ~ rate, January 2 ., 193S Page ). en so on like dat all over de place. Oh, dey lived all right, I reckon. Never didn hear dein say dey got back none. Hear dey live den better den de people lives now. Oh, yes uni, I hear my parents say de white folks was good to de colored people in slavery time. ~idn hear tell of nobody gettin nothin back on one another neither. No, child, didn never hear tell of nothin like dat. Seems like de people don work dese days like dey used to nohow. weil, dey done soniethin of everything in dat day en time en work bout all de time Am nobody workin much to speak bout dese days cause dey walks bout too much, I say. I tell you, when I been a child gwine to schoc~1, soon as I been get borne in de evenin en hit dat dooi~J step, I had to strip en put on my everyday clothes en get to work. Had to pick up wood en potatoes in de fall or pick cotton. Had to do sornethin another all de time, but never didn nobody be obliged to break dey neck en hurry en get done in dent days. Ohullun just rushes en plays too much dese days, I say. No, Lord, I don want to rush no time. I tellin you, when I starts to }Ieaven, I want to take my time gettin dere.~ L~. Lord, child, I sho hope I gwine to Heaven some of dese days cause old Satan been ridin me so tough in dis here world, I am Be e no re et s moe I be en know bout I had two fe e t . My husband, he treat me so mean, if he am in Heaven, he in de other place, I say. Den all deni chullun, Lord a mercy, dey will kill you. I raised all mine by myself en I tel . you, dey

260 257

257: Code No. Project, 1~ 5 (1) Prepared by Annie Ruth ~avis Place, Marion, S.C. Date, January 21, 1937 took de grease outof me. My daddy, he was a prayin man. Lord knows, he was a prayin man. Seems I ike de old people could beat de young folks a prayin up a stump any day. I remember, my daddy come here to de white people church to Tabernacle one night en time dein people see him, dey say, Uncle Peter, de Lord sho send you cause am nobody but you ~an pray dese sinners out- of hell here tonight. God knows dat man could sing en pray. Lord, he could pray. Oh, darlin child, dat man prayed bout all de time. Prayed every rnornin en every night en when us would come out de field at 12 o clock, us had to hear him pray fore he ever did. allow us to eat near a morsel. Sis, I remember one day, when dey first started we chullun a workin in de field, I corne to de house 12 o clock en I was so hungry, I was just a poppin. God knows, people don serve de Lord like dey,used. to. Sis, you wants dat one patch, too. Lord Jesus, dere am no limit to dis one. Sis, I must be come here on Saturday cause everywlie I goes, I h~s to work. Hear talk, if you born on a Saturday, you gwine have to work hard for what you get all your days. I been dom somethin ever since I been big enough to know I somebody. Remember de first thing I ever do for a white wor~i~ Ma come home en say, Heddie, get up in de inornin en wash your face en hands en go up to Miss Rogers en do everything just lue she say do. I been know I had to do dat, too, cause if I never No. Words________ Reduced from ~ words Rewritten by~ hge~. ~

261 258

Code No. No. Words~______.- Project, 1~S5- (1) Reduced fr niwords Prepared by Armie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C/ _____________________ ~ Date, January 21, 193e Pag&5. ~ ~ do it, I know I would been whip from cane to cane. When I got dere, I open de gate en look up en dere been de new house en dere been de old one settin over dere what dey been usiri for de kitchen den. I won thinkin bout nothin cept what Miss Rogers was gwine 8ay en when I been walk in dat gate, d.ere a big bulldog flew up in my head. ~ I stop en look at hIrn en dat dog jump en knock ~ne windin en grabbed my foot in his mouth. yes um, de sign dere yet whe he gnawed ~ne. White folks tell me I been do wrong. Bay, don never pay no attentionto a dog en dey won bother up wid you. But,honey, dat dog had a blue e ye en a p ink e ye Am I neye r se a do g in such a fix since I been born. I tell you, if you is crooked, white folks will sho straighten you out. Dat dog taught me all I is ever wanted to know. Lord, Miss gary, I been love dat woman. De first time I ever see her, she say, You am got no d re s s to wear to Sunday Scho o . I gw the give you one Te s rnarn, Mise Mary dress me up en de Lord knows, I am never quit givin her de praise yet~~ ~ Ye s ~um de Yanke es I hear my daddy talk bout when dey corne through old ~4asea s plantation en everything what dey do. Say, dere was a old woman dat was de cook to de big house en when dem Yankees come dere dat mornin, white folks had her down side de cider press just a whippin her. Say, de Yankees took de old woman en dressed her up n hitched up a buggy en !nade her set up in dere. Wouldn let de white ~oiks touch her no

262 259

~ 259 !, Code lo. _______ Project, 1~5-(1) ____ Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Place, Marion, S.C. Date,~ January 21, 193e more neither. Oh, de place was just took Wid. dem, he say. What dey never destroy, dey carried off wid dent. Oh, Lord. a mercy, hear talk dere was a s vvarm of dem en while corne of dem was in de house a tearin up, dere was a lot of dem in de stables takirx de horses out. Yes~um, morne was dom one thing en some another. ~n Pa tell bout dey had de most sense he ever did see. Hitched up a cart en kept de path right straight down in de woods en carted de corn up what de white folks been hide down dere in de canebrake. Den Borne went in de garden en dug up a whole lot of dresses en clothes. En dere was a lady in de house sick while all dis was gwine on. Oh, dey was de worst people dere ever was, Pa say. Took all de hams en shoulders out de smokehouse en like I tell you, what dey never carried off, dey made a scaffold en burned it up. Lord, have mercy, I hope s I am gwine never have to meet no Yankees. Source: Heddie Davis, colored, age 72, Marion, S.C. Personal interview by Annie Ruth Davis, Jan., l93~. No. Words______ Reduced from words Rewritten by Page b. I

Ex-slave 80 years old. 263 260

Proj~t #1655 r~ ~ ~ ~Dixou ~ Wj~uizboro, S. C. 390243 W~IVIS EX-SL&VE 80 YE4~RS OLD. Henry Davis is an old Negro, a bright mulatto, ~tho lives in a tworoom frame house on the farm of Mr . ~mo s E Davis about two miles south vrest of Win~sboro, s. C. Iii the house with him, are his wife, Rosa, and his gro~n children, Roosevelt, Utopia, and Rose. They are day laborers ox~ the farm. M this periods Henry picks about seventyfive pounds of cotton a day. His children average one hundred and fifty pounds each The four to~ether are thus en- ~ ~ abled tO gather about five hundred snd twenty-five pOunds per day, at the ra1~e of sixty-five cents~ per hundreds This brings to. the family, a daily support of ~3.41 This is seasonal employment, however j and, as they are not a provident household, hard times come to Henry and. his folks in the winter and early summer. t I wa~ ~ on de old Richard Winn plantat ion dat fl~7 master Dr W. K. Turner, owned and l~v~d on. I wa~ borfl de ye~r befo hi.m marry ~v1iss Lizzie Lernmon, my mistress in slavery time. ~ ttMry moth rwas name Mary and took de name of Da~ is, cause befo free- dom oome, her was bought by my master, from Dr. Davis, near M~nt~~~ll0. ~ tu had a good. niany inarsters and mistresses. ~ Miss MinX1~ m~x rY~ Dr. . Scrug~&. ~sS ~na ~arr~ ~ . DoTe. ~SS E~ marry Iv~. Jason Pope. ~rse . Wi1f~~K~ marry a Miss Carroll up in York, S. C., and Marse Johnnie marry Miss ~ Essie~ ~ ~ b~ otbers and sisi~ers .~tas Mj~itOfl~ Ike, Martha, and Isabella. ~ : ~Who I marry and ~1l bout ~t 1 How ooine you ~w~iit to know dat ? I t Gla.re& I~ gwiue to j,oOSefl me up~? Well, I rn~rr~r de tRoue of ~ or I h she was a Lemmon. Eer ~s

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~r ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ (~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 2*26i~ name Rose Lemmon. Lots of times she throw de in my face Rose of Sharon vrhen things go ~wrong ~ ~hen her git upp~sh and sniff, Rose of Sharon, my eye ~ You treats me lak I ~jus a dogwood rose on de hillside or worse than dat, lak I was a Jimson~weed or a rag weed. ~ ~ My manmry and us chillun I ive in de yard not far from de ~ kitohen. L~ mammy do de washin and ironin 13e chillun did no work. I ride round most of de time wid de doctor in his buggy and hold de hoss while he visit de patients~ Just set up in de buggy and wait tu him~it ready to go to another place. or go home. nI member de Yankees commt and searchin de house, takin off de cows, mules, hosses, and burnint de gin~house and cotton. They say dat was General Shermants orders. They was lowed to leave de dwellin house standin , in case of a doctor or preacher. Miss Lizzie had a whole lot of chickens. Her always keep de ~inest pullets. She make pies a~d chicken salad out of de oldest hens. ~ Dat February de Yankees go~ here she done save up ~ bout fifty pullets dat was ready to lay in March. A. squad of Yankees make us chiflun ketch every one and you know how they went way wid them pullets? They tie two on behind, in de rings of de saddle. Then they tie two pullets together and hang them on de saddle pommel, i one on each side of de hosses neck. Da1 throw them flanking de hosses withers. ~ ~ I members now them gallopin off, wid them..ohickens flutterin and hollerin ~ ~~ : ~ whare~ . whare ~ ~whare whare whare ~ ~ 9 fter slavery time us live on de Turner place nigh onto thirty years and~ ~h n was ~ de tir e I go t sse Rosa and court end xnarry her. Her folks b9.crn.g to de Lezranons a~d they had stayed on at de Lexmnonts place. De white f T courage us ~o ha-re a bi~ weddin ~ lier white fQII~S

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:~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ );~~ ~ ~y ~ ~ . give her a trousseau and mine give me a be,~siead, cotton rna-btres , and two feather pillows. Dat wa~ a mighty happy day and a mighty happy night for de ~ Rose of Sharon * Iler te1I~ young ni4gers ~ bout it to dis day, and. I just sets and smokes n~r p5.pe and thinks of all de days datam passed and gone and wonder if de nex world gwine to brinj~ us back ~o youth and sbrength to j OY it, as us did when Rose ~nd me was young. ~Does I members anything bout patrollers? Deed, I doL Marster d1d~ t jeot to his slaves gwine to see women off de pL~q~. I hear him say SO, and I hear him tell more than once dat if he over hear de patrollers a comint ~jd blood hounds to run to de ~ot end stick his foo~bs in de mud. and de doss wouldntt follow h~im. Lots of run ways tried it, I heard, and it proved a SU000SS and I don t blame them dogs neither. t .

Jesse Davis. Ex-slave 85 years old. 266 263

Project #I~55 ~ ~ ~ ~ w. W. Dixon Winxisboro, S. C. 390270 JESSE DAVIS . ~_~ -SLkVE 85 YEL&R~ OLD. Jesse Davis, one of the fast disappearing land~rnarks of slavery ti~mes, lives with his wife and son, in one of the ordinary two room frame houses~ that dot, with painful monotony, the country farms of white land~ owners. The three attempt to carry on a one-horse farm of forty acres, about thirty acres in cotton and the remainder in corn. The standard of living is low. Jesse is cheerful, his wife optimi~bie with the expression that the Lord will provide, and their son dutiful snd hopeful of the liar vest. Their home is about ten miles southwest of Winnsboro, in the ~or~b section of Fairfield County. t~Dere is some difficulty bout n~j age. Nigh as I can place it, I was born bef de Civil War. I members ttendint to and milkint de cows, and keepint de calf off, drawint water out de well, and bringint in wood. to make fires. I speots I s eighty five, mountin1 up in years. ~i lives on Mr. Eber Mason s place wid one of my chillun, a son naine Mingo. Us all work on de place; run a farm on shares. I cantt do much work and CarL? t supporb myself It s mighty hard to be p~~ent on others for your daily rations, even if th m others is your o~uvn bone and flesh. ltd preciate sumpint to help n~j son and wife carry on. Dats why I wants a pension. Do you spect God in Ils mercy will hear de prayer of dis feeble old believer? I don t beg people but de Bible give me a right to beg God for xny daily bread. De Good Book say : ~ ~ Take no consarninent bout your raiment ~. You can see from what I s ~ot on, dat nie nor nobody else is much consarned t bout dis raiment . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~:~: t~muiT~t~d~Smiths. ~rn~aster~wasDz,,IraSmith. ~ ~sres~ ~we,s him ~wif~, M3.ss Sara~ Deir oh~.lIuu was ~ k~se Ga4, ~arse Jim,

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. ~. ~ ~ ~ ;~.: and Marse Billie. Marse Jim iiva~ de baker of dis to~n all his life, after de way of old-time oven_000kint til Boy bread and Claussen bread wagons ~ run him out of business. Hirn is now on de tlief roll and livjnt in de old McCreight house, de oldest house in Winnsboro. Dere was my young misses, Miss Lizzie and Miss Lennie. ~r man~xny name Sarah, just lak old nuistress naine Sarah. Her btlong to marster and riiistress but rtty pappy no b long to them. Hirn b long to de lig bugs, de Davis family . Hirn was name Vii, and after s lavery him and ~ al 1 us t ake de name, de secon ~ Davis, and I~s here today, Jesse Davis. See how dat work out to de name? Good Book again say : Good name better than r iches ; sweet-S er to de ear than honey -oomb to de tongue. . ItyO~ j5 well tquainted wid Marse Amo~ ~)avis, ain t you? Well, his people was pappy s people. I had a brudder name Gabriel, thot they called him Gabe Another one name Chap ; he got kilt while o learin up a new ground. Sister Fannie marry a Ashford nigger. Marse Ira, de doctor, have a plantation near Jenk$.~vili.&, ~ C . ~ ~ . When de Yankees come thru, they come ~ de main arn~r. They gallop right up, jump down and say: Hold dese hossest Open dat smoke house doorl They took ~that they could carry way. tBout dat time inarster rode up from a sick call him been ttendjnt to. Course you know Mm was a doctor. They surround him, take his watch, money, and hoes, and ride way. ~ ttDe main ar~j cOme next day, Saturday mornint t~0~ 8 otclock. They spread deir tents and stay and oarxip tu Monday mornint ~ V~hen. they leave they carry off all de cows hogs mules1,~ and ho s se s Then they have us kot oh de chi okens got them all capt one old hen dat run under de house and they ~ d~.dU t wait to ~ hero ~rster have to go t~y up to. Union County, where him haire kiia fo;Lks, -bo git sumpixa~ . to eat. ~

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r ~ U!~r marater was not bi rich lak de Davises, de Means, and de Harpers, b1:tt him have all them people come to see hirn. Him know a heap of things dat~ they predate. De way to dye cloth was one of dose secrets. Marster have a madder bed. Him take de roots of dat madder put them in de sun just lak you put out pieces of apples and peaches to msi~e dried fruit. Vihen them roots g t riht dry, him have them ground up fine as water~ground meal. He put de fine (iU~3t ifl a pot and boil it. ~hen he want~red cloth, he just drop de cloth in d~t pot and it come out all red to suit you. Want it 1~Iue, him have a indigo natch for dat. t I never hear anything ~ bout alum dose days Well de slaves could take peach tree leaves and alum and make yellow cloth and old cedar tops and copperas and make tan cloth. walnut stain and copp ras and make any cloth brown. Sweet -gum bark and copperas and make any cloth a purple color. I mein.~ ber goin wid one into de woods to g t barks. One day old marster come cross a slippery elm tree. Him turn and ooxmnand me to say right fast: Long, slim, slick saplin and when I say long, slim, sick slaplin him tmost kill hisself laughin ~ You try dat no ~ You find it more harder to say than you thirk it is Him give me a piece of dat bark to chew and I run at de ~nou~h lak you see a hess dat been on de range of wild clover all night and slobberin at de bits~ Yes sah, I b longs to de churoh~ l~r wife and son, L~ingo, just us three in de house and de whole household jined de Morris Creek Baptist Church. What s Thy favorite song ? None better than de one dat I Il h Ist right now. Go ahead? I thaxks you. Listen: M I born to die . ~ . ~ ~ To lay dis body down . ~ . ~ charge to keep I ha~e ~ ~ ~k God to glorify. ( J

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You lak dat? Yes? You js praisin me too highly I spect, but since you lsk dai one just 1 isten at dis one ; maybe you chance your mind o ause It ~ gwine to h Ist it a wee bit higher and put more of de spiritual in it. Ready? Yes? I stand up dis time. Ail de medicine you may buy Jul d doctors you may try Ain t gonna save you from de tomb Some day you got to lay down and d1e~ . De blood of de Son can only Save you from de dooxnL Some day you got to lay down and. die. You lak dat one? You just ought to hear rrr~r wife, M5.ngo, and Me, singin dat tround de fire befo us go to bed. Well, I ll.toddle long now. Goodbye.tt

Lizzie's 'sponsibility. 270 267

Code No. ~ No. Words_____ Project, i&S5~-(i) Reduced f~orn ~~~worde prepared by Annie Ibith Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ___________________ Date, February 14, 193e 390001 Pagel. ~ ~ ~ 26F7 LIZZIE S SPONSIBILITY The firet scene of LizZie s 1Sponsibility is that of the small, one room dwelling place of Lizzie Davis, aged. colored woman of Marion, S.C. A disorderly, ill...lighted., crudely furnished room, saturated with the odor of food. Behind the front door stands a gayly colored iron bed, over which is thrown a piece of oilcloth to keep the rain from leaking on It. In the center of the room are several little quaint honietnade stools and two broken rockers, while in one corner sits a roughly finished kitchen table, the dumping place of all small articles. Still in another corner, aLnost hidden from sight in the darkness, is the dim outline of an old trunk gaping open with worn out clothing, posBibly the gift of some white person. A big fireplace in one side of the wall not only furnishes heat for the little room, but also serves as a cookin~tlace for Lizzie to prepare her meals. On ~ hearth sits a large iron kettle, spide~, and griddle, relics of an earlier day. The room is dimly lighted by the fire and from two small doors, together with a few tiny streaks that peep through at various cracks in the walls and top of house. It is about 9 o clock on a cold, drizzly morning in January, l93~. The little two room house, in which Lizzie rents one room for herself, displays an appearance of extreme coldness and. di-~ lapidation as a visitor approaches the doorway on this par~

271 268

o o de No . . No Words______ Project, 1~5- (1) Reduced fr&m~ words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. -~ -~- - ~ - Date, February L~, 193e Page 2~ ~ 268 ticular morning. It is with somewhat of an effort that the visitor finally reaches the barred door of Lizzie s room, a fter making a ~ skip he re and the re to ke ep from falling through the broken places in the little porch and at the same time try~ ing to dodge the continual dripping of the rain through nunierous crevices in the porch roof. Within is the sound of little feet scuffling about on the floor, the chatter~.of tiny children mixed with mumblings from Lizzie., and the noise of chairs and stools being roughly shoved about on the floor. A rap on the door brings Lizzie, crippled up since she was twelve years of age, hobbling to the door. Taking her walking stick, she lifts the latch gently and. the door opens slightly. A gray head appears through the crack of the door and Lizzie, peeping out from above her tiny rim spectacles, itnxnediately recognizes her visitor. She offers her usual cheerful greet~ ing and begins(to~~hastil~pueh the large wooden tube from the door to make room for her visitor to enter, though it is with unu suai he s itanc y t hat s he mv it e s he r gue st to come in on this occasion. Lizzie-- Come in, Miss Davis. I feelin right smart dis mornin. How you been keepin yourself? Miss Davis, I regrets you have to find things so nasty up in here dis mornin, but all dis rainy weather got me obliged to keep dese old. tubs settin all bout de floor here to try en catch up de water what drips through dem holes up dere. See, you twist your

272 269

Code No. ~ No. WOrds________ Project7 is~5-~(i) Reduced from____words prepared by Annie ~th Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ___________________ P69 Date, February 1~, 193e ~e 3, ~ ~ ~ head up dat way en you can tell daylight through all dem cracks. Dat how I know when it brtght enough to start to stir myself on a rnornin. Yes urn, I tell ~iss Hedclie here de other day dat I had protiiise you I was gwine study up some of dem old time songs to give you de next time you corne back. Miss Heddie, she lookin to a right sharp age, I say. Yes urn, she been here a..ti~, honey. I tell her to be gettin her dogs together cause I was she gwine point her out to you de next time I see you. I tell you, Miss DaviB, I got a sponsibility put on nie here to look after all dese ehillun. Yes urn, it sho a sporisibility cause I think dere five of dein dere en it de truth in de Lord sight, dey has me settin up so straight to keep a eye on dem dat I can never settle my mind on nothin. Dey won let me keep nothin clean. Am no use to scrub none, I say. You see, cripple up like I is, I am able to get no work off nowhe en I keeps dem while dey parents work out. Dey rnarnrnas have a job to cook out en dey brings dem here bout 6 o clock in de tnornin for me to see after till dey get home in de afternoon. Cose dey helps nie along, but it takes what little dey give me to keep dem ohillun warm cause I has to tryen keep a fire gwin~~, dey be so little. Dere Bertha Lee en Joseph, dey start gwine to school dis year en I bas to see dey gets fix decent en ~narch dent off to school every ~nornin. Dem other three dere dey name : Possum en June en Alfred. Am but just one girl en dat.-~-~

273 270

Code No. No. ~Words______ ~ Project, 1~5-~(i) Reduced f~6th~words Prepared by Annie &~.th ravis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. __________________ 2~) ~ Date February )~ 193~ ~ ge~ ~ ~ - ~ I (Lizzie s attention turns to June, who cornes in crying from the back yard,wliere all the children went to play during ~jz~je~~ Conversation with her visitor). Lizzie-~ What de matter wid you, June? June -~ Aun Izzie, Possum knock me wid de ax. Lizzie~ Great King! What a peculiar thing to hit you wid.. How-~come he to do dat? June-s He was bustin up dem stick out dere side de wood. pile. Lizzie Oh, well, you j~~t go en butt up on de ax. Dat airi~ no fault of he own den. Clean up dat face en gwine on way from here. (June, crying to himself, remains seated on the little stool)o Lizzie~- Let me see now, Miss Davis, I tryin to get some of deni old. time songs together to turn for you what you been axin nie bout de other time you come here. Yes um, I tryin to blow my dogs -~ ( Possuai enters the room). Possum-P-. ~ Izzie I was bust in up dem splinters dat my daddy brung for you to cook wid en June come en set right under de ax. Lizzie- Urn huh, am I tell you so? !Vhe de ax, Possum? Fetch it here en put it in de corner. Am none of you bad no. business id dat ax nohow. &in I tell you to mind your way round dat ax? (Possum runs back out in the yard).

274 271

Code No. . No. Words_______ Project, 18~5-~(i) Reduced ~~rII ~ords Prepared by Annie Th.tth Davis Rewritten by~ Place, Marion, S.C. __________________ Date, February LI., 193e Lizzie-~-~ Like I tellin you, Miss Davis, if de people had a song in de old days, dey would put it down on a long strip Called. a ballad, but honey, I been through de hackles en I can think of nothin like I used to could. Is anybody stng dis one for you, Miss Davis? It a old one, too, cause I used to hear ...~ (Alfred conies in to tell his tale). Alfred - ~Aun Izzie, June set on Possum s pile of splinters dat he was makin en Possum let de ax fall right on June s head. Lizzie -~-- Dey is cases, Miss Davis. I tellin you, dese chillun just gets everything off my niind. Most makes me forget to eat sometimes. Dere Miss Julia Woodberry, poor creature, she been down mighty sick en I am been able to go en see bout her no titne. Don know what aiim her cause I don gets bout nowhe much. No,mam, dese chillun don have no tnanners to go visitin en I can left detn here widout nobody to mind bout dat dey don run~~ Joseph-~ Aufl Izzie, I am gwine wear no coat to school dis mornin. Lizzie ~ Boy, is you crazy? Wbat de matter wid. you, am you know de ground been white wid. Jack Frost dis rnornin? Zn you clean up dat nose fore you get dere to school, too. You ~ say your ma send you here widout no pocket rag to wipe your nose wid? You ma, she know better den to ~ spect me to hunt rags for you. Oome here en let me fasten up dat coat round de neck. You look like a turkey buzzard wid it gapin

275 272

. . Code No. No~ Words________ Project, 1E~85-(1) ~ Reduced f~n~iorda Prepared by Annie fi~ith Davis Rewritten by Place) Marion, S.C. _____ _______________ Date, February ~ 193e ~ ~ 272 open dat way. Whe Bertha Lee? It time both you been in dat. road. gwine to school dere. (Bertha. Lee and Joseph go out the door to leave for school). Lizzie~-~ Lord a mercy, Miss Davis, my mind just a windin. How dat song turn what I had for you? One for Paul, En one for 8idas~ Lizzie-~ Joseph, how-~corne you am tell dese chillun good-~bye? Joseph-~- Good-~bye Possum, good bye June, good bye Alfred. Po s sum June Al fred- Good bye Jo seph . Lizzie-~- Is you got dat one now, Miss Davis? What de next? OEreat Jeruselumi Dem chillun done carry dat tune way wid d.em. I can turn dat one to save my neck. Just can come to de turn table as de old man would say. ( 12 o clock mill whistle blows, time teller for many colored people of the conirnunity). Lord a mercy, what dat whistle say? It done come 12 o clock en dat pot am thought bout to kick up none yet. I tell you, honey, it sho a t sponsibtity I got put on me here to cook for all dese chillun ration en see dey/is cook mighty done, too, so as dey won be gwine round gruntin wid dey belly hurtin all de evenin. (Lizzie b gins to stir up the fire to make the pot boil and her visitor dec ides to return later to hear the songs).

276 273

CodeNo. ~ No. Words_____ Project, 18s5~-(i) Reduced ~ words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by~~ Place, Marion, 8.0. ______________________ Date, February 7, l93~ ~ 273 ~ II It is a damp, chilly niornin about three weeks later, wh n LiZzie~s visitor returns to hear her sing old time songs. June, Bertha Lee1andA .fred. are playing in the street before the little house. Visitor-~~ Is Aun Lizzie at home? June, Alfred, Bertha Lee-~ Yes um, s~e in dere. She in de house. Visitor~ you children better mind how you run about in all this damp weather, it might make you sick. June ~ ?ossurx?s got de chicken pox. A~1fred-~- Possur?s got de chicken pox. June-~ ~e sick, too. Bertha Lee I got a cold. A1fred~ I sick, too. Visitor Poor little Possum. Is he sick much? Alfred ~ Yes utn, he stay right in dat room dere. (Room next to Li zzie s room with a separate front door). Bertha Lee~-. He niamnrna bad de chicken pox first en den Possum, he took down wid. it. June-~ De re he now I Dere Po s surni ( Po s sum appears from around the corner of the house with both hands full of cold. fishy, (Alfred goes to Lizzie s door to tell- her that she has a visitor) Alfred Aufl Izzie, somebody out dere wanna see you.

277 274

Code No. No. lords Project, 1~5-.(i) Reduced from words Prepared by Annie atth ravis ~ Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. w -- - - ~ - 274 ii Date, February 7, 193e Page ~ Lizzie ~ Holy Moses! Who dat out dere? Boy, you am tellin nie no story, is you? Mind you now, you tell me a story en I ll whip de grease out you. Bertha Lee-.~ Aun Izzle, am nobody but Miss Davis out dere. (Ltzzie hobbles to the door on her stick). Lizzie -. How you is, Miss Davis? I am much to speak bout dis mornin. I tell you de truth, Miss Davis, dese chillun keep8 me so worried up dat I don know whe half my knowin gone, I say. Great Lord. a mercy, dere Possum out dere in de air now en he been puny, too. Visitor~ The children tell nie Possum has the chicken pox. Lizzie-~- 1~o um, he am got no chicken pox, Miss Davis. Dey thought he had it cause be marntna been aiim dat way, but I don see nothin de matter wid him cept what wrong wid he mouth. Possum, stand back dere way from Miss Davis, I say. Yes urti, he been sorta puny like dis here last week. He mamma must been feed. him too much en broke be mouth out dat ~~~ June--. i~i Is t~v is I know how to spe I 1 my name. Bertha Lee~- I know how to spell my name, too. Me likes to go to school. Visitor - Oh, I think it is nice to like to go to school. What do you do at school? June j.. Pull off your hat. Bertha Lee- Us writes.

278 275

Code No. No. Words_______ Project, 1~5~.(i) Reduced from ____words Prepared by Annie 1~2th Davis Rewritten bf Place, Marion, S.C. - 275i Date, February 7, 193e Pages. - Visitor~- Lizzie how about those old ttrne songs you promised to study up for me~ You ought to bave a mind runnin7~- over with them by this time. Lizzie~ Lord, Lord, honey, I had study up a heap of dem old tunes here de other day, but I tellin you de truth, Miss Davis, dese chillun got me so crazy till nothin won stick~ ~ (willie, age 10, comes over to play with the children and begins to whistle.). Lizzie~- Willie, am you know it ill manners to whistle in anybody house? Dere now, it impolite to walk by anybody house whistlin, too. You is too big a boy for dat. Am gwine stand for you learnin dese chillun no such manners for me to beat it out dem. No, boy, mind yourself way from here now, I got to bunt up dat tune for Miss Davis. Yes uin, I got one of dem old tunepoppin nOW. Let me see~ Great Happyl Dat pot done gwine out all my sparks. (Lizzie rushes in the house to look after a pot that she hears boum over on the fire). June-~ Bertha Lee, de lady don know whe us sleeps, do she? Bertha Lee-. Dere us house over dere. (Bertba Lee gets up to point the house out and June immediately slides Into her seat on the bench next to the visitor). Bertha Lee -~ Move way, June. June-..-. No, dis place wile I been. Bertha Lee~~~ June, go further, I say. June-.- No, Bertha Lee, dis whe I been.

279 276

Code No. No. ~Ord8___~ Project, i8~-~(I) Reduced from___Words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Re~vritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ~ - ------U-- ~ 27~ L Date, February 7, 193e hge 10. ~ Bertha Lee~--. No, go further. (June holds his place) I go tell Aun Izzie den. Visitor- ~- Tell Lizzie I ~n waitin to hear that tune she promised to sing. Bertha Lee-~ Aun Izzie, June set-tin in my place. Lizzie - Fetch yourself on back out dere now, Bertha Lee, en settle your ov~~n scrap. Am you shame of yourself en you bigger den June, toot Go way from here, I say. I am got no time to monkey up wid you. .1 got to get dese coila~ds boum hard, else dey amt grine get done ti~iie you chiliun start puffin for your dinner. Go way, I tell you. Miss Davis, I comm toreckly. (Bertha Lee returns to the porch quietly and takes her place on the opposite side of the visitor, while June clings to his place). June j. Miss Davis, does you know Mr. Rembert? Visitor Is he your fatrier? Bertha Lee and J~ne .~ No, he am us daddy. June Mr. Renibert, he bought me everything I got. He shoe horses. Don you know him now? Bertha Lee~-.... He bought June s sweater, but dem my overalls he got on. June - Dem dere pretty buttons you got on you, Miss Davis. Bertha Lee -. Sho is1en dem little chain dere. June-.~ Me got a sweater just like her coat. Bertha Lee- kin just like it. June-.~. It most like it. Bertha Lee-~-~ No, it am cause dis here wool.

280 277

Code No. No. Words______ Project, I~5~(i) Reduced frorn~word~ Prepared by Annie Ruth Davt~ Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. __________________ flate February 7, 193e P~I~1L ~ : ~ r~ f (Lizzie returns to the porCh and sits on a little stool near her door). Lizzie-.-~ Lord, Miss Davis, dat tune done left me. Now, de next time dat I get a tune in my mind. I gwine sho get somebody to place it for me. It de Lord truth, my mind gwlne just so wid so much of chillun worryations till-~- June ~ Me can sing. Possum - Aufl Izzie, I am got nothin to eat. (Lizzie returns to her room again to stir up the fire and get Possum some bread). Bertha Lee-~ Sine den, June. June- Un-euh, I can . Aufl Izzie might hear me. Bertha Lee-~ I gwine sing den. June~ I sees de lighthouse~ amen, I sees de lighthouse-S amen, I sees de lighthouse amen. (Lizzie and Possum return to porch. Possum has three muffins). Lizzie- - Clean up your nose dere,Alfred. Miss Davis, I ready. Sho got a mind to turn dat tune dis-~- ~ ~lfred-~ Possum wouldn fetch me no bread, Aun Izzie. Lizzie Dere dey go again, Miss Davis. No, you Cant have none of Possum s bread. Gwine on in dere en catch you a piece out your ov~n pan. You eat up Possum s bread en den he ll be de one howlin bout he am got none. ( Alfred goes in the room and. cornes back with a biscuit).

281 278

Code No. No WOrds ~ Project, i~S5~-~(i) Reduced horn words Prepared by Annie Rutn Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ~- -~-~-~ 278 Date, February 7, 193S Page 12. Lizz1e-~- I pretty oertai.n I ready now, Miss Davis. Let dem all get dey belly full en den dey head won be turnin so sharp. Dat how come I tries Possurn-~~-~ Aufl Izzie Alfred eatin June s bread. Lizzie--j Alfred, look here, boy, you know dat am none of your bread. You sho gwine get a lickin for dat. (Lizzie slaps him). Your ma, she am never left nothin but corn hoecake in your pan since you been born en you know dat, too. Dem chullun carries me in de clock sometimes, Miss Davis. Dis one en dat one callin me en de Lord help me, I forgets what I dOjflw Clean up d~t nose dere, boy. June-~ My nose clean. Lizzie -S Possum know I talkin to hirn. Get on in dere en. tell Miss Mar~iniie to give you a pocket rag, Possum. (Miss Marntnie j ~ Po wn s aunt who came to spend the day with them). Bertha Lee .. Peter Rabbit, Hai Ha! Hal ~ke Your ~ar s Go Flop I Fi op 3 FlopI Lizzie - I has to ax you to bear wid me, Miss Davis. I sorry you corne here on a dead shot en am gettin no birds. Lord knows, I tryin to get my mind-- June-~- Co, Aun Izzie, Joseph been cuttin out Willie s book. (Lizzie s attention is attracted to Willie,who looks worried about bis torn book.) Lizzie Great mercy, boy, you ought to have a pain in de chest. Look, you settin dere wid your bosoni wide open. Fasten

282 279

Code No. No. WOrds______ Project, 1~5-~(i) Reduced f~oiu~~words Prepared by ~A.nni ~th Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ____________________ 279 Date, February 7, 193e ~gei.3. ~ up your neck dere, I say. ~ Possum, corne here, is you do like I tell you? Is you ax Miss Marninie for sometbin to clean up dat nose wid? Possum~-~-~ Ye8 unl. Lizzie~ Look out now, I~ll whip you for tellin a story. Whe de rag? No, you am ax her neither. Gwine on en clean up dat nose fore I wear you out. ( Possum goes around corner of house). Lizzie~-~ Help me Lord not to forget it dis time. I sho got dat tune-~ ~-June---~ A I zz ie A I z z je Po s sum fall in de tub o f Water what settin under de pump. (Poesum appears from around the corner of the house just at that moment drenched and almost frozen). Lizzie-- Great Lord a tnercyi Possum, you looks like a drowned possum ~ho enough. Why am you do like I tell you to do? You. know I don never allow you chillun ramblin round dat pump tub no time. Am nobody want to drink out no tub you wash your snotty nose in. Fetch yourself in dere to de fire en dry your self fore you is catch a death of cold. Gwine on, boy. Don stand dere en watch me like a frizzle chicken. Dere Mr. John Fortune comm now. I gwine tell him to catch Possum en cook him up. Possum - I gwine run. Lizzie You say you gwine run~ Possum - No urn, I am say I gwine run.

283 280

280 ~ No. Words______ Reduced from__~words Rewritten by Ood.e No. Project, i~85.~~(i) Prepared by Annie Buth Davis Place, Marion, S.C. Date, February . 7, 193e Lizzie --~ -~ Mind you now, Possum, you know what I tell you bout a story-teller. Mamrnie-~-~ Miss Lizzie, I just don believe he know right frotn wrong. Lizzie--~- Well, I gwine learn hirn den. Am nothin I despises worser den a story--teller. (Lizzie slaps Possum on the shoulder several times and sends him in the house ~to dry, shivering from both cold and fear.). Lizzie Mi8S Davis, Mr. John Fortune helps nie out wonder fully wid dese ohillun. Say, when dey bad, he gwine cook dem up en eat dem. Yes,matn, I tellin de truth, honey, dese chillun keeps me settin here li~tenin wid all my ears en lookin wid all my eyes, but dey is right sorta entertainin like. Yes urn, dey got so much of sense till dey done took what little I is had. (Alfred comes running in and leans up on Lizzie). Lizzie-- Clean up dat snotty nose, Alfred. You ought to been name Snotty wid your mouth all de time lookin like you am hear tell of no pocket rag. Move way from dere, June. Don blow your nose settin side, Miss Davis. Page l +.

284 281

Q ode No ~ No ~ w~ rd. s~ Project, i~S5 (i) Reduced fromworcjs Prepared b.y Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. -~---~ -~-- ~-- -~--~---.- ? ~81 ~ Date, February 10, l93~ ~ ge 15 ~ .. III It is three days later. Lizzie is si~tting on her little porch enjoying the warm sunshine of a bright February day. The children have gone just across the street to play on the sidewalk and while Lizzie keeps a .watchful eye on them, she is trying once more to call back to her mind some of the old time songs that she used to sing in her early days. Her visitor sits on a bench nearby ready to make notes of these old songe as she sings them. Lizzie s attention is not only distracted by the children at intervals,~. but also by different ones o ~ her friends constantly passing along the street in front of the small home. ~ Lizzie-- Lord, Miss Davis, look like everything a hustlin dis mornin. Yes um, dis here Monday mornin en everybody is a ~ bustlin gwine to see bout dey business. Seems like ~ everything just gwine on, just gwine on. I tell you de truth, Miss Davis, I studied so hard bout dem songs de other night, I beg de Massa to show me de light en he ~o~e me to recollect dis one for you. See, when you gets to de age I is, you is foolish ~ (Joseph runs across the street to tell Lizzie something). Joseph~ Aufl i zzie possum teachin June to hit Jerry. Lizzie~ Uh-~huh, I gwine abo beat him, too. (Lizzie turns to her visitor) Possum, he teachin June to knock dat little o~e wid de speckle coat on. Visitor~ Is he another child that you are taking care of?

285 282

Oode :~io. ~ No. ~Words________ Project, 1~E5 (1) Reduced f ~ords Prepared byAnnie Ru.th Davis Rew~1tten by Place, Marion, 8.0. ____________________ 28~2 Date, February 10, l93~ Page i6. - Lizzie- ~~ No uni, he grand.m raise hizn en de poor little creature he don have nobody to play wid. Look like nobody don care when he come or whe he go. I eay, I tries to collect mine up en take care of dem cause it dis way, if you don1 take time en learn chillun, dey old en dey am old; dey fool en dey amt fool. Yes um, I tryin to drill dem, Miss Davis, but it does take time en a little whip, too. Has to punish dem right smart sometimes. I teilin you, deu chillun sho a sponsibility. Dem what put all dem gray hair up dere on my topknot. I tell dis one en dat one to set to a certain place till I say to get up en den I ll get my studyin on somethin else en de child, he ll be out yonder ~ (Heddie Davis, age 72, a neighbor of Lizzies, comes over to join in the conversation). Lizzie~- Here come de hoes (hdrse). Qome in, Miss Heddie. Miss Davis wants us to sing one of dem old. back tunes dis mornin. Heddie ~ Weil, I is studi.ed up one tune what I been hear de old people sing when I wasn nothin much more den a puppy~-~---. Lord a mercy, Miss Lizzie, dere dem people comm from de trial. Look, dere dey fetchin dat girl to D . Graham now. n my Lord, got de poor child s head all wrapped up dat way. Dat man, he ought to have he head plucked. He know better den to cut dat child so close de senses. Don know what de matter wid de people noh~w. Lizzie Am nothin but de devil, ~

286 283

Ood.e No. Project, i&~5-~(i) Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Place, Marion, S.C. Date, February 10, 193e (Boy, about ~ years old, comes across the street and hands Lizzie a bundle). Pickle-~... Miss Lizzie, ma say dere your sewin. Lizzie-~ Thank you, son, tb~nk you a thousand times again. Tell your mamma de old hen a scratchin bout out dere in de yard now huntin de nest en am gwine be no long time fore I can be catchin her a chicken to put in de pot. Yes, Lord, I got to start savin dem egg dis very day for de settin. (Lizzie turns to her visitor on the porch and continues her conversation). Miss Rosa, she does do all my sewin for me en I generally gives her eggs for her kindness. I sorry dere so much of huntin egg de same day. (Little boy, Pickle, looks disappointed and continues to hang around). Bertha Lee-~- Aufl Izzie, sing so~nethin. Lizzie~ You want me to sing so bad,sugar, en I am know nothin neither. Heddie, turn me one. Heddie-~ Gwine on en spill dat one yourself what you be en tell me bout de other mornin en quit your pickin on me. . Lizzie~ Well, I tryin to get myself together, but dere so much of travelin en so much of chillun, I can collect Alfred ~-- Aufl Izzie, can I go to whe Jerry gone? Lizzie-~ ~o, boy, you know I am got no mind to let you go runnin off dat way. (Lizzie calls to Mammie in the room). Mam ~iie,look dere to de clock. I gettin in a fidget to get some of dese ohillun way from here. (Pickle still hangs around). 283 No. Viords_______ Reduced from words Rewritten by P~j~i7.

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Oode No. No. Words________ Project, i~5...(i) Reduced fro~nj~_worde Prepared by Annte Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Ma1~ion, 8.0. _____________________ Dat e February 10, 193e ~j J~ ~ ~ ~ ~ L1zzie~ Joseph, come here~ Joseph~- Un uh. Lizzie-~ Boy, don you grunt at me dat way. Come here, I say. Go dere In de chicken house en hunt dat one egg en give it to Pickle to carry to he mammar ~ ~ Got to scatter dese chillun way from here -~-~ Joseph-.-~ Herede egg, Aufl Izzie.~ Lizzie-~- Fetch it dere to Pickle den. Boy, tell your mamma I sorry I am had no egg to send her cept just dat one nest egg. Tell her, when she buss dat egg, she better look right sharp en see is de hen am got it noways addle like eause.~ ~-~ ~_ Bertha Lee -. Aun Izzie, how my nose is? Lizzie ---~ Look bad. Gwine on in d.ere en clean your face up. I know you am gvvine to school wid all dem crumbs stuck bout on your mouth. Joseph, gwine on in de house dere en put you on some more clothes. C-wine on in dere, I say. Don stand dere on de street en strip. Heddie~.-~ No, boy, don pull off in no public. Bertha Lee~-~ Aun Izzie, I gwine carry my bread to school wid me. Lizzie S Hunt you a paper den. You can go dere to school wid no handful of bread rnakin all dem chillun start mouthin round you. Joseph, get me a paper to put dis here child s bread in. Joseph-~- Here, Bertha Lee. Here de paper. I

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Code No. No. Words Project, iS~5.-(i) Reduced frornwOrcls Prepared by Annie Ruth Da~is Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.O. ~ 28~3 ~ Date, February 10, 193 ~ Page 19. . Lizzie Lord, Miss Davis, it a time. I tell you de truth, honey, dis here sponsibility got me tied. bcth hand. en foot. JUn no rest nowhe , I hates it you corne here en am gettin nothin what you been aimin to catch. I gwine be ready toreckly taough. Let me get dese ehillun in de road en dem songs gwine start travelin out my head easter den lightnin~ --~--~ Bertha LeeS- ~ Izzie, make Joseph corne on. Lizzie ~ Joseph, get in dat road. dere side Bertha Lee. i ~ow, you chillun make your tracks dere to school straight as you can go en if you stop dere to dat lady house en get a pecan, I gwine whip you hard ac I can. Joseph and Be ~ha Lee-~ Good bye Possum, good bye Jitne, good bye Alfred. Possum, June, Alfred- -~ Good-~bye Joseph, good~bye Bertha Lee. Lizzie Here dat tune corne buzzin now, Miss Davis. Is you got dis one? Sunday Mornin Bandi Oh, my sister, How you walk on de cross? Sunday rnornin bandi Oh, your feet might slip ~n your soul get lost. Sirnday rnornin bandi Oh, what band, Oh, what band,

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Code No. No. Words_______ Project, 1~5 (i) Reduced f~&~L~iords Prepared by Annie ~.ith ~avie Rewritten by~ Place, Marion, S.C. -- - - 2~ ~ Da te February 1 0 I 93~ Pag ~2O . ~ ~ Do you belong? WI iat bandi What band! Sunday rnornin ~ ~/ t ~ Heddie-~ Sisi you is done took de one I been ibw. I been expectin you was comm out wid one of dem old time reels you used to be a singin en a jiggin bout all de time. LizzIe - Oh, I been know a heap of dem reels. Ho,p~ sing 7 dem behind de old folks back many a day cause us ohillun wasn~ never allowed to sing reels in dem days. See, old back people was more religious den dey 18 flOW. Yes,rnam, dey been Icn W what spell soniethin in dat day en time. When dey would speak den, dey meant somethin, I tell you. People does just go through de motion d.ese days en don have no mind. to mean what dey talk. No, child, us didn dar sen to let us parents hear us sing no reels den. What dem old people dicin quarrel out us, dey whip out us. My father never wouldfl let we chillun go to no frolics, but us would listen from de house en catch what us could. I used to Could turn a heap of dem reels, too, but he was so tight on us till everything bout left me. Lord, Heddie, give me a thought. You is de jiggin hoss. Hope me out, Heddie, hope me out. (Heddie begins song and Lizzie joins in and finishes it). The blackest nigger I ever did see, He come a runnin down from Tennessee, His eye was red en his gum was blue, Zn God a mighty struck hirn, ~n his shirt tail flew.

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Code No. No. WOrds_______ Project, 1~5 (1) Reduced f~rn words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marton, S.C. 28~ Date, February 10, 193e Pag 21. Meet me at de crossroads, For I m gwine join de band. ~ Um-~huh1 Urn huh! Um huhi ~ Great Lord a mercy., Miss Davis, dem kind. of tune, dem sinful en wicked songs, dey what I used to turn fore I be en big enough to know what been in dem . ~. No honey I thank de good Lord. to point me way from all dat foolishness en wicked ness en I am gwine back to it neither. . Lord, I know dat my time am long, Oh, de bells keep a ringin, Somebody is a dying, . Lord, I know dat my time am long. (Repeat three times) Lord, I know dat my tirfie am long, Oh, de ha~nmer keep a knoc kin, Keep a knockin on somebody coffin, Lord, I know dat my t ime am long. (Repeat three times). Lizzie Lord, I sho know my time am long. De Lord. say de way of de righteous prevaileth to eternal life en I know I right, people. Lord, I know I right. Sponsibility or no sponsibility, Lord, I seekin de Kingdom. Source: Lizzie Davis, colored, 70 $0 years, Marion, 5.0. Personal interview by Annie Ruth Davis, Marion, S.C.

Lizzie Davis. Ex-slave, age 70 to 80. 291 288

Qode No. No. 1~~s ~ ~ Project, 1~5-~(1) . Reduced f~~Iorda Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. --- -.-- - Date, December 3.3, 1937 Pag~1~~ ~ ~- LIZZU; DAVIS Zx Slave, ~.ge 70 to ~O 39O4~16 No,marn, I COUIdIL exactly tell you how old. I is cause my father, he been dead over 20 years en when us had a burnin out dere to George town, Pa s Bible was destroyed den. Cose I don remember my8elf, say, slavery time, but I can tell dat what I is hear de olden people talk bout been gwine on in dat day en time. No,mam, I Want to suggest to you de best I can cause I might have to go back up yonder en tell it to be justifled some of dese days. Oh, I been know your father en your grandfather en all of dem. Bless mercy, child, I don want to tell you nothin, but what to please you. Lord, I glad to see your face. It look so lovin en pleasin, just so as I is always know you. Look like dere not a wave of trouble is ever roll cross your peaceful bosom. Now, like I speak to you, I don know rightly bout my age, but I can tell you when dat shake come here, I been a missie girl. Oh, my Lox~d, I been just as proud en Crazy in dem days. Waan thinkin nothin bout dat dese dark days was headin here. Yes,mam, I is always been afflicted ever since I been twelve years old, so dey tell me. You see, dat muscle right back dere in my foot, it grow crooked just like a hook. De doctor, he say dat if dey bad kept me movin bout, it wouldn been grow dat way. But my poor old mammy, she die while us was livin down dere to old man Foster Brown s plantation en

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Code No. No. Words_____ Project, 1~5 (i) Red.uoed ~ words Prepared by ~nnte Ruth Davis Rewritten by Plaoe, Marion, S.C. ____________________ Date, December 13, 1937 Page 2. ~ ~ 1~Ic3IL~~ de~e won no other hand gwine trouble dey way no time to lIft me up. Oh, my mammy, she been name Katie Brown cause my parents, dey belonged to de old man Foster Brown in dey slavery day. Dat how conie I been raise up a O UIitry child dere on Mr. Brown s plantation. Another thing, like as you might be a no~tioin, I am never been married neither. No, marri, I am never been married cause I is always been use a stick in walkin in my early days en nev~r didn nobody want me. Yes,mam, I know I every bit of 70 or gwine on ~O years old to my mind en I think it a blessin de Lord preserve me dis long to de world. Cose I often wonders why de good Massa keep me here en take dem what able to work for dernselves. Yes, honey, wid c3od harness on me, I come here to dis town a grown woman to live en I been livin right here by my self in dis saine house near bout 20 years. Qose dere a little l2...year~.old country girl dat stays here wid me while de school be gwine on so as to get some learnin. Yes um, I pays 2.00 every month for dis here room en it am1 worth nothin to speak bout. Pap Scott s daughter stay in dat other room over dere. No,inam, dere amt but just dese two rooms to de house. You, see, my buildin does leak en I has a big time some of dese days. See here, child, I has dis piece of oilcloth cro~~ my bed. en when it rains on a night, I sleeps in dat chair over dere en lets it drop on de oilcloth. Den when it c rnes a storm, my Lord, dere Buch a racketi I be settin here .ookin for dat top up dere to be tuinblin down on me de next crack en seems like it does give me such a misery in my head.. Yes,mam,

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Code No. No. Words _____ Project, .~~ (1) Reduced f~~ords Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ____________________ Date, December 13, 1937 lage 3.~ ~ ~ dat misery does strike me every time I hear tell bout dere a darkness in de cloud. Well, drawed up as I Is, I am able to get no work worth much to speak bout dese days. It dis way, child, don nobody like to see no old ugly crooked up creature like me round bout whe dey be no time. Cose I sets here en does a wa shin now e n den whe de ~ pe ople ge t s push up bu t don ge t no regu~lar work. Now, deni people over dere, I does dey washin mostly, but dey don never be noways particular en stylish like en I don1 have nothin niuch to worry wid. See, de lady, she don go bout nowhe much. ~ Oh, Lord, dere my stove right dere, I say. Yes,niarn, I Cooks right here in de fireplace all de tinie. I got dat pot on dere wid some turnips a boum now en it gettin on bout time I be rnixin up da.t bread, too, fore dat child be comm home from school hungry as a louse. I say, I got dis here old black Iron spider en dis here iron griddle,. too, what I doea my bakin on Cause you see I come from Way back yonder. Dem what de olden people used to cook on fore stoves ever been come here. Yes,mam, de spider got three legs dat it sets on en de griddle, dat what I makes dese little thin kind of hoecake on. See, when I wants to bake in de spider, I heaps my coals up in a pile dat way so as to set de spider on dem en pours de batter in de spider en puts de lid on. ~en I rakes nie up another batch of coals en covers de lid over wid dein. Do dat to make it get done on de top. Yes,mam, dat de kind. of a

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Code No. No. Words_______ Project, 1~5 (i) Reduced fron ~words Prepared by Annie Rutb Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ___________________ 291 Date, December 13, 1937 Pag ~ spider dat de people used to cook dey cake in. Now, when I has a mind to cook sonie turnips or some couards, I makes dis here boil bread. Honey, dat sornethin to talk bout eatin wid dem turnips. Am no trouble to mind it neither. Tirst, I just washes my hands right clean like en takes en mixes up my meal en water together wid my hand till I gets a right stiff dough. ~Den I pinches off a piece.de dough bout big as a goose egg en flatten$ it out wid r~iy hand en drops it in de pot wid de greens. Calls dat boil dutnplings. I think bout I got a i~ind dat I gwine cook some of dem in dat turnip pot directly, too. No,inani, I don never eat dinner till~ it come bout time for de little girl to be expectin to be from school~ Oh, my blessed, dem olden people sho know how to cook in dem days. Never did.nt hear speak bout de oookin upsettin de people in dat day en time like it sets de people in a misery dese days. Dat how-come, I say, I air~ noways aiim in de inside cause it be dat I lives de olden way. Yes, child, de slavery people sho had. de hand. to cook, Dere amt never been nothin cook nowhe dat could satisfy a cravin like dat ash cake dat de people used to cook way back dere, I say. Oh, dey would mix up a batter just like dey was gwine make a hoecake en wrap it ai . up in oak leaves or a piece of dis here heavy brown ~per en lay it in de hot ashes. Den dey would rake some more hot ashes all ove r de t op o f i t Ye si um de dampne s s out de hoecake would keep de wrappin wet en when it would get done, de paper would

295 292

Q ode No ~ No Wo rds_________ Project, 1~5-~(1) ~ Reduced f~&ii~~ii~rds Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. 292 Date, December 13, 1937 ~Jge ~. peel right off it. I tell you, honey, I mighty glad I been come along in dat day en time. Mighty thankful I been a child of de olden ways. I, Yes, child, de people what been raise de slavery way, dey been have a heap of curious notions en some of dem was good, I say. Yes, mani, dere one sign dat I remembers bout en I follows dat up right sharp dese days. I slio watches dat closely. Say, somebody bave a mouthful of rations en sneeze, it a sign of death. I finds dat to be very true to speak bout. Yes um, I notices dat a good. one, Miss Davis? Den i: got another one comm. Always say, when you see bout a dozen buzzards rnoesin ( flying) round a house en den dey break off en make a straight shoot for a graveyard, dere somebody out dat house gwine be bury dere soon. Cose dat what I hear talk bout, but I am1 watched dat so much. SINo,m~, dat am balf de signe what de olden people dat used to bave cause/all what dey know to tell dem what to do en what was gwine happe~ Dem what was wise, dey followed dem signs closely, too. Yes, you corne back another time, child, en I ll see can I scratch up a heap of dem other sign to tell you. When I gets to talkin to you bout old times, my mind, it just gets to wanderin over dem old fields whe ~ I run bout as a little small child en I ca half remember nothin to speak to you bout. Sou,roe: Lizzie Davis, colored, Marion, S.C. ~ Age 70 to ~O. . Personal i nterview by Annie ~tith Davis, Dee. 1937.

Lizzie Davis Ex-slave, Age __. 296 293

Oode No No . ~ ~de Project, 1~B5- ~(i) . Rethtced frOm~~WOrdB Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ___~- - ~-- 093 Date, December 2 ,, 1937 gage :i~. ~- LIzzI:~ DAVIS Zx-~Slave Age___ 3 90 4 1 ~t My parents, dey was sho raise in de South. Been corne up oil de old man Foster Brown s plantation. Lin you know whe Mr. Foster Brown used. to live? Yee,mam, down dere in dat grove of pecans dat you see settin side de road, when you be gwine down next to Oentenary. I reme~nber, I hear my father tell bout dat his mammy was sold right here to dis courthouse, on dat big public square up dere, en say dat de ~an set her up in de wagon en took her to Georgetown wid hirn. Sold her right dere on de block. Oh, I hear dem talkin bout de sellin block plenty times. Pa say, when he see dein carry his mammy off from dere, it make he heart swell in his breast. ~~ Yes utn, I hear my father talk bout how dey would shoot de great big bamb guns in slavery time. Seems like, he say dat de shootin fuss been come from Fort Sumter. Oh, my Lord, I hear talk dat de people could hear dein guns roarin all bout dis here country. I know dat word been true cause I hear my parents en de olden people speak bout dat right dere fore we ohillun. Say, when de y would fe e . dat rumblin noi se de people would be so scared. Didn know what was gwine happen. Cose I speak bout what I catch cause de olden people never didn~ allow dey ohillun to set en hear dein talk no ttme. No,niam, de olden people was mighty careful of de words dey let slip dey lips. ~~

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Code No.~ No. Words______ Project, 1~$5..(i)~ ~ Reduced :f~roi ~ ifords Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by~ Place, Marion, 8.0. ~- - ~- -~ )( Date, December 21, 1937 ~ 2. ~ ~ Oh, we chul:Lun would have de raost fun d.ere ever was romancin (roaming) dem woods in dat day en time. I used to think it Was de nicest thing dat I been know bout to go down in de woods side one of dem shady branch en get ~ Cup of right Cool water to drink out de stream. I tell you, I thought dat was de sweetest ~vater I is ever swallowed. Den we chillun used to go out in de woods wi.d de crowd en get dese big oak leaves en hickory leaves en make hats. . Would use dese here long pine needles en thorns for de pins dat we would pick up somewhe dere in de woods In we would dre s s de hate wid all kind of wild flowers en raose dat we been find scatter bout in de woods, too. Oh, yes um, we thought dey was de prettiest kind of bonnets~ Den we would get some of dese green saplin out de woods often times to make us a ridin horse wid. en would cut doirzi a good size pine another time en make a flyin mare to ride on. Yes,mam, dat what we would call it. Well when we Would 1~ave a mind to make one of dem flyin niare, we ohillun would slip a ax to de woods wid us en chop down a nice little pine tree, so as dere would be a good big stump left in de ground. Den we would chisel de top of de stump down all round de edges till we had us a right sharp peg settin lip in de middle of de stump. After dat was fixed, we would cut U.S another pole a little bit smaller den dat one en bore a hole in de middle of it to make it set down on dat peg. Oh, my Lord, one of us chillun would get on dis end en dere another one would

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Code No. No. Words________ Project, .~85 (1) Reduced f~ ~iords Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ~ -______- - Date, December 2 ., 1937 P~e 3. ~ ~ get on de other end. en us chillun would give dem a shove dat would send dem flyin round fast as I could say mighty-~nie-a- life. My blessed a mercy, child, it would most bout knocic de sense out dem what been on dere. Yes,rnaxn, everybody would be crazy to ride on de flyin mare All de neighbor s chilluii would gather up en en go in de woods en jump en shout bout which one turn come to ride next. I tellin you, dein was big pleasures us had in dat day en tinie en dey never cost nobody nothin neither. ~ Well, Mr. Brown, he was mighty good to his colored people, so I hear my parents say. Would allow all his niggers to go to de white people church to preachin every Sunday. Oose my father, he was de carriage driver en be would have task to drive de white folks to church on a Sunday. Yestuin, dem what been belong to Mr. Brown, dey bad dey own benches to set on right up dere in de gallery to de white people church, but I hear talk dat sonie of dem other white people round bout dere never wou .dn let dey colored people ~ee inside dey church no time. Lord, I talk bout how de people bless wid privilege to go to church like dey want to in dis day en time en don have de mind to serve de Lord like dey ought to no time. Cose dere ~ a man comes here every Sunday mornin in a car en takes me out to church. Am no kin to me beithe~ He late soznetimes en. de preacher be bout out wid de sermon, but X goes anyhow en gets all I can. Look like de Lord bless me somehow, cripple up as I is, I say.

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Code No. No. Words______ Pro 3ec t i~S5 (i) Reduced f~om Words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ~-- - - X Date, December 21, 1937 Page ~ ~J6 De shakes Oh, I remember it well Cause I been a grown girl den. Everybody thought it was de Jedgment en all d~ people Was runnin out en a hollerin. I thought it was e last myself en I livin here to tell de people, I was sho scared. I been out to de well bout 12 o Clock de next day en I could see de Water in de well just a quiverin. Lord, Lord, dat water tremble bout four weeks after eat. Bitch a hollerin en a prayin as de people had bout dat shake. No urn, IJTwas livin down dere to Tabernacle den en dere wasn none of de houses round us destroyed. No, child, won no harm doue nowlie dat I knows of only as a heap of de people been so scared, dey never didn grow no more Yes wn, I think bout here de other night dat I had make you a promise to fetch you up some of dem signs de olden people u s ed. to put fai th in De re one s ign bou t I f you hear a do g howl or a cow low round your house on a night, it a pretty good. sign you gwine lose soniebody out dat house. I finds dat to be a mighty true sign cause I notices it very closely. Den dey used to say, too, if you get up in de mornin feel in in a good humor de devil sho gwine ge t you fore night fall dat same day. Oose I don pay so much attention to dat. If I get up feelin like singin, I has to sing c~ause it my time to sing, I say. . Let me see, dere another one of dem omen dat I had shake upin myrnind to tell you. Say, if you see a ground moie root~~ round your house it Won be long fore you gwine move from dat

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Code No. No. Words__________ Project, 1~5-(i) Reduced f~io~ds Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, 8.0. Date, December 21, 1937 ~ge f5~. ~ ~ 97 place. But I don uever see no ground moles hardly dese days. Don1 think dey worries nobody much.M . HI recollects, too, way back yonder de people used. to say, if you see de smoke comm out de chimney en turn down en flatten out on de ground, it a sign of rain in a few days. Tes,rnam, I think bout dis one more. If you dream bout you be travelin en come to a old rotten down buildin, it a B ign o f a old pe rson dea th Don say whe ~ i t a man or a woman, but it a sho sign dat a old person gwine die. Den people what lives in de country believes, if a fox comes round a house barkin en a scratchin, it a sigxi dey gwine lose somebody out dey family. Yes uni, de fox just comes right out de woods up to de yard en barks. You see, a dog wont never run a fox dat comes bout dem barkin. No,mam, when de dog hear dat, be just stands right under de house en growls at de fox. I know dat be a true sign cauae us tried dat one Now, I got another one of dem thought comm. Yes, my Lord, I hear talk dat if you get de broom en sweep your house out fore sunrise, you would sweep your friends out right wid de trash. Dat used to be a big sign wid de people, too. ~ it bad luck to take up ashes after de sun go down, dey say. Yes, I know bout plenty people won do dat today. i~ ~iii~:n, honey, seems like when I calls back, de people in a worser fix den when I used to get 25 cents a day. Used to Could take dat en go to a country store en get a decent dress to wear

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ode No No Wo rds_______ Project, 1~5 (1) Reduced fforn~ words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by Place, Marion, S.C. ~ ~ 298 Date, December 21, 1937 Page & to church. Sell peck of us corn en get it In trade. Didn never pay more den 50 cents for a load of wood. in dem days en I remembers just as good eggs been sell for 10 cents a dozen en 15 cents bout Christmas time Oose I am exactly decided what to speak bout de times causeit dis way to my mind. De people, dey kiave a better privilege CUB day en time, h but de y don appre c iate n i~ in 1 ike de y 4id back in my dark I days. Yes,mam, de people was more thankful to man en God den dey iB dese days. Dat my belief bout de Way de World turnin, I say. ~ ~otiroe: Lizzie 1~~vis, colored, age betWeen 70 and. ~O, Marion, 8.0. Personal interview by Annie Ruth Davis, Dec., 1937.

Louisa Davis. Ex-slave 106 years old. 302 299

Project #1655 w. w. Dizon ~I) S O I 75 099 Winrisboro, S. C. LOUISA DAVIS !X-SLAVE 106 TF~BS OLD. _I___ ~ __ t ~L -~ ~- Well, well, welU You knows n~ white folks on Jackson Creek3 up in Fairfield~ s mighty glad of dat and glad to see you. ~r white folks coz~s to see me pretty often, though they lires way up dere. You. wants to write me up? Well, I ll tell you all I recolle~, and what I don t tell you, n~r daughter and de white folks can put in de other gredi.~ enta. Take dis armchair and git dat amokin ash tray; lay it on de window sill by you and make yourself comfortable and go ahead. I, ~ was born in de Catawba River section. ~ grandp~p~ was ~ a full blood Indian; ~j pappy a half Indian; n~r mother, coal black wo~n. Just ~who I b long to when a baby? I ll leave dat for de white folks to tell, but old Marster Jim Lemon buy us aU; pappy, maimq, and three ohillun: Jake, Sophie, and me. De white tolks I tust b long to refuse to sel . less Marse Jim buy de whole family; dat was clever, wasn t itt Dis old Louisa DaLet of oonie from good stock, all de ~ ong from de beginnin and I is abo proud of dat.~ When he buy us, ~rae Jim take us to his place on Little River nigh clean cross de county. In de course of time us fell to ~rse Jim s son, John, and his wife ILias Mary. I was a grown wo~n then and nursed their ~ust baby, Jars. Eobert. I see dat baby grow to b. a n~n and lecteci to legislature, and stand up in dat Capitol over yonder cross de river and toil them de Law and how they should act, I did. They say I was a pretty gal, then, face shiny lok a ginger ceke, and hair straight and black as a crow, and I ain t so bad to look at now, Marse Willie saya.* J~r papw rise to be foreman on de place and was much trusted, but

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304:) he plowed and worked just de eame, man~c~r ~ay maybe harder.U Is Then one springtime de flowers git be b1oo~ning de hens to cack.. 1in~, and d. guineas to patarocking. Sam oo~ along when I was out in de yard irid de baby. Re fuat talk to de baby, and I asked him if de baby wasn t pretty. He say, tYe8, but notas pretty as you is, Loujsa. I looks at Sam, and dat kinxl of fo liahnees wind up in a weddin De white folks allowed us to be married on d~e back piazza, &ud Revereiid Boggs performed de ceremony. ~1Lv huaband was a slave of de ~1oans and dida t get to eee me often as he wanted to; and of course, as de housemaid then, dere was times I couldn t meet him, elandestiue like he want me. Us had some grief over dat, but he got a pass twice a week from his marster, Marie Tommie Sloaxi, to come to see ~. Bold as Sam git to be, in after years ridin wid a red. shirt long side t en~ eral Bratton in 76, dat nigger was timid as a rabbit wid me when US f st git married. Shucks, let s talk bout sombhing else. Sent was a field hand and. drive de wagon way to Charleston once a year wid ootton, and always bring back eombthipg pretty for me. When de war come on, Sam weixt wid young Marster Tom Sloan as body guard, and attended to him, and learned to steal chickens, geese, and turkeys for his young marster, just to tell bout it. Ee dead now; and what I blames de white fo kz for, they never would give him a pension, thoug~i he spend so iiich of hie time and labor in their service. ~ aintt bearin down on n~ kind of white folks, for I d jump wid joy if I could just git baok into slavery and have de same white folks to serve and be wid them, day in and day out. Onoe a week I see de farm hands git rations at de smoke house, but dat didn t concern me. I was a housemaid and n~ n~i~j run de kitchen, and us got de same meals as ~y marster e folks did.

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-3 1Yas sir; I got possum. Know how to cok him now. Put h~i~ in a pot and~ parboil him, then put hi~ in a oven wid lots of lard. or fat baok, and then bake him wid yallex~ yarn potatoes, flanked round and round, end then wash him down wid looust and persimmon beer followed by a pieoe of pumpkin pie. Dat make d. bestest meal I members in slavery deys.~ ~U8 got fish out of Little River nigh every Saturday, and the~r wexrt~ good Sund&y morning Us had Saturday evenin s dat is de farm hands did, and then I got to go to see Sam so~ Sundays. His folks, de Sloan., give us a weddin dinner on Sunday after us was marrIed, end they sho did tease Sam dat day . ~ Like all rich buokra, de Lemons had hogs a plenty, big flock of sheep, cotton gin, slaves to card, slaves to spin, and slaves to weave. Us was well clothed and fed end tended to when sick. They was oonoerned bout our soul s salvation. Us went to church, learn de catechism; they ~as Presby terians, and read de Bible to us. But I went wid Sam after freedom. Re took de name of Davis and I jined de Methodist Ch*~ ~II and waa baptized Louisa Davie.~ ~ ~4 ~ ?~ *Patro2.ler, .you ask me? Speot I do ~mber thea. Wasn t I a goodlookin woman? Didn t Sea want to aee me more than ~izi~e a week? Wouldn t he risk it wid.out cl. pass soins time? Sure he did. D. patroller. got after and run Sein n~ny a time.~ C&fter de war ~w pap~ went to Florida. He look just like a Indien, hair and all, busby head, straight and young lookin wid. no beard. We never heard from him sino..~ e De sLavee wash de :E~ainily o .othes on Saturday and then rested after dom dat. UI had a good t~ ~rist~s; .ve~ slay. ketch white folk. wid a holler, C~i~e gift, ~areter . end they holler it to each other. Us all

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~4 hung ur stockin s all bout de Big House, and then dere would be sumpin in der. next mornin Lord, wasn t them good times $ Now ho~~ is it dese days? Young triflin nigger boys and gals l7ifl round puffin cigarets, carryin whiskey round wid them, and gittin in jail on Christmas, grie~in de Lord and their pappies, and all sich things. ~Jff1 De ruin generation and de futurel Ifimt is it commt to? I just don t know, but dere is comin a time to all them. J n : sho like to ~noe when I was younger. De fiddlers was ~~ry Copley and Buck Manigault; and if anybody round here could make a fiddle ring like thick gould, wouldn t surprise ma none if ii~ heart wouldn t cry out to 11L7 legs, ~\ist lady to d. right and cheat or swing as you like, and on to de right . s, Stop dat laughin De Indian blood in me have held ma up over a hundred years and de imisic might make me young againo ~Cb yes, us had ghost stories make your hair stand on end, and us put iron in de fire when us hear screech owl, and put dream book under bed to keep o~bad dreams. Then de yankees come they took off all they couldn t eat or burn, but don t s talk bout dat. Maybe it our folks had beat them and git up into dere country our folks would of done just like they did. Who knows? You see cils new house, de flower pots, de dog out yonder, de oat in de sun yin in de chair on de porch, de seven tubs under de shed, de two big wash pots you see de pictures hangin round de wall. de nice beds aU dese things is de bleesin s of de Lord through President Boosev elt. lb grandson, Pinokney, is a World War man, and he got in de CCC Camp, still in it in North Carolina. When he got his bonus, he co~ down, and sal, Grandiim, you too old to welk, supposin I git you a automobil ?

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5 I allow, Son, de Indian blood rather ~ke me uzt a house. Thex~ us 1aug~ Well, he 8~Ya ~ DIS n~aey I has and am continuin to make, I wants you and ma~ to enjoy it. Then he laugh fit to kill hoseif. Then I say, I been dreamin of a tepee all our own, all x~r lifetime; ~ us a lot over in Sugarto~n in !ew Brookiand, aud make a home of happiness for your me., me and yout.~ And dis is de tepee you settin in today. I feel like he s a yowig warrior,loyal and brave, off in de forests workin for his chief, Mr. Roosevelt, end dat his dreams are bout me maybe some night wid de winds blowin over dat three C camp where he is.

Folk-lore: ex-slaves. 307 304

Project 1885 1 District #4 390102 ~ Spartanburg, S.C. ~ 3&J4 May 29,1937 FOLX-LORE : EX-SLAVES I was a slave of Bill Davis who lived at Rich Hill , near Indian Creek, in I~Tewberry County, S.C. I was born about 1856, I reckon. My daddy was Ivasum Davis and my :nisxnmy was Rhody Davis. Marse Bill was a good master, lived in a big house, give us a good place to live ~11d plenty to eat. ~ ever whippedus, and was never cruel to us. He didntt let his overseer whip us, and never hit a man. Aw, we had good eats den. Wish I has some of dem old ash cakes now which was cooked in de brick oven or in de ashes in de fire~laoe. ~y mistress had a big garden, and give us something to eat out of it. We used to go h~uiting, and killed possums, rabbit, squirrels, and birds. We had home-made e lothes ti Il I was big boy. Dey was made from card and spin wheels. DOur work was light; we got up at sun-up at blowing of de horn and worked till sundown. Sometimes we workedonSaturdayafternoonswhen ~ we had to. On Saturday nights we had frollos men and women. Some women would wash their clbthes on Saturday afternoona,~ Den at night we have prayer meetings. We had no church on our plantation, not till afte r freedom, but we le arn d to read and write and spel 3.. fle padderrolers didntt bother us; our master ~1ways give us a pass when we go anywhere.

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-2- 3()5 ltOfl Christmas Day master always give big dinners for slaves, and on New Year we had a holiday. II married Lila Davis at de Baptist Church in Newberry. ~Vhen our slaves got sick we sent fur de doctor. Some of de old folks in the neighborhood believed in giving root~.herb tea or tea made from cherry barks or peach leaves. tt~hen freedom come de master told us we was free and could go but if we wanted to stay on with him, we could stay. Ve stayed with him for tv~ years and worked by day wages. . The Ku Klux was dere. I heard old folks talk about ~ em. Dey had white sheets over their heads and white caps on their heads. ttT}~ Yankees went through our place and stole cattle. HI thought slavery was all right, cause I had a good time. I had a good master. tu joined the church when I was 21 years old because I thought I d live better. ~ I think all ought to join the church. SOURCE: Wallace Davis (88), Newberry~ S.C.; interviewer: G. Lel~d Summer, Newberry, S.C.

Stories of ex-slaves. 309 306

work make times and dey dey sometimes made set on de back to read a d write at de brush arbors. and. down de road pass when we went 390384 STORIES OP. EL.SLAVES edited by~ ~ 306 Elmer Tur nage Project 1885~..1 Polkiore Spartaribur~, Dist .4 Oct. 15, 1937 ttI live in a little two~room house beyond Helena where I a little patch of land which I rent. I don t own anything, I a living working de land. I was born on Indian Creek in NecvberryCounty, S.C. about 1856. My mammy was Rhody Davis and my pa was Ivasum Davis. We belonged in slavery to Bill Davis. He lived at de place called tRich Hill . De old house is done tore down, but young Riser now lives in de new house on de place. Our master was ~ood to us, but whipped us a little some~ times. He would not allow his overseer to whip any of us. He give us enough to eat and a Lair place to live in.. We didn t want Ler anything. Dey had plenty to eat on de farm, and sure had good eatS. ings. Dere was a brick oven vThich couLd cook good bread and cakes. We had a big garden which de mistress looked after, and she had plenty from it which she shared ~vid de slaves. De old spinning wheel was used lots of made all de clothes everybody on de place vvore. We didn t have no church to go to, but some slaves go to white folks churches where dey seats. We didn t have schools arid couldn t learn till after freedom come; den some niggers learned 3efo freedom de patrollers marched up but didn t bother us. Our master always give us a soniewhere.Ori Christmas hegive us big dinners. ~~ ~ . ~ 1-i

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Stories Of ~x~-S1aves ~ (Wallace Davis) Page 2 :307 I married Lilla Davis at de~white olks Baptist ci~urch in Ne~berry. ~ Viheri slaves got sick some of den. took tree barks arid made teas to drink, arid some made tea from root herbs. V~e had doctors, too, but dey made lots o~ deir medicine from de barks arid herbs, ~I can t re~r~~rnber much ~:hat de Ku Klux did, but heard about dem. Just a ter de war de Yankees rnarche~ through our place arid stole some cattle and run away ~vid dem. In some places dey burned down de barns and gin houses. I had a good master and always had plenty to eat, so I ti~ought slavery was all right. vIe didntt have nothing oi~ any kind. to worry about, I don t know nothing much about ~Abe Lincoln or Je ~fersori Davis. Source: Wallace Davis (N. 88), Nev~berry, S.C. Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, ~ (9/15/37).

William Henry Davis. Ex-Slave, 72 years. 311 308

Code I~o. ito. ~we~s _____ Project, 1885..(l) Reduced f~~~~worda Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by~ Place, Marion, S.C. -~ - Da te Augas t 20 1 93 7 ~ ~ 1 . WILLIAM HENRY DAVIS Ex.u.Slave, 72 Years 390299 I born de first day of March in 1865 cause d.e white ~olke raise me mostly en dat how come I know how old I ought to say I is. I 1y father belong to de old. man Jackie Davis, d.at live not so far from Tabernacle, en den he fall to he son, Mr. William J. Davis. Dat whe I was raiBe. My grandfather, old man Caesar, live dere too. I never been treatedexaotly as de other plantation peoples WaS a~ it just like I tellin you, I be round de white folks mostly. Liy mamma, she d.c all ~te cooking to de big house ~n dere be a division in de Lilesus kitchen for de cook en she ohillun to stay in. Sometimes ray Massa make my mamma feed. all de small plantation ohillun dere to de kitchen from de table. Dey want de ohillun to hurry en grow en dat de reason dey give em good attention at de house. Dey give us milk en clabber en corn bread ~o eat mostly en give us flitters some of de time. I ~ Dat was tried wheat bread what some people call pancakes. Used. to give me job to mind de cows en de calves when dey was put to grazing. All de other colored peoples live in de nigger quarter up on de hill. Jttst like de white people house here, de colored people house all be in row pretty mach off from de big house. Oh, d.e people was meant to work in dat day en time. De white folks teach em en show em what dey look for em to do. Den if dey didn~ do it like dey tell em do it, dey chastise em.

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Gode N~. flo. Words__________ E x ojeot, 188b..(l) Reduced f~m ~words Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten ~ ~ Place, Marion, S.c. - Date, ~Auga~t 2O~ 1937 ~geV2. It just like I tellin you, de people fare wld abundance of everything in dem days. Destroy mu.oh meat in one month den as de people gets hold o ~ In whole year dese days. It was just dis way, everybody know to have fence round bout dey plantation den en de hogs could run anywhe . All de field land was fence en de woods wa~ for de run of de stock. Dey mark em en some of de time, dey hear tell of ~took 10 mile away. Know em by de brand. Peoples dldn have heap of all kind of things dat dey have dese days, but somehow it look like dey have a knack of gettin along better %vid what dey have den. Didn have no stoves to cook on In dem days. Cook in clay oven en on de fireplace. Make up fire en when lt die down, dey put tatoes (potatoea) In de oven en let em stay dez s all night. My God, won nothin no better den dem oven tatoes was. Some of de time, dey have wire In de chimney wld de pots hanging on dat. z?olke uaed to make tip a cake of corn bread en pat it on de hearth en when de fire burn right low, dey cover de cake all up in pile of ashes. When it get done, lt be brown through de ashes en dey take it out en wash en rt1~b all de ashee off lt. Den lt was ready to eat. Dat what dey call ash cake. Just seem like what ~epeoples used to cook be sweeter eatin den what dey cooks die day en time. Oh, I beat rice many a day. Yes um, beat rice many a day for my grandmother en my marnn~ too. Had. a mortar en a

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00dM NO. 1~. WO3?d.~ ~ ~ . . 2rojeot, 18e6~C~.) Re4tt.oed. ~mnI ~ word~e Prepared by Armi~ Ruth i~avi~ Rewritten by ~ ~Laoe, Marion, S.C. ________________________ Date, Au~gu~at 20, 1937 hge 3. ~ ~ peet .ed.at beat rice vrid.. Dey take big tree en law log off en eet it up jU8t like a tub. Den d~ey hollow it out in de middle eu take peat .e dat have block 0x1 both lt end en beat rice In dat mortar. Beat it long time en take it out en fan it en d.en put it baok. De last time it put back, tear off some ehu.oke en put In dere to get de red. part of de rice out en make lt white. Am nobody never been born can tel). you more bout dem pestles en mortare den William Henry Davis know. ~ Yee um, used to go to corn shuokinge en rye thrashinge en pea thrashing. plenty tlmea. Oh, dey eing en have musio en have big pot oookin out in de yard wid. plenty rice en fresh meat for everybody. Dere be so many people some of de time, dey had. to have two or three pots. Den dey have dem log roilInge to olean up de land. en when dey would get to rollin dem heavy loge, dey give de men a little drink of whiskey to re..~ vive em, but dey gage how much d~ey give em. O Lord, we had tough time den. After dey get through wid all de . wo, dey would eat supper den. Give us rice en corn bread en fresh meat en ooffee en eweet tatoe pone. My Lord, . dat iweet tatoe pone was de thing in dem days. Missie, you. alu never eat no pone bread? Dey taite piece of tin en d.rive nails through it en grate de raw tatoes on dat. Den dey take a little flouD .n hot water en molasses en mixup in dom raw tatoes en bake it in de oven on de fireplace. Have lid to oven en put fire

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Cod~e I To. I~ro. Word~e________ Project, 188541) Reduced. ~ wordi Prepared by Annie Ruth Davie Rewritten by~ ~ Place, Marion, ~.Q. ___________________ 311. Date, Auguet 20, 1937 ~ under de bottom of it en on d~ top to get lt right done. Some of ~.e time, dey put a little ginger in lt fore it was baked. Oiub it in big siic s when it get done, but wot&ldn never eat lt till dey know it wa~ cold. Missie, de older I gets &e more I dOll sorrow to go baok to dem old. oont~truct... ions dat dey used. to have. ~Some of de colored peoples have bre~h (brush) shelter who t dey go to church in dein days but all us go to de white folks church. Oh, de colored peoples go Inox earts, but us white folks have teams en oarriage to ride in. I reoolleote 1~. Davis oarriage look aorta like a house wid two big horses to pull it. De family would be in de inside en have seats whe dey set facing one another. De driver ~iave seat on de outside In de front en on de back .o~ de carriage was de plaoe to set de trunke.~ My daddy was de blacksmith for Mr. Jackie Davis en he could make plows en hoes en all dein kind of things . He have a circuit dat he go round en uiend things on other white folks plantations. Some of de tin~e, he bring back more den ~ 100.00 to he boss dat he would make. Go all bout in dat part of 3~iarion county dat be part of Florence county dese times. I hear some peoples say dey knows dere such as ghosts, but I I alu never have no mind in dat line. iJ.1 I know bout is what my mamma used. to tell us b~g ohillun when she want us to stay home witt de little ohiLLun en mind. em. 8ay d~ere was Raw Ijeail en

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Cede No. Ito. Words ~ 11~rojeot, 1886..(l) Redu~oed fiom lords ~x~epared by Annie Ruth Davis Rewritten by ?j 2 Place, Marion, 8.0. ~ Date Angus t 20 I 93 7 ff4~5 . m ~ Bloody Bones in de woods en if us go off, de child might set de house on fire. Such as dat waS to make us stay home when dey WaS gone. ~ It just d~is way, I think freedom a good. thing for so e people while it a bad thing for de ones dat don have a knack to shuffle for dey own self. When freedom come, some of de colored people didn know what freedom was en dey just hang around dey white folks en look to dey 1~assa f~r what dey get right on. Wouldrx get off en make nothin for dey own self. Dat howsoome I think it better for some not to be free cause so mach of worryatione am good for peoples. Colored peoples never had to worry bout nothin in slavery time. 8ource: William i~enry Davis, age 72, ex slave, Wahee section of Marion Oo.,8.0. Personal interview, August 1937.

Stories from ex-slaves. 316 313

Project 18854 . POLKLORE ~ . ~ Edited by: ~-~ i o Spartanburg, Dist~4 ~ Eimer T~na e ~D1t) Au8. 24, 193? ~ .~ ~ . \\~) ~ STORIES PROM EX-SLAVES ~_~~*tlL (~) Sunday, Lug. 1, was mY~~~g birthday; 80 I was born in 1853. De very day I come into de world I do not Imow, but soon my marster, Starke Sims, begun to train me. Dr. Bill Sims, Marse Stark s son, was a doct or whenx I wa8 born. A younger son was called Hal. When Ha . was a boy he said he was gwine . off, a~d when he ~ot to be a man, dat is what he done; yes sirree, he ~ot scattered off. Dr. Bi .1 had done started to doctoring folks befo I got into dis world. And first thing dat I recollects. is how my marster teached me to addre8s him. He addressed nie as Elias, Johnny El ias . I had t o answer Sirs and dat s always had t o be dar to please de rnarster. All of his slaves had to address him de same way. Sometimes we would answer, Sirs Marster . All de things my marster teached me are still a great help to me. Dis younger generation does not have de quality dat we old niggers has, because dey refuse to take de teachiri~s of dere par..~ ents and de good white folks. De main thing dat ~arse teached his slaves was mannerableness. flat I holds to dis day; specially to de white people. I allus tries to be mannerable to dein. Often I s looks back on dat, but both white and colored is trying to ~o ~ away wid. dein things . old training is de best and I cannot fergit my manners. Never does raaL folks fergit dere raising. eats what shows up de quality in people, I likes quality In everything, and as soon as I sees strangers arid hears dem talk and looks at dere action, I can tell how mu ch quality dey got. i~at I sho can.

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Stories Prom Ex-.Siaves ~ (E1ia8 Da~vkiris) Page 2 314 ~ I never is ~wirie to drap my raIsing, don t care what de style comes to. Dat s jest one thin~ dat my race and de white race, too, wants to do av~ay wid. Dey don t hold up no mariners and no ra!al raising. De school teachers tells de chilluns to say yes arid no to me. Dey tells dem to say de same thing to white i~olks. Den dey teaches de chilluns to Mr. and Miss de ovm race and to call white folks b~ dere names widout any handle to it. Dat ain t gwine to work, and any niggers dat has se1f~respect jest ain t swine to call no white folks by dere name. L~ you doesri~t respect other folks, why den other folks ain t gwine to show no respect fer you. Why some o ~ my grand chilluns sets up and says yes and no to me stead 0 yes sir arid rio sir . But I is right here to tell you dat xriy own chilluns don t say no and yes to me. I is strived wid dem and dey knows ho~ to answer proper to dere elders arid to white folks. I ain t got no time Ler dese school teachers dat tells de pupils to answer in rio sech insulting ways as dat. I likes man~\ ners and wid.out manners olks ain t quality; don t niake no diffuris bout what color dey is or how fer dey is gone in de readiu~ books.) Young uns saying yes and t~o is jest plain ugly. It suits me to meet nice folks, and when I finds dat dey ain t got mannerableness about dem, den I concludes dat dey jest ain t n~cSe, ni swine to dress up tonight and go to preaching at ~Tb. Zion. Dey done already started running meeting dar. i used to preach arnon~st dem at de big meetings, but I is retracting now. My old marse low to us, You is free now, yes sir, you is sho free ni~era now. You is gwine out into de world on your own. Let me tell you dis: If you be s rnan,~rable you will ailus corne out more dan conqueror. I ~s youn~ den, a~nd I did not know whet

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Storie$ Prom ~c~.S1aves (Elias ~awkins) Page 3 more dan conqueror meant den. I Is larn t rio~ what it means. Thank God, I does, fer his te11in~ me dat. I lays to de Lact dat de reason I is never been in jail Is dat I allus had manners. Youn~ uns acts biggety and den dey lands right straight in de first jail dar is. UI she never went to no war, but I worked at de house in de . corn field a-raising corn Cer de v~ar hosses. I been in only two states, North arid south Carolina. I travels jest according to common . sense; lets other folks be my guide. I met up wid Indians; dey want-P ed to claim kin wid me, but I wouldn t claim kin wid dem. He tell me bout my high cheeks or something; den he low something bout my nose being loris. Dey close thinking people, dem Indians is. Dey don t ~ergit nothing. He say he see I is mixed~up, but I never is knowed jest what he was driving at. I told him I was teached from de old generation, but d~it dar wasn t narry drop of Indian blood in me. Cherokee Creek wha1~ dat old Indian place is. Dey has all kinds of things to sell dat dey makes. I ain t no Indian and I does not feel dat way, no sir, not nari~iy bit does I feel like I is a Indian. rt~1y mother died when I was a wee baby. Never is had no brothers or sisters. She left me iivid her rnarster dat owned her mot%~.;~~ ~1b:~i;), Kissy sims. Iviarse Starke helped my granny to raise me, Kissy corne from Virginia. Her Pa let a man buy her and three other chil~ luns. Marse Starke raised dem all up arid dats how dey got his name. ?tDjs here man standing here by me isZack Herridon. We is de oldest niggers in Cherokee County dat I knows of. De other old ones is all dead now. Oh, you knows him, does you Zack? Never did so awful much work when I was coming up. Dey was priming me and trainingme. ~Vhen dey call my name, I allus come. Often I hid myseifto see de bad niggers whipped. Never had rio buse

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Stories Prom ~~S1aves -.~(E1ias Dawkjns) Page 4 3 1G ~: In my life. Marse di.dn t low nobody to 100k at his niggers when dey was being whipped, kaise he hated to have to let arty of dein be bused. Marse Starke sho never whipped no one dat was good. He never let his overseers buse nobody neither. I does not member much bout his overseers. One named a Bri~s, one a Bishop, one a Oole-~ man arid Alley Cook was de last one~ I members his name best. ~arse Starke was a rich man. He had in de Quarter what was kriow d as a chilluns house. A nurse stayed in it a l de time to care fer all de lantation chilluns. ~y ~ anny Kissy acted as nurse dar some. Aunt Peggy and aunt Ciller was two mo . Ciller was de daughter of a King in Africa, but dat story been traveling ever since she ~ot to dese shores, and it still a~wine. All dese helped to nurse me. Dey ~ed us on milk, plenty of it. We had honey, lasses and lots of good things. When I was a little bit.~.a boy I had a big bowl to eat out of. And us chilluns e~t like hogs and got fat. We allus had fine food.My marster give me a biscuit sometime rom his plate and I wouldn t have tuck 25 Ler it. He allus put butter in it or ham and gravy. He would say, Dat s de doctrine, Be kind: Nobody ~ : ~ .~ ~ never got no borious beating from our master~s hands. 111 been toiling here on dis earth fer a long time. De Lawd spared rae to bring up a big race o~ chillt.uis myself. We is alful po and ain t none of my chilluns got things as well as I had when my marster give it to me. My daughter arid grand-.daughter lives wid Mr.. Nathan Littlejohn. He is rich. I stay in de house wid dem. Dey vides w Id . nie dat what dey has . But dat am t much . I has g~eat-.great .~grand hilluns dat I ain t nev r seed. 1 have five chilluns living to my knowings . Last t line I counted, I had . 137 grand and great~.grand chiL. luns. SQ. you see I loks~into defourth generation of my own tamily.

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Stories Prom Ex-.Slaves ~ (Elias Dawkins) Page 5 317 Me arid Old man Zack. went to a hanging crie time. Both of us clanied up into a tree so dat ~e could look down on de transaction from a better angle. De mari, I means de sheriff, let us go up dar. He let some mo niggers clamb up in de same tree v~id us. De mari dat was being hung was called Alf Walker. He was a mulatto and he had done kil t a preacher, so you see dey ~as hanging him fer his wickedness, sho as you born dey was. ~Jhi1e me arid Zack up,in dat tree a-witnessing dat trans-fl action, peers like we become mo acquainted wid one another dan we had ever been since us know d one another. Sheriff ~low d, You ic got only fifteen minutes to live in. ~~Vhat has you ~ot to say? Alf ~ot up and.talked by giving a lecture to folks about bein~ lawful citizens. He give lecture also to young folks vtho he lo~ d dat was not in sech condition as he v~ias. He talking to dem bout obeying de parents and staying at home. Me and Zack exchange glances and Zack low, Alf ain t never stayed at home none since he been bi~ enough to tramp over de country and he up dar fixing to git his neck. broke fer his war4rness, and trying to tell us good folks young and old how us should act. No~ ain t he something to be a.~te1ling us what to do. ttpinally, Al had done talked his time out and de sheriff low, Now you is only