SLAVE NARRATIVES A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews ivith Former Slaves TYPEWRITTEN RECORDS PREPARED BY THE FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT 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 VOLUME III FLORIDA NARRATIVES Prepared by the Federal Writers1 Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of Florida Anderson, Josephine Andrews, Samuel Simeon Austin, Bill Ber.y, Frank Biddie, Iv'ary Minus Boyd, Rev. Sli Boynton, Rivana Brooks, Matilda Bynes, Titus Campbell, Patience Clayton, Florida Coates, Charles Coates, Irene Coker, Neil Davis, Rev. Young Winston 86 Dorsey, Douglas 93 Douglass, Ambrose 101 Duck, llama 105,113 Dukes, 7/illis 120 Everett, Sam and Louisa 126 1 Kemp, John Henry 10 (Prophet) 22 Kinsey, Cindy 27 Lee, Randall 32 Lycurgas, Edward 39 41 McCray, Amanda 47 Ivlaxwell, Henry 52 Mitchell, Christine Moore, Lindsey 58 Mullen, Mack 62 65 Napoleon, Louis 74 Mickerson, Margrett 80 Parish, Douglas Pretty, George Scott, Anna Sherman, William Smalls, Samuel 184 190 194 204 212 218 226 229 234 242 249 257 263 279 286 300 Gaines, Duncan Gantling, Clayborn Gragston, Arnold Gresham, Harriett Hall, Bolden Hooks, Rebecca Jackson, Rev. Squires 133 Taswell, Salena 139 Taylor, Dave 146 Thomas, Acie 156 Thomas, Shack Towns, Luke 165 171 Williams, Willis 178 Wilson, Claude Augusta 303 311 327 335 342 347 355 COMBINED INTERVIEWS Charley Roberts Jennie Golder Banana Williams Frank Bates William Neighten Rivana Boynton Salena Taswell Annie Trip 364 Millie Sampson 365 Annie Gail 365 Jessie Rowell 366 Margaret White 366 Priscilla Mitchell 367 Fannie McCay 372 Hattie Thomas 374 David Lee 374 375 375 375 376 377 377 378 mm wKm& xmnm&m mm <3 „ ffant? ..... <*"**^ i>^»w¦.»»¦¦ QUOTA ^^^ \m^-> mrmz looo. &um______.^m*mt$m ...., ,-^s. id mmmm* hm.% a? a'jraswrs dutxsi^ (rri.....iftjfcflfofy |?-V.T3J-\L ztSVISK MO. «tt*«*«M mmmmmmmmim wmmmm oxniQim mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm m.?m:3> %SWV,i m* _ mmmm mmmm """"••w**^** v'*** »m*ww mmmmmmmmmmmmmim» Minimum •mmmmmmm __ HSKIHOI^ 0HETXC25H >W0*& Hfflfi 'itiimmm r^LUM^asR QOMsaurivrt WtaNiMMtfNiMiMPII^^ iiiiiif .mwiiWpmwuiHiiMiiiJii'Hi^ gmwgutmi >4ST®| Deo ember 15t 1938 wiiiiiiiiiwii w\mmmmmmmmr 2 IDBK A Circmstaaces of Interview STA Es Florida VAISS OP^CHKEi Jules A. Ersat ADjRESSi faapa, Florida BATS : October IS, 1938 SUBJECT* Stolk Stuff, Hants. 1, lame and address of informant* Josephine Anderson* $a»pa, Florida* 2. Date and time of interview: October 20, 193? 3. Place of interview* Tairjpa, Florida 4« Hair© and address of person, if aqy, who put you in touch with infonaant* 5. Same and address of pars en, if any, accompanying jtm.% 6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc* ( Ho additional infozmatlon available for other forms) 1590 word* FO^K STUFF, FLORIDA £ •Hanti" Josephine Anderson T&npa. Florida October ?0, 1937 Jules A. Frost HANTS »X kaint tell nothin bout slavery times eept what I beared folks talk about* I was too young to remember much but I recleck see in my granma milk de cows an de de washin* Granpa was old, an day let him do light work, moely fish an hunt* "I doan member nothin bout my daddy. He died when I was a baby* My stepfather was Stephen Anderson, an my mammyfe nan* was Dorcas. He come fum Va jinny, but my mammy was borned an raised in v/ilmington* My name was Josephine Anderson fore I married Willie Jones • I had two half-brothers young era me, John Henry an Ed, an a half-sister, Slsie* De beys had to mind de calves an sheeps, an &lsie nursed de missus9 baby* I done de eookin, moely, an helped my maiaay spin* *I was ony five year old when dey brung me to Sanderson, in Baker County, Florida. My stepfather went to work for a turpentine man, ma kin barrels, an he work at dat job till he drop dead in de camp* I reekon he musta had heart disease* "I doan recleok ever seein my mammy wear shoes* Even in de winter she go barefoot, an I reckon cold didn't hurt her feet no moren her hands an face* >'/e all wore dresses made o9 homespun* De thread was spun an de cloth wove right in our own home* My mamy an granmammy an me done it in spare time* FOLK STUFF, FLORIDA^ 4 Josephine Anderson ? Tampa, Florida Gcto*#r 20t 19$? Jules A* Front "My weddin dress was blue—blue for true. I thought It was dt prattiest dress X ever see* We was married in de court-house, am dat he a mighty happy day for me. Mos folks da® days got married by layin a broom on de floor an jumpia over it* Dat saals da marriage, an at da same time brings am good luck* "Ya sae brooms keeps hants away. Wibjx mean folks dies, de old debbil sometimes doan want em down dare in da bad place, so ha makes witches out of em, an sends am back* One thing bout witches, doy gotta count everthing fore day can git acrosst it. You put a broom acroast your door at night an old witches gotta count ever straw in dat broom fore she can coma in. "Some folks can jea nachly see hants bet tern others* Teeny, my gal can* I reckon das cause she been bomed wid a veil—you know, a oaui, aumpum what be over some babies' faces when dey is borned* Folks borned wid a caul can see sparrits, an tail whas gonna happen fore it comes true* "Use to worry Teeny right smarts seein sperrits day an night. My h us ban say he gonna cure her, so he taken a grain of corn an put it in a bottle in Teeny's bedroom over night. Den he planted it in de yard, an driv plenty sticks roan da place* «faen it was growin good, he put leaf-mold roun de stalk, an watch it ever day, an tell us donft jgo^ body touch de stalk* It raise three big ears ©• eorn$ an whan dey was good roast in size he pick em off an cook em an tell Teeny eat ever grain offn all three cobs. He watch her while she done it, an she aia never rOLIC STUFF, FLORIDA $ Q Joagphine Anderson Tampa, Florida October £0, 193? Jules A. Frost been worried wid hanta no more* She sees em jes the same, but dey do an bother her none. HFuat time I ever knowed a hant to come into our quarters was when I was jes big nough to go out to parties, De game what we u»^ to play was spin de plate* 3ver time I think on dat game it gives ms de shivers* One tine there was a strange young man corae to a party where I was. Said he name Richard Greenf an he been takin keer o' horses for a rich man what was gonna buy a plantation in dat c unty* He look kinda slick an dreseed-up—diffunt from de rest* All de gale begin to cast sheep's eyes at him* an hope he gonna choose dam when dey start playin games* "Pretty soon dey begin to play spin de plate an it come my turn fust thing* I spin it as call out 'Mister Green!9 He jumps to de middle of de ring to grab de plate an •Bang1—bout four guns go off ail at oncet, an Mister Green fall to de floor plum dead shot through de head. "Fore we knowed who done it, de sheriff an some more men jump down from de loft, where dey bean hidin an tell us quit hollerin an dOc>n be scairt* Die man be a bad desper—* you know, one of them out- laws what kills folks. He some kinda foreigner, an jes tryln make blieve he a niggah, aofe they don't find him. FOUC STUFF, FLOBIBA .*. "iianis w 6 Josephine Anderson Taoga, Florida October &©, 1937 Julss A. Frost "Sfrll wo didaH fool lit* playin no more games, an ffewer after dat you ooondnH git no niggaha to pass dat house alone atter dark. Bey say de place was banted* an If you look through de winder any dark night you could see a earn in dere splrmtn de plate* *I sho didn't never look in, causa X done seen saore bants aready dan I ever waits to see agin* One night I was gain to my granny's house* It was jes comin dark, an when I get to de oriek an start across on de foot-log, dere on de other end o9 dat log was a san wid his ha id out of f an lay in plum over on his shoulder, lie look at me, kinda pitiful, an don9t say a word~-bat I elesely never waited to see whr.t he gonna talk about* Z pure flew back hosts* I was so seairt I couldn't tell de folks what done happened till Z set down an got my breath. "Mother time, not so long ago, when 1 live down in Gary, I he walk in down de railroad track soon in de aornin an fore Z knowed it, dere was a white aan walkin long side e* me. 1 jes thought it were somebody, hut Z wadnft sho, so 1 turn off at de fust street to git way from dere* De nex sawn in 1 he boin to work at de ease time* Zt were kinda for gy an dark, so Z never seen nobody till Z mighty nigh run into die same aan, an dere he goes, bout half a step ahead o9 me, his two hands restin on his be-hind* *Z was so close up to him I could see him plain as 1 see you. He had fingernails dat long, all cleaned an polished* He was tall, an had on a derby hat, an stylish black clothes* W&tea 1 walk slow he slow down, an when Z stop, he stop, nwrw oncet lookin roim* My FOLK STUFF, FLOSIBA £ "Baste §' Josephine Aaderson f Teapa, Florida October 20, 1937 Julea k. Frost My feats sake a noiaa oa da eiaders tweea da rails, but ha doaa attke a site ov noiaa. Bat was da fast thing got a© scairt, hat I figger I hattar find oat for sho Ifan ha oa a aperrit; ao I say, gook aa loud: •Looicee hare, Mister, X jes aa old colored woman, aa I kaowa sty place, an I wieht you wouldaH walk wid aa count a what folks night say*' "Ms never looked roun ao Boren if I waa't there, aa I cut my oyaa roua to sae if thsra is soaebody I can hollar to for help. Ibaa I looked hack ha was gone} gone, like dat, without makin a sound. Dea I knowed ha ha a hant, aa da nex day whaa I tall somebody bout it day say ha ha da gasmen what got killed at da aroesia a spall back, aa other folks has seen hia jus like I did. Day say day can hear babies eryia at da trestle right near tiers, aa aia*t nobody yit ever fouad am. "Bat aia da uny hant I ever seen. One day I go out to da smoke* hoaee to git a mass o* tat era. It was after sundown, but still party light, shea I gits dare de door be unlocked an a big man staadin half inside. *&at you doia steal in oar tatsrst* X hollers at his, aa pawl He gone, jea like dat. Did Z git back to dat house! te mighty glad to eat grits aa eornbread dat night. "«isa we livia at Tituaville, I sea my old aanray com in up da road jus as plain as day. I at an oa da porch, fixin to run an seat her, whaa all of a sudden she be gone. I begin to cry aa tell da folks I ain*t go-na see my staaay agin. An sho nuff, I never did. She die at ftader- aott, back in vest Florida, fere I got to sea her. *a*&t* > Joseph in© Anderson Ta«pa# Florida October 269 193? Jules k* Frost "Bees I blieve i*s wit cheat S-a-*-?, I knows ion boat eia tea to jes fblisvef — I been rid by am. Right here in di* house, lea aia never been rid by a witsbt fell, yon stigfrty Iseky. Day coat ia da night, ginaerly soon after yuu drop off to sleep. Dey put a bridle oa your head, aa a bit ia y ur mouth , aa a Bad die on yo«r baek. Den dsy take off their akin aa hang it up on de wall. Dea dey git on yon aa some nights dey like to ride you to death. You try to holler but you kaiat, couata the iron bit ia y^ur mouth, aa you feel like somebody holdln you down* Doa dey ride you baak fa$$e an into y^ar bed. *$*ea you hit de bed you jump aa grab de kivera, an de witch be gone, like d 27 FEDERAL WRITERS* PROJECT American Guide,(Negro Writers1 Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Pear 1 Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker August 18, 1936 Complete John A. Simms 657 words Editor 4 Pages Frank Berry, living at 1614 west Twenty- Second street, Jacksonville, Florida, claims to he a grandson of Osceola, last fighting chief of the Sem- inole tribe. Born in 1858 of a mother who was part of the human chattel belonging to one of the Hearnses of Alachua County in Florida, he served variously during his life as a state and Federal Government contractor, United States Marshali (1881), Registration Inspector (1879J. Being only eight years of age when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, he remembers little of his life as a slave* The master was kind in an impersonal way but made no provision for his freedmen as did many other Southerners- usually in the form of land grants-8±lthough he gave them their freedom as soon as the proclamation was issued* Barry learned from his elders that their master was a noted duelist and owned several fine pistols some of which have very bloody histories. It was during the hectic days that followed the Slave Interview Page 3 ., gg Pearl Randolph FEC Jacksonville, Florida Civil War that Berry served in the afore-mentioned offices* He held his marshalship under a Judge King of Jacksonville, Florida, As State and Federal Government Contractor he built many public structures, a few of which are still in use, among them the jetties at Mayport, Florida which he helped to build and a jail.at High Springs, Florida* It was during the war between the Indians and settlers that Berry's grandmother, serving as a nurse at Tampa Bay was captured by the Indians and carried away to become the' squaw of their chief; she was later re-captured by her owners. This was a common procedure, according to Berry1s statements. Indians ofLten captured slaves, particularly the women, or aided in their escape and almost always intermarried with them. The red men were credited with inciting many uprisings and whole- sale escapes among the slaves. Country frolics (dances) were quite often at- tended by Indians, whose main reason for going was to obtain whiskey, for which they had a very strong fondness. Berry describes a£ intoxicated Indian as a "tornado mad man" and recalls a hair raising incident that ended in tragedy for the offender. Slave Interview Page 3 ^9 Pearl Randolph -TSO Jacksonville, Florida A group of Indians were attending one of these frolics at Fort Myers and everything went well until one of the number became intoxicated, terrorizing the Negroes with bullying, and fighting anyone with whom he could "pick" a quarrel. "Big Charlie" an uncle of the narrator was present and when the red man challenged him to a fight made a quick end of him by breaking his neck at one blow. For two years he was hounded by revengeful Indians, who had an uncanny way of ferreting out his where- abouts no matter where he went. Often he sighted them while working in the fields and uould be forced to flee to some other place* This continued with many hairbreadth escapes, until he was forced to move several states away. Berry recalls the old days of blaok aristoc- racy when Negroes held high political offices in the state of Florida, when Negro tradesmen and professionals com- peted successfully and unmolested with the whites. Many fortunes were made by men who are now little more than beggars. To this group belongs the man who in spite of re* duced circumstances manage, still to make one think of top hats and state affairs. Although small of stature and almost disabled by rheumatism, he has the fiery dignity and straight back that we associate with men who have ruled others* At the same time he might also be characterized as a sweet old person, with all the tender reminiscences of the old days and the Slave Interview *|§e :• 30 Pearl Randolph Jacksonville, Florida aim childish prejudices against all things new. As might he expected, he lives in the past and always is delighted whenever he is asked to tell about the only life that he has ever really lived. Together with his aged wife he lives with his children and is known to local relief agencies who supplement the very small income he now derives from what is left of what was at one time a considerable fortune. FEDERAL WRITERS* PROJECT 31 Amerioan Guide,(Negro Writers' Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker August 18, 1936 Complete John A* Simms Editor REFERENCE Personal interview with subject, Frank Berry, 1614 west Twenty-Second Street, Jacksonville, Florida ul as FLORIDA FOLKLORE SLAVE CUSTOMS AND ANECDOTES Mary Minus Biddie, age one hundred live was born in Pensacola, Florida, 1833, and raised in Columbia County* She is married, and has several children* For her age she is exceptionally active, being able to wash and do her house work* With optimism she looks forward to many more years of life* Her health is excellent* Having spent thirty-two years of %§t life as a slave she relates v/ vividly some of her experiences* Her master Lancaster Jamison was a very kind man and never mis- treated his slaves* He was a man of mediocre means, and instead of having a large plantation as waa usual in those daysf he ran a boarding house, the revenue therefrom furnishing him substance for a livelihood* tte had a small farm from which f resn produce was obtained to supply the needs of his lodgers* Maryfs family were his only slaves* The family consisted of her mother, father, brother and a sister* The childred called theold master "Fa" and their father "^appy*11 The master never resented this appellation, and took it in good humor* Many travelers stopped at his boardinb housef ,Maryfs mother did the oooking, her father "tended* the farm, and Mary, her brother and sisterf did chores about the place* There was a large one-room house built in the yard in which the family lived* Her father had a separate garden in which he raised his own produce, also a smoke^ house where the family meats were kept. W12356 - $s 33 Meats were smoked in order to preserve them* During the day Maryfs father was kept so busy attending his master's farm that there was no time for him to attend to a little farm that he was allowed to have# He overcame this handicap* however, by setting up huge scaffolds in the field which he burned and from the flames that this fire emitted he could see well enough to do what was necessary to his farm. The master's first wife was a very kind woman* at her death Mary's master moved from Pensacola to Columbia County» Mary was very active with the plow, she could handle it with the ability of a man* *his prowess gained her the title of "plow girl." COOLING, Stoves were unknown and cooking was done in a fireplace that was boilt of clayt a large iron rod was built in across the opening of the fireplace on which were hung pots that had special handles that fitted about the rod holding them in place over the blazing lire as the xood cooking was done in a moveable oven which was placed in the fire- place over hot coals of corn oobs# Potatoes were roasted in ashes# Oft1 times Mary's father would sit in front of the fireplace until a late hour in the night and on arising in the morning the children would find in a corner a number of roasted potatoes whioh their father had thoughtlully roasted and *hich the children readily consumed* & 34 LIGHTING SYSTEM, Matches were unknown; a flint rook and a file provided the fire* This occured by striking, a rile against a flint rock which threw orf sparks that fell into a wad of dry cotton used for the purpose. This cotton, as a rule* readily caught lire. This was fire and all the fire needed to start any blaze WEAVING The white folk wove the cloth on regular looms which were made into dresses for the slaves, for various colors of cloth the thread was dyed. The dye was made by digging up red shank and wild indigo roote which were boiled; Ihe substance obtained being some of the best dye to be found• BEVERAGES & FOOD* Bread was made from flour and wheat. The meat used was porkf beef* mutton and goat* For preservation it was smoked and kept in the smoke- house. Coffee was used as a beverage and when this ran out as oft1 times happened, parched peanuts were used for the purpose* Mary and family arose before day-break and prepared breakfast for the master and his family, after which they ate in the same dining room* When this was over the dishes were washed by Mary, her brother and sister. The children then played about until meals were served again* YfASHING and SOAP was Washing/done in home-made wooden tubs, and boiling in iron pots similar to those of today* Soap was made from fat and lye# - 4 £ , 35 AMUSEMENTS, The only amusement to be had was a big candy pulling, or hog killing and ohioken cooking. The slaves from the surrounding plantations were allowed to come together on these occasions. A big time was had* CHURCH« The slaves went to the "white folks" ohuroh on Sundays• They were seated in the rear of the ohuroh* The white minister would arise and exhort the slaves to nmind your masters» you owe them your respect," An old Christian slave who perceived things differently could sometimes be heard to mumblef "Yeah, wese jest as good as deys is only deys white and wefs bl-ck, huh.* She dare not let the whites hear this* At times meetin1 s were held in a slave oabin where some "inspired- sl«ve led the services* In the oourse of years Mr* Jamison married again* His second wife was a veritable terror* She was always ready and anxious to whip a sl~ve for the least misdemeanor* The master told Mary and her mother that befoie he would take the chance of them running away on account of her meanness he would leave her* As soon as he would leave the house this was a signal ior his wife to start on a slave* One day, with a kettle of hot water in her h*ndf she chased Mary, who ran to another plantation and hid there until the bood master returned* She then poured out her troubles to him* He was very iadignant and remonstrated with his wife for being so cruel* £he met her fate in later years; her son-in-law becoming angry at some of her doings in regard to him shot herf which resulted in her death* Instead of mourning, everybody seemed to rejoice, for the menaoe to well being h«d been removed. Twice a year Mary's father and master went to Cedar Keys, Florida to get salt* Ooean w*ter was obtained and boiledf salt resulting* They always returned with about three barrels of salt* - &- 36 The greatest event in the lire of a slave was about to occur, and the most soirowful in the life of a master, FREEDOM was at hand* A Negro was seen coming in the distance, mounted upon a mule* approaching Mr. Jamison who stood upon the poich • Ke told him of the liberation of the slaves* Wr* Jamison had never before been heard to curse* but this was one day that he let go a torrent of words th~t are unworthy to appear in print* He then broke down and cried like a slave who was being lashed by his cruel master• He called Mary's mother and father, Phyliss and Sandyt "I ain11 got no more to do with yout you are freef • he said, *if you want to stay with me you may and I'll give you one-third of what you edse** They decided to stay* Vifhen the crop was harvested the master did not do as he had promised* He tave them nothing. Mary slipped awayf mounted the old mule "Mustang11 and galloped away at a mules snail speed to Newnansville where she related what had happened to a Union captain* He gave her a letter to give to Mr* Jamison* In it he reminded him that if he didn't give Mary's family what he had promised he would be put in Jail* Without hesitation the old master complied with these pungent orders* After this incident Mary and her family left the good old boss to seek a new abode in other parts* This was the first time that the master had in any way displayed any kind of unfairness toward them, perhaps it was the reaction to having to liberate them* MARRUGE;. There was no marriage during slavery aooording to civil or religious custom among the slaves* If a slave saw a woman whom he desired he told his footer* If the woman in question belonged on another plantation the master *ould consult her master; "one of my boys wants to marry one of your gals," h* would say* As a rule it was agreeable that they should live together as fflan and wife* This was enoouraged for it inoreased the sl«*vo population by -4* S7 new borns, nencet being an asset to the masters• The two slaves thus joined were allowed to see one another at intervals upon special permission from the master• He must have a pass to leave the plantation* Any slave oaught without one while off the plantation was subjeot to be caught by the *paderollers* ( a low class of white who roved the country to molest a slave at the least opportunity. Some oi them were hired by the masters to guard against slaves running away or to apprehend them in the event that they did) who would beat them unmercifully* and send them back to the plantation from whence they came* As a result oi this form of matrimony at emancipation there were no slaves lawfully married• Orders were given that if they preferred to live together as man and wife they must marry according to l»w# They were given nine months to decide this question, after which if they continued to live together they were arrested for adultery* A Mr* ?ryerf Justiate of the Peace at Gainesville* was assigned to deal with the situation around the plantation whe*e Mary and her family lived* A big supper was givenf it was early* about twenty-five sl«ve couples attended» There was gaiety and laughter» A barrel of lemonade was served* A big time was had by allf then those couples who desired to remain together were Joined in wedlock according to civil custom* The party broke up in the early hours of the morning* Mary Biddie, oognizant of the progress that science and invention has made in the intervening years from Emancipation and the present time* could not heip but reaurk of the vast improvement of the lighting system of today and that of slavery* There were no lamps or kerosene* The first thread that shearer spun was for a wick to be used in a candle* the only means of light. Beef tallow was used to make the candle; this was placed in a candle mould while hot. The wiok was then placed in the oenter of the tallow as it rest in the mould; this was allowed to cool. When this - 7 - 38 chemical process oooured there was a regular sized candle to be used for lighting* Mary now past the century markf her lean bronze body resting in a rockerf her head wrapped in a white 'kerchieft and puffing slowly on her cltty pipef expressed herself in regard to presidents: "Roosevelt has don! mo1 than any other president, why you know ever since freedom they been talkin1 'bout dis pension, talkin1 'bout it tha1 s allf but you see Mr• Roosevelt he don1 com1 an1 gived it tu us* What? I'll say he's a good rightus man, an1 urn sho* go1 vot1 fof hiou* Residing in her little cabin in Eatonvillef Florida, she is able to smile because she has some means of security, the Old Age Pension* 39 DADB COUNTY, FLORIDA, FOLKLORE Ex-Slaves Reverend Hi Bo yd was born May 29, 1854, four miles from Somerville, South Carolina on John Murray1 s plantation. It was a large plantation with perhaps one hundred slaves and their families* As he was only a tiny baby when freedom came, he had no "recomembrance" of the real slavery days, but he lived on the same plantation for many years until his father and mother died in 1888. 'I worked on the plantation just like they did in the real slavery days, only I received a small wage. I picked cotton and thinned rice. I always did just what they told me to do and didnft ever get into any trouble, except once and that was my own fault. "You see it was this way. They gave me a bucket of thick clabber to take to the hogs. I was hungry and took the bucket and sat down behind the barn and ate every bit of it* I didnft know it would make me sick, but was I sick? I swelled up so that I all but bust. They had to doctor on me. They took soot out of the chimney and mixed it with salt and made me take that* I guess they saved my life, for I was awful sick. "I never learned to read until I was 26 years old. That was after I left the plantation. I was staying at a place washing dishes for Goodyearfs at Sapville, Georgia, six miles from Waycross. I found a Webster 9s spelling book that had been thrown away, and I learned to read from that. "I wasn't converted until I went to work in a turpentine still 12354 !*- 4() BADE COUNTY FLORIDA FOIKLORE Ex^Slaves Continued. and five years later I was called to preach* I am one of thirteen children and none of us has ever been arrested* We were taught rigtit* "I kept on preaching until I came to Miami. I hare been assist- ant pastor at Bethel African Methodist Church for the past ten years* "I belong to a class of Negroes called Geechees* My grandfather was brought directly from Africa to Port Boyal, South Carolina. My grandmother used to hold up her hand and look at it and sing out of her hand* Shefd make them up as she would look at her hand* She sang in Geechee and also made rhymes and songs in English." tntwww S.-^P5 Copu '•?-'ayloi* ^^. v-0:'*V)I©t© m»»w«f 41 ¦ i**snft Boston, Sllml^PlOtfida* 1 • .;. o !»o# and .kboiit $tmn9 m&® yom bo&mt ¦ oiae ttem in 1890 on Joha arid IfolliO'Sioow*1* Sl&iitatlon t^otimoa ^tareonab and ¦ CSwrleeton. noar the Seorgta' line. s.f you wkbo bom on a plantation os? ftom» what sort of fusing eoctiott «ac It tat «nis©d pie*, eo»m slatafc, and Sots of cotton, Falaod avwryttiliig tbay ot ** TegotaljloB» tutors sM all tb&t* " v: did jsm. 'pants tba tlao as a ©Mia? '^at ooi»t of dbarat • ntd ycra do and xUbsk did yota play? ¦ I lied to tilts cotton in de fleldfi and mind tbo fllM at tbo tab3o« I Ohaaod than wttfe a fly l3uafe# aonatSao* a ii£*> fvoa a tvoo' and scaaatlaMi wtd a fanoy busb* as Toup-mflfcop leiaft to yout Voe, X was fofo^od .tgrbotng vlt& ay smssy* . ov? ' 'tiiiy slaves w@*o tfeopo on tba nwsm plantation and faws? I daa't know* Tbtv* was plonty ©* d®n up in d* hundi*©dg, 1 patffeon* © -^oa. reiiOHbar «bat klad of ©ookiag utoasfl® goup asotHer used? Yes, day had spiders an» big tern kettles that day liwxg in do ©biaaey by a losog obatu* ">«a day wanted to oook fast day losws^d c3o obata and tfbsa day' jaatad to bale* to tba spld«w^f they*© fat them m&®r d© kettle can eoires? wii& coal* tmtil day was hot* Jtey*d put do poafts in dooe doublo 267H r: vaco-nod sptdor* &m& tan «b«m around wlxm dcy xmt fioao -¦ otm sid©« r% " v,i h ro t.'Oiw mate foods aad how «er« tfcsey cookedt -.o tv-^j ovo*v>t-lr;g yom co-sld think of to eat a, o 7'Ai r-yj-io^ber r»k'Sr*g trsltafeicm ©i* substitute ooCfea 1»y l-.o« ''«o v&ti 2»©el ooffoe* ..-. ;'•'.;¦ you r'oat? -Vxsjff ovor haying, wb«u yoa w«r* r flung* any : . oti^t* ^ ttvlag* i*Ld tfcey bay®: (ft Imsgi&g; W&r- Wi- fcfcfr fi-e TViaea, as-d fifd tfcfcy usalso tftei* imw W'-1Sm» *w» tallow?< :\2w&y0 :'fcii firefftftaas ©s* opcm flvo* oa t1#:':i*$Ji»*atio3it bat after a long 4hSJ* ssy aaaoy "had fcesjmtfMMi to oook on» Be would giyo d& sImmi pot 3Jjgii*'~fe*> ©oc& gpoea In fl^«*t*'«»»#r. - Sty lit da fire a irtiw'.;fiSttfe e»d fltoel, sdsott It wstld ;©9 o«jbr % all at»':Mife 1MM*1aj| -roMie* far *?»«ul « veil with two baefets on a polley to dswn? t>»© watei»» yoa i?@Bs^b©r «hm you first; «g» i©€> In pogalsr fom? winter- in ou» p1.««w*< ¦ ^¦oar feasily weift &i tiio rio© f ieXds o$» in the ©ottoaa "bo fa»Bs, oaf wlsst sort of w««»k did tiny dot vha- did &X1 klndu of work in the fiold*. cova ^ayfc* : »••§ 1 %." 43 •>, .if their voitoed la tho beat* o* atoout fctso olaoo, w*»t oo*i Off aorfe did tfcey dot : ; X was bow* said and did ?ywj»tldag th»y told &» to do« Som»tl»M Xfd *swoop a&d woartt ftFOaod ell tba ttMN» ' •. o you *oa»?*fr #v»y feolgftag. t»a and ew*o fe|£o» wwl pig feldwt O'Mswoe dome 091 tfeo plaafcotioau t took bo m&t tn it, ?. .s a yo\2ag po*e©ii wt»t so** of fcdffc'dtd 3f©u dot. *f -y« holpod yo i? inotbor around the bo\*se «*> ©lit f$mmo& O* «f*pt t£ft» ys:.j?ri, csy sot ' I relped do tbe hcjue«^opk end did 1**»% tfoo ntatrese told •># skat FO*t of tig'was tutod on tt» cotton bal«8« ., |l9. o y>u femmmv wtsst oo#t of «»*© thaw nsodt %» did flit*/ ¦ get tho Xy© foi» ssJr*?$ t*so soap? "*os," *»a lislp to f^too tbe.a»ilt lye'-«ad »©#t @o»Pi Sow ..¦ ¦ seed any safe© aoap mtil I aavs hows. -. ^. at aid tlsoy «o© for 4p»ing-tfcF«*d amd ©loth md Jjtfsrdid tftMf ¦ HThey \isod li^di|0. for-. ^ !«•» ©oppoms for yftlSiv, and 3*©X£ a taggf .llfet'-ycNL 8©o# >» yo'^ reaeflbe* yoap 0*aaA?ave«i*$ tiO. % aatfear was sold feom mo «li»^ I v«o aaall. t staged la «y mclafo* shod at »l|pst» yo •i reaoV-bos* tbe aoaajr eallod *ata^M^®t**«** ;iO« * - hat interesting iilstorloal evonfce y^nith, eaeh a® aDorna***.- a&Mgr '#&®®i»f tbioagfe- f*a> '¦"oGtlonV :;10 y©m.ir$taaae the lmpp®j^ags .and \^at waft the s»eaetloa of the othor IH&*qqb to theaV I *¦©*©**•« wall when de aaavaaa on* * aae&.a* taM the big earn shelley end 9&ek th© shelled cos* fot* the Confederate soldlei»e# f|t&y used to ©oil ooao; of the cam and they gave" ease- of It to tbe aoldlara, anyway the ^ankooo got *mm and th©j did aot than to gat i*» '^t aao tlilo aayi "*aa %*«t" ^xs» through thor» aaaaa of She?a*ai*c As«Bjy, «owt vo thought the Wfewl«r boya. wore Canrosioi^tee» "i'boy ¦aT?KH doan the ro*d «uj hapt»y me mid h©, nByirr«m£ ha^rab, baaraa^. -.. ntsrrob pea* tbo ^woleo urrah fey tbo Brolee aylov ^o:t^lfti **»« 45 :o of ooasw© «• ttjous^t they ***# our eoldlaro a~0iBgia* our songs* S?oJl* thoy oMroa* tol* og* boss that '-hersairji soldiers w&y© ootBlug* wad we*d b»t.t«p hid* all cms? food ©sid itolmhl* 'thi»0Vf fo* fc!»y*€ talsa evoi^tMng thssy i?©»t*d* Sew "heftd* oar Ifc^oyMdo the i 1,130. '¦^¦- #«g boles and baHLed tb» potatoes and eowped thorn with cotton seed and all that* ftgMi ov& aa soy |$*© a**? food and thas&od thos? for tholp Idndaooo ©ssd he set otit wtd two of th© girls to' tOt» t5ier.i fco stfety, feat hoforo ho j&tt hkek after tho a&seoo, tii© Ytudso »t*« oa uo« x" a* 1.1 bIosus had ©at loci ua together and told us whet to say. Hot? ymt bog for ^io# If thoy ask yoyLidioftior **!* boon .pod to y©% you toll *ob! ,ye*©«. If thoy ask yo« fS £l*0 yOU ?»G«* y$« -W"* *«*•¦* *n»t » " ' if ___„__-_-_, „__ -my. •y$fi,» fiow# de '-i*0#* git any noooff but I did, # auso 2 ^orkod In tb* "So I didn't toll a He, for X $£$ git taoai* 0 wc hedged, a&'jto »«8rf ''Oar tai©«oji Is good* EbB*t yoa. fclll bars ^00*t you tOlBO 0«p ®OB* «^;f!BB«lol#,,4W,t. you hurt'he--* o»iiH ypn bora hot* bonoo; domi* % thoy" bumod. mmm th© ot&bio end ooao, of the' other gildings,' but they did St be** *h© bests©' aef hurt w e#y* ! ,' - ¦'0 saw the root of the Ha&« aemis** flfcey wsfer ete$§»d f-V? BOttlM* « UselS* her©®® WOfXld' 3«Sp. tfcO *W* *¦& ' f!mstep Joia tft* oomfodoiAoyf ^bftt do you romtpfeo? lr rotum fSriti' 13io- wo*t w f»« B# «a^«nd«d- ead lei2U«ftt n, Tim' hoys **&&# 0»« wbb killed and mm mm **&&% jt&Tfi-igtottfy. ***« 46 36. rid rovL Hwa in -avanaoli when aiieiuaa end he ^orthewi forces sapohed tfcpett#i the atate, find do ym poawabap the exeiteiaent In ?*»*» taw* or around the last ation where you liwed$ Se lived north of Sa*amah# X don*t know how far Si vrns, but it was i» Seisth Oevalftam* #>, .16 -vo a» isaatap'a hou** got robbed op haiaaed during tiie tiro of Sherman's nepolif '0 \*epa robbed, h*t the house ama not burned. *e saved it fes» tha©« so* ^at kind of unifopsaa did thay we&p daring the diwil wapf •31-20 and g^ay ;¦?• -"bat sort of ssssdiaimo tms used is the da---* $ogt after i-e • .-tp ;? Describe a llegp© doctor of that period*, 'hft used to sake tea out of the %wiX*8 Shoe String that grew along on fch© g^retaid* We used oil and turpentine* . hit turpentine en eepee« . ofi. net -on reaa.rtoep about northern people Op oat side people '¦'KHrrl-(t l>tO 8 OO^^inity afteP tl ¦•:0 ?©!»• ~Vp»De»»o&t-» t;he.tatt£it'white fol&a* 'I'dtdaH' @© to school. r.v ,';!:• vo .* faasilY1® life oos^epe after mancipation with n h^op©? it better and ae did the root* ^» o ¦.-'¦r,i V:.:.ov> anything about political seating* and eluh® forred af-:op the war? ¦g had to have a tioluat to go to o^sipel* op the paftile pellet* » i* ¦¦•o "To>i > ow anything regerdiag the letter* and atopies fro* »oes-wbo i!iigpat©d-'a0P^ aftep the sept ¦ &**"**<¦%? £0 '¦-• '-¦?'£¦ ^xme aa^- SagKMMi of ^our ae^aal^tsisee who -were skilled --' Mi:* ")optieiilap llae-atf wmfct •f«s. In Kjaklne tiheee and fyomittir©, they bad to do woat worthing Will OP mom USDERAL WRITERS PROJECT £ 4^ American Guide (Negro Writers Unit) '" Monticello, Florida Alfred Parrell Field Worker Slave Interview Complete January 13, 1937* 777 Words ' 4 Pages , A GOVERNORS SLAVES Matilda Brooks, 79, who lives in Monticello, 51a., was once a slave of a South Carolina governor* Mrs* Brooks was horn in 1857 or 1858 in Edgefield, S.C. Her parents were Hawkins and Harriet Knox, and at the time of the birth of their daughter were slaves on a large planta- tion-belonging to Governor frank Pick ens. On this plantation v/ere raised cotton, corn, potatoes, tobacco, peas, wheat and truck products* As soon as Matilda was large enough to go into the fields she helped her parents with the farming, The former slave describes Governor Pick ens as being 'very good1 to his slaves* He supervised them personally, although official duties often made this difficult* H© sa^r to it that their quarters were comfortahle and that they always had sufficient food. When' they "became ill he would himself doctor on them with pills, castor oil, turpentine and other remedies* Their diet consisted largely of pota* toes, corn bread, syrup, greens, peas, and occasionally ham, fowl and other meats or poultry* Their chief beverage was cof:"ee made from marched corn* Slave Interview # Alfred Parrell /ao Monti cello, Ha* Page 2 V -lO PEG Since there were no stoves during slavery, they cooked their foods in large iron pots suspended from racks built into the fireplaces* Pried foods were prepared in iron 'spi* tiers1, large frying pans with legs* These pans were placed over hot coals, and the seasoning was done with salt which they secured from evaporated sea-water* After the food was fried and while the coals were still glowing the fat of oxen and sheep was melted to make candles* Any grease left over was put into a large box, to be used later for soap-making* Lye for the soap was obtained by putting oak ashes in a barrel and pouring water over them* After standing for several days •-. until the ashes had decayed -— hbles were drilled into the bottom of the barrell and the liquid drained off* This liquid was the lye, and it was then trickled into the pot into which the fat had been placed* The two were then boiled, and after cooling cut into squares of soap* Water for cooking and other purposes was obtained from a well, which also served as a refrigerator at times* Ma** til da does not recall seeing ice until many years later* In the evenings Matilda's mother would weave cloth on her spinning-jenny and an improvised loom* This cloth was fcciaetines dyed in various colors: blue from the indigo plant; yelxow from the crocus and brown from the bark of the red oak. ether colors were obtained from berries and other plants* Slave Interview Alfred Farrell Page 3 Monticello, Jla. EBC >, 4y In seasons other than pi eking-time for the cotton the children were usually allowed to play in the evenings. Ihen cotton crops were large, however, they spent their evenings picking out seeds from the cotton "bolls, in order that their parents might work uninterruptedly in the fields during the day* The cotton, after being picked and separated, would be weighed in "balances and packed tightly in Crocus1 bags# Chicken and goose feathers were jealously saved du» ring these days. They were used for the mattresses that res- ted on the beds of wooden slats that were built in corners against the walls* Hoop skirts were worn at the time, but for how long afterward Matilda does not remember* She only recalls that they were disappearing 'about the time I saw a windmill for the first time*. The coming of the Yankee soldiers created much excite* merit among the slaves on the Pickens plantation. The slaves /.• were in ignorance of activities going on, and of their ap- proach, but when the first one was sighted the news spread 'just like dry grass burning irp a hill*. Despite the kincU nese of Governor Pickens the slaves were h£$>py to claim their new-found freedom. Some of them even ran away to join the Northern armies before they were officially freed. Some at- twpted to show their loyalty to their old owners by joining --e tkiathern armies, but in this section they were not per- SLave Interview Alfred Parrel 1 Page ;4 kt| Monticello, Pi a* PEC ' UVI mitted to do so* . After she was released from slavery Matilda came with her parents to the Monticello section, where the Knoxes be*» came paid house servants. The parents took an active part in politics in the section, and Matilda was sent to school* White teachers operated the schools at first, and were later replaced "by Negro teachers. Churches were opened with Negro ministers in the pulpits, and other necessities of community life eventually came to the vicinity* Matilda still lives in one of the earlier homes of her parents in the area, now described as • Rooster*.Town1 by its residents* The section is,in the eastern part of Monti** cello. // HII II If I! II II II ItltffVVutfvV Slave Interview Alfred Farrell Monticello, 21a* Bage £> f\\ BIBLIOGRAPHY Interview with subject, Matilda Brooks; ttBooster«Town% » eastern part of city, Monticello, Jefferson County, Ha* Q lave latarvies* *•«*• 8 & ^O Alfrod Farali F86 * **** Tituavilla* Slerida Titus B. Byaaa, affsetleaately known as "Daddy Bynaa", Is rerjinlaceat of Harriet Setahsr 3«e*9*s iisusrtal "Basis Tom" sad Joel Chandlar Harple* inimltabla "Oaele Bssss" with hio vinita beard and hair surrounding a soiling blade face* Be «as bora in Jfevaafcer 1946 in what is nor? Clarendon County, Sooth Carolina* Beth his father, Cuffy# and notJiar, Diana, balanced to Gabriel Pletrdan who owned 78 o? 80 slaves and was noted for hi a kindness to than. Bynea* father was a ettanea laborer, ead his fflsthsr aotad in the capacity of charfcerraaiA and spinner* Tasy had l£ ohildraa, sevan bo^s— Abraham, Tatau, Bssss, Xawreaee, Thenmn, BlUla, and Haialat— and are girls— Charity, Ghriaay, Tanale, Ohar lotto, and Violate man Titas was fife or six ysara of age he was given to rlot7m "iffrt^ed eevera tertarlag. Often tha aoaa of the slaves* owners ran no "alegar host lag1* and nothing sat even snraar waa too harri- bl» for them to do to alavae cm&A without paases, laay justified ilv slara latex-viaa* fa** 7 ^.^ Alfred JfewtU FBC •* w TituatiUa* fiartaa their fieadiah aota by saying taa *aisg«* txiad ta run away afeaa taXd to stop* Gilbart cannot rmiwnheor whan ha aaa* ta florlda, oat ha oIcIttb that it was pas? years aaa* **fca tha aajtsity af Bagvaaa attar pir'vory, ha become a faraar whioh occupation ha still pureuea. Ha married once tat "ny wife eat ta maesln* aroond with anathar nan at Z sent her hone te her aather*" Be aan ha found in Htasa, Florida, whera he my ba a*** daily babbling around on hie aaaa* (4) * 58 FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT . American Guide,(Hegro writers1 Unit) Monticello, Florida James Johnson Slave Interview Field Worker December 15, 1936 Complete 583 Words 3 Pages PATIENCE CAMPBELL Patience Campbell, blind for 26 years, was- born in Jackson County, near Marianna, Florida about 1883, on a farm of George Bullock, Her mother Tempy, belonged to Bullock, while her father Arnold Merritt, belonged to Edward Merritt, a large plantation owner. According to Patience, her mother's owner was very kind, her father*s very cruel. Bullock had very few slaves, but Merritt had a great many of them, not a few of whom he sold at the slave markets. Patience spent most of her time playing in the sand when she was a child, while her parents toiled in ttie fields for their respective owners. Her grandparents on her mother's side belonged to Bullock, but of her father's people she knew nothing as "they didn't come to this country*" When asked where they lived,she re- Plied "in South Carolina," Since she lived with her mother, Patience fared much setter than had she lived with her father. Her main foods included Leat8, greens, rice, corn bread which was replaced by biscuits on •^uay morning. Coffee was made from parched corn or meal and was - e caief drink. The food was cooked in large iron pots and pans in Slave Interview Page 3 59 James Johnson FEC Monticello, Florida an open fireplace and seasoned with salt obtained by evaporating sea water. Water for all purposes was drawn from a well. In order to get soap to wash with, the cook would save all the grease left from the cooking. Lye was obtained by mixing oak ashes with water and allowing them to decay; Tubs were made from large barrels. When she was about seven or eight, Patience assisted other children about her age and older in picking out cotton seeds from the picked cotton. After the Cotton was weighed on improved scales, it was bound in bags made of hemp. Spinning and weaving were taught Patience when she was about ten. Although the cloth and thread were dyed various colors, she knows only how blue was obtained by allowing the indigo plant to rot in water and straining the result. Patience's father was not only a capable field worker but also a finished shoemaker. After tanning and curing his hides by placing them in water with oak bark for several days and. then ex» posing them to the sun to dry, he would cut out the uppers and the soies after measuring the foot to be shod. There would be an inside -ole aa well as an outside sole tacked together by means of small -acKe made of maple wood. Sewing was done on the shoes by means of fl^x thread. Patience remembers saving the feathers from all the A sc make feather beds. She doesn't remember when women stopped Slave Interview Page 3 60 James Johnson FEO Monticello, Florida wearing hoops in their skirts nor when bed springs replaced bed ropes. She does remember,however, that these things were used. She saw her first windmill about 36 years ago, ten years before she went blind. She remembers seeing buggies during slavery time, little light carriages, some with two wheels and some with four. She never heard of any money called "shin-plasters," and she be- ^ came money-conscious during the war when Confederate ourrency was introduced. When the slaves were sick, they were given castor oil, turpentine and medicines made from various roots and herbs. Patience's master joined the confederacy, but her father's master did not.JAlthough Negroes could enlist in the i— # Southern army if they desired,) none of them wished to do so but. preferred to join northern forces and fight for the thing they de- sired most, freedom. When freedom was no longer a dream, but a re- aliyy, the Merritta started life on their own as farmers. Twelve- year old Patience entered one of the schools established by the Freedmen*s Bureau, she recalls the gradual growth of Negro settle- ments, the churches and the rise and fall of the Negroes politically. FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJECT American Guide,(Kegro Writers' Unit) Monticello, Florida James W, Johnson Slave Interview Field Worker December 15, 1936 Complete REFERENCE I. Personal interview with Patience Campbell, 910 Cherry Street, Monticello, Florida 61 FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJECT American Guide,(Hegro writers1 Enit) Jacksonville, Florida Rachel A; Austin Slave Interview Field Worker November 30, 1936 Complete 339 Words ,, „, ., 3 Pages Florida Clayton The life of Florida Clayton is interesting in that it illustrates the miscegenation prevalent during the days of slavery. Interesting also is the fact that Florida was not a slave even though she was a product of those turbulent days* Many years before her birth- March 1, 1854- Florida's great grandfather, a white man, came to Tallahassee, Florida from Washington, District of Ooliambia, with his ohildren whom he had by his Negro slave• On coming to Florida, he set all of hie child- ren free except one boy, Amos, who was sold to a Major Ward. For what reason this was done, no one knew. Florida, named for the state in whioh she was born, was one of seven ohildren born to Charlotte Morris (colored) whose father was a white man and David Clayton(^aite). Florida, in a retrogressive mood, can recall the "nigger iuntera" and "nigger steakers" of her childhood days. Mr. Himrod and Mr. shehee, both white, specialized in catching runaway slaves with t.i3ir trained bloodhounds. Her parents always warned her and her brothers and sisters to go in someone1 s yard whenever they saw these men with their dogs lest the ferocious animals tear them to pieces. n regards to the "nigger stealers," Florida tells of a covered wagon Slave Interview Page 3 „ fjQ Rachel A, Austin FEO Jacksonville, Florida which used to come to Tallahassee at regular intervals and camp in some secluded spot. The children, attracted by the old wagon, would be eager to go near it, "but they were always told that "Dry Head and Bloody Bones," a ghost who didn't like children, was in that wagon. It was not until later years that * Florida and the other children learned that the driver of the wagon was a "nigger stealer" who stole children and took them to Georgia to sell at the slave markets. When she was 11 years old, Florida saw the surrender of Tallahassee to the Yankees. Three years later she cams to Jacksonville to live with her sister. She married but is now divorced after 12 years of marriage. Three years ago she entered the Old Folks Home at 1837 Franklin Street to live. FBDERAL WRITERS PROJECT vr* American Guide (Efegro Writers' Unit) Jacksonville, Florida R?.chel Austin, Slave Interview Field Worker November 20,1936 Oorrclete 1 Persons! Interview with Florida Clayton, 1627 Franklin Street, Jacksonville, Florida. 65 FEDERAL WRITERS* PROJECT American Guide,(Negro Writers' Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Viola B. Muse Slave Interview Field "Worker December 3, 1936 Complete 1,888 Words 8 Pages "Father" Charles Ooates Father Charles Coates, as he is called by all who know him, was born a slave, 108 years ago at Richmond, Virginia, on the plantation of a man named L1Angle, His early boyhood • days was spent on the L*Angle place filled with duties such as minding hogs, cows, bringing in wood and such light work, Kis wearing apparel consisted of one garment, a shirt made to reach below the knees and with three-quarter sleeves. He wore no shoes until he was a man past 30 years of age* Ths single garment was work summer and winter alike and the change in the weather did not cause an extra amount of clothes to be furnished for the slaves. They were required to trove about so fast at work that the heat from the body was sufficient to keep them warm. When Charles was still a young man Mr, L'Angle sold ri"< on time payment to W.B. Hall; who several years before the °ml v'dx moved from Richmond to Washington County, Georgia, oarrymg 135 grown slaves and many children. Mr, Hall made Carles his carriage driver, which kegt him from hard labor. * 1 -ler alaves on the plantation performed such duties as rail Slave Interview Page 3 ^ 66 Viola B. Muse FEC Jacksonville, Florida splitting, digging up trees by the roots and other hard work, Charles Coates remembers vividly the cruelties practiced on the Hall plantation. His duty was to see that all the slaves reported to work on time. The bell was rung at 5:30 a.m. by one of the slaves. I Charles had the ringing of the bell for three years; this was in addition to the carriage driving. He tells with laughter how the slaves would "grab a piece o'f meat and bread and run to the field" as no time was allowed to sit and eat breakfast. This was a very different way from that of the master he had before, as Mr. L'Angle1 was much better to his slaves, Mr. Hall was different in many ways from Mr, L'Angle, "He was always pretending" says Charles that he did not want his slaves beaten unmercifully, Charles being close to Mr. Hall during work hours had opportunity to see and hear much about what was going on at the plantation. And he believes that Mr, Hall knew just how the overseer dealt with the slaves. On the Hall plantation there was a contraption, similar to a gallows, where the slaves were suspended and whipped. At the -op of this device were blocks of wood with chains run through soles and high enough that a slave when tied to the chains by his lingers would barely touch the ground with his toes. This was done 00 tnat the slave could not shout or twist his body while being dipped. The whipping was prolinged until the body of the slave *&s covered with w£e3$s and blood trickled down his naked body. Slave Interview Page 3 >, 67 Viola B. Muse FEC Jacksonville, Florida Women were treated in the same manner, and a pregnant. woman received no more leniency than did a man. Very often after a severe flogging a slave's body was treated to a bath of water containing salt and pepper so that the pain would be more lasting and aggravated. The whipping was done with sticks and a whip called the "cat o1 nine tails," meaning every lick meant nine. The "cat o' nine tails" was a whip of nine straps attached to a stick; the straps were perforated so that everywhere the hole in the strap fell on the flesh a blister was left* The treatment given by the overseer was very terrifying. He' relates how a slave was put in a room and locked up for two and,three days at a time without water or food, because the overseer thought he hadn't done enough work in a given time. Another offense which brought forth severe punish** ffient was that of crossing the road to another plantation. A whip- Ping was given and very often a slave was put on starvation for a few days. One privilege given slaves on the plantation was appreciated by all and that was the opportunity to hear tfce word of God, The white people gathered in log and sometimes frame c.lurches and the slaves were permitted to sit about the church yard on wagons and on the ground and listen to the preaching, when *e slaves wanted to hold church they had to get special permission r0B the master, and at that time a slave hut was used. A white Preacher was called in and he would preach to them not to steal, Slave Interview Page 4 r»o Viola B. Muse FEO :" uo Jacksonville, Florida lie or run away and "be sure and git all dem weeds outen dat corn in de field and your master will think a heap of you*" Charles does not remember anything else the preacher told them about God. They learned more about God when they sat outside ,the church waiting to drive their masters and family back home, Charles relates an incident of a slave named Sambo who thought himself very smart and who courted the favor of the master. The neighboring slaves screamed so loudly while being whipped that Sambo told his master that he knew how to make a contraption which, if a slave was put into while being whipped wculd prevent him from making a noise. The device was made of two blocks of wood cut to fit the head and could be fastened around the neck tightly. When the head was put in .the upper and lower parts were clamped together around the neck so that the slave could not , scream. The same effect as choking. The stomach of the victim was placed over a barrel which allowed freedom of movement. Tfhen the lash was administered and the slave wiggled, the barrel moved* Now it so happened that Sambo was the first to be put into,his own invention for a whipping. The overseer applied the lash rather heavily, and Sambo was compelled to wiggle his body to relieve his feelings. In wiggling the barrel under his stomach rolled a bit straining Sambo's neck and breaking it. After Sambo died from his neck being broken the master discontinued the use of the device, as he saw the loss of property in the death of slaves* Slave Interview Page 5 go Viola B. Muse FEC Jacksonville, Florida Charles was still a carriage driver when freedom came. He had opportunity to see and hear many things about the master*s private life* Ihen the news of the advance of the Union Army came, Mr. Hall carried his money to a secluded spot and buried it in an iron pot so that the soldiers who were con- fiscating all the property and money they could, would not get his money. The slave owners were required to notify the slaves that they were free so Mr. Hall sent his son Sherard to the cabins to notify all the slaves to come into his presence and there he Y had his son to tell them that they were free_j^The Union soldiers took much of the slave owners' property and gave to the slaves telling them that if the owners1 took the property back to write and tell them about it; the owners only laughed because they knew the slaves could not read nor write. After the soldiers had gone the timid and scared slaves gave up most of the land; some few however, fenced in a bit of land while the soldiers remained in the vicinity and they managed to keep a little of the land. Many of the slaves renained with the owners. There they worked for small monthly wages and took whatever was left of cast off clothing and food and whatever the "old missus" gave them. A pair of old pants of the master was highly prized by them* Charles Coates was glad to be free. He had been well taken oare of and looked younger than 37 years of age at- the close of slavery. He had not been married; had been put upon the block twice to be sold after belonging to Mr. Hall. Each time he was Slave Interview Page 6 Viola B. Muse FEO S 70 Jacksonville, Florida offered for sale, his master wanted so1 much for him, and re- fusing to sell him on time payments, he was always left on his master's hands. His master said "being tall, healthy and robust, he was well worth much money.0 After slavery, Char les was rated as a good worker. He at once began working and saving his money and in a short time he had accumulated "around $300." The first sight of a certain young woman caused him to fall in love. He says the love was mututal and after a courtship of three weeks they were married. The girl's mother told Charles that she had always been very frail, but he did not know that she had consumption. Within three days after they were married she died and her death caused much grie<§ for Charles. He was reluctant to bury her and wanted to continue to stand and look at ner face. A white doctor and a school teacher whose names he does not remember, told him to put his wife's body in alcohol to preserve it and he could look at it all the time. At that time white people who had plenty of mpney and wanted to see the faces of their deceased used this method. A glass casket was used and the dressed body of the deceased was placed in alcohol inside the casket. Another casket made of wood held the glass casket and the whole was placed in a vault made of stone or brick. The walls of the vault were left about four feet above the ground and a window and ledge were Slave Interview Page 7 *y\ Viola B. Muse FEC ' ¦*• Jacksonville, Florida placed in front, so when the casket was placed inside of the vault the bereaved co Id lean upon the ledge and look in at the face of the deceased. The wooden casket was provided with a glass top part of the way so that the face could easily be seen. - Although the process of preserving the body in alcohol cost $160, Charles did not regret the expense saying, "I had plenty of money at that time." * After the death of his wife, Charles left with e his mother and father, Henrietta and Spencer Coates and went -to Savannah, Georgia, He said they were so glad to go, that they walked to within 30 miles of Savannah, when they saw a man driving a horse and wagon who picked them up and carried them into Sa- vannah. It was in that city that he met his present wife, Irene, and they were married about 1876. There are nine grandchildren and eight great-grand- children living and in March of 1936, when a party was given in honor of Father Coates* 108th birthday, one of each of the four generations of his family were present. The party was given at the Clara White Mission, 615 West Ashley Street by Ertha MiM; White, Father Coates and his wife were very much honored and each spoke encouraging words to » those present. On the occasion he said that the cause for his long life was due to living close to nature, rising early, going to bed early and not dissipating in any way. j He oan^ehouff jumping Slave Interview Page 8 T2 Viola B. Muse FEC Jacksonville, Florida about a foot and a half from the floor and knocking his heels together.) He does chores about his yard; looks years younger than he really is and enjoys good health. His hair is partly white; his memory very good and his chief delieght is talking about God and his goodness. He has preached the gospel in*his humble way for a number of years, thereby gaining the name of "Father n Coatee. FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT 73 American Guide,(Negro Writers' Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Viola B. Muse Slave Interview Field Worker December 3, 1936 Complete REFERENCE I. Personal interview with Charles Coates-3015 Windle 1 Street, Jacksonville, Florida yuuvi FEDERAL WRITERS* PROJECT f American Guide,(Negro Writers' Unit) *' 74 Jacksonville, Florida Viola B. Muse Slave Interview Field Worker December 16, 1936 Complete 1,143 Words 5 Pages Irene Coates Immediately after slavery in the United States, the southern white people found themselves without servants, women who were accustomed to having a nurse, maid, cook and laundress found themselves without sufficient money to pay wages to all these. There was a great amount of work to de done and the great problem confronting married women who had not been taught to work and who thought it beneath their standing to soil their hands, found it very difficult. There were on the other hand many Negro women who needed work and young girls who needed guidance and training. The homo ana guidance or tne aristocratic white people offered the best opportunity for the dependent un-sohooled freed women; and it was in this kind of home that.the ex-slave child of this story was reared* Irene Coates of 3015 Windle street, Jacksonville, Florida, was born in Georgia about 1859. She was olose to six years of age when freedom was declared. She was one among the many Negro children who had the advantage of living under the direct supervision of kind whites Slave Interview Page 3 k* ^O Viola B. Muse FEC Jacksonville, Florida and receiving the care which could only be excelled by an ed- ucated mother, Jimmie and Lou Bedell were thejiames of the man and wife who saw the need of having a Negro girl come into their home as one in the family and at the same time be assured of a good and efficient servant in years to come* When Irene waswold enough, she became the nurse of the Bedell baby and when the family left Savannah, Georgia to come to Jacksonville, they brought Irene with them* Although Irene was just about six years old when the Civil War ended, she has vivid recollection of happenings during slavery. Some of the incidents which happened were told her by her slave associates after slavery ended and some of them she remembers herself. Two incidents which she considers caused respect for slaves by their masters and finally the Emancipation by Abraham Lincoln she tells in this order. The first event tells of a young, strong healthy Negro woman who knew her work and did it well." She would grab up two bags of guana(fertiliser) and tote 'em at one time," said Irene, and was never found shirking her work. The overseer on the plantation, was very hard on the slaves and practiced striking them across the baok with a whip when he wanted to spur them on to do more work. Slave Interview Page 3 ^p> Viola B. Muse EEC * 'O Jacksonville, Florida Irene says, one day a crowd of women were hoeing in the field and the overseer rode along and struck one of the women across the "back with the whip, and the one nearest her spoke and said that if he ever struck her like that, it would be the day he or she nbuld die* The overseer heard the remark and the first op- portunity he got, he rode by the woman and struck her with the whip and started to ride on. The woman was hoeing at the time, she whirled around, struck the overseer on his head with the hoe, knock- ing him from his horse, she then pounced upon hi a and chopped his head off* She went mad for a few seconds and proceeded to chop and mutilate his body; that done to her satisfaction, she then killed his horse* She then calmly went to tell the master of the murder, saying "I've done killed de overseer." the master replied-"Do you mean to say you've killed the overseer?* she answered yes,, and that 8he had killed the horse also* Without hesitating, the master point- ing to one of his small cabins on the plantation said- "You see that house over there?" she answered yes- at the same time looking- ""Well said he, take all your belongings and move into that house and you are free from this day and if the mistress wants you to do anything for her, do it if you want to." Irene related with much warmth the effect that incident had upon the future treatment of the slaves* The other incident ocoured in Virginia. It was upon an oooasion when Mrs. Abraham Lincoln was visiting in Richmond. A woman slaveowner had one of her slaves whipped in the presence of Mrs. Lin- Slave Interview page 4 n W Viola B. Muse FEC Jacksonville, Florida coin. It was easily noticed that the woman was an expectant mother. Mrs. Lincoln was horrified at the situation and expressed herself as being so, saying that she was going to tell the Pres- ident as soon as she returned to the White House. Whether this incident had any bearing upon Mr. Lincoln's actions or not, those slaves who were present and Irene says that they all believed it to be the beiginning of the President's activities to end slavery* Besides these incidents, Irene remembers that women who were not strong and robust were given such work as sewing, weaving and minding babies. The cloth from which the Sunday clothes of the slaves was made was called ausenburg^-and the slave women were very proud of this. The older women were required to do most of the weaving of cloth and making shirts for the male slaves, when an old woman who had been sick, regained her strength, she was sent to the fields the same as the younger ones. The one8 who could oook and tickle the palates of her mistress and master were highly prized and were seldon if ever offered for sale at the auction block. The slaves were given fat meat and bread made of husk of corn and wheat. This caused them to steal food and when caught they were severely whipped. Irene recalls the practice of blowing a horn whenever a sudden rain came. The overseer had a certain Negro to blow three times and if shelter could be found, the slaves were expected to seek it until the rain ceased. Slave Interview Page 5 . 70 Viola B. Muse FEC Jacksonville, Florida The master had sheds built at intervals on the plantation. These acoomodated a goodly number; if no shed was available the slaves stood under trees. If neither was handy and the slaves got wet, they oould not go to the cabins to change clothes for fear of losing time from work. This was often tfce case; she says that slaves were more neglected thai* the cattle* Another custom which impressed the child-mind of Irene was the tieing of slaves by their thtombs to a tree limb and whipping them. Women and young girls were treated the same as were men* After the Bedells took Irene to live in their home they traveled a deal. After bringing her to Jacksonville, when Jackson- ville was only a small port, they then went to Camden County, Georgia. Irene married while in Georgia and came back to Jacksonville with her husband Charles, the year of the earthquake at Charleston, South Carolina, about 1888. Irene and Charles Coates have lived in Jacksonville since that time. She relates many tales of happenings during the time that this city grew from a town of about four acres to its present status. Irene is the mother of five children. She has nine grand- children and eight great-grandchildren. Her health is fair, but her eyesight is poor. It is her delight to entertain visitors and is conversant upon matters pertaining to slavery and reconstruction days. FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT 79 American Guide,(Negro Writers* Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Viola B. Muse Slave Interview Field worker December 16, 1936 Complete REFERENCE I. Irene Coates, 3015 Windle street, Jacksonville, Florida *m* so fuh&uu. mmm* proji&t Acterleait Ould©, (Negro writers* Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Martin D, Richardson - Gr&ndin, Florida Field Worker Slavs Interview Complete 5 Pases 865 Words ''...¦ Interesting tales of the changes that cane to the section of Florida that le situated along the rutnaa*^lsgr County line® are told by Hell Cokert old former slave who lives two miles south of Wise,, on the road Orandia* Coker is the son of a slaw mother and a half*He^©# Kie father, he states, was Senator John Wallf who held a seat In "0ia Senate for sixteen years. He was bom in Virginia, and received his faslly rmMe from an old farally bearing the same nasie In that state, 'He was bomt as nearly as he can rembmber, / ¦ abB/tii 1857* On© of Ookerfe first reminiscences Is of the road o^ which he still lives, frirln'r his childhood it. was known as the. 'Bellamy H©ad§* so called becuase it was builtt sotae .¦132 jparn agof t^r a ssan of that mme who hailed from West .* Florida* %e *Bell8*ay Hoad* was at one tl»© the ©ain route of 2670S -6CW 8J^ traffic between Tallahassee and. St, Augustine, (Interest- ingly enough, the road is at least 30 miles southwest of St, Augustine where it passes through Grandln; th.e reason for cutting it in suoh a wide circle, Colter says was because of the ferocity of the Seminoles in the swamps north and west of St, Augustine. Wagons, carriages anc stages passed along thi« road in the days before the War Between the States, Coker says. In addition to these he claims to h«ve seen many travellers by foot, and not Infrequently furtive escaped slaves, the latter usually under cover of an, appropriate background of darkness, ---.............. The road again came Into considerable use during the late days of the War, It was during, these days that £he Fo<¦ eral troops, both whites and Negroes, - passed in seemingly endless procession on their*\my to or from encounters. On one occasion the former slave recounts having seen a procession of soldiers that took nearly two days to pass.} they travelled on horse and afoot. Several amusing incidents are related by the ex- slave of the events of this period. Dozens of the Negro coldierrs, he says, discarded their uniforms for the gaudier , m*U 82 clothing that had belonged to their masters it» former days, and could be identified as soldiers as they passed only with difficulty. Others would pause on their trip at some plantation, ascertain the name of the 'meanest' overseer on the place, then tie him backward on a horse and force him to accompany them* Particularly retributive were the punishments visited upon Messrs, Mays and Prevatt ~~ generally roeoginsed as ths most vicious elnve drivers of the section* Bellamy, Coker says built the road with slave labor and rs an investment, realizing much soney on tolls on it for many years* A refearkable feature of the road is that despite its as© And the fact that County authorities have permitted its former good grading to detsrisrats to an almoaWwp&ss&ble sand at sc^e seasons,' there Is no mistaking the fact that this was once a: major thoroughfare* ths region that stretches from Grssn Cove 'Springs in the fiorUie&et to Orahdln in the Southwest, the former slave olaiiss, was onoe dotted with lafees, creeks, and evsa a river} few of the lakes and none Qf the other bodies still exist, however* Among the more notable of the bodies of water was a stream • he doss not now remember its nose *> that ran for about 20 miles in an easterly direction from Starke* this strsam was one of the fastest that the former slavs can rettssiber having ssssi in Florida} its powsr was utilised for ths turning of s powwi* mill which he believe8 ; round corn or other grain, Ihe falls in the river that turned the water mill, he eta tea t was at least five or six feet high, and at one point under the Fails a man named (or possibly nicknamed) ^Yankee* operated a saw* mill* Ooker believes that this mill, too, .derived Its power from the little stream* He says that the stream has b«Hm extinct sinoe he- reached stanhood* It ended in * Scrub S*0ndt* beyond Orandin and Starkc, Some of the names of the old lakes of the section were theset "Brooklyn take| Magnolia kakef Soldier Fond (near Keystone)? Half^r^on S>©ndt near futnaia Hall} Hiok*s Lake* aa& others. On one of thea was the large grist alii cf W+ UoCraarj Ooker suggests that this wight be the origin of the to*® of Mease of the present period* ' . To add to its natural water facilities, Ooker points outt Bradford Oounty also had a eana}, Ihls canal ranfrosi the interior of-the county to the St* John's River near oreen Cove , springs, and with Mandarin on the other side of the -river still a laajor shipping point, the canal handled ajuoh of the eoiwero* of Bradford and Clay Counties, Coker recalls vividly the Indians of the area in Ike days before 1870* $aeae, he claims to have b##n friending but reserved, fellowsj he does not recall any of the Indlamw©»ifW 0 Kegro slaves from the region around St* Angtistia* and what is now Hastings used to escape and use Bellasy»s Head on their way to the area about Mioanopy* It was considered ~63~ 84 equivalent to I'reedom to reach that, seetlonf with It© friendly Indians and Impenetrable forests and 8©anm$„ The little town of Telrose probably had the most unusual name of all the etrange ones prevalent at the time. It w-"s called, very simply, * Shake- *ta£« * Coker aafcee no effort to explain the appolati n« -64* £ && FEDERAL vmitSSlS* PROJECT American Guide, (We^ro V/riters1 Unit) Jacksonville, *" Florida ?*artln *>• Hiehpjp&eon Field worker Oorr.T.'lot,© 1# Interview wit): subject, tfeil ->kert '"r&ndlr>f Pufcnars bounty «*&& 86 FEDSFIAL !miTER»» PROJECT ¦ Aa»rioon Golds* f8eg«> Writers1 Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Rachel Austin Secretary Complete 6 Page* lf343 Words xwp mimm mm, Slave Interview Jacksonville Young Winston Davis states that he waa bom in Osar)r.t -Alabama, June 28 f 1858 on tlie plantation of Charles Davis who owned about seven hundred slaves and was considered ¦ wry wealthy. Kindness and consideration for his slaves* wait thea love hlm# - " . \ . n@yeren& Davis was rather young daring his years in slavery tout when he was asked rto tell -ratsthing about the days of slavery, r©pli©dt "I reseisber raany things about slavery^ but know they will not com© to ®e-tiow| anywayg 1*11 tell what- • 1 can think of#« • » i K® tell® of t&e use of iron potst flrepl&oes with rods used to hold th® pots above the fire? for cooking psat, n#ef vegetables, seats, eto*j 'the hmm«mM oof fee fro© sisal* *$***»$. and well water* -tanning oowhlde for leather, splnsins of thread' from cotton and tae weaving looms. •%#re was n»\diffsjraio«^11 fee states, »tt,.tlie treatment of men and women for work*, roy parents worked very hard and worssn did mm $&m that «*:**^d'^ «p6S» 8? i ray mother helped build a railroad before aba was married to my father, My mother^ first hue bind was sold away from herj shucks, some of the masters aidnHoare how they treated hus- bands, wives, parents and children; any of thes* might be sepam- ted fro® the otner* a good price for a * niseer* was 11600 on down and If one was what was called a stallion (healthy)! able to get plenty children he would bring about lE800# •They had what wae called legal money * I did have eoroe of it hut guess it was "aimed when X lost my house by fire # a few. years ago. / ¦ "Flow, my master had three hoys and two girls; his wife, misabeth, was about like the ordinary pitssuii Haste* ¦Davis was good, but positive? he didnft allow other whites to both i* his slaves, "When the war case, hie two boys went first, finally Master ftavie wentj he and one son newer returned. *»The Yankees killed eows, etc., a© they went along but did not destroy any property •round where I was, *W© had preachers and doctors, but no schools; the white, prenehera told us to «fc*y and would read the Bible (which we could not understand) and told us not* to steal eggs. Most of the doctors ft used herbs frets the woods and fAunt £ane* and •Uncle Bob* w&m known for using *S&»aont8 Snake Koott" •Beviltt shoots tnng« for stotnaoh taroublee and •low*bti& Myrtle* for fewraf that's $©o& now, chile, if you can set it* mS%* ' 88 •The •nleger* cidn't have a shafts* to git In politls* during slaveryf tut after Emancipation, lie vent lamedlately into the Republican *artyj a few into the Democratio Party? thart were many other parties/ too. "The religions were tfothodist and Baptist; 'my mater ! * i was Baptist and that1 a what I aiuj we could at\.&n& church bat dare not try to get any education, leas we punished with straps, "There are'many things 1 resiesiber jmst like it was yesterday.** the general punishtuent was with straps m some of the slaves suffered t»rribiy on-the plantations; if the sister was poor ?>im had feW slaves he was mean *» t&e sore wealthy or mm-; '- alives he hadt the- better he was. In sops oasss it was tits'' ¦ general law that ramie some of the masters as they were; as. the law- required then to have' an overseer or foreman (he was celled "boss man") by the 'niggere'enA usually oatae frost the lower or poorer classes' of whites? he didn't •¦like"1'nigger** usually, attd took authority to do as ho pleased with them at tints** Stoat plantations preferred and did have *nigger rlderv* .-that were- next to the ovorseer or foreman, fcut they were liked better than the f orerpan-and in nany instances were treated like feme** bat the law would not let the® be called •foretaeft** iose of the mr.sters stood between tfe© *nigg$r riders', and foremen and some eases, the 'nigger**** really boss, •The proiehaente, as * said were crust¦:«? acme masters womld hang the slaves up by both thunbe so that their loss Just *6«* 89 touched the floor t women and raen, alike, Wany slaved mn away; - other* were forced by their treatment to do all felnda of mean things. Some slaves would dig deep holes along the route of the •Stroller** and.their horse* *©uid tall in *eaa«- times breaking the leg of the horse, arm or let of the rider* some slaves took advantage of the protection their-&&%&$'. , would i.-ive the© with the overseer or other plantation owtieri# .would do their devilment and #fly* to their ©asters who 4ld not allow a nail frow another plantation to bother his etos«* .-V 1 have known pregnant women to go ten sitles to help So ®8»§' devilment* % aiother was a very atrong «omaii (as 1 told ym &# helped build a railroad), and felt that she oould whip anj ordinary boji, would not get a passport unleea she felt llhe itj onoe when caught on another plantation without a pasiport, she had all #f us with hert eade all of the ohildren ran, bat wouldsH run her* self ~ eousJiow she went upstream, one of the men*s terse#0 le^e was broken and she told hist Horn and set me" but she knew the meter allowed no one to eosse on hie plaoe to punl3h his slaves* * ¦•••'¦. *fty father was a bl&eksmlth and raade the chains used for stools (like handettj?£&$, wused on legs and hands* the slaves were forced to lay flat on their backs and were chained down to the board made for thaljparpoee-f they-were left there for t*owps# \ sometimes throu# rain and ooldj heJisigtit ?holler* and .©roan but.. t-at did m% allay0 get hia released, •Hie HM0 beoa©0 badly *%$&&¦ then; some Negro woaien were forced into -association, some were ^beaten almost to deatdh because they refused. The Nc^rc men dare not bother or even speak to some ©f their women* *In one 1 stance an owner of a plantation threatened a Nc;:ro rider's svreetheart; she told him and he went crying to this owner who in turned threatened him and probably did hit .the woman} straight to his roaster this sweetheart went anr when he finished v_ Ills Story, his nr.ster Immediately took his team and drove to the ot.:e; plantation • drove so fist that, one of his horses' dropped dead; when the owner came out he levelled his double-barrel ohot- r.un at him 'Mid shot hlrr. dead. tfof suh; some masters did 'not allow you to bother thier slaves, HA peculiar caoe wa3 that of Old Jim isho lived on another plantation was left to loo'; out for the fires and do oth--r chores -re -nd the house while 'marst- r* was at war, A bad runor spread, ant": do you know those mean devils, ovrseers of nearby plantations came out and %%ot her cu£. a deep hole, and despite her cries, buried I:er up to her neoh - nothing was left out but her head and < . air, A. crowd or younr;. •nicker boys1 saw It all and X was one aroonr the crowe th-t helped dig her out, tt0hf there's a lots rore I hnow but Just cant eet it to. ether, *Ty mother's name wee Caroline and my father Patrick; all took the name of D vis from our master. There were thirteen children - I an the only one ".live," **r« Davis appears well preserved for Ms are; he has •68» - *, 91 most of his teeth and is slightly gray! hie health seem to be good, although he la a cripple and uses a cane for walking always; thie condition he believes la the result of an attack, of rfeeusiaiietiw ' He la a preaahar and has pastored In Alabama, Texas and Florida^ H® hm had several years of training m ptfblia schools &n& under ministers*. # R© hat lived in ^a^ktoaylilt tine© If 18 easing feest •- from Wayoro9«y Georgia* H® was warrled for the first and only tint during hit 8S -year® of Ufa to iti» Llzate P* Brown, Hoveatbar If9 193§# thers are no children. . Re gives no reason for remaining- *lng|«f but liis reason for marrying was-*to give 'soias lady the privilege and ©eo- how It feels to be;: 93 FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJECT American Guide, (Negro writers1 Unit) South Jacksonville, Florida James Johnson Slave Interview Field Worker January^ 11, 1937 Complete 1,444 Words 7 Pages Douglas Dorsey In South Jacksonville, on the Spring Glen Road lives Douglas Dorsey, an ex-slave, born in Suwannee County, Florida in 1851, fourteen years prior to freedom. His parents Charlie and Anna Dorsey were natives of Maryland and free people. In those days, Dorsey relates there were people.known as "Nigger Traders" who used any subterfuge to catch Negroes and sell them into slavery, Thereawas one Jeff Davis who was known as a pro- fessional "Nigger Trader," his slave boat docked in the slip at Maryland and Jeff Davis and his henchmen went out looking for their victims. Unfortunately, his mother Anna and his father were caught one night and were bound and gagged and taken to Jeff Davis* boat which was waiting in the harbor, and there they were put into stocks. The boat stayed in port until it was load- ed with Negroes, then sailed for Florida where Davis disposed of his human cargo* Douglas Dordey's parents were sold to Colonel Louis Matair, who had a large plantation that was cultivated by 85 slaves. Colonel Matair1s house was of the pretentious southern Slave Interview James Johnson South Jacksonville, Florida Page 3 ^" 94 FEC colonial type which was quite prevalent during that period. The colonel had won his title because of his participation in the Indian War in Florida. He was the typical wealthy southern gentleman, and was very kind to his slaves. His wife, however was just the opposite. She was exceedingly mean and could easily be termed a tyrant. There were several children in the Matair family and their home and plantation were located in Suwannee County, Florida. Douglas* parent8 were assigned to their tasks, his mother was house-maid and his father was the mechanic, having learned this trade in Maryland as a free man. Charlie and Anna had several children and Douglas was among them. When he became i large enough he was kept in the Matair home to build fires, as- sist in serving meals and other chores. Mrs. Matair being a very cruel woman, would whip the slaves herself for any misdemeanor. Dorsey recalls an incident that is hard to obliterate from his mind, it is as follows: Dorsey1s mother was called by Mrs. Matair, not hearing her, she continued with her duties, suddenly Mrs. Matair burst out in a frenzy of anger over the woman not answering. Anna explained that she did not hear her call, thereupon Mrs. Matair seized a large butcher knife and struck at Anna, attempting to ward off the blow, Anna received a long gash on the arm that laid her up for Slave Interview Page 3 &¦ Jo James Johnson FEC South Jacksonville, Florida for some time. Young Douglas was a witness to this brutal treatment of his mother and he at that moment made up his mind to kill his mistress. He intended to put strychnine that was used to kill rats into her coffee that he usually served her. Fortunate- ly freedom came and saved him of this act which would have resulted in his death. He relates another incident in regard to his mis- tress as follows: To his mother and father was born a little baby boy, whose compilation was rather light. Mrs. Matair at once began accusing Colonel Matair as being the father of the child. Naturally the colonel denied, but Mrs. Matair kept harassing him,,about it un- til he finally agreed to his wife*a desire and sold the child. It was taken from its mother's breast at the age of eight months and auctioned off on the first day of January to the highest bidder. The child was bought by a Captain Ross and taken across the Suwannee River into Hamilton County. Twenty years later he was located by his family, he was a grown man, married and farming. Young Douglas; had the task each morning of carrying the Matair children's books to school. Willie, a boy of eight would teach Douglas what he learned in school, finally Douglas learned the alphabet and numbers. In some way Mrs. Jfatair learned that Douglas was learning to read and write. One morning after breakfast she called her son Willie to the dining room where she was seated and then sent for Douglas to come there too. She then took a quill Slave Interview Page 4 q^ James Johnson FEO * **" South Jacksonville, Florida pen the kind used at that time, and began writing the alphabet and numerals as far as ten. Holding the paper up to Douglas, she asked him if he knew what they were; he proudly answered in the affirmative, not suspecting anything. She then disked him to name the letters and numerals, which he did, she then asked him to write them, which hs did. When he reached the number ten, V.ery proud of his learning, she struck him a heavy blow across the face, saying to him "If I ever catch you making another figure anywhere I'll cut off your right arm." Naturally Douglas and al30 her son Willie were much surprised as each thought what had been done was quite an achievement. She then called Mariah, the cook to bring a rope and tying the two of them to the old colonial post on the front porch, she took a chair and sat between the two, whipping them on their naked backs for such a time, that for two weeks their clothes stuck to their backs on the lacerated flesh. To ease the soreness, Willie would steal grease from the house and together they would slip into the torn and grease aach other's backs. As to plantation life, Dorsey said that the slaves lived in quarters especially built for them on the plantation. They would leave for the fields at "sun up" and remain until "sun- down," stopping only for a meal which they took along with them.' Instead of having an overseer they had what was called Slave Interview Page 5 9? James Johnson FEC South Jacksonville, Florida a "driver" by the name of Januray. His duties were to get the slaves together in the morning and see that they went to the fields and assigned them to their tasks. He worked as the other slaves, though, he had more priveliges. He would stop work at any time he pleas ad and go arojtmd to inspect the work of the others, and thus rest himself. Most of the orders from the master were issued to him. The crops consisted of cotton, corn, cane and peas, which was raised in abundance. When the slaves left the fields^ they returned to their cabins and after preparing and eating of their evening meal they gathered around a cabin to sing and moan songs seasoned with African melody. Then to the tune of an old fiddle they danced a dance called the "Green Corn Dance" and "Cut the Pigeon Wing." Sometimes the young Tten on the plantation would slip away to visit a girl on another plantation. If they were caught by the "Patrols" while on these visits they would be lashed on the bare backs as a penalty for this offense, A whipping post was used for this purpose. As soon as one slave was whipped, he was given the whip to whip his brother slave. Very often the lashes would bring blood very soon from the already lacerated skin, but this did not stop the lashing until one had received their due number of lashes. Occasionally the slaves were ordered to church to hear Slave Interview Page 6^ 9g Jameso Johnson FEC South Jacksonville, Florida a white minister, they were seated in the front pews of the masterfs church, while the whites sat in the rear. The minister's admonition to them to honor their masters and mistresses, and r ( to have no other God but them, asnwe Interview Field Worker Brooksvllle Words • AMBROSE DOUGLASS In 1861, when he was 16 years old, Ambrose Milliard Douglass was given a sound beating by hie North Carolina master because he attempted to refuse the mate that had been given to him < with the instructions to produce a healthy boy-child by her — and a long argument on the value of having good, strong, healthy children. In 1957, at the age of 92, Ambrose Douglass welcomed •lie 58th child into the world. The near-centennarian lives neer Brooksvllle, in Hernando County, on a run-down farm that he no longer attempts to tend now that most of his 38 children have deserted the farm for the more lucrative employment of the cities of the phosphate camps. Douglass was born free in Detroit in 1845. His parents returned South to visit relatives still in slavery, and were soon reenslaved themselves, with their children. Ambrose ws one of these. For 21 years he remained in slavery; sometimes at the plantation of his original master in North Carolina, sometimes In other sections after he had been sold to different masters. "Ya-suh, I been sold a lot of times", the old man states. "Our master didn't believe in keeping a house, a horse or a darky after he had a chance to make some raone y on hia. Mostly, though, 2B701 -26~' 102 ? 1 was sold when' I out up*. "I was a young man*, he continues, "and didn't see why I shoiiid be anybody's slave. I»d run away ev ry chance I got. Sometimes they near killed me, but mostly they Just sold me. I guess I was pretty husky, at that." ¦They never did get their money's worth out of me, thou&t^ I worked as long as they stood over me, then I ran around with the gala or sneaked off to the woods. Sometimes they used to put dogs on me to get me back. "Vflien they finally sold me to a man up in Suwannee County — his name was Harris — I thought it would be the' end of the world. We had heard about him all the way up in Virginia. They said he beat you, starved you and tied you up when you didn't work, and killed you if you ran away. "But I never had a better master. He never beat me, and always fed all of us. 'Course, we didn't get too much to eat; corn meal, a little piece of fat meat now and then, cabbages, greens, potatoes, and plenty of molasses. Waen I worked up at 'the house1 I et just what the master et; sometimes he would give it to me bis-self. When he didn't, I et it anyway. "He was so good, and I was so scared of him, till I didn't ever run away from his place", Ambrose reminisces; "I had somebody there that I liked, anyway. Wheii he finally vent to the war ,he sold me bn ok to a man in North Carolina, In Hornett County. But the warwas near over then; I soon was es free as I am nof. *37~ 103 "I guess we rausta celebrated 'Mancipation about twelve times in Koraett County. Every time a bunch of No* them sfjers would come through they would tell us we was free and we*a begin celebratin*. Before we,would ^et through somebody else would tell us to go back to work, and we would go. Some of us wanted to jine. up with the army, but didn't know who wag goin' to win and didn't.take no chances. "I was 31 when freedom finally came, and that tims I didn't take no chances on *em taking it back again* I lit out for ELorida and wound up in Madison County. I had a nice time uhere; I t;ot married, &ot a plenty of work, and made me a. little money. I fixed houses, built 'era, worked around the yards, and did everything. My first child was already born; I didn't know there was gfiin' to be 37 more, though. I guess I would have stopped right there....... "I stayed in Madison County until they started to working concrete rock down here. I heard about it and thought that would be n rood way for me to feed all them two dozen children I had. So I came down this side. That was about 20 years ago. "I got married again aft^r I got here; right soon after. ry wife nov is 30 years old; we already had 13 children to- gether". (His wife is a slight, girlish-looking woman; she says she was 13 when she married D uglass, had her first child that year, xieven of her thirteen are still living.) w ossuh, 1 ain't long stopped work. I worked here in the phosphate mine until last year, when they started to paying -.28* 104 pensions. I thought I would get one, but all I got was some PWA work and tills year they told me I was too old for that. I told 'era I wasn't but 91, but they didn't give nothin1 else. I ruess I'll get ray pension soon, though. My oldest boy ought to get it, too; he's sixty-five. 3T.VPB EDITORIAL IDnJJTIFIC^TirN FORM mn i, Huolf, ____ ( OTdTTi omcS ) fapkponvlUe.. i/ORDS lgOO qrjf-TA t ffs ooi»:j ukal wmi JTOMJUIDS J£S. TABLS J? OOMTWra OTTOIflN Fotfc Sfrtff —-._________ .j-'MPL^Ti-; f\. a Bii3 s» or ion ;-«a';! p--;hcbjr,ao': tjmjohs rrl-nN.'J, r-:vijs HO. _^_.^__ .J'tf?Di J. IimSii MO. ___________________ «*¦»—WWWWWHI II ¦ .......W'H ill ¦ ' ¦PSJFDi.O. XKtft VOLUIirSSR boys, borned fore de war.. Yifrien I was old enough to work I was taken to Pelman, Jawja. Dey let me nus^ de chillern. Den I got married,. V/e jus got married in de kitchen and went to our log house. "I never got no beat ins fum my master when I was a slave ? But I seen collored men on de Bradley plantation git frammed out plenty. De whiopin boss was Joe Sylvester* He had pets amongst de women folks, an let some of em off light wnen they desarved good beat ins." "How did he punish his 'pets'!" "Sometimes he jus bop em cro^st de ear wid a battlin stick." "a what? " "Battlin stick, like dis* You doan know what a battlin stick ist well, dis here is one* Use it for washin clothes* You lift em out a da wash pot wid de batilin stick; den you lay em on de battlin block, dis nere stump. Den you beat de dirt out wid de battlin stick." FOLK STUFF, FLORIDA ."Mama Duck" Tampa, Florida JLi j[ May*19, 1937 Jules A* Frost MA stick like that would knock a horse downl" "Vfen't nigh as bad as what some of de others got* Some of his pets amongst de mens got it wusser dan de womens* He strap em cro^st de sharp side of a barrel an give em a few right smart licks wid a bull "And what did he do to the bad ones?" "He make em cross dere hands, den he tie a rope roun dey wrists an throw it over a tree limb* Den he pull em up so dey toes jus touch de ground an sm^ck em on de back an rump wid a heavy wooden paddle,. fixed full o' holes* Den he make em lie down on de ground while he bust all dam blisters wid a raw-hide whip*11 "Didn't that kill them?" "Some couldnft work for a day or two* Sometimes dey throw salt orine on dey backs, or smear on turpmtine to make it git v/eli quicker." "I sup .ose joufre glad those days are over*11 "I,ot me* I was a heap better off den as I is now* aIIus nad sumpum to eat an a place to stay* No sich thing as git tin on a black list* kiignty Hard on a pus^on old as me not to git no rations an not have no reglar job*" "How old are you? •* "I doan know, zackl^ . .fcit a minnit, I didn't show you my pitcher 3\;LK STUFF, FLORIDA "Mama Duck" Tampa, Florida Lay 19, 1937 Jules A. Frost what was in de paper, did I; I kaint read, but somebody say dey put now old I is under my pitcher in d^t paper*1' Llama Duck rummaged through a cigar box and brought out a page of a Pittsburgh newspaper, dutsd in 1936* It was so badly worn that it was almost illegible, but it showed a picture of Mama Duck and be- low it was given her age, 109 • 112 STATS EDITOHiaL IDENTIFICATION FORM JTATE: FLORIDA ilCEIVED FROM STATE OFFICE _______________JACKSONVILLE ;: "MAMA DUCK"________¥ORDS 1,666 QUOTA_________ T.-TE GUIDE______________LOCAL GUIDE__________NON-GUIDE__________££§_ ABLE OF CONTENTS DIVISION AMERICAN FOLK STUFF; DR.30TKIH .AIPLETE FOR THIS SECTION? iHAT PERCENTAGE REMAINS iSFINAL REVISE NO. WASHINGTON CRITICISM ANFINAL REVISE NO. WASHINGTON CRITICISM AEFINAL REVISE NO. WASHINGTON CRITICISM AEFINAL REVISE NO.________I_________WASHINGTON CRITICIS1.1 -NUNTEER CONSULTANT: Name ATE: March 21.1939 ' siti-on Address 113 Position W3545 FLORIDA FOLKLORE £j^ FORM A Circumstances of Interview STATE, Florida NAME OF YJORKER, Jules Abner Frost ADDRESS, 712 Wallace S. Bldg., Tampa, Florida DATE, May 19, 1957 J3U3J3CT, Florida Folk Stuff Material - "Mama Duck" 1. Name and address of informant, Mama Duck, Governor & India Sts., Tampa, Florida 2. Date and time of interview, May 19, 1957, 9:50 A.M. 5. Place of interview, her home, above address. 4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in touch with informant, J. D. Davis (elevator operator), 1623 Jefferson St., Tampa, Florida 5. Name and address of person, if any accompanying you (none) 6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc. Two-room unpainted shack, leaky roof, most window panes missing, porch dangerous to walk on. House standing high on concrete blocks. Located in alley, behind other Negro shacks. NOTE: Letter of Feb. 17, 1939, from Mr. 3. A. Botkin to Dr. Corse states that my ex-slave story, "Mama Duck" is marred by use of the question and answer method. In order to make this material of use as American Folk Stuff material, I have rewritten it, using the first person, as related by the informant. FLORIDA FOLKLORE j[j[5 FORM B Personal History of Informant STATE, Florida NAME OF WORKER, Jules Abner Frost ADDRESS, 712 Wallace S. Bldg., Tampa, Florida DATE, (original interview), May 19, 1937; rewritten, Marcli 15, 1939. SUBJECT, Florida Folk Stuff Material - "Mama Duck* NAME AND ADDRESS OF INFORMANT, Mama Duck, Governor & India JSta., Tampa, Florida 1. Ancestry, Negro. 2. Place and date of birth, Richard (probably Richmond), Ta., about 1828. 3. Family, unknown. 4. Plaees lived in, with dates Has lived in Tampa since about 1870. 5. Education, with dates f Illiterate 6. Occupations and accomplishments, with dates None. Informant was a slave, and has always performed common labor. 7. Special skills and interests, none. 8. Community and religious activities, none. 9. Description of informant: Small, emaciated, slightly graying, very thin kinky hair, tightly braided in small pigtails. Some- what wrinkled, toothless. Active for her age, does washing for a living. 10. Other points gained in interview: Strange inability of local Old Age Pension officials to establish right of claimants to benefits. Inexplainable causes of refusal of direct relief. Complete AMERICAN FOLK STUFF Approx. 1,000 words FOLKLORE. FloridT" Jules A. Frost Informant: Mama Duck Tampa, Florida Tampa, Florida Interviewed 5/19/'37 Rewritten 3/15/'39 MAMA DUCK Gwan away f'm here, Po* -Boy; dat gemmen ain't gwine feed you nuthin. You keep yoT dirty paws offen his close. Come in, suh. Take care you don't fall thoo dat olr po'ch flor; hit 'bout ready to go t' pieces, but I *way behind on rent, so I cain't ask 'em to have hit fixed. Dis ol' house aint fitten fer nobody t' live in; winder glass gone an' roor leaks. 'Young folks in dese parts done be'n usin' it fer a co't house 'fore I come; you know—a place So do dey courtin' in. ICep' a-comin' atter I done move in, an' I had to shoo 'em away. Dat young rascal eomin' yondah, he one of 'em. I claiah to goodness, I wisht I had a fence to keep folks outa my yahd. Reckon you don't know what he be quackin' lak dat fer. Dat's 'cause my name's "Mama Duck." He doin' it jus' t' pester me. But dat don't worry me none; I done q}iit worryin'. I sho' had plenty chance to worry, though. Relief folks got me on dey black list. Dey give rashuns to young folks what's wukkin' an' don't give me nary a mouthful. Reason fer dat be 'cause dey wanted me t' go t' de porehouse. I wanted t' take my trunk 'long, an' dey wouldn't lemme. I got some things in dere I be'n havin" nigh onto a hunnert years. Got my ol' blue-back 'Tebster, onliest book I evah had, 'scusin' mah rsible. Think I wanna th'ow dat away? ^io-o suh! So dey black-list me, -cause i won't kiss dey i'eets. 1 ain't kissin nobody's, wouldn't kiss my own mammy's. I nevah see my mammy. She put me in a hick'ry basket when I Mama Duck 2 i i ^ on'y a day and a hair old, with nuthin1 on but mah belly band an1 dirper. 'rook me down in de cotton patch an* sot de basket on a stump In de biiin sun* Didn't want me, 'cause i be black. All ae otha youngins ol hers be bright. Gran'mammy done tol' me, many a time, how she he ah me bawl in1 an' go an* git me, an1 i'otch me to mammyls house; but my own mammy, she say, tufn me down cold. ffjat you, Llaramy" she say, sweet as pie, when gran'mammy knock on de do T. "jjont you nevah call me T Mammy* no moT,rt gran'mammy tolTTer. "Any woman what'd leave a po • li'l mite lak dat -co perish to death ainlt ritten t1 be no dotter o1 mine*1' So gran'mammy tuk me to raise, an' I ain't nevah wanted no mammy but her. ^evah knowea who ray aaduy was, an1 I reckon my mammy didn't know, neithah. I bawn at rdcharu, yah jinny. I.:y sis- tah an' brothah "oe'n dead too many years to count; I ae las' or de fam'ly. I kin remember 'fore ae rust war start. I haa three chillen, boys, tallerin rae when ireeaom come. __ah rust mastah didn't make de li'l Chilian wuk none. All I done was play. 7'en I be olT enough t' wuk, dey tuk us to Peliaan, Jawjah. I never wukked in de riel's nonef not den. Dey allus le.ime nuss de chillens. Den I got married* kit wa'nt no church weddin'; we got married in gran'mammy1s kitchen, den we go to our own log house* By an* by mah mahster sol' me an' mah baby to ae man what had de plantation nexf to ours. His name was John Lee. He was good to me, an' let Mama Duck 5 1A8 me see my Chilians* I nevah got no beatin*s. On^iest thing I evah got was a 11*1 slap on de nan', lak dat. Didn't hurt none. But I'se seen cullud men on de Bradley plantation git tur'ble beatin*s. De whippin' boss was Joe SylTester, a white man. He had pets mongst de wimmen folks, an' used t* let 'em off easy, w'en dey deserved a good beatin'. Sometimes *e jes* bop *em crost de ear wid a battlin' stick, or kick 'em in de beehind. Tou don't know what's a battlin' stick? ¥ell, dis here be one. Tou use it fer washin' close. You lif »s de close outa de wash pot wid dis here battlin' stick; den you tote 'em to de bat- tlin' block - dis here stump. Den you beat de dirt out wid de bat- tlin' stick. De whippin' boss got pets 'mongst de mens, too, but dey got it a li'l wusser'n de wimmens. Effen dey wan't too mean, he jes' strap 'em 'crost de sharp side of a bar'l an* give *em a few right smaht licks wid a bull whip. But dey be some niggahs he whip .good an' hard. If dey sass back, er try t' run away, he mek *em cross dey han's lak dis; den he pull 'em up, so dey toes jes* tetch de ground'; den he smack *em crost de back an' rump wid a big wood paddle, fixed full o» holes. Know what dem holes be for? Ev'y hole mek a blister. Den he mek ?em lay down on de groun', whilst he bus' all dem blisters wid a rawhide whip. I nevah heard o' nobody dyin' f'm gittin' a beatin*. Some Mama Duck 119 couldnft wuk fer a day or so. Sometimes de whippin' boss thfow salt brine on dey backs, or smear on turpentine, to mek it well qguicker. I don't know, hackly, how old I is. Mebbe - wait a minute, I didn't show you my pitcher what was in de paper. I cain't read, but somebody say dey put down how old I is undah man pitcher. Dar hit - don't dat say a hunndrt an* nine? I reckon dat be right, seein' I had three growed-up boys when freedom come. Dey be on'y one sto' here when I come to Tampa. Hit bflong tr olf man Mugge. Dey be a big cotton patch where Plant City is now. I picked some cotton 6jsret den I come to Tampa, an1 atter a while I got a job nusain* Mister Perry Wall's chillen. Cullud folks jes' mek out de bes' dey could. Some of 'em lived in tents, till dey c'd cut logs an* build houses wid stiek-an'-dirt chim- bleys. Lotta folks ask me how I come to be called "Mama Duck.* Dat be je&» a devil-ment o' mine. I named my own se'f dat. One day when I be 'bout twelve year old, I come home an1 say, "Well, gran'mammy, here come yo* li'l ducky home again." She hug me an* say, "Bress mah li'l ducky." Den she keep on callin' me dat, an* when I growed up, folks jes' put de "Mama" on. I reckon I a heap bettah off dem days as I is now. Allus had sumpin t' eat an* a place t' stay. No sech thing ez gittin* on a black list dem days. Mighty hard on a pusson ol* az me not t* git no rashuns an* not have no reg'lar job. 120 FEDERAL WRITERS* PROJECT American Guide,(Negro writers' Unit) Madison, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker January 30, 1937 Complete 78? words 5 Pages wo^ Willis Dukes Born in Brooks County, Georgia, 83 years ago on Feb- r ruary 34th, Willie Dukes jovially declares that he is^bn the high road to livin1 a hund!ed years," He was one of 40 slaves belonging to one John Dukes, who was only in moderate circumstances. His parents were Amos and Mariah Dukes, both born on this plantation, he thinks. As they were a healthy pair they were required to work long hours in the fields, although the master was.not actually cruel to them. On this plantation a variety of products was grown, cotton, corn, potatoes, peas, rice and sugar cane. Nothing was thrown away and the slaves had only coarse foods such as corn bread, collard greens, peas and occasionally a little rice or white bread. Even the potatoes were reserved for the white folk and "house niggers," As a child Willis was required to "tote water and wood, neip at milking time and run errands." His clothing consisted of only a homespun shirt that was made on the plantation. Nearly Slave Interview Page 2 -fp^f Pearl Randolph FEC J-rwJ- Madison, Florida everything used was grown or manufactured on the .plantation. Candles were made in the big house by the cook and a batch of slaves from the quarters, all of them being required to bring fat and tallow that had been saved for this purpdse. These can- dles were for the use of the master and mistress, as the slaves used fat lightwood torches for lighting purposes. Cotton was used for making clothes, and it was spun and woven into cloth by the slave women, then stored in the commisary for future use. Broggan shoes were made of tanned%leather held together by tacks made of maple wood. Lye soap was made in large pots, cut into chunks and issued from the smoke house. Potash was secured from the ashes of burnt oak wood and allowed to set in a quantity of grease that had also been saved for the purpose, then boiled into soap. The cotton was gathered in bags of bear grass and deposited in baskets woven with strips of white oak that had been dried in the sun. Willis remembers the time when a slave on the plantation escaped and went north to live. This man managed to communicate with his family somehow, and it was whispered about that he was "living very high" and actually saving money with which to buy his family. He was even going to school. This fired all the slaves with an ambition to go north and this made them more than usually interested in the outcome of the war between the states. He was too young to fully un- derstand the meaning of freedom but wanted very much to go away to Slave Interview Page 3 X<^2 Pearl Randolph FEC Madison, Florida some place where he could earn enough money to buy his mother a feal silk dress. He confided this information to her and she was very proud of him but gave him a good spanking for fear he expressed this desire for freedom to his young master or mistress. Prayer meetings were very frequent during the days of the war and very often the slaves were called in from the fields and excused from their labors so they could hold these prayer meetings, always praying God for the safe return of their master. The master did not return after the war and when the soldiers, in blue came through that section the frightened women were greatly dependent upon their slaves for protection and livelihood, l'a;iy of these black man chose loyalty to their dead masters to freedom and shouldered the burden of the support of their former mistresses cheerfully. After the war Willis* father was one of those to re- main with his widowed mistress. Other members of his family left as soon as they were freed, even his wife. They thus remained separated until her deatn. ffl±iis saw his first bedj|>rlng &dottg SO years ago and he still thinks a feather mattress superior to the store^bought variety. He recalls a humorous incident which occured when he was a child and had been introduced for the first time to the task of picking a goose* After demonstrating how it was done to a grpup of slave Slave Interview Page 4 ipo Pearl Randolph , FEO *-&& Madison, Florida children, the person in charge had gone about his way leaving them busily engaged in picking the goose. They had been told that the one gathering the most feathers would receive a piece of money. Sometimes later the overseer returned to find a dozen geese that had been stripped of all the feathers. They had been told to pick only the pin feathers beneath the wings and about the bodies of the geese. Need we guess what happened to the over ambitious children? He had heard of ice long before he looked upon it and he only thought of it as another wild experiment. W#h/buy ice, "w^ when watermelons and butter could be ley down into the well to keep cool? One pf Willis» happiest moments was when he earned enough money to buy his first pair of patern leather shoes. To pos- sess a paid of store bought shoes had been his ambition since he was a child, when he had to shine the shoes of his master and those of the master's children. He next owned a horse and buggy of which he was very proud. This increased his popularity with the girls and bye anda bye he was married to Mary, a ?irl with whom he had been reared. Nobody was surprised but Mary, explained Mr. Dukes. "Me and everybbdj else knowed us ud get married some day. We didn't jump over no broom neither, we was married like white folks wid flowers and cake and everything," Willis Dukes has been in Florida for "Lawd knows how Slave Interview Page 5 JLS4 Pearl Randolph FEO Madison, Florida long" and prefers this state to his home state. He still has a few realtives there hut has never returned since leaving so long ago. FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT - . , American Guide,(Negro Writers1 Unit) l*so Madison, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker January 30, 1937 Complete REFERENCE I* Personal Interview with Willis Dukes, Valdosta Road, near Jeslamb Church, Madison, Florida 90031 *26 -5 FEDERAL WRITERS* PROJECT American Guide,(Negro writers* Unit) Mulberry, Florida J Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker October 8, 1936 Complete John A. Simms 1,139 words Editor 6 Pages Sam and Louisa Everett. Sam and Louise Everett, 86 and 90 years of age respectively, have weathered together some of the worst experiences of slavery, and as they look back over the years, can relp^te these experiences as clearly, as if they had happened only yesterday. ' Both were born near Norfolk, Virginia and sold as slaves several times on nearby plantations. It was on the plantation of "Big Jim" McClain that they met as slave-children and departed after Emancipation to live the lives of free people. Sam was the son of Peter and Betsy Everett, field hands who spent long back-breaking hours in the cotton fields and came home at nightfall to cultivate their small garden. They lived in constant fear that their master would confiscate most of their vegetables; he so often did. Louisa remembers little about her parents and thinks that she was sold at an early age to a separate master. Her name Slave Interview Page 3 ±27 Pearl Randolph EEC Mulberry, Florida as nearly as she could remember was Norfolk Virginia. Everyone called her "Nor." It was not until after she was freed and had sent her chi Idren to school that she changed her name to Louisa, Sam and Norfolk spent part of their child- hood on the plantation of "Big Jim" who was very cruel; often he would whip his slaves into insensibility for minor offences. He sometimes hung them up by their thumbs whenever they were caught attempting to escape-"er fer no reason atall." On this plantation were more than 100 slaves who were mated indiscriminately and without any regard for family unions. If their master thought that a certain man and woman might have strong, healthy offspring, he forced them to have sexual relation, though even ^\ they were married to other slaves. If there seemed to be any slight reluctance on the part of either of the unfortunate ones "Big Jim" would make them consummate this relationship in his presence. He used the same procedure if he thought a certain Couple was not producing children fast enough. He enjoyed these orgies very much and often entertained his friends in this manner; quite often he and his guests would engage in these debaucheries, choosing for them- selves the prettiest of the young women. Sometimes they forced the unhappy husbands and lovers of their victims to look on. Louisa and Sam were married in a very revolting manner.Jo quote the woman: h&i Slave Interview Page 3 ±Qft Pe*rl Randolph EEC Mulberry, Florida "Mar*e Jim called me and Sam ter him and ordered Sara to pull off his' shirt- that was all the JtoClain niggers t wore- and he said to me: Nor,1 do you think you can stand this big nigger?'He had that old bull whip flung acrost his shoulder, and Lawd, that man could hit so hard1* So I 3es said ' yassur, I guess so,' and tried to hide my face so I couldn't see San^s nakedness, but he made me look at him anyhow,¦ n Well, he told us what we must git busy and do in his presence, and we had to do it. After that we. were considered man and wife. Me and Sam was a heaJLthy pair and had fine, big babies, so I never had another man forced on me, thank God. Sam was kind to me and I learnt to love him." Life on the McClain plantation was a steady grind of work from morning until night. Slaves had to rise in the dark of the morning at the ringing of the "Big House" bell. After eating a hasty breakfast of fried fat pork and corn pone, they worked in the fields until the bell rang again at noon; at which time they ate boiled vegetables, roasted sweet potatoes and black molasses. This food was cooked in iron pots which had legs attached to their bottoms in order to keep them from resting directly on the fire. These utensils were either hung over a fire or set atop a mound of hot coals. Biscuits were a luxury but whenever they had white bread it was cooked in another thick pan called a "spider" Slave Interview Page 4 ±29 Pearl Randolph FEC Mulberry, Florida This pan had a top which was covered with hot embers to insure the browning of the bread on top. Slave women had no time for their children. These were cared for by an old woman who called them twice a day and fed them "pot likker" (vegetable broth) and skimmed milk. Each child was provided with a wooden laddie which he dipped into a wooden 'trough and fed himself. The older children fed those who were too young to hold a laddie. So exacting was."Big Jim" that slaves were forced to work even when sick. Expectant mothers toiled in the fields until they felt their labor pains. It was not uncommon for babies to be born in the fields. There was little time for play on his plantation. Even the very small children were assigned tasks. They hunted hen's eggs, gathered poke berries for dyeing, shelled corn and drove the cows home in the evening. Little girls knitted stock- ings. There was no church on this plantation and itinerant ministers avoided going there because of the owner's cruelty. Very seldom were the slaves allowed to attend neighboring churches and still rarer were the opportunities to hold meetings among themselves. Often when they were in the middle of a song or prayer they would be forced to halt and run to the $ifc House!' Woe to any slave who ignored S}.ave Interview Page 5 . Pearl Randolph FEC lo() Mulberry, Florida the ringing of the bell that summoned him to work and told him when he might "knock off from his labors, Louisa and Sam last heard the ringing of this bell in the fall of 1365, All the slaves gathered in front of the "Big House" to be told that they were free for the time being. They had heard whisperings of the War but did not understand the meaning of it all. Now "Big Jim" stood weeping on the piazza and cursing the fate that had been so cruel to him by robbing him of all his "niggers." He inquired if any wanted to remain until all the crops were harvested and when no one consented to do so, he flew into a rage;seizing his pistol, he began firing into the crowd of frightened Negroes, Some were killed outright and others were maimed for life. Finally he was prevailed upon to stop. He then attempted to take his own life. A few frightened slaves promis- ed to remain with him another year; this placated him. It was necessary for Union soldiers to make another visit to the plantation before "Big Jim" would allow his former slaves to depart, - Sara and Louisa moved to Boston, Georgia.where they sharecropped for several years; they later bought a small fa,rm when their two sons became old enough to help. They continued to live on this homestead until a few years ago, when their advanc- ing ages made it necessary that they live with the children. Both of the children had settled in Florida several years previous and Slave Interview Page 6 ^Q, Pearl Randolph FEO * J-Ol Mulberry, Florida wanted their parents to come to them. They now live in Mul- berry* Florida with the younger son. Both are pitifully in- firm but can still remember the horrors they experienced under very cruel owners. It was with difficulty that they were pre- vailed upon to relate some of the gruesome details recorded here. FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJECT American Guide,(Negro writers' Unit) Mulberry, Florida 132 Pearl Randolph Field Worker Complete Slave Interview October 8, 1936 John A. Simms Editor REFERENCES I. Personal interview with Sam and Louisa Everett, P.O. Box 535 fo E.P.J. Everett, Mulberry, Florida VuOiR FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJRCT . i ,vl American Guide,(Negro writers' Unit) XOO Madison, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker November 34, 1936 Complete 1,197 Words 5 Pages Duncan Gaines Duncan Gaines, the son of George and Martha Gaines was born on a plantation in Virginia on March 12, 1853. He was one of four children, all fortunate enough to remain with their parents until maturity. They were sold many times, but Duncan Gaines best remembers the master who was known as "old man Seever," On this planation were about 50 slaves, who toiled all day in the cotton and tobacco fields and came home at dusk to cook their meals of corn pone, collards and sweet potatoes on the hearths of their one room cabins. Biscuits were baked on special occasions by placing hot coals atop the iron tops of long legged frying pans called spiders, and the potatoes were roasted in the ashes, likewise the corn pone. Their masters being more or less kind, there was pork, chicken, syrup and other foodstuffs that they were allowed to raise as their own on a small scale* This work was often done by the light of a torch at night as they had little time of their own. In this way slaves earned money for small luxuries and the more ambitious sometimes saved enough money to buy their free- dom, although this was not encouraged very much* §lave Interview Page 3 * *y* Pearl Randolph . FEO J-°^t Madison, Florida The early life <&f Duncan was carefree and happy. With the exception of carrying water to the laborers and running errands, he had little to do. Most of the time of the slave children was spent in playing ball and wrestling and foraging the woods for berries and fruits and playing games as other children. They were often jpined in their paay by the master's children, who taught them to read and write and fired Duncan with the ambition -to be free, so that he could "wear a frill on his colar and own a pair of shoes.....that did not have brass caps on the toesfand require the application of fat to make them shine. Wearing his shoes shined as explained above and a coarse homespun suit dyed with oak bark, indigo or poke berries, he went to church on Sunday afternoons after the whites had had their services and listened to sermons delivered by white ministers who taught obedience to their masters. After the services, most of the slaves would remove their shoesjand carry them in their hands, as they were unaccustomed to wearing shoes except in winter. The women were given Saturday afternoons off to laund- er their clothes and prepare for Sunday's services. All slaves were * required to appear on Monday mornings as clean as possible with their clothing mended and heads combed. Lye soap was used both for laundering and bathing. It was made from fragments of fat meat and skins that were carefully saved for that purpose, potash was secured from oak ashes. This mix- • n Slave Interview Page 3 4*z^ Pearl Randolph FEC AoO Madison, Florida , ture was allowed to set for a certain period of time, then cooked to a jelly-like consistency. After cooling, the soap was cut into square "bars and "lowanced out "(allowance) to the slaves according to the number in each family. Once Duncan was given a bar of "sweet1 soap by his mistress for doing a particularly nice piece of work of polishing the harness of her favorite mare and so proud was he of the gift that he put it among his Sunday clothes to make them smell sweet. It was the first piece of toilet sopa that he had ever seen; and it caused quite a bit of envy among the other slave children. Duncan Gaines does not remember his grandparents but thinks they were both living on some nearby plantation. His father was the plantation blacksmith and Duncan liked to look on as plowshares, single trees, horse shoes, eto were turned out or sharp- ened, \His mother was strong and healthy, so she toiled all day in the fields. Duncan always listened for his mother's return from the field, which was heraled by a song, no matter how tired she was. She was very fond of her children and did not share the attitude of many slave mother who thought of their children as belonging solely to the masters. She lived in constant fear that "old marse Seever" would meet with some adversity and be forced to sell them separately. She always whispered to them about "de war" and fanned to a flame their desire to be free. Slave Interview Page 4 * «^» Pearl Randolph FEC JL°^> Madison, Florida At that time Negro children listened to the tales 1 of Raw Head and Bloody Bones, various anima^ stories and such childish ditties as: "Little Boy, Little Boy who made your breechesf Mamma cut *em out and pappa sewed de stitches•" Children were told that babies were dug out of tree stumps and were generally made to "shut up" if they questioned their elders about such matters. Children with long or large heads were thought to be marked to become "wise men," Everyone believed in ghosts and en- tertained all the superstitions that have been handed down to the present generation. There was much talk of "hoodooism" and anyone ill for a long time without getting relief from herb medicines was thought to be "fixed" or suffering from some sin that his father had committed. Duncan was 12 years of age when freedom was declared and remembers the hectic times which followed. He and other slave children attended schools provided by the Freedmen' Aid and other social organizations fostered by Northerners. Most of the instruct- ors were whites sent to the South for that purpose. The Gaines were industrious and soon owned a prosperous farm. The* seldom had any money but had plenty of foodstuffs and clothing and a fairly comfortable home. All of the children secured enough learning to enable them to read and write, which was regarded Slave Interview Page 5 13? Pearl Randolph FEC Madison, Florida as very unusual in those days. Slaves had been taught that their brain was inferior to the whites who owned them and for this reason, many parents refused to send their children to school, thinking it a waste of time and that too much learning might cause some injury to the brain of their supposedly weak-minded children. Of the various changes, Duncan remembers very little, so gradual did they occur in his section. Water was secured from the spring or well. Perishable foodstuffs were let down into the well to keep cool. Shoes were made from leather tanned by setting in a solution of red oak bark and water; laundering was done in wood- en tubs, made from barrels cut in halves. Candles were used for light- ing and were made from sheep and beef tallow, Lightwood torches were used by those not able to afford candles. Stockings were knitted by the women during cold or rainy weather. Weaving and spinning done by special slave women who were too old to work in the fields; others made the cloth into garments. Everything was done by hand except the luxuries imported by the wealthy, Duncan Gaines is now a widower and fast becoming infirm. He looks upon this "new fangled" age with bare tolerance and feels that the happiest age of mankind has passed with the discarding of the simple, old fashioned way of doing things* FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT American Guide,(Negro Writers1 Unit) Madison, Florida 138 Pearl Randolph Field Worker Complete Slave Interview November 34, 1936 REFERENCE I. Personal interview with Duncan Gaines, Second Street near Madison Training School for Negroes, Madison, Florida 139 FFDKBAL WRITEWM PftOTOJf American ^itdo {Weero flri&ersj* Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Rachel Austin - Slav© Interview Secretary April 16f 1937 CosrnXete' 1,374 Word© 6 Paces t Olayboro Gentling was born in Dawson, Georgia* Terrell County, January 30t 1S4S on the plantation of Judge tfiXliUns*. Judge Williams owned 102 hmM of slaves ...and was known to bo *tolabl© nio© to feiB In sons-v&ty" and prtttar roui$t on 'em in other ways* fe&ys ?*r. Gantllng* *He would1 nt gi1 us no coffee, fcept on Sunday Mornings when we would have, shorts or seconds of wheat, which is de leawlns*- of flour at sills, ystf know, bit tra.had plenty bacon, com bread, taters and peaa#' "As a child I uster have to tote water to do old people on do f am and tend d® ©ows an* feed do ghoep* Wow, 1 can1 say right *$aofely how things wuz during, slavery fcaust Its - been a lone time ago but'we had ootton and corn field© and d# hands plowed hard, picked ootton grabbled penderst • gathered peas and done all the other hard worts to be done on d« plantations* 1 wus not big fn*iff to do all of des things but X seed plenty of It done* . * *Dey made lye soap on d© fanas and used itAlggo from ^rood for d$re. We niggers slept on hay piled on top of planks but de white folks had better beds, . , ' •I don't •member rqy grandparent© but tay raas ©as called Harriet ^llliaas and my pa was called Henry Williams; dey wuz called Williams after my master, **y mac and pa worked ve*y hard and got some beatings but 1 don't know what for. Dey mz all kinds of money, five and ten dollar bills, and so on then, but I didn't ever see then* with any* . * •fhen war came alont and Sherman cams through the old people mis very ekeered on account of the shite.owners but thor<» was no fighting close 'to me. My master's 'eors Lee and Fletcher joined the arsiy and lots of de other masters went; de servants mz sent along to wait on de ;/oung unite »en# Cues® you'd like to know.if any were killed* 'I should-s^lie,• two I know were killed, . ' "During those days for medicine, the old people used such things as butterfly root and butterfly tea, omje tea,.red oak fc»rk hippeoat * something that grow -was used for fevers and bathing children. They wuz white doctors and plenty of colored grannies* "TJhen de Yankees came they acted dlffunt and was naturally better to servants than our ©asters had beenj we colored folks done the best we could but that was not so goa4 right alter freedom. Still It growed on and growed on getting -73- 141 better* "Before freedom we always lent to \wiite churches on Sunday8 with passes but they never mentioned Cod; they always told us to be "good nigger* and mind our raiasus and maters** »Judge Williams had ten or twelve heads of children but I can* ?member the names of *etn now; his wife was called tfi*1 *?|andf* and she was jes* *bout lak '^arse Williams* I had •bout eighteen heads of boys and five t iris myself; dere was 'co many, I can* *member all -of dem«* ??r» Gantliiic was asked to relate sop© Incidents .that he o^uld remember of the lives of slaves* :-md he continued! *f.fellt 'the horn would blow evSry moraine *or yoti to fit up .vnd'EO risht to work; when the sun rig* if you 'wore not s ¦n the field-working, you would be whipped wltli whips nnd leather' strops* X-* member Aunt Besty was beat until she could hardly ret fclon.;-;^ but 1 can* * member what tor tut do you know she had to i?OF'- along' till she got better* My mn had to work pretty h«.rd but my .oldest sister, Judy, was too young to work much*. a4 heap o* de slaves would run away and bids In de woods to keep from working ao hard but the -.vhlte folks to Keep then froo running /away so thnfc they could not &@tch 'em would put a fchain around the neck which would hang down the baols and be fastened on to ar: other 'round the waist and another * round the feet so they could not run, still they had to work $nd sleep in **rot toH| -73- 142 aoraetiroes they would we-r these obaine for throe or four months* *jnxm a slave would die they had wooden boxes to r>ut •em in >nd dug holes and just put then in# A slave might go to a ilster or brother1© funersJU y **fy reoolleotion is Yexy bad and so aiuoh is forgottent /'bust ^ have seen slaves sold in droves like eowsf they ealled *ea •jEhiffigeeSj* and white men wuz drivm* *,effl like hops and cows for ¦¦'S^te, Mothers and fathers wsre sold and parted tx*om their ohtliuaf -^they miz sold to white reople in dlffum 'stntee* I tell you chile, it was pitiful, laut God did nofc let it last always,, 1 Imvs heard . sir.res nomine and night pray for dellv.'* ¦ ir* (bulling fcsis* to Solids'|o leaftiagg-flotation , nes^'-L&k© Pax% akd stayed t»© year** theft went to, fw@ttf§ ' Plantation and'stayed- one yesr* ?ro» there he- went to « plae*^.. called Rlgh Hill and stayed two or three yemre*.' He'left there and ¦Went, to Jasper* farneft.«nd-wt»jr94'tmtii^-h« asoved hi* fatally to Jacksonville* ' Hero he woited out fuM.|e.woi^s"?lntil he started .. raiting hoes mid oMo&etis ,whioh he continued tip to about- f otxr* ' tern years aso#- ^ow# h© is "-too old. to '.dot 'any thins kit Jist felt around and talk, and. eat* * , '¦ , *\ ./.,.'¦ H© Hifet with Ms daughter* l%g*;Mi&r&©' Hbxiy" and h$r huatand, !%% Bcift^ Holly o«.l#®@vStr®alt ' f r !**V i^iitliis^^atoit «wd-«» writ**, Hut ie Wgr t»ttl^«^^p n1 ¦ ; ' " • • '. - •• -.' *'¦ ¦ . >•¦ '¦ "-. - /!»<".'•• - ~> '•...¦ > .¦'....¦' •' * • 7' !./ ' '.-¦'¦ /¦ ¦ . - ,./..-..- ^.^¦5 -78- 144 He has.been a member of the African Methodist ^iscopal Chupoh for more than fifty years. He has a very good appetlti© and although hne loot his teeth, he has nev r worn a i late or had any dental vork done. He is never' sick end has hnd but little medical attention during his lifetime. His form is bent and he walks with a cane; although his going is confined to his home, it if from choice as he seldom wears' shoes on account of bad foot* His eyesight is vory good and his hobby is sewing* He threads his own needlee without assistance of glasses as h© has never worn theis* Hr# Cantllng celebrated his 89th birthday on the 20th day of Kovembsr 193G* He is very araall, also very short; quite active for his age and of a very genial disposition, always srniinig. •76~ 145 FEDERAL WfiXTEW PROJECT Aaerl^oan Guide. (Ne'&p Writers» Unit) Jacksonville, Florida n&ahel Austin Pag© 6 Secretary ' Slav© Interview Complete REFSREKCg . / • 1* Interview with Mr* Glayborn Cantllng, 1950 Le© Street, Jacksonville, Florida, 146 FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT Affleriean Guide (Negro Writer*1 Unit) Jacksonville,. Florida Martin Richardson Slave Interview Field Worker Eatonville, Florida 9 Pages 1494 Words ARNOIff QRAG3T0K (Verbatim Interview with Arnold Grogston, 9?~y*ar-old ex-slave whose early life was spent helping slaves to freedom across the Ohio River, while he, himself, remained in bondage. As he puts it, he guesses he could be called a 'eoiittueter* o'n the underground railway, .only we dldnH call it that then* t don*t know as we called it anything ««. we Just knew there *as & lot of slaves always a^wantin* to get free, and 1 had t© help •em,") ."Most of the slaves didn't know when they was born, but I did. You see, I was born on a Ghrlatatas aomin* ** It was in 1840; I was a full grown man when 1 finally pot ay freed©**11 "Before I got it, though, I helped a lot of others get theirs. Lawd only knows how many; sight have been as much as two-three hundred. It was *way more than a hundred, I know. "But that all caae after X was a young man -•** * grown* enough to know a, pretty girl when I saw one, and to go chasing after her, too. I was born on a plantation that b*longed to Mr. Jack Tabb in Mason County* Just across the river in Kentucky.* *Mr„ Tabb was a pretty good man. He used to beat us, sure; but not nearly so much as others did, some of his own kin people, even. But he was kinda funny sometimes; he used to have a special slave who didn't have no thin* to do but teach the rest of us — we had about ten oh the plantation, and a %&% on the 26707 -• .'^ : -so- 1*? / other plantations near us **- how to read and write and flgger. Mr« Tabb liked us to know how to jigger. But sometimes when he would send for us and we would be a long time coming he would ask us where we had beent If we told him we had been learnin* to read, he would near beat the daylights out of us — after gettin* somebody to teaeh.us; I think he did some of that a© that the other owners wouldn1t say he was spoilln* his slaves,* *Re was funny about us raarryln*, too. He would let m go a-courtin* on the other plantations near anytime we liked, If we were good, and if we found somebody we wanted to marry, and she was on a plantation that b*longed to one of his kin folks or a friend, he would swap a slave so that the husband and wife could be together. Sometimes, when he couldn't do this, he would let a Slave work all day on his plantation, and live with his wife at night on her plantation. Some of the other owners was always talking about his spoilln* us.* #He wasn't a Dimmacrat like the rest of *ea in the county; he belonged to the ,know~nothin* party* and he was a real leader in it; He used to always be makln* speeches, and sometimes his best friends wouldn*t be speaking to him for days at a time,* "Mr, Tabb was always specially good to roe. He used to let me go all about «~» I guess he had to; oouldnH ge't tcjo rauoh Tiprk out of me even when he kept- me right under his eyes, I learned fast, too, and I think he kinds liked that* He used to call Sandy Davis, the slave who taught mt Hfce stB&rt&st t?ig£«r y' in Kentucky.' "It* was 'cause he used to let me go around in the day and night so much that 2 came to be the one who carried the runnln1 away slaves over the river* It was funny the way I started ltf too** *I dldn*t have no idea of ever gettln1 mixed up 1» any sort of business like that until one special night* t hadn't even thought of rowing aeross the river myself,* "But one night I had gone on another plantation 'oourtlft,r and the old woman whose bouse 1 went to told me she had a real pretty girl there who wanted to go across the river and would I take her? I was soared and backed out in a hurry* Bat then I saw the git*l, and she was such a pretty little jbhlng^ brown* skinned and kinds rosy# and looking as scared as t was fcelin* t so it wasn*t long before I was listenin* to the old woman tell me when to take her and where to leave her on the other side,* n didn't.have nerve enough to da it that ni@ht, though, and I told them to wait for roe t|ntll tomorrow night. All the next day X kept seeing Mister Tabb laying a rawhide across my baek, or shoo tin1 mef and kept seeing that scared little brown girl back at the house^ looking at ae with her big eyes and asking, me if I wculdnH just row "her across to Rlpley. Me and Mr, Tabb lost, and scon as dust settled that nlghtf 1 was at the old lady1* house*:• •I dcnH knew hew I ever rcwed the heat across the ~53~ 149 river the current was strong and I was trembling. I oouldn,t see a thing there in the dark, but I felt that girl's eyes, W© didnH dare to whisper, so I couldn't tell her how sure I waa that Mr. Tatb or some of the others owners would 'tear me up1 when they found out lehat X had done, I Just knew they would find out,* •I was worried, toof about where to put her out of the boat, I couldn't ride her across the river all night, and I didn*t know a thing about the other side, * had heard a lot about it from other slaves but I thought it was Just about like Mason County^ with slaves and masterst overseers and raw- hides; and so, I just knew that If 1 pulled the boat up and went to asking people where to take her 1 would get a beating or get killed," ¦I don't know whether it seemed like a long tiise or a ahort time, now » itfs so long agoj I know it was a long time rowing the-r? in the cold and worryin'. But it was short# too, ?cause as soon aa I dia get on the other side the big~eye#, brown-skin girl wou2,d be gone. Well, pretty sson I saw a tall light and I remembered" what the old lady had told ise about looking-for that light and rowing to it* I didj and when I got up to it, two raen reached down and grabbed herj I started jtremblln* all over again, and prayln*, Then, one of the men took my arm and I just felt down inside of me that the Lord had got ready for me* ?Xou hungry, Boy?* is what h* asked stet and If he hadiiH been holdln* me I *hink I would have f*Ut -53* 150 backward into the river," "That was my first trip? It took m© a long time to get over my scared feelin*, but 1 finally lit, and 1 soon found myself goln* back across the river, with two and three people, and sometimes a whole boatload* 1 got so I used to rnake three and four trips a month, "What did ray passengers look like? I can*t tell you any more about it than you can, and you wasnH there* After that first girl «~ no, I never did see her again —I never saw my passengers* I would have to»be the * black nights* of the moon when I would carry them, and 1 would meet *em out in the opsn i ¦ or in a house without a single li^bt, Ths only way I knew who they were was to ask themj "that you say?" And they-would 4" answer, "Menare,* I donH know what that word meant «» it oa»© from the Bible, I only know that that was the password 1 used, and all.of thera that I took ovsr told it to rae before I took theai* "I guess you wonder what I did with thera after 1 got tuem over the,river. Well, there in Hipley was a man named Mr, Rank'.us s I think the rest Of his name was John, He had a regular stati n there on his place for escaping slaves* You see, Ohio was a free state and once they got.over the river from Kentucky or Virginia. Mr, Hankins c uld strut them all around town, and i nobody would bother *em. The only reason we used to land *m quietly at night was so that whoever brought *em could g© &&©& -" for more, and because we had to fee careful that none ol' $he *S4~ 151 owners had followed us, Every onoe in a while they would follow a toat and catch their slaves back. Sometimes they would shoot at whoever was trying to eave the poor devils. *ViV Ranklns had a regular 'station? for the slaves. He had a big lighthouse in his yard, about thirty feet high and he kept it bumln* all night. It always meant freedom for slave if he could get to this light, I * Sometimes Mr, Rankins would have twenty or thirty slaves that had run away on his place at the time. It must have* cost hlra.a, whole lots to keep them and feed 'era, but I think some of hl(S friends helped hiis, • » "Those who wanted to stay around tfet part of Ohio x_ could stay, but didn*t many of *em f o itj because there was too uch dam er that you would be walking along £ree ©ne nightj i feel a hand over your mouth, and be back across the river and in slavery again in the morning. And nobody in the world ever got a chance to know as much misery as a slave that had escaped and been caught, "So a whole lot of 'eai went on Narth to other parts of Ohio, or to Mew York, Chicago or Canada^ Canada was popular then because all of the slaves thought it waa the last gat® b#» lore you (ot all the way inside of heaven, I don*t think there was such chance for a slave to la&k© a living in Canada, fcwt dldnft many of ?e® come bacsk, l!h«y sees like they rather starve up there in the cold than to be back in slavery* "The Army soon started taking a lot of •eg, too* ISiey could enlist in the' Union Army and get good wages, more food than they ever had, and have all the little gale wavln* at * em when they passed* Them blue uniforms was a nice change. w % too* "No, I never got anything from a single one of the peopled carried over the river to freedom./ I didn't want any- thing? softer X had made a few trips I got to like itf and even though I could have been free any night myself, I flggered I wasn't gettin* along so bad so I would stay on Mr. fabb's place and help the others get free. I did it for four years, • ' ... / .''..' V ' .. "I §on*t know to this day how he never.knew what I was doingj I used to take some awful chances, and he knew 1 V "... . * must have been up to something} I wouldn't do much work in the day, would never be in my house at night, and when he would happen to visit the plantation where 1 had said I was goln* I ?/ouldnH be there* Sometimes I think he did know and wanted me to get the slaves away that way so he wouldn't have to cause hard feelins* by fresin* *em. "I think Mr* Tabb used to talk a l®t to Mr* John Pee; Mr. Fee was a man who lived in Kentucky, but Lord! how that man hated slavery! He used to always tell us (we never let our owners see us listenln* to him, though) that God didn't Intend for some men to be free and some men be In slavery* He used to talk to the owners, toof when they would listen to him, but .i ~56- £53 f mostly they hated the sight of John Fee. "In the night, though, he was a different man, for every slave who came through his place going across the river he had a good word, something to eat and sortie kind of rags, too, If it was cold. He always knew just what to tell you to do if any thins went, arrong, and sometimes I think he kept slaves there on his place 'till they could be rowed across the river. Helred us a lot, "I almost ran the business in the ground after I had been carrying the slaves across for nearly four years. It was in 1863, and one night I carried across about twelve on the same night. Somebody must hr and I knew if X didnH make it Xfd g«t killed* But finally,X pulled up by the 11'ht. house, and went on to sjy freedoa «* Juat a few months before all of the slaves sot their1 a* I didnH atay in Hiplojrf though} I wasnH taking no clmneea* I went on to Detroit and still live there with moat of. 10 children and 31 grandohildren* "The bigger ones don*t care soVisuQh about hearin1 it now, bit t'.-e llttl© on©$ never get tired of hearln* how,their grandpa brought Emancipation to loads of al'&vea he could touch and f©elt but never could see** / / -58- 155 FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT American Guide. (Negro Writers* Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Martin Richardson Slave Interview Arnold Cragston RgfEHENCK3 1. Interview with subject, Arnold C-ragston, present address, Robert Hungerford Oolief e CarapusL g&tonvill© (f. 0# Malt- land) Florida. (Subject is relative of President of Hungerford College and stays several isonths in Eatonvilie at frequent in- tervals. His home is Detroit, Michigan). 156 FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJECT American Guide,(Negro writers* Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Pear\ Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker December 18, 1936 Complete 1,601 words Harriett Gresham 8 Pages --------———---- Born on December 6, 1838, Harriett Gresham can recall quite clearly the major events of her lffe as a slave, also the Civil War as it effected the slaves of Charleston and Barnwell, South Carolina, She was one of a group of mulattoes belonging to Edmond Bellinger, a wealthy plantation owner of Barnwell. With her mother, the plantation seamstress and her father, a driver, she lived in the "big house" quarters, and was known as a "house nigger," She played with the children of her mistress and seldom mixed with the other slaves on the plantation. To quote some of her quaint expressions: "Honey I aint know I was any diffrunt fum de chillen o' me mistress twel atter de war. We played and et andfit togetter lak chillen is bound ter do all over der world, Somethin allus happened though to remind me dat I was jist a piece of property," "I heard der gun aboomin* away at Fort Sumpter and fer de firs'time in my life I knowed what it was ter fear anythin* cept a sperrit. No, I aint never seed one myself but-" "By der goodness o*God I done lived ter waltz on der citadel green and march down a ile o' soldiers in blue, in der Slave Interview Page 2 Pearl Randolph FEC XO/ Jacksonville, Florida arms o' me husban1, and over me haid de bay'nets shined." "I done lived up all my days and some o1 dem whut mighta b»longed ter somebody else is dey'd done right in der sight o* Bod," "How I know I so old?" "I got docu- ments ter prove it," The'documents is a yellow sheet of paper that appears to be stationery that is crudely decorated at the top with crissed crossed lines done in ink. Its contents in ink are as follows: Harriett Pinckney, born September 35,1790, Adeline, her daughter, born October 1, 1809, Betsy, her daughter, born September 11,1811. Belinda, her daughter, born October 4, 1813, Deborah, her daughter, born Beoember 1, 1815. Stephen, her son, born September 1, 1818, Harr i e 11's Grande hildr en- Bella, the daughter of Adeline born July 5, 1837, Albert, son of Belinda born August 19, 1833, Laurence, son; of Betsy born March 1, 1835, Sarah Ann Elizabeth, daughter of Belinda born January 3, 1836, Harriett, daughter of Belinda born Decem- ber 6, 1838, (This record was given Harriett by Mrs, Harriett Bellinger, her mistress. Each slave received a similar one on beinsj freed.) As a child Harriett played about the premises of the Bellinger estate, leading a very carefree life as did all the slave children belonging to Edmond Bellinger. When she Slave Interview Page 3 ^ p= # Pearl Randolph FEC -*-oa Jacksonville, Florida was about twelve years old she was given small tasks to do such as knitting a pair of stockings or dusting the furniture and ample time was given for each of these assignments. This was a \ery large plantation and there was always something for the score of slaves to do. There were the wide acres of cotton that must be planted, hoed and gathered by hand. A special batch of slave women did the spinning and weaving, while those who had been taught to sew, made most of the clothing 3 worn by slaves at that time. Other products grown here were rice, corn,sugar- cans, fruits and vegetables. Much of the food grown on the planta- tion was reserved to fesd the slaves. While they must work hard to complete their tasks in a given time, no one was allowed to go hungry or forced to work if the least ill. Very little had to be bought here. Candies were made in the kitchen of the "big house," usually by the cook who was helped by other slaves. These were made of beeswax gathered on the plantation. Shoes were made of tanned dried leather and re-in- forced with brass caps; the large herds of oattle, hogs and poultry furnished sufficient meat. Syrup and sugar were made from the cane that was carried to a neighboring mill, Harriett remembers her master as being exceptionally kind but very severe when his patience was tried too far. Mrs. Bellinger was dearly loved by all her slaves because she was very thoughtful of them. Whenever there was a wedding, frolic or holiday Slave Interview Page 4 - ,-q Pearl Randolph FEC A«JtJ Jacksonville, Florida or quilting bee, she was sure to provide some extra "goody" and so dear to the hearts of the women were the cast off clothes she so often bestowed upon them on these occasions. The slaves were free to infite those from the neigh- boring plantations to join in their social gatherings. A Negro preacher delivered sermons on the plantation. Services being held in the church used by whites after their services on Sunday. The preacher must always act as a peacemaker and mouthpiece for the master, so they were told to be subservient to their masters in order to enter the Kingdom of God, But the slaves held secret meetings and had praying grounds where they met a few at a time to pray for better things, Harriett remembers little about the selling of slaves because this was never done on the Bellinger plantation. All slaves were considered a part of the estate and to seil one, meant that it was no longer intact. There were rumors of the war but the slaves on the Bellinger place did not grasp the import of the war until their master went to fight*on the side of the Rebel army. Many of them gathered about their, mistress and wept as he left the home to which he would never return. Soon after that it was whispered among the slaves that they would be free, but no one ran away. After living in plenty all their lives, they were forced • to do without coffee, sugar salt and beef. Everything available Slave Interview Page 5 ifin Pearl Randolph FEO xo<> Jacksonville, Florida was "bundled off to the army by Mrs. Bellinger who shared the popular belief that the soldiers must have the best in the way of food and clothing. Harriett still remembers very clearly the storming of Fort Sumpter. The whole co.untryside was thrown into confusion and many slaves were mad with fear. There were few men left to establish order and many women loaded their slaves into wagons and gathered such belongings as they could and fled. Mrs. Belling- er was one of those who held their ground. Whenthe Union soldiers visited her plantation they found tha plantation in perfect order. The slaves going about their tasks as if nothing unusual had happened. It was necessary to sum- mon them from the fields to give them the message of their freedom, • Harriett recalls that her mistress was very frightened but walked upright and held a trembling lip between her teeth as they waited for her to sound for the last time the horn that had summoned several generations of human chattel to and from work. Some left the plantation; others remained to harvest the crops. One'and all they remembered to thank God for their free- dom. They immediately began to hold meetings, singing soul stirring spirituals. Harriett recalls one of these songs. It is as follows: * T'ank ye Marster Jesus, t'ank ye, i \ \ T'ank ye Marster Jesue, t*>ank ye, i 1 T'ank ye Marster Jesus, t'ank ye Da Heben gwinter be my home. Slave Interview Page 6 1f-fl Pearl Randolph FEO S.OX Jacksonville, Florida No slav'ry chains to tie me down, And no mo1 driver's ho'n to blow fer me No mo* stocks to fasten me down Jesus break slav'ry chain, Lord Break slav'ry chain Lord, Break slav'ry chain Lord, Da Heben gwinter be my home. Harriett's parents remained with the widowed woman for a while. Had they not remained, she might not have met Gaylord Jeannette, the knight in Blue, who later became her husband. He was a member of Company nItt, 35th Regiment. She is still a bit breathless when she relates the details of the military wedding that followed a whirlwind courtship which had its beginning on the citadel green, where the soldiers stationed there held their dress parade. After these parades there was dancing by the soldiers and belles who had bedecked themselves in their Sunday best and c come out to be woed by a soldier in blue. Music was furnished by the military band which offered many patriotic numbers that awakened in the newly freed Negroes that had long been dead- patriotism. Harriett recalls snatches of one of these songs to which she danced when she was 30 years of aget It is as follows: I Don't you see the lightning flashing in the cane brakes, \ Looks like we gonna have a storm \ Although you're Mistaken its the Yankee soldiers Slave Interview Page 7 1 fiP Pearl Randolph" FEO x^5 Jacksonville, Florida Going to figlit for Uncle Sam. Old master was a colonel in the Rebel army Just before lie had to run away- Look out the battle is a-falling The darkies gonna occupy the land, Harriett believes the two officers who tendered con- gratulations ahortly after her marriage to have been Generals Gates and Beecher. This was an added thrill to her. As she lived a rather secluded life, Harriett Gresham can tell ve~y little about the superstitions of her people during slavery, but knew them to be very reversnt of various signs and omens.In one she places much credence herself. Prior to the Civi}. War, there were hordes of ants and everyone said this was an omen or war, and there was a war., She was married when schools were set up for Negroes, but had no time for school. Her master was adamant on one point and that was the danger of teaching a slave to read and write, ao Harriett received little "book learning.* Harriett Gresham is the mother of several children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Many of them are dead. "he lives at 1305 west 31st s^eet, Jacksonville, Florida with a rand daughter. Her second husband is also dead. She sits on the jorch of her shabby cottage and sews the stitches that were taught -sr by her mistress, who is also dead. She embroiders, crochets, Slave Interview Page 8 -iro Pearl Randolph • FEC -*-Oa Jacksonville, Florida knits and quilts without the aid of glasses. She likes to show her handiwork to passershy who will find themselves listening to some of her reminiscences if they linger long enough to en- gage her in conversation- for she loves to talk of the past. She still corresponds with one of the children of her mistress, now an old woman living on what is left of a once vast estate at Barnwell, South Carolina, The two old women are very much attached to each other and each in her letters helps to keep alive the memories of the life they shared together as mistress and slave. FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT American Guide,(Negro writers' Unit) Jacksonville, Florida 164 Pearl Randolph Field Worker Complete Slave Interview December 18, 1936 REFEREBCE I, Personal interview with Harriett Gresham, 1305 West 31st, Street, Jacksonville, Florida FEDERAL WRITERS* PROJECT American Guide,(Negro Writers' Unit) 1(j5 fcive Oak, Florida Alfred Iferrell Slave Interview Field Worker August 30, 1936 Complete Job*1 A« Simms 969 Words Editor 5 Page8 Bolden Hall was born in Walkino, Florida, a little town in Jefferson County, on February 13,1853, the son of Alfred and Tina Hall. The Halls who were the slaves of Thomas Lenton, owner of seventy-five or a hundred slaves, were the parents of twenty-one children* The Hall8,who were born before slavery worked on the large plantation of Lenton which was devoted primarily to the growing of cotton and corn and secondarily to the growing of tobacco and pumpkins. Lenton was very good to his slaves and never whipped them unless it was absolutely necessary- which was seldoml He provided them with plenty ^f food and clothing, and always saw to it that their cabias were liveable. He was careful, however, to see that they received no educational training, but did not interfere with their religious quest. The slaves were permitted to attend ohuroh with their masters to hear the white preacher, and occasionally the master- supposedly un-beknown to the slaves- would have an itinerant oolored minister preach to the slaves, Slave Interview Page 3 ifU\ Alfred Farrell FEC xuu Live Oak, Florida instructing them to obey their master and mistress at all times. Although freedom came to the slaves in Jan- uary, Master Lenton kept them until May in order to help him with his crops. When actual freedom was granted to the slaves, only a few of the young ones left the Lenton plantation. In 1883 Bolden Ball came to Live Oak where he has resided ever since. He marriedjbut his wife is now dead, and to that union one child was born, Charlotte Martin Charlotte Mitchell Martin, one of twenty children born to Shepherd and Lucinda Mitchell, eighty- two years ago, was a slave of Judge Wilkerson on a large plantation in Sixteen, Florida, a little town near Madison* Shepherd Mitchell was a wagoner who hauled whiskey from Newport News,Virginia for his owner. Wilkerson was very cruel and held them'in constant fear of him. He would not permit them to hold religious meetings or any other kinds of meetings, but they frequently met in secret to conduct religious services. When they were caught, the "instigators"- known or suspected- were severely flogged. Charlotte recalls how her oldest brother was whipped to death for taking part in one of the religious ceremonies. This cruel act halted the secret religious services. S1&ve Interview Page 3 ^^ Alfred Farrell FEO lb < Live Oak, Florida Wilkerson found it very profitable to raise and sell slaves. He selected the strongest and best male and female slaves and mated them exclusively for breeding. The huskiest babies were given the best of attention in order that they might grow into sturdy youths, for it was those who brought the highest prices at the slave markets. Sometimes the master himself had sexual relations with his female slaves, for the products of miscegenation were very remunerative. These offsprings were in demand as house ser- vants. After slavery the Mitchells began to separate. A few of the children remained with their parents and eked out thsir living from the soil. During this period Charlotte began to attract attention with her herb cures. Doctors sought her out when they were stumped by difficult cases. She came to Live Oak to care for an old colored woman and upon whose death she was given the woman's house and property. For many years she has resided in the old shack, farming, making quilts, and practicing her herb doctoring. She has outlived her husband for wnom she bore two children. Her daughter is feebleminded- her herb remedies can't cure her!; Slave Interview Pag® 4 iA« Alfred Farrell FEC xuo Live Oak, Florida Sarah Ross Born in Benton County, Mississippi nearly eighty years ago, Sarah is the daughter of Harriet Elmore and William Donaldson, her white owner, Donaldson was a very cruel man and frequently beat Sarah*s mother because she would not have sexual relations with the overseer, a colored man by the name of Randall, Sarah relates that the slaves did not marry, but were forced- in many cases against their will- to live together as man and wife. It was not until after slavery that they learned about the holy bonds of matrimony, and many of them actually married. Cotton, corn, and rice were the ghief products grown on the Donaldson plantation, Okra also was grown, and from this product ooffee was made. The slaves arose with the sun to begin their tasks in the fields and worked until dusk. They were beaten by the overseer if they dared to rest themselves* No kind of punishment was too cruel or severe to be inflicted upon these souls in bondage. Frequently the thighs of the male slaves were gashed with a saw and salt put in the wound as a means of punishment for some misdemeanor. The female slaves often had their hair cut off, especially those who had long beautiful hair. If a female slave mm pregnant and had to be punished, she was Slave Interview , Page 5 1RQ Alfred Farrell FEC ^v Live Oak, Florida whipped about the shoulders, not so much in pity as for the protection of the unborn child. Donaldson^ wife committed suicide because of the cruelty not only to the slaves but to her as well* The slaves were not permitted to hold any sort of meeting, not even to worship God. Their work consumed so much of their time that they had little opportunity to con- gregate. They had to wash their clothes on Sunday, the only day which they could call their own. On Sunday afternoon some of the slaves were sent for to entertain the family and its guests, Sarah remembers the coming of tne Yankees and the destruction wroug"ht by their appearance. The soldiers stripped the plantation owners of their meats, vegetables, poultry and the like. Many plantation owners took their ,own lives in desperation. Donaldson kept his slaves several months after liberation and defied them to mention freedom to him. When he did give them free- dom, they lost no time in leaving his plantation which held for them only unpleasant memories. Sarah came to Florida thirty-five years ago. She has been married twice, and is the mother of ten children, eight of whom are living. FEDERAL WRITERS* PROJECT American Guide,(Negro writers' Unit Live Oak, Florida 170 Alfred Farrell Field worker Complete Slave Interview August SO, 1936 John A* Simme Editor REFERENCES I. Personal interview with Bolden Hall, living near the Masonic Hall, in the Eastern section of Live Oak, Florida 3. Personal interview with Charlotte Martin, living ne«r Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, in the Eastern section of Lite Oak, Florida 3. Sarah Ross, living near Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal church, Live Oak, Florida FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT \\y\ American Guide,(Negro Writers' Unit) j-/j- Lake City, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker January 14, 1S37 Cofcp^ete REFERENCE Persona.^ interview with Rebecca Hooks, 1604 North Marion Street, Lake City, Florida. FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJECT FEDERAL WRITEHS' PKUJJSUT 1h^O American Guide, (Negro Writers1 Unit) x/vs Lake City, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker January 14, 1937 Complete 1,031 Words 6 Pages Rebecca Hooka Rebecca Hooka, age 90 years, is one of the few among the fast^thinning ranks of ex-slaves who can give a clear picture of life "befo1 de wah," She was born in Jones County, Georgia of Martha and Pleasant Lowe, who were slaves of William Lowe, The mother was the mulatto offspring of William Lowe and a slave woman who was half Cherokee, The father was also a mulatto, purchased from a nearby plantation. Because of this blood mixture Rebecca's parents were' known as "house niggers," and lived on quarters located in the rear of the "big house." A "house nigger" was a servant whose duties con- sisted of chores around the big house, such as butler, maid, cook, stableman, gardner and personal attendant to the man who owned him. These slaves were often held in high esteem by their masters and of course fared much better than the other slaves on the planta- tion. Quite often they were mulattoes as in the case of Rebecca's parents. There seemed to be a general belief among slave owners that mulattoes could not stand as much laborious work as pure blooded Negro Slave Interview Page 3 Pearl Randolph FEC 173 Lake City, Florida slaves. This accounts probably for the fact that the majority of ex-slaves now alive are mulattoee. The Lowes were originally of Virginia and did not own as much property in Georgia as they had in Virginia. Rebecca estimates the nunber of slaves on this plantation as numbering no more than 35. They were treated kindly and cruelly by turns, accord- ing to the whims of a master and mistress who were n->ne too stable in their dispositions. There was no "driver11 or overseer on this plantation, as "Old Tom was devil enough himself when he wanted to be," observes Rebecca, fhile she never felt the full force of his cruelties, she often felt sorry for the other slaves who were given a task too heavy to be completed in the given time; this deliberate- ly, so that the master might have some excuse to vent his pentup feelings. Punishment was always in the form of a severe whipping or revocation of a slave's privilege, such as visiting other planta- tions, etc. The Lowes were not wealthy and it was necessary for • them to raise and manufacture as many things on the plantation as possible. Slaves toiled from early morning until night in the corn, cotton sugar cane and tobacco fields. Others tended the large herds of cattle from which milk, butter, meat Qnd leather was produced. The leather was tanned and made into crude shoes for the slaves for the short winter months. No one wore shoes except during cold Slave Interview Page 3i Pearl Randolph FEC 174 Lake City, Florida weather and on Sundays. Fruit orchards and vegetables were also grown, but not given as much attention as the cotton and corn, as these were the main money crops. As a child Rebecca learned to ape the ways of her mistress. At first this was considered very amusing,Whenever she had not knitted her required number of socks during the week, she simply informed them that she had not done it because she had not wanted to- besides she was not a "nigger,* This stubbornness accompanied by hysterical tantrums continued to cause Rebecca to receive many stiff punishments that might have been avoided • Her master had given orders that no one was ever to whip her, so de- vious methods were employed to punish her, such as marching her i down the road with hands tied behing her back, or locking her in a dark room for several hours with only bread and water. Rebecca resembled very much a daughter of William Lowe, The girl was really her aunt, and very conscious of the resemblance. Both had brown eyes and long dark hair, They were about the same height and the clothes of the young mistress fitted Rebecca "like a glove." To offset this likeness, Rebecca's hair was always cut very short. Finally Rebecca rebelled at having her hair all cut off and blankly refused to submit to the treatment any longer. After this happening, the girls formed a dislike for each other, and Rebecca was guilty of doing every mean act of which she was capable to torment the white girl, Rebecca's mother aided and abetted her in Slave Interview Page 4 Pearl Randolph FEC 1?0 Lake City, Florida this, often telling her things to do. Rebecca did not fear the - form of punishment administered her and she had the cunning to keep "on the good side of the master" who had a fondness for her "because she was so much like the Lowes." The mistress1 demand that she be sold or beaten was always turned aside with "Dear, you know the child canft help it; its that cursed Cherokee blood in her," There seemed to be no very strong opposition to a slave's learning to read and write on the plantation, so Rebecca learned along with the white children. Her father purchased books for her with money he was allowed to earn from the sale of corn whiskey which he made, or from work done on some other plantation during his time off. He was not permitted to buy his freedom, how- ever. On Sundays Rebecca attended church along with the other slaves. Services were held in the white churches afiter their services were over. They were taught to obey their masters and work hard, and that they should be very thankful for the institution of slavery which brought them from darkest Jfrica, On the plantation, the doctor was not nearly as pop- ular as the "granny" or midwife, who brewed medicines for every ail- ment. Each plantation had its own "granny" who also served the mis- tress during confinement. Some of her remedies follows: For colds: Horehound tea, pinetop tea, lightwcod drippings Slave Interview Page 5 Pearl Randolph FEO 17u Lake City, Florida on sugar. For fever: A tea made of pomegranate seeds and crushed mint* For whooping cough: A tea made of sheep shandy (manure); catnip tea. For spasms: garlic; burning a garment next to the skin of the patient having the fit. Shortly before the war, Rebecca was married to Solomon, her husband. This ceremony consisted of simply jumping over a broom and having some one read a few words from a book, whic may or may not have been the Bible. After the way, many couples were remarried because of this irregularity, Rebecca had learned, of the war long before it ended and knew its import. She had confided this information to other slaves who could.read and write. She read the small newspaper that her mas- ter received at irregular intervals. The two sons of William Lowe had gone to fight with the Confederate soldiers(One never returned) and everywhere was felt the tension caused by wild speculation as to the outcome of the war. Certain commodities were very scare® Rebecca remembers drinking coffee made of ckra seed, that had been dried and parched. There was no silk, except that secured by "running the blockade," and this was very expensive. The smokehouse floors were caref\illy acraped for any mosael of salt that might be gotten. Salt had to be aveporated from sea water and this was a slow process. There were no disorders in that section as far as Rebecca Slave Interview Page 6 -shm** Pearl Randolph FEO A / f Lake City, Florida remembers, but she thinks that the slaves were kept on the Lowe plantation a long time after they had been freed* It was only when rumors came that Union soldiers were patrolling the countryside for such offenders, that they were hastily told of their freedom. Their former master predicted that they would fare much worse as freemen and so many of them were afraid to venture into the world for themselves, remaining in virtual slavery for many years afterward. Rebecca and her husband were among those who ieft the plantation. They share-cropped on various plantations until they came to Florida, which is more than fifty years ago. Rebecca's hus- band died several years ago and she now lives with two daughters, wlio are very proud of her. Federal Writers' Frojeot America Guide, (Negro Writers' Unit) X7o Jacksonville, Florida Samuel Johnson Slave Interview Complete September 11, 1937 Lying comfortably in a bed encased with white sheets, Rev* Squires Jackson, former slave and minister of the gospel living at 706 Third Street cheerfully related the story of his life* Born in a weather-beaten shanty in Madison, Fla* September 14, 1841 of a large family, he moved to Jacksonville at the age of three with the "Master" and hia mother. Very devoted to his mother, he would follow her into the cotton field as aha picked or hoed cotton, urged by the thrash- ing of the overseer's lash* His master, a prominent political figure of that time was very kind to his slaves, but would not permit them to read and write* Relating an incident after hav- ing learned to read and write, one day as he was reading a newspaper, the master walked upon him unexpeotlngly and demanded to know what he was doing with a newspaper* He immediately turned the paper upside down and declared "Con federates done won the war*" The master laughed and walked away without punishing him* It is interesting to know that slaves on this plantation were not allowed to sing when they were at work, but with all the vigilance of the overseers, nothing could stop those ailent songs of labor and prayers for freedom* On Sundays the boys on the plantation would play home ball and ahoot marbles until church time* After church a hearty meal Slave Interview Page 2 I^Q Samuel Johnson PEC -*-f*J Jacksonville, Florida consisting of rice and salt picked pork waa the usual Sunday fare cooked in large iron pots hung over indoor hearths* Some- times coffee, inade out of parched corn meal, was added as an extra treat. He remembers the start of the Civil war with the laying of the Atlantic Cable by the "Great Eastern" being nineteen years of age at the time. Hearing threats of the War which was about to begin, he ran away with his brother to Lake City, many times hid- ing in trees and groves from the posse that waa looking for him. At night he would cover up his face and body with spaniah moss to sleep. 0«e night he hid in a tree near a creek, over-slept him- self, in the morning a grot\p of white women fishing near the oreek saw him and ran to tell the men, fortunately however he escaped. After four days of wearied travelling being guided by the north star and the Indian instinct inherited from his Indian grandmother, he finally reached Lake City. Later reporting to General Scott, he was informed that he was to act as orderly until further ordered. On Saturday morning, February 20, 1861, General Scott called him to his tent and said "Squire; "I have just had you appraised for $1000 and you are to report to Col. Guist in Alachua County for service immediately." That very night he ran away to Wellborn where the Federals were camping. There in a horse stable were wounded colored soldiers stretched out on the filthy ground. The sight of these wounded men and the feeble medical attention given them by the Federals was so repulsive to Slavs Interview Page 3 -iHn Sa^iuel Johnson PEC JLOU Jacksonville, Florida him, that he decided that he didn't want to join the Federal Array* In the silent hours of the evening ho stole away to Tallahassee, throughly convinced that War wasn't the place for him. While in the horse shed make-ahif t hospital, a white soldier asked one of the wounded colored soldiers to what regi- ment he belonged, the negro replied rt54th Regiment, Massachusetts. At that time, the only railroad was between Lake City and Tallahassee which he had worked on for awhile. At the close of the war he returned to Jacksonville to begin work as a bricklayer. During this period, TTegro skilled help was very much in demand. The first time he saw ice was in 1357 when a ship brought some into this port. Mr. Moody, a white man, opened an icehouse at the foot of Julia Street. This was the only icehouse in the city at that time. On Sundays he would attend church. One day he thought he heard the call of God beseeching him to preach. He began to preach in 1868, and was ordained an elder in 1874. So:;e of the interesting facts obtained from this slave of the fourth generation weres (1) Salt was obtained by evaporating aea water, (2) there were no regular stoves, (3) cooking was done 07 hanging iron pots on rails in the fireplaces, (4) an open well was used to obtain water, (5) flour was sold at $12.00 a barrell, (6)"shin-plasters" was used for money, (7) the first buggy was called "rockawaya" due to the elasticity of the leather-springs, (3) Rev. Jackson saw his first buggy as desoribed,in 1851. Slave Interview Sanruol Johnson Jacksonville, Florida Page 4 PEG 181 During the Civil War, oloth aa well a a all other commodities were very high* Slaves were required to weave the cloth* The v/omen would delight in dancing aa they marched to and fro in weaving the cloth by hand, Thia was one kind of work the a lave a enjoyed doing. Sven Cotton aeeda waa picked by hand, hulling the seeds out with the fingera, there waa no way of ginning it by machine at that time. Rev* Jackaon vividly recalls the croker— sacks being used around bales of the finer cotton, known aa short cotton. During this same period he made all of the shoes he wore by hand from cow hides. The women alavea at that time wore grass 3hirt8 woven very closely with hoops around on the inside to keep from contacting the body. Gleefully he told of the Saturday night batha in big wooden wauhtuba with cut out holes for the fingers during his boyhood, of the caator oil, old fashion paragorio, calomel, and burmo chops used for medicine at that time. The herb doctors went from home t to hose during times of illness. Until many years after the Civil TCar there were no practicing "egro physicians. Soap waa nade by mixing bones and lard together, heating and then straining into a bucket containing alum, turpentlng, and rosin. Lye soap was made by placing burnt ashes into straw with severely. The woman became sore and took fe her hoe and chopped him right across his head, and child you should have seen how she chopped this man to a bloody death," "Prophet" Kemp will tell you that he hates to tell Slave Interview Page 3 * nn L. Rebecca Baker FEC xou Daytona Beach, Florida these things to any investigator, because he hates for people to know just how mean hia "fahter" really was, # So great was the fear in which Gay was held that when Kemp's mother, Arnette Young, complained to Mrs. Gay, that her husband was constantly seeking her for a mistress and threat- ening her with death if she did not submit, even Mrs. Gay had to advise the slaves to do as Gay demanded, saying-"My husband is a dirty man and will find some reason to kill you if you don't.1' nI can't do a thing with hifcm." Since Arnette worked at the "big house" v..*. there was no alternative, and it was believed that out of the union with her master, Henry nvas born. A young slave by the name of Broxton Kemp was given to the woman as husband at the tiifce John Kemp was born, it is from this man thatr»Prophet" took his name. Life on the plantation held nothing but misery for the slaves of John Gay. A week's allowance of groceries for the average small family consisted of a package of about ten pounds containing crudely ground meal, a slab of bacon- called side-meat and from a pint to a quart of syrup made from sorghum, depending upon the season. All slaves reported for work a 5 o'clock in the morning, except those who cared for the overseer, who began their work an hour earlier to enable the overseer to be present at the morning checkup. This checkup determined which slaves were late or who had committed some offense late on the day before or during the night* These were singled out and before the rest of the slaves began their Slave Interview Page 4 £gy It. Rebecca Baker FEC Baytona Beach, Florida work they were treated to the sight of these delinquents being stripped and beaten until blood flowed; women were no exception to the rule. The possible loss of his slaves upon the declaration of freedom on January I, 1866 caused Gay considerable concern. His liquor-ridden mind was not long in finding a solution, however, he barred all visitors from his plantation and. insisted that his overssers see to the carrying out of this detail. They did, with such efficiency that it was not until Maiy 8, when the government finally learned of the condition and sent a marshall to the planta- tion, that freedom came to Gay's slaves. May 8, is still celebrated in this section of Mississippi, as the official emancipation day. Relief for the hundreds of slaves of Gay came at last with the declaration pt freedom for them. The government officials divided the grown and growing crops; and some land was parcelled out to the former slaves, Kemp may have gained the name "Prophet" from his con- stant reference to the future and to his religion. He says he be«» lieves on one faith, one Lord and one religion, and preaches this belief constantly. He claims to have turned his back on all re- ligions that "do not do as the Lord says," In keeping this belief he says he represents the "True Primitive Baptist Church", but does not have any connection with that church, because he believes it has not lived exactly up to what the Lord expects of him. Slave Interview Rebecca Baker jj • Page FEC 188 Daytona Beach, Florida Kemp claims the ability to read the future with ease; even to help determine what it will bring in some cases. He reads it in the palms of those who will believe in him; he determines the good and bad l&ck; freedom from sickness; success in love and other benefits it will bring from the use of charms, roots, herbs and magical incantations and formulae. He has recently celebrated what he believes to be his 80th birthday, and says he expects to live at least another quarter of a century. FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT American Guide, (Megro writers' Unit) Daytona Beach, Florida L. Rebecca Baker Slave Interview Field Worker January 11, 193? Complete REFERENCE I. Personal Interview with John Henry Kemp, Daytona Beach, Florida 189 , -" 190 t'.'.'¦-1 SLAVE INTERVIEW '"'^~^. —""^ WITH —~ ^, , CII3DY KIBSEY, FORMER SLAVE ^ - -*~>uJ c6-*x*a .ABOUT. 8,6 TEARS flff.ASE.., .......,'„. Barbara Dar8ey. %>prox 1050 words "Yes maam,chile, I aint suah ezackly , but I think I bout 85 mebby 86 yeah old. Yes maam, I wus suah bahn in de slavery times, an I bahn right neah de Little <2ook in Arkansas, an dere I stay twell I corned right from dere to heah in ^loridy bout foah yeah gone. "Yes maam, my people de liv on a big plantation neah de Little Bock an we all hoe cotton. My Ma? Lawzy me,chile, she name Zola Young an my gappy he name Helsori Young. I had broddehs Danel, ^reeman, George, Will, and Henry. Yes maam, Freeman he ae younges an bahn after we done got free. &n I had sistehs by de name ob Isabella, Mary, Bora, -— dat aint all yet, you want I should name em all? Well then they waa too °elie /, sally, and me Cindy but I aint my own sisteh is I, hee,hee,hee. "My Ole Massa, he name Marse Louis Stuart, an my Ole Missyf dat de real ole one you know, she name, ---now- let-me~see,does -I-ricollek, lawzy me,chile, I suah fin it ' hard to member some things. OJ yes,- her name hit war Missy Uancy, an her chilluns dey name kittle Marse St-joaie an Little Missy Fanny. I don know huccum my pappy he go by de name Young when Ole Massa he name Marse Stuart lessen my pappy he be raised by nother Massa fore Marse Louis got him, but I disrememba does I eber heerd him say. "Yes maam, chile I suah like dem days • We had lot 28719 SLAVE INTERVIEW WITH CIEDY KIISEY, FORMES SLAVE ABOUT 86 YEARS Off AGE.______ page 2, ±Q± ob fun an nothin to wbrrify about, suah wish dem days wus now,chile, us niggahs heaps better off den as now, us always had plonty eat and plenty wearin close too, which us aint nevah got no more. We had plenty cahn pone, baked in de ashes too, hee,hee,hee, it shore wus good, an we had side meat, an we had other eatin too, what ever de Ole Marse had, but I like de side meat bes. I had a good dress for Sunday too but aint got none dese days, jes looky,chile, dese ole rags de bes t got. My Sunday dress? Lawzy me,chile, hit were alway a bright red cotton, I suah member dat color, us dye de cotton right on de plantation mostly. Other close * dont ezackly ricollek, but de mostly dark, no colahs. "My ma, she boss all de funerls oti de niggahs on de plantation an she got a long white veil for F/earin, lawzy me, chile, she suah look bootiful, 3es lak a bride she did when she boss dem funerls in dat veil, ahe not much skeered nether fo dat veil hit suah keep de hants away, ^isht I had me dat veil right now, mout hep cure dis remutizics in ma knee what ailin me so bad. I disrememba , but I sposen she got buried in dat veil, chile. She hoe de cotton so Ole Marse Louis he always let her off fo de buryings cause she know how to manage de other niggahs and keep dem quiet at de fftTJSElS*. -.-^r. SLAVE INTERVIEW WITH CIHDY KINSEY, FORMER SLAVE ABOUT 86 YEARS 0? AGE. page 3. ^Qg "Ho maam, ohile, we didnt hab no Preacher-mans much, hit too fah away to git one when de niggah die* Vtfe sung songs and my ma she say a Bible Tars what Ole Missy don lernt her. Be vurs, lawsy me, chile, suah wish I could member hit for you. Dem songs ? I don jes recollek, but hit seem lak de called ! Gimme Dem ^olden alippahs1, an a nother one hit wah1 Ise Goin To Heben In De Charot Ob Man*, suah do wish I could recollek de words an sing em fob you , chile, but I caint no more, my min, hit aint no good lak what it uster*be. "Yes maam, chile, I suah heerd ob Hr. Lincoln but not so much* What dat mans wanter free us niggahs f; when we so happy an not nothin to worrify us. Ho/ maam, I didnt see none dem Yankee sobers but I heerd od dem an we alwy skeerd dey come* Us all eotch us rabbits an weah de lef nine foots roun our nek wif a bag ob akker- fedity, yessum I guess dat what I mean, an hit shore smell bad an hit keep off de fevah too, an if a Yankee cotch you wif dat rabbit foots an dat akkerfedity bag roun youh nek,he suah turn you loose right now. "Yes maam, chile, Ise a Baptis and sho proud ob it. Praise de Eord and go to Churoh , dat de onliest way to keep de debbil of fen youh trail and den sometime he almos feotch up wif you* Lawiy me, chile, when de Preacher-mans baptiS me he had duck me under de wateh twell I mos dron, de debbil he got such a holt on me -SLAVE OIPERVIEW WI!EH CIJ8DY KIHSEY, FORMER SLAVE ABOUT 86 YEARS Off AGE. page 4. 193 an jes wont let go, hut de Preacher-mans he kep a duckin me an he finaly shuck de dehbil loose an he aint bother me much sence, dat is not very much, an dat am a long time ago. "yes maam , chile, some oh de niggahs dey run off from Ole Marse Louis, hut de alway come back bout stahved, hee,hee,hee, an do dey eat, an Ole Marse, he alyay take em back an give em plenty eatins. Yes maam, he alway good to us and he suah give us niggahs plenty eatins all de time. When Crismus come, you know chile, hit be so cole, and- Old Marse, he let us make a nig fiah, a big big fiah in de yahd ro.un which us live, an us all dance round^ fiah, and Ole ^issy she brang us crismus Giff. //hat war de giff? ^awzy me , chile, de mostly red woolen stockings and some times a pair of shoeses, an my wus we proud, -^n Ole Marse Louis , he giv de real old niggahs, both de mens an de owmans, a hot toddy, hee.hee.hee. Lawzy me, ohile, dem wus de good days, who give an ole niggah like me a hot toddy dese days? gn talkin you bout dem days, chile, sho mek me wish dey wus now." 194 FEDERAL TOITSRS• PROJECT ^aerican Quid* (Negro Writer©• Unit) Jacksonville, Florida ?iola B* J*isa Slave Interview Field worker Palatkaf Florida Complete 2f953 words 12 pages ¦SAlOAtL LEE - Randall L<3© of 500 Branson Street* Palatka. Florida, was born at Caraden* joutn Carolina about seventj^seven years ago* maybe longer* He was the son of Robert and Delhi* Lee, **ho during slavery were Robert and Delhi & filler, taidn^ the name of their mastert as was the oustom* His master was Doctor Miller and his mistress was Mrs© Camilla Miller* lie does not know his raaster*s given name as no other name was ever heard around the plantation* except Dootor Miller*' Randall was a small boy when the war*betwe«in the states broke out* but judging from what he reoieabers he must have been a boy around six or seven years of age* During the few years he spent in slaveryt Randall had many experienoes which made s'joh deep impressions upon his brain that the memory of them still reat a ins olear* , 1&e one tiAag that causes one to believe that he muet have been around seven ye*i & of age is tie statement that he was not old enough to hat* tasks of any importance plaoed upon himt yett he was trusted along with another boy about his own agef to oarry butter fro the plantation dairy two miles to the 2672o -a- 195 •big house*9 »o one would trust a child younger than six years of age to handle butter for fear of it being dropped into the dirt. He must have at leist reaohed the age when he was sent two miles with a package and was ex- pected to deliver the package intact* H* raust have understood the necessity of not flaying on the way. He stated that he knee not to stop on the two- ;nile journey and not to let the butter get dirty. Randall had the pleasure of catching the pig for his father for Doctor iller gave each of his best Hegro man a pig to raise for himself and family. Ha was allowed to build a pen for it and raise and fatten it for killing. ihen killing time Game he was given time to butcher it and grind all the. sausage he could make to feed his family. 3/ that method It helped to solve the feeding problo& and also satisfied the slaves* It was more like bo many families living around a big house with a boss looking o%r tbeaf for they were allowed a prlvil^e that very few masters gave their slaves. On the Miller plantation there was a cotton gin. Doctor Miller owned the gin and it was operated by his slaves. He grew the cotton* picked itf gianed it and wove it right th@re. He also had a baler and made the bagging to bale It with. He only had to buy the iron bands that held the bales intact* Doctor Miller was a rich man and had a far reaching sight into how to work slaves to the best advantage. He was kind to them and knew that the best way to get the best out of men was to keep theft well and happy. His firr a aliment was very much the gex^ral way in that he allowed the young men and woimn to work In the fields and the old women and a few old men to work around the house*» in the *in and at the loom. The old women mostly did the spinning of thread and weaving of cloth although In some instances Doctor -3- \iill«r found a aan who wa- b attar adaptad to *«avlng than any of his woman slaves. Everyone kept his plantation "ndor fenoe and men who were old but strong and who had some knowledge of oarpentry were sent out to keep the fenoe In re- pair and often to build new ones* The fenoes wera not like those of today. They were built of horizontal rails about six or seven feet lon£» running eig- 2ag fashion. Instead of having straight line fenoe and posts at regular points they did not use posts at all. The bottom rails rested upo:i the ground and the zig-zag fashion in which they w&re laid gave strength to the fenoe. No nails were used to hold the rails in plane* If stook was to be let in or out of the place the planks were unlooked so to speak, and the stook allowed to enter after which they mr* laid baok as before. Boys and girls under ten years of age were nerer sent Into the field to vvor< on the filler plantation but were required to mind the smaller ohildren of the family and do chores around the «big house" for the mistress and her children, suoh work as mending was taught the domeetlo-atnded ohildren end tending food on the pots was alloted others with inborn ability to oook. They were treated well and taught 'manners' and later was used as dining room girls and nurses. Randall's fatier and mother were considered lucky. His father was over* seer and his mother was a waitress* Dootor ylll#r was a kind and considerate owners never believed In punish- ing slaves unless in extreme oases* So ovfers*r9 white or colored oould whip his slaves without first bringing the slave before him and having a full . understanding as to what the offense was* If It warranted whipping thin It had to be given in his presence so he oould see that It was not given un- mercifully, ho indeed was a dootor and practised his prof ess ion In the .4. i&? keeping of his slaves from bodily bars as well as keeping them well well. Ho gave them medicine when they did not feel well and saw to it that they took naeded rest if they were sick and tired* Mow* Robert Lee. Randallfs fa the-, was brought from Virginia and sold to Doctor Miller when he was a young man* The one who sold him told Dootor Miller, *Her©fs a nigger who wont take a whipping* Ho knows his work and will do it and all you will need to do is tell him what you want and its as good as done** Robert Lee never varied from the rsoommendation his former master gave vhen he sold him* The old tale of corn bread baked on the hearth oovsred with ashas and sweet potatoes oooked in like manner are vivid memories upon the mind of Randall, syrup water and plenty of sweet and butter milk, rloe and oraotiling bread are other foods which were plentiful around the oabin of Randall's parents* Cows were numerous and the family of Doetor Miller did not need much for their consumption* While they sold milk to neighboring plantations* the Hegroes were not denied the amount necessary to keep all strong and h@?iltl^* Hone of the children on the plantation >vere thin and scrawny nor did they ever complain of being hungry* The tanning yard was not far from the houaa of Dootor Millar* His own butcher shop was nearby. He had his cowb butchered at intervals and when one died of unnatural causes it was skinned and the hide tanned on the place* Randall as a chili delighted in stopping around the tanning yard and matching the men salt the hlds. T&ay* after salting it dug hoim and buiiadi it for a number of days. After the salting process was finished it was treated with a solution of water and oak bark. when the oak berk solution had done its work it was ready for use* Shoes made of leather were not dyed im at that time but tha natural oolor of Hie finished hide was thought very beautiful and thoss who war* luoky enough to possess a pair ware gled to gat them in their natural oolor* T° dye shoes 'Various colors Is a new thing ,7hen the number of years leather has been dyed is compared with the hundreds of years people knew nothing about ltt eapeolally American people* Randallfs paternal grandparents were also owned by Doctor Miller and were not sold after he bought them. Le*l Loo was his grandfather's name* He was a fine worker in the field but was taken out of it to be taught the shoe- makers trade* fhe master placed him under a white shoemaker who taught him all the fine points. If there were anyf he knew about the trade* Dr. Miller had an eye for business who could make shoes was a grant saving to him. Levl made all the shoes and boots the masterf mistress and the Miller family wore* Besides§ he made stoas for the slaves who wore them* Sot all slaves omed a pair of shoes. Boys and girls under eighteen went bare-footed except in winter. Doctor filler had compassion for thes and did not allow them to suffer from the oold by going bare-footed in winter* Another good thing to be remembered was the lar^e number of ohiokene, ducks and ^eese ^rhioh the slates raised for the doctor* Every sla^s family could rest his tlrad body upon a feather bed for it was allowed him after the members of the master's family were supplied. Moss mattresses also ware used under the feather beds and slaves did not need to have as thiofc a feather bed on that account. They ware comfortable though an3 Randall remembers how he and the other children used to fall down in the middle of the bed and become hidden from view, so soft was tho feathei* mattress• It was especially good to get in bed In winter but not so pleasant to get up unless •pappy1 had made the fire early enough for the large one-room oabln to get warm. Tha children oalled their own pvents fp*ypyf and •raamny* in slavery time* 1$& Randall renumbers how after a foot-washing. In the old wooden tub* (whiohf by the way, was simply a berrel out In half and holes out in the two sides for fingers to oat oh a hold) he would sit a fe* minutes with his feet held to the fire so they could dry* He also said his •mamogr1 would rub grease under the soles of his feet to kee,; him from taking sold. It seemed to the ohlld that he had Just gone to bed when the old tallow oandle was lifted and his 'peppy* arose and fell upon his knees and prayed aloud for Qod's blessings ^nd thanked him for another day* The field hands wan? to be in the field by fi*s o9olook aniit mount to rise before day, summer and winter. Sot so bad in summer for it was soon day but In winter the weather was oold and darkness was longer passing away* When daylight oame field bands had been working an hour or more* Robert Lee, Randall9s father was an over- seer and it meant for him to be up and out with the rest of the men so he eould see if things ware going allrlght* The Randall ohildrsn were mot foreed up early beoeuse they did not eat breakfast with their 'pappy1 • Their mother was dinin^rocm girl in her mistress1 house 9 so fed the children right from the Miller table. There was no object ion offered to this* Dootor filler was kind but he did not want his slaves enlightened too nuoh. Therefore, he did not allow muoh prsabidng in the ehuroh. They eould have prayer meeting all they wanted to9 but instructions from the Bible were thought dangerous for the slaves. He did not wish them to beeome too wiee and get it into their heads to rm away and get free* There was talk about freedom and Dootor Miller knew it would be only a natter of time when he would loose all his slaves. He said to Randall's mother one day, "Delhia you'll soon be as trw as I **•* She said* "Sho9 nuf massy?* and he answered* «You sure will." nothing more ems said to any of the -t. 200 3 lares until Sherman's array same through notifying tho slaves they were free. $10 presence of the soldiors caused sash a ooranotien around tlio planta- tion that Randalls nlnd was indelibly impressed with their doings. flae northorn soldiers took all tho food they ooald got thoir hands on and took possession of tho oattlo and horses and mules. Levi, the trotter of Randall, and who was named aftor his paternal grandfather, was put on a anlo and tho mule loaded with provisions and sent two miles to the sold»r*s eaap. Levi liked that* for beside boing well treated ho received several pleoos of money. The federal soldiers played with hia and gave him all the food ho wanted, although tho Killer slaves and thoir children were fod and there was no reason for the ohlld to he hungry* Levi Leo, the grandfather of youn^ Levi and Randall, hod a dream while the soldiers were enoampod- round about the plsoo. Bo dreaaod that a pot of money, was burled in a certain plane; tho person who showed it to hia told hia to go dig for it on tho first rainy night. He kept tho dream a seorot and on the first rainy night ho went, dug* end found tho pot of aonoy right whom his dream had told hia it would be* »o took tho pot of none/ to his oabtn sad told no one anything about it. go hid it an soonrely as possible* but when tho soldiers were searching for gold and silver a©nay they did not leave tho legro's oafain out of tho sear on. when they found tho money they thought Lovl's aaster had given hia tho aoaey to hi da as they took it from hia. tori mourned a loag tlae about the loss of his aonoy and often told his grandchildren that ho would have boon well fined when froodoa oaao if ho had not been robbed of his aonoy* "Paddyroles" as the aon wore callod who wero sont by tho Rebels to watoh tho slaves to prevent thoir escaping during war tiaos, were Tory aotlwa aftor freodoa. They intimidated tho *egroos and threatened thorn with toss of llfo if thoy did not stay snd work for thoir former masters. Sootor Miller did not want 2ms ~8- any of his elates treated in suoh Banner. He told ttien they were free and oould take whatever name they desired. Robert L**» during slavery was Robert SJiller, as were all of the doctor1 s slaves. After slavery was ended he chose the name Lee* His brother Aaron took the name Alexander not thinking how it looked for two brothers of the same parents to have different surnames* There are sons of eaoh brother living in Palatka now9 one set Lees and the others, Alexander* Randall, as was formerly stated, spent a very little time in slavery* Most of his knowledge concerning customs which long ago have been abandoned and replaced by more modern ones* is of early reconstruction days* Just after the Civil War, when his father bagan farming on his own plantation, his mother remained home and oared for her house and children. SPhe was of fair complexion, having been the daughter of a half-breed Indian and Negro mother. Her father waswhlte* H«r native state was Virginia and she bore some of the aristocratic traits so common asaong those born in that state of such parentage. She often boasted of her "blue blood Virginia stoato** Robert Lee, Randall*s father was rmry prosperous in early reconstruction days. He owned horses• oules and a plow* The plow was made of point iron v*ith a wooden handle, not like plows of today for they are of oast iron and steal. Chiukens, ducks and geesa ware raised in abundance and money bagan ac- cumulating rapidly for Robert and D«lhla Lee. They b^aa improving their property and trying to give their otaildren some education. It was very hard even for those living in small towns and out in the country to go to sobool/tlough they had money to pay for their education* Tht north sent teachers down but not ^i$ry hamlet was favored with such* (1) Randall was taught to farm and he learned well* He saved his money as he worked and grew to manhood* Years after freedom he left South Carolina 2*71 and went to Palatka, Florida, where ho is today. He bought some land and although moat of it is hawaook land and not web good, ho has at intervals boon offered good prises for it. some white people daring the •boom* of 1926-26 offered hia a few dollars an asro for it hat ho rofaood to soil thinking a better priee would ho off or ad if ho hold on* (8) Today finds Randall Lee, an old nan with fairly god health} ho stated that h« had not had a doctor for yoars and his thinking faoultias aro in good order. His eyesight is failing hut ho dooa not allow that to handicap hia in ^ttlng about. Ho talks fluently about what h« roooOboro oonoorning slavery and that whioh his parents told hia. Ho is between a mtlatto and brown skin with good, mixed gray and blaok hair. His foatares aro regular• not showing auoh Negro blood. Ho is tall and looks to weigh about one hundred and sixty-five pounds* His wife lives with hio in their two-story frame house whioh shows that tney haw* had better days f iaanoiaHy. The man and wife both show Interest in the progress of the Regra raoe and possess soae books about the history of the negro. One book of pertiouler interest, and of whioh the wife of Randall Lee thinks a great dealt was written, aooording to her story, by John Brown. It is oailed «The History of the Colored Raoe in Aa»rioa." She oould not find but a few pagw of It when Intenrlawod by deoiered aha had o*n*d the entire book for years* Tha p«-gaa 'aha had and showed with sash pride were 415 to 449 inoluaitso The book was written la tha yaar 1836 and the fw pagsa prodaoad by hr gave Information oonoerning tha Xagro, Lo^Joy of 3t# lpuls9 ill38our!• It is the same man for whom tha alty of Lotejoy* Illinois Is naiied. Tha other book aha holds with prlda and guards jealonaly is •The college of Life* by Hoary Davenport Korthrop D#D*t Honorable Joseph a. gay and Professor I. garland Penn« It was entered, aooording to tha A«t of Congress In the y*ar 1900 by Horaoa Co Fry* In tha off loo of tha Ubrariaa of Qon&fa* at ffashington, D# C#> (3) -*- 203 ?tola B. »»«• S***» Jtetorviow yiald worteor RMaall ]>• Coapl«b« f*alattea, FlerUa 11 oagra 1. Randall LM« 600 Branson 3tr«et, FaUtka* Florida. 2. Mrs. S«ssi« Bates, 418 South Slavanth Straat, Falatka* Florida. 3. Obi«rTat ion of Fiald Workar. 90034 FEDERAL WRITERS* PROJECT £04 American Guide,(Negro Writers* Unit) Jacksonville, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker December 5, 1936 Complete 3,030 Words 7 ^gea Edward Lvcurgas " Pap tell us 'nether story •bout do war - and 'bout de fust time you saw mamma," It has been almost 60 years since a group of children gathered about their father's knee, clamoring for another story. They listened round-eyed to stories they al- ready knew because "pap" had told them so many times before. These narratives along with the great changes he has seen, were carefully recorded in tne mind of Edward, the only one of this group now alive, "Pap" was always ready to oblige with the story they never tired of. He could always be depended upon to begin at the beginning, for he loved to tell it, "It all begun with our ship being took off the coast of New Port News, Virginia. We wuz runnin' the blockade- sellin* guns and what-not to them Northerners, We aint had no thin' to do wid de war, unnerstand, we English folks was atrer dfl money. Whose War? The North and South's, of course. I hear my captain say many a time as how they was play in1 ball wid the poor niggers. One size says'You cant keep your niggersp.essen you pay em and treat em like J Slave Interview Page 2 £05 pearl Randolph **G Jacksonville, Florida other folks.1 Mind you dat wasnt de rale reason, they was mad at de South but it was one of de ways dey could be hurled- to free de niggers." "De South says *Dese is our niggers and we'll do dian as we please, and so de rumpus got wuss dan it was afore. The North had all do money, and called itself de Gov'ment. The South aint had nothin1, but a termination not to be out-did, so we dealt wid de North, De South was called de Rebels," "So when dey see a ship off they coast, they hailed it and when we kep goin», they fired at us, *Twan,t long afore we was being unloaded and marched oil to the lousiest jail I ever been in, my captain kep tellin' em we was English subjects and oould not be helt. Me, I was a scairt man, cause I was always free, and over here dey took it for granted da$ all black men should be slaves." " The jailer felt of my muscles one day, when he had marched me out at the point of his musket to fill de watering troughs for de horses. He wanted to know who I blong ter, and offered to buy me, ihen nobody claimed me, txi^y was foroeci to let me go long wid de other Britishers and as our ship had been destroyed, we had to git back home best we could. Dey didn't dare hold us no longer." "As de was was still being fit, we was forced to sep- arate, cause a lot of us would cause spicion, traipsing »bout do oounryy. Me- I took oii soutnwara and way from de war belt, traveling as far as Saint Augustine. It was a dangerous journey, as anybody was liable to pick me off for a runaway slave. I was forced to hide in de day time Slave Interview Page 3 0()(\ Pearl Randolph FEC ^^ Jacksonville, Florida if I was near a settlement and travel at night, I met many run- away slaves. Some was trying to get North and fight for de free- ing of they people; others was jes runnin* way cause dey could. Many of dem didn't had no idea where dey was goin' and told of havin1 good marsters. But one and all dey had a good strong notion ter see what it was like to own your own body." "I felt worlds better when I reched Saint Augustine, Many ships landed there and I knowed I could get my way back at least to de West Indies, where I come frum. I showed my papers to everybody dat mounted ter anything and dey knowed I was a free nigger, I had plenty of money on me and I made a big ter do mong de other free men I met. One day I went to the slave market and watched em barter off po niggers lake dey was hogs. Whole families sold together and some was split- mother gone to one marster and father and children gone to others." * "They'd bring a slave out on the flatform and open his mouth, pound his chest, mal:e him harden Bis muscles so the buyer could see what he was gittin'. Young men was called1 bucks1 and young women'wenches'. The person that offered the best price was de buyer. And dey shore did git rid uf some pretty gals, Dey alwajs looked so shame and pitiful up on dat stand wid all dem men standiiJl dere lookin' at em wid what dey had on dey minds shinin1 in they eyes One little gal walked up and left her mammy mourning so pitiful cause she had to be sold. Seems like dey all belong in a family where nobody ever was sold. My she was a pretty gal," Slave Interview Page 4 oryy Pearl Randolph FEO 0S Pearl Randolph FEC Jacksonville, Florida his mother tell of the "patter-rollers", a group of white men who caught and administered severe whippings to these unfortunate slaves, Thye also tforraled slaves back to their masters if they were caught out after nine o'clock at night without a pass from their masters, George Lycurgas was born at Liverpool,England and became a seaman at an early age, Edward thinks he might have had a fair education if he had had the chance. The mother, Julia Gray, Lycurgas, was the daughter of Barbara and David Gray, slaves of the Flemings of Clay County, Florida, These 8laves were inherited from generation to gene- ration and no one ever thought to sell one except for punishment or in dire necessity. They were treated kindly and like most slaves of the wealthy, had no knowledge of the real cruelties of slavery, but upon the death of their owner it became necessary to parcel the slaves out to different heirs, some of whom did not believe in hold- ing these unfortunates. These would-be abolitionists,were rot averse to placing at auction their share of the slaves, however. It was on this occasion that George Lycurgas saw and bought the girl who was to become his wife. Both are now dead, also -11 ox tne several ohildren except Edward who tells their story here, Edward Lycurgas was born on October 28, 1872, at Saint Augustine, Florida shortly after the return of the family from the West Indies, He lived on his father*e farm sharing at an early age the hard work that seemed always in abundance, and listening in awe Slave Interview Page 6 onn Pearl Randolph FEC rfsOy Jacksonville, Florida to the stories of the recent war. He heard his elders give thanks for their freedom when they attended church and wondered what itw was all about. No one failed to attend church on Sundays and all work ceased in a vicinity where a camp meeting was held* Farmers flocked to the meeting from all parts of Saint Johns County. They brought food in their large baskets. Some owned buggies but most of them hauled their families in wagons or walked. The camp meet- ings would sometimes last for several days according to the spirit- ual fervor exhibited by those attending. Lycurgas recalls the stirring sermons and spirituals that rang through the woods and could be heard for several miles on a clear day. And the river baptisms! These climaxed the meetings and were attended by large crowds of whites in the neighborhood. All,candidates were dressed in white gowns, stockings and towels would about their heads bandana fashion. Tow by two they marched to the river from the spot where they had dressed. There was always some stiring song to accompany their slow march to the river. "Take me to the water to be baptized" was the favorite spiritual for this occasion. As in all things, some attended camp meetings for the opportunity it afforded them to indulge in illicit love making. Others went to show their finery and there was plenty of it acoording to Lycurgas1 statement. There seemed to be beautiful clothing, fine teams and buggies everywhere- a sort of reaction from the restraint Slave Interview Pearl Randolph Jacksonville, Florida fSF ? 210 upon them in slavery. Many wore olothing they could not afford. There seemed to be a deeper interest in politics during these times. Mass meetings, engineered by "carpet baggers" were often held and largely attended, although the father of Edward did not hold with these activities very much* He often heard the preacher point out Negroes who attended the meetings and attained prominence in politics as an example for members of hie flock to follow. He believes he recalls hearing the name of Joseph Gibbs. Next to the preacher, the Negro school teacher was held in greatest respect. Until the year of the "shake" (earthquake of 1886) there were no Negro school teachers on Saint Johns County and no school buildings. They attended classes at the fort and were taught by a white woman who had come from "up nawth" for this pur- pose. Edward was able to learn very little from his blue back Webster because his help was needed on the farm. He was a lover of home, very shy and did not care much for courting. He remained with his parents until their deaths and did not leave the vicinity for many years. He is still unmarried and resides at the Clara White Mission, Jacksonville, Florida, where he receives a small salary for the piddling Jipbe about the place that he,is able to do. 4 FEDERAL WRITERS1 EROJEBT American Guide,(Negro Writers' Unit) Jacksonville, Florida 211 Pearl Randolph Field Worker Complete Slave Interview December 5, 1936 REFERENCE I, Personal interview with Edward Lycurgas, 611 West Ashley Street, Jacksonville, Florida lit"! ( \ 4 ¦"*"! FEEERAL WRITERS' PROJECT . 0^ 0 American Guide,(Negro writers' Unit) &1.6 Madison, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker November 13, 1936 Complete 1,310 Words 5 Pages Amanda MoCray Mrs, MoCray was sitting on her porch crooning softly to herself and rocking so gently that one might easily have thought the wind was swaying her chair. Her eyes were closed, her hands incredibly old and work worn were slowly folding and unfolding on her lap* She listened quietly to the interviewer1e request for some of the "high lights" of her life and finally exclaimed: "Chile why1ny you look among the living fer the high lights?" There was nothing resentful in this expression; only the patient weariness of one who has been dragged through the boundaries of a yesterday from which he was inseparable and catapulted into a present with which he has nothing in common. After being assured that her life story was of real interest to some one she warmed up and talked quite freely of the life and times ale they existed in her day. How old was she? She confessed" quite frankly that she a never "knowed" her age. She was.grownup during the Civil War when she was commandered by Union soldiers (invading the country and employed as a cook. Her owner, one Reading Pamell, possessed Slave Interview JJjP 21A Pearl Randolph FEG ^Xti Madison, Florida a hundred or more slaves and was, according to her statement very kind tto them. It was on his plantation that she was .born, Amanda McCray is one of several children born to Jacob and Mary Williams, the latter being blind since Amanda could remember. Children on the Pamell plantation led a carefree existence until they were about 13 years of age;when they were put to light chores like carrying water and food, pieking seed from cotton lint (there were no cotton gins), and minding the small- er children* They were duly schooled in all the current supersti- tions and listened to the tales of ghosts and animals that talked and reasoned, tales common to the Negro today. Little Handy believes to this day that hogs can see the wind and that all animals talk like men on Christmas morning at a certain time. Children wore moles feet and pearl buttons around their necks to insure easy tea-thing and had their legs bathed in a concoction of wasp nest and vinegar if they were slow about learning to walk. This was supposed to strengthen the weak limbs. It was a common occurence to see a child of two or three years still nursing at the mother*s breast. Their masters encouraged the slaves to do this, thinking it made strong bones and teeth. At Christmas time the slave children all trouped to «de big house" and stood outside crying "Christmas gift" to their master and mistress. They were never dissapointed. Gifts consisted mostly of oandies, nuts and fruits but there was always some useful Slave Interview Page 3 04A Pearl Randolph FEC ^-^ Madison, Florida article of clothing included, something they were not accustomed to having. One little Handy received a beautiful silk dress from A her young mistress, who knew how much she liked beautiful clothes. She was a very happy child and loved the dress so much that she never wore it except on some special occasion, Amanda was trained to be a house servant, learning to cook and knit from the blind mother who refused to let this handicap affect her usefulness. She liked best to sew the fine muslins and silks of her mistress, making beautifu 1 hooped dresses that required eight and ten yards of cloth and sometimes as many as seven petticdats to enhanoe their fullness* Hoops for these dresses were made of grape-vines that were shaped while green and cured in the sun before using* Beautiful imported laces were used to trim the petticoats and pantaloons of the wealthy* The Pamell slaves had a Negro minister who could hold services an£ time he chose, so long as he did not interfere with the work of the other slaves* He was not obliged to do hard menial labors and went about the plantation "all dressed up" in a frook coat and store-bought shoes* He was more than a little conscious of this and was held in awe by the others* He often visited neighbor- ing plantations to hold his services* It was ffom this minister that they first heard of the Civil War* He held whispered prayers for the success of the Union soldiers, not because freedom was so desirable Slave Interview 25;S© 4 , q>c Pearl Randolph S^C ~XO Madison, Florida to them,hut for other slaves who were treated so cruelly. There was a praying ground where "the grass never had a chanoet ter grow fer the troubled knees that kept it crushed down." Amanda was an exceptionally good cook and so widespread was this knowledge that the union soldiers employed her as a cook in their oamp for a short while. She does not remem- ber an& of their officers and thinks theye" were no better nor worse than the others. These soldiers committed no depredations in her section except to confiscate whatever they wanted in the way of food and clothing. Some married southern girls, Mr. Pamell made $and grants to all slaves who wanted to remain with him; few left, so kind had he been to them all. Life went on in much the same manner for Amanda^ family excspt that the children attended school where a white teacher instructed them from a "blue back Webster." Amanda was a young woman but she managed to learn to read a little. Later they had colored teachers who followed much the same routine as the whites had. They were held in awe by the other Negroes and every little girl yearned to be a teacher, as this was about the only professional field open to Negro women at that time, "After de war Negroes blossomed out with fine phaetons (buggies) and ceiled houses, and clothes-oh my!" Mrs. McCray did not keop up with the politics of her Slave Interview Page 5 Pearl Randolph FEO ** Madison, Florida time but remembers hearing about Joe Gibbs, member of the Florida Legislature, There was much talk then of Booker T, Washington, and many thought him a fool for trying to start a school in Alabama for Negroes, She recalls the Negro post master who served two or three terms at Madison. She could not give his name. There have been three widespread "panics" (de- pressions) during her lifetime but Mrs. McCray thinks this is the worst one. During the Civil far, coffee was so dear that meal was parched and used as a substitute but now, she remarked,"you can't hardly git the meal for the bread," Her husband and children are all dead and she lives with a niece who is no longer young herself. Circumstances ars poor here. The niece eaans her living as laundress and domestic worker, receiving a very poor wage. Mrs, McCray is now quit© in- firm and almost blind. She seems happiest.talking of the past that was a bit kinder to her. At present she lives on the northeast corner of First and Macon Streets, The postoffioe address is # 11, Madison, Florida. Madison, Florida Pearl Randolph Slave Interview Field Worker November 13, 1936 Complete REFERENCE I. Personal interview with Amanda MoCray, First and Maoon Streets, Madison, Florida 90005 FEDERAL WRITERS* PROJECT 218 American Guide, (Negro writers' Unit) Titusville, Florida Alfred Farrell Slave Interviews Field worker September 35, 1936 Complete John A. simms 1,399 Words Editor 7 Page8 Henry Maxwell "Up from Slavery* might well be called this short biographical sketch of Henry Maxwell, who first saw the light of day on October 17, 1859 in Lownes County, Georgia. His mother Ann, was born in Virginia, and his father Robert, was born in South Carolina. Captain Peters, Ann's owner, bought Robert Maxwell from Charles Howell as a husband for Ann. To this union were born seven children, two girls- Elizabeth and Rosetta- and five boys- Richard, Henry, Simms, Solomon and Sotmie. After the death of Captain Peters in 1863, Elizabeth and Richard were sold to the Gaines family. Rosetta and Robert (the father) were purchased from the Peters' estate by I sham Peters, Captain Peters' son, and Henry and Simms were bought by James Bamburg, husband of Izzy Peters, daughter of Captain Peters. (Solomon and Sonnie were born after slavery.) Just a tot when the Civil War gave him and his people freedom, Maxwell's memories of bondage-days are vivid through the experiences related by older Negroes. He relates Slave Interviews Page 2 219 Alfred Farrell FEC Titusville, Florida the story of the plantation owner who trained his dogs to hunt escaped slaves. He had a Negro youth hide in a tree some distance away, and then he turned the pack loose to follow him* One day he released the bloodhounds too soon, and they soon overtook the boy and tore him to pieces. When the youth's mother heard of the atrocity, she burst into tears which were only silenced by the threats of her owner to set the dogs on her. . Maxwell also relates tales of the terrible beatings that the slaves received for being oatght with a book or for trying to run away* After the Civil War thA Maxwell family was united for a short while, and later they drifted apart to go their various ways, Henry and his parents resided for a while longer in Lownes County, and in 1880 they came to Titusville, with the two younger children, Solomon and Sonnie, Here Henry secured work with a farmer for whom he worked for $12 a month. In 1894 he purchased a small orange grove and began to cultivate oranges• Today he owns over 30 acres of orange groves and controls nearly 200 more acres. He is said to be worth around #250,000 and is Titusville's most in- fluential and respected colored citizen. He is married but has no children, (l) Slave Interviews Page 3 £20 Alfred Farrell FEC Titusville, Florida Titus T. Bvnes 'U erty of Overtree until freed, « On the Overtree plantation the slave children were allowed considerable time for play until their tenth or twelfth years; Lindsey took full advantage of this oppor- * tunity and became very skillful at marble-shooting. It was here that he first learned to utilize his talents profitably, •Massa Overtree1 discovered the ability of Lindsey and ano- ther urchin to shoot marbles, and began taking them into town to compete with the little slaves of other owners* There would be betting on the winners* Mr. Overtree won some money in this manner, Lindsey and his companion being consistent winners* But Lindsey SLAVE INTERVIEW PALASKA, ELA. page 2 g«>n MARTIN RICHARDSON EEC ^^l saw possibilities other than the glory of his victories in this new game; with pennies that some of the spectators tossed him he began making small wagers of his own with his competitors, and soon had amassed quite a small pile of sil- ver for those days* Although shoes were unheard-of in Lindsey'e youth, he used to watch carefully whenever a cow was skinned and its hide tanned to make shoes for the women and the • folks in the big house'• Through his attention to the tanning oper* ations he learned everything about tanning except one solu- tion that he could not discover* It was not until years lat- ter that he learned that the jealously-guarded ingredient was plain salt and water* By the time he had learned it, however, he had so mastered the tanning operations that he at once added it to his sources of livelihood* Lindsey escaped much of the farm work on the Overtree place by learning to skillfully assist the women who made cloth out of the cotton from the fields* He grew very fast at cleaning 'rods1, clearing the looms and other operations; when, at thirteen, it became time for him to pick cotton he had become so fast at helping with spinning and weighing the cotton that others had picked that he almost entirely es- caped the picking himself* Soap-making was another of the plantation arts that slavs iirmviiw PALATE A Page 3 p«Vf 1C*D«RICHARDSPH EEC ^ox ^indsey mastered early* His ability to save every possible ounce of grease from the meats he cooked added many choice bits of pork to his otherwise meatless fare; he was able to spend many hours in the shade pouring water over oak ashes that other young slaves were passing picking cotton or hoeing potatoes in the burning sun, Lindsey's first knowledge of the approach of freedom came when he heard a loud brass band coming down the road toward the plantation playing, a strange, lively tune while a number of soldiers in blue uniforms marched behind* He ran to the front gate and was ordered to take chargeN>f the horse of one of the officers in such an abrupt tone until he fbegin to shaking in my bare feet I • There followed much talk between the officers and lindsey's mistress, with the soldiers finally going into encampment a short distance away from the plantation* The soldiers took command of the spring that was used for a water supply for the plantation, giving Lindsey ano- ther opportunity to make money* He would be sent from the plantation to the spring for water, and on the way back would pass through the camp of the soldiers* These would be happy to pay a few pennies for a cup of water rather than take the long hike to the Spring themselves; Mndsey would empty bucket after bucket before finally returning to the plantation. Out of his profits he bought his first"pair of slave intirviot PALATKA ^age 4 MARTIN RICHARDSON EEC shoes -»— though nearly a grown man* Ehe soldiers finally departed, with all but five of the Overtree slaves joyously trooping behind them* Before leaving, however, they tore up the railroad and its station, burning the ties and heating the rails until red then twis- ting them around tree-trunks, TJheat fields were trampled by their horses, and devastation left on all sides* Lindsey and his mother were among those who stayed at the plantation* Hien freedom became general his father be- gan farming on a tract that was later turned over to Lind- sey, lindsey operated the farm for a while, but later de- t sired to learn horseshoeing, and apprenticed himself to a blacksmith. At the end of three years he had become so pro- ficient that his former master rewarded him with a five-dol- lar bonus for shoeing one horse* Possessing now the trades of black smithing, tanning and weaving-and-spinning, Lindsey was tempted to follow some of his former associates to the North, but was discouraged from doing so by a few who returned, complaining bitterly about the unaccustomed cold and the difficulty of making a living. He moved South instead and settled in the area ar- ound Palatka, He is still in the section, being recognized as an excellent blacksmith despite his more than four-score years • 232 SLAVS INTERVIEW PiSLATKA page 5 0^3 H.D.RICHARDSON EEC BIBLIOGRAPHY Interview with subject, Lindsey Moore, 1114 Madison Street, Palatka, EL a, 234 FEDERAL WRITERS» PROJECT American Guide, (Negro Writers' Unit) Jacksonville, Florida J.M. Johnson Slave Interview Field Worker September 18, 1936 Complete Jok& A« Simms J.,323 Words • Editor 7 Pages tVtacX hVj Mack Mullen, a former slave who now lives at 531 W* First street, Jacksonville, Florida, was born in Americus, Georgia in 1857, eight years before Eman- cipation, on a plantation which covered an area of approx- imately five miles• Upon this expansive plantation about 300 slaves lived and labored. At its main entrance stood a large white colonial mansion* In this abode lived Dick Snellings, the master, and his family. The Snellings plantation pro- duced cotton, corn, oats, wheat, peanuts, potatoes, cane and other comraoditiea. The live stock consisted primarily of hogs and cattle. There was on the plantation what was known as a "crib," where oats,corn and wheat were stored, and a "smoke house" for pork and beef. The slaves received their rations weekly, it was apportioned according to the number in the family. Mack Mullen's mother was named Ellen and his father Sam* Ellen was "house woman" and Sam did the black- Slave Interview Page 3 9***1 J.M. Johneon FEC fyKjKj Jacksonville, Florida smithing, Ellen personally attended Mrs. Snellings, the master's irife. Mack being quite young did not have any par- ticular duties assigned to him, but stayed around the Snell- ings mansion and played. Sometimes "marster" Snellings would take him on his knee &nd talk to him. Mack remembers that he often told him that some day he was going to be a noble man. He said that he was going to make him the head overseer. He would often give him candy and money and take him in his buggy for a ride,. Plantation Life: The slaves lived in cabins called quarters, which were constructed of lumber and logs, A white man was their overseer, he assigned the slaves their respective tasks. There was also a slave known as a "caller? He came around to the slave cabins every morning at four o'clock and blew a "cow-horn11 which was the signal for the 8 lave a to get up and prepare themselves for work in the fields* All of them on hearing this horn would arise and prepare their mealj by six o'clock they were on their way to the fields. They would work all day, stopping only for a brief period at midday to eat. Mack Mullens says that some of the most beautiful spirituals were sung while they labored. The women wore towels wrapped around their heads for protection from the sun,and most of them smoked pipes. Slave Interview Page 3 o*7C\ J.M. Johnson FEC (<'ou Jacksonville, Florida The overseer often took Mack with him astride his horse as he made his "rounds" to inspect the work being done. About sun- down, the "cow-horn" of the caller was blown and all hands stopped work, and made their way back to their cabins. One behind the other they marohed singing "I'm gonna wait 'til Jesus Comes." After arriving at their cabins they would pre- pare their meals; after eating they would sometimes gather in . front of a cabin and da ice to the tunee played on the fiddle and the drum. The popular dance at that time was known as the / / "figure dance." At nine p.m. the overseeifwould come around; everything was supposed to be quiet at that hour. Some of the slaves would "turn in" for the night while others would remain up as long as they wished or as long as they were quiet. The slaves were sometimes given special holidays and on those days they would give"quilting"parties^quilt making) and dances. These parties were sometimes held on their own plan- tation and sometimes on a neighboring one. Slaves who ordinarily wanted to visit another plantation had to get a permit from the master. If they were caught going off the plantation without a permit, they were severely whipped by the "patrolmen" (white men especially assigned to patrol duty around the plantation to pre- vent promiscuous wandering from plantations and "runaways.") Whipping: There was a white man assigned only to whip the slaves when they were insubordinate; howrver, they Slave Interview Page 4 237 J.M. Johnson FEC Jacksonville, Florida were not allowed to whip them too severely as "Marstei?' Snellings would not permit it. He would say"a slave ia of no use tome beaten to death,w Marriage; When one slave fell in love „with another and wanted to marry they were given a license and the matrimony was "sealed." There was no marriage ceremony per- formed. A license was all that was necessary to be considered married. In. the event that the lovers lived on separate planta- tions the master of one of themwould buy the other lover or wed- ded one so that they would be together. When this could not be arranged they would have to visit one another, but live on their respective plantations. Religion; The slaves had a regular church house, which was a small size building constructed of boards. Preach- ing was conducted by a colored minister especially assigned to this duty. On Tuesday evenings prayer meeting was held; on Thurs- day evenings, preaching; and on Sundays both morning and evening ti preaching. At these services the slaves *rould "get happy" and shout excitedly. Those desiring to accept Christ were admitted for baptism. Baptism; On baptismal day, the candidates attired in white robes which they had made, marched down to the river where they were immersed by the minister. Slaves from neighboring Slave Interview • Page 5 Q'AR J.M. Johnson FEO *"^° Jacksonville, Florida plantations would come to witness this sacred ceremony* Mack Mullen recalls that many times his "marster" on going to view a baptism took him along in his "buggy. It was a happy scene, he relates. The slaves would be' there in great numbers scattered about over the banks of the river. Much shouting and singing went on. Some of the "aeisters" and "brothers" would get so "happy" that they would lose control of themselves and "fall out," It was then said that the Holy Ghost had "struck 'em.* The other slaves would view this phenomena with awe and reverence, and wait for them to "come out of it." "Those were happy days and that was real religion," Mack Mullen said. Education; The slaves were not given any formal education, however, Mullen's master was not as rigid as some of the slave-holders in prohibiting the slaves from learning to read and write. Mrs, Snellings, the mistress, taught Mack's mother to read and write a little, and Mr. Snellings also taught Mack's father how to read, write and figure. Having learned a little they would in turn impart their knowledge to their fellow slaves. Fr»edon; Mullen vividly recalls the day that they heard of their emancipation; loud reports from guns were heard echoing through the woods and plantations; after awhile "Yankee" soldiers came and informed them that they were free, Mr, Snellings Slave Interview Page 6 j;M. Johnson ™ Jacksonville, Florida He was one of the construction foremen of the Windsor Hotel, Mack Mullen is tall, grey haired, sharp featured and of Caucasian strain(his mother was a mulatto) with a keen mind and an appearance that belies his 75 years* He laments that he was freed because his master was good to his slaves; he saysnwe had everything we wanted; never did I think I*d come to this- got to get relief." (1) FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJECT American Guide, (Wegro Writers* Unit) 24£ Jacksonville, Florida j;M. Johnson Slave Interview Field Worker September 18, 1936 Complete John A, Simms Editor REFERENCE I. From an interview with Mack Mullen, a former slave at his residence, 531 West First Street, Jacksonville Florida. J-i "v ?* 'Q 242 FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT American Guide,(Negro Writers' Unit) Jacksonville, Florida J.M. Johnson Slave Interview Field Worker November 17, 1936 Complete 1,450 Words 6 Pages Louie Napoleon About three miles from South Jacksonville proper down the old Saint Augustine Road lives one Louis Napoleon an ex-slave, bom in Tallahassee, Florida about 1857, eight years prior to Emancipation, His parents were Scipio and Edith Napoleon, being originally owned by Colonel John S. Sammis of Arlington, Florida and the Floyd family of Saint Marys, Georgia, respectively* Scipio and Edith were sold to Arthur Randolph, a physi- cian and large plantation owner of Fort Louis, about five miles from the capitol at Tallahassee. On this large plantation that covered and area of about eight miles and composed approximately of 90 slaves is where Louis Napoleon first saw the light of day. Louis' father was known as the wagoner. His duties were to haul the commodities raised on the plantation and other things that required a wagon. His mother Edith, was known as a "breeder" and was kept in the palatial Randolph mansion to looa oloth for the Randolph family and slaves. The cloth was made from the cot- ton raised on the plantation's fertile fields. As Louis was so young, he had no particular duties, only to look for hen nests, Slavs Interview Page 3 P/3Q J.M. Johnson EEC ^° Jacksonville, Florida gather eggs and play with the master*s three young boys. There were seven children in the Randolph family, three young boys, two "missy" girls and two grown sons. Louis would go fishing and hunting with the three younger boys and otherwise engage with them in their childish pranks. He says that his master and mistress were very kind to the slaves and would never whip them, nor would he allow the "driver" who was a white man named Barton to do so. Barton lived in a home especially built for him on the plantation. If the "driver" whipped any of them, all that was necessary for the slave who had oeen whipped was to report it to the master and the "driver" was dismissed, as he was a salaried man. Plantation Lifef The slaves lived in log cabins especially built for them. They were ceiled and arranged in such a manner as to retain the heat in winter from the large fireplaces con- structed therein. Just before the dawn of day, the slaves were aroused from their slumber by a loud blast from a cow-horn that was blown by the "driver" as a signal to prepare themselves for the fields. The Plantation being so expansive, those who had to go a long distance to the area where they worked, were taken in wagons, those working nearby walked. They took their meals along with them and had their 'oreakfast and dinner on the fields. An hour was allowed for this pur- pose. The slaves worked while they sang spirituals to break the mo- notony of long nous of work. At the setting of the sun, with their Slave Interview Page 3 £>44- J.M. Johnson FEO ~^ Jacksonville, Florida day's work all done, they returned to their cabins and prepared their evening's meal. Having finished this, the religious among them would gather at one of the cabin doors and give thanks to God in the form of long supplications and old fashioned songs. Many of them being highly emotional would respond in shouts of hallelujahs sometimes causing the entire group to become "happy" concluding in shouting and praise to God. The wicked slaves ex- pended theit pent up emotions in song and dance? Gathering at one of the cabin doors they would sing and dance to the tunes of a fife, banjo or fiddle that was played by one of their number. Finished with this diversion they would retire to await the dawn of a-new day which indicated more work. The various plantations had white men employed as "patrols" whose duties were to see that the slaves remained on their own plantations, and if they were caught going off without a permit from the master, they were whipped with a "raw hide" by the "driver." There was an exception to this rule,however, on Sundays the religious slaves were allowed to visit other plantations where religious services were being held without liaving to go through the matter of having a permit. Religion. There was a free oolored man who was called "Father James Page," owned by a family of Parkers of Tallahassee* He was freed by them to go and preach to his own people. He could read and write and would visit all the plantations in Tallahassee,preach- ing the gospel. Each plantation would get a visit from him one Sun- day of each month. The slaves on the Randolph plantation would con- Slave Interview Page 4 0/1r J;M. Johnson FEC &*0 Jacksonville, Florida gregate in one of the cabins to receive him where he would read the Bible and preach and sing* Many times the services were punctuated by much shouting from the "happy ones," At these services the sacrament was served to those who had ac- cepted Christ, those who had not, and were willing to accept Him were received and prepared for baptism on the next visit of "Father Page," On the day of baptism, the candidates were attired in long white flowing robes, which had been made by one of the slaves. Amidst singing and praises they marohed, being flanked on each side by other believers, to a pond or lake on the plantation and after the usual ceremony they were "ducked" into the water. This was a day of muoh shouting and praying. Education. The two "missy" girls of the Randolph family were dutiful each Sunday morning to teach the slaves their catechism or Sunday School lesson. Aside from this there was no other training. The War and freedom. Mr, Napoleon relates that the doctor's two oldest sons went to the war with the Confederate army, also the white "driver," Barton. His place was filled by one of the slaves, named Peter Parker, At the closing of the war, word was sent around among the slaves that if they heard the report of a gun, it was the Yankees and that they were free. Slave Interview Page 5 o&a J.M. Johnson FEG ~^ Jacksonville, Florida It was in May, in the middle of the day, cotton and corn being planted, plowing going on, and slaves busily engaged in their usual activities, when suddenly the loud report of a gun resounded, then could be heard the slaves crying almost en-masse, "dems de Yan- kees," Straightway they dropped the plows, hoes and other farm im- plements and hurried to their cabins. They put on their best clothes "to go see the Yankees." Through the countryside to the town of Tallahassee they went. The roads were quickly filled with these happy souls. The streets of Tallahassee were clustered with these jubilant people going here and tfrere to get a glimpse of the Yan- kees, their liberators, uapoleon says it was a joyous and un-forget- able occasion. When the Randolph slaves returned to their plantation, Dr. Randolph told them that they were free, and if they wanted to go away, they could, and if not, they could remain with him and he would give them half of what was raised on the farms. Some of them left, however, some remained, having no place to go, they decided it was best to remain until the crops came off, thus earning enough to help them in their new venture in home seeking. Those slaves who were too old and not physically able to work, remained on the planta- tion and were oared for by Dr. Randolph until their death. Napoleon's father,Scipio, got a transfer from the government to his former master, Colonel Sammis of Arlington, and there he lived for awhile. He soon got employment with a Mr. Hatee Slave interview Page 6 o/vy J.M. Johnson EEC wi' Jacksonville, Florida of the town and after earning enough money, bought a tract of land from him there and farmed. There his family lived and in- creased. Louis being the oldest of the children obtained odd jobs with the various, settlers, among them being Governor Reid of Florida who lived in South Jacksonville. Governor Reid raised cattle for market and Napoleon*s job was to bring them across the Saint Johns River on a lifter to Jacksonville, where they were sold. Louis Napoleon is now aged and infirm, his father and mother having died many years ago. He now lives with one of his younger brothers who has a fair sized orange grove on the south side of Jacksonville. He retains the property that his father first bought after freedom and on which they lived in Arlington, His hair white and he is bent with age and ill health but his mental facul- ties are exceptionally keen for one of his age. He proudly tells you that his master was good to his "niggers" and cannot recall but one time that he saw him whip one of them and that when one tried to run away to the Yankees. Only memories of a kind master in his days of servitude remain with him as he reoalls the dark days of slavery. FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJECT American Guide,(Negro Writers* Unit) £48 Jacksonville, Florida JiM. Johnson Slave Interview Field Worker November 17, 1936 Complete REFERENCES Personal interview with Louis Napoleon, South Jacksonville, Florida 90035 FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJECT American Guide, (Negro Writers1 Unit) S49 Jacksonville, Florida Rachel A# Austin Slave Interview- Field Worker December 5, 1936 Complete REFERENCES !• Personal interview "with Margrett Nickerson, 1600 Myrtle Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida 2# Sophia Nickerson Starke, 1600 Myrtle Avenue, daughter of Margrett Nickerson, Jacksonville, Florida 90035 FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJECT American Guide, (Negro Writers1 Unit) pr^ Jacksonville, Florida ^ Rachel A. Austin Slave Interview Field Worker December 5, 1936 Complete 2,066 Words 8 Pages Margrett Miekerson In her own vernacular, Margrett Nickerson was "born to William A* Carr, on his plantation near Jackson, Leon County, many years ago*" When questioned concerning her life on this plantation, she continues: "&ow honey, its been so long ago, I donf 'member ev'ything# but I will tell you whut I Icin as near right as possible; I kin 'member five uf Marse Carr!s chillun; Florida, Susan, 'Lijah, Willie and Tom; cose Carr never 'lowed us to have a piece uf paper in our hands*" wMr* Kilgo was de fust overseer I 'member; I was big enough to tote meat an' stuff frum de smokehouse to de kitchen and to tote water in and git wood for granny to cook de dinner and fur de sucklers who nu'sed de babies, an1 I carried dinners back to de hands*" N "On dis plantation dere was 'bout a hunnerd head; cookin' was done in de fireplace in iron pots and de meals was plenty of peas, greens* cornbread burnt co'n for coffee - often de marster bought some coffee fur us; we got water frum de open well, Jes 'fore de big gun fiahed dey fotched my pa frum de bay whar he was makin' salt; he had heard dem say Tde Yankees is coming and wuz so glad*" "Dere wuz rice, cotton, co'n, tater fields to be tended to and cowhides to be tanned, thread to be spinned, and thread wuz made into ropes for plow lines*" "Ole Marse Carr fed us, but he did not care what an' whar, jes so you made dat money and when yo' made five and six bales o' cotton, said: - 2 - 'Yo1 ain don1 nuthin1." "When de big gun fiahed on a Sattidy me and Cabe and Minnie Howard wuz settin1 up co'n fur de plowers to come 'long and put dirt to fem; Carr read de free papers to us on Sunday and de co'n and cotton had to be tended to - he tola us he wuz goin1 to gif us de net proceeds (here she chuckles), what turned out to be de co*n and cotton stalks* Den he asked dem whut would stay wid him to step off on de right and dem dat wuz leavin' to step off on da left.11 "My pa made soap frum ashes when cleaning new ground - he took a hopper to put de ashes in, made a little stool side de house put de ashes in and po'red water on it to drip; at night after gittin1 off frum work hefd put in de grease and make de soap - I made it sometime and I make it now, itself*" t!My step-pa useter make shoes from cowhides fur de farm hanfs on de plantation and fur ove'body on de plantation fcept ole Marse and his fambly; dey's wuz diffunt, fine*" "My grandma wu» Pheobie Austin - my mother wuz name Rachel Jackson and my pa wus name Edmund Jack son j my mother and uncle Robert and Joe wus stolT frum Virginia and fetched here. I don1 know no niggers dat 'listed in de war; I donf 'member much fbout de wejr only when de started talking •bout drillin1 men fur de war, Joe Sanders was a lieutenant* Marse Carr's sons, Tom and Willie went to de war*11 "We didn1 had no doctors, only de grannies; we mosfly used hippecat (ipecac) fur medicine*" "As I said, Kilgo wus de fust overseer I ricollec1, then Sanders miz nexT and Joe Sanders after him; John C* Haywood came in after Sanders and when de big gun fiahed old man Brockington wus dere* I never saw a - s - ^52 /vi. nigger sold, but dey carried dem frum our house and I never seen fem no mo1 •" ^ - "We had church wid de white preachers and dey tole us to mind our masters and missus and we would be saved; if not, dey said we wouldn1* Dey never tole us nothin1 fbout Jesus* On Sunday after workin1 hard all de week dey would lay domi to sleep and be so tired; soon ez yof git sleep, de overseer would come an1 wake you up an1 make you go to church#w "y^^^ "When de big gun fiahed old man Carr had six sacks uf confederate money whut he wuz carrying wid him to Athens Georgia an* all de time if ! any uf us gals whar he wuz an' ax him fMarse please gi us some money1 (here she raises her voice to a high, pitiful tone) he says' I aint got a cent1 and right den he would have a chis so full it would take a wholT \ passle uv slaves to move it* He had plenty corn, taters, pum1kins, hogs, \ \ \oows ev'ything, but he didn1 gi us nuthin but strong plain close and [lenty to eat; we slept in ole common beds and my pa made up little cribs ^d put hay in dem fur de chillun#lf "Now ef you wanted to keep in wid Marster Carr donf drap you shoes in de field an1 leave fem- hefd beat you; you musf tote you1 shbes frum one field to de tother, didn1 a dog ud be bettern you* He'd say fYou gun-haided devil, drappin* you1 shoes and eve1thin1 over de field**H "Now jes lisfen, I wanna tell you all I kin, but I wants to tell it right; wait now, I don1 wanna make no mistakes and I don1 wanna lie on nobody- I ain* mad now and I know taint no use to lie, I takin1 my time* I donfi prayed an1 got all de malice out of my heart and I ain1 gonna tell \ no lie fer urn and I ain1 gonna tell no lie on um* I ain1 never seed no \ \ ~ ^ ~ <°_ji§2LJisj9^ jand beat him fur nothing dey would beat him and take him to de lake and pat him on a log and shev him in de lake, but he always swimmed out. TOien dey didn1 do dat dey would beat him tel de blood run outen him and deft trow him in de ditch in de field and kiwer him up wid dirt, head and years and den stick a stick up at his haid. I wuz a water toter and had stood and seen urn do him dat way more'n once and I stood and looked at urn tal dey went fway to de other rows and den I grabbed de dirt of en him and he'd bresh de dirt off and say ftank yof, git his hoe and go on back to work. Dey beat him lak dat and he didn1 do a thin1 to git dat sort uf treatment.!t v "I had a sister name Lytie Holly who didn* stand back on non* uv em; when dey'd git behin1 her, she*d git behin* demj she wuz dat stubbofn and when dey would beat her she wouldn* holler and jes take it and go on. I got some whuppin1 s wid strops but I wanter tell you why I am cripple todayi flI had to tote tater vines on my haid, me and Fred1 rick and de hanfs would be a callin fur em all over de field* but you know honey, de two us us could1 git to all uvum at once, so Joe Sanders would hurry us up by beatin1 us with strops and sticks and run us all over de tater ridgej he cripple us both up and den we couldn* git to all uv em. At night my pa would try to fix me up cose I had to go back to work nex1 day. I never 254 walked straight frum dat day to dis and I have to set here in dis chair now, but I don1 feel mad none now* I feels good and wants to go to hefven- I ain1 gonna tel no lie on white nor black oose taint no use*11 "Some uv de slaves run away, lots uv urn* Some would be cot and when dey ketched em dey put bells on ami fust dey would put a iron ban1 1 round dey neck and anuder one 'round de waist and rivet um tegether down de back; de bell would hang on de ban1 round de neck so dat it would ring when de slave walked and den dey wouldn1 git 'way* Some uv dem wore dese bells three and four mont*n and when dey time wuz up dey would take em off fem* Jake Overstreet, George Bull, John Green, Ruben Golder, Jim Bradley and a hosf uv others wore dem bells# Dis is whfct I know, not whut somebody else say* I seen dis myself. En missus, Tihen de big gun fiahed, de runerway slaves corned out de woods frum all directions* We wuz in de field when it fiahed, but I fmembers dey wuz all veiy glad*n \ "After de war, we worked but we got pay fur it*" lf01e man Pieroe and others would call some kin1 of a perlitical (political) meetin* but I could never understan1 whut dey wuz talkin* fbout* We didn1 had no kinf uv schools and all I knows but dem is dat I sent my chillums in Leon and Gadsden Counties*11 WI had lots uv sisters and brothers but I canft fmember de names of none by Lytie, Mary, Patsy and Ellaj my brothers, is Edmond and Cornelius Jackson* Cornelias is livin* now somewhere I think but I don1 never see him*11 ?!When de big gun fiahed I was a young missy totin1 cotton to de scales at de ginhouse; ef de ginhouse wuz close by, you had to tote de cotton to it, but ef it wuz fur fway wagins ud come to de fields ahd weigh it up and take it to de ginhouse* I was still livin* near Lake Jackson and we went to Abram Bailey's place near Tallahassee* Carr turned us out without nuthin and Bailey gifd us his hammcc* and we went dere fur a home* Fust we cut down saplin1 s fur we didn1 had no house, and took de tops uv pines and put on de tops den we put dirt on top uv dese saplin1 s and slep1 under dem* When de rain would come, it would wash all de dirt right down in our face and we!d hafter buil1 us a house all over agfin* We didn1 had no boey were being born in that upper room, and he aaid many a baby was born there. Deoorum reigned throughout the household for six weeks or until their mother was ready to come down. When the time was up for mother to oome down, his father would casually say, "children your ma is coming home today and what do you reoon, someone has given her another baby.* The children would say, almost in conoert,"what you say pa, is it a boy or girl?* He would tell them which it was and nothing more was aaid nor any further inquiry made into the happening. The term "broke her leg" was used to oonvey the meaning of pregnancy. George relates how his other told him and his sis- ter not to have any thing more to do with * ary Jones,"cause she i done broke her leg." George said "Ma taint nothin matter wid Mary; I see her every day when the bell rings for 12; she works across the street from Pa»s hop and she and me sots on the steps and talks till time fur her to go baok to work." His mother »aid,"dont spute me George, I know she is broke her leg and I want yall to stay way from her." George said,"Ma I aint sputing you, jes some- Negro Folk Lore and Customs Page 8 2*70 Viola B. Muse FEC Palatka, Florida body done misinform you data all. She aint got no broke leg* ahe walks as good as me." His mother said •tlien I'm a lie," George quiokly^replied,"no ma, you aint no lie, but somebody done told you wrong," Not ting was said further on the question of rary Jones until that same evening when Isaao Pretty came horns from the shop. The mother took him aside and told him of how she had been disputed and oalled a lie by George and added that she wanted George whipped for it, "Come here George," oame a ©ommanding voice shortly after the mother and father had been in oonferenos, George obeyed and his father took him apart from the family and looked himself and George in a room. He said "George I know I haven't done right by not telling you, you are grown. You are 33 years old now and I want to tell you some things you should know," George was all eyes and ears, for he had been told when previously asked how old he was, "I'll tell you when you get grown." That was all he had heard from his parente for years and he was just waiting for him to tell him* His father told him how babies were born and about his mother confining herself in the upper room all the different times when ahe expected babies. He told him that his mother had never been out of town to Boatom or Baltimore on any of the past oooasions. In faot he told George all he knew to tell him. Now the startling thing about it all is that Negro Folk Lore and customs - Page 9 2T71L Viola B. Muse FSO Palatka, Florida when he had finished giving the information about babies lie said, "How George your mother told me that you called her a lie today." George at once said, "Pa I didn*t call her a lie, I jee told someone had misinform her 'bout Mary, that she alnt got her leg broke cause I see her every day.* His father said"! know •taint right to whip you fur that George but your Ha said slie wanted mo to whip you and I'll have to do it." That settled it. George reoelved hie first lesson in sex and received the last flogging his father ever gave him. He was now grown and could take his place as a man. Afterwards the mother took all her daughters aside ^ad told then the same as Isaas had tolg George.(That is she told tae grown girls about sex life.) George and hie older sister talked the whole plan over after they got « obanoe and decided that since they were now >Trosro, they ii«:«l«.«i I. George Pretty, ?ero Beaoh and Gifford, Florida 3, Obeerration of Field worker D00L4 PSD3RAL WRITERS PROJECT TKE AMERICAN GUIDE (»egr© Writers Unit ) Jacksonville, Jla. Viola 3* Huse Field Worker Complete 1,315 words 8 Pages AS g&» SLAVE WO WEST N 279 SLAVS IHTERVIE1' January 11, 1937* CJ Anna Scott, an ex-slave who new lires is Jacksonville near the intersection of Moncrief and Edgewood Avenues, was a member ef one of the first colonization groups that went to the West coast of Africa following the emancipation of the slaves in this eoun* try. The former slave was born at Dave City, South Carolina, on Jan, 28, 1846, of a half-breed Clherokee-and»5eg2M^ao1^eg-and An- / glo-Saxon father. Her father owned the plantation adjoining that of her master. * When she reached the adolescent age Anna was placed under the direct care ef her mistress, by whom she was given direct charge' of the dining-room and entrusted with the keys to the provisions and supplies ef the household* A kindred love grew between the slave girl and her mistress; she recalls that everywhere her mistress went she*was taken al- so, she was kept in 'the big house*. She was not given any edu- cation, though, as some of the slaves on nearby plantations were. Religion was not denied to the former slave and her fellows* '.Irs. Abigail Bover her owner, permitted the slaves to attend re- vival and other services, the slaves were allowed to occupy the SLACT interview VIOLA B* HUSB page 2 Ottn JACKSONVILLE, EL a* F*E.C* ^OU balcony of the church in Dove City, while the whites occupied the main floor* The slaves were forbidden to sing, talk, or make any other sound, however, under penalty of severe heatings* Those of the slaves who 'felt the sperrit* during a service must keep silence until after the service, when they could 'tell it to the deacon', a colored man who would listen to the confessions or professions of religion of the slaves until late into the night* The Negro deacon would relay his converts to the white minister of the church, who would meet them in the vestry room at some specie fied time* Some of the questions that would be asked at these meetings in the vestry room would be: i "what did you come up here for?" "Because I got religion"* "How do you know you got religion?" "Because I know my sins are forgive** "How do you know your sins are forgiven?" "Because I love Jesus and I love everybody"* MDo you want to be baptized?" "Yes sir." "Why do you want to be baptized?" "Cause it will make me like Jesus wants me to be"* when several persons were 'ready', there would be a baptism SLAVE XVTSKVXSf VIOLA B. 1RJS35 > JACKSGHVIIXl* ELA* ' JBO VIOLA B* SUSS - ' Page 3 OQ4 in a nearby creek or river. After this, slaves would be permitted to hold occasional servives of their own in the log house that was sometimes used as a school* Mrs. Scott remembers vividly the joy that she felt and other slaves expressed when first news of their emancipation was brought to them* Both she and her mistress were fearful* she says; her ' r mistress because she did not know what she would do without her slaves, and Anna because she thought the Union soldiers would harm Mrs* Dave* when the chief officer of the soldiers came to the home of her mistress* she says* he demanded entrance in a gruff voice* Then he saw a ring upon Mrs* Dove's finger and asked: "Where did you get this?" When told that the ring belonged to her husband, who was dead, the officer turned to his soldiers and told them that they should 'get back; she*8 alright!" Provisions intended for the Confederate armies were broken open by the Union soldiers and their followers, and Anna's mother,* to protect her master, organized groups of slaves to 'tote the meat from the box cars and hide it in dugouts under the mistress1 house'* This meat was later divided between Negroes and whites* * A Provost Judge followed the advance of the army, and he obtained a list of all of the slaves held by each master* Mrs* Dove gave her list to the official, who called each slave by name and asked what that slave, had done on the plantation* He asked, also, whether any payment had been made to them since the Baanci- pation Proclamation had been signed, and when answered in the neg« • i SLAVS IffTBRVIBw" . • • k VIOLA Bf MUSB Page 4 r>«j>0 JAOCSOHVILLB - ; IB® ^*<* ative told them tnat 'You are free now and must be paid for all of the work you have done since the Proclamation was signed and that you will do in the future. Don't you work for anybody wittout pay1* « The Provost Judge also told the slaves that they might leave if they liked,, and Anna was among those who left* She went to visit the husband of her mother in Charleston, With her aether and i.'ive other children, Anna crossed rivers on log rafts and rede en trains to Charleston* • XLias Mumford was Anna's step-father in Charleston, and after spending a year there with him the entire family joined a colosi- zing expedition to West Africa. There were 650 in the expedition, and it Left in 1867* Transportation was free* The trip took several weeks, but finally the small ship lam* ded at Brand Bassa* Mumford did not like the place, however, iwd continued on to Monrovia, Liberia. He did not like Monrovia, either, and tried eeveral other ports before being told that he would have to get off, anyway* This was at Harper Cape* ¥• Africa* Here he almost immediately began an industry that was to - prove lucrative. Oysters were 'large as saucers', according te Anna, and while the family gathered these he would burn them and extract lime from them* This he mixed with the native clay ««d made brick* In addition to his brick-making mumford out treos for lumber, and with his own brick and lumber would construct houses and structures* One such structure brought him tllG0*00« • ¦ ; • '-.¦¦• i\$g i-:>'' ; ' .. . ' ' --• •¦" ¦'¦*& M • . . ;•. .'''¦ '¦-¦'.¦,'..¦•. '-- •'..."¦ ¦•¦¦ ..¦.-..¦•••' ' . ¦, •$&*.*: ¦:'-¦ ;- : ,> r 1", * , ' -V". '? - , . SLftve Interview '¦'¦'* noo Viola B. Muse \ **i* ^ ^OtS Jacksonville TO , Another manner in which Sumford added to his growing wealth was through the cashing of checks for the Missionaries of the sea* tion. Ordinarily they would hare to send these hack to the %i» tee States to he cashed* and when he offered to cash them -* at a discount — they eagerly utilized the opportunity to save time* this was a convenience for tkem end more wealth for Mumford. Anna found other things besides happiness in her eight years in Africa* There were death, sickness, and pestilences. ghe -men* tions among the latter the if rieain ants, some of which reached huge proportions* Host dree.ded were the Mission ants, which ia» fested every house, building and structure* Sometimes buildings had to be burned to get rid of them. The bite of these ants was so serious that after sixty year® Anna still exhibits places on ¦ her feet where the ants left their indelible traces* Am©ther of the ant pests was the Driver ant, so large, powerful and stubborn that even bodies of water did not stop them. Imey would join them. selves together above the turf ace of the water and serve as brid* get for the passage of the other ant a. The Driver ants mo Ted in swarms and their approach could be seen at great distances. Ihen they were seen to be coming toward a settlement the natives would close their doors and windows and build fires around their hoses to avoid them. These fire* had to be kept burning for weeks* Bight and more persons died a day from the African fever du« ring the early colonizatioa attempts; three of those in Anfla's family alone were vietiJM of it* *V*^4Ilt$!!^^ Slave Interview •'-•':'•?• Viola B. Muse Page e p«i# Jacksonville* ' ' Hr ' ' • • ' ^9^ if a victim of the fever became wet "by dew he was sure to die* After eight years Stanford and the remainder of his faaily returned to America* where the accrued checks he possessed for cash- ing made him reasonably weal thy« Anna married Robert Scett and moved to Jacksonville, where she has lived since* At ninety-one she still occupies the little farm on the out* skirts of Jacksonville that was? purchased with the money left to her out of her mother1 s inheritance (from the* African transactions of Mumford) and Bobert*s post-slavery savings, and in front of her picturesque little cottage spins yarns for the neighbors of her early experiences* ' JV ^--'.?¦¦¦ V.« ¦/-¦".- 'J Slave Interview Violet B# Huse Jacksonville . , . . . *»«• 7 ,285 KB© BIBLIOGBAPHT Interview wita snttfeet* Krs# Anna Scott, Edgewood and Monerief Avenues (Route 2# Bex 911) Jacksonville* Jla» 90030 286 FEDERAL WRITERS1 PROJECT American Guide, (Negro Writers'; Unit) Chasevllle, Florida J.M, Johnson Slave Interview Field Worker August 28, 1936 Complete John A« simms 3, 306 Words Editor 13 Pafces In Chaseville, Florida, about twelve miles from Jacksonville on the south side of the Saint Johns River lives William Sherman^locally pronounced Schumann.) a former slqve of Jack Davis, nephew of President Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy. (lj William Sherman was born on the plantation of Jack Davis, about five miles from Robertsville, South Carolina, at a place called "Black Swamp," June 12, 1842, twenty-three years prior to Emancipation. His father who was also named William Sherman., was a free man, having bought his freedom for eighteen hundred dollars from his master, John Jones, who also lived in -the vicinity of the Davis1 plantation, William Sherman, senior, bargained with his master to obtain his freedom, however,, for he did not have the money to readily pay him. He hired himself out to some of the wealthy plantation owners and applied what he earned toward the payment for his freedom. He was a skilled blacksmith and cabinet maker and his services were always in '\4s£fMpii Slave Interview Page 3 £&7 James Johnson FEC Chaseville, Florida demand. After procuring his freedom he bought a tract of land from his former master and built a home and black- smith shop on it. As was the custom during slavery, a person who bought his freedom had to have a guardian; Sherman's for- mes: master, John Jones, acted as his guardian. Under this new order of things Sherman was in reality his own master. He was not "bossed," had his own hours, earned and kept his money, and was at liberty to leave the territory if he desired. However, he remained and married Anna Georgia, the mother of William Sherman, junior, she was also a slave of jack Davis, After william Sherman, senior, finished his day's work he would go to the Davis plantation to visit hie wife and some- times remain for the night. It was his intention to purchase the freedom of his wife Anna Georgia, and their son William, but he died before he had sufficient money to do so, and also before the Civil War, which he predicted would ensue between the Forth and South. His son William says that he remembers well the events that led up to his father's burial; he states that the white people dug his grave which was six feet deep. It took them three days in which to dig it on account of the hardness of the clay; when it was finished he was put sorrow- fully away by the white folk who thought .so much of him. William was a boy of nine at that time, and he remembers that his mother was so grieved that he tried to console her by ie%^" Slave Interview Page 3 OUR James Johnson - FEC ^°° Chaseville, Florida ing her not to worry^apa's goin1 to com' back and bring us some more quails" (he had been accustomed to bringing them quails during his life) but William eojbiowingly said "he never did come back." Anna Georgia was a cook and general house woman in the Davis1 .home. She was a half breed, her mother being a Cherokee Indian* Her husband,William, was a descendant of the Cheehaw Indians, some of his forbears being full- blooded Cheehaws* Their Indian blood was fully evident, states William junior. The Davis family tree as he knew it was as follows: three brothers, Sam, Thomas and Jefferson Davis (Pres- ident of the Confederacy.) Sam was the eldest of the three and had four children, viz: Jack, Robert, Richard and Washington. Thomas had four, viz: James, Richard, Rusha and Minna. Jeffer- son Davis* family was not known to William as he lived in Vir- ginia, whereas, the other brothers and their families lived near each other at "Black Swamp." Jack Davis, the master of William Sherman, was the son of Sam Davis, brotner of Jefferson Davis* Thomas ana. Sam Davis were comparatively large men, while Jefferson was thin and of medium height, resembling to a great extent the late Henry Flagler of Florida East coast fame, states William* Kany times he would come to visit his brothers at "Black Swamp." He would drive up in a two-wheeled buggy, drawn by a horse. Slave Interview Page 4 289 Janes Johnson EEC