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 IV GEORGIA NARRATIVES PART 1 Prepared by the Federal Writers1 Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of Georgia INFORMANTS Adams, Rachel 1 Galloway, Mariah 172 Allen, Rev. W. B. Castle, Susan 177 (Uncle Wash) 9,12 Claibourn, Ellen 184 Atkinson, Jack 17 Clay, Berry 189 Austin, Hannah 19 Cody, Pierce 195 Avery, Celestia 22,28 Cofer, Willis 201 Colbert, Mary 212 Baker, Georgia 37 Cole, John 226 Battle, Alice 58 Cole, Julia 231 Battle, Jasper 60 Colquitt, Martha 237 Binns, Arrie 72 Bland, Henry- 80 Davis, Minnie 251 Body, Rias 86 Davis, Mose 265 Bolton, James 91 Derricotte, Ike 272 Bostwick, Alec 105 Dillard, Benny 285 Boudry, Nancy 113 Bradley, Alice, and Eason, George * 300 Colquitt, Kizzie 118 Elder, Callie 305 Briscoe, Delia 125 Everette, Martha 316 Brooks, George 133 Brown, Easter 135 Brown, Julia (Aunt Sally) 141 Favor, Lewis 318 Bunch, Julia 154 Ferguson, Mary 326 Butler, Marshal 160 Fryer, Carrie Nancy 332 Byrd, Sarah 168 Furr, Anderson 344 ILLUSTRATIONS Facing page John Cole 226 00075 PLANTATION- LIFE RACHEL ADAMS 300 ODD STREET ATHENS, GEORGIA Written by: Sadie B. Hornsby C^fed^) Athens - Edited by: Sarah H. Hall Athens - and John N. Booth District Supervisor Federal Writers* Project Residencies 6 & 7. Augusta, Georgia. 100075 RACHEL ADAMS £x-Slave - Age 78, Rachel Adamsf two-room, frame bouse is perched on the side of a steep hill where peach trees and bamboo form dense shade. Stalks of corn at the rear of the dwelling reach al- most to the roof ridge and a portion of the front yard is enclosed for a chicken yard. Stepping gingerly around the amazing number of nondescript articles scattered about the small veranda, the visi- tor rapped several times on the front door, but received ho response. A neighbor said the old woman might be found at her sonfs store, but she Tas finally located at the home of a daughter. Rachel came to the front door with a sandwich of hoecake and cheese in one hand and a glass of water in the other* tfDis here's Rachel Adams,w she declared. "Have a seat on de porch.* Rachel is tall, thin, very black, and wears glasses. Her faded pink outing wrapper was partly covered by an apron made of a heavy meal seek. Tennis shoes, worn without hose, and a man's black hat com- pleted her outfit. Rachel began her story by saying: wMiss, dats been sich a long time back dat I has most forgot how things went* Anyhow I was borned in Putman County fbout two miles from ^atonton, Georgia. MyJ^_ayod_Pa was *Melia and. Isaac Little and, far as I knows, dey was borned and bred in dat.same county. Pa, he was so3.d away from Ma when I was still a baby. Mafs job was to weave all de' cloth for de white folks. I have wore many a dress made out of de homespun what she wove. ^ere wa$ 17 of us chillun, and 1 caBft 'member de names of but two of f em now - dey was John and Sarah. John was Ma's onliest son; all de rest of de other 16 of us was gals* "Us lived in mud-daubed log cabins what had old stack chimblies made out of sticks and mud. Our old home-made beds didn't have no slats or metal springs neither. Dey used stout cords for springs. i>e cloth what dey made the ticks of dem old hay mattress- es end pillows out of was so coarse dat it scratched us little chillun nost to death, it seemed lak to us dem days. I kin still feel dem old hay mattresses under me now. Evvy time I moved at night it sounded lak de wind blowinf through dem peach trees and bamboos fround de front of de house whar I lives now* "Grandma Anna was 115 years old when she died* She IvucL done wore herself out in slavery time. Grandpa, he was sold off some whar. 3oth of 'em was field hands* "Potlicker and cornbread was fed to us chillun. out of big old wooden bowls. Two or three chillun et out of de same- bowl* Grown folks had meat, greens, syrup, cornbread, ftaters snci-de lak. 'Possums! I should say so. Dey cot eh plenty of fem •mi stLer dey was kilt Ma would scald fem and ruh fem in hot ashes and ¦i.£t clean't fem jus1 as pretty and white. OO-o-o but dey was good* i-crd, YessumP Dey used to go fishin* and rabbit huntin1 too* Us jusf fotcned in game galore den, for it was de style dem days. l>ere warn't 3 >•*& - no market meat i» arlavery d#ye* iee^e* la&to pe:.4»^ 4M4tqv":Mt ash-roasted 'taters and groiindpeas was de best somtpin ^fiM^ wit€* anybody could want* f£oua*se dey had a gyarden, and it tead soja#piii of Jus1 about everything liiaii us knowed anything fbou& In #e w8^r of gyarden sass growin1 in it* All de ccokin* was done? in Mm, fe> oid open fireplaces what was fixed up special for de pots and ovens* Ashcake was most as good as rtaters cooked in de ashes, but not qttite* ^Summertime*, us jus1 wore homespun dresses made - lak de slips dey use for underwear now* Be coats what us woi« over our wool dresses in winter was knowed as •Basques1 den, f cattle dey was so loose fitting Dey was heavy and had wool in fem too* Maarse Lewis, he had a plenty of sheep, 'cause dey was bound to iiave lots of warm winter clothes, and den*too, dey lakfced iin&feen, toieate»; liS|^A^Bi-e old brogan shoes was coarse and roughs When Marse Lewis had a cow kilt dey put de hide in de tannin1 vat* When de hides was ready, Uncle Ben made up de shoes, and sometimes dey let Itocle Jasper holp him if dere was many to be made all at one time. Us wore de same sort of clothes dn Sunday as ewyday, only dey had to be cleah and fr^sh when dey was put on Sunday mominf# "Marse Lewis Little and his wife, Miss Sallief ovmed us, and Old Miss, she died long ffore de surrender. Marse Lewis, he was right good to all his slaves; but dat overseer, he would beat us down_in a minute if us didnft do to suit him. When dey give slaves tesks to do and dey warnft done in a certain time, dat old oversea!? would whup feit fbout dat. Marster never had to take lidle of his Niggers to court or put fem in jails neither; Jiim and do overseer sot fem right. Long as &iss S^llie lived de carriage driver driv her and ^rse Lewis around lots, hut atter she died dere warnft so much use of de carriage* He jusf driv for ^arse Lewis and piddled 'round de yard den. ••Some slaves larnt to read and write. If dey went . to meetin' dey had to go wid deir white folks 'cause dey didn't have no sep'rate churches for de Niggers 'til atter de war. On our Kerster's place, slaves didn't go off to meetin' a fall. Dey jus' went fround to one anoth^^s^h^iiag^ and sung songs. Some of fem read de Bible by heart. Once I beared a man preach what didnft know how to read one word in de Bible, and hejU^Jjt^jSven have no BibjL^ yit> *De fust baptizin* I ever seed was atter I was nigh !bout grown* If a slave from our place ever jined up wid a church 'fore de war was over, I never beared tell nothinf ?bout.it* '~ "Lordy, Miss! I didn't know nothin* fbout v\fcat -3 funeral was dem days. If a Nigger .died dismomin*, dey shof didn't waste no time a-puttinT him fight on down in de ground dat 3':re day* Dem coffins never had no shape to fem; dey was Jus* squar- sliced pine boxes. Now warnrt dat turrible? "Slaves never went nowhar widout dem patterollers bcsiuinf 'em up if dey didn't have no pass.* "Dere was hunderds of acres in dat dere plantation# •>rse Lewis had a heap of slaves. De overseer, he had a bugle what w he blowed to wake up de alavga- Se blowed it long y fervid ay se dst dey could eat breikfist -andi he out dere in de f i-«l&a^inifein^ r for de sun to rise so dey could see tow to wuk, and &ey stayed; out dar and wukked 'til black dark. When a rainy spell come and de grass got to growin* fast, dey wukked dem slaves at night, even when de moon warn11 shinin** On dem dark nights one set of slaves helt lanterns for de others to see how to chop de weeds out of de cotton and corn* Wuk was sho* tight dem days. Evvy slave had a task to do atter dey got back to dem cabins at night. Dey each one hed to spin deir stint same as $e fomans, evvy night. "Young"and old washed deir clothes Sadday nights. Dey hardly knowed what Sunday was. Dey didn't have but one day in de Christmas, and de only di.fX'unce dey seed dat day was dat dey give * Tem some biscuits on Christmas day. JJew Year's Day waa rail-sjplittin* day. Dey was told how many rails was to be cut, and dem Niggers better split dat many or somebody was gwine to git beat up. *I ddnft fmember much fbout v&at us played, fcept de way us run fround in a ring. Us cfaillun was allus skegaed to play in djLJ&Lifc^ nigh de house fcause Raw Head and Bloody Boners lived der. Dev used to skeer us out fbout red ftater®. JJey wes fine •taters, red on de outside and pretty and white on de inside, but v/hite folks called fem fnigger-killers.f Bat was one of deir tricks to Veep us from stealln* |-dem'ttaters* ^ere warn*t nothin* wrong wid ¦ dem 'taters; dey was jus' as good and healthy as any other ftaters. 6.. ¦ > " Aunt Lucy, shejwas de cook, and she told me dat slaves was skeered of dem f nigger-killer * *taters and never bothered fem much den lak dey does de yam patches dese days. I used to think 1 seed hafnts at night, but it allus turned but to be somebody dat was tryinf to skeer me. *fBout de most fun slaves had was at dem corn- shuckinfs. De general would git high on top of de corn pile and whoop and holler down leadinf dat cornshuckinf song ftil all de corn was done shucked. Den come de big eats, de likker, and de dancing Cotton pickinfs was big fun too, and when dey got through pickin* de cotton dey et and drunk and danced ftil dey couldnft dance no more. nMiss, white folks jus1 had to be good to sick slaves, 'cause slaves was property. For Old Marster to lose a slave, was losin* money. ^ere warnft so many doctors dem days and home- made medicines was all de go. Oil and turpentine, camphor, assfiddy (asafetida), cheriy bark, sweetgum bark; all dem things.was used to nake teas for grown folks to take for deir ailments, -tied oak bark tea was give to chillun for stomach miseries* "All I can ricollect fbout de cominr of freedom -res Old marster tellin* us dat us was free as jack-rabbits and dat from den on Niggers would have to git deir own somepin t*eat. It v/ern't long atter dat when dem yankees, wid pretty blue clothes on come through our place and dey stole most evvything our Marster had. ?•• Dey kilt his chickens, hogs, and cows and tuk his bosses off and sold fesu Dat didn't look right, did it? "Ify.aunt give us a big weddinf feast when I married Tom Adams, and she she?* did pile up dat table wid heaps of good eatments. My weddin1 dress was blue, trimmed in white* , Us had six chillun, nine grandchillun, and 19 great-grandchillun* One of my grandchillun is done been blind since he was three weeks old. I sont him off to de blind school and now he kin git arouad 'most as good as I kin* He has made his home wid me ever since his clammy died* fffCordint to my way of thinking Abraham Lincoln done a good thing when he sot us free. Jeff Davis, he was all right too, f cause if him and Lincoln hadn't got to fight inf us would have been slaves to dis very day. Itfs mighty good to do jus* as you please, and bread and water is heaps better dan dat somepin tfeat us had to slave for. WI jined up wid de church 'cause I wanted to go tc x-eben when I dies, and if folks lives right dey shof is gwine to have a good restin1 place in de next world. Yes Mam, I sho b'lieves'in fligion, dat i does. Now, Miss, if you ain't got nothinf ^lse to ax me, I'se gwine home and give dat blind^boy his somepin t'eat." Tiis-r. i. JF*S}\/. #y 9 J.-i Washington Allan, *-Slave. Borns Doee»ber . 1864 • Place of births "Some where" in South Carolina* Present Residence: 1932 Fifth Avenue, Columbus, Georgia* Interviewees December 18, 1936* A The story of "Uncle wash", as he Is familiarly known, la condensed aa followst He wpa born on the plantation of a Mr* Washington Allen of South Carolina, for whom ha was named* TMe )3r* Allen had several sons and daughters, and of these, one son - Mr. George Allen •» who, during the ldtO'a laft his South Carolina hosie and settled near LaFayette* Alabama* About 1858* lr, Washington Allen died *nd t• • next year, tsriien "Wash" was "a five • ytaT old ehpirer", the Allen estate in South Carolina w&s divided - - all exoept the Allen ITe^ro slaves* These, at the instance and insistenee of ?*. George Allen, were taken to Lafayette, Alabaran, to be sold* All were put on i,he block and auctioned off, Mr* George Allen buying every fiegro, so that not *». tsin* le slave family was divided up* "Uncle tfssfc* does not re>mm\i@r v.hat he "fetched at de sale1', but ho does distinctly remember that as he stepped up on the block to be sold^ the auctioneer ran hio hsnd "over ay heed and said?, »H then, when Mr* Oenllmens, die soy is as fineft» split silk"* George Allen had bought all the Allen slaves, it dawned upon them. Rn<3 they apprselated, why he had insisted on their being sold in Alabama, rather than in South Carolina* Before he was six years of age§ little "Wash* lost his mother and, from then until freedom, he was personally oared for and looked after by Mrs* George Allen; and the old man wept every time he mentioned her mm9m Turing the •60,a, "TJhole Wash's** father drove a mail and passenger stage between Cusseta and Lafayette, Alabama - - and, finally died and was burled at LaFayette by the aide of his wife, "Uncle wash" "drifted over" to Columbus about fifty years ago and is now living with his two surviving children* l;e has been married four times, all his wives dying "naehul" deaths, lie has also "buried four ohillun"* he woa taught to read sad write by the sons and daughters of Mr* George Allen, nnfi attended churoh where a one-eyed white preaoher **• ji«oed 'lr. Terrentine — preaohed to the slaves each Sunday "ovenin*" (afternoon)* The salary of this preaoher was paid by Mr* George Allen* hen asked what ti la preacher -anusually preached about, "Uncle wish" nnsweredt "H* was a one-eyed mnn an* eouldn* see good; so. 11 he trout a*made aome mistake*, but he eho tole us plenty *bout hell fir© 'n brimatono.'* "Unole Wash" la b literal worshipper of the raeroory of his "old tine white fokea.'* M . J. R. Jones ' .. 100113 12 oN? Rev. W. B. Allen, Ex-Slave *l> 425 ~ Second Ave. >^ Columlsus, Georgia* d (June 29, 1937) In a second interview, the submission of which was voluntarily sought ay hihiself, this very interesting specimen of a rapidly vanishing type- expressed a desire to amend his previous inter- view (of May 10, 1937) to incorporate the following facts: nFor a number of years "before freedom, my father 1§ou£.h , his time from his master and traveled asout over Russell County (Alabama) as a journey- man blacksmith, doing work for various planters and making good money - - as woney went in those "days - - on the side. At the close of the war, however, though he haa a trunk full of Confederate money, all of his good money was gone. Father could neither read nor write, "nut had a good head for figures and was very pious. His life had a v/onderful influence upon me, though I was originally worldly - - that is, I drank and cussed, Tiut haven't touched a drop of spirits in forty ye2Tb and ouit cussing before I entered the ministry in 1879. I learned to pray when very youn* and kept it up even in my unsaved days. My white masterTs folks knew me to *e a praying toy, snd \ sked me — in 1865 -- when the South was aliout whipped aiid General V/ilson was beaded our way - - to pray to God to hold the Yankees T»ack. Of cetfrse f I didnTt have a:qy love for any Yankees — and havenft now, for that matter — #ut I told my white 13 folks straight~from-the-shoulder that I could not pray along those lines. I told them flatrfootedly that, while I loved them and would do any reasonable praying for them, I could not pray against my conscience: that I not only wanted to T*e free, "but that I wanted to see all the Negroes freedl I then told them that God was using the Yankees to scourge the slave-holders just as He had, centuries be- fore, used heathens and outcasts to chastise His chosen people -- the Children of Israel.*1 (I'^re, it is to *e noted that, for a slave '%qj of "between <#pproxi- riirtely 15 and 17 years of age, remarkable familiarity with the Old ,jssta:.ient v/as displayed. ) She Parson then entered into a mild tirade against Yankees, sayingj trThe only time the Northern people ever helped the nigger was when they freed him. They-are not friends of the Negro and many a time, from my pulpit, have I warned Nifgers arout going North. No, sir, the colored man doesn't belong in the North - - has no business up there, and you may tell the world that the Reverend W. 3. Allen makes no "* vnes a "bout sayii:g that] He also says that, if it wasn't for the influence of the white race in the South, the Negro race wo^ld revert to savagery within a year! V/hy, if they knew for dead certain tb st thei^e v/as not a policeman or officer of the lav/ in Colunuus tonight, the good Lord only knows what they'd,do tonightnI ,::r:ii the good Parson had delivered himself as quoted, he was asked 14 z few questions, the answers to which - - as shall follow -- disclose their nature. rtIhe lowest down Whites of slavery days were the average overseers. A few were gentlemen, one must admit, Tiut the regular run of them were trash — commoner than the J?oor white trash1 - - and, if possible, r/h .-'ir children were worse than their dad-r dies. The name, 'overseer1, was a synonym for 1 slave driver1, Tcruelty', Tlirutishness T . Ifo, sir, a. Eigger may Tie humble and refuse to talk outside of his race - - because hefs afraid to, lut you canTt fool him a tout a white man I And you eouldnTt fool him when he was a slave I He knows a white man for what he is, and he knew n him the same way in slavery times. Iwioerning the punishment of slaves, the Reverend said: nI never heard or knew of a slave *eing tried in court for any thing. I never Knew of a slave *eing guilty of any crime more serious than talcing some- thing or violating plantation rules. And the only punishment that I ever he?rd or knew of *eing admin- istered slaves was whipping* I have personally known a few slaves that were #eaten to death for one or no e of the following offenses: Le aving h ome wit ho ut a pass, Talking sack to - - TsassingT - - a white person, Kitting another Hegro, Fussing, fighting, and rukkussing in the quarters, 15 lying* Loitering an their work* Taking things - - the Whites called it stealing* Plantation rules forVade a slave to: Own a firearm, leave home without a pass, Sell or Tiuy anything without his masterfs consent, Marry without his owner's consent, Have a light in his oaWn after a certain hour at night, Attend any secret meeting, Harbor or^any manner assist a runaway slave, Aliuse a farm animal, Mistreat a member of his family, and do A great many other things. ?/hen asked if he had erer heard slaves plot an insurrection, the Bauson answered in the negative, 7/hen aslced if he had personal knowledge of an instance of a slave offering resistanoe to corporal punishment, the Reverend shook his head, but said: ^Sometimes a stripped Mgger would say some hard . things to the white man with the strap in his hand, though he knew that he (the Hegro) would pay for it dearly, for ?/hen ^ slave showed spirit that way the master or overseer laid the lash on all the harder.* Vfnexi asked how the women took their ?/hippings, he said: wThey msually screamed and prayed, though a few never made a sound** The Parson haa had two wires and fire children. Both ?/ires and three of his children are dead. He is also now superannuated, iut occasionally does a "little preachin«w, haring only recently seen down to Montezuna:•., Georgia, on a special call t© deliTer a message to the Methodist flOclc there. V %JK 1060135 ***??. # si <# Jaok Atkinson « ®s~Slav© tr0not a man, twice a childrff quoted Jack Atkins@a, grey haired darkey, when being interviewed, "and I done started in my seoond childhood. I uslter "be active as a cat, tut I ain,t>no mo.* .Tack acquired his aftrname from his white master, a ,SSt% Atkinson, x who owned this Hegro family prior to the War Between the States, lie was a little boy during the war but remembers "refugeeing* to Griffin from Butts County, Georgia, with the Atkinsons when Sherman ' V .v.'' V passed by their home on his march to the sea* •^v , Jack's father, Tom, the body-servant of Mr. Atkinson, *1hh}c care ¦ of him" the \four years they were away at war. "Many's the time I done heard my daddy tell 'bout biting his hands he wuz so faongry^ and him and I&feter drinking water outer the rtfts of the roM^taiy _wua so thirsty, during the war..*• * T,3oss Man (Mr. Atkinson), wuz as fii|a man as ever broke bread", according to Jack. ¦ m ' _ ..hen asked how he got married he stated that he "broke off a love i vine and- throwed it over the fence and if it growed** he would get \ larried. The ylne "just growed anfi growed* and it wasn't long [before he and Lucy married. •St <- Ht^" "" J t - J "A hootin* owl is a sho sign of rain,and a screech owl m^ana « deethj for a fact,* "A tree frog's holler is a true sign of rain** Jaok maintains that he has received *a second blessing from the Lord* and '?no conjurer can "bother him.* Jack Atkinson IU. D Griffin,Georgia Interviewed August 21, 1936 qjuw "^ «% Vftiitley, 1-25-37 1 Ooo?3 V Page 1. Minnie B* Ross, EX T0WU SLAVE. BMME AUSTIN* IShen the writer was presented to Mrs. Hannah Austin she was immediately impressed with her alert youthful appearance. Mrs* Austin is v/ell preserved for her age and speaks clearly and with much intelligence* The interview was a brief but interesting one. This was due partly to the fact that Mrs. Austin was a small child when The Civil War ended and too be- cause her family was classed as "town slaves* so classed because of their superior intelligence* Mrs. Austin was a child of ten or twelve years when the.war ended. She doesn't know her exact age but estimated it to be between seventy and seventy five years. -""She was born the oldest child of Liza and George Kail. Their master Mr. Frank Hall was very kind to them and considerate in his treatment of them. Briefly Mrs. Austin gave the following account of slavery as she knew it. ^My family lived in a two rocm well built house which had many windows and a nice large porch. Our master, Mr. Hall was a merchant and operated a clothing store. Because Mr. Hall lived in town he did not need but a few slaves. ISy family which included my mother, father, sister, and myself were his only servants. Originally Mr. Hall did not own any slaves, however after marrying Mrs. Hall we were given to her by her father as a part of her inheritance. Ify mother nursed Mrs* Hall/ from a baby, consequently the Hall family was very fond of her and often made the statement that they woudl not part with her for anything in the worifcd, besides working as the cook for the Hall family my mbther was also a fine seamstress and mad? clothing for the Page 2. vMtley, Minnie B. Ross. •* <^U 1-25-37 master's family and for our family. We were allowed an ample amount of good clothing which Mr. Hall selected from the stock in his store* My father worked as a porter^in the store and did other gobs around the house. I did not have to work and spent most of my time playing with the Hall children* We were considered the better class of slaves and did not know the meaning of a hard time* Other slave owners whipped their slaves severely and often, but I have never known our master to whip any one of my family. If any one in the family became ill the family doctor was called in as often as he was needed* We did not have churches of our own but were allowed to attend the white churches in the afternoon* The White families attended in the fore- noon. ;vfe seldom heard a true religious sermon; but were constantly preached the doctrine of obedience to our masters and mistresses* We were required to attend church every Sunday. Marriages were conducted in much the same manner as they are today. itfter the usual courtship a minister was called in by the master and the marriage ceremony would then take place. In my opinion people of today oxe more lax in their attitude toward marriage than they were in those day*, •following the marriage of a slave couple a celebration would take place often the master and his family would take part in the celebration. I remember hearing my mother and father discuss the war; but was too young to know just the effect the war would have on the slave. One day I remember Mr. Hall coming to my mother telling her we were free. His sxact words were quote - "Liza you donft belong to me any longer you belong to yourself. If you are hired now I will have to pay you. I do not want you to leave as you have a home here as long as you live.* I watched my mother to see the feffect his words would have on her and I saw her eyes fill Page ..'¦&,¦ -2% Vjhitley, Minnie B* $oss. 1-25-37 v/ith tears* Mr. Hall's eyes filled with tears also* Soon after this incident a Yankee Army appeared in our Tilings one day* They practically destroyed Mr* Hall's store by throwing all clothes and other merchandise into the streets* Seeing my sister and I they turned tc us sayingf "Little Negroes you are free there are no more masters and mistresses* here help yourseies to these clothes take them home with you* Not knowing any better we carried stockings, socks, dresses, underwear and many other pieces home. After this they opened the smoke house door and told us to go in and take all of the meat we wanted* / On another occasion the mistress called me asking that I come in i the yard to play with the children*1* Here Mrs* Austin began to laugh and re- I \ marked ?'I did not go but politely told her I was free and didn't belong to any l " ¦ j one but my mama and papa* As I spoke these words my mistress began to cry. My mother and father continued to live with the Halls even after freedom and until their deaths* Although not impoverished most of the Hally3 fortune was wiped out v/ith the war*. Mrs* Austin married at the age of 16 years; and was the mother of four children, all of whom are dead* She was very ambitious and was de- termined to get an education if such was possible. After the war Northern white people "came south and set up schools for the education of Negroes* 3he remembers the organization of the old Storrs School from which one of the pressnt Negroes Colleges Originated* Mrs* Austin proudly spoke of her old blue back speller"* which she still possesses; and of the days when she attended Storrs School* As the waiter made ready to depart Mrs. Austin smilingly in- formed her that she had told her all that she knew about slavery; and every * v.ord spftken was the truth* ^ *dji ^HIP «¦* FEW FACTS OF SLATEEY" ed^ r As. Told by Gel^stia Avery-IxSlave Eps. Celestia Avery is a small mulatto woman about 5 ft* in height* She has a reniarkably clear memory in view of the fact that she is about 75 years of age. Before the interview began she reminded the writer that the facts to be related were either told to her by her grandmother, Sylvia Heard, or were facts which she remembered herself. Mrs. Avery was born 75 years ago in Troupe County, LaGrange, Ga.*'"l£iie eighth oldest child of Lenora and Silas Heard. There were 10 other children beside herself. She and her family were owned by Mr. & Mrs. Peter Heard. In/those days the slaves carried the surname of their master; this accounted for all slaves having the same name whether they were kin or not. The owner Mr. Heard had a plantation of about 500 acres and was considered vealthy by all-who knew him. Mrs. Avery was unable to give the exact number of slaves on the plantation, but knew he owned a large number-. Cotton^ eornf peas, potatoes, (etc*) were the main crops raised. The homes provided for the slaves were two room leg cabins which~'J£k& &ae^ door and one window* These homes were not built in a group together but were more or less scattered over the plantation. Slave homes were very imple and only contained a home made table, chair and bed which were made of the same type of wood and could eaoily-be cleaned by scouring with sand every Saturday* The beds were bottomed with rope which was run backward and forward from one rail to the other. On this framework was placed a mattress of wheat straw. Each spring the uattresses were emptied and,refilled with fresh wheat straw. Slaves were required to prepare their own meals three times a day* This as done in a big open fire place which was filled with hot eoals* The master did not give them much of a variety of food, but allowed each family to raise their o;;n vegetables. Ea-ch family was given a hand out of beeon and meal on Saturdays and Page 2 through the week• corn ash cakes and meat; which had been broiled on the hot coals was the usual diet found in each home. The difct did not vary even at Christmas only a little fruit was added. Each family was provided with a loom and in Mrs. Averyfs family, her grandmother, Sylvia Heard, did most of the carding and spinning of the thread into cloth. The most canmon cloth for women clothes was homespun, and calico. This same cloth v«as dyed and used to make men shirts and pants. Dye was prepared by taking a berry known as the shumake berry and boiling them with walnut peelings. Spring and fall were the seasons for masters to give shoes and clothing to their slaves. Both men and women wore brogan shoes, the only difference being the piece in the side of the womens. One -woman was required to do the work around the house there was also one slave man required to work around the house doing odd jobs. Other than these two every one else was required to do the heavy work in the fields• ;."ork began at *sun up* and lasted until "sun down". In the middle of the day the big bell was rung to summon the workers from the field, for their sid-day lunch. After work hours slaves were then free to dow work around their o\m cabins, such as sewing, cooking (etc.) "Once a week Mr. Heard allowed his slaves to have a frolic and folks would get broke down from so much dancing* Mrs. Avery remarked. The music . ss furnished with fiddles, */hen asked how the slaves came to own fiddles she replied, "They bought them with money they earned selling chickens.n At night slaves would steal off from the Heard plantation, go to LaGrange, Ga. and sell chickens which they had raised. Of course the masters always required hali* of every thing raised by each slave and it was not permissible for any slave to sell anything. Mother fona of entertainment was the quilting party. Every one would go together to different person's home on each separate night - of .the week and finish that person's quilts. Each night this was repeated until every one had a sufficient amount of covering for the winter. Any slave frooa another plantation, desiring to attend these frolics, could do so after securing a pass from their master. Mrs. Avery related the occasion when her Uncle William was caught off the Heard plantation Without a pass, and was whipped almost to death by the nPader Rollers.w He stole off to the depths of thw woods here he built a cave large enough to live in. A few nights later he came back to the plantation unobserved and carried his wife and two children back to this cave where they lived until after freedom. Vlhen found years later his wife had given birth to two children* ITo one was : rer able to find his hiding place and if he saw any one in the woods he would run like a lion. Mr. Heard was a very mean master and was not liked by any one of his slaves. Secretly each one hated him. He whipped unmercifully and in most cases unnecessarily. However, he sometimes found it hard to subdue saae slaves who happened to have very high tempers. In the event this was the case he would set a pack of hounds on him. Mrs. Avery related to the writer the story told to her of Mr. Hoard's cruelty by her grandmother. The facts were as follows: "Every morning my grandmother would pray, and old man Heard despised to hear any one pray ssfying they were only doing so that they might become free niggers. Just as sure as the sun would rise, she would get a whipping; but this did not stop her prayers every morning before day. This particular time grandmother oylvia was in "family way" and that morning she began to pray as usual. The master heard her and became so angry he came to her cabin siezed and pulled her clothes from her body and tied her to a young sapling. He whipped her so Page 4 brutally that her "body was raw all over* When darkness fell her husband cut her down from the tree, during the day he was afraid to go near her. Bather than go back to the cabin she crawled on her knees to the woods and her husband brought grease for her to grease her raw body* For two weeks the master hunted but could not find her; however, when he finally did, she had given birth to twins. The only thing that saved her was the fact that she was a mid-wife and always carried a small pin knife which she used to cut the navel cord of the babies* After doing this she tore her petticoat into two pieces and wrapped each baby.* Grandmother Sylvia lived to get 115 years old. Not only was Mr. Henderson cruel but it seemed that every one he hired in the capacity of overseer was j^ist as cruel, for instance, Mrs. Henderson1 s grandmother Sylvia, was told to take her clothes off when she reached the end of a row.: She was to be whipped because she had not completed the required amount of hoeing for the day. Grandmother continued hoeing until ^she came to a fence; as the overweer reached out to grab her she snatched a fence railing and broke it across his arms. On another occasion grandmother Sylvia ran all the way to town to tell the master that an overseer was heating her husbsmd to death. The master immediately jumped on his horse and started for home; and reaching the plantation he ordered the overseer to stop whipping the old man. Mrs. Avery received one whipping, with a hair hrush, for disobedience; this was given to her by the mistress. Slaves were given separate churches, but the minister, who conducted the services, was white. Tery seldom did the text vary from the usual one of obedience to the master and mistress, and the necessity for good behavior. Every one was required to attend church , however, the only self expression they could indulge in without conflict with the master was that of singing. Any one heard praying was given a good whipping; for most masters thought their prayers Paged 26 no good since freedom was the uppermost thought in every one's head* On the Heard plantation as on a njmber of others, marriages were made by the masters of the parties concerned. Marriage licenses were unheard of • If both masters mutually consented, the marriage ceremony was considered over with. After that the husband was given a pass to visit his wife once a week. In the event children were born the naming of them was left entirely to the master. Parents were not allowed to name them. Health of slaves was very important to every slave owner for loss of life meant loss of money to them. Consequently they would call in their family doctor, if a slave became seriously ill. In minor cases of illness home remedies were used. "In fact," Mrs. Avery smilingly remarked, "We used every thing for medicine that grew in the ground. * One particular home remedy was known as "Cow foot oil" which was made by boiling cow's feet in water. Other medicines used were hoarhonnd tea, catnip tea, and castor oil. Very often medicines and doctors failed to save life; and whenever a slave died he was buried the same day. Mrs* Avery remarked, "If he died before dinner the funeral and burial usually took place immediately after dinner." Although a very young child, Mrs. Avery remembers the frantic attempt slave owners made to hide their money; when the war broke out. The following is a story related concerning the Heard family. flMr. Heard, our master,went to the swamp? dqg a hole, and hid his money,then he and his wife left for town on their horses. My oldest brother, Percy, saw their hiding place; and when the Yanks came looking for the money, he carried them straight to the swamps and showed them where the money was hidden .J Although the Teard farm was in the co-untry the highway was very near and Mrs. Avery told of the long army of sol- diers marching to La Grange singing the following song: "Bally around the Page 6 £1? flag boys, rally around the flag, joy, joy, for freedom.*When the war ended Mr..Heard visited every slave home and broke the news to each family that th$y were free people and if they so desired could remain on his plantation. Mrs* A veryf s family moved away, in fact most slave families did, for old man Heard had been such a cruel master everjjone was anxious to get away from him* How- ever, one year later he sold his plantation to Mr George Sraylor and some of the families moved back, Mrs* Averyfs family included* Mrs* Avery married at the age of 16; and was the mother of 14 children, three of whom are still living* Although she has had quite a hit of illness, during her life, at present she is quite well and active in spite of her old age. She assured the writer that the story of slavery, which she had given her, was a true one and sincerely hoped it would do some good in this world* ,\f/U * Hiniiic B. tcs* ^' \a/OQ1 folklore I (Hegro) In a fiaall house at 173 Phoenix Alley, N*B* liws a little old woaaa about 5 ft# 2 in# in height^ #io is an ex-slave. She greeted the writer with a bright smile and bade her enter and have a seat by the small fire in tbe poorly lighted room. The writer vividly recalled the interview she gave on slavery previously and wondered if any flacts concerning superstition*, eon jure, signs, etc. could be obtained from her* After a short conversation pertaining to everyday occurrences, the subject of superstition was broached to Mrs. Avery* The idea soused her and she gave the writer the following facts: As far as possible the stories are given in her exact words. The interview required two days, November 30 and December 2, 193d. "When yon see a dog lay on his stomach, and slide it is a true sign of death* This is sho true causa it happened to &e# Tears ago when I lived on Pine Street I was sitting on my steps play log with bqt nine-aontks old baby* A friend ut mine came by and sat down; and as we set there a dog that followed her began to elide on his stomach. It scared me; and I said to her, did you see that dog? Tea, I sho did* That night ay baby died and it wuaa't sick at all that day* that's the truth and a sho sign of death* Anudder sign of death is tar dream of a new- born baby* One night not so long ago I dreamt about a new-born baby and you know I went ter the door and called Hiss Mary next door and told her I drowned about a ne*-born balky, and she 9*14, &J that's a sho alga of d«atb* The aame week that gal*a baby over there died. It didn't surprise at wh.n I h»ard it mob* I kaowed aoasbody round her. ms go di.»" She continued: "Listen, child J If obber yon clean your bod, don't you newer sweep off your springe with a torooa. Always wip. 'em with a rag, or us. a brush. Jest as sho as you do you so. op experience death around you. I took aj bed dowA and swept off my springe," and I Jest happened to tell old lira. BaXth; and sh. jTaapei 29 up and said, *@hild, you ought not done that cause itvs a sign of death*f 9ho nuff the seine night I lost another child that wus eight years old* The child had heart trouble, I think** Mrs. Avery believes in luck to a certain extent* The following are examples of how you may obtain luck: "I believe you can change your luck by throwing $ teaspooaful of sulphur la the fire at zackly IS o1 clock in the dey* I know last week I was sitting here without a bit of fire, but I wuzn't thinking bout doing that till a 'oman came by and told me ter scrape up a stick fire and put a spoonful of sulphur on it; and sho nuff in a hourfs time a coal man came by and gave me a tub uv coal* long time ago I used ter work fee? some white women and every day at 12 of clock I wus told ter put a teaspoonful of sulphur in the fire** "Another thing, I sho ain9t going ter let a ' omaa come in my house on Monday morning unless a man done come in there fust* No,surre#, if it seam lak one ain't coming soon, Ifll call one of the boy ehllluns, jest so It is a male* The reason far this is cause women is bad luck*" The following are a few of the luck charms as described by Mrs. Avery: "Black cat bone is taken from a cat* First, the oat is killed and boiled , after which the meat is scraped from the bones* The bones are then taken to the creek and thrown in* The bone that goes up stream is the lucky bone and is the one tnat should be kept." "There is a boy in this neighborhood that sells liquor and I know they done locked him iqp ten or twelve times but he always git out* They say he carries a black eat bone," related Mrs. Avery* "The Devil1 s shoe string looks jest like a fern with a let of roots* W mother used to grow them in the corner of our garden. They are lucky. "Llajree (?) are always carried tied 4a the corner of a handkerchief* I don't know how they make *eim s. 30 HI bought a lucky stick from a man onct. It looked jest lak a candle, only it wuz sma&; but he did have some sticks as large as candles and he called them lucky sticks, too, but you had to burn them all night in your roonu He also had some that looked jest lak buttons, small and round*n The following are two stories of conjure told by Mrs. Avery: "I knowed a man onct long ago and he stayed sick all der time* He had the headache from morning till night. One day he went to a old man that miz called a conjuror; this old man told him that somebody had stole the sweat-band out of his cap and less he got it back, something terrible would happen* They ssy this roan had been going with a f oman and she had stole his sweat-band* Well, he never did get it, so he died* 111 had a cousin named Alec Heard, and he had a wife named Anna Heard* Anna stayed sick all der time almost ;fer two years she complained* One day a old conjurer came to der house and told Alec that Anna wuz poisoned, but if he would give aim $5*00 he would come back Sunday morning and find the conjure* Alec wua TriLse, so he bored a hole in the kitchen floor so that he could jest pe«p through there to der back steps* Sho nuff Sunday morning the nigger come back and as Alec watched ::im he dug down in the gound a piece, then he took a ground puppy, threw it in the iole and covered it iq>* All rigit, he started digging again and all at onct he jumped up and cried: fHere 'tiel I got it**" •Got what?1 Alec said, running to the door with a piece of board* fI got the ground puppy dat wuz buried far her.1 :U.ec wuz so mad he jumped on that man and beat him most to death* They say he did that all the time and kept a lot of ground puppies fer that purpose." Continuing, she explained that a ground puppy was a worm with two small horns* They are dug up out of the ground, and there is a belief that you will die if one barks at you* Mrs. Avery related two ways in ¥bich you can keep from beixg conjured by anyone* f,0ne thing I do every morning is tar sprinkle chamber-lye with salt and then tnrow it all around my door* They sho canft fix you if you do this* Anudder thing* 31 if you wear a silver dime around your leg they eanft fix you* The foman live next door says she done wore two silver dimes around her leg for 18 years.* Next is a story of the Jack OfLaatern. "Onct when I wuz a little girl a lot of us chillun used to slip off and take walnuts from a old man. Ve picked a rainy night so nobody would see us, but do you loiow it looked like a thousand Jack ma1 Lanterns got in behind us. They wuz all around us. I never will ferget my brother telling me ter get out in the path and turn ay pocket wrong side out. I told him I didn't have no pocket but the one in my apron; he said,fwell,turn that one wrong side out*1 Sho nuff we did and they scattered then." Closing the interview, Mrs. Avery remarked: that's bout all I know; but come back some time and maybe I'll think of something else.* 5, 30 On December 3 and 4, 1956, Mrs* Smalins Heard was interviewed at her home, 239 Gain St^efcfc* The writer had visited firs* Heard previously, and it was at her own request that another visit was made. This visit was supposed to be one to obtain information and stories on the practice of conjure* On two previous occasions Krs. Heard* s stories had proved very interesting, and I knew as I sat there waiting for her to begin that she had something very good to tell as* She began: "Chile, this story wuz told ter me by jgy father and I know he sho woulinft lie* Every word of it is the trufe; fact, everything I ebbar told you was the trufe* Now, my pa had a brother, old Uncle Martin, and his wife wua name Julienne* Aunt Julianne used ter have spells and fight and kick all the time. They had doctor after doctor but none did her any good* Somebody told Uncle Martin to go ter a old conjurer and let the doctors go cause they w«nft doing nothing fer her anyway* Sho watt he got one ter come see her and give her some medicine* This old man said she had bugs in her head, and afjer giving her the medicine he started rubbing her head. While he rubbed her head he said: 9Darfs a bug in her head} it looks jest like a big black roach* Now, hefs coming out of her head through her ear; * at ever you do, donft let him get away cause I want hisu Whatever you do, catch him; hefs going ter run, but rihen he hits the pillow9 grab: 'em* Ifm go take him and turn it back on the one who is trying ter send you ter the grave*' Sho nuff that bug dreg? out her ear and flew; she hollered, and old Uncle Martin ran in the room, snatched the bed clothes off but they never did find hia* Aunt Julianne never did get better and soon she died* The conjurer said if they had a caught the bug she would a lived*" The next story is a true story* The facts as told by Mrs* Heard were also witnessed by her; aa it deals with the conjuring of one of her sons* It is related in her exact words as nearly as possible* "I got a son named Albert Heard. He is living and well; but chile, there was a time when he wus almost ter his grave* I wua living in town than, and Albert and his wife wus living in the country with their two chillun* Well, Albert got down 33 stele and he would go ter doctors,and go ter doctors, hut they didn't do him any good. I wuz worried ter death cause I had ter run baekards and for9arts and it wuz a strain on me* He was suffering with a knot on his right side and fee couldn't even fasten his shoes cause it pained him so, and it wuz so had he eouldn9t even button up his pants* A f oman tea&hed school out there by the name of Mrs* Yancy; she's dead now but she lived right here on Randolph Street years ago* Well, one day when I wuz leaving Albert1 s house I met her on the way from her school* 'Good evening, Mfrs* Heard,* she says. 'How is Mr. Albert?1 I don't hardly know, I says, cause he don't get no better* She looked at me kinds funny and said, don't you believe he's hurt?' Tea mam, I said, I sho do* 'Well.'says she, fI been wanting to say something to you concerning this but I didn't know how you would take it* If I tell you somewhere ter go Hill you go, and tell than I sent you?' Yes memf I will do anything if Albert can get better* 'All right then', she says* 'Catch the Federal Prison car and get off at Butler St.' In them days that ear came down Forrest Ave* 'When you get to Butler St*',she says, 'walk up to Clifton St» and go to such and such a number. Knock on the door and a 'oman by the name of Mrs* Hirshpath ViJUkcome ter the door* Fore she let you in she go ask who sent you there; when you tell 'er, she'll let you in* Now lenme tell you she keeps two quarts of wnisky all the time and you have ter drink a little with her; sides that she eusses nearly every word she speaks; but don't let that scare you; she will sho get your son up if it kin be done.' Sho nuff that old 'oman did jest lak Mrs. Tancy said she would do* She had a harsh woice and she spoke right snappy* When she let me in she said,sit do^n* Tou lak whisky?' I said, well, I take a little dram sometimes* '?ell9 here take some of this1, she said* I poured a little bit and drank it kinds lak I wuz afraid* She cursed and said 'I ain't go conjure you* Drink It.' She got the cards and told me to cut 'em, so I did* Looking at the cards,she said: 'Tou !ak ter wait too long; they got him marching to the cemetery* The poor thing I I'll fix those devils*( A profane word was used instead of devils)* He got a knot on 7* his side, ainft he?f Yes, Mam, I said* That 'emeu told me everything that was *rong with Albert and zackly how he acted* All at once she said: * If them d d things had hatched in him it would a been too late* If you do zackly lak I tell you I'll get him up from there*f I sho will, I told her* fWell, therefe a stable sets east of his house. His house got three rooms and a path go straight to the stable* I see it there where he hangs his harness. Yes, I see it all, the devils I Have you got any money?1 Yes, mam, a little, I said* fAll right then,fshe said. «ao to the drug stare and get 5/6 worth of blue stone; 5/£ wheat bran; and go ter a fish market and ask fem ter give you a little fish brine; then go in the woods and get some poke-root berries. Now, there's two kinds of poke-root berries, the red skin and tlie white skin berry* Put all this in a pot, mix with it the guts from a green gourd &&& 9 parts of red pepper* Make a poultice and put to his side on that knot* Now, listen, your son will be afraid and think you are trying ter do something ter him but be gentle and persuade him that its fer his good,1 Child, he sho did act funny vihen I told him I wanted to treat his side* I had ter tell him I wuz carrying out doctors orders so he could get well* He reared and fussed and said he didn9t want that mess on him* I told him the doctor says you do very well till you go ter the horse lot then you go blind and you can't see* He looked at me* *Sho nuff, Ha, he said, 'that sho is the trufe* I have ter always call one of the chillun when I go tnere cause I can't see how ter get back ter the bouses Well, that convinced him oiid he let me fix the medicine for him* I put him ter bed and made the poultice, then I put it ter his side* Now this Yoman said no one was ter take it off the next morning but me* I wuz suppose ter fix three, one each night, and after taking eacn one off ter bury it lak dead folks is buried, east and west, and ter make a real grave out of each one* Well, when I told him not tar move it the next morning, but let me move it, he got funny again and wanted to know #iy* Do you know I had ter play lak I could move it without messing up my bed clothes and if he moved it he might waste it all* Finally he said he would call me the next morning* Sho nuff, 34 8 35 the next morning he called me, ma! ma! come take it off. I went in the room and he wuz smiling. I slept all night long he said, and I feel so much better. I'm so glad, I said, and do you know he could reach down and fasten up his shoe and it had been a long time since he could do that. Later that day I slipped out and made my first grave under the fig bush in the garden. I even put up head boards, too. That night Albert said, 'Mama, fix another one. I feel so much better.' I sho will, I said. Thank God you're better; so fer three nights I fixed poultices and put ter his side and each morning he would tell me how much better he felt. Then the last morning I wuz fixing breakfast and he sat in the next room. After while Albert jumped up and hollered, Ma! Ma!' What is it, 'I said. 'Mama, that knot is gone. It dropped down in my pants.' What! I cried. Where is it? Chile, we looked but we didn't find anything, but the know had sho gone. Der 'oman had told me ter come back when the knot moved and she would tell me what else ter do. That same day I went ter see her and when I told her she just shouted, 'I fixed 'em, The devils! Now, says she, do you know where you can get a few leaves off a yellow peachtree? It must be a yellow peach tree, though. Yes, mam, I says to her. I have a yellow peachtree right there in my yard. Well, she says, get a handful of leaves, then take a knife and scrape the bark up, then make a tea and give him so it will heal up the poison from that knot in his side, also mix a few jimson weeds with it. I come home and told him I wanted ter give him a tea. He got scared and said, what fer, Ma? I had ter tell him I wuz still carrying out the doctor's orders. Well, he let me give him the tea and that boy got well. I went back to Mrs. Hirshpath and told her my son was well and I wanted to pay her. Go on, she said, keep the dollar and send your chillun ter school. This sho happened ter me and I know people kin fix you. Yes sir. The next story was told to Mrs. Heard by Mrs. Hirspath, the woman who cured her son. 36 I used to go see that foman quite a bit and even sent some of my friends tar her. One day while I wus there she told me about this piece of work she did, "There wua a young man and his wife fcnd they nor Iced fer some white folks* They had jest married and wua trying ter save some money ter buy a home with* All at onct the young man went blind and it almost run him and his wife crasy cause they didn't know what in the world ter do* Well, somebody told hia and her about Mrs. Hirshpatb, so they went ter see her* One dsy, says Mrs. Hirshpath, a big fine carriage drew up in front of her doer and the coachman helped him to her door* She asked him who sent him and he told fl&r. She only charged 5Qj4 for giving advice and after you wuz cured it wua up tar you to give her what you wanted to* Well, this man gave her 50/4 and she talked ter him. She says, boy, you go home and donft you put that cap on no more* What cap? he says. 5hat cap you wears ter elean up the stables with, cause somebody done dressed that cap fer you, and QYsxy time you perspire and it run down ter your eyes it makes you blind. Tou jest get that cap and bring it ter me. IfH fix-'an; theyfs trying ter make you blind, but I go let you see. The boy was overjoyed, and sho nuff he went baek and brought her that cap, and it wuznft long fore ha could see good as you and me* He brought that fOman #50, but she wouldn*t take hut v25 and give the other §25 back: ter him* "VThat I done told you is the trufe, every W3rd of itj I know some other things that happened but you come back anudder day fer that.* 100071 PLANTATION LIFE Interview with; GEORGIA BAKER 569 Meigs Street Athens, Georgia 3,% Written by: Mrs. oadie B. Hornsby Athens - 0bte> Edited by: Mrs* Saraii H. Hall Athens - and John N. Booth Dist. supvr. Federal "Writers1 Project Hesidencie s 6 & 7 Augusta , G-a. A \ August 4, 1958 »w *.,*. ^r^^™-^ «*«i^»"f^ /¦'i*si?f v^ftgw'^'raisj^^^nsti^cwf^Jt?nf^ *"* .ftl^^^T'^^^F^^^^^^f^l 100071 '£?&$& V$?&';: ^C^-IA BAKER ¦Slave - Age 87 38 ..-, ^org.li^.a,:^||;0a^^;p^OTed,,|o-. >g;, ^^,Jfto^-j&f /^er ' ¦ * ¦ u^r ter, Ida *B$ker.; The .olea^-rfsifegt walks of the spall ya&fa^gxp^ nghtened by borders of gay colored zJLnnias and marigolds in front * t::e drab looking 1^~®tary, frame; house. "Gome in,tf answered [ids, in respona§_ ta a.kiic^k a| J|e |ront jioor. "Yessum, Mammas Go right in dat dfre rpoi$u&®&- jou*ll find her.M Standing by %&e fireplace of thq &$%%, room was \e Vr.in, very black woman eag;age<| in lighting her pipe» 4 greea r? Icrcc! ed gingham apron gartlalljr covered h$:r faded blue frock over she wore a black shirtwaist fastened together with "safety first* A white cloth, tied turban fashion about her head, and gray [ccti :n nose worn with black and white slippers that were run down at heels, completed her costume. / . n€top4 mornin1. Yessum, dis herefs Seprgia^11 was :.er greeting. *Letfs gp in (Jar nfifcar Idst is so us can set down. ; nft know what you come for, but I guess 1*11--soon find out** Georgia was eager to talk but her articulation ha:, been impaired by a paretiytic . strpkf and at timfs,,i| W&^di£fi~ • 2uit to understand1 ner jumble of words. 4fter obs^yftnce, gf tjaf. ., "unities; comments on the weather, healtii and such sub|efts,cS&f be- Iri,i. ^e.n: was ltWhar was I bori!*? lliy l/^ *rest man. It was Marse Alec Stephens* plantation fbout a mile Page 8-i 39 sna half from ^rawfordville, in ^oliaferro bounty• Mary <;ni Gi-randison ^illy was my Ma and Pa* Ma was cook up at de bi£ house and she died when I was Jus* a little gal* Pa was a field hand, and he belonged to Marse Britt xjlly» *Dere was four of us chillun: me, and Mary, and Frances, and Mack,* she counted on the fingers of one hand# "Uarse Alec let M«rfl^jrim^Jn^nqpp have Mack for his bodyguord# .j'rsnces, she wuked in de field, and Mary was de baby * she was too little to wik# Me, I was 14 years old when de rt'ar was over* I swept yards, toted water to de field, and played fround de ..-rise and yard wid de rest of de chillun* , *De long, log houses v/hat us lived in was called "shotgun" houses fcause dey had three room?> one behind de other in a row lak de barrel of a shotgun. All de chillun slept in one end room and de grown fclkses slept in de other end roora. De kitchen whar us cooked end et was de middle room. Beds was :riade out of pine poles put togetner wid cords* Dem wheat* straw mattresses was for grown folkses mostly * cause nigh all de cnillun slept on pallets? Eow-some-ever, dere was some few slave chillun'what had beds to sleep on. Pillows! Dem days us never knowed ?vhat pillows wes* Gals slept on one side of de room end boys on de other in de chilluns room- Uncle Jim, he •vas de bed-maker, and he made up a heap of little beds lak what ley calls cots now# fage 3V *Becky and Stafford Stephens was my Grandma fjrid Grandpa. Marse Alec bought fem in Old Virginny* I don't i_;.cw whet my Grandma done rcause she died 'fore I was borned, but I 'members Grandpa Stafford well enough* I can see him now* He v:as a old man what slept on a trundle bed in the kitchen, and f:ll he done was to set by de fire all day wid a switch in ;:is hand and tend de chillun whilst dere mammies was at wuk* jhillun minded better dem days dan dey does now* Grandpa Stafford never had to holler at f em but one time* Dey knowed dey v;onld rit de switch next if dey didnft behave* ^ow dere you is axinf fbout dat somepin* tfeat is nsd dem days! Ida, ainft dere a piece of watermelon in de Ice box?n Georgia lifted the lid of a small ice box, got out v. piece of melon, and began to smack her thick lips as she de- voured it with an air of ineffable satisfaction* When she had tilted the rind to swallow the last drop of pink juice, she in- dicated that she was fortified and ready to exercise her now .11 lubricated throat, by resuming her story: *0h, yessum! Marse Alec, had plenty for his sieves to eat. Dere was meat, bread, collard greens, snap beans, 'taters, peas, all sorts of dried. fxnit, and just lots of milk a::d butter. Marse Alec had 12 cows end datrs whar I learned to love milk so good. De seme Uncle Jim what made our beds made ~ -'V wooden howls what dey kept filled wid bread and milk for de chillun all day. You might want to call dat place whar Marse Pag® 4* % 41 Alec had our vegftables raised a gyarden, but it looked more lak a big field to me, it was so big. You jusf ought to have seed dat dere fireplace whar dey cooked all us had to eat» It '•>es one sho *nough big somepin, all full of pots, skillets, and ovens* Dey warn't never flowed to git full of smut neither. T)ey had to be cleant and shined up attfer evvy meal, and dey sho was pretty hangin1 dar in dat big old fireplace* ^George and mack was de hunters* When dey went huntin1 dey brought back jus1 evvything: possums, rabbits, coons, squirrels, birds, and wild turkeys* Yessum, wild turkeys is s>vie sort of birds I reckon, but when us talked about birds to eat us meant part'idges. Some folkses calls fem quails* De fishes us had in summertime was a sight to see* Us sho et good dem days. Now us jusf eats wh at-some-ever us can gitt ^Summertime us jusf wore what us wanted to. Dresses was made wid full skirts gathered on to tight fittin* .aisties* uinter clothes was good and warm; dresses made of yarn cloth made up jus f lak dem sumraertime clothes, and petti- uoets and draw's made out of osnaburg* Ghillun what was big enough done de spinnin* and -<*unt ^etsey and Aunt ^inny, dey 7;ove most evvy night ftil dey rung de bell at 10:00 o'clock for is to go to bed. Us made bolts and bolts of p],QtiL^e.vvv year* *Us went bar*foots in summer, but bless your sweet life us had good shoes in winter and wore good ti&oo&in'-s too. It tuk three shoemakers for our plantation* Bey was Uncle Isom, Uncle Jim, and Uncle Stafford. Bey made up hole- stock shoes for de Romans and gals and brass-toed brogans for de mens and boys. *Us had pretty white dresses for Sunday. Marse Alec wanted evvybody on his place dressed up dat day. He sont his houseboy, Uncle xiarris, down to de cabins evvy Sunday morninr to tell evvy slave to clean hisself upf Bey warn't never give no change to forgit. Bare was a big old room sot aside for a ¦vash-roonw Folkses laughs at me now fcause I ainft never stopped takinr a bath evvy Sunday mornin*. "Mayse Lordnorth Stephens was de boss on Marse A.lecfs plantation. Course Marse Alec owned us and he was #n# sho fnough Marster. Neither one_of fem ever married. Marse lordnorth was a good man, but he didnrt have no use for fomans - )is wes a sissy. Here warn't no Marster no whar no better dan our Liarse Alec Stephens, but he never stayed home enough to tend to things hisself much fcause he was all de time, too busy on de outside. He was de President or scmepinj)f our side durin* de war. *Uncle Pierce went wid Marse Alec evvy whar he vent. His dog, Rio, had more sense dan most folkses. Matfse Pagf §• 4g all Alec, he .$&&/&e "ki*&e havin1 big mens visit him up at de big :wase. One time, out in de yard, him and one of dem fportant -ens got in a argyment *bout somepin. Us ohillun snuck up close to hear vail at dey was makin* such a rukus 'bout. I heared ...arse Alec say: fI got more sense in my big toe dan you is got In your whole body. r And he was right - he did have more sense dan most folkses. Ainft I been a-tellinf you he was de President or somepin lak dat, dem days? w Ma, she was Marse Alec's cook and looked atter de house. Atter she died Marse Lordnorth got Mrs* Mary Berry fromJfebersham County to keep house at de big house, but Aunt 'Liza, she done de cookinf atter Miss Mary got dar. Us little : iggers shof did love Miss Mary. Us called her "Mammy Mary* sometimes. Miss Mary had three sons and* one of 'em was "'named '¦^WW^IiW^WJUVjWiJI'^IMWIil ~eff juavis. I fmembers when dey come and got him and tUk him off to war. Marse Lordnorth built a "four-room house on de plan- tation for Miss Mary and her boys«. i*vvybody loved our Miss ; :;ry, f cause she was so good and sweet, and dere warn't nothin* us wouldnft have done for her. *No LordI Marse Lordnorth never needed no over- seer or no carriage driver neither• Uncle Jim was de head man~ v/aat got de Niggers up evvy mornin* and started fem off to wuk right. De big., house sho was a pretty place, a-settinf up on a high hill. De squirrels was so tame dar dey jusf played all 'round de yard. Marse Alecfs dog is buried in dat yard* Pag© 7. *No Mam, I never knowed how many acres dere was in de plantation us lived on, and Marse Alec-had other places too. He had land scattered evvywhar* Lord, dere was a heap of ?:ifgers on dat place, and all of us was kin to one another* Grandma 3ecky and Grandpa Stafford was de fust slaves Marse Alec ever had, and dey sho had a passel of chillun. One thing sho Marse Lordnorth wouldn't keep nobright colored Mg&er on dot plantation if he could help it. Aunt i*iary was a bright colored Nigger and dey said dat Marse John, Ivlarse lordnorthfs brother, was her Pa, but anyhow Marse Lordnorth never had no jse for her 'cause she was a bright colored Nigger* "Marse Lordnorth never had no certain early time for his slaves to git up nor no special late time for fem to ^uit wuk. De hours dey wuked v/as fcordinf to how much wuk was ahead to be done. Folks in Crawfordville called us yStephens1 Free Niggers.1 *Us minded Marse Lordnorth - us had to do dat - b Jt he let us do pretty much as us pleased. Us never had no sorry piece of a Marster. He v/as a good man and he made a sho 'nough good Marster* I never seed no Nigger git a beatin', -nd whatfs more I never beared of nothin* lak dat on our pi ace ? .Oere was a jail in Crawfordville, but none of us Niggers on .;arse Alec's place warn11 never put in it. *No Lord! None of us Niggers never knowed nothin* fbout readin* and writin1. Dere waraft no school for ^rers den. and I ain't richer been to School a day in my life. •.:r.rers was more skeered of newspapers d$fi dey is of snakes now, ]:d us never knowed what a Bible was deie days* ^Niggers never had no churches of deir own den. ,.?y v/ent to de irfiite folksesf churches end sot in die gallery. it: ie Sunday when me and my sister Frances!; went tq church I ;\ and 50^ in Gonfederat^jaoney and showdi it to her* She €ul '_\ oway from me. Datfs de onliest money, I seed durin* slavery ae. Course you knows dey throwed Confederate money away f®$ i resh atter de war was over* Den us yojung chaps used to play v.:d it. ; ¦ *I never went to no bapti&in's nor no funerals ¦v?:ther den. Funerals warnft de style. T$hem a digger died ian days, dey jusf put his body in a box[and buried it. I i ¦ Viembers very well when Aunt Sallie and iunt Catherine died. t I was little den, and I didn't take it in v*tat dey done ut buryinf fem. ; "None of ilarse Alecfs slaves never run away to : North, fct*ose he was so good to fem dely never wanted^ to "..oave him. p© onliest Nigger what left jilfiarse Alec's pl^ce was ; acie Dave, and he wouldn't have left foejpt he got in trouble ¦ :d a white foman. Tou needn't ax me her name *f'cause I ainft raine to tell it, but 1 knows it well as II does my own name* , -:/how jfegM JO*^ mm _ m.Qlmy.nfl^ told him to . ^:av€r, end nobody never seed him no more Setter dat# Page 9. nQh yessuml Us heared 'bout fem, but none of us never seed no patterollers on M&rse Aleefs plantation. He never flov;ed fem on his land, and he let fem know dat he kept his slaves supplied wid passes whenever dey wanted to go places so as dey could come and go when dey got good and ready* Thursday and oadday nights was de main nights dey went off. Uncle Staf- ford*^ wife was Miss Mary Stephen1s cook, Uncle Jim's wife lived on de Finley place, and tlncle Isomfs belonged to de iiollises, so dey had regular passes all de time and no patterollers never bothered fem none. "Whenever Marse ? dance down* Dere warnft no foolishment flowed atter 10:00 of clock no night* Sundays dey went to church and visited fround, but folks didn't spend as much time gaddin1 'boutlak dey does now days* ^Christmas $syj Oh, what a time us Miggers did nave dat day! Marse Lordriorth and liars e Alec give us eyvy- thing you could name to eatjcake of all kinds, fresh meat, lightbread, turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, and all kinds of wild game, Dere was allus plenty of pecans, apples, and dried reaches too at Christmas. Marse Alec had some trees what had fruit dat looked lak bananas oh fem, but I done forgot what was cie name of dem trees? Marse Alec would call de grown folkses to de big hous"e early in de mornin1 and pass ' 'round a big newter pitcher full of whiskey, den he would put a little whis- l:ey in dat same pitcher and fill it wid sweetened water and give •lat to us chillun* Us called iat ^toddyf or fdramf • Marse .,-,.«,.,„¦ i | „-' -njiir n - t —:--------- .ilex allus had plenty of good whiskey, fcause Uncle Willis made It up for him and it was made jus1 right* De night atter Jhristm'as Day us pulled syrup candy, drunk more liquor, and danced. Us had a big time for a whole week and den on New Year's Day us done a little wuk jus* to start de year right and ms feasted dat day on fresh meat, plenty of cake, and whiskey?, Dere was allus a big pile of ash-roasted ftaters on hand to go wid let good old baked meat. . Us allus tried to raise enough ytesters to last all through de winjLfij,, 'cause Niggers sho does love dem s'A-eet ftaters* No Mam, us never, knowed nothin* 'bout Santa fagtotl.%1^ • ;^f§t. Glaus ftil atter de war* *Nb Mam, dere wara't no special cornshuckin1s and cotton piokinfs on Marse Alec's place, but of course dey did quilt in de winter f cause dere had to fee lots of i|uiltinf +#........nmmmm ....., _ i ¦.....win I hiumhi; l in mill.....ii'W , done for all dem slaves to have plenty of warm kivver, and you ] no?/s, Lady, fom8ns can quilt better if dey gits a passel of fem together to do it. Marse Alec and Marse Lordnorth never flowed acre slaves to mix up wid other folkses business muchv n0h LordI Us never played no games in slavery times, feept Jus1 to run around in a ring and pat our hands. I never sung no songs fcause I warnft no singer, and don't talk . •bout no Haw Head and. Bloody Bones or nothin1 lak dat* Dey used to skeer us chillun so bad •bout dem sort of things dft us used to l$y in; bed at fight a-shakip.f l^ak us was havim^, chills ? I^VB^ee^P^^y °£.....ttaint*ff.....y1 ^ht }i^^^ | in A^hens^ Not long atter I had left wrawfordville and moved to Athens, I had been in bed Jusf a little while one night, and was jus1 dozinf off to sleep when I woke up and sot right apang up in bed.* I seed a white man, dressed in white, standing before me. I sho didn't say nothin* to him for I was too skeered* De very last time I went to a dance, somepin got atter me and skeerei me so my-hair riz up ftil I couldn't git my hat on my haid, and\dat cyored me of gwine to dances. I ainft never been to/more sifh rr**': doinfs# - , #01I Iferster wit* poweirfui gfjw&^o Blr-1fiM§fa ¦ - ¦........i -i.....i _ ' '........."......"*......... "" • •'' s tele ? ®e had f em:"'seM atf er soonJ is * it;:ilis -^::i * - f ported to Mm 'Sat dey was ailitif .: Yesstna, der e *'wa:rj|d&,,:;;; ';;; ncthin* short *bout our good i&rsters, *deed rawf ordville* Atter dat I wuked for Miss Puss King, and when she left orawfordville I come on here to Athens and wuked for Miss Tildy Up son on Prince avenue. Den I went to Atlanta t?Jf^S0Z.M^^^k^y&&& (probably^E,UiipJii). Miss Ruth was ?> niece of Abraham Lincoln's. Her father was President Lincoln's hrothier and he was a Methodist preacher what lived in :.ailpack, New York* I went evvywhar wid Miss But&. Jfhen me and ;.7iss Ruth was in Philadelphia, I got sick and she sont me home to Athens and 1 done been here wid my daughter ever since* HLawdy, Miss! I ain't never been married, but I did live wid Major Baker 18 years and us had five ehillun.Bey is sll dai'd but two* Niggers didn't pay so much 'tention to ^jttin' married dem days as dey does now* I stays here wid my gal, Ida Baker* My son lives in Cleveland, Qhio* My fust child was borned when I warn't but 14 years old. De war ended in April and she was borned in November of dat year# Now, Miss! I ain't never told but one white 'oman who her *a was, so you needn't start axin' me nothin' fbout dat. She had done been Wflkinr evvywjiiar ffore she died when she was jus' 10 months old end Ifm a-tellin* you de truth when I say she had more senfe dan a heap of white chillun has when dey is lots older $an she v/as. Whilst I was off in New Titrk wid filiss Ruth, lfajo7;» he up •:nd got married* I reckon hers daid by now* I donft keer no- how, atter de way he done mev I laade a good livinf for Maaqx ftil he married again, I seed de foman he married onee* nTes Mam,n there was strong emphasis in this re- ly* "I sho would rather have slavery days back if I could have my same good Marsters fcause I never had no hard times den lak I vent through atter dey give us freedom. I ain't never got over not beinf able to see Marse Alec no more* I was livinf at llarse iye Elder's when de gate fell on Marse Alec, and he was crippled i:rid lamed up from dat time on 'til he died* He got to. be UoF@m- or of Georgia whilst he was crippled* Iffhen he got &urfe by dat gate, smallpox was ewywhar and dey w6uidnfi let me go to see fbout him. Dat most killed me f cause I did want to go see if dere v/as somepin* I could do for hiflu ^Lordy Mussy, Miss{ I had a time jinla,y up wid de church* I was in Mailpaek, i^ew York, wid Miss Ruth when I had ie urge to jine up. I told Miss Huth fbout it and she said: ?Dere ain't no Baptist church in 10 miles of here*1 f|*ord, iiave rrussyl1 I said. fMiss Ruth, what I gwine do? Deae is- all ..ethodist churches up here and I jus1 can't jine up wid no Metho- dists*' 'Yes you can,1 she snapped at me, *cause my own Bei's Bag© 15. 5£* a-holdin* a fvival In dis very town and de Methodist church is de best anyhow*r Well, I went on and jined de Reverend Lincoln's Methodist church, but I never felt right fbout it. Deri us went to Philadelphia and soon as I could find a Bap- tist church dar, I jined up wid it. Worthe^ churches ainft lak our southern churches fcause de black and white folkses all belong to de same church dar and goes to church together* Cn dat account I still didnft feel lak I had jined de church. 31ess your sweet life, Honey, when I come back to de South, I was quick as I could be to jine up wid a good old southern Baptist church* I sho didnft mean to live outdoors, 'special- ly atter 1 dies*" Georgia's eyes sparkled and her flow of speech was smooth as she told of her religious experiences. hen that subject was exhausted her eyes dimmed again and her speech became less articulate. Georgia's reeking pipe had been laid aside for the watermelon and not long after that was consumed the rest- less black fingers sought occupation sewing gay pieces for a quilt. "Miss., I warnft born to be lazy, I warnft raised dat v;sy, and I sho ainft skeered to die. "Good-bye, Honey,n said Georgia, as the inter- viewer arose and made her way toward the street. "Hurry back end don't, forgit to fetch me dat party pink dress you is a- T'vearinf* I don't lak white dresses and I ain't never gwine to v/ear a black one nohowmn M« Georgia was on the back porch washing her face * and hands and quarrelling with Ida for not having her break- fast ready at nine-thirty when the interviewer arrived for a re-visit* "Come-In," Georgia invited, /?and have a cheer* .;ut, Miss I done told you all I knows 'bout Marse Alec and dem isys when I lived on his plantation* You know chillun den wern't lowed to hang 'round de grown folks wfaar dey could hear things what was talked, about.1* About this time Ida came down from a second-floor kitchen with her mother's breakfast. She was grumbling a little louder on each step of the rickety stairway• "Lord, have mussy! ;.:a is still a-talkinf fbout dat old slavery stuff, and it. ainft not bin! nohow*" After Ida's pyes had rested on the yellow crepe frock just presented Georgia in appreciation of the three ::ours she had given for the first interview, she became reconciled Tor the story to be resumed, and even offered her assistance in rousing the recollections of her parent. ;"Did I tell you" Georgia began, "dat de man what looked atter Karse Alec's business was his fust cousin? He 7:2s de Marse Lordnorth I'se all time talkin1 ft>out, and Marse -Tohn was Marse Lordnorth'g brother. Dere warn't no poolc or house gal up at de big house hut Ma 'til att^r she died, ^M Bage 17 v S# :;cn when Eiss ^ary Berry tuk charge of de house dey made. Uncle ,,arry and his wife, Aunt 'Liza, house boy and cook* "Marse Alec growed all his corn on his Googer ^rick plantation• He planned for evvything us needed and dere vr:irnft but mighty little dat he didn't have raised to take ] eev of our needs. Lordy, didnft I tell you what sort of shoes, . olestoek shoes is? Dem was de shoes de fomans wore and dey \c:& extra pieces on de sides so us wouldn't knock holes in fem ".:o quick* ftDe fust time I ever seed Marse Alec to know who e was, I warn't morefn 6 years old. Uncle Stafford had went :M.r;hinf and cotched de nicest mess of fish you ever seed* He cleant fem and put fem in a pan of water, and told me to take "en up to de big house to Marse Alec. I was skeered when I v.ent in de big house yard and axed, what looked lak a little -oy, whar Marse Alec was, and I was v/uss skeered when he said: rDis is Liarse Alec 3^0u is talkin* to. //hat you want?1 I ¦vole him Uncle Stafford sont him de fishes and he told me: 'Take fern to de kitchen and tell fLiza to cook fem for me*1 I slio ain?t never gwine to forgit dat* tfOne day dey sont me wid a bucket of water to ie field, and I had to go through de peach orchard* I et so iany peaches, I was fmost daid when I got back to de house. Dey had to drench me down wid sweet milk, and from dat day to :lis I ainft never laked peaches. From den on Marse Alec celled me de fpeach gal»f "Slarse Alec warn11 home much of de time* feu* when he was dar he used to walk down to de cabins and laugh. snd talk to his Niggers. He used to sing a song for de slave chillun dat run somepin lak dis: 'Walk light ladies ^ De cakefs all dough, You needn't mind de ' weather, If de wind don't blow.f Georgia giggled when she came to the end of the jtanza. HUs didn't know when he was a-singin' dat tune to us chillun dat when us growed up us would be cake walkln' to de 3c:ae song, "On Sundays, whenever Marse Alec was home, he uone lots of readin' out of a great big old book. I didn't Know what it was, but he v/as pow'ful busy wid it. He never h*-d no parties or dancin' dat I knows 'bout, but he was all time havin' dem big 'portant mens at his house talkin' 'bout de busi- ness whet tuk him off from home so much* I used to see Lawyer rhombs dere heaps of times* He was a big, fine lookin' man. Another big lawyer was all time eomin' dar too, but I done lost .is name.- I£arse Alec had so awful much sense in his haid dat folkses said it stunted his growing Anyhow, long as he lived he warn't nqJajgffer dan a boy. "When Uncle Harry's and Aunt 'Liza's daughter v:hat v/as named 'Liza, got married he was in Washin'ton or some ;iace lak dat. Ee writ word to Marse Linton, his half-brother, Pa&e 19. 5(3 to pervide a weddin1 for her. I knows fbout dat fcause 1 et s:r.e of dat barbecue. Datfs all I 'members fbout her wedding I done forgot de name of de bridegroom. He lived on some other plantation. Aunt fLiza had two gals and one boy. He was named Allen* "Whilst Marse Alec was President or somepjjn, he got sick and had to corne back home, and it warnft long Dtter dat Tfore de surrender. Allen wes fpinted to watch for de blue coats. vYhen d^Jr come to take ^arse Alec off, dey was all over the £lace wid deir guns* Us Niggers hollered and cried and tuk on powfful fcause us sho thought dey was gwine to kill him on account of his bein1 such a high up man on de side what dey was fightinf. All de Niggers followed fem to de depot when dey tuk Marse Alec and Uncle Pierce away. Dey kept Marse Alec in Drison off somewhar a long time but dey sont _____^ „,,„,.„. „ ___,_iiji.«i*MW|i minir—' w v fierce back home ffore long* "I seed Jeff Davis when dey brung him through Jrawfordville on de train. Dey had. him all fastened up wid chains. Dey told me dat a Nigger foman put pizen in Jeff Davis1 soraepin tfeat and dat was what kilt him. One thing sho, our Merse Alec warnft pizened by nobody. He was comin* from de field one dsy when a big old heavy gate fell down on him, and even if he did live a long time atterwards dat was what was de cause of his death. nI seed Uncle fierce ffore he died and us sot and talked and cried fbout Marse Alec. Yessura, us sho did have Page 20 ? gy de best Marster in de world* If ever a man went to iieaven, ;iarse Alec did* I sho does wish our good old Marster was livin1 now. Now, Miss, I done told you all I can ricoHec1 fbout dera days* I thanks you a lot for dat purty yaller dress, and 1 hopes you comes back to see me again sometime/1 * *** * 58 looi i 4 <0^ illCB BATTUE, K-SLAVE a^ EXHKIJ7SVIELB, GEORGIA (I3STERVIEWBTD BY ELIZABETH '7ATS0K- 1936) Luring the 1340Ts, Emanuel Caldwell-~liorn in North Carolina, and Heal Anne Caldwell —Tiorn in South Carolina, v/ere "brought to Macon 4y ^speculators" and sold to Mr. Ed Marshal of Bisli County. Some time thereafter, this couple married on Mr. Marshall plantation, :.:id their second child, torn aTiout 1850, was Alice Battle. 7i'oni her Mrth until freedom, Alice was a chattel of this Mr. Marshal, whom she refers to as a humane man, though inclined to vise the whip when occasion demanded. followed to its conclusion, AliceTs life history is Toid of thrills snd simply an arerage ex-slareTs story. As a £lare, she was Well * fed, well cLothed, and well treated, as v/ere her Tirother and sister .'lares. Her mother was a wearer, her father—a field hand, and ,iv-.e did ioth housework and plantation le^or. [^Alice j3aw J;]^^ home with their famous prisoner, Jeff Baris, after his capture4in T65. The Yankee Tiand, rVt^iim£f!l^mi^^if»-i0i^^ **,**w/.-'i*««*^"j*«if ,*'*!' v.r o:/s she, was playing nWeTll hang Jeff Daris on a Sour Apple Tree"* Some of the "soldiers ntook time out" to rot the Marshal smokehouse* -he Whites and Negroes v/ere all Tiadly frightened, ,mt the "damyankees cidn't harm noiody". After freedom, Alice remained with the Marshals until Christmas, ':i\:,cn she mored away. Later, she and her family mored Tiack to t&W Marshal plantation for a few'years. A few years still later, Alice married a Battle "Nigger11* 59 Since the early T70rs, Hice has "drifted around" quite a Tiit. She and her husband are now too old and feeble to work. They lire v/ith one of their sons, and are objects of charity. 1A 60 PLANTATION LIFE JASPER BATTLE 112 Berry St., Athens, Ga. Written by: Grace McCune v J.} \"--<-c; Athens - Edited by: Sarah H. Hall Athens - Leila Harris Augusta - and John N. Booth District Supervisor Federal Writers' Project Residencies 6 & 7. \/ .& - .'Vy ^JL *..* « 61 JASPER BATTLE Sx-Slave - Age 80, The shade of the large water oaks in Jasperfs yard was a'welcome sight when the interviewer completed the long walk to the old Negrofs place in the sweltering heat of a sunny July afternoon. The old house appeared to be in good condition and the yard was clean and tidy, Jasperfs wife, Lula, came around the side of the house in answer to the call for Jasper. A large checked apron almost covered her blue dress and a clean white headcloth concealed her hair. Despite her advanced agef she seemed to be quite spry. "Jus1 come back here whar Ifse a-doin* de white folks* washin',n she said. "Jasper's done been powerful sick and I can't leave him by hisself none. I brung him out here in de shade so I could watch him and ftend to him. whilst I wuks. Jasper stepped on a old plank what had two rusty nails in it, and both of fem went up in nis foot a fur ways* I done driv dem nails plumb up to dey haids in de north side of a tree and put jimpson weed poultices on Jasper's foot, but it's still powerful bad off." By this time we had arrived within sight and earshot of the old rocking chair where Jasper sat with his foot propped high in another chair. His chair had long ago been de- prived of its rockers. The injured member appeared to be swollen and was covered with several layers of the jimpson weed leaves. The old man's thin form was clothed in a faded blue 62 shirt and old gray cotton trousers. His clothes were clean and his white hair was in marked contrast to his shining but wrinkled black face* He smiled when Lula explained the nature of the proposed interview. nfScuse me, Missy,n he apologized, "for not gittin' up, fcause I Jus1 canft use dis old foot much, but you jus' have a seat here in de shade and rest yourself• " Lula now excused herself, saying: nI jus* got to hurry and git de white folks1 clothes washed and dried ffore it rains,n and she resumed her work in the shade of another huge tree where a fire was burn- ing brightly under her washpot and a row of sud-filled tubs oc- cupied a long bench. *Lula, she has to wuk all de time,* Jasper ex- plained, "and she don't never have time to listen to me talk. Ifse powerful glad somebody is willin' to stop long enough to pay some heed whilst I talks fbout somepin. Dem days ffore de war was good old days, 'specially for de colored folks* I know, 'cause my Mammy done told me so* You see I was mighty little and young when de war was over, but I heared de old folks do lots of talkinf 'bout dem times whilst I was a-growin' up, and den too, I staye^xight d^ ^ was Marse Henry Jones' plantation 'way off down in Taliaferro County, nigh Crawfordville. G-eorgy* Mammy bflonged to Marse Henry. She was Harriet Jones. Daddy was Simon Battle and his owner was Marse Billie Battle. De Battle's plantation was off down dar nigh de Jones' place. When my Mammy and Daddy got married Marse s. 63 Henry wouldnft sell Mammy, arid Marse Billie wouldn't sell Daddy, so dey didnft git to see one another but twice a week - dat was on Wednesday and Saddsy nights - ftil atter de war was done over* I kin still fmember Daddy cominf over to Marse Henryfs planta- tion to see us. nMarse Henry kept a lot of slaves to wuk his big old plantation whar he growed Jusf evvything us needed.to eat and wear *eept sugar and coffee and de brass toes for our home-made, brogan shoes. Dere allus was a-plenty tfeat and wear on dat place* *Slave quarters was log cabins built in long rows. Some had chimblies in de middlef twixt two rooms, but de most of fem was jus1 one-room cabins wid a stick and mud chimbly at de end. Dem chimblies was awful bad fbout ketchin* on fire. Didn't nobody have no glass windows. Dey jus1 had plain plank shutters for blinds and de doors was made de same way, out of rough planks. All de beds was home-made and de best of f em was corded„ Dey made holes in de sides and foots and haidpieces, and run heavy home- made cords in dem holes. Dey wove 'em crossways in and out of dem holes from one side to another ftil dey had fem ready to lay de mattress mat on. Ifse helped to pull dem cords tight many a time. Our mattress ticks was made of homespun cloth and was stuffed wid wheat straw. fFore de mattress tick was put on de bed a stiff mat wove out of white oak splits was laid on top of de cords to pertect de mattress and make it lay smooth. Us was flowed to pick up all de old dirty cotton fround de place to make our pillows out of. 4. 6- ^Jusf a few of de slave famblies was flowed to do deir own cookinf fcause Marster kept cooks up at de big house what never had nothinf else to do but cook for de white folks and slaves. De big old fireplace in dat kitchen at de big house was more dan eight feet wide and you could pile whole sticks of cord- wood on it. It had racks acrost to hang de pots on and big ovens and little ovens and big, thick, iron fryinf pans wid long handles and hefty iron lids. Dey could cook for a hunderd^gj^ time in dat big old kitchen easy. At one time dere was tables acrost one end of de kitchen for de slaves tfeat at, and de slave chillun et dar too. Marster was mighty good to slave chillun. He never sont us out to wuk in de fields ftil us was fmost growed-up, say 12 or 14 years old. A Nigger 12 or 14 years old dem days was big as a white child 17 or 18 years old. Why Miss, Niggers growed so fast, dat most of de Nigger nurses warn't no older dan de white chillun dey tuk keer of. Marster said he warnft gwine to send no babies to de fields. When slave chillun got to be 'bout 9 or 10 years old dey started fem to fetching in wood and water, cleaning de yards, and drivinf up de cows at night. De biggesf boys was 'lowed to measure out and fix de stock feed, but de most of us chillun Just played in de cricks and woods all de time. Sometimes us played Injuns and made so much fuss dat old Aunt Nancy would come out to de woods to see what was wrong, and den when she found us was jus* a-havinf fun, she stropped us good for skeerin* her* 5. 65 "Mammy's job was to make all de. cloth. Dat was what she done all de time; j^^_v/oye_cloth. Some of de others gyflrrtafl de bats and spun thread, but Mammy, she jus* wove on so reg'lar dat she made enough cloth for clothes for all dem slaves on de plantation and, it's a fact, us did have plenty of clothes. All de nigger babies wore dresses made jus* alak for boys and gals. I was sho*ly mighty glad when dey 'lowed me to git rid of dem dresses and wear shirts. I was 'bout 5 years old den, but dat boys* shirt made me feel powerful mannish. Slave gals wore homespun^ cotton dresses, and dey had plenty of dem dresses, so as dey could keep nice and clean all de time. Dey lmlttfid"-^-'- *~runninf back in de yard, dem yankees rid in and she seed fem *. 68 a-laughin* fit^ to kill* She looked fround to see what dey was tickled fbout and dere followinf her lak a baby was dat pig* Dem yenkees was perlite lak, and dey never bothered nothin* on our place, but dey Jus* plumb ruint evvything on some of de plantations right close to ourfn. Dey tuk nigh evvything some of our neighbors had tfeat, most all deir good hosses, and anything else dey wanted* Us never did know why dey never bothered our white folksesf things* "When dey give us our freedom us went right on over to Marse Billie Battle1s place and stayed dar wid Daddy fbout a year; den x^addy come wid us back to Marse Henryfst and dar us stayed ftil Old llarster died. Long as he lived atter de war, he wukked most of his help on sheers, and seed dat us was tuk keer of jus* lak he had done when us all bflonged to him. Us never went to school much rcause Mammy said white folks didn't lak for Niggers to have no larnin1, but atter de war was done over our Old Mist'ess let colored chillun J^x^^^.....in_a lltjy.j_&^ in de back yard for de white chillun to go to scnool in. "Atter dey buried our Old Marster, us moved down to Hancock County and farmed dar, fcause dat was all us knowed how to do. Us got together and raised money to buy ground enough for a churchyard and a graveyard for colored folks. Dat graveyard filled up so last dat dey had to buy more land several times. Us holped rem build de fust colored church in Hancock County* "School for colored chillun was held den in our church house• Our teacher was a white man, Mr. Tom Andrews, and he was 9, 69 a mighty good teacher, but Lordyt how strick he wasX Dese here chillun don*t know nothinf fbout schools Us went early in de raornin* , tuk our dinner in a bucket, and never left ftil four of clock, and sometimes dat was fmost nigh sundown* All day us studied dat blue back speller, and dat white teacher of ours shof tuk de skin offen our backs if us didn't mind him. Dere warn*t no fussinf and fightinf and foolin1 fround on de way home, fcause dat white teacher flowed he had control of us ftil us got to our Mammies* doors and if us didn't git for home in a hurry, it was jus* too bad for us when he tuk it out on us next day wid dat long hickfry switch* "Things is shof diffunt now* Folks ainft good now as dey was den, but dere is gwine to be a change, I may not be here to see it, but itfs a-comin* fcause de Good Lord is done fsied (pro- phesied) it, and itfs got to be* God's sayinf is comin* to pass jus* as sho* as us is livin* and settin* in de shade of dis here tree* "Lordy, MissZ How come you axes *bout colored folks*es weddin's? I was a-courtin* a little 14-year old gal named Lovie Williams, but her Mammy runned me off and said she warnft gwine to let Lovie git married up wid nobody *til she got big enough. I jus* bought dem licens^es and watched for my chanct and den I stole dat gsl right from under her Mammy*s eyes. My Mammy knowed all *bout it and holped us git away. Us didn*t have no time*for no weddin** De best us could do was jus* to git ourselfs married up. Lovie*s Mammy raised de Old Ned, but us didnft keer den, * cause it was too Iste for her to do nothin1 to part us. Lovie was one of the bestest gels what ever lived. Us raised 12 chillun and I never had one speck 10. c 70 of trouble wid her. Loviefs done been daid 15 years now,11 His voice trembled as he talked about his first wife, and Lula almost stopped her work to listen. This kind of talk did not please her and her expression grew stern* •?You done talked a-plenty,* she told hinu "You ainft strong rnough to do no more talkinff* but Jasper was not willing to be silenced. nI reckon I knows when Ifse tired* I ainft gwine to hush ftil I gits good and ready," was his protest. *Yes Missy,* he continued. "All our chil- lun is done daid now fcept four and dey is fway off up North. Ain't nobody left here fcept me and Lula* Lula is pow'ful good to me. I done got too old to wuk, and canft do nothinf nohow wid dis old foot so bad off. Ifse ready and even anxious to go when de Good Lord calls for old Jasper to come to de Heav'nly Home* *I ainVt beared nothin* from my only brother in over 7 years. I fspose he still lives in Crawfordville* Missy, I wishes I could go back down to Crawfordvilie one more time. I kin jus1 see our old homeplace on de plantation down dar now. Lula a-washinf here, makes me study fbout de old washplace on Marse Henryfs plantation* Dere was a long bench full of old wood tubs, and a great bigJLrofl pot for bilin1 de_clothes, and de batten block_and stick. Chillun beat Se clothes wid de batten stick and kept up de fire fround de pot whilst de fomans leaned over de tubs washin1 and a-singinf dem old songs. You could hear *em fmost a mile away. Now and den one of de ^mans would stop singin* long enough to yell at de chillun to fgit more wood on dat fire ffore I lash de skin off en your baek»f *0h Missy, dem was good old days* Us would be lucky to have fem back again, fspecially when harvest time comes ?round* You could hear Niggers a-singinf in de fields fcause dey didn't have no worries lak dey got now* When us got de corn up from de fields, Niggers come from far and nigh to Marster1s corn- shuekin*. Dat cornshuckinf wuk was easy wid evvybody singin* and bavin1 a good time together whilst dey made dem shucks fly. De corn- shuckin1 captain led all de singin* and he set right up on top of de highes* pile of corn. De chillun was kept busy a-passinf de liquor jug 'round. Atter it started gittin1 dark, Marster had big bonfires built up and plenty of torches set fround so as dere would be plenty of light. Atter dey et all dey wanted of dem good things what had clone been cooked up for de big supper, den de wrastlin1 matches started, and ±*arster allus give ££jjiJ&s~^^ Dere warnft no fassin* and fightinf flowed on our place, and dem wrastlin1 matches was all in good humor and was kept orderly. Marster wanted evvybody to be friends on our plantation and to stay dat way, for says he: 'De Blessed Saviour done said for us to love our neighbor as ourselfs, and to give and what us gives is gwine to come back to us.f Missyf de Ghod Lord's word £s always right?^ The interviewer was preparing to leave when one of Jasper's old friends approached the sheltering tree* in the yard, where the interview was drawing to a close. "Brudder Paul,* said Jasper, *I nsht you had come sooner fcause Missy, here, and me is done had de bestes1 time a-goinr back over dem old times when folks loved one *nother better dan dey does now. Good-bye Missy, you done been mighty kind and patient wid old Jasper. Come back*again some time." /Bs,"^^ >*/# ^ 1.00183 72 * iBRIE BINNS of WASHINGTON-HIKES ty Minnie Branham Stonestreet Washington-filkes Georgia 100j 83 t^t ABRIE BDfflS of WASHINGT0N-WILK1S Arrie Binns lives in Baltimore, a negro suburb of fashington- Wilkes, in a little old tumbled down kind of a cottage that use*/ to be one of the neatest and best houses of the settlement and where she has lived for the past siity-odd years. In the yard of her home is one of the most beautiful holly trees to be found anywhere. She set it there herself over fifty years ago. She recalled how her friends predicted bad luck would befall her be- cause she nsot out er holly", but not being in the least bit superstitious she paid them "no mind" and has enjoyed her beautiful tree all these years. Many lovely oaks are around her house; she set them there long ago when she was young and with her husband moved into their new home and wanted to make it as at- tractive as possible. She is all alone now# Her husband died some years ago and three of her four children have passed on. Her "preacher son" who was her delight, died not very long ago. All this sorrow has left Aunt Arrie old and sad;, her face is no longer lighted by the smile it usWto know. She is a tiny little scrap of a woman with the softest voice and is as neat as can be. She weats an oldfashioned apron all the time and in cool weather there is always a little black cape around her frail/ shoulders and held together with a plain old gold^breastpin"«- She was born in Lincoln County (Georgia), her mother was Sneline Sybert and her father Jordan Sybert, They belonged to lir. Jones Sybert and his wife "Miss Peggy". After freedom they V. page - 2 ^ changed their surname to Gullatt as they liked that better* Arrie was among the oldest of nine children. The night she was born the stork brought a little baby girl to the home of a white fam|tf>^st across the creek from the Syberts. The little white girl was named Arine so "Miss Peggy* named the little new black baby girl Arrie, and that is how it happened she was given such an odd name. Arrie said she was w15 er 16 years old when the war broke (1865), I wuz big enough to be lookin* at boys an* dey lookin1 at me.rt She remembers the days of war, how when the battle of Atlanta was raging they heard the distant rumble of cannon, and how "upsot" they al^jgex&^CHer master died of "the consumption" / during the war. She recalls how hard it was after his death. The Syberts had no children and there was no one to turn to after his death. Arrie tells of her Master's illness, how she was the housemaid and was called upon to fan him and how she would get so tired and sleepy she would nod a little, the fan dropping from hands into his face. He would take it up and "crack my ha id with the handle to wake me up. I wuz allus so sorry when I done that, but I jest had ter nod.1* She told about how bad the overseers were and the trouble they gave until finally "old Miss turned off ther one she had an* put my Pa in his place to manage things and look after the work." Arrie was never punished, (not any more than having her head cracked by her Master when she nodded while fanning him.) wNo mam, not none of our niggers wuz whipped. Why I page - 3 75 recollect once, my brother wuz out without a pass an* de patter rollers kotch him and brung him to old Miss and said he'd have ter be whipped, old Miss got so mad she didnTt know what ter do, she said nobody wuz a goin* ter whip her niggers, but the patter roller men 'sisted so she said after er while, 'Well, but I'm goinT ter stan' right here an* when I say stop, yer got ter stop', an1 they 'greed to dat, an' the third time dey hit him she raised her han' an' said 'STOP' an' dey had ter let my brother go. My Miss wuz a big 'oman, she'd wei^h nigh on ter three hundred pound, I fspect." After her master's death irrie had to go into the field to work. She recalled with a little chuckle, the old cream horse, "Toby" she use to plow. She loved Toby, she said, and they did good work. When not plowing she said "she "picked er round in the fields" doing whatever she could. She and the other slaves were not required to do very hard work. Her mother was a field hand, but in the evenings she spun and wove down in their cabin. Aunt Arrie added "an' 1 did love to hear that old spinnin' wheel. It made a low kind of a whirring sound that made me sleepy." She said her mother, with all the other negro women on the place, had "a task of spinnin' a spool at night", and they spun and wove on rainy days too. "Ma made our clothes an' we had pretty dresses too. She dyed some blue and brown striped. We growed the indigo she used fer the fclue, right dar on the plantation, and she used bark and leaves to make the tan and brown colors." Aunt Arrie said the Doctor was always called in when they page - 4 7(j were sick, "hut we never sont fer him lesse'n somebody wuz real sick. De old folks doctored us jest fer little ailments, Dey give us lye tea fer colds. (This was made by taking a few clean ashes from the fire place, putting them in a little thin bag and pouring boiling water over them and let set for a few minutes. This had to be given very weak or else it would be harmful, Aunt Arrie explained.) Garlic and whiskey, and den, dar ain't nothin' better fer the pneumony dan splinter tea# I've cured bad cases with it." (That is made by pouring boiling water over li&htwood splinters.) Aunt Arrie told of their life on the plantation and it was not unlike that of other slaves who ted good masters who looked after them. They had plenty to eat and to weart Their f&od was given them and they cooked and ate their meals in the cabins in family groups. Santa Glaus always found his way to the Quarters and brought them stick candy and other things t© eat. She said for their Christmas dinner there was always a big fat hen and a hoahead. In slavery days the negroes had quiltings, dances, picnics and everybody had a good time, Aunt Arrie said, "an1 I kin dance jit when I hears a fiddle'V7 They had their work to do in the week days, but when Sundays came there was no work, everybody rested and on npreachin' days11 went to Church. Her father took them all to old" Rehoboth, the neighborhood white church, and they worshiped together, white and black* the negroes in the page - 5 7>;7 gallery. That was back in the days when there was "no lookin' neither to the right nor to the left" when in church; no matter what happened, no one could even half way smile. This all was much harder than having to listen to the long tiresome sermons of those days, Arrie thinks, specially when she recalled on one occasion nwhen Mr. Sutton wuz a preachin' a old goat up under the Church anT every time Mr. Sutton would say something out real loud that old goat would go 'Bah-a-a Bah ba-a-af an1 we couldn't laugh a bit. I most busted, I wanted ter laugh so bad.n "Yassum, in dem days" continued Aunt Arrie, "all us colored folks went to the white folks church kase us didn't have no churches of our own and day want no colored preachers den, "but some what wuz called ttChairbacksn. The Chairback fellows went er round preachin' an' singin' in the cabins down in the Quarters and dey use ter have the bes' meetin's, folks would be converted an! change dey way. De hymns dey sung de most wuz "Amazin' Grace" an' nAm I Born ter Die?" I 'members de meetin's us use ter have down in our cabin an' how everybody would pray an' sing.n -x "Dey ain't nothin' lak it use ter be," sighed Aunt Arrie, "Now when I first could recollect, when a nigger died they sot up with de corpse all night and de next day had de funeral an' when dey started to the burial ground with the body every body in the whole procession would sing hymns. I've heard 'em 'nough times clear 'cross the fields, singin' and moanin' as they went* Dem days of real feelin' an' keerin' is gone." page - 6 ^-g When freedom c&me there were sad times on the Sybert plantation, Arrie said. "Old Miss cried and cried, and all us cried too. Old Miss said "You'al jest goinT off to perish-.} Aunt Jennie, one of the oldest women slaves stayed on with her and took keer of her, but all us stayed on a while. Us didn't know whar to go an' what ter do, an1 den come Dr. peters and Mr. Allen frum Arkansas to git han's to go out dar an1 work fer dem. My Pa took his family and we stayed two years. It took us might nigh tr whole week to git dar, we went part way on de train and den rid de steam boat up de Mississippi River ter de landin'. Wg worked in the cotton field out dar and done all kinds er work on de farm, but us didn't like an' Dr. Peters an' Mr. Allen give ¦£ Pa money fer us ter come home on. 'Fore we could git started my oldest brother wanted to come home so bad he jest pitched out and walked all de way frum Arkansas to our old home in Georgy. We come back by Memphis and den come on home.on de train. \_When we wuz out dar I went to school anT got as far as W. Dafs de on!, school I over had^ Aunt Arrie told about her courtbhip and marriage, she remembers all about it and grew rather sentimental and sad while she talked. She said that Franklin Binns was going with her before she went to live in Arkansas and when she came home he picked up the courtship where he had left off when she went away. He would ride 2C miles on horseback to see her. He brought her candy and nice things to eat, but she still wouldn't "give him no satisfaction 'bout whether she keered fer him er not ,n She said page - 7 79 other men wanted to come to see her, but she paid them not one bit of attention. "No mam, I wouldnH !cept of them, I never did go with in an* everybody, I donTt do dat yit' ,;; She said one day Franklin was to see her and said "Less us marry, I think 'nough of you to marry ,,J She said she wouldnTt tell him nothin' so he went to see her parents and they agreed, so she married him sometime later. They were married by a white minister, Ur. Joe Garter. Aunt Arrie leads a lonely life now. She grieves for her loved ones more than negroes usually do. She doesn't get about 9 much, but "I does go over to see Sis Lou (a neighbor) every now anT den fer consolation . She says she is living on borrowed time because she has always taken care of herself and worked and been honest. She said that now she is almost at the close of her life waiting day by day for the call, to come, she is glad she knew slavery, glad she was reared by good white people who taught her the right way to live, and she added: "Mistess, I*se so glad I allus worked hard an1 been honest - hit has sho paid me time a.nf time agin." &>S7-r<3r - >*r>tft*\\t f/j^pj £TxJV, # 7 ^Wf J 80 MLAVUiY Mi fcaBM JF» iis-NOT BUM) - &X-&IATO &S Ilerry Bland ia one of the few liring ex-elaree who waa born on a plantation near lent on, Oe** in 1851* His parents were Martha and oam Coxton* In thia ftaily group re three other children, two girla and one boy, wne waa the oldest* a&en questioned grains the birthplace and the movements of his parents, &r. Bland stated that his [th r v&s born la Hbncook County, Oa* His mother along with her mother waa brought eorgia by the apeoulator with a drove of other slaves* The first thing that he r,-)cr of is parents la when he waa quite small and waa allowed to remain in the later* s kite hen in the '•big houee" where x*ia mother was cook* r. Ooxton, who w^-a the owner of Mr* Bland and nia family, waa described as being [very rich f nd influential man in the eocanunity where he lived* Says **• Blend, is only fault «aa that of drinking too much of the whisky that he distilled on the |&a tion/ Unlike some of the other slave owners in that section, Mr* Coxton waa very lm to :ja slaves* His plantation was a large one and on it was raited cotton^ corn, fne! vegetables, and live stock* More cotton was grown than anything else* Prom the time ha was 1 y&r and 6 mouths of age until he was 9 years old he lived tne "oi- house" with nis mother* At night he slept on the floor there* In apite of [is, is ana tie mother1 s treatment was considerably better than that received by those m the bter1^ table* He says that ais mother's clothes were of better quality than the other * oen (those wno were not employed in the house)* a okilci nis first Job was to cut wood for the store, pick up chips, ana to drive e co-s to >nd from the pasture* hen » years old ne Wks sent to the field as a ^low /• ere ue worked with a large nu^er of otuer slaves (he does not know the exact - ri a o were divided into two groups, the plow group and the hoe group* Kitf father f^enei to be the foreran of the hoe gang* His brothers and sisters also worked here t;-- ields being required to hoe as well as plow* -hen picking time oame, everyone was Henry Bland9 ex-alave 2. 81 required to pick* The uauel amount of cotton each parson was required to pick 200 Ids. -~t day, Ko«ever9 ahan thia amount ana not picked by some tnay were not nunlshed by the overeecr. &s vea theaaaa on neighboring plantations* because *&r* Gorton realized that sone could do more aork than ot^ere* Mr. Cox ton often told ^ia overaeer the;t ne hkd not bean hired to ehlp the alavea, but to teaah then hov to work* .ays Mr* Bland: "Our working hours were the earn© as on any other plantation* .*e h.„: t:> get up arery rooming before eun*up and when it ma good and light we aara in the field. A bugle was blown to wake ue** All the slavee stayed in the field until dark* ft r In 7ing the field they were never repair ad to do any *srk but oould spend their ti::c es th y saw fit to* No a crt aas required on Saturday or Sunday with the exception tat the stock had to be cared for* Beaidaa thaaa daya when no work was retired, thara •as tue 4th of July and Christmas on which the sieves were permitted to do as they -1 e6sad* These two latter dates were usually apent in true holiday apirlt a the master usJhliy gave a big feaat in the form of a barbecue and allowed than to incite tneir friends* nen darkneee came t:ey aang and danced and thia «ee what they called a "frolic* a a renersl rde this same thing waa permitted after the cropa had been gathered* usic for these ocoeeiona was furnished by violin, banjo.and a clapping of hande* &nd says that he used to help furnish thia music aa ix. 3oxton had bought him a j violin* .n the Gorton plantation all alavea alleys cad a auffiolant amount of clothing* rtoe clothea which were issued when needed and not at any certain time included &rt:ci;e for Sunday wear as well aa articles for work* Those ecrvants who worked ia tr;o ctbig house* wore practically the sams clothea as the master and his wife —- t e Possible exception taat it met the qualification of being second-handed* - i sue of work clothing included a heavy pair of work shoes called brogue, -fes-an sidrtseaci a t>eir of jeans pants* A pair of knitted aocks wea also included Henry Bland, ex~elave 3# j^*/* ' Tre #omen «ore hoflieapuu dresses or their working olothes* for ounday «ear the \mw *ere given wr^ite ootton sriirts and the women white ootton dresses* Ail clothing *&8 adc on the Plantation by those women *m were too old for field work* In the same manner thrt clothing was sufficient! so was food plentiful* At the erci of each *eek each ftually wss given 4 lbs* of meat, 1 peck of meal, and some syrup® ^aeh person in a family *es allowed to raise a g&xden and so they had vage- tables whenever they wished to* In addition to this ti.ey were allowed to raise chickens, to hunt and to fish. liowever, none of the food that we secured In any of t i *t.ys mentioned above cc ild be sold. hen anyone wished to hunt, **r# Cestton srplied the gun and the shot* Itiiough the slaves cooked for themselves, their breakfast and dinner were usually sent to them in the fields after It had been prepared in the oook house* !ae reason for this *as that they had to get up too soon In the morning, and at noon too nuch time would be lost if they were permitted to go to tnelr cabins for lunch* The c ildren who were too young to work in the field were cared for by some old sl«>ve wio likewise was unable to do field fork. The children were usually fed pot liquor, corn bread, milfc, ayjmp9 and vegetables, ^ach one had his individual cup to r from* The food on Sunday was usually no different from that of any oth r day oC xhe week* However, ^r# Bland says that they never ted to break In the smokehouse v ;se of hunger* i3n asked to describe the living quarters of the slaves on his Plantation he lo'j'K-.'d around his room and mutt red: '•Dey wuz a lot* better than dls one*19 ~o*ne o: the cabins were rru-.ds of logs and some of *eatherbo? rds* The chinks in the walls eve sealed with mud* In same instances boards were used on the inside to keep the ^ tar out* There were usually two windows, a nutters being used In the place of -i go* t»nes* The o .imney and fireplace were made of mud and stones* All cooking ^ : done at the fireplace as none of them were provided with stoves* Iron cooking ^';:3ils *ere used* To boil food a Dot «es hung ov r tne fire by means of a hook* Henry aland* ex~slave* 4*> ^;] The rattaining furniture was a bench whioh served as a ohair#and a crude bed* ,cne running from side to side served as b ed springe* The mattress aas cade of it raw or hay* For lighting purposes 9 pine knots and candles were used* The ,.,-.V.-3 on the Coxton plantation were alao fortunate in that ail cabins bad >ood floors* All cabins and their furnishings ears built by the slaves who learned the use of hamer and saw from white artisans whom Mr* Coxton employed from time to time* ,r. Jlani remarked that his father waa a blacksmith, having learned the trade in this mri.Tur* * doctor was employed regularly by r. Coxton to minister to the needs of the Slav a in time of illnese* "ae also bad bur own medicine,* says kr. Bland* At different Uvimb excursions were nadc to the woods where "y&rba* (herbs) were gathered* Various kiitis of teae and medicines were rmde by boiling these roots in water* Tae usual causes of Illness on this plantation were colds, fevers* and constipation* Castor oil nd salts were alao used to a great extent* If an individual was too ill to work an oiler slave had to nurse this person* o effort was ir&de by >r* Goxton to teach r.is slaves anything except manual training* A slave who coild uae his hands at skilled nrk was more valuable than the ordinary field hand* If. however, a slave secured a book, jjt. Coxton would adp him le'rn to read it. .-.bove allt religious training *aa not denied* Aa a raat.er of fact, '* Coxton required each one of nis servants to dress in his ounday clothes and to go *o ciiurcii ev.ry Sunday, -orvlc e for all were held at the white ohureh • the slaves sluing on ono aloe ^nd the masters on the other* All preachino *as done by a wnlte ptator* -o promiscuous relationships were allowed* If a man wanted to marry he merely oiuwcj out the woraan of his choice to the master* He in turn called her and told her f- such and such an Individual wished her for a wife* If she agreed they were nrc vancod nan and «ife and were permitted to live together. 5.8-1 Henry iiiend, ex*slavc« The slaves on la plantation were gr *t believers In roots and their values in the use of conjuring people* Mr* Bland doesn't remember ever seeing anyone acid by Mr, Gorton, but he heard tf t on other nearby plantations a la res sera placed on an auction block and sold Ilka cattle* None of the slaves were ever snipped or beaten by &r, Coxton or by anyone else* if a rule saa broken the offender tni called before Mr. Goxton where he was talked to. In some eases a whipping wae promised and that ended the matter. The * Paddle Rollers" firmed the slaves from other plantations when they were caught off of their premises without a "pass19 but thia eas never the case rhen a slave belonging to Mr. Coxton broke this rule. ti?m 3Land remembers th t once he and sane of his fellow slaves were a?ay from home without a pass when they were seen by the "Paddle Rollers" who started vtter them. hen they were recognized as belonging to kr* Coxton one of theft (Raddle Rollers) said: *Donft bother than; thstfs them d—r/ftree niggers'. * The Paddle Hollers were not allowed to come on the Goxton plantation to whip his a&ves or any other owner's slaves who happened to be visiting at the time. Mr. Coxton required tntt they all be on the plantation by nightfall. f The above seems to be rather conclusive proof of Mr* Goxton9s influence in the eonwminity* iuenever a slave committed a crime against the ^ate, his master usually had to vay for the danagr, done or pay the slave's fine* It was then up to aim to see that te offender was punlehed* Mr, Goxton onoe saw hlft (Mr. Bland) beat another slave!who was a guest at a ^ lie) when this visitor attempted to dras a pistol on &!*• Mr. dland was upheld in is action and told by &r# Goxton ttet he had better always fight back when « ' /one struck hla, whether the dot son ma white or bte ck. Further, if he (Mr. Goxton) *.- rd of his not fighting back a shipping *ould be in atore for aim. Iisnry Bland, ex-slave. ft# ^; ^ r. (Joxton *as different from some of the slbve owners in that he gave the Iq{ i of eaoh family spending money ^t Cnristn*A8 time - the amount varying *ith the size of %io fairdly* c;en the ^Ivil ar w«*s begun tfte master seamed to be worried all tne time* states :. Ji&nd* "He w-s afraid tm t *e would be freed and then he would have to hire ue to go Is ^ork*" ion asked to describe his feeLings about the war and the possibility of uis being freed, a% Bland said that he had no particular feeling of gladness at ail* Tae outcome a tu. /&r did not interest Lim at all oecause **r* Coxton was such a good Haste he didn't care whether he was Creed or not* ilia f How slaves felt the same way* nen ohe man and tfce Yankees were a&reidog through they took all of the live stock bit bothered nothing else* Tne buildings oh tae adjoining plantation were ell burned* . avail a but tney all refused to leave* *-ost of thea died on the plantation* -. '.Una say a that *hen he became of age uis former xatster gave iila a wagout two mules - ..j:-i*e ana bugg> end ten ci^s* r. 31and thinks that ola age is a characteristic in ^Is tandly* Us grandiaother *i< • to be 115 year, oln and uis mother 107 years old* ^lthoueft in his ^Gfs, bar. aland •" - alr.o t nerfect picture of Le<h* He t. i:;ks that he will, live to becoms at teaat !¦•¦-¦ . ^.rs old because he is going to co t:nuc to live as sane a life as be has in the J. H. Jones 16 RIAS BODY, EX-SIAV1. $£' '# ^ Vs Place of birth: Date of birth: Present residence: Interviewed: Harris County, near waverly Hall, Georgia April 9, 1846 1419 - 84th Street, Columbus, Georgia July 24, 1936 Rias Body was born the slave property of Mr, Ben Body, a Harris County planter. He states that he was about fifteen years old when the Civil War started and, many years ago, his old time white folks told him that April 9, 1846, was the date of his birth. The "patarolers," according to "Uncle" Rias, were always quite active in ante-bellum days* The regular patrol consisted of six men who rode nightly, different planters and overseers taking turns about to do patrol duty in each militia district in the County, All slaves were required to procure passes from their owners or their plantation overseers before they could go visiting or leave their home premises. If the "patarolers" caught a "Nigger" without a pass, they whipped him and sent him home. Sometimes, however, if the "Nigger" didn*t run and told a straight story, he was let off with a lecture and a warning. Slave children, though early taught to make themselves use- ful, had lots of time for playing and frolicking with the white - 2 - children* Bias was a great hand to go seining with a certain clique of white boys, who always gare him a generous or better than equal share of the fish caught. At Christmas, every slave on the Body plantation received a present. The Negro children received candy, raisins and "nigger-toes", balls, marbles, etc. As for food, the slaves had, with the exception of "fancy trimmins*, about the same food that the whites ate. No darky in Harris County that he ever heard of ever went hungry or suffered for clothes until after freedom* Every Saturday was a wash day. The clothes and bed linen of all Whites and Blacks went into wash every Saturday. And "Kiggers", whether they liked it or not, had to "scrub** them- selves every Saturday night. The usual laundry and toilet soap was a home-made lye product, some of it a soft-solid, and some as liquid as water. The latter was stored in Jugs and demijohns. 21 ther would "fetch the dirt, or take the hide off"; in short, when applied "with rag and water, something had to come". Many of the Body slaves had wives and husbands living an other plantations and belonging to other planters. As a courtesy to the principals of such matrimonial alliances, their owners - 3 - 88 furnished the men passes permitting them to visit their wives once or twice a week. Children horn to such unions "ionar/ were the property of the wife*sa the father's owner had no claim to them whatsoever* "Uncle" Bias used to frequently come to Columbus with his master before the war, where he often saw "Niggers oxioned off" at the old slave mart which was located at what is now 12S5 Broadway. Negroes to he offered for sale were driven to Columbus in droves — like cattle — by "Hawthon speekulatahs". And prospective buyers would visit the "block" accompanied by doctors, who would feel of, thump, and examine the "Nigger" to see if sound. A young or middle-aged Negro man, specially or ' even well trained in some trade or out-of-th-ordinary line of I work, often sold for from $2000.00 to $4000.00 in gold. Women and "runty Bigger men" commanded a price of from $600.00 up, each. A good "hreedln oman", though, says "Uncle" Rias, would sometimes sell for as high as $1200.00. /Bias Body had twelve brothers, eight of whom were "big buck Niggers," and older than himself. The planters and "patarolers" accorded these "big Niggers" unusual privileges — to the end that he estimates that they "was de daddies uv least a hunnert head! o* chillun in Harris County before de war broke out." 3ome of these children were "scattered" over a wide area. Sin, according to Bias Body, who voices the sentiment of the great majority of aged Negroes, is that, or everything, which - 4 - 89 one does and says "not in the name of the Master". I The holy command, "Whatever-ye do, do It In My name," is subjected to some very unorthodox interpretations by many members of the colored race. Indeed, by their peculiar interpretation of this command, it is established that "two clean sheets can't smut", which means that a devout man and woman may indulge in the primal passion without committing sin* The old man rather boasts of the fact that he received a number of whippings when a slave: says he now knows that he deserved them, "an thout ?em", he would have no doubt "been hung *fore he wuz thutty years ole." Among the very old slaves whom he knew as a boy were quite a few whom the Segroes looked up to, respected, and feared as witches, wizzards, and magic-workers. These either brought their "learnin" with them from Africa or absorbed it from their im- mediate African forebears. Mentally, these people wem*t brilliant, but highly sensitized, and Bias gave "all sleh" as wide a berth as opportunity permitted him, though he knows "dat day had secret doins an carrying-ons". In troth, had the Southern Whites not curbed the mumbo-jumboism of his people, he is of the opinion that it would not now be safe to step "out his doe at night". Incidentally, Bias Body is more fond of rabbit than any other - 5 - 90 meat "in de warml", and says that he could — if he were able to get them — eat three rabbits a day, 365 days in the year, and two for breakfast on Christmas morning. He also states that pork, though killed in the hottest of July weather, will not spoil if it is packed down in shucked corn-on-the-cob. This he learned in slavery days when, as a "run-away", he "knocked a shoat in the head" one summer and tried it — proving it. 100066 ^ EZ-SLAVE INTERVIEW: JAMES B0LT0K ATHENS, BORGIA Written by: Mrs. Sarah H. Hall, Federal Writers* Project, Residency 4, Athens, Georgia. Edited by: Miss Maude Barragan, Federal Writers* Project, Residency 13, Augusta, Georgia. 100066 B*ll-Bar2»g«n 92 JAMES B0LT0KT ATEES3, GEORGIA ••'It never was the same on our plantationatter we done laid Mistess aw&y.* said James Bolton, 85 year old mulatto ex- slave* nI ain't never forget when Mistess died - she had been so good to every nigger on our plantation. When we got sick, Mistess allus had us tended to. The niggers on our plantation all walked to church to hear her funeral sermon and then walked to the graveyard to the buryin*** James, shrivelled and wrinkled, with his bright eyes taking in everything on one of his rare visits to town, seemed glad of the chance to talk about slavery days. He spoke of his owner as nmy employer* and hastily corrected himself by saying, *fI means, my marster** *My employer, I means my marster, and my mistees, they was shor all right white folkses,* he continued* *Uhey lived in the big *ouse. Hit was all painted brown* I heard tell they was * mcrefn 900 aexes in our plantation and lots of folkses lived on it* The biggest portion was woods« *My paw, he was name Whitfield Bol- tonand Iflza.Bolton was my maw. Charlie, Edmund, Thomas and John Bolton wss my brothers and I had one sister, she was Rosa* We be- longed to Karse Whitfield Bolton and we lived on his plantation in ^lethorpe County near Lexington, not far from the Wilkes County line. "We stayed in a one room log cabin with a dirt floor* A frame made out en pine poles was fastened to the wall to hold up the ¦* 2 - m mattresses* Our mattresses was made outen cotton bagging stuffed with wheat straw. Our kivers was quilts made outen old clothes* Slave fomans too old to work in the fields made the quilts* "Maw, she went up to the big house oncft a week to git the 'lowance or vittles. They 'lowanced us a weekfs rations at e time* Hit were generally hog meat, eorn meal and sometimes a little flour. Maw, she done our eookin* on the coals in the fire- place at our cabin. TTe had plenty of Opossums and rabbits and fishes and sometimes we had wild tukkeys and parti&ges. Slaves warnrt spozen to go huntin* at night and everybody know you canft ketch no fpossums rceppinf at night? Jus* the same, we had plenty 'possums and nobody ax ho?; we cotch 'em!" James laughed and nodded* ffYow, 'bout them rabbits! Slaves warn't 'lowed to have no guns and no dogs of they own. All the dogs on our plantation belonged to my employer- I means, to my marster, and he 'lowed us to use his dogs to run down the rabbits. Nigger mens and boys fud go in / crowds, sometimes as many as twelve at one tiiue, and a rabbit ain't got no chance fginst a lot of niggers and dogs when they light out for tc run 'im downt "What wild critters we wanted to eat and couldn't run down, we was right smart 'bout ketchin' in traps. We cotch lots of wild tukkeys and partidges in traps and nets. . Long Crick runned through our plantation and the river warnft no fur piece off. We sho'' did ketch the fishes, mostly cats, and pereh and heaps and heaps of sack- ers. **re cotch our fishes mosrn generally with hook and line, but the carpenters on our plantation knowed how to make basket traps 'that shof nuff did lay in the fishes. God only knows how long it's - 3 - 94 been since this old nigger pulled a big shad out of the river* AinTt no sheds been cotch in the river round here in so long I d is remembers when! "Tve didnf have no gardens of our cwn round our cabins* I!y employer— I meansf my marster— had one big gyarden for our whole plantation and all his niggers had to work in it whensom- ever he wanted fem to, then he give fem all plenty good gyarden sass for theyselfs* They was collards and cabbage and turnips and beets and english peas and beans and onions, and they was allus some garlic for ailments. Garlic was mostly to cure wums (worms)• They roasted the garlic in the hot ashes and squez the juice outen it and made the chilluns take it. Sometimes they made poultices outen garlic for the pneumony. "We saved a heap of bark from wild cherry and poplar and ; blsck haw and slippery ellum trees and we dried out mullein leaves. They was all mixed and brewed to make bitters. Whensomever a nigger got sick, then bitters was g:od for * well ma'am, they was good for v.hat ailed fem! T.\re tuk fem for rheumatiz, for fever, anc? for the nisery in the stummick and for most ell sor:s of sickness. Red oak h^rk tee was good for sore throat * "I never seeo no store bought clothes twel long atter free-. d^m done come! One slave foman done all the weavin* in a separate r:on called the flooni house*1 The cloth was dyed with home-made coloring. 'I'hey used indigo for blue, red oak bark for brown, green Ausks of fen warnicks (walnuts) for black, and sumacs for red and they'd mix these colors to make other colors. Other sieve fomans -,* ~ lamed to sew arid they made all the clothes? Endurinf the summer- time we jus* wore shirts and pants made out en plain cotton cloth* They wove wool in with the cotton to make the cloth for our winter clothes, fhe wool was raised right thar on,our plantation* We had our own shoemaker man- he was a slave named Buck Bolton and he msde all the shoes the niggers on our plantation wore. "I warenft nothinf but chillun when freedom come.; If* i:;. slavery-time chilluns warenft flowed to do no wuk kazen the mars- ters wanted they niggers to grow up big and strong and didnf want fem stunted none. I&ia's howcome I didnf git no mof beat in1 s than I did! My employer- I means, my marster, never did give me but one licking Ho had done told me to watch the cows and keep fem in the pastur*. I cotch lots of grasshoppers and started fishinf in the crick runnin1 through the pastur* and fust thing I knowed, the overseer was roundin* up all the other niggers to git the cows out en the cornfields! I knowed then my time had done come!" James was enpying the spotlight now, and his audience did not have to prompt hito. Plantation recollections Crowded to- gether in his old mind* *"ATe had one overseer at a time," he said, "and he allus lived at the big fouee» T?he overseers warnrt quality lyhite folkses like our marster and mistess but we never heard nuffinr fbout no I.oor white trash in them days, and effen we had heard sumpinf like t: st wefd have knowed better'n to let Marster hear us make such talk! Marster made us*call his overseer fMister.f We had one overseer ismed Mr. Andrew Smith and another time we had a overseer named Mr. - s - 96 pope Short* Overseers was jusf there on the business of gettin* the work done - they seed atter everybody doinf his wuk fcordirif to order* "My employer- I means, my marster, never flowed no over- seer to whup none of his niggersl Marster done all the whuppin* on our plantation hisself. He never did make no big bruises and he never drawed no blood, but he shof could burn fem up with that lash I Niggers on our plantation was whopped for laziness mostly* :Tert to that, whuppings was for stealin* eggs and chickens* Shey fed us good and plenty but a nig, er is jus* bound to pick up chick- ens and eggs effen he kin, no matter how mueh he done eat! Se jusr can't help it. Effen a nigger ain't busy he gwine to git into mis- chief! "7tfow and then slaves fud run away and go in the woods and dig dens and live in 'em. Sometimes they runned away on feouht of cruel treatment, but most of the time they run ed away kazen they jus* didn't want to wuk, anc wanted te laze around for a spell* The marsters allus put the dogs atter 'em and git 'em back. They had black and brown dogs called fnigger hounds' what warenft used for ncthin' but to track down niggers. "They warenft no such place as a jail whar we was* Effen a nigger done sumpinr disorderly they jus' natcherly tuk a lashjkp fim. I ain't never seed no nigger in chains twel long atter free- dom done come when I seed 'em on the chain gangs. ftlhe overseer woke us up at sunrise— leas'n they called It sunrise! We would finish our vittles and be in the fields ready - 6 - 9? for wuk befof we seed any sun! We laid off wuk at sunset and they didn't drive us hard* Leasfwiset they didnf on our plan- tation* I done heard they was moughty hard on'rem on other plan- tations . My marster never did rlow his niggers to wuk atter sun- down* My employer, I means my marster, didn't have no bell* He Lad fem blow bugles to wake up his hands and to call fem from the fields. Sometimes the overseer blowed it. Mistess done larned cook to count the clock, but none of the rest of our niggers could count the clock. nI never knowed Earster to sell but. one slave and he jus* had bought her from the market at Yew Orleans. She say it lonesome off on the plantation and axed Marster fcr to sell her to folkses livinr in town. Atter he done sold her, every time he got to town she beg fim to buy her back. But im didnr pay her no more 'tention. '.'¦rhen they had sales of slaves o_n the plantations they let everybody know what time the .ale gwine to be. Vvhen the crowd git togedder they put the niggers on the block and sell fem. Leasfwise, they call it f putt in1 on the block* - they Jusf fotch fem oat and show 'em and sell fem. "Trif.y waren't no church fcr niggers on our plantation and we went to white folkses church and listened to the white preachers. "re set behind--^_partrt^n. Sometimes on a plantation a nigger claim he dene been called to preach and effen he kin git his marster's cawn-sent he kin preach round under trees and in cabins when t'aint wuk time. These nigger preachers in slavery time was called Ichair- backers»y Uhey waren't no chairbackers flowed to baptize none of Marsterfs niggers. White preachers done our baptizin* in Long Crick. -7-98 *rrhen we went to be baptized they allus sang, 'Ajnazing Grace! How sweet the sound!fft fhe old negrofs quavery voice rose in the familiar song. Jot a moment he sat thinking of those long-ago Sundays. His eyes brightened again, and he went on: tfWe never done no wuk on Sundays on our plantation* ?he church ^as fbout nine miles from the plantation and we all walked there. Anybody too old and feeble to walk the nine miles riusf stayed home, kazen Marster didn't 'low his mules used none on Sunday. ill along the way niggers from other plantations fud jine us and sometimes befof we git to the church house they'd be forty or fifty slaves cominf along the road in a crowdL Preaching generally lasted J:wel bout three o'clock. In summertime we had dinner on the ground et the church. Howsomever we didnf have no barbecue like they does now. Everybody cooked enough on Sadday and fotched it in baskets. "I was thirty years old when I jined the church. Nobody ought to jine no church twelsft he is truly borned of God, and effen he is truly borned of God he gwine know it. Effen you want a restin* place atter you leaves this old world you ought to git ready for it now! "When folkses on our plantation died Mars:er allus let many of us as wanted to go, lay offen wuk twel atter the buryin*. Some- times it were two or three months atter the buryinf befo* the fun- eral sermon was preached. Right now I can't rekelleck no song we b sung at funerals cepfn fEark from the toms a doleful sound*f ms - 8 • 99 The reedy old voice carried the funeral hymn for a few minutes and then trailed off. James was thinking back into the past again* "Spring plowin1 and hoein* times we wukked all day Sadiays, but mosfe» generally we laid off wuk at twelve ofclock Sadday. "hat was dinnertime* Sadday nights we played and danced? Some- times in the cabins, sometimes in the yards• Effen we didnf have a big stack of fat kindling wood lit up to dance by, sometimes the nens and Tomans would carry torches of kindling wood whils't they danced and it shof was a sight to see! We danced the fUurkey Trot* and fBuzzard Lopef, and how we did love to dance the fMary Janet* *Ye would git in a ring and when the music started we would begin wukkin1 our footses while we sang fYou steal my true love and I steal your'n!f "Atter supper we used to gether round and knock tin buckets and pans, we beat fem like drums. Some used they fingers and some used sticks for to make the drum sounds and somebody allus blowed on quills* Quills was a row of whistles made outen reeds, or some* times they made fem outen bark. Every whistle in the row was a different tone and you could play any kind of tune you wants effen you had a good row of quills? 'Ihey shof did sound sweet! "'Bout the most fun we had was at corn shuckin's whar they pu\ the corn in long piles and called in the folkses from the plan- tations nigh round to shuck it. Sometimes four or five hunnert head of niggers fud bB shuekin1 corn at one time. When the corn all done - 9 - 100 been shucked they'd drink the likker the marsters give tem and tlien frolic and dance from sundown to sunup* . We started shuekin* corn rbout dinnertime and tried to finish by sundown so we could ixsve the whole night for frolic. Some years we rud go to ten or twelve corn shuckin's in one year! "We would sing and pray Easter Sunday and on Easter Monday we frolicked and danced all day long! Christmas^ ?e allus had plenty good sumpinf to eat and we all got togedder and had lots of fun* 'Ye runned up to the big Touse early Christmas mornin* and holler cut: fMorninf, Christmas Gif'l* 'Ilien theyfd give us plenty of Sandy Claus and ?;e would go back to our cabins to have fun twel Mew Year's day. 7/e knowed Christmas was over and gone when ITew Year's day come, kazen we got bad to wuk that day atter frolickin* all Christmas week. "We didnf know nuttinf 'bout games to play, WejpljBffgd^with the white folkses chilluns and watched a.ter fem but most of the time we played in the crick what runned through the pasturf. Nigger chilluns was allus skeered to got in the woods atter dark. Folkses done told usv Raw-Head-and-Bloody Bones lived in the woods and git lii le chilluns and eat 'em up effen they got out in the woods atter dark! "'Rookabye baby in the tree tropsy was the onliest song I ¦ieerd my maw sing to git her babies to sleep* Slave folkses sung most s=ll the time but we didnf think of what we sang much* We jusf got happy and started singin*. Sometimes we fud sing effen we felt sad and lowdown, but soon as we could, we *ud go off whar we could go to sleep and forgit all fbout trouble!n James nodded his gray - io - 101 head with a wise look in his bright eyes. "When you hear a nig- ger singin* sad songs hitfs jusf kazen he oanft stop what he is doinf long enough to go to sleep!" The laughter that greeted this sally brought an answer- ing grin to the wrinkled old face. Asked about marriage customs, James said: "Folkses didnf make no big to-do over weddings like they do now. nfhen slaves got married they jus* laid down the broom on the floor and the couple jined hands and jumped back-uds over the broomstick. I done seed fem married that way many a time. Some- times my marster would fetch Mistess down to the slave quarters to see a weddinf. Effen the slaves gittinf married was house ser- vants, sometimes they married on tlie back porch or in the back yard at the big *ouse but plantation niggers what was field hands married in they own cabins. The bride and groom jusf wore plain clothes ka 'en they didnf have no more. "When the young marsters and mistesses at the big houses got married they flowed the sieves tc gadder ol the porch and peep through the windows at the weddin* * Mos'en generally they fud give the young couple a slave or two to take with them to they new home. 'Ty marsterfs chilluns was too young to git married befo* the war was over, '^hey was seven of them chilluns; four of fem was gals. "What sort cf tales did they tell tmongstt the slaves fbout the ATorf befor the war? To tell the troof, they didn't talk much like they does now fbout them sort of tnings. None of our niggers ever runned away and we didnf know nuthin* fbout no ITorf twel long atter freedom come. ™e visited round each otherfs cabins at night. -**- 102 I did hear tell ?bout tlie patterollers ? Folkses said effen they cotched niggers out at night they fud give rem fwhat Paddy give tile drumf# "Jus* befo* freedom corned fbout 50 Yankee sojers come through our plantation and told us that the bull-whups and cow- hides was ail dead and buried* TSiem sojers jus* passed on in a hurry and didn* stop for a meal or vittles or nuffin*. We didn't talk much fbout Mr. Abbieham Linoum endupinf slavery time kaz^n we was skeered of him atter the war got started. I donft know no thinf fbout Mr. Jeffson Davis, I donft remember ever Iiearin* 'bout him* I is heard about Mr. Booker Washlnfton and they do say he runned a moughty good school for niggers. *0ne morninf Marster blowed the bugle his own self and called us all up to the big *ouse yard. Ee told us: fSou all jus* as free rs I is. Tou are free from under :he taskmarster but you ain't free fron labor. Tou gotter labor and wuk hard effen you aims to live and eet and have clothes to wear* Tou kin stay here and wuk for me, or you kin go wharsomever you please?* Re said he fud pay us what v;ss right, and Lady, hit's the troof, they didnft nary a nigger on or plantation leave our marster then! I wukked on with Marster for 40 years atter the wart** James had no fear of the Ku Klux. ''Right soon atter the war we saw plenty of Ku Kluxers but they never bothered nobody on our plantation* They jajlus seeded to be havinf heaps of fun. fCourse, they did have to straighten out some of tLeia brash, young nigger bucks on some of tiie other farms round about. Mos* of the niggers the Ku Kluxers got atter was*n on - 12 - 103 no farm, but was jusf roamin* fround talkin* too much and makin* -rouble• They had to take fem in hand two or three times befof ' some of them fool free niggers could be lamed to behave theyselfsl Bui; them Ku Kluxers kept on atter rem twels't they larned they nis got to be good effen they 'spects "to stay round lie re. "Kit was about 40 years atter the war befor many niggers fgun to own they own lanf. 'They didn* know nothiny *bout tendinf to i^ioney business when the war done ended and j^tak£._.J,Sffl^_long time to lern hnw %q bu,y ^and sell andjgke caj^LJ*£^ makes." James shook his head sadly, "Ma'am, heaps of niggers ainfL never larned no thinr fbouo them things yit! tfA long time atter the war I married Lizy Terby. I didnf give Liza no chancft for to dress up. Jus* went and tuk her right rater the white folkses* kitchen and married her at the church in her w~rkinf clothes, fe had 13 chilluns but they ainft but two of rem livinf now. Mosf of our chilluns died babies. . Bndurin* slav- ery ISistess tuk care of all the nigger babies borned on our plan- Motions and looked atter they mammies too, but at^-er freedom come hear, of nigg-er babies died out. James said he had two wives, both widows* tfI married my second wife 27 years ago* To tell the troof, I donft rightly know how many grandchilluns I got, kazen I ain't se-d seme of fem for thirty years. My chilluns is off fum here and T vouldn* knov; to save my life whar they is or what they does, lly lister and brothers they is done dead ouu whet ainft gone off, I iont;; know for shof whar none of fem is now. - is - ±Q4 A sigh punctuated James1 monologue, and Ms old face was shadowed by a look of fear. n!,Tow I gwine tell you the troof. -Tow tliat it's all over I donft find life so good in my old age, as it was in slavery time v/lien I was chillun down on Marsterfs plantation, TShen I didnf have to worry fbou^ whar my clothes and my somepinf to eat was cominT from or whar I was gwine to sleep. Marster tut keer of all that. *^ow I ain't able for to wuk and make a livin* and hit's sho* moughty hard on this old nigger." PLACEHOLDER JS.iAjJLol AtEC BOSWICK Ex-Slave - Age 76, All of Uncle Alec. Bostwick1 s people are dead and he lives in his tiny home with a young Negress named Emma Vergal. It was a beautiful April morning when his visitor arrived and while he was cordial enough he seemed very reluctant about talking* How- ever, as one question followed another his interest gradually over- came his hesitancy and he began to unfold his lifefs story. f,I wuz born in Morgan County, an1 I warn11 mo1 dan four year old when &e Jtfar ended so I don11 ricollect nothin1 *bout slavfry days. I don11 know much fbout my ma, but her name was Ifortha an1 pafs name was Jordan Bostwick* I don't know whar dey come from. When I knowed nothin* I wuz dar on de plantation. I 5, had three brothers; George, John an1 Reehe, an1 day1 s all dead. I dis!members my sister's name. Bar warn11 but one gal an1 she died when she wuz little. "Ain11 much to tell fbout what wuz done in de quarters. Slaves wuz gyarded all de time jus1 lak Niggers on de chain gang now. De overseer always sot by wid^a_gun* MBout de beds, Nigger boys didn1 t pay no f tention to sich as dat f cause all dey keered fbout wuz a place to sleep but 'peers lak to e dey wuz corded beds, made wid four high posties, put together wid iron pegs, an1 holes v/hat you run de ords thoof, bored in de sides. De cords wuz made out of bfar grass woun1 tight together. Dey put straw an1 old quilts on fem, an! called f em beds. ? -2- 10 ^ "Gran1 pa Berry wuz too old to wuk in de field so he stayed 'roun1 de house an' piddled. He cut up wood, tended to de gyarden an' yard, an' bottomed chairs. Gran'ma Liza done de cookin' an1 nussed de white folkses chilluns. t!I wukked in de field 'long side de rest of de diggers, totin1 v/ater an' sich lak, wid de overseer dar all de time wid dat gun. "What you talkin' 'bout Kiss? Us didn1 t have no ironey. 3hof us didn't. Dey had to feed us an' plenty of it, 'cause us couldn't wuk if dey didn't feed us good. "Us et cornbread, sweet 'tatoes, peas, home-made syrup an' sich lak. De meat wuz fried sometimes, but mos' of de tins it wuz biled wid de greens. All de somethin' feat wuz cooked in de fireplace. Dey didn't know what stoves wuz in dem days* Yes Ma'am, us v/ent 'possum huntin' at night, an1 us had plenty 'possums too. Dey put sweet 'tatoes an' fat meat 'roun' 'em, an' baked 1 em in a oven what had eyes on each side of it to put hooks in to take it off de fire wid. "No Ma'am, us didn't go fishin', or rabbit huntin' rather. Us had to wuk an' warn' t no Nigger 'lowed to do no frolickin' lak dat in daytime. De white folkses done all da fishin' an' day- Tir;e huntin'. I don't 'meiiber lakin' no sartin' somethin'. I wuz Jus1 too glad to git anythin'• Slaves didn't have no gyardens of ie;r mn. Old Marster^had^one big gyacdLaa what all de slaves et out of. -3- 108 ^Tell you rbout our clo'es: us wore home-made clo'es, pants an1 shirts made out of cotton in summer an1 in de winter dey give us mo1 home-made clo'es only dey wuz made of wool. All de clawf wuz made on de loom right dar on de plantation* Us wore de same things on Sunday what us did in de week, no diffunt. Cur shoes wuz jus1 common brogans what dey made at home. I ain't seed no socks ftil long atter de War. Co'se some folkses mought a had 'em, but us didn't have none. "Marster Berry Bos^twick an1 Mist'ess lfexx^o§iwickf hcd a passel of chillun, I donf t 'member none ' cept young Marse John. .De.others drifted off an1 didn't come hack, but young Marse John stayed on wid Old Marster an' Old Mist'ess 'til dey died. Old larster, he warn' t good. Truth is dejlight, an' he wuz one mean white man. Old Mist1 ess wuz heaps better dan him. Dar wuz 'bout 150 :nens an1 75 fomans. I couldn't keep up wid de chilluns. Dere wuz too many for me. "Marster an' Mist'ess lived in a big fine house, but de slave quarters wuz made of logs, 'bout de size of box cyars wid two rooms. MtBout dat overseer he wuz. a mean man, if one ever lived. He got de slaves up wid a gun at five orclock an' wukked 'em 'til way atter sundown, stanflin1 right over 'em wid a gun all de time. If a Nigger lagged or tuk his eyes off his wuk, right &en an' dar he v/ould make him strip down his clo'es to his v/aist, an' ^ v/hup him v/id a cat-o-nine tails. Svvy lick dey struck him meant •- v/uz hit nine times, an' it fotch de red ewy time it struck. -4- 109 *0ht Yes Ma'am, dey had a cyar'iage_drlxer, he didn't do much 'cept look atter de hawses an' drive de v/hite folkses frounf. "I done tole you '"bout dat overseer; all he done wuz sot ' roun' all day wid a gun an' make de Niggers wuk. But I'se gwine tell you de trufe, he shof wuz poor white trash wid a house full of snotty-nose chilluns. Old Marster tole him he wuz jus1 lak a rabbit, he had so many chillun. I means dis; if dem days comes back I hope de good Lord takes me fus' • "Dey had a house whar dey put de Niggers, what wuz called de gyard house, an' us didn't know nothin' *bout no jail dat day an' time. I seed 'em drive de Niggers by old Marster1 s place in droves takin' 'em to Watkinsville. Morgan County, whar us lived, touched Oconee an' dat wuz the nighes1 town. One day I went wid old I'arster to Watkinsville an' I seed 'em sell Niggers on_de block* I warn't sold. When I knowed nothin1 I wuz right whar 1 wuz at. / flNo Ma'am, dey warn't no ^chools for de Niggers in den: days. If a Nigger wuz seed wid a paper, de white folks v/ould pretty nigh knock his head off him. "Us didn't have no church in de country for Niggers, *-' dey went to church v/id deir v/hite folkses, if dey went a tall* ^ v/hite folks sot in front, an' de Niggers sot in de back. All de^ i-re dat overseer wuz right dar wid his gun. When dey baptized de -i-Sgers dey tuk f em down to de river and plunged 'em in, while dem 'v-st hsd done been baptized sang: nDar's a Love Feast in Heb'en Today." -5- 110 "Yes Ma1 an, de white folkses had deir cemetery, an1 dey had one for de slaves. When dere wuz a funeral fmong de Niggers us sung: •Dark was de night And cold was de groun1 Whar my Marster was laid De drops of sweat Lak blood run down In agony He prayed.' ,lDem coffins sho1 wuz mournful lookin* things, made out of pine boa1 ds an* painted wid lampblack; dey wuz black as de night. Dey wuz big at de head an1 little at de foot, sort a lak airplanes is. De inside wuz lined wid white clawf, what dey spun on de plantation. "De patterollers wuz right on dey job. Slaves use1 to frame up on ! era if dey knowed whar dey wuz hidin1 f fwaitinf to cotch a Nigger. Dey would git hot ashes an1 dash over Vein, an1 dem patterollers dey sho1 would run, but de slaves would git worse dan i-t, if dey was cotched. "Miss, in slav1 ry time v/hen Niggers come from de fields at night dey warn11 no frolickin1 . Dey jus1 went to sleep. 3e r:iens v/ukked all day Sadday, but de * oiaans knocked off at twelve o' clock to wash an' sich lak. "Christmas times dey give us a week off an1 brung us a- little candy an1 stuff J roun1 . Not much, not much. On New Year's -2y me had to git back on de job. "Chilluns what wuz big enough to wuk didn1 t have time ln v-eek days to play no games on Marse Bostwick1 s place • On Sunday ^ x>layed wid marble^ made out of_clay# but dat1 s all. I heered my r- sing a little song to de baby what soun1 lak dis: -*• 111 fHush little baby Bon1t you cry You'll be an angel Bye-an' -bye.1 "Yes Ma'am, dere wuz one thing day wuz good 'bout* V/hen de Niggers got sick dey sont f or de doctor* I heered 'em say dey biled jimson weeds an' made tea for colds, an1 rhubarb tea wuz to cure worms in chillun. I wuz too young to be bothered 'bout v/itches an' charms, Rawhead an' Bloody Bones an' sich. I didn' t take it in* "When de Yankees come thoo' an' 'lowed us wuz free, us thought dey wuz jus' dem patteroilers, an' _us made for de v/jods* Dey tole us to come out, dat us was free Niggers* !rarster Berry said: 'You dam Niggers am free*. You don't b'long to De no i;;ore* "Us married long time atter de 7arf an' us had a little feast: cake, wine, fried chicken, an' ham, an! danced 'til 'mos' daybreak. I 'members how good she looked wid dat pretty dove colored dress, all trimmed wid lace. Us didn't have no chillijn. Sue wuz lak a tree what1 s sposen to bear fruit an1 don' t. She died f bout thirteen years ago. "When de Ku Kluxers come thoo' > us chillun thought de devil wuz atter us for sho' . I wuz sich a young chap i didn' t take in what dey said vl bout Mr* Abyham Lincoln, an' Mr* Jeff Javis. Us would a been slaves ftil yit, if Mr. Lincoln hadn't sot us free. Dey wuz bofe of 'em, good mens. I she1 had ruther 03 free. Who wants a gun over 'em lak a prisoner? A pusson is oetter off dead. ' t. ' - 111 jined de church 'cause dis is a bad place at de bes' -7- 112 an1 derefs so many mean folkses, what's out to seem good an1 ain't. An1 if you serve God in de right way, I1 se sho1 when you die he'll give you a place to rest for evermore. An' ' cordin* to ray notion dat's de way evvybody oughta live. In conclusion, Alec said: HI don't want to talk no more. I'se disappointed, I thought sho1 you v/uz one of deia pension ladies what come for to fetch me some money. I sho1 wish dey would come. Good-bye Miss.11 Then he hobbled into the house. 113 Barragan # Harris nancy aauagy, thomsos, qeqmu "If X ain't a hunnsrd," said aaaey, nodding her white-t urbane d head, "X oho* is close to it, *oaaao X got a grandson 50 years aid." Nancy's siXlEy whits hair showed Xoag aad wawy under hair headband. Her gingham dross was clean, aad her wrinkled skin was a reddish* yellow oolor, shoving a large proportion of Indian aad whits bloodt Har eyes were a faded blue. "I speak X is i»o»* whits," aoknowlodged Haney, "hut X aia*t never Jinowed who vsy father was* Hr Bother was a dark color." The oottags faced the pine grove behind as oXd church. Pink raiablers grew everywhere, aad the sandy yard waa neatly kept, fansy's ^araly^ed granddaughter-in-law hovered in the doorway, her Xoag 8r!3oth braids hanging over Indiaa»browm shoulders, a loose wrapper of dark blue denial flowing around hsr tall unsteady figure. She waa eager to take part in the conversation bat haagwrsd by a thick ton- i gue induced, as Kanoy put it, "by a bad sors throat sbs ain*t got ovor." Nancy's reooXlsotiona of plantation days were ooXored to a sosbor hue oy overwork, ohiXdbaaring, poor food and long working hours* "Master was a hard taskmaster,"said sfeaoy* mW? husband didtt* livs on de sacs pXaatatlon where X was, ds Jerrell pXaea in Coluabia County* He never did have nuthin1 to givs ins * oause he never got nathin** He had to cone and ask ray white folks for em. Dsy had to oarry p ssea everywhar dsy wont, If day didn*t, dey9d git in trouble. "I had to work hard, plow and go and spXit wood Jus* like a man. £oi.etizass day waap ms. Bay whup bo bad, pull do oXoss off down to do ***• a* 114 wais' * W a&otor did itt oar folks didn* have overseer* "We had to ask *e» to 1st no go to ohurolu Wont to white folks church,'* toll do ftlaok folk* tot one of dor* own* lo'o, 2 dunno how to road* lever had no school* at all, didn» Uow uo to pick up a pleas of paper aad look at it." "Nancy, wasn't jour distress kind to you?" "Mistia wae sorta kin* to me, eooetiaes* Bui day only give m a -at and oread, didn* giro rae ftethin' good * 2 aln* gwino toll, no story. 2 had a heap to undergo wid* 2 had to scour at might at de Big House * two planks one night, two sore do nsx*» So women peoples spun at night and reeled, so many outs a night* lit had to git up befo* daybreak ho ready to go to do fiel's, "My master didn* have out three oullud people, dis yuh n»an what I stayed wid, ay young master, had not he en long carried and dus' de han'e dey give hin when ho marry was all ho had. "Didn* haTs no such house as die," Kanoy looked into the open door of the comfortable cottage, "eooetines dey hare a bouse built, it would bo daubed, Dus* one fawiiy, didn1 no two families double up "But the ohildron had a good tine, didn't they? They played game8?" "Maybe dey did ploy ring games, 2 never had no ties to see what games ray ohillun play, 2 work so hard* Heap o» little ohillun sle/ on do flo* • lever had no frolics neither, no aa*s, and didn9 go to none. ?e would have prayer tsee tinge on Saturday nights, and one 1 sht in do week us had a ohairbaok preacher, and a onetimes a regular preaoher would ooao in*" seen Hancy did not remember ever having/the Patterollero. Pago |* 115 "I heara tali of *a* yon know, heap o» tiaea d«y ooae ant and make oat like day gwine shoot you at night, dey bus* seea Fatter oilers v dey was get tin* hold of a heap of *§»** "What did you do about funerals, fta&ayf* "Dey let at knook off for funerals, X tell da truth. Us etay up all night, singin* and prayln*. Dey stake da aofflft tatter piae boards." "Did you suffer during the war?" "We done de sea* we could, we et what we eould get, aeastivss didn1 have nothin* to gat hat pleoe of eonihread, hat da white folks allus had chieken," "But you had olothes to wear?" "Us had olothes •oause we spun da thread and weaved *ea. Bey bought den dere great aig ole brogane where you oouldn* hardly walk in 'am. Hot like dees shoes I got on." fenoy thrust out her foot, easy la w01a Ladies' Comforts." "When they told you were free, JTanoy, did the master appear to be angryt* "No'ib, whits folks didn1 •pear to he mad. Hjr aastsr du»» tola ue we was tr9%» Us moved right off, hut not eo far I oouldn* gs baokwards and forwards to sss 'urn." (So it was evident that eves if Nancy's life had been hard, there was a bond between her and her f-roar owners.) "I didn1 do no no* work for 'u»» 1 work for some- body a lee. Us rented land and made what we oould, so w/y eould have little s one thin* to eat. X eooured and waited on whits paople in town, got little piece • rtDere wuz de corn shuckin1 wid one house for de corn and another house for de shucks. Atter all de shuckin' wuz done, dere wuz eatin1 and dancin'. And it wuz eatin' tool Dey kilt, hogs, barbecued 'em, and roasted some wid apples in dey mouf's to give 'em a good flavor, and course a little corn likker v/ent wid it. Dey had Page 6. 124 big doinf s at syrup makin1 time too, but dat v/uz hard wuk den. Makin1 syrup shof wuz a heap of trouble* "Later us lived v/id de Johnson fanibly, and atter my old man died, I come to dis tov/n v/id de Johnsons. Dere wuz three chilluns, Percy,, Lewis, and a gal, I stayed v/id f em ftil de chilluns v/uz all growed up and eddicated. All my other wfite folks is gone; my sister done gone too* and my son; all de chillun dat I had, deys done daid too. '?low I has to wash so I kin live. I used to have plenty, but times is changed and now sometimes I don11 have nothin1 but bread, and jusr bread is hard to git, heap of de time. "I put in for one of dem old age pensions, but dey ainf t give me nothin1 yet, so I jus1 wuk when I kin, and hope dat it won11 be long f f ore I has plenty again. tt «** 1 K Om SLATS STORY MAC01, GEORGIA- i By Adella S. Dixon L£*£<>^ ) Delia Briscoe, now living in Macon, is a former slave of Mr. David Ross, who owned a large plantation in Putnam County. . Delia, when a very tiny child, v/as carried there with her father snd mother, Sam and Mary Ross* Soon after their arrival the mother v/as sent to work at the niig housen in Satonton. This arrangement . left Delia, her brother and sister to the care of their grandmother, who really posed as their mother. The children grew up under the impression that their mother v/as an older sister and did not know the truth until just after the close of the Civil War, when the mother became seriously ill and called the children to her bedside to tell them goodbye. Mr. David Ross had a large family and was considered the richest planter in the county. Nearly every type of soil was found on his vast estate, composed of hilly sections as well as acres of lowlands* xhe highway entering Satonton divided the plantation and, down this road every Friday, DeliaTs father drove the wagon to town with a supply of fresh Gutter, for Mrs. Ross1 thirty head of cows supplied enough milk to furnish the city dwellers with Gutter. Refrigeration was practically unknown, so a well was used to keep the Gutter fresh. This cool well was eighty feet deep and passed through a la;/er of solid rock. A rope ladder was suspended from the mouth of the well to the place where the Gutter was. lowered for pre serration ffoy safety,, .and to shield it from the sun, reeds-wea^lill ^^B^^^t-x-f^^H^Biiw^ y pq/trr-ryrp*?**, -^ t* w» .„•» „-, ,»-r n-^i^ n »,. t,,^ p^T ^, ,„„. T„ iSCr planted all around the well. And as they grew very tall, a stranger would not suspect a well Tieing there. In addition to marketing, Deliars father trapped leavers which were plentiful- in the swampy part of the plantation bordering the Oeonee, selling their fcelts to traders in the nearly towns of Augusta and Savannah, where Mr. Ross also marketed his cotton and large quantities of corn. Oxen, instead of mules, were used to make the trips to market and return, each trip consuming six or seven days. The young children were assigned small tasks, such as piling Tirush in *new grounds™, carrying water to field hands, and driving the calves to pasture. Punishment was administered, though not as often as on some planta- tions. 2he little girl, Delia, was whipped only on^e -- for breaking up ?• turkey's nest she had found. Several .were accused of this, and because the master could not find the guilty party, he whipped each of the children* Crime was practically unknown snd Mr. Ross1 slaves never heard of a Jail until they v/ere freed. lien v/ere sometimes placed in "'lucks", which meant they v/ere laid across flocks v/ith their hand and feat securely tied. An iron Tiar was run between the blocks to prevent any movement; then, after >eing stripped, they were whipped. Delia said that she knew of tut one case of this type of punishment leing administered a Ross slave. Sickness was negligible — childbirth being practically the only form of a Negro woman1 a "coming down"* As a precaution against disease, a tonic was given each slave every spring. Three were also, every spring, taken from the field each day until every one had lieen given a dose of calomel and salts. Mr. Ross once bought two slaves who became ill with smallpox soon after -oheir arrival. They were isolated in a small house located in the center of a field, while one other slave was sent there to nurse them. All three v/ere turned to death when their hut was destroyed by fire. In case of death, even on a neighboring place, all v/ork v/as suspended until the dead v/as buried. Sunday, the only day of rest, was often spent in attending religious services, and because these were irregularly held, brush arbor meetings were common• This arTior was constrcuted of a brush roof supported by posts and crude joists. The seats were usually made of snail saplings nailed to short stumps• Religion was greatly stressed and every child v/as christened ^shortly after its Yirth. „An adult who desired to join the church went first to the master to obtain his permission. He was then sent to the home of a minister wl.u lived a short distance away at a place called Plat Rock. Here, his confession was made and, at the next regular service, he was formally received into the church. Courtships were "brief. The* "old man", who was past the age for v/ork and only had to watch what went on at the quarters, was usually the first to notice a »m budding friendship, which he reported to the master, The couple was then questioned and, if they consented, were married without the benefit of clergy. Pood was distributed on Monday night, and for each adult slave the following stnple products were allowed - - - Weekly ration: On Sunday: 3|- lfes. meat One qt. syrup 1 pk. of meal One gal. flour 1 gal. shorts One cup lard Vegetables, milk, etc., could "be obtained at the nlilg house", Tiut fresh meat and chickens v/ere never given. The desire for these delicacies often overcame the slaves1 letter natures, and some frequently went night foraging for small shoats and chickens« The "old man" kept account of the increase or decrease in live stock and poultry and reported anything missing each day.' Vftien suspicion fell on a visitor of the previous night, this information was given to his master, who then searched the accusedfs dinner pail and oaliin. If meet was found in either the culprit was turned over to his accuser for punishment. After lieing whipped, he was forbidden for three months to visit the plantation where he had committed the theft. One of Delia's grandmotherTs favorite recipes was made of dried lieef snC wheat. The wheat was "brought from the field an^ husked Vf hand. This, added to the rapidly toiling lieef, was cooked until a mush resulted, which was then eaten from wooden inowls with eppons of the same material. White plates'were never used Tiy the slaves* Cloth for clothing was woven on the place. Deliafs grandmother did most of the spinning, and she tenght. her child to spin when she was so small that she h«*d to stand on a raised plank: to reach the wbefel* After the cloth was spun it was dyed with dye made from nshoemake" (sumac) leaves, green walnuts, reeds, and copperas. One person cut and others sewed. The dresses for women were straight, like slips, <-nd the garments of the small *oys resembled night shirts. If desired, a lias fold of contrasting: colour wai placed at the w^ist line or at the iottom of dresses, i'he crudely made garments were starched with a solution of flour or re-1 and water which was strain* and then toiled. As a smell child Delia remembers hearing a peculiar knock on the door during the ni&ht, and a voice which replied to queries, n2To- ore to hurt you, tut keep that red flannel in your mouth. Kara you plenty to eat? Don't worry; youfll ie free.* Ho one would ever tell, if they knew, to whom this voica belonged. Just before the ie^innin^ of the Civil izr a const orvp¦-*¦»*** ^Vn n>b wss so iri^ht that the elder people amused themselves Tiy sitting on the rail fence and throwing pins upon the grounw where the reflection was cast. The children scrambled madly to see who could ::i::a tte most ag ifot* pins. Luring the ear^m part of the war Ilr. Ross fought with the Confederates leaving his [rowing son, Robert, in charge of his affairs. rihe young master wa& very :*ond of horses and his favorite horse - "Bill* — was trained to do tricks. One of these was to lie down when tickled or his flanks. The Yankees visited the plantation end tried to take this horse. Rofcert, who loved him dearly, refused to dismount, 130 and as they were alout to shoot the horse Tieneath him, the slaves >egan to plead. They explained that the "hoy was kind to every one and devoted to animals, after which explanation, he was allowed to keep his horse. The treastworks at Savannah required many latorers to complete their construction, and «s the commanders desired to 'sare the strength of their soldiers, slave la tor vms solicited. Two slaves from e$ch nearty plantation were sent to riork: for * limited numlter of days* The round trip from the Ro&s plantation required seven days. Kearly every man had a family and when they returned from these long trips they drove to the quarters and fell on th ir knees to receive the welcome caresses of their small children* Recreational facilities were not provided and slave children had little knowledge of how to play. Ther two main amusements were TiuiIcing frog houses and sliding down a steep tank on a long ioard. One day, as they played up and down the highway, Viilding frog houses at irregular intervals, little Delia looked up and saw a group of Yankee calvarymen approaching.. She screamed and »egan "running and so attracted the attention of Mr* Ross who was at home on a furlough. P!e saw the men in time to fine a hiding place. Meanwhile, the soldiers arrived and the leader, apringing from his horse, snatched Delia up and spanked h-r soundly for giving the alarm, as they had hoped to take her master sy surprise. Delia said this was the first "white slap11 she ever received. So^e of the Yankees entered the house, tore up the interior, and ¦jw^jjipiff^jB^^^ threw the furniture out doors. Another gr&up rolled the smokehouse and smashed so many barrels of syrup that it ran in a stream through the yard. They carried much of the meat off with them and gave the remainder to the slaves. Chickens ?/ere caught, dressed, and fried on the spot as each soldier carried his own frying pan, and a piece of flint rock and a sponge with which to make a fi:*e. The men were skilled in dressing fowls ana cleaned them in a few strokes. Tihen they had eaten as much as they desired, a search for the corral was made, »ut the mules were so well hidden that they were not alile to find them. Delia's fatherTs hands were tied behind him and he was then forced to sho?/ them the hiding place. These !*ine leasts, used for plowing, were named iy the slaves who worked them. Charac- teristic names were: "Jule", "Pigeon*1, "Little Deal", "Tic", (the carriage horse}f "Streaked leg," "Kicking Kid", "Sore-iack Janie". Every one was carried off* This raid took place on Christmas Eve and t! e slaves were frantic as they had lie en told that Yankees were mean people, especially was Sherman so pictured. Tnen Sherman had &.oney Mr, Ross came from his hiding place in the "cool well" and spoke to his slaves. 2o the elder ones he said, "I saw you £ive away my meat and mules." "Hasten, v/e were afraid. \le didn't want to do it, lut we were afraid not to." "Yes, I understand that you eoulc not help yourselves.n He then turn* to the children, saying, "Bless all of you, *ut to little Delia, I owe my life. From now on she shall never lie whipped, and she shall have a'home of her own for life," She shook with laughter as she said, "Master thought I screamed to warn him and I was only f*i«feteme&« * frue to his word, after freedom he ga¥e her a three-acre plot of land upon which he iuilt a house and added a mule, %uggy, cow, hogs, ete* Delia li^ed there until after her'marriage, when she had to leare with her hussand* She later lost her home. Earing %een married t?/ice, she now tears the n^xne of Briscoe, her lust husband fs iia;ae* Tftien the family had again setxled down to the ordinary routine, a new plague, liody lice% said to hare teen left *y the inYaders, made life almost un*eara*le for Tioth races* Delia now lires with her granddaughter, for she has "keen unable to work for twenty-eight years. ISaeon's Department of Public Welfare assists in contributing to'her liTelihood, as the granddaughter can only pay the room rent* She does not know her age Imt lelieres that she is atoye ninety* Eer keen old eyes seemed to look lack into those lygone days as she said, "I got along tetter den 3an I eier ha* since* We didnft loiow nuthin T*out Jail houses, paying for our lurial grounds, and de rent. We had plenty of food.11 - 133 ^v i "* 0!iOf«Gn BROOKS, :X-3I*vV'.. Date of birthj Tear unknown (See below). Plnee of birth* In Muscogee County, near Columbus, Georgia. Present residence: 602 • Kaut 8th Street, Columbus, Georgia. Interviewed: August 4, 1936. This old darky, srobably the oldest ex-slave in West Georgia, claims to be 112 years of nte, His colored friends nre ulso of the opinion thrt he ia fully that old or older - • but, since none of hie former (two) ownera' people av.n be located, ant no records concerning his birth on be found, hia definite age oruinot be positively established, , "Uncle* George claims W hare worked In the fields, "some*, the yuat v the "atnrs fell** - - 1833. His original ov-ner was Mr. Beory Wllllaai—to whora he was greatly attached, as a young rann, he wna—for a number of years—Mr* Williams' personal body-servant, .fter lr, ^llll^s' nenth—during the 1850's, "Uriele* George trra sold to a white nipn»-wr,Oiie name h© doesn't reienber—of Dadevllle, Alabama, with whon he subsequently spent five aonths in the Confederate .service. One of "Uiicle" George's stories Is to the effect trmt he once left a chore Vc wsa do in*; for his second "Mnrster'a" wife, "stepped" to a nenrby well to . et a drink of water *md, impelled by aone strange, Irresistible "power", "^aa kep ori w»l*ln *tll he run sinp-dnb inter de Yankees", who oorrnled him nnd kept hi» for three months. Still nnother story he tt 11a Is th*t of hla being rold sfter freedom 1 According to his version of this incident, he wns sold «> -J along with two bales of cotton in the fall of 1865—-either the oottan feeing sold and he "thrown in" with it, or vice reran—he doesn't know which, but he does know that he and the cotton were "sold" together! And very soon after this transaction occurred, the seller whs clapped in ,!aill 'ihen, "somebody1* (he doesn't remember who) gave him some money, put him on a stage-coach at night and "shipped" hira to Columbus, where he learned that he was a free raan ami has sinoe remained* "Uncle" George has been married once and is the father of several children, his v/ife, however, died fifty-odd years ago nnd he knows nothing of the thereabouts of his children—doesn't even know whether or not any of then are living, having lost "all track o'all kin fokea too long nt,o to tawk sbout." Unfortunately, "Uncle" George's mind is clouded end his memory badly impaired, otherwise Ms life ttory would perhaps be quite interesting. For nore than twenty years, he has been supported and cared for by kind hearted members of his race, who say that they intend to continue "to look after the old raan *til he passes on." .00096......... 135 ^*- EX-SLi^3 mWVT^W faster Brown 1020 3. Lumpkin Street Athens, Georgia Written 3y: Mrs. Sadie 3. Hornsby and Waited 3y: John N. Booth Federal Writers* Project WPi. Residency No. 7 4 *Vl mm 130 ISiLirSR BROVflf "Aunt" Sasteir 3rown, 78 years old, was sweeping chips into a basket out in front of her cabin. "Go right in honey, I'se comin' soon as jl git some chips for my fire. Does I lak to talk 'bout when I wuz a chile? I sho does, r warn't but 4 ; years old'when de wa^r wuz over, but 1 knows all 'bout it." j \ "I wuz born tin Floyd County sometime in October* My pa wuz irwin and my ma \nuz Liza Lorie. 1 don!t know whar dey come 1'rom, but I knows dejy wuz from way uovm de country somewhars." Dere wuz six of us chilluns. 411 of us wuz sold. Yessum, I wuz sold too. My oldestl brother wuz named Jim. I donTt riccolec1 de i • otiiers, dey wuz all [sola oif to diffunt parts of ae country, and ! !* . us never heared- from! fem no more. Ivly brother, my pa and me wuz sold, on de block injiome, Georgia. Liarsterv£rank Glenn buyed me* I wuz so little dat if/hen dey bid-me off, dey haa to hold me up so ioxkses could see me[. 'I don't 'member my real ma and pa, and 1 called iviarster "'pa' an1 Mist'ess 'ma', 'til I wuz 'bout 'leven years old. - I don't know much 'bout slave quarters, or what dey had in 'em, 'cause I wuz raised in de house wid de white folkses. I does' know beds in de" quarters wuz lak shelves. Holes wuz bored in de side of de house, tw«» in de wall and de floor, and poles runnin' from de wall and de floor, fastened together wid pegs; on 'em dey jj$ut planks, and orbsji de foot of de bed dey put a plank to hold de ,w and keep de li|tle 'uns<|romfallin* out. i$i, - 2 -137 "What did us have to eat? Lordy mussyl Mist*ess I us had everything. Summertime dere wuz beans, cabbage, squashes, irish 'tatoes, roas'en ears, 'matoes, cucumbers, cornbread, and fat meat, but ue Nig-;er boys, dey wuz plum fools 'bout hog head. In winter dey et sweet 'tatoes, collards, turnips and sich, but ' I et lak de v/hite i'olkses. 1 sho does JLak 'possums and rabbits* Yessum, some of de slaves had gyardens, some of 'em sholy did. "No'm, us Niggers never wore no clothes in summer, I means us little 'uns. In de winter us ?^ore cotton clothes, but us went barefoots. My uncle oam and some of de other'Mggers went 'bout wid dey foots Popj>QjL,open from de cold.. Uarster had 110 slaves on his plantation. "Mist'ess" wuz good to me. Pa begged her to buy me, 'cause she wuz his young Mist'ess and he knowed she would be good to me, but Marster wuz real cruel. He'd beat_his hoss down on his knees '.¦¦ ¦ and he kilt one of 'em. He whupped de Niggers when dey didn't do right. Niggers is lak dis; dey wuz brought to dis here land wild - as bucks, and dey is lak chicken roosters in a pen. Yau^just have "to make 'em 'have deyselves. Its lak datnowj-if dey'd.'have dey- ; selves, white folkses would let 'em be. C. "Dere warn't no jails in dem days. Dej had a gyuard house |i what dey whupped 'em in, and Mondays and Tuesdays wuz set aside for | de Whuppin's, when de Niggers what had done wrong got so many lash- es, 'eordin* to what devilment dey had been doin'. De overseer did- n't do de wimppin*, Jtoster' d©i© dat, ©em p^tteiroliers wuz sompin r^^^^^^^^.^^^pjw - 3 - ,«--* else. 1'iankind*. If dey ketchea a Nigger out atter dark widout no pass dey'd most nigh tear de hide orran his back. "I'll tell you what dat overseer done one night. Some enemy of Marster's sot fire to ae bir; I'rauie house whar him and Mist'ess and de chillun lived. De overseer seed it burnin', and run and clam up ae tree what wuz close to ae house, went in de window and got Marster's two little ^als out dat burnin' house 'fore you could say scat. Dat sho fixed de overseer wid old Mars- ter. Atter dat Marster give him a nice house to live in but Mars-' ter's fine old house sho wuz burnt to de ground. "De cyarriage driver wuz uncle ^iam. tie drove de chillun to school, tuk Marster and Mist'ess to church, and done de wuk 'round de house; such as, totin' in wood, keepin' de yards and wait- - in* on de cook. No'm us slaves didn't go to church; de Niggers wuz so wore out on Sundays, dey wuz glad to stay home and rest up, 'eause de overseer had 'em up way 'fore day and wuked 'em 'til long atter "dark. On Saddays dey had to wash deir clothes and git ready for da next week. Some slaves might a had special things give to 'em on - Christmas, and New Years Day, but not on Marster's plantation; dey rested up a day and dat wuz all. I heared tell dey had Christmas fixin's and doin's on other plantations, but not on Marse Frank's I place, ill corn shuckin's, cotton piekin's, log rollings, and de I Ink mxz wtien de boss made fem do it, an* den dete sho warn*t no ex- %$£& sompin-t'eat. "B© oftliest game I ©vor played wuz to take my doll made out ^a*£|k wid a ^g i©m it aa!f play under 8t-;;^»^'(-:|l^;:?^^;;b;|5|;; .'t-i.ut'.lfr - 4 -139 'nough to wuk, all I done wuz to help de 000k in ae kitchen and play wid.....oId-Mist*ess* baby. J'Some or de Niggers_._j:unned away. Webster, Hagar, Atney, • an' Jane runned away a little while 'fore freedom. Old Marster didn't try to git 'em back, 'cause 'bout dat time ae' war wuz over. Marster and Mist'ess sho looked atter de Niggers ^nen dey got sick lor dey knowed dat if a Nigger died dat much property wuz lost. Yes sum, _dey had_j3^.doc t o r_aflmg t ime, but de most dey done wuz give 'era hoarhound^yellow root, and tangy. When a baby wuz cuttin* teeth, dey biled ground ivy and give 'em. "Louisa, dp o.nny wuz married in de front yard. All I 'mem- bers 'bout it wuz dat all de Niggers gathered in de yard, Louisa had on a white dress; de white folkses sho fixed Louisa up, 'cause she wuz deir cook. "Jus' lemme tell you 'bout my weddin' I buyed myself a dress and had it laid out on de bed, aen some triflin', no 'count Nigger jvench, tuk and stole it 'fore 1 had a chance to git married in it. I had done buyed dat dress for two pupposes; fa aft-to git married in it, and second to be buried in. I stayed on wid Old Miss 'til I got 'bout grown and den I drifted to Athens. When I married my fust husband, Charlie Montgomery, I wuz wukkin' for Mrs. W. R. Booth, and us married in her dinin' room. Charlie died out and I married James Hoshier. Us had one baby. Hit wuz a boy. James an' our boy is both daid now and I'se all.by myself. .'• "What de slaves done when dey wuz told dat dey wuz free? ~ % wuz top little to' \fcnow what dey meant by freedom, but Old Marster '•&MJ^mM^^hJ:i ^Cm^&Jl ^A^iiM-$ .^ x* ..jA Uw isM^fsMM^lklmt * ^it^J-x lasfe* * *u.« * L*M*^Jla&Ai£Jt*&®& te*. ^kwiJW*a*L..«*/ * «»» •-. **u As At A 1-51-U+ « %J „. < WM^AmJi»m •» *'.' - 140 called de overseer and told him to ring ae bell for de Niggers to come to de big house, He told 'em dey wuz free devils and dey could go whar dey pleased and-do what dey pleased- dey could stay wid him if aey wanted to. Some stayed wid Old Marster and some went away. I never seed no yankee sojers. I heared tell of 'em comin' but i never seed none of 'em. "No'm I don't know nothin' 'bout Abraham Lincoln, 3ooker T. Washington or Jefferson Davis. 1 didn't try to ketch on to any of 'em. -As for slavery days; some of de Niggers ought to be free and some oughtn't to be. I don't know nuttin much 'bout it. I had a good time den, and I gits on pretty good now. "How come I jined de church? Well I felt lak it wuz time for me bo live better and git ready for a homa..JLQ-Jle next world. Chile you sho has axed me a pile of questions, and I has sho 'joyed tellin' you what I knowed." f;;[/':' >.,<: '#; 14.1 J«1U Br©*» (Anat Sally) TlO carima P1»m, I. I. Attest*, Oft. Jttly », 1S9I 1» AH ALWAYS E&D A HARD TIMS Aunt kaliy rooked back and forth incessantly, bhe mopped her wrinkled face with a dirty rag **a she talked* "Ah wua bora fof Has frua Ooflmerce, Georgia, and wus thirteen year ole at surrender* Ah belonged to the ffed* fairly - three ole isaid sisters. J4y iaaiaa belonged to the Hashes and ay papa belonged to General Burns; he whs a officer in the war* There wus six of ua Chilians, Lucy, Melvina, Johnnie,Galliet Joe and m* **e didnft stay together long,as we whs give out to different people* The K&ahes didn't believe in selling slaves but we wus known as their niggers* They sold one once 'cause the other slaves said they would kill him fcause he had a baby Iqr his own daughter* So to keep hia frua beta9 kilt, they sold hlsu *My maxsa died the year of surrender* Ah didn't fare wall after her death,Ah had sicha hard tiae. Ah wus give to the Mitchell fambly and they done every cruel thing they could to sue* Ah slept on the fie9 nine years* winter and stfisaer* sick or well* Ah never wore anything but * cotton dress * a shiaany and draw's. That *oaan didn't care what happened to the niggers* Seaetiae she would take us to church* *e'd walk to the church house* Ah never ^ent nowhere else. Itot 'oaan took delight i* Tallin* slaves* 3hefd lash us with a cowhide whip* &h had to shift fur aehsel?* 11 They didnft asind the slaves satin*, but they wanted their niggers to assrry only amougst th«a on their place* They didn*t flow *«& to xoate aith other slaves frwa other places* *hen the wimea had babies they wus treated kind and they let 'am stay in. e called it *iay-laf, just about 3ak they do now* >e didn't go to no horspltals as they do now* >e Jest had our babies and had a granny to catch 'em* *e didn't have all the pafn-easinf Aunt Sally medicine* then. Tint granny would put a rusty piece of tin or a ax under the rmttres* and this would ease the pains* The granny put a ax under xay mattress race* Tials wua to out off the after-pains and it eho did too, honey* v>*fd set up the fifth day and after the ?layin-inf time wua up we won flowed to walk out doors and they tole us to walk around the house Jest once and cozas in the bouse* This wua to keep us frua taklaf a * lapse* * e wuan't flowed to go around and have pleasure as the folks does today. © bad to have ps.-.ees to go wherever we wanted. hen wefd git out there wua a bunch of white i&en called the 'patty roller**. TheyM come in and see if all us had ?%Gsses and if they found any who didnft have a pass he wua whipped; give fifty or more laahe*—end theyfd count tbea lashes. Sf they said a hundred you got a hundred. They wua soaethia* lak the &1u Slua* *e wua ffraid to tell our meters about the Patty rollers because we wua skeered th*yfd whis us again,fur we wua tole not to tell* They*d sing a little ditty, ^h wish Ah could remember the $ords, but it went aoraethin* lak this? fBua»Hlggphfrun. de Patty RoULar**U git yout Hun Miggah, run, youfd bettah git away.* ">ve wua ffraid to go any plaee* * Slaves were treated in most cases l&k cattle. A igan went about the country buyin* up slaves lak buy inf up cattle end the like, and he wua called a * speculator * , then he'd aell *a& to the highest bidder. Oh! it wua pltlfwSL to se^ ehll'ea taken from their xaothers* breast, mothers sold, husband* sold fruaa «ive»« One fosaan he wua to buy bad a baby, ana ox course the baby coae befo' he bought her and he wouldn't buy the baby; said he hadnft bargained to buy the baby too9 and he jest wouldn't* My uncle wua carried but he wua owned by one master and his wife wua owned by another. He wua %lowed to visit his wife on ednesday and Saturday, t at's the oallest tls* he could git off. Aunt Sally 3# - e want on Wednesday and when he want back on Saturday hie wife bad beta bought by the speculator and he nearer did know where she wua* *Ah worked bard always* Honey.yau can*t 'aaglne *bat a hard time ^h bad* &h split rails lak a xaasu Hoe did Ah dc it? kh used a huge glut, and a iron wedge drove into the wood with a naul, and this would split the wood* *Ah faalp spin the cotton Into thread fur oar clothes* The thread wus made into big broaches •• faur broaehes aade four cuts, or one hank* After the thread wua ns&de *e used a loom to ^eave ttie cloth. e had no eewin* Eachlne—> h«d to sew by hand. l$ mistress h&d a big silver bird and she would always catch the eloth in the bird's bill and this would hold it fur her to saw* "~*h didn't git to handle j&oney when I wua young* Ah worked frura sunup to sundown, S'«-%tion - teke dry cow aanure, sake a tea of this and flavor it with mint arid give it to the sick puasoa. e didn't need many doctors then fur we didn9^ have so such si cleans in theia days, end nachelly they didn9t die so i i Aunt .ally 5# fast; folks lived a long time then* They used a lot of peachtree leaves too for fever,and when the stomach got upsot we'd crush the leaves> pour •*at r over them and wouldnft let tliem drink any other kind of water ftill they wua better. *.h still believes in tiiem ole no'saade medicines too a»4 h don't believe In so laei^ doctors* - e didnft teTe stoves plentiful then: just ovens #© set in the fireplace* Lh*n toted a many a armful of berk— «ood ole hickory bark to cook with, a'd cook light bre^d - both flour and corn# The yeast frrr this bre> d wux made frt» hops* Goals of fire ^mm put on top >f th© oven and tinder the bottom, too* 7-verything wu* cooked on coals fret* a $?ood fire - coffee and all, sit, let me show you my coffee tribet* Have jo\x ever seen one? ell, Ah*Ll show you :ine.* ^unt Sally got up and hobble* to the kitchen to get the trivet. After a few laoments search she enme back into the roo&* **No, it's not there. Mb guess iVs been put in the basement. &h*ll show it to you hen you coae back* Itfs a rack aade of iron that the pot is set on befof -tittin* it on the fire coals- The victuals wuz good in the* days; we gpt our vegetables out'n the garden in season and didn't have all the hot- house vegetables* .a.h donft eat many vegetables now unless they co&e outfn the garden and I fcnow it* -ellf as 1 said, there wuss racks fitted in the fireplace to put pots on. Once there wussa big pot settin* on the fire. jest billn* avsay with a big roast in it. «-s th© *?ater biled, the meat turned over and over, coain1 up to the top and goinf down again* Ole Sandy, the dog, coae in the kitchen* He sot there a while Bti& v*&t&he& that meet roll over and over in *ne pot* and all of a sudden-like he grabbed attthat aie t and pulls it out'n the pot* fCourse he couldn't eat it * cause it wus not aad they got the meat befo1 he et it* The kitchen wua away frum the big house, aD the wictuals wus cooked aid carried up to the house. Uifd unt ually a* carry It up Biahse'f* »e eould»ft eat all the different kladw of victuals the white folks et and one moral*f when I *us carryimf the breakfast to the big home w«> had raffles ttet wua a pretty gg&dea bro«n and plpin9 hot* They wus a nieture to look at and Ah jest eouldn9t keep true takln9 one* and that wus the hardest *affle fur ae to eat befo9 I got to the big house I ever saw* i*& jeet oouldn9t git rid of that *cffle 9oause my conscience w£ipp#d me so* "They taught me to do evaryt&iag. Ah9d use battll*9 bloeka and battlln9 sticks to *&ah the cloth**; wc all did* The elathea wus t*kea out of the eater on nut oa the block and beat *ith a battlln1 stick, sLleh *as made like a paddle* C& w&ah days yon coiXld bes^r tfcea battll*9 stleka pouadin9 every which-*®*?. e -ade oar own soap, used ole &eat end grease, and poured wqter over wood ashes Tftich wua kept in a rack-like thing and the seter would drip through the ashes* This asede strong lye* ve used a lot 9o aich lye, too, to bile with* "^oosti&es the slaves would run away* Tnelr aasters wua aesn to then that caused them to run away, Sometimes they would live in eaves* How did they get alocg? ^ellt chile, they gpt along all rigfrt-Jflbtit witn other people allppln9 things in to *€»* And, too* they9?! ateal ho^s9 chickens, and anything else they could git their hands on* £ ome white people would help* too* fur there wua sosae white people who didft9t believe In slavery* Yes* theyfd try to find them slaves tliEt r%m a«*y and if they *u* fourd they9d be beat or sold to sa&sbody else* My grandmother run aw*y frua her laastsr* &ne stayed in the wood* and she was lied her clothes in the brunch*** nbm used sand fur soap* Yes* chile* I reckon they got 9leng all right in the eaves* They had babies in *har and raised feaf too* *l\h stayed with the ^tchells Ttll alias Hanaah died* *h even helped to lay her a?it* -h didn't go to the gcfeveyart though* Ah didn9t have a ucem after she died and Ah wandered fruca place to place, atayln9 *lth a white ffcuably this time and t&an a nigger ffembly the next time* && uoved to Jackson Jott&ty &nd :%unt lially *• ? \H '- () stayed with a Mister Frank Dowdy* Ah didn't stay there long though, then Ah moved to Winder, Georgia. They aalled it fJug Tavern* in then days, ?cause jugs *uz made there* Ah married Oroea Blnton in binder* (tot along ^ell after ffiarryin* hia* He famed fur a livinf ar*d iaade a good livia* fur ste and the eight ehilluns, all born in binder* The cjailluna won grown nearly * en Uo died and wua able to help me with the smiles ones* Ah got along all rlg*t after his death and didnft heve aleh a hard titae raisin* the ohilluna* Than Ah married "ia 3:c*o^n and moved to Atlanta* viia farmed at first fur a livin* and the© he worked on the railroad <*. the ^eeboasd* He helped to grade th© first railroad trock for that line* He wuz & sand-dryer** Aunt bally broke off her story here* *Lor4f honey* Ah got sich a pain in aah stofflach ih don't believe AL can go on* It's a gnawln9 kind fo pain* Jest keeps me weak all over** Naturally I suggested that we complete the story si, another time* So I left, promisln* to return in a few dayn. A bloek from the house I stopped in a store to order so&e groceries for Aunt Sally* Iks proprietress* a Jewish woasA* spoke up when I gave the delivery address* £h* explained in broken Snglisb that she knew Aunt Sally. *I tink you vas very kind to do dls for Aunt 3aHy. ^he nests it* I oft on gif her soa food* Eo*s vary old and feeble* He passed here yesterday and he look so wasted and hungry* His stoj&lek look like it vas drawn in* you know. I gif him soo* fresh hooks* I know day could not est all of the© in a day and Ifm afrait it vonft be goof for dam today. I vas trained to relp T>eople in neet* Itfa part wf my raligion. See* if ve sit on de stritcar and an olt person comes ia and finds no seat* ve get up and gif hia one. If ve sea a parson loaded vid bundles asd he Iss old and barely able to go* ve gif a hand. See. ve Jews — you colored — but ve know no different* Anyvon nesting help, ve gif** Aunt Sally *• A couple of days later I was back at Aunt Sally*»• I tod brought some groceries for the old woman. I knocked a long time on the front door* and, getting no answer, I picked ay way through the rank growth of weeds and grass surrounding the house and went around to the baek door. It opened into the kitchen, where Aunt Sally and her son were baying breakfast* ^m roan was small and dark and I could hardly see the couple, but Aunt Sally welcomed me. lawd, honey, you come rigit on in. I tole John I heard somebody knockinf at the do9. " *You been hear inf things all moraim9," John spoke up. He turned to me. ^You mustfre been thlnkin9 about mamoa just when we started eat in9 breakfast because she asked me did I hear somebody call her. I tole her the Lawd Jesus is always a-call in1 poor niggers, but she said it sounded like the lady9s voice who was here the other day. *ell I dldn9t hoar anything and I tole her she mas9 be hear in9 things." I9d put the bag of groceries on the table unobtrusively, but Aunt Sally wasn9t one to let such gifts pass unnoticed. Eagerly she tore the bag open and began pulling out the packages* "Lawd bless you, chile, and He sho will bless you! I feels rich see in1 what you brought me. Jest look at this — Lawdy mereyl — rolls, out tar, milk, balogny..*! Oh, this balogny, jest looky therei You must a knowed what I wanted!*9 She was stuffing it in har mouth as she talked. "And these &iga...I Honey, you knows God Is go in9 to bless you and let you live long* Ah9se goln9 to cook oca at a time. And Ah sho been wantin' setae id.Ik. Ah9se gonna cook me a hoeeake rat now.19 She went about putting the things in little cans and placing them on shelvec or in tne dilapidated little aupboard that stood in a corner. I sat down near the door and listened while she raufcled on. "Ah used to say young people didn9t care bout ole folks but Ah is takin1 that back now. Ah jest tole my son the other day that its turned round, the <:V Aunt Sally 9. young folks thinks of the ole and tries to help fea and the ole folks don't try to think of each other} some of the©, they is too aean. Ah can't under- stand it; Ah jest know I heard you call me when *h started to eat, and tole my son so. Had you been to the do' befo'T" She talked cm not waiting for a reply. "Ah eho did enjoy the victuals you sent day befo' yietidy. They seal me surplus food ftrua the gove'affiant but Ah don't like what they send. The sfcjja milk gripes me and Ah don't like that yellow aeal. A friend brought me acne wiiite meal t'other day* And that wheet cereal they sendi Ah eats it witn water whaa Ah don't have rdlk and Ah don't like it hut when you don't have nothinf else you got to eat what you have* They send me 754 ever two weeks but that don't 90 very fur* Ah ain't 00^^1111^ fur Ah'a thankful fur what *h git. "They send a girl to help &e around the house, too* She's frtia the housekeepin* department. She's very nice to me. Yes, she sho ly is a sweet irl, and her foreasn Is sweet too. 3he comes in now fn then to see am and see how the girl Is glttin' along. She washes, too# Ah's been on relief a long time. Row when >h first got on it wua when they first started givia' me. They give me plenty of anything Ah asked fur and ay visitor wuz Mrs. Tomoicina. She wuz so good to ine. ell they stopped that and then the £$>f (Department of Public welfare) took care of me* hen they first started Ah got aore thaa I do now and they've cut me down 'till Ah gi$« only a mighty littls# *Yes> Ah wuz talkin' about sy husband when you wuz here father day* He wuz killed on the railroad. After he moved here he bought this hoa*. Ah'se lived here twenty years. Jim wuz coiain' in the railroad yard one day and stepped off the little e gine they used for the workers rat ia the path of the L.& N. train. He '.ram cut up and crushed to pieces. He didn't have a sign of a heed. They used a rake to git up the pieces they did git. a man brought a few pieces out here In a bundle and Ah wouldn't even look at them. ?unt Jelly 10. f Ah got a little money fn» the railroad but the lawyer got most of it. He brought me a few dollars out and tole me not to discuss it *ith anyone nor tell iio* rr/uch ^h got* Ah tried to git some of the men thet worked with hi» to tell me juet ho* it all happened, but tbey wooldnft talk, and it wujj soend'iouft how them niggers held their t^eace and wouldn't tell me anything* The boss man same out leter but he didnft seem intrusted in it et all, so &h got little or nothing fur his death* The lawyer got it fur hisseff, *AH my chilluns died fcept my son and he is ole and sick and can't do nothin' fur me or hlsseff. He gets relief too* ?5jrf every two weeks* He goes * round and people gives nim a little t'eet, *»e has a hard tiiae tryia1 to git 'long* "All had a do ble bed in t'other room and let a woraan have in so aha could git some of the delegates to the Baptist *orld Alliance and she wux goin' to Day me fur tottic* her use the bed5but she didnft git anybody 'eept two* They com there on Friday and left the next day. She wux tole that they didnft act right 'bottt the delegates and lots of people *ent to the expense to prepare fur them and didnft git a one. Ah wu* sorry, for Ah intended to use what she paid me fu.r my «mter oill, kh owew ;3,8Q and had to givs m$ deeds to my house to a lady to t?ay ths *ater bill fur •« and it wrries as f cause ivh ain't got no isoney to pay itf fur this is all 4h got and Ah hates to loose my house. Ah wisht it wux some my to pay it* Ah ainft been able to do fur fflahse'f in aany years nowf and faes to defend on what othern giv«s me* wTell you B30* about the ole times? Lewd, honey. ti^es has changed so frum tf^en Ah was young, Tou donft hear of halnts as you d!4 when I crowed up. The Lawd had to^hownis work in mii^eles * cause we didnft have learain' in thea days as they hrs now. nd you nmy not believe it but them things happened. Ah kno^a a old nan what died, and after bin death he would coae to our ho'ose where he always cut wood, nn& at nigfrt we could hear a chain beinf drug along in the yard, jest as if a big log-chain wua beia1 pulled unt Sally U* J;j.4i by somebody. It would dxag on up to the woodpile aad stop* then we eould hear the thuBp-thuiip of the ax oa the wood. The woodpile was near the ohiatiey aad it would chop-chop on, then stop and we eould hear the chain bein9 draft back tfe* way it come. This vest oa far several nights until my father got tired and one night after he head it so long, the chop-chop9 papa got jsad and hollered at the haint, 9G— D... you, & io hellltl9 and that spirit went off and never did come baokj *We*d always know somebody wua goin9 to die when we heard a owl come to a house and start aereeshl*9* *e always said* feomebody is g^ne to dleS* Honey, you don91 hear it now and it's good you don9t for it would sksecr you to death / / nearly. It sounded so mo'nful lile and we9d pat the poker or the shovel in the fire and that alsays run him away* it turned his tongue out and he couldn't holler *o wore. If theyfd let us go oat lak we always wanted to. Ah donf t 1 spelts wefd a-done it, ? cause we was too steered* Lawdy, chile, thes was t*ylnf days. Ah sho is glad God let as live to see these funs« / /*Ah tried to git the ole-ege pension fur Ah shofly needed it and *uz ?titled to it too. Sho wus« But that visitor jest wouldalt let se go tbroutfi. 3h© aoted lak ttaat money belonged to her. Ah fplied when it first caas out / and ahoulda been one of the first to get one. Ah worried powerful much at firet fur Ah felt how ouch better off Afc'd be/ Ah wouldn't be so dependent lakAtra is now# Ah Aspects you knows that *oaan» She is a M* bteek 9©sm~ woz n&aed Smith at first befof she married.She is a Johns now. Sfca eho is a mean onftJU She jeat wouldn't do no way. Ah even tole her if she let ae go through €*nd. Ah got my pension Ah would give her some of the money Ah got, but she jeat didaft do no way* She tole me if Ah warn pat on Ah9d g*t no more than Ah wua gittin** Ah sho believes them t &ts on gits ocre9n 75*( every two weeks* Ah sho had a hard time aad a roughety road to travel with her sy visitor until : ¦?/ aast lm tka kous#kMp«. fox ttet ksrt *oaam JMt *aat rat out art got •>j vxsr* alotka*. Sraiytkiag Ak aasdrt* tkaa Ak tola kar kov mj rial tor ra ::ifif as a^a jart vast o«t art ocoa nt bask *itk aj tka tUmgs All anaadrt* 2 iaz't kao* 9^7 ;t risitor da&a as lak tftat* AJi said at first it vos fcaoauaa . jad ttls konj* &Tt &©&*; vhat souid Aa do *itk a hoaaa ska* Ah *m koagrj a&4 :-: aki* to *arfc, A£ •!» r* *ocrkad kar*« 9Ccara# Ak dida't git a»ok fur it :it Ak Lak tc fJrt f*3X Hat ah gits*' -:::t Sail? «i kagi»ai»g to rmftt &arsalf aad I k*gan to s^spact aha :: **&lfciag just to llaasa as. So I aross to fo. ^wj acre?, ekila, jos sae is wset tc sat ksra art talk to * ola 'mmm : c s*# 42 jfe: u glad j>- coca* Ak tola my aoc /ou tos a kurtla of saartlM :: -. fait so asek b*#tt«r Ike da? rot* iaft • aad koak /on ia again! *hila, 2cm v&m*t Italia* far aetkia*! Tau «aas back to aaa aa raal aoom* Akfa# . ^/s girt to mm jroa* A^d tka Lartfa goaaa ako go *ltk zou fur 3#i»f ao good £t aaaraaaaa of tea olrri^ia fialao&aaasa lm tka old *onaa*a psalaa lm ao ^; iatr^etrt fraa jlj faaliag of jaarJUg ioie a good dasd. Aunt .aally aaa a ^-- r pajaaolaglat art. &s I oarsfailj siocad mj aay a? tka vaadj patk toaasd — * ttraat, I fait lrt.#ad tkat tka *Lart* *aa 4iko golaf* idtk a»* Aunt Sally 13. 153 they sent in the housekeeper. Fur that head 'oman jest went rat out and got me some clothes. Everything Ah needed. When Ah tole her how my visitor wus doin' me she jest went out and come rat back with all the things Ah needed. Ah don't know why my visitor done me lak that. Ah said at first it wuz because I had this house but honey what could Ah do with a house when Ah wuz hongry and not able to work. Ah always worked hard. 'Course Ah didn't git much fur it but Ah lak to work fur what Ah gits." Aunt Sally was beginning to repeat herself and I began to suspect she was talking just to please me. So I rose to go. "Laway mercy, chile, you sho is sweet to set here and talk to a ole 'oman lak me. Ah sho is glad you come. Ah tole my son you wuz a bundle of sunshine and Ah felt so much better the day you left - and heah you is again! Chile, my nose wuzn't itchin' fur nothin'! You come back to see me real soon. Ah'se always glad to have you. And the Lawd's gonna sho go with you fur bein' so good to me." My awareness of the obvious fulsomeness in the old woman's praise in no way detracted from my feeling of having done a good deed. Aunt Sally was a clever psychologist and as I carefully picked my way up the weedy path toward the street, I felt indeed that the "Lawd" was "sho goin'" with me. 100077 ^ 154 b'X^ 3X-SIAV3 IKESaVIBT JULIA BUB3H Beech Island South Carolina Written by* Leila Harris Augusta - Edited "by: John H*. Booth District Supervisor Federal Writers1 Project 3es. 6 & 7 i J£. *-'vK > f / ~ »— ~ ¦¦!¦':]'•:' lo5 JULIA BOTCH Sx-Slave - Age 85 Seated in a comfortable chair in the living room of her home, Julia Bunch, Negress of 8£ years, presented, a picture of the old South that will soon pass away forever. The little 3-room house, approachable only on foot* was situated on top of a hill. Around the clean-swept yard, petunias, verbena, and other flowers were supplemented by a large patch of old-fashioned ribbon grass. A little black and white kitten was frisking about and a big red hen lazily scratched under a big shade tree in search of food for her brood. Julia1s daughter, who was washing "white people1s clothes" around the side of the house, invited us into the living room where her mother was seated. The floors of the front porch and the living room were scrubbed spotlessly clean. There was a rug on the floor, v/hile a piano across one corner, a chifforobe v/ith mirrored doors, a bureau, and several comfortable chairs completed the room's furnishings. A motley assortment of pictures adorning the walls included* The Virgin Mother^ The Sacred Bleeding Heart, several large family photographs, two pictures of the Dionne Quintuplets, and one of President Hoosevelt. Julia was not very talkative, but had a shy, irresistible chuckle, and it was this, together v/ith her personal appearance and the tidiness of her home that left an indelible impression on the minds of her visitors. Her skin was very dark, and her head closely wrapped in a dark bandana, from which the gray hair peeped at inter- vals forming a frame for her face. She was clad in a black and white flowered print dress and a dark gray sweater, from which a white ruf- fle was apparent at the neck. Only two buttons of the sweater were fastened and it fell away at the waist displaying her green striped apron. 3*rom beneath the long dress, her feet were risible encased black shoes laced with white strings. Her ornaments con- sisted of a ring on her third finger, earrings, and tortoise-rimmed rl^.sses which plainly displayed their dir:e-store origin- ¦I bflonged to Morse Jackie Darn of Edge field County, I v/as gived to his and his wife when dey was carried for a weddin1 gift. I missed deir three chilluns for reia and slep' on a couch in dier bedrooa * til I v/as 12 years old, den f Mancipation cone. I loved fen so and stayed wid fem for four years atter freedom and when I left ! en I cried and desi chilluns cried. *Ya3sirst dey was sho1 good white people and very rich. Dere v/crn1 t n:thinf lackin* on dat plantation. De big house was part wood and .art brick, and de Niggers lived in one or two room box houses built in rows. Iferse Jackie runned a big grist mill and done de grindin' for all de neighbors 'round fbout. Three or four Uiggers vrilrked in de mill ail de time. Us runned a big farm and dairy too* *3ere was allus plenty t!eat 'cause liarster had a 2-acre ^yarden and a big fruit orchard. Two cooks was in de kitchen all de ti&e. Jey cooked in a big fireplace, but us had big ovens to cook ae i^esT, biscuits and iightbread in. Us made f lasses and syrup and -ut up fruits just lak dey does now* ^My Ma was head weaver. It tuk two or three days to set u:j de loom f cause dere was so many little bitty threads to be threaded Page 3. jz r?y up. Us had dyes of evvy color. Yassiis us could make wool cloth. too. De sheeps was sheered once a year and de wool was manufactured up and us had a loom wid wheels to spin it into thread. "Old Uarster never whupped nobody and dere was only one man dat I kin fmember dat de overseer v/hupped much and he 'served it 'cause he would run away in spite of everything. Dey v/ould tie him to a tree way down in de orchard and whup him.!* Julia kept repeating and seemed anxious to impress upon the minds of her visitors that her white folks were good and very rich. "Yassir, my white folks had lots of company and visited a lot. Dey rode saddle horses and had deir own carriages wid a high seat for de driver. &osir> she didn1 t ride wid hoopskirts - you eouldn1 t ride wid dem on. "Us bought some shoes from de market but dere was a travelin' shoemaker dat wukked by days for all de folks. He was a slave and didn11 git no money; it was paid to his Marster. Us had our own blacksmith dat wukked all de time. HDe slaves from all de plantations 'round come to our corn shuckin1 s« Us had * em down in de orchard. Lots of white folks corned too. Dey kilt hogs and us had a big supper and den us danced. Hbsir, dere warn't no toddy, Marse didn't b'lieve in dat, but dey v/ould beat up apples and us drinked de juice. It shpf was sweet too. "Folks done dey travelin1 in stages and hacks in dem days. Each of de stages had four hosses to 'em. When de cotton and all de other things was ready to go to market, dey would pack rem and bring 'em to Augusta wid mules and wagons. It would take a v/eek and sometimes Bage **-±58 longer for de trip,, and dey would come back loaded down wid f visions and clothes, and dere was allus a plenty for all de Miggers too. ffDe white folks allus helped deir Niggers wid de weddin1s and buyed deir clothes for fem. I Members once a man friend of mine come to ax could he marry one of our gals* Marster axed him a right smart of questions and den he told him he could have her, but he mustn't knock or cuff her *bout when he didn't want her no more, but to turn her loose. *Us had a big cemetery on our place and de white folks allus let deir Niggers come to de fun*rals. De white folks had deir own sepfrate buryin* ground, but all de coffins was home-made. Even de ones for de settlement peoples was made right in our shop. Yassum, dey sung at de funfrals and you wants me to sing. I can11 sing, but I111 try a little bit. Then with a beautiful and peculiar rhythm only attained by the southern Negro, she ckanted: 1Come-ye-dat-love-de-Lord And-le t-your-joys-be-known.f "A rooster crowin1 outside your door means company1s comin1 and a squinch owl means sho1 death. Dose are all de signs I kin 'member and I don't fmember nothin' % bout slavery remedies* v uYassir, dey useter give us a nicl^ej or 10 cents sometimes so us could buy candy from de store*" Asked if she remembered patterollers she gave her sly chuckle and said: !II sho1 does* One time dey come to our house to hunt for some strange Niggers* Dey didn't find % em but I was so skeered I hid de whole time dey was dar. Yassir, de Ku Kluxers raised cain f round dar too* ttI fmembers de day well when Marster told us us was free. I v/as glad and didn't know what I was glad fbout. Den 'bout 200 Yankee soldiers come and dey played music right dar by de roadside• Dat v/as de fust drum and fife music I ever heared. Lots of de Niggers followed 'em on off wid just what dey had on. None of our Mggers went and lots of f em stayed right on atter freedom. n Pour years atter dat, I left Edge fie Id and come here wid my old man. Us had six chilluns. Hy old man died six years ago right dar * cross de road and Ifse livin1 here wid my daughter. X can't wuk no more, I tried to hoe a little out dar in de field last year and I fell down and I hasn't tried no more since* "I went once not so long ago to see my white folkses. iJey gived me a dollar to spend for myself and I went 4 cross de street and buyed me some snuff - de fust I had had for a long time. Dey wanted to know if I had ever got de old age pension and said dat if I had been close to dem I would have had it * fore now.11 F^V.sr=>- jooi04 £%su/ \ 1 n ,7 / ^ «-r y^^K^I/^utlei SUBJECT : SLAVERY DAYS AND AFTER DISTRICT : :!0. 1. Wi P. A. EDITOR AI'D RESEARCH I JOSEPH E. JAFFEE SUPERVISOR : JOSEPH E. JAFFEE. ^^^ 160 UU*>- J-JZ-b 100104 SLAVERY DAYS AND AFTER Ifse Llarshal Butler, olghty ot^tt years odd and was born on December 25. I knows it was Christinas Day for I was a gift to my folks. Anyhow,ifse the only niggah that knows exactly how old he be. I disremembers the year but you white folks can figure et out* —^ My mammy was Harriet Butler ^B and my pappy was John Butler /^^\ . > and we all was raised in hash- ing t on- V/i Ikes* Mammy was a Frank Collar niggah. and her man waB of the tribe of Ben Butler, some miles down de road* St was one of dem trial marriages - they'se tried so hard to see each other but old Ben Butler says two passes a week war enuff to see my mammy on de Collar plantation. When de war was completed pappy cAme home to us r ^ wuz a family of ten - four females called Sally, Liza, Ellen and Lottie and six strong bucks called Charlie, Elisha, Marshal, Jack, Hey- wood and little Johnnie, c-ug-he war de baby. De Collar plantation wuz big and I don!t know de size of it. Et must have been big for dere war tro-^undre'd and £££*y niggaiis aching to go to work - I guess they mus1 have been aching after de work wuz done. Marse Frank bossed the place hlsself - aere war no overseers. . /*n Interview On Slavery Obtained from Mrs* Sarah %rd - ^x3lavs. Krs« Sarah Byrd elaias to be 95 years of age but the first impression cae receives when looking at her la that of an old lady who is very active and possessing a sweet clear voice* -lien she speaks you can easily understand every word and besides this, each thought is well expressed Often during the interview sh^ would suddenly break out in a Berry laugh as if her own thoughts amused her# lirs# aarah Byrd was born in Orange County Virginia the youngest of three children* ;uring the early part of her childhood her family lived in Virginia her aether Judy Neman and father 3em floodan eaeh belonging to a dif- ferent master. Later on the family becaae separated the father was sold to r± family in iuaat Tennessee and the aether and children were bought by ^octor :.yrc? in ,.u;?istaf Georgia* Here Ura* Byrd remarked "Chile in them days so ;aany fenilies were broke up and sgbb went one way and der others went t9 other way; anc you nebber seed thea no more. Virginia wuz a regflar slave market." rr. Byrd ouned a large plantation and raised such products as peas po- tt;toeat cotton corn (etc). There were a large number of slaves, krs. Byrd was unable to give the exact number but remarked. "Oh Lordy Chile I nebber could tell just how many slaves thaty man had tfwuz too many uv m./>*The size of the plantation required that the slaves be classified according to the kind of /ork each was supposed to do. There were the "cotton pickers* f the pleat h*snds* the *hoe hands' the rail splitters^ ^etct. My very fust job. remarke^ ^a* Byrd wuz that uv cotton picking." ££ra Hyrdfs mother was a full hand. Houses on the Hyrd Plantation wers i*ade of logs and the cracks were euub^d ifith raud. The chlonies were made of mud and supported by sticks* Page 2* > i ¦'( 4 Kaeh fireplace varied in length from 3 to 4 feet because they serve the urpose of stoves; and the family meals were prepared in (those large firec places orten two and three) pots were suspended fred a rod running across the fi replace* Host of the logTiousee consisted of one roan'however if the family was very large two rooms were uilt* The furnishings consisted only of a 4? nooe-matfe table, benches anrt a home-made bed|wthe mattress of which was formed by running ropes from side to side forming a frsa&ie^work. Llattresses were made ;>y filling a tick with wheatstras?* The straw was changed eech season. Lau^iing :rs* Byrd remarked, "Yeaslrree"; them houses wuz warmer than sooae are ter day** j ) >e"Jt] octor Byrd was rather kind and tried to help his slaves as mueh as possible, but according to lirs* Byrd his wife was very mean anrf often punished her slaves without any cause* 3he never gave them anything but the coarsest roods* Although there was plenty of milk and buttert she only gave it to the rallies after it had soured* "Hany a day I have seed butter Just sit tin around in pans day after day till it got good and spoiled then she would call sosae uv us and Ive it ter us* Oh she wuz a mean unt" remarked Mrs* Byre1* Jontinuing Hrf, 3yrd remarked *she would give us bread that had been cooked a tseek* Tr* Byrd gave his slave families (>ood clothes* Twice a year clothing was distributed among his families* Lvery June summer clothes were given and vvery October winter clothes were given* liere Mrs* Byrd remarked* I aebber knowed what it wuz not ter have a good pair uv shoes*} Cloth for the Presses in- shirts ^as spun on the plantation by the slaves* "lie treatment of the slaves is told in Mrs. Byrds own i?ord**T ,.e \mz alisays treated nice by faster 3yrd and he always tried ter sjve us punishment at the hands uv his wife but that fonan wuz somethln nother* I aebber will ferget once sh^raent me after acme brush broom anu told me ter Lurry back* Well plums wuz jest gitting ripe so I just took my time and ot all the plums I wanted oft r that I came on beck ter the house* Then I got ( > t eve she called me upstairs rsarah come here^Up the steps I went an^ thar she J Page 3. j-(\ stood *lth that old cow hide. She struck me three licks and I lost my balance and tu&bled backward down the stairs* I donft know how ecrae I dldnft hurt ay- self but the Lord wuz v&d m and 1 got up enc flew^I could hear her just tai- loring gcaae back hertW cob* back here^but I aat stop fer nothing, That night •t supper while I wuz fanning the flies froca the table she aed ter the doctor. * octor what you think? I had ter whip that little devil ter daygI sent her ufter brush brocm anr she went off end e^t pluas instead of hurrying back.'1* The doctor Just looked at her and rolled his eyes but never sed a word.^ There vaiz very little whipping on Byrdfs plantation but I have gone ter bed many a aight and heard fesi gittin whipped on the plantation next ter us. If dey runned away they would put the hounds on faa. Concluding her story on treat- ii8at Irs. ijyri remarked "Yessirree I could tell that foraan wuz laeon the first tloe I seed her after we casae from Virginia cause she had re^ eyes.** ' /nqder roller© steyed busy all the time trying to find slaves off their plantations without passes. arria res were performed by having the couple Juap the brooe. If the -oouptwbe- longed to different masters often^tiaes one aaster would purchase the other; but should neither wish to sell the raan v*ould then have to get passes to visit his wife on her plantation. rTey would leave the plantation cm Saturday afternoons and on ounday afternoon you could see 9ea cooing in just lak they wuz coming from church, /remarked &rs. Byrd. There were frolics on the Byrd plantation any time that the slaves chose to have thaa. "Yes air we could frolic all we want ter. I use ter be so glad ^hen Saturday night cane cause I knowsd us wuz go have a frolic and I wouldnft have a bit fuv appetite I would tell say aa we gwine dance ter night I dent want nothin teet. Yes sir us would frolic all night long sccsetliass when the sun rise on Sunday Morning us would all be layln round or settln on the floor. They made xuslc on the banjo, by /.nocking bones.and blowing quills. The Byres die- not provide a church on their plantation for their slaves neither were they allowed to attend the white church; Instead they had prayer Pafi» 4. , ^ 17! ^ &u" meetings in their own cabins where they could sing pray and sfcezTTas such as they wished. ''I nebber will fer^glt the last jsrayer meeting us had^/remarked .V:rs# '^yrfgtwG woman named .^nt Patey and ioit Prudence caae over from the next plantation. I believed they slipped over there wld out gittin a pess^anyjway. they olr master cazae there and whipped 9em and raade fe» go home. I recfcin he )) thought us wuz praying ter git free. Continuing • I nebber will fer git the fust time I set eyes on them thar Yankees. I c^one already heard fbout how they wuz itolng round ter the different plan- t tlons taking the horses and carrying away the money and other valuable f hingstf' but they had nebber cooo ter our place^So this day I saw 9ea cooing cross the railroad track and they look jest lack thunder there wuz so many fuv em. \hen they ??ot ter our house every body wuz sleep and they knocked and knocked. e had a bad cog that dldn9t take no foolishness os^aobody so when he kept barking them Yankees a diffarad la <$ ripest frse* ted type f^icii al&*«?;«re» il ^sos i*sr© *£ ^1© 1»£ «*&!?** grsugw&£ togrthaer* foliar, ^-t l* &$:**& as alsm $»rtorft* :\® Ulia fferJUy w» *dU**t *ad #©ligi«» /$u*j a&« to i% ta&t to*&r **«$> vi.T:3n 4% nlgfrt **ah ffeutly *a» ^li»tt I*# s^ra of ftsod far tli^ miu ^^ gt&m parson $raft giw* a p&fc or i^t r& t»y# i@ 3P«f»»«d rn^tn;: &t &*gUt to m>rirtn^ tfccr,9 thsf ;a^i^r *ml& tff&to !*• r2tt0rfl ,r*S t-all uto th&t ha arse dO'sHsg not^?i !iy ;;«* «ftd ^&s**& bia «iM ^nd tx rtawipt r#t^r«»di fe> r4a« t^ slso Advtee^ -ii to fjiwr all the naafioy rac^ti^i to £mu #%«• f .* hid ffe-^ly^^ jj^j&a i-¦¦.*., «»fi«El oa.i# rii^sa© ft?^« ttks fi^.a« they ;>a4 to ftg>la 7 dtttft, so rm«jr ^nw to© aut»^ of tb^ittS iBto olotiu ,yoiS vioro r^d# fxuit ra4 ev,;;x) tmrxictfi a»d 2&to? used fc dye t is oioth diiTw^sfe oaiore. U slawa r^c Ivtsd oiat tog t^iM a y^sr. *9?iag an4 viat^r« t« Ji 111 id m& smm t>r U ainia^itt to hie 0lawe .-i^-, s«wr to i% tv\at ru?/ «w^ mpt »i?pii«4 ^Ith ^uritia^ aiath^ ^i^l dboee «ta w>il an w?* olaX tag* ^lcrod «bo«r^i^r «^ rm^at^mX ** kmp Hw pJUatoticm 173 4 boys and 2 girls. Their home was a large two-story frame house which was not apart from the slave quarters. Slave homes on the Willis plantation differed in a respect from the usual type found elsewhere. All homes were simple log cabins grouped together, forming what is known as slave quarters. The Willis family as kind and religious and saw to it that their slaves were given plenty of food to eat. Every Monday night each family was given its share of fod for the week. Each grown person was given a peck of corn and three pounds of meat; besides the vegetables, etc. On Tuesday morning each family was given an ample amount of real flour for biscuits. Many of the slave families, especially Mrs. Callaway's family, were given the privilege of earning money by selling different products. "My grandfather owned a cotton patch," remarked Mrs. Callaway, "and the master would loan him a mule so he could plow it at night. Two boys would each hold a light for him' to work by. He preferred working at night to working on his holidays. "My master had a friend in Augusta, Ga., by the name of Steve Hoard (?) and just before my grandfather got ready to sell his cotton, the master would write Mrs. Hoard and tell him that he was sending cotton by Sam and wanted his sold and a receipt returned to him. He also advised him to give all the money received to Sam. When grandfather returned he would be loaded down with sugar, cheese, tea, mackerel, etc. for his family." When the women came home from the fields they had to spin 7 cuts, so many before supper and so many after supper. A group of women were then selected to ___the cuts of thread into cloth. Dyes were made from red sho_ berries and later used to dye this cloth different colors. All slaves received clothing twice a year, spring and winter. Mr. Jim Willis was known for his kindness to his slaves and saw to it that they were kept supplied with Sunday clothes and shoes as well as work clothing. A colored shoemaker was required to keep the plantation 8» •applied -ith • *HBg «a3 mm&am «s» glim a pair of ;.u;jday sho»» 4bl4fe ti**r loapt 0h£s«4 iit& • alxtttf* at «gg *8*I*§ osd arot* ;-?» «is» of ifea "Iixta laat^tloa snat of *3rtu ?ftar«s :Wi' «hs r-ia. haate, tins &» feoai** ete. ~*sft uss-ktr had a F»^ulr«d aeMHt af aarit to aosplots «mH 4flp «&4 m orm-fsSF «*? htsr*I tog- ¦!*>?« osroart to toqp eltstfc on this ?h®>e af tea nark* •'"« :ffc**» -'a!tod «til tl» .w*r*t« 3»t d&lad a hiil. atfS tb*j ve «k»14 lap &>m oar OS *3d call cm 3o4 to treo u», ^ flpaaiffetbar to]A at,"1 r#t*ark«3 ."irs. ^iiUntji " *,">«ifffaEr# '" am a tnt* la less ~iiXis battsthalA ->a- 31d ar>t 2j£*s «qr -arts ta «k> r>iaij? sita tSse tsatil a I13im. r m* rtrvaSraA i &a«5? t' «Sr hea&n ^ofioot «1« .osstlsa* I &r;vagfct IB tihips to .-saia tbo firto* r« -3ft«a kapt ja :sxsLi aoioa ,:lsy t »•' 13 1£i« c^atdlva fee&rxssi th«* t!*s> 'msV«* w» £4 oall to us aad a*& t£»t «w soop %u&t* o&dtr ^aesaa oa tfce plas&attoa *st«o. st am^oo for all the trail thilAren sei6 b*bit» * .U* t:i»f* ;pa*<9Rfcc verted la the flttldt. .'"•'.• ilstr^sa eo il« Ktftp & *!toH?£ €^o <8l t&« «ftU4r«* «I©3 %o &•• tlfcst th*y ^«P*6 *«U ear*4 foST* A ftls^»»» }.if« '9gs *«rry valatblit to fc':aS* ^»ex«* "uiia?«e* aaa ««li«o »»«a«»«Ey mi tl» illia pl«nt«ktiaa m A» oastflT ao4 :'.l*tr3a« 111 ereryt':!:^ p9?#iblft to rsaka th«£? si -w-i hftppy; -ad %o m oartein stills arid ot-^or ohoi«» food oa igpsMJlai oo«%«!iati*» I r^i^Ka&eor orv», r«Kartoo4 of oT'^jV i&? t&$& s^o gsro !^f a^*n tfilldrw^ %m oaStas^ arrpX«^ ^Hfo :^a oftaa told 'ra ib t «ti^^» r^r i»t&ar €bj<2 «» «ia fMte&d t^> Joo>c ar*- r ij»« la a&i$$ af 4^e tftndfwtft of «to 111« fffixliy tb^o *«*• aotM ^hmi itc«lf «m§ #aii«$ it tt» ftUi« j*i2* lt*M im 174 supplied with shoes; and everyone was given a pair of Sunday shoes which they kept shined with a mixture of egg white and soot. The size of the Willis Plantation and the various crops and cattle raised required many different types of work. There were the plow hands, the hoe hands, etc. Each worker had a required amount of work to complete each day and an overseer was hired by slave owners to keep check on this phase of the work. We often waited until the overseer got behind a hill, and then we would lay down our hoe and call on God to free us, my grandfather told me, remarked Mrs. Callaway. "However, I was a pet in the Willis household and did not have any work to do except play with the small children. I was required to keep t_________and faces clean. Sometimes I brought in chips to make the fires. We often kept so much___ Playing in the upstairs bedroom that the master would call to us and ask that we keep quiet. Older women on the plantation acted as nurses for all the small children and babies while their parents worked in the fields. The mistress would keep a sharp eye on the children also to see that they were well cared for. A slave's life was very valuable to their owners. Punishment was seldom necessary on the Willis plantation as the master and mistress did everything possible to make their slaves happy; and to a certain extent indulge them. They were given whisky liberally from their master's still; and other choice food on special occasions. "I remember ones, remarked Mrs. Callaway, my aunt Rachel burned the biscuits and the young master said to her; "Rachel, you nursed me and I promised not to ever whip you, so don't worry about burning the bread." My mistress was very fond of me, too, and gave me some of everything that she gave her own children, tea cakes, apples, etc. She often told me that she was my mother and was supposed to look after me. In spite of the kindness of the Willis family there were some slaves who were unruly; so the master built a house off to itself and called it the Willis jail. There he would keep those whom he had to punish. I have known some slaves to run away on * 175 ot\sr plantatloaa m& l&a aoaaa* awUA blta f>£ags out uf that* 2aga» 2*a Ulla faally did o>t oajaat to $S?ia «u4 taja am*%Saa> ?bara a**a i .j- •¦.! taraaa, and often is «£» avaaltai aosra t&m Vet& otisa* plaaxatiooa aoout jj-:* ©*«* to aaa «»« aai t&» traaa» laagfciajf, aad taifeSag* If tha ooaetahlp paaattaa ttsa point of ;-^H«a* o *aal saars'iaga eaeataeasr aas $w*fean&34 ftm *£* ail&a ad tfce am aw iv^i » y«As t* irialt aia «!£• aaaiOaF* $E&laal3f*g a aantlag* ft frolio too* pluaa , -a tfto sus&p«a-i $*» to it tMt *m*pM* «aa *wa©a slt» f&jOa for ttee aao&slaa* ;'Fr9lt«» s*«r» *GR53oa oa^strrssaaa on tj*« iilto Pi&e&asloa* also jilting psrtio»» Goad fea&f ad3Siatla$ of plea, a«Maa# ahftajsaa* taraai4«Mt panaaftat,- ata* .;anaing ma al*stf a V; b« dpasta* b. ftapaaa a*t«t*4iag tbaa» saaasi id .£Va* ^aAlaaa/* or sawtsar «l#aya fca^t tao fca t&raa ''¦tm&emt gaiiaaa of ahtaisgr sad 4itk;H aiad ;ii* aiavaa 4BPl^elng* i asm *«asr*iwp sgr anat*3r t»'*i:i • his aaaataat** «aras «vo3?y araia t &a& oftaa fca gate at «ac» ia a to*a«e« c«a 3B3ttataaa 3af »|@ iiaaaoa aa**> iwa for &3Jt of title aJUarta aai a *a» etc £m« tfi« fssttjr'a taala aftar th*/ iiad f iaia&e-a thai* Ateam* "Maftiaai oare .;«& £:?©aaiy gl^&ti a alave shm ?«* baaant ill* upaeiaX asr* *3S fclsw^a ^tfaa tliae i •? fba Jiiil3 family had a »ar*»r*«l tat^rost la tfetftr man?. Ifec slavaa ana ttaat tli# aall oaaa It s*!*».« ^aa^aasy- ta ^;JM hooaa« ta a fioM for t;oa« fltso g«ro *ie&» J:.ila liitie sotU^x-r,t Ist^r bacassa kao^a oa "S'^aat-. :•¦'itJla,,* ;"vX*3 *aas cuunria'i to e hlU -aw& tha flalA. ^ll-ritm played as iapa.ii«cit 2-ias't ,lc tsa ilv«a of th» atairaa, :;«d ,-nw& i^sarfeaaa ^^& atto»#.5«4 %a t s^ijf pjp^er i^mtl^ga* I'-awte '^erc ?»• 3fiurch»a prarWa* aai.. ¦.3c«aal'.j *ily t ^ s6t-«a .-i. tha #iit« «»ar^s«a| feut oar« o£%m Viw ^-©14 ti;«tr ^airar aaatls^a la ^iair ^a aabioa* ?*ay&*ft eiid aiagtog ^aa in a ooaaiag faahftaa, a»4 y m oftaa basxa tiia ma aot .1^' aora* On ^ttidair cft raooaa ow»|uup ftxaal 4. 175 other plantations and the hounds would bite plugs out of their legs. The Willis family did not object to girls and boys courting. There were large trees, and often in the evenings boys from the other plantations would come over to see the girls on the Willis plantation. They would stand in groups around the trees, laughing and talking. If the courtship reached the point of marriage a real marriage ceremony was performed from the Bible and the man was given a pass to visit his wife weekly. Following a marriage a frolic took place and the mistress saw to it that everyone was served nice foods for the occasion. "Frolic were common occurrences on the Willis Plantation, also quilting parties. Good foods consisting of pies, cakes, chicken, brandied peaches, etc. Dancing was always to be expected by anyone attending them, remarked Mrs. Callaway. Our master always kept two to three hundred gallons of whisky and didn't mind his slaves drinking. I can remember my master taking his sweetened drum every morning, and often he gave me some in a tumbler. On Christmas Day big dinners were given for all of the slaves and a few ate from the family's table after they had finished their dinner. "Medical care was promptly given a slave when he became ill. Special care was always given them for the Willis family had a personal interest in their slaves. On one occasion, remarked Mrs. Callaway, the scarlet fever broke out among the slaves and to protect the well ones it became necessary to build houses in a field for those who were sick. This little settlement later became known as "Shanty Field." Food was carried to a hill and left so that the sick persons could get it without coming in contact with others. To kill the fever, sticks of fat pine were dipped in tar and set on fire and then placed all over the field. Religion played as important part in the lives of the slaves, and such importance was attached to their prayer meetings. There were no churches, provided and occasionally they attended the white churches; but more often they held their prayer meetings in their own cabins. Prayers and singing was in a moaning fashion, and you often heard this and nothing more. On Sunday afternoons everyone found a »m% araatad the m&mntjf trm jtai th« y «*g aistrow aould o .nduct :-unt!*y s«tool* ^oootarmtag «&• 21*11 «ar, &re. OftUuNjr JM&otoa th* folio I*- etoggrt w i*» t&» mot brjita out a$ JsTW ?*x» )»•«» a sowsgr/ w»t«f «oA iaftfffta* ont «&s»a ia the a»l£^!ramaa& *>aia «o *> ihera «tary 0% to > «tso aloihe^ for Umi aul4i«r»* M mnah b*i «o* ?1 «rt «ua &id aii tae cutting, oao *&s *tft&la@» aad oa» *ho fit tlag- lasff mmm cri«0i *&«.» they aovod Sg.srt-saMfcMi baaamw %h*fcr uisksjds aad ao'j* !*«a to gp to t»& .aar» .-£* ia& *&§ ?«aki «aa* to otc plastatioo *m& tcofc all ot t!» ban* horsoo* la ^ae or* th«lv «a$wui aara bale* of smog #il«i4t ^14 anS *&•* f ill«a tJiolr aaataamu The *eat of tfca tf i«ky «*»y filAaS it «plt» 'ite oa^ or oiaaXt iuutrforw far fear sf few laag @*a* «hiatt tsoy carried.' •*Aft*>ar t!>e fl«r 9i>39 of tl» al^taa isffc to* plastatioa to aaafc t&air frsrttata} oth^ra *fe&laa&, ra^tlag lsa-i froa «h» iilia fsail^ or vurlsfeg sit'; tftas oo a fe..=,i*e Ofcsp boila*" ' * «s eo£9X'jsi*ai >v>« ..inxlaafcy restrMU '".-^ f¦3lkt aapa ^-^jd asd I kaow ^«ff»»yg in ;ias«m, ,^r^« .;«»JUa»aQf im '-tees*!/ yollsloio jod ;ill during tha l;:Si.«"^i«s 33'^ld ooas^antlj drift to Vw a^kjaat cf' ral%lott* : ;o la aoXl *\t$ ****** i'77 SUSAN CASTLE Ex-Slave - Age 78 178 On a beautiful morning in April, the interviewer found Susan sitting in the door of her cabin* When asked if she would like to talk about the old plantation days, she replied; "Yes Ma'am, I don't mind tellin1 what I know, but for dat I done forgot I sho' ain't gwine make nothin1 up* For one thing, I ain't never lived on no plantation* I was a house servant in town* She added: "Do you mind me axin' you one favor?" Consent was given and she continued: "Dat is, please don't call me Aunt Susan; it makes me feel lak I was a hundred years old* nI was borned in Clarke County, March 7, 1860; I believes dat's what dey say* Mudder was named Fannie and Pappy's name was Willis* Us chillun called 'im Pappy lak he was de onliest one in de world* He fust belonged to Marse Maxwell of Savannah, Georgia. I was so little I disremembers how Pappy come by de name of Castle* In all de seben of us chillun, I didn't have but one brudder, and his name was Johnny* llfy five sisters was Mary, Louvenia, Rosa, Fannie, and Sarah* All I 'members 'bout us as chilluns was dat us played lak chilluns will do* "In de quarters us had old timey beds and cheers, but I'll tell you whar I slept most times. Hit was on a cot right at de foot of Mist'ess' bed0 I stayed at de big house most of de time at night, and 'fore bedtime I sot close by Mist'ess on a foot stool she had special for me0 nAll I ricollects 'bout my gran'ma was she belonged to General Thomas R* R* Cobb, and us called 'im Marse Thomas* Gran'ma Susan wouldn't do right so Marse Thomas sold her on de block* ^s had ewything good to eat* Marse Thomas was a rich man and fed 'is Niggers well. Dey cooked in a big open fireplace and biled greens and seme of de udder vittals in a great big pot what swung on a rack. Meat, fish and chickens was fried in a griddle iron what was sot on a flat topped trivet wid 179 slite to let de fire thoo. ^ey called it a trivet f cause it sot on three legs and hot coals was raked up under it. Hoe cakes made out of cornmeal and wheat flour shof was good cooked on dat griddle* fTatoes was roasted in de ashes, and dey cooked bread what dey called ash cake in de ashes* Pound cake, fruit cake, light bread and biscuits was baked in a great big round pot, only dey warnft as deep as de pots dey biled in; dese was called ovens. Makes me hongry to think fbout all dem good vittals now* ffOhI Yes Ma'am, us had plenty 'possums. Pappy used to cotch so many sometimes he jest put *em in a box and let us eat fem when us got ready. fPossums tasted better atter dey was put up in a box and fattened a while. Us didnft have many rabbits; dey warn't as much in style den as dey is now, and de style of eatin1 'possums lak dey done in slav'ry times, dat is fbout over. Dey eats fem some yet, but if ainft stylish no mo1. Us chillun used to go fishin' in Moore's Branch; one would stand on one side of de branch wid a stick, and one on de udder side would roust de fishes out* When dey come to de top and jump up, us would hit fem on de head, and de grown folks would cook fem. Dere warn't but one gyarden, but dat had plenty in it for ewybody. "In summer time us wore checkedy dresses made wid low waistes and gethered skirts, but in winter de dresses was made out of linsey-woolsey cloth and underclothes was made out of coarse unbleached cloth. Petticoats had bodice tops and de draw's was made wid waistes too. Us chillun didn't know when Sunday come. Our clothes warn't no diffu'nt den £rom no udder day. Us wore coarse, heavy shoes in winter, but in summer us went splatter bar feets. "Marse Thomas was jest as good as he could be, what us knowed of 'im* Miss Marion, my Mist'ess, she won't as good to us as Marse Thomas, but she was all right too. Dey had a heap of chillun* Deir twin boys died, and de gals was Miss Callie, Miss Sallie, Miss Marion (dey called her Miss ^irdie), and Miss Lucy, 180 dat Lucy Cobb Institute was amed for. Ifiy mudder was Miss Lucyfs nuss* Marse Thomas had a big fine melonial (colonial) house on Prince Avenue wid slave quarters in de back yard of his 10-acre lot. He owned fmost nigh dat whole block flong dar* "Ohi dey had fbout a hundred slaves Ifm sho1, for dere was a heap of fem. De overseer got fem up fbout five of clock in de mornin* and dat breakfust sho* had better be ready by seben or else somebody gwine to have to pay for it* Dey went to deir cabins fbout ten at night. Marse was good, but he would whup us if we didn't do right. Miss Marion was allus findin' fault wid some of us* "Jesse was da earfiage driver. CJar'iages was called phaetons den* Dey had high seats up in front whar de driver sot, and de white folks sot in de car'iage below* Jesse went to de v/ar wid Marse Thomas, and was wid him when he was kilt at Ifred'ricksburg, Virginia* I heard fem say one of his men shot fim by mistake, but I donft knov; if datfs de trufe or not. I do know dey sho1 had a big grand fun1 alfcause he was a big man and a general in de War* "Some of de slaves on iiarse Thomas1 place knowed how to read. Aunt Vic was one tot de readers what read de Bible. But most of de Niggers didnft have sense enough to learn so dey didn't bother wid fem* Bey had a church way downtown for de slaves. It was called Landonfs Chapel for Rev* Landon, a v/hite man what preached dar. Us went to Sunday School too. iiunt Vic read de Bible sometimes den* When us jined de chufch dey sung: •Anazing Grace How Sweet de Sound*f . . "Marse Thomas had lots of slaves to die, and dey was buried in de colored folks cemetery what was on de river back of de Lucas place. I used to know what dey sung at funfals way back yonder, but I can't bring it to mind now* tfMo Ma'am, none of Marse Thomasf Niggers ever run away to de Nawth* He was good to his Niggers. Seems lak to me I f members dem patter oilers run some of Iviarse Thomas1 Niggers down and whupped fem and put fem in jail* Old Marse 181 had to git fem out when dey didnft show up at roll call next morning "Marse Thomas allus put a man or de overseer on a hoss or a mule w. en he wanted to send news anywhar# He was a big man and had too many slaves to do anything hisse'f. "I fspect dey done den lak dey does now, slipped fround and got in devilment atter de day's wuk was done* Iferse Thomas was allus havin1 swell elegant doinfs at de big house. De slaves what was house servants didn't have no time off only atter dinner on Sundays* "Christmas was somepin1 else. Us sho' had a good time den* Dey give de chilluns china dolls and dey sont great sacks of apples, oranges, candy, cake, and ewything good out to de quarters. At night endurin1 Christmas us had parties, and dere was allus some Nigger ready to pick de banjo* Sparse Thoinas allus give de slaves a little toddy too, but when dey was havin1 deir fun if dey got too loud he shof would call fem down. I was allus glad to see Christmas come. On New Year's Day, de General had big dinners and invited all de high-falutin' rich folks? "Hy mudder went to de corn shuckin's off on de plantations, but I was too little to go. Yes iSa'am, us shof did dance and sing funny songs way back in dein days. Us chillun used to play fMLss Llary Jane,1 and us would pat our hands and walk on broom grass. I don't know nothin' 'bout charms. Dey used to tell de chillun dat when old folks died dey turned to witches* I ain't never seed no ghostes, but I sho' has felt 'em. Dey made de rabbits jump over my grave and had me feelin' right cold and clammy, Mudder used to sing to uliss Lucy to git her to sleep, but I donft 'member de songs* "Marster was mighty good to his slaves when dey got sick* He allus sont for Br* Crawford Long. He was de doctor for de white folks and Marster had him for de slaves* "l^y mudder said she prayed to de Lord not to let Niggers be slaves all deir lifes and sho' 'nough de yankees corned and freed us* Some of de slaves 182 shouted and hollered for joy when Miss Marion called us togedder and said us was free and warnft slaves no more# Most of 'em went right out and left fer and hired out to make money for deyselfs. "I stayed on wid my Judder and she stayed on wid Miss Marion* Miss Marion give her a home on Hull Street fcause mudder was allus faithful and didnft never leave her* Atter Miss Marion died, mudder wukked for MLss Marion1 s daughter, Miss Callie Hull, in Atlanta. Den Miss Callie died and mudder come on hack to Athens. fBout ten years ago she died* nI wukked for Mrs. Burns on Jackson Street a long time, but she warn't no rich lady lak de Cobbs. De last fambly I wukked for was Dr. Hill. I nussed ftil atter de chillun got too big for dat, and den I done de washin' 'til dis misery got in my limbs. w When asked about marriage customs, she laughed and replied: "I was engaged, but I didn't marry though, 'cause my mudder 'posed me marryin'. I had done got my clothes bought and ready. Mrs. Hull helped me fix my things. My dress was a gray silk what had pearl beads on it and was trimmed in purple. ^ilhat does I think 'bout freedom? I think it's best to be free, 'cause you can do pretty well as you please. But in slav'ry time if de Niggers had a-behaved and minded deir Marster and Mist'ess dey wouldn't have had sich a hard time* Mr. Jeff Davis 'posed freedom, but Mr. Abraham Lincoln freed us, and he was all right. Booker Washin* ton was a great man, and done all he knowed how to make somepin' out of his race. "De reason I jined de church was dat de Lord converted me* He is our guide. I think people ought to be 'ligious and do good and let deir lights shine 'cause dat's de safest way to go to Heben^* At eh conclusion of the interview Susan asked: "Is dat all you gwine to ax me? Well, I sho' enjoyed talkin' to you. I hopes I didn't talk loud 'nough for dem other Niggers to hear me, 'cau^e if you open your mouth dey sho* gwine tell it* Yes Ma'am, I'se too old to wuk now and I'se thankful for de old age 183 pension* If it warnft for dat, since dis misery tuk up wid me, I would lie done burnt up, I shof would. Good-bye Mist1ess,n 100227 18 /1 • ^LL^T CIAIBOUHIT d08 Campbell Street ( Ri c te on d 0 oun ty) An gu s t a,, Ge or g ia. 3Y: (Mrs.) Margaret Johnson - Editor Federal Writers' Project Diet. 2 Augusta, Ga. -1- 183 EUBH CIAIBOUHBF 808 Cs.mpbell Street Augusta, Georgia Ellen was born August 19, 18^2, on the plantation of Mr, Hezie 3oyd in Columbia County, her father being owned by Mr. Hamilton on an adjoining plantation* She remembers being given, at the age of seven, to her young mistress, Elizabeth, v/ho afterward was married to Mr. Gabe Hendricks. At her new home she served as maid, and later as nurse. The dignity of her position as house servant has clung to her through the years, forming her speech in a precision unusual in her race. MI * member all our young marsters was drillin1 way back in i860, an1 the Con fed1 rate War did not break out till in April l86l. My mistis1 young husband went to the war, an1 all the other young marsters 1 round us. Young marster1 s bes1 friend came to tell us all goodby, an1 he was killed in the first battle he fought in. rtBefof the war, when we was little, we mostly played dolls, and had doll houses, but sometime young marster would come out on the oack porch and play the fiddle for us. ?/hen he played f Ole Dan Tucker1 all the peoples uster skip and dance fbout and have a good time. My young rriistis played on the piano. "My granpa was so trusty and honfa/ole his old msrster give him and granma they freedom when he died. He give him a little piece of land and a mule, and some money, and tole him he didn1 t bf long to nobody, and couldn't work for nobody fcept for pay. He couldn1 t free granpa1 s chilrun, rcause they already bflonged to their young marsters and mistis- -2- 186 as. He worked for Mr. Hezie .Boyd one year a.s overseer, but he say 'he didn't wanter lose his religion trying to make slaves work, so he took to preaching. He rode ' oout on his mule and preach at all the plantations. I never •member seein* granina, but granpa. cajrje to see Ho of* en. He wore a long tail coat and a big beaver hat. In that hat granina had always pack a pile of ginger cakes for us chilrun. They v/as big an1 thick, an1 longish, an' we all stood 'round to watch him take off his hat. 3very time he came to see us, gran ma. sent us clothes and granpa carried f em in his saddle bags. You ever see any saddle bags, maf a,m? ™ell they could sho1 hold a heap of stuff. "My pa uster coins two or three times a week to our plantashun, anf just so he was jack ay sun-up for work, nobody didn't say no thin1 to him. He just lived 'bout three or four miles way from us. "Yes ma'am we wont to church, and the white preachers preached for us. We sat in the back of the church just like we sits in the o--ick of the street cars now-days• Some of the house servants would go one time and some another. All the hands could go out evfryoody had to has a pass, to sho1 who they oblong to. MYes mafam, the slaves was whipped if they didn't do they task- work, or if they steal off without a pass* out if our marster found a overseer whipped the slaves overmuch he would git rid of hira. We was always treated good and kind and well cared for, and we was happy. "No ma'am, no overseer ever went to. marster1 s table, or in the house fcept to speak to marster. Marster had his overseers1 house and give 'em slaves to cook for fem and wait on fem, out they never go any* 'where with the famf ly. "The house sirvants1 houses was better than the fiel1 -hands1 - and marster uster buy us cloth from the fGusta ffactfry in checks and plaids -3- 18? for our dresses, but all the fiel* -ha,nds clothes was made out of cloth what was wove on mistis* own loon* Sometime the pof white folks in the neighborhood would come a,nf ask to make they cloth on mistis* loom, and she always let f em* rlYes, ma1 am, we had seamsters to make all the clothes for every- body, and mistis had a press-room, where all the clothes was put a,way '//hen they was finished. When any body needed clothes mistis would go to the press-room an1 get f em. "During the v/qr mistis had one room all fixed up to take care of sick soldiers. They would oome stragglinf in, all sick or shot, an1 sometimes we had a room full of f enu Mistis had one young ooy to do riothin1 but look after f em and many1 s the night I got up and halt the candle for f em to see the way to the room. H0h my Gawd, I "saw plenty wounded soldiers. We was right on the road to //rightsooro, and plenty of f em pass by. That Confed'rate "ar 7/a.s the terriblest, awfullest thing. "Nobody but me knowed where mistis buried her gold money and finger rings and ear-rings and oreat-pins. I helt the candle then, too. Fistis and marster,(he was home then) an1 me went down uack of the grape arbor to the garden-house. liarster took up some planks, an1 dug a hole like a gra.be and buried a oig iron oox with all them things in it; then he put bock the planks, Nobody ever found f em, and after the v believate