Project 1885	-.1—
Djstrjct~4		390101	.	62
Spartanburg,	S.C.
May 31,1937



FOLK-LORE:	EX—SLAVES


	ft1 was born on the Gjlljam place, I reckon


about 1854. My father died when I was little; I don‘t remember him. My mother was Lucy Gilliam who belonged to Reuben Gilliam. Reuben Gilli&rn was a big farmer and slave-.owner. He~~was good to de nigger chapshut whipped de big ones every day or two. I was too little to learn to read and write, but dey never learned any slave‘d to do dat. Dey never paid us any money wages, just give us eats and a place to sleep, and a little clothes. I worked in defield when I got bigger. Never had school in de place, and never had a church, e ither. ~

	“Us children played lots of games, like rolly—hole. There are two holes and you try to roll a ball in one hole. The white folks had corn-.~huokings, lots of them, as they raised lots of corn on de farms. Dey had cotton pickings, too, and carding and spinning bees, quiltingbees. I used to feed de shippers when w~nen folks spin de yarxi, when I was a small boy. We raised plenty corii, cotton, and other things. We had a big garden, too. ~

	tt~jen freedom come all of us left and went


off. I went back to get something to eat. I married Mattie Kinard who belonged to old Maj. John Kinard. We had nine children.

“I ‘xneniber de red shirts when dey come


through our place • I like ~ it better now dan in s lave ry times . „


SOuRCE:	Tom Johnson (83), ~ S.C.; interviewed by G. Leland Suii~ner, Newberry, S. C.