Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 1
V >> Various >> Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 1SLAVE NARRATIVES
_A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with
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
WASHINGTON 1941
VOLUME XIV
SOUTH CAROLINA NARRATIVES
PART 1
Prepared by the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress
Administration for the State of South Carolina
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INFORMANTS
Abrams, M. E. 1
Adams, Ezra 5
Adams, Mary 9
Adams, Victoria 10
Adamson, Frank 13
Andrews, Frances 17, 18
Arthur, Pete 19
Bacchus, Josephine 20
Ballard, William 26
Barber, Charley 29
Barber, Ed 34
Barber, Millie 38
Bates, Anderson 42
Bates, Millie 46
Bees, Welcome 48
Bell, Anne 51
Bevis, Caroline 55
Black, Maggie 57
Bluford, Fordon 62
Boulware, Samuel 65
Boyd, John 70
Bradley, Jane 74
Brice, Andy 75
Briggs, George 80, 89, 93
Bristow, Josephine 98
Broome, Anne 104
Brown, Hagar 107, 112, 115
Brown, Henry 118, 122
Brown, John C. 127
Brown, Mary Frances 131, 134
Brown, Sara 137, 141
Bryant, Margaret 143
Burrell, Savilla 149
Burton, C. B. 152
Butler, George Ann 153
Butler, Isaiah 155
Butler, Solbert 161
Cain, Granny 166, 168
Caldwell, Laura 169
Caldwell, Solomon 170
Cameron, Nelson 172
Campbell, Thomas 176
Cannon, Sylvia 180, 187
Caroline, Albert 197
Chisolm, Silvia 199
Chisolm, Tom 201
Cleland, Maria 204
Clifton, Peter 205
Coleman, Henry 210
Coleman, Rev. Tuff 216
Collier, Louisa 218
Collins, John 224
Corry, Bouregard 227
Craig, Caleb 229
Cunningham, Dinah 234
Daniels, Lucy 238
Davenport, John N. 240
Davenport, Moses 244
Davis, Charlie 245
Davis, Charlie 250
Davis, Heddie 254
Davis, Henry 260
Davis, Jesse 263
Davis, Lizzie 267, 288, 293
Davis, Louisa 299
Davis, Wallace 304, 306
Davis, William Henry 308
Dawkins, Elias 313
Dill, Will 319
Dixon, Thomas 324
Dorroh, Isabella 326
Downing, Laurence 329
Dozier, Washington 330
Duke, Alice 336
Durant, Silva (Sylvia) 337, 342
* * * * *
Project 1885-1
From Field Notes.
District No. 4.
April 27, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage
FOLK LORE: FOLK TALES (Negro).
"Marse Glenn had 64 slaves. On Sat'day night, de darkies would have a
little fun on de side. A way off from de big house, down in de pastur'
dar wuz about de bigges' gully what I is ebber seed. Dat wuz de place
whar us collected mos' ev'ry Sa'day night fer our lil' mite o' fun frum
de white folks hearin'. Sometime it wuz so dark dat you could not see de
fingers on yo' han' when you would raise it fo' your face. Dem wuz sho'
schreechy nights; de schreechiest what I is ever witnessed, in all o' my
born natu'al days. Den of cose, dar wuz de moonlight nights when a darky
could see; den he see too much. De pastur' wuz big and de trees made
dark spots in it on de brightest nights. All kind o' varmints tuck and
hollered at ye as ye being gwine along to reach dat gully. Cose us would
go in droves sometime, and den us would go alone to de gully sometime.
When us started together, look like us would git parted 'fo we reach de
gully all together. One of us see som'tin and take to runnin'. Maybe de
other darkies in de drove, de wouldn't see nothin' jes den. Dats zactly
how it is wid de spirits. De mout (might) sho de'self to you and not to
me. De acts raal queer all de way round. Dey can take a notion to scare
de daylights outtin you when you is wid a gang; or dey kin scare de
whole gang; den, on de other hand, dey kin sho de'self off to jes two or
three. It ain't never no knowin' as to how and when dem things is gwine
to come in your path right fo your very eyes; specially when you is
partakin' in some raal dark secret whar you is planned to act raal sof'
and quiet like all de way through.
"Dem things bees light on dark nights; de shines de'self jes like dese
'lectric lights does out dar in dat street ever' night, 'cept dey is a
scaird waary light dat dey shines wid. On light nights, I is seed dem
look, furs dark like a tree shad'er; den dey gits raal scairy white.
T'aint no use fer white folks to low dat it ain't no haints, an'
grievements dat follows ye all around, kaise I is done had to many
'spriences wid dem. Den dare is dese young niggers what ain't fit to be
called darkies, dat tries to ac' eddicated, and says dat it ain't any
spe'rits dat walks de earth. When dey lows dat to me, I rolls my old
eyes at dem an' axes dem how comes dey runs so fas' through de woods at
night. Yes sirree, dem fool niggers sees dem jes as I does. Raaly de
white folks doesn't have eyes fer sech as we darkies does; but dey bees
dare jes de same.
"Never mindin' all o' dat, we n'used to steal our hog ever' sa'day night
and take off to de gully whar us'd git him dressed and barbecued.
Niggers has de mos'es fun at a barbecue dat dare is to be had. As none
o' our gang didn't have no 'ligion, us never felt no scruples bout not
gettin de 'cue' ready fo' Sunday. Us'd git back to de big house along in
de evenin' o' Sunday. Den Marse, he come out in de yard an' low whar wuz
you niggers dis mornin'. How come de chilluns had to do de work round
here. Us would tell some lie bout gwine to a church 'siety meetin'. But
we got raal scairt and mose 'cided dat de best plan wuz to do away wid
de barbecue in de holler. Conjin 'Doc.' say dat he done put a spell on
ole Marse so dat he wuz 'blevin ev'y think dat us tole him bout Sa'day
night and Sunday morning. Dat give our minds 'lief; but it turned out
dat in a few weeks de Marse come out from under de spell. Doc never
even knowed nothin' bout it. Marse had done got to countin' his hogs
ever' week. When he cotch us, us wuz all punished wid a hard long task.
Dat cured me o' believing in any conjuring an' charmin' but I still
kno's dat dare is haints; kaise ever time you goes to dat gully at
night, up to dis very day, you ken hear hogs still gruntin' in it, but
you can't see nothing.
"After Marse Glenn tuck and died, all o' de white folks went off and
lef' de plantation. Some mo' folks dat wuz not o' quality, come to live
dare an' run de plantation. It wuz done freedom den. Wo'nt long fo dem
folks pull up and lef' raal onexpected like. I doesn't recollect what
dey went by, fat is done slipped my mind; but I must 'av knowed. But dey
lowed dat de house wuz to draffy and dat dey couldn't keep de smoke in
de chimney an' dat de doo's would not stay shet. Also dey lowed dat
folks prowled aroun' in de yard in de night time a keepin' dem awake.
"Den Marse Glenn's boys put Mammy in de house to keep it fer 'em. But
Lawd God! Mammy said dat de furs night she stayed dare de haints nebber
let her git not narr'y mite o' sleep. Us all had lowed dat wuz de raal
reason dem white folks lef out so fas'. When Mammy could not live in dat
big house whar she had stayed fer years, it won't no use fer nobody else
to try. Mammy low dat it de Marse a lookin' fer his money what he done
tuck and burried and de boys couldn't find no sign o' it. Atter dat, de
sons tuck an' tacked a sign on de front gate, offering $200.00 to de
man, white or black, dat would stay dar and fin' out whar dat money wuz
burried. Our preacher, the Rev. Wallace, lowed dat he would stay dar and
find out whar dat money wuz from de spirits. He knowed dat dey wuz tryin
to sho de spot what dat money wuz.
"He went to bed. A dog began running down dem steps; and a black cat run
across de room dat turned to white befo' it run into de wall. Den a pair
of white horses come down de stairway a rattling chains fer harness.
Next a woman dressed in white come in dat room. Brother Wallace up and
lit out dat house and he never went back no mo'.
"Another preacher tried stayin' dar. He said he gwine to keep his head
kivered plum up. Some'tin unkivered it and he seed a white goat a
grinnin' at him. But as he wuz a brave man and trus' de Lawd, he lowed,
'What you want wid me nohow?' The goat said, 'what is you doin' here.
Raise, I knows dat you ain't sleep.' De preacher say, 'I wants you to
tell me what ole Marse don tuck and hid dat money?' De goat grin and
low, 'How come you don' look under your pillar, sometime?' Den he run
away. De preacher hopped up and looked under de pillar, and dar wuz de
money sho nuf. Peers like it wuz de one on de lef' end o' de back porch,
but I jes remembers 'bout dat."
Source: Mrs. M. E. Abrams, Whitmire, S. C.; told her by old "uncle"
"Mad" Griffin, Whitmire, (Col. 82 yrs.) Interviewer: Caldwell Sims,
Union, S. C. 2/25/37.
Project #1655
Henry Grant
Columbia, S. C.
REFLECTIONS OF EZRA ADAMS
EX-SLAVE 83 YEARS OLD
Ezra Adams is incapable of self-support, owing to ill health. He is very
well taken care of by a niece, who lives on the Caughman land just off
S. C. #6, and near Swansea, S. C.
"My mammy and pappy b'long to Marster Lawrence Adams, who had a big
plantation in de eastern part of Lancaster County. He died four years
after de Civil War and is buried right dere on de old plantation, in de
Adams family burying grounds. I was de oldest of de five chillun in our
family. I 'members I was a right smart size plowboy, when freedom come.
I think I must of been 'bout ten or eleven years old, then. Dere's one
thing I does know; de Yankees didn't tech our plantation, when they come
through South Carolina. Up in de northern part of de county they sho'
did destroy most all what folks had.
"You ain't gwine to believe dat de slaves on our plantation didn't stop
workin' for old marster, even when they was told dat they was free. Us
didn't want no more freedom than us was gittin' on our plantation
already. Us knowed too well dat us was well took care of, wid a plenty
of vittles to eat and tight log and board houses to live in. De slaves,
where I lived, knowed after de war dat they had abundance of dat
somethin' called freedom, what they could not wat, wear, and sleep in.
Yes, sir, they soon found out dat freedom ain't nothin', 'less you is
got somethin' to live on and a place to call home. Dis livin' on liberty
is lak young folks livin' on love after they gits married. It just don't
work. No, sir, it las' so long and not a bit longer. Don't tell me! It
sho' don't hold good when you has to work, or when you gits hongry. You
knows dat poor white folks and niggers has got to work to live,
regardless of liberty, love, and all them things. I believes a person
loves more better, when they feels good. I knows from experience dat
poor folks feels better when they has food in deir frame and a few dimes
to jingle in deir pockets. I knows what it means to be a nigger, wid
nothin'. Many times I had to turn every way I knowed to git a bite to
eat. I didn't care much 'bout clothes. What I needed in sich times was
food to keep my blood warm and gwine 'long.
"Boss, I don't want to think, and I knows I ain't gwine to say a word,
not a word of evil against deir dust lyin' over yonder in deir graves. I
was old enough to know what de passin' 'way of old marster and missus
meant to me. De very stream of lifeblood in me was dryin' up, it 'peared
lak. When marster died, dat was my fust real sorrow. Three years later,
missus passed 'way, dat was de time of my second sorrow. Then, I 'minded
myself of a little tree out dere in de woods in November. Wid every
sharp and cold wind of trouble dat blowed, more leaves of dat tree turnt
loose and went to de ground, just lak they was tryin' to follow her. It
seem lak, when she was gone, I was just lak dat tree wid all de leaves
gone, naked and friendless. It took me a long time to git over all dat;
same way wid de little tree, it had to pass through winter and wait on
spring to see life again.
"I has farmed 'most all my life and, if I was not so old, I would be
doin' dat same thing now. If a poor man wants to enjoy a little freedom,
let him go on de farm and work for hisself. It is sho' worth somethin'
to be boss, and, on de farm you can be boss all you want to, 'less de
man 'low his wife to hold dat 'portant post. A man wid a good wife, one
dat pulls wid him, can see and feel some pleasure and experience some
independence. But, bless your soul, if he gits a woman what wants to be
both husband and wife, fare-you-well and good-bye, too, to all love,
pleasure, and independence; 'cause you sho' is gwine to ketch hell here
and no mild climate whenever you goes 'way. A bad man is worse, but a
bad woman is almost terrible.
"White man, dere is too many peoples in dese big towns and cities. Dere
is more of them than dere is jobs to make a livin' wid. When some of
them find out dat they can't make a livin', they turns to mischief, de
easy way they thinks, takin' widout pay or work, dat which b'longs to
other people. If I understands right, de fust sin dat was committed in
de world was de takin' of somethin' dat didn't b'long to de one what
took it. De gentleman what done dis was dat man Adam, back yonder in de
garden. If what Adam done back yonder would happen now, he would be
guilty of crime. Dat's how 'ciety names sin. Well, what I got to say is
dis: If de courts, now, would give out justice and punishment as quick
as dat what de Good Master give to Adam, dere would be less crime in de
land I believes. But I 'spose de courts would be better if they had de
same jurisdiction as de Master has. Yes, sir, they would be gwine some
then.
"I tells you, dis gittin' what don't b'long to you is de main cause of
dese wars and troubles 'bout over dis world now. I hears de white folks
say dat them Japanese is doin' dis very thing today in fightin' them
Chinamens. Japan say dat China has done a terrible crime against them
and de rest of de world, when it ain't nothin' but dat they wants
somethin' what don't belong to them, and dat somethin' is to git more
country. I may be wrong, anyhow, dat is what I has heard.
"What does I think de colored people need most? If you please sir, I
want to say dis. I ain't got much learnin', 'cause dere was no schools
hardly 'round where I was brung up, but I thinks dat good teachers and
work is what de colored race needs worser than anything else. If they
has learnin', they will be more ashame to commit crime, most of them
will be; and, if they has work to do, they ain't gwine to have time to
do so much wrong. Course dere is gwine to be black sheeps in most
flocks, and it is gwine to take patience to git them out, but they will
come out, just as sho' as you is born.
"Is de colored people superstitious? Listen at dat. You makes me laugh.
All dat foolishness fust started wid de black man. De reason they is
superstitious comes from nothin' but stomp-down ignorance. De white
chillun has been nursed by colored women and they has told them stories
'bout hants and sich lak. So de white chillun has growed up believin'
some of dat stuff 'til they natchally pass it on from generation to
generation. Here we is, both white and colored, still believin' some of
them lies started back when de whites fust come to have de blacks 'round
them.
"If you wants to know what I thinks is de best vittles, I's gwine to be
obliged to omit (admit) dat it is cabbage sprouts in de spring, and it
is collard greens after frost has struck them. After de best vittles,
dere come some more what is mighty tasty, and they is hoghead and
chittlings wid 'tatoes and turnips. Did you see dat? Here I is talkin'
'bout de joys of de appetite and water drapping from my mouth. I sho'
must be gittin' hongry. I lak to eat. I has been a good eater all my
life, but now I is gittin' so old dat 'cordin' to de scriptures, 'De
grinders cease 'cause they are few', and too, 'Those dat look out de
windows be darkened'. My old eyes and teeth is 'bout gone, and if they
does go soon, they ain't gwine to beat dis old frame long, 'cause I is
gwine to soon follow, I feels. I hope when I does go, I can be able to
say what dat great General Stonewall Jackson say when he got kilt in de
Civil War, 'I is gwine to cross de river and rest under de shade of de
trees'."
[~HW: Ezra Adams, Swansea (about 10m. south of Columbia)~]
Project 1885-1.
Folk Lore
District No. 4.
May 27, 1937.
Edited by: J. J. Murray.
EX-SLAVE STORIES
"Aunt" Mary Adams was swinging easily back and forth in the porch swing
as the writer stopped to speak to her. When questioned, she replied that
she and her mother were ex-slaves and had belonged to Dr. C. E. Fleming.
She was born in Columbia, but they were moved to Glenn Springs where her
mother cooked for Dr. Fleming.
She remembers going with a white woman whose husband was in jail, to
carry him something to eat. She said that Mr. Jim Milster was in that
jail, but he lived to get out, and later kept a tin shop in Spartanburg.
"Yes sir, Dr. Fleming always kept enough for us Niggers to eat during
the war. He was good to us. You know he married Miss Dean. Do you know
Mrs. Lyles, Mrs. Simpson, Mr. Ed Fleming? Well, dey are my chilluns.
"Some man here told me one day that I was ninety years old, but I do not
believe I am quite that old. I don't know how old I am, but I was
walking during slavery times. I can't work now, for my feet hurt me and
my fingers ain't straight."
She said all of her children were dead but two, that she knew of. She
said that she had a room in that house and white people gave her
different things. As the writer told her good-bye, she said, "Good-bye,
and may the Lord bless you".
Source: "Aunt" Mary Adams, 363 S. Liberty Street, Spartanburg, S. C.
Interviewer: F. S. DuPre, Spartanburg, S. C.
Project #1655
Everett R. Pierce
Columbia, S. C.
VICTORIA ADAMS
EX-SLAVE 90 YEARS OLD.
"You ask me to tell you something 'bout myself and de slaves in slavery
times? Well Missy, I was borned a slave, nigh on to ninety years ago,
right down here at Cedar Creek, in Fairfield County.
"My massa's name was Samuel Black and missus was named Martha. She used
to be Martha Kirkland befo' she married. There was five chillun in de
family; they was: Alice, Manning, Sally, Kirkland, and de baby, Eugene.
De white folks live in a great big house up on a hill; it was right
pretty, too.
"You wants to know how large de plantation was I lived on? Well, I don't
know 'zackly but it was mighty large. There was forty of us slaves in
all and it took all of us to keep de plantation goin'. De most of de
niggers work in de field. They went to work as soon as it git light
enough to see how to git 'round; then when twelve o'clock come, they all
stops for dinner and don't go back to work 'til two. All of them work on
'til it git almost dark. No ma'am, they ain't do much work at night
after they gits home.
"Massa Samuel ain't had no overseer, he look after his own plantation.
My old granddaddy help him a whole heap though. He was a good nigger and
massa trust him.
"After de crops was all gathered, de slaves still had plenty of work to
do. I stayed in de house wid de white folks. De most I had to do was to
keep de house clean up and nurse de chillun. I had a heap of pretty
clothes to wear, 'cause my missus give me de old clothes and shoes dat
Missy Sally throw 'way.
"De massa and missus was good to me but sometime I was so bad they had
to whip me. I 'members she used to whip me every time she tell me to do
something and I take too long to move 'long and do it. One time my
missus went off on a visit and left me at home. When she come back,
Sally told her that I put on a pair of Bubber's pants and scrub de floor
wid them on. Missus told me it was a sin for me to put on a man's pants,
and she whip me pretty bad. She say it's in de Bible dat: 'A man shall
not put on a woman's clothes, nor a woman put on a man's clothes'. I
ain't never see that in de Bible though, but from then 'til now, I ain't
put on no more pants.
"De grown-up slaves was punished sometime too. When they didn't feel
like taking a whippin' they went off in de woods and stay 'til massa's
hounds track them down; then they'd bring them out and whip them. They
might as well not run away. Some of them never come back a-tall, don't
know what become of them. We ain't had no jail for slaves; never ain't
see none in chains neither. There was a guard-house right in de town but
us niggers never was carried to it. You ask me if I ever see a slave
auctioned off? Yes ma'am, one time. I see a little girl 'bout ten years
old sold to a soldier man. Dis soldier man was married and didn't had no
chillun and he buy dis little girl to be company for his wife and to
help her wid de house work.
"White folks never teach us to read nor write much. They learned us our
A, B, C's, and teach us to read some in de testament. De reason they
wouldn't teach us to read and write, was 'cause they was afraid de
slaves would write their own pass and go over to a free county. One old
nigger did learn enough to write his pass and got 'way wid it and went
up North.