Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 1
V >> Various >> Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 1"Us got fish out of Little River nigh every Saturday, and they went good
Sunday morning. Us had Saturday evenin's, dat is, de farm hands did, and
then I got to go to see Sam some Sundays. His folks, de Sloans, give us
a weddin' dinner on Sunday after us was married, and they sho' did tease
Sam dat day."
"Like all rich buckra, de Lemons had hogs a plenty, big flock of sheep,
cotton gin, slaves to card, slaves to spin, and slaves to weave. Us was
well clothed and fed and 'tended to when sick. They was concerned 'bout
our soul's salvation. Us went to church, learn de catechism; they was
Presbyterians, and read de Bible to us. But I went wid Sam after
freedom. He took de name of Davis, and I jined de Methodist Church and
was baptized Louisa Davis."
"Patroller, you ask me? 'Spect I do 'member them. Wasn't I a goodlookin'
woman? Didn't Sam want to see me more than twice a week? Wouldn't he
risk it widout de pass some time? Sure he did. De patrollers got after
and run Sam many a time."
"After de war my pappy went to Florida. He look just like a Indian, hair
and all, bushy head, straight and young lookin' wid no beard. We never
heard from him since."
"De slaves wash de family clothes on Saturday and then rested after
doin' dat. Us had a good time Christmas; every slave ketch white folks
wid a holler, 'Christmas gift, Marster' and they holler it to each
other. Us all hung our stockin's all 'bout de Big House, and then dere
would be sumpin' in dere next mornin'. Lord, wasn't them good times!"
"Now how is it dese days? Young triflin' nigger boys and gals lyin'
'round puffin' cigarets, carryin' whiskey 'round wid them, and gittin'
in jail on Christmas, grievin' de Lord and their pappies, and all sich
things. OH! De risin' generation and de future! What is it comin' to? I
just don't know, but dere is comin' a time to all them."
"I sho' like to dance when I was younger. De fiddlers was Henry Copley
and Buck Manigault; and if anybody 'round here could make a fiddle ring
like Buck could, wouldn't surprise me none if my heart wouldn't cry out
to my legs, 'Fust lady to de right and cheat or swing as you like, and
on to de right'."
"Stop dat laughin'. De Indian blood in me have held me up over a hundred
years, and de music might make me young again."
"Oh yes, us had ghost stories, make your hair stand on end, and us put
iron in de fire when us hear screech owl, and put dream book under bed
to keep off bad dreams."
"When de yankees come they took off all they couldn't eat or burn, but
don't let's talk 'bout dat. Maybe if our folks had beat them and git up
into dere country our folks would of done just like they did. Who
knows?"
"You see dis new house, de flower pots, de dog out yonder, de cat in de
sun lyin' in de chair on de porch, de seven tubs under de shed, de two
big wash pots, you see de pictures hangin' round de wall, de nice beds,
all dese things is de blessin's of de Lord through President Roosevelt.
My grandson, Pinckney, is a World War man, and he got in de CCC Camp,
still in it in North Carolina. When he got his bonus, he come down, and
say, 'Grandma, you too old to walk, supposin' I git you a automobile?"
I allow, 'Son, de Indian blood rather make me want a house.' Then us
laugh. 'Well,' he say, 'Dis money I has and am continuin' to make, I
wants you and mama to enjoy it.' Then he laugh fit to kill heself. Then
I say, 'I been dreamin' of a tepee all our own, all my lifetime; buy us
a lot over in Sugartown in New Brookland, and make a home of happiness
for your ma, me and you'."
"And dis is de tepee you settin' in today. I feel like he's a young
warrior, loyal and brave, off in de forests workin' for his chief, Mr.
Roosevelt, and dat his dreams are 'bout me maybe some night wid de winds
blowin' over dat three C camp where he is."
Project 1885 -1-
District #4
Spartanburg, S. C.
May 29, 1937
FOLKLORE: EX-SLAVES
"I was a slave of Bill Davis who lived at "Rich Hill", near Indian
Creek, in Newberry County, S. C. I was born about 1856, I reckon. My
daddy was Ivasum Davis and my mammy was Rhody Davis. Marse Bill was a
good master, lived in a big house, give us a good place to live and
plenty to eat. He hardly ever whipped us, and was never cruel to us. He
didn't let his overseer whip us, and never hit a man.
"Aw, we had good eats den. Wish I has some of dem old ash-cakes now
which was cooked in de brick oven or in de ashes in de fireplace. My
mistress had a big garden, and give us something to eat out of it. We
used to go hunting, and killed possums, rabbit, squirrels, and birds.
"We had home-made clothes 'till I was big boy. Dey was made from card
and spin wheels.
"Our work was light; we got up at sun-up at blowing of de horn and
worked till sundown. Sometimes we worked on Saturday afternoons when we
had to. On Saturday nights we had frolics--men and women. Some women
would wash their clothes on Saturday afternoons. Den at night we have
prayer meetings.
"We had no church on our plantation, not till after freedom, but we
learned to read and write and spell.
"De padderrolers didn't bother us; our master always give us a pass when
we go anywhere.
"On Christmas Day master always give big dinners for slaves, and on New
Year we had a holiday.
"I married Lila Davis at de Baptist Church in Newberry.
"When our slaves got sick we sent for de doctor. Some of de old folks in
the neighborhood believed in giving root-herb tea or tea made from
cherry barks or peach leaves.
"When freedom come de master told us we was free and could go but if we
wanted to stay on with him, we could stay. We stayed with him for two
years and worked by day wages.
"The Ku Klux was dere. I heard old folks talk about dem. Dey had white
sheets over their heads and white caps on their heads.
"The Yankees went through our place and stole cattle.
"I thought slavery was all right, 'cause I had a good time. I had a good
master.
"I joined the church when I was 21 years old because I thought I'd live
better. I think all ought to join the church."
Source: Wallace Davis (88), Newberry, S. C.; interviewer: G. Leland
Summer, Newberry, S. C.
Project 1885-1
Folklore
Spartanburg, Dist. 4
Oct. 15, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage
STORIES OF EX-SLAVES
"I live in a little two-room house beyond Helena where I work a little
patch of land which I rent. I don't own anything. I make a living
working de land.
"I was born on Indian Creek in Newberry County, S. C. about 1856. My
mammy was Rhody Davis and my pa was Ivasum Davis. We belonged in slavery
to Bill Davis. He lived at de place called "Rich Hill". De old house is
done tore down, but young Riser now lives in de new house on de place.
"Our master was good to us, but whipped us a little sometimes. He would
not allow his overseer to whip any of us. He give us enough to eat and a
fair place to live in. We didn't want fer anything. Dey had plenty to
eat on de farm, and sure had good eatings. Dere was a brick oven which
could cook good bread and cakes. We had a big garden which de mistress
looked after, and she had plenty from it which she shared wid de slaves.
"De old spinning wheel was used lots of times and dey made all de
clothes everybody on de place wore.
"We didn't have no church to go to, but dey sometimes made some slaves
go to white folks churches where dey set on de back seats. We didn't
have schools and couldn't learn to read and write till after freedom
come; den some niggers learned at de brush arbors.
"Befo' freedom de patrollers marched up and down de road but didn't
bother us. Our master always give us a pass when we went somewhere. On
Christmas he give us big dinners.
"I married Lilla Davis at de white folks' Baptist church in Newberry.
"When slaves got sick some of dem took tree barks and made teas to
drink, and some made tea from root herbs. We had doctors, too, but dey
made lots of deir medicine from de barks and herbs.
"I can't remember much what de Ku Klux did, but heard about dem. Just
after de war de Yankees marched through our place and stole some cattle
and run away wid dem. In some places dey burned down de barns and gin
houses.
"I had a good master and always had plenty to eat, so I thought slavery
was all right. We didn't have nothing of any kind to worry about.
"I don't know nothing much about Abe Lincoln or Jefferson Davis."
Source: Wallace Davis (N. 88), Newberry, S. C.
Interviewer: G. L. Summer, Newberry, S. C. (9/15/37).
Project 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S. C.
Date, August 20, 1937
WILLIAM HENRY DAVIS
Ex-Slave, 72 Years
"I born de first day of March in 1865 cause de white folks raise me
mostly en dat how-come I know how old I ought to say I is. My father
belong to de old man Jackie Davis, dat live not so far from Tabernacle,
en den he fall to he son, Mr. William J. Davis. Dat whe' I was raise. My
grandfather, old man Caesar, live dere too."
"I never been treated exactly as de other plantation peoples was as it
just like I tellin you, I be round de white folks mostly. My mamma, she
do all de cooking to de big house en dere be a division in de Missus
kitchen for de cook en she chillun to stay in. Sometimes my Massa make
my mamma feed all de small plantation chillun dere to de kitchen from de
table. Dey want de chillun to hurry en grow en dat de reason dey give em
good attention at de house. Dey give us milk en clabber en corn bread to
eat mostly en give us fritters some of de time. Dat was fried wheat
bread what some people call pancakes. Used to give me job to mind de
cows en de calves when dey was put to grazing."
"All de other colored peoples live in de nigger quarter up on de hill.
Just like de white people house here, de colored people house all be in
row pretty much off from de big house. Oh, de people was meant to work
in dat day en time. De white folks teach em en show em what dey look for
em to do. Den if dey didn' do it like dey tell em do it, dey chastise
em."
"It just like I tellin you, de people fare wid abundance of everything
in dem days. Destroy much meat in one month den as de people gets hold
of in whole year dese days. It was just dis way, everybody know to have
fence round bout dey plantation den en de hogs could run anywhe'. All de
field land was fence en de woods was for de run of de stock. Dey mark em
en some of de time, dey hear tell of stock 10 mile away. Know em by de
brand."
"Peoples didn' have heap of all kind of things dat dey have dese days,
but somehow it look like dey have a knack of gettin along better wid
what dey have den. Didn' have no stoves to cook on in dem days. Cook in
clay oven en on de fireplace. Make up fire en when it die down, dey put
tatoes (potatoes) in de oven en let em stay dere all night. My God, won'
nothin no better den dem oven tatoes was. Some of de time, dey have wire
in de chimney wid de pots hanging on dat. Folks used to make up a cake
of corn bread en pat it on de hearth en when de fire burn right low, dey
cover de cake all up in pile of ashes. When it get done, it be brown
through de ashes en dey take it out en wash en rub all de ashes off it.
Den it was ready to eat. Dat what dey call ash cake. Just seem like what
de peoples used to cook be sweeter eatin den what dey cooks dis day en
time."
"Oh, I beat rice many a day. Yes'um, beat rice many a day for my
grandmother en my mamma too. Had a mortar en a pestle dat beat rice
wid. Dey take big tree en saw log off en set it up just like a tub. Den
dey hollow it out in de middle en take pestle dat have block on both it
end en beat rice in dat mortar. Beat it long time en take it out en fan
it en den put it back. De last time it put back, tear off some shucks en
put in dere to get de red part of de rice out en make it white. Ain'
nobody never been born can tell you more bout dem pestles en mortars den
William Henry Davis know."
"Yes'um, used to go to corn shuckings en rye thrashings en pea
thrashings plenty times. Oh, dey sing en have music en have big pot
cookin out in de yard wid plenty rice en fresh meat for everybody. Dere
be so many people some of de time, dey had to have two or three pots.
Den dey have dem log rollings to clean up de land en when dey would get
to rollin dem heavy logs, dey give de men a little drink of whiskey to
revive em, but dey gage how much dey give em. O Lord, we had tough time
den. After dey get through wid all de work, dey would eat supper den.
Give us rice en corn bread en fresh meat en coffee en sweet tatoe pone.
My Lord, dat sweet tatoe pone was de thing in dem days. Missie, you ain'
never eat no pone bread? Dey take piece of tin en drive nails through it
en grate de raw tatoes on dat. Den dey take a little flour en hot water
en molasses en mix up in dem raw tatoes en bake it in de oven on de
fireplace. Have lid to oven en put fire under de bottom of it en on de
top to get it right done. Some of de time, dey put a little ginger in it
fore it was baked. Cut it in big slices when it get done, but wouldn'
never eat it till dey know it was cold. Missie, de older I gets de more
I does sorrow to go back to dem old constructions dat dey used to have."
"Some of de colored peoples have bresh (brush) shelter whe' dey go to
church in dem days, but all us go to de white folks church. Oh, de
colored peoples go in ox carts, but us white folks have teams en
carriage to ride in. I recollects Mr. Davis carriage look sorta like a
house wid two big horses to pull it. De family would be in de inside en
have seats whe' dey set facing one another. De driver have seat on de
outside in de front en on de back of de carriage was de place to set de
trunks."
"My daddy was de blacksmith for Mr. Jackie Davis en he could make plows
en hoes en all dem kind of things. He have a circuit dat he go round en
mend things on other white folks plantations. Some of de time, he bring
back more den $100.00 to he boss dat he would make. Go all bout in dat
part of Marion county dat be part of Florence county dose times."
"I hear some peoples say dey knows dere such as ghosts, but I ain' never
have no mind in dat line. All I know bout is what my mamma used to tell
us big chillun when she want us to stay home wid de little chillun en
mind em. Say dere was Raw Head en Bloody Bones in de woods en if us go
off, de child might set de house on fire. Such as dat was to make us
stay home when dey was gone."
"It just dis way, I think freedom a good thing for some people while it
a bad thing for de ones dat don' have a knack to shuffle for dey own
self. When freedom come, some of de colored people didn' know what
freedom was en dey just hang around dey white folks en look to dey Massa
for what dey get right on. Wouldn' get off en make nothin for dey own
self. Dat how-come I think it better for some not to be free cause so
much of worryations ain' good for peoples. Colored peoples never had to
worry bout nothin in slavery time."
Source: William Henry Davis, age 72, ex-slave, Wahee section
of Marion Co., S. C.
Personal interview, August 1937.
Project 1885-1
FOLKLORE
Spartanburg, Dist. 4
Aug. 24, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage
STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES
"Sunday, Aug. 1, was my 82nd ~HW: 84th?~] birthday; so I was born in
1853. De very day I come into de world I do not know, but soon my
marster, Starke Sims, begun to train me. Dr. Bill Sims, Marse Stark's
son, was a doctor when I was born. A younger son was called Hal. When
Hal was a boy he said he was gwine off, and when he got to be a man, dat
is what he done; yes sirree, he got scattered off.
"Dr. Bill had done started to doctoring folks befo' I got into dis
world. And first thing dat I recollects is how my marster teached me to
address him. He addressed me as 'Elias, Johnny Elias'. I had to answer,
'Sirs', and dat 'S' always had to be dar to please de marster. All of
his slaves had to address him de same way. Sometimes we would answer,
'Sirs Marster'.
"All de things my marster teached me are still a great help to me. Dis
younger generation does not have de quality dat we old niggers has,
because dey refuse to take de teachings of dere parents and de good
white folks. De main thing dat Marse teached his slaves was
mannerableness. Dat I holds to dis day; 'specially to de white people. I
allus tries to be mannerable to dem. Often I looks back on dat, but both
white and colored is trying to do away wid dem things. Old training is
de best, and I cannot fergit my manners. Never does raal folks fergit
dere raising. Dats what shows up de quality in people. I likes quality
in everything, and as soon as I sees strangers and hears dem talk and
looks at dere action, I can tell how much quality dey got. Dat I sho
can. I never is gwine to drap my raising, don't care what de style
comes to. Dat's jest one thing dat my race and de white race, too, wants
to do away wid. Dey don't hold up no manners and no ra'al raising.
"De school teachers tells de chilluns to say yes and no to me. Dey tells
dem to say de same thing to white folks. Den dey teaches de chilluns to
Mr. and Miss de own race and to call white folks by dere names widout
any handle to it. Dat ain't gwine to work, and any niggers dat has
self-respect jest ain't gwine to call no white folks by dere name. If
you doesn't respect other folks, why den other folks ain't gwine to show
no respect fer you. Why some of my grand chilluns sets up and says 'yes'
and 'no' to me 'stead of 'yes sir' and 'no sir'. But I is right here to
tell you dat my own chilluns don't say 'no' and 'yes' to me. I is
strived wid dem and dey knows how to answer proper to dere elders and to
white folks. I ain't got no time fer dese school teachers dat tells de
pupils to answer in no sech insulting ways as dat. I likes manners and
widout manners folks ain't quality; don't make no diffuns 'bout what
color dey is or how far dey is gone in de reading books. Young'uns
saying 'yes' and 'no' is jest plain ugly. It suits me to meet nice
folks, and when I finds dat dey ain't got mannerableness about dem, den
I concludes dat dey jest ain't nice.
"I gwine to dress up tonight and go to preaching at Mt. Zion. Dey done
already started running meeting dar. I used to preach amongst dem at de
big meetings, but I is retracting now.
"My old marse low to us, 'You is free now, yes sir, you is sho free
niggers now. You is gwine out into de world on your own. Let me tell you
dis: If you be's mannerable you will allus come out more dan conqueror.'
I was young den, and I did not know what 'more dan conqueror' meant
den. I is larn't now what it means. Thank God, I does, fer his telling
me dat. I lays to de fact dat de reason I is never been in jail is dat I
allus had manners. Young'uns acts biggety and den dey lands right
straight in de first jail dar is.
"I sho never went to no war, but I worked at de house in de corn field
a-raising corn fer de war hosses. I been in only two states, North and
South Carolina. I travels jest according to common sense: lets other
folks be my guide. I met up wid Indians; dey wanted to claim kin wid me,
but I wouldn't claim kin wid dem. He tell me bout my high cheeks or
something; den he low something 'bout my nose being long. Dey close
thinking people, dem Indians is. Dey don't fergit nothing. He say he see
I is mixed-up, but I never is knowed jest what he was driving at. I told
him I was teached from de old generation, but dat dar wasn't narry drop
of Indian blood in me. Cherokee Creek whar dat old Indian place is. Dey
has all kinds of things to sell dat dey makes. I ain't no Indian and I
does not feel dat way, no sir, not narry bit does I feel like I is a
Indian.
"My mother died when I was a wee baby. Never is had no brothers or
sisters. She left me wid her marster dat owned her mother, Kissy Sims.
Marse Starke helped my granny to raise me. Kissy come from Virginia. Her
Pa let a man buy her and three other chilluns. Marse Starke raised dem
all up and dats how dey got his name.
"Dis here man standing here by me is Zack Herndon. We is de oldest
niggers in Cherokee County dat I knows of. De other old ones is all dead
now. Oh, you knows him, does you Zack?
"Never did so awful much work when I was coming up. Dey was priming me
and training me. When dey call my name, I allus come. Often I hid myself
to see de bad niggers whipped. Never had no 'buse in my life. Marse
didn't 'low nobody to look at his niggers when dey was being whipped,
kaise he hated to have to let any of dem be 'bused. Marse Starke sho
never whipped no one dat was good. He never let his overseers 'buse
nobody neither. I does not 'member much 'bout his overseers. One named a
Briggs, one a Bishop, one a Coleman and Alley Cook was de last one; I
'members his name best.
"Marse Starke was a rich man. He had in de Quarter what was know'd as a
chilluns' house. A nurse stayed in it all de time to care fer all de
plantation chilluns. My granny 'Kissy' acted as nurse dar some. Aunt
Peggy and aunt Ciller was two mo'. Ciller was de daughter of a King in
Africa, but dat story been traveling ever since she got to dese shores,
and it still a-gwine. All dese helped to nurse me. Dey fed us on milk,
plenty of it. We had honey, lasses and lots of good things. When I was a
little bit-a boy I had a big bowl to eat out of. And us chilluns et like
hogs and got fat. We allus had fine food. My marster give me a biscuit
sometime from his plate and I wouldn't have tuck 25c fer it. He allus
put butter in it or ham and gravy. He would say, 'Dat's de doctrine, Be
kind!' Nobody never got no 'borious beating from our master's hands.
"I been toiling here on dis earth fer a long time. De Lawd spared me to
bring up a big race of chilluns myself. We is awful po' and ain't none
of my chilluns got things as well as I had when my marster give it to
me. My daughter and grand-daughter lives wid Mr. Nathan Littlejohn. He
is rich. I stay in de house wid dem. Dey 'vides wid me dat what dey has.
But dat ain't much. I has great-great-grand chilluns dat I ain't never
seed. I have five chilluns living to my knowings. Last time I counted, I
had 137 grand and great-grand chilluns. So you see I looks into de
fourth generation of my own family.
"Me and Old man Zack went to a hanging one time. Both of us clamed up
into a tree so dat we could look down on de transaction from a better
angle. De man, I means de sheriff, let us go up dar. He let some mo'
niggers clamb up in de same tree wid us. De man dat was being hung was
called Alf Walker. He was a mulatto and he had done kil't a preacher, so
you see dey was hanging him fer his wickedness, sho as you born dey was.
"While me and Zack up in dat tree a-witnessing dat transaction, peers
like we become mo' acquainted wid one another dan we had ever been since
us know'd one another.
"Sheriff 'low'd, 'You is got only fifteen minutes to live in. What has
you got to say?' Alf got up and talked by giving a lecture to folks
about being lawful citizens. He give a lecture also to young folks who
he 'low'd dat was not in sech condition as he was. He talking to dem
'bout obeying de parents and staying at home. Me and Zack exchange
glances and Zack 'low, 'Alf ain't never stayed at home none since he
been big enough to tramp over de country and he up dar fixing to git his
neck broke fer his waryness, and trying to tell us good folks young and
old how us should act. Now ain't he something to be a-telling us what to
do.'
"Finally, Alf had done talked his time out and de sheriff 'low, 'Now you
is only got two minutes, what does you want?'
Alf hollered, 'Mr. Sheriff, lemme shake hands wid somebody.' Sheriff say
everybody dat wishes to may shake his hand. Me and Zack stayed up in dat
tree, but some of de niggers went up and shaked hands wid Alf.
"Time out! You could-a heard a pin drap. I could hear my breath
a-coming. I got scared. Zack looked ra'al ashy. Nobody on de ground
moved, jest stayed ra'al quiet and still. Noose drapped over de man's
neck and tightened. Some one moved de block from under his foots. Dat
jerked him down. Whoop! All dem in de tree fell out 'cept me and Zack,
dey was so scared. Alf Walker wasn't no mo'. Me and Zack sot up in dat
tree like two cranks. Us sot dar as if it hadn't tuck no 'fect on us
a-tall. All de other folks got 'fected. Zack tickled me when he saw me
studying. He 'low 'you act awful hard-hearted.' I 'low, 'dat man telling
us how to do jest now, and dar he is hanged. Us still a-setting in dis
tree, ain't we? We ain't never wanted to see no mo' hangings, is we
Zack?' Zack 'low dat we ain't.
"Onc't de guide low'd to de President, 'You raises your hat to a
nigger?' President 'low, 'I ain't gwine to let nobody be mo' polite dan
I is.' He never let nobody have mo' sense dan he did either. Dat was
Washington.
"Me and Zack is gwine to tell you how it is. We is old and ain't no need
fer old folks to try and fool. I is too shame to beg. I wants de
pension. Is you gwine to tell me 'bout it? Dis de truth, I is took a
chip fer food. If I could got to school and write fast as I can shake my
fist, I'd be a-giving out dat pension right fast. I likes character and
principle. I got a boy turned into 64 years. He got character and
principle, and he still do what I say. I never put my mouth amongst old
folks when I was young. Me and Zack often talks over old times."