CORNELIA WINFIELD, Age 82
Richmond County
1341 Ninth Street
Augusta, Georgia
BY: (Mrs.) Margaret Johnson--Editor
Federal Writers' Project
Augusta, Georgia
[Date Stamp: MAY 8 1937]
Cornelia Winfield, 1341 Ninth Street, was born in Crawford, Oglethorpe
County, Georgia March 10, 1855. Her father, being the same age as her
master, was given to him as a little boy. They grew up together, playing
games, and becoming devoted to each other. When her master was married
her father went to his home with him and became the overseer of all the
slaves on the plantation. "My father and mother wuz house servants. My
marster served my father's plate from his own table and sent it to him,
every meal. He had charge of the work shop, and when marster was away he
always stayed at the Big House, to take care of my Missis and the
children. My mother was a seamstress and had three younger seamsters
under her, that she taught to sew. We made the clothes for all the house
servants and fiel' hans. My mother made some of the clothes for my
marster and missis. My mother was a midwife too, and useter go to all
the birthings on our place. She had a bag she always carried and when
she went to other plantations she had a horse and buggy to go in.
"All the slaves on our place wuz treated well. I never heard of any of
'em bein' whipped. I was ten years old when freedom come, and I always
knowed I wuz to belong to one of marster's daughters. After freedom my
father and mother worked on just the same for marster. When my father
died, marster's fam'ly wanted him buried in the fam'ly lot but I wanted
him to lie by my mother."
Cornelia's husband was a Methodist preacher, and she lived with him to
celebrate their Golden Wedding. During the last years of his life they
lived in Augusta. For sixteen years she washed all the blankets for the
Fire Department, and did some of the washing for the firemen. Cornelia
is now 82 years of age, but her memory is good and her mind active; and
she is extremely loquacious. She is quite heavy, and crippled, having to
use a crutch when she walks. Her room was clean, but over-crowded with
furniture, every piece of which has recently been painted. Of the
wardrobe in her room Cornelia told the following story. "All the planks
eny of our family was laid out on, my father kep'. When he came to
Augusta he brought all these planks and made this here wardrobe. When
the fire burnt me out, this here wardrobe was the only thing in my house
that was saved."
During the past summer she put up quantities of preserves, pickles and
canned fruits. These she sells in a little shop-room adjoining her
house, and when the weather permits, on the steps of the Post Office.
Cornelia can read, and spends much of time reading the Bible but she
learned to read after "Freedom." She is greatly interested to tell of
the "best families" she has worked for and the gifts she has received
from them.
[HW: Dist. 5
Ex-Slave #117]
E. Driskell
Whitley
1-20-37
GEORGE WOMBLE
EX-SLAVE
[Date Stamp: MAY 8 1937]
One of the relics of Slavery is George Womble. From all appearances Mr.
Womble looks to be fifty-three years of age instead of the ripe old age
of ninety-three that he claims. He is about five and one-half or six
feet in height, weighs one-hundred and seventy-five pounds or more, and
has good sight and hearing in addition to a skin that is almost devoid
of any wrinkle. Besides all of this he is a clear thinker and has a good
sense of humor. Following is an account of the experiences of Mr. Womble
as a slave and of the conditions in general on the plantations where he
lived:
"I was born in the year of 1843 near the present site of what is now
known as Clinton, Georgia. The names of my parents were Patsy and
Raleigh Ridley. I never saw my father as he was sold before I was old
enough to recognize him as being my father. I was still quite young when
my mother was sold to a plantation owner who lived in New Orleans, La.
As she was being put on the wagon to be taken away I heard her say: "Let
me see my poor child one more time because I know I'll never see him
again". That was the last I ever saw or heard of her. As I had no
brothers or sisters or any other relatives to care for me my master, who
was Mr. Robert Ridley, had me placed in his house where I was taught to
wait tables and to do all kinds of house work. Mr. Ridley had a very
large plantation and he raised cotton, corn, oats, wheat, peas, and live
stock. Horses and mules were his specialty--I remember that he had one
little boy whose job was to break these animals so that they could be
easily sold. My job was to wait tables, help with the house cleaning,
and to act as nurse maid to three young children belonging to the
master. At other times I drove the cows to and from the pasture and I
often helped with the planting in the fields when the field hands were
rushed. Out of the forty-odd slaves that were held by the Ridleys all
worked in the field with the exception of myself and the cook whose name
was Harriet Ridley." Continuing, Mr. Womble says: "I believe that Mr.
Ridley was one of the meanest men that ever lived. Sometimes he whipped
us, especially us boys, just to give himself a little fun. He would tie
us in such a way as to cause our bodies to form an angle and then he
preceeded to use the whip. When he had finished he would ask: "Who do
you belong to?" and we had to answer; "Marse Robert". At other times he
would throw us in a large tank that held about two-thousand gallons of
water. He then stood back and laughed while we struggled to keep from
drowning."
"When Marse Robert died I was still a small boy. Several months after
his death Mrs. Ridley gave the plantation up and took her share of the
slaves (ten in number) of which I was one, and moved to Tolbert County,
Georgia near the present location of Talbottom, Georgia. The other
slaves and the plantation were turned over to Marse Robert's relatives.
After a few months stay in this place I was sold to Mrs. Ridley's
brother, Enoch Womble. On the day that I was sold three doctors examined
me and I heard one of them say: "This is a thoroughbred boy. His teeth
are good and he has good muscles and eyes. He'll live a long time." Then
Mr. Womble said: "He looks intelligent too. I think I'll take him and
make a blacksmith out of him." And so to close the deal he paid his
sister five-hundred dollars for me."
According to Mr. Womble his new master was even meaner than the deceased
Mr. Ridley. He was likewise a plantation owner and a farmer and as such
he raised the same things that Mr. Ridley did with the exception of the
horses and the mules. In all there were about five-hundred acres to the
plantation. There were six children in the Womble family in addition to
Mr. Womble and his wife, and they all lived in a large one-storied frame
house. A large hickory tree grew through the center of the porch where a
hole had been cut out for its growth.
Mr. Womble says that his reputation of being an excellent house boy had
preceded him, and so here too he was put to work in the master's house
where he helped with the cooking, washed the dishes, cleaned the house,
and also acted as nurse for the younger white children. In addition to
this, he was also required to attend to the cows. He remembers how on
one night at a very late hour he was called by the master to go and
drive the cows from the pasture as the sleet and snow might do them more
harm than good. He was so cold that on the way back from the pasture he
stopped at the pig pens where he pushed one or two of them out of the
spots where they had lain so that he could squat there, and warm his
feet in the places left warm by their bodies. To add to his discomfort
the snow and sleet froze in his long hair and this made him even more
miserable than ever.
Mr. Womble was asked to tell what time he had to arise in the morning to
be at his day's work, and he replied that sometimes he didn't even go to
sleep as he had to keep one hand on the baby crib to keep it from
crying. Most of the time he got up at four o'clock in the morning, and
went to the kitchen where he helped the cook prepare breakfast. After
this was done, and he had finished waiting on the master and his family
he started to clean the house. When he had finished this, he had to take
care of the younger Womble children, and do countless the other things
to be done around a house. Of the other slaves, Mr. Womble says: "None
of them ever suffered from that disease known as "mattress fever". They
all got up long before day, and prepared their breakfasts and then
before it was light enough to see clearly they were standing in the
field holding their hoes and other implements--afraid to start work for
fear that they would cover the cotton plants with dirt because they
could'nt see clearly due to the darkness." An overseer was hired by the
master to see that the work was done properly. If any of the slaves were
careless about their work they were made to take off their clothes in
the field before all the rest and then a sound whipping was
administered. Field hands also get whippings when they failed to pick
the required three-hundred pounds of cotton daily. To avoid a whipping
for this they sprinkled the white sand of the fields on the dew soaked
cotton and at the time it was weighed they were credited with more
pounds than they had actually picked. Around ten or eleven o'clock in
the morning they were all allowed to go to the cook house where they
were given dinner by the plantation cook. By one o'clock they were all
back in the field where they remained until it was too dark to see
clearly, and then they were dismissed by the overseer after he had
checked the number of pounds of cotton that they had picked.
The slaves knew that whenever Mr. Womble hired a new overseer he always
told the prospect that if he could'nt handle the slaves his services
would not be needed. The cook had heard the master tell a prospective
overseer this and so whenever a new one was hired the slaves were quick
to see how far they could go with him. Mr. Womble says that an overseer
had to be a very capable man in order to keep his job as overseer on the
Womble plantation because if the slaves found out that he was afraid of
them fighting him (and they did sometimes) they took advantage of him so
much so that the production dropped and the overseer either found
himself trying to explain to his employer or else looking for another
job. The master would never punish a slave for beating an overseer with
his fists stated Mr. Womble.
During rainy weather the slaves shucked corn, piled manure in the barns,
and made cloth. In the winter season the men split rails, built fences,
and dug ditches, while the women did the weaving and the making of
cloth. These slaves who were too old to work in the fields remained at
home where they nursed the sick slaves (when there was sickness) and
attended to the needs of those children who were too young for field
work. Those children who were still being fed from their mother's
breasts were also under the care of one of these old persons. However,
in this case the mothers were permitted to leave the field twice a day
(once between breakfast and dinner and once between dinner and supper)
so that these children could be fed.
At times Mr. Womble hired some of his slaves out to work by the day for
some of the other nearby plantation owners. Mr. Geo. Womble says that he
was often hired out to the other white ladies of the community to take
care of their children and to do their housework. Because of his ability
to clean a house and to handle children he was in constant demand.
The men worked every day in the week while the women were given Saturday
afternoon off so that they might do their personal work such as the
washing and the repairing of their clothing etc. The women were required
to do the washing and the repairing of the single men's clothing in
addition to their own. No night work was required of any of them except
during the winter when they were given three cuts of thread to card,
reel, and spin each night.
There were some days when the master called them all to his back yard
and told them that they could have a frolic. While they danced and sang
the master and his family sat and looked on. On days like the Fourth of
July and Christmas in addition to the frolic barbecue was served and
says Mr. Womble: "It was right funny to see all of them dancing around
the yard with a piece of meat in one hand and a piece of bread in the
other.
Mr. Womble stated further that clothes were given to all the slaves once
a year. An issue for the men usually consisted of one or two pairs of
pants and some shirts, underwear, woolen socks, and a pair of heavy
brogans that had been made of horse hide. These shoes were reddish in
appearance and were as stiff as board according to Mr. Womble. For
special wear the men were given a garment that was made into one piece
by sewing the pants and shirt together. This was known as a
"roundabout". The women were given one or two dresses that had been made
of the same material as that of the men's pants. As the cloth that these
clothes were made of was very coarse and heavy most of them lasted until
the time for the next issue. None of the clothing that the slaves wore
was bought. After the cloth had been made by the slaves who did all the
spinning and the weaving the master's wife cut the clothes out while the
slave women did the sewing. One of the men was a cobbler and it was he
who made all of the shoes for slave use. In the summer months the field
hands worked in their bare feet regardless of whether they had shoes or
not. Mr. Womble says that he was fifteen years of age when he was given
his first pair of shoes. They were a pair of red boots and were so stiff
that he needed help to get them on his feet as well as to get them off.
Once when the master had suffered some few financial losses the slaves
had to wear clothes that were made of crocus material. The children wore
sacks after holes had been cut out for their heads and arms. This
garment looked like a slightly lengthened shirt in appearance. A dye
made from red clay was used to give color to these clothes.
The bed clothing consisted of bagging sacks and quilts that were made
out of old clothes.
At the end of the week all the field hands met in the master's backyard
where they were given a certain amount of food which was supposedly
enough to last for a week. Such an issue was made up of three pounds of
fat meat, one peck of meal, and one quart of black molasses. Mr. Womble
was asked what the slaves did if their allowance of food ran out before
the end of the week, and he replied in the following manner: "If their
food gave out before the time for another issue they waited until night
and then one or two of them would go to the mill-house where the flour
and the meal was kept. After they had succeeded in getting in they would
take an auger and bore a hole in the barrel containing the meal. One
held the sack while the other took a stick and worked it around in the
opening made by the auger so as to make the meal flow freely. After
their bags were filled the hole was stopped up, and a hasty departure
was made. Sometimes when they wanted meat they either went to the smoke
house and stole a ham or else they would go to the pen where the pigs
were kept and take a small pig out. When they got to the woods with this
animal they proceeded to skin and clean it (it had already been killed
with a blow in the head before they left the pen). All the parts that
they did not want were either buried or thrown in the nearby river.
After going home all of this meat was cooked and hidden. As there was
danger in being caught none of this stolen meat was ever fried because
there was more danger of the odor of frying meat going farther away than
that odor made by meat being boiled." At this point Mr. Womble stated
that the slaves were taught to steal by their masters. Sometimes they
were sent to the nearby plantations to steal chickens, pigs, and other
things that could be carried away easily. At such times the master would
tell them that he was not going to mistreat them and that he was not
going to allow anyone else to mistreat them and that by taking the above
mentioned things they were helping him to be more able to take care of
them.
At breakfast the field hands ate fried meat, corn bread, and molasses.
When they went to the house for dinner they were given some kind of
vegetable along with pot liquor and milk. When the days work was done
and it was time for the evening meal there was the fried meat again with
the molasses and the corn bread. Mr. Womble says that they ate this kind
of food every day in the week. The only variation was on Sunday when
they were given the seconds of the flour and a little more molasses so
that they might make a cake. No other sweetening was used except the
molasses.
As for Mr. Womble and the cook they fared better as they ate the same
kind of food that the master and his family did. He remembers how he
used to take biscuits from the dishes that were being sent to the
masters table. He was the waiter and this was an easy matter. Later he
took some of these biscuits and sold them to the other little boys for a
nickle each. Neither the master or the slaves had real coffee. They all
drank a type of this beverage that had been made by parching bran or
meal and then boiled in water.
The younger children were fed from a trough that was twenty feet in
length. At meal time each day the master would come out and supervise
the cook whose duty it was to fill the trough with food. For breakfast
the milk and bread was all mixed together in the trough by the master
who used his walking cane to stir it with. At dinner and supper the
children were fed pot liquor and bread and sometimes milk that had been
mixed together in the same manner. All stood back until the master had
finished stirring the food and then at a given signal they dashed to the
trough where they began eating with their hands. Some even put their
mouths in the trough and ate. There were times when the master's dogs
and some of the pigs that ran round the yard all came to the trough to
share these meals. Mr. Womble states that they were not permitted to
strike any of these animals so as to drive them away and so they
protected their faces from the tongues of the intruders by placing their
hands on the sides of their faces as they ate. During the meal the
master walked from one end of the trough to the other to see that all
was as it should be. Before Mr. Womble started to work in the master's
house he ate as the other children for a short time. Some of the times
he did not have enough food to eat and so when the time came to feed the
cows he took a part of their food (a mixture of cotton seed, collard
stalks, and small ears of corn) and ate it when night came. When he
started working in the house regularly he always had sufficient food
from then on.
All the food that was eaten was grown on the plantation in the master's
gardens. He did not permit the slaves to have a garden of their own
neither could they raise their own chickens and so the only time that
they got the chance to enjoy the eating of chicken was when they decided
to make a special trip to the master's poultry yard.
The housing facilities varied with the work a slave was engaged in on
the Womble plantation according to Mr. Womble. He slept in the house
under the dining-room table all of the time. The cook also slept in the
house of her owner. For those who worked on the fields log cabins (some
distance behind the master's house.) were provide [sic]. Asked to
describe one of these cabins Mr. Womble replied: "They were two roomed
buildings made out of logs and daubed with mud to keep the weather out.
At one end there was a chimney that was made out of dried mud, sticks
and stones. The fireplace was about five or six feet in length and on
the inside of it there were some hooks to hang the pots from when there
was cooking to be done.
"There was only one door and this was the front one. They would'nt put a
back door in a cabin because it would be easy for a slave to slip out of
the back way if the master or the overseer came to punish an occupant.
There were one or two small openings cut in the back so that they could
get air."
"The furniture was made by the blacksmith", continued Mr. Womble. "In
one corner of the room there was a large bed that had been made out of
heavy wood. Rope that ran from side to side served as the springs while
the mattress was a large bag that had been stuffed with wheat straw. The
only other furnishings were a few cooking utensils and one or two
benches." As many as four families lived in one of these cabins although
the usual number to a cabin was three families. There was one other
house where the young children were kept while their parents worked in
the fields.
Most of the sickness on the Womble plantation was due to colds and
fever. For the treatment of either of these ailments the master always
kept a large can filled with a mixture of turpentine and caster oil.
When anyone complained of a cold a dose of this oil was prescribed. The
master gave this dose from a very large spoon that always hung from the
can. The slaves also had their own home made remedies for the treatment
of different ailments. Yellow root tea and black-hall tea were used in
the treatment of colds while willow tea was used in the treatment of
fever. Another tea made from the droppings of sheep was used as a remedy
for the measles. A doctor was always called when anyone was seriously
ill. He was always called to attend those cases of childbirth. Unless a
slave was too sick to walk he was required to go to the field and work
like the others. If, however, he was confined to his bed a nurse was
provided to attend to his needs.
On Sundays all of the slaves were allowed to attend the white church
where they listened to the services from the rear of the church. When
the white minister was almost through he would walk back to where the
slaves sat and tell them not to steal their master's chickens, eggs, or
his hogs and their backs would not be whipped with many stripes. After
this they were dismissed and they all left the church wondering what the
preacher's sermon meant. Some nights they went to the woods and
conducted their own services. At a certain spot they all knelt and
turned their faces toward the ground and then they began moaning and
praying. Mr. Womble says that by huddling in this circle and turning
their voices toward the ground the sound would not travel very far.
None of them ever had the chance to learn how to read and write. Some
times the young boys who carried the master's children's books to and
from school would ask these children to teach them to write but as they
were afraid of what their father might do they always refused. On the
adjoining plantation the owner caught his son teaching a little slave
boy to write.
He was furious and after giving his son a severe beating he then cut the
thumb and forefinger off of the slave. The only things that were taught
the slaves was the use of their hands. Mr. Womble says that all the
while that he was working in the master's house they still found the
time for him to learn to be a blacksmith.
When a male slave reached the age of twenty-one he was allowed to court.
The same was true of a girl that had reached the age of eighteen. If a
couple wished to marry they had to get permission from the master who
asked each in turn if they wished to be joined as man and wife and if
both answered that they did they were taken into the master's house
where the ceremony was performed. Mr. Womble says that he has actually
seen one of these weddings and that it was conducted in the following
manner: "A broom was placed in the center of the floor and the couple
was told to hold hands. After joining hands they were commanded to jump
over the broom and then to turn around and jump back.
"After this they were pronounced man and wife." A man who was small in
stature was never allowed to marry a large, robust woman. Sometimes when
the male slaves on one plantation were large and healthy looking and the
women slaves on some nearby plantation looked like they might be good
breeders the two owners agreed to allow the men belonging to the one
visit the women belonging to the other, in fact they encouraged this
sort of thing in hopes that they would marry and produce big healthy
children. In such cases passes were given freely.
All of the newly born babies were named by the master. "The only
baptisms that any of us get was with a stick over the head and then we
baptised our cheeks with our tears," stated Mr. Wombly.
Continuing, Mr. Wombly stated that the slaves on the Womble plantation
were treated more like animals rather than like humans. On one or two
occasions some of them were sold. At such a time those to be sold were
put in a large pen and then they were examined by the doctors and
prospective buyers and later sold to the highest bidder the same as a
horse or a mule. They were sold for various reasons says Mr. Womble. His
mother was sold because she was too hard to rule and because she made it
difficult to discipline the other slaves.
Mr. Womble further reported that most of his fellow slaves believed in
signs. They believed that if a screech owl or a "hoot" owl came near a
house and made noises at night somebody was going to die and instead of
going to heaven the devil would get them. "On the night that old Marse
Ridley died the screech owls like to have taken the house away," he
says.
There was always a great amount of whipping on this plantation. This was
practically the only form of punishment used. Most of them were whipped
for being disobedient or for being unruly. Mr. Womble has heard his
master say that he would not have a slave that he could not rule and to
be sure that the slaves held him and his family in awe he even went so
far as to make all of them go and pay their respects to the newly born
white children on the day after their birth. At such a time they were
required to get in line outside of the door and then one by one they
went through the room and bowed their heads as they passed the bed and
uttered the following words: "Young Marster" or if the baby was a girl
they said: "Young Mistress". On one occasion Mr. Womble says that he has
seen his master and a group of other white men beat an unruly slave
until his back was raw and then a red hot iron bar was applied to his
back. Even this did not make the slave submissive because he ran away
immediately afterwards. After this inhuman treatment any number of the
slaves ran away, especially on the Ridley plantation. Some were caught
and some were not. One of the slaves on the Womble plantation took his
wife and ran away. He and his wife lived in a cave that they found in
the woods and there they raised a family. When freedom was declared and
these children saw the light of day for the first time they almost went
blind stated Mr. Womble.
Mr. Womble says that he himself has been whipped to such an extent by
his master, who used a walking cane, that he had no feeling in his legs.
One other time he was sent off by the master and instead of returning
immediately he stopped to eat some persimmons. The master came upon him
at the tree and started beating him on the head with a wagon spoke. By
the time he reached the house his head was covered with knots the size
of hen eggs and blood was flowing from each of them.
The slaves on the Womble plantation seldom if ever came in contact with
the "Paddle-Rollers" who punished those slaves who had the misfortune to
be caught off of their plantations without passes. In those days the
jails were built for the white folks because the masters always punished
the slaves when they broke any of the laws exclaimed Mr. Womble.
Several years before the war Mr. Wombly was sold to Mr. Jim Wombly, the
son of Mr. Enoch Wombly. He was as mean as his father or meaner, Mr.
Wombly says that the first thing that he remembers in regard to the war
was to hear his master say that he was going to join the army and bring
Abe Lincoln's head back for a soap dish. He also said that he would wade
in blood up to his neck to keep the slaves from being freed. The slaves
would go to the woods at night where they sang and prayed. Some used to
say; "I knew that some day we'll be free and if we die before that time
our children will live to see it."
When the Yankees marched through they took all of the silver and gold
that had been hidden in the wall on the Womble plantation. They also
took all of the live stock on the plantation, most of which had been
hidden in the swamps. These soldiers then went into the house and tore
the beds up and poured syrup in the mattresses. At the time all of the
white people who lived on the plantation were hiding in the woods. After
the soldiers had departed (taking these slaves along who wished to
follow) Mrs. Womble went back into the house and continued to make the
clothes and the bandages that were to be used by the Confederate
Soldiers.
After the slaves were set free any number of them were bound over and
kept, says Mr. Womble. He himself was to remain with the Womble family
until he reached the age of twenty-one. When this time came Mr. Womble
refused to let him go. However, Mrs. Womble helped him to escape but he
was soon caught one night at the home of an elderly white lady who had
befriended him. A rope was tied around his neck and he was made to run
the entire way back to the plantation while the others rode on horse
back. After a few more months of cruel treatment he ran away again. This
time he was successful in his escape and after he had gone what he
considered a safe distance he set up a blacksmith shop where he made a
living for quite a few years. Later one of the white men in that
community hired him to work in his store. After a number of years at
this place he decided to come to Atlanta where he has been since.
Mr. Womble concluded by saying that he has been able to reach his
present age because he has never done any smoking or drinking. An old
lady once told him not to use soap on his face and he would not wrinkle.
He accounts for his smooth skin in this manner.
[HW: Dist. 5
Ex. Slave #118
E. Driskell]
SLAVERY AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF
HENRY WRIGHT--EX-SLAVE, Age 99
In Atlanta among that ever decreasing group of persons known as
ex-slaves there is an old Negro man named Henry Wright. Although Mr.
Wright is 99 years of age his appearance is that of a much younger man.
He is about 5 feet in height; his dark skin is almost free of wrinkles
and his head is thickly covered with gray hair. His speech and thought
indicate that he is very intelligent and there is no doubt that he still
possesses a clear and active mind.
As he noisily puffed on a battered old pipe he related the following
tale of his experiences in slavery and of conditions in general as he
saw them at that time.
Mr. Wright was born on the plantation of Mr. Phil House. This plantation
was located near the present site of Buckhead, Ga. His parents were
Henry Wright and Margaret House. In those days it was customary for
slaves to carry the name of their owners. His father was owned by Mr.
Spencer Wright and his mother was owned by Mr. Phil House. Both of these
slave owners lived in the same district. His grandparents, Kittie and
Anite House also belonged to Mr. Phil House and it was they who told him
how they had been sold like cattle while in Virginia to a speculator
(slave dealer) and brought to Decatur, Ga. where they were sold to Mr.
House.
Mr. Wright lived with his mother on the House plantation for several
years then he was given to Mr. George House, the brother of Phil House,
as a wedding present. However, he saw his parents often as they were all
allowed "passes" so that they might visit one another.
According to Mr. Wright, his master was a very rich man and a very
intelligent one. His plantation consisted of about three or four hundred
acres of land on which he raised cotton, cane, corn, vegetables and live
stock. Although he was not very mean to his slaves or "servants" as he
called them, neither did his kindness reach the gushing or overflowing
stage.
On this plantation there were a large number of slaves, some of whom
worked in "Old Marster's" (as Mr. House was called) house and some of
whom worked in the fields.
As a youngster Mr. Wright had to pick up chips around the yard, make
fires and keep the house supplied with water which he got from the well.
When he was ten years of age he was sent to the field as a plow-boy. He
remembers that his mother and father also worked in the fields. In
relating his experience as a field hand Mr. Wright says that he and his
fellow slaves were roused each morning about 3 o'clock by the blowing of
a horn. This horn was usually blown by the white overseer or by the
Negro foreman who was known among the slaves as the "Nigger Driver." At
the sounding of the horn they had to get up and feed the stock. Shortly
after the horn was blown a bell was rung and at this signal they all
started for the fields to begin work for the day. They were in the field
long before the sun was up. Their working hours were described as being
from "sun to sun." When the time came to pick the cotton each slave was
required to pick at least 200 lbs. of cotton per day. For this purpose
each was given a bag and a large basket. The bag was hung around the
neck and the basket was placed at the end of the row. At the close of
the day the overseer met all hands at the scales with the lamp, the
slate and the whip. If any slave failed to pick the required 200 lbs. he
was soundly whipped by the overseer. Sometimes they were able to escape
this whipping by giving illness as an excuse. Another form of strategy
adopted by the slaves was to dampen the cotton or conceal stones in the
baskets, either of which would make the cotton weigh more.
Sometimes after leaving the fields at dark they had to work at
night--shucking corn, ginning cotton or weaving. Everyday except Sunday
was considered a work day. The only form of work on Sunday was the
feeding of the live stock, etc.
When Mr. Wright was asked about the treatment that was given the house
slaves in comparison to that given the field slaves, he replied with a
broad grin that "Old Marster" treated them much the same as he would a
horse and a mule. That is, the horse was given the kind of treatment
that would make him show off in appearance, while the mule was given
only enough care to keep him well and fit for work. "You see," continued
Mr. Wright, "in those days a plantation owner was partially judged by
the appearance of his house servants." And so in addition to receiving
the discarded clothes of "Old Marster" and his wife, better clothing was
bought for the house slaves.
The working hours of the house slave and the field slave were
practically the same. In some cases the house slaves had to work at
night due to the fact that the master was entertaining his friends or he
was invited out and so someone had to remain up to attend to all the
necessary details.
On the plantation of Mr. House the house slaves thought themselves
better than the field slaves because of the fact that they received
better treatment. On the other hand those slaves who worked in the
fields said that they would rather work in the fields than work in the
house because they had a chance to earn spending money in their spare or
leisure time. House servants had no such opportunity.
In bad weather they were not required to go to the fields--instead they
cut hedges or did other small jobs around the house. The master did not
want them to work in bad weather because there was too much danger of
illness which meant a loss of time and money in the end.
Mr. House wanted his slaves to learn a trade such as masonry or
carpentry, etc., not because it would benefit the slave, says Mr.
Wright, but because it would make the slave sell for more in case he had
"to get shet (rid) of him." The slaves who were allowed to work with
these white mechanics, from whom they eventually learned the trade, were
eager because they would be permitted to hire themselves out. The money
they earned could be used to help buy their freedom, that is, what money
remained after the master had taken his share. On the other hand the
white mechanic had no particular objection to the slaves being there to
help him, even though they were learning the trade, because he was able
to place all the hard work on the slave which made his job easier. Mr.
Wright remembers how his grandfather used to hire his time out doing
carpentry work, making caskets and doing some masonry. He himself can
plaster, although he never hired out during slavery.
Clothing was issued once per year usually around September. An issue
consisted mostly of the following: 1 pair of heavy shoes called "Negro
Brogans." Several homespun shirts, woolen socks and two or three pairs
of jeans pants. The women were either given dresses and underskirts that
were already made or just the plain cloth to make these garments from.
Some of their clothing was bought and some was made on the plantation.
The wool socks were knitted on the plantation along with the homespun
which was woven there. The homespun was dyed by placing it in a boiling
mixture of green walnut leaves or walnut hulls. In the event that plaid
material was to be made the threads were dyed the desired color before
being woven. Another kind of dye was made from the use of a type of red
or blue berry, or by boiling red dirt in water (probably madder). The
house slaves wore calico dresses or sometimes dresses made from woolen
material.
Often this clothing was insufficient to meet the individual needs. With
a broad smile and an almost imperceptible shake of his old gray head Mr.
Wright told how he had worked in the field without shoes when it was so
cold until the skin cracked and the blood flowed from these wounds. He
also told how he used to save his shoes by placing them under his arm
and walking barefooted when he had a long distance to go. In order to
polish these shoes a mixture of soot and syrup was used.
The young slave children wore a one-piece garment with holes cut for the
head and arms to go through. In appearance it resembled a slightly long
shirt. As Mr. House did not give blankets, the slaves were required to
make the necessary cover by piecing together left over goods. After this
process was completed, it was padded with cotton and then dyed in much
the same way as homespun. After the dyeing was completed the slave was
the owner of a new quilt.
The food that the slaves ate [**TR: was] all raised on the plantation. At
the end of each week each slave was given 3 lbs. of meat (usually pork),
1 peck of meal and some syrup. Breakfast and dinner usually consisted of
fried meat, corn bread and syrup. Vegetables were usually given at
dinner time. Sometimes milk was given at supper. It was necessary to
send the meals to the field slaves as they were usually too far away
from the house to make the trip themselves. For this purpose there was a
woman who did all the cooking for the field hands in a cook house
located among the slave cabins.
Mr. House permitted his slaves to have a garden and chickens of their
own. In fact, he gave each of them land, a small plot of ground for this
purpose. The benefit of this was twofold as far as the slave was
concerned. In the first place he could vary his diet. In the second
place he was able to earn money by selling his produce either in town or
to "Old Marster." Sometimes Old Marster took the produce to town and
sold it for them. When he returned from town the money for the sale of
this produce was given to the slave. Mr. Wright says that he and all the
other slaves felt that they were being cheated when the master sold
their goods. Mr. House also permitted his slaves to hunt and fish both
of which were done at night for the most part.
Coffee was made by parching meal and then placing it in boiling water.
To sweeten this coffee, syrup was used. One delicacy that he and the
other slaves used to have on Sunday was biscuit bread which they called
"cake bread."
All children who were too young to work in the field were cared for by
some old slave woman who was too old to go to the field. She did all of
their cooking, etc. The diet of these children usually consisted of pot
liquor, milk, vegetables and in rare cases, meat. Mr. Wright laughed
here as he stated that these children were given long handled spoons and
were seated on a long bench before a trough out of which they all ate
like little pigs. Not a slave ever suffered the pangs of hunger on the
plantation of Mr. George House.
The houses or cabins of the slaves were located a short distance in the
rear of "Old Marster's" house. These houses were usually made from
logs--the chinks being closed with mud. In some cases boards were used
on the inside of the cabin to keep the weather out, but according to Mr.
Wright, mud was always the more effective. The floor was usually covered
with boards and there were two or three windows to each cabin, shutters
being used in place of glass. The chimney and fireplace were made of
mud, sticks and stones. All cooking was done on the fireplace in iron
utensils, which Mr. Wright declares were a lot better than those used
today. For boiling, the pots hung from a long hook directly above the
fire. Such furniture as each cabin contained was all made by the slaves.
This furniture usually consisted of a wooden bench, instead of a chair,
and a crude bed made from heavy wood. Slats were used in the place of
springs. The mattress was made stuffing a large bag with wheat straw.
"This slept as good as any feather bed" says Mr. Wright. Candles were
used to furnish light at night.
On this plantation each family did not have an individual cabin.
Sometimes as many as three families shared a cabin, which of course was
rather a large one. In this case it was partitioned off by the use of
curtains.
Besides having to take care of the young children, these older slaves
were required to care for those slaves who were ill. Mr. House employed
a doctor to attend his slaves when their cases seemed to warrant it. If
the illness was of a minor nature he gave them castor oil, salts or
pills himself. Then, too, the slaves had their own home remedies. Among
these were different tonics made from "yarbs" (herbs), plasters made
from mustard, and whisky, etc. Most illnesses were caused by colds and
fevers. Mr. Wright says that his two brothers and his sister, all of
whom were younger than he, died as a result of typhoid fever.
Even with all the hardships that the slaves had to suffer they still had
time to have fun and to enjoy themselves, Mr. Wright continued. At
various times Mr. House permitted them to have a frolic. These frolics
usually took place on such holidays as 4th of July, Christmas or
"laying-by time", after the cultivating of the crops was finished and
before gathering time. During the day the master provided a big barbecue
and at night the singing and dancing started. Music was furnished by
slaves who were able to play the banjo or the fiddle. The slaves usually
bought these instruments themselves and in some cases the master bought
them. "In my case," declared Mr. Wright, "I made a fiddle out of a large
sized gourd--a long wooden handle was used as a neck, and the hair from
a horse's tail was used for the bow. The strings were made of cat-gut.
After I learned to play this I bought a better violin." Sometimes the
slaves slipped away to the woods to indulge in a frolic. As a means of
protection they tied ropes across the paths where they would be less
likely to be seen. These ropes were placed at such a height as to knock
a man from his horse if he came riding up at a great speed. In this way
the master or the overseer was stopped temporarily, thereby giving the
slaves time to scamper to safety. In addition to the presents given at
Christmas (candy and clothing) the master also gave each family half a
gallon of whisky. This made the parties more lively. One of the songs
that the slaves on the House plantation used to sing at their parties
runs as follows:
"Oh, I wouldn't have a poor girl,
(another version says, "old maid")
And I'll tell you the reason why,
Her neck's so long and stringy,
I'm afraid she'd never die."
On Sundays Mr. House required all of his slaves to attend church. All
attended a white church where they sat in the back or in the balcony.
After preaching to the white audience, the white pastor turned his
attention to the slaves. His sermon usually ran: "Obey your master and
your mistress and the Lord will love you." Sometimes a colored preacher
was allowed to preach from the same rostrum after the white pastor had
finished. His sermon was along similar lines because that is what he had
been instructed to say. None of the slaves believed in the sermons but
they pretended to do so.
Marriages were usually performed by the colored preacher although in
most cases it was only necessary for the man to approach "Old Marster"
and tell him that he wanted a certain woman for his wife. "Old Marster"
then called the woman in question and if she agreed they were pronounced
man and wife. If the woman was a prolific breeder and if the man was a
strong, healthy-looking individual she was forced to take him as a
husband whether she wanted to or not.
When Mr. Wright was asked if he had ever been arrested and placed in
jail for any offense while he was a slave he replied that in those days
few laws, if any, applied to slaves. He knows that it was against the
law for anyone to teach a slave to write because on one occasion his
father who had learned to do this with the help of his master's son was
told by the master to keep it to himself, because if the men of the
community found out that he could write they would cut his fingers or
his hand off. Horse stealing or house burning was another serious crime.
On the House plantation was a mulato slave who was to have been given
his freedom when he reached the age of 21. When this time came Mr. House
refused to free him and so an attempt was made to burn the House
mansion. Mr. Wright remembers seeing the sheriff come from town and take
this slave. Later they heard on the plantation that said slave had been
hanged.
For the most part punishment consisted of severe whipping sometimes
administered by the slaves' master and sometimes by the white men of the
community known as the Patrol. To the slaves this Patrol was known as
the "Paddle" or "Paddie-Rollers." Mr. Wright says that he has been
whipped numerous times by his master for running away. When he was
caught after an attempted escape he was placed on the ground where he
was "spread-eagled," that is, his arms and feet were stretched out and
tied to stakes driven in the ground. After a severe beating, brine water
or turpentine was poured over the wounds. This kept the flies away, he
says. Mr. House did not like to whip his slaves as a scarred slave
brought very little money when placed on the auction block. A slave who
had a scarred back was considered as being unruly. Whenever a slave
attempted to escape the hounds were put on his trail. Mr. Wright was
caught and treed by hounds several times. He later found a way to elude
them. This was done by rubbing his feet in the refuse material of the
barnyard or the pasture, then he covered his legs with pine tar. On one
occasion he managed to stay away from the plantation for 6 months before
he returned of his own accord. He ran away after striking his master who
had attempted to whip him. When he returned of his own accord his master
did nothing to him because he was glad that he was not forever lost in
which case a large sum of money would have been lost. Mr. Wright says
that slave owners advertised in the newspapers for lost slaves, giving
their description, etc. If a slave was found after his master had
stopped his advertisements he was placed on the block and sold as a
"stray." While a fugitive he slept in the woods, eating wild berries,
etc. Sometimes he slipped to the plantation of his mother or that of his
father where he was able to secure food.
He took a deep puff on his pipe and a look of satisfaction crossed his
face as he told how he had escaped from the "Paddle Rollers." It was the
"Paddle-Rollers" duty to patrol the roads and the streets and to see
that no slave was out unless he had a "pass" from his master. Further,
he was not supposed to be any great distance away from the place he had
been permitted to go. If a slave was caught visiting without a "pass" or
if at any time he was off his plantation without said "pass" and had the
misfortune to be caught by the "Paddle-Rollers" he was given a sound
whipping and returned to his master.
When the Civil War began all the slaves on the House plantation grew
hopeful and glad of the prospect of being set free. Mr. House was heard
by some of the slaves to say that he hoped to be dead the day Negroes
were set free. Although the slaves prayed for their freedom they were
afraid to even sing any type of spiritual for fear of being punished.
When the Yankee troops came through near the House plantation they asked
the slaves if their master was mean to them. As the answer was "no" the
soldiers marched on after taking all the livestock that they could find.
At the adjoining plantation where the master was mean, all property was
burned. Mr. House was not present for when he heard of the approach of
Sherman he took his family, a few valuables and some slaves and fled to
Augusta. He later joined the army but was not wounded. However, his
brother, Phil House, lost a leg while in action.
Mr. Wrights says that he witnessed one battle which was fought just a
few miles beyond his plantation near Nancy's Creek. Although he did not
officially join the Yankee army he cooked for them while they were
camped in his vicinity.
When freedom was declared he says that he was a very happy man. Freedom
to him did not mean that he could quit work but that he could work for
himself as he saw fit to. After he was freed he continued working for
his master who was considerably poorer than he had ever been before.
After the war things were in such a state that even common table salt
was not available. He remembers going to the smokehouse and taking the
dirt from the floor which he later boiled. After the boiling process of
this water which was now salty was used as a result of the dripping from
the meats which had been hung there to be smoked in the "good old days."
After seven years of share-cropping with his former master Mr. Wright
decided to come to Atlanta where he has been since. He attributes his
ripe old age to sane and careful living. In any case he says that he
would rather be free than be a slave but--and as he paused he shook his
head sadly--"In those days a man did not have to worry about anything to
eat as there was always a plenty. It's a lot different now."
[HW: Dist. 6
Ex-Slave #119 v.3]
"MAMMY DINK"
[HW: DINK WALTON YOUNG], Age 96
Place of birth:
On the Walton plantation, near old Baughville,
Talbot County, Georgia