Most of the ex-slaves interviewed received their early religious
training in the churches of their masters. Many churches which have
slave sections in this district are still standing. Sometimes the slaves
sat in pews partitioned off at the back of the church, and sometimes
there was a gallery with a side entrance.
The old Bath Presbyterian Church had a gallery and private entrance of
this kind. Sunday Schools were often conducted for the slaves on the
plantation.
Among the ordinances passed by the City of Augusta, February 7, 1862,
was section forty-seven, which concerned negro preaching and teaching:
"No slave or free person of color shall be allowed to preach,
exhort or teach, in any meeting of slaves or free persons of
color, for public worship or religious instruction in this
city, but except at funerals or sitting up with the dead,
without a license in writing from the Inferior Court of
Richmond County, and Mayor of the City, regularly granted
under the Act of the General Assembly of this State, passed
on the 23rd day of December, 1843.
"No colored preacher residing out of the County of Richmond,
shall preach, exhort, or teach, until he has produced his
license granted under the Act aforesaid, and had the same
countersigned by the Mayor of this City, or in his absence
by two members of Council.
"Persons qualified as aforesaid, may hold meetings in this city
for the purpose aforesaid, at any time during the Sabbath day,
and on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights. No other meetings
of slaves or free persons of color for religious purposes shall
be held, except by permission of Council.
"No meeting of slaves or free persons of color for the purpose
aforesaid, shall continue at any time later than 10:30 at
night, and all such meetings shall be superintended by one or
more citizens, appointed by the ministers in charge of their
respective denominations, and approved by the Mayor. All slaves
or free persons of color attending such meetings, after that
hour, shall be arrested, and punished, under the Section,
whether with or without tickets from their owners; and all such
persons returning from such meetings after the ringing of the
Market Bell, without tickets, shall be arrested and punished
as in other cases.
"Every offense against this section shall be punished by
whipping, not exceeding 39 lashes, or fined not exceeding
$50.00."
Harriet White, who told us some of her father's slavery experiences
said, "Yas'm, dey let'em go to chu'ch, but de colored folks hadder sit
behind a boarded up place, so dey hadder stretch dey neck to see de
preacher, and den day hadder jine de Master's chu'ch--de Methodis'
Chu'ch. De spirit done tole my father to jine da Baptis' Chu'ch--dat de
right t'ing, but he hadder jine de Methodis', 'cause his Master was
Methodis'. But when he come to Augusta he wus baptise in de river. He
say he gwine ca'y God's point."
We asked Ellen Campbell of the Eve Plantation in Richmond County about
church going. She replied, "Yas'm, we used to go to town. But de
Padderolas wus ridin' in dem days, and you couldn' go off de plantachun
widout a pass. So my boss he built a brick chu'ch on de plantachun, and
de D'Laigles built a chu'ch on dere's."
Susie Brown, who was a slave on the Evans Plantation in Columbia County,
said, in speaking of her mother getting religion, "My Maw and Paw wasn't
married till after freedom. When my Maw got 'ligion dey wouldn' let her
be baptise till she was married." She stated that her mother had seven
children then. Aunt Susie had had eight children herself, but her
husband was now dead. When asked why she didn't get married again, she
replied, "Whut I wanner git married fer? I ain' able to wuk fer myself
let alone a man!"
Augustus Burden, who was born a slave on General Walker's plantation at
Windsor Springs, Ga., said, "We had no churches on our place. We went to
the white people's church at Hale's Gate. Then after they stopped the
colored people going there to church, they had their little meetings
right at home. We had one preacher, a real fine preacher, named Ned
Walker, who was my uncle by marriage."
Fannie Fulcher, a former slave on Dr. Miller's plantation in Burke
County, gave this unique account of the slave children's early religious
trainings: "Dey had a ole lady stay in de quarters who tuk care o' de
chillun whilst de mother wus in de fiel'. Den dey met at her house at
dark, and a man name, Hickman, had prayers. Dey all kneel down. Den de
chillun couln' talk till dey got home--if you talk you git a whippin'
frum de ole lady nex' night. Ole granny whip 'em."
Fannie said the slaves went to the "white folks church," and that "white
folks baptise 'em at Farmer's Bridge or Rock Creek." A white preacher
also married the slaves.