folks. Every time I slipped away to spend a little time at the
log-cabin, I always asked him to repeat the story of how he returned the
mule and with each repeating he praised the Lord more for being a direct
instrument in helping him prove to the countryside that he was "a clean
vessel ob de Lawd", but he blamed the new shoes and his skinned heel for
not getting across the county line before he was caught.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
An old negro by the name of Jake identified a mule of his master's in
court at Morganton. The little girls in the Morris family in Fannin
County were made to wear bonnets with their hair pulled through so they
could not be removed.
These two facts told me by Mr. J. R. Kincaid of Blue Ridge.
PLANTATION LIFE as viewed by Ex-Slave
MAHALA JEWEL
177 Berry Street
Athens, Georgia.
Written by: Grace McCune
Athens --
Edited by: Sarah H. Hall
Athens --
John N. Booth
District Supervisor
Federal Writers' Project
Residencies 6 & 7.
MAHALA JEWEL =Ex-Slave--Age 76.=
Mahala Jewel, known in the community as "Aunt Hailie," was sitting on
her tiny porch when the interviewer arrived. "I'se a-tryin' to git my
foots warm," she declared. "Dey was cold all last night, and didn't warm
up none even when I had done walked all de way up to de courthouse to
git dem cabbage what de welfare ladies had for me today. Yes Ma'am, hit
sho' is hard times wid old Hailie now. I was raised whar folks had
plenty. Our white folks warn't no pore white trash, and if my old
Marster and Mist'ess was a-livin' today dey sho' would do somepin' for
old Hailie in a hurry, 'cause dey allus give us plenty of evvything dey
had."
Aunt Hailie's rickety chair was kept in vigorous motion as she talked
and the visitor was fearful it would collapse at any moment. One rocker
was broken and on top of the cushions in the low seat of the chair she
was sitting on an old cheese box. Suddenly she arose to go in the house
to "see if dem cabbages is a-burnin'," and when she returned she
carefully adjusted the box before resuming her precarious perch in the
old rocking chair. When she was sure that her feet were in a sunny spot,
she began her narrative.
"Gracie Wright was my Ma's name 'fore she tuk off and married my Pa. He
was named Tuggle, and both of 'em belonged to Marse Hamp McWhorter on
his plantation down in Oglethorpe County. Marse Hamp was sho' a rich man
and on his big old plantation dey raised evvything dey needed lak, peas,
'tatoes, ingons, collards, cabbages, and turnip sallet, beans, punkins,
and plenty of corn, wheat and rye. Marse Hamp had lots of cows, hogs,
sheep, and goats too. Miss Liza was our Mist'ess, and she raised more
chickens dan dey ever could use. I just tells you, my white folks warn't
no pore folks.
"I was born and raised up right dar. Ma wukked in de fields, and
Mist'ess brung me up in de big house 'cause she said I was gwine to have
to wait on her when she got old. Dare was sho' a moughty big lot of
slave chillun a-comin' on all de time and Marster and Mist'ess was good
as dey could be to all of 'em. Marster and Mist'ess had seben chillun.
Deir boys was William, Joe, James, and Mack. Miss Tildy and Miss Mary
was two of deir gals, but I just can't ricollect de name of deir oldest
daughter.
"Whilst us was little, slave chillun didn't have much wuk to do. De
littlest ones just picked up trash when de yards was bein' cleant up and
done easy jobs lak dat.
"Marse Hamp never fooled wid dem little one track stores at Maxeys, de
town nighest our plantation. When he needed somepin', he just cotch a
train and lit out for 'Gusty (Augusta), Georgie. Mist'ess knowed when he
was comin' back, and she allus sont de car'iage to meet him. When us
chillun seed 'em gittin' out de car'iage and hosses, us didn't wait, us
just lit out and when dat train got to de crossin' all of us was right
dar a-waitin' to see our Marster step off. Den us followed dat car'iage
down de big road plum back to de plantation, 'cause us knowed Marster
never forgot none of us. Dere was new dresses for de gals and clothes
for de boys too, and us felt moughty proud when us dressed up in dem
store bought clothes f'um 'Gusty. Chilluns' evvy day clothes was just
slips cut all in one piece, sleeves and all. Boys wore long shirts 'til
dey was big and strong enough for field wuk. Clothes for de grown folks
was made out of cloth wove in de loom house right dar on de plantation,
but dere was some beaded cloth too.
"Us sho' did have a pretty place. De big house was painted white, and
dere was big old yards wid lots of flowers. De slave quarters was white
too. Dey was one room cabins built in long rows, way off f'um de big
house. Home-made beds was nailed to de wall and had just two laigs, and
de big ticks stuffed wid straw made dem beds moughty good places to
sleep.
"Most of de slaves et at de two long tables close by de kitchen up nigh
de big house. De kitchen warn't built on to de big house, but hit sot
out in de yard a little piece. Dat's de way evvybody had deir kitchens
built dem days. Marster kept a big strong man to do de cookin' for his
slaves. Pa was de boss for Marse Hamp. I don't 'member much 'bout him.
My brother stayed in de cabin wid Pa and Ma, but I was all time up at de
big house wid Mist'ess. She was good to me as she could be. She told me
to allus do right and never do no wrong to nobody. I had a little highup
cheer what I sot in to keep de flies off of Mist'ess.
"All de slaves went to church wid deir white folks, and sot in de back
part of de meetin' house. Us went to old Beard (Baird) Church, off out
in de country, and sometimes I had to take de littlest white chilluns
out and stay in de car'iage wid 'em, if dey got too restless inside de
meetin' house. Out dar in de car'iage us could listen to de singin' and
it sho' did sound sweet. Meetin' days was big days. Dey fetched deir
dinners and stayed all day. De McWhorter family allus carried great big
baskets, and one of deir biggest baskets was kept special just to carry
chickens in, and de barbecue, it was fixed right dar on de church
grounds. Slave gals sot de long tables what was built out under de
trees, and dem same gals cleant up atter evvybody had done got thoo'
eatin'. Niggers et atter de white folks, but dere was allus a plenty for
all. Little Niggers kept de flies off de tables by wavin' long branches
kivvered wid green leafs for fly brushes. Some few of 'em brung
home-made paper fly brushes f'um home. Most of dem all day meetin's was
in July and August. Some folks called dem months de 'vival season,
'cause dere was more 'vival meetin's den dan in all de rest of de year.
De day 'fore one of dem big baptizin's dey dammed up de crick a little,
and when dey gathered 'round de pool next day dere was some tall
shoutin' and singin'. White preachers done all de preachin' and
baptizin'.
"Somehow I don't 'member much 'bout de celebratin' when dey got in de
wheat and done de thrashin'. Dey was so busy wid de cotton 'bout dat
time on our place dat dere warn't much frolickin', but de sho' nuff big
celebratin' was in de fall atter all de corn was gathered and dey had
cornshuckin's. Marse Hamp 'vited all de white folks and deir Niggers. De
white folks visited and de Niggers done de wuk. De fust thing dey done
at cornshuckin's was to 'lect a gen'ral. All he done was to lead de
singin' and try to git evvybody to jine in his song 'bout de corn, and
as dey sung faster, de shucks dey flew faster too. Atter de corn was all
shucked, dey et de big feast what us had done been cookin' for days and
days. Hit tuk a passel of victuals, 'cause dem shuckers could sho' hide
'way dem good eats. Den de fiddlers started up deir music wid =Turkey in
de Straw=. De old breakdown dancin' was on, and hit was apt to go on all
night.
"Syrup makin' time at Marse Hamp's was a frolic too. Us raised plenty of
sugar-cane to make dat good old 'lasses what tasties so good wid hoecake
and home-made butter.
"Atter de War, Ma and Pa stayed on wid Marse Hamp a long time. Mist'ess
died when I was just a little chile, but she had done willed me to Miss
Mary and told her to allus take keer of Hailie. Miss Mary stayed right
on dar wid Marse Hamp. My Ma and Pa had done left, and I ain't never
heared nothin' more f'um 'em since dey went away f'um Marse Hamp's
place.
"Den Marster he done went and got kilt. He had rid off on a middle size
pony what must a runned away wid him, 'cause dey found him plumb daid in
a ditch. It was all so sudden lak us never could find out if he died
happy. Us knowed Mist'ess died happy 'cause she told de folks 'round de
bed dat de Lord was a-takin' her home out of dis old world of trouble.
"Atter Marse Hamp died, Miss Mary married Marse Pleaze Winter, and us
all moved to Flatwoods, what warn't so fur f'um Marse Jim Smith's place.
I 'members when dat Smith man died. Dey buried him in de graveyard on
his own plantation at fust, but den dey said nobody didn't want to live
dar atter he was buried dar, so dey tuk him up and buried him somewhar
else.
"I didn't lak to live at Flatwoods, but I stayed on wid my Miss Mary and
nussed her chillun 'til me and Joe Jewel got married. Joe was named
atter his old Marster, Captain Joseph Jewel, and dey lived on de Jewel
place in Oglethorpe County. I never did keer much for fine clothes and
Miss Mary said what clothes I had was all right, but she just would give
me a nice white weddin' dress. She had us git married at her house, and
she 'vited lots of mine and Joe's folks and our friends to a big supper
she had fixed for us. Miss Mary sho' did give me a grand send off. Atter
dat, I visited my Miss Mary whenever I wanted to, and still helped her
wid her babies when she needed me.
"Miss Mary is done daid now, but if she was a livin' old Hailie would
have what she needs. I'm a gittin' moughty old now and my old man is
done gone on to glory, but Hailie will soon be wid him dar. Whilst I did
go and git married to a Jewel, I ain't forgittin' I was borned and bred
a McWhorter, and I'm here to tell you dat I'm still just de same--a
McWhorter."
BENJAMIN JOHNSON EX-SLAVE
Following is Benjamin Johnson's own account of some of his experiences
as a slave and of conditions on his plantation.
"On our plantation de white folks been feedin' de slaves off fat meat,
jowls, an' heads an' jaws. Dey kept all de meat out in de smoke house in
de back yard. In dis house dey kept de hams all hangin' up high an'
above dem dey kept de sausages and den above dem dey kept de finest hams
all trimmed an' everything. De slaves eat dat fat meat an' thought dat
dey wus eatin' pound cake. Come down to chicken--if you got it you stole
it when de white folks wus sleep at night an' den you had to be careful
an' bury all de feathers in de groun' 'cause if you burned 'em de white
folks would smell 'em. We boys in de fiel' used to be so hungry 'till we
didn't know what to do. De overseer would be settin' down under a tree
an' he would holler 'keep goin.' De sweat would be jes' running' off you
and sometimes you could smell one another.
"Dere wus a spring nearby an' when we would git to it we would fall down
an' drink fum de branch. De women would be plowin' an' hoein' grain an'
de spanish needles an' cockle burrs would be stickin' to dere dresses
fum dere knees to dere feet. Further down dere would be a man diggin' a
ditch. Every now an' den white folks would walk over to de ditch an' see
if it wus de same width all de way."
"You go off to see somebody at night--jes' like you an' me want to laff
an' talk--an' if dey ketch an' you ain't got no pass den dey gwine to
whup you. You be glad to git away too 'cause when dey hit you, you wus
hit. I wus down to ol' John Brady's place one night talkin' to a lady
an' ol' man Brady slipped up behin' me an' caught me in de collar an' he
say: "Whut you doin' over here?--I'm goin' to give you twenty-five
lashes" an' den he say to me: "come here". He wus jes' bout as tall as
I am an' when I got to 'im he say turn 'roun' and' I say to 'im dat I
ain't doin' nuthin' an' den he say: "dats whut I'm goin to whup you fer
'cause you ought to be home doin' sumpin'. 'Bout dat time when I stooped
over to take off my coat I caught 'im in his pants an' throwed 'im in a
puddle o' water an' den I lit out fer home. If you git home den dey
couldn't do nuthin' to you. He tried to chase me but he did'nt know de
way through de woods like I did an he fell in a gulley an' hurt his arm.
De next mornin' when I wus hitchin' up de boss man's horse I seed 'im
comin' an' I tol de boss dat he tried to whup me de night befo' an' den
de boss man say "did he have you?" I tol' 'im dat he did but dat I got
away. An' den de boss say: "He had you an' he did'nt have you--is dat
right?" Den he say "don't worry 'bout dat I can git you out of dat. If
he had you he shoulda whupped you an' dat woulda been his game but he
let you git away an' so dat wus yo' game." 'Bout dat time ol' man Brady
had done got dere an' he tol' de marster dat I wus on his place de night
befo' an' dat I got away an' when he tried to whup me an' de marster say
to him: "dat wus his game--if you had him you shoulda whupped 'im. Dats
de law. If you had whupped 'im dat woulda been yo' game, but you let 'im
git away an' so dat wus his game." Ol' man Brady's face turned so red
dat it looked like he wus gonna bus'.
"We worked in de fiel' every day an' way in de night we shucked an'
shelled corn. De cook done all de cookin'. When all of de marster's 75
slaves wus in de fiel' dey had two cooks to feed 'em. At twelve o'clock
de cooks would blow a horn at de stump in de yard back o' de cook house.
Even de hosses an' de mules knowed dat horn an' dey would'nt go a step
further. You had to take de mule out of de harness an' take 'im to de
spring an' water 'im an' den take 'im to de house where a colored man up
dere named Sam Johnson had all de feed ready fer de hosses. When you git
dere all de hosses go to dere own stalls where dere wus ten ears o' corn
an' one bundle o' fodder fer each hoss. While dem hosses is eatin' you
better be out dere eatin' yo' own. Sarah an' Annie, de cooks had a big
wooden tray wid de greens an' de meat all cut up on it an' you pass by
wid yo' tin pan an' dey put yo' meat all cut up on it along wid de
greens an' den you could eat anywhere you wanted to--on de stump or in
de big road if you wanted to. Sometimes some of 'ems meat would give out
or dere bread would give out an' den dey would say: "I'll give you a
piece of my bread for some or yo' meat or I'll give you some of my meat
for some of yo' bread". Some of 'em would have a big ol' ash cake an'
some of 'em would have jes' plain corn bread. Dere wus usually a big
skillet o' potatoes at de cook house an' when you eat an' drink yo'
water den you is ready to go back to work. Dey wus goin' to let you lay
down in de shade fer 'bout a hour but you would make de time up by
workin' till dark. Some of 'em worked so 'till dey back wus gone. Dey
could'nt even stand up straight.
"Sometimes ol' missus would come 'long an' she would be mad wid some of
de women an' she would want to go to whuppin' on 'em."
"Sometimes de women would'nt take it an' would run away an' hide in de
woods. Sometimes dey would come back after a short stay an' den again
dey would have to put de hounds on dere trail to bring dem back home. As
a general rule dere wus'nt much whuppin' on our plantation. 'Course if
you did'nt do what dey tol' you to do dey would take you out an' put yo'
hands round a pole an' tie you so yo' feet would jes' touch de groun'
an' den dey would go to work on you wid a cowhide. Everytime dey hit you
de blood would fly wid de whip."
"De clothes den wus'nt but ol' plain white cloth. Most of 'em wus
patched fum de legs to de waist. Some wus patched so till dey looked
like a quilt. Some of de women wore dese long striped cotton dresses an'
when dey would go in de fiel' de Spanish needles an' de burrs would
stick all over 'em. De only shoes dat you got wus red brogans. If you
got anything better it wus some dat de marster give you fer brushing off
his shoes at de house. You wus so proud whenever dey give you a pair o'
shoes or a ol' straw hat dat dey wus through wid at de house you went
back an' showed it to everybody an' you wus mighty proud too. I used to
drive my marster's hoss an' buggy fer 'im an' so I used to git a lotsa
stuff like dat."
"Ol' marster wus a judge an' his name wus Luke Johnson. His wife wus
named Betsy an' his sons wus named Jim, Tom, Will, an' Dorn. His
daughters wus Janie, Mary, Catherine, an' Lissie. He had 300 acres of
land an' 75 slaves."
"All de houses on de plantation 'cept ol' marster's wus built out o'
logs. Ol' marster lived in a fine house. Sometimes when one o' de slaves
had a chance to go inside his house all de rest of de slaves would be
waitin' outside fer you to come out. When you did come out dey would
say: "You been in de marster's house--how did it look in dere--whut did
you see?" Dey would tell 'em: "you ought to go in dere--it's so pretty".
Whenever you got a chance to go in dere you had done pulled off yo' hat
long' fore you got to de door.
"On Sunday we would take soot out of de chimney an' wet it an' den go
an' borrow de marster's shoe brush an' go an' brush our shoes. We wus
gittin' ready to go to church."
"At church all de white folks would sit in de front an' all de slaves
would sit in de back. De preacher would preach an' say: "Obey yo' master
an' yo' missus an' you will always do right. If you see eggs in de yard
take 'em to yo' marster or yo' missus an' put 'em at her feet. If you
don't do dis she will needle you well or break bark over yo' head an' de
bad man will git you."
"Sometimes dey would give us a dollar at Christmas time an' if somebody
did'nt take it fum us we would have it de nex' Christmas 'cause we
didn't have nuthin' to spend it fer."
"When de war broke out ol' marster enlisted an' he took me 'long to wait
on him an' to keep his clothes clean. I had plenty o' fun 'cause dere
wus'nt so very much work to do. I 'members seein' 'im fightin' in
Richmond an' Danville, Virginia. I had a good time jes' watchin' de
soldiers fightin'. I did'nt have to fight any at all. I used to stand in
de door of de tent an' watch 'em fight. It wus terrible--you could hear
de guns firin' an' see de soldiers fallin' right an' left. All you could
see wus men gittin' all shot up. One day I seed one soldier git his head
shot off fum his body. Others got arms an' legs shot off. An' all de
time all you could hear wus de guns goin'--bam, bam, bam--it wus
terrible to see an' hear. One mornin' as I wus standin' in de door of de
tent I had a dose of it. I wus leanin' against de side of de tent wid my
hand stretched out a load o' grape shot fum de guns hit me in de hand
an' de blood flew everywhere. I jes' hollered. It come pretty near
scareing me to death. After de doctor got it patched up (and he held the
hand up to exibit the scar) it wus as good as it every wus."
"After de war wus over ol' marster wus all shot up an' I had to take him
on back home. When we got dere all de slaves crowded 'roun me an' wanted
to know if dey wus gonna be freed or not an' when I tol' 'em dat de war
wus over an' dat dey wus free dey wus all very glad. After de war a
whole lots of 'em stayed on de plantation an' a whole lots of 'em left
as soon as dey could git away."
PLANTATION LIFE as viewed by Ex-Slave
GEORGIA JOHNSON
1537 W. Broad Street
Athens, Georgia
Written by: Grace McCune
Athens --
Edited by: Sarah H. Hall
Athens
Leila Harris
Augusta
GEORGIA JOHNSON
Ex-Slave--Age 74
Almost without exception the old Negroes who have given their
"ricollections" have had life stories centered around one plantation.
Unlike these Aunt Georgia Johnson, 74 years old, of Athens, Georgia,
moved about considerably during her childhood, lived in several states
and had many and varied experiences. After coming back home she is of
the opinion shared by all Georgians: "Dar's no place kin tetch Georgie."
"Ma's fust name was Myra. I don't 'member what her other name was. Atter
her white folkses had done died out up in Maryland, her Pa, her brudder
and sister was sold off up dar, and a man named Jim Grisham brung de
rest of de slaves from dat plantation down to Lexin'ton, Georgie to sell
'em. Marse Duncan Allen bought my Ma and her Mammy dar at de sale in
Lexin'ton and tuk 'em to his big old plantation in South Callina.
"Ma said her didn't never see no hog meat 'til she come to dis country.
Her said dey et all sorts of fishes; just went to de beach and got
crabs, oysters, and swimp (shrimp) wid de hulls still on 'em, but when
her done et some hog meat at Marster's plantation, her said hit sho' was
good. Marse Duncan Allen give my Ma to his gal, Mist'ess Laura, for her
maid. My Pa, he was Charlie Allen; he b'longed to Marse Duncan Allen
too. When Mist'ess Laura done went and married Marse Blackwell of
E'berton, Georgie, Marse Duncan give 'em my Pa for a weddin' present and
dey fetched my Ma and Pa wid 'em to live in E'berton, Georgie. Atter dey
got moved and settled, my Ma and Pa dey got married. Ma, her wukked in
de big house and done most of de cookin'. Pa driv' de carriage for de
white folks. Marster and Mist'ess was powerful good to deir slaves.
Marster, he run a big store at E'berton, and 'sides dat he had a big
plantation and a heap of Niggers too.
"On de plantation dey had big gyardens whar dey raised heaps of
cabbages, potatoes, colla'd greens, turnip sallet, onions, peas,
rutabagas, and pun'kins and sech lak. Dey raised plenty of chickens,
tukkeys, hogs, cows and sheep, and dey wove good wool cloth on de
plantation looms out of de wool f'um dem dar sheep.
"Slave quarters was just one room log cabins what was built so de
corners come together to big old chimneys. Yessum, I 'members dey just
had one big chimney to evvy four cabins. Dey cooked on de fireplace and
had pot racks for to hang de pots on, and ovens to bake in. Us sho'
could do 'way wid a heap of sweet 'tatoes what had done been roasted in
de ashes. Cabins was planked up on de inside and de outside was daubed
wid mud in de cracks to keep out de wind and rain. Our home-made beds,
nailed to de side of de cabins, had ticks filled wid wheat straw. White
folks had nice corded beds. Ma said hit was lots of trouble to keep dem
cords tight. Dey had hooks for to draw 'em up tight and den peg 'em down
wid wooden pegs.
"Marster allus give his Niggers passes on Sundays so as dem paddyroller
folks wouldn't ketch 'em and beat 'em up, if dey went off de plantation.
Niggers went to de white folks church and listened to white preachers.
When Ma jined de church, dey had to break de ice in Beaver Dam Crick to
baptize her. Her was so happy and shouted so loud, dey had to drag her
out of de crick and take her way back in de woods to keep her from
'sturbin' de rest of de folks at de baptizin'.
"I was borned in de last year of de War so I don't have no sho' 'nough
ricollections 'bout dem hard times what old folks says dey had dem days.
Atter de War was over, us all stayed on wid Marster for a long time.
Mist'ess was moughty good to us chillun. Us played wid de white chillun,
and one day Mist'ess cotch us all a-fightin', and her switched us all,
but it didn't hurt. Marster used to git my sister to shout for him. I
kin just see her now, a-twistin' and jumpin' and hollerin' for all de
world lak grown-up Niggers done at meetin's and baptizin's, 'til she
done fell out. Den Marster, he say, 'Take her to de kitchen and feed her
good.'
"Pa and Marster had a fallin' out, 'cause Marster wouldn't have no
settlement wid 'im. He just wouldn't give my Pa no money. Marster said
us younguns still b'longed to 'im and dat us had evvything us needed,
and could git anything us wanted at his store and he thought he had done
'nough for us. But my Pa said he didn't wanter take up evvything he
wukked for in trade, 'cause he would lak to have some money too.