Fannie Jones lives in a ramshackle, two-story, rooming house near the
banks of the Savannah River. She is an old Negress with iron gray hair
and a gingercake complexion. Her ill-fitting old dress was none too
clean, and her bare feet exposed toe nails almost a half-inch long.
Fannie apparently hadn't a tooth in her head, but she was munching some
bread.
The old Negress thought the purpose of the visit was to see about an old
age pension for her, and she was very much disappointed when she learned
the real reason; however, she invited her visitor into a bedroom. This
place was much too dark, and the interview finally took place on the
back porch where an old cat was made to get out of the only chair.
Fannie settled herself on the doorsteps, while the visitor fanned flies
and gnats with one hand and took notes with the other.
"I was born on Marse Jim Dubose's plantation 'bout de year 1853," she
began. "My Marster and Mistiss was de overseer and his wife. You see,
honey, I was born in de overseer's house. When my Ma was 12 year old she
was give to de overseer's wife, Miss Becky Ann, when she married. My
Marster was named Jesse Durden. I never did see Marse Jim Dubose's house
nor none of de slave quarters, and I don't know nothin' 'bout dem or
none of his Niggers. I jus' stayed in de house and waited on Marster
and Mistiss. I cleaned up de house, made de beds, churned for Mistiss,
and made fires for Marster. My Ma, she cooked for Marster and Mistiss,
cleaned up de house, and waited on Mistiss 'cause she was a invalid.
"Marse Jim Dubose's plantation covered thousands of acres, and he owned
hundreds of slaves. You see, my Marster was de man what handled all of
dese here Niggers. Evvy mornin' Marster Jesse would git up and go out
and blow his horn, dat was de way he called de Niggers to de fields.
"De overseer's house was a one-story buildin' and it was furnished in de
old time stuff. De beds was teestered and had slats to hold de
mattresses. When Marster would come in from de fields he would be so
tired he never did go nowhar. Sometimes I would say to him, 'I'se cold,'
and he would say, 'Nig, you jus' crawl up on de foot of my bed and git
warm.' He would say 'Nig, what you want for supper?' and I would say, 'I
wants some bread and milk and a little syrup.' He give me anything dat I
wanted to eat, and us had good things to eat. Us had chickens, hogs, and
good milk cows. I kin see de big bowls of milk now dat us used to have.
Us made a heap of butter and sont it to Augusta onct a month and sold it
for 25¢ a pound.
"Atter freedom come, Marster said to me and Ma, 'you all is free now to
go wharever you wants to.' Ma, she wanted to go, but I jus' cried and
cried 'cause I didn't want to leave Marster and Mistiss; dey was too
good to me. So Ma tuk me and us went to her grandma's down at Barnett.
Us stayed dar awhile, den us lef' and went to Thomson. Us stayed at dat
place a long time, and I was married dar to a man by de name of
Claiborne Jones. Us had 'leven chillun, but dey is all daid now 'cept
two. I lives here wid one of my daughters.
"My husband b'longed to Marse John Wilson. Durin' de war Marse John wuz
a captain, and he tuk my husband 'long to cook and to wait on him. He
said one night de Yankees was atter 'em and him and Marse John jumped in
a big ditch. Later in de night it rained and dey couldn't git out of de
ditch, so de rest of Marse John's company lef' 'em alone. De next
mornin' when dey got out of de ditch, dey didn't know which way dey had
went, but Marse John got a hoss and dey got on and rid 'til dey caught
up wid de company.
"At Christmas dey give us anything dat us wanted. Dey give me dolls,
candy, fruit and evvything. Mistiss used to git a book and say, 'Nig,
come here and let me larn you how to read.' I didn't pay no 'tention to
her den, but now I sho' does wish I had. My Mistiss didn't have but one
chile, Miss Cornelia."
At this moment Fannie, tired of sitting on the doorsteps, abandoned the
back porch for her room. The place was very untidy, but she explained
this by saying that she was not able to clean it up. On one side of the
room hung a picture of the =Sacred Heart= and on another a reproduction of
the =Lord's Supper=. An enlarged family portrait decorated the front
wall. The symbolic pictures aroused curiosity as to whether Fannie was a
church member. She answered questions on the subject by saying "Yes
honey, I joined de Mount Pleasant Baptist Church 58 years ago and wuz
baptized by Brother Mike Wilson." When she was asked to sing, the cracked
voice broke into this song:
"I am a Baptist born,
And my shoes cried,
And my eyes batted,
And when I'm gone
Dere is a Baptist gone."
Fannie was now completely tired out, but when her visitor arose to
leave, she sang out cordially: "Honey, God bless you; goodbye."
Alberta Minor
[HW: over 100 years old]
Rastus Jones, Ex-slave
Place of Birth: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Date of Birth: Apparently, between 1825 and 1830
Present residence: Near Vaugn, Georgia
On Farm of Mr. W.M. Parker
Interviewed: August 18, 1936
Rastus Jones, born the slave property of Mr. Sidney Jones, a North
Carolina planter, is a very old man, probably between 107 and 110 years
of age. His earliest memory is that of the "Falling Stars," the most
brilliant display, perhaps, of the Leonids ever recorded, that of
November 12-13, 1833, which establishes his age as being in excess of
103 years.
"Uncle" Rastus states that the Joneses were good to their slaves--gave
them clothing each spring and fall, issued them shoes as needed, fed
them well, and furnished them medical attention when ill.
The Negro children and white children played together and the life of
the slave was usually happy and care-free. At Christmas time, the slaves
were always remembered by their masters with gifts.
The Jones family owned about twenty-five Negroes and, some years prior
to the Civil war, moved to DeSoto County, Mississippi, taking their
slaves with them, all making the trip in wagons. In both North Carolina
and Mississippi, it was a custom of Mr. Jones to give each deserving,
adult Negro slave an acre or two of land to work for himself and reap
any profits derived therefrom.
While living in Mississippi, Rastus ran off with a crowd "o' Niggers"
and joined the Federal forces at Memphis. During the siege of Vicksburg,
he was employed as cook in General Grant's Army, and later marched east
with the Yankees. Subsequently, he seems to have become attached to
Sherman's forces. Near Marietta, Georgia, in July or August, 1864, he
was captured by the Confederates under General Hood, who confined him in
prison at--or near--Macon until the close of the war. After his release,
in May, 1865, he had "a pretty hard time of it" for several years. Still
later, he came to Spalding County and hired out to Mr. Jones Bridges. He
remained with Mr. Bridges for seven years, then went to work for, and
farming with, the Parker family, with whom he has since remained.
He is the Father of fourteen children and has a large number of grand
and great-grandchildren.
For a man of his years, "Uncle" Rastus is well preserved mentally and
physically. He is a widower and now lives with a daughter, the only one
of his children that he knows the whereabouts of.