every word dat I gwine to tell you. Folks fergits dat when dey talks
real often sometimes, don't dey? I put my hand on any 'flux' man or
woman and removes de pain, if dey have faith in my hand. I don't tell
nothing but de truth. I was born on Gist Briggs' plantation in Union
County, in de lower section of Cross Keys. Marse Sexton and all dem good
folks in lower Keys says dat I sho is 88. Give my name right flat, it's
George Briggs; giving it round, it like dis, George McDuffie Briggs. My
papa's name was Ike Wilburn, and my mother's name was Margaret Briggs.
Pa 'longed to Marse Lige Wilburn. Mama 'longed to Jesse (Black Jesse)
Briggs. Dey both born and raised in Union County. Dese was my brothers
and sisters, coming in de order dey was born to my parents in: Charlie,
Dave, Aaron, Tom, Noah, Charlotte, Polly, Fannie, Mattie, Horace,
Cassie. I'm de oldest, and Cassie and me lives in Union County. Fannie
and Mattie lives in Asheville, and de rest is done journeyed to de
Promise Land. Yes Lawd, to de Promise Land.
"Marse and Missus was good to us all. Missus name was Nancy. She die
early and her grave is in Cross Keys at de Briggs graveyard. Be still!
Lemme git my mind together so dat I don't git mixed up and can git you
de Briggses together. Here 'tis: Cheney and Lucindy, Lucindy married a
Floyd from Spartanburg, and de Floyds lived at de Burn't factory. Cheney
Briggs had a son, Henry Briggs.
"Not so fast, fer I'se gwine to start way back, dat time when us was
lil' darky boys way back in slavery. We started to work wid de marster's
mules and hosses. When us was real little, we played hoss. Befo' Cheney
Briggs went to Arkansas he was our play hoss. His brother, Henry, was de
wagoner and I was de mule. Henry was little and he rid our backs
sometimes. Henry rid old man Sam, sometimes, and old man Sam jes' holler
and haw haw at us chilluns. Dis was in sech early childhood dat it is
not so I can 'zactly map out de exact age us was den; anyway, from dis
we rid de gentle hosses and mules and larn't how to feed dem. Every word
dat I tells you is de truth, and I is got to meet dat word somewhars
else; and fer dat reason, de truth is all dat dis old man ever tells.
"In dat day we lived in a log cabin or house. Sometimes us never had
nothing to do. Our house had only one room, but some of de houses had
two rooms. Our'n had a winder, a do', and a common fireplace. Now dey
makes a fireplace to scare de wood away. In old days dey made fireplaces
to take care of de chilluns in de cold weather. It warm de whole house,
'cause it was so big and dar was plenty wood. Wood wasn't no problem
den, and it ain't no problem yet out in de lower Keys. In town it is,
and I ain't guessing. I done seed so.
"I sho can histronize de Confederates. I come along wid de Secession
flag and de musterings. I careful to live at home and please de Marse.
In de war, I'se mo' dan careful and I stick close to him and please him,
and he mo' dan good. Us did not git mobbed up like lots of dem did.
"When Tice Myers' chilluns was born, he had a house built wid a
up-stairs. But never no stage coach stopped dar as I ever heard tell
about, and I done saw 75 years at Padgett's Creek.
"Way 'tis, from de bundle of de heart, de tongue speaketh. Been in
service reg'lar since Monday. I went to Neal Greege's house but she
wasn't dar. I is speaking 'bout Ria (Maria Rice). She done gone to town.
At de highway, de Lawd prepared a friend to carry me to Union, and when
I got dar I take and lay hands on Ria Rice, she laying down and
suffering, and I sot down and laid my hand on her. We never say nothing,
jes' pray. She be real quiet, and atter while, she riz up and take a
breath. She kept on a setting up fer so long dat her husband make her
lay back down fer fear dat she git worser. I stay dar all through de
night and she sleep sound and wake up dis morning feeling like a new
woman.
"Befo' breakfast, here is de words of praise I lifted to de Lawd, over
dar on Tosch. You set down de coser (chorus): 'First to de graveyard;
den to de Jedgement bar!' Is you got dat verser (verses)? Den git dis:
'All de deacons got to go; all de members got to go; all de sinners got
to go.' Mo' 'longs to it, but dat's all I takes when I is praising Him
fer relieving pain through me. (He sings each line five times. He takes
off his hat; bows; holds his hands over his head, and closes his eyes
while singing. His hair is snow white.)
"Lawd, help me dis morning! Here's another first line to one of our
songs: 'All dem preachers got to go'.
"Nehemiah, when he wid de king, de king axed him to reveal de wall whar
his father was buried. Nehemiah did what de king had done axed him. I
'tends Galilee Baptist church in lower Cross Keys; and at Sedalia, I
goes to New Hope Methodist church, but I don't know nothing else but
Baptist. We peoples is barrence (barren of the Holy Spirit), but not
God; He, Hisself, is born of God, and all is of de same source and by
dat I means de Spirit. All has to be born of de Spirit to become
chilluns of God. Romans, Chap. 6, 'lows something like dis: 'He dat is
dead in sin, how is it dat he can continue in sin?' Dat tell us dat
every man, white or black, is de child of God. And it is Christ dat is
buried in baptism, and we shall be buried in like manner. If Christ did
not rise, den our preaching is in vain. And if we is not born agin, why
den we is lost and our preaching is in vain.
"In picking up de New Testament, consider all dat you hear me arguing
and saying is from a gift and not from edication. Romans 6, 'lows:
'Speak plain words, not round words, kaise all de round words is fer dem
dat is edicated.' Jacob had twelve sons. Dey went and bundled up deir
wheat, and eleven bundles bowed to de one. Dat Joseph's bundle what he
done up. Other brothers up and got and sold Joseph into captivity to de
Egyptians. Dat throw'd Jacob to send Reuben to Egypt. Den dey bowed to
Jacob and his sons. It run on and on till dey all had to go to Egypt,
and all of dem had to live under Joseph.
"When I was a little shaver and come to myself. I was sleeping in a
corded bed. (He scratched his head) I jes' studying fer a minute; can't
'zactly identify my grandpa, but I can identify my grandma. We all
raised on de same place together. She name Cindy Briggs, but dey call
her Cina kaise dar was so many Cindys 'round dar. One thing I does
'member 'bout her, if she tote me, she sho to whip me. I was raised
strict.
"All my life I is stayed in de fur (far) end of Union County whar it
borders Laurens, wid de Enoree dividing de two counties. It is right dar
dat I is plowed and hoed and raised my craps fer de past 75 years, I
reckons. Lawd have mercy! No, I doesn't recalls de names of none of dem
mules. Dat's so fur back dat I is jes' done forgot, dat's all. But I
does recall 'fur back' things de best, sometimes. Listen good now. When
I got big and couldn't play 'round at chillun's doings, I started to
platting cornshucks and things fer making hoss and mule collars, and
scouring-brooms and shoulder-mats. I cut hickory poles and make handles
out of dem fer de brooms. Marse had hides tanned, and us make buggy
whips, wagon whips, shoe strings, saddle strings and sech as dat out of
our home-tanned leather. All de galluses dat was wo' in dem days was
made by de darkies.
"White oak and hickory was split to cure, and we made fish baskets, feed
baskets, wood baskets, sewing baskets and all kinds of baskets fer de
Missus. All de chair bottoms of straight chairs was made from white oak
splits, and de straight chairs was made in de shop. You made a scouring
brush like dis: (He put his hands together to show how the splits were
held) By splitting a width of narrow splits, keep on till you lay a
entire layer of splits; turn dis way; den dat way, and den bind together
and dat hold dem like you want dem to stay. Last, you work in a pole as
long as you want it fer de handle, and bind it tight and tie wid de
purtiest knots.
"I git money fer platting galluses and making boot strings and other
little things. Allus first, I desires to be well qualified wid what I
does. I is gwine to be qualified wid everything dat I does, iffen I does
it fer money or no. Dat's de reason white people has allus give me words
of encouragement.
"Now I gwine to sing a song fer Miss Polly, kaise she de grand-daughter
of de late Sheriff Long, and I goes to see her grandma at de Keys (Cross
Keys House). Dar she come now.
"How is you dis morning, Miss Polly? De Lawd sho does shower you, Miss
Polly, and dat's de reason I is gwine to sing fer you dis morning.
You'll be able to tell Mr. Jimmie (her father) dat Uncle George sing fer
you, 'Jesus Listening All De Day Long'.
"Jesus listening all de day long to hear some sinner pray.
De winding sheet to wrop (wrap) dis body in,
De coffin to hold you fast;
Pass through death's iron do'.
Come ye dat love de Lawd and let your joy be know'd;
Dis iron gate you must pass through, if you gwine to be
Born agin."
He sang these lines over three times and then bowing, said: "Ain't it
glory dat we can live whar de Lawd can use us? Dat's power. A strong man
entereth in; a weak man cometh out. Dat represent Christ gwine into your
heart.
"Sho I can remember when dey had de mustering grounds at de Keys. Dar
day mustered and den dey turn't in and practiced drilling dem soldiers
till dey larn't how to march and to shoot de Yankees. Drilling, dat's de
proper word, not practice, I knows, if I ain't ed'icated. Dey signed me
to go to de 16th regiment, but I never reached de North. When us got to
Charleston, us turn't around and de bosses fetched us right back to
Union through Columbia. Us heard dat Sherman was coming, fetching fire
along 'hind him.
"Don't know nothing 'bout no militia to make no statement, but it went
on and turn't back. Another regiment had a barbecue somewhars in Union
County befo' it went off to war; might a been de 18th regiment, but I
does not feel dat I can state on dat.
"My soul reaches from God's foot-stool up to his heavenly home. I can
histronize de poor white folks' wives and chilluns enduring de time of
de Civil War fer you. When dese poor white men went to de war, dey left
deir little chillun and deir wives in de hands of de darkies dat was
kind and de rich wives of our marsters to care fer. Us took de best care
of dem poor white dat us could under de circumstances dat prevailed.
"We was sont to Sullivan's Island, but befo' we reached it, de Yankees
done got it and we won't 'lowed to cross in '64. But jes' de same, we
was in service till dey give Capt. Franklin Bailey 'mission to fetch us
home. Dar we had to git 'mission fer everything, jes' as us niggers had
to git 'mission to leave our marster's place at home in Union County.
Capt. Bailey come on back to Cross Keys wid us under his protection, and
we was under it fer de longest time atter we done got home.
"Fer 65 years I been licensed as a preacher, and fer longer dan dat I
been a member of Padgett's Creek Baptist church. Mo' work I does, mo'
work I has to do. You know how to pray. Well, you does not know how to
make polish out of pinders.
"I ain't ed'icated yet, but even Lige what teaches school out to de Keys
(de big black school), dat big black buck dat teaches de chilluns deir
'rithmetic; even he couldn't do dis here one. A heap of ed'icated folks
can't give it. Here it is: 'What's de biggest figger in de figger ten?'"
With his old black, rough and gnarled forefinger he drew on the table
the figure 1. "Now you see dat? Dat's de figger 1. A naught ain't
nothing by itself or multiplied by other naughts; but set it down in
front of de figger 1, and it takes on de value 9. Dar you is got
ten--one and nine is ten. Dat naught becomes something. I is old, and I
ain't had narry bit of schooling, but I likes to be close to de orchard,
and I knows it's dar by de smell of it. Dat's de way I is when I gits
along side ed'icated folks--I knows dat dey is.
"It's like dat sum dem scholars couldn't git; standing alone dat naught
ain't worth nothing, but set it up against dat which is of value and it
takes on value. Set a naught ag'inst dat which is one and you has ten;
set up another naught dar and you has a hundred. Now if somebody was to
give me a note worth $10, and I found room to add another naught along
side of de first; den dem two naughts what ain't worth nothing by
deirselves gives de note de value of $99 if dey is sot along wid de one.
Ed'icated folks calls dat raising de note. I is ig'nant and I calls dat
robbery. And dat's like you and me. We is naughts and Christ is de
_One_, and we ain't nothing till we carries de Spirit of de Lawd along
wid us.
"On de pathway of life, may you allus keep Christ in front of you and
you will never go wrong. De Lawd will den see fit to give you a soul dat
will reach from His foot-stool here on earth to His dwelling place on
high." He ended with a deep sob and good-bye.
Source: George Briggs (88), Union, S. C. RFD 2.
Interviewer: Caldwell Sims, Union, S. C. 6/9/37.
Project 1885-1
FOLKLORE
Spartanburg Dist. 4
July 20, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage
STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES
"Some white men called in question today about de reigning governor
enduring time of de Civil War. I knowed dat, and 'cides dat, I knowed
him well. It was Governor 'Bill' as us called him.
"What you want to git, is history about muster grounds. Yes, it was on
Jones Ferry Road, jest south of Cross Keys whar dey had what dey allus
called de muster field. Now, Jones Ferry Road leads across Enoree River
into Laurens County. Enoree River is de thing dat devides Union County
from Laurens County, dat it is.
"Well as I remember, Mr. Bill Ray was in de mustering of de 18th
Regiment. Billy, Robert, Sara and Miss Nancy was Mr. Alex's chilluns.
Understand me, don't think dat Bob and Sam was in de Regiment ...
satisfied Billy was, kaise he used to pass our house on horse back,
coming from de Laurens side where he lived.
"Sixteen-year-old boys come in de same time dat I did. Course I ain't
told all dat I knows, kaise dat wouldn't be proper. All I tell you, I
wants it to be recognized. De better it's done, de better it'll help
you.
"I goes from home and stays five days or more, and don't nothing happen
to a thing at my home. I does fer de sick and de Lawd blesses me. He
looks atter my things while I am away. He soon shows his presence atter
I gits dar. He calls fer me and I feeds Him.
"Once had 26 biles (boils). Dat make me consider my disobedience against
de Lawd. Den I went to Him in prayer. He told me Satan done got ahead of
Him. Dat show me dat I done forgot to be particular. I got mo' 'ticular
and pray mo' often, and in six weeks my biles had done all gone.
"Dar is times when I gits lost fer not knowing. I can't keep up, kaise I
cannot read. Man in Sunday school reads and I hears. He read de olden
Testament; den he read de new Testament. Dat my schooling. I 'clar unto
you, I got by all my life by praying and thinking. I sho does think a
lot. ('Uncle' George's facial and scalp muscles work so when he thinks,
that his straw hat moves up and down.)
"When good man prays fer bad man, de Holy Ghost works on bad man's
consciousness, and afo' he knows it, he's a-saying 'Lawd have Mercy'
'stead of 'G'dam', like all wicked folks says every day. He--dat de Holy
Ghost dat I still is speaking of--jest penetrates de wicked man's
consciousness widout him a-knowing it. Dat penetrating make de bad man
say, 'Lawd have Mercy.' I hoes and I cuts sprouts, and den I plows. When
you plows, mules is allus so aggravating dat dey gits you all ruffled
up. Dat de devil a-working at you. Dat's all old mules is anyhow. I does
not cuss, nohow, kaise it sho am wicked and I is had de Holy Spirit in
my soul, now gone sixty-five years, since I jined Padgett Creek Church.
When my old mule gits to de row's end, and he act mulish--kaise dat's in
him and he don't know nothing else to do--I means to say either 'ha' or
'gee', and often since I jined Padgett Creek Church I finds myself
saying 'Lawd have Mercy' 'stead of 'gee' or 'ha'. So you see dat de Lawd
has command, whar-so-ever if I was wicked, Satan would.
"A child fo God allus will agree wid de Word of God. We mens dat claim
to be leaders in de Kingdom, got to step up and sho folks what dey must
do. Man learns right smart from Exodus 'bout how to lead. A male child
was born to rule de world. Moses still de strongest impression dat we
has as rulers. God gits Hisself into de heads of men dat he wants to
rule and He don't tell nobody else nothing 'bout it neither.
"Mr. Roosevelt de president and he sho looks atter de po' folks. He
ain't no ig'nant man neither, kaise he got de light. Folks ain't a-gwine
to drown him out neither wid dere wicked words 'gainst him, kaise he
strive in de Lawd's name to do His will. Mr. Roosevelt got learning like
I is from de throne of God. He may have education also, but if he is, he
sho knows how to keep dem both jined together. Folks reads to me how he
got crippled and how he washed in dem springs in Georgia, and dat keep
him a-gwine right on anyhow. It ain't dem springs by deself, but it's
God a dipping his hand down dar fer de President to git well. Oh yes,
suh, I knows dat he twan't de president when he was a-washing, but dem
de plans dat de Lawd had done already planned and you and me never
know'd nothing 'bout all dat. You and me does not know what is planned
up in sto' fer us in de future neither.
"I is a Baptist, and at Padgett's Creek we does not believe in no
back-sliding. 'Once in de Spirit, allus in de Spirit'. A child of your'n
is allus a child of your'n. Dat de way de Baptist teach--once a child of
God, allus God's child. T'ain't no sech thing as drapping back. If you
draps back, you ain't never been no child of de Lawd, and you never had
no business being baptized. Christ was baptized in de waters of Jordan,
won't (weren't) He? Well, He never drapped back, did He? He say we must
follow in His footsteps, didn't He? Well, dar you is, and dat's all dar
is to it.
"God gits in de heads of men to help de aged and de po' also. I never
axes fer nothing, but when I sets around de courthouse and informs men
as I been doing dis evening, de Lawd has dem to drap a nickle or a dime
or a quarter in my hand but He never gits dem to a half of a dollar."
Source: George Briggs, (88) Rt. 2, Union, S. C.
Interviewer: Caldwell Sims, Union, S. C. (7/12/37)
Project 1885-1
FOLKLORE
Spartanburg Dist. 4
July 12, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage
STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES
"What-so-ever I can find! I traveling dat way over 73 years. If he ax de
Lawd and have faith, he ken do; and iffen he don't have no faith, by den
he can't. When a man comes along dat wants his own way, and he won't pay
no attention to de Lawd, by den de Lawd don't pay him no mind; and so
dat man jest keeps a-gwine on wid his way and he don't never reach de
Cross. Jesus say, 'deny yourself, pick up de Cross and follow Me.'
"I see a man in de courthouse dis morning, and he was like Nicodemus.
Why dat man want to be resto'd back like he was when he was jest 21
years old. I seed him setting down dar in Mr. Perrin's office, and I
knowed his troubles when he 'low dat he done been to every doctor in
town. De trouble was, he never had no faith in de doctors and nobody
else. How could he have faith in Jesus when he never had none in nothing
else? Brother, you has to have faith in your fellowman befo' you has
faith in de Lawd. I don't know how come, but dat's de way it is. My plan
is working by faith. Jesus say, 'Work widout faith ain't nothing; but
work wid faith'll move mountains'.
"Dat man told me he gwine give me a hundred dollars if I rid him of
misery. Dat show he never know nothing 'bout faith.
"If Mr. Emslie Nicholson ax me to rid him of a misery, I couldn't take
no money from him, and he de richest man in all Union County. Mr.
Nicholson would know better dan to offer me money, kaise he has faith.
You know he's a good 'Presmuterian' (Presbyterian).
"Dey looks at de back of my head, and de hair on it ain't rubbed against
no college and fer dat reason dese young negroes don't want me to
preach. Dey wants to hear dat man preach dat can read. Man dat can read
can't understand less'n some divine man guide him. I speak as my Teacher
gives it to me, dat's de Lawd. In so doing, I testify de word dat no man
can condemn. Dat is my plan of Salvation: to work by faith widout price
or purse, as de Lawd, my Teacher has taught me.
"Dar was no church on our plantation when I was a boy. All de Baptists
went to Padgett's Creek, and all de Methodist went to Quaker Church and
Belmont. Padgett's Creek had a section in de back of de church fer de
slaves to sit. Quaker Church and Belmont both had slaves' galleries. Dar
is a big book at Padgetts wid three pages of slaves' names that was
members. Mr. Claude Sparks read it to me last year. All de darky members
dead, but one, dat's me.
"Nobody never read de Bible to me when I was little. It jest a gift of
God dat teached to me through de Holy Ghost. It's de Spirit of de One in
Three dat gits into you, and dat's de Holy Ghost or de Holy Spirit dat
gives me my enlightment.
"If I can git to de do' of Padgett's Creek Church, I can jest feel de
Power of God. ('Uncle' George pats his foot and softly cries at this
point, and his face takes on a calm and peaceful expression.)
"If you eats befo' you gits hongry, you never will feast on dead air. I
makes it a practice to feed my soul and body befo' dey gits hongry. Even
I does eat by myself, dis old man take off his hat and ax de Lawd to
bless his soul and body in nourishment fer de future.
"I ain't never seed Mr. Lincoln, but from what I learn't dey said dat
God had placed in him de revelation to give de plan dat he had fer every
man. Dat plan fer every man to worship under his own vine and fig tree.
From dat, we should of liked Mr. Lincoln.
"Dis here 'Dick Look-Up'. No sir, I don't know him, kaise I caught his
name since I come on dis side of de river. Mr. Perrin knows him, and I
heard him say dat every time anybody ax him how old he is, he add on ten
years. Dat's how come dey got in de paper he a hundred and twenty-five
years old. Now me and Mr. Perrin doesn't speak unless we is obleeged to
know dat what we is gwine to say is de truth. Us is careful, kaise us
knows dat de Lawd am looking down from his throne, and dat He is
checking every word dat we says. Some folks does not recall dat fact
when dey speaks, or dey would be careful.
"I'll say it slow so dat you can catch it; I start in time of de
Confederate War. Wid dirt dug up out of de smokehouse, water was run
through it so us could get salt fer bread. Hickory wood ashes was used
fer soda. If we didn't have no hickory wood, we burnt red corn cobs; and
de ashes from dem was used fer cooking soda.
"Molasses was made from watermelons in time of de war. Dey was also made
from May-apples or may-pops as some call dem, and sometimes dey was made
from persimmons and from wheat brand. In Confederate days, Irish potato
tops was cooked fer vegetables. Blackberry leaves was ocassionally used
fer greens or fer seasoning lambs quarters.
"Dis way watermelon was done: Soak watermelon twenty and four hours to
de'self; strain off all juice and put on fire to bile. When dey thickens
dey bees good. Yes sir, good, good.
"Wid may-pops: peel de outside green off, den bust 'em open and mash up
together; strain juice off and cook thick.
"'Simmons and wheat bran are mashed up together and baked in water. Let
set twenty and four hours and cook down to molasses. Dat winds up dat
part of it.
"Git plums and blackberries and de like of dat and make up in Jelly, or
can fer scarce times, dat's de way we done den and folks does dat yet.
Dese is some of de particularest things of de Confederate times dat I
come back from Sedalia to give you, dat's right. (This old negro, who
had already been interviewed by the writer, came a long way and
looked-up the author to tell him some incidents which he had forgotten
to tell in the first interview.) Some customs is done went by now, but
dey was practiced in Sedalia, and as to whar dem was done fer off as
Spartanburg, I cannot say.
"In Confederate time, all wimmens stayed close home and carded and spun
all de day long. Dey wove all dere own clothes. Men at home, old men,
made leather shoes and shoe strings and belts and galloses.
"Our darkies tried hard to be obedient to our master so dat we might
obtain (keep) our pleasant home. Obedience makes it better dan
sacrifice. I restes my mind dar."
Source: George Briggs (88), Rt. 2, Union, S. C.
Interviewed by: Caldwell Sims, Union, S. C. (7/7/37)
Code No.
Project, 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S. C.
Date, January 27, 1938
No. Words ----
Reduced from ---- words
Rewritten by ----
JOSEPHINE BRISTOW
Ex-Slave, 73 Years