went 'long wid de Ku Kluxes. His young mistress, Miss Harriet Cameron,
marry de Grand Titan of all de Holy invisible Roman Empire. Him name was
Col. Leroy McAfee. Pappy tell me all 'bout it. Marse Col. McAfee come
down from North Ca'lina, and see Marse Feaster Cameron at old Marse
Gregg Cameron's home and want Marse Feaster to take charge down in dis
State. While on dat visit him fall in love wid Marse Feas's sister,
Harriet, and marry her. You say Marse Tom Dixon dedicate a book to her,
de Clansman? Well, well, well! To think of dat. Wish my pappy could a
knowed dat, de Sundays he'd take dat long walk to Concord Church to put
flowers on her grave. They all lie dere in dat graveyard, Old Marse
Gregg, Marse Leroy, Miss Harriet, and Marse Feas. De day they bury Marse
Feas de whole county was dere and both men and women sob when de red
earth rumbled on his coffin top. Pappy had me by de hand and cried lak a
baby, wid de rest of them, dat sad day.
"Does you 'member de time in 1884, when my pappy made you a pair of
boots for $10.00 and when you pay him, him knock off one dollar and you
pay him nine dollars? You does? Well dat is fine, for I sure need dat
dollar dis very day.
"Does I 'member de day old Marse Gregg die? 'Course I does. It happen
right here in Winnsboro. Him come down to 'tend John Robinson's Circus.
Him lak Scotch liquor; de tar smell, de taste, and de 'fect, take him
back to Scotland where him generate from. Them was bar-room days in
Winnsboro. De two hotels had bar-rooms, besides de other nine in town.
Marse Gregg had just finished his drink of Scotch. De parade of de
circus was passing de hotel where he was, and de steam piano come by a
tootin'. Marse Gregg jump up to go to de street to see it. When it pass,
him say: 'It's a damn humbug' and drop dead."
Project #1855
W. W. Dixon
Winnsboro, S. C.
THOMAS CAMPBELL
EX-SLAVE 82 YEARS OLD.
"Good mornin' Marster Wood! Marster Donan McCants and Marster Wardlaw
McCants both been tellin' me dat how you wants to see me but I's been so
poorly and down at de heels, in my way of feelin', dat I just ain't of a
mind or disposition to walk up dere to de town clock, where they say you
want me to come. Take dis bench seat under de honey suckle vine. It
shade you from de sun. It sho' is hot! I's surprise dat you take de walk
down here to see a onery old man lak me.
"Yes sir, I was born, 'cordin' to de writin' in de Book, de 15th day of
March, 1855, in de Horeb section of Fairfield District, a slave of old
Marster John Kennedy. How it was, I don't know. Things is a little mixed
in my mind. Fust thing I 'members, and dreams 'bout sometimes yet, is
bein' in Charleston, standin' on de battery, seein' a big ocean of
water, wid ships and their white sails all 'bout, de waves leapin' and
gleamin' 'bout de flanks of de ships in de bright sunshine, thousands of
white birds flyin' 'round and sometimes lighting on de water. My mammy,
her name Chanie, was a holdin' my hand and her other hand was on de
handle of a baby carriage and in dat carriage was one of de Logan
chillun. Whether us b'long to de Logans or whether us was just hired out
to them I's unable to 'member dat. De slaves called him Marster Tom. Us
come back to Fairfield in my fust childhood, to de Kennedy's.
"Marster John Kennedy raise more niggers than he have use for; sometime
he sell them, sometime he hire them out. Him sell mammy and me to
Marster James B. McCants and I been in de McCants family ever since,
bless God!
"Marse James was a great lawyer in his day. I was his house boy and
office boy. When I get older I take on, besides de blackin' of his boots
and shoes and sweepin' out de office, de position of carriage driver and
sweepin' out de church. Marster James was very 'ligious. Who my pa was?
Dat has never been revealed to me. Thank God! I never had one, if they
was lak I see nigger chillun have today. My white folks was all de
parents I had and me wid a skin as black as ink. My belly was always
full of what they had and I never suffer for clothes on my back or shoes
on my feets.
"Does I 'members de Yankees? Yes sir, I 'member when they come. It was
cold weather, February, now dat I think of it. Oh, de sights of them
days. They camp all 'round up at Mt. Zion College and stable their
hosses in one of de rooms. They gallop here and yonder and burn de
'Piscopal Church on Sunday mornin'. A holy war they called it, but they
and Wheeler's men was a holy terror to dis part of de world, as naked
and hungry as they left it. I marry Savannah Parnell and of all our
chillun, dere is just one left, a daughter, Izetta. Her in Tampa,
Florida.
"Does I 'members anything 'bout de Ku Klux? No sir, nothin'. I was
always wid de white folks side of politics. They wasn't concerned 'bout
me. Marster James have no patience for dat kind of business anyhow. Him
was a lawyer and believed in lettin' de law rule in de daylight and
would have nothin' to do wid work dat have to have de cover of night and
darkness.
"Does I 'member 'bout de red shirts? Sure I does. De marster never wore
one. Him get me a red shirt and I wore it in Hampton days. What I
recollect 'bout them times? If you got time to listen, I 'spect I can
make anybody laugh 'bout what happen right in dis town in red shirt
days. You say you glad to listen? Well, here goes. One time in '76. de
democrats have a big meetin' in de court house in April. Much talk last
all day. What they say or do up dere nobody know. Paper come out next
week callin' de radicals to meet in de court house fust Monday in May.
Marster Glenn McCants, a lawyer, was one of old marster's sons. He tell
me all 'bout it.
"De day of de radical republican meetin' in de court house, Marster Ed
Ailen had a drug store, so him and Marster Ozmond Buchanan fix up four
quart bottles of de finest kind of liquor, wid croton-oil in every
bottle. Just befo' de meetin' was called to order, Marster Ed pass out
dat liquor to de ring leader, tellin' him to take it in de court house
and when they want to 'suade a nigger their way, take him in de side
jury rooms and 'suade him wid a drink of fine liquor. When de meetin'
got under way, de chairman 'pointed a doorkeeper to let nobody in and
nobody out 'til de meetin' was over, widout de chairman say so.
"They say things went along smooth for a while but directly dat
croton-oil make a demand for 'tention. Dere was a wild rush for de door.
De doorkeeper say 'Stand back, you have to 'dress de chairman to git
permission to git out'. Chairman rap his gavel and say, 'What's de
matter over dere? Take your seats! Parliment law 'quire you to 'dress de
chair to git permission to leave de hall'. One old nigger, Andy Stewart,
a ring leader shouted: 'To hell wid Parliment law, I's got to git out of
here.' Still de doorkeeper stood firm and faithful, as de boy on de
burnin' deck, as Marster Glenn lak to tell it. One bright mulatto
nigger, Jim Mobley, got out de tangle by movin' to take a recess for
ten minutes, but befo' de motion could be carried out de croton-oil had
done its work. Half de convention have to put on clean clothes and de
court house steps have to be cleaned befo' they could walk up them
again. You ask any old citizen 'bout it. Him will 'member it. Ask old
Doctor Buchanan. His brother, de judge, was de one dat help Marster Ed
Aiken to fix de croton-oil and whiskey.
"Well, dat seem to make you laugh and well it might, 'cause dat day been
now long ago. Sixty-one years you say? How time gits along. Well,
sixty-one years ago everybody laugh all day in Winnsboro, but Marster Ed
never crack a smile, when them niggers run to his drug store and ask him
for somethin' to ease their belly ache."
Code No.
Project, 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S. C.
Date, October 5, 1937
No. Words
Reduced from ---- words
Rewritten by ----
SYLVIA CANNON,
Ex-Slave, Age 85
"Yes, mam, I been a little small girl in slavery time. I just can
remember when I was sold. Me en Becky en George. Just can remember dat,
but I know who bought me. First belong to de old Bill Greggs en dat whe'
Miss Earlie Hatchel bought me from. Never did know whe' Becky en George
went. Yes, mam, de Bill Greggs had a heap of slaves cause dey had my
grandmammy en my granddaddy en dey had a heap of chillun. My mammy, she
belong to de Greggs too. She been Mr. Gregg's cook en I de one name
after her. I remembers she didn' talk much to we chillun. Mostly, she
did sing bout all de time. Most of de old people sing bout;
'O Heaven, sweet Heaven,
When shall I see?
If you get dere fore me,
You tell my Lord I on de way.
O shall I get dere?
If you get dere fore I do,
You tell My Lord I on de way.
O Heaven, sweet Heaven,
When shall I see?
O when shall I get dere?'
"Oh, dat be a old song what my grandmammy used to sing way back dere."
"I don' know exactly how old I is cause de peoples used to wouldn' tell
dey chillun how old dey was fore dey was grown. I just ain' able to say
bout my right age, but I know my sister was older den me en she de one
keep count us chillun age. She told me I be bout 84 or 85 years old, so
my sister tell me. She done gone en left me en I try to keep count, but
I don' know. Dere been bout 14 head of we chillun en dey all gone but
me. I de last one. I can tell you dis much, I was just a little small
girl when Miss Earlie Hatchel bought me en she wouldn' let me hold de
baby cause she was 'fraid I would drop it. I just set dere on de floor
en set de baby 'tween my legs, but my Lord, Miss Hatchel been so good to
me dat I stay on dere wid her 8 years after freedom come. Miss Hatchel
tell me I better stay on dere whe' I can get flour bread to eat. Yes,
mam, never got a whippin in all my life. Miss Hatchel, she shake me by
de shoulders once or twice, but never didn' whip me in all my life dat I
knows of. Dat de reason, when my parents come after me, I hide under de
bed. My mammy, she went in de name of Hatchel en all her chillun went in
de name of Hatchel right down dere in de Effingham section."
"No, honey, don' nobody be here wid me. Stays right here by myself. Digs
in de garden in de day en comes in de house at night. Yes, mam, I
thought dis house been belong to me, but dey tell me dis here place be
city property. Rich man up dere in Florence learn bout I was worth over
$1500.00 en he tell me dat I ought to buy a house dat I was gettin old.
Say he had a nice place he want to sell me. I been learned dat what
white folks tell me, I must settle down on it en I give him de money en
tell him give me de place he say he had to sell me. I been trust white
folks en he take my money en settle me down here on city property. He
say, 'Mom Sylvia, you stay here long as you live cause you ain' gwine be
here much longer.' I promise my God right den not to save no more money,
child. People back dere didn' spend money like dey do dese days en dat
how-come I had dat money. Dey would just spend money once a year in dat
day en time. Yes, mam, I pay dat man over $900.00. Been payin on it long
time en got it all paid but $187.00 en city find out what dat man had
done. City tell me just stay on right here, but don' pay no more money
out. Dey give me dat garden en tell me what I make I can have.
Courthouse man tell me dat I ought to drop my thanks to de Heavenly
Father dat I is free. If de town picks up any sick person, dey bring dem
here en tell me do de best I can for dem. Tell me to keep good order so
de people won' be shame to come en see bout me. Got two houses dere join
together. Dere be four rooms in dis front one en three in de other
house. Woman go up north en leave her things here en tell me if she ain'
come back, I could have dem en she ain' come back yet. Been gone two
years."
"Yes, mam, I been married twice. First husband die en den another sick
man come along en ax de city for me. I work on him en make teas for him,
but he die in bout two years. I beg de town to let me go out to de poor
farm en stay, but dey say I done pay too much to move. Tell me stay on
here en keep de house up de best way I can.
"No'um, I ain' able to do no kind of work much. No more den choppin my
garden. Can' hardly see nothin on a sunny day. I raise my own seed all
right cause sometimes I can' see en find myself is cut up things en dat
make me has to plant over another time. City tell me do like I was raise
en so I been choppin here bout 20 years."
"Oh, now go way from here. My son born in de year of de earthquake en if
he had lived, I would been bless wid plenty grandchillun dese days. Yes,
mam, I remember all bout de shake. Dey tell me one man, Mr. Turner, give
way his dog two or three days fore de earthquake come en dat dog get
loose en come back de night of de shake. Come back wid chain tied round
his neck en Mr. Turner been scared most to death, so dey tell me. He
say, 'Oh, Mr. Devil, don' put de chain on me, I'll go wid you.' Dat was
his dog come back en he thought it was de devil come dere to put de
chain on him. Yes, mam, dere was such a cuttin up every which a way
cause de people thought it was de Jedgment comin. I went a runnin dere
to de white folks house en such a prayin en a hollerin, I ain' never see
de like fore den en ain' see it since den neither. Dere was stirrin
everywhe' dat night en de water in de well was just a slashin. I tried
to pray like de rest of de people. Some say dey was ready to get on de
old ship of Zion. I cut loose from de white folks en went in de woods to
pray en see a big snake en I ain' been back since. I know dat ain' been
nothin but a omen en I quit off cuttin up. I know it ain' been no need
in me gwine on like dat cause I ain' never do no harms dat I knows of."
"Yes, mam, white folks had to whip some of dey niggers in slavery time,
dey be so mean. Hear tell bout some of dem would run away en go in de
woods en perish to death dere fore dey would come out en take a whippin.
Some was mean cause dey tell stories on one another en been swear to it.
My mammy tell me don' never tell nothin but de truth en I won' get no
whippin. I been raise up wid de white folks en I tell de truth, I can'
hardly stand no colored people."
"Oh, honey, dere won' no such thing as cotton mill, train, sawmill or
nothin like dat in my day. People had to set dere at night en pick de
seed out de cotton wid dey own hands. Didn' hear tell bout no telephone
nowhe' in dem days en people never live no closer den three en four
miles apart neither. Got old Massa horn right in dat room dere now dat
he could talk on to people dat be 16 miles from whe' he was. Come in
here, child, en I'll let you see it. See, dis old horn been made out of
silver money. You talks in dat little end en what you say runs out dat
big end. Man ax me didn' I want to sell it en I tell him I ain' got no
mind to get rid of it cause it been belong to old Massa. Den if I get
sick, I call on it en somebody come. Wouldn' take nothin for it, honey."
"Times was sho better long time ago den dey be now. I know it. Yes, mam,
I here frettin myself to death after dem dat gone. Colored people never
had no debt to pay in slavery time. Never hear tell bout no colored
people been put in jail fore freedom. Had more to eat en more to wear
den en had good clothes all de time cause white folks furnish
everything, everything. Dat is, had plenty to eat such as we had. Had
plenty peas en rice en hog meat en rabbit en' fish en such as dat.
Colored people sho fare better in slavery time be dat de white folks had
to look out for dem. Had dey extra crop what dey had time off to work
every Saturday. White folks tell dem what dey made, dey could have.
Peoples would have found we colored people rich wid de money we made on
de extra crop, if de slaves hadn' never been set free. Us had big rolls
of money en den when de Yankees come en change de money, dat what made
us poor. It let de white people down en let us down too. Left us all to
bout starve to death. Been force to go to de fish pond en de huckleberry
patch. Land went down to $1.00 a acre. White people let us clear up new
land en make us own money dat way. We bury it in de ground en dat
how-come I had money. I dig mine up one day en had over $1500.00 dat I
been save. Heap of peoples money down dere yet en dey don' know whe' to
find it."
Source: Sylvia Cannon, age 85, ex-slave, Marion St., Florence,
S. C.
Personal interview by Annie Ruth Davis, October, 1937.
Code No.
Project, 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S. C.
Date, August 4, 1937
No. Words ----
Reduced from ---- words
Rewritten by ----
SYLVIA CANNON
Ex-Slave, Age 85.
Florence, S. C.
"I lives here by myself cause my husband been dead three years. Moved
here fore my chillun went to de war. I go to work en buy dis here home
en get whe' I can' pay tax en people tell me not to move. Say, rent me
bed en catch me a dollar, if it ain' a sin to rent your bed for a
dollar. One of de big officers of de town tell me dat last week en he
die next day. Government take my house en when dey carry sick peoples
from de jail, dey bring em here fore dey die. It ain' but one night
journey. Ain' gwine let dem be live enough to run away. Ain' got no kin
to leave de house to en dey tell me stay on here. Dey say I work so hard
to get dis house dat dey ain' gwine make me leave here."
(Aunt Sylvia has a sign in her front yard. It seems she took the frame
of a large picture and inserted a piece of pasteboard into it. She
explained that this sign is a warning to evil doers not to molest her.
She says that they must not come past this sign. The words on the sign
are somewhat illegibly written. The interviewers were able to make out
these words: "This is a house of the Lord. Don't go pass. This is a
house of the Lord...." Sign is dated March 1, 1937).
"I don' know how old I is, but I remembers I was 8 years old when
freedom come. I born down dere in de Effingham section on Mr. Gregg
plantation. My half-sister say I must always remember de Christmas day
cause dat de day I was born. Father en mother belong to de old Bill
Greggs en dat whe' Miss Earlie Hatchel buy me from. After dat, I didn'
never live wid my parents any more, but I went back to see dem every two
weeks. Got a note en go on a Sunday evenin en come back to Miss Hatchel
on Monday. Miss Hatchel want a nurse en dat how-come she buy me. I
remembers Miss Hatchel puttin de baby in my lap en tell me don' drop
him. Didn' have to do no work much in dem days, but dey didn' allow me
to play none neither. When de baby sleep, I sweep de yard en work de
garden en pick seed out de cotton to spin. Nursed little while for Miss
Hatchel en den get free."
"I see em sell plenty colored peoples away in dem days cause dat de way
white folks made heap of dey money. Coase dey ain' never tell us how
much dey sell em for. Just stand em up on a block bout three feet high
en a speculator bid em off just like dey was horses. Dem what was bid
off didn' never say nothin neither. Don' know who bought my brothers,
George en Earl. (She cried after this statement). I see em sell some
slaves twice fore I was sold en I see de slaves when dey be travelin
like hogs to Darlington. Some of dem be women folks lookin like dey
gwine to get down dey so heavy."
"We fare good in dat day en time. Everybody round dere fare good. My
Massa always was good to his slaves cause all de colored people say he
was good man to us. Dey never whip me in all my life. Tell me if I don'
know how to do anything to tell dem en dey show me how. I remembers Miss
Hatchel caught en shook me one time en when I tell her husband, he tell
her to keep his hands off his little Nigger. Dey all was good to me.
When I start home to see my mamma, dey cry after me till I come back.
Many a time my Missus go work in de field en let me mind de chillun."
"We live in de quarter bout ½ mile from de white folks house in a one
room pole house what was daubed wid dirt. Dere was bout 20 other colored
people house dere in de quarter dat was close together en far apart too.
De ground been us floor en us fireplace been down on de ground. Take
sticks en make chimney cause dere won' no bricks en won' no saw mills to
make lumber when I come along. Oh, my white folks live in a pole house
daubed wid dirt too. Us just had some kind of home-made bedstead wid
pine straw bed what to sleep on in dem days. Sew croaker sack together
en stuff em wid pine straw. Dat how dey make dey mattress. Didn' get
much clothes to wear in dat day en time neither. Man never wear no
breeches in de summer. Go in his shirt tail dat come down to de knees en
a 'oman been glad enough to get one piece homespun frock what was made
wid dey hand. Make petticoat out of old dress en patch en patch till
couldn' tell which place weave. Always put wash out on a Saturday night
en dry it en put it back on Sunday. Den get oak leaves en make a hat
what to wear to church. We didn' never have but one pair of shoes a year
en dey was dese here brogans wid thick soles en brass toes. Had shop
dere on de plantation whe' white man made all de shoes en plows. Dey
would save all de cowhide en soak it in salt two or three weeks to get
de hair off it en dey have big trough hewed out whe' dey clean it after
dey get de hair off it. After dat, it was turn to de man at de shop."
"I remembers when night come on en we go back to de quarter, we cook
bread in de ashes en pick seed from de cotton en my mamma set dere en
sew heap of de time. Den I see em when dey have dem hay pullings. Dey
tote torch to gather de hay by en after dey pull two or three stacks of
hay, dey have a big supper en dance in de road en beat sticks en blow
cane. Had to strike fire on cotton wid two rocks cause dey didn' have no
match in dem days."
"I tellin you my Missus sho was good to me in dat day en time. She been
so good to me dat I stay dere wid her 20 year after I got free. Stay
dere till I marry de old man Isenia Cannon. You see my old Massa got
killed in de war. She tell me I better stay whe' I can get flour bread
to eat cause she make her own flour en bake plenty biscuit in de oven.
Den she kill hogs en a cow every Christmas en give us all de egg-nog en
liquor we want dat day. Dig hole in de ground en roast cow over log
fire. When I get hard up for meat en couldn' get nothin else, I catch
rabbits en birds. Make a death trap wid a lid en bait it wid cabbage en
corn en catch em dat way. Den another time, I dig deep hole in de ground
en dob it wid clay en fill it up wid water. Rabbits hunt water in de
night en fall in dere en drown. I used to set traps heap of times to
keep de rabbits from eatin up de people gardens. Folks eat all kind of
things durin de war. Eat honeysuckle off de low sweet bush after de
flower falls off en pine mass dat dey get out de burr en sour weeds.
Wouldn' nobody eat dem things dese days. Coase dey let de slaves have
three acres of land to a family to plant for dey garden. Work dem in
moonlight nights en on a Saturday evenin."
"Oh, yes, dey have white overseers den. I hear some people say dey was
good people. At night de overseer would walk out to see could he catch
any of us walkin widout a note en to dis day, I don' want to go nowhe'
widout a paper. It just like dis, de overseer didn' have to be right
behind you to see dat you work in dem days. Dey have all de fields name
en de overseer just had to call on de horn en tell you what field to go
work in dat day. Den he come along on a Saturday evenin to see what you
done. If you ain' do what he say do, he put de Nigger dog on you en he
run you all night till he find you. No matter whe' you hide, he find
you en hold you till de overseer get dere. Bite you up if dey get reach
of you. When de overseer come, he carry you to de stables en whip you.
Dey dat ain' never got no whipping, you can' do nothin wid dem dese
days."
"I got Miss Hatchel horn bout here now dat been through nearly 100 head
of people. If you talk on it, dere de 100 head of automobiles to see
what it is. I sold old Massa's sword last week for ten cents, but I ain'
gwine do away wid his old horn. (4 ft. long, 15 in. cross big end 1 in.
from top end. Mouth piece is gone. Catch about 15 in. from top). Can
talk to anybody 15 to 16 miles away en dat how-come I don' want to sell
it cause if anything happen, I can call people to come. Dis horn ain' no
tin, it silver. It de old time phone. Got old Massa maul too en dis here
Grandpa oxen bit dat was made at home."
"De white folks didn' never help none of we black people to read en
write no time. Dey learn de yellow chillun, but if dey catch we black
chillun wid a book, dey nearly bout kill us. Dey was sho better to dem
yellow chillun den de black chillun dat be on de plantation. Northern
women come dere after de war, but dey didn' let em teach nobody nothin."