in dat way. C. C. dis and C. C. dat. I don't 'ject but my real name is
Caleb Craig. Named after one of de three spies dat de Bible tell 'bout.
Him give de favorite report and, 'cause him did, God feed him and clothe
him all de balance of him life and take him into de land of Canaan,
where him and Joshua have a long happy life. I seen a picture in a book,
one time, of Joshua and Caleb, one end of a pole on Joshua's shoulder
and one end on Caleb's shoulder, wid big bunches of grapes a hangin'
from dat pole. Canaan must to been a powerful fertile land to make
grapes lak dat.
"Would you believe dat I can't write? Some of them adultery (adult)
teachers come to my house but it seem a pack of foolishness; too much
trouble. I just rather put my money in de bank, go dere when I want it,
set dat C. C. to de check, and git what I want.
"When I born? Christmas Eve, 1851. Where 'bouts? Blackstock, S. C. Don't
none of us know de day or de place us was born. Us have to take dat on
faith. You know where de old Bell house, 'bove Blackstock, is? Dere's
where I come to light. De old stagecoach, 'tween Charlotte and Columbia,
changed hosses and stop dere but de railroad busted all dat up.
"My mammy name Martha. Marse John soon give us chillun to his daughter,
Miss Marion. In dat way us separated from our mammy. Her was a mighty
pretty colored woman and I has visions and dreams of her, in my sleep,
sometime yet. My sisters would call me Cale but her never did. Her say
Caleb every time and all de time. Marse John give her to another
daughter of his, Miss Nancy, de widow Thompson then, but afterwards her
marry a hoss drover from Kentucky, Marse Jim Jones. I can tell you funny
things 'bout him if I has time befo' I go.
"Us chillun was carried down to de June place where Miss Marion and her
husband, Marse Ed P. Mobley live. It was a fine house, built by old Dr.
June. Marse Ed bought de plantation, for de sake of de fine house, where
he want to take Miss Marion as a bride.
"Dere was a whole passle of niggers in de quarter, three hundred or
maybe more. I didn't count them, 'cause I couldn't count up to a hundred
but I can now. Ten, ten, double ten, forty-five, and fifteen. Don't dat
make a hundred? Sho' it do.
"Clothes? Too many dere, for to clothe them much. I b'long to de
shirt-tail brigade 'til I got to be a man. Why I use to plow in my
shirt-tail! Well, it wasn't so bad in de summer time and us had big
fires in de winter time, inside and outside de house, whenever us was
working'. 'Til I was twelve years old I done nothin' but play.
"Money? Hell no! Excuse me, but de question so surprise me, I's caught
off my guard. Food? Us got farm produce, sich as corn-meal, bacon,
'lasses, bread, milk, collards, turnips, 'tators, peanuts, and punkins.
"De overseer was Mr. Brown. My marster was much talked 'bout for workin'
us on Sunday. He was a lordly old fellow, as I 'member, but dere was
never anything lak plowin' on Sunday, though I do 'member de hands
workin' 'bout de hay and de fodder.
"Marse Ed, a great fox hunter, kep' a pack of hounds. Sometime they run
deer. Old Uncle Phil was in charge of de pack. Him had a special dog for
to tree 'possums in de nighttime and squirrels in de daytime. Believe
me, I lak 'possum de best. You lak 'possum? Well, I'll git my grandson
to hunt you one dis comin' October.
"Marse Ed didn't 'low patarollers (patrollers) on de June place. He tell
them to stay off and they knowed to stay off.
"Slave drovers often come to de June place, just lak mule drovers and
hog drovers. They buy, sell, and swap niggers, just lak they buy, sell,
and swap hosses, mules, and hogs.
"Us had preachin' in de quarters on Sunday. Uncle Dick, a old man, was
de preacher. De funerals was simple and held at night. De grave was dug
dat day.
"A man dat had a wife off de place, see little peace or happiness. He
could see de wife once a week, on a pass, and jealousy kep' him
'stracted de balance of de week, if he love her very much.
"I marry Martha Pickett. Why I marry her? Well, I see so many
knock-knee, box-ankle, spindly-shank, flat nose chillun, when I was
growin' up, dat when I come to choose de filly to fold my colts, I picks
one dat them mistakes wasn't so lakly to appear in. Us have five
chillun. Lucy marry a Sims and live in Winnsboro, S. C. Maggie marry a
Wallace and live in Charlotte, N. C. Mary marry a Brice and live in
Chester, S. C. Jane not married; she live wid her sister, Mag, in
Charlotte. John lives 'bove White Oak and farms on a large place I own,
not a scratch of pen against it by de government or a bank.
"I live on 27 acres, just out de town of Winnsboro. I expects no
pension. My grandchillun come and go, back'ards and fo'ards, and tell me
'bout cities, and high falutin' things goin' on here and dere. I looks
them over sometime for to see if I didn't do sumpin' for deir figures,
in s'lectin' and marryin' Martha, dat's more important to them than de
land I'll leave them when I die. When Martha die, I marry a widow name
Eliza but us never generate any chillun. Her dead. Not 'nough spark in
me to undertake de third trip, though I still is a subject of 'tentions.
"What 'bout Marse Ed and Marse Jim Jones? Well, you see, Marse Jim was
close wid his money. Marse Ed was a spender. I 'tend Marse Ed to a
chicken main once. Marse Jim rode up just as Marse Ed was puttin' up
$300.00 on a pile brass wing rooster, 'ginst a black breasted red war
hoss rooster, dat de McCarleys was backin'. Marse Ed lost de bet. But
him never told Marse Jim, dat befo' he rode up, him had won $500.00 from
them same men. After de main was over, Marse Jim, bein' brudder-in-law
to Marse Ed, rode home to dinner wid him. After dinner they was smokin'
deir cigars befo' de parlor fire dat I was 'viving up. Marse Jim lecture
Marse Ed for throwin' 'way money. Marse Ed stretch out his long legs and
say: 'Mr. Jones does you 'member dat day us 'tended de circus in Chester
and as us got to de top of de hill a blind begger held out his cup to us
and you put in a quarter?' Mr. Jones say he does 'member dat. Marse Ed
went on: 'Well, Mr. Jones, I had a dream last night. I dream us comin'
through de Cumberland Mountains wid a drove of mules from Kentucky. You
was ridin' a piebald hoss, de same one you rode into South Carolina de
fust time you come here. You had on a faded, frazzled grey shawl, 'bout
lak de one you had on today. Us was in front, de outriders behind, when
us got to de gap in de mountains. De drove stampede just as us git in de
gap. Us was both kilt. You got to heaven befo' I did. When I did git
dere, you was befo' de High Court. They examine you and turn over de
leaves of a big book and find very little dere to your credit. At last
they say, I think it was de 'Postle Peter dat ask de question. Him say:
'Everything is recorded in dis book. Us can find nothin'. Do you happen
to 'member anything you did to your credit down dere on earth?' Then you
stand up wid dat old shawl 'round your shoulders and say: 'Aha! I do
'member one thing. One day I was in Chester and put a quarter of a
dollar in a blind man's tin cup.' De 'postle then tell de recording
angel to see if him could find dat deed. Him turn over de leaves 'til
him found it on de page. Then de twelve 'postles retire and 'liberate on
your case. They come back and de judge pass sentence which was: 'The
sentence of de High Court is, that in view of your great love of money,
James Jones, it is de sentence of de court dat you be given back de
quarter you give de blind beggar in Chester and dat you, James Jones, be
sent immediate on your way to hell.' Then they both laugh over dat and
Marse Jim got real happy when he find out Marse Ed quit de main wid
$200.00 to de good."
Address:
Caleb Craig,
Winnsboro, S. C.
That part of the suburb of Winnsboro called "Mexico". Just east of the
Southern Railway Company and north of Winnsboro Cotton Mills.
Project #1655
W. W. Dixon
Winnsboro, S. C.
DINAH CUNNINGHAM
EX-SLAVE 84 YEARS OLD.
Dinah Cunningham lives about seven miles west of Ridgeway, S. C., on the
Hood place about a hundred yards off the old Devil's Race Track road.
She lives with her daughter and son-in-law and their three children.
They live in a two-room frame house with a shed room annex. In the
annex, Dinah and the smaller children sleep. They are kind to Dinah, who
is feeble and can do no farm labor. Dinah is as helpless about the home
as a child.
"I's come up here 'bout seventeen miles for to let you see me. 'Spect
you don't see much in dis old worn out critter. Now does you?
"Well, here I is, and I wants you white folks to help me, 'cause I's
served you from generation to generation. Wid de help of de Lord and
trustin' in Jesus de Lamb, I knows I's goin' to git help. When is they
gwine to start payin' off? I's heard them say how you got to be on de
roll and signed up befo' de fourth day of July. So here I is!
"I was born de fust day of March, 1853, out from Ridgeway, sunrise side.
My marster was David Robertson and my mistress name Sally. Her was
mighty pretty. Her was a Rembert befo' she marry Marse Dave. They had
one child dat I was de nurse for and her name was Luray. Her marry Marse
Charlie Ray.
"De onliest whippin' I got was 'bout dat child. I had de baby on de
floor on a pallet and rolled over on it. Her make a squeal like she was
much hurt and mistress come in a hurry. After de baby git quiet and go
to sleep, she said: 'Dinah, I hates to whip you but de Good Book say,
spare de rod and spoil de child.' Wid dat, she goes out and git a little
switch off de crepe myrtle bush and come back and took my left hand in
her left hand, dat had all de rings on de fingers, and us had it 'round
dat room. I make a big holler as she 'plied dat switch on dese very legs
dat you sees here today. They is big and fat now and can scarcely wobble
me 'long but then, they was lean and hard and could carry me 'long like
a deer in de woods.
"My white folks was no poor white trash, I tells you! Good marse and
good mistress had heap of slaves and overseers. One overseer name Mr.
Welch. De buckra folks dat come visitin', use to laugh at de way he put
grease on his hair, and de way he scraped one foot back'ards on de
ground or de floor when they shake hands wid him. He never say much, but
just set in his chair, pull de sides of his mustache and say 'Yas sah'
and 'No sah', to them dat speak to him. He speak a whole lot though,
when he git down in de quarters where de slaves live. He wasn't like de
same man then. He woke everybody at daylight, and sometime he help de
patrollers to search de houses for to ketch any slaves widout a pass.
"Us had all us need to eat, sich as was good for us. Marse like to see
his slaves fat and shiny, just like he want to see de carriage hosses
slick and spanky, when he ride out to preachin' at Ainswell and sometime
de Episcopal church at Ridgeway. My young mistress jine de Baptist
church after she marry, and I 'member her havin' a time wid sewin'
buckshots in de hem of de dress her was baptized in. They done dat, you
knows, to keep de skirt from floatin' on top of de water. You never have
thought 'bout dat? Well, just ask any Baptist preacher and he'll tell
you dat it has been done.
"When de Yankees come, they went through de big house, tore up
everything, ripped open de feather beds and cotton mattresses, searchin'
for money and jewels. Then they had us slaves ketch de chickens, flung
open de smoke-house, take de meat, meal, flour, and put them in a
four-hoss wagon and went on down to Longtown. Them was scandlous days,
boss! I hope never to see de likes of them times wid dese old eyes
again.
"I 'member 'bout de Ku Klux just one time, though I heard 'bout them a
heap. They come on de Robertson place all dressed up wid sheets and
false faces, ridin' on hossback, huntin' for a republican and a radical
nigger, (I forgits his name, been so long) but they didn't find him.
They sho' was a sight and liked to scared us all to death.
"Was I ever married? Sure I was, I marry Mack Cunningham. Us was jined
in de holy wedlock by Marse Alex Matherson, a white trial justice. Ask
him and he'll tell you when it was. I's got some chillun by dat husband.
There is William at Charlotte, and Rosy at Ridgeway. Rosy, her marry a
man name Peay. Then there is Millie Gover at Rembert and Lila Brown at
Smallwood, de station where Marse Charlie Ray and my Mistress Luray was
killed by a railroad train runnin' into de automobile they was in. Then
there is my daughter, Delia Belton, at Ridgeway, and John L., a son
livin' and farmin' at Cedar Creek.
"I b'longs to de Mt. Olivet Church dat you knows 'bout. White folks
comes there sometime for to hear de singin'. They say us can carry de
song better than white folks. Well, maybe us does love de Lord just a
little bit better, and what's in our mouth is in our hearts.
"What you gwine to charge for all dat writin' you got down there? If you
writes much more maybe I ain't got enough money to pay for it. I got a
dollar here but if it's more than dat you'll have to wait on me for de
balance. You say it don't cost nothin'? Well, glory hallelujah for dat!
I'll just go 'round to de colored restaurant and enjoy myself wid beef
stew, rice, new potatoes, macaroni and a cup of coffee. I wonder what
they'll have for dessert. 'Spect it'll be some kind of puddin'. But I'd
be more pleased if you would take half of this dollar and go get you a
good dinner, too. I would like to please you dat much!
"May de good Lord be a watch 'tween me and you 'til us meets again."
Project #-1655
Phoebe Faucette
Hampton County
FOLKLORE
LUCY DANIELS
"Aunt Lucy is a tall well-built old woman who looks younger than her
years. She delights in talking, and was glad to tell what she knew about
the olden times.
"I don't know how old I been when de war end. If I been in de world I
wasn't old enough to pick up nuthin'. Miss Lulie Bowers say I'll be 78
first of March coming. Miss Lulie was my 'young Missus'. I love Miss
Lulie, and I thinks she thinks a heap of me--my young Missus, and her
father, my young Massa. He good to his darkies. He was a rich man--even
after de war. Miss Lulie say she was de only young lady that could go
off to college after de war. Miss Lulie help me powerful. She give me
shoes, and beddin. She and me grow up together. She is in de bed sick
now. I jes' come from dere. Had de doctor to see her.
"I hear 'em tell 'bout how de soldiers burn 'em out. My mother would
tell me. My father had gone off to fight. Say dey'd tie de hams an' de
things on de saddle--and burn de expensive houses. White folks jes' had
to hide everything. She talk 'bout all de men was gone and de women had
to pile up, four or five in one house to protect deyselves. My father
say when dey been 'rough-few-gieing' (refugeeing) de Beaufort Bridge
been burn down. He say he been so hungry one time he stop to a old
lady's house and ask her for something to eat. She say she didn't have
nothing but some dry bread. He take de bread, but he say it been so
hard, he threw some of it away. But he say he so hungry he wish he
hadn't throw it away. It was a hard time. Used to have to weave cloth
and dye thread. Had a loom to weave on and a spinning wheel. My
grandmother say de Yankees come to her house and take everything, but
she say one little pullet run out in de weeds and hide and de soldiers
couldn't find her. She say dat pullet lay and hatch and dat how dey got
start off again. Dey scramble and dey raise us some how or another.
"I had nine chillun for my first husband and one for my second husband.
I raise 'em all 'till dey grown; but all dead now 'cept three. My
husband died last year, I had to work for my chillun. But my second
husband, he help me wid 'em.
"Dat's all I kin tell you, Miss. I don't remember so much. Chillun in
those days weren't so bright as dey is now, you know."
Source: Lucy Daniels, 78 ex-slave, Luray, S. C.
Project 1885-1
Folklore
Spartanburg, Dist. 4
Nov. 30, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage
STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES
(John Davenport)
"My family belonged in slavery time to old Marse Pierce Lake who was de
Clerk of Court in town, or de Probate Judge. He lived at de old Campbell
Havird House and I lived dar wid him. My mother belonged to dis Lake
family and she was named Martha Lake. I don't know who my father was,
but I was told he was a white man.
"We slaves had good enough quarters to live in, and dey give us plenty
to eat. De house I live in now is fair, but it has a bad roof. It is my
wife's chillun's place. My wife had it and left it to dem. She was Ellen
Gallman, a widow when I married her. Only my blind daughter now live wid
me. I was married five times and had eighteen chilluns by three wives.
Each of my wives died befo' I married agin. I didn't separate from any.
My mother's father lived wid Marse Lake. He and his wife come from
Virginia.
"I was a boy in slavery and worked and piddled round de house. Sometimes
I had to work de corn or in de garden. We had plenty to eat. As de old
saying is, 'We lived at home and boarded at de same place.' We raised
everything we had to eat, vegetables, hogs, cows and de like. Marster
had a big garden, but he didn't let his slaves have any garden of deir
own. We made all our clothes, homespun. My mother used to spin at night
and work out all day; lots of niggers had to do dat.
"Marse Lake was good to his niggers, but he had to whip dem sometimes,
when dey was mean. He had six or eight slaves, some on de upper place
and some on de home place. We got up at daylight and worked all day,
except for dinner lunch, till it was sundown.
"We never worked at night in de fields. Sometimes Marse would have
corn-shuckings and de neighbors would come in and help catch up wid
shucking de corn; den dey would have something to eat. De young folks
would come, too, and help, and dey would dance and frolic.
"I didn't learn to read and write. Marse never said anything about it.
My sister learned when some of de white women school teachers boarded at
Marse Lake's house. De teachers learn't my sister when she was de maid
of de house, and she could read and write good. Didn't have a school or
church on de plantation. Atter de war, some of de niggers started a
brush arbor. Befo' de war, some of us niggers had to come to town wid de
white folks and go to deir church and set in de gallery.
"De patrollers was sometimes mean. If dey catch'd a nigger away from
home widout a pass dey sho whipped him, but dey never got any of us. Dey
come to our house once, but didn't git anybody.
"We had to work all day Saturdays, but not Sundays. Sometimes de fellows
would slip off and hunt or fish a little on Sunday. Women would do
washing on Saturday nights, or other nights. We had three days holiday
when Christmas come, and we had plenty good things to eat, but we had to
cook it ourselves. De marster would give de chillun little pieces of
candy.
"Chillun had games like marbles and anti-over. Dey played anti-over by a
crowd gitting on each side of de house and throwing a ball from one side
to de other. Whoever got de ball would run around on de other side and
hit somebody wid it; den he was out of de game. We never believed much
in ghosts or spooks. I never saw any.
"Some of de folks had remedies for curing, like making hot tea from a
weed called 'bone-set'. Dat weed grows wild in de woods. It was good
for chills and fever. De tea is awful bitter. Little bags of asafetida
was used to hang around de little chillun's necks to ward off fever or
diptheria.
"We used to call de cows on de plantation like dis: 'co-winch,
co-winch'. We called de mules like dis: 'co, co', and de hogs and pigs,
'pig-oo, pig-oo'. We had dogs on de place, too, to hunt wid.
"When freedom come, de marster told us we could go away or stay on. Most
of us stayed on wid him. Soon atter dis, he got mad at me one day and
told me to git off de place. I come to town and stayed about two weeks,
piddling around to git along. I found out whar my mother was--she had
been sold and sent away. She was in Saluda (Old Town). I went to her and
stayed two weeks; den she come to Newberry and rented a little cabin on
Beaver Dam Creek, near Silver Street.
"I remember hearing about de Yankees. When dey come through here dey
camped in town to keep order and peace. I remember de Ku Klux, too, how
some of 'em killed niggers. I voted in town on de Republican ticket. I
am still a Republican. None of my friends held office, but I remember
some of dem. Old Lee Nance was one, and he was killed by a white man.
"Since de war, de niggers have worked mostly on farms, renting and
wage-hands. Some of dem have bought little places. Some moved to town
and do carpenter work, and others jes' piddle around.
"Some of de dances de niggers had was, 'Jump Jim Crow'; one nigger would
jump up and down while tripping and dancing in de same spot. Some times
he say, 'Every time I jump, I jump Jim Crow.' We had what was called a
'Juber' game. He would dance a jig and sing, 'Juber this, Juber that,
Juber killed a yellow cat'.
"I never thought much about Abraham Lincoln nor Jefferson Davis. Only
seed de pictures of dem. Reckon dey was all right. Don't know nothing
about Booker Washington, neither.
"I was 25 years old when I joined de church. I joined because I thought
I ought to, people preaching Christ and him crucified; and I thought I
ought to do right. Think everybody ought to join de church and be
religious.
"What I think of de present generation is hard to say. Dey is not like
de old people was. De old generation of chilluns could be depended on,
but de present niggers can't be.
"No, de slaves never expected anything when de war was over, dem in de
neighborhood didn't. Some say something about gitting 40 acres of land
and a mule, but we never expected it. None ever got anything, not even
money from de old marsters or anybody."
Source: John N. Davenport (N, 89), Newberry, S. C. RFD
Interviewer: G. L. Summer, Newberry, S. C. (11/3/37)
Project 1886-1
FOLKLORE
Spartanburg Dist. 4
June 8, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage
STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES
"I was born, March 10, 1848, on Little River in Newberry county, S. C.
My master in slavery time was Gilliam Davenport. He was good to his
slaves, not strict; good to his cattle, and expected his negroes to be
good to them. But he was quick to resent anything from outsiders who
crossed his path.
"All that part of the country was good for hunting. The deer, fox, and
wild turkey have gone; though a few years ago, some men brought some
foxes there and turned them loose, thinking they would breed, but they
gradually disappeared. The kildees were many. That was a sign of good
weather. When they flew high and around in a circle, it was a sign of
high winds.
"Fishing in the rivers was much done. They fished with hooks on old-time
canes. They had fish baskets, made of wooden splits, with an opening at
the end like the wire baskets now used. If they were set anytime, day or
night, a few hours afterwards would be enough time to catch some fish.
"An old sign was: when the youngest child sweeps up the floor, somebody
was coming to see you. If a dish-rag was dropped on the floor, somebody
was coming who would be hungry."
Source: Moses Davenport (89), Newberry, S. C.
Interviewer: G. L. Summer, Newberry, S. C. (5/10/37)
Code No.
Project, 1886-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S. C.
Date, July 28, 1937
No. Words ----
Reduced from ---- words
Rewritten by ----
CHARLIE DAVIS
Ex-Slave, 88 Years
"I couldn' tell how old I is only as I ask my old Massa son en he tell
me dat I was born ahead of him cause he had de day put down in he family
book. I had one of dem slavery bible, but I have a burnin out so many
times dat it done been burn up. I belong to Mr. George Crawford people.
Mr. George de one what die up here one of dem other year not far back.
Dey who been my white folks."
"I can tell you a good deal bout what de people do in slavery time en
how dey live den, but I can' tell you nothin bout no jump about things.
My Massa didn' 'low us to study bout none of dem kind of frolickings in
dat day en time."