*I*
*Interview with Mary Johnson (85)*
*Newberry, S.C.*
--_G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C._
"I was born seven miles from Newberry, near Jalapa. I was a slave of
John Johnson and his wife, Polly (Dorroh) Johnson. They was good to dere
slaves. My daddy was Daniel and my mudder Elisa Johnson who was slaves
of marster John Johnson. My mudder come from Georgia when she was 14
years old, bought by Marse Johnson. We lived in a little one-room house
in dere yard. The mistress learned me to card and spin, and to weave
when I was a child. When I was old enough, dey put me in de field to
work, hoe and pick cotton. We got no money for working, but got our
place to live, some victuals and a few clothes to wear. We had no
garden, but helped de mistress in her garden and she give us something
to eat from it. We had homespun dresses; we made not much underclothes,
but sometimes in awful cold weather, we had red flannel underskirts.
"Nigger boys in slavery when dere work was done in evening, sometime
went hunting and caught rabbits, squirrels or 'possums.
"We got up at sun-up in mornings and worked 'till sun-down. We had
Saturday afternoon off to do anything we wanted to do. At Christmas
time, we got dat day off, and de master would have a big dinner wid all
kinds good things to eat, spread out in de yard.
"We never did learn to read and write--had no nigger school and had no
nigger church, but sometimes de white folks would have us go to dere
church and set in back seat or gallery.
"The white folks had cotton pickings and corn shuckings often and we
helped. Dey had good dinners for them coming to it. De childrens, white
and black played marbles sometimes, and played base. Us slave children
played base and jumped from one base to another before could be caught;
and we sing: 'Can I git to Molly's bright? Three course and ten. Can I
get there by candle-light? yes, if your legs are long and light.'
"Marse John's youngest son got to be a doctor. He was a good man and
helped us when we was sick. He did not gibe herbs much, but some of de
ole folks used 'life everlasting', now called rabbit tobacco, for cure
of bad colds or pneumonia. Dey boiled it and make a plaster and put it
on sore places of chest. Dey used holly bush or spice bush bark, boiled
to a tea and drunk for sickness.
"De padderrollers come in dat section, they rode at night and if caught,
a nigger, when he was out of his place, would be took in and told dat he
would get 25 lashes if he was caught again. When de war was over, de
Yankees went through but didn't bother us; but dey stold horses, mules,
cows and supplies. When freedom come, we left the place, 'cause marse
Johnson and some his folks went to Mississippi. We hired out to Kirk
Richards nearby.
"De Ku Klux was not a bother. Dey jus marched sometimes at night, wid
long white sheets over dem and all over de horses. Dere heads were
covered with small holes for eyes, nose and mouth, and had long white
ears like a horses ears.
"I think Abe Lincoln was a fine man, and Jeff Davis was good too. Slaver
did good to nigger, made him careful and know how to work."
*II*
*Interview with Mary Johnson (85)*
*Newberry, S.C.*
--_G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C._
"I live in town in a little two-room house wid some of my grandchilluns.
We rent de house. I am too old to work, but do what I can.
"I was de slave of John Johnson. His wife was Miss Polly. Dey was good
to de slaves, and I had no trouble. My mother was Eliza Johnson and my
pa was Daniel Johnson. Dey was both slaves to Marse John Johnson. My
mother was from Georgia. We always lived in de yard behind de house in a
small one-room cabin, a pretty good place to live, I reckon.
"We didn't git no money fer our work. We got something to eat, but not
much clothes to wear. We worked hard dem days; got up at sun-up and
worked all day till sun-down or as long as we could see. We didn't git
much time off, 'cept maybe a day at Christmas.
"No, de white folks didn't learn us to read and write. We had no school
and no church in slavery time, but some of de niggers was made to go to
de white folks' church and sit in de back seat.
"Yes, de Yankees was bad. Dey burn't everything in deir way, and stole
cattle; but dey didn't come near our place."