*Interview with Ella Kelly, 81 years old*
--_W.W. Dixon, Winnsboro, S.C._
"Yas sir, I was born a slave of Mr. Tom Rabb, they call him black Tom
Rabb, 'cause dere was two other Tom Rabbs. Marster Tom's hair was jet
black and even when he shave, whisker roots so black face 'pear black.
Yas sir, I come to birth on his place two or three miles from Monticello
in de country, so I did. They say de year was de year President Buchanan
was president, though I dunno nuttin' 'bout dat.
"My pappy name Henry Woodward, and b'long to old preacher Beelie
Woodward's son, John. But all dis was just what I heard them say 'bout
it. My mammy name Ella. She was de cook. I too little to work in slavery
time, just hang 'round kitchen wid mammy, tote water and pick up chips,
is all de work I done I 'members.
"Money? Help me Jesus, No. How could I ever see it? In de kitchen I see
none, and how I see money any where else, your honor? Nigger never had
none! I ain't got any money now, long time since I see any money.
"What did us eat? Dat's somethin' I knows 'bout. My mammy de cook for de
white folks, wasn't I right dere at her apron strings all de time? Eat
what de white folks eat, all de time, sho' I did! Too little to 'member
much what slavery was like; can't tell nothin' 'bout clothes, never had
no shoes. Us went to church some Sundays. Funny, them dat had not been
good or done somethin' bad was kept at home by de white overseer, and
some of them played wid de white chillun. Sorry I can't answer every
question.
"One story I 'member 'bout is de pa'tridges and de Savior. My pappy
allowed de reason pa'tridges couldn't fly over trees was: One day de
Savior was a-riding long on a colt to de Mount of Olive Trees, and de
drove flewed up, make sich a fuss they scared de colt and he run away
wid him. De marster put a cuss on de pa'tridges for dat, and ever since,
they can't fly over tree tops. You reckon dat so boss? They say they
never does fly over trees!
"I had a good marster and mistress. When de slaves git sick, they 'tend
to them same as one of their own chillun. Doctor come quick. They set up
and fan you and keep de flies off. They wouldn't let de slaves do dis,
'cause certain times you got to take medicine 'cordin' to doctors
orders, and a slave might make a mistake. Oh, they was 'ticular 'bout
sickness. They has a hard time wid some nigger chillun and dat cast' oil
bottle, I tell you!
"One of my young marsters was name Charlie. After freedom he marry one
of Colonel Province's daughters and me and my mammy moved and lived wid
them a while. Then I got married to Wates Kelly, and went to live and
work for a white man 'bove White Oak. His name was Long John Cameron, de
best white man to work for, but when Sat'day come and all de hands paid
off, he git dat red hoss and turn and gallop to Winnsboro and bring back
a passel of low down white trash wid him to de disturbment of all de
good colored person on de place.
"Yas sir, Klu Klux was a terror to certain colored persons. I 'members
they come dressed up in white and false faces, passed on to de
Richardson place and whipped somebody one night.
"My husban' been dead twelve years. I's got thirteen chillun and Minnie
is de onliest one livin' wid me in dis house. Her name Minnie Martin.
Got whole lot of gran' chillun; they cover de earth from Charlotte to
Jacksonville, and from Frisco to Harlem, New York; but never see them,
just three, Franklin, Masie and Marie Martin.
"I heard 'bout Lincoln and Booker T. Washington. De President now in de
White House, Mr. Roosevelt, have done more good for de nigger in four
years than all de other presidents since Lincoln, done in fifty years.
You say its been seventy-two years? Well, than all de rest in
seventy-two years. Don't you know dat is so? Yas sir, dats de gospel
truth.
"I's a member of de Baptist Church. Been buried wid my Lord in baptism
and hope for a resurrection wid him in Beulah Land.
"Yes, de overseer was de poor buckra, he was what you calls dis poor
white trash. You know boss, dese days dere is three kind of people.
Lowest down is a layer of white folks, then in de middle is a layer of
colored folks and on top is de cream, a layer of good white folks.
'Spect it'll be dat way 'till Jedgement day.
"I got one boy name Ben Tillman, livin' in dis town. White folks calls
him Blossom, but he don't bloom 'round here wid any money, though he is
on de relief roll by sayin' he got a poor old mammy nigh a hundred years
old and he have to keep her up. 'Spect when I gits my old age pension my
chillun will pay me some little 'tention, thank God. Don't you know they
will, sure they will."