*Interview with Uncle Rob Perry & Aunt Della Britton*
*Trenton, S.C.*
--_Caldwell Sims, Union, S.C._
"Aunt Della born in 1863. He in 1864. He drove cows fer Marse Squire Jim
Perry, who lived on the line of Edgefield and Newberry Counties. Mos de
time dey traded in Newberry County, 'cause it nearer town. All road wuz
bad in dem days, even in summer dey wuz allus rough.
"Uncle Rob toted water, picked up chips and carried rations fum kitchen
to dinin room. Often Messrs. Jim Long, Sam, Jake and Bob Smith, (3
brothers) came to our big house fer dinner and to dance afterward.
"Plenty water to tote and fires to build den. Go out an git pine and
cedar limbs to put over de picturs and 'roun de mantle boards' Fix up de
table wid trimmins, git mo candles and put all roun. Mak egg-nog in de
winter and mint juleps in de summer. Some time dar wuz sillabub, it
ain't so good tho. De young mens dat I mentioned befo have me ter pick
out pretty girls fer dem ter dance wid. I drap a curtsey an han' dem de
name. If dey want ter dance wid him they look at him and flick dey fan
an if dey didn't den dey never give him no mind.
"Dat done all pass by as evry thing does. Now I thanks God and looks to
de Savior. Ef dar is success ter ye dat is what you has to do all de
time. Della and I done had fifteen chilluns. Us is so lonesome as we has
jes one a livin.
"Mr. Campbell, a Yankee man married Miss Joanna Perry. Her paw wuz Mr.
Oliver Perry of Bouknight's Ferry on de Saluda River. In dat famly wuz
Miss Isabelle and Messrs. John, Milledge, Jake and Tom. Miss Joanna
marry on Friday in de parlor all fixed up wid cedar ropes a-hangin' fum
de ceilin an de mo-es candles what a body ever did see. She made us
buil' her a arch and kivver hit wid vines. It sot before de mantle and a
white bell hung fum de middle uv it. White cloth wuz stretched over
eveything and dey never let nobuddy walk in dat room cep in dey bare
feet fer fear dey dirty all dat cloth.
"Miss Isabella sho picked de pianny fer Miss Joanna. A Young lady fum
anuther plantation sang two songs. All pur white ladies wore dey
pretties' white dresses wid flowers in dey hair. Miss Joanna had her
face all kivvered up wid er thin white cloth dat fell off'n her and laid
all back uv her on de floor. An de white ladies had dey white dresses a
layin over de floor but didn't none uv dem have dey faces kivvered cept
Miss Joanna, you see she wuz de bride.
"My ole 'oman wuz rigged in white herself. Evvything in dat house wuz
fixed up extry fer da ceremony. I wo' one de men's black coats and black
pants and a white shirt wid a ves' an tie. I had on a fine pair black
shoes. Dey give all dat ter me en I kep it adder de weddin. Dat suit I
wore ter church fer de nex ten years.
"Nex day, Saturday, come de big 'infair'. A double table wuz set up in
de dinin room. Ham, turkey en chicken wuz put on dat table dat wussent
teched. Dey jes stay dere along wid de fixins. All de victuals wuz
placed on de plates in de kitchen and fetched to de table. Five darkies
wuz kep busy refreshin de weddin diners.
"Miss Joanna an de Yankee man what she done married de day befo dat, her
sister, de lady what sing en her maw an paw an de parson set at de table
what they calls de bridal table. Dat table had de mo-es trimmins on hit
of bows an ribbens and de like ob dat. I still sees Miss Joanna a settin
dare. She wo' her weddin dress jes zactly lak she did de day befo. She
never had her face kivvered up wuz de onliest change I seed. De weddin
dinner musta lasted two hours'. Atter dat de carriage came roun en
evvybody lined up along de front door by de cape jessamines ter throw
rice an ole shoes at de bride when she come outside de big house ter git
in de carrage. Evvybody wuz mighty spry to be done danced all de night
befo til de sun had showed red in de Eas' dat Sadday mornin.
"Atter she gone off I jes' cud'n figger' out how Marse' had got so much
together fer dat weddin', kaise hit had'n been no time since de Yankee
so'ders had carried off ev'y thing and left us dat po'. But den sum
years has slipped by since dat.
"When I turn back to go in de big house, I see de pea-fowls a sneakin'
off to de river rale 'shame 'kase dey never had er sign uv a tail. All
dey tail feathers wuz plucked ter make de weddin fans en ter go in de
Mistus an de gals hats. Dat sho wuz er big drove en dey is de pretties'
fowl whut dere is, an folks doesn't give dem no mine dese days."