ALEC POPE, Age 84
1345 Rockspring Street
Athens, Georgia
Written by:
Sadie B. Hornsby
Federal Writers' Project
Athens, Ga.
Edited by:
Sarah H. Hall
Athens
and
John N. Booth
District Supervisor
Federal Writers' Project
Augusta, Ga.
April 28, 1938
[Date Stamp: MAY 6 1938]
Alec lives with his daughter, Ann Whitworth. When asked if he liked to
talk about his childhood days, he answered: "Yes Ma'am, but is you one
of dem pension ladies?" The negative reply was an evident disappointment
to Alec, but it did not hinder his narrative:
"Well, I wuz born on de line of Clarke and Oglethorpe Counties, way down
de country. Celia and Willis Pope wuz my ma and pa. Lawdy! Mist'ess, I
don't know whar dey come f'um; 'peers lak pa's fust Marster wuz named
Pope. Dat's de onlies' last name I ever ricollec' us havin'.
"Dere wuz a passel of us chillun. My sisters wuz Sallie, Phebie Ann,
Nelia, and Millie. My brudders wuz Anderson, Osborn, George, Robert,
Squire, Jack, and Willis. Willis wuz named for pa and us nicknamed 'im
Tuck.
"De slave quarters wuz little log houses scattered here and dar. Some of
'em had two rooms on de fust flo' and a loft up 'bove whar de boys most
genially slep' and de gals slep' downstairs. I don't 'member nothin'
t'all 'bout what us done 'cept scrap lak chilluns will do.
"Oh! I ain't forgot 'bout dem beds. Dey used cords for springs, and de
cords run f'um head to foot; den dey wove 'em 'cross de bed 'til dey
looked lak checks. Wheat straw wuz sewed up in ticks for mattresses.
When you rolled 'round on one of dem straw mattresses, de straw crackled
and sounded lak rain. No Ma'am, I don't know nothin' t'all 'bout my
gran'pa and gran'ma.
"I wuz de reg'lar water boy, and I plowed some too. 'Course dere wuz so
many on dat plantation it tuk more'n one boy to tote de water. Money?
dis Nigger couldn't git no money in dem days.
"Us sho' had plenty somepin' t'eat, sich as meat, and cornbread, and
good old wheat bread what wuz made out of seconds. Dere wuz lots of
peas, corn, cabbage, Irish 'tatoes, sweet 'tatoes, and chickens,
sometimes. Yes Ma'am, sometimes. I laks coffee, but us Niggers didn't
have much coffee. Dat wuz for de white folkses at de big house. Cookin'
wuz done in de fireplace in great big spiders. Some of de biggest of de
spiders wuz called ovens. Dey put coals of fire underneath and more
coals on top of de lid. Ma baked bread and 'taters in de ashes. In
winter she put de dough in a collard leaf so it wouldn't burn. In summer
green corn shucks wuz wrapped 'round de dough 'stid of collard leaves.
All de fish and 'possums and rabbits us had wuz cotch right dar on Old
Marster's place, 'cause if one of our Niggers got cotch offen our place
hit wuz jes' too bad. I sho' does love 'possum, and us had lots of 'em,
'cause my brudder used to ketch 'em by de wholesale wid a dog he had,
and dat same dog wuz a powerful good rabbit hound too.
"Us had pretty good clothes most all de year 'round. In summer, shirts,
and pants wuz made out of coarse cotton cloth. Sometimes de pants wuz
dyed gray. Winter time us had better clothes made out of yarn and us
allus had good Sunday clothes. 'Course I wuz jes' a plow boy den and
now I done forgot lots 'bout how things looked. Our shoes wuz jes'
common brogans, no diff'unt on Sunday, 'ceppin' de Nigger boys what wuz
shinin' up to de gals cleaned up deir shoes dat day.
"Our Marster wuz Mr. Mordecai Ed'ards. Well, he wuz pretty good--not too
good. He tried to make you do right, but if you didn't he would give you
a good brushin'. Miss Martha, Old Marster's old 'oman, warn't good as
Old Marster, but she done all right. Dey had a heap of chillun: Miss
Susan, Miss Mary, Miss Callie, Miss Alice, and it 'peers to me lak dere
wuz two mo' gals, but I can't 'call 'em now. Den dere wuz some boys:
Marse Billy, Marse Jim, Marse John, Marse Frank, and Marse Howard. Marse
Frank Ed'ards lives on Milledge Avenue now.
"Old Marster and Old Mist'ess lived in a great big fine house what
looked to me lak one of dese big hotels does now. Marse Jack Ed'ards wuz
de fust overseer I can ricollec'. He wuz kin to Old Marster. Marster had
two or three mo' overseers at diff'unt times, but I don't ricollec' dey
names. Dere wuz two car'iage drivers. Henry driv de gals 'round and
Albert wuz Old Mist'ess' driver. Old Marster had his own hoss and buggy,
and most of de time he driv for hisself, but he allus tuk a little
Nigger boy namad Jordan 'long to help him drive and to hold de hoss.
"Lawdy! Mist'ess, I couldn't rightly say how many acres wuz in dat
plantation. I knowed he had two plantations wid fine houses on 'em. He
jes' had droves and droves of Niggers and when dey got scattered out
over de fields, dey looked lak blackbirds dere wuz so many. You see I
wuz jes' a plow boy and didn't know nothin' 'bout figgers and countin'.
"De overseer got us up 'bout four o'clock in de mornin' to feed de
stock. Den us et. Us allus stopped off by dark. Mist'ess dere's a old
sayin' dat you had to brush a Nigger in dem days to make 'em do right.
Dey brushed us if us lagged in de field or cut up de cotton. Dey could
allus find some fault wid us. Marster brushed us some time, but de
overseer most gen'ally done it. I 'members dey used to make de 'omans
pull up deir skirts and brushed 'em wid a horse whup or a hickory; dey
done de mens de same way 'cept dey had to take off deir shirts and pull
deir pants down. Niggers sho' would holler when dey got brushed.
"Jails! Yes Ma'am, dey had 'em way down in Lexin'ton. You know some
Niggers gwine steal anyhow, and dey put 'em in dere for dat mostly. I
didn't never see nobody sold or in chains. De only chains I ever seed
wuz on hosses and plows.
"Mist'ess, Niggers didn't have no time to larn to read in no Bible or
nothin' lak dat in slav'ry time. Us went to church wid de white folkses
if us wanted to, but us warn't 'bleeged to go. De white folkses went to
church at Cherokee Corner. Dere warn't no special church for Niggers
'til long atter de War when dey built one out nigh de big road.
"Some of de Niggers run away to de Nawth--some dey got back, some dey
didn't. Dem patterollers had lots of fun if dey cotch a Nigger, so dey
could brush 'im to hear 'im holler. De onlies' trouble I ever heard
'bout twixt de whites and blacks wuz when a Nigger sassed a white man
and de white man shot 'im. H'it served dat Nigger right, 'cause he
oughta knowed better dan to sass a white man. De trouble ended wid dat
shot.
"De most Niggers ever done for a good time wuz to have little parties
wid heaps of fidlin' and dancin'. On Sunday nights dey would have prayer
meetin's. Dem patterollers would come and break our prayer meetin's up
and brush us if dey cotch us.
"Chris'mas wuz somepin' else. Us had awful good times den, 'cause de
white folkses at de big house give us plenty of goodies for Chris'mas
week and us had fidlin' and dancin'. Us would ring up de gals and run
all 'round 'em playin' dem ring-'round-de-rosie games. Us had more good
times at corn shuckin's, and Old Marster allus had a little toddy to
give us den to make us wuk faster.
"Oh! No Ma'am, I don't 'member nothin' 'bout what us played when I wuz a
little chap, and if I ever knowed anything 'bout Rawhead and Bloody
Bones and sich lak I done plumb forgot it now. But I do know Old Marster
and Old Mist'ess sho' wuz powerful good when dey Niggers got sick. Dey
put a messenger boy on a mule and sont 'im for Dr. Hudson quick, 'cause
to lose a Nigger wuz losin' a good piece of property. Some Niggers wore
some sort of beads 'round deir necks to keep sickness away and dat's all
I calls to mind 'bout dat charm business.
"I wuz jes' a plow boy so I didn't take in 'bout de surrender. De only
thing I ricollects 'bout it wuz when Old Marster told my pa and ma us
wuz free and didn't belong to him no more. He said he couldn't brush de
grown folks no more, but if dey wanted to stay wid 'im dey could, and
dat he would brush dey chilluns if dey didn't do right. Ma told 'im he
warn't gwine brush none of her chilluns no more.
"Us lived wid Old Marster 'bout a year, den pa moved up on de big road.
Buy land? No Ma'am, Niggers didn't have no money to buy no land wid 'til
dey made it. I didn't take in 'bout Mr. Lincoln, only dat thoo' him us
wuz sot free. I heard 'em say Mr. Davis wuz de President of de South,
and 'bout Booker Washin'ton some of de Niggers tuk him in, but I didn't
bodder 'bout him.
"Lawdy! Mist'ess, I didn't marry de fust time 'til long atter de War,
and now I done been married three times. I had a awful big weddin' de
fust time. De white man what lived on de big road not far f'um us said
he never seed sich a weddin' in his life. Us drunk and et, and danced
and cut de buck most all night long. Most all my chilluns is dead. I
b'lieve my fust wife had 10 or 11 chilluns. I know I had a passel fust
and last; and jes' to tell you de trufe, dere jes' ain't no need to stop
and try to count de grand chilluns. All three of my wives done daid and
I'm lookin' for anudder one to take keer of me now.
"Why did I jine de church? 'Cause I jes' think evvybody oughta jine if
dey wanna do right so'se dey can go to Heben. I feels lak a diff'unt man
since I done jined and I knows de Lord has done forgive me for all my
sins.
"Mist'ess ain't you thoo' axin' me questions yit? Anyhow I wuz thinkin'
you wuz one of dem pension ladies." When he was told that the interview
was completed, Alec said: "I sho' is glad, 'cause I feels lak takin' a
little nap atter I eat dese pecans what I got in my pocket. Goodbye
Mist'ess."
[HW: Dist. 5
Ex-Slave #84]
Whitley, Driskell
1-20-37
SLAVERY AS WITNESSED BY ANNIE PRICE
[Date Stamp: MAY 8 1937]
Mrs. Annie Price was born in Spaulding County, Georgia October 12, 1855.
Although only a mere child when freedom was declared she is able to
relate quite a few events in her own life as well as some of the
experiences of other slaves who lived in the same vicinity as she.
Her mother and father Abe and Caroline were owned by a young married
couple named Kennon. (When this couple were married Abe and Caroline had
been given as wedding presents by the bride's and the groom's parents).
Besides her parents there four brothers and five sisters all of whom
were younger than she with one exception. The first thing that she
remembers of her mother is that of seeing her working in the "Marster's"
kitchen.
Mr. Kennon was described as being a rather young man who was just
getting a start in life. His family consisted of his wife and about
five children. He was not a mean individual. The plantation on which he
lived was a small one, having been given to him by his father (whose
plantation adjoined) in order to give him a start. Mr. Kennon owned one
other slave besides Mrs. Price and her family while his father owned a
large number some of whom he used to lend to the younger Mr. Kennon.
Cotton and all kinds of vegetables were raised. There was also some live
stock.
As Mr. Kennon owned only a few slaves it was necessary for these few
persons to do all of the work. Says Mrs. Price: "My mother had to do
everything from cultivating cotton to cooking." The same was true of her
father and the other servant. Before the break of day each morning they
were all called to prepare for the day's work. Mrs. Price then told how
she has seen the men of her plantation and those of the adjoining one
going to the fields at this unearthly hour eating their breakfast while
sitting astride the back of a mule. After her mother had finished
cooking and cleaning the house she was sent to the field to help the
men. When it was too dark to see all field hands were permitted to
return to their cabins. This same routine was followed each day except
Sundays when they were permitted to do much as they pleased. When the
weather was too bad for field work they shelled corn and did other types
of work not requiring too much exposure. Holidays were unheard of on the
Kennon plantation. As a little slave girl the only work that Mrs. Price
ever had to do was to pick up chips and bark for her mother to cook
with. The rest of the time was spent in playing with the "Marster's"
little girls.
"The servants on our plantation always had a plenty of clothes,"
continued Mrs. Price, "while those on the plantation next to ours (Mrs.
Kennon's father) never had enough, especially in the winter." This
clothing was given when it was needed and not at any specified time as
was the case on some of the other plantations in that community. All of
these articles were made on the plantation and the materials that were
mostly used were homespun (which was also woven on the premises) woolen
goods, cotton goods and calico. It has been mentioned before that the
retinue of servants was small in number and so for this reason all of
them had a reasonable amount of those clothes that had been discarded by
the master and the mistress. After the leather had been cured it was
taken to the Tannery where crude shoes called "Twenty Grands" were made.
These shoes often caused the wearer no little amount of discomfort until
they were thoroughly broken in.
For bedding, homespun sheets were used. The quilts and blankets were
made from pieced cotton material along with garments that were unfit for
further wear. Whenever it was necessary to dye any of these articles a
type of dye made by boiling the bark from trees was used.
In the same manner that clothing was plentiful so was there always
enough food. When Mrs. Price was asked if the slaves owned by Mr. Kennon
were permitted to cultivate a garden of their own she stated that they
did'nt need to do this because of the fact that Mr. Kennon raised
everything that was necessary and they often had more than enough. Their
week-day diet usually consisted of fried meat, grits, syrup and corn
bread for breakfast; vegetables, pot liquor or milk, and corn bread for
dinner; and for supper there was milk and bread or fried meat and bread.
On Sunday they were given a kind of flour commonly known as the
"seconds" from which biscuits were made. "Sometimes", continued Mrs.
Price, "my mother brought us the left-overs from the master's table and
this was usually a meal by itself". In addition to this Mr. Kennon
allowed hunting as well as fishing and so on many days there were fish
and roast 'possum. Food on the elder Mr. Kennon plantation was just as
scarce as it was plentiful on his son's. When asked how she knew about
this Mrs. Price told how she had seen her father take meat from his
master's smoke house and hide it so that he could give it to those
slaves who invaribly slipped over at night in search of food. The elder
Mr. Kennon had enough food but he was too mean to see his slaves enjoy
themselves by having full stomachs.
All cooking on Mrs. Price's plantation was done by her mother.
All of the houses on the Kennon plantation were made of logs including
that of Mr. Kennon himself. There were only two visible differences in
the dwelling places of the slaves and that of Mr. Kennon and there were
(1) several rooms instead of the one room allowed the slaves and (2)
weatherboard was used on the inside to keep the weather out while the
slaves used mud to serve for this purpose. In these crude one-roomed
houses (called stalls) there was a bed made of some rough wood. Rope
tied from side to side served as the springs for the mattress which was
a bag filled with straw and leaves. There were also one or two boxes
which were used as chairs. The chimney was made of rocks and mud. All
cooking was done here at the fireplace. Mrs. Price says; "Even Old
Marster did'nt have a stove to cook on so you know we did'nt." The only
available light was that furnished by the fire. Only one family was
allowed to a cabin so as to prevent overcrowding. In addition to a good
shingle roof each one of these dwellings had a board floor. All floors
were of dirt on the plantation belonging to the elder Mr. Kennon.
A doctor was employed to attend to those persons who were sick. However
he never got chance to practice on the Kennon premises as there was
never any serious illness. Minor cases of sickness were usually treated
by giving the patient a dose of castor oil or several doses of some form
of home made medicine which the slaves made themselves from roots that
they gathered in the woods. In order to help keep his slaves in good
health Mr. Kennon required them to keep the cabins they occupied and
their surroundings clean at all times.
Mrs. Price said that the slaves had very few amusements and as far as
she can remember she never saw her parents indulge in any form of play
at all. She remembers, however, that on the adjoining plantation the
slaves often had frolics where they sang and danced far into the night.
These frolics were not held very often but were usually few and far
between.
As there was no church on the plantation Mr. Kennon gave them a pass on
Sundays so that they could attend one of the churches that the town
afforded. The sermons they heard were preached by a white preacher and
on rare occasions by a colored preacher. Whenever the colored pastor
preached there were several white persons present to see that [HW: no]
doctrine save that laid down by them should be preached. All of the
marrying on both plantations [TR: duplicate section removed here] was
done by a preacher.
It has been said that a little learning is a dangerous thing and this
certainly was true as far as the slaves were concerned, according to
Mrs. Price. She says: "If any of us were ever caught with a book we
would get a good whipping." Because of their great fear of such a
whipping none of them ever attempted to learn to read or to write.
As a general rule Mrs. Price and the other nembers of her family were
always treated kindly by the Kennon family. None of them were ever
whipped or mistreated in any way. Mrs. Price says that she has seen
slaves on the adjoining plantation whipped until the blood ran. She
describes the sight in the following manner. "The one to be whipped was
tied across a log or to a tree and then his shirt was dropped around his
waist and he was lashed with a cow hide whip until his back was raw."
Whippings like these were given when a slave was unruly or disobedient
or when he ran away. Before a runaway slave could be whipped he had to
be caught and the chief way of doing this was to put the blood hounds
(known to the slaves as "nigger hounds") on the fugitive's trail. Mrs.
Price once saw a man being taken to his master after he had been caught
by the dogs. She says that his skin was cut and torn in any number of
places and he looked like one big mass of blood. Her father once ran
away to escape a whipping.(this was during the Civil War), and he was
able to elude the dogs as well as his human pursuers. When asked about
the final outcome of this escape Mrs. Price replied that her father
remained in hiding until the war was over with and then he was able to
show himself without any fear.
She has also seen slaves being whipped by a group of white men when her
parents said were the "Paddie-Rollers". It was their duty to whip those
slaves who were caught away from their respective plantations without a
"pass", she was told.
According to Mrs. Price the jails were built for the "white folks". When
a slave did something wrong his master punished him.
She does'nt remember anything about the beginning of the Civil War
neither did she understand its significance until Mr. Kennon died as a
result of the wounds that he received while in action. This impressed
itself on her mind indelibly because Mr. Kennon was the first dead
person she had ever seen. The Yankee troops did'nt come near their
plantation and so they had a plenty of food to satisfy their needs all
during the war. Even after the war was over there was still a plenty of
all the necessities of life.
When Mrs. Kennon informed them that they were free to go or to stay as
they pleased, her father, who had just come out of hiding, told Mrs.
Kennon that he did not want to remain on the plantation any longer than
it was necessary to get his family together. He said that he wanted to
get out to himself so that he could see how it felt to be free. Mrs.
Price says that as young as she was she felt very happy because the
yoke of bondage was gone and she knew that she could have a privelege
like everybody else. And so she and her family moved away and her
father began farming for himself. His was prosperous until his death.
After she left the plantation of her birth she lived with her father
until she became a grown woman and then she married a Mr. Price who was
also a farmer.
Mrs. Price believes that she has lived to reach such a ripe old age
because she has always served God and because she always tried to obey
those older than she.
[HW: Dist. 6
Ex-Slave #87]
A FEW FACTS OF SLAVERY BY
CHARLIE PYE--Ex-Slave
[Date Stamp: MAY -- --]
The writer was much surprised to learn that the person whom she was
about to interview was nine years old when the Civil War ended. His
youthful appearance at first made her realize that probably he was not
an ex-slave after all. Very soon she learned differently. Another
surprise followed the first in that his memory of events during that
period was very hazy. The few facts learned are related as follows:
Mr. Charlie Pye was born in Columbus, Ga., 1856 and was the ninth child
of his parents, Tom Pye and Emmaline Highland. Tom Pye, the father,
belonged to Volantine Pye, owner of a plantation in Columbus, Ga. known
as the Lynch and Pye Plantation.
Mr. Pye's mistress was Miss Mary Ealey, who later married a Mr. Watts.
Miss Ealey owned a large number of slaves, although she did not own a
very large plantation. Quite a few of her slaves were hired out to other
owners. The workers on the plantation were divided into two or more
groups, each group having a different job to do. For instance, there
were the plow hands, hoe hands, log cutters, etc. Mr. Pye's mother was a
plow hand and besides this, she often had to cut logs. Mr. Pye was too
young to work and spent most of his time playing around the yards.
Houses on the Ealey plantation were built of pine poles after which the
cracks were filled with red mud. Most of these houses consisted of one
room; however, a few were built with two rooms to accommodate the larger
families. The beds, called "bunks" by Mr. Pye were nailed to the sides
of the room. Roped bottoms covered with a mattress of burlap and hay
served to complete this structure called a bed. Benches and a home made
table completed the furnishings. There were very few if any real chairs
found in the slave homes. The houses and furniture were built by skilled
Negro carpenters who were hired by the mistress from other slave owners.
A kind slave owner would allow a skilled person to hire his own time and
keep most of the pay which he earned.
Plenty of food was raised on the Ealey plantation, but the slave
families were restricted to the same diet of corn meal, syrup, and fat
bacon. Children were fed "pot likker", milk and bread from poplar
troughs, from which they ate with wooden spoons. Grown-ups ate with
wooden forks. Slaves were not allowed to raise gardens of their own,
although Mr. Pye's uncle was given the privilege of owning a rice patch,
which he worked at night.
In every slave home was found a wooden loom which was operated by hands
and feet, and from which the cloth for their clothing was made. When the
work in the fields was finished women were required to come home and
spin one cut (thread) at night. Those who were not successful in
completing this work were punished the next morning. Men wore cotton
shirts and pants which were dyed different colors with red oak bark,
alum and copper. Copper produced an "Indigo blue color." "I have often
watched dye in the process of being made," remarked Mr. Pye. Mr. Pye's
father was a shoemaker and made all shoes needed on the plantation. The
hair was removed from the hides by a process known as tanning. Red oak
bark was often used for it produced an acid which proved very effective
in tanning hides. Slaves were given shoes every three months.
To see that everyone continued working an overseer rode over the
plantation keeping check on the workers. If any person was caught
resting he was given a sound whipping. Mr. Pye related the following
incident which happened on the Ealey plantation. "A young colored girl
stopped to rest for a few minutes and my uncle stopped also and spoke to
her. During this conversation the overseer came up and began whipping
the girl with a "sapling tree." My uncle became very angry and picked up
an axe and hit the overseer in the head, killing him. The mistress was
very fond of my uncle and kept him hid until she could "run him."
Running a slave was the method they used in sending a slave to another
state in order that he could escape punishment and be sold again. You
were only given this privilege if it so happened that you were cared for
by your mistress and master."
Overseers on the Ealey plantation were very cruel and whipped slaves
unmercifully. Another incident related by Mr. Pye was as follows:
"My mother resented being whipped and would run away to the woods and
often remained as long as twelve months at a time. When the strain of
staying away from her family became too great, she would return home. No
sooner would she arrive than the old overseer would tie her to a peach
tree and whip her again. The whipping was done by a "Nigger Driver," who
followed the overseer around with a bull whip; especially for this
purpose. The largest man on the plantation was chosen to be the "Nigger
Driver."
"Every slave had to attend church, although there were no separate
churches provided for them. However, they were allowed to occupy the
benches which were placed in the rear of the church. To attend church on
another plantation, slaves had to get a pass or suffer punishment from
the "Pader Rollers." (Patrollers)
"We didn't marry on our plantation", remarked Mr. Pye. After getting the
consent of both masters the couple jumped the broom, and that ended the
so called ceremony. Following the marriage there was no frolic or
celebration.
"Sometimes quilting parties were held in the various cabins on the
plantation. Everyone would assist in making the winter bed covering for
one family one night and the next night for some other family, and so on
until everyone had sufficient bed covering.
"A doctor was only called when a person had almost reached the last
stages of illness. Illness was often an excuse to remain away from the
field. "Blue mass pills", castor oil, etc. were kept for minor aches and
pains. When a slave died he was buried as quickly as a box could be
nailed together.
"I often heard of people refugeeing during the Civil War period,"
remarked Mr. Pye. "In fact, our mistress refugeed to Alabama trying to
avoid meeting the Yanks, but they came in another direction. On one
occasion the Yanks came to our plantation, took all the best mules and
horses, after which they came to my mother's cabin and made her cook
eggs for them. They kept so much noise singing, "I wish I was in Dixie"
that I could not sleep. After freedom we were kept in ignorance for
quite a while but when we learned the truth my mother was glad to move
away with us."
"Immediately after the war ex-slave families worked for one-third and
one-fourth of the crops raised on different plantations. Years later
families were given one-half of the crops raised."
Mr. Pye ended the interview by telling the writer that he married at
the age of 35 years and was the father of two children, one of whom is
living. He is a Baptist, belonging to Mount Zion Church, and has
attended church regularly and believes that by leading a clean, useful
life he has lengthened his days on this earth. During his lifetime Mr.
Pye followed railroad work. Recently, however, he has had to give this
up because of his health.
[HW: Dist. 1
Ex-Slave #91]
SUBJECT: CHARLOTTE RAINES--OGLETHORPE CO.
DISTRICT: W.P.A. NO. 1
RESEARCH WORKER: JOHN N. BOOTH
DATE: JANUARY 18, 1937
[Date Stamp: JAN 26 1937]
[Date Stamp: MAY 8 1937]
Aunt Charlotte Raines, well up in the seventies at the time of her death
some years ago, was an excellent example of the type of negro developed
by the economic system of the old South.
When I could first remember, Charlotte was supreme ruler of the kitchen
of my home. Thin to emaciation and stooped almost to the point of having
a hump on her back she was yet wiry and active. Her gnarled old hands
could turn out prodigous amounts of work when she chose to extend
herself.
Her voice was low and musical and she seldom raised it above the
ordinary tone of conversation; yet when she spoke other colored people
hastened to obey her and even the whites took careful note of what she
said. Her head was always bound in a snow-white turban. She wore calico
or gingham print dresses and white aprons and these garments always
appeared to be freshly laundered.
Charlotte seldom spoke unless spoken to and she would never tell very
much about her early life. She had been trained as personal maid to one
of her ex-master's daughters. This family, (that of Swepson H. Cox) was
one of the most cultured and refined that Lexington, in Oglethorpe
County, could boast.
Aunt Charlotte never spoke of her life under the old regime but she had
supreme contempt for "no count niggers that didn't hav' no white Folks".
She was thrifty and frugal. Having a large family, most of her small
earnings was spent on them. However, she early taught her children to
scratch for themselves. Two of her daughters died after they had each
brought several children into the world. Charlotte thought they were
being neglected by their fathers and proceeded to take them "to raise
myse'f". These grand children were the apple of her eye and she did much
more for them than she had done for her own children.
The old woman had many queer ways. Typical of her eccentricities was her
iron clad refusal to touch one bite of food in our house. If she wished
a dish she was preparing tasted to see that it contained the proper
amount of each ingredient she would call some member of the family,
usually my grandmother, and ask that he or she sample the food.
Paradoxically, she had no compunctions about the amount of food she
carried home for herself and her family.
Strange as it may seem, Charlotte was an incorrigible rogue. My mother
and my grandmother both say that they have seen her pull up her skirts
and drop things into a flour sack which she always wore tied round her
waist just for this purpose. I myself have seen this sack so full that
it would bump against her knee. She did not confine her thefts to food
only. She would also take personal belongings. Another servant in the
household once found one of Aunt Charlotte's granddaughters using a
compact that she had stolen from her young mistress. The servant took
the trinket away from the girl and returned it to the owner but nothing
was ever said to Aunt Charlotte although every one knew she had stolen
it.
One year when the cherry crop was exceptionally heavy, grandmother had
Charlotte make up a huge batch of cherry preserves in an iron pot. While
Charlotte was out of the kitchen for a moment she went in to have a look
at the preserves and found that about half of them had been taken out. A
careful but hurried search located the missing portion hidden in another
container behind the stove. Grandmother never said a word but simply put
the amount that had been taken out back in the pot.
Charlotte never permitted anyone to take liberties with her except Uncle
Daniel, the "man of all work" and another ex-slave. Daniel would josh
her about some "beau" or about her over-fondness for her grandchildren.
She would take just so much of this and then with a quiet "g'long with
you", she would send him on about his business. Once when he pressed her
a bit too far she hurled a butcher knife at him.
Charlotte was not a superstitious soul. She did not even believe that
the near-by screech of an owl was an omen of death. However, she did
have some fearful and wonderful folk remedies.
When you got a bee sting Charlotte made Daniel spit tobacco juice on it.
She always gave a piece of fat meat to babies because this would make
them healthy all their lives. Her favorite remedy was to put a pan of
cold water under the bed to stop "night sweats."
In her last years failing eye-sight and general ill health forced her to
give up her active life. Almost a complete shut-in, she had a window cut
on the north side of her room so she could "set and see whut went on up
at Mis' Molly's" (her name for my grandmother).
She was the perfect hostess and whenever any member of our family went
to see how she did during those latter days she always served locust
beer and cookies. Once when I took her a bunch of violets she gave me an
old coin that she had carried on her person for years. Mother didn't
want me to take it because Charlotte's husband had given it to her and
she set great store by it. However, the old woman insisted that I be
allowed to keep the token arguing it would not be of use to her much
longer anyway.
She died about a month later and in accordance with her instructions her
funeral was conducted like "white folk's buryin'", that is without the
night being filled with wailing and minus the usual harangue at the
church. Even in death Charlotte still thought silence golden.
[HW: Dist. 1
Ex-Slave #90]
SUBJECT: FANNY RANDOLPH--EX-SLAVE
Jefferson, Georgia
RESEARCH WORKER: MRS. MATTIE B. ROBERTS
EDITOR: JOHN N. BOOTH
SUPERVISOR: MISS VELMA BELL
DISTRICT: W.P.A. NO. 1
DATE: MARCH 29, 1937
[Date Stamp: MAY 8 1937]
Perhaps the oldest ex-slave living today is found in Jefferson, Georgia.
Fanny Randolph is a little old wrinkled-faced woman, but at the time of
our visit she was very neat in a calico dress and a white apron with a
bandanna handkerchief around her head.
We saw her at the home of a niece with whom she lives, all of her own
family being dead. Her room was tidy, and she had a bright log fire
burning in the wide old fire place. She readily consented to talk about
slavery times.
"Honey, I doan know how ole I is, but I'se been here er long time and
I'se been told by folks whut knows, dat I'se, maybe, mo' dan er hunderd
years ole. I 'members back er long time befo' de war. My mammy and daddy
wuz bofe slaves. My daddy's name wuz Daniel White an' my mammy's name
befo' she married wuz Sarah Moon, she b'longed ter Marse Bob Moon who
lived in Jackson County over near whar Winder is now. He wuz er big
landowner an' had lots uv slaves."
"When I wuz 'bout nine years ole, Marse Bob tuk me up ter de "big house"
ter wait on ole Mistis. I didn't hav' much ter do, jes' had ter he'p 'er
dress an' tie 'er shoes an' run eroun' doin' errands fur 'er. Yer know,
in dem times, de white ladies had niggers ter wait on 'em an' de big
niggers done all de hard wuk 'bout de house an' yard."
"Atter some years my mammy an' daddy bofe died, so I jes' stayed at de
"big house" an' wukked on fer Marse Bob an' ole Mistis."
"Atter I growed up, us niggers on Marse Bob's plantation had big times
at our corn shuckin's an' dances. Us 'ud all git tergether at one uv de
cabins an us 'ud have er big log fire an' er room ter dance in. Den when
us had all shucked corn er good while ever nigger would git his gal an'
dey would be some niggers over in de corner ter play fer de dance, one
wid er fiddle an' one ter beat straws, an' one wid er banjo, an' one ter
beat bones, an' when de music 'ud start up (dey gener'ly played 'Billy
in de Low Grounds' or 'Turkey in de Straw') us 'ud git on de flo'. Den
de nigger whut called de set would say: 'All join hands an' circle to de
lef, back to de right, swing corners, swing partners, all run away!' An'
de way dem niggers feets would fly!"
"Bye an' bye de war come on, an' all de men folks had ter go an' fight
de Yankees, so us wimmen folks an' chillun had er hard time den caze us
all had ter look atter de stock an' wuk in de fiel's. Den us 'ud hear
all 'bout how de Yankees wuz goin' aroun' an' skeerin' de wimmen folks
mos' ter death goin' in dey houses an' making de folks cook 'em stuff
ter eat, den tearin' up an' messin' up dey houses an' den marchin' on
off."
"Den when ole Mistis 'ud hear de Yankees wuz comin' she'd call us
niggers en us 'ud take all de china, silver, and de joolry whut b'longed
ter ole Miss an' her family an' dig deep holes out b'hind de smoke-house
or under de big house, en bury h'it all 'tell de Yankees 'ud git by."
"Dem wuz dark days, but atter er long time de war wuz over an' dey tole
us us wuz free, I didn't want ter leave my white folks so I stayed on
fer sometime, but atter while de nigger come erlong whut I married. His
name wuz Tom Randolph an' befo' de war he b'longed ter Marse Joshua
Randolph, who lived at Jefferson, so den us moved ter Jefferson. Us had
thirteen chillun, but dey's all daid now an' my ole man is daid too, so
I'se here all by my se'f an' ef h'it warn't fer my two nieces here, who
lets me liv' wid 'em I doan know whut I'd do."
"I'se allus tried ter do de right thin' an' de good Lawd is takin' keer
uv me fer his prophet say in de Good Book, 'I'se been young and now am
ole, yet I'se nebber seed de righteous fersaken ner his seed beggin'
bread!' So I ain't worryin' 'bout sumpin' ter eat, but I doan want ter
stay here much longer onless h'its de good Lawds will."
Asked if she was superstitious, she said: "Well when I wuz young, I
reckin' I wuz, but now my pore ole mine is jes so tired and h'it doan
wuk lak h'it uster, so I never does think much 'bout superstition, but I
doan lak ter heer er "squinch owl" holler in de night, fer h'it sho is a
sign some uv yore folks is goin' ter die, en doan brin' er ax froo de
house onless yer take h'it back de same way yer brung h'it in, fer dat
'ill kill de bad luck."
When asked if she believed in ghosts or could "see sights" she said:
"Well, Miss, yer know if yer is borned wid er veil over yer face yer can
see sights but I has never seed any ghosts er sight's, I warn't born dat
way, but my niece, here has seed ghostes, en she can tell yer 'bout
dat."
When we were ready to leave we said, "Well, Aunt Fanny, we hope you live
for many more years." She replied: "I'se willin' ter go on livin' ez
long ez de Marster wants me ter, still I'se ready when de summons comes.
De good Lawd has allus giv' me grace ter liv' by, an' I know He'll giv'
me dyin' grace when my time comes."
[HW: Dist. 6
Ex-slave #94]
Alberta Minor
Re-search Worker
SHADE RICHARDS, Ex-slave
East Solomon Street
Griffin, Georgia
September 14, 1936
[Date Stamp: MAY 8 1937]
Shade Richards was born January 13, 1846 on the Jimpson Neals plantation
below Zebulon in Pike County. His father, Alfred Richards had been
brought from Africa and was owned by Mr. Williams on an adjoining
plantation. His mother, Easter Richards was born in Houston County but
sold to Mr. Neal. Shade being born on the plantation was Mr. Neal's
property. He was the youngest of 11 children. His real name was
"Shadrack" and the brother just older than he was named "Meshack".
Sometimes the mothers named the babies but most of the time the masters
did. Mr. Neal did Shade's "namin'".
Shade's father came two or three times a month to see his family on Mr.
Neal's plantation always getting a "pass" from his master for "niggers"
didn't dare go off their own plantation without a "pass". Before the war
Shade's grandfather came from Africa to buy his son and take him home,
but was taken sick and both father and son died. Shade's earliest
recollections of his mother are that she worked in the fields until "she
was thru' bornin' chillun" then she was put in charge of the milk and
butter. There were 75 or 80 cows to be milked twice a day and she had to
have 5 or 6 other women helpers.
Mr. Neal had several plantations in different localities and his family
did not live on this one in Pike County but he made regular visits to
each one. It had no name, was just called "Neal's Place." It consisted
of thirteen hundred acres. There were always two or three hundred slaves
on the place, besides the ones he just bought and sold for "tradin'". He
didn't like "little nigger men" and when he happened to find one among
his slaves he would turn the dogs on him and let them run him down. The
boys were not allowed to work in the fields until they were 12 years
old, but they had to wait on the hands, such as carrying water, running
back to the shop with tools and for tools, driving wagons of corn, wheat
etc. to the mill to be ground and any errands they were considered big
enough to do. Shade worked in the fields when he became 12 years old.
This plantation was large and raised everything--corn, wheat, cotton,
"taters", tobacco, fruit, vegetables, rice, sugar cane, horses, mules,
goats, sheep, and hogs. They kept all that was needed to feed the slaves
then sent the surplus to Savannah by the "Curz". The stage took
passengers, but the "Curz" was 40 or 50 wagons that took the farm
surplus to Savannah, and "fetched back things for de house."
Mr. Neal kept 35 or 40 hounds that had to be cooked for. He was "rich
with plenty of money" always good to his slaves and didn't whip them
much, but his son, "Mr. Jimmy, sure was a bad one". Sometimes he'd use
the cow hide until it made blisters, then hit them with the flat of the
hand saw until they broke and next dip the victim into a tub of salty
water. It often killed the "nigger" but "Mr. Jimmy" didn't care. He
whipped Shade's uncle to death.
When the "hog killin' time come" it took 150 nigger men a week to do it.
The sides, shoulders, head and jowls were kept to feed the slaves on and
the rest was shipped to Savannah. Mr. Neal was good to his slaves and
gave them every Saturday to "play" and go to the "wrestling school". At
Xmas they had such a good time, would go from house to house, the boys
would fiddle and they'd have a drink of liquor at each house. The liquor
was plentiful for they bought it in barrels. The plantations took turn
about having "Frolics" when they "fiddled and danced" all night.
If it wasn't on your own plantation you sure had to have a "pass". When
a slave wanted to "jine the church" the preacher asked his master if he
was a "good nigger", if the master "spoke up for you", you were "taken
in," but if he didn't you weren't. The churches had a pool for the
Baptist Preachers to baptize in and the Methodist Preacher sprinkled.
Mr. Neal "traded" with Dr. by the year and whenever the slaves were hurt
or sick he had to come "tend" to them. He gave the families their food
by the month, but if it gave out all they had to do was to ask for more
and he always gave it to them. They had just as good meals during the
week as on Sunday, any kind of meat out of the smoke house, chickens,
squabs, fresh beef, shoats, sheep, biscuits or cornbread, rice,
potatoes, beans, syrup and any garden vegetables. Sometimes they went
fishing to add to their menu.
The single male slaves lived together in the "boy house" and had just as
much as others. There were a lot of women who did nothing but sew,
making work clothes for the hands. Their Sunday clothes were bought with
the money they made off the little "patches" the master let them work
for themselves.
Mr. Jimmy took Shade to the war with him. Shade had to wait on him as a
body servant then tend to the two horses. Bullets went through Shade's
coat and hat many times but "de Lord was takin' care" of him and he
didn't get hurt. They were in the battle of Appomatox and "at the
surrenderin'," April 8, 1865, but the "evidence warn't sworn out until
May 29, so that's when the niggers celebrate emancipation."
Shade's brother helped lay the R.R. from Atlanta to Macon so the
Confederate soldiers and ammunition could move faster.
In those days a negro wasn't grown until he was 21 regardless of how
large he was. Shade was "near 'bout" grown when the war was over but
worked for Mr. Neal four years. His father and mother rented a patch,
mule and plow from Mr. Neal and the family was together. At first they
gave the niggers only a tenth of what they raised but they couldn't get
along on it and after a "lot of mouthin' about it" they gave them a
third. That wasn't enough to live on either so more "mouthin" about it
until they gave them a half, "and thats what they still gits today."
When the slaves went 'courtin' and the man and woman decided to get
married, they went to the man's master for permission then to the
woman's master. There was no ceremony if both masters said "alright"
they were considered married and it was called "jumpin' the broomstick."
Signs were "more true" in the olden days than now. God lead his people
by dreams then. One night Shade dreamed of a certain road he used to
walk over often and at the fork he found a lead pencil, then a little
farther on he dreamed of a purse with $2.43 in it. Next day he went
farther and just like the dream he found the pocketbook with $2.43 in
it.
Shade now works at the Kincaid Mill No. 2, he makes sacks and takes up
waste. He thinks he's lived so long because he never eats hot food or
takes any medicine. "People takes too much medicine now days" he says
and when he feels bad he just smokes his corn cob pipe or takes a chew
of tobacco.