"I live in de house wid my grandniece and her husband. It is a two-room
house which dey rent; and dey take care of me. I am old, weak and in bed
much of de time. I can't work any, now. My grandniece had to give up her
job so she could stay home and take care of me. Dat makes it hard fer
us.
"I don't remember much about de war nor de Ku Klux 'cept what I done
tole you befo'. Dey never bothered us. My master would not let 'em
bother us. He was George Gallman and he had a big farm and lots of
slaves. Just atter freedom come he made a coffin shop in back of his
house in a little one-room shack. He made coffins fer people about de
country. It got to be han'ted, and sometimes niggers could see ghosts
around dere at night, so dey say, I never saw none, myself.
"Master George and his mistress was good to de niggers. Dey always give
dem plenty to eat. I had it good, and never bothered about nothing den.
De slaves never learn't to read and write; but dey went to de
whitefolks' church. Dey had to go, and set in de back or in de gallery.
"When freedom come, de slaves hired out mostly as share-croppers. A
little later, some got small farms to rent. Since dat time dey have
worked at most anything dey could get to do. De ones dat moved to town
worked at odd jobs, some at carpenter work, janitor work or street work;
but most of dem worked in fields around town.
"I married Hattie Eckles. When she died I went to Jalapa and lived ten
years dere; den atter I got too old to work, I come to town and lived
wid my kin.
"I was about twelve years old when dey made me go to de field to work.
Befo' dat and after dat, too, I worked around de barn and took care of
de stock.
"As fer eats, we had plenty. We had good collards, turnips and other
good vegetables. De master has his own hogs, too, and we had plenty meat
to eat.
"Christmas was a big day fer us. We never worked dat day. We had good
dinner, and could do what we wanted to do. We never had to work in de
fields on Saturday. We would do washing or go hunting or something else.
"All I know about slavery being all right, is dat I had a good time,
better dan now. Abraham Lincoln was a good man. I don't know nothing
agin' him. Never heard anything about Jefferson Davis. I think Booker
Washington is a good man. He do good fer de niggers in giving dem
education.
"I joined de church when I was young because others was joining. I think
everybody ought to belong to de church."
=Source:= Simon Gallman (80), Newberry, S.C.
Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. (9/3/37)
Project 1885
District #4
Spartanburg, S.C.
June 1, 1937
Edited by:
Martha Ritter