"I live on Mr. Sim Bickley's farm, about five miles northwest of
Newberry Courthouse. I have a fairly good house to live in. I work on
the farm, myself, and make a pretty good living from it. I live with my
second wife. I had two children but they both died.
"I was born on Dr. Geo. W. Glenn's plantation, about six miles north of
Newberry. My parents, Berry and Frances Glenn, were slaves of Dr. Glenn.
I was seven years old when freedom come.
"Dr. Glenn gave us good quarters to live in and plenty to eat. He was a
good man and was not hard on slaves; but the mistress was mean to some
of the slaves that come from the Glenn side. She was good to the slaves
that come into her from her daddy.
"I didn't work much around the place when I was small, just did little
things to help. The master had a big garden and raised lots of green
vegetables like turnips, collards, cabbages and some okra, but little
beans except cornfield beans. We had plenty clothes.
"The master whipped us sometimes when we needed it. They would not learn
us to read and write. Some of the slaves went to the white folks'
church.
"I was married the first time on the Glasgow place by a colored preacher
named Boyd. Her daddy didn't want us to marry; he didn't like me. I
slipped to the field where she was working and stole her; went to the
preacher and got married. I married the second time in town on College
Hill.
"A band of Confederate soldiers in 1865 went past the master's house on
their way from war, and Mistress had dinner for them. They eat out
under big shade trees in the yard where Master always kept a long table
for dinners they had sometimes. When freedom come, the master called all
his slaves up to the house one night and spoke to them. He said they was
free, but any who wanted to stay on with him and help make the crop that
year could stay and he would pay wages. All stayed that year.
"The Ku Klux and Red Shirts didn't like Negroes. They would catch them
and whip them.
"It was a long time after the war before the negroes had a school. They
went to white folks churchs for a long time. Some of them had 'brush
harbors' for their churches, and schools, too.
"I don't know nothing about Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis. I can't
give much about Booker Washington, except I heard of him and believe he
is a good man and doing a good turn for the negroes.
"I think slavery was wrong; don't think one man ought to own another
man.
"I joined the church when I was about 25 or 30 years old."
=Source:= Silas Glenn (79), Newberry, S.C. RFD
Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. 8/9/37.
Project, 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S.C.
Date, August 11, 1937
JOHN GLOVER
Ex-Slave, 77 Years
Timmonsville, S.C.
"Born on Rafter Creek bout 20 miles from Timmonsville on Elija Carson
place. My white folks live in big two story house dere cause my Massa
was a bankholder in Charleston en dat de reason he go back en forth to
Charleston every week or two. My Massa a good man, a good man, en I hope
he restin in Heaven dis day."
"De Carsons had bout 2,000 acres of land en 100 head of slaves on dey
plantation. Have long row of house up in de quarter whe' all de slaves
live. We have a very good livin in dat day en time. Had more to eat den
we do dese days cause rations won' scarce like dey is now. Eat potatoes
en peas en corn bread en homemade grits mostly, but I likes everything
to eat, Captain. Den dey give us a garden to make us greens en things
like dat en we is catch possum heap of de time. Uncle Ben (father's
father) was a great possum hunter, but he died fore I get big enough to
go huntin wid him. He went possum huntin every night till something went
up de tree one night en possum talk to him. He used to go huntin on a
Sunday night en dat how-come de possum talk to him."
"You didn' see de peoples wear much different clothes like dey wear dese
days, but what dey have was very decent. Just have bout one piece,
Captain, make out of some kind of homemade cloth wid no extra for
Sunday. Wear same kind of pants on Sunday dat wear every day en same
kind of shoes call brogans wid brass toes. I ain' see no fittin cloth
since dey used to raise sheep en have dey own wool en have loom en spin.
Look like God smile on us in dat day en time."
"I work round de white folks house fore freedom come, but I go back to
de quarter en sleep when night come. Dem dat live in de quarter have
lumber bed wid mattress made out of sacks en hay. Den when dey ring dem
bells en blow dem horns in de mornin, dat mean you better get up en go
bout your task for dat day."
"Oh, dey work us hard en late in dem times. Work from de sunrise in de
mornin to de sundown in de evenin. Dey have a driver dat tote whip en
see dat you do what you know to do. Didn' have no jail in dat day, but
if you ain' do your task en dey catch you, dey punish you by de whip.
Some of de time, dey put em in de screw box what dey press bales of
cotton wid. Put em in dere en run press right down whe' can' crush en
dey oouldn' move till dey take em out in de mornin en whip em en put em
to work. See plenty whipped on de place. Dey make one fellow go over a
barrel, en de other peoples hold he head down en de driver whip him.
Give em 50 en 75 licks fore dey stop sometimes. Use chains to hold em
when dey break ropes so dey couldn' get away."
"I see em sell slaves heap of times. See em gwine along in droves en
sayin dey was gwine to market. Sell em if dey ain' stay on de place en
work. Bid em off just like horse en mules. What am I bid for dis one?
Come en open you mouth en examine you teeth en dey wouldn' miss you a
year."
"Oh, Gracious God, didn' get married till after de shake was en I reckon
I bout 30 years old den. Captain, we thought it was de Jedgment
(Judgment). It come like it was thunderin in de earth, rollin in de
earth en de earth was gwine en comin. We pray en all de cows en chickens
was yelling. Last dat night bout 30 minutes dat you could look at
anything en it look like top spinning. We was all good bout two years
after dat."
"My white folks didn' teach none of dey slaves to read en write en didn'
let em go bout from one plantation to de other no time. All us know is
when we go to dey meetin en dey pray wid us. Peoples used to sing en
pray in de quarter on Saturday night en when dey dig grave en have a
funeral. Dey didn' do bout buryings den like dey do now. Burying dem
times en de funeral would all be over at de burying. Slaves didn' have
no way to go to de funeral but to walk. Den a white man would stop you
en if you have a ticket wid you dat have pass word on it, you could go
on."
"I can tell you all bout when dem Yankees come through dere. Some was on
black horses, some on red horses, en some on white horses. De one dat on
black horse wear black, de one on white horse wear white, en de one on
de red horse wear red. De horses had sense enough to double up when dat
man hollo from de top of dem. Dey was wearing soldier clothes en dey
come up to you house en set place on fire, kill cow or anything dey want
to. Dey burn up Carson house en stay dere till next day. Dey talk to my
mamma cause our house de next one to de white folks house. De white
folks done been gone. Dey ask her whe' dey hide dey money en she know
dey hide it to Stafford Hill, six miles from de house, but she didn'
tell dem. Don' know yet what became of de money, but dem Yankees loaded
an old chest on de wagon en took all de slaves dat wanted to run away
wid dem en left dere."
"Slaves didn' know what to do de first year after freedom en den de
Yankees tell de white folks to give de slaves one-third of dey crops.
What de slaves gwine buy land wid den, Captain? Won' a God thing to eat
in dat time. Had to plow corn wid ox cause de Yankees took all de horses
en mules dey wanted. My mother worked on three years dere for de white
folks en dey give her one bushel of corn en dey take two. One bushel of
corn en dey take two. Measured by de same basket."
"Well, I can' tell you bout people, but I can tell you bout my poor
soul. I think I know I'm bless to be here en raise three generation
clear up dis world. All my chillun dead en gone en God left me to live
among dese wild varments here. I have to cry sometimes when I think how
dey die en leave me in dis troublesome world. During slavery time, didn'
know what hard times was. I know you see in de Bible dat God sorry he
made man done so. I'm sorry dat de last war done. Every time you fight
war makes times harder. See three war en every one I see makes time
worse. Money gets balled up in one or two hand. Looks bad to me. Didn'
know what it was one time to be hungry."
=Source:= John Glover, Ex-Slave, 77 Years, Timmonsville, S.C.
(Personal interview by Mrs. Lucile Young and H. Grady Davis.)
Project, 1885-1
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S.C.
Date, June 28, 1937
HECTOR GODBOLD
Ex-Slave, 87 Years
"What you gwine do wid me? I sho been here in slavery time. Talk to dem
soldiers when dey was retreatin dey way back home. My old Missus was
Miss Mary Godbold en den she marry a Haselden. Dey buy my mamma from de
old man Frank Miles right over yonder. Harry en Cindy Godbold was my
parents. We live in a one room house in de slave quarter dere on de
white folks plantation. My God, sleep right dere on de floor. Had
gran'parents dat come here over de water from Africa. Dey tell me dat
whe' dey come from dey don' never let no man en he wife sleep together
cause dey is scared of em catchin disease from one another. Dat sho a
good thing, you know dat. I think dat sho a good thing."
"Dey ain' never give none of de colored peoples no money in dat day en
time. Coase dey give us plenty something to eat. Fed us out a big bowl
of pot licker wid plenty corn bread en fried meat en dat bout all we
ever eat. Dey is let us have a garden of we own dat we had to work by de
night time. You see de colored folks know dey had to get up soon as dey
hear dat cow horn blow en dat been fore daylight come here. Oh, dey work
from dark to dark in dat day en time. Didn' but one day out all de year
stand dat was a week day en dat was de big Christmus day. Sweet molasses
bread was de thing dat day. Coase dey give us a big supper when dey had
dem cornshucking day. Oh, dey had a frolic den dat last way up to de
midnight."
"I never live dere to de Haselden plantation wid my parents long fore
dey hire me out to Massa John Mace en I stay dere till me en Maggie (his
wife) come here to live. Nurse six head of chillun for de white folks
dere. I hear em say my Missus was a Watson fore she marry Massa John
Mace. Lord, Lord, love dem chillun to death. If Moses Mace been livin,
you wouldn' be talkin to no Hector Godbold bout here dese days. He de
one what give me en Maggie dat four room house you see settin dere. My
Missus give me a good beatin one time when I did drop one of dem baby.
Just put me head under her foot en beat me dat way."
"Another thing I had to do was to carry de baby cross de swamp every
four hour en let my mamma come dere en suckle dat child. One day I go
dere en another fellow come dere what dey call John. He en my mamma get
in a argument like en he let out en cut my mamma a big lick right cross
de leg en de blood just pour out dat thing like a done a what. My mamma
took me en come on to de house en when Miss Jane see dat leg, she say,
"Cindy, what de matter?" My mamma say, "John call me a liar en I never
take it." Miss Jane tell em to send after Sam Watson right den. Sam
Watson was a rough old overseer en he been so bowlegged dat if he stand
straddle a barrel, he be settin down on it just as good as you settin
dere. Sam Watson come dere en make dat fellow lay down on a plank in de
fence jam en he take dat cat o' nine tail he have tie round his waist en
strike John 75 times. De blood run down off him just like you see a
stream run in dat woods. Dat sho been so cause all we chillun stand bout
dere en look on it. I suppose I was bout big enough to plough den. When
dey let John loose from dere, he go in de woods en never come back no
more till freedom come here. I tellin you when he come back, he come
back wid de Yankees."
"Oh, de colored peoples never know nothin more den dogs in dem times.
Never couldn' go from one plantation to de other widout dat dey had a
ticket wid em. I see Sam Watson catch many of dem dat had run way en
buff en gag em. Never have no jails nowhe' in dat day en time. Dey sho
sell de colored peoples way plenty times cause I see dat done right here
to Marion. Stand em up on a block en sell em to a speculator dere. I
hear em bid off a 'oman en her baby dere en den dey bid off my auntie en
uncle way down to de country. Dey wouldn' take no whippin off dey Massa
en dat how-come dey get rid of em. My gran'pappy been worth $1,000 en it
de Lord's truth I tellin you, he drown fore he let em whip him. Den my
gran'mammy use to run way en catch rides long de roads cause de peoples
let em do dat den. Coase if dey catch her, dey didn' never do her no
harm cause she was one of dem breed 'omans."
"Never know nothin bout gwine to school in dem times. Just pick up what
learnin we get here, dere, en everywhe'. Learnt something to de white
folks meetin house dere to Antioch settin on de back side of dat church
on dem benches what de slaves had to set on. I is know dis much dat I
voted three times to de courthouse in Marion way back in dem days."
"Sho, we chillun play game en frolic heap of de time. Shinny was de
thing dat I like best. Just had stick wid crook in de end of it en see
could I knock de ball wid dat. I sho remembers dat. Den I was one of de
grandest hollerers you ever hear tell bout. Use to be just de same as a
parrot. Here how one go: O--OU--OU--O--OU, DO--MI--NICI--O,
BLACK--GA--LE--LO, O--OU--OU--O--OU, WHO--O--OU--OU. Great King, dat
ain' nothin."
"Ain' never believe in none of dem charms people talk bout en ain' know
nothin bout no conjuring neither, but I know dis much en dat a spirit
sho slapped Maggie one night bout 12 o'clock. Den another time me en her
was comin home from a party one night en I had a jug of something dere
wid me en Maggie ax me for it. Say something was followin after her. De
next thing I know I hear dat jug say, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle. I look
back en she been pourin it out on de ground. She say she do dat to make
de spirit quit followin after her. Dat spirit sho been dere cause I see
dat licker disappear dere on de ground wid me own eyes."
"Sho, dey had doctors in dat day en time. Had plant doctors dat go from
one plantation to another en doctor de peoples. Dr. Monroe was one of
dem doctor bout here en dere ain' never been no better cures nowhe' den
dem plant cures was. I get Maggie so she can move bout dat way. She won'
able to walk a step en I boil some coon root en put a little whiskey in
it en make her drink dat. It sho raise her up too. Dem coon root look
just like dese chufas what you does find down side de river. Dat sho a
cure for any rheumatism what is. I know dat all right."
"Mighty right, I remembers when freedom was declare. I think dat must a
been de plan of God cause it just like dis, if it hadn' been de right
thing, it wouldn' been. I know it a good thing. De North was freed 20
years head of de South en you know it a good thing. I a history man en I
recollects dat de history say de North was freed 20 years fore de South
was."
"I sho hear dem guns at Fort Sumter dere en I remembers when dem
soldiers come through dis way dat de elements was blue as indigo bout
here. Had parade bout five miles long wid horses dancin bout en fiddles
just a playin. Some of dem Yankees come dere to de white folks house one
of dem time, when my Massa was way from home workin dere on de
Manchester Railroad, en ax my Missus whe' dey horses was. Dem horses
done been hide in de bay en dey never get nothin else dere neither, but
a little bit of corn dat dey take out de barn."
"I 87 year old now en I here to tell you dat I never done nobody no mean
trick in all me life. I does fight cause I cut a man up worth 19
stitches one of dem times back dere. Two of em been on me one time en I
whipped both of em. I tellin you I been good as ever was born from a
'oman. It just like dis, I say fight all right, but don' never turn no
mean trick back. Turn it to God, dat what do. Dem what go to church in
de right way, dey don' have no vengeful spirit bout em. I sho goes to
church cause de church de one thing dat does outstand
everything--everything."
=Source:= Hector Godbold, ex-slave, age 87, Pee Dee,
Marion Co., S.C.
(Personal interview, June 1937).
Project #1855
Stiles M. Scruggs
Columbia, S.C.
DANIEL GODDARD
EX-SLAVE 74 YEARS OLD.
"My name is Daniel Goddard. I was born in Columbia, S.C. Feb. 14, 1863,
to slave parents. You know I recall no contacts I made in slavery for I
was too young during that period. You know too, if I had been born in
Massachusetts, for example, I should have been free, because all slaves
in the United States had been set free when President Lincoln, shortly
before my birth, January, 1863, struck the shackles from bondage.
"The Confederate states had seceded from the Union and they paid no
attention to the freedom proclamation during the war. So the slaves in
the South, generally speaking, stayed on until the Confederacy collapsed
in April, 1865, and even then, some of the slaves were slow to strike
out for themselves, until the Federal government made ample preparations
to take care of them.
"Now you ask, if I heard about escapes of slaves. Sure I did and I heard
my parents discuss the efforts of slaves to shake off the shackles. This
was probably true because my father's brother, Thomas, was a member of
the slave ship which was taking him and 134 others from Virginia to New
Orleans. A few miles south of Charleston, the slaves revolted, put the
officers and crew in irons, and ran the ship to Nassau.
"There they went ashore and the British Government refused to surrender
them. They settled in the Bahama Islands and some of their descendants
are there today. That was about 1830, I think, because my Uncle Thomas
was far older than my father. I heard about the other slave revolts,
where that African prince, one of a large number of slaves that were
kidnaped, took over the Spanish ship L'Amada, killing two of the
officers. The remaining officers promised to return the slaves to Africa
but slyly turned the ship to port in Connecticut. There the Spanish
minister at Washington demanded the slaves, as pirates. Appeal was made
to the courts and the United States Court ruled that slavery was not
legal in Spain and declared the slaves free.
"The Nat Turner insurrection in Virginia and the Vesey uprising in
Charleston was discussed often, in my presence, by my parents and
friends. I learned that revolts of slaves in Martinique, Antigua,
Santiago, Caracas and Tortugus, was known all over the South. Slaves
were about as well aware of what was going on, as their masters were.
However the masters made it harder for their slaves for a while.
"I have a clipping, now worn yellow with age, which says the Federal
census of 1860, showed there were 487,970 free Negroes and 3,952,760
slaves in the United States at that time. I am not at all surprised at
the number of free Negroes. Many South Carolina families freed a number
of their slaves. Some slaves had the luck to be able to buy their
freedom and many others escaped to free areas. The problem of slavery as
a rule, was a question of wits, the slave to escape and the master to
keep him from escaping.
"I once talked with Frederick Douglass, perhaps the most eminent Negro
to appear so far in America. He told me he was born a slave in Maryland,
in 1817, and that he served there as a slave for ten years. He escaped
to Massachusetts, where he was aided in education and employment by the
Garrisons and other abolitionists, and became a leader of his race. He
was United States Minister to Haiti at the time I met him and was
eminent as an orator. He died in 1895.
"You ask, what do I think of the Presidents. Well, I have always been
such an admirer of Andrew Jackson, a South Carolinian, that I may be
prejudiced a little. The reason I admire him so much, is because he
stood for the Union, and he didn't mean maybe, when he said it. He
served his time and God took him, just as he took Moses.
"Then Lincoln was raised up for a specific purpose, to end slavery,
which was a menace to both whites and blacks, as I see it. And President
Wilson kept the faith of the fathers, when he decided to put the German
Kaiser where he could no longer throw the world into discord. But there
has only been one President whose heart was touched by the cry of
distress of the poor and needy and his name is Franklin D. Roosevelt. He
is one white man who has turned the bias of the Negroes from the bait of
partisan politics.
"Yes, sir, I recall the reconstruction period here in Columbia. My
parents lived until I was about grown and we kept the middle of the
road, in the matter of selling out to the Federal soldiers and
carpet-baggers on the one hand, or to designing politicians on the
other. But my father was an admirer of General Hampton, because General
Hampton owned many Negroes at one time and had treated them well.
Between Hampton and Chamberlain for governor, in 1876, most of my Negro
friends voted for Hampton.
"What have I been doing since I grew up? Well, I have been busy trying
to make a living. I worked for various white folks in this community and
sometime for the railroads here, in a minor capacity. My younger years
were spent in the quest of an education. For the past thirty years I
have been the porter for the State Paper Company, Columbia's morning
newspaper. As I became proficient in the work, the Gonzales boys grew
fond of me. While the youngest one, Hon. William E. Gonzales, was absent
in the diplomatic service in Cuba and in Peru for eight years for
President Wilson, I looked after the needs of Mr. Ambrose Gonzales.
Shortly before he died, Hon. William E. Gonzales returned. He has since
been editor and publisher of the 'State', as well as principal owner.
"You ask, if I have applied for an old age pension. No, I have not. I am
old enough to qualify, I guess, but I understand, you cannot get a
pension if you have a job. If that is so, I shall never enjoy any
pension money. I would not leave serving my friend, Captain William E.
Gonzales, for any pension that might be offered me."
<tb>
N.B. This man is well educated, speaks no dialect. He received his
education from Northern teachers in Freedman aid, equal to the modern
high school curriculum. He afterward studied in Boston. He reads,
writes, and speaks excellent English.
Address: 1022 Divine Street, Columbia, S.C.
Project #-1655
Mrs. Genevieve W. Chandler
Murrells Inlet, S.C.
Georgetown County