Uncle Ben and his wife, aunt Stella, live in their two-room,
white-washed cabin that sits sideways to the King's Highway, which Uncle
Ben always calls 'the King Road,' near Murell's Inlet, S.C. Paving and
straightening this old King's Road, now US 17, has put the two old
people in the world. Around the cabin lie the fourteen and three quarter
acres that were paid for by Uncle Ben and his father, six or eight acres
cleared, the rest woodland. Uncle Ben earns a living by gathering
oysters from the Inlet's waters, opening and roasting the oysters for
white visitors. Uncle Ben is a great walker. He walks to Conway, the
county seat of Horry (Murrell's Inlet is situated on the line between
Horry and Georgetown counties), a distance of approximately thirty miles
depending on whether one sticks to the paved highway or takes short cuts
through the woods, in preference to riding. One day he had walked to
Conway and back by eleven o'clock in the morning. Uncle Ben's scrappy
conversation will tell how he earns his bread, fears and fights 'the
Law', provides for Stella's future, and works for and honors white
folks. Brookgreen, which he mentions as the plantation on which he was
born and raised, is an open-air museum, donated to South Carolina by
A.M. Huntingdon, and visited by thousands of tourists. (=See US17, Tour
1=).
"I the oldest liver left on Waccamaw Neck that belong to Brookgreen,
Prospect, (now Arcadia), Longwood, Alderly Plantations. I been here! I
seen things! I tell you. Thousand of them things happen but I try to
forget 'em. Looker!" He pointed to what appeared to be primeval forest
in front of his battered little porch. "That woods you see been Colonel
Josh Ward's taters patch. Right to Brookgreen Plantation where I born.
My father Duffine (Divine) Horry and my brother is Richard Horry. Dan'l
and Summer two both my uncle. You can put it down they were Colonel
Ward's musicianer. Make music for his dater (daughter) and the white
folks to dance. Great fiddlers, drummers. Each one could play fiddle,
beat drum, blow fife. All three were treat with the same education. You
know, when you going to do anything for them big people you got to do it
right. Before time (formerly) they danced different. Before strange city
people fetched different steps here. But, then, they could use they feet
all right!
"My father fore he dead been the head man for old Colonel Josh Ward.
Lived to Brookgreen. They say Colonel Ward the biggest rice man been on
Waccamaw. He start that big gold rice in the country. He the head rice
Cap'n in dem time. My father the head man, he tote the barn key. Rice
been money dem day and time. My father love he liquor. That take money.
He ain't have money but he have the rice barn key and =rice= been money!
So my father gone in woods (he have a head, my father!), take a old
stump, have 'em hollow out. Now he (the stump) same as mortar to the
barn yard. And my father keep a pestle hide handy. Hide =two= pestle! Them
pestle make outer heart pine. When that pestle been miss (missed), I
wuzn't know nothing! The way I knows my age, when the slavery time war
come I been old enough to go in the woods with my father and hold a
lightard (lightwood) torch for him to see to pestle off that golden rice
he been tote out the barn and hide. =That= rice he been take to town
Sat'd'y when the Colonel and my father go to get provision like sugar,
coffee, pepper and salt. With the money he get when he sell that rice,
he buy liquor. He been hide that sack o' rice fore day clean (daylight)
in the prow of the boat and cover with a thing like an old coat. I
members one day when he come back from town he make a miss (step) when
he onloading and fell and broke he jug! The Big Boss see; he smell; and
he see WHY my father make that miss step; he already sample that liquor!
But the Boss ain't say too much. Sat'd'y time come to ration off. Every
head on the Plantation to Brookgreen line up at smoke-house to draw he
share of meat and rice and grits and meal. (This was fore my father been
pint (appointed) head man. This when they had a tight colored man in
that place by name Fraser. They say Fraser come straight from Africa).
Well, Sat'd'y when time come to give my father he share of rations, the
headman reach down in the corner and pull out a piece of that broke
whiskey jug and put on top my father rations where all could see!
Colonel Ward cause that to be done to broke him off from that whiskey
jug. My father was a steady liquor man till then and the Boss broke him
off.
"Slavery going in. I members Marse Josh and Miss Bess had come from
French Broad (Springs) where they summered it. They brought a great deal
of this cloth they call blue drilling to make a suit for every boy big
enough to wear a suit of clothes and a pair of shoes for every one. I
thought =that= the happiest 'set up' I had in boyhood. Blue drilling pants
and coat and shoe. And Sund'y come we have to go to the Big House for
Marse Josh to see how the clothes fit. And him and Miss Bess make us run
races to see who run the fastest. That the happiest time I members when
I wuz a boy to Brookgreen.
"Two Yankee gun boats come up Waccamaw river! Come by us Plantation. One
stop to Sandy Island, Montarena landing. One gone Watsaw (Wachesaw
landing). Old Marse Josh and all the white buckra gone to Marlboro
county to hide from Yankee. Gon up Waccamaw river and up Pee Dee river,
to Marlboro county, in a boat by name Pilot Boy. Take Colonel Ward and
all the Cap'n to hide from gun boat till peace declare. I think Pilot
Boy been a rear-wheeler. Most boats like the Old Planter been side
wheeler.
"They say the Yankee broke in all the rice barn on Sandy Island and
share the rice out to colored people. The big mill to Laurel Hill been
burn right den. That the biggest rice mill on Waccamaw river. Twuzn't
the Yankee burn dem mill. Dese white mens have a idea the Yankee mean to
burn dese mill so they set 'em afire before the Yankee come. Nothing
left to Laurel Hill today but the rice mill tower. That old brick tower
going to BE there. Fire can't harm 'em.
"The worst thing I members was the colored oberseer. He was the one
straight from Africa. He the boss over all the mens and womens and if
omans don't do all he say, he lay task on 'em they ain't able to do. My
mother won't do all he say. When he say, 'You go barn and stay till I
come,' she ain't do dem. So he have it in for my mother and lay task on
'em she ain't able for do. Then for punishment my mother is take to the
barn and strapped down on thing called the Pony. Hands spread like this
and strapped to the floor and all two both she feet been tie like this.
And she been give twenty five to fifty lashes till the blood flow. And
my father and me stand right there and look and ain't able to lift a
hand! Blood on floor in that rice barn when barn tear down by Huntingdon
(A.M. Huntingdon). If Marse Josh been know 'bout that obersheer, the
oberseer can't do 'em; but just the house servant get Marse Josh' and
Miss Bess' ear. Them things different when my father been make the head
man. What I tell you happen fore Freedom, when I just can remember.
"Father dead just before my mother. They stayed right to Brookgreen
Plantation and dead there after they free. And all they chillun do the
same, till the Old Colonel sell the plantation out. Where we going to?
Ain't we got house and rations there?
"How many chillun I got? Lemme see. Lemme see how many head of chillun.
You, Stella! Help me now! Don't let me tell the Missis wrong. Charles
Henry, thirty eight, dere in New York. Ben Horry--I gie' 'em directly!"
(Lifting cap and scratching high forehead and gray wool). "Twenty four.
I going to give you all I got! All I know about! Bill Horry, that's a
boy, he twenty. Dinah, that's a gal, twenty five. Christine, she bout
twenty. Mary Horry, I would say fifteen. When the last war come, the
last war deputize them boy and take 'em way up North and the gals
follow, trail 'em on to New York. That the war when you can't get no
sugar and have to put candy in your coffee.
"How old I is?" Slowly and deliberately "December 13th., 1852. Eighty
five years or more. When my mother dead to Brookgreen I would say I
'bout thirty three year old.
"After Freedom, from my behavior wid my former owner, I wuz pinted
(appointed) head man on Brookgreen Plantation. By that put drop in my
hand (getting the drop on others). When kennel been dug out (canal dug)
from the Oaks Plantation to Dr. Wardie Flagg house, I wuz pint
(appointed) head man. Take that down, Missis. Kennel (canal) cut 1877.
Near as I kin, I must task it on the kennel (canal) and turn in every
man's work to Big Boss. That kennel (canal) bigger than one Mr.
Huntingdon dig right now with machine.
"Missus, slavery time people done something."
Uncle Gabe Lance, born on Sandy Island the first year of the Civil War,
a visitor at Uncle Ben's: "Yes sir. All them rice field been nothing but
swamp. Slavery people cut kennel (canal) and dig ditch through the raw
swamp. All these fields been thick woods. Ditching man task was ten
compass."
Uncle Ben continues:
"Storm? Ain't I tell you I BEEN here? Yes, sir. More than one storm I
live through! Been through the Flagg storm. Been turn over twice outside
there in the sea. One time been have the seine. Been rough. Have
weather. And the breakers take the boat. I swim till I get the rope
hold. Two men on the shore have the rope end of the seine rope and I
hold to that and that how I save THAT time.
"Member another time. Had a boat full of people this last go 'round. Wuz
Miss Mary, he aunty and the lawyer. I take them fishing outside in
oshun. Been in the Inlet mouth. Come half way to Drunken Jack Island.
Breaker start to lick in the boat! I start to bail! Have a maters
(tomatoes) can for bail with. And that been danjus (dangerous); have too
much women in there; dey couldn't swim like a man. And it happen by
accident, when the boat swamp and full with water, our FEET TOUCH
BOTTOM. When he (the boat) turn over, I didn't aim to do no thing but
swim for myself. Wasn't able to help nobody. But here out feet touch
bottom. Only an accident from God!
"One time again I swamp outside, 'tween Georgetown and Charleston. Try
to bail. Swim with one hand, hold boat with the other. Roughest time I
ever see 'cause it been cold wedder (weather). Old before-time yawl
boat, carry eight oar, four to each side. Young man then; 1877. After
the wedder (weather) surrender, we we gone back in dere and find cork
going up and down and save us net and all!
"When the Flagg storm been, 1893, I working for Ravanel and Holmes. I
was taken up in that storm in a steamer boat. Leave Charleston
generally about five in morning. That trip never reach Georgetown till
nine that night. Meet a man on that trip got he wife hug to mast in a
little kinder life boat. Had he two chillun; rope wrap 'em to that mast.
Save man and wife and chillun and gone back and save he trunk. After
that they quit call me 'Ben'; they call me 'Rooster'.
"After Flagg storm, Colonel Ward take me and Peter Carr, us two and ah
horse, take that shore (follow the ocean shore line) to Little River.
Search for all them what been drowned. Find a trunk to Myrtle Beach.
Have all kinder thing in 'em; comb for you hair, thing you put on you
wrist. Find dead horse, cow, ox, turkey, fowl--everything. Gracious God!
Don't want to see no more thing like that! But no dead body find on
beach outside Flagg family. Find two of them chillun way down to Dick
Pond what drownded to Magnolia Beach; find them in a distance apart from
here to that house. Couldn't 'dentify wedder Miss or who. All that
family drown out because they wouldn't go to this lady house on higher
ground. Wouldn't let none of the rest go. Servant all drown! Betsy, Kit,
Mom Adele! Couldn't 'dentify who lost from who save till next morning.
Find old Doctor body by he vest stick out of the mud; fetch Doctor body
to shore and he watch still aticking. Dr. Wardie Flagg been save hanging
to a beach cedar. When that tornado come, my house wash down off he
blocks. Didn't broke up.
"Religion! Reckon Stella got the morest of dat. I sometimes a little
quick. Stella, she holds one course. I like good song. One I like best?"
'Try us, Oh Lord,
And search the ground
Of every sinful heart! (Uncle Ben stopped to think).
What 'eer of sin
In us be found
Oh, bid it all depart!'
"Reason I choose that for a favorite hymn, I was to Brookgreen doing
some work for Dr. Wardie Flagg and I had to climb as high as that live
oak tree, and I fell high as that tree! I lay there till I doze off in
sleep. And I tell you what happen to me curious. While I was sleep I
seen two milk white chickens. You know what them two white fowl do? They
gone and sit on my mother dresser right before the glass and sing that
song. Them COULD sing! And it seem like a woman open a vial and pour
something on me. My spiritual mother (in dem day every member in the
church have what they call a spiritual mother) say, 'That not natural
fowl. That sent you for a token.' Since that time I serve the choir five
or six years and no song seem strange to me since that day. God ain't ax
about you color; God ax about you heart.
"Make my living with the ister (oyster). Before time (formerly) I get
seventy five cents a bushel; now I satisfy with fifty cents. Tide going
out, I go out in a boat with the tide; tide bring me in with sometimes
ten, sometimes fifteen or twenty bushels. I make white folks a roast;
white folks come to Uncle Ben from all over the country--Florence,
Dillon, Mullins--every kind of place. Same price roast or raw, fifty
cents a bushel.
"I bout to quit up with sell. All the lawyer. Turn all my papers over to
Mr. Burris. I got too much of paper in that Con-o-way. Court House. Got
more paper in there than the house worth! Have to step to Con-o-way all
the time. Struggle and starve myself out for these fifteen acres. Thirty
miles to Con-o-way. Thirty miles back by the course I travels. All them
tricky mens try to go and get old Ben's land sign to 'em. That's the
mainest thing take me to Con-o-way every week. They all talk so sugar
mouth till my name down; then when my name write is another thing. When
I in too much trouble, I just has to step up to Con-o-way and see Mr.
Burris. He's a good man.
"They try to mix old Ben up in this whiskey business. It look too
brutish to me.
"Missis, I want to tell you all I kin but the old man punish with this
bone felom (felon). Worse'n I ever been punish in all my eighty five
year. Crab bite 'em and ister (oyster) cut 'em (hand). Woman die and
bury Sunday have hand just like this. If you say so, I'll go to doctor.
Don't want no blood poison. He (bone felon) did act like he trying to
dry up. I tie pea leaf on 'em. Can't put my hand to my head."
The next day Uncle Ben was found with the doctor's white bandage very
muddy. Uncle Ben had gotten out of bed to go get oysters and even the
bone felon did not stop him. Uncle Ben is still hale and hearty, having
triumphed over the bone felon, and is one of the noted characters of
that region.
Project #-1655
Mrs. Genevieve W. Chandler
Murrells Inlet, S.C.
Georgetown County