Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves - South Carolina Narratives, Part 4

Work Projects Administration

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• Publié par: gepul
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 48
• Langue: English

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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves, by Work Projects Administration This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves South Carolina Narratives, Part 4 Author: Work Projects Administration Release Date: February 24, 2009 [EBook #28170] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SLAVE NARRATIVES, PART 4 *** Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division) Transcriber's Note: This text is mainly written in dialect. As such, the majority of the spelling, grammar, and punctuation irregularities have been preserved, with the exception of a number of typographical errors. A full list of them can be found at the end of the text. SLAVE NARRATIVES A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves TYPEWRITTEN RECORDS PREPARED BY THE FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT 1936-1938 ASSEMBLED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PROJECT WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SPONSORED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Illustrated with Photographs WASHINGTON 1941 VOLUME XIV SOUTH CAROLINA NARRATIVES PART 4 Prepared by the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of South Carolina INFORMANTS Raines, Mary Range, Frank Rawls, Sam Renwick, Ellen Rice, Anne Rice, Jessie Rice, Phillip Richardson, Martha Riley, Mamie Riser, Susie Roberts, Isom Robertson, Alexander Robinson, Charlie Rosboro, Al Rosboro, Tom Rosborough, Reuben Rose, William Russell, Benjamin Rutherford, Joe Rutherford, Lila 1 3 5, 7 9 10 12 17 19 23 25 26 31 35 38 42 45 48 51 55 57 Rutledge, Sabe Ryan, Henry Satterwhite, Emoline Scaife, Alexander Scantling, Eliza Scott, Mary Scott, Nina Scurry, Morgan Simmons, Ransom Sligh, Alfred Smith, Dan Smith, Hector Smith, Jane Smith, Mary Smith, Prince Smith, Silas Sparrow, Jessie Starke, Rosa Stewart, Josephine Suber, Bettie Swindler, Ellen Taylor, Mack Thompson, Delia Toatley, Robert Veals, Mary Walker, Manda Walker, Med Waring, Daniel Washington, Nancy Watson, Charley White, Dave White, Tena Williams, Bill 59, 65 71, 74 75 76 78 81 88 89 91 92 95 100, 105 110 112 116 119 121, 125, 130, 136, 141 147 151 155 156 157 160 163 167, 169 170 174 181 184 188 191, 194 196 199 Williams, Jesse Williams, Mary Williams, Willis Wilson, Emoline Wilson, Jane Woodberry, Genia Woodberry, Julia Woods, George Woodward, Aleck Woodward, Mary Worth, Pauline Wright, Daphney Young, Bill Young, Bob 202 206 208 213, 215 216 218 227, 232, 237, 242 247 253 257 260 266 270 273 Project #1655 W.W. Dixon Winnsboro, S.C. MARY RAINES EX-SLAVE 99 YEARS OLD. Mary Raines is the oldest living person, white or black, in Fairfield County. If she survives until next December, she will have attained her century of years. She lives with her widowed daughter, Fannie McCollough, fifty-seven years old, and a son, Joe Raines, aged 76 years. They rent a two-room frame house, on lands of Mrs. Sallie Wylie, Chester County, S.C. Joe, the son, is a day laborer on nearby farms. Fannie cooks for Mrs. W.T. Raines. Old Mother Mary has been receiving a county pension of $5.00 per month for several years. "How old would Marse William Woodward be if he hadn't died befo' I gwine to die? A hundred and twenty, you say? Well, dat's 'bout de way I figured my age. Him was a nephew of Marse Ed, de fust Marse Ed P. Mobley. Him say dat when him 'come twenty-one, old marster give him a birthday dinner and 'vite folks to it. Marse Riley McMaster, from Winnsboro, S.C., was dere a flyin' 'round my young mistress, Miss Harriett. Marse Riley was a young doctor, ridin' 'round wid saddlebags. While they was all settin' down to dinner, de young doctor have to git up in a hurry to go see my mammy. Left his plate piled up wid turkey, nice dressin', rice and gravy, candy 'tatoes, and apple marmalade and cake. De wine 'canter was a settin' on de 'hogany sideboard. All dis him leave to go see mammy, who was a squallin' lak a passle of patarollers (patrollers) was a layin' de lash on her. When de young doctor go and come back, him say as how my [1] mammy done got all right and her have a gal baby. Then him say dat Marse Ed, his uncle, took him to de quarter where mammy was, look me all over and say: 'Ain't her a good one? Must weigh ten pounds. I's gwine to name dis baby for your mama, William. Tell her I name her, Mary, for her, but I 'spects some folks'll call her 'Polly', just lak they call your mama, 'Polly'. "I was a strong gal, went to de field when I's twelve years old, hoe my acre of cotton, 'long wid de grown ones, and pick my 150 pounds of cotton. As I wasn't scared of de cows, they set me to milkin' and churnin'. Bless God! Dat took me out of de field. House servants 'bove de field servants, them days. If you didn't git better rations and things to eat in de house, it was your own fault, I tells you! You just have to help de chillun to take things and while you doin' dat for them, you take things for yourself. I never call it stealin'. I just call it takin' de jams, de jellies, de biscuits, de butter and de 'lasses dat I have to reach up and steal for them chillun to hide 'way in deir little stomaches, and me, in my big belly. "When Joe drive de young doctor, Marse Riley, out to see Mass Harriett, while Marse Riley doin' his courtin' in de parlor, Joe was doin' his courtin' in de kitchen. Joe was as smart as de nex' one. Us made faster time than them in de parlor; us beat them to de marriage. Marse Riley call it de altar, but Joe always laugh and say it was de halter. Many is de time I have been home wid them sixteen chillun, when him was a gallavantin' 'round, and I wished I had a got a real halter on dat husband of mine. "I b'longs to de Gladden's Grove African Methodist 'Piscopal Church. Too old to shout but de great day is comin', when I'll shout and sing to de music of dat harp of 10,000 strings up yonder. Oh! Won't dat be a joyful day, when dese old ailin' bones gonna rise again." (Then the old darkey became suffused in tears, lapsed into a silence and apathy, from which she couldn't be aroused. Finally she slumbered and snored. It would have been unkind to question her further.) [2] Project 935 Hattie Mobley Richland County FRANK RANGE CIVIL WAR SERVANT and HERO At the age of one hundred and three, Frank Range is a familiar figure on the streets of Greenville, talking freely of pre-Civil and Civil War days, and the part he played in the war. Frank, the oldest of nine children, was born of slave parents, Lenard and Elizabeth Herbert, on the plantation of Mr. Jim Boler, Newberry, South Carolina. He was sold several times, and is known by the name of one of his owners, John Range. During the Civil War his master, Mr. Jim Herbert, carried him to the war as a cook, and when necessary, he was pressed into service, throwing up breastworks; and while he was engaged in this work, at Richmond Va. a terrific bombardment of their lines was made, and a part of their breast-works was crushed in, and his master buried beneath it. Frantic with fear for the safety of his master, Frank began to move the dirt away; finally he was able to drag him to safety. Though shot and shell were falling all around him, he came out unscathed. Frank Range returned to Newberry at the close of the war, after which he moved to Greenville County in 1901, and into the city in 1935. He is never happier than when, in the center of a group of willing hearers, he is reciting in a sing-song tone the different periods of his life. He attributes his longevity to the fact that he has never tasted whiskey, never chewed tobacco; never had a fight; toothache and headache are unknown to him; the service of a physician has never been needed; he does not know one [4] [3] playing card from another. He can walk five or more miles with seeming ease; is jovial and humorous. He receives a state pension of twenty five dollars annually. His place of residence is 101 Hudson St. Greenville, S.C. References; Mr. Guy A. Gullick, Probate Judge, Greenville County. Frank Range (information given concerning himself) 101 Hudson St. Greenville S.C. Project 1885-1 FOLKLORE Spartanburg Dist. 4 June 15, 1937 Edited by: Elmer Turnage STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES "I was born in 1835 in Lexington County, S.C. I know I was 12 years old de last year of de war. I belonged to John Hiller in Lexington County, near Columbia, S.C. Old Marse Hiller was strict to his slaves, wasn't mean, but often whipped 'em. I thought it was all right then. When de Yankees come through burning, killing and stealing stock, I was in marse's yard. Dey come up whar de boss was standing, told him dere was going to be a battle, grabbed him and hit him. Dey burned his house, stole de stock, and one Yankee stuck his sword to my breast and said fer me to come wid him or he would kill me. O' course I went along. Dey took me as fer as Broad River, on t'other side o' Chapin; then turned me loose and told me to run fast or they would shoot me. I went fast and found my way back home by watching de sun. Dey told me to not go back to dat old man. "De slaves never learnt to read and write. If any o' dem was caught trying to learn to read or write, dey was whipped bad. I kotched on to what de white chilluns said, and learnt by myself to say de alphabet. "We went to de white churches atter de war, and set in de gallery. Den de niggers set up a 'brush harbor' church fer demselves. We went to school at de church, and atter school was out in de