slave narratives

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 LIBR4.RY OF CONGRESS

Illustrated with Photographs

WASHINGTON 1941

VOLm~

soum

XIV

CAROLINA NARRATIVES PART 3

Prepared by the Federal Writers' Project of the Works-Progress Administration for the State of South Carolina

INFORMANTS Jackson, Adeline 1 Jackson, Cordelia 5 James, Agnes 8 Janes, Fred 14 Jeffries, Isiah 17 Jefferson, Thomas 20 Jenkins, Henry D. 23 Jenkins, I.:aria 27 Jenkins, Paul 30 Jeter, Emma 33 Johnson, Adeline Hall 35 Johnson, Anna 40 Johnson, Jack 41 Johnson, James 42 Johnson, Rev. James H. 45 Johnson, Jane 48 Johnson, Jimmie 53 J ohnso n, Mary 56,58 Johnson, Mierny 59 Johnson, Tam 62 Jones, Richard (Look-up) 63 Jones, Wesley 72 Keenan, Sallie Layton Kelly, Ella Kelly, Martha Kelley, Mary Jane

74 80 83 89

Lance., Gabe 91 Lawrenc e, Ephriam (Mike) 94,97 Lei tner, BEm 100 Lipscomb, Mary Ann 103 Littlejohn, Govan 105,106 Lockhart, Easter 108 Locklier, Gable 112 Long, Walter 118 Lowden, Gillam 124 Lowran, Emma 125 Loyd, Nellie 126,127 Lumpkin, Junie 130. Lyles, Ballam 134 Lyles, Eison 136

Lyles, Moses

139

McAlilley, George McCrorey, Ed (Mack) Mack, Richard McLeod, Jake McNe il, Bill Marion, Andy Marshall, Milton Meadow, Charlie Means, Al·be rt Means, Andrew Miller, Jason Miller, Lucinda Milling, Cureton Mishow, Abbey Mitchell, Sam Moore, Charity Moore, Sena

142 146 151 157 164 167 172 176 182 185 191 194 197 200 205 209

Nelson, Silas Nelson, Susan

213 214

Oliver, William Oxner, Albert

217 221

188

Palmer, Ann 223 Patterson, George 226,230 Paul, Sallie 231,238,243 Pendergrass, Lina Anne 248 Perry, Amy 251 Perry, Rob 256 Perry, Victoria 260 Petty, John 263 POindexter, Sarah 268 Polite, Sam 271 Pratt, William 277 Pristell, Henry 280

~uattlebaum,

Junius

283

Project #1655

39027{

VI. W. Dixon

Winnsboro, S.

... J.

C.

ADELINE JACKSON EX-BUVE 88 YURS OLD •

.. I was born four mile. 8Ot.rf;bnat ot where I i . now, on de ather side of wood1rard Station. I . . a slave of old Marster John Mobley, de ri cheat

JIlIUl,

de lerges I land owner, lU'ld wid more Driggers then any other

white men in de county. lie was de seventh Bon ot de seventh 80n, eo he

I.

allowed, Nld you lmows dat'. a sign of a big l.i1y, lots of con, mles, horses, moaey, chillun and everything dat

worth' havin'. lie had a good

rif. too, die de w8:/ he got her, he sayo 9he de daughter

ot old

Maj. Andy

MclAs.n, .ho got. body full of bul~.•ts in de Revolution; he diem '"

WIlDt

Katie to marry Marster John. Muster John git on a _Ie and ride up in de ni&ht. tiss

~atie

runned out, jump up behin' him, nan e.way and marry

Marster John. They had de seme birthday, March 27th, but Marater John two years older than

MiB8

Katie_ Dat day was looked to,

88.1D8

as Christmas, every

year '_

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186

When questioned further· about slavery times, he said 6 "I was so little, too little to work. marbles and pitohing horse shoes.

I was playing

One day I looked up and I

-

seed soldiers running their horses-down the road in my direotion and I got soared.

They had on blue hats, or .caps, but I don't

reoollect what kind of olothes they had on, but I remember the

- Sir,

No-~

blue oaps with a stiff f'ron1;;)joit. nothing at the house.

they didn't do

Same of dem asked for something to eat,

but when we didn't have anything to eat they couldn't get it-. so rode on.

I was so scared and my_ heart was beating so when -

I seed 'em coming I just lit out on a run." (.At this point he la~ghed heartily to him..s-el:f.)

I run

over

" I ran so hard and was so scared

and knocked down two railingS. on de fence, den I crawled

- under de bed." When asked how the darkies got married in those days .. he said: IITbey h~d to do the best- they could.

People di