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Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Work Projects Administration 1 Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Work Projects Administration 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 Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Work Projects Administration 2 Release Date: February 24, 2009 [EBook 28170] Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII *** 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 Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Work Projects Administration 3 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 1 Range, Frank 3 Rawls, Sam 5, 7 Renwick, Ellen 9 Rice, Anne 10 Rice, Jessie 12 Rice, Phillip 17 Richardson, Martha 19 Riley, Mamie 23 Riser, Susie 25 Roberts, Isom 26 Robertson, Alexander 31 Robinson, Charlie 35 Rosboro, Al 38 Rosboro, Tom 42 Rosborough, Reuben 45 Rose, William 48 Russell, Benjamin 51 Rutherford, Joe 55 Rutherford, Lila 57 Rutledge, Sabe 59, 65 Ryan, Henry 71, 74 Satterwhite, Emoline 75 Scaife, Alexander 76 Scantling, Eliza 78 Scott, Mary 81 Scott, Nina 88 Scurry, Morgan 89 Simmons, Ransom 91 Sligh, Alfred 92 Smith, Dan 95 Smith, Hector 100, 105 Smith, Jane 110 Smith, Mary 112 Smith, Prince 116 Smith, Silas 119 Sparrow, Jessie 121, 125, 130, 136, 141 Starke, Rosa 147 Stewart, Josephine 151 Suber, Bettie 155 Swindler, Ellen 156 Taylor, Mack 157 Thompson, Delia 160 Toatley, Robert 163 Veals, Mary 167, 169 Walker, Manda 170 Walker, Med 174 Waring, Daniel 181 Washington, Nancy 184 Watson, Charley 188 White, Dave 191, 194 White, Tena 196 Williams, Bill 199 Williams, Jesse 202 Williams, Mary 206 Williams, Willis 208 Wilson, Emoline 213, 215 Wilson, Jane 216 Woodberry, Genia 218 Woodberry, Julia 227, 232, 237, 242 Woods, George 247 Woodward, Aleck 253 Woodward, Mary 257 Worth, Pauline 260 Wright, Daphney 266 Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Work Projects Administration 4 Young, Bill 270 Young, Bob 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 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'. Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Work Projects Administration 5 "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.) =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. Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Work Projects Administration 6 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 breast-works; 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 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.