Anne Bell
From:
South Carolina
Project #1655
W. W. Dixon
Winnsboro, S. C.
ANNE BELL
EX-SLAVE 83 YEARS OLD.
~HW: (near Winnsboro, S. C.)~]
Anne Bell lives with her niece, in a one-room annex to a two-room frame
house, on the plantation of Mr. Lake Howze, six miles west of Winnsboro,
S. C. Her niece's husband, Golden Byrd, is a share-cropper on Mr.
Howze's place. The old lady is still spry and energetic about the cares
of housekeeping and attention to the small children of her niece. She is
a delightful old lady and well worth her keep in the small chores she
undertakes and performs in the household.
"My marster was John Glazier Rabb; us call him Marse Glazier. My
mistress was Nancy Kincaid Watts; us call her Miss Nancy. They lived on
a big plantation in Fairfield County and dere I come into dis world,
eighty-three years ago, 10th day of April past.
"My pappy name just Andy but after de freedom, he took de name of Andrew
Watts. My old mammy was Harriett but she come to you if you calls her
Hattie. My brudders was Jake and Rafe. My sister name Charity. They all
dead and gone to glory long time ago; left me here 'lone by myself and
I's settin' here tellin' you 'bout them.
"My mammy was de cook at de 'Big House' for marster, Miss Nancy, and de
chillun. Let me see if I can call them over in my mind. Dere was Marse
John, went off to de war, color bearer at Seven Pines. Yes sir, him was
killed wid de colors a flyin' in his hand. Heard tell of it many times.
He lies right now in de old Buck Church graveyard. De pine trees, seven
of them, cry and sob 'round him every August 6th; dat's de day he was
killed. Oh, my God!
"Marse James went wid old Colonel Rion. They say he got shot but bullets
couldn't kill him. No, bless God! Him comed back. Then come Marse
Clarence. He went wid Captain Jim Macfie, went through it all and didn't
get a scratch. Next was Miss Jesse. Then come Marse Horace, and Miss
Nina. Us chillun all played together. Marse Horace is livin' yet and is
a fine A. R.P. preacher of de Word. Miss Nina a rich lady, got
plantation but live 'mong de big bugs in Winnsboro. She married Mr.
Castles; she is a widow now. He was a good man, but he dead now.
"De one I minds next, is Charlie. I nussed him. He married Colonel
Province's daughter. Dat's all I can call to mind, right now.
"Course de white folks I b'longs to, had more slaves than I got fingers
and toes; whole families of them. De carpenter and de blacksmith on de
place made de bedsteads. Us had good wheat straw mattresses to sleep on;
cotton quilts, spreads, and cotton pillows. No trouble to sleep but it
was hard to hear dat white overseer say at day break: 'Let me hear them
foots hit de floor and dat befo' I go! Be lively! Hear me?' And you had
to answer, 'Yas sah', befo' he'd move on to de nex' house. I does
'member de parts of de bed, was held together by wooden pins. I sho'
'members dat!
"Mammy Harriett was de cook. I didn't done no work but 'tend to de
chillun and tote water.
"Money? Go 'way from here, boss! Lord, no sir, I never saw no money.
What I want wid it anyhow?
"How did they feed us? Had better things to eat then, than now and more
different kind of somethin's. Us had pears, 'lasses, shorts, middlings
of de wheat, corn bread, and all kinds of milk and vegetables.
"Got a whuppin' once. They wanted me to go after de turkeys and I didn't
want to go past de graveyard, where de turkeys was. I sho' didn't want
to go by them graves. I's scared now to go by a graveyard in de dark. I
took de whuppin' and somebody else must have got de turkeys. Sho' I
didn't drive them up!
"Slaves spun de thread, loomed de cloth, and made de clothes for de
plantation. Don't believe I had any shoes. I was just a small gal anyhow
then, didn't need them and didn't want them.
"Yes, I's seen nigger women plow. Church? I wouldn't fool you, all de
slaves big enough and not sick, had to go to church on de Sabbath.
"They give us a half Saturday, to do as we like.
"I was 'bout ten years old when de Yankees come. They was full to de
brim wid mischief. They took de frocks out de presses and put them on
and laugh and carry on powerful. Befo' they went they took everything.
They took de meat and 'visions out de smoke-house, and de 'lasses,
sugar, flour, and meal out de house. Killed de pigs and cows, burnt de
gin-house and cotton, and took off de live stock, geese, chickens and
turkeys.
"After de freedom, I stayed on wid mammy right dere, 'til I married Levi
Bell. I's had two chillun. Dis my grand-daughter, I visitin'. I never
'spects to have as good a home as I had in slavery time, 'til I gits my
title to dat mansion in de sky. Dats de reason I likes to sing dat old
plantation spiritual, 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Jesus Gwinter Carry me
Home'. Does I believe in 'ligion? What else good for colored folks? I
ask you if dere ain't a heaven, what's colored folks got to look forward
to? They can't git anywhere down here. De only joy they can have here,
is servin' and lovin'; us can git dat in 'ligion but dere is a limit to
de nigger in everything else. Course I knows my place in dis world; I
'umbles myself here to be 'zalted up yonder."
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