Berry Clay
From:
Georgia
[HW: Dist. 7
Ex-Slave #19]
Adella S. Dixon
District 7
BERRY CLAY
OLD SLAVE STORY
[MAY 8 1937]
Telfair County was the home of some colored people who never were
slaves, but hired their services for wages just as the race does today.
Berry Clay, half Indian, half white, was the son of Fitema Bob Britt, a
full blood Indian, who died shortly after his son's birth. His mother
later married William Clay, whose name was taken by the children as well
as the mother. The family then moved to Macon.
Clay, next [TR: 'to the' scratched out] oldest of five children was 89
years old on August 5, 1936, and while he was never a slave, remembers
many incidents that took place then. Not many years after his mother
remarried, she became very ill and he recalls being lifted by his
step-father to kiss her good bye as she lay dying. After her death, the
family continued to live in South Macon where the father was employed as
overseer for a crew at the Railroad yard.
This position often called for the punishment of slaves but he was too
loyal to his color to assist in making their lives more unhappy. His
method of carrying out orders and yet keeping a clear conscience was
unique--the slave was taken to the woods where he was supposedly laid
upon a log and severely beaten. Actually, he was made to stand to one
side and to emit loud cries which were accompanied by hard blows on the
log. The continuation of the two sounds gave any listener the impression
that some one was severely beaten. It is said that Clay, the father,
wore out several huge leather straps upon logs but that he was never
known to strike a slave.
Mr. Wadley, by whom he was employed, was a well-known Macon citizen who
served as President of the Central of Georgia Railroad for many years. A
monument on Mulberry Street nearly opposite the Post Office is a
constant reminder of the esteem in which he was held. His plantation was
a huge one extending from the Railroad yard as far as the present site
of Mercer University. A day of rest was given the slaves about once
every three months in addition to the regular holidays which are
observed today. On holidays, "frolics" at which square dances were the
chief form of entertainment (by the music of a banjo or fiddle) were
enjoyed. Ring games were played by the children. The refreshments
usually consisted of ash cakes and barbecue. The ash cake was made by
wrapping corn pones in oak leaves and burying the whole in hot ashes.
When the leaves dried, the cake was usually done and was carefully moved
to prevent its becoming soiled. [HW: A] skillful cook could produce
cakes that were a golden brown and not at all ashy.
The membership of the local church was composed of slaves from several
plantations. It was an old colored church with a white minister who
preached the usual doctrine of the duty of a slave to his master. The
form of service was the same as that of the white church. One unusual
feature of the plantation was its Sunday School for the Negro children.
Courtships were very brief for as soon as a man or woman began to
manifest interest in the opposite sex, the master busied himself to
select a wife or husband and only in rare cases was the desire of the
individual considered. When the selection was made, the master read the
ceremony and gave the couple a home. He always requested, or rather
demanded, that they be fruitful. A barren woman was separated from her
husband and usually sold.
Very little money was handled by these people. The carriage drivers were
more fortunate than the regular workers for they smuggled things to town
when they drove the master and mistress and sold them while the family
shopped or went visiting. At rare intervals, the field hands were able
to earn small sums of money in this manner.
Food was provided by the owners and all families cooked for themselves
whether they were many or one. The weekly allotments of meal, meat,
etc., were supplemented through the use of vegetables which could always
be obtained from the fields. On special days chicken or beef was given
and each one had a sufficient amount for his needs. Hunting and fishing
were recreations in which the slaves were not allowed to participate
although they frequently went on secret excursions of this nature. All
food stuff as well as cloth for garments was produced at home.
Clay is very superstitious, still believing in most of the signs
commonly believed in those days, because he has "watched them and found
that they are true". He stated that the screeching of the owl may be
stopped by placing a poker in the fire and allowing it to remain until
it becomes red hot. The owl will then leave, but death will invariably
follow its visit.
The attitudes of the two races in the South regarding the war were
directly opposite. The whites beheld it as something horrible and
dreaded the losses that would necessarily be theirs. Sons and fathers
had property to be considered, but they were generous in their
contributions to the soldiers. On the other hand, the slaves rejoiced as
they looked forward to their freedom when the war was over. There were,
however, a few who were devoted to their masters to the extent that they
fought in their stead in the Confederate Army. Others remained at home
and skillfully ran the plantation and protected the women and children
until the end of the war.
When Sherman made his famous "March to Sea", one phalanx of his army
wrought its destruction between this city and Griswoldville. A gun
factory and government shoe factory were completely destroyed. Although
the citizens gave the invaders everything they thought they desired, the
rest was destroyed in most instances. They tried to ascertain the
attitudes of the land owners toward his servants and when for any reason
they presumed that one was cruel, their vengeance was expressed through
the absolute destruction of his property. In nearly every instance smoke
houses were raided and the contents either destroyed or given away.
Barrels of syrup flowing through the yard was a common sight.
At the end of the war, the South was placed under military rule. The
presence of the Yankee guardsmen had a psychological effect upon the
Southerners and they were very humble.
Before the terrors of the war had subsided a new menace sprang up--the
Klu Klux Klan. While its energy was usually directed against ex-slaves,
a white man was sometimes a victim. One such occasion was recalled by
Clay. The group planned to visit a man who for some reason became
suspicious and prepared to outwit them if they came. He heated a huge
pot of water and when a part of his door was crashed in he reached
through the opening and poured gourds of boiling water upon his
assailants. They retreated, [HW: and] while they were away, he made his
way to Atlanta.
Another group which began its operations shortly after the close of the
war was a military clan organized for the purpose of giving the
ex-slaves a knowledge of drilling and war tactics. An order to disband
was received from the "Black Horse Calvary" by the leader of the group.
His life was threatened when he failed to obey so he prepared for a
surprise visit. He fortified his house with twenty-five men on the
inside and the same number outside. When the approaching calvarymen
reached a certain point, the fifty hidden men fired at the same time.
Seven members of the band were killed and many others wounded. There was
no further interference from this group.
Clay and his father ran a grocery store just after Emancipation. He did
not like this type of work and apprenticed himself to a painter to learn
the trade. He is still considered an excellent painter though he does
not receive much work.
He has always taken care of himself and never "ran about" at night. He
boasts that his associates never included a dancing woman. As he has
used tobacco for sixty-five years, he does not consider it a menace to
health but states that worry will kill anyone and the man who wants to
live a long time must form the habit of not worrying. His Indian
blood--the high cheek bones, red skin and straight black hair now tinged
with grey make this unmistakable--has probably played a large part in
the length of his life.
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Ellen Claibourn
