C B Burton
From:
South Carolina
Project 1885-1
FOLKLORE
Spartanburg, S. C.
Sept. 15, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage
STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES
"I works on de shares and makes a fair living on a rented farm; don't
own no land. I was born in Newberry County, near de old Longshore store,
about 12 miles northwest of Newberry Courthouse on de Henry Burton
place. My parents belonged to Henry Burton in slavery time. He was our
marster. I married Betty Burton, a nigger girl whose parents belonged to
Marse Henry Burton, too.
"We had a good marster and mistress. Dey give us a good place to sleep
and lots to eat. He had a big four-acre garden where he raised lots of
vegetables fer his slaves. He had plenty meat, molasses and bread. We
ground our corn and wheat and made our own feed.
"Marster wouldn't let anybody bother his slaves. He wouldn't 'low his
overseers or de padrollers to whip 'em. He never whipped one.
"We had no school and no church; but was made to go to de white folks
church and set in de gallery. When Freedom come, de niggers begin to git
dere own church, and built small brush huts called 'brush harbors'.
"We didn't do work on Saturday afternoons, but went hunting and fishing
den, while de women folks cleaned up around de place fer Sunday. De
marster liked to hunt, and he hunted foxes which was plenty around dere
den. Now dey is all gone.
"We danced and had gigs. Some played de fiddle and some made whistles
from canes, having different lengths for different notes, and blowed 'em
like mouth organs."
Source: C. B. Burton (79), Newberry, S. C.
Interviewer: G. L. Summer, Newberry, S. C. (9/10/37)
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George Ann Butler
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