Charlie King
From:
Georgia
[HW: Dist 6
Ex-Slave #64]
Mary A. Crawford
Re-Search Worker
CHARLIE KING--EX-SLAVE
Interviewed
435 E. Taylor Street, Griffin, Georgia
September 16, 1936
Charlie was born in Sandtown, (now Woodbury) Meriwether County, Georgia,
eighty-five or six years ago. He does not know his exact age because his
"age got burned up" when the house in which his parents lived was burned
to the ground.
The old man's parents, Ned and Ann King, [TR: "were slaves of" crossed
out] Mr. John King, who owned a big plantation near Sandtown [TR: "also
about two hundred slaves" crossed out]. [TR: HW corrections are too
faint to read.]
Charlie's parents were married by the "broom stick ceremony." The Master
and Mistress were present at the wedding. The broom was laid down on the
floor, the couple held each other's hands and stepped backward over it,
then the Master told the crowd that the couple were man and wife.
This marriage lasted for over fifty years and they "allus treated each
other right."
Charlie said that all the "Niggers" on "ole Master's place" had to work,
"even chillun over seven or eight years of age."
The first work that Charlie remembered was "toting cawn" for his mother
"to drap", and sweeping the yards up at the "big house". He also recalls
that many times when he was in the yard at the "big house", "Ole Miss"
would call him in and give him a buttered biscuit.
The Master and Mistress always named the Negro babies and usually gave
them Bible names.
When the Negroes were sick, "Ole Master" and "Ole Miss" did the
doctoring, sometimes giving them salts or oil, and if [HW: a Negro]
refused it, they used the raw hide "whup."
When a member of a Negro family died, the master permitted all the
Negroes to stop work and go to the funeral. The slave was buried in the
slave grave yard. Sometimes a white minister read the Bible service, but
usually a Negro preacher [HW: "officiated"].
The Negroes on this plantation had to work from sun up till sun down,
except Saturday and Sunday; those were free.
The master blew on a big conch shell every morning at four o'clock, and
when the first long blast was heard the lights "'gin to twinkle in every
"Nigger" cabin." Charlie, chuckling, recalled that "ole Master" blowed
that shell so it could-a-been heard for five miles." Some of the
"Niggers" went to feed the mules and horses, some to milk the cows, some
to cook the breakfast in the big house, some to chop the wood, while
others were busy cleaning up the "big house."
When asked if he believed in signs, Charlie replied: "I sho does for dis
reason. Once jest befo my baby brother died, ole screech owl, he done
come and set up in the big oak tree right at the doah by de bed and fo'
the next twelve hours passed, my brother was dead. Screech owls allus
holler 'round the house before death."
The slaves always had plenty to eat and wear, and therefore did not know
what it was to be hungry.
The Master planted many acres of cotton, corn, wheat, peas, and all
kinds of garden things. Every "Nigger family was required to raise
plenty of sweet potatoes, the Master giving them a patch." "My 'ole
Master' trained his smartest 'Niggers' to do certain kinds of work. My
mother was a good weaver, and [HW: she] wove all the cloth for her own
family, and bossed the weaving of all the other weavers on the
plantation."
Charlie and all of his ten brothers and sisters helped to card and spin
the cotton for the looms. Sometimes they worked all night, Charlie often
going to sleep while carding, when his mother would crack him on the
head with the carder handle and wake him up. Each child had a night for
carding and spinning, so they all would get a chance to sleep.
Every Saturday night, the Negroes had a "breakdown," often dancing all
night long. About twelve o'clock they had a big supper, everybody
bringing a box of all kinds of good things to eat, and putting it on a
long table.
On Sunday, all the darkies had to go to church. Sometimes the Master had
a house on his plantation for preaching, and sometimes the slaves had to
go ten or twelve miles to preaching. When they went so far the slaves
could use 'ole' Master's' mules and wagons.
Charlie recalls very well when the Yankees came through. The first thing
they did when they reached 'ole Master's' place was to break open the
smokehouse and throw the best hams and shoulders out to the darkies, but
as soon as the Yankees passed, the white folks made the "Niggers" take
"all dey had'nt et up" back to the smokehouse. "Yes, Miss, we had plenty
of liquor. Ole Master always kept kegs of it in the cellar and big
'Jimmy-john's' full in the house, and every Saturday night he'd give us
darkies a dram, but nobody nevah seed no drunk Nigger lak dey does now."
Charlie's mother used to give her "chillun" "burnt whiskey" every
morning "to start the day off." This burnt whiskey gave them "long
life".
Another thing that Charlie recalls about the Yankees coming through, was
that they took the saddles off their "old sore back horses", turned them
loose, and caught some of Master's fine "hosses", threw the saddles over
them and rode away.
Charlie said though "ole Marster" "whupped" when it was necessary, but
he was not "onmerciful" like some of the other "ole Marsters" were, but
the "paterolers would sho lay it on if they caught a Nigger off his home
plantation without a pass." The passes were written statements or
permits signed by the darkies' owner, or the plantation overseer.
Charlie is very feeble and unable to work. The Griffin Relief
Association [TR: "furnishes him his sustenance" crossed out, "sees to
him" or possibly "supports him" written in.]
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