Cornelius Holmes
From:
South Carolina
Project #1655
W. W. Dixon
Winnsboro, S.C.
CORNELIUS HOLMES
EX-SLAVE 82 YEARS OLD.
Cornelius Holmes lives with his wife, Nancy, in a two-room annex to the
house that his son, David, occupies. It is on the old Harden place, nine
miles northwest of Winnsboro, S.C. The land and the house belong to Mr.
John Means Harden, a resident of Winnsboro. Cornelius is intelligent,
courteous in manner, tidy in appearance, and polite. His occupation is
that of basket-making, in which he is an adept. He picks up a little
money by repairing chairs and putting split-bottoms in them.
"I was born in de town of Edgefield, South Carolina, November 29th,
1855, 'cordin' to de Bible, and was a slave of Marse Preston Brooks. Dat
name seem to make you set up and take notice of me.
"How come I a slave of Marse Preston? Well, it was dis way. My grands
b'long to de Means family of Fairfield County, 'round old Buckhead
section. My grandpap, Wash, tell me Marse Preston come dere visitin' de
Harpers, 'nother buckra family dat live further toward de Broad River
side of de county. When he git up dere, it come over his 'membrance dat
de Meanses was some punkins too, as well as him and de Harpers. Maybe he
done heard 'bout Miss Martha, how her could ride a horse and dance a
cotillion in Columbia, when Marse John Hugh was de governor. Well, de
part goes, he comes over dere but didn't do lak they does now, bust
right in and 'clare his 'fections to de gal. Him fust, solemn lak, ask
to see de marster and ask him if he object to him pursuing Miss Martha,
in de light of becomin' his son-in-law? Then, when dat was settled,
Marse Preston and Miss Martha gallop and race all 'round de country but
de hosses was always neck and neck. Dat fall, dat race ended in a tie.
Dat what Grandpap Wash tell me.
"After they marry, my mother, Scylla, was give to Miss Martha and
'company her to Edgefield. Dere she marry de carriage driver, Hillard,
who was my pappy. I was born in a room 'joinin' de kitchen and a part of
de big kitchen. De plantation was out in de country. I never was dere,
so I can't tell you nothin' 'bout dat. De fact is, I was just a small
boy and most I know, comes from mother and grandpap. They 'low Marse
Preston was in Washington most of de time. One day he marched right in
de Senate, wid his gold head cane, and beat a Senator 'til him fainted,
'bout sumpin' dat Senator say 'bout him old kinsman, Senator Butler. Dat
turn de world up side down. Talk 'bout 'peachin' Marse Preston. Marse
Preston resign and come home. De town of Edgefield, de county of
Edgefield, de state of South Carolina, and Miss Martha, rise to
vindicate Marse Preston and 'lect him back to Washington.
"Marse Preston go back and stay dere 'til he die, in 1859. His body was
brought back to Edgefield. De nex' year de war come on. I's too young to
'member much 'bout it but my pappy die while it was goin' on. Him have
three chillun by mother: Me, Audie, and Nancy. They is dead now but I
'members them crawlin' 'round on de plank floor in de winter time and in
de sand in de summer time.
"I never worked in slavery time. Us eat from de dairy and de kitchen,
just what mistress and her chillun eat. One thing I lak then was
'matoes. They wasn't big 'matoes lak they is now. They was 'bout de size
of marbles. Us cooked them wid sugar and they was mighty good dat way.
"My mistress had chillun by Marse Preston. Sho' I recollect them. Dere
was Preston; de last I hear of him, him livin' in Tennessee. Then dere
was Miss Mary; her marry Mr. George Addison of Edgefield. Miss Carrie;
her marry Marse Capers Byrd. De youngest, Miss Martha, marry Col. McBee
of Greenville, S.C.
"Does I 'members 'bout de Yankees? Not much. I 'members more 'bout
Wheeler's men. They come and take nearly everything, wid de excuse dat
de Yankees was not far behind and when they come, they would take all,
so they just as well take most of what was in sight.
"When freedom come, my pappy was dead. Mother brought me back to
Fairfield County and give me to my grandpap, Washington Holmes. Us live
on 'Possum Branch; now own by Mr. Jim Young. I stay dere 'til I 'come
twenty-one. Then I marry Maggie Gladden, 'cause I love her. Us had four
chillun, in de twenty years her live. Henry is in Philadephia. David, de
oldest, is fifty years old, livin' out in de county from Winnsboro. Lula
died, unmarried. Carrie lives here, in Winnsboro; her husband is Arthur
Rosboro, dat you white folks all know so well. When Maggie die, I marry
Nancy Holmes, a widow. Us have had no chillun.
"Now you is finished wid me and you wants me to relax, you say, and talk
to you freely 'bout de past and slavery, de present and social
conditions, and de risin' generation and de future? Well, dat is a heap
of territory. Now let's think. You see I got a heap a white blood in me,
and a heap of de Negro too. Slavery did de white race a whole lot a good
but it wasn't lastin' good. It did de Negro good, dat will be lastin'
good forever. De Negro women protected de pure white woman from
enticement and seduction of de white man in slavery time. My grandpap
say he never heard of a bad white woman befo' freedom. I leave it wid
you if dere's any dese times? Dat was worth more to de South, my
grandpap say, dis santification of de white women, than all de cotton
and corn dat de Negroes ever makes, in all de years of slavery times.
"Now it was de finest thing could have happen for de Negro, to have been
snatched out of Africa and brought here in touch wid civilization and
Christianity. It will work out untold benefit to de race. 'Bout social
conditions? De Bible say, 'De poor you will have wid you always.' Tho'
de slave question am settled, de race question will be wid us always,
'til Jesus come de second time. It's in our politics, in our justice
courts, on our highways, on our side walks, in our manners, in our
'ligion, and in our thoughts, all de day and every day.
"De good Marster pity both sides. In de end, will it be settle by hate
or by de policy of, love your neighbor, as you do yourself? Who knows?
Dere's not much promise at de 'mediate moment of de risin' generation,
of either side, and I means no disrespect to you. My grandpap say no
race can rise higher than its women. De future of de Negro race, depends
on its mothers. I leave you to answer de last half of de question."
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Jane Hollins
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