Genia Woodberry
From:
South Carolina
=Code No.=
=Project, 1885-(1)=
=Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis=
=Place, Marion, S.C.=
=Date, June 11, 1937=
=MOM GENIA WOODBERRY=
=Ex-Slave, 89 years=
"Glad to see yunnah. Who dese udder wid yah? Who yuh? Lawd, I glad to
see yunnah. I nu'se aw Miss Susan fust chillun. Ne'er nu'se dem las'uns.
Sicily been yo' mamma nu'se. Nu'se Massa Ben Gause child fust en den I
nu'se four head uv Miss Susan chillun a'ter she marry Massa Jim
Stevenson. Sleep right dere wid dem chillun aw de time. Miss Susan ne'er
didn't suckle none uv dem chillun. I tell yunnah dis much, Massa Jim
Stevenson was good to aw uv his colored people en Miss Susan wuz good to
me. I sho' born right down yonner to Massa Ben Gause plantation. Gade
Caesar en Mary Gause wuz my parents. Yas'um, I is glad to see dese
chillun cause yuh know whey white folks hab feeling fa yah, it sho' make
yuh hab feeling fa dey chillun. I ole now en I can' 'member eve'yt'ing
but I ain' ne'er forge' wha' good times dem wuz."
"My Lawd! Yas, my Lawd, de peoples lib well dere to Massa Jim Stevenson
plantation. De white folks hab big house dere wid eve'yt'ing 'bout it
jes lak uh town. I couldn't tell yunnah how many colored peoples dey hab
dere but I know dis, I hear em say dere wuz more den two hundred uv em
dat lib in de quarter. Dey house wuz in uh field offen to itself dere on
de plantation en wuz strung aw up en down in two long row lak. Dey wuz
set up in good libin' den."
"Coase I ain' lib dere in de quarter wid de udder colored peoples a'ter
I ge' big 'nough to be nu'se girl, but I know how dey fare dere. My
Massa hab uh smoke house full uv meat en uh barn full uv corn aw de time
en eve'y Friday a'ternoon aw de colored peoples hadder do wuz to go dere
to de big house en ge' dey share uv meat en 'lasses en corn to las' em
de whole week. Ne'er hadder worry nuthin 'bout it tall. Dey hab dey
gristmill right dere whey dey grind dat corn eve'y week. Yah ain' ne'er
see no sech barn en heap uv meat dese days uz dey hab den. Dem hog
killin' days wuz big times fa dem plantation peoples. It jes lak I
tellin' yunnah my Massa gi'e he colored peoples mos' eve't'ing dey hab
en den he 'low eve'y family to hab uh acre uv land uv dey own to plant.
Hadder work dat crop in de night. Make light wid fat light'ud stump wha'
to see by. Dat crop wha' dey buy dey Sunday clothes wid. Ne'er hadder
hunt no clothes but dey Sunday clothes cause dey hab seamstress right
dere on de plantation to make aw us udder clothes. Miss Susan larnt Aun'
Cynthia en Starrah en Tenna to cut en sew dere to de big house en a'ter
dat dey ne'er do nuthin but make de plantation clothes."
"Aw de colored peoples dere to Miss Susan plantation hab dey certain
business to go 'bout eve'y day en dey ne'er didn't shirk dat neither.
Miss Susan ain' 'low fa no slack way 'round whey she was. Dere been
Yaneyki wha' hadder jes wait on Miss Susan; Becky, de house girl; Aun'
Hannah, de one wha' cook in de big house; Aun' Dicey, wha' al'ays clean
up de white folks kitchen; en Sanco, de house boy. Den I wuz de nu'se
dere fa dem chillun. Ne'er lak it but I ha'e it to do. Hadder stay right
dere to de big house aw de time. Miss Susan ne'er wouldn't 'low me take
dem chillun 'way offen no whey en eve'ybody hadder be mindful uv wha'
dey say 'fore dem chillun too. I 'member dat big ole joggling board dere
on de front piazza dat I use'er ge' de chillun to sleep on eve'y
evenin'. I be dere singin' one uv dem baby song to de child en it make
me hu't lak in me bosom to be wid my ole mammy back up dere in de
quarter. Coase I ain' le' nobody know dat. Dere ain' nobody ne'er been
no better den Miss Susan wuz to me. It jes lak dis, I wuz jes uh child
den en yah know it uh child happiness to be raise up wid dey mammy."
"Den de colored peoples lib mighty peaceful lak dere in de quarter cause
dey ne'er hadder worry 'bout how nuthin come. My Massa see dat dey hab
decent libin' aw de time en 'bundance uv eve't'ing dey need. Hadder keep
'round 'bout dey premises clean up eve'whey. I tellin' yuh, child, my
white folks wuz 'ticular uv dey colored peoples when dey wuz sick. Dey
hab big ole me'icine book dat dey take down when one uv dem ge' sick en
see could dey find wha' wuz good fa dey ailment. Den Miss Susan'ud send
in de woods en ge' wha' it say mix up fa de remedy en make de me'icine
right dere to de big house. Miss Susan'ud al'ays doctor de plantation
peoples en carry em nice basket uv t'ing eve'y time dey wuz sick. Effen
Miss Susan t'ink dey hab mucha co'plaint, den dey'ud send fa de
plantation doctor 'bout dere. Annuder t'ing dey ne'er didn't 'low de
colored girls to work none tall 'fore dey wuz shape lak uh 'oman cause
dey 'fraid dat might strain dey ne'ves."
"Aw de colored peoples wha' ne'er hab no work to do 'bout de big house
wuz field hand en dey hadder ge' up at de fust crow uv de cock in de
morning en go up to de big house en see wha' dey wan' em to do dat day.
Coase dey eat dey break'ast 'fore dey leab de quarter. Effen de sun look
lak it wuz gwinna shine, de o'erseer'ud send em in de field to work en
dey'ud stay in de field aw day till sun up in de evenin'. Carry dey
basket uv victual en pot 'long wid em en cook right dere in de field.
Jes put dey peas en bacon in de pot en build up big fire 'bout it close
whey dey wuz workin' cause eve'y now en den dey hadder push de fire to
de pot. Den some uv de day dey'ud go in de tatoe patch en dig tatoe en
roast em in de coals. Effen it wuz uh rainy day, dey ne'er go in de
field. Shuck corn dat day. Dat wuz how dey done."
"Aw dem wha' work right dere to de big house al'ays wuz fed from Miss
Susan table to de kitchen. Dere wuz Gran'mudder Phoebe who hadder look
a'ter eve't'ing 'bout Miss Susan dairy. De plantation peoples'ud bring
dey gourd eve'y morning en leab it dere to de dairy fa Gran'mudder
Phoebe to hab fill wid clabber fa em to carry home in de evenin'. Den
when Gran'mudder Phoebe wuz finish wid aw de churning, she use'er pour
wha' clabber wuz left o'er in uh big ole wooden tray under uh tree dere
close to de dairy en call aw dem little plantation chillun dere whey she
wuz. She gi'e eve'yone uv em uh iron spoon en le' em eat jes uz mucha
dat clabber uz dey c'n hold. A'ter dat she clean up eve'yt'ing 'bout de
dairy en den she go to de big house en ge' her dinner. Gran'mudder
Phoebe say she could set down en eat wid sati'faction den cause she know
she wuz t'rough wid wha' been her portion uv work dat day."
"Den dere wuz Patience wha' work to de loom house. She help do aw de
weaving fa de plantation. Weave aw t'rough de winter en aw t'rough de
summer. She make aw kinder uv pretty streak in de cloth outer de yarn
dat dey dye right dere on de plantation wid t'ing dat dey ge' outer de
woods lak walnut wha' make brown, en cedar en sweet gum wha' make
purple. Den dey make de blue cloth outer dat t'ing dat dey raise right
dere on de plantation call indigo. Dere some uv dat indigo dat does grow
up dere on de Sand Hills dis day en time but ain' nobody ne'er worry
'bout it no more."
"Jes uh little way from de loom house wuz de shoe house whey Uncle
Lon'on hadder make shoe aw de day. I 'member dey is make aw de
plantation shoe dere. Make em outer cow hide wha' dey hadder tan fust.
Jes put de cow hide in uh trough en kiver it aw o'er wid oak en water en
le' it soak till de hair come offen it. Den dey take it outer dat en
beat it 'cross uh log hard uz dey c'n till dey ge' it right soft lak.
A'ter dat ley out de shoe lak dey wan' it en sew it up wid dem long hair
wha' dey ge' outer de hosses neck. Dat jes de way dey make aw we shoe
den."
"Minus en Chrissus Gause hab job dere to de gin house. Dey'ud jes put de
cotton in dat gin en de seed go one way en de lent go de udder way.
Minus hadder feed de gin en dem udder helper hadder hand de cotton. Den
Bacchus hadder work de screw dat press de bale togedder. Yunnah chillun
ain' ne'er see nuthin lak dat dese days. Dem hosses pull dat t'ing round
en round en dat screw ge' tighter en tighter. Turn out pretty uh bale uv
cotton us yunnah e'er hear 'bout in no time tall. My Lawd, I 'member dey
is hab bale uv cotton pile up aw 'bout dat gin house."
"En dey is hab dey own blacksmith shop dere on de place down to de place
call de big water. Aw dem peoples from plantation aw 'bout come dere fa
Fortune to mend dey plow en t'ing lak dat."
"Yas'um, plantation peoples hadder go dere to de Ole Neck Chu'ch eve'y
Sunday. I hear em say dat wuz uh Methodist Chu'ch. Aw dem well to do
folks hab dey own pew up dere in de front uv de chu'ch wha dey set on
eve'y Sunday. Dey seat wuz painted pretty lak uh bedstead en den de poor
peoples set in de middle uv de chu'ch in de yellow kind uv seat. Aw de
colored peoples hadder set in de blue seat in de back uv de chu'ch.
Peoples ne'er rank togedder den lak yah see de peoples rank togedder
dese days. Miss Susan Stevenson en Miss Harriett Woodberry en Miss
Maggie McWhite wuz de ones wha' pull togedder den. Know dey chillun time
dey hit dat chu'ch door. C'n tell em by dey skin. My blessed, chillun,
dere wuz sech uh diffe'ence."
"Dat Ole Neck Chu'ch de same chu'ch wha' yunnah see stand two mile up
dat road. Dem peoples oughtna hadder move dat chu'ch neither cause it
been dere long time 'fore dey come heah. Ain' been right to do dat. Dem
wha' put dat chu'ch dere bury right dere in dat cemetery right 'bout
whey dey chu'ch wuz en dem udder peoples ain' hab no right to take dey
chu'ch 'way a'ter dey been gone."
"De peoples ne'er hab no cars lak dese peoples hab 'bout heah now. My
white folks hab carriage en two big ole white hosses wha' to ride to
se'vice en whey dey wanna go den. Coase dey ne'er go aw de time lak dese
peoples does dis day en time. Lawd, dem hosses could pull dat carriage
too. Dey wuz name Selam en Prince. My Massa en Missus hab seat in de
back uv de carriage en I hadder set up dere 'tween dem en de driver en
nu'se dem chillun. Isaac wuz Miss Susan driver en he hab seat aw uv he
own on de front whey he could mind de hosses. My Lawd, I 'member how I
did use'er lub to set up dere in Miss Susan carriage."
"Dese peoples dese days don' know nuthin 'bout dem times den. I 'member
how dey use'er sell de colored peoples offen to annuder plantation some
uv de time. Man come dere to buy my Gran'mudder a'ter Massa Ben Gause
die en tell her to open she mouth so he c'n 'xamine her teeth. Say she
say, 'I won' do it.' Wanna know effen dey wuz sound 'fore he buy her.
Dat de way dey do when dey sell hosses."
"I 'member when dem Yankees come 'bout dere too. Hear Massa Jim
Stevenson say dey mus' herry en hide dey va'uables cause de Yankees wuz
comin' t'rough dere en sweep em out. Dey bury dey silver en dey gold
watch in de graveyard up in de Beech Field. (De Beech Field wuz de place
whey de Indian use'er camp long time ago cause de peoples use'er find aw
kinder bead en arrow head wha' dey left dere.) Den Miss Susan put trunk
full uv her nice t'ing to de colored peoples house. Ain' been 'fraid de
Yankees bother em dere. Didn't no Yankees come no whey 'bout dere till
a'ter freedom 'clare en den two uv em come dere en stay right dere to de
big house. Dey come to 'vide outer de corn. Hab pile uv corn sot aw
'bout de born (barn) dere wid name uv de colored peoples stick 'bout in
eve'y pile."
"Yas'um, I 'member dat aw right. Marry in March dere to my pa house. Us
ne'er left Massa Jim Stevenson plantation a'ter freedom 'clare. Ne'er
wanna hunt no better libin' den we hab dere. My Lawd, dere sho' wuz big
doing 'bout dere when I go' hitch up to Joe Woodberry. Pa kill uh shoat
en dey bake cake en hab aw kinder ration cook up. I hab pretty dress
make outer white swiss muslin wha' I marry in en aw dem peoples wuz
dress up dat evenin'. Dat wuz pretty uh sight uz dere e'er wuz when dey
ge' to blowing dat cane en knockin' dem stick en dey aw wuz uh jiggin'
'bout."
"Chillun, seem lak aw de good time gone from heah now. Peoples sho'
gotta scuffle fa wha' dey hab dis day en time en den effen dey ge' it,
dere ain' no sati'faction no whey 'bout it. T'ing ain' gwinna do nobody
no good effen dey gotta worry dey head so mucha 'bout whey de next
comin' from."
"Good day, honey. Come back 'g'in. Yunnah white en I black, but I lub
yuh."
Source: MOM GENIA WOODBERRY (Eugenia Woodeberry), age
89, colored, Britton's Neck, S.C. (Personal interview,
June 1937)
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Julia Woodberry
Previous:
Jane Wilson
