Georgia Smith
From:
Georgia
PLANTATION LIFE, AS VIEWED BY AN EX-SLAVE
GEORGIA SMITH, Age 87
286 Augusta Ave.
Athens, Georgia
Written by:
Miss Grace McCune
Research Worker
Federal Writers' Project
Athens, Georgia
Edited by:
Mrs. Sarah H. Hall
Editor
Federal Writers' Project
Athens, Georgia
WPA Residency No. 6
April 6, 1938
The cold, rainy, and altogether disagreeable weather on the outside was
soon forgotten when the interviewer was admitted to the neat little home
of Aunt Georgia Smith and found the old woman enjoying the cheerful
warmth of her blazing fire.
Aunt Georgia appeared to be quite feeble. She was not only willing, but
eager to talk of her experiences, and explained that her slow and rather
indistinct articulation is one of the several bad after effects of her
recent stroke of paralysis.
"My pappy was Blackstone Smith, and he b'longed to Marse Jeb Smith. My
mammy was Nancy Chappell, owned by Mistus Peggie Chappell.
"I stayed wid my mammy on Mistus Chappell's plantation in Oglethorpe
County, near old Antioch Church. W'en I was 'bout five or six years ole
my mammy died. Den my pappy done come an' got me, an' I was to stay wid
'im on Marster Smith's place. Dey was good to me dar, but I warn't
satisfied, an' I cried for Old Mistus.
"I'd jes' go 'roun' snifflin', an' not eatin' nuffin', an' one day w'en
us was pickin' peaches, Marster Smith tole my pappy he better take dat
chile back to her old mistus, 'fo' she done git sick fer sho'.
"Hit was de next day w'en dey ax me did I want to see Old Mistus an' I
jes' cry an' say, 'yassum.' Den Marster say: 'Blackstone, hitch a mule
to dat wagon, an' take dat chile right back to her Old Mistus.' I tell
'em I can walk, but dey made me ride in de wagon, an' I sho' was glad I
was goin' back home.
"I seed Old Mistus 'fo' I got dar, an' jumped out of de wagon an' run to
'er. W'en she seed me, she jes' grabbed me, an' I thought she was a
laughin', but when I seed dat she was cryin', I tole 'er not to cry, dat
I warn't goin' to leave 'er no mo'.
"Mistus sho' was good to me, but she was good to all 'er niggers, an'
dey all loved 'er. Us allus had plenny of evvything, she made us wear
plenny of good warm clo'es, an' us wo'e flannel petticoats when hit was
cole weather. Chillun don't wear 'nuff clo'es dese days to keep 'em
warm, an nuffin' on deir legs. Hits a wonder dey doan' freeze.
"I diden' stay at de quarters with de udder niggers. Mistus kep' me in
de big 'ouse wid 'er, an' I slep' on a cotton mattress on de floor by de
side of 'er bed. She had a stick dat she used to punch me wid w'en she
wannid somepin' in de night, an' effen I was hard to wake, she sho'
could punch wid dat stick.
"Mistus diden' ever have us niggers whipped 'lessen it jes' had to be
done. An' if us chilluns was bad, fussin' an' fightin', Mistus would git
'er a stick, but us would jes' run an' hide, an' Mistus would forgit all
'bout it in jes' a little w'ile.
"Marster was dead, an' us had a overseer, but he was good to us jes'
lak' Mistus was. Hit was a big old plantation, wid lots of niggers. W'en
de overseer would try to larn de chilluns to plow an' dey diden' want to
larn, dey would jes' play 'roun'. Sometimes dey snuck off to de udder
side of de fiel' an' hunnid for lizards. Dey would hold a lizard's head
wid a stick, an' spit 'bacco juice in 'is mouf an' turn 'im loose. De
'bacco juice would make de lizard drunk, and he would run 'roun' an'
'roun'. Dey would cotch snakes, kill dem an' hang de skins on trees so
hit would rain an' dey wouldn't have to wuk in de fiel'.
"De quarters was built away f'um de big 'ouse. Dey was cabins made of
logs an' dey all had dey own gardens whar dey raised all kinds of
vegetables an' allus had plenny of hog meat. De cookin' was done on a
big fireplace an' in brick ovens. 'Taters was baked in de ashes, an' dey
sho' was good.
"Dey had big times huntin' an' fishin' w'en de wuk was over. Dey cotch
lots of 'possums, an' had big 'possum suppers. De 'possums was roasted
with plenny of 'taters, butter an' red pepper. Us would eat an' dance
most of de night w'en us had a 'possum supper.
"De rabbits was so bad in de gardens dat dey tuk white rags an' tied 'em
on sticks stuck up in de ground. Rabbits woulden' come 'roun' den, cyaze
dey was 'fraid of dem white rags flyin' on de sticks.
"Mistus b'lieved in lookin' atter her niggers w'en dey was sick. She
would give 'em medicine at home. Candy an' tea, made wid ho'e houn' an'
butterfly root tea was good for worms; dewberry wine, lak'wise dewberry
root tea was good for de stomach ache; samson snake root an' poplar bark
tea was good medicine for coles an' so'e th'oats, an' w'en you was in
pain, de red pepper bag would sho' help lots sometimes. If de homemade
medicine diden' cyore 'em, den Mistus sont for de doctor.
"Slaves went to de white folkses chu'ch an' sot up in de gallery. Dey
stayed all day at chu'ch, an' had big dinners on de groun'. Dem was sho'
'nough good dinners. Us had big times on meetin' days.
"Our slaves had prayer meetin' twict a week in deir quarters, 'til dey
got 'roun' to all de cabins den dey would start over again. Dey prayed
an' sung all de old songs, and some of 'em as I 'member are: 'Roll
Jordan Roll,'--'Better Mind How you Step on de Cross,'--'Cause You Ain'
Gon 'er be Here Long,'--'Tell de Story Bye an' Bye,'--'All God's
Chilluns are a Gatherin' Home,' an' 'We'll Understand Better Bye an'
Bye.' Dey really could sing dem old songs. Mistus would let me go to dem
cabin prayer meetin's an' I sho' did enjoy 'em.
"W'en slaves died dey jes' tuk 'em off an buried 'em. I doan' 'member
'em ever havin' a funeral, 'til way atter freedom done come an' niggers
got dey own chu'ches.
"I 'member one night dey had a quiltin' in de quarters. De quilt was up
in de frame, an' dey was all jes' quiltin' an' singin', 'All God's
Chilluns are a Gatherin' Home,' w'en a drunk man wannid to preach, an'
he jumped up on de quilt. Hit all fell down on de flo', an' dey all got
fightin' mad at 'im. Dey locked 'im in de smokehouse 'til mornin', but
dey diden' nobody tell Mistus nuffin' 'bout it.
"Us chilluns had to pick peas; two baskets full 'fo' dinner an' two 'fo'
night, an' dey was big baskets too. I 'member dere was a white widow
'oman what lived near our place, an' she had two boys. Mistus let dem
boys pick 'em some peas w'en us would be pickin', an' us would run 'em
off, cause us diden' lak' po' white trash. But Mistus made us let 'em
pick all dey wannid.
"I was 'bout twelve years old w'en freedom come, an' was big 'nough to
wait on Mistus good den. I 'member how I used to run to de spring wid a
little tin bucket w'en she wannid a fresh drink of water.
"Mos' of de slaves stayed with Mistus atter freedom come, 'cause dey all
loved her, an' dey diden' have no place to go. Mistus fed 'em jes' lak'
she had allus done and paid 'em a little money too. Us diden' never have
no fussin' an' fightin' on our place, an' de Ku Klux Klan never come
'roun' dar, but de niggers had to have a ticket if dey lef' de place on
Sunday. Dat was so de paddyrollers woulden' whip 'em if dey cotch 'em.
"All de niggers on de udder places, called us free niggers long 'fo'
freedom come, 'cause we diden' have no whippin' post, an' if any of us
jes' had to be whipped, Mistus would see dat dey warn't beat bad 'nough
to leave no stripes.
"My pappy left de old Smith plantation, soon atter he got 'is freedom,
an' went to Augusta, Georgia whar he died in jes' 'bout two years.
"I waked up one mornin' an' heered Mistus makin' a funny fuss. She was
tryin' to git up an' pullin' at her gown. I was plum skeert an' I runned
atter some of de udder folkses. Dey come a runnin' but she never did
speak no mo', an' diden' live but jes' a few hours longer. De white
folkses made me go to 'er funeral. Dere sho' was a big crowd of folkses
dar, 'cause evvybody loved Mistus; she was so good to evvybody. Dey
diden' preach long, mos'ly jes' prayed an' sung Mistus' favorite songs:
'All God's Chillun are a Gatherin' Home,' and', 'We'll Understand Bye
an' Bye.'
"I lef' de old place not long atter Mistus died, 'cause hit was too
lonesome dar an' I missed her so much, I come to town an' jes' wukked
for white folkses. I doan' 'member all of 'em. But I cain' wuk no mo'
now, an' hit woan' be so long 'til I see my old Mistus again, an' den I
can still wait on her, an' we woan' have to part no mo'."
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Mary Smith
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Mary A Crawford
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