Hector Godbold
From:
South Carolina
Project, 1885-1
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S.C.
Date, June 28, 1937
HECTOR GODBOLD
Ex-Slave, 87 Years
"What you gwine do wid me? I sho been here in slavery time. Talk to dem
soldiers when dey was retreatin dey way back home. My old Missus was
Miss Mary Godbold en den she marry a Haselden. Dey buy my mamma from de
old man Frank Miles right over yonder. Harry en Cindy Godbold was my
parents. We live in a one room house in de slave quarter dere on de
white folks plantation. My God, sleep right dere on de floor. Had
gran'parents dat come here over de water from Africa. Dey tell me dat
whe' dey come from dey don' never let no man en he wife sleep together
cause dey is scared of em catchin disease from one another. Dat sho a
good thing, you know dat. I think dat sho a good thing."
"Dey ain' never give none of de colored peoples no money in dat day en
time. Coase dey give us plenty something to eat. Fed us out a big bowl
of pot licker wid plenty corn bread en fried meat en dat bout all we
ever eat. Dey is let us have a garden of we own dat we had to work by de
night time. You see de colored folks know dey had to get up soon as dey
hear dat cow horn blow en dat been fore daylight come here. Oh, dey work
from dark to dark in dat day en time. Didn' but one day out all de year
stand dat was a week day en dat was de big Christmus day. Sweet molasses
bread was de thing dat day. Coase dey give us a big supper when dey had
dem cornshucking day. Oh, dey had a frolic den dat last way up to de
midnight."
"I never live dere to de Haselden plantation wid my parents long fore
dey hire me out to Massa John Mace en I stay dere till me en Maggie (his
wife) come here to live. Nurse six head of chillun for de white folks
dere. I hear em say my Missus was a Watson fore she marry Massa John
Mace. Lord, Lord, love dem chillun to death. If Moses Mace been livin,
you wouldn' be talkin to no Hector Godbold bout here dese days. He de
one what give me en Maggie dat four room house you see settin dere. My
Missus give me a good beatin one time when I did drop one of dem baby.
Just put me head under her foot en beat me dat way."
"Another thing I had to do was to carry de baby cross de swamp every
four hour en let my mamma come dere en suckle dat child. One day I go
dere en another fellow come dere what dey call John. He en my mamma get
in a argument like en he let out en cut my mamma a big lick right cross
de leg en de blood just pour out dat thing like a done a what. My mamma
took me en come on to de house en when Miss Jane see dat leg, she say,
"Cindy, what de matter?" My mamma say, "John call me a liar en I never
take it." Miss Jane tell em to send after Sam Watson right den. Sam
Watson was a rough old overseer en he been so bowlegged dat if he stand
straddle a barrel, he be settin down on it just as good as you settin
dere. Sam Watson come dere en make dat fellow lay down on a plank in de
fence jam en he take dat cat o' nine tail he have tie round his waist en
strike John 75 times. De blood run down off him just like you see a
stream run in dat woods. Dat sho been so cause all we chillun stand bout
dere en look on it. I suppose I was bout big enough to plough den. When
dey let John loose from dere, he go in de woods en never come back no
more till freedom come here. I tellin you when he come back, he come
back wid de Yankees."
"Oh, de colored peoples never know nothin more den dogs in dem times.
Never couldn' go from one plantation to de other widout dat dey had a
ticket wid em. I see Sam Watson catch many of dem dat had run way en
buff en gag em. Never have no jails nowhe' in dat day en time. Dey sho
sell de colored peoples way plenty times cause I see dat done right here
to Marion. Stand em up on a block en sell em to a speculator dere. I
hear em bid off a 'oman en her baby dere en den dey bid off my auntie en
uncle way down to de country. Dey wouldn' take no whippin off dey Massa
en dat how-come dey get rid of em. My gran'pappy been worth $1,000 en it
de Lord's truth I tellin you, he drown fore he let em whip him. Den my
gran'mammy use to run way en catch rides long de roads cause de peoples
let em do dat den. Coase if dey catch her, dey didn' never do her no
harm cause she was one of dem breed 'omans."
"Never know nothin bout gwine to school in dem times. Just pick up what
learnin we get here, dere, en everywhe'. Learnt something to de white
folks meetin house dere to Antioch settin on de back side of dat church
on dem benches what de slaves had to set on. I is know dis much dat I
voted three times to de courthouse in Marion way back in dem days."
"Sho, we chillun play game en frolic heap of de time. Shinny was de
thing dat I like best. Just had stick wid crook in de end of it en see
could I knock de ball wid dat. I sho remembers dat. Den I was one of de
grandest hollerers you ever hear tell bout. Use to be just de same as a
parrot. Here how one go: O--OU--OU--O--OU, DO--MI--NICI--O,
BLACK--GA--LE--LO, O--OU--OU--O--OU, WHO--O--OU--OU. Great King, dat
ain' nothin."
"Ain' never believe in none of dem charms people talk bout en ain' know
nothin bout no conjuring neither, but I know dis much en dat a spirit
sho slapped Maggie one night bout 12 o'clock. Den another time me en her
was comin home from a party one night en I had a jug of something dere
wid me en Maggie ax me for it. Say something was followin after her. De
next thing I know I hear dat jug say, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle. I look
back en she been pourin it out on de ground. She say she do dat to make
de spirit quit followin after her. Dat spirit sho been dere cause I see
dat licker disappear dere on de ground wid me own eyes."
"Sho, dey had doctors in dat day en time. Had plant doctors dat go from
one plantation to another en doctor de peoples. Dr. Monroe was one of
dem doctor bout here en dere ain' never been no better cures nowhe' den
dem plant cures was. I get Maggie so she can move bout dat way. She won'
able to walk a step en I boil some coon root en put a little whiskey in
it en make her drink dat. It sho raise her up too. Dem coon root look
just like dese chufas what you does find down side de river. Dat sho a
cure for any rheumatism what is. I know dat all right."
"Mighty right, I remembers when freedom was declare. I think dat must a
been de plan of God cause it just like dis, if it hadn' been de right
thing, it wouldn' been. I know it a good thing. De North was freed 20
years head of de South en you know it a good thing. I a history man en I
recollects dat de history say de North was freed 20 years fore de South
was."
"I sho hear dem guns at Fort Sumter dere en I remembers when dem
soldiers come through dis way dat de elements was blue as indigo bout
here. Had parade bout five miles long wid horses dancin bout en fiddles
just a playin. Some of dem Yankees come dere to de white folks house one
of dem time, when my Massa was way from home workin dere on de
Manchester Railroad, en ax my Missus whe' dey horses was. Dem horses
done been hide in de bay en dey never get nothin else dere neither, but
a little bit of corn dat dey take out de barn."
"I 87 year old now en I here to tell you dat I never done nobody no mean
trick in all me life. I does fight cause I cut a man up worth 19
stitches one of dem times back dere. Two of em been on me one time en I
whipped both of em. I tellin you I been good as ever was born from a
'oman. It just like dis, I say fight all right, but don' never turn no
mean trick back. Turn it to God, dat what do. Dem what go to church in
de right way, dey don' have no vengeful spirit bout em. I sho goes to
church cause de church de one thing dat does outstand
everything--everything."
=Source:= Hector Godbold, ex-slave, age 87, Pee Dee,
Marion Co., S.C.
(Personal interview, June 1937).
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Daniel Goddard
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John Glover
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