Henderson Harris
From:
Georgia Narratives, Part 2
Mary A. Crawford
Re-search Worker
Henderson Harris--Ex-Slave
Henderson Harris was born August 19, 1858, in Talbot County. His parents
were Frederick and Adeline Harris of Jones County, but Henderson
remembers nothing about them because they both were sold on the block
and left him when he was just a few months old.
Mr. Bill Adams, Henderson's owner, lived on a large plantation on the
old stage road between Macon and Columbus. There were about three
hundred acres in this plantation and between thirty and fifty slaves.
Mr. Adams was just a "straight out farmer, and as good a marster as ever
wore shoe leather. 'Marse Bill' was a putty hard man about business, and
meant 'skat' when he said 'skat'".
He had a white preacher and a white doctor on his plantation, and
expected all the Negroes to go to 'preachin' on Sunday afternoon, and if
any of them were sick enough to need a doctor, they had him. The doctor
came around about once a month and every slave was looked after.
The slaves were allowed Saturday afternoons, provided there was no
fodder or other stuff down in the field to be put into the barn loft in
case of rain. From breakfast on, they had all Sunday, even the
cook and other house servants. "Ole Miss had the cook bake up light
bread and make pies on Saturday to do at the big house through Sunday."
The first work that Henderson remembers doing was "totin peaches to the
pigs" and "drapin' peas".
He recalls nothing about the Yankees coming through, but remembers the
others telling how they burned the warehouse and drove off the cattle
and hogs.
After freedom his mammy and daddy returned to 'ole Marster's' plantation
and he and the other seven children lived with them and worked for
'Marse Bill'.
The old fellow is very superstitious and firmly believes that the
"squinch" owl's note is a "sho sign o' death."
Henderson says that he is able to work and that he cleans yards, cuts
wood, and does almost any kind of job [HW: that] he can find.
Henderson Harris
808 E. Slaton Avenue
Griffin, Georgia
September 23, 1936.
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