Henry Brown
From:
South Carolina
Project #1655
Augustus Ladson
Charleston, S. C.
EX-SLAVE BORN 1857
GRAND PARENTS CAME DIRECTLY FROM AFRICA
I was nickname' durin' the days of slavery. My name was Henry but they
call' me Toby. My sister, Josephine, too was nickname' an' call' Jessee.
Our mistress had a cousin by that name. My oldes' bredder was a Sergeant
on the Charleston Police Force around 1868. I had two other sister',
Louise an' Rebecca.
My firs' owner was Arthur Barnwell Rose. Then Colonel A. G. Rhodes
bought the plantation who sol' it to Capen Frederick W. Wagener. James
Sottile then got in possession who sol' it to the DeCostas, an' a few
weeks ago Mrs. Albert Callitin Simms, who I'm tol' is a former member of
Congress, bought it. Now I'm wonderin' if she is goin' to le' me stay. I
hope so 'cus I'm ol' now en can't work.
My pa was name' Abraham Brown; he was bo'n on Coals Islan' in Beaufort
County. Colonel Rhodes bought him for his driver, then he move here. I
didn't know much 'bout him; he didn't live so long afta slavery 'cus he
was ol.
Colonel Rhodes had a son an' a daughter. The son went back to England
afta his death an' the daughter went to Germany with her husban'. They
ain't never come back so the place was sol' for tax.
Durin' the war we was carry to Deer Pond, twelve miles on dis side of
Columbia. W'en the war was end' pa brought my sister, Louise, Rebecca,
who was too small to work, Josephine an' me, home. All my people is
long-lifted. My grand pa an' grand ma on pa side come right from Africa.
They was stolen an' brought here. They use to tell us of how white men
had pretty cloth on boats which they was to exchange for some of their
o'nament'. W'en they take the o'nament' to the boat they was carry way
down to the bottom an' was lock' in. They was anchored on or near
Sullivan's Islan' w'ere they been feed like dogs. A big pot was use' for
cookin'. In that pot peas was cook' an' lef' to cool. Everybody went to
the pot with the han's an' all eat frum the pot.
I was bo'n two years before the war an' was seven w'en it end. That was
in 1857. I never went to school but five months in my life, but could
learn easy. Very seldom I had to be tol' to do the same thing twice.
The slaves had a plenty o' vegetables all the time. Master planted t'ree
acres jus' for the slaves which was attended to in the mornin's before
tas' time. All provision was made as to the distribution on Monday
evenin's afta tas'.
My master had two place: one on Big Islan' an' on Coals Islan' in
Beaufort County. He didn't have any overseer. My pa was his driver.
Pa say this place was given to Mr. Rhodes with a thousand acres of lan'
by England. But it dwindled to thirty-five w'en the other was taken back
by England.
There wasn't but ten slaves on this plantation. The driver call' the
slaves at four so they could git their breakfas'. They always work the
garden firs' an' at seven go in the co'n an' cotton fiel'. Some finish
their tas' by twelve an' others work' 'til seven but had the tas' to
finish. No one was whip' 'less he needed it; no one else could whip
master' slaves. He wouldn't stan' for it. We had it better then than now
'cause white men lynch an' burn now an' do other things they couldn't do
then. They shoot you down like dogs now, an' nothin' said or done.
No slave was suppose' to be whip' in Charleston except at the Sugar
House. There was a jail for whites, but if a slave ran away an' got
there he could disown his master an' the state wouldn't le' him take
you.
All collud people has to have a pass w'en they went travelin'; free as
well as slaves. If one didn't the patrollers, who was hired by rich
white men would give you a good whippin' an' sen' you back home. My pa
didn't need any one to write his pass 'cause he could write as well as
master. How he got his education, I didn't know.
Sat'day was a workin' day but the tas' was much shorter then other days.
Men didn't have time to frolic 'cause they had to fin' food for the
fambly; master never give 'nough to las' the whole week. A peck o' co'n,
t'ree pound o' beacon, quart o' molasses, a quart o' salt, an' a pack o'
tobacco was given the men. The wife got the same thing but chillun
accordin' to age. Only one holiday slaves had an' that was Christmas.
Co'nshuckin' parties was conducted by a group of fa'mers who take their
slaves or sen' them to the neighborin' ones 'til all the co'n was
shuck'. Each one would furnish food 'nough for all slaves at his party.
Some use to have nothin' but bake potatas an' some kind of vegetable.
An unmarried young man was call' a half-han'. W'en he want to marry he
jus' went to master an' say there's a gal he would like to have for
wife. Master would say yes an' that night more chicken would be fry an'
everything eatable would be prepare at master' expense. The couple went
home afta the supper, without any readin' of matrimony, man an' wife.
A man once married his ma en' didn't know it. He was sell from her w'en
'bout eight years old. When he grow to a young men, slavery then was
over, he met this woman who he like' an' so they were married. They was
married a month w'en one night they started to tell of their experiences
an' how many times they was sol'. The husban' tol' how he was sol' from
his mother who liked him dearly. He tol' how his ma faint' w'en they
took him away an' how his master then use to bran' his baby slaves at a
year ol'. W'en he showed her the bran' she faint' 'cause she then
realize' that she had married her son.
Slaves didn't have to use their own remedy for sickness for good doctors
been hired to look at them. There was, as is, though, some weed use for
fever an' headache as: blacksnake root, furrywork, jimpsin weed, one
that tie' on the head which bring sweat from you like hail, an' hickory
leaf. If the hickory is keep on the head too long it will blister it.
W'en the war was fightin' the white men burn the bridge at the foot of
Spring Street so the Yankees couldn't git over but they buil' pontoos
while some make the horses swim 'cross. One night while at Deer Pond, I
hear something like thunder until 'bout eleven the next day. W'en the
thing I t'ought was thunder stop', master tell us that evenin' we was
free. I wasn't surprise to know for as little as I was I know the
Yankees was goin' to free us with the help of God.
I was married twice, an' had two gals an' a boy with firs' wife. I have
t'ree boys with the second; the younges' is jus' eight.
Lincoln did jus' what God inten' him to do, but I think nothin' 'bout
Calhoun on 'account of what he say in one of his speech 'bout collud
people. He said: "keep the niggers down."
To see collud boys goin' 'round now with paper an' pencil in their han's
don't look real to me. Durin' slavery he would be whip' 'til not a skin
was lef' on his body.
My pa was a preacher why I become a Christian so early; he preach' on
the plantation to the slaves. On Sunday the slaves went to the white
church. He use to tell us of hell an' how hot it is. I was so 'fraid of
hell 'til I was always tryin' to do the right thing so I couldn't go to
that terrible place.
I don't care 'bout this worl' an' its vanities 'cause the Great Day is
comin' w'en I shall lay down an' my stammerin' tongue goin' to lie
silent in my head. I want a house not made with han's but eternal in the
Heavens. That Man up there, is all I need; I'm goin' to still trus' Him.
Before the comin' of Chris' men was kill' for His name sake; today they
curse Him. It's nearly time for the world to come to en' for He said
"bout two thousand years I shall come again" an' that time is fas'
approachin'.
Source
Interview with Henry Brown, 637 Grove Street. He is much concerned with
the Scottsboro Case and discusses the invasion of Italy into defenseless
Ethiopia intelligently.
Next:
John C Brown
Previous:
Emmie Jordan
