Henry Davis
From:
South Carolina
Project #1655
W. W. Dixon
Winnsboro, S. C.
HENRY DAVIS
EX-SLAVE 80 YEARS OLD.
Henry Davis is an old Negro, a bright mulatto, who lives in a two-room
frame house on the farm of Mr. Amos E. Davis, about two miles southwest
of Winnsboro, S. C.
In the house with him, are his wife, Rosa, and his grown children,
Roosevelt, Utopia, and Rose. They are day laborers on the farm. At this
period, Henry picks about seventy-five pounds of cotton a day. His
children average one hundred and fifty pounds each. The four together
are thus enabled to gather about five hundred and twenty-five pounds per
day, at the rate of sixty-five cents per hundred. This brings to the
family, a daily support of $3.41. This is seasonal employment, however;
and, as they are not a provident household, hard times come to Henry and
his folks in the winter and early summer.
"I was born on de old Richard Winn plantation dat my master, Dr. W. K.
Turner, owned and lived on. I was born de year befo' him marry Miss
Lizzie Lemmon, my mistress in slavery time.
"My mother was name Mary and took de name of Davis, 'cause befo' freedom
come, her was bought by my master, from Dr. Davis, near Monticello.
"I had a good many marsters and mistresses. Miss Minnie marry Dr.
Scruggs. Miss Anna marry Mr. Dove. Miss Emma marry Mr. Jason Pope. Marse
Willie K. marry a Miss Carroll up in York, S. C., and Marse Johnnie
marry Miss Essie Zealy. My brothers and sisters was Minton, Ike, Martha,
and Isabella.
"Who I marry and all 'bout it? How come you want to know dat? I 'clare!
You think dat gwine to loosen me up? Well, I marry de 'Rose of Sharon'
or I calls her dat when I was sparkin' her, though she was a Lemmon. Her
was name Rose Lemmon. Lots of times she throw dat in my face, 'Rose of
Sharon' when things go wrong. Then her git uppish and sniff, 'Rose of
Sharon, my eye! You treats me lak I was a dogwood rose on de hillside or
worse than dat, lak I was a Jimson weed or a rag weed.'
"My mammy and us chillun live in de yard not far from de kitchen. My
mammy do de washin' and ironin'. Us chillun did no work. I ride 'round
most of de time wid de doctor in his buggy and hold de hoss while he
visit de patients. Just set up in de buggy and wait 'til him git ready
to go to another place or go home.
"I 'member de Yankees comin' and searchin' de house, takin' off de cows,
mules, hosses, and burnin' de gin-house and cotton. They say dat was
General Sherman's orders. They was 'lowed to leave de dwellin' house
standin', in case of a doctor or preacher.
"Miss Lizzie had a whole lot of chickens. Her always keep de finest
pullets. She make pies and chicken salad out of de oldest hens. Dat
February de Yankees got here, she done save up 'bout fifty pullets dat
was ready to lay in March. A squad of Yankees make us chillun ketch
every one and you know how they went 'way wid them pullets? They tie two
on behind, in de rings of de saddle. Then they tie two pullets together
and hang them on de saddle pommel, one on each side of de hosses neck.
Dat throw them flankin' de hosses withers. I 'members now them gallopin'
off, wid them chickens flutterin' and hollerin' whare, whare, whare,
whare, whare!
"After slavery time, us live on de Turner place nigh onto thirty years
and then was de time I go to see Rosa and court and marry her. Her folks
b'long to de Lemmons and they had stayed on at de Lemmon's place. De
white folks of both plantations 'courage us to have a big weddin'. Her
white folks give her a trousseau and mine give me a bedstead, cotton
mattress, and two feather pillows. Dat was a mighty happy day and a
mighty happy night for de 'Rose of Sharon'. Her tells young niggers
'bout it to dis day, and I just sets and smokes my pipe and thinks of
all de days dat am passed and gone and wonder if de nex' world gwine to
bring us back to youth and strength to 'joy it, as us did when Rose and
me was young.
"Does I 'members anything 'bout patrollers? 'Deed, I do! Marster didn't
'ject to his slaves gwine to see women off de place. I hear him say so,
and I hear him tell more than once dat if he ever hear de patrollers a
comin' wid blood hounds, to run to de lot and stick his foots in de mud
and de dogs wouldn't follow him. Lots of run'ways tried it, I heard, and
it proved a success and I don't blame them dogs neither."
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Jesse Davis
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Heddie Davis
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