Henry Gladney
From:
South Carolina
Project #1655
W.W. Dixon
Winnsboro, S.C.
HENRY GLADNEY
EX-SLAVE 82 YEARS OLD.
Henry Gladney lives with his wife, his son, Murdock, his
daughter-in-law, Rose, and seven grandchildren. They live near White
Oak, S.C., in a two-room frame house with a one-room box board annex. He
works a one-horse farm for Mr. Cathcart and piddles a little at the
planing mills at Adgers. His son does the ploughing. The daughter-in-law
and grandchildren hoe and pick cotton and assist in the farm work. Henry
is of medium height, dark brown complexion, and is healthy but not
vigorous.
"I lives out on de John H. Cathcart place, close to White Oak. In
slavery time my mammy b'long to old Marse Johnnie Mobley, and us lived
in de quarter 'bout three miles to de west of Woodward station, tho'
dere was no station dere when I was a boy. De station was down de
railroad from dere and then it was called Yonguesville. My mammy name
Lucy, my pappy name William, my sisters was Louise, Elsie, and Adeline.
My brudders name Tim and Curtis.
"I wasn't a very big boy in slavery time, tho' I 'member choppin'
cotton, and pickin' cotton and peas 'long 'side mammy in de field. Pappy
was called 'Bill de Giant', 'cause him was so big and strong. They have
mighty bad plantation roads in them days. I see my pappy git under de
wagon once when it was bogged up to de hub and lift and heft dat wagon
and set it outside de ruts it was bogged down in. Him stayed at de
blacksmith shop, work on de wagons, shoe de mules and hosses, make
hinges, sharpen de plow points and fix de iron rings in de wagon wheels.
"My pappy didn't 'low other slave men to look at my mammy. I see him
grab Uncle Phil once, throw him down on de floor, and when him quit
stompin' Uncle Phil, they have to send for Dr. Newton, 'cause pappy done
broke Uncle Phil's right leg. My old marster no lak dat way one of his
slaves was crippled up. Him 'low to whip pappy for it. Pappy tell mammy
to go tell Marse John if he whip him, he would run off and go to de
North. She beg for pappy so, dat nothin' was done 'bout it. 'Spect Marse
John fear to lose a good blacksmith wid two good legs, just 'bout a
small nigger man wid one good leg and one bad leg.
"It come to de time old marster have so many slaves he don't know what
to do wid them all. He give some of them off to his chillun. He give
them mostly to his daughters, Miss Marion, Miss Nancy, and Miss
Lucretia. I was give to his grandson, Marse John Mobley McCrorey, just
to wait on him and play wid him. Little Marse John treat me good
sometime and kick me 'round sometime. I see now dat I was just a little
dog or monkey, in his heart and mind, dat 'mused him to pet or kick as
it pleased him. Him give me de only money I ever have befo' freedom, a
big copper two-cent piece wid a hole in it. I run a string thru dat hole
and tied it 'round my neck and felt rich all de time. Little niggers
always wanted to see dat money and I was proud to show it to them every
time.
"Little Marse John's mother was another daughter of old Marster John.
Her name was Dorcas. They live in Florida. I was took 'way down dere,
cried pow'ful to leave my mammy, but I soon got happy down dere playin'
in de sand wid Marse John and his little brudder, Charlie. Don't 'member
nothin' 'bout de war or de Yankees. Freedom come, I come back to de
Mobley quarters to mammy. I work for old Marster John up 'til after
Hampton was 'lected. I marry Florie Williams, a pretty black gal on de
Mobley quarters. Us is had seventeen chillun. So far as I know they is
all livin'. Some in Florida, some in Sparrows Point, Virginia, some in
Charlotte, N.C., and some in Columbia, S.C. Murdock and his wife, Katie,
and deir six chillun live in de same house wid me.
"My old marster have two daughters dat marry McCroreys. Miss Lucretia
marry James McCrorey and Miss Dorcas marry John McCrorey. Miss Lucretia
have a son name John. Miss Dorcas have a son name John. In talkin' wid
old mistress, 'fusion would come 'bout which John of de grandsons was
bein' meant and talked 'bout. Old Marster John settle dat.
"Old Marster John and old mistress (her name Katie) had de same
birthday, March de 27th, tho' old Marster John was two years older than
old Mistress Kate. They celebrate dat day every year. All de
chillun-in-laws and grandchillun come to de mansion, have a big dinner
and a big time. After dinner one day, all de men folks 'semble at de
woodpile. De sun was shinin' and old marster have me bring out a chair
for him but de balance of them set on de logs or lay 'round on de chips.
Then they begun to swap tales. Marse Ed P. Mobley hold up his hand and
say: 'See dis stiff finger? It'll never be straight agin. I got out of
ammunition at de secon' battle of Bull Run, was runnin' after a Yankee
to ketch him, threw my gun 'way to run faster, ketch him as he was 'bout
to git over a fence and choked his stiff neck so hard in de scuffle dat
I broke dat finger. General Lee hearin' 'bout it, changed me from de
infancy (infantry) to de calvary (cavalry) dat I might not run de danger
any more.' Old marster laugh and say: 'Jim, can you beat dat?' Marse Jim
Mobley say: 'Well, you all know what I done at Gettysburg? If all had
done lak me dat day, us would have won de war. Whenever I see a bullet
comin' my way, I took good aim at de bullet wid a double charge of
powder in my musket. My aim was so good dat it drove de enemy ball back
to kill a Yankee and glanced aside at de right time to kill another
Yankee. I shot a thousand times de fust day of de battle and two
thousand times de secon' day and kilt six thousand Yankees at
Gettysburg!' Old marster slap his sides and fell out de chair a
laughin'! When him git back in de chair, him say: 'Zebulon, what you
got to say?' Marse Zeb, p'intin' to his empty pants leg, say: 'Me and
some officers 'tended a chicken fight on de banks of de Chickenhominy
River de day befo' de battle of Shilo. De cocks fight wid gaves on deir
heels. Dere was five hundred fights and two hundred and fifty roosters
was kilt. Us have big pots of chicken and big pots of hominy on de banks
of de Chickenhominy Creek dat night and then de battle of Cold Harbor
come de nex' day. I had eat so much chicken and hominy my belly couldn't
hold it all. Some had run down my right leg. Us double quicked and run
so fast thru swamps nex' day, after Yankees, my right leg couldn't keep
up wid my left leg. After de battle I went back to look for dat leg but
never could find it. Governor Zeb Vance tell me afterwards, dat leg of
mine run on to Washington, went up de White House steps, and slushed
some of dat chicken and hominy on de carpet right befo' President
Lincoln's chair.'
"Everybody laugh so loud dat old mistress come out and want to know what
for they was laughin' 'bout. All dat had to be gone over agin. Then her
laugh and laugh and laugh. She turnt 'round to my young Marster John and
say: 'John, can you beat dat?' He say: 'Henry, go git grandma a chair.'
I done dat. Then my young marster start. Him say: 'One day down in
Florida, I saddle my pony, took Henry dere up behind me and went a
fishin' on de St. John River. I had some trouble a gittin' thru de
everglades when I want to fish but us got dere. Big trees on de banks
and 'round, wid long moss hangin' from de limbs. I baited my hook wid a
small, wigglin', live, minnow and throwed out into de water. Nothin'
happen. In de warm sunshine I must have gone to sleep, when I was
startle out my doze by Henry a shoutin': 'Marse Johnnie, Marse Johnnie,
your cork done gone down out of sight!' I made a pull but felt at once
it would take both hands to land dat fish. I took both hands, put my
foot 'ginst de roots of a great live oak and h'isted dat fish in de sky.
It was so big it shut out de light of de sun. When it come down, dat
fish strip off de limbs of de trees it hit while comin' to de ground. I
sent Henry back to de house on de pony, for de four-hoss wagon and all
de men on de place, to git de fish home. When us got it home and cut it
open, dere was 119 fishes varyin' from de size of de minnow up to de big
fish. Marse Ed P. say: 'Was de little minnow dead or 'live when you
found him in de belly of de 119th fish? 'He was still wigglin', say my
young marster. Old marster say: 'It was a whale of a fish, wasn't it,
grandson?' Young marster say: 'It was, grandpa. De river bank show dat
de water went down two inches after I pulled him out.' 'Maybe it was a
whale', said Marse Ed P. 'In fact, it was', said Marse Johnnie,' 'cause
on one of de ribs under de belly was some tatooin'.' 'What was de
tatooin'?' ask old mistress, just as innocent as a baby. 'De word
Nenivah', say Marse little John. 'Why it might have been de whale dat
swallowed Jonah', say Miss Katie. 'It was', say my young marster, 'for
just under Nenivah was de name Jonah.' After a good laugh old marster
say: 'Your name is changed from John Mobley McCrorey to John Munchawsome
McCrorey.' Kin folks call him Barron after dat. Him lak dat but when
they got to callin' him, lyin' John McCrorey him git red in de face and
want to fight.
"Poor Marse Johnnie! Wonder if him still livin'. Him marry a rich woman
in Florida but her soon 'vorce him. What her 'vorce him for?
'Pattybility and temper, they say. What I means by pattybility? I 'spect
dat mean de time they was gittin' up in de mornin' and her lam him
'cross de head wid de hairbrush and him take dat same hairbrush, push
her down 'cross de bed and give her a good spankin'. Now you're laughin'
agin but it was no laughin' wid her dat mornin', de way I hear them tell
it."
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Emoline Glasgow
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