Henry James Trentham
From:
North Carolina
N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: T. Pat Matthews
No. Words: 760
Subject: HENRY JAMES TRENTHAM
Person Interviewed: Henry James Trentham
Editor: G.L. Andrews
HENRY JAMES TRENTHAM
Raleigh, N.C. Rt. 2
Age 92 years
"I wus born de second day of December 1845. Dat would make me 92 years
of age. I wus born on a plantation near Camden, S.C. I belonged to Dr.
Trentham and my missus wus named Elizabeth. My father wus named James
Trentham and mother wus named Lorie. I had two brothers and one sister.
We all belonged to Dr. Trentham.
"Marster's plantation wus a awful big plantation with 'bout four
hundred slaves on it. It wus a short distance from the Wateree River.
The slave houses looked like a small town and dere wus grist mills for
corn, cotton gin, shoe shops, tanning yards, and lots of looms for
weavin' cloth. Most of de slaves cooked at dere own houses, dat dey
called shacks. Dey wus give a 'lowance of rations every week. De
rations wus tolerably good, jest bout like people eat now. Dere wus a
jail on de place for to put slaves in, an in de jail dere wus a place
to put your hands in called stocks. Slaves wus put dere for punishment.
"I seed lots of slaves whupped by de overseers. Marster had four
overseers on de place an' dey drove us from sunup till sunset. Some of
de women plowed barefooted most all de time, an' had to carry dat row
an' keep up wid de men, an' den do dere cookin' at night.
"We hated to see de sun rise in slavery time cause it meant anudder
hard day, but den we was glad to see it go down.
"Marster lived in a large two story house wid 'bout twelve rooms in it.
We called it de plantation house. Dere wus a church on de plantation
an' both white an' black went to preachin' dere. Dere wus Sunday School
dere too. De preacher tole us to obey our missus an' marster. He tole
us we must be obedient to 'em. Yes sir, dat's what he tole us. Some of
de slaves run away. When dey wus caught dey wus whupped and put in de
stocks in de jail. Some of de slaves dat run away never did come back.
De overseers tole us dey got killed reason dey never come back.
"De patterollers come round ever now an' den an' if you wus off de
plantation an' had no pass dey tore you up wid de lash.
"Marster an' missus rode around in a carriage drawn by two horses and
driven by a driver. Dey had four women to work in de house as cooks,
maids, an' de like.
"No huntin' wus allowed a slave if no white man wus wid 'im, an' dey
wus not allowed to carry guns.
"De corn shuckin's was a great time. Marster give good licker to
everybody den. When anybody shucked a red ear he got a extra drink of
whiskey. We had big suppers den an' a good time at corn shuckin's.
Atter de shuckin' at nite [HW: night] dere would be a wrastlin' match
to see who was bes' on de plantation. We got a week holliday at Xmas.
Den wus de time shoes wus give to de slaves, an' de good times
generally lasted a week. At lay-by time wus another big time. Dat wus
'bout de Fourth of July. Dey give a big dinner an' everbody et all de
barbecue an' cake dey wanted.
"I saw slaves sold at Camden. Marster carried some slaves dere an' put
'em on de auction block an' sold 'em. I wus carried but I wus not sold.
I went with the old doctor. I wus his pet. Dey carried slaves away from
de plantation in chains. Dey carried five or six at a time. If a nigger
didn't suit him he sold him.
"Missus didn't like for him to beat 'em so much no how. De old doctor
had three boys, William, Sidney and Henry and two girls, Missie and
Carrie.
"Dey would not allow slaves no books an' I can't read an' write. I did
not git any learnin.
"When a slave died dere wus only a few to go to de buryin. Dey didn't
have time to go, dey wus so busy workin'. De slaves wus burried in
plain wood boxes which wus made by slave men on de plantation. Our
marster looked atter us when we got sick.
"I married Ella Davis 31 years ago in South Carolina, near Camden. We
had twelve chilluns, six boys and six girls.
"Slavery wus pretty rough and I am glad it is all over."
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Jane Anne Privette Upperman
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Ellen Trell
