Isabella Dorroh
From:
South Carolina
Project 1885-1
Folklore
Spartanburg, Dist. 4
Dec. 1, 1937
Edited by: Elmer Turnage
[~HW: (Dorroh~]
STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES
"I live wid my daughter in a four-room house which we rents from Doc
Hunter. He got it in charge. My husband died several years ago.
"My daddy was Harvey Pratt, and he belonged to Marse Bob Pratt in
Newberry. My mammy was Mary Fair, and she belonged in slavery to marse
Simeon Fair. When dey married dey had a big wedding. Marse didn't make
slave women marry men if dey didn't want to. Befo' my mammy and daddy
married, somebody give a note to take to Mrs. Fair, her mistress.
Mistress wouldn't tell what was in it, but daddy run every step of de
way, he was so glad dey would let 'em marry.
"Col. Simeon Fair had a big fish pond on his place down on de branch
behind his house, and he had a milkhouse, too. (This is where the
Margaret Hunter Park is).
"My great-grandmother come from Virginia. She was bought by Marse Fair
from a speculator's drove. Slaves had good places to live in and
everything to eat. Old Marse sho cared for his slaves. He give 'em
plenty of clothes and good things to eat. On Sundays dey had to go to de
white folks' church and he made dem put on new clean clothes dat he give
'em.
"I was born about two years befo' freedom, and I lost my mammy right
atter de war. I remember about de Ku Klux and Red Shirts.
"Everything we had was made at home, or on marster's big plantation in
de country. Marse told his son, Billy, befo' he died to take care of his
niggers and see dat dey didn't want for nothing.
"Marse made de slaves work all day and sometimes on Saturdays, but he
never let 'em work at night. Sometimes on de plantation dey had
corn-shuckings and log-rollings; den dey give de hands good dinners and
some whiskey to drink.
"One old nigger had a weak back and couldn't work much, so he use to
play marbles in de yard wid de kids most every day.
"Slaves couldn't go away from de place unless dey had a pass from de
marse to show de patrollers when dey caught dem out.
"My daddy use to cook at de old Newberry Hotel. He was one of de finest
cooks in dis part of de country. De hotel was a small wooden frame
building wid a long front piazza. In de back was a small wooden two-room
house dat servants lived in. Atter de war, de 'little guard house' stood
jes' behind where de opera house now is.
"Some of de slaves learned to read and write. Marse didn't keep dem from
learning if dey wanted to. Niggers used to sing, 'I am born to die'. Dey
learn't it from Marse Ramage's son, 'Jock' Ramage. He learn't 'em to
sing it.
"Atter de war, Marse told de niggers dey was free. Most of dem stayed on
wid him and took his name. Slaves most always took de name of deir
marsters.
"My mother married at Thomas Pope's place, and he had old man Ned
Pearson, a nigger who could read and write, to marry 'em. He married
lots of niggers den. Atter de war many niggers married over agin, 'cause
dey didn't know if de first marriage was good or not.
"Marse Fair let his niggers have dances and frolics on his plantation,
and on Saturdays dey danced till 12 o'clock midnight. Sometimes dey
danced jigs, too, in a circle, jumping up and down. In dese times de
young folks dance way into Sunday mornings, and nobody to stop 'em, but
Marse wouldn't let his slaves dance atter 12 o'clock.
"Everybody believed in ghosts. Nobody would pass by a graveyard on a
dark night, and dese days dey go to cemeteries to do deir mischief, at
night and not afraid. Doctors used to have home-made medicines. Old Dr.
Brown made medicine from a root herb to cure rheumatism. He called it
'rhue'. He lived in what is now called Graveltown. His old house has
been torn down. He made hot teas from barks for fevers. He made a liquid
salve to rub on for rheumatism.
"When freedom come most of de slaves stayed on. Some man come here to
make a speech to de slaves. He spoke in Marse Fair's yard to a big crowd
of niggers and told dem to stay on and work for wages. When de Yankees
come through here, dey stole everything dey could git deir hands on. Dey
went in de house and took food and articles. Marse put guards around his
house to keep dem out so dey wouldn't steal all de potatoes and flour he
had for his slaves. Ku Klux went around de country and caught niggers
and carpetbaggers. De carpetbaggers would hunt up chillun's lands, whose
daddys was killed and try to take dem. Dat was when Judge Leheigh was
here, and Capt. Bone was postmaster. Dey was Republicans, but when de
Democrats got in power dey stopped all dat.
"When I married John Dorroh I had a big wedding. We married at de Harp
place in Newberry, jes' behind de big house, in a nigger cottage. White
folks and niggers come. I was known amongst de best white families
'cause I served as cook for dem. I was married by Rev. J. K. Walls, a
nigger preacher from Charleston.
"I think slavery ended through de work of Almighty God. My mother always
said dat was it. My daddy left here and went to Memphis when I was five
years old. He sent home $40. He was in de army wid Major James Baxter.
He took care of de guns and things of de Major."
Source: Isabella Dorroh (N, 75), Newberry, S. C.
Interviewer: G. L. Summer, Newberry, S. C. 11/22/27.
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