Jerry Hill
From:
South Carolina
Project 1885-1
FOLK LORE
Spartanburg, S.C.
May 10, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage
SLAVE STORIES
Living with his married daughter is an old negro slave by the name of
Jerry Hill. He was born Jan. 12, 1852. He and his mother were owned by
Jim Fernandes who had a plantation between Union and Jonesville, S.C.
His father was a slave owned by another white man on an adjoining
plantation. "Uncle" Jerry was nine years old when the war began, and
thirteen when he was set free. He was born near Rocky Creek which ran
into Fairforest Creek. He was always treated kindly by his master. He
was taught to plow and work on the farm, which he did regularly; though
he always took his time and would not let anybody hurry him. He said
that he had always taken his time to do his farm work, so got along fine
with all for whom he worked. He says that he always had plenty to eat;
yet most of the "niggers" had to eat Ash-bread. This is corn-bread which
is cooked in hot ashes raked from the fireplace. Once a week he was
given biscuits, though this was a luxury to colored folks. He said, that
when a slave had to have a whipping, he was taken to a whipping post in
Jonesville. A bull-whip was used for the punishment and it brought the
blood from the bare back of the man or woman being whipped. One day a
grown slave was given 150 lashes with the bull-whip, for teaching the
young boys to gamble. He saw this punishment administered. He had
climbed a tree where he could get a better view. He said that several
slaves were being whipped that day for various things, and there were
several men standing around watching the whipping. He said that he was
laughing at the victim, when some by-stander looked up and saw him;
"that boy needs 150 lashes, too," he said. "He is laughing at the
punishment being given." So his master told the by-stander to get the
boy and give him the lashing if he thought he needed it. When he was led
up to the whipping post, some man there shook his head at the
by-stander; so the boy did not get whipped. Jerry says that the sister
of Jim Fernandas used to carry a bull-whip around her neck when she
walked out on the farm, and would apply it herself to any slave she
thought needed it.
"When the Yankee soldiers came," he said, "my master had to hide out for
awhile, as he had gotten into some trouble with them at Union. They
would search the house occasionaly and then go into the woods looking
for him. One day the soldiers caught him down on the branch and killed
him. As the Yankee soldiers would come to the plantation, they would
leave their worn-out horses and take our good ones. They also stole
meat, hams, sugar etc.; but they were pretty quiet most of the time. One
of our neighbors caught a Yankee stealing his horse and killed him right
there. His name was Bill Isom. All his family is now dead. The soldiers
would slip around and steal a good horse and ride it off. We would never
see that horse again. After we were told by my master that we were now
free and could go to work whereever we chose, my mother hired me out to
a man and I stayed with him two years. It was pretty hard to make a
living after we were free, but I worked hard and always got on."
=Source:= Jerry Hill, 265 Highland St., Spartanburg, S.C. Interviewed
by: F.S. DuPre, Spartanburg Office, Dist. 4.
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