Mary Frances Brown
From:
South Carolina
Project #1655
Martha S. Pinckney
Charleston, S. C.
FOLKLORE
Approx. 660 words
INTERVIEW WITH EX-SLAVE
Age 88-90
Mary Frances Brown is a typical product of the old school of trained
house servants, an unusual delicate type, somewhat of the Indian cast,
to which race she is related. She is always clean and neat, a refined
old soul, as individuals of that class often are. Her memory, sight and
hearing are good for her advanced age.
"Our home Marlboro. Mas Luke Turnage was my
master--Marlboro-Factory-Plantation name 'Beauty Spot'. My missis was
right particular about neat and clean. She raise me for a house girl. My
missis was good to me, teach me ebbery ting, and take the Bible and
learn me Christianified manners, charity, and behaviour and good
respect, and it with me still.
"We didn't have any hard times, our owners were good to us--no over
share (overseer) and no whippin'--he couldn't stan' that. I live there
'til two year after freedom; how I come to leave, my mother sister been
sick, and she ask mother to send one of us, an she send me. My mother
been Miss Nancy cook. Miss Nancy was Mas Luke's mother--it take me two
years learning to eat the grub they cook down here in Charleston. I had
to learn to eat these little piece of meat--we had a dish full of meat;
the big smoke house was lined from the top down. (Describing how the
meat hung) I nebber accustom to dese little piece of meat, so--what dey
got here. Missis, if you know smoke house, didn't you find it hard? My
master had 'til he didn't know what to do with. My white people were
Gentile." (Her tone implied that she considered them the acme of gentle
folks). "I don't know what the other people were name that didn't have
as much as we had--but I know my people were Gentile!"
Just here her daughter and son appeared, very unlike their mother in
type. The daughter is quite as old looking as her mother; the son, a
rough stevedore. When the writer suggested that the son must be a
comfort, she looked down sadly and said in a low tone, as if
soliloquizing, "He way is he way." Going back to her former thought, she
said, "All our people were good. Mas Luke was the worse one." (This she
said with an indulgent smile) "Cause he was all the time at the race
ground or the fair ground.
"Religion rules Heaven and Earth, an there is no religion
now--harricanes an washin-aways is all about. Ebberything is change. Dis
new name what they call grip is pleurisy-cold--putrid sore-throat is
called somethin'--yes, diptheria. Cuttin (surgery) come out in 1911!
They kill an they cure, an they save an they loss.
"My Gran'ma trained with Indians--she bin a Indian, an Daniel C. McCall
bought her. She nebber loss a baby." (the first Indian relationship that
the writer can prove). "You know Dr. Jennings? Ebberybody mus' know him.
After he examine de chile an de mother, an 'ee alright, he hold de nurse
responsible for any affection (infection) that took place.
"Oh! I know de spiritual--but Missis, my voice too weak to sing--dey
aint in books; if I hear de name I can sing--'The Promise Land', Oh, how
Mas Joel Easterling (born 1796) use to love to sing dat!"
"I am bound for de Promise Land!
Oh! who will arise an go with me?
I am bound for the Promise Land!
I've got a mother in the Promise Land,
My mother calls me an I mus go,
To meet her in the Promise Land!"
Source: Mary Frances Brown, Age 88-90, East Bay Street, Charleston,
S. C.
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