Mollie Mitchell
From:
Georgia
[HW: Dist. 6
Ex-Slave #75]
Folklore
Alberta Minor
Re-search Worker
MOLLIE MITCHELL, Ex Negro Slave
507 East Chappell Street
Griffin, Georgia
August 31, 1936
[Date Stamp: MAY 8 1937]
Mollie Mitchell, a white haired old darkey, 85 years old was born on the
Newt Woodard plantation. It is the old Jackson Road near Beulah Church.
Until she was 7 years old she helped about the house running errands for
her "Missus", "tendin' babies", "sweeping the yard", and "sich." At 7
she was put in the fields. The first day at work she was given certain
rows to hoe but she could not keep in the row. The Master came around
twice a day to look at what they had done and when it was not done
right, he whipped them. "Seems like I got whipped all day long," she
said. One time when Mollie was about 13 years old, she was real sick,
the master and missus took her to the bathing house where there was
"plenty of hot water." They put her in a tub of hot water then took her
out, wrapped her in blankets and sheets and put her in cold water. They
kept her there 4 or 5 days doing that until they broke her fever.
Whenever the negroes were sick, they always looked after them and had a
doctor if necessary. At Christmas they had a whole week holiday and
everything they wanted to eat. The negroes lived a happy carefree life
unless they "broke the rules." If one lied or stole or did not work or
did not do his work right or stayed out over the time of their pass,
they were whipped. The "pass" was given them to go off on Saturday. It
told whose "nigger" they were and when they were due back, usually by 4
o'clock Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. "The patta-roll" (patrol)
came by to see your pass and if you were due back home, they would give
you a whippin'!"
Mollie was 15 years old when the master came out in the fields and told
them they were as free as he was. Her family stayed with him. He gave
them a horse or mule, their groceries and a "patch to work", that they
paid for in about three years time. Before the war whenever his slaves
reached 70 years, the master set them free and gave them a mule, cow and
a "patch". Mollie can remember her grandmother and grandfather getting
theirs. When Mollie married (17 years old), she moved to her husband's
farm. She had 9 children. She had to "spin the cloth" for their clothes,
and did any kind of work, even the men's work too. Out of herbs she made
syrup for worms for her children. With the barks of different trees she
made the spring tonic and if their "stomachs was wrong", she used red
oak bark. When she was younger, she would "dream a dream" and see it
"jes' as clear" next morning and it always came true, but now since
she's aged her dreams are "gone away" by next morning. When she was a
little girl, they made them go to Sunday School and taught them out of a
"blue back speller". After freedom, they were sent to day school "some".
The "little missus" used to teach her upstairs after they were supposed
to be in bed. She's been a member of the Methodist Church since she was
17 years old. Mollie's husband was always a farmer and he always planted
by the moon. Potatoes, turnips and things that grow under the ground
were planted in the dark of the moon while beans and peas and things
that develope on top the ground were planted in the light of the moon.
She said she couldn't remember many superstitions but she knew a
rabbit's foot was tied round your neck or waist for luck and a crowing
hen was bad luck, so bad that they killed them and "put 'em in the pot"
whenever they found one. When you saw a cat washing its face, it was
going to rain sure.
Mollie is quite wrinkled, has thinning white hair, very bad teeth but
fairly active physically and her mind is moderately clear.
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