Mom Hester Hunter
From:
South Carolina
Code No.
Project, 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S.C.
Date, May 18, 1937
No. ----
Reduced from ---- words
Rewritten by ----
MOM HESTER HUNTER
Ex-Slave, 85 years.
"Well, bless ye little heart, honey, ye say ye is wan' me to tell ye
'bout how de people lived way back dere in slavery time. Honey, I dunno
wha' to tell ye cause I ain' never been treated no ways but good in me
life by my Missus. I tell dese chillun here dat dey ain' never see no
sech time uz dere been den. My Missus been marry Massa John Bethea en
dey is raise dey flock up dere to de crossroads next Latta. Dat whey I
been raise. Honey, my Missus see to it she self dat we look a'ter in de
right way. Ain' never been made to do no work much den. Jes played dere
in de back yard wid me dolls aw de time I wanna. Honey, I dunno nuthin
to tell ye cause I is lib lak uh lamb in dem days."
"I wus born on de 25th uv December, right on de big Chrissmus day, dere
on Massa John plantation en I was 14 year old when freedom declare. I is
85 year old now en, honey, me health jes uz good now uz ever it wuz. My
Missus take sech good care uv us aw de time en see a'ter us she self
when we sick en I is take sech good care uv me self a'ter I leab dere
dat I 'spect to be here long time from now. Ain' know no ailment tall.
Coase de rheumatism is worry me right smart on uh night. Honey, dis
rheumatism ain' been cause from no bad teeth. I is hab eve'y tooth in me
head wha' I hab when I wuz 7 year old en dey jes uz good uz dey was
den. It jes dis way, jes uz long uz I is workin', I feels mighty smart,
mighty smart, child!"
"I 'clare to goodness white folks come down here jes to hear me talk.
Honey, I is wish I could stay wid yunnah aw de day. I could tell yunnah
aw 'bout dem days cause I ain' know nuthin but big living den. I tell me
grandchillun dat dem times 'ud be uh show for dem now. My Massa had uh
big plantation, honey, uh big plantation! Right in de center wuz me
Missus house en den dere wuz two long row uv we house to de right dere
on de place close to de big house. I 'members when de plantation hand
wha' work in de field been come to de house in de middle uv de day to
ge' dey dinner, I been lub to stand 'round de big pot en watch em when
dey ge' dey sumptin to eat. Yas'um, dey is cook aw de food for de field
hand in de same big ole black pot out in de yard. Yas'um, dey is put aw
de victual in one pot. Dey'ud go to de smokehouse en cut off uh whole
half uh side uv bacon en drap it right in dat pot. Dat been flavor de
pot jes right cause in dem days, us ration been season wid meat. Honey,
dere 'ud be 'bout thirty uv dem hand wha' had to eat out dat pot. Dere
been uh shelter built over de pot to keep de rain out en den dere was uh
big scaffold aw 'round de pot whey de put de pans when dey dish de
victual up. De field hands 'ud come dere en ge' dey pan uv ration offen
dis scaffold."
"Now de chillun on de plantation ain' been 'low to eat outer dat pot wid
de field hand. My auntie cook us victuals right dere in de kitchen on de
Missus fireplace an we eat right dere outer us own separate pan. My
Missus see she self dat we been fed right en she see dat de food been
cook done, cook done, honey, en been seasoned right aw de time. My
Missus ain' never stand fa me to go widout me meat fa break'ast. Al'ays
had hominy en milk en meat fa me break'ast en when supper time come, dey
is al'ays gi'e us uh big bowl uv corn bread en milk. Folks ain' eat den
lak dey does nowadays. Dey been eat more meat den en it ain' hu't dem
lak it hu'ts em now. Honey, peoples ain' lib peaceful lak dey been lib
den. Den peoples ain' cook dey food done lak de food been cook den. My
auntie cook aw de bread right dere in de kitchen on de fireplace. I is
hab some uv dem spider right here in de yard now. (She showed us two
iron spiders about 8 inches deep with three legs. One was being used in
the yard as a drinking place for the chickens and the other was
carelessly thrown just under the edge of her house.) When I come 'way
from my Missus plantation, I been take care uv wha' I bring 'way wid me.
Dere uh ole loom dere in de house right now. I 'members how I use 'er
lub to lie down on de Missus floor under de loom en watch my auntie when
she wuz spinning dere."
"Dey'ud hab gray sheep en white sheep den en dey'ud make sech nice
cloth. Yas'um, dey'ud dye de cloth right dere on de plantation. I
'member aw 'bout dat. De Missus hab uh big patch uv indigo dat dey
growed right dere en dey'ud gather it en boil it in de pot en den dey'ud
take de cloth dat my auntie is help weave an put it in dat pot en dye it
jes uz pretty. My Missus see to it she self dat de plantation peoples
clothes been make right en dat we is hab nice clean place to sleep. De
Missus never 'low none uv us to lay down in rags. She see 'bout aw dis
she self. I know my Missus gone to Hebbun, honey, en I hope she restin'
dere."
=Source:= Mom Hester Hunter, age 85, colored. (Personal
interview, Marion, S.C., May 1937.)
Next:
Mom Hester Hunter
Previous:
Margaret Hughes
Informational
