Mom Louisa Collier
From:
South Carolina
Code No.
Project, 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S. C.
Date, May 27, 1937
No. Words ----
Reduced from ---- words
Rewritten by ----
MOM LOUISA COLLIER
Ex-Slave, 78 years.
"I born en raise up dere in Colonel Durant yard en I in my 78th year
now. Dat seem lak I ole, don' it? Coase Colonel Durant hab plenty udder
colored peoples 'sides us, but dey ne'er lib dere in de yard lak we. Dey
lib up in de quarters on de plantation. My pappy name Ben Thompson en he
hadder stay dere close to de big house cause he wus de Colonel driver.
De Colonel hab uh big ole carriage wha' to ride in den. It hab uh little
seat in de front fa my pappy to set in en den it hab two seat 'hind de
driver whey de Colonel en he family is ride. I kin see dat carriage jes
uz good right now dat my white folks hab to carry em whey dey is wanna
go."
"Den my mammy come from de udder side uv Pee Dee en she name, Lidia
Bass. She was de servant 'round de yard dere en dat count fa we to ne'er
stay in de quarters wid de udder colored peoples 'fore freedom declare.
I ne'er hadder do no work long uz I lib dere in de yard cause I ain'
been but five year ole when freedom declare. My grandmammy lib right
dere close us en Colonel Durant hab she jes to look a'ter aw de
plantation chillun when dey parents wuz workin'. Aw uv de plantation
peoples 'ud take dey chillun dere fa my grandmammy to nu'se."
"I 'member one day dere come uh crowd uv peoples dere dat dey tell us
chillun wuz de Yankees. Dey come right dere t'rough de Colonel yard en
when I see em, I wuz 'fraid uv em. I run en hide under my grandmammy
bed. Don' know wha' dey say cause I ain' ge' close 'nough to hear nuthin
wha' dey talk 'bout. De white folks hadder herry (hurry) en put t'ings
in pots en bury em or hide em somewhey when dey hear dat de Yankees wus
comin' cause dey scare dem Yankees might take dey t'ings lak dey is
carry 'way udder folks t'ings. I hear em say dey ne'er take nuthin from
de Colonel but some uv he wood."
"My white folks was well-off peoples en dey ain' ne'er use no harsh
treatment on dey plantation peoples. De Colonel own aw dis land 'bout
here den en he see dat he overseer on de plantation provide plenty uv
eve't'ing us need aw de time. I hear tell 'bout some uv de white folks
'ud beat dey colored peoples mos' to death, but I ain' ne'er see none uv
dat no whey. I is 'member when dey'ud sell some uv de colored peoples
way offen to annuder plantation somewhey. Jes been bid em offen jes lak
dey wuz cattle. Some uv de time dey'ud sell uh man wife 'way en den he
hadder ge' annuder wife."
"A'ter freedom declare, we ne'er lib dere at de big house no more. Move
in de colored settlement en den we ain' eat at de big house no more
neither. Dey le' us hab uh garden uv we own den en raise us own chicken
en aw dat. I 'member de Colonel gi'e us so mucha t'ing eve'y week en it
hadder las' us from one Saturday to de next. My mammy 'ud go to de
Colonel barn eve'y week en ge' she portion uv meal en meat. Dat de way
dey pay de hand fa dey work den. Ne'er gi'e em no money den."
"Peoples wha' lib on Colonel Durant plantation ain' know nuthin but to
lib on de fat uv de land. Dey hab plenty cows den en dey gi'e us plenty
uv milk eve'y day. I 'member we chillun use'er take we tin cup en go up
to de big house en ge' us milk to drink en den some uv de cows 'ud be so
gentle lak dat we chillun is follow em right down side de path. Den when
dere ne'er wuz nobody lak de Colonel overseer 'bout to see us, we is
ketch de cow en ge' some more milk. I al'ays'ud lub to drink me milk dat
way. We is eat plenty green peas en 'tatoes en fish in dem days too en
dey is use 'tatoe pie right smart den."
"Aw de colored peoples on Colonel Durant plantation hab good bed wha' to
sleep on en good clothes to put on dey back. Coase we ne'er hab no
bought fu'niture in dem days, but we hab bedstead wha' dey make right
dere en benches en some uv de time dey is make wha' dey call 'way back
chair. Den we is make us own bed outer hay cause de white folks ne'er
spare de colored peoples no cotton den. Hadder cut de hay in de fall uv
de year en dry it jes lak dey dries it fa to feed de cattle on. Den dey
hadder take sack en sew em up togedder en put de hay in dese. Dey sleep
right smart in dem days. Don' mucha people sleep on straw bed dese day
en time en dey don' dress lak dey use'er neither. I 'member de long
dress dey is wear den. Hadder hold em up when dey walk so dey won' tetch
de floor 'bout em. Den some uv dem is wear wha' dey call leggens. Dey'ud
gather em 'round de knee en le' em show 'bout de ankle. Dey wuz pretty,
dat dey wuz. De white folks'ud make de plantation clothes outer calico
en jeanes cloth en dat time. De jeanes cloth be wha' dey make de boy
clothes outer. Dey is weave aw dey cloth right dere on de plantation en
den dey use'er dye de thread en weave aw sorta check outer de different
color thread. Wha' dey make de dye outer? Dey ge' bark outer de woods en
boil de color outer it en den dey boil de thread in dat. Dat how dey is
make dey dye. Ne'er see de peoples hab no hat lak dey hab now neither.
Aw de colored peoples wear wha' dey call shuck hat den cause dey been
make outer shuck. Dat aw de kinder hat we is hab."
"Peoples use'er ge' aw kinder useful t'ing outer de woods in dem days
'way back dere. Ne'er hadder buy no me'icine tall den. Ain' ne'er been
no better cough cure no whey den de one my ole mammy use'er make fa we
chillun. She larnt 'bout how it made when she stay 'round de Missus en
dat how come I know wha' in it. Jes hadder go in de woods en ge' some
cherry, call dat wild cherry, en cut some uv de wild cherry bark fust
(first) t'ing. A'ter dat yuh hadder find some uv dese long-leaf pine en
ge' de bud outer dat. Den yuh hadder go to whey dere some sweet gum grow
en ge' de top outer dem en ge' some mullen to put wid it. Ain' ne'er no
cough stand aw dat mix up togedder in no day en time. Dey gi'e dat to de
peoples fa dat t'ing wha' dey use'er call de grip cough. Den dey use'er
make uh t'ing dat dey call "bone set" tea. I forge' how dey make it but
dey gi'e it to de peoples when dey hab de fevers. It been so bitter dat
it'ud lift yuh up 'fore yuh is ge' it aw down de t'roat. Ain' see no
fever me'icine lak dat nowadays."
"Yas'um, I 'members when dey hab plenty uv dem cornshucking to one
annuder barn. De peoples'ud come from aw de plantation 'bout dere. Dem
corn-shuckings wuz big times, dat dey wuz. Gi'e eve'body aw de
"hopping-john" dey kin eat. Jes cook it aw in uh big pot dere in de yard
to de big house. Ain' nuthin ne'er eat no better den dat "hopping-john"
is eat."
"Den de peoples use'er come from aw de plantation 'bout en hab big
dancing dere. Dat when I lub to be 'bout. Dey hab uh big fire build up
outer in de yard en dat wha' dey dance 'round 'bout. Call dat uh torch
fire. Dey'ud hab fiddle en dey dance wha' dey call de reel dance den. I
'member I use'er lub to watch dey feet when dat fiddle 'ud ge' to
playing. I jes crawl right down on me knees dere whey I'ud see dey feet
jes uh going."
"I ne'er hab mucha schooling 'fore freedom declare cause I been raise up
on de plantation. Dis child (her daughter) pappy wuz de house boy to de
big house en he ge' more schooling den I is. De Missus larnt he how to
read en write she self. A'ter freedom declare, I go to school to uh
white man up dere to de ole Academy en den I is go to annuder school
down dere to uh blacksmith shop. I go to uh white man dere too. Ne'er
hab no colored teacher den cause dey ain' hab 'nough schooling den. Dese
chillun don' know nuthin 'bout dem times. I tell dese chillun I don'
know wha' dey wanna run 'bout so mucha cause dere plenty t'ing to see
dat pass right dere by us house eve'y day. I t'ink dis uh better day en
time to lib en cause dis uh brighter day now dat we hab."
Source: Mom Louisa Collier, age 78, colored, Marion, S. C
Personal interview, May 1937.
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John Collins
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Rev Tuff Coleman
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