Nancy Washington
From:
South Carolina
=Code No.=
=Project, 1885-(1)=
=Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis=
=Place, Marion, S.C.=
=Date, June 2, 1937=
=NANCY WASHINGTON=
=Ex-Slave, 104 years.=
"Come in child. Jes set right dere in dat chair whey I c'n be mindful uv
yuh cause I ain' hear but sorta hard lak dese days. I jes come in outer
de field whey I been chopping 'round uh little wid me hoe, but eve't'ing
is grow so black 'fore me eye dat I t'ink I better rest meself uh
little. I tries to help Sam (her son) aw I c'n, but I ain' mucha 'count
no more. I 104 year old en I ain' gwinna be heah much longer. Me mark
done strak (strike) me right dere dis a'ternoon. Dat been jes de way my
ole mammy waz call."
"Does yah know whey dat place call Ash Pole? Dat whey I wuz raise up
when I b'long to Massa Giles Evanson. He wuz uh good ole fellow. I ain'
know wha' it wuz to ge' no bad treatment by my white people. Dey tell me
some uv de colored peoples lib mighty rough in dat day en time but I
ne'er know nuthin 'bout dat. I 'member dey is spank we chillun wid
shingle but dey ne'er didn't hit my mudder."
"My Massa ne'er hab so mucha colored peoples lak some uv dem udder white
folks hab. Jes hab my mudder en eight head uv we chillun. Hab 'nough to
gi'e eve'yone uv he daughter uh servant apiece when dey ge' marry. Ne'er
hab nuthin but women colored peoples. My Massa say he ain' wan' no man
colored peoples."
"De preacher Ford, wha' use'er lib right up dere in town, papa hab uh
big ole plantation wha' been jes lak uh little town. He hab hundred
colored peoples en dey is hab eve't'ing dere. Hab dey preachin' right
dere on de plantation en aw dat."
"Coase my white folks hab uh nice plantation en dey keep uh nice house
aw de time. I wuz de house girl dere en de one wha' dey'ud hab to wait
on de Missus. Dey'ud carry me eve'ywhey dey go. Al'ays know how I wuz
faring. My Missus wuz big en independent lak. Talk lak she mad aw de
time, but she warnt. She ne'er wear no cotton 'bout dere no time. Hab
her silk on eve'y day en dem long yellow ear bob dat'ud be tetchin right
long side she shoulder. I al'ays look a'ter de Missus en she chillun.
Wash dey feet en comb dey hair en put de chillun to bed. But child, some
white folks is queer 'bout t'ings. Dey watch yuh gwine 'bout yuh work en
den dey'll wan' yuh to do sumptin fa dem. De ole man take me 'way from
helping de Missus en send me out to plow corn en drap peas. I wuz shame
too cause I ne'er lak fa he to treat my Missus dat uh way."
"De peoples ne'er didn't cook in no stove den neither. Dey hab big ole
round dirt ubben (oven) to cook dey ration in. Dey make dey ubben outer
white clay en hadder build uh shelter over it cause dey'ud cook outer
in de yard. Dey ne'er cook but jes twice uh week. Cook on Wednesday en
den ne'er cook no more till Saturday. I 'member de big ole ham dat dey
cook en de tatoes en so mucha bread. Jes hab 'bundance aw de time. I got
uh piece uv de ole slavery time ubben heah now. I ge' it outer en show
it to yuh. Dis is one uv de leads (lids) en dey'ud put uh chain en hook
on dere en hang it up in de fireplace. Dat de way dey cook dey ration. O
Lawd, ef I could ge' back to my ole home whey I could look in en see jes
one more time, jes one more time, child."
"I wuz jes uh girl when de Yankees come t'rough dere. Dey look jes lak
uh big blue cloud comin' down dat road en we chillun wuz scared uv em.
Dat land 'round 'bout dere wuz full uv dem Yankees marchin' en gwine on.
Dey ne'er bother my white folks but in some uv de places dey jes ruint
eve't'ing. Burnt up en tore down aw 'bout dere."
"Yuh ain' ne'er see nobody weave no cloth nowadays. In de winter dey
use'er al'ays put woolen on de little chillun to keep em from getting
burnt up. Peoples wuz easy to cotch uh fire in dat time. Dey hab plenty
uv sheep den en dis jes 'bout de time uv de year dat dey shear de sheep.
Al'ays'ud shear de sheep in de month uv May. Dey is make aw kinder nice
cloth den. I c'n charge en spin en make any kinder streak yuh wan'.
Coase my mudder use'er weave de jeanes cloth en blanketing."
"Dey use'er hab some uv dem corn-shucking 'bout dere but I ne'er take no
part in none uv dat. A'ter freedom declare, us pull boxes en dip
turpentine. Dat wha' wuz in de style den."
"I won' but 'bout 16 when I marry en I hab uh nice wedding. Marry right
dere in my Massa yard en hab white swass dress to wear. I marry uh
settled man offen uh rich man plantation en dey ne'er wan' me to marry,
but dey ne'er say nuthin 'gainst it. Dey hab good manners den en manners
de t'ing dat carry peoples t'rough anyt'ing, child."
Source: Nancy Washington, age 104, colored, Dusty Hills,
Marion, S.C. (Personal interview, May 1937).
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Charley Watson
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Daniel Waring
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