Rhodus Walton
From:
Georgia
[HW: Dist. 7
Ex-Slave #110]
Adella S. Dixon
INTERVIEW WITH RHODUS WALTON, EX-SLAVE, Age 84
[Date Stamp: MAY 8 1937]
Ten years before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, a son was
born to Antony and Patience Walton who lived in Lumpkin, Stewart County,
Ga. When this son, Rhodus, was three weeks old, his mother, along with
the three younger children, was sold. His father and the thirteen sons
and daughters that she left behind were never seen again. His parents'
birthplace and the name they bore before moving to the Walton home are
unknown to Rhodus and he never was able to trace his family even after
"freedom."
The Walton plantation, home of Mr. Sam B. Walton who purchased his
mother, was a very large one with the "Big House" on an elevation near
the center. The majestic colonial home with its massive columns was seen
for miles around and from its central location the master was able to
view his entire estate.
Approximately one block from the planter's home, the "quarters" were
clustered. These were numerous loghouses with stick-and-clay chimneys in
which the slave families dwelt. Each house was composed of one room
sparsely furnished. The beds were corded with rope and as large families
were stressed, it was often necessary for several members to sleep on
the floor. There was an open fireplace at which family meals were
prepared. Equipment consisted of an iron pot suspended by a hanger and a
skillet with long legs that enabled the cook to place fire beneath it.
Bread known as "ash cake" was sometimes cooked on the hot coals.
The auction block was located not far from this old home. Here Rhodus
Walton with other young children watched slaves emerge from boxcars,
where they had been packed so closely that there was no room to sit, to
be sold to the highest bidder. This was one of his most vivid
recollections.
As Rhodus' father did not come to this home with his family, he knows
nothing of him. Except for brief intervals his mother worked in the
house where cotton and wool were spun into thread and then woven into
cloth from which the slaves' clothing was made. An elder sister nursed
the master's smaller children. Rhodus' first duties were to drive the
cows to and from the pastures and to keep the calves from annoying the
milkers.
His master was a very cruel man whose favorite form of punishment was to
take a man (or woman) to the edge of the plantation where a rail fence
was located. His head was then placed between two rails so that escape
was impossible and he was whipped until the overseer was exhausted. This
was an almost daily occurrence, administered on the slightest
provocation.
Saturday was the only afternoon off and Christmas was the only vacation
period, but one week of festivities made this season long remembered.
Many "frolics" were given and everyone danced where banjoes were
available; also, these resourceful people secured much of their music
from an improvised fiddle fashioned from a hand saw. Immediately after
these festivities, preparations began for spring planting. New ground
was cleared; old land fertilized and the corn fields cleared of last
year's rubbish.
Courtship began at a later age than is customary now but they were much
more brief. Gifts to one's sweetheart were not permitted, but verses
such as:
Roses are red,
Violets blue,
I don't love
No one but you
were invariably recited to the loved one. Young negro men always
"cocked" their hats on one side of their heads when they became
interested in the other sex. Marriages were performed by the master.
Common law situations did not exist.
Serious illnesses were not frequent and home remedies compounded of
roots and herbes usually sufficed. Queensy's light root, butterfly
roots, scurry root, red shank root, bull tongue root were all found in
the woods and the teas made from their use were "cures" for many
ailments. Whenever an illness necessitated the services of a physician,
he was called. One difference in the old family doctor and those of
today was the method of treatment. The former always carried his
medicine with him, the latter writes prescriptions. The fee was also
much smaller in olden times.
Food was distributed weekly in quantities according to the size of the
family. A single man would receive:
1 pk. meal on Sunday
1 qt. syrup flour (seconds)
3-1/2 lbs. meat Holidays--July 4th and Christmas
fresh meat.
Peas, pepper grass, polk salad were plentiful in the fields. Milk and
"pot likker" could be had from the big house when desired, although
every family cooked for itself. Saturday afternoon was the general
fishing time and each person might catch as many as he needed for his
personal use.
The slaves did most of the weaving on the plantation, but after the
cloth was woven the problem of giving it color presented itself. As they
had no commercial dye, certain plants were boiled to give color. A plant
called indigo, found in the cotton patch, was the chief type of dye,
although thare was another called copperas. The dresses made from this
material were very plain.
Walton believes in most of the old signs and superstitions because he
has "watched them and found that they are true." The continuous singing
of a whipporwill near a house is a sign of death, but if an iron is
placed in the fire and allowed to remain there, the bird will fly away.
When the news of the war finally reached the plantation, the slaves
followed the progress with keen interest and when battles were fought
near Columbus, and firing of guns was heard, they cried joyfully--"It
ain't gonna be long now." Two of their master's sons fought in the
Confederate Army, but both returned home before the close of the war.
One day news came that the Yankee soldiers were soon to come, and Walton
began to hide all valuables. The slaves were sent to the cemetery to dig
very deep graves where all manner of food was stored. They were covered
like real graves and wooden slabs placed at either end. For three days
before the soldiers were expected, all the house servants were kept busy
preparing delicacies with which to tempt the Yankees and thus avoid
having their place destroyed. In spite of all this preparation, they
were caught unawares and when the "blue coats" were seen approaching,
the master and his two sons ran. The elder made his way to the woods;
the younger made away on "Black Eagle" a horse reputed to run almost a
mile a minute. Nearly everything on the place was destroyed by these
invaders. One bit of information has been given in every interview where
Northern soldiers visited a plantation, they found, before coming,
whether the Master was mean or kind and always treated him as he had
treated his slaves. Thus Mr. Walton was "given the works" as our modern
soldiers would say.
When the war ended the slaves were notified that they were free. Just
before Rhodus' family prepared to move, his mother was struck on the
head by a drunken guest visiting at the "big house." As soon as she
regained consciousness, the family ran off without communicating with an
elder sister who had been sold to a neighbor the previous year. A year
later, news of this sister reached them through a wagoner who recognized
the small boys as he passed them. He carried the news to the family's
new residence back to the lost sister and in a few weeks she arrived at
Cuthbert to make her home with her relatives.
For the past 9 years Rhodus has been unable to work as he is a victim of
a stroke on his left side; both sides have been ruptured, and his nerves
are bad. He attributes his long life to his faith in God.
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William Ward
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Emma Virgel
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