Ryer Emmanuel
From:
South Carolina
Code No.
Project, 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S.C.
Date, December 16, 1937
MOM RYER EMMANUEL
EX-SLAVE, AGE 78
"Oh, my Lord, child, I ain' know nothin bout slavery time no more den we
was just little kids livin dere on de white people plantation. I was
just a little yearlin child den, I say. Been bout six years old in
slavery time. Well, I'll say dat I bout 80 some odds, but I can' never
seem to get dem odds together. I was a big little girl stayin in old
Massa yard in dem days, but I wasn' big enough to do nothin in de house
no time. My old Massa been Anthony Ross en he had set my age down in de
Bible, but my old Missus, she dead en I know dem chillun wouldn' never
know whe' to say dat Bible at dese days. Old Miss, she been name Matt
Ross. I wish somebody could call up how long de slaves been freed cause
den dey could call up my age fast as I could bat my eyes. Say, when de
emancipation was, I been six years old, so my mammy tell me. Don' know
what to say dat is, but I reckon it been since freedom."
"I been born en bred right over yonder to dat big patch of oak trees
bout dat house what you see after you pass de white people church cross
de creek dere. De old man Anthony Ross, he been have a good mind to his
colored people all de time. Yes, mam, my white folks was proud of dey
niggers. Um, yes'um, when dey used to have company to de big house, Miss
Ross would bring dem to de door to show dem us chillun. En my blessed,
de yard would be black wid us chillun all string up dere next de door
step lookin up in dey eyes. Old Missus would say, 'Ain' I got a pretty
crop of little niggers comin on?' De lady, she look so please like. Den
Miss Ross say, 'Do my little niggers want some bread to gnaw on?' En us
chillun say, 'Yes'um, yes'um, we do.' Den she would go in de pantry en
see could she find some cook bread to hand us. She had a heap of fine
little niggers, too, cause de yard would be black wid all different
sizes. Won' none of dem big enough to do nothin. No, mam, dey had to be
over 16 year old fore old Massa would allow dem to work cause he never
want to see his niggers noways stunt up while dey was havin de growin
pains. Den when dey was first grow up, dey would give some of dem a
house job en would send de others in de field to mind de cows en de
sheep en bring dem up. Wouldn' make dem do no heavy work right to start
wid. But dem what was older, dey had to work in de field. I reckon dey
would be workin just bout like dey is now from sunrise in de mornin till
sunset in de evenin."
"Yes, honey, I been come here under a blessin cause my white folks never
didn' let dey colored people suffer no time. Always when a woman would
get in de house, old Massa would let her leave off work en stay dere to
de house a month till she get mended in de body way. Den she would have
to carry de child to de big house en get back in de field to work. Oh,
dey had a old woman in de yard to de house to stay dere en mind all de
plantation chillun till night come, while dey parents was workin. Dey
would let de chillun go home wid dey mammy to spend de night en den she
would have to march dem right back to de yard de next mornin. We didn'
do nothin, but play bout de yard dere en eat what de woman feed us.
Yes'um, dey would carry us dere when de women would be gwine to work. Be
dere fore sunrise. Would give us three meals a day cause de old woman
always give us supper fore us mammy come out de field dat evenin. Dem
bigger ones, dey would give dem clabber en boil peas en collards
sometimes. Would give de little babies boil pea soup en gruel en suck
bottle. Yes, mam, de old woman had to mind all de yearlin chillun en de
babies, too. Dat all her business was. I recollects her name, it been
Lettie. Would string us little wooden bowls on de floor in a long row en
us would get down dere en drink just like us was pigs. Oh, she would
give us a iron spoon to taste wid, but us wouldn' never want it. Oh, my
Lord, I remember just as good, when we would see dem bowls of hot
ration, dis one en dat one would holler, 'dat mine, dat mine.' Us would
just squat dere en blow en blow cause we wouldn' have no mind to drink
it while it was hot. Den we would want it to last a long time, too. My
happy, I can see myself settin dere now coolin dem vitals (victuals)."
"Like I speak to you, my white folks was blessed wid a heap of black
chillun, but den dere been a odd one in de crowd what wasn' noways like
dem others. All de other chillun was black skin wid dis here kinky hair
en she was yellow skin wid right straight hair. My Lord, old Missus been
mighty proud of her black chillun, but she sho been touches bout dat
yellow one. I remember, all us chillun was playin round bout de step one
day whe' Miss Ross was settin en she ax dat yellow child, say, 'Who your
papa?' De child never know no better en she tell her right out exactly
de one her mammy had tell her was her papa. Lord, Miss Ross, she say,
'Well, get off my step. Get off en stay off dere cause you don' noways
belong to me.' De poor child, she cry en she cry so hard till her mammy
never know what to do. She take en grease her en black her all over wid
smut, but she couldn' never trouble dat straight hair off her noway. Dat
how-come dere so much different classes today, I say. Yes, mam, dat whe'
dat old stain come from."
"My mammy, she was de housewoman to de big house en she say dat she
would always try to mind her business en she never didn' get no whippin
much. Yes, mam, dey was mighty good to my mother, but dem other what
never do right, dey would carry dem to de cow pen en make dem strip off
dey frock bodies clean to de waist. Den dey would tie dem down to a log
en paddle dem wid a board. When dey would whip de men, de boards would
often times have nails in dem. Hear talk dey would wash dem wid dey
blood. Dat first hide dey had, white folks would whip it off dem en den
turn round en grease dem wid tallow en make dem work right on. Always
would inflict de punishment at sunrise in de mornin fore dey would go to
work. Den de women, dey would force dem to drop dey body frock cross de
shoulders so dey could get to de naked skin en would have a strap to
whip dem wid. Wouldn' never use no board on de women. Oh, dey would have
de lot scatter bout full of dem what was to get whip on a mornin."
"You see, de colored people couldn' never go nowhe' off de place widout
dey would get a walkin ticket from dey Massa. Yes, mam, white folks
would have dese pataroller walkin round all bout de country to catch dem
colored people dat never had no walkin paper to show dem. En if dey
would catch any of dem widout dat paper, dey back would sho catch
scissors de next mornin."
"Well, I don' know as de white folks would be meanin to kill any of dey
niggers, but I hear talk dey would whip dem till dey would die some of
de time en would bury dem in de night. Couldn' bury dem in de day cause
dey wouldn' have time. When dey would be gwine to bury dem, I used to
see de lights many a time en hear de people gwine along singin out
yonder in dem woods just like dey was buryin buzzards. Us would set down
en watch dem gwine along many a night wid dese great big torches of
fire. Oh, dey would have fat lightwood torches. Dese here big hand
splinters. Had to carry dem along to see how to walk en drive de wagon
to haul de body. Yes, child, I been here long enough to see all dat in
slavery time. All bout in dese woods, you can find plenty of dem slavery
graves dis day en time. I can tell bout whe' dere one now. Yes, mam,
dere one right over yonder to de brow of de hill gwine next to Mr.
Claussens. Can tell dem by de head boards dere. Den some of de time, dey
would just drop dem anywhe' in a hole along side de woods somewhe' cause
de people dig up a skull right out dere in de woods one day en it had
slavery mark on it, dey say. Right over dere cross de creek in dem big
cedars, dere another slavery graveyard. People gwine by dere could often
hear talk en couldn' never see nothin, so dey tell me. Hear, um--um--um,
en would hear babies cryin all bout dere, too. No'um, can' hear dem much
now cause dey bout to be wearin out. I tell you, I is scared every time
I go along dere. Some of dem die wicked, I say."
=Source:= Ryer Emmanuel, colored, age 78, Claussens, S.C.
Personal interview by Annie Ruth Davis, Dec., 1937.
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