Silas Glenn
From:
South Carolina
Project 1885-1
FOLKLORE
Spartanburg Dist. 4
Sept. 16, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage
STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES
"I live on Mr. Sim Bickley's farm, about five miles northwest of
Newberry Courthouse. I have a fairly good house to live in. I work on
the farm, myself, and make a pretty good living from it. I live with my
second wife. I had two children but they both died.
"I was born on Dr. Geo. W. Glenn's plantation, about six miles north of
Newberry. My parents, Berry and Frances Glenn, were slaves of Dr. Glenn.
I was seven years old when freedom come.
"Dr. Glenn gave us good quarters to live in and plenty to eat. He was a
good man and was not hard on slaves; but the mistress was mean to some
of the slaves that come from the Glenn side. She was good to the slaves
that come into her from her daddy.
"I didn't work much around the place when I was small, just did little
things to help. The master had a big garden and raised lots of green
vegetables like turnips, collards, cabbages and some okra, but little
beans except cornfield beans. We had plenty clothes.
"The master whipped us sometimes when we needed it. They would not learn
us to read and write. Some of the slaves went to the white folks'
church.
"I was married the first time on the Glasgow place by a colored preacher
named Boyd. Her daddy didn't want us to marry; he didn't like me. I
slipped to the field where she was working and stole her; went to the
preacher and got married. I married the second time in town on College
Hill.
"A band of Confederate soldiers in 1865 went past the master's house on
their way from war, and Mistress had dinner for them. They eat out
under big shade trees in the yard where Master always kept a long table
for dinners they had sometimes. When freedom come, the master called all
his slaves up to the house one night and spoke to them. He said they was
free, but any who wanted to stay on with him and help make the crop that
year could stay and he would pay wages. All stayed that year.
"The Ku Klux and Red Shirts didn't like Negroes. They would catch them
and whip them.
"It was a long time after the war before the negroes had a school. They
went to white folks churchs for a long time. Some of them had 'brush
harbors' for their churches, and schools, too.
"I don't know nothing about Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis. I can't
give much about Booker Washington, except I heard of him and believe he
is a good man and doing a good turn for the negroes.
"I think slavery was wrong; don't think one man ought to own another
man.
"I joined the church when I was about 25 or 30 years old."
=Source:= Silas Glenn (79), Newberry, S.C. RFD
Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. 8/9/37.
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John Glover
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Emoline Glasgow
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