Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 2 | Page 5

hard for Col. Elmore, and
she and pa sure did love him. One time a lot of the negroes in the
quarter got drunk and ma got to fighting all of them. When she got
sobered up she was afraid that Col Elmore was going to send her back
to Alabama; so she went and hid in the woods. Pa took food to her. In
about a month Col. Elmore asked where she was, and pa just looked
sheepish and grinned. Col. Elmore told pa to go and bring her back, for
he said he was tired of having his rations carried to the woods; so ma
came home. She had stayed off three months. She never felt well
anymore, and she died in about three more months. Pa and Jenny kept
us till we got big and went off to ourselves.
"Jenny was born and raised in South Carolina, and she was good to
everybody and never fought and went on like ma did. Ma liked her and
would not let anybody say anything against her. She was good to pa till
he died, a real old man. Jenny never had any children. She was not old
when she died, but just a settled woman. We felt worse over her death
than we did over ma's, because she was so good to us and had cared for
us while ma and pa were in Alabama; then she was good to us after
Dorcas died and when she hid in the woods.
"It seems that folks are too tender now. They can't stand much. My ma
could stand more than I can. My children can't stand what I can right

now."
=Source:= Emanuel Elmore (77). Sycamore St., Gaffney, S.C.
Interviewer: Caldwell Sims, Union, S.C. 11/16/37

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.