nburg Dist. 4
May 24, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage

STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES

"I was born near old Bush River Baptist Church, in Newberry County, S.
C. I was the slave of John Satterwhite. My mother lived with them. I was
a small girl when the war was on. My brother went to war with Marse
Satterwhite. When de Ku Klux and paddrollers traveled around in that
section, they made Mr. Satterwhite hold the niggers when they was
whipped, but he most all the time let them loose, exclaiming, 'they got
loose'--he did not want many of them whipped.

"My mother had a kitchen way off from the house, wid a wide fireplace
where she cooked victuals. There was holes in back of de chimney with
iron rods sticking out of them to hold de pans, pots, kettles or
boilers.

"People there did not believe much in ghosts. They were not much
superstitious, but one time some of the negroes thought they heard the
benches in Bush River Baptist Church turn over when nobody was in the
church.

"Negroes most always shouted at their religious meetings. Before de
negroes had their own church meetings, the slaves went to the white
folks' Bush River Baptist church and set up in the gallery. I moved to
Newberry when I was young, after I got married."

Source: Maria Cleland, Newberry, S. C. (80 years old).
Interviewer: G. L. Summer, Newberry, S. C. (5/17/37)

Project #1655
W. W. Dixon
Winnsboro, S. C.

PETER CLIFTON
EX-SLAVE, 89 YEARS OLD.

"You want me to start wid my fust memory and touch de high spots 'til
dis very day? Dat'll take a long time but I glad to find someone to tell
dat to; I is! I 'members when I was a boy, drivin' de calves to de
pasture, a highland moccasin snake rise up in de path. I see dat forked
tongue and them bright eyes right now. I so scared I couldn't move out
my tracks. De mercy of de Lord cover me wid His wings. Dat snake uncoil,
drop his head, and silently crawl away. Dat was on de Biggers Mobley
place 'tween Kershaw and Camden, where I was born, in 1848.

"My pappy name Ned; my mammy name Jane. My brudders and sisters was Tom,
Lizzie, Mary, and Gill. Us live in a log house wid a plank floor and a
wooden chimney, dat was always ketchin' afire and de wind comin' through
and fillin' de room wid smoke and cinders. It was just one of many
others, just lak it, dat made up de quarters. Us had peg beds for de old
folks and just pallets on de floor for de chillun. Mattresses was made