d five house slaves. Dere
was no good feelin's 'twixt field hands and house servants. De house
servants put on more airs than de white folks. They got better things to
eat, too, than de field hands and wore better and cleaner clothes.

"My marster had one son, Wyatt, and two daughters, Nannie and Elizabeth.
They was all right, so far as I 'member, but being a field hand's child,
off from de big house, I never got to play wid them any.

"My white folks never cared much about de slaves having 'ligion. They
went to de Universalist Church down at Feasterville. They said everybody
was going to be saved, dat dere was no hell. So they thought it was just
a waste of time telling niggers about de hereafter.

"In them days, way up dere in de 'dark corner', de white folks didn't
had no schools and couldn't read or write. How could they teach deir
slaves if they had wanted to?

"De Yankees never come into de 'dark corner'. It was in 1867, dat us
found out us was free; then we all left. I come down to Feasterville and
stayed wid Mr. Jonathan Coleman. From dere, I went to Chester. While I
was living dere, I married Maggie Nesbit. Us had five chillun; they all
dead, 'cept John. My wife died two months ago.

"I is tired now, and I is sad. I's thinking about Maggie and de days dat
are gone. Them memories flood over me, and I just want to lay down.
Maybe I'll see you sometime again. I feel sure I'll see Maggie befo'
many months and us'll see de sunrise, down here, from de far hebben
above. Good day. Glad you come to see me, sir!"

Project 1885-1
Folklore
Spartanburg, Dist. 4
Nov. 29, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage

STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES

"Time is but time, and how is I to know when I was born when everybody
knows dat dey never had no calendars when I come here. Few it was dat
ever seed even a Lady's Birthday Almanac. I is 75 years old. I was dat
last January on de 13th day [~HW: 186~]. I was born in old Union County
about 4 miles south of Gaffney.

"Marse Mike Montgomery had a place dat reached from town way yonder to
Broad River whar de Ninety-nine Islands lays. Now, de way de road lays,
dey counts it twelve miles from Gaffney. When I was a boy it was lots
further dan dat.

"Never know'd why, but de Red Shirts whipped my pa, Tom Corry. Dey jes'
come and got him out'n his house. He come back in de house. Chilluns was
not give no privileges in dem days, so I never axed no questions, kaise
I was fear'd