owned in a whirlpool."

Source: Miss Caroline Bevis (W. 96), County Home, Union, S. C.
Interviewer: Caldwell Sims, Union, S. C. (7/13/37)

Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S. C.
Date, June 21, 1937

MAGGIE BLACK
Ex-Slave, 79 years

"Honey, I don' know wha' to tell yuh 'bout dem times back dere. Yuh see
I wus jes uh young child when de free war close en I ain' know much to
tell yuh. I born o'er de river dere to Massa Jim Wilkerson plantation.
Don' know wha' 'come uv my ole Massa chillun a'ter dey head been gone.
Yuh see, honey, Massa Jim Wilkerson hab uh heap uv slave en he hire my
mudder out to Colonel Durant place right down de road dere whey Miss
Durant lib now. Coase I been back o'er de river to visit 'mongest de
peoples dere a'ter freedom wuz 'clare, but I ain' ne'er lib dere no
more."

"Gawd been good to me, honey. I been heah uh long ole time en I can' see
mucha dese days, but I gettin' 'long sorta so-so. I wuz train up to be
uh nu'se 'oman en I betcha I got chillun more den any 60 year ole 'bout
heah now dat I nu'se when dey wuz fust come heah. No, honey, ain' got no
chillun uv me own. Aw my chillun white lak yuh."

"No, no'mam, dey wear long ole frock den en uh girl comin' on dere when
dey ge' to be any kind uv uh girl, dey put dat frock down. Oh, my child,
dey can' ge' em short 'nough dese days. Ain' hab nuthin but uh string on
dese day en time. Dey use'er wear dem big ole hoop skirt dat sit out
broad lak from de ankle en den dey wear little panty dat show down twixt
dey skirt en dey ankle. Jes tie em 'round dey knees wid some sorta
string en le' em show dat way 'bout dey ankle. I 'member we black
chillun'ud go in de woods en ge' wild grape vine en bend em round en put
em under us skirt en make it stand out big lak. Hadder hab uh big ole
ring fa de bottom uv de skirt en den one uh little bit smaller eve'y
time dey ge' closer to de waist. Ne'er hab none tall in de waist cause
dat wuz s'ppose to be little bitty t'ing."

"Dey weave aw de cloth dey use den right dere on de plantation. Wear
cotton en woolens aw de time den. Coase de Madam, she could go en ge' de
finest kind uv silk cause mos' uv her t'ing come from 'broad. Child, I
c'n see my ole mammy how she look workin' dat spinning wheel jes us good
uz ef dat day wuz dis day right heah. She set dere at dat ole spinning
wheel en take one shettle en t'row it one way en den annuder de udder
way en pull dat t'ing en