he
is a little man whut wears a cap and goes down the crick beating a drum
befo' a war. He wuz a Revolushun drummer, and cum back to beat the drum
befo' de war. But some say you can hear de drum 'most any spring now. Go
down to the Crick and keep quiet and you hear Brrr, Brrr, Bum hum,
louder and louder and den it goes away. Some say dey hav' seen de little
man, but I never seen him, but I heayd de drum, 'fo de war, and ater dat
too. There was a white man kilt hisself near our place. He uster play a
fiddle, and some time he come back an play. I has heayd him play his
fiddle, but I ain't seen him. Some fokes say dey is seen him in the wood
playin' and walkin' 'bout."

"Nancy I am glad you are better than you were the last time I came to
see you."

"Yes, Ma'am, I is up now. I prayed to God and tell Him my trouble and he
helped me get about again. This po chile uv mine does what she kin to
pay de rent and de Welfare gives us a bit to eat but I sho do need er
little wood, cause we is back on de rent and my chile jes scrap 'bout to
pick up trash wood and things to burn."

PLANTATION LIFE as viewed by ex-slave

WILL SHEETS, Age 76
1290 W. Broad Street
Athens, Georgia

Written by:
Sadie B. Hornsby
Athens

Edited by:
Sarah H. Hall
Athens

Leila Harris
and
John N. Booth
District Supervisor
Federal Writers' Project
Augusta, Georgia
[Date Stamp: MAY 13 1938]

Old Will Sheets readily complied with the request that he tell of his
experiences during slavery days. "No'm I don't mind, its been many a
long day since anybody axed me to talk 'bout things dat far back, but I
laks to have somebody to talk to 'cause I can't git 'bout no more since
I los' both of my footses, and I gits powerful lonesome sometimes.

"I was borned in Oconee County, not far f'um whar Bishop is now. It
warn't nothin' but a cornfield, way back in dem times. Ma was Jane
Southerland 'fore she married my pa. He was Tom Sheets. Lawsy Miss! I
don't know whar dey cone f'um. As far as I knows, dey was borned and
raised on deir Marsters' plantations. Dar was seven of us chilluns. I
was de oldes'; James, Joe, Speer, Charlie, and Ham was my brudders, and
my onlies' sister was Frances.

"You ax me 'bout my gram'ma and gram'pa? I can't tell you nothin' t'all
'bout 'em. I jus' knows I had 'em and dat's all. You see Ma was a house
gal and de mos' I seed of her was when she come to de cabin at night;
den us chilluns was too sleepy to talk. Soon as