bed scaffolds, so called
by Mr. Hammond because of their peculiar construction. Some beds were
nailed to the walls and all of them were built with roped bottoms. Home
made tables and benches completed the furnishings of a slave home. There
were no stoves, large fireplaces, five to six feet in length, served the
purpose of stoves for cooking. Cooking utensils including an oven and
very large pots were found in every home. Wooden plates and spoons were
used on some plantations.

The rations for the next week were given each family on saturday nights,
amounts varying according to the number in each family. Usually a small
family received three lbs. of bacon, one peck of meal, and one quart of
syrup.

Slaves on the Freeman plantation never knew anything but kind treatment.
Their mistress was a religious woman and never punished unless it was
absolutely necessary. On other plantations however, some slaves were
treated cruelly. When a slave resented this treatment he was quickly
gotten rid of. Many were sent to Mississippi and Texas. White offenders
were sent to chain gangs, but there were no gangs for slaves. "Patter
rollers" were known more for their cruelty than many of the slave owners
and would often beat slaves unmercifully". "I remember one," remarked
Mr. Hammond, "The Patter rollers fot after a man on our place." Booker
went to see his wife and took along an old out of date pass. The
Patter-rollers asked to see the pass which he quickly handed to them and
kept walking. After inspecting the pass closely they called Booker and
told him the pass was no good. "Well this is" he replied and started
running just as fast as he could until he safely reached the plantation.
"I never needed a pass."

Through the week the slaves were allowed to conduct prayer meeting in
the quarters themselves; but on Sundays they attended the white churches
for their weekly religious meetings. We were told to obey our masters
and not to steal. "That is all the sermon we heard," remarked Mr.
Hammond. Their services were conducted in the basement of the church in
the afternoons.

Marriages on the Freeman Plantation, were conducted in much the same
manner as they are today. Mr. Hammond only remembers attending just one
marriage of a colored couple. A white minister performed the ceremony
right in the mistress's yard as every one white and colored looked on.
After the ceremony the usual frolic did not take place; however on other
plantations fr