356

+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|[TR:] = Transcriber Note |
| |
|[HW:] = Handwritten Note |
| |
|Every effort was made to faithfully reflect the distinctive character of|
|this document. Some obvious typographic errors have been corrected. The |
|above notes are placed inline, to cover all other unusual comments. |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+

PLANTATION LIFE as viewed by ex-slave

ELISHA DOC GAREY
258 Lyndon Avenue
Athens, Georgia

Written by: Sadie B. Hornsby
Athens --

Edited by: Sarah H. Hall
Athens --

and

John N. Booth
District Supervisor
Federal Writers' Project
Res. 6 & 7
Augusta, Ga.

Asked for the story of his early life and his recollections of slavery,
Elisha replied: "Yes Ma'am, 'deed I'll tell you all I knows 'bout dem
days." His next words startled the interviewer. "I knowed you was comin'
to write dis jedgment," he said. "I seed your hand writin' and long
'fore you got here I seed you jus' as plain as you is now. I told dese
folks what I lives wid, a white 'oman was comin' to do a heap of
writin'.

"I was born on de upper edge of Hart County, near Shoal Crick. Sarah
Anne Garey was my Ma and I was one of dem shady babies. Dere was plenty
of dat kind in dem times. My own sister was Rachel, and I had a half
sister named Sallie what was white as anybody. John, Lindsay, David, and
Joseph was my four brothers.

"What did us chillun do? Us wukked lak hosses. Didn't nobody eat dar
'less dey wukked. I'se been wukkin' ever since I come in dis world.

"Us lived in log huts. Evvy hut had a entry in de middle, and a mud
chimbly at each end. Us slep' in beds what was 'tached to de side of de
hut, and dey was boxed up lak wagon bodies to hold de corn shucks and de
babies in. Home-made rugs was put on top of de shucks for sheets, and de
kivver was de same thing.

"I still 'members my grandma Rachel. De traders fotched her here f'um
Virginny, and she never did learn to talk plain. Grandma Sallie Gaines
was too