unty

Approx. 388 words

ANN FERGUSON EX-SLAVE 74 YEARS

"Aunt Annie" sat in the sun of a fall afternoon on the steps of her
house across from the Baptist Church at Estill, S.C. Her short, stout
form and her kind, deeply wrinkled face beneath her white cap, were, as
always, a pleasingly familiar sight.

"I'se sure you'se come, Missus. I'se been jes' asittin' here awaitin'
for somebody to come. I'm gittin' on in years now. Been right here for
fourteen years. I was sick last night. Suffers wid high blood, yes'm.

"Could I tell you 'bout de times before de war? Well ma'am, I was jes' a
baby den; so I cain't to say know 'bout it for meself, but I knows what
me mother told me 'bout it.

"My mother was at Old Allendale when de Yankees come through. She was in
de kitchen at de time. I was quite small. 'Round two years old--now how
old dat make me, Miss? 74? Well, I knows I is gittin' 'long. I remember
dem talkin' 'bout it all. Dey searched de house, and take out what dey
want, den set de house afire. Ma, she run out den an' whoop an' holler.
De lady of de house wuz dere, but de Massa had went off. De place wuz
dat of Dr. Bucknor. My mother been belong to de Bucknors. After dat, dey
moved to de old home place of de Bucknors down here at Robertville. Dey
had two places. Dey jes' had to start farming all over again. We lived
dere a good bit after freedom, ma say. My mother stay wid 'em for about
three years after freedom.

"Fore freedom my mother used to go to de white folks church--white and
black used to worship together den. She jined at de old Cypress Creek
Baptist Church at Robertville. A white preacher baptized her dere. De
old church is dere at Robertville now. After freedom de colored folks
had dey own churches.

"Dey tell me dat in slav'ry time, some of de overseers treat 'em mighty
mean. Some of 'em work 'em in de day, 'en in de night, weaving. Now some
of 'em treat 'em good; but some of 'em treat 'em mean. Dey have to run
away into de bay.

"Do I know of anybody what sees ghosts? Yes'm, dere's a lady over dere
what say she always see a ghost come and whip a woman dat asittin' on de
steps. Sometime she say she goin' to report it to de police, but I ain't
never seen none, 'ceptin' in my dreams.

"I sure is glad you come, Missus. I been jes' awaitin' for somebody."

=Source:= Ann Ferguson, ex-slave 74 years, Estill, S.C.

Project, 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S.C