me. Didn'
know what it was one time to be hungry."

=Source:= John Glover, Ex-Slave, 77 Years, Timmonsville, S.C.
(Personal interview by Mrs. Lucile Young and H. Grady Davis.)

Project, 1885-1
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S.C.
Date, June 28, 1937

HECTOR GODBOLD
Ex-Slave, 87 Years

"What you gwine do wid me? I sho been here in slavery time. Talk to dem
soldiers when dey was retreatin dey way back home. My old Missus was
Miss Mary Godbold en den she marry a Haselden. Dey buy my mamma from de
old man Frank Miles right over yonder. Harry en Cindy Godbold was my
parents. We live in a one room house in de slave quarter dere on de
white folks plantation. My God, sleep right dere on de floor. Had
gran'parents dat come here over de water from Africa. Dey tell me dat
whe' dey come from dey don' never let no man en he wife sleep together
cause dey is scared of em catchin disease from one another. Dat sho a
good thing, you know dat. I think dat sho a good thing."

"Dey ain' never give none of de colored peoples no money in dat day en
time. Coase dey give us plenty something to eat. Fed us out a big bowl
of pot licker wid plenty corn bread en fried meat en dat bout all we
ever eat. Dey is let us have a garden of we own dat we had to work by de
night time. You see de colored folks know dey had to get up soon as dey
hear dat cow horn blow en dat been fore daylight come here. Oh, dey work
from dark to dark in dat day en time. Didn' but one day out all de year
stand dat was a week day en dat was de big Christmus day. Sweet molasses
bread was de thing dat day. Coase dey give us a big supper when dey had
dem cornshucking day. Oh, dey had a frolic den dat last way up to de
midnight."

"I never live dere to de Haselden plantation wid my parents long fore
dey hire me out to Massa John Mace en I stay dere till me en Maggie (his
wife) come here to live. Nurse six head of chillun for de white folks
dere. I hear em say my Missus was a Watson fore she marry Massa John
Mace. Lord, Lord, love dem chillun to death. If Moses Mace been livin,
you wouldn' be talkin to no Hector Godbold bout here dese days. He de
one what give me en Maggie dat four room house you see settin dere. My
Missus give me a good beatin one time when I did drop one of dem baby.
Just put me head under her foot en beat me dat way."

"Another thing I had to do was to carry de baby cross de swamp every
four hour en let my m