ab he self to look out for, enty? He wuk, he sabe he money
for buy slabe and land. He git some slabe, but he nebber git any
land--de war cum.

Project #-1655
Mrs. Genevieve W. Chandler
Murrells Inlet, S.C.
Georgetown County

FOLKLORE

AUNT MARIAH HEYWOOD

Aunt Mariah Heywood, born in 1855, was 'Allston labor' on Waccamaw Neck.
Given as a bridal present to 'Miss Susan Alston by her father, Mr.
Duncan Alston of Midway Plantation Waccamaw, Aunt Mariah has for the
last fifty years lived much in the past when 'I wuz raise on the cream
of the earth' and her head is just a little higher and her backbone just
a little stiffer than that of the average colored person because of
pride--family pride--in her people--her white people. And as one can
readily see from her testimony, her chief cause for her pardonable
snobbery seems to be that her Massa was the last man to surrender and
"swear gainst his swear."

Her sons, one of whom is a preacher in the Methodist Conference and 'one
a zorter--a locust' and her youngest son John (who got all the credrick)
have built her a comfortable house (painted a bilious yaller) which she
keeps clean and sweet with flowers in the front yard--two treasured
plants having been sent by her brother (born after mancipations) clean
from Pittsburgh.

The fact that she was raised by aristocrats shows plainly in her dealing
with both races and she is a leader in church activities and her opinion
valued when a vote is taken about school matters.

Being the oldest 'communion steward' she is affectionately spoken of as
'THE MOTHER OF HEAVEN'S GATE'--the Methodist church founded in Murrells
Inlet community by colored leaders shortly after Mancipation.

"Aunt Mariah, you home?"

"Missus, what you brought me?"

"------------

"I too thank you."

(Soon she began to reminisce)

"You could hear 'em over there slamming and banging. The Yankee tear up
the Dr. Flagg house but they didn't come Sunnyside. Bright day too! Old
man Thomas Stuart lead 'em to Hermitage. Had team they take from Mr.
Betts and team they take from Dr. Arthur to Woodland. Free everywhere
else and we wasn't free Sunnyside till June third or second. Sunday we
got our freedom. Bright day too. Our colored people fare just like the
white; wearing, eating, drinking. I wuz raise on the cream of earth.

"They wuz glad. Sign a contract for your boss you would work the same
and get pay the end of the year-and tend you