nd dey give us good butter and milk,
molasses, meats and other good things to eat. We always worked on week
days except Saturdays, and sometimes on dat day until 12 o'clock. We
always had Christmas and Easter holidays.

"We had corn-shuckings and cotton-pickings. De niggers would sing: 'Job,
Job, farm in a row; Job, Job, farm in a row'. Sometimes on moonlight
nights we had pender pullings and when we got through we had big
suppers, always wid good potatoes or pumpkin pies, de best eating ever.
We made corn bread wid plenty of milk, eggs and lard, and sometimes wid
sweet potatoes, de best corn bread in de world. 'Simmon bread was made
wid sifted 'simmon juice cooked wid flour.

"I married first time to Joe Todd, and had a big wedding what my
mistress give me in her back yard. She had a big shoat killed fer de
wedding dinner. My mistress den was Miss Cornelia Ervin. When I married
de second time, I married in town to West Farrow, in de colored people's
Baptist church, by Rev. West Rutherford, a nigger preacher, de pastor.
My second husband died, too, a few years ago.

"I can't 'member much 'bout old songs, but a Baptist song was: 'Down to
de water, River of Jordon; Down to de water, River of Jordon; Dere my
Savior was baptized.'

Another version went thus:

"Come along, come along, my dear loving brother,
Come along and let's go home;
Down into de River where my Savior was baptized.'

"De present generation of niggers ain't like de ones when I come along.
Dey don't work like I did.

"I don't know much about 'Abramham' Lincoln, Jefferson Davis or Booker
Washington. I just hear about Booker Washington, reckon he is all right.

"I think slavery helped me. I did better den dan I do now. When I joined
de church I was grown and married, and had two chilluns. I joined de
church because I thought I ought to settle down and do better fer my
family, and quit dancing and frolicing."

=Source:= Caroline Farrow (N. 80), Newberry, S.C.
Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. (9/16/37)

Project 1885-1
FOLKLORE
Spartanburg Dist. 4
May 24, 1937

Edited by:
Elmer Turnage

STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES

"I was born in Newberry County. Near Chappells depot. My master, in
slavery time, was John Boazman. He was a good man to his slaves. I was
raised in the big-house, and helped as a servant-girl. My mistress
smoked a pipe, and sometimes she would have me to get a red coal from de
fire and