8.78.[A]

"De Yankees come set all de cotton and de gin-house afire. Load up all
de meat; take some of de sugar and shovel some over de yard; take all de
wine, rum, and liquor; gut de house of all de silver and valuables, set
it afire, and leave one thousand niggers cold and hongry, and our white
folks in a misery they never has got over to de third generation of
them. Some of them is de poorest white folks in dis State today. I weeps
when I sees them so poor, but they is 'spectable yet, thank God.

"After de war I stuck to de Peay white folks, 'til I got married to Will
Harrison. I can't say I love him, though he was de father of all my
chillun. My pappy, you know, was a half white man. Maybe dat explain it.
Anyhow, when he took de fever I sent for Dr. Gibson, 'tend him faithful
but he die and I felt more like I was free, when I come back from de
funeral, than I did when Marse Abe Lincoln set us free. My brudder, Bob,
had done gone to Florida.

"I nex' marry, in a half-hearted way, John Pearson, to help take care of
me and my three chillun, John, Bob, and Carrie. Him take pneumonia and
die, and I never have a speck of heart to marry a colored man since. I
just have a mind to wait for de proper sort, till I git to heaven, but
dese adult teachers 'stroy dat hope. They read me dat dere is no
marryin' in heaven. Well, well, dat'll be a great disappointment to some
I knows, both white and black, and de ginger-cake women lak me.

"Is I got any more to tell you? Just dis: Dere was 365 windows and doors
to Marse Nick Peay's house at Melrose, one for every day in de year, my
mistress 'low. And dere was a peach tree in de orchard so grafted dat
dat peach tree have ripe peaches on it in May, June, July, August,
September, and October."

[A] Probate records of Fairfield County. See Roll 110 of the Judge of
Probate for Fairfield County.

=Project #1655=
=W.W. Dixon=
=Winnsboro, S.C.=

=JOSEPHINE STEWART=

=_EX-SLAVE 85 YEARS OLD._=

Phinie Stewart, as she is known in the community where she lives, is a
small, black negress, who shows her age in appearance and movements. She
lives with Robert Wood, a hundred yards back of the Presbyterian Church
manse at Blackstock, S.C. Robert Wood married Phinie's niece, who is now
deceased. Phinie has no property, and depends entirely on the charity of
Robert Wood for her support.

"Does you know where de old Bell House is, about a mile de other side of
Blackstock, on d