Interviewer: Caldwell Sims, Union, S. C. (11/22/37).

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

CALEB CRAIG
EX SLAVE 86 YEARS OLD.

Caleb Craig lives in a four-room house, with a hall, eight feet wide,
through the center and a fireplace in each room. He lives with his
grandson, who looks after him.

"Who I is? I goes by de name of C. C. All de colored people speaks of me
in dat way. C. C. dis and C. C. dat. I don't 'ject but my real name is
Caleb Craig. Named after one of de three spies dat de Bible tell 'bout.
Him give de favorite report and, 'cause him did, God feed him and clothe
him all de balance of him life and take him into de land of Canaan,
where him and Joshua have a long happy life. I seen a picture in a book,
one time, of Joshua and Caleb, one end of a pole on Joshua's shoulder
and one end on Caleb's shoulder, wid big bunches of grapes a hangin'
from dat pole. Canaan must to been a powerful fertile land to make
grapes lak dat.

"Would you believe dat I can't write? Some of them adultery (adult)
teachers come to my house but it seem a pack of foolishness; too much
trouble. I just rather put my money in de bank, go dere when I want it,
set dat C. C. to de check, and git what I want.

"When I born? Christmas Eve, 1851. Where 'bouts? Blackstock, S. C. Don't
none of us know de day or de place us was born. Us have to take dat on
faith. You know where de old Bell house, 'bove Blackstock, is? Dere's
where I come to light. De old stagecoach, 'tween Charlotte and Columbia,
changed hosses and stop dere but de railroad busted all dat up.

"My mammy name Martha. Marse John soon give us chillun to his daughter,
Miss Marion. In dat way us separated from our mammy. Her was a mighty
pretty colored woman and I has visions and dreams of her, in my sleep,
sometime yet. My sisters would call me Cale but her never did. Her say
Caleb every time and all de time. Marse John give her to another
daughter of his, Miss Nancy, de widow Thompson then, but afterwards her
marry a hoss drover from Kentucky, Marse Jim Jones. I can tell you funny
things 'bout him if I has time befo' I go.

"Us chillun was carried down to de June place where Miss Marion and her
husband, Marse Ed P. Mobley live. It was a fine house, built by old Dr.
June. Marse Ed bought de plantation, for de sake of de fine house, where
he want to take Miss Marion as a bride.

"Dere was a whole passle of niggers in de quarter, three hundr