n away wid dem. In some places dey burned down de barns and gin
houses.

"I had a good master and always had plenty to eat, so I thought slavery
was all right. We didn't have nothing of any kind to worry about.

"I don't know nothing much about Abe Lincoln or Jefferson Davis."

Source: Wallace Davis (N. 88), Newberry, S. C.
Interviewer: G. L. Summer, Newberry, S. C. (9/15/37).

Project 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S. C.
Date, August 20, 1937

WILLIAM HENRY DAVIS
Ex-Slave, 72 Years

"I born de first day of March in 1865 cause de white folks raise me
mostly en dat how-come I know how old I ought to say I is. My father
belong to de old man Jackie Davis, dat live not so far from Tabernacle,
en den he fall to he son, Mr. William J. Davis. Dat whe' I was raise. My
grandfather, old man Caesar, live dere too."

"I never been treated exactly as de other plantation peoples was as it
just like I tellin you, I be round de white folks mostly. My mamma, she
do all de cooking to de big house en dere be a division in de Missus
kitchen for de cook en she chillun to stay in. Sometimes my Massa make
my mamma feed all de small plantation chillun dere to de kitchen from de
table. Dey want de chillun to hurry en grow en dat de reason dey give em
good attention at de house. Dey give us milk en clabber en corn bread to
eat mostly en give us fritters some of de time. Dat was fried wheat
bread what some people call pancakes. Used to give me job to mind de
cows en de calves when dey was put to grazing."

"All de other colored peoples live in de nigger quarter up on de hill.
Just like de white people house here, de colored people house all be in
row pretty much off from de big house. Oh, de people was meant to work
in dat day en time. De white folks teach em en show em what dey look for
em to do. Den if dey didn' do it like dey tell em do it, dey chastise
em."

"It just like I tellin you, de people fare wid abundance of everything
in dem days. Destroy much meat in one month den as de people gets hold
of in whole year dese days. It was just dis way, everybody know to have
fence round bout dey plantation den en de hogs could run anywhe'. All de
field land was fence en de woods was for de run of de stock. Dey mark em
en some of de time, dey hear tell of stock 10 mile away. Know em by de
brand."

"Peoples didn' have heap of all kind of things dat dey have dese days,
but somehow it