big slices when it get done, but wouldn'
never eat it till dey know it was cold. Missie, de older I gets de more
I does sorrow to go back to dem old constructions dat dey used to have."

"Some of de colored peoples have bresh (brush) shelter whe' dey go to
church in dem days, but all us go to de white folks church. Oh, de
colored peoples go in ox carts, but us white folks have teams en
carriage to ride in. I recollects Mr. Davis carriage look sorta like a
house wid two big horses to pull it. De family would be in de inside en
have seats whe' dey set facing one another. De driver have seat on de
outside in de front en on de back of de carriage was de place to set de
trunks."

"My daddy was de blacksmith for Mr. Jackie Davis en he could make plows
en hoes en all dem kind of things. He have a circuit dat he go round en
mend things on other white folks plantations. Some of de time, he bring
back more den $100.00 to he boss dat he would make. Go all bout in dat
part of Marion county dat be part of Florence county dose times."

"I hear some peoples say dey knows dere such as ghosts, but I ain' never
have no mind in dat line. All I know bout is what my mamma used to tell
us big chillun when she want us to stay home wid de little chillun en
mind em. Say dere was Raw Head en Bloody Bones in de woods en if us go
off, de child might set de house on fire. Such as dat was to make us
stay home when dey was gone."

"It just dis way, I think freedom a good thing for some people while it
a bad thing for de ones dat don' have a knack to shuffle for dey own
self. When freedom come, some of de colored people didn' know what
freedom was en dey just hang around dey white folks en look to dey Massa
for what dey get right on. Wouldn' get off en make nothin for dey own
self. Dat how-come I think it better for some not to be free cause so
much of worryations ain' good for peoples. Colored peoples never had to
worry bout nothin in slavery time."

Source: William Henry Davis, age 72, ex-slave, Wahee section
of Marion Co., S. C.

Personal interview, August 1937.

Project 1885-1
FOLKLORE
Spartanburg, Dist. 4
Aug. 24, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage

STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES

"Sunday, Aug. 1, was my 82nd ~HW: 84th?~] birthday; so I was born in
1853. De very day I come into de world I do not know, but soon my
marster, Starke Sims, begun to train me. Dr. Bill Sims, Marse Stark's
son, was a doctor when I wa