en wore a one piece garment not unlike a
slightly lengthened dress. This was kept in place by a string tied
around their waists. There were at least ten shoemakers on the
plantation and they were always kept bust [TR: busy?] making shoes
although no slave ever got but one pair of shoes a year. These shoes
were made of very hard leather and were called brogans.

In the rear of the master's house was located the slave's quarters. Each
house was made of logs and was of the double type so that two families
could be accommodated. The holes and chinks in the walls were daubed
with mud to keep the weather out. At one end of the structure was a
large fireplace about six feet in width. The chimney was made of dirt.

As for furniture Mr. Orford says: "You could make your own furniture if
you wanted to but ol' marster would give you a rope bed an' two or three
chairs an' dat wus all. De mattress wus made out of a big bag or a
tickin' stuffed wid straw--dat wus all de furniture in any of de
houses."

"In dem days folks did'nt git sick much like dey do now, but when dey
did de fust thing did fer 'em wus to give 'em blue mass. If dey had a
cold den dey give 'em blue mass pills. When dey wus very sick de marster
sent fer de doctor."

"Our ol' marster wus'nt like some of de other marsters in de
community--he never did do much whuppin of his slaves. One time I hit a
white man an' ol' marster said he was goin' to cut my arm off an' dat
wus de las' I heard of it. Some of de other slaves useter git whuppins
fer not workin' an' fer fightin'. My mother got a whuppin once fer not
workin'. When dey got so bad ol' marster did'nt bother 'bout whuppin'
'em--he jes' put 'em on de block an' en' sold 'em like he would a
chicken or somethin'. Slaves also got whuppins when dey wus caught off
the plantation wid out a pass--de Paddie-Rollers whupped you den. I have
knowed slaves to run away an' hide in de woods--some of 'em even raised
families dere."

"None of us wus allowed to learn to read or to write but we could go to
church along wid de white folks. When de preacher talked to de slaves he
tol' 'em not to steal fum de marster an' de missus 'cause dey would be
stealing fum dere selves--he tol' 'em to ask fer what dey wanted an' it
would be givven to 'em."

When Sherman marched through Georgia a number of the slaves on the
Orford plantation joined his army. However, a large number remained on
the plantation even after freedom was declared. Mr.