ed logs laid
side by side close together. Us had all we needed to eat.

"De soap was made in a hopper for de slaves. How dat you ask? A barrel
was histed on a stand 'bove de ground a piece; wheat straw was then put
into de barrel, hickory ashes was then emptied in, then water, and then
it set 'bout ten days or more. Then old fats and old grease, meat skins,
and rancid grease, was put in. After a while de lye was drained out, put
in a pot, and boiled wid grease. Dis was lye-soap, good to wash wid.

"Slaves had own garden. Some of de old women, and women bearin' chillun
not yet born, did cardin' wid hand-cards; then some would get at de
spinnin' wheel and spin thread, three cuts make a hank. Other women
weave cloth and every woman had to learn to make clothes for the family,
and they had to knit coarse socks and stockin's. Mighty nigh all de
chillun had a little teency bag of asafetida, on a string 'round they
necks, to keep off diseases.

"Us slaves had 'stitions and grieve if a black cat run befo' us, or see
de new moon thru de tree tops, and when we start somewhere and turn
back, us sho' made a cross-mark and spit in it befo' we commence walkin'
again.

"I 'member Wheeler's men come to our house first, befo' de Yankees. They
took things just like de Yankees did dat come later. Marster John was a
Captain, off fightin' for Confeds but dat didn't stop Wheeler's men from
takin' things they wanted, no sir! They took what they wanted. Wasn't
long after then dat the Yankees come and took all they could and burnt
what they couldn't carry off wid them.

"After de war I marry Abe Smith and had two chillun by him, Clifton and
Hattie. De boy died and Hattie marry a man named Lee. She now lives at
White Oak.

"My husband die, I marry Sam Gibson, and had a nice trousseau dat time.
Blue over-skirt over tunic, petticoats wid tattin' at de borders, red
stockin's and gaiter shoes. I had a bustle and a wire hoop and wore a
veil over my hair."

Project 1885-1
FOLKLORE
Spartanburg Dist. 4
May 31, 1937

Edited by:
Elmer Turnage

STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES

"I was Capt. Jack's body-guard in during de whole entire war. I means
Capt. Jack Giles, his own self. And I is pushing close to a hundred. Dey
used to make likker in de holler down on Dr. Bates' place deep in de
forest. De soldiers would drink by de barrels. Mr. Will Bates, Dr.
Bates' son, helped me out of skimage one time.

"Don't never go in no war, '