weave cloth after freedom. Used to give a brooch (hank) or two
to weave at night. I'se sometimes thread de needle for my Ma, or pick
out de seed out de cotton, an' make it into rolls to spin. Sometimes I'd
work de foot pedal for my Ma. Den dey'd warp de thread. If she want to
dye it, she'd dye it. She'd get indigo--you know dat bush--an' boil it.
It was kinder blue. It would make good cloth. Sometimes, de cloth wuz
kinder strip, one strip of white, an' one of blue. I remember how dey'd
warp de thread across de yard after it wuz dyed, an' I remember seem' my
Ma throw dat shuttle through an' weave dat cloth. I member when de ole
Miss made my Mamma two black dresses to wear through de winter. She'd
keep 'em clean; had two so she could change.

"I don't know why dey didn't burn de house. Must have been 'cause de
captain wuz along. De house dere now. One of de chimney down. I don't
think dey ever put it up again. Colored folks are in it now.

"I never did know my Pa. He was sold off to Texas when I was young. My
mother would say, 'Well, chillun, you aint never known your Pa. Joe
Smart carry him off to Texas when he went. I don't guess you'll ever see
him.' My father wuz name Charles Smart. He never did come back. Joe
Smart come back once, an' say dat our father is dead. He say our Pa had
three horses an' he want one of them to be sent to us chillun heah; but
no arrangements had been made to get it to us. You see he had chillun
out dere, too.

"Atter freedom, my Ma plow many a day, same as a man, for us chillun.
She work for ole man Bill Mars. Den she marry again. Part of de time dey
work for Mr. Benny Lawton, de one-arm man, what lost his arm in de war.
Dese chillun don't know what hard times is. Dey don't know how to
preciate our blessings.

=Source:= Adeline Grey, 82-year old resident of Luray, S.C.

Project #1655
Everett R. Pierce
Columbia, S.C.

INTERVIEW WITH FANNIE GRIFFIN
EX-SLAVE 94 YEARS.

"You wants me to tell you all what I 'members 'bout slavery in slavery
time? Well ma'am, I was just a young gal then and I's a old woman now,
nigh on to ninety-four years old; I might be forgot some things, but
I'll tell you what I 'members best.

My massa, Massa Joe Beard, was a good man, but he wasn't one of de
richest men. He only had six slaves, three men and three women, but he
had a big plantation and would borrow slaves from his brother-in-law on
de 'joining plantation, to help wid de crops.