erviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. 5/10/37.

Project #1655
W.W. Dixon
Winnsboro, S.C.

VIOLET GUNTHARPE
EX-SLAVE 82 YEARS OLD.

"I was born a slave in de Rocky Mount part of Fairfield County, up close
to Great Falls. I hear them falls a roarin' now and I see them waters
flashin' in de sunshine when I close my eyes.

My pappy name Robert and my mammy name Phyllis. They b'long to de old
time 'ristocats, de Gaither family. Does you know Miss Mattie Martin,
which was de secretary of Governor Ansel? Dat one of my young mistresses
and another is dat pretty red headed girl in de telegraph office at
Winnsboro, dat just sit dere and pass out lightnin' and 'lectricity over
de wires wheresomever she take a notion. Does you know them? Well, befo'
their mama marry Marster Starke Martin, her was Sally Gaither, my young
missus in slavery time. Her die and go to Heaven last year, please God.

Marster Richard was a good marster to his slaves, though he took no
foolishness and worked you from sun to sun. 'Spect him had 'bout ten
family of slaves and 'bout fifty big and little slaves altogether on dat
plantation befo' them Yankees come and make a mess out of their lives.

Honey, us wasn't ready for de big change dat come! Us had no education,
no land, no mule, no cow, not a pig, nor a chicken, to set up house
keeping. De birds had nests in de air, de foxes had holes in de ground,
and de fishes had beds under de great falls, but us colored folks was
left widout any place to lay our heads.

De Yankees sho' throwed us in de briar patch but us not bred and born
dere lak de rabbit. Us born in a good log house. De cows was down dere
in de canebrakes to give us milk, de hogs was fattenin' on hickory nuts,
acorns, and shucked corn, to give us meat and grease; de sheep wid their
wool, and de cotton in de gin house was dere to give us clothes. De
horses and mules was dere to help dat corn and cotton, but when them
Yankees come and take all dat away, all us had to thank them for, was a
hungry belly, and freedom. Sumpin' us had no more use for then, than I
have today for one of them airplanes I hears flyin' 'round de sky, right
now.

Well, after ravagin' de whole country side, de army got across old
Catawba and left de air full of de stink of dead carcasses and de sky
black wid turkey buzzards. De white women was weepin' in hushed voices,
de niggers on de place not knowin' what to do next, and de piccaninnies
suckin' t