Name: Huff, Easter

Address: 125 Rockspring St., Athens, Georgia

Age: 80

Written by: Sadie B. Hornsby (Athens, Georgia)

Edited by: Sarah H. Hall, Florence Blease, and John N. Booth (District Supervisor Federal Writers' Project Res. 6 & 7. Augusta, Ga.)

Citation: Federal Writers' Project: Slave Narrative Project, Vol. 4, Part 2, Garey-Jones (1936), Library of Congress, Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/mesn042/

Interview

Easter eagerly complied with the request for the story of her life, "I done forgot a
heap I knowed, but I allus loves to talk 'bout de old times." She declared solemnly. "Dis
young race lives so fas' dey needs to know what a hard time us had."

"I was borned in Oglethorpe County on Marse Joe Smith's plantation. I don't
'zactly know how old I is, out I was jus' a chap when de war ended. Easter is my right
name, out white folkses calls me Esther. Mammy was Louisa Smith, but I don't know
nothin' 'bout my gram'ma, 'cause she died 'fore I was born, and she done de cookin' in de
white folkses house. I can't tell you nothin' 'bout neither one of my gram'pas.

"Us slep' on corded beds what had high postes and ruffled curtains 'round de foot.
De beds what had curtains all 'round de top of dem high postes was called teester beds.
When all dem curtains was fresh washed and starched, de beds sho' did look grand.
Chilluns slep' on pallets on de flo'.

"Mammy was a plow hand, but us chillun didn't do nothin' much 'cept eat and
play and sleep in de grass 'til she got in from de fiel' evvy night. De big old cook house
had a partition 'crost it, and on one side Aunt Peggy done all de cookin' for old Marster's
household and for de slaves too. On de udder side of de partition was de loom room whar
Aunt Peggy weaved all de cloth and Mrs. Lacy Hines, what lived on another plantation
not far f'um us, made all our clothes.

"Chilluns didn't know nothin' 'bout gittin' no money of dey own 'til atter de war.
Mammy, she made her little money knittin' socks, and patchin' clothes at night, and she
had done saved up nigh $40.00 in Confederate money. Dey called it Confederate shucks
atter de war 'cause it warn't no good no more den, and she let us chillun play wid it. De
shin plasters was Confederate money for as low as 25 cents.

"Victuals dem days warn't fancy lak dey is now, but Marster allus seed dat us had
plenty of milk and butter, all kinds of greens for bilein', 'tatoes and peas and sich lak.
Chilluns et cornbread soaked in de pot liquor what de greens or peas done been biled in.
Slaves never got much meat. Dey mixed butter wid home-made syrup and sopped it up
wid cornbread. Dere warn't much wheat bread for slaves.

"Dere was a good 'possum hound on us plantation what was a-fine rabbit dog too,
and Marster let us use him to ketch us lots of 'possums and rabbits. De mens went seinin'
at night in Buffalo Crick what run thoo' Marse Jabe's place. Dey used to put back all de
little fishes and de turkles and tarrepins. 'Possums was baked wid sweet 'tatoes and
rabbits was parbiled in a big old open fireplace in big pots and skillets. Marster had one
big gyarden whar enough was growed for evvybody on de whole plantation, but some of
de slaves was 'lowed to have deir own little gyardens and cotton patches what dey
wukked on moonlight nights.

"De gal chillun in dem days wore little slips, and de boys had shirts split up de
sides. Dey jus' wore one piece in summer, no drawers or nothin'. In de winter us had good
warm clothes, made out of coarse ausenburg (osnaburg) cloth. Us wore de same clothes
Sundays as evvyday, only us was s'posed to put 'em on clean on Sunday mornin'. A
colored man named Clark Dogget made our shoes out of rough red leather what never
had been dyed or colored up none. Sometimes Manuel would have to help him wid de
shoemakin'.

"On Sundays Mammy would comb my hair and put a clean dress on me, and den
take me to de white folkses' church at Salem, whar dere was two rows of benches in de
back for slaves. Rev. Brantley Calloway was de pastor, and Rev. Patrick Butler preached
too.

"I never seed no baptizin's or fun'als in slavery days, but atter anybody was buried
Mammy tuk us to de graveyard and let us look t de grave. Dey allus put a fence made wid
pine poles 'round de grave. Some few of de slaves might have read de Bible a little, but
dar warn't none what could write.

"I jined church 'cause I was converted and had done changed my way of livin'. I
think folkses ought to be 'ligious so dey can help others to live lak de Bible says.

"Marse Jabe Smith was a good white man. He was a grand fiddler and he used to
call us to de big house at night to dance for him. I couldn't do nothin' 'cept jump up and
down and I sho' did git tired. Marse Jabs warn't married. He raised his brother's chillun,
but dey was all grown when de war come on.

"I done clean forgot de name of Marster's overseer and I don't ricollec' how many
acres was in dat plantation, but it sho' was a big one. Dere was 'bout 25 grown slaves, and
a lot of Nigger chillun rompin' round. De overseer got 'em up 'bout three 'clock and dey
stayed in de field 'til sundown 'fore dey started for de house.

"When dey got f'um de fields at night, de 'omans spun, mended, and knit, and de
mens wukked in deir gyardens and cotton patches. Winter nights dey plaited baskets and
made hoss collars. All de slaves knocked off at twelve o'clock Sadday. Dere was allus
somepin' to do on Sadday night - frolics, dances, and sich lak. Dey picked de banjo and
knocked on tin pans for music to dance by. Sunday was a rest day. Slaves visited each
other or went to church if dey wanted to, but dey had to git a pass.

"I seed dem patterollers on hosses jus' goin' it down de big road. I seed 'em axin'
Niggers dey met if dey had passes. Atter dey looked at de passes, dey would let 'em go
on. But if a slave was cotched widout no pass dey would beat him mos' nigh to death. If
us had patterollers to keep Niggers f'um gallivantin' 'round so much now days, dar
wouldn't be so much devilment done.

"Some of de slaves jus' had to be whupped 'cause dey wouldn't behave. On our
plantation, de overseer done de whuppin'; Marse Jabe never totched 'em. Mammy told us
'bout seein' slaves put on de block in Virginny and sold off in droves lak hosses.

"Didn't none of Marse Jabe's Niggers run off to de North dat I knowed 'bout. One
Nigger named Barlow what was too lazy to wuk in de field slipped off to de woods and
made hisself a den to live in. He made baskets, footmats, and brooms, and used to come
out at night and sell 'em. Dey said he would steal de white folkses' hogs, chickens, and
jus' anythin' he could put his hands on. If dey ever cotched him, I don't know nothin' 'bout
it. Mammy used to skeer us pretty nigh to death at night when she wanted us to go on to
bed. She said if us didn't go to sleep Barlow sho' would git us.

"Oh! us did have a time at Chris'mas. Dey would have plenty to eat; eggnog and
all sorts of good things, and sometimes mens and 'omans got drunk and cut up. Marse
Jabs allus give us a little cheese to eat Christmas time. On New Year's Day all de slaves
went to de big house for a council. Marse Jabe would talk to 'em and counsel 'em for de
New Year and tell 'em how to live.

"Cornshuckin's! Yassum, I ricollects cornshuckin's. De folkses comed f'um all de
plantations close 'round. Atter dey was thoo' wid shuckin' de corn, dey gathered 'round a
long table in de yard. Marse Jabe had de prettiest level yard you ever seed; it was swept
so nice and clean. De victuals was piled on dat table, and dey give us great kegs of apple
and peach brandy.

"Mammy used to tell us 'bout Raw-head an' Bloody-bones if us didn't go to bed
when she wanted to go out. Us sho' would pile in in a hurry den, and duck under dat
kivver and most nigh die 'cause us was skeered to look out lessen he mought be dar atter
us.

"Marse Jabe was mighty good to his slaves when dey got sick. I seed Mammy
sick once. Dr. Lumpkin Landon was sont atter. De slaves would git fever weeds and
sweetgum bark, bile 'em together, and take de tea for colds, coughs, and fever. Dey wore
little sacks of assfidity (asafoetida) 'round dey necks to keep off disease, and strung
hollow treadsass (treadsalve) roots on strings lak necklaces and hung 'em 'round de
babies' necks to make 'em teethe easy.

"Soon atter de surrender, Marse Jabe told his Niggers dey was free as he was, but
dat he didn't want nary one to leave him. He wanted 'em to stay wid him he said, and he
offered to pay 'em wages. Dere warn't nary one what left. Mammy wukked and plowed
right on lak she done before. Atter I was big enough, I went to Lexin'ton to wuk for Mrs.
McWhorter.

"When I married Bob Willin'ham, I sho' had a nice weddin'. I was married in a
blue merino dress. My underskirt was white as snow wid trimmin's on it. I wore long
drawers what was trimmed fancy at de bottom. Our white folkses give us lots of cake,
turkey, ham, and sich lak for de weddin' feast. Our only child was named Minnie, and
ders was five of our grandchillun, but dey's all dead now but two. One lives in Cincinnati,
Ohio, and I lives wid de udder one what wuks at de chapter house here. Atter Bob died, I
married Lumpkin Huff, but us didn't have no weddin' dat time. De preacher jus' come to
my house and married us. I went to Elberton wid 'im, but he was so mean I didn't live wid
'im but eight months before I come back to Athens.

"Dey used to have a song 'bout Mr. Lincoln when I was a little chap, but I done
forgot it. No Ma'am, I don't know nothin' 'bout Mr.
Davis and Booker Washin'ton. Dem days I never heerd much 'bout folkses away
off f'um here.

"I b'lieve I'se done told you all I knows 'bout back days. I don't know nothin' 'bout
dese fas' present-day ways o' livin'. When I was a chap and got a whuppin' and Mammy
heerd 'bout it I got another one. Now dey takes you to de law. Yes Ma'am, for myself I'd
rather have de old days wid good Old Marster to take keer of me."

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