Name: Jewel, Mahala

Address: 177 Berry Street Athens, Georgia

Age: 76

Written by: Grace McCune (Athens)

Edited by: Sarah H. Hall (Athens) and John N. Booth (District Supervisor Federal Writers' Project Augusta, Georgia)

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

Mahala Jewel, known in the community as "Aunt Hailie," was sitting on her tiny
porch when the interviewer arrived. "I'se a-tryin' to git my foots warm," she declared.

"Dey was cold all last night, and didn't warm up none even when I had done walked all
de way up to de courthouse to git dem cabbage what de welfare ladies had for me today.
Yes Ma'am, hit sho' is hard times wid old Hallie now. I was raised whar folks had plenty.
Our white folks warn't no pore white trash, and if my old Marster and Mist'ess was alivin'
today dey sho' would do somepin' for old Hallie in a hurry, 'cause dey allus give us
plenty of evvything dey had."

"Aunt Haillie's rickety chair was kept in vigorous motion as she talked and the
visitor was fearful it would collapse at any moment. One rocker was broken and on top of
the cushions in the low seat of the chair she was sitting on an old cheese box. Suddenly
she arose to go in the house to "see if dem cabbages is a-burnin'." and when she returned
she carefully adjusted the box before resuming he precarious perch in the old rocking
chair. When she was sure that her feet were in a sunny spot, she began her narrative.

"Gracie Wright was my Ma's name 'fore she tuk off and married my Pa. He was
named Tuggle, and both of 'em belonged to Marse Hamp McWhorter on his plantation
down in Oglethorpe County. Marse Hamp was sho' a rich man and on his big old
plantation dey raised evvything dey needed lak, peas, 'tatoes, ingons, collards, cabbages,
and turnip sallet, beans, punkins, and plenty of corn, wheat and rye. Marse Hamp had lots
of cows, hogs, sheep, and goats too. Miss Liza was our Mist'ess, and she raised more
chickens dan dey ever could use. I just tells you, my white folks warn't no pore folks.

"I was born and raised up right dar. Ma wukked in de fields, and Mist'ess brung
me up in de big house 'cause she said I was gwine to have to wait on her when she got
old. Dere was sho' a moughty big lot of slave chillun a-comin' on all de time and Marster
and Mist'ess was good as dey could be to all of 'em. Marster and Mist'ess had seben
chillun. Deir boys was William, Joe, James, and Mack. Miss Tildy and Miss Mary was
two of deir gals, but I just can't ricollect de name of deir oldest daughter.

"Whilst us was little, slave chillun didn't have much wuk to do. De littlest ones
just picked up trash when de yards was bein' cleant up and done easy jobs lak dat.

"Marse Hamp never fooled wid dem little one track stores at Maxeys, de town
nighest our plantation. When he needed somepin', he just cotch a train and lit out for
'Gusty (Augusta), Georgie. Mist'ess knowed when he was comin' back, and she allus sont
de car' iage to meet him. When us chillun seed 'em gittin' out de car'iage and hosses, us
didn't wait, us just lit out and when dat train got to de crossin' all of us was right dar awaitin'
to see our Marster step off. Den us followed dat car'iage down de big road plum
back to de plantation, 'cause us knowed Marster never forgot none of us. Dere was new
dresses for de gals and clothes for de boys too, and us felt moughty proud when us
dressed up in dem store bought clothes f'um 'Gusty. Chilluns' evvy day clothes was just
slips out all in one piece, sleeves and all. Boys wore long shirts 'til dey was big and
strong enough for field wuk. Clothes for de grown folks was made out of cloth wove in
de loom house right dar on de plantation, but dere was some beaded cloth too.

"Us sho' did have a pretty place. De big house was painted white, and dere was
big old yards wid lots of flowers. De slave quarters was white too. Dey was one room
cabins built in long rows, way off f'um de big house. Home-made beds was nailed to de
wall and had just two laigs, and de big ticks stuffed wid straw made dem beds moughty
good places to sleep.

"Most of de slaves et at de two long tables close by de kitchen up nigh de big
house. De kitchen warn't built on to de big house, but hit sot out in de yard a little piece.
Dat's de way evvybody had deir kitchens built dem days. Marster kept a big strong man
to do de cookin' for his slaves. Pa was de boss for Marse Hamp. I don't 'member much
'bout him. My brother stayed in de cabin wid Pa and Ma, but I was all time up at de big
house wid Mist'ess. She was good to me as she could be. She told me to allus do right and
never do no wrong to nobody. I had a little highup cheer what I sot in to keep de flies off
of Mist'ess.

"All de slaves went to church wid deir white folks, and sot in de back part of de
meetin' house. Us went to old Beard (Baird) Church, off out in de country, and
sometimes I had to take de littlest white chilluns out and stay in de car'iage wid 'em, if
dey got too restless inside de meetin' house. Out dar in de car'iage us could listen to de
singin' and it sho' did sound sweet. Meetin' days was big days. Dey fetched deir dinners
and stayed all day. De McWhorter family allus carried great big baskets, and one of deir
biggest baskets was kept special just to carry chickens in, and de barbecue, it was fixed
right dar on de church grounds. Slave gals sot de long tables what was built out under de
trees, and dem same gals cleant up atter evvybody had done got thoo' eatin'. Niggers et
atter de white folks, but dere was allus a plenty for all. Little Niggers kept de flies off de
tables by wavin' long branches kivvered wid green leafs for fly brushes. Some few of 'em
brung home-made paper fly brushes f'um home. Most of dem all day meetin's was in July
and August. Some folks called dem months de 'vival season, 'cause dere was more 'vival
meetin's den dan in all de rest of de year. De day 'fore one of dem big baptizin's dey
dammed up de crick a little, and when dey gathered 'round de pool next day dere was
some tall shoutin' and singin'. White preachers done all de preachin' and baptizin'.

"Somehow I don't 'member much 'bout de celebratin' when dey got in de wheat
and done de thrashin'. Dey was so busy wid de cotton 'bout dat time on our place dat dere
warn't much frolickin', but de sho' nuff big celebratin' was in de fall atter all de corn was
gathered and dey had cornshuckin's. Marse Hamp 'vited all de white folks and deir
Niggers. De white folks visited and de Niggers done de wuk. De fust thing dey done at
cornshuckin's was to 'lect a gen'ral. All he done was to lead de singin' and try to git
evvybody to jine in his song 'bout de corn, and as dey sung faster, de shucks dey flew
faster too. Atter de corn was all shucked, dey et de big feast what us had done been
cookin' for days and days. Hit tuk a passel of victuals, 'cause dem shuckers could sho'
hide 'way dem good eats. Den de fiddlers started up deir music wid Turkey in de Straw.
De old breakdown dancin' was on, and hit was apt to go on all night.

"Syrup makin' time at Marse Hamp's was a frolic too. Us raised plenty of sugarcane
to make dat good old 'lasses what tasties so good wid hoecake and home-made
butter.

"Atter de War, Ma and Pa stayed on wid Marse Hamp a long time. Mist'ess died
when I was just a little chile, out she had done willed me to Miss Mary and told her to
allus take keer of Hailie. Miss Mary stayed right on dar wid Marse Hamp. My Ma and Pa
had done left, and I ain't never heared nothin' more f'um 'em since dey went away f'um
Marse Hamp's place.

"Den Marster he done went and got kilt. He had rid off on a middle size pony
what must a runned away wid him, 'cause dey found him plumb daid in a ditch. It was all
so sudden lak us never could find out if he died happy. Us knowed Mist'ess died happy
'cause she told de folks 'round de bed dat de Lord was a-takin' her home out of dis old
world of trouble.

"Atter Marse Hamp died, Miss Mary married Marse Pleaze Winter, and us all
moved to Flatwoods, what warn't so fur f'um Marse Jim Smith's place. I 'members when
dat Smith man died. Dey buried him in de graveyard on his own plantation at fust, but
den dey said nobody didn't want to live dar atter he was buried dar, so dey tuk him up and
buried him somewhar else.

"I didn't lak to live at Flatwoods, but I stayed on wid my Miss Mary and nussed
her chillun 'til me and Joe Jewel got married.Joe was named atter his old Marster, Captain Joseph Jewel, and dey lived on de
Jewel place in Oglethorpe County. I never did keer much for fine clothes and Miss Mary
said what clothes I had was all right, but she just would give me a nice white weddin'
dress. She had us git married at her house, and she 'vited lots of mine and Joe's folks and
our friends to a big supper she had fixed for us. Miss Mary sho' did give me a grand send
off. Atter dat, I visited my Miss Mary whenever I wanted to, and still helped her wid her
babies when she needed me.

"Miss Mary is done daid now, but if she was a livin' old Hailie would have what
she needs. I'm a gittin' moughty old now and my old man is done gone on to glory, but
Hailie will soon be wid him dar. Whilst I did go and git married to a Jewel, I ain't
forgittin' I was borned and bred a McWhorter, and I'm here to tell you dat I'm still just de
same - a McWhorter."

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