Name: Smith, Georgia

Address: 286 Augusta Avenue

Age: 87

Written by: Miss Grace McGune (Research Worker Federal Writers' Project Athens, Georgia)

Edited by: Mrs. Sarah H. Hall (Editor Federal Writers' Project Athens, Georgia)

Citation: Federal Writers' Project: Slave Narrative Project, Vol. 4, Part 3, Kendricks-Styles (1936), Library of Congress, Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/mesn043/

Interview

The cold, rainy, and altogether disagreeable weather on the outside was soon
forgotten when the interviewer was admitted the neat little home of Aunt Georgia Smith
and found the old woman enjoying the cheerful warmth of her blazing fire.

Aunt Georgia appeared to be quite feeble. She was not only willing, but eager to
talk of her experiences, and explained that her slow and rather indistinct articulation is
one of the several bad after effects of her recent stroke of paralysis.

"My pappy was Blackstone Smith, and he b'longed to Marse Jeb Smith. My
mammy was Nancy Chappell, owned by Mistus Peggis Chappell.

"I stayed wid my mammy on Mistus Chappell's plantation in Oglethorpe County,
near old Antioch Church. W'en I was 'bout five or six years ole my mammy died. Den my
pappy done come an' got me, an' I was to stay wid 'in on Marster Smith's place. Dey was
good to me dar, but I warn't satisfied, am' I cried for old Mistus.

"I'd jes' go 'roun' snifflin', an' not eatin' nuffin', an' one day w'en us was pickin'
peaches, Marster Smith tole my pappy he better take dat chile back to her old mistus, 'fo'
she done git sick for sho'.

"Hit was de next day w'en day ax me did I went to see Old Mistus an' I jes' cry an'
say, 'yassum.' Don Marster say: 'Blackstone, hitch a mule to dat wagon, an' take dat chile
right back to her Old Mistus.' I tell 'em I can walk, but dey made me ride in de wagon, an'
I sho' was glad I was goin' back home.

"I seed Old Mistus 'fo' I got dar, an' jumped out of de wagon an' run to 'er. W'en
she seed me, she jes' grabbed me, an' I thought she was a laughin', but when I seed dat
she was cryin', I tole 'er not to cry, dat I warn't goin' to leave 'er no mo'.

"Mistus sho' was good to me, but she was good to all 'er niggers, an' dey all loved
'er. Us allus had plenny of evvything, she made us wear plenny of good warm clo'es, an'
us wo'e flannel petticoats when his was vole weather. Chillun don't wear 'nuff clo'es dese
days to keep 'em warm, an nuffin' on deir legs. Hits a wonder dey doan' freeze.

"I diden' stay at de quarters with de udder niggers. Mistus kep' me in de big 'ouse
wid 'er, an' I slep' on a cotton mattress on de floor by de side of 'er bed. She had a stick
dat she used to punch me wid when she wannid someping in de night, an' effen I was
hard to wake, she she' could punch wid dat stick.

"Mistus diden' ever have us niggers whipped 'lessen it Jest had to be done. An' if
us chilluns was bad, fussin' am' fightin', Mistus would git 'er a stick, but us would jes' run
an' hide, an' Mistus would forgit all 'bout it in jes' a little w'ile.

"Marster was dead, an' us had a overseer, but he was good to us jes' lak' Mistus
was. Hit was a big old plantation, wid lots of niggers. W'en de overseer would try to larn
de chilluns to plow an' dey diden' want to larn, dey would jes' play 'roun'. Sometimes dey
snuck off to de udder side of de fiel' an' hunnid for lizards. Dey would hold a lizard's
head wid a stick, an' spit 'bacco juice in 'is mouf an' turn 'im loose. De 'bacco juice would
make de lizard drunk, and he would run 'roun' an' 'roun'. Dey would cotch snakes, kill
dem an' hang de skins on trees so hit would rain an' dey wouldn't have to wuk in de fiel'.

"De quarters was built away f'um de big 'ouse. Dey was cabins made of logs an'
day all had dey own gardens whar day raised all kinds of vegetables an' allus had plenny
of hog meat. De cookin' was done on a big fireplace an' in brick ovens. 'Taters was baked
in de ashes, an' dey sho' was good.

"Dey had big times huntin' an' fishin' w'en de wuk was over. Dey cotch lots of
'possums, an' had big 'possum suppers. De 'possums was roasted with plenny of 'taters,
butter an' red pepper. Us would eat an' dance most of de night w'en us had a 'possum
supper.

"De rabbits was so bad in de gardens dat dey tuk white rags an' tied 'em on sticks
stuck up in de ground. Rabbits woulden' come 'roun' den, cyaze dey was 'fraid of dem
white rags flyim' on de sticks.

"Mistus b'lieved in lookin' atter her niggers w'en dey was sick. She would give
'em medicine at home. Candy an' tea, made wid ho'e houn' an' butterfly root tea was good
for worms; dewberry wine, lak'wise dewberry root tea was good for de stomach achs;
samson snake root an' poplar bark tea was good medicine for coles an' so'e th'oats, an'
w'en you was in pain, de red pepper bag would sho' help lots sometimes. If de homemade
medicine diden' cyore 'em, den Mistus sont for de doctor.

"Slaves went to de white folkses church an' set up in de gallery. Dey stayed all
day at chu'ch, an' had big dinners on de groun'. Dem was sho' 'nough good dinners. Us
had big times on mestin' days.

"Our slaves had prayer meetin' twict a week in deir quarters, 'til dey got 'roun' to
all de cabins den dey would start over again. Dey prayed an' sung all de old songs, and
some of 'em as I 'member are: 'Roll Jordan Roll,' - 'Better Mind How you Step on de
Cross,' - 'Cause You ain' Gon'er be Here Long,' - 'Tell de Story Bye an' Bye.' - 'All God's
Chilluns are a Gatherin' Home,' an' 'We'll Understand Better Bye an' Bye.' Dey really
could sing dem old songs. Mistus would let me go to dem cabin prayer meetin's an' I sho'
did enjoy 'em.

"W'en slaves died dey jes' tuk 'em off an buried 'em. I doan' 'member 'em ever
havin' a funeral, 'til way atter freedom done come an' niggers got dey own chu'ches.

"I 'member one night dey had a quiltin' in de quarters. De quilt was up in de
frame, an' dey was all jes' quiltin' an' singin', 'All God's Chilluns are a Gatherin' Home,'
w'en a drunk man wannid to preach, an' he jumped up on de quilt. Hit all fell down on de
flo', an' dey all got fightin' mad at 'im. Dey locked 'im in de smokehouse 'til mornin', but
dey diden' nobody tell Mistus nuffin' 'bout it.

"Us chilluns had to pick peas; two baskets full 'fo' dinner an' two 'fo' night, an' dey
was big baskets too. I 'member dere was a white widow 'oman what lived near our place,
an' she had two boys. Mistus let dem boys pick 'em some peas w'en us would be pickin',
an' us would run 'em off, cause us diden' lak' po' white trash. But Mistus made us let 'em
pick all dey wannid.

"I was 'bout twelve years old w'en freedom come, an' was big 'nough to wait on
Mistus good den. I 'member how I used to run to de spring wid a little tin bucket w'en she
wannid a fresh drink of water.

"Mos' of de slaves stayed with Mistus atter freedom come, 'cause dey all loved
her, an' dey diden' have no place to go. Mistus fed 'em jes' lak' she had allus done and
paid 'em a little money too. Us diden' never have no fussin' an' fightin' on our place, an'
de Ku Klux Klan never come 'roun' dar, but de niggers had to have a ticket if dey lef' de
place on Sunday. Dat was so de paddyrollers woulden' whip 'em if dey cotch 'em.

"All de niggers on de udder places, called us free niggers long 'fo' freedom come,
'cause we diden' have no whippin' post, an' if any of us jes' had to be whipped, Mistus
would see dat dey warn't beat bad 'nough to leave no stripes.

"My pappy left de old Smith plantation, soon atter he got 'is freedom, an' went to
Augusta, Georgia whar he died in jes' 'bout two years.

"I waked up one mornin' an' heered Mistus makin' a funny fuss. She was tryin' to
git up an' pullin' at her gown. I was plum skeert an' I runned atter some of de udder
folkses. Dey come a runnin' but she never did speak no mo', an' diden' live but jes' a few
hours longer. De white folkses made me go to 'er funeral. Dere sho' was a big crowd of
folkses dar, 'cause evvybody loved Mistus; she was so good to evvybody. Dey diden'
preach long, mos'ly jes' prayed an' sung Mistus' favorite songs: 'All God's Chillun are a
Gatherin' Home,' an', 'We'll Understand Bye an' Bye.'

"I lef' de old place not long atter Mistus died, 'cause hit was too lonesome dar an' I
missed her so much. I come to town an' jes' wukked for white folkses. I doan' 'member all
of 'em. But I cain' wuk no mo' now, an' hit woan' be so long 'til I see my old Mistus again,
an' den I can still wait on her, an' we woan' have to part no mo'."

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