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(Richmond County) Augusta, Georgia.
BY: (Mrs.) MARGARET JOHNSON AUGUSTA, GEORGIA
NANCY SETTLES Ex-slave, Age 92 2511 Wheeler Road
Nancy Settles was born 15 miles from Edgefield in South Carolina on the plantation of Mr. Berry Cochran.
Until about five months ago, Nancy had been bed-ridden for three years. Her speech is slow, and at times it is difficult to understand her, but her mind is fairly clear. Her eyes frequently filled with tears, her voice becoming so choked she could not talk. "My Marster and Missis, my husban' and eight of my chaps done lef me. De Lawd mus be keepin' me here fur some reason. Dis here chile is all I got lef'." The "Chile" referred to was a woman about 69. "My fust chap was born in slavery. Me and my husband lived on diffunt plantashuns till after Freedom come. My Ma and my Pa lived on diffunt places too. My Pa uster come evy Sadday evenin' to chop wood out uv de wood lot and pile up plenty fur Ma till he come agin. On Wensday evenin', Pa uster come after he been huntin' and bring in possum and coon. He sho could get 'em a plenty.
"Ma, she chop cotton and plow, and I started choppin' cotton when I was twelve years old. When I was a gal I sure was into plenty devilment."
"What kind of devilment?"
"Lawdy Miss, evy time I heayd a fiddle, my feets jes' got to dance and dancin' is devilment. But I ain't 'lowed to dance nothin' but de six-handed reel.
"I uster take my young Misses to school ev'y day, but de older Misses went to boadin' school and come home ev'y Friday an' went back on Monday. No ma'am, I never learn to read and write but I kin spell some."
"Nancy, did you go out at night and were you ever caught by the patrol?"
"No, ma'am, I never was caught by de patterol; my Pa was the one I was scart uv."
"Did you always have enough to eat, and clothes to wear?"
"Yes ma'am, Marster put out a side uv meat and a barrul o' meal and all uv us would go and git our rations fur de week."
"Suppose some one took more than his share, and the supply ran short."
"Lawd Ma'am, we knowed better'n to do dat kinder thing. Eve'ybody, had er garden patch an' had plenty greens and taters and all dat kinder thing. De cloth fur de slave close was all made on the place and Missis see to mekkin' all de close we wear."
"My Missis died endurin' of de war, but Marster he live a long time. Yes, Ma'am, we went to Church an to camp meetin' too. We set up in de galley, and of dey too many uv us, we set in de back uv de church. Camp meetin' was de bes'. Before Missis died I was nussin' my young miss baby, and I ride in de white foke's kerrage to camp meetin' groun' and carry de baby. Lawdy, I seen de white folks and de slaves too shoutin' an gittin' 'ligion plenty times."
"Nancy, were the slaves on your place ever whipped?"
"Yes'm sometimes when de wouldn' mine, but Marster allus whip 'em hissef, he ain't let nobody else lay er finger on his slaves but him. I heayd 'bout slaves been whipped but I tink de was whipped mostly cause de Marsters could whip 'em."
"Nancy do you know any ghost stories, or did you ever see a ghost?"
"No, Ma'am, I ain't never see a ghos' but I heayd de drum!"
"What drum did you hear - war drums?"
"No, ma'am de drum de little man beats down by Rock Crick. Some say he is a little man whut wears a cap and goes down the crick beating a drum befo' a war. He was a Revolushun drummer, and cum back to beat the drum befo' de war. But some say you can hear de drum 'most any spring now. Go down to the Crick and keep quiet and you hear Brrr, Brrr, Bum hum, louder and louder and den it goes away. Some say dey hav' seen de little man, but I never seen him, but I heayd de drum, 'fo de war, and ater dat too. There was a white man kilt hisself near our place. He uster play a fiddle, and some time he come back an play. I has heayd him play his fiddle, but I ain't seen him. Some fokes say dey is seen him in the wood playin' and walkin' 'bout."
"Nancy I am glad you are better than you were the last time I came to see you."
"Yes, Ma'am, I is up now. I prayed to God and tell Him my trouble and he helped me get about again. This po chile uv mine does what she kin to pay de rent and de Welfare gives us a hit to eat but I sho do need er little wood, cause we is back on de rent and my chile jes scrap 'bout to pick up trash wood and things to burn."
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