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1327 Reynolds Street, Augusta, Ga., Born 1852.
We found Rachel Sullivan sitting on the porck of a two room house on Reynolds Street. She is a large, fleshy woman. Her handmade yellow homespun was baggy and soiled, and her feet were bare, though her shoes were beside her rocker.
We approached her cautiously. "Auntie, we heard you were one of the slaves who used to live on Governor Pickens' place over near Edgefield."
"Yas'm, Yas'm. I shore wus. He gin us our chu'ch - de one over yonder on de Edgefield road. No'm you can't see it fum de road. You has to cross de creek. Old Marster had it pulled out de low ground under de brash arbor, and set it dere."
"And what did you do on the plantation, Auntie?"
"I wus a nu's gal, 'bout 'leben years old. I nu'sed my Auntie's chillun, while she nu'sed de lady's baby whut come from Russie wid de Marste wife - nu'sed dat baby fum de breas's I mean. All de white ladies had wet nusses in dem days. Har master had just returned from Russia, where he had been embassador. Her baby had the czarina for a godmother."
"And so you used to look after you aunt's children?"
"Yas'm. I used to play wid 'em in de big ground wid de momments all around.""Miss Lucy Holcome was Governor Pickens' second wife, wasn't she?""Musta wus, ma'm.""And were you born on the plantation at Rdgefield?""I wus born at Ninety-six. Log Creek place was Marster's second place. Oh, he had plantachuns everywhere, clear
over to Alabama. He had overseers on all de places, ra'm.""Did the overseers whip you or were they good?""Overseers wus good. Dey better been good to us, Marster wouldn't let 'em been nothin' else. And Marster wus
good. Lawdy, us had de bes' Marster in de world. It was great times when he came to visit de plantachun. Oh Lord,when de Governor would come - dey brung in all de sarvants. Marster call us 'sarvants', not 'niggers.' He say'niggers wuk down in de lageons.' So when de Covernor come dey brung in all de sarvents, and all de little chillun,line 'em's up whar Marster's cai'age gwine pass. And Marster stop dere in de lane and 'zamine us all to see is us allright. He de bes' marster in de world. I love his grave!"
"Den he'd talk to de overseer. Dere was Emmanuel and Mr. DeLoach. He gib 'em a charge. Dey couldn't whup us or
treat us nean."
"How many slaves did your Master have, Auntie?""Oh, I don't know 'xactly - over a thousand in all I reckon. He had plantachuns clear over to Alabama. Marster wusa world manager! Lordy, I luv my Marster. Dere wus 'bout seventy plowor hands, and 'bout a humard hoe hands."
"Did your master ever sell any of the slaves off his plantation?"
"No'm - not'less dey did wrong. Three of 'em had chillun by de overseer, Mr. Whitefield, and Marster put 'em on deblock. No ma'm he wouldn't tolerate dat. He say you keep de race pure. Lawdy, he made us lib right in dem time.""And what did he do to the ovarseer?""He sont him off - he sont him down to de low place.""I guess you had planty to eat in those good old days?""Oh, yes ma'm - dey's kill a hunnard hogs.""And what kind of houses did you have?""Des like dis street - two rows facin' each odder, only dey wus log houses.""Did they have only one room?""Yas'm. But sometimes dey drap a shed/roomdown if dare was heap o' chullun.""Did you have a good time at Christmas?""Oh yas'm. No matter where Marster wus - crost de water er annywhere he send us a barrel o' apples, and chestnuts -
dey had chestnuts in dem days - and boxes o' candy. He sont 'em to 'Manuel and Mr. DeLoach to gib out.""So your master would sometimes be across the water?""Lawdy, yas'm, he be dare somewhere in de back part o' de world. You see he wus gov'nur. He knowed all de big
people - Mr. Ben Tildman and all - he was senetra."
"Anntie do you remember seeing any of the soldiers during the war?""Does I? Law honey! Dey come dere to de plantachun 'bout ten o'clock after dey surrender. Oh and dey wus awful,some of 'em wid legs off or arms off. De niggers took all de rules and put 'em down in de sand field. Den day took
all de wimmens and put 'em in de chillun's house. And dey lef' a guard dere to stand over 'em, and tell him not to gitoff de foot. You know dey didn't want put no temptation in de way o' dem soldiers.""What kind of work did some of the slave woman do?""Everything. I had a one-legged suntie - she was de seamster. She sew fum one year end to de odder. Anodder
auntie wus a loomer.""And where did you go to church?""We went to de Salem Chu'ch. Yas'm we all go to church. Marster want us to go to chu'ch. We sit on one side - so -
and dey sit over dere. Dey wus Methodis'. My mother was Methodis', but dey gib her her letter when freedoncome.""How about dances, Auntie? Did they have dances and frolics?""Yassum. on Sadday night. But boys had to git a pass when dey go out or de Padderola git 'em."
"So you had a happy time in those days, ch?""Lawdy, yas'm. If de world would done now like dey did dem de world wouldn't be in such a mess. I gwine oneighty-five, but I wish de young ones wus raised now like I was raise. Marster taught us to do right."
"How many children have you?""I had 'leben - seben livin now." Then she laughted. "But I wus ole maid when I git married.""I wus twenty years old! In dem days all dey hadder do to git married wus step over de broom.""Step over the broom. Didn't your master have the preacher come and marry you?""Lawdy, no'm. De broom wus de law!" Then she laughed. "Jus' say you wanner be married and de couple git
together 'fore witnesses and step ober de broom.""Do you remember when freedom came?""Lawdy yas'm. Mr. DeLoach come riding up to de plantachun in one o' den low-bellied ca'yages. He call to Jo and
James---den de boys what stay round de house to bring wood and rake de grass and sich---he sont Jo and Jim downto all de fields to tell all de hands to come up. Dey unhitch de mules fum de plows and come wid de chains rattlin',and de cotton hoers put dey hoes on dey shoulders---wid de blades shinin' in de sun, and all come hurrying to hearwhat Mr. DeLoach want wid'sm. Den he read de freedom warrant to 'em. One man so upset he start runnin' and runclear down to de riber and k jump in."
