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INTERVIEW WITH EX-SLAVE Age 88 - 90
Mary Frances Brown is a typical product of the old school of trained house servants, an unusual delicate type, somewhat of the Indian cast, to which race she is related. She is always clean and neat, a refined old soul, as individuals of that class often are. Her memory, sight and hearing are good for her advanced age.
"Our home Marlboro. Mas Luke Turnage was my master - Marlboro-Factory-Plantation name 'Beauty Spot'. My missis was right particular about neat and clean. She raise me for a house girl. My, missis was good to me, teach me ebbery ting, and take the Bible and learn me Christianified manners, charity, and behaviour and good respect, and it with me still.
"We didn't have any hard times, our owners were good to us - no over share (overseer) and no whippin' - he couldn't stan' that. I live there 'til two year after freedom; how I come to leave, my mother sister been sick, and she ask mother to send one of us, an she send me. My mother been Miss Nancy cook. Miss Nancy was Mas Luke's mother -it take me two years learning to eat the grub they cook down here in Charleston. I had to learn to eat these little piece of meat - we had a dish full of meat; the big smoke house was lined from the top down. (Describing how the meat hung) I nebber accustom to dese little piece of meat, so - what dey got here. Missis, if you know smoke Mouse, didn't you find it hard? My master had 'til he didn it know what to do with. My white people were Gentile." (Her tone implied that she considered them the some of gentle folks). "I don't know what the other people were name that didn't have as much as we had - but I know my people were Getile!"
Just here her daughter and son appeared, very unlike their mother in type. The daughter is quite as old looking as her mother; the son, a rough stevedore. When the writer suggested that the son must be a comfort, she looked down sadly and said in a low tone, as if soliloquizing, "He way is he way." Going back to her former thought, she said, "All our people were good. Mas Luke was the worse one." (This she said with an indulgent smile) "Cause he was all the time at the race ground or the fair ground.
"Religion rules Heaven and Earth, an there is no religion now - hurricanes an washin-aways is all about. Ebberything is change. Dis new name what they call grip is pleurisy-cold - putrid sore-throat is called somethin' -yes, diptheria. Cuttin (surgery) come out in 1911! They kill an they cure, an they save an they loss.
"My Gran'ma trained with Indians - she bin a Indian, an Daniel C. McCall bought her. She nebber loss a baby." (the first Indian relationship that the writer can prove). "You know Dr. Jennings? Ebberybody mus' know him. After he examine de chile an de mother, an 'ee alright, he hold de nurse responsible for any affection (infection) that took place.
"Oh! I know de spiritual - but Missis, my voice too weak to sing - dey aint in books; if I hear de name I can sing -'The Promise Land', Oh, how Mas Joel Easterling (born 1796) use to love to sing dat!
"I am bound for de Promise Land!Oh! who will arise an go with me?I am bound for the Promise Land!I've got a mother in the Promise Land,My mother calls me an I mus go,To meet her in the Promise Land!"SOURCE: Mary Frances Brown, Age 88-90, East Bay Street, Charleston, S. C.(Project #-1655, Cassels R. Tiedeman, Charleston, S. C., FOLKLORE)Brown, Mary Frances -- Additional InterviewTHE LAND OF CANAANMother where shall I meet you,Bye and bye, bye and bye,Mother where shall I meet you,Bye and bye, bye and bye.I will meet you over in Canaan,Bye and bye, bye and bye,I will meet you over in Canaan,Bye and bye, bye and bye.Then my troubles will be over,Bye and bye, bye and bye,Then my troubles will be over,Bye and bye, bye and bye.I will sit 'long side of my Jesus,Bye and bye, bye and bye I will sit 'long side of my Jesus,Bye and bye, bye and bye.Source: Mary Frances Brown, 83 East Bat Street, Charleston, S. C.(Brown, Mary Frances, Charleston, S. C., Cassels R. Tiedeman, Interviewer, Charleston, S. C.)Brown, Mary FrancesTHE PROMISE LANDWay over in the promised land,
O Glory Hallelujah! Hallelujah! (pronounced Hal-le-lool-yah)Way over in the Promised land,O Glory Hallelujah! Hallelujah!I will meet my Massa Jesus,O Glory Hallelujah! Hallelujah!I will meet my Massa Jesus,O Glory Hallelujah! Hallelujah!I will tell the world good byeO Glory Hallelujah! Hallelujah!I will tell the world good bye,O Glory Hallelujah! Hallelujah!I will live with my Jesus,O Glory Hallelujah! Hallelujah!I will live with my Jesus,O Glory Hallelujah! Hallelujah!Source: Mary Frances Brown, 83 East Bay St., Charleston, S. C.(Brown, Mary Frances, Charleston, S. C., Martha S. Pinckney, Interviewer)Spirituals I'm a-goin' home, I'm a-goin' home, I'm a-goin' home,To die no more.Glory --- Glory --- Hallelujah!If you gets there before I do,Tell my Lord I'm comin' too!Glory --- Glory --- Hallelujah!Chorus: I'm a-goin' home, I'm a goin' home, I'm a-goin' home,To die no moreGlory --- Glory --- Hallelujah!We are a-slippin' through the gates, we are a-slippin'through the gates, we are a-slippin' through the gates,Oh Lord! Oh Lord!In the new Jerusalem I'm goin' to rest,
Oh Lord! Oh Lord!Inside the pearly gates my Saviour waits for me,Oh Lord! Oh Lord!My Saviour wont you come for me when I die?Oh! Mother wont you come for me, when I die?Oh! Father wont you come for me, when I die?Bye and bye --- bye and bye!Oh Lord! Oh Lord!Glory --- Glory --- Hallelujah! Glory --- Glory --- Hallelujah!Glory --- Glory --- Hallelujah!Source: Mary Frances Brown, East Bay Street, Charleston, S. C. (Between Elliott and Tradd Sts)(Bryan, Margaret, Murrells Inlet, S.C., Georgetown County, Mrs. Genevieve W. Chandler)Brown, Mary Frances -- Additional InterviewMary Frances Brown, about ninety years of age, born in slavery, on the plantation of Luke Turnage, in Marlboro
County, was raised as a house-servant and shows today evidence of most careful training. Her bearing is rather agentle refined type, seemingly untouched by the squalor in which she lives. She willingly gives freely of her smallstore of strength to those around her.
Her happiest days seem to have been those of her early youth, for when she was questioned about the present times,and even about those closely associated with her today she howed her head and said: "Deir way is deir way. O! letme tell you now, de world is in a haad (hard) time, wust (worse) den it eber (ever) been, but religion! It eberywherein Hebben an' in de ert (earth) too, if you want em. De trouble is you ain't want em; 'e right dere jes de same but detime done pass when dis generation hold wid anyt'ing but de debbul. When I a gal, grown up, I had a tight missusdat raise me, you hab to keep clean round her, she good an' kind an' I lub her yet, but don't you forgit to mind whatshe say.
"My massa, he 'low no whipping on de plantation, he talk heap an' he scold plenty, but den he hab to. Dere was haadtime for two year after de war was ober (over) but after dat it better den it is now. Dis is de wust time eber. I ain'tober git use to de wittle (victual) you hab down here.
I lib ober Mount Pleasant twenty five year after I come from de old place up Marlboro, den I come to Charleston."Dey were happy time back dere. My massa, he run round ebery way, spend plenty money on horse race, he gibgood time to eberybody an' tell us we mus' tek good care of de missus when he ain't dere. An de wittles we hab I
ain't nebber see de lak no time. Dem were de times to lib. I old now but I ain't forgit what my missus larn (learn) me.It right here in me."Mary Frances was asked if she could sing spirituals. The following is one that she sang in a very high pitched
wavering voice and then she complained of shortness of breath on account of her heart."We got a home ober dere,Come an' let us go,Come an' let us go,
Where pleasure neber (never) die.Chorus: "Oh! let us go where pleasure neber die,Neber die,Come and let us go,Where pleasure neber die, neber die."Mother is gone ober dere,Mother is gone ober dere,Where pleasure neber die,Where pleasure neber die.Chorus;"Father is gone ober dere,Father is gone ober dere,Where pleasure neber die,Where pleasure neber die,Chorus:"Mister is gone ober dere,Sister is gone ober dere,Where pleasure neber die,Where pleasure neber die,Chorus:"Brudder is gone ober dere,Brudder is gone ober dere,Where pleasure neber die,Where pleasure neber die,Chorus:
