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"Vinie Wilkins is my daughter's name dat live wid me. My son owns dia house and he keeps it up fer me and his sister. I's born on de bank of Cherokee Creek, but I jest 'members how many years I stayed dar. Atter Freedom had been a long time, we moved to Mr. Chesterfield Scruggs' plantation whar we share cropped. It was on de old Spartanburg road from here to Spartanburg.
"I was purtty good-size chile when de Ku Klux come and tried to git my daddy. Dey whipped him; den he run off and stayed off fer over seven years. Dem Ku Klux was in all kinds of shapes. wid horns and things on dere heads. Dey was so scary looking dat I ain't never fergot dem. Dem's de awfulest 'boogers' I is ever see'd befo' or since. I was in de bed and so was Pa, but dey broke in our do' and got him. I kivvered up my head and did not make narry a sound. Dat's all dat I can recollect now."
Source: Alice Duke (72), 401 Woods St., Gaffney, S.C. Interviewer: Caldwell Sims, Union, S.C. 9/16/37
Durant, Silva -- Additional Interview
Ex-Slave
"I don' know 'xactly when I was born but I hear my white folks say dat I was born de fast (first) year uv freedom. I I c'n tell yuh dis much dat I was uh grown 'oman when de shake was. Aw de older peoples was at de chu'ch on ha' left us home to take care uv aw dem little chillun. Fust t'ing we is know de house 'gin to quiver lak. We ne'er know wha' been to matter on den de house 'gin to reek on reek on reek. We was so scare we ran outer in de yard on eve't'ing outer dere was jes uh shaking jes lak do house was. We ne'ver know wha' to de. Den we heared de peoples comin' from de chu'ch jes uh runnin' en uh hollerin'. Didn't nobody know wha' make dat. I tellin yah jes lak dat was, de judgment ain' ne'er been no closer come heah don when dat shake was."
"My madder was name Clerrie on she b'long to Miss Millie ?? up de road dere. I born in Miss Millie yard on I stay dere till I was six year old. My pa say I was six year old. He been ole man Vidgor Hanes en b'long to Mr. Wesley White o'er dere 'bout Laughlin 'fore freedom 'clare. A'ter dat we move on de hill on my pa hire me dere to Colonel Farent to wash dishes on help 'bout de kitchen. Den dey put me to de de washin' on I been uh washin' on uh washin' mos' e'er since. Dats de way I done till I go' so I ne'er couldn't make it on den I hadder quit offen. Dat how some I hab aw dese pretty flowers. Miss Durant gi'e me aw dem dahlia wha' yuh see in dat yard right dere. Dat how I go' wha' little bit uv money I hab dese day on time. Dem white folks up dere in town comes down heah on begs em from me."
"Dey tell me some uv de peoples go' 'long good on den some uv dem go' 'long bad back dere in ala very day. Don' care how good peoples is dere she' be uh odd'un de crowd some uv de time. Dey say some uv de colored people 'ud run 'way from dey Masse on hide in de woods. Den dey slip back to do plantation in de night en ge' green corn outer de white folks field en carry em back in de woods on cook en dere. I hear Tom Bostick tell 'bout when he run 'way one time. Say he use'er run 'way on hide in de woods aw de time. Den de o'erseer ketch him one time when he been come back on waz grabblin' 'bout de tatoe patch. Say he gwinna make Tom Bostick stay outer de woods ur kill him 'fore sun up dat day. Tom say dey take him down 'side de woods on strip he clothes offen him. (I hear on say dere plenty people bury down 'side dem woods dat dere ain' nobody know 'bout). Den he say dey tie him to uh tree on take uh fat light'ud torch en le' de juice drip outer it right on he naked body. He say he holler an he beg an he ax em hab mercy but dat ne'er didn't do no good. He mock how de tar make uh racket when it drop on he skin. Yuh know it gwinna make uh racke't. Dat t'ing gwinna make uh racket when it drop on anyt'ing wha' fresh. Ain' yuh ne'er hear no hot grease sizzle lak? Yes'em, hear Tom Bestiek tell dat more times don I got fingers en toes."
"Don dey'ud hab sale on sell some uv de colored peoples offen to annuder plantation hundred mile 'way some uv do time. 'Vide man on he wife. Dey she' done it. I hear pa tell 'bout dat. Make on stand up on uh stamp on bid em offen dere jos lak dey was hoss. Pa say dey sell he brother. His wife 'way wid de only child dey hab. He'er didn't see dat wife or child no more."
"Cou'se de le' de colored peoples visit 'round from one plantation to anudder but dey hadder hab uh ticke' wid em.
Iffen dey meet em in de read en dey ne'er hab dat ticke' somewhey 'bout em, dey hadder take wha' follow. Iffen dey see em wid uh paper, dey ax em 'bout it on offen it ne'ver been uh ticke', dey mighty apt to git uh good t'rashin'."
"Dey tell me some uv do colored peoples use'er take t'ing from dey Massa, but I ain' ne'er see on do none uv dat on my white folks plantation. Ne'er hadder take nothin' dere. Go' 'nough meal an meat dere to de big house eve'y Friday to las' em aw t'rough de week. Reckon de ration was more wholesome den in dat day en time cause dey take time on cook dey t'ing done. Hadder cook in de fireplace. Dat how dey done. I 'member who' good t'ings my ole mamny use'or cook in dat spider. Jes set it on de scale en keep uh turnin' it 'bout wid de handle. Dere ain' ne'er nothin cat no better dan dat ash cake she us'er make fa we chillun. Yuh ain' no'or hear tell 'bout dat. Jes ster (stir) up uh nice ashcake en wrap it up in oak leaves what right serta wet. Den yuh rake uh heap uh ash tegedder on lay yah hotcake on dat on kivor it up wid some more ash. Yah le' it cook right dere en den yah take it up en wash it offen en it ready to eat. Us chillun lub dat don."
"Anudder t'ing dat cat right smart in den days was dat t'ing call big heminy. Doy jes go' some whole grain corn on put it in do pot on boil it long time. Den dey take it offen de fire en pour lye water aw e'er it. Dey do dat to ge' de husk offen it. Soak ash outer de fire en ge' dat lye water. Den dey hadder take it to de well outer in de yard en wash it uh heap uv time to ge' dat lye outer it. A'ter dat dey season it wid salt en pepper en cook it anudder time. No man, dey ne'er eat wid no butter. Jes drop it in de grease wha' left in de pan a'ter dey fry de meat en make it right brown lak. Dat de way dey cook dey big hominy."
"Folks don' hab time to do t'ings in de right way lak dey use'er couse de world gwine too fas' dese days en time. Dese people comin' up 'bout heah dese deys ain' gwinna ne'er quit habin' so much belly ache long as dey ain' stop eatin' aw dem half done ration dey is eat. Cause de people wiser now but dey weaker. De peoples was more humble in dem days. When dey didn't hab no rain, dey ge' togedder en pray fa rain en dey go' it too. I tellin' yuh peoples gotta work offen dey gwinna ge' to do right place when dey leab heah. Effen de peoples ne'er didn't go to chu'ch in dem days, dey stay home. Ne'er see chillun in de road on Sunday eve'y which uh way lak yuh can see em dese days. My pa say yah mus' train up uh child in de way he oughta go en den effen dey stray 'way, dey sho' come back a'ter while. I tellin' yah de peoples ain' lak dey use'er wus. Dey sho' wickeder en worser in dis day en time den when I raise up. Dey was more friendly den en do more favor for peoples. It jes lak dis, I ain' gwinna do nobody no harm. Effen I can' do em no good, ain' gwinna do no harm en ain' gwinna 'buse neither."
Source: Aunt Silva Durant, colored, Marion, S.C. Personal interview, May 1937.
