HENRY JAMES TRENTHAM         177-NC/#13                                      006
         I WUS BORN DE SECOND DAY OF DECEMBER 1845. DAT WOULD MAKE ME 92 YEARS O
F AGE. I WUS BORN ON A PLANTATION NEAR CAMDEN, S.C. I BELONGED TO DOCTOR TRENTHA
MAND MY MISSUS WUS NAMED ELIZABETH. MY FATHER WUS NAMED JAMES TRENTHAM AND MOTHE
R WUS NAMED LORIE. I HAD TWO BROTHERS AND ONE SISTER. WE ALL BELONGED TO DOCTOR
TRENTHAM.
         MARSTER'S PLANTATION WUS A AWFUL BIG PLANTATION WITH 'BOUT FOUR HUNDRED
SLAVES ON IT. IT WUS A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE WATEREE RIVER. THE SLAVE HOUSES L
OOKED LIKE A SMALL TOWN AND DERE WUS GRIST MILLS FOR CORN, COTTONGIN, SHOE SHOPS
, TANNING YARDS, AND LOTS OF LOOMS FOR WEAVIN' CLOTH. MOST OF DE SLAVES COOKED A
T DERE OWN HOUSES, DAT DEY CALLED SHACKS. DEY WUS GIVE A 'LOWANCE OF RATIONS EVE
VRY WEEK. DE RATIONS WUS TOLERABLY GOOD, JEST BOUT LIKE PEOPLE EAT NOW. DERE WUS
 A JAIL ON DE PLACE FOR TO PUT SLAVES IN, AN IN DE JArL DnRE WUS A-PLACE tO-PUT
YOUR HANDS IN CALLED STOCKS. SLAVES WUS PUT DERE FOR PUNISHMENT.
         I SEED LOTS OF SLAVES SHUPPED BY DE OVERSEERS. MARSTER HAD FOUR OVERSEE
RS ON DE PLACE AN' DEY DROVE US FROM SUNUP TILL SUNSET. SOME OF DE WOMAN PLOWED
BAREFOOTED MOST ALL DE TIME, AN' HAD TO CARRY DAT ROW AN' KEEP UP WID DE MEN, AN
' DEN DO DERE COOKIN' AT NIGHT.
         WE HATED TO SEE DE SUN RISE IN SLAVERY TIME CAUSE IT MEANT ANUDDER HARD
 DAY, BUT DEN WE WUS GLAD TO SEE IT GO DOWN.
         MARSTER LIVED IN A LARGE TWO STORY HOUSE WID 'BOUT TWELVE ROOMS IN IT.
WE CALLED IT DE PLANTATION HOUSE. DERE WUS A CHURCH ON DE PLANTATION AN' BOTH WH
ITE AN' BLACK WENT TO PREACHIN' DERE. DERE WUS SUNDAY SCHOOL DERE TOO. DE PREACH
ER TOLE US TO OBEY OUR MISSUS AN' MARSTER. HE TOLE US WE MUST BE OBEDIENT TO 'EM
. YES SIR, DAT'S WHAT HE TOLE US. SOME OF DE SLAVES RUN AWAY. WHEN DEY WUS CAUGH
T DEY WUS WHUPPED AND PUT IN DE STOCKS IN DE JAIL. SOME OF DE SLAVES DAT RUN AWA
Y NEVER DID COME BACK. DE OVERSEERS TOLE US DEY GOT KILLED REASON DEY NEVER COME
BACK.
         DE PATTEROLLERS COME ROUND EVER NOW AN' DEN AN' IF YOU WUS OFF DE PLANT
ATION AN' HAD NO PASS DEY TORE YOU UP WID DE LASH.
         MARSTER AN' MISSUS RODE AROUND IN A CARRIAGE DRAWN BY TWO HORSES AND DR
IVEN BY A DRIVER. DEY HAD FOUR WOMAN TO WORK IN DE HOUSE AS COOKS, MAIDS, AN' DE
LIKE.
         NO HUNTIN' WUS ALLOWED A SLAVE IF NO WHITE MAN WUS WID 'I*, AN' DEY6W S
 NOT ALLOWED TO CARRY GUNS.
         DE CORN SHUCKIN'S WUS A GREAT TIME. MARSTER GIVE GOOD LICKER TO EVERYBO
DY DEN. WHEN ANYBODY SHUCKED A RED EAR HE GOT A EXTRA DRINK OF WHISKEY . WE HAD
BIG SUPPERS DEN AN' A GOOD TIME AT CORN SHUCKIN'S. ATTER DE SHUCKIN' AT NIGHT DE
E WOULD BE A WRASTLIN' MATCH TO SEE WHO WAS BES' ON DE PLANTATION. WE GOT A WEEK
HOLIDAY AT CHRISTMAS. DEN WUS DE TIME SHOES WUS GIVE TO DE SLAVES, AN' DE GOOD T
IMES GENERALLY A WEEK. AT LAY-BY TIME WUS ANOTHER BIG TIME. DAT WUS 'BOUT DE FOU
RTH OF JULY. DEY GIVE A BIG DINNER AN' EVERYBODY ET ALL DE BARBECUE AN' CAKE DEY
 WANTED.
         I SAW SLAVES SOLD AT CAMDEN. MARSTER CARRIED SOME SLAVES DERE AN' PUT '
EM ON DE AUCTION BLOCK AN' SOLD 'EM. I WUS CARRIED BUT I WUS NOT SOLD. I WENT WI
TH THE OLD DOCTOR. I WUS HIS PET. DEY CARRIED SLAVES AWAY FROM DE PLANTATION IN
CHAINS. DEY CARRIED FIVE OR SIX AT A TIME. IF A NIGGER DIDN'T SUIT HIM HE SOLD H
IM.
         MISSUS DIDN'T LIKE FOR HIM TO BEAT 'EM SO MUCH NO HOW.   DE OLD DOCTOR
AD THREE BOYS, WILLIAM, SIDNEY, AND HENRY AND TWO GIRLS, MISSIE AND CARRIE.
         DEY WOULD NOT ALLOW SLAVES NO BOOKS AN' I CAN'T READ A)'6WRIT(. I DID-N
OT GIT ANY LEARNIN.
        6>HEN A SLAVE  IED D    RE WUS ON$Y A6F W  OGO TO DE BURYIN. DEY DIDN'T
HA
VE TIME TO GO, DEY WUS SO BUSY WORKIN'. DE SLAVES WUS BURRIED IN PLAIN WOOD BOXE
S WHICH WUS MADE BY SLAVE MEN ON DE PLANTATION. OUR MARSTER LOOKED ATTER US WHEN
 WE GOT SIC].
         I MARRIED ELLA DAVIS 31 YEARS AGO IN SOUTH CAROLINA, NEAR CAMDEN. WE HA
D TWELVE CHILLUNS, SIX BOYS AND SIX GIRLS.
         SLAVERY WUS PRETTY ROUGH AND I AM GLAD IT IS ALLOOV .


  X   XXX
STP