JOHN BOYD                    212-SC/#65                                      045
         THE RED SHIRTS HAD A BIG PARADE AND BARBECUE IN SPARTANBURG. THEY MET A
T THE COURTHOUSE. THERE WERE ABOUT 500 RED SHIRTS, BESIDES OTHERS WHO MADE UP A
BIG CROWD. I REMEMBER FOUR LEADERS WHO CAME FROM UNION COUNTY. ONE OF THE COMPAN
IES WAS LED BY SQUIRE GILLIAM JETER, AND ONE BY SQUIRE BILL LYLES. THE COMPANY F
ROM THE CITY WAS LED BY CAPTAIN JAMES DOUGLASS AND "BUCK" KELLEY FROM PEA RIDGE
WAS THERE WITH HIS COMPANY.
         EVERYTHING DRILLED IN SPARTANBURG THAT DAY. THE SPEAKnRS-OF THE&DAYFO
M UNION WERE SQUIRE JETER AND CAPTAIN DOUGLASS. WHILE THEY WERE SPEAKING, OLD SQ
UIRE GEORGE TUCKER FROM LOWER FISH DAM CAME WITH HIS COMPANY. MISTER HARRISON SA
RTOR, FATHER OF WILL SARTOR, WAS ONE OF THE CAPTAINS. WE SAW GENERAL WADE HAMPTO
N AND OLD MAN BEN TILLMAN THERE.
         ABOUT THIS TIME I WAS BOUND OUT TO MISTER JIM GREGORY, A BLACKSMITH. TH
E WEALTHY LANDLORDS BOUGHT NEGROES. MISTER JIM GREGORY WAS THE BLACKSMITH FOR OL
  JOHNNY MEADOR AND AUNT POLLY, HIS WIFE. HE TOLD ME THAT UNCLE JOHNNY BOUGHT A
 MAN, HEATH, FOR $3,500. HE ALSO BOUGHT HEATH'S WIFE, MORROW, FOR AUNT POLLY, BU
T
 I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE PAID. THE MEADOR HOUSE IS JUST THIS SIDE-OF Sr StOw). AuNT
 POLLY'S FATHER, TRIPLETT MEADOR, BUILT THAT MANSION. THE BRICK WERE-MADE rN&A&H
OME KILN WHICH WAS NEAR THE HOUSE. AUNT POLLY WAS A LITTLE GIRL WHEN THE HOUSE W
AS BUILT. WHILE THE BRICK FOR THE SITTING-ROOM FIREPLACE WERE STILL WET, HE MADE
LITTLE POLLY STEP ON EACH ONE OF THEM TO MAKE THE IMPRESSION OF HER FEET. SO THO
SE FOOT PRINTS IN THAT FIREPLACE ARE AUNT POLLY'S WHEN SHE WAS FIVE YEARS OLD. S
HE GREW UP THERE AND MARRIED AND LIVED THERE UNTIL HER DEATH.
         MISS IDA KNIGHT'S HOUSE (FORMERLY THE SIMS HOUSE) WAS BUILT NOT LATER T
HAN 1840. DOCTOR THOMPSON LIVED THERE FIRST. DOCTOR BILLY SIMS MARRIED DOCTOR TH
OMPSON'S SISTER, MISS PATSY, AND THAT IS HOW THE HOUSE GOT INTO THE SIMS FAMILY.
 THE OLD POST OFFICE WAS KNOWN AS SIMStOwN, jND I2BnLIEeE&IT6f S  PNEAR THE NAT
 GIST MANSION. SIMSTOWN WAS THE NAME FOR THE RIVER COMMUNITY FOR YEARS, BECAUSE
THE SIMS SETTLED THERE AND THEY WERE EQUALLY OR MORE PROMINENT THAN THE THOMPSON
S AND GISTS IN THAT COMMUNITY. ALL THE SIMS MEN WERE COUNTRY DOCTORS.
         TO THIS COMMUNITY AT THE CLOSE OF THE CONFEDERATE WAR, CAME OLD-MjN-OpL
E TATE, HIS WIFE AND BEN SHELL, AS REFUGEES, FLEEING FROM THE YANKEES. WHEN THEY
$CAME INTO THE COMMUNITY, NA T GIST GAVE THEM A NICE HOUSE TO LIVE rNOON8HSPPLA
 NTATION.

         MISTER GREGORY GOT ALL THE SHEET IRON USED ON THE MEADOR AND GIST-PLjNT
ATIONS AND ALSO ON THE SIMS AND THOMPSON PLANTATIONS. PLOWS WERE MADE IN HIS BLA
CKSMITH SHOP FROM 10 INCH SHEET IRON. THE SHEET WAS HEATED AND BEATEN INTO SHAPE
WITH HIS HAMMER. AFTER COOLING , THE TOOLS COULD BE SHARPENED. HORSE AND MULE SH
OES WERE MADE FROM SLENDER IRON RODS, BOUGHT FOR THAT PURPOSE. THEY WERE CALLED
"SLATS", AND THIS GRADE OF IRON WAS KNOWN AS "SLAT IRON". THE SHOE WAS MOULDED W
HILE HOT, AND BEATEN INTO THE CORRECT SHAPE TO FIT THE ANIMAL'S FOOT. THOSE OLD
SHOES FIT MUCH BETTER THAN THE STORE-BOUGHT ONES OF MORE RECENT DAYS. THE HORSES
HOE NAILS WERE MADE THERE, TOO. IN FACT, EVERY FARM IMPLEMENT OF IRON WAS MADE F
FROM FLAT OR SHEET IRON.
         I SPUN THE FIRST PANTS THAT I WORE. MA SEWED THEM oOR-ME&jnD wOeE&jnDF
INISHED THEM WITH HER HANDS. SHE MADE THE THREAD THAT THEY WERE SEWED WITH BY HA
ND ON THE LOOM. I MADE CLOTH FOR ALL MY SHIRTS. I WORE HOME-MADE COTTON UNDERWEA
R IN SUMMER AND WINTER, FOR WE WERE POOR. OF COURSE MY WINTER CLOTHES WERE HEAVI
ER.
         WE RAISED SOME SHEEP, AND THE WINTER WOOLENS WERE MADE FROM THE WOOL SH
EARED FROM THE SHEEP EVERY MAY. WOOL WAS TAKEN TO THE FACTORY AT BIVENSVILLE AND
 THERE MADE INTO YARN. OFTEN, COTTON WAS SWAPPED FOR YARN TO WARP AT HOME. THnN
MA RAN IT OFF ON SPOOLS FOR HER LOOM. "SLEIGH HAMMERS" WERE MADE FROM CANE GOTTE
$ OFF THE CREEK BANKS AND COTTONS.
          AUNT POLLY MEADOR HAD NO PATROLLERS ON HER PLACE. SHE WOULD NOT jLLOW-
O
NE THERE, FOR SHE DID HER OWN PATROLLING WITH HER OWN WHIP AND TWO BULL DOGS. SH
E NEVER HAD AN OVERSEER ON HER PLACE, EITHER. NEITHER DID SHE LET UNCLE JOHNNY D
O THE WHIPPING. THOSE TWO DOGS HELD THEM AND SHE DID HER OWN WHIPPING. ONE NIGHT
 SHE WENT TO THE QUARTER AND FOUND OLD "BILL PEA LEGS" THERE AFTER ONE OF HER NE
GRO WOMEN. HE CRAWLED UNDER THE BED WHEN HE HEARD AUNT POLLY COMING. THOSE DOGS
PULLED OLD "PEA LEGS" OUT AND SHE GAVE HIM A SHIPPING THAT HE NEVER FORGOT. SHE
WHIPPED THE WOMAN, ALSO.
         MORG WAS MORROW'S NICKNAME. NORG USED TO SIT-ON THEMEAT BLOCK AND CUT
THE MEAT FOR AUNT POLLY TO GIVE OUT. MORG WOULD EAT HER THREE POUNDS OF RAW MEAT
 RIGHT THERE. UNCLE JOHNNY ASKED HER WHAT SHE WOULD DO ALL THE WEEK WITHOUT ANY
MEAT. SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD TAKE THE SKIN AND GREASE HER MOUTH EVERY MORNING;
THEN GO ON TO THE FIELD OR HOUSE AND DO HER WORK AND WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT SATURDA
$ FOR MORE.
          I DO NOT KNOW HOW OLD I AM, BUT I WELL REMEMBER WHEN WHEELER'S MEN CAM
E
 TO THE PLANTATION. THEY TORE UP EVERYTHING. WE HEARD THAT THEY WERE COMING, SO
WE DUG HOLES AND BURIED THE MEAT AND EVERYTHING WE COULD. WE HID THEM SO WELL TH
AT WE COULD NEVER FIND SOME OF THEM OURSELVES. WHEELER AND 36 MEN STOPPED ON THE
 DICK JETER PLACE. I THINK THAT WAS IN 1864. THE JETER PLACE TOUCHED MISS POLLY'
S PLANTATION. THE JETER PLACE WAS RIGHT NEAR NEAL SHOALS ON BROAD RIVER. MISTER
JETER HAD THE BIGGEST GIN HOUSE IN THE ENTIRE TOWNSHIP. OLD MISTER DICK WAS AT H
OME BECAUSE HE WAS TOO OLD TO GO TO THE WAR. PA WAS STILL IN THE WAR THEN, OF CO
URSE. MA AND I AND ONE OF THE OTHER CHILDREN AND A FEW DARKIES WERE AT OUR HOME.
         WE SAW WHEELER AND HIS MEN WHEN THEY STOPPED AT THAT GIN HOUSE. THEY BE
GAN TO RANSACK IMMEDIATELY. WHEELER GAVE SOME ORDERS TO HIS MEN AND GALLOPED OFF
$TOWARDS OUR HOUSE. THE NEGROES RAN BUT MA AND I STAYED IN THE HOUSE. WHEELERO
 DE UP IN FRONT OF THE DOOR AND SPOKE TO MY MOTHER. HE SAID THAT HE HAD TO FEED
H
IS MEN AND HORSES AND ASKED HER WHERE THE CORN WAS. SHE TOLD HIM THAT THE GIN HO
USE AND THE CRIB WHICH CONTAINED THE CORN DID NOT BELONG TO HER, SO SHE COULD NO
T GIVE HIM THE KEYS. AT THAT HE ORDERED HIS MEN TO REMOVE A LOG FROM THE CRIB. B
Y THIS MEANS THEY BROKE INTO THE CRIB AND GOT ALL THE CORN. THEY THEN RANSACKED
THE HOUSE AND TOOK EVERYTHING THERE WAS TO EAT. THEY TORE OUT THE BIG COG WHEEL
IN THE GIN AND CAMPED IN IT FOR THE NIGHT. NEXT MORNING THEY SET FIRE TO THE GIN
AND THEN GALLOPED AWAY. SOON MISTER JETER'S BIG GIN HAD GONE UP IN FLAMES. THEY
TOOK ALL OF OUR CORN AND ALL OF THE FODDER, 200 BUNDLES THAT WE HAD IN THE BARN,
AWAY WITH THEM.
  X   XXX
STP