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WASHINGTON DOZIER, AGE-90. SLAVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA. S.C.#75
     THIS HERE SURE IS WASHINGTON DOZIER.  THAT IS WHAT  THE HARD TIME L FTOOF8H
IM.  I WAS BORN AND RAISED THERE IN FLORENCE COUNTY THE EIGHTEENTH OF DECEMBER,
1847.  DONT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT MY FATHER'S NAME WAS, BUT MY MOTHER TOLD ME HE WAS
 NAMED DOZIER.  MY MOTHER WAS BECKY AND SHE BELONGED TO OLD MAN WILES GREGG THER
E ON THE CHARLESTON ROAD.  I HAVE TWO SISTERS AND ONE BROTHER, BUT NOT ALL OF ON
E FATHER.  I SUPPOSE BROTHER HENRY WAS MY WHOLE BROTHER AND FANNIE AND CAROLINE
WAS JUST MY HALF SISTERS.
     WELL, DEY NEVER HAVE SO MUCH OF SOMETHING, BUT I RECOLLECT D(Y MAKE D(Y OWN
 PRODUCE DEN. OH, DEY LIVE VERY WELL. WE CALL IT GOOD LIVING AT DAT TIME.
COURSE DE BEDDING DE COLORED PEOPLES HAVE WASN'T MUCH CAUSE DEY JES HAVE SOME KI
ND OF HOME MADE STUFF DEN. WE RAISE IN A THREE ROOM HOUSE WHAT HAVE FLOOR ON TWO
 OF DE ROOMS. HAVE HOUSE RIGHT DERE ON DE GREGG PLANTATION. FAMILY WENT FROM AGE
 TO AGE IN DAT DAY EN TIME  DEY OF MASSA NAME. I MEMBER MY GRANDMOTHER WAS
NAMED FANNIE GREGG. NOW, I TELL YOU HOW I COUNT FOR ME HAVE DE NAME DOZIER, I
JES SUPPOSE DAT COME FROM ME FATHER.
     HAD TO DO SOME SORT OF WORK IN DEM DAYS LIKE HOE CORN AND REPLANT AND SO ON
LIKE DAT, BUT NEVER DIDN'T DO NO MAN WORK. WAS JES A HALF HAND, DAT IS ABOUT SO.
 DEY GIVE US PLENTY SOMETHING TO EAT DEN, BUT NEVER PAY US NO MONEY.  COURSE DEY
 DIDN'T ALLOW US NO CHOICE OF WHAT WE EAT AT DAT TIME. HAVE PLENTY MEAT AND CORN
 BREAD AND MOLASSES MOST ALL DE TIME. DEN DEY LET US HAVE A GARDEN OF WE OWN AND
 WE HUNT POSSUM MANY A TIME AND CATCH FISH TOO.  MEAT WAS DE THING DAT I LIKE MO
STLY.
     DEY GIVE US GOOD CLOTHES TO PUT ON OUR BACK WHAT DEY HAVE MAKE ON DE PLANTA
TION AND IN DE WINTER, DEY GIVE US GOOD WARM CLOTHES. JES WEAR WHAT EVER DE WHIT
E FOLKS GIVE US. DIDN'T TAKE NO EFFECT AT ALL ABOUT SUNDAY CLOTHES.
     FIRST TIME I MARRY I HAVE  A VERY GOOD WEDDING. MARRY OLE MAN GURLEY DAUGHT
ER OVER IN FLORENCE COUNTY. DONT KNOW EXACTLY HOW OLE I WAS DEN, BUT I CAN TELL
 YOU DIS MUCH, I WASN'T IN NO HURRY TO MARRY. ALL COLORED PEOPLES HAD TO DO TO M
ARRY DEN WAS TO GO TO DEIR MASSA EN GET A PERMIT AND CONSIDER DEMSELVES MAN AND
 WIFE. I RECOLLECT DAT WE HAVE A VERY GOOD WEDDING SUPPER DERE. I MARRY GEORGEAN
NA DE SECOND TIME AND I HAVE FOUR HEAD OF CHILLUN BY ME FIRST WIFE AND FOUR HEAD
 OF CHILLUN BY ME SECOND WIFE. NEVER COULDN'T TELL HOW MANY GRANDCHILLUN I GOT.
     MY MASSA AND MISSUS WAS MIGHTY PIOUS GOOD PEOPLE. DEY GO TO PREACHING DERE
 TO HOPEWELL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ALL DE TIME. DE MAN WHAT WAS DE PREACHER DERE D
EN WAS NAME FRIERSON. DE COLORED PEOPLES GO DERE TO DAT SAME CHURCH AND SAT IN D
E GALLERY.  YOU KNOW DEIR SPIRITUAL HYMNS AND DEIR REELS. I CAN SING ONE OF DEM
 DAT I USED TO SING IN MY SLUMBERING HOURS:
     NOW DE ANGELS SING DAT TO ME IN MY SLUMBERING HOUR AND DEY SING IT DAT I MI
GHT GIVE IT DE LIVING HERE ON DIS EARTH. WELL, I KNOW RIGHT SMART OF DEM SONG CA
USE ACCORDING TO MY EXPERIENCE, DE HYMN BOOK WHAT TO FENCE DE HUMAN FAMILY IN. I
 GOT A GOOD SET OF LUNGS AND I WAS DE ONE WHAT LED DE FLOCK DEN. DERE JES ONE GR
AND REASON WHY I CANT SING RIGHT WELL DIS AFTERNOON, YOU IS TAKE ME ON DE SURPRI
SE LIKE.
     I WAS JES A CHjP rN slAVnRY TrME jND I HAD TO STAY DnRE qOME jLL DE TrME WH
ERE DERE DIDN'T NO HARM COME ABOUT ME.       DEY LET WE CHILLUN PLAY MARBLES AND
 BALL ALL WE WANT TO DEN. JES CHuNlK DE BALL TO ONE  ANOTHER OVER DE HOUSE. DAT
 HOW WE PLAY BALL IN DEM TIMES. MY WHITE FOLKS DIDN'T DO NOTHIN BUT STAY HOME AN
D GO TO CHURCH MEETINGS. DEY NEVER DIDN'T PUNISH NONE OF DEY COLORED PEOPLES AND
 DIDN'T ALLOW NO OTHER PEOPLE TO DO IT NEITHER. I COULDN'T TELL YOU8HOW MANY SLA
VES DEY OWN BUT DEY HAVE MORE SLAVES BY DE INCREASE OF DEY FAMILIES. DEY HAVE
SO MANY DAT SOME OF DE TIME DEY WOULD HIRE SOME OF DEM OUT TO  ANOTHER PLANTATIO
N. NEVER DIDN'T SEE EM SELL NONE OF DEY COLORED PEOPLES. I KNOW DIS MUCH, DAT
WAS  A RIGHT GOOD PLACE TO LIVE.
     I HEARD TELL OF TROUBLE BETWEEN DE WHITES AND DE COLORED PEOPLES, BUT DERE
 WASN'T NONE OF DAT ROUND WHERE I STAY. DEY SAY SOME OF DE SLAVES RUN AWAY FOR B
AD TREATMENT AND STAY IN DE WOODS. DIDN'T HAVE NO JAILS DEN AND WHEN DEY WOULD C
ATCH EM, DEY WOULD BUFF EM AND GAG EM AND HOSS WHIP EM.  NOW, I NEVER SEE NONE O
F DAT BUT I HEARD TELL OF IT.
     MY MASSA NEVER DIDN'T WORK US HARD LIKE. COURSE AS DE DAY WOULD COME, DE
HANDS HAD TO GO UP TO DE BIG HOUSE AND GO ABOUT DEIR BUSINESS, BUT DEY ALWAYS
KNOCK OFF EARLY AN A SATURDAY EVENING AND LET EVERYBODY DO JES WHAT DEY WANNA DE
RE ON DE PLANTATION. NEVER DIDN'T USE NO HORN TO WAKE DEY COLORED PEOPLES UP AND
  DIDN'T MAKE EM WORK ON DE BIG CHRISTMAS DAY AND NEW YEARS NEITHER. NEVER HAD N
O OTHER HOLIDAYS BUT DEM TWO.  MY MASSA GIVE ALL HIS COLORED PEOPLES A BIG CHRIS
TMAS DINNER  TO DE WHITE FOLKS HOUSE. JES HAVE PLENTY OF FRESH MEAT AND RICE AND
 BISCUIT AND CAKE FOR EVERYBODY DAT DAY.
     DEY HAVE FUNERAL FOR DE COLORED PEOPLES DEN JES LIKE DEY HAVE DESE DAYS
EXCEPT DEY NEVER HAVE NO PREACHER ABOUT. ALL DE SLAVES STOP WORKING FOR DE FUNER
AL AND DEY WOULD JES CARRY DE BODY AND PERMIT IT TO DE GROUND AS WAS DE USUAL TH
ING TE DO. COURSE DEY HAVE PLENTY SINGING DERE.
     DEM THING WHAT PEOPLE CALL GHOSTS, DEY IS EVIL WALKS. I KNOW DIS MUCH, DE S
PIRIT OF DE BODY TRAVELS AND DAT DE TRUTH SURE AS I LIVING HERE. COURSE I AIN'T
 NEVER SEE NONE OF DEM THING AND I AIN'T SCARED OF NOTHIN NEITHER. DONT NEVER PA
Y NO ATTENTION TO NO BLACK CAT AND THING LIKE DAT. AIN'T BOTHER WID NONE OF DEM
CHARM NEITHER. DE PEOPLES USED TO HAVE DEIR OWN DOCTOR BOOK AND DEY SEARCH IN
DAT AND USE WHAT IT SAY DO. DEY NEVER USE NO MEDICINE AT ALL DEN BUT CALOMEL AND
 CASTOR OIL AND TURPENTINE.
     I SURE MEMBER WHEN DE FIRST GUN SHOOT DERE TO FORT SUMTER. AS FAR AS I CAN
RECOLLECT, IT WAS IN JUNE. DE YANKEES COME THROUGH DERE AND TO MY KNOWING, DEY
BEHAVED VERY WELL. JES ASK MY MASSA FOR SOMETHING TO EAT AND DAT WAS ALL DEY DON
E. DERE SURE WAS A REJOICING AMONG SOME OF DE COLORED PEOPLES WHEN DEY TELL EM
DEY WAS FREE AS DE WHITE FOLKS WAS. SOME OF DEM LEAVE DEIR MASSA'S PLANTATION
JES AS SOON AS DEY KNEW  DEY WAS FREE, BUT WE NEVER DO DAT. JES STAYED RIGHT ON
 DERE WID MISTER GREGG AND WORK FOR ONE THIRD OF WHAT DEY MAKE. COURSE DE WHITE
 FOLKS FURNISH ALL DE WEAR AND TEAR OF EVERYTHING.
     DEY ArN'T-NEVnR HAVE NO SCHOOLS oOR DE COLORED PEOPLES NO WHERE ABOUT WHnRE
 I STAY BEFORE FREEDOM COME HERE. WASN'T LONG AFTER DE WAR DAT FREE SCHOOLS WAS
OPEN UP DERE. IT JES LIKE DIS, I AIN'T BOTHER WID DEM SCHOOLS MUCH DEN, BUT I CA
N READ RIGHT SMART. JES CATCH IT AS I COME ALONG AND WHAT I CATCH, I PUT DAT TO
 WORK. I IS WENT TO ONE OF DESE NIGHT SCHOOLS DEY HAVE ABOUT HERE NOT LONG GONE.
     MISTER ABRAHAM LINCOLN, I AIN'T NEVER SEE HIM, BUT I KNOW HE WAS PRESIDENT
 OF DE UNITED STATES. AIN'T NEVER SEE MISTER JEFFERSON DAVIS NEITHER. DEY WAS
OPPOSITIONALIST DEN, I SURE KNOW DAT.
     IT JES LIKE DIS, I THINK DIS A BETTER DAY WE LIVE IN DESE TIMES. WHEN WE BE
LONG TO DE WHITE FOLKS, WE LIVE , AND AFTER WE WAS FREE WE LIVE RIGHT ON. I THIN
K BEING FREE DE BEST TIME TO LIVE. BETTER TO BE LOOSE DEN TIED CAUSE DONT
CARE HOW GOOD YOUR OWNER, YOU HAD TO BE UNDER THEIR JURISDICTION, AINT THAT RIGH
T?
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