HENRY RYAN
     I WAS BORN IN EDGEFIELD COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, ABOUT 1854.  I WAS THE SON
OF LARKIN AND CHENY RYAN WHO WAS THE SLAVES OF JUDGE PICKENS BUTLER WHO LIVED AT
 EDGEFIELD COURTHOUSE.  I HAS SOME BROTHERS AND SISTERS, BUT DON'T REMEMBER THEM
 ALL.  WE LIVED IN A LOG HOUSE WITH BUT ONE ROOM.  WE HAD GOOD BEDS TO SLEEP IN,
 AND LAWAYS HAD PLENTY TO EAT.  OLD JUDGE BUTLER WAS A GOOD MAN.  I WAS 10 YEARS
 OLD WHEN HE DIED.  BEFORE THEN I WORKED IN AND AROUND THE HOUSE, AND FREEDOM CO
ME I STAYED WITH THE BUTLER FAMILY TWO YEARS, THEN WENT TO DOCTOR MAXWELL'S.
     IN SLAVERY TIME WE HAD EXTRA PATCHES OF GROUND TO WORK FOR OURSELVES WHICH
WE SOMETIMES WORKED ON SATURDAY AFTERNOONS AS WE HAD DAT TIME OFF.  JUDGE BUTLER
 USED TO GIVE US A LITTLE MONEY, TOO, BEFORE FREEDOM COME, FOR OUR WORK.  WE BOU
GHT CLOTHES AND THINGS WE HAD TO HAVE.  WE HAD A BOG PLANTATION GARDEN DAT THE O
VERSEERS PLANTED FOR ALL ON DE PLACE TO EAT OUT OF.
     WE USED TO HUNT 'POSSUMS, RABBITS, SQUIRRELS, WILD TURKEYS, DOVES PARTRIDGE
S, AND SET TRAPS FOR PARTRIDGES AND SET BOX GUMS FOR RABBITS.  WE HAD GOOD FOOD
THEN, PLENTY PEAS, CORNBREAD AND WILD GAME.  WHEN WINTER TIME COME WE PUT ON WOO
L CLOTHES AND HEAVY SHOES.
     OLD MARSE BUTLER AND HIS MISTRESS WAS GOOD, DE BEST FOLKS IN DE COUNTRY.  T
HEY LIVED IN A BIG HOUSE, HAD A GIRL AND AN  BOY, AND OVER 1000 OR MYBE 2000 ACR
ES OF LAND, ON SEVERAL FARMS.  ONE WAS ON SALUDA RIVER.  HIS OVERSEERS SOME WAS
NO GOOD, BUT MASTER WOULDN'T LET THEM TREAT SLAVES CRUEL, JUST LIGHT WHIPPING.
     WE USED TO HAVE TO WAKE UP AT SUNUP AND WORK TILL SUNDOWN.  WE DIDN'T LEARN
 TO READ AND WRITE BUT WE HAD A PRAYER HOUSE ON DE PLANTATION WHERE WE COULD GO
TO SOMETIMES, UNTIL FREEDOM COME, THEN WE WENT ON TO IT JUST THE SAME.  OLD MAN
BENNEFIELD, A NIGGER PREACHER, TALKED TO US THERE.  I CAN 'MEMBER ONE OF DE FAVO
RITE SONGS WE SUNG:  SHOW PITY, O LORD, FORGIVE, LET E'ER REPENTANT SINNER LIVE;
  ARE-NOT THY-MERCIES LARGE AND FREE, MAY NOT A SINNER TRUST IN THEE.  MY CRIMES
 ARE GREAT AND CAN'T SURPASS,
     NOE OF MAJOR PICKENS BUTLER'S SLAVES EVER WENT AWAY FROM HIM, BUT SOME IN D
E NEIGHBORHOOD DID RUN AWAY, AND DEY NEVER HEARD OF DEM AGAIN.
     THE PADERROLLERS WOULD CATCH A NIGGER IF HE DIDN'T HAVE A PASS.  SOME WOULD
 PASS AND REPASS IN THE ROAD, AND MAYBE GET CATCHED AND SUCH SCUFFLING WOULD GO
ON]
     WE WORKED ON SATURDAY AFTERNOONS UNLESS BOSS GIVE TIME OFF TO WORK OUR OWN
LITTLE PATCHES OR DO SOME OTHER WORK WE HAD TO DO.  BUT SOME WOULD FROLIC THEN A
ND WASH UP FOR SUNDAY, OR SET AROUND.  ON SUNDAY WE WENT TO CHURCH AND TALKED TO
 NEIGHBORS.  ON CHRISTMAS WE CELEBRATED BY HAVING A BIG DINNER WHICH THE MASTER
 GIVE US.  WE HAD THREE DAYS HOLIDAY OR SOMETIMES A WEEK.  WE HAD NEW YEAR'S DAY
 AS A SPECIAL DAY FOR WORKING, 'CAUSE IT WAS A SIGN IF WE WORKED GOOD DAT DAY, W
E WOULD WORK GOOD ALL DE YEAR.  THE WHITE FOLKS HAD CORNSHUCKINGS AND COTTON PIC
KINGS IN SLAVERY AND AFTER FREEDOM TOO.  DEN WOULD HAVE BIG SUPPER.  SOME NEIGHB
ORS WALK TEN MILES, LIKE WALKING TO CHURCH OR TO SCHOOL.  DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING
OF WALKING DAT FAR.
     SOME OF DE GAMES PLAYED BY CHILDREN WERE MARBLES, JUMP ROPE.
     ONCE AN OLD MAN HAD HIS DOG TRAINED TO SAY HIS PRAYERS.  THE DOG WAS FED BU
T WOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO EAT UNTIL HE PUT HIS PAWS IN FRONT AND BOW HIS HEAD ON
DEM; DE OLD MAN SAY TO HIM, NO, NO, YOU DIE AND GO TO HELL IF YOU DON'T SAY YOUR
 PRAYERS.
     ONCE ANOTHER FELLOW, A NIGGER, SAID HE WAS GOING TO HIS WIFE'S HOUSE TO SEE
 HER;  BUT HE HAD TO PASS HIS OLD PARTNER'S PLACE ON DE WAY, WHO WAS DEAD.  WHEN
 HE pOT-OPPOSITE THE PARTNER'S PLACE SOMETHING, MAYBE A GHOST, CAME TO HIM AND W
RESTLED WITH HIM AND WOULDN'T LET HIM GO ON TO SEE HIS WIFE, SO HE COME BACK TO
HIS MASTER'S HOUSE AND STAYED.
     WHEN THE SLAVES GOT SICK THEY HAD DOCTORS, AND USED OLD HERBS.  JERUSALEM O
RE WAS A KIND OF HERB FOR CHILDREN, TO BUILD THEM UP, AND THERE WAS FIELD GRASS
ROOTS AND HERB ROOTS WHICH WAS BOILED AND TEA DRUNK FOR FEVERS.  AND PRIMERRHINE
 TEA WHICH WAS DRUNK TOO.  SOMETIMES THEY WOULD HANG GARLIC AROUND SMALL BOYS AN
D GIRLS NECKS TO KEEP AWAY ANY KIND OF SICKNESS.
     WE DIDN'T HAVE SCHOOLS;  STARTED THEM THE SECOND YEAR AFTER FREEDOM.  OLD G
ENERAL BUTLER GIVE US OLD SLAVES A HOME EACH AND A SMALL PATCH TO WORK.
     I MARRIED WHEN I WAS 21 YEARS OLD, THE FIRST TIME IN EDGEFIELD COUNTY, NOW
CALLED SALUDA COUNTY.  I HAVE SIX CHILDREN, NINE GRANDCHILDREN, AND FOUR GREAT G
RANCHILDREN.  I THINK ABE LINCOLN WAS A GOOD MAN AND HE WAS PROVIDENTIAL ARRANGE
MENT.  I THINK JEFF DAVIS WAS GOOD MAN, SAME.  BOOKER T WASHINGTON IS GOOD MAN,
DONE LOTS FOR YOUNG NIGGERS.  I RATHER LIKE IT NOW, AND NOT SLAVERY TIME.  I JOI
NED  CHURCH WHEN I WAS 18 TO TURN FROM EVIL WAYS AND TO LIVE A BETTER LIFE.
 X  XXX