MARY JOHNSON 0352-SC_/# I WAS BORN SEVEN MILES FROM NEWBERRY, NEAR JALAPA. I WAS A SLAVE OF JOHN J OHNSON AND HIS WIFE, POLLY JOHNSON. THEY WAS GOOD TO DERE SLAVES. MY DADDY WAS DANILE AND MY MUDDER ELISA JOHNSON WHO WAS SLAVES OF MARSTER JOHN JOHNSON. MY MUDDER COME FROM GEORGIA WHEB SHE WAS 14 YEARS OLD, BOUGHT BY MARSE JOHNSON. WE LIVED IN A LITTLE ONE-ROOM HOUSE IN DERE YARD. THE MISTRESS LEARNED ME TO CARD AND SPIN, AND TO WEAVE WHEN I WAS A CHILD. WHEN I WAS OLD ENOUGH, DEY PUT ME I IN DE FIELD TO WORK, HOE AND PICK COTTON. WE GOT NO MONEY FOR WORKING, BUT GOT OUR PLACE TO LIVE, SOME VICTUALS AND A FEW CLOTHES TO WEAR. WE HAD NO GARDEN, B UT HELPED DE MISTRESS IN HER GARDEN AND SHE GIVE US SOMETHING TO EAT FROM IT. W E HAD HOMESPUN DRESSES; WE MADE NOT MUCH UNDERCLOTHES, BUT SOMETIMES IN AWFUL CO LD WEATHER, WE HAD RED FLANNEL UNDERSKIRTS. NIGGER BOYS IN SLAVERY WHEN DERE WORK WAS DONE IN EVENING, SOMETIME WENT HU NTING AND CAUGHT RABBITS, SQUIRRELS, OR 'POSSUMS. WE GOT UP AT SUN-UP IN MORNINGS AND WORKED 'TILL SUN-DOWN. WE HAD SATURDAY AFTERNOON OFF TO DO ANYTHING WE WANTED TO DO. AT CHRISTMAS TIME, WE GOT DAT DA Y OFF, AND DE MASTER WOULD HAVE A BIG DINNER WID ALL KINDS GOOD THINGS TO EAT, S PREAD OUT IN DE YARD. WE NEVER DID LEARN TO READ OR WRITE - HAD NO NIGGER SCHOOL AND HAD NO NIGGE R CHURCH, BUT SOMETIMES DE WHITE FOLKS WOULD HAVE US GO TO DERE CHURCH AND SET I N BACK SEAT OR GALLERY. THE WHITE FOLKS HAD COTTON PICKINGS AND CORN SHUCKINGS OFTEN AND WE HELPED. DEY HAD GOOD DINNERS FOR THEM COMING TO IT. DE CHILDRENS, WHITE AND BLACK PLA YED MARBLES SOMETIMES, AND PLAYED BASE. US SLAVE CHILDREN PLAYED BASE AND JUMPE D FORM ONE BASE TO ANOTHER BEFORE COULD BE CAUGHT; AND WE SING; "CAN I GIT TO MO LLY'S BRIGHT? THREE COURSE AND TEN. CAN I GET THERE BY CANDLE-LIGHT? YES, IF Y OUR LEGS ARE LONG AND LIGHT." MARSE JOHN'S YOUNGEST SON GOT TO BE A DOCTOR. HE WAS A GOOD MAN AND HELPED US WHEN WE WAS SICK. HE DID NOT GIBE HERBS MUCH, BUT SOME OF DE OLE FOLKS USED LIFE EVERLASTING, NOW CALLED RABBIT TOBACCO, FOR CURE OF BAD COLDS OR PNEUMONIA. DEY BOILED IT AND MAKE A PLASTER AND PUT IT ON SORE PLACES OF CHEST. DEY USED HOLLY BUSH OR SPICE BUSH BARK, BOILED TO A TEA AND DRUNK FOR SICKNESS. DE PADDERROLLERS COME IN DAT SECTION, THEY RODE AT NIGHT AND IF CAUGHT, A N IGGER, WHEN HE WAS OUT OF HIS PLACE, WOULD BE TOOK IN AND TOLD DAT HE WOULD GET 25 LASHES IF HE WAS CAUGHT AGAIN. WHEN DE WAR WAS OVER, DE YANKEES WENT THROUGH BUT DIDN'T BOTHER US; BUT DEY STOLD HORSES, MULES, COWS, AND SUPPLIES. WHEN FR EEDOM COME, WE LEFT THE PLACE, 'CAUSE MARSE JOHNSON AND SOME HIS FOLKS WENT TO M ISSISSIPPI. WHE HIRED OUT TO KIRK RICHARDS NEARBY. DE KU KLUX WAS NOT A BOTHER. DEY JUS MARCHED SOMETIMES AT NIGHT, WID LONG WHITE SHEETS OVER DEM, AND ALL OVER DE HORSES. DERE HEADS WERE COVERED WITH SMA LL HOLES FOR EYES, NOSE, AND MOUTH, AND HAD LONG WHITE EARS LIKE A HORSES EARS. I THINK ABE LINCOLN WAS A FINE MAN, AND JEFF DAVIS WAS GOOD TOO. SLAVER DI D GOOD TO NIGGER, MADE HIM CAREFUL AND KNOW HOW TO WORK. I LIVE IN TOWN IN A LITTLE TWO-ROOM HOUSE WID SOME OF MY GRANDCHILLUNS. WE RENT DE HOUSE. I AM TOO OLD TO WORK, BUT DO WHAT I CAN. I WAS DE SLAVE OF JOHN JOHNSON. HIS WIFE WAS MISS POLLY. DEY WAS GOOD TO DE SLAVES, AND I HAD NO TROUBLE. MY MOTHER WAS ELIZA JOHNSON AND MY PA WAS DANI EL JOHNSON. DEY WAS BOTH SLAVES TO MARSE JOHNSON. MY MOTHER WAS FROM GEORGIA. WE ALWAYS LIVED IN DE YARD BEHIND DE HOUSE IN A SMALL ONE-ROOM CABIN, A PRETTY GOOD PLACE TO LIVE, I RECKON. WE DIDN'T GIT NO MONSY FER OUR WORK. WE GOT SOMETHING TO EAT, BUT NOT MUCH CLOTHES TO WEAR. WE WORKED HARD DEM DAYS; GOT UP AT SUN-UP AND WORKED ALL DAY TILL SUN-DOWN OR AS LONG AS WE COULD SEE. WE DIDN'T GIT MUCH TIME OFF, 'CEPT MA YBE A DAY AT CHRISTMAS. NO, DE WHITE FOLKS DIDN'T LEARN US TO READ AND WRITE. WE HAD NO SCHOOL AND NO CHURCH IN SLAVERY TIME, BUT SOME OF DE NIGGERS WAS MADE TO GO TO DE WHITE FO LKS' CHURCH AND SIT IN DE BACK SEAT. YES, DE YANKEES WAS BAD. DEY BURN'T EVERYTHING IN DEIR WAY, AND STOLE CATT LE; BUT DEY DIDN'T COME NEAT OUR PLACE. X XXX