George Briggs
From:
South Carolina
Project 1885-1
Folklore
Spartanburg, Dist. 4
Nov. 10, 1937
Edited by: Elmer Turnage
STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES
"I is gwine over to Tosch to see Maria. Everybody know Maria. She go by
Rice--Maria Rice. She sont fer me to cure her misery. First, I went from
my home in lower Cross Keys, across de Enoree, to see Maria. When I
reached dar whar she stay, dey tell me dat her daughter over to Tosch.
Done come and got her.
"A kind friend dat de Lawd put in my path fetched me back across de
Enoree and over to Tosch to Maria's gal's house. I is gwine straight
over dar and lay my hand on Maria and rid her of dat misery dat she sont
word was ailing her all dis spring. Don't make no diff'uns whar you
hurts--woman, man or suckling babe--if you believes in de holler of my
hand, it'll ease you, allus do it. De Bible say so, dat's why it be
true. Ain't gwine to tell you nothing but de truth and de whole truth,
so help me Jesus. Gone 65 years, I is been born agin dat long; right
over in Padgett's Creek church, de white folks' church, dat's what de
Lawd tuck my sins away and washed me clean agin wid His blood. Dat's why
I allus sticks to de truth, I does.
"Dey all 'lows dat I is gwine on 89, and I has facts to believe it am
true. I 'longed to Marse Jesse Briggs. Did you know dat it was two Jesse
Briggs? Yes sir, sho was two Jesse Briggses.
"What I gwine to relate to you is true, but in respect to my old Marse,
and in de case dat dem what reads dat book won't understand, you needs
not to write dis statement down. My marster was called 'Black Jesse',
but de reason fer dat was to keep him from gitting mixed up wid de other
Jesse. Dat is de secret of de thing. Now dat's jes' fer your own light
and knowledge, and not to be wrote down. He was de blacksmith fer all de
Cross Keys section, and fer dat very thing he got de name by everybody,
'Black Jesse'. I allus 'longed to dat man and he was de kindest man what
de countryside had knowledge of.
"In Union County is whar I was born and raised, and it's whar I is gwine
to be buried. Ain't never left de county but once in my life, and if de
Lawd see fitten, I ain't gwine to leave it no mo', 'cept to reach de
Promise Land. Lawd! Lawd! De Promise Land, dat's whar I is gwine when I
leaves Union County. Dey carried me a hundred miles to cure a sick
woman, onliest time I ever left Union County. I loves it and I is fit
throughout and enduring de time dem Yankees tried to git de county, to
save it. What is I gwine to leave it fer? Mr. Perrin and all de white
folks is good to me since my marse done gone and left his earthly home.
And he is waiting up dar wid Missie to see me agin. Dat I is sho of.
"Listen brother, de Lawd is setting on His throne in Glory. He hear
every word dat I gwine to tell you. Folks fergits dat when dey talks
real often sometimes, don't dey? I put my hand on any 'flux' man or
woman and removes de pain, if dey have faith in my hand. I don't tell
nothing but de truth. I was born on Gist Briggs' plantation in Union
County, in de lower section of Cross Keys. Marse Sexton and all dem good
folks in lower Keys says dat I sho is 88. Give my name right flat, it's
George Briggs; giving it round, it like dis, George McDuffie Briggs. My
papa's name was Ike Wilburn, and my mother's name was Margaret Briggs.
Pa 'longed to Marse Lige Wilburn. Mama 'longed to Jesse (Black Jesse)
Briggs. Dey both born and raised in Union County. Dese was my brothers
and sisters, coming in de order dey was born to my parents in: Charlie,
Dave, Aaron, Tom, Noah, Charlotte, Polly, Fannie, Mattie, Horace,
Cassie. I'm de oldest, and Cassie and me lives in Union County. Fannie
and Mattie lives in Asheville, and de rest is done journeyed to de
Promise Land. Yes Lawd, to de Promise Land.
"Marse and Missus was good to us all. Missus name was Nancy. She die
early and her grave is in Cross Keys at de Briggs graveyard. Be still!
Lemme git my mind together so dat I don't git mixed up and can git you
de Briggses together. Here 'tis: Cheney and Lucindy, Lucindy married a
Floyd from Spartanburg, and de Floyds lived at de Burn't factory. Cheney
Briggs had a son, Henry Briggs.
"Not so fast, fer I'se gwine to start way back, dat time when us was
lil' darky boys way back in slavery. We started to work wid de marster's
mules and hosses. When us was real little, we played hoss. Befo' Cheney
Briggs went to Arkansas he was our play hoss. His brother, Henry, was de
wagoner and I was de mule. Henry was little and he rid our backs
sometimes. Henry rid old man Sam, sometimes, and old man Sam jes' holler
and haw haw at us chilluns. Dis was in sech early childhood dat it is
not so I can 'zactly map out de exact age us was den; anyway, from dis
we rid de gentle hosses and mules and larn't how to feed dem. Every word
dat I tells you is de truth, and I is got to meet dat word somewhars
else; and fer dat reason, de truth is all dat dis old man ever tells.
"In dat day we lived in a log cabin or house. Sometimes us never had
nothing to do. Our house had only one room, but some of de houses had
two rooms. Our'n had a winder, a do', and a common fireplace. Now dey
makes a fireplace to scare de wood away. In old days dey made fireplaces
to take care of de chilluns in de cold weather. It warm de whole house,
'cause it was so big and dar was plenty wood. Wood wasn't no problem
den, and it ain't no problem yet out in de lower Keys. In town it is,
and I ain't guessing. I done seed so.
"I sho can histronize de Confederates. I come along wid de Secession
flag and de musterings. I careful to live at home and please de Marse.
In de war, I'se mo' dan careful and I stick close to him and please him,
and he mo' dan good. Us did not git mobbed up like lots of dem did.
"When Tice Myers' chilluns was born, he had a house built wid a
up-stairs. But never no stage coach stopped dar as I ever heard tell
about, and I done saw 75 years at Padgett's Creek.
"Way 'tis, from de bundle of de heart, de tongue speaketh. Been in
service reg'lar since Monday. I went to Neal Greege's house but she
wasn't dar. I is speaking 'bout Ria (Maria Rice). She done gone to town.
At de highway, de Lawd prepared a friend to carry me to Union, and when
I got dar I take and lay hands on Ria Rice, she laying down and
suffering, and I sot down and laid my hand on her. We never say nothing,
jes' pray. She be real quiet, and atter while, she riz up and take a
breath. She kept on a setting up fer so long dat her husband make her
lay back down fer fear dat she git worser. I stay dar all through de
night and she sleep sound and wake up dis morning feeling like a new
woman.
"Befo' breakfast, here is de words of praise I lifted to de Lawd, over
dar on Tosch. You set down de coser (chorus): 'First to de graveyard;
den to de Jedgement bar!' Is you got dat verser (verses)? Den git dis:
'All de deacons got to go; all de members got to go; all de sinners got
to go.' Mo' 'longs to it, but dat's all I takes when I is praising Him
fer relieving pain through me. (He sings each line five times. He takes
off his hat; bows; holds his hands over his head, and closes his eyes
while singing. His hair is snow white.)
"Lawd, help me dis morning! Here's another first line to one of our
songs: 'All dem preachers got to go'.
"Nehemiah, when he wid de king, de king axed him to reveal de wall whar
his father was buried. Nehemiah did what de king had done axed him. I
'tends Galilee Baptist church in lower Cross Keys; and at Sedalia, I
goes to New Hope Methodist church, but I don't know nothing else but
Baptist. We peoples is barrence (barren of the Holy Spirit), but not
God; He, Hisself, is born of God, and all is of de same source and by
dat I means de Spirit. All has to be born of de Spirit to become
chilluns of God. Romans, Chap. 6, 'lows something like dis: 'He dat is
dead in sin, how is it dat he can continue in sin?' Dat tell us dat
every man, white or black, is de child of God. And it is Christ dat is
buried in baptism, and we shall be buried in like manner. If Christ did
not rise, den our preaching is in vain. And if we is not born agin, why
den we is lost and our preaching is in vain.
"In picking up de New Testament, consider all dat you hear me arguing
and saying is from a gift and not from edication. Romans 6, 'lows:
'Speak plain words, not round words, kaise all de round words is fer dem
dat is edicated.' Jacob had twelve sons. Dey went and bundled up deir
wheat, and eleven bundles bowed to de one. Dat Joseph's bundle what he
done up. Other brothers up and got and sold Joseph into captivity to de
Egyptians. Dat throw'd Jacob to send Reuben to Egypt. Den dey bowed to
Jacob and his sons. It run on and on till dey all had to go to Egypt,
and all of dem had to live under Joseph.
"When I was a little shaver and come to myself. I was sleeping in a
corded bed. (He scratched his head) I jes' studying fer a minute; can't
'zactly identify my grandpa, but I can identify my grandma. We all
raised on de same place together. She name Cindy Briggs, but dey call
her Cina kaise dar was so many Cindys 'round dar. One thing I does
'member 'bout her, if she tote me, she sho to whip me. I was raised
strict.
"All my life I is stayed in de fur (far) end of Union County whar it
borders Laurens, wid de Enoree dividing de two counties. It is right dar
dat I is plowed and hoed and raised my craps fer de past 75 years, I
reckons. Lawd have mercy! No, I doesn't recalls de names of none of dem
mules. Dat's so fur back dat I is jes' done forgot, dat's all. But I
does recall 'fur back' things de best, sometimes. Listen good now. When
I got big and couldn't play 'round at chillun's doings, I started to
platting cornshucks and things fer making hoss and mule collars, and
scouring-brooms and shoulder-mats. I cut hickory poles and make handles
out of dem fer de brooms. Marse had hides tanned, and us make buggy
whips, wagon whips, shoe strings, saddle strings and sech as dat out of
our home-tanned leather. All de galluses dat was wo' in dem days was
made by de darkies.
"White oak and hickory was split to cure, and we made fish baskets, feed
baskets, wood baskets, sewing baskets and all kinds of baskets fer de
Missus. All de chair bottoms of straight chairs was made from white oak
splits, and de straight chairs was made in de shop. You made a scouring
brush like dis: (He put his hands together to show how the splits were
held) By splitting a width of narrow splits, keep on till you lay a
entire layer of splits; turn dis way; den dat way, and den bind together
and dat hold dem like you want dem to stay. Last, you work in a pole as
long as you want it fer de handle, and bind it tight and tie wid de
purtiest knots.
"I git money fer platting galluses and making boot strings and other
little things. Allus first, I desires to be well qualified wid what I
does. I is gwine to be qualified wid everything dat I does, iffen I does
it fer money or no. Dat's de reason white people has allus give me words
of encouragement.
"Now I gwine to sing a song fer Miss Polly, kaise she de grand-daughter
of de late Sheriff Long, and I goes to see her grandma at de Keys (Cross
Keys House). Dar she come now.
"How is you dis morning, Miss Polly? De Lawd sho does shower you, Miss
Polly, and dat's de reason I is gwine to sing fer you dis morning.
You'll be able to tell Mr. Jimmie (her father) dat Uncle George sing fer
you, 'Jesus Listening All De Day Long'.
"Jesus listening all de day long to hear some sinner pray.
De winding sheet to wrop (wrap) dis body in,
De coffin to hold you fast;
Pass through death's iron do'.
Come ye dat love de Lawd and let your joy be know'd;
Dis iron gate you must pass through, if you gwine to be
Born agin."
He sang these lines over three times and then bowing, said: "Ain't it
glory dat we can live whar de Lawd can use us? Dat's power. A strong man
entereth in; a weak man cometh out. Dat represent Christ gwine into your
heart.
"Sho I can remember when dey had de mustering grounds at de Keys. Dar
day mustered and den dey turn't in and practiced drilling dem soldiers
till dey larn't how to march and to shoot de Yankees. Drilling, dat's de
proper word, not practice, I knows, if I ain't ed'icated. Dey signed me
to go to de 16th regiment, but I never reached de North. When us got to
Charleston, us turn't around and de bosses fetched us right back to
Union through Columbia. Us heard dat Sherman was coming, fetching fire
along 'hind him.
"Don't know nothing 'bout no militia to make no statement, but it went
on and turn't back. Another regiment had a barbecue somewhars in Union
County befo' it went off to war; might a been de 18th regiment, but I
does not feel dat I can state on dat.
"My soul reaches from God's foot-stool up to his heavenly home. I can
histronize de poor white folks' wives and chilluns enduring de time of
de Civil War fer you. When dese poor white men went to de war, dey left
deir little chillun and deir wives in de hands of de darkies dat was
kind and de rich wives of our marsters to care fer. Us took de best care
of dem poor white dat us could under de circumstances dat prevailed.
"We was sont to Sullivan's Island, but befo' we reached it, de Yankees
done got it and we won't 'lowed to cross in '64. But jes' de same, we
was in service till dey give Capt. Franklin Bailey 'mission to fetch us
home. Dar we had to git 'mission fer everything, jes' as us niggers had
to git 'mission to leave our marster's place at home in Union County.
Capt. Bailey come on back to Cross Keys wid us under his protection, and
we was under it fer de longest time atter we done got home.
"Fer 65 years I been licensed as a preacher, and fer longer dan dat I
been a member of Padgett's Creek Baptist church. Mo' work I does, mo'
work I has to do. You know how to pray. Well, you does not know how to
make polish out of pinders.
"I ain't ed'icated yet, but even Lige what teaches school out to de Keys
(de big black school), dat big black buck dat teaches de chilluns deir
'rithmetic; even he couldn't do dis here one. A heap of ed'icated folks
can't give it. Here it is: 'What's de biggest figger in de figger ten?'"
With his old black, rough and gnarled forefinger he drew on the table
the figure 1. "Now you see dat? Dat's de figger 1. A naught ain't
nothing by itself or multiplied by other naughts; but set it down in
front of de figger 1, and it takes on de value 9. Dar you is got
ten--one and nine is ten. Dat naught becomes something. I is old, and I
ain't had narry bit of schooling, but I likes to be close to de orchard,
and I knows it's dar by de smell of it. Dat's de way I is when I gits
along side ed'icated folks--I knows dat dey is.
"It's like dat sum dem scholars couldn't git; standing alone dat naught
ain't worth nothing, but set it up against dat which is of value and it
takes on value. Set a naught ag'inst dat which is one and you has ten;
set up another naught dar and you has a hundred. Now if somebody was to
give me a note worth $10, and I found room to add another naught along
side of de first; den dem two naughts what ain't worth nothing by
deirselves gives de note de value of $99 if dey is sot along wid de one.
Ed'icated folks calls dat raising de note. I is ig'nant and I calls dat
robbery. And dat's like you and me. We is naughts and Christ is de
One, and we ain't nothing till we carries de Spirit of de Lawd along
wid us.
"On de pathway of life, may you allus keep Christ in front of you and
you will never go wrong. De Lawd will den see fit to give you a soul dat
will reach from His foot-stool here on earth to His dwelling place on
high." He ended with a deep sob and good-bye.
Source: George Briggs (88), Union, S. C. RFD 2.
Interviewer: Caldwell Sims, Union, S. C. 6/9/37.
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