Martha Everette
From:
Georgia
MARTHA EVERETTE, EX-SLAVE
Hawkinsville, Georgia
(Interviewed By Elizabeth Watson--1936)
[JUL 20 1937]
Born in Pulaski County about 1848, the daughter of Isaac and Amanda
Lathrop, Martha Everette has lived all her life near where she was born.
Prior to freedom, her first job was "toting in wood", from which she was
soon "promoted" to waiting on the table, house cleaning, etc. She make
no claims to have ever "graduated" as a cook, as so many old
before-the-war Negresses do.
"Aunt" Martha's owner was a kind man: he never whipped the slaves, but
the overseer "burnt 'em up sometimes." And her mother was a "whipper,
too"--a woman that "fanned" her children religiously, so to speak, not
overlooking Martha. All the Watson slaves attended the (White) Baptist
church at Blue Springs.
Rations were distributed on Sunday morning of each week, and the slaves
had plenty to eat. The slaves were also allowed to fish, thus often
adding variety to their regular fare.
Negro women were taught to sew by the overseers' wives, and most of the
slaves' clothes were made from cloth woven on the plantation. The
Yankees visited the Lathrop plantation in '65, asked for food, received
it, and marched on without molesting anything or any body. Truly, these
were well-behaved Yankees!
"Aunt" Martha says that she remembers quite well when the Yankees
captured Jefferson Davis. She and other slave children were in the "big
house" yard when they heard drums beating, and soon saw the Yankees pass
with Mr. Davis.
"Aunt" Martha, now old and decrepit, lives with one of her sons, who
takes care of her. This son is a gardener and a carpenter and, being
thrifty, fares much better than many Negroes of his generation.
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