Susan Castle
From:
Georgia
PLANTATION LIFE AS VIEWED BY EX-SLAVE
SUSAN CASTLE, Age 78
1257 W. Hancock Ave.
Athens, Georgia
Written by:
Sadie B. Hornsby
Athens
Edited by:
Sarah H. Hall
Athens
and
John N. Booth
District Supervisor
Federal Writers' Project
Augusta, Georgia
On a beautiful morning in April, the interviewer found Susan sitting in
the door of her cabin. When asked if she would like to talk about the
old plantation days, she replied; "Yes Ma'am, I don't mind tellin' what
I know, but for dat I done forgot I sho' ain't gwine make nothin' up.
For one thing, I ain't never lived on no plantation. I was a house
servant in town." She added: "Do you mind me axin' you one favor?"
Consent was given and she continued: "Dat is, please don't call me Aunt
Susan; it makes me feel lak I was a hundred years old.
"I was borned in Clarke County, March 7, 1860; I believes dat's what dey
say. Mudder was named Fannie and Pappy's name was Willis. Us chillun
called 'im Pappy lak he was de onliest one in de world. He fust belonged
to Marse Maxwell of Savannah, Georgia. I was so little I disremembers
how Pappy come by de name of Castle. In all de seben of us chillun, I
didn't have but one brudder, and his name was Johnny. My five sisters
was Mary, Louvenia, Rosa, Fannie, and Sarah. All I 'members 'bout us as
chilluns was dat us played lak chilluns will do.
"In de quarters us had old timey beds and cheers, but I'll tell you whar
I slept most times. Hit was on a cot right at de foot of Mist'ess' bed.
I stayed at de big house most of de time at night, and 'fore bedtime I
sot close by Mist'ess on a foot stool she had special for me.
"All I ricollects 'bout my gran'ma was she belonged to General Thomas
R.R. Cobb, and us called 'im Marse Thomas. Gran'ma Susan wouldn't do
right so Marse Thomas sold her on de block.
"Us had evvything good to eat. Marse Thomas was a rich man and fed 'is
Niggers well. Dey cooked in a big open fireplace and biled greens and
some of de udder vittals in a great big pot what swung on a rack. Meat,
fish and chickens was fried in a griddle iron what was sot on a flat
topped trivet wid slits to let de fire thoo. Dey called it a trivet
'cause it sot on three legs and hot coals was raked up under it. Hoe
cakes made out of cornmeal and wheat flour sho' was good cooked on dat
griddle. 'Tatoes was roasted in de ashes, and dey cooked bread what dey
called ash cake in de ashes. Pound cake, fruit cake, light bread and
biscuits was baked in a great big round pot, only dey warn't as deep as
de pots dey biled in; dese was called ovens. Makes me hongry to think
'bout all dem good vittals now.
"Oh! Yes Ma'am, us had plenty 'possums. Pappy used to cotch so many
sometimes he jest put 'em in a box and let us eat 'em when us got ready.
'Possums tasted better atter dey was put up in a box and fattened a
while. Us didn't have many rabbits; dey warn't as much in style den as
dey is now, and de style of eatin' 'possums lak dey done in slav'ry
times, dat is 'bout over. Dey eats 'em some yet, but it ain't stylish no
mo'. Us chillun used to go fishin' in Moore's Branch; one would stand on
one side of de branch wid a stick, and one on de udder side would roust
de fishes out. When dey come to de top and jump up, us would hit 'em on
de head, and de grown folks would cook 'em. Dere warn't but one gyarden,
but dat had plenty in it for evvybody.
"In summer time us wore checkedy dresses made wid low waistes and
gethered skirts, but in winter de dresses was made out of linsey-woolsey
cloth and underclothes was made out of coarse unbleached cloth.
Petticoats had bodice tops and de draw's was made wid waistes too. Us
chillun didn't know when Sunday come. Our clothes warn't no diffu'nt den
from no udder day. Us wore coarse, heavy shoes in winter, but in summer
us went splatter bar feets.
"Marse Thomas was jest as good as he could be, what us knowed of 'im.
Miss Marion, my Mist'ess, she won't as good to us as Marse Thomas, but
she was all right too. Dey had a heap of chillun. Deir twin boys died,
and de gals was Miss Callie, Miss Sallie, Miss Marion (dey called her
Miss Birdie), and Miss Lucy, dat Lucy Cobb Institute was named for. My
mudder was Miss Lucy's nuss. Marse Thomas had a big fine melonial
(colonial) house on Prince Avenue wid slave quarters in de back yard of
his 10-acre lot. He owned 'most nigh dat whole block 'long dar.
"Oh! dey had 'bout a hundred slaves I'm sho', for dere was a heap of
'em. De overseer got 'em up 'bout five o'clock in de mornin' and dat
breakfust sho' had better be ready by seben or else somebody gwine to
have to pay for it. Dey went to deir cabins 'bout ten at night. Marse
was good, but he would whup us if we didn't do right. Miss Marion was
allus findin' fault wid some of us.
"Jesse was de car'iage driver. Car'iages was called phaetons den. Dey
had high seats up in front whar de driver sot, and de white folks sot in
de car'iage below. Jesse went to de War wid Marse Thomas, and was wid
him when he was kilt at Fred'ricksburg, Virginia. I heard 'em sey one of
his men shot 'im by mistake, but I don't know if dat's de trufe or not.
I do know dey sho' had a big grand fun'al 'cause he was a big man and a
general in de War.
"Some of de slaves on Marse Thomas' place knowed how to read. Aunt Vic
was one of de readers what read de Bible. But most of de Niggers didn't
have sense enough to learn so dey didn't bother wid 'em. Dey had a
church way downtown for de slaves. It was called Landon's Chapel for
Rev. Landon, a white man what preached dar. Us went to Sunday School
too. Aunt Vic read de Bible sometimes den. When us jined de chu'ch dey
sung: 'Amazing Grace How Sweet de Sound.'
"Marse Thomas had lots of slaves to die, and dey was buried in de
colored folks cemetery what was on de river back of de Lucas place. I
used to know what dey sung at fun'als way back yonder, but I can't bring
it to mind now.
"No Ma'am, none of Marse Thomas' Niggers ever run away to de Nawth. He
was good to his Niggers. Seems lak to me I 'members dem patterollers run
some of Marse Thomas' Niggers down and whupped 'em and put 'em in jail.
Old Marse had to git 'em out when dey didn't show up at roll call next
mornin'.
"Marse Thomas allus put a man or de overseer on a hoss or a mule when he
wanted to send news anywhar. He was a big man and had too many slaves to
do anything hisse'f.
"I 'spect dey done den lak dey does now, slipped 'round and got in
devilment atter de day's wuk was done. Marse Thomas was allus havin'
swell elegant doin's at de big house. De slaves what was house servants
didn't have no time off only atter dinner on Sundays.
"Christmas was somepin' else. Us sho' had a good time den. Dey give de
chilluns china dolls and dey sont great sacks of apples, oranges, candy,
cake, and evvything good out to de quarters. At night endurin' Christmas
us had parties, and dere was allus some Nigger ready to pick de banjo.
Marse Thomas allus give de slaves a little toddy too, but when dey was
havin' deir fun if dey got too loud he sho' would call 'em down. I was
allus glad to see Christmas come. On New Year's Day, de General had big
dinners and invited all de high-falutin' rich folks.
"My mudder went to de corn shuckin's off on de plantations, but I was
too little to go. Yes Ma'am, us sho' did dance and sing funny songs way
back in dem days. Us chillun used to play 'Miss Mary Jane,' and us would
pat our hands and walk on broom grass. I don't know nothin' 'bout
charms. Dey used to tell de chillun dat when old folks died dey turned
to witches. I ain't never seed no ghostes, but I sho' has felt 'em. Dey
made de rabbits jump over my grave and had me feelin' right cold and
clammy. Mudder used to sing to Miss Lucy to git her to sleep, but I
don't 'member de songs.
"Marster was mighty good to his slaves when dey got sick. He allus sont
for Dr. Crawford Long. He was de doctor for de white folks and Marster
had him for de slaves.
"My mudder said she prayed to de Lord not to let Niggers be slaves all
deir lifes and sho' 'nough de yankees comed and freed us. Some of de
slaves shouted and hollered for joy when Miss Marion called us togedder
and said us was free and warn't slaves no more. Most of 'em went right
out and left 'er and hired out to make money for deyselfs.
"I stayed on wid my mudder and she stayed on wid Miss Marion. Miss
Marion give her a home on Hull Street 'cause mudder was allus faithful
and didn't never leave her. Atter Miss Marion died, mudder wukked for
Miss Marion's daughter, Miss Callie Hull, in Atlanta. Den Miss Callie
died and mudder come on back to Athens. 'Bout ten years ago she died.
"I wukked for Mrs. Burns on Jackson Street a long time, but she warn't
no rich lady lak de Cobbs. De last fambly I wukked for was Dr. Hill. I
nussed 'til atter de chillun got too big for dat, and den I done de
washin' 'til dis misery got in my limbs."
When asked about marriage customs, she laughed and replied: "I was
engaged, but I didn't marry though, 'cause my mudder 'posed me marryin'.
I had done got my clothes bought and ready. Mrs. Hull helped me fix my
things. My dress was a gray silk what had pearl beads on it and was
trimmed in purple.
"What does I think 'bout freedom? I think it's best to be free, 'cause
you can do pretty well as you please. But in slav'ry time if de Niggers
had a-behaved and minded deir Marster and Mist'ess dey wouldn't have had
sich a hard time. Mr. Jeff Davis 'posed freedom, but Mr. Abraham Lincoln
freed us, and he was all right. Booker Washin'ton was a great man, and
done all he knowed how to make somepin' out of his race.
"De reason I jined de church was dat de Lord converted me. He is our
guide. I think people ought to be 'ligious and do good and let deir
lights shine 'cause dat's de safest way to go to Heben."
At the conclusion of the interview Susan asked: "Is dat all you gwine to
ax me? Well, I sho' enjoyed talkin' to you. I hopes I didn't talk loud
'nough for dem other Niggers to hear me, 'cause if you open your mouth
dey sho' gwine tell it. Yes Ma'am, I'se too old to wuk now and I'se
thankful for de old age pension. If it warn't for dat, since dis misery
tuk up wid me, I would be done burnt up, I sho' would. Good-bye
Mist'ess."
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Ellen Claibourn
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