Will Sheets
From:
Georgia
PLANTATION LIFE as viewed by ex-slave
WILL SHEETS, Age 76
1290 W. Broad Street
Athens, Georgia
Written by:
Sadie B. Hornsby
Athens
Edited by:
Sarah H. Hall
Athens
Leila Harris
and
John N. Booth
District Supervisor
Federal Writers' Project
Augusta, Georgia
[Date Stamp: MAY 13 1938]
Old Will Sheets readily complied with the request that he tell of his
experiences during slavery days. "No'm I don't mind, its been many a
long day since anybody axed me to talk 'bout things dat far back, but I
laks to have somebody to talk to 'cause I can't git 'bout no more since
I los' both of my footses, and I gits powerful lonesome sometimes.
"I was borned in Oconee County, not far f'um whar Bishop is now. It
warn't nothin' but a cornfield, way back in dem times. Ma was Jane
Southerland 'fore she married my pa. He was Tom Sheets. Lawsy Miss! I
don't know whar dey cone f'um. As far as I knows, dey was borned and
raised on deir Marsters' plantations. Dar was seven of us chilluns. I
was de oldes'; James, Joe, Speer, Charlie, and Ham was my brudders, and
my onlies' sister was Frances.
"You ax me 'bout my gram'ma and gram'pa? I can't tell you nothin' t'all
'bout 'em. I jus' knows I had 'em and dat's all. You see Ma was a house
gal and de mos' I seed of her was when she come to de cabin at night;
den us chilluns was too sleepy to talk. Soon as us et, us drapped down
on a pallet and went fast asleep. Niggers is a sleepyheaded set.
"I was a water boy, and was 'spected to tote water f'um de spring to de
house, and to de hands in de fiel'. I helped Mandy, one of de colored
gals, to drive de calves to de pasture and I toted in a little wood and
done little easy jobs lak dat. Lawsy Miss! I never seed no money 'til
atter de War. If I had a had any money what could I have done wid it,
when I couldn't leave dat place to spend it?
"Dare ain't much to tell 'bout what little Nigger chillun done in
slavery days. Dem what was big enough had to wuk, and dem what warn't,
played, slep' and scrapped. Little Niggers is bad as game chickens 'bout
fightin'. De quarters whar us lived was log cabins chinked wid mud to
keep out de rain and wind. Chimblies was made out of fiel' rock and red
clay. I never seed a cabin wid more dan two rooms in it.
"Beds warn't fancy dem days lak dey is now; leastwise I didn't see no
fancy ones. All de beds was corded; dey had a headboard, but de pieces
at de foot and sides was jus' wide enough for holes to run de cords
thoo', and den de cords was pegged to hold 'em tight. Nigger chillun
slep' on pallets on de flo'.
"Marse Jeff Southerland was a pore man, but he fed us all us could eat
sich as turnips, cabbages, collards, green corn, fat meat, cornbread,
'taters and sometimes chicken. Yes Ma'am, chicken dinners was sorter
special. Us didn't have 'em too often. De cookin' was all done at de big
house in a open fireplace what had a rack crost it dat could be pulled
out to take de pots off de fire. 'Fore dey started cookin', a fire was
made up ready and waitin'; den de pots of victuals was hung on de rack
and swung in de fireplace to bile. Baking was done in skillets. Us
cotched rabbits three and four at a time in box traps sot out in de plum
orchard. Sometimes us et 'em stewed wid dumplin's and some times dey was
jus' plain biled, but us laked 'em bes' of all when dey was fried lak
chickens.
"Oh! dem 'possums! How I wisht I had one right now. My pa used to ketch
40 or 50 of 'em a winter. Atter dey married, Ma had to stay on wid Marse
Jeff and Pa was 'bliged to keep on livin' wid Marster Marsh Sheets. His
marster give him a pass so dat he could come and stay wid Ma at night
atter his wuk was done, and he fetched in de 'possums. Dey was baked in
de white folkses kitchen wid sweet 'tatoes 'roun' 'em and was barbecued
sometimes. Us had fishes too what was mighty good eatin'. Dere warn't
but one gyarden on de plantation.
"Slave chillun didn't wear nothin' in summer but shirts what looked lak
gowns wid long sleeves. Gals and boys was dressed in de same way when
dey was little chaps. In winter us wore shirts made out of coarse cloth
and de pants and little coats was made out of wool. De gals wore wool
dresses." He laughed and said: "On Sunday us jus' wore de same things.
Did you say shoes? Lawsy Miss! I was eight or nine 'fore I had on a pair
of shoes. On frosty mornin's when I went to de spring to fetch a bucket
of water, you could see my feet tracks in de frost all de way dar and
back.
"Miss Carrie, my Mist'ess, was good as she knowed how to be. Marse and
Mist'ess had two gals and one boy, Miss Anna, Miss Callie, and Marster
Johnny.
"Marse Jeff was a good man; he never whupped and slashed his Niggers. No
Ma'am, dere warn't nobody whupped on Marse Jeff's place dat I knows
'bout. He didn't have no overseer. Dere warn't no need for one 'cause he
didn't have so many slaves but what he could do de overseein' his own
self. Marse Jeff jus' had 'bout four mens and four 'oman slaves and him
and young Marse Johnny wukked in de fiel' 'long side of de Niggers. Dey
went to de fiel' by daybreak and come in late at night.
"When Marse Jeff got behind wid his crop, he would hire slaves f'um
other white folkses, mostly f'um Pa's marster, dat's how Pa come to know
my Ma.
"Dere was 'bout a hunderd acres in our plantation countin' de woods and
pastures. Dey had 'bout three or four acres fenced in wid pine poles in
a plum orchard. Dat's whar dey kep' de calves.
"Dere was a jail at Watkinsville, but Marse Jeff never had none of his
slaves put in no jail. He didn't have so many but what he could make 'em
behave. I never seed no slaves sold, but I seed 'em in a wagon passin'
by on deir way to de block. Marse Jeff said dey was takin' 'em a long
ways off to sell 'em. Dat's why dey was a-ridin'.
"Miss Anna larned Ma her A.B.C's. She could read a little, but she never
larned to write.
"Slaves went to de white folkses church if dey went a t'all. I never
could sing no tune. I'se lak my Ma; she warn't no singer. Dat's how come
I can't tell you 'bout de songs what dey sung den. I 'members de fus'
time I seed anybody die; I was 'bout eight years old, and I was twelve
'fore I ever seed a funeral. No Ma'am, us chilluns didn't go to no
baptizin's--Ma went, but us didn't.
"Didn't none of Marse Jeff's Niggers run off to no North, but I heared
of a Nigger what did on de place whar my Pa was at. De only thing I
knowed what might a made him run to de North was dat Niggers thought if
dey got dar dey would be in Heb'en. Dem patterollers was somepin' else.
I heared folkses say dey would beat de daylights mos' out of you if dey
cotched you widout no pass. Us lived on de big road, and I seed 'em
passin' mos' anytime. I mos' know dere was plenty trouble twixt de
Niggers and de white folkses. Course I never heared tell of none, but
I'm sho' dere was trouble jus' de same," he slyly remarked.
"Marse Jeff wukked dem few Niggers so hard dat when dey got to deir
cabins at night dey was glad to jus' rest. Dey all knocked off f'um wuk
Sadday at 12 o'clock. De 'omans washed, patched, and cleaned up de
cabins, and de mens wukked in dey own cotton patches what Marse Jeff
give 'em. Some Niggers wouldn't have no cotton patch 'cause dey was too
lazy to wuk. But dey was all of 'em right dar Sadday nights when de
frolickin' and dancin' was gwine on. On Sundays dey laid 'round and
slep'. Some went to church if dey wanted to. Marster give 'em a pass to
keep patterollers f'um beatin' 'em when dey went to church.
"Us chilluns was glad to see Chris'mas time come 'cause us had plenty to
eat den; sich as hogshead, backbones, a heap of cake, and a little
candy. Us had apples what had been growed on de place and stored away
special for Chris'mas. Marse Jeff bought some lallahoe, dat was syrup,
and had big old pones of lightbread baked for us to sop it up wid. What
us laked best 'bout Chris'mas was de good old hunk of cheese dey give us
den and de groundpeas. Don't you know what groundpeas is? Dem's goobers
(peanuts). Such a good time us did have, a-parchin' and a-eatin' dem
groundpeas! If dere was oranges us didn't git none. Marse Jeff give de
grown folkses plenty of liquor and dey got drunk and cut de buck whilst
it lasted. New Year's Day was de time to git back to wuk.
"Marse Jeff was sich a pore man he didn't have no corn shuckin's on his
place, but he let his Niggers go off to 'em and he went along hisself.
Dey had a big time a-hollerin' and singin' and shuckin' corn. Atter de
shuckin' was all done dere was plenty to eat and drink--nothin' short
'bout dem corn shuckin's.
"When slaves got sick, dey didn't have no doctor dat I knowed 'bout.
Miss Carrie done de doctorin' herself. Snake root tea was good for colds
and stomach mis'ries. Dey biled rabbit tobacco, pine tops, and mullein
together; tuk de tea and mixed it wid 'lasses; and give it to us for
diffunt ailments. If dey done dat now, folkses would live longer. Ma put
asafiddy (asafetida) sacks 'round our necks to keep off sickness.
"Ma said us was gwine to be free. Marse Jeff said us warn't, and he
didn't tell us no diffunt 'til 'bout Chris'mas atter de War was done
over wid in April. He told us dat us was free, but he wanted us to stay
on wid him, and didn't none of his Niggers leave him. Dey all wukked de
same as dey had before dey was sot free only he paid 'em wages atter de
War.
"I 'members dem Yankees comin' down de big road a-stealin' as dey went
'long. Dey swapped deir bags of bones for de white folkses good fat
hosses. I never seed so many pore hosses at one time in my life as dey
had. Dem Yankees stole all da meat, chickens, and good bedclothes and
burnt down de houses. Dey done devilment aplenty as dey went 'long. I
'members Marse Jeff put one of his colored mens on his hoss wid a
coffeepot full of gold and sont him to de woods. Atter dem Yankees went
on he sont for him to fetch back de gold and de fine hoss what he done
saved f'um de sojer mens.
"I heared tell of dem Ku Kluxers, but I never seed 'em. Lawsy Miss! What
did Niggers have to buy land wid 'til atter dey wukked long enough for
to make some money? Warn't no schoolin' done 'round whar us lived. I was
10 years old 'fore I ever sot foots in a schoolhouse. De nearest school
was at Shady Grove.
"It was a long time atter de War 'fore I married. Us didn't have no
weddin'; jus' got married. My old 'oman had on a calico dress--I
disremembers what color. She looked good to me though. Us had 16
chilluns in all; four died. I got 22 grandchillun and one great
grandchild. None of 'em has jobs to brag 'bout; one of 'em larned to
run a store.
"I think Mr. Lincoln was a great man, 'cause he sot us free. When I
thinks back, it warn't no good feelin' to be bound down lak dat. Mr.
President Davis wanted us to stay bound down. No Ma'am, I didn't lak dat
Mr. Davis atter I knowed what he stood for. 'Course dere is plenty what
needs to be bound down hard and fast so dey won't git in no trouble. But
for me I trys to behave myself, and I sho' had ruther be free. I guess
atter all it's best dat slavery days is over. 'Bout dat Booker
Washin'ton man, de Niggers what tuk him in said he done lots of good for
his race, and I reckon he did.
"Somepin' 'nother jus' made me jine de church. I wanted to do better'n
what I was doin'. De Lord says it's best for folkses to be 'ligious.
"No Ma'am, I don't 'spect to live as long as my Ma lived, 'cause dese
legs of mine since I done los' both of my footses wid blood pizen atter
gangreen sot in, sho' gives me a passel of trouble. But de Lord is good
to me and no tellin' how long I'se gwine to stay here. Miss, you sho'
tuk me way back yonder, and I laks to talk 'bout it. Yes, Ma'am, dat's
been a long time back."
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