Document text
Accessions
_
no.
11046
Date received
/e// trd
Consignment no.
Shipped from
Label
Amount
AA
WPA L. C. PRO UNIT
Yons-3
Collection (or Type)
/Ids: .6-e,sazi;:s.sar...carsaaaAwe__7:
ClAaladgz
Place of
Project worker_
Project editor..
Remarks
ate,..41zAt
Project 1885-1
Folklore
Spartanburg Dist.4
June 8, 1938
REMINISCENCES
3 -422:54
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage
"I was born in Barnwell County, S. C., in 1854. I remember about
General Sherman's army marching through South Carolina. They went through our
section, burning outhouses, stealing cattle and doing damage. I don't remember
much else about the Civil War, nor about the slaves. My father had only a
small farm and did all his own work. I don't think he ever had any slaves.
"We lived a long way from the schools and churches and had to walk
about four miles to them. Our school teachers were very strict, but they were
not much on whipping hard like some teachers were. MS went to church on ox-
carts or walked, but a few people would ride horses or mules.
"We had quiltings and sewing bees in that section. The women of the
neighborhood would all get together and sew and knit while they talked. And
spinning parties, too, were common, when they would get together and card and
spin and weave clothes for each other. After the parties they would always
have many good things to eat. The old folks would make their awn dyes.
"Everybody raised hogs, chiokens, geese and turkeys. They had plenty
fresh meats and eggs. They also raised their awn corn, oats and wheat with
which to make their flour. It was made at some neighborhood grist mill and
the cottan, wqs ginned at a neighborhood gin. There were lots of bees and
plenty of good honey in our section. Sugar cane was raised from which good
molasses were made.
"The people had but few barbecues but they had lots of family picnics.
I don't remember much about the patrollers. They were not so aotive around
there, but I heard some things about them. They would ride around and try to
keep the slaves an their awn plantations'. A song which some of the negroes
sang went like this: 'Run, nigger, run! Paddy roller will catch you!'
"The KU Klux Klan was not so active in my section, but there were some.
W1104G
Reminiscences
The Red Shirts, too, were there and lots of young fellows would ride dressed
up in red shirts with red handkerchiefs around their necks.
"My father was in the Confederate army and served in a Barnwell County
Regiment. In our section the musical instruments mostly used were the fiddle
and banjo, and most always they were used at socials, dances and weddings.
"There used to be, and I suppose still are, many long -leaf pines in the
lower part of Barnwell County and in Aiken County, S.C. They got much turpentine
from them. They used to tie boxes under a deep out in each tree about three
feet from the ground and let the turpentine into the boxes. Now they make cuts
all the way up the tree, or strip it; then place small cups under the bottom drip."
Source: Mrs. Isabel (Armstrong) Anderson (84), Newberry, S.C.
Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. 5/16/38.