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SOUTH CAROLINA WRITERS' PROJECT
Life History
TITLE "SAM LEWIS"
Dots of first writing
sane of Forum Interviewed
Plaoo and Addross
Ooonpation
Nano of Writer
MUMS of Revisor
February 2$, 1939
San Lewis (Negro)
Spartanburg, S.C.
Butler
R.V. Williams
SpartaMburg„ S.C.
This is the story of an old Negrold* has been
soak, butler, g4Pdener and librarian's assiotonb. Hs is San
Lewis, and is employed at presoak as a haddreman is a private
home in Spartanburg. Ho worked for twisty years in the /emu*
Fro. 'Abram, and, at one tines was the onky employes in addition
to the librarian.
"1 VAS born on February de twenty-1Let," San
said, "but I don't 'nosiber what year. liras born on Valor Hart's
place in York County. my folks belonged to Hajor Hart in slavery
tine, and day stayed on dere attor do war was over. I could find
out fImmarry sistfth over dare jus$ how old I is. She got it writ
down in de Able. All I knows is dat I'm in de sixties."
Sams said that his moHher died when he was sight years
old an ho remembers the coffin that :lajor Halt bought fOr her.
"I jusl dentt member how dey worked do money msttfths
in den days, but um allus had plenty to est. when I get old
enough to work, us just kind& rented fromi de harts. -soy furnished
us wid mules and gr000ries end clothes, aW us work an de farm.
larby time lame, day tuck out far de rest and what day
done give us. emetimes, us raised lneugh oaten and core to
come out ahead wid none °ash, and sometimes us sone out in de
hole if ie orops is bad.
"Derels one tAing I oho' 'aryl:ors well, an dat was
de earthquake in 1884. Ilse pretty big boy. 1)e Harts had
jest bought me now shoes. :hoes in den days ha brass around de
toes of "en. she was proud of don shoes. Us walked seven
miles to York A) see what de 'qu ko had done dare. I liselbere
us sa two stores wit the roofs caved in.
"7*t 'quake was a bad thing. when it acmes I run
out de house and got unJer it. at was a eras' thing to do but
I was so leered dat I didn't think "boot 'he 'quake mighten
shallo de house down on me."
Sam sal that he same to 81)rtaxiburg in 1887 and
vmmt to work has a 000k4
"I fist worked for Miss Webber, but sherunwi
away rig t after I some here. Don I :Irt a jdb cooking for Dr.
Rigby. De next job I had was Amen 1 Went to Allwater, Now
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Jersey. I worked for a German up dere who mined flowers and
plants 'or a living. 14 diln't pay me but three dollars a
week and ny board, but I learned a lot 'bout flowers from
him. Ilse be 11 growing flowers ever sinoe. and /Noe made good
:only workin' in people's flower gardAns. I tInk it was
'bout 1901 when I was dere, 'oatiae I lows it was atter de
Zpanish-rioan
:am sal he remembers the day that the Spartanburg
companies loft for Florid,: because he ha l ettemptei to en-
list on that ;ey en l was turned down for some reason ',Lich
he does not know.
'I s 0 wanted to go to dat war," a said. "Log
time befo' de tr.),pe left, I went to de officers and I told
dem I was a good ellxik. e tuck my n me and where I was staying
an. I'd it lettah e to core. was
worAn' for Ju'lge Achollo on his farm, an I told dots to send
de lettah out dope. I loo'ed ftvor ,lay for my lAtah, but it
nevah ,11.1 come.
"-e day bet& de troope'left, T. found out fey wns
going. I Paced is i& oils to it off so could go to town
,--!zid see do an:i she brung me in de buggy. on day
tell me I ean't go, but I neveJt film! out Ityw come.
I 0101
was one sad man when t train pulled out from de C.4WW.C.
depo' at morning.
'Judge Ioholls tole me atter dat, dat he was going
to ivestigate, but I rookon he was too busy to pay Itention to
dat. Judge was 'bout the best men I evoh knowed. .4 had two sons
-5
dat I had to take care of. Dey was Sam.and l';entague.
You know dat
Sam got to be Congressman bofo' he diod, and dat ontague was killed
in go ware Dey tell me he was de fust man killed from Spartanburg in
le -j'Torld Wire lie fought with de Canadians long before us evah got 'nto
dat mar. Ant he got killed beta' us got into de mars :40 was de one
dat allus was so (wary 'bout being so dross -up all de tins, 4 anus
had to have do best clothes of any boy in town. Den boys got what
r'b
dey call a llowanoo, anA cloy/some money evalawoOk for keeping dem
shoes signed and lookint attor dere clothes. Z;,;motimos it MMA jUll•
a few cents, den sometimes it was much as a dollar.
ft/ woOked for Judge loholls till the forams sold and de
foal; mood book to dors home hero. Den I welt to met for Mistah
c;alter Vontgomery, an' I roo:An I worked for him for about five years,
jus' don't renesbor haw long. I ken,' up is garden and done just
'bout anything dat °ono up to do. Ons day, he tole no dat he would
rib no a good toomumndation for do library job, and he soy it would
pay me no' money don he was min' me. I !lade jugs' six dollars
week- an' my dinnor "very lay when I was workinl for him. I got de
lob.
"De libmry inda small when I oome to work dove. I read=
I could haul all de books day had in a twoi.horse wagon. T kep' de
place %De Is grouni's cleanse up. )at was in 1908, I couldn't road
or write at dat ti es but I oould mad nuabors. All 4 books had
just nuMbers on 4m den, I'd take As books an' put 'en bask where
dey belongs. Dem was de bo,ks mtet people tuok out to read, Den
I 'need to m' rise de names of de books by do solar on do bindin'
an de also of de books. I got so I Gould mos' find any book what
anybodyimmted even if I couldn't read or write. Den I started to
ni sohool. ant I kinda learned how to read awl write. 'Ass
30m-hans she gibes". she tell me to go to de *Wool* An' I
listened to how people talk when ley owe to de library. Dot's
how *one I 'noun.* some words bottah don others*
"I shot is glad I ain't no librarian. ploy got to know
s lathing 'bout ever'thing. People all de time coming in an'
owing 'bout something* You just one Miss Baughan 'bout dote
:The busy from morninl till night trying to find out something
for somebody.
wpo library sprung up fast. :orations, somObody die and
leave lem some books. ,:,omotimess fake would Ns' gib den books.
Times emus on to gittin' better1 so de library could buy some boos.
It got so big dab doy ohanged de el* oyeton from den plain noMbers
to a kinds of owe system. I novlh amid figure it out. An' del
had to take on entry help, an' so maoy people started ooming dot it
tuck up all my time to lump de but 'ding in shape* Lots of don
flowers and shrubbery whet you see down dere clone fronne. I just
gib it to 'am.
hen I fumt started working dere, sometimes do streets
WA SO =VII in de winter time let 2t would take no "bout an hour
to git to de library. I'd leave homo at five ololodk in time to
git le fire "torted. lege never late to work de whole tine I was
dere. And I MRS novah out 'count being sink loopt oho time. pat
was in 1929. I got de *hills. and I aids% weft emeept off,'and
on for 'bout three :nth*. Sometimes, I natio good money dares
and den sometimes I didn't. Do depression she' hurt us. Do
city and corty out down an what day had been gibbing to keep
up le library. Dat out me down, too. nut during de war. lot
of 2an solliers from Now. York used to *ono down dire. SONO of
don give me tips. Just hard to soy what 1 did make down dere,
but I rook= I made 'round nine dollars a week for the whole
time i was der..
"I shot had tough luck in 1933. 47 mite died dat year.
;he been sick .-os' d• time ainoe our baby was born, pat
was 'bout 1902, as /Ise AmoWbors. Ds baby, was born dead. an'
7'11 allus beliove it was 'oauso dat niggor doctor didn't know
what he was doing. Little while bets,' de baby was born, man
cone to me as esy he is a lootor, ant, dot he handle Wm, Moor
cheap. -e say he's just come to town, and dat he wants to
build him a reputation. I don't know nnoh 'bout den things,
hut -olAs *bolo me he she' messed things up when de baby oar.
I -rich I had got me a. White doctor. I had been working for
Doctor Make in spare time, and he told me lator dot he would
one it for nothing. I reckon dat's 'bout de worst thing
over comer ovur me.
left de library 1h 1A8 'oause de board him' a man
who ooulth 't o as much as I could, ad dey was paying him more
A:lt I was gittin. I oln't want to talk 'bout dat. nut even
day, I goon over dire an does sild jobs for den.
y next job was wid de beautification people.
got Jsit job tORIA00 I now so smoh 'bout flows and plants and
things. Dan I tuck is job here ioause it ain't no MTA job,
'cause over now and den somebo4 ssy7PA going to out out.
drt big garden book dere. e bees done let no have dab to
grow stuff in. DID work here ain't hard. I does 'bout a little
of all kind of things 'round here. I keeps de grass and de hedge.
out l looks atter de shrubbery. I helps keep e house aeon.
cite through 'bout three o'clock: pat gives tile to work in
de garden, or to wo”k in other people' gardens. I fspoot Ilse
pretty lueky. I ain't mrdAng so much•right now in die *old
welthar, but when, warm weather comes, Pm hopinr to noks more
7Ioney dan I ever Lve heft'.
ti closed the interview with the yriter 4th the
promise of n liunch of flowers this Sprin.