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SOUTH CAROLINA WRITERS' PROJECT
Life History
TITLE: SAM LEWIS
Date of First Writing
Name of Person Interviewed
Place and Address
Occupation
Revision Code No. 51 B
/VA e
Feb. 28, 1939
Sam Levis (Negro)
Spartanburg, S.C.
Butler
Name of Writer R.V. Williams
Name of Reviser, Date Elmer Turnage, Mar. 28, 1939
"I was born on February de twenty -rust, but I don't know what year.
I was born on Major Hart's place in York County. Ny folks belonged to
Major Bart in slavery time, and dey stayed on dere atter de mar was over.
I could find out from ny sistah over dere jus' how old I is. She got it
wit down in de Bible. All I knows is dat I'm in de sixties.
Gnarled as a fire -blackened old pine stun5Sam scratched his grey
head. "I jus', don't 'member haw dey worked de money mattahs in dem days,
but us allus had plenty to eat. When I got old enough to work, us jus'
kinda rented from de Harts. Dey furnished us mid mules and groceries and
clothes, and us work on de farm. When lay-by time cone, dey tuck out for
de rent and what dey done give us. Sometimes, us raised 'nough cotton and
corn to come out ahead 'a -id some cash, and sometimes us come out in de hole
if de crops be bad.
"Dere's one thing I shot members well, and dat was de earthquake in
1886. Ifse a pretty big boy. De Harts had jus' bought me new shoes. Shoes
in dem days had brass around de toes of 'em. I sho' MRS proud of dem shoes.
Us walked seven miles' to York to see what de 'quake had done dere. I 'mem-
bers us saw two stories\mid de roofs caved in.
"Dat 'quake was a bad thing. When it come, I run out de house and got
under it. Dat was a crazy thing to do, but I was so scared dat I didn't
think 'bout de 'quake might shake de house down on me.
"When I fust come to Spartanburg in 1887, I vent to work as a cook
for Miss Webber, but she moved away right atter I come here. Den I got a
job cooking for Dr. Rigby. De next job I had was when I went to Millwater,
N.J. )I worked for a German up dere who raised flowers and plants for a
living. He didn't pay me but three dollars a meek and my board, but I sho'
learned a lot 'bout flowers from him. I'se been growing flowers ever since,
and I'se made good money working in people's flower gardens. I think it
was 'bout 1901 when I was dere, 'cause I knows it was atter de Spanish-
American War.
"I 'members de day that de Spartanburg companies left for Flordia.
I tried to jine, myself, but dey turned me down for soMe reason or 'nother.
I sho wanted to go to dat war. Long time befo' de troops left, I went to
de officers and I told dem I was a good cook. Dey tuck my name and where
I was staying and told me dat I'd git a lettah telling me when to come. I
was working for Judge Nicholls on his farm, and I told dem to send de
lettah out dere. I looked ever day for my lettah, but it nevah did come.
"De day befo, de troops left, I found out dey was going. I axed Miss
Nicholls to git off so I could go to town and see de officers, and she brung
me in de buggy. Den dey tell me I can't go, but I nevah find out haw come.
I sho' was one sad man when dat train pulled out from de CaCW.C. depot.
"Judge Nicholls tole re atter dat, dat he was going to 'vestigate,
but I reckon he was too busy to pay 'tention to dat. Judge was 'bout de
best man I evah know'd. He had two sons dat I had to take care of. Day
was Sam and Montague. You know dat Sam got to be Congressman be& he died,
and dat Montague VRS killed in de war. Day tell me he was de fust man
killed from Spartanburg in de World War. He fought with de Canadians long
befo' us evah got into dat war; and he got killed befot us got into de war.
He was de one dat allus was so crazy 'bout being so dress -up all de time.
He allus had to have de best clothes of any boy in tomn. DOM boys got what
day call a 'lomance, and day give me some money evah week for keeping dere
shoes shined and looking atter deir clothes. Sometimes it was jus' a few
cents, den sometimes it was much as a dollar.
"I worked for Judge Nicholls till de farm was sold and de family moved
back to deir home here. Den I went to mork for Mistah Walter Montgomery,
and I reckon I worked for him for about five years, I just don't 'member
haw long. I kept up de garden and done just 'bout anything dat come up to
do. One day, he tole me dat he would give me a good 'commendation for de
library job, and he say it would pay me mot money dan he was paying me. I
made just six dollars a week and my dinner every day when I was working for
him. I got de library job.
"De library kinda small when I come to work dere. I reckon I could
haul all de books day had in a two -horse wagon. I kept de place and de
grounds cleaned up. Dat was in 1908. I couldn't read or write at dat
time, but I could read numbers. All de books had dust numbers an dem den.
I'd take de books and put 'em back where day belongs. Dam was de books
what people tuck out to read. Den I tmenced to mem'rize de names of de
books by de color on de binding and de size of de books. I got so I could
mos' find any book what anybody vented, even if I couldn't read or write.
Den I started to night school, and I kinda learned hoerto read and write.
Miss Baughm, she my boss, she tell me to go to de school. And I listened
to haw people talk when day come to de library. Dat's how come I 'nounee
some words bettah dan others.
"I sho' is glad I ain't no librarian. Dey got to know something
'bout everithing. People all de time coming in and ax'ing 'bout some-
thing. You jus' ax Miss Baughm 'bout dat. She busy from morning till
night trying to find out something for somebody.
"De library sprung up fast. Sometimes, somebody die and leave dem
some books. Sometimes folks would jus' give dem books. Times come an to
gitting better, so de library could buy some books. It got so big dat day
changed de ole system from dem plain numbers to a kinda code system. I
nevah could figure it out. Dey had to take on extry help, and so many
people started coning dat it tuck up all my time to keep de building in
shape. Lots of dem flowers and shrubbery what you see down dere come from
me. I jus' give it to 'era.
"When I fust started working dere, sometimes de streets was so muddy
in de minter time dat it would take me 'bout an hour to git to de library.
'Course I had to come 'bout a mile. I'd leave home at five o'clock in de
morning, so I would have time to git de fire started up good. I'se never
late to work de whole time I was dere. And I was never out 'count of being
sick 'cept one time. Dat was in 1929. I got de chills, and I didn't work
except off and on for 'bout three months. Sometimes, I made good money
dere, and den sometimes I didn't.
"De depression sho' hurt us. De city and county cut down on what dey
had been giving to keep up de library. Dat cut me dawn, too. But during
de war, lots of dem soldiers from New York used to come down e
Some of
dem give me tips. Jus' hard to say what I did make down dere, but I
reckon I made 'round nine dollars a week for the whole time I was dere.
"I sho' had tough luck in 1933. My -wife died dat year. She been
sick mos' all de time since our baby, was born. Dat was 'bout 1902, as I
'members. De baby was born dead, and I'll allus believe it was 'cause dat
nigger doctor didn't know what he was doing. Little while befo' de baby
was born, a man come to me and say he is a doctor, and dat he handle de
case cheap. He say he's just come to town, and dat he wants to build up
a reputation. I don't know much 'bout dem things, but folks tole me he
shot messed things up when de baby come. I wish I had got me a white doc-
tor. I had been working for Dr. Blake in spare time, and he told me later
dat he would have done it for nothing. I reckon dat's 'bout de worst thing
ever come over me.
"I left de library in 1938 'cause de board hired a man who couldn't
do as much as I could, and dey was -paying him more dan I was gitting. I
don't want to talk 'bout dat. But even today, I goes over dere and does
odd jobs for dem.
"My next job was wid de beautification people. I got dat job 'cause
I knows so much 'bout flowers and plants and things. Miss Shiver was my
fust boss on de W.P.A. work, den Miss Moore took it up. I liked dat gov'
ment job just fine, 'cause dey shot was good to me. When I was transferred
to de county project, though dat's when I quit. Dab work was just too
rough for anybody, and I knaw'd I couldn't do it. Dat's de may I lost my
goviment job, I just didn't go to it when dey changed me. 'Course de pres-
idnt ain't got nothing to do wid dat; he done his part. Itse tbliged to
give him credit.
"I likes dis job I got now. See dat big garden back dere. De boss
done let me have dat to grow stuff in. De work ain't hard. I does a lit-
tle of all kind of things 'round here. I keeps de grass and de hedge cut
and looks atter de shrubbery, and I helps keep de house clean. I Fits
through 'bout three o'clock dat gives me time to work in de garden, or
to work in other people's gardens. I tspect I'se pretty lucky. I ain't
making so much right now in dis cold weather, but when warm weather comes,
Itse hoping to make more money dan I ever have befot.
"I'se always believed in de Presbyterian ruling and I went to dat
church when I was young. I'se 'tending de Trinity Methodist now, though,
'cause our church done gone under. Somebody misplaced some money and dey
had to turn de church over to Mr. Ravenel he took de deeds and every-
thing. Dat's what turned de church over. I believes in going to church,
and I'se going back to de Presbyterian if dey ever Fit things straightened
out.
"If you come back here in de spring, I'se going to give you a bunch
of flowers. I want you to see what kind of flowers I can raise."