Georgia:  Oglethrope County: James Bolton Slave Narrative 

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Jeanne Arguelles
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Slave Narrative
James Bolton ~ Athens, GA

WPA Slave Narrative Project, Georgia Narratives, Volume 4, Part 1
James Bolton ~ Age 85 ~ Athens, Georgia
Written by: Mrs. Sarah H. Hall, Federal Writers' Project, Residency 4,
Athens, Georgia.
Edited by: Miss Maude Barragan, Federal Writers' Project, Residency 13,
Augusta, Georgia.

"It never was the same on our plantation atter we done laid Mistess 
away," said James Bolton, 85 year old mulatto ex-slave. "I ain't never forget 
when Mistess died - she had been so good to every nigger on our plantation. 
When we got sick, Mistess allus had us tended to. The niggers on our 
Plantation all walked to church to hear her funeral sermon and then walked to 
the graveyard to the buryin'."

James, shrivelled and wrinkled, with his bright eyes taking in everything 
On one of his rare visits to town, seemed glad of the chance to talk about
slavery days. He spoke of his owner as "my employer" and hastily 
corrected himself by saying, "I means, my marster."

"My employer, I means my marster, and my mistess, they was sho' all right
white folkses," he continued. "They lived in the big 'ouse. Hit was all
painted brown. I heard tell they was more'n 900 acres in our plantation 
and lots of folkses lived on it. The biggest portion was woods. "My paw, he 
was name Whitfield Bolton and Liza Bolton was my maw. Charlie, Edmund, Thomas
and John Bolton was my brothers and I had one sister, she was Rosa. We
belonged to Marse Whitfield Bolton and we lived on his plantation in
Oglethorpe County near Lexington, not far from the Wilkes County line.

"We stayed in a one room log cabin with a dirt floor. A frame made outen
pine poles was fastened to the wall to hold up the mattresses. Our
mattresses was made outen cotton bagging stuffed with wheat straw. Our
kivers was quilts made outen old clothes. Slave 'omans too old to work in
the fields made the quilts.

"Maw, she went up to the big house one't a week to git the 'lowance or
vittles. They 'lowanced us a week's rations at a time. Hit were generally
hog meat, corn meal and sometimes a little flour. Maw, she done our 
cookin' on the coals in the fireplace at our cabin. We had plenty of 'possums 
and rabbits and fishes and sometimes we had wild tukkeys and partidges. 
Slaves warn't spozen to go huntin' at night and everybody know you can't ketch 
No 'possums 'ceppin' at night! Jus' the same, we had plenty 'possums and 
Nobody ax how we cotch 'em!" James laughed and nodded. Now, 'bout them rabbits!
Slaves warn't 'lowed to have no guns and no dogs of they own. All the 
Dogs on our plantation belonged to my employer - I means, to my marster, and 
He 'lowed us to use his dogs to run down the rabbits. Nigger mens and boys 
'ud go in crowds, sometimes as many as twelve at one time, and a rabbit ain't
got no chance 'ginst a lot of niggers and dogs when they light out for to
run 'im down!

"What wild critters we wanted to eat and couldn't run down, we was right
smart 'bout ketchin' in traps. We cotch lots of wild tukkeys and 
partidges in traps and nets. Long Crick runned through our plantation and the 
river warn't no fur piece off. We sho' did ketch the fishes, mostly cats, and
perch and heaps and heaps of suckers. We cotch our fishes mos'n generally
with hook and line, but the carpenters on our plantation knowed how to 
make basket traps that sho' nuff did lay in the fishes! God only knows how 
llon it's been since this old nigger pulled a big shad out of the river. Ain't 
no shads been cotch in the river round here in so long I disremembers when!

"We didn' have no gardens of our own round our cabins. My employer - I
means, my marster - had one big gyarden for our whole plantation and all 
his niggers had to work in it whensomever he wanted 'em to, then he give 'em 
all plenty good gyarden sass for theyselfs. They was collards and cabbage and
turnips and beets and english peas and beans and onions, and they was 
allus some garlic for ailments. Garlic was mostly to cure woms (worms). They
roasted the garlic in the hot ashes and squez the juice outen it and made
chilluns take it. Sometimes they made poultices outen garlic for the
pneumony.

"We saved a heap of bark from wild cherry and poplar and black haw and
slippery ellum trees and we dried out mullein leaves. They was all mixed 
and brewed to make bitters. Whensomever a nigger got sick, them bitters was 
good for - well ma'am, they was good for what ailed 'em! We tuk 'em for
rheumatiz, for fever, and for the misery in the stummick and for most all
sorts of sickness. Red oak bark tea was good for sore throat.

"I never seed no store bought clothes twel long atter freedom come! One
slave 'oman done all the weavin' in a separate room called the 'loom 
house.'  The cloth was dyed with home-made coloring. They used indigo for blue, 
red oak bark for brown, green husks offen warnicks (walnuts) for black, and
sumacs for red and they'd mix these colors to make other colors. Other 
slave 'omans larned to sew and they made all the clothes. Endurin' the 
summertime we jus' wore shirts and pants made outen plain cotton cloth. They 
wove wool in with the cotton to make the cloth for our winter clothes. The wool 
was raised right thar on our plantation. We had our own shoemaker man - he 
was a slave named Buck Bolton and he made all the shoes the niggers on our
plantation wore.

"I waren't nothin' but chillun when freedom come. In slavery-time 
chilluns waren't 'lowed to do no wuk kazen the marsters wanted they niggers to 
grow up big and strong and didn' want 'em stunted none. Tha's howcome I didn' 
git no mo' beatin's than I did! My employer - I means, my marster, never did
give me but one lickin'. He had done told me to watch the cows and keep 
'em in the pastur'. I cotch lots of grasshoppers and started fishin' in the
crick runnin' through the pastur' and fust thing I knowed, the overseer 
was roundin' up all the other niggers to git the cows outen the cornfields! I
knowed then my time had done come!"

James was enjoying the spotlight now, and his audience did not have to
prompt him. Plantation recollections crowded together in his old mind.

"We had one overseer at a time," he said, "and he allus lived at the big
'ouse. The overseers warn't quality white folkses like our marster and
mistess but we never heard nuffin' 'bout no poor white trash in them 
days, and effen we had heard sumpin' like that we'd have knowed better'n to let
Marster hear us make such talk: Marster made us call his overseer 
'Mister.'  We had one overseer named Mr. Andrew Smith and another time we had a
overseer named Mr. Pope Short. Overseers was jus' there on the business 
of gettin' the work done - they seed atter everybody doin' his wuk 'cordin' 
to order.

"My employer - I means, my marster, never 'lowed no overseer to whup none 
of his niggers! Marster done all the whuppin' on our plantation hisself. He
never did make no big bruises and he never drawed no blood, but he sho'
could burn 'em up with that lash! Niggers on our plantation was whupped 
for laziness mostly. Next to that, whuppings was for stealin' eggs and 
chickens.  They fed us good and plenty but a nigger is jus' bound to pick up 
chickens and eggs effen he kin, no matter how much he done eat! He jus' can't 
help it. Effen a nigger ain't busy he gwine to git into mischief!

"Now and then slaves 'ud run away and go in the woods and dig dens and 
live in 'em. Sometimes they runned away on 'count of cruel treatment, but most 
of the time they runned away kazen they jus' didn't want to wuk, and wanted 
to laze around for a spell. The marsters allus put the dogs atter 'em and 
git 'em back. They had black and brown dogs called 'nigger hounds' what 
waren't used for nothin' but to track down niggers.

"They waren't no such place as a jail whar we was. Effen a nigger done
sumpin' disorderly they jus' natcherly tuk a lash to him. I ain't never 
seed no nigger in chains twel long atter freedom done come when I seed 'em on 
the chain gangs.

"The overseer woke us up at sunrise--- leas'n they called sunrise! We 
would finish our vittles and be in the fields ready for wuk befo' we seed any 
sun!  We laid off wuk at sunset and they didn't drive us hard. Leas'wise, they
didn' on our plantation. I done heard they was moughty hard on 'em on 
other plantations. My marster never did 'low his niggers to wuk atter sundown. 
My employer, I means my marster, didn't have no bell. He had 'em blow bugles 
To wake up his hands and to call 'em from the fields. Sometimes the overseer
blowed it. Mistess done larned the cook to count the clock, but none of 
the rest of our niggers could count the clock.

"I never knowed Marster to sell but one slave and he jus' had bought her
from the market at New Orleans. She say it lonesome off on the plantation
and axed Master for to sell her to folkses livin' in town. After he done
sold her, every time we got to town she beg 'im to buy her back! But he
didn' pay her no more 'tention. When they had sales of slaves on the
plantations they let everybody know what time the sale gwine to be. When 
the crowd git togedder they put the niggers on the block and sell 'em.
Leas'wise, they call it 'puttin' on the black' - they jus' fotch 'em out 
And show 'em and sell 'em.

"They waren't no church for niggers on our plantation and we went to 
white folkses church and listened to the white preachers. We set behind a
partition. Sometimes on a plantation a nigger claim he done been called 
to preach and effen he kin git his marster's cawn-sent he kin preach round
under trees and in cabins when t'aint wuk time. These nigger preachers in
slavery time was called 'chairbackers.' They waren't no chairbackers 
'lowed to baptize none of Marster's niggers. White preachers done our baptizin' 
in Long Crick.

When we went to be baptized they allus sang, 'Amazing Grace! How sweet 
The sound!'"

The old negro's quavery voice rose in the familiar song. For a moment he 
Sat thinking of those long-age Sundays. His eyes brightened again, and he 
Went on:

"We never done no wuk on Sundays on our plantation. The church was 'bout
nine miles from the plantation and we all walked there. Anybody too old 
end feeble to walk the nine miles jus' stayed home, kazen Marster didn't 'low
his mules used none on Sunday. All along the way niggers from other
plantations 'ud jine us and sometimes befo' we git to the church house
they'd be forty or fifty slaves comin' along the road in a crowd! 
Preaching generally lasted twel bout three o'clock. In summertime we had dinner 
on the ground at the church. Howsomever we didn' have no barbecue like they does
now. Everybody cooked enough on Sadday and fotched it in baskets

"I was thirty years old when I jined the church. Nobody ought to jine no
church twels't he is truly borned of God, and effen he is truly borned of
God he gwine know it. Effen you want a restin' place atter you leaves 
This old world you ought to git ready for it now!

"When folkses on our plantation died Marster allus let many of us as 
wanted to go, lay offen wuk twel atter the buryin'. Sometimes it were two or 
three months atter the buryin' befo' the funeral sermon was preached. Right now 
I can't rekelleck no song we sung at funerals cep'n 'Hark from the tombs a
doleful sound.'

The reedy old voice carried the funeral hymn for a few minutes and then
trailed off. James was thinking back into the past again.

"Spring plowin' and hoein' times we wukked all day Saddays, but mos'en
generally we laid off wuk at twelve o'clock Sadday. That was dinnertime.
Sadday nights we played and danced. Sometimes in the cabins, sometimes in
the yards. Effen we didn' have a big stack of fat kindling wood lit up to
dance by, sometimes the mens and 'omans would carry torches of kindling 
wood whils't they danced and it sho' was a sight to see! We danced the 'Turkey
Trot' and 'Buzzard Lope', and how we did love to dance the 'Mary Jane!' 
We would git in a ring and when the music started we would begin wukkin' our
footses while we sang 'You steal my true love and I steal your'n!'

"Atter supper we used to gether round and knock tin buckets and pans, we
beat 'em like drums. Some used they fingers and some used sticks for to 
make the drum sounds and somebody allus blowed on quills. Quills was a row of
whistles made outen reeds, or sometimes they made 'em outen bark. Every
whistle in the row was a different tone and you could play any kind of 
tune you wants effen you had a good row of quills. They sho' did sound sweet!

"'Bout the mos fun we had was at corn shuckin's whar they put the corn in
long piles and called in the folkses from the plantations nigh round to
shuck it. Sometimes four or five hunnert head of niggers 'ud be shuckin'
corn at one time. When the corn all done been shucked they'd drink the
likker the marsters give 'em and then frolic and dance from sundown to
sunup. We started shuckin' corn 'bout dinnertime and tried to finish by
sundown so we could have the whole night for frolic. Some years we 'ud go 
to ten or twelve corn shuckin's in one year!

"We would sing and pray Easter Sunday and on Easter Monday we frolicked 
and danced all day long! Christmas we allus had plenty good sumpin' to eat 
and we all got togedder and had lots of fun. We runned up to the big 'ouse 
early Christmas mornin' and holler out: 'Mornin', Christmas Gif'!' Then they'd
give us plenty of Sandy Claus and we would go back to our cabins to have 
fun twel New Year's day. We knowed Christmas was over and gone when New 
Year's day come, kazen we got back to wuk that day atter frolickin' all 
Christmas week.

"We didn' know nuttin' 'bout games to play. We played with the white 
ffolkse chilluns and watched atter 'em but most of the time we played in the 
crick what runned through the pastur'. Nigger chilluns was allus skeered to go 
in the woods atter dark. Folkses done told us Raw-Head-and-Bloody Bones 
lived in the woods and git little chilluns and eat 'em up effen they got out in
the woods atter dark!

"'Rockabye baby in the tree trops' was the onliest song I heard my maw 
sing to git her babies to sleep. Slave folkses sung most all the time but we
didn' think of what we sang much. We jus' got happy and started singin'.
Sometimes we 'ud sing effen we felt sad and lowdown, but soon as we 
could, we 'ud go off whar we could go to sleep and forgit all 'bout trouble!" 
James nodded his grey head with a wise look in his bright eyes. "When you hear 
A nigger singin' sad songs hit's jus' kazen he can't stop what he is doin'
long enough to go to sleep!"

The laughter that greeted this sally brought an answering grin to the
wrinkled old face. Asked about marriage customs, James said:

"Folkses didn' make no big to-do over weddings like they do now. When 
slaves got married they jus' laid down the broom on the floor and the couple 
jined hands and jumped back-uds over the broomstick. I done seed 'em married 
that way many a time. Sometimes my marster would fetch Mistess down to the 
slave quarters to see a weddin'. Effen the slaves gittin' married was house
servants, sometimes they married on the back porch or in the back yard at
the big 'ouse but plantation niggers what was field hands married in they
own cabins. The bride and groom jus' wore plain clothes kazen they didn'
have no more.

"When the young marsters and mistesses at the big houses got married they
'lowed the slaves to gadder on the porch and peep through the windows at 
the weddin'. Mos'en generally they 'ud give the young couple a slave or two 
to take with them to they new home. My marster's chilluns was too young to 
git married befo' the war was over. They was seven of them chilluns; four of 
'em was gals.

"What sort of tales did they tell 'mongs't the slaves 'bout the Norf 
befo' the war? To tell the troof, they didn't talk much like they does now 
'bout them sort of things. None of our niggers ever runned away and we didn' 
know nuthin' 'bout no Norf twel long atter freedom come. We visited round each
other's cabins at night.

I did hear tell 'bout the patterollers. Folkses said effen they cotched
niggers out at night they 'ud give 'em what Paddy give the drum".

"Jus' befo' freedom comed 'bout 50 Yankee sojers come through our 
plantation and told us that the bull-whups and cowhides was all dead and buried. 
Them sojers jus' passed on in a hurry and didn' stop for a meal or vittles or
nuffin'. We didn't talk much 'bout Mr. Abbieham Lincum endurin' slavery 
time kazen we was skeered of him atter the war got started. I don't know 
nothin' 'bout Mr. Jef'son Davis, I don't remember ever hearin' 'bout him. I is 
heard about Mr. Booker Washin'ton and they do say he runned a moughty good 
school for niggers.

"One mornin' Marster blowed the bugle his own self and called us all up 
to the big 'ouse yard. He told us: 'You all jus' as free as I is. You are 
free from under the taskmarster but you ain't free from labor. You gotter 
labor and wuk hard effen you aims to live and eat and have clothes to wear. You
kin stay here and wuk for me, or you kin go wharsomever you please.' He 
said he 'ud pay us what was right, and Lady, hit's the troof, they didn't nary 
a nigger on our plantation leave our marster then! I wukked on with Marster
for 40 years atter the war!"

James had no fear of the Ku Klux.

"Right soon atter the war we saw plenty of Ku Kluxers but they never
bothered nobody on our plantation. They allus seemed to be havin' heaps 
of fun. 'Course, they did have to straighten out some of them brash young
nigger bucks on some of the other farms round about. Mos' of the niggers 
the Ku Kluxers got atter was'n on no farm, but was jus' roamin' 'round 
talkin' too much and makin' trouble. They had to take 'em in hand two or three 
times befo' some of them fool free niggers could be larned to behave theyselfs.
But them Ku Kluxers kept on atter 'em twels't they larned they jus got to 
Be good effen they 'spects to stay round here.

"Hit was about 40 years atter the war befo' many niggers 'gun to own they
own lan'. They didn' know nothin' 'bout tendin' to money business when 
the war done ended and it take 'em a long time to larn how to buy and sell 
and take care of what they makes." James shook his head sadly. "Ma'am, heaps 
of niggers ain't never larned nothin' 'bout them things yit!

"A long time atter the war I married Lizy Yerby. I didn' give Liza no
chanc't for to dress up. Jus' went and tuk her right outer the white
folkses' kitchen and married her at the church in her workin' clothes. We
had 13 chilluns but they ain't but two of 'em livin' now. Mos' of our
chilluns died babies. Endurin' slavery Mistess tuk care of all the nigger
babies borned on our plantations and looked atter they mammies too, but
atter freedom come heap of nigger babies died out.

James said he had two wives, both widows.

"I married my second wife 37 years ago. To tell the troof, I don't 
rightly know how many grandchilluns I got, kazen I ain't seed some of 'em for 
tthirt years. My chilluns is off fum here and I wouldn' know to save my life 
whar they is or what they does. My sister and brothers they is done dead out 
what ain't gone off, I don't know for sho' whar none of 'em is now.

A sigh punctuated James' monologue, and his old face was shadowed by a 
Look of fear.

I gwine tell you the troof. Now that it's all over I don't find life so 
Good in my old age, as it was in slavery time when I was chillun down on
Marster's plantation. Then I didn' have to worry 'bout whar my clothes 
And my somepin' to eat was comin' from or whar I was gwine to sleep. Marster 
Tuk keer of all that. Now I ain't able for to wuk and make a livin' and hit's
sho' moughty hard on this old nigger."


Jeanne Arguelles
ejarguelles@msn.com