Taylor County GaArchives History .....Phil Towns, Former Slave 1935
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Virginia Crilley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00003.html#0000642 July 12, 2020, 4:30 am

Source: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mesn.041/?sp=1&st=grid 

Federal Writers' Project: Slave Narrative, Vol 4, Georgia, Part 1, Adams-Furr



District 7
PHIL TOWNS, 
Old Slave Story as told to and written up by Adella S. Dixon in 1935:

On June 25, 1824, a son was born to Washington and Clara Towns who resided in
Richmond, Virginia. This was the fourth child in a family which finally numbered
thirteen. Phil, as he was called, does not recall many incidents on this estate as
the family moved when he was in his teens. 

His grandfather and grandmother were brought here from Africa and their description
of the cruel treatment they received is his most vivid recollection. 

His grandmother, Hannah, lived to be 129 years of age. 

Mr George Towns, called "Governor" by all of his slaves as well as his intimate
friends, moved to Georgia and settled at Reynolds in Taylor County. Here he
purchased a huge tract of land 1350 acres and built his new home upon this level
axes on the Flint River. 

The "big house,11 a large unpainted structure which housed a family of eighteen, was
in the midst of a grove of trees near the highway that formed one of the divisions
of the plantation. It was again divided by a local railway nearly a mile from the
rear of the house. 

Eighty-eight slaves were housed in the "quarters which were on each side of the
highway a little below the planter's home. These "quarters" differed from those
found in the surrounding territory as the size of the houses varied with the number
in the family. 

The interiors were nicely furnished and in most instances the families were able to
secure any furniture they desired. Feather mattresses, trundle beds and cribs were
common and in families where there were many children, large fireplaces some as many
as eight feet wide - were provided so that every one might be comfortable in winter.
A variety of cooking utensils were given and large numbers of waffle irons, etc.,
then considered luxuries, were found 
here. 

To consider only the general plan of operation, this plantation was no different
from the average one in pre-civil war days but there was a phase of the life here
which made it a most unusual home. 

“Governor" was so exceptionally kind to his slaves that they were known as "Gov.
Towns free 
negroes" to those on the neighboring farms. He never separated families. Neither did
he strike a slave except on rare occasions. 

Two things which might provoke his anger to this extent, were: to be told a lie, and
to find that a person had allowed some one to take advantage of him. They were never
given passes but obtained verbal consent to go where they wished and always remained
as long as they chose. 

Phil Towns' father worked in the field and his mother did light work in the house,
such as assisting in spinning. Mothers of three or more children were not compelled
to work, as the master felt that their children needed care. From early childhood
boys and girls were given excellent training. A boy who robbed a birds nest or a
girl who frolicked in a boisterous manner was severely reprimanded. 

Separate bedrooms for the two sexes were maintained until they married. The girls
passed thru two stages childhood, and at sixteen they became “gals”. Three years
later they might marry if they chose but the husband had to be older at least 21. 

Courtships differed from those of today because there were certain hours for
visiting and even though the 
girl might accompany her sweetheart away from home she had to be back at that hour.
They had no clocks but a "'time mark" was set by the sun. 

A young man was not allowed to give his girl any form of gift, and the efforts of
same girls to secretly receive gifts which they claimed to have "found*, were in
vain, for these were taken from them. 

After the proposal, the procedure was practically the same as is observed today. The
consent of the parent and 
the master was necessary. Marriages were mostly held at night and no pains were
spared to make them occasions to be remembered and cherished.  

Beautiful clothes — her own selections-- were given the bride, and friends usually
gave gifts for the house. These celebrations, attended by visitors from many
plantations, and always by the Towns family, ended in gay "frolics" with cakes,
wine, etc., for refreshments. 

During the first year of married life the couple remained with the bride's mother
who instructed her in the household arts. Disputes between the newly-weds were not
tolerated and punishment by the parents was the result of “nagging". At the end of a
year, another log cabin was added to the quarters and the couple began housekeeping*


The moral code was exceedingly high; the penalty for offenders - married or single,
white or colored - was to be banished from the group entirely. Thus illegitimate
children were rare enough to be a novelty. 

Young Phil was in his teens when he began his first job - coach driver for "Gov.
Towns." This was just before they moved to Georgia. He traveled with him wherever he
went, and as the Gov purchased a plantation in Talbot County, 
(the house still stands [as of 1935]), and a home in Macon, (the site of Mt. De
Sales Academy), a great deal of his time was spent on the road. 

Phil never did any other work except to occasionally assist in sweeping the large
yard. 

‘De other members of this group split rails, did field work, spinning, tailoring and
any of the many things that had to be done. Each person might choose the type of
work he liked best” 

Opportunities to make cash money were plentiful. Slaves made baskets and did hand
work which was sold and the money given the maker. A man or woman who paid Gov Towns
$150.00 might hire himself to the Gov for a year. When this was done he was paid
cash for all the work he did and many were able to clear several hundred dollars in
a year. 

In addition to this opportunity for earning money, every adult had an acre of ground
which he might cultivate as he chose. Any money made from the sale of this produce
was his own. 

Recreation was not considered important end so no provision was made in the regular
routine. It was, however, possible to obtain "time off" at frequent intervals and
these might be termed irregular vacation periods. 

Evening entertainment at which square dancing was the main attraction were common.
Quill
music, from a homemade harmonica, was played when banjoes were not available. These
instruments were made by binding with cane five to ten reeds of graduated lengths. A
hole was cut in the upper end of each and the music obtained by blowing up and down
the scale. 

Guests came from all neighboring farms and engaged in the “Green Corn" dance which
was similar to what is now called Buck dancing. Near the end of such a hilarous
evening, the guests were served with persimmon beer and ginger cakes, then
considered a delicacy.

"Gov*" Towns was interested in assisting any one desirous of learning. The little
girls who expressed the desire to become "ladies* were kept in the "big house* and
very carefully trained. The tastes of these few were developed to the extent that
they excelled the ordinary "quarter" children and were the envy of the group at
social affairs. 

Sunday was a day of Severance religious services and all adults were required to
attend. The trip was usually made in wagons, oxcarts, etc, although the young women
of tha big house rode handsome saddle horses. At each church there was placed a
stepping block by which they descended from their steeds. 

White and colored worshipped at the same church, constructed with a partition
separating the two parts of the congregation but not extending to the pulpit.
Professions of faith were accepted at the same altar while Baptismal services were
held at a local creek and all candidates were baptized on the same day. Regular
clothing was worn at this service. 

Children were not allowed to attend church, and christenings were not common. Small
boys, reared entirely apart from the strict religious observances, used to slip away
and shoot marbles on Sunday. 

The health problem was not a very acute one as these people ware provided with
everything conductive to a contented mind which played a large part in making a
robust body. However, a Doctor who lived nearby cared for the sick. Two fees were
set - the larger one being charged if the patient recovered. 

Home remedies were used for minor ills -- catnip tea for thrash, tea from Samson,
Snakeroot for cramps, redwood and dogwood bark tea for worms, horehound candy also
for worms. This is only a small portion of the root teas used medicinally by this
generation.Peach brandy was given to anyone suspected of having pneumonia-*- if the
patient coughed, it was certain that he was a victim of the disease. 

In these days, It was always thought best for the mother to name her children if the
proper name for the babe was theoretically revealed to her during pregnancy. If
another name was given the child, the correct one would be so 
firmly implanted in his subconscious mind that he would never be able to resist the
impulse to turn his head when that name was called. The seventh child was always
thought to be exceptionally lucky, and the bond of affection between the parents and
this child was greater. This belief persists today in many localities. 

Every family was given a weekly supply of food but this was more for convenience
than anything else as they were free to eat anything their appetites called for.
They killed chickens, ate vegetables, meats, etc* at any time. The presence of
guests at the "quarters" roused Mrs. Towns to activity and she almays helped to
prepare the menu. 

One of her favorite items mas chicken prepared four different ways, in pie, in stew,
fried, and baked. She gave full directions for the preparation of these delicacies
to those persons who were not skilled cooks.  Pound cake was another favorite and
she insisted that a pound of butter and a dozen eggs be used in each cake. When the
meal mas nearly ready, she usually made a trip to the cabin to see if it had been
capably prepared. The hostess could always tell without any comment whether she had
satisfied her mistress, for if she had, a serving was carried back to the big house
with her. 

Fishing was a form of remunerative recreation enjoyed by all. Everyone usually went
on Saturday afternoon, but if only a few made the trip, the catch was shared by all.


Sewing was no easy job as there were few small women among the servants. The cloth
made at home, was plentiful, however, and sufficient clothing was made for all. 

Some persons preferred making their own clothes and this privilege was granted;
otherwise they were made in a common sewing room. Ten yards was the average amount
of cloth in a dress, homespun and gingham, the usual materials. 

The men wore suits of [illegible]burg and jeans. This was died to more durable
colors through the use of indigo (blue) and a dye made from railroad bark (brown). 

Phil believes that the screeching of an owl is a sign of death… that the bellowing
of a cow, after dark, is a sign of death... also the howling of a dog after dark is
a sign of death because the  death of a human being is revealed to animals. Their
howling, etc., is a warning to us even though we may find some way to rid ourselves
of the annoyance of the sign - the death will occur just the same. 

On nearly all plantations tears ware some slaves who did not wish to work,
consequently, for this, or similar reasons, hid themselves in the woods. They
smuggled food to their hiding place by night, and remained -away in some 
instances, many months. Their belief in witchcraft caused them to resort to most
ridiculous means of avoiding discovery. 

Phil told the story of a man who visited a conjurer to obtain a 'hand" for which ha
paid fifty dollars in gold. The symbol was a hickory stick which he used whenever he
was being chased, and so in this manner warded off his pursuers. There was only one
difficulty in this procedure. The stick always had to as "sat up” at a fork or cross
roads. It was often necessary to run quite a distance to reach such a spot, but when
the stick was so placed human beings and even bloodhounds lost his trail. With this
assistance, he waa able to remain in the woods as long as he liked. 

Snakes ware frequent visitors in the cabins of the "quarters'. One morning while
Betty, a cook, was confined to bed, she sent for Mrs. Towns to tell her that a snake
had lain across her chest during the previous night and had tried to get under the
cover where her young baby lay asleep. Mrs. Towns was skeptical about the size and
activities of the animal but sent for several men to search the house. They had
given up the search when one chanced to glance above the sick woman's bad and there
lay the reptile on a shelf. The bed was roped and moved to another part of the room
and preparations made to shoot him. Quilts ware piled high on the bed so that the
noise of the gun would not frighten the baby. 

When all was ready, Mrs. Towns asked the old man with the gun  
"Daddy Luke, can you kill the snake?" 
"Yessum, mistress," he replied. 
"Daddy Luke, can you kill the snake?" 
“Yessum, mistress." 
"Daddy Luke, can you kill the snake?* 
"Yessum, mistress." 
“Shoot!!" 

He took careful aim and fired. The huge reptile rolled to the floor. They returned
to the yard to die some work near the woodpile, the mate was discovered by one of
the dogs that barked until a log was moved and the second snake killed. Small snakes
ware not feared in those days and for several years it was customary for women to
carry a tiny green snake in their bosoms. This fad was discontinued when one of the
women was severely injured through a bite on her chest. 

Phil remembers when the stars fell in 1833 [A meteor shower from the comet
Temple-Tuttle]. "They came down like rain,* he said. Then asked why he failed to
keep some, he replied that he was afraid to touch them even after they became black.


Freedom was discussed on the plantation ffor many years before the Civil War began.
As contented as they were there was something to look forward to when they thought
of being absolutely free. 

An ex-slavefs description of the real cause of the Civil War, deserves a place here.
It seems that Lincoln had sent several messages to Davis requesting that he free the
slaves. No favorable response was received. 

Lincoln had a conference with Mr. Davis and to this meeting he carried a Bible and a
gun. He tried in vain to convince  Davis that he was wrong-according to the Bible,
so he finally threw the two upon the table and asked Mr. Davis to take his choice.
Be chose the gun. Lincoln grasped the Bible and rushed home. Thus Davis began the
war but Lincoln had God on his side and so he end it. 

One of Gov. Towns sons went to the army and Phil was sent to care for him while he
was there; An aristocratic man never went to war without his valet. His duty was to
cook for him, keep his clothing clean, and to bring the body home if he was killed -
the poor people were either buried there or left lying on the field for vultures to
consume. 

Food was not so plentiful in the army and their diet of flapjacks and canned goods
was varied only through the use of coffee and whiskey which was given when they were
not on the battlefield. All cooking was done either between two battles or during
the lull in a battle. 

John Towns was soon sent back home as they felt he was too valuable a Southerner
to be killed in battle. His services were needed at home. 

Near the close of the war, Sherman made a visit to this vicinity. As was his usual
habit, he had obtained the reputation of Gov. Towns before he arrived at his home. 

He found conditions so ideal that not one thing was touched. He met slaves and
owners and went gaily on his way. Phil was so impressed by Sherman that he followed
him and camped with the Yankees about where Central City Bark is now. 

He thought that anything a Yankee said was true. One gave him a knife and told him
to go and cut the first man he met. He followed instructions even though he knew the
man. Realizing how foolish he had acted, he readily apologized and explained why. 

These soldiers seemed to fear nothing but lizards. They had never seen such animals
and would run in terror at the sight of one. The Confederates never discovered this.
They robbed bee hives bare handed and were never stung. 

After the close of the war, they were stationed in the towns to keep order. Union
flags were placed everywhere, and a Southerner was accused of not respecting the
flag if he even passed under one without bowing. Penalties for this offense were to
be hang up by the thumbs, to carry grease poles for a certain time, and numerous
other punishments which caused a deal of discomfort to the victims but sent the
soldiers and ex-slaves into peals of laughter. The sight of a Yankee soldier was
enough to send a Confederate one into hysteria. 

The slaves laughed when told they ware free, but Gov. Towns was almost indifferent.
His slaves, he said, ware always practically free, so a little legal form did not
mean very much to them. Nearly every one remained there and worked 
for wages,

For the past thirty-fire years, Phil Towns has been almost totally disabled. Long
life seems no novelty to him for he says everyone used to live longer when they
honored their elders more. He has eighty-four relatives in Virginia all older than
he, but states that friends who have visited there say he looks more aged than any
of them. His great desire is to return to Virginia, as he believes he will be able
to point out the familiar landmarks in spite of the changes that have taken place. 

Mr. Alex Black, of Macon, makes no charges for the old shack in which Phil lives;
his food furnished by the Department of Public Welfare is supplemented by interested
friends.  

Thanks to Joy Fisher for discovering this article.

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