Marlboro County ScArchives History - Books .....Chapter XXXVII The Colored People 1897
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Book Title: A History Of Marlboro County

CHAPTER XXXVII.
THE COLORED PEOPLE.

About sixty per cent, of the population of Marlboro County is of the negro or
African race, and their coming to this country was as slaves. This county had
very few previous to the Revolutionary War, but, as the culture of rice and
cotton increased and became the principal crops, the demand for negro labor
increased. About 1830 a negro man would sell for say three or four hundred
dollars; a young woman probably for less. But about the beginning of the war
prices for similar slaves would be at least three times as much. This was, no
doubt, largely owing to the growing demand for this labor for the new Western
States, and the prohibition of further importation to this country about the
year 1820. The bringing of these people to this country as slaves, has proved a
great blessing to their descendants, in giving them civilization and
Christianity, and has also greatly blessed the South in giving to it the best
labor in the world, adapted to its peculiarities as to climate and products. The
negroes of this county previous to and during the war were well cared for and
protected by their owners, and seldom during those times was anything actually
cleared from the result of the year's work upon the farm, further than was
expended in the care, clothing, etc., of the whites and blacks upon the place.
The main property in considering wealth was the number of slaves owned, and the
principal idea in obtaining wealth in the South previous to the war was to take
care of the negroes and let them multiply. During the war the negroes were
entirely docile, doing the work of making the crops in the absence of their
masters, and being faithful and obedient.

  With the close of the war came the freedom of the negro as one of the .results
of the conflict, and it was seriously felt by the former masters that this was a
calamity indeed, principally as they could not conceive of such a state of
things as that a negro would work unless made to do so as a slave; and also that
the two races would not be able to remain together in any other relationship
than as master and servant. Neither the masters nor slaves were prepared for the
new situation, and, as was natural, both made mistakes. The new freedman could
not fully realize that he was free unless he moved from his old home and
confidently expected to be set up with "forty acres and a mule." Then came
reconstruction and the conferring of suffrage upon the colored people, which
caused political aspirations. During that exciting and stormy period immediately
following reconstruction, to their credit it must be said that no outbreaking
act of violence occurred in this county, as in some others.

  The conduct of the slaves of Marlboro during the war, when the able-bodied
whites were at the front in the army, was commendable indeed. No instance during
the whole four years is remembered where the blacks were other than faithful to
the home and family. It is not too much to say that no other race of people
under similar circumstances would have been so loyal and true.

  The present development of Marlboro is largely the result of negro labor. The
colored people largely work as tenants and share-owners of crops, and any
disagreement or litigation with their employers is very uncommon. The stores of
the county are largely supported by the patronage of the colored people, and it
is rare indeed that credit extended by a merchant to a colored farmer or tenant
is not promptly paid in the early fall.

  Quite a goodly number of colored people in Marlboro own their own farms and
know how to work them. The following colored men own valuable farms and have
excellent credit in their respective communities: Alex. L. Ivy, Silas
Easterling, C. C. McRae, George Pearson, Lewis Emanuel, Thomas Green, J. Evans
Quick, January Johnson, Richard Reese, Richard Gibson, Rufus Tatum, Amos Tatum,
Handford David, Noah Melloy, Edward Ware, G. W. Steel, Washington Bright, Robert
McColl, Tony Lide, Moses McLeod, Benjamin F. Quick, Nicholas Kollock, the Cook
brothers, the McKay brothers, Moses Hodges, H. W. Hines, Henry Bradford and
Dennis David.

  Among the colored population there are a few well-to-do farmers and business
men. J. C. Allman has a large plantation, which he cultivates very successfully,
making from 125 to 150 bales of cotton annually. Peter Banks, living near
McColl, is another good farmer and has an excellent plantation, which might,
perhaps, sell for forty dollars per acre. He runs a four or five horse farm.

  E. J. Sawyer came to Bennettsville about twenty-five years ago. He has had
good educational opportunities and has received thorough college training. He
served as principal of the Colored Graded School for a number of years, and has
also been engaged in mercantile and farming pursuits. He has served two terms as
postmaster at Bennettsville. He is a resident of the town, owning an attractive
home, and numerous other town lots, together with valuable farms in the country.
His property is worth perhaps $20,000.

  The Pee Dee Educator is the name of a paper owned and edited by E. J. Sawyer,
and is creditably supported by the colored people of the county. Its circulation
is about two thousand, and with one exception is the oldest colored paper in the
country, being in its seventh year.

  The churches of the colored people will compare favorably with those of other
sections. At the town of McColl there is a small Presbyterian church. With this
single exception all the others are Baptist and Methodist. The colored Baptist
church in town has a larger seating capacity than any other church in town. It
is a substantial frame building, neatly painted and well furnished. The building
is worth about $3,000, and was built chiefly through the contributions of the
colored people through the efforts of the present pastor, Rev. F. W. Prince, who
received his training at Benedict College, Columbia, South Carolina. The
Methodists have a church in Bennettsville, known as "St. Michael's M. E.
Church." For comfort, convenience, beauty and situation, it is all that could be
desired by any congregation. This church is worth about $2,500. Both churches
have comfortable parsonages attached. When we remember that so many, and such
comfortable churches, have been erected through the contributions of the colored
people chiefly, we are amazed at their liberality and religious zeal. As an
illustration of this, Tony Lide, a few years ago, mortgaged his home and thirty
acres of land, all he owned, in order to make the purchase of one of the
parsonages spoken of above. Below we give the names of twenty of their country
churches, all of which are well-built frame structures, completed, painted and
furnished, the average value of each being about $1,000 : Hopewell, Sarian,
Spears, Clio M. E., Clio A. M. E. Z., Asbury, Pee Dee, Sardis, Macedonia, Saw
Mill, Level Green, Smyrna, Pine Plains, Galilee, Wesley Chapel, Ebenezer, Cedar
Fall, Shiloh, Goodwin Chapel, and Dyer's Hill. There are others of less value,
but neat and comfortable.

  As a rule the colored people avail themselves of every opportunity for
education, frequently keeping up private schools at their own expense when the
limit for the public schools has expired. Many parents by much sacrifice send
their sons and daughters to colleges. Benedict, Shaw and Claflin being usually
patronized. More detailed allusion is made to the schools and school buildings
in the chapter on education. When we consider the rapid strides that have been
made by the negro race along financial, social, religious and educational lines,
we are amazed. Time nor space will admit of a more extended chapter in this
work. Nor is any pen adequate to the task of bestowing the just meeds of praise
upon them to which they are entitled, for having so successfully overcome
adverse fortunes. Their progress and improvement as a race in the last thirty
years has been without a parallel in the world's history, and their motto is,
"Onward still, to yet better achievements."


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

A HISTORY OF MARLBORO COUNTY,
WITH
TRADITIONS AND SKETCHES OF NUMEROUS FAMILIES.

REV. J. A. W. THOMAS, AUTHOR.

A wonderful stream is the river Time
  As it runs through the realms of tears 
With a faultless rhythm and a musical rhyme,
And a broader sweep and a surge sublime
  As it blends with the ocean of years.
                        —TENNYSON.

ATLANTA, GA.:
THE FOOTE & DAVIES COMPANY,
Printers and Binders.
1897.


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