The Danway

Tuesday Night
June 15, 1927
Danway, Alabama

By: Harvey Smith

Tonight, after a heavy rain this afternoon, mother and Grandpa and myself sat out in the front yard under a far away wild swept sky with only here and there a fleck of fleecy clouds, misted and stretched by this afternoons high winds. A light sprinkle of stars barely discernible through the moisture laden atmosphere and the most glorious moon ever saw just topping the low roof of the old bungalow completed the scene. Grandpa tells us the moon is full tomorrow morning. Mother says the garden will be alive and bearing now after the rain. So, under the china berry trees behind the high rain soaked hedge gently fanning its fern like frands in the cool evening breeze and occasionally splashing a few drops on us, we sat after super.

Some how the conversation drifted back to slavery times - a topic very interesting to most of us and one of which I am always curious.

Grandpa's father died in 1853 and at the time of his death, he had 108 slaves all told not counting 46 slaves which he had given to his children already married.

The slave quarters were directly across the road in front of the old Robertson house. The White house as the slaves called it. The slave quarters were built in the form of a square enclosing a quadrangle. Originally there were four double or 8 single cabins on each side of a lane facing each other making 18 cabins with 2 single cabins at the end, but when Grandpa know it, the space between had been widened by rolling the long row of cabins back until the two single cabins at the ends could be added to until on the 4 sides of the quadrangle there were 32 cabins.

Once a month a preacher was hired to come and preach to the darkies and those who were church members were allowed once a month to go to the White folks church in Cusseta where the two back rows were reserve for slaves. When Grandma Robertson (Grandpa's Mother) came in with her slaves who were church members three rows and standing room had to be had for them for they were 43. This happened on the 3rd Sunday of every month. Many of the slaves got very. much wrought up on preaching Sunday. Sometimes they were worthless for work for days after, they had the call.

Grandpa said he never remembered his mother or father having ever sold or bought from a slave market a single slave. She was never guilty of separating a family and moreover when a Negro on her place married Negro on some other place, she either bought or sold the other half of the couple. When a trade was not affected as in case of her gardener, Mose Robertson and Martha Simms. Mose was allowed to spend Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday nights and all day Sunday with Martha at the Simms place.

About 1852 Grandpa's father bought for his wife, in Harold County, Ga. a Negro woman named Civindy from an old White woman and paid $3400. 00 for her. She was the only slave this woman had and had been taught to do everything. At the Robertson place she had charge of the weaving, sewing and quilting work and also of the milk and butter work. Grandpa's mother had a White housekeeper, Miss Jane Wylie who was supported, by the family until her death in Mississippi in 1869 while visiting his sister Mary (Mrs. Jim Monk), She also had Mose, Phyllis, Rosa, Missa, Lizzle, Civindy, two men, two boys and two girls for personal servants around the house. Mose was the gardener, Rosa and Phyllis were twins and they cleaned and waited on the table and were maids for the ladies. Missa was the housekeepers girl and Lizzie was the cook. Lizzie had a boy and a girl and a man for help. Another man was usually kept around the house for odd Jobs. Besides these each child was given soon after its birth a slave of its own sex a few years older than itself. Grandpa's slave was Washington Robertson, who accompanied Grandpa through the war until Uncle Sledge's arm was shot off and he and his Negro Reese returned home. Them Grandma Robertson recalled Washington and sent Reese to accompany' Grandpa. Reese stayed with Grandpa until the night before Grandpa was captured in Louisiana when he sent Reese home.

At the close of the war when the Negroes were freed and most of them cutting up jack, 97 out of. 137 or more on hand stayed with Grandma Robertson until her death in 1868. This was an exceptional average for most Negroes changed if for but a few miles.

Grandpa said there were no poor folks, that is White folk, in that part of the country. There were in the villages, always a few tradesmen, not store owners. They were usually cobblers and the like.