Re: [Sansevierias] Re: It's About Time

Thanks for sharing this, Herm.

----- Original Message -----From: Hermine Stover <[email protected]>To: [email protected]: [email protected], [email protected]: Thu, 19 Dec 2013 15:57:42 -0000 (UTC)Subject: [Sansevierias] Re: It's About Time









Ex-Slave Lou Williams' Christmas Memories 



Lou Williams was born in southern Maryland in 1829. She and her familywere slaves of Abram and Kitty Williams, and Lou served as nursemaid toher master's children from the age of eight until after the Civil War.She then went to Louisiana where she worked as a cook for several yearsbefore moving to San Angelo, Texas:

"We allus gits Saturday evenin' off to wash our clothes andsometime we has dances Saturday night...We has corn shuckin's and bigsuppers and on Christmas day massa buys us de present, most times shoes,'cause we didn't have any shoes."

Photos & quotes from The Slave Narratives, a collection of over20,000 pages of typewritten interviews with more than 3,500 formerslaves, collected between 1929-39. Those interviewed ranged in age from 1to 50 at the time of emancipation in 1865; more than 2/3 were over 80when they were interviewed. The obvious problem is the language asreported by the interviewers. The Library of Congress explains on theirwebsite, "The narratives usually involve some attempt by theinterviewers to reproduce in writing the spoken language of thoseinterviewed."



Diary of Mary Jeffreys Bethell, January 1st 1861 - Dec. 1865:

Mary Jeffreys Bethell, born in 1821, was the daughter of Phereba HintonJeffreys and farmer and Methodist preacher George Washington Jeffreys(1794-1849). She married William D. Bethell in 1840 and spent most of herlife in Rockingham County, North Carolina. Mary Jeffreys Bethell's diaryhas infrequent entries beginning on 1 January 1853 and ending 6 January1873. Diary entries discuss Bethell's home and neighbors; her religiousactivities; the activities of her children, several of whom died young,and children in the Torrien family, whom Bethell referred to as niecesand nephews and who lived in the Bethell household for many years. Thereare frequent mention of Bethell's journeys with her husband to Louisiana,Tennessee, and Arkansas, and thoughts of moving the family out of NorthCarolina. During the Civil War, the diary also includes the activities ofsons Willie and George in the Confederate Army, including George'sadventures with the 44th North Carolina Regiment and his capture andimprisonment at Johnson Island. Bethell's husband joined the Army in1864, after which Bethell wrote of the difficulties she endured in herhusband's absence, including the departure of their slaves. SeeDocumenting the American South (DocSouth.unc.edu), adigital publishing initiative of the University Library at the Universityof North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

December 25, 1861This is Christmas day, a beautiful day but very cold, how differentthis Christmas from last, now our Country is filled with armies to defendour country from the Northern army, many bloody battles have been fought,hundreds have been killed on both sides, and a great many soldiers havedied in the camp from disease and want of attention while sick, it is sadto contemplate, perhaps the Lord is chastising his church, I believe hepermits it for our good.I have two sons in the army, they have enjoyedfine health, the Lord has blessed them, I thank and praise him for it. Ihope and pray that they may get home safe to my arms.

December 25, 1862This is Christmas day, a most lovely day for the season, it is almostlike Spring. I hope 'tis a token of good, that the Lord is going to blessus if it is his will. I hope the war will soon close and that we may havepeace.