NPIRALFederal DIDRB•Writers PROJJCProject American Gu.ide, (Negro Writers' Unit) Jacksonville, 7loridaFlorida Viola. B. Muse Slave IntemewInterview KarchMarch ao20, 1937 Field forkerworker Complete 2,456 Words 9 pages Willis Williams of 1025 Iverson Street, Jacksonville. lloridaFlorida was born at Tallahassee, ll.orid.aFlorida, September 15, 1855. BeHe was the son of Ransom and Wilhemina. Williams. who 'belongedbelonged dll.ringduring the period of sl.veryslavery to .omasThomas Heyward, a rich merchant of TaJ.labasseeTalahassee. Willis does not know the names of hiehis pa.temslpaternal grand.-pa.t"ntsgrandparents but remembers his maternal grand-mother was Rachel Fitzgiles, who came dawndown to visit the family after thathe Civil War.

Thomas lte7W8l"dHeyward, the master, owned a plantation out in the country from Tallahassee and kept slaves out there; he also owned a fine home in the city as well as a large grocery store and produce house.

Willis' mother, Wilhemina, was the cook at the town house and his father, Williams, did carpentry and other light work around the place. He does not remember how his father learned the trade, but presumes that Mr. Heyward put him uderunder a white carpenter until he had learned. The first he remembers of his father was that he did carpentry work.

At the t.i.metime Willis was born and during his early life, even rich people like Mr. Heyward did not have cook stoves. They knew nothing of su.chsuch. The only means of cooking was by fireplace, which, as he remembersjremembers, nswas wide with an iron rod across it. To the rod a l.rgelarge iron pot was suspended and in it food was cooked., An iron skillet with a lid was uedused torto bak:1ngbaking and it also was uedused to cook meats and otbeother food. The common name for the utensil was •spider''spider' and eve1:yevery home had one.

Willis fe.":'1Sdfared well dwingduring the first nine years of his life which were spent in sla.veryslavery. To him it was tllethe same as freedom for he was not a victim of any unpleasant experiences as related by some other ex-slaves. ReHe played base ball endand looked after his younger brothers and sister while his mother was in the kitchen. He was never flogged but received chastiae.me:itchastise-ment once from the father of Mr. Heyward. That, he related, was light and :n•otnot nearly so severe as many parents give their children toCU\Ytoday.

Wilhemina, his mother, and the cook, saw to it that her children were well fed. They were fed. rigutright from the mastertsmaster's table, so to speak. :J!beyThey did not sit to the table with the master and fami.lyfamily, but awate the same kind of food that was served them.

Cornbread was baked in the Heyward kitchen 'but biscuits also were baked twice daily and the JlegroesNegroes were allowed to eat as ma.Il7many aaas they wished. The dishes were made of tin and the drillld.ngdrinking vessels were m9.demade from gourds. Few white people had china dishes and when they did possess them they were highly priz:edprized and great ca.recare was taken of them.

!'heThe few other slaves which 1!rMr. ltej'lJla.rdHeyward lr.eptkept around the town house tended the garden and the. chickens, ducksa.lldand ., geese on the place. The garden afforded all of the vegetables necessar7necessary torfor feeding Kaste:rMaster Heyward, his family and slaves. :S:eHe did not object to the slaves ee.tizlaeating cl.lie.kenchicken and green vegetables and sent provisions of all kinds from his store to boot•

.llt.Although Mr. Jie1'W8l"dHeyward as wealth1wealthy there were any things he could not bUTbuy for !allahasseeTallahassee did not a.ffordafford them. Willis Nllel.Ueraremembers that can.dleacandles were mostl.7mostly used for light. Ilome-aadeHome-made tallow vuwas 11.Hdused in llld.ngmaking them. fheThe moulc1.smoulds, which were made of wood, were of tbsthe correct sisesize. Cotton string twisted right from the raw cotton was 011tcut into the desired le231ihlength and placed in the moulds first, then heated tallow 1faSwas poured in until the7they nrewere filled. Tho tallow was allowed to set and cool., then the7they were re.a.Te4re-moved, re.ready for use.

In those dqsdays coffee was ve-qvery expensive and a substitute for it was made tromfrom parched corn. !rheThe whites used it as well as the slaveaeoslaves.

lilliaWillis remambersremembers a man named Pierce who caredskinned cow hid.eahides. BeHe used tobUTbuy them and one time Willis ild.l:medskinned a cow and totook to olcthe the hide to him and sold it. SiXt7-tiveSixty-five and seventy 7earsyears ago everyone ue4used horses or mleamules and the7they had to have :shoeashoes. The blacksmith wore leather aprons and the horses and mnleamule wore leather collars. loNo one knew an1'thinganything about composition leather for making shoes so the tanning of hides was a lura.t 1 velucra-tive bu.sines••business.

Clothing, cl.uri.ngduring the Civil War days and earl.1early Beconstmctionreconstruction, was simple as compared to present dqday togs. Cloth woven from homespun thread was the on]Jronly kind Negroes had. Eve17Every house of sqany note could boast of a spumingspinning wheel and loom. Cotton., picked by slaves, was cleared of the seed and spanspun into thread and 1r0Tenwoven into cloth by them. It was CODll\ODcommon to know how to spin and weave. Some of the cloth was d7eddyed afterward with qedye made from indigo a11dand po.pork berries. Some was used. in its 11.a.turalnatural eolgrcolor.

Cotton was the main product of most southern plantations and the oaerowner usually depended upon the inccrneincome from. the sale of his 7earl7yearly crop to maintain his hornehome and upkeep of his slaves and cattle. It was aecesaar7necessary for eve17every fa...farm to Jielelyield uas mu.chmuch a.aas possible and DDOhmuch energy waawas directed. toward po111.nggrowing and pick:1ngpicking large crops. Although Mr. le11fal"dHeyward was a mc.cesstulsuc-cessful merchant, he did not lose sight of the tactfact that hihis a cou.n.trcountry , . prop11:t7property could Jieldyield a bountitul supply of cotton, comcorn and tolaaecotobbaco.

J..roundAround the to..town bo'uehouse Mr. B'.e1WardHeyward maintained an atmos:pb.ereatmosphere of home litelife. He wanted his family and his servants well cared for and spared no expense in making their life happy.

As WilliasWillis remembers the bedabeds were made of Florida moss and feathers. Boards were laid across for slats and the ma/reasmattress placed 11p0nupon the boards.' On top of the moss mattress a feather one was :placed which made sleeping very comfortable. In sumnersummer the feather mattress was often removed., smmedsunned, aired and replaced in winter. Goose and the doWl)J'downy feathers of chickens were saved and stored in large bags until enough were collected for a mattress and it was considered a prise to poesess one.

Every family of note boasted the ownership of a horse and buggy or several of each. The kind most popular during Willis' boyhood was the one- seated affair with a short wagon-like bed in the rear of the seat. Sometimes two seats were used. The seats were removable and could be used for carrying baggage or other light weights. The broughen, surrey and landau were unknown to Willis.

Before the Civil War and during the time the great struggle was in full swing, women wore hoop skirts very full, held out with metal hoops. Pantaloons were worn beneath them and around the ankle where they were gathered very closely, a ruffle edged with a narrow lace, finished the off. The waist was tight fitting basque and sleeTes which could be worn long or to elbow, were veey full. Women also wore their hair high up on their heads with frills around the face. Negro women, right after slavery, fell into imitating their former mistresses and .many of them who were for·tunatefortunate enough to get employment uedused part of their earnings for at least one good dresedress. It was usually made of woolen a 7ardyard wide, or silk.