An Ex-Slave Who Was Resourceful

In a little blacksmith shop at 1114 Madison Street, Pa–latka, is a busy little horse–shoerhorseshoer who was born in slavery eighty–seven years ago. LindseyLindsay Moore,Moore's first name appears as Lindsey in this document, but we change it throughout to Lindsay, the spelling found in Muse's notes (see Lindsay Moore Interview Notes). blacksmith, leather–tanner, ex–marble shooting champion and a number of other things, represents one of the most resourceful former slaves yet found in the state.

Moore was born in 1850 on the plantations of John B. OverstreetOvertree,The original reads Overstreet here, but the surname appears as Overtree in all other instances in this document, as well as in the Lindsay Moore Interview Notes. in Forsythe County, Georgia.The reference here to Forsythe County here appears to be in error. In the Lindsay Moore Interview Notes, Muse indicates that Moore was from the town of Forsyth, in Monroe County, Georgia, not Forsythe County. He was one of the six children of Eliza Moore;. allAll of them remained the prop–erty of Overtree until freed.

On the Overtree plantation, the slave children were allowed considerable time for play until their tenth or twelfth years;. LindseyLindsay took full advantage of this oppor–tunity and became very skillful at marble–shooting. It was here that he first learned to utilize his talents profitably. '"Massa Overtree'" discovered the ability of LindseyLindsay and ano–ther urchin to shoot marbles, and began taking them into town to compete with the little slaves of other owners. There would be betting on the winners.

Mr. Overtree won some money in this manner, LindseyLindsay and his companion being consistent winners. But LindseyLindsay Slave Interview Palatka, Fla.Florida Martin Richardson Page 2 FEC 230 saw possibilities other than the glory of his victories in this new game; withWith pennies that some of the spectators tossed him, he began making small wagers of his own with his competitors, and soon had amassed quite a small pile of sil–ver for those days.

Although shoes were unheard–of in LindseyLindsay's youth, he used to watch carefully whenever a cow was skinned and its hide tanned to make shoes for the women and the '"folks in the big house'.." Through his attention to the tanning oper–ations he learned everything about tanning except one solu–tion that he could not discover. It was not until years la–ter that he learned that the jealously–guarded ingredient was plain salt and water. By the time he had learned it, however, he had so mastered the tanning operations that he at once added it to his sources of livelihood.

LindseyLindsay escaped much of the farm work on the Overtree place by learning to skillfully assist the women who made cloth out of the cotton from the fields. He grew very fast at cleaning '"rods',," clearing the looms and other operations; whenWhen, at thirteen, it became time for him to pick cotton, he had become so fast at helping with spinning and weighing the cotton that others had picked that he almost entirely es–caped the picking himself.

Soap–makingSoapmaking was another of the plantation arts that Slave Interview Palatka M.D. Richardson Page 3 FEC 231 LindseyLindsay mastered early. His ability to save every possible ounce of grease from the meats he cooked added many choice bits of pork to his otherwise meatless fare; heHe was able to spend many hours in the shade pouring water over oak ashes that other young slaves were passing picking cotton or hoeing potatoes in the burning sun.

LindseyLindsay's first knowledge of the approach of freedom came when he heard a loud brass band coming down the road toward the plantation playing a strange, lively tune while a number of soldiers in blue uniforms marched behind. He ran to the front gate and was ordered to take charge of the horse of one of the officers in such an abrupt tone until he '"begin to shaking in my bare feet!'" There followed much talk between the officers and LindseyLindsay's mistress, with the soldiers finally going into encampment a short distance away from the plantation.

The soldiers took command of the spring that was used for a water supply for the plantation, giving LindseyLindsay ano–ther opportunity to make money. He would be sent from the plantation to the Springspring for water, and on the way back would pass through the camp of the soldiers. These would be happy to pay a few pennies for a cup of water rather than take the long hike to the Springspring themselves;. LindseyLindsay would empty bucket after bucket before finally returning to the plantation. Out of his profits he bought his first pair of Slave Interview Palatka Martin Richardson Page 4 FEC 232 shoes --- , though nearly a grown man.

The soldiers finally departed, with all but five of the Overtree slaves joyously trooping behind them. Before leaving, however, they tore up the railroad and its station, burning the ties and heating the rails until red, then twis–ting them around tree–trunks. Wheat fields were trampled by their horses, and devastation left on all sides.

LindseyLindsay and his mother were among those who stayed at the plantation. When freedom became general, his father be–gan farming on a tract that was later turned over to Lind–seyLindsay. LindseyLindsay operated the farm for a while, but later de–sired to learn horseshoeing, and apprenticed himself to a blacksmith. At the end of three years he had become so pro–ficient that his former master rewarded him with a five–dol–lar bonus for shoeing one horse.

Possessing now the trades of blacksmithing, tanning, and weaving– and– spinning, LindseyLindsay was tempted to follow some of his former associates to the North, but was discouraged from doing so by a few who who returned, complaining bitterly about the unaccustomed cold and the difficulty of making a living. He moved Southsouth instead and settled in the area ar–ound Palatka.

He is still in the section, being recognized as an excellent blacksmith despite his more than four–scorefourscore years.

Slave Interview Palatka M.D. Richardson Page 5 FEC 233

Bibliography

Interview with subject, LindseyLindsay Moore, 1114 Madison Street, Palatka, FlaFlorida.