Introduction

IMmediatelyImmediately after slavery in the United States, the southern Whitewhite people found themselves without servants to come to every bid–ding. Women who were accustomed to a nurse, a maid, a cook, and laundress found themselves without suffecient money to pay wages to all these.

There was much work to be doneWe have supplied done, which appears to have been omitted here, but is present in this same passage in Irene Coates Narrative (2 of 4). and great problems confronted the pomperedSee pomper. married woman who had never been taught to work and who thought it beneath her standing to soil her hands.

There were, on the other hand, many Negro women who needed work, and young girls who needed more than that, — they needed guidance and some onesomeone to look after their needs and to train them.

The home and guidance of the aristocratic Whitewhite epoplepeople offered the best opportunity for the dependent, unschooled freed woman, and it was in this kind of home that the ex-slave child I am writing of was reared.

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Irene Coates, of 2015 Windle Street, Jacksonville, Florida, was born in Georgia about 1859. She was close to six years of age when “Freedom” was declared.

She was one among many Negro children who had the advantage of living under the direct supervision ^of kind Caucasians and receiving the care which could only be excelled by an educated mother.

Jimmie and Lou Bedell were the names of the man and wife who saw the need of having a Negro girl come into their home as one in the family, and at the same time be assured of a good effecientefficient servant in Page twoA current technical limitation does not permit this page number, nor the ones on the following pages, to be right-aligned. years to come.

When Irene was old enough, she became the nurse of the Bedell baby, and when the family left Savannah, Georgia, to come to Jackson–ville, they brought Irene with them.

Although Irene was just about six years of age when the Civil War ended, she has vivid recollection of happenings during slavery. Some of the incidents which shall be mentioned were told her by her slave associates after slavery ended, and some of them she remembers herself.

Two events, marked by what she considers key notekeynote causes, which led to respect of slave by his master, and Emancipation of the Negroes by Abraham Lincoln, follow in the order in which they are mentioned here.

The first event tells of a young, strong, healthy Negro woman who knew her work and did it well. "She could grab up two bags of guanaSee guana. and tote them at one time," said Irene Coates., and was never found shirking work. The over-seeroverseer on the plantation on where she was held as slave, was very hard on the slaves, and practiced striking them with a whip across the back and shoulders when he wanted to spur them on to do more work.

Now Irene saw him strike one of the women in the field, and re–marked that if he ever struck her like that, it would be the day he or she would die. The over-seeroverseer heard her, and as soon as he got the opportunity, he rode on his horse, struck her with the whip, and started to ride on. The woman was hoeing in the field at the time, and she struck him on the head wi thwith the hoe, knocking him from the horse. When he had fallen, she chopped his head off. She went mad Page three for a few minutes and proceeded to chop and mutilate his body. That done to her satisfaction, she killed his horse, and then calmly went to her master and told him about the murder. She said, "I’ve killed the over-seeroverseer." The master said, "Do you mean to say you’ve killed the over-seeroverseer?" She answered, "yesYes," and also told of killing the horse. Without hesitation, it is said, the master, pointing to one of his small cabins on the plantation, said, "youYou see that house over there?" The woman said, "yesYes, sir," and at same time turning to look. "Well," said he, "take all your belongings and move in that house, and you are free from this day, and if the mistress wants you to do anything for her, you do it, if you want to." Irene Coates related with warmth and fervor the effect it had upon the treatment of the rest of the slaves.

The other incident occured in Virginia, and it was upon an occa–sion when Mrs. Abraham Lincoln was visiting in Richmond. A woman slave owner had one of her female slaves whipped in the presence of Mrs. Lin–coln. It was easily noticed that the woman was an expectant mother, and because of it, it appeared that she should have been given some degree of liniencyleniency. Mrs. Lincoln was horrified at the situation, and said she intended to tell the President as soon as she returned to the White House. Whether it had any bearing upon Mr. Lincoln’s actions or not, the slaves about, who saw and heard on that day, always declared that that was the beginning of the President’s activities to free the slaves.

Besides these two tragic scenes depicted in former paragraphs, Irene remembers the kind of work the frail women did. They were given such work as mending, sewing, weaving, and minding babies. The cloth the slavesslaves' Sunday clothes was made of was called "ausenburg," and the slaves This page contains the text of page four, with the text of page five overlaid, typed between the lines. In our transcription, we represent the page as it appears, but separate the two pages of text in the reading version. Page four Page five slave women were very proud of it. The old women were required After the Bedells took Irene to live in their home they to do most of the weaving of cloth and making shirts for the male traveled about quite a deal. After bringing her to Jacksonville slaves. When an old woman retained her strength suffecientsufficient, she when Jacksonville was just a small port they remained here a few was sent into the fields to work, just as others were. Those who years and then went to Camden County Geirgia. Irenerarried while were adapted to cooking, and could tickle the palate of her mistress there and returned to Jacksonville with her husband Charles the and master, were highly prized and seldom were any of them offered year of the great earth quake at Charleston South Carolina about for sale at the auction block. 1888.

The slaves did not get the kind of food to eat that was Irene and Charles Coates have lived in Jacksonville constantly served the Whiteswhites, but were given fat meat and bread made of husks since that time and she told many tales of happenings during the of the corn and wheat. This caused them to steal food and often time Jacksonville grew from a place covering about four acres, to were caught and whipped. it’s present status.

Irene recalled the practice of blowing a horn when rain came Irene is the mother of five children. She has nine grand-children up suddenly. The over-seeroverseer had a certain Negro to blow three times, and eight great-grand-children. Her health is fair but her eye sight and if shelter could be found, the slaves were expected to seek it is somewhat impaired. It is her delight to intertain visitors and until the shower ceased. The master had sheds built at interval is conversant unop matters pertaining to slavery and early recon- on the plantaionplantation to accomodateaccommodate a goodly number of slaves, and those struction days. who happened to be near the shelter ran under to await the end of Referencd This header currently cannot be centered horizontally due to the same technical limitation mentioned above. the shower. If no shed was near, the slaves were allowed to go under Mrs. Irene Coates— 2015 Windle Street, Jacksonville Florida trees. If no trees were in close reach, then they were exposed to getting wet, for they were not allowed to go to their cabins for fear of loss of time getting back to the fields after the rain had ceased. She related that the slave was oftenoften neglected more than were the cattle.

One other custom which impressed the child mind of Irene was the tieingtying of upup of slaves by their thumbs when a whipping was given. No difference was made in dealing with the two sexes. Women and young girls were treated with the same harshness as the men.

After the Bedells took Irene to live in their home, they traveled about quite a deal. After bringing her to Jacksonville when Jacksonville was just a small port, they remained here a few years and then went to Camden County, Georgia. Irene married while there, and returned to Jacksonville with her husband Charles the year of the great earth quakeearthquake at Charleston, South Carolina, about 1888. See Earthquake, c. 1888.

Irene and Charles Coates have lived in Jacksonville constantly since that time, and she told many tales of happenings during the time Jacksonville grew from a place covering about four acres, to it’sits present status.

Irene is the mother of five children. She has nine grand-childrengrandchildren and eight great-grand-childrengreat–grandchildren. Her health is fair, but her eye sighteyesight is somewhat impaired. It is her delight to intertainentertain visitors and is conversant upon matters pertaining to slavery and early recon-structionReconstruction days.

ReferencdReference

Mrs. Irene Coates–, 2015 Windle Street, Jacksonville, Florida