Slave Life in Georgia - African American History

Slave Life in Georgia 6
hearts. At last, one afternoon, James Davis, the husband of Betty's second
daughter, rode into the yard. This man had a dreadful name for cruelty. He was
the terror of his own negroes, as well as of his neighbour's. When we young
ones saw him, we ran away and hid ourselves. In the evening orders came to the
negroes, at their quarters, to be up at the big house by nine the next morning.
Then we knew our great trouble was come.
It was a bright, sun-shiny morning, in the autumn season, at about the
commencement of tobacco-cutting time. At the appointed hour, nearly the
whole of us had congregated in the great yard, under the big sycamore tree. A
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fourth part of the negroes on the estate, had been kept back by Betty Moore, as
her share, her husband's will giving her the right of making a selection. Besides
these, she had taken my brother Silas and my sister Lucy, whom she reserved on
behalf of her eldest daughter, the wife of Burrell Williams. They were fine,
strong children, and it was arranged they should remain with Betty till she died,
and then revert to Burrell Williams. All who were there stood together, facing
the Executors, or Committee as they were called, who sat on chairs under the
same sycamore tree I have spoken of. Burrell Williams, James Davis, and Billy
Bell, held themselves aloof, and did not in any manner interfere with the
proceedings of the Committee, who told us off into three lots, each lot
consisting of about twenty-five or thirty, as near as I can recollect. As there was
a good deal of difference in the value of the slaves, individually, some being
stronger than others, or more likely, the allotments were regulated so as to
equalize the value of each division. For instance, my brother Silas and my sister
Lucy, who belonged rightly to the gang of which I and my mother and other
members of the family formed a part, were replaced by two of my cousin
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Annikie's children, a boy and a girl; the first called Henry, the other mason, who
were weak and sickly. When the lots had been told off, the names of the men,
women, and children composing them were written on three slips of paper, and
these were put into a hat. Burrell Williams then came forward and drew. James
Davis followed, and Billy Bell came last. The lot in which I and my mother
were, was drawn by James Davis. Each slip was then signed by the Committee,
and the lot turned over to the new owner.
24.03.2006