“Parson” does not believe in taking medicine, but makes a liniment with which he rubs himself.  He attributes his long life to his sense of “having quitting sense” and not allowing death to catch him unawares.  He asserts that if he reaches the bedside of a kindred in time, he will keep him from dying by telling him:  “Come on now, don’t be crazy and die.”

He states that he enjoyed his slavery life and since that time life has been very sweet.  He knows and remembers most of the incidents connected with members of the several Conferences of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Florida and can tell you in what minutes you may find any of the important happenings of the past 30 or 40 years.

REFERENCE

1.  Personal interview with Samuel Simeon Andrews in the dormitory of Edward Waters college Kings Road, Jacksonville, Florida

FEDERAL WRITERS’ PROJECT American Guide, (Negro Writers’ Unit)

Martin Richardson, Field Worker
Greenwood, Florida
March 18, 1937

BILL AUSTIN

Bill Austin—­he says his name is not Williams—­is an ex-slave who gained his freedom because his mistress found it more advantageous to free him than to watch him.

Austin lives near Greenwood, Jackson County, Florida, on a small farm that he and his children operate.  He says that he does not know his age, does not remember ever having heard it.  But he must be pretty old, he says, “’cause I was a right smart size when Mistuh Smith went off to fight.”  He thinks he may be over a hundred—­and he looks it—­but he is not sure.

Austin was born between Greene and Hancock Counties, on the Oconee River, in Georgia.  He uses the names of the counties interchangeably; he cannot be definite as to just which one was his birthplace.  “The line between ’em was right there by us,” he says.

His father was Jack; for want of a surname of his own he took that of his father and called himself Jack Smith.  During a temporary shortage of funds on his master’s part, Jack and Bill’s mother was sold to a planter in the northern part of the state.  It was not until long after his emancipation that Bill ever saw either of them again.

Bill’s father Jack was regarded as a fairly good carpenter, mason and bricklayer; at times his master would let him do small jobs of repairing of building for neighboring planters.  These jobs sometimes netted him hams, bits of cornmeal, cloth for dresses for his wife and children, and other small gifts; these he either used for his small family or bartered with the other slaves.  Sometimes he sold them to the slaves for money; cash was not altogether unknown among the slaves on the Smith place.

Austin gives an interesting description of his master, Thomas Smith.  He says that “sumptimes he was real rich and all of us had a good time.  The wuk wasn’t hard then, cause if we had big crops he would borrow some he’p from the other white folks.  He used to give us meat every day, and plenty of other things.  One time he bought all of us shoes, and on Sunday night would let us go to wherever the preacher was holdin’ meeting.  He used to give my papa money sumptimes, too.