Many of the slave families, especially Mrs. Callaway’s family, were given the privilege of earning money by selling different products.  “My grandfather owned a cotton patch,” remarked Mrs. Callaway, “and the master would loan him a mule so he could plow it at night.  Two boys would each hold a light for him to work by.  He preferred working at night to working on his holidays.  My master had a friend in Augusta, Ga., by the name of Steve Heard and just before my grandfather got ready to sell his cotton, the master would write Mr. Heard and tell him that he was sending cotton by Sam and wanted his sold and a receipt returned to him.  He also advised him to give all the money received to Sam.  When grandfather returned he would be loaded down with sugar, cheese, tea, mackerel, etc. for his family.”

When the women came home from the fields they had to spin 7 cuts, so many before supper and so many after supper.  A group of women were then selected to weave the cuts of thread into cloth.  Dyes were made from red shoe berries and later used to dye this cloth different colors.  All slaves received clothing twice a year, spring and winter.  Mr. Jim Willis was known for his kindness to his slaves and saw to it that they were kept supplied with Sunday clothes and shoes as well as work clothing.  A colored shoemaker was required to keep the plantation supplied with shoes; and everyone was given a pair of Sunday shoes which they kept shined with a mixture of egg white and soot.

The size of the Willis Plantation and the various crops and cattle raised required many different types of work.  There were the plow hands, the hoe hands, etc.  Each worker had a required amount of work to complete each day and an overseer was hired by slave owners to keep check on this phase of the work.  “We often waited until the overseer got behind a hill, and then we would lay down our hoe and call on God to free us, my grandfather told me,” remarked Mrs. Callaway.  “However, I was a pet in the Willis household and did not have any work to do except play with the small children.  I was required to keep their hands and faces clean.  Sometimes I brought in chips to make the fires.  We often kept so much noise playing in the upstairs bedroom that the master would call to us and ask that we keep quiet.”  Older women on the plantation acted as nurses for all the small children and babies while their parents worked in the fields.  The mistress would keep a sharp eye on the children also to see that they were well cared for.  A slave’s life was very valuable to their owners.

Punishment was seldom necessary on the Willis plantation as the master and mistress did everything possible to make their slaves happy; and to a certain extent indulged them.  They were given whisky liberally from their master’s still; and other choice food on special occasions.  “I remember once,” remarked Mrs. Callaway, “my aunt Rachel burned the biscuits and the young master said