The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-11-12
WEEPING AMONG SLAVES.

on a plantation adjoining; often
going from one TO six miles 10 suit
his fancy. He would marry in fam
lily where the owners were regarded as
equal with his master. He was very
particular about the good name ofthe
white people with whose servant he
would form a matrimonial alliance.
II was common for the negro to take
pattern after his white masters and
mistresses in matrimonial affairs as
well as In other things that pertained
70 his life.
A courtship was conducted with
great gallantry. Some would ter
inmate in month while other would
continue for whole year or more.
The engagement, after permission
vas granted to the marriage by the
Owners of both the man and the wo-
man, was generally not longer than a
few weeks. Generally a slack time
in working the crop was selected that
they night have larger holiday but
otherwi;e their nuptials were celebra-
ted almast any Saturday evening, and
have Sunday for the regular reception
day to attend church and "show out"
This first Sunday after a marriage
| the white people as well as the black
would invariably 'tshow out. !" Many
persons who were not In the habit Of
going to church would attend on
'sshow OUT day.
It was customary to give all the
negroes onthe plantation where the
girl lived a holiday. They spent it
in cleaning up and preparing the sup
per, and having everything in readi-
ness for the momentous occasion.
Late in the afternoon the bride was
dressed in her finest appaerl, and sat
waiting the coming of her expected
husband. When ne arrived-already
dressed-he was ushered into the pres
ence Of his intended, and there wait
ed the coming Of the priest. 1t was
not quite dark blocks sawed off about
three feet long stood on their ends,
held the pine torches that gave a bright
light over the yard. The wedding
supper was already arranged on the
table-and here let me say that it
would rank with what was often seen
| in the houses of the white folk. Pres
emily a commotion was noticed by
the crowd, the officiating priest had
come and Immediately the waiting
couple marched out Of the humble
cabin into the hallway of the "big
house" Here the marriage ceremony
would be perfoi med with all the digni-
ty and solemnity the occasion called
for. The vanity of the officiating
parsou always induced him to prolong
the ceremony, and it was bedecked
with some rare flowers of rhetoric
that never failed to provoke smile
among the sable audience.
After congratulations the next move
was supper. The supper was given
i.,a tiax= zzss.ztxA. kk; sGxsstlz<z
few fat hens, constituted the meats,
with bread and pies and cakes in pro-
fusion and coffee. No wine or liquors
of any kind would be tolerated.
When the feast was over they would
repair to room prepared for dancing.
The fiddle and the banjo were the only
instruments the negro loved and such
dancing as followed would put to
shame the round dances of the pre-
sent. The IRISH jig was a favorite
with the boys and was INDUCED in to
show the activity of the dancer.
When the small hours of the night
were come the party would disband
for the night. The morrow being
Sunday and great day for the "show
out at church, negroes from a con-
siderable distance would attend to do
honor to the wedding party and to
crafty their curiosity.
It was seldom that man was per-
mitted to take wife more than FIVE
miles from his home when he was given
a permits pass-to visit her every
Saturday night till Monday morning
and If from sickness or any other rea-
son he was given q special permit to
visit her frequently. The children
were trained by their parents to be re-
spectful and obedient to their parents
and their owners.
The master had too much at stake
not to take oversight that they were
kept In a healthy condition. The
value of new born healthy child was
considered to be $1oo. Negro babies
were seldom sick and but few died.
Where the mother worked out in the
crop, the cradle was placed under the
supervision of some one who remained
at the house, or, as / have often seen
them left in the care of the mistress.
While slavery continued / never heard
of the legality of marriage questioned.
have known them married by emf
nent ministers of the various denomi-
nations, but most generally by re-
spectacle man of. tEeir own color who
was member of the church. They
had no authority by law to celebrate
amarraige, but common consent gave
1t legality. All the churches recog-
nized the validity of such marriages
and / am sure that it was never
thought of in any other light.
It was almost an unheard-of thing
for negro to ask for q divorce. In
settling up estates sometimes-though
rarely negroes had to be sold--but then
an effort would be made to buy the
husband and wife so as not to separ-
ate the couple. The parties were al
ways consulted when one of them was
sold whether the other wished to
sold off together. The master
tried to accommodate them. In rare
instances they appeared to be perfect
ly Indifferent. ! am speaking of the
/, great body of slaves and shareholders
in Mecklenburg county, and I take it
this is a fair average, and am sure
that 90 per cent. of them were closely
attached to each other on account OF
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