The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-12-31
105 YEARS OLD.
Old Negro On the Kinard Plantation
who Has Been Ditcher All
His Life.

In Newiberry on Christmas day was
a negro. Ned KinaTl, who, according
10 authentic records. will be l05 years
old i'll january, 1908. He had walked
Fourteen miles to Newberry from his
home on Mr.. II. II. Kinard IS planta-
ton, in the upper part Of tine county,
and he walked back after spending
Christmas day here.
Ned was born in Africa, and was
hroue:'; % this country by a slave
dealer, from whom he was purchased
by Mr.. Kinard's' father, General II.
II. Kinard. He was owned by Gen.
Kinard until slavery was abolished at
tho close of the war. When the sue
cess Of Northern arms made him FIRE,
he remained on Gen. Kinard s plan.
tation, where ne has lived continu-
ously since, and where he will in all
probability he buried.
Ned is a ditcher. Digging bitches
has been his life work, and is all he
knows.
I'm the days before the War Be-
tween the States many of the bottom
lands in this county which are now
grown up in. willows and swamp
growth were fertile corn fields. They
were made so by the excellent sys-
tenn of irrigation which some of the
old planters. whose plantations We're
their pride, had in use. Great bitches
were dug and the lands were drained;
and i'll these creek bottoms the finest
corn was made. Many farmers in
this section still keep lands, which
otherwise would be of no use except
10 hold the world together, in cultiva-
ton by this systcm, but there are
thousands of acres Of swampy lands
in The south, wherein formerly crops
were grown, which have been re-
claimed by the willows.
Gen. Kinard was one of the wealth.
lest and most successful planters in
Newberry county in ante-belum days.
His plantation was situated in the
upper part of the county, part of it
extending over the line into Laurens
county. Every acre of his land which
could be put into cultivation yielded
its crop. The bottom lands were
drained, and it was on these lamls
that Gen. Kinard's heaviest and fin
est crops of corn were grown.
When Gen. Kinard bought Ned. af-
ter his arrival in America from his
African home. he assigned him to the
work of digging bitches. One, had on
ly to look at Ned's build to know
that his calling was that of a ditcher.
Today, in his 105th year, he reminds
one very much of square brick pill
lar built to support heavy structure.
He is almost as broad as he is tall
Hc appears now to be very little, if
any, over five feet in height, but his
legs and aims are those Of giant
When South Carolina seeded from
the Union. and The War Between the
States was on, Ned was taken from
his work of digging bitches on Gen.
Kinard : plantation. and went with
Gen. Kinard to Charleston, where
Gen. Kinard put him on the work Of
assistin" in building the fortifica
tions there. Of course, Ned's dirty
was to throw up dirt. Considerable
rivalry developed anon" the negroes
on the Notifications as to which
could throw the most dirt, and
it is still the pride Of Ned's life that
lie was adiudged the champion dirt
tIlojver. Ned says whenever tho
question was asked they all said Ned
Kinard. General Kinard's s negro from
Newberry. Wkia t'row de mos. -
Ned still does whatever ditching
there is to do around the plantation,
and in addition he makes about one
bale of cotton a year. He will not
touch q plow. He prepares his land
AID cultivates his cotton altogether
with hoe. He seems to regard plows
as something unholy. In fact, while
Ned has lived in America during the
life time of more than two genera
tons, he has not yet been completes
ly civilized. While he has led
pcaceable life, he still retains many
of the elements of his original savage
nature, and his broken English is yet
hard to understand.
Ned has been married a number Of
times, his last marriage occurring on
ly few years ago. On that occasion