The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-12-31
1O5 YEARS OLD.
Old Negro On the Kinard Plantation
who Has Been a Ditcher All
His Life.

! In NaWDerrN on Christmas day was
! a :1c"rr. Ned kinaT,(. who. according
- authentic rtcrld>. will lie los years
cid in january. 1908. He had walked
! fourteen miles to Newberry from his
home on Mr.. H. H. Kinard's planta-
ton, in the upper part Of the county,
and he walked back after spending
Christmas day here.
Ned was born in Africa. and was
hroug:'. . this country by a slave
dealer. from whom he was purchased
bv Mr.. Kinard's father, General H.
H. Kinard. He was owned by Gen.
Kinard until slavery was abolished at
: the close of the war. When the sue
cess of Northern aims made him FREE
/ he remained on Gen. Kinard's plant
! tation, where ne has lived continu-
ously since. and where he will in all
probability he buried.
Nel is diteher. Digging ditches
has been his life work, and is all he
knows.
i In 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-
TEN of irrigation which some Of the
old planters. whose plantations were
their pride, had in use. Great bitches
were dug and the lands were drained !;
and in these creek bottoms the finest
corn was made. Many farmers in
this section still keep lands, which
otherwise would be of no Use except
TO hold the world together, in cultiva-
ton by this system, 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
Newberr> coK1ty in ante-bellum days.
His plantation was situated in the
upper part of the county, part Of 1t
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 lanls
that Gen. Kinard's heaviest and fin
est crops of corn were grown.
When Gen. Kinard bought Ned, af-
ter mis- 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 aitcher.
Today. in his 1O5th 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.
He appears now to be very little, II
any. over five feet in height, but his
LEGS and arms are those Of a 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's plantation. and went with
Gen. Kinard to Charleston, where
Gen. Kinard put him on the work OF
assisting in building the fortifica-
tions there. Of course, Ned's duty
! was to throw up dirt. Considerable
rivalry developed among the, negroes
| on the Notifications as to which
could throw the most dirt, and
IT is still the pride of Ned's life that
he was adjudged the champion DIRT
throtver. Ned says whenever the
question was asked they all said Ned
Kinard. General Kinard s negro from
Newberry. "kia t'row de mos. ! "
Ned still does whatever dltch1ng
there is to do around the plantatron'
and in addition he makes about one
hale Of cotton a year. He Will not
touch a plow. He prepares his land
and cultivates his cotton altogether
with hoe. He seems to regard plowS
as something unholy. In fact, Wnlis
Ned has lived in America during the
life time of more than two genera
tions, he has not yet been complete
" civilized. While he has led a
peaceable 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
" few years ago. On that occasion
| ~ ,,,.l4 L =, no 4 1Uo1o q nr1ZS In