The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-04-06
WAS BORN IN SLAVERY.
Aged Negro Woman Now Lays Claim
to 119 Years.

world as slaves, the oldest Of whom
is now eighty-seven, with apparently
almost complete possession of all her
senses, is the unusual record OF
"Grandma Hattie Hall, who claims
to have attained the ripe old age of
119 years. She lives at 2120 Elm
wood avenue, in one of the shant:es
designated as part Of the Ola
Women's home, and is probably the
oldest colored woman in this State,
if not in the entire South.
When Sherman and his army in
vaded Columbia and burned it, Hat
tie Hall, then owned by Col. Turkett,
of Blythewood plantation, ran with
scores of other slaves for the shelter
of their cabins, thoroughly frighten-
ed bv the sounds of the cannon and
the great columns of dense black
smoke arising in the heavens. Her
eight children were then upon the
plantation with her she says, for
Massa Turkett made it rule never
to separate members of the different
families in the slave quarters.
Born Many Years Ago.
Grandma Hall was born, according
to her best recollection, "yars and
vars befoh de wah" somewhere this
side of Georgetown on big planta-
tion where there were hundreds Of
other slaves, but her mind is not es-
pecially clear on those earlier days
and though repeatedly questioned
concerning ante-bellum days respond
ed vaguely and with hesitation.
The old woman lives, the object of
charity, bestowed upon her and 9TH
ers by Rev. Jaggers and his friends.
Some days she is almost helpless
with rheumatism. Aches and pains
she calls them, but every hour in the
day she thanks the Good Lord for let
ting her live so long. 'De Lawd hah
sure bin good ter dis po ole critter,
she declared, to a Record reporter.
She was converted and baptized
ten years before her freedom from
slavery, by the Rev. Durham, white
Baptist minister nea: Blythewood. 1t
was a joyous epoch in, her long and
interesting span of life. The woman
is failing constantly. But every hour
in the day she repeats: "The Lord is
my shepard, shall not want. He
leadeth me beside the still waters
and into the green pastures. Good
Lord I thank thee"
There is something touching in
her simple earnest devotion to her
Lord and Master. To Him she gives
all thanks because He has permitted
her to live beyond the three score
and ten years supposed to be the
termination of the human span of
life. And yet it is way beyond the
law of averages. But Grandma keeps
right on enjoying her daily existence,
with now and then a tinge of pain
that sends her to- bed for little
while.
The Negro of Former Days.
Martha Egerberger, her caretaker
and also a former slave, is II and
Nancy Cant, another inmate of the
cabin, is nearly that, all three hav-
ing been born in slavery. Martha
delights in having Grandma brag
about her strength when a young
woman. "Yas sus," said she, 81 done
split and cut mebbe two or free cord
wood jes lax de bestest man what
ebber cum on de ole plantation. I
never done TUX no lessons wild de
axe. Nobody showed dis yeah nigger
muffin, but Lorda Me white folks,
how dis critter done sloughed dat
axe through de cordwood. Jes as
easy lax de sap runnin. Twant no
frills dem days. Muffin but hard
work TO de wimmin jes same de big
bucks. No sir. Dey neber hat no
big bucks loafn roun de cabins dem
days. De men folks work heap sight
harder den de wimmin I spect. Look
EN- now! Look EN-. What dey do,
huh What dey do? Jes materially
muffin cept sleep. Dem days you neb-
Der see no no-account niggers. Eber-
body was happy all de tam, eberbody
kind ter dis yeah critter. Now dey
all gone. My chillen gone. Dey
leave me, de Lawd knows whar. En-
dey doan care no how. spects de
find me too much bodder. Well, I
say de Lord, He sure bin good ter
dis chile
Then Marty, her caretaker, spoke
up. t'She am care, but Lawd we
do jes de bes we kin fer her and days
when she rattles on we doan say nuf-
g. lot n