Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-02-18
HEN:>:l.';;'WAS A'B0Y Il.
Mr.. v. s.Eliketsoa IL Interesting !:
"reminiscences: u. 4. !! !!
THINKS xoRLpSis {. .GR(QlxlRGH GHTl1TIEll HTl


Into Three iclasses I'm ORGY 81 WI
Scarce and Luxarjss & Es&--Ne; ;Rssds
In the Old Days. *. IN. ZEE.
Correspondence The .Yorkrille Enquirer -, &,
Hickory Grove, February: "a
Gently called; upon for q speech ?hsE&
Mr.. W., S. Wilkersop. fell into aren't
niscent strain; took Tor. "a subject.
when + Was a. ,Boy.n and; ;centended
that the world is growing better:Ss; In
substance he said: .;:F't.: -;
In his 'boyhood days there were. three,
distinct classes of whitas First. The
wealthy class--the slave oWnersSladiss
and gentlemen of leisure. Second. The
middle class of whites: too industrtonsI
to associate with the lowest class;ss..9f
whites; but Ignored and iscorhe by
the wealthy class. Third. 8 The very
poor whites, scorned and sdespIsed;s s,by
both the other, classes. a SCastes and
classes prevailed and there Was mo
mingling> Of people as there Isl today.
The wealthy class were large land,
holders, Much of the land was taken
up from the government at 10 cents an
acre. His grandfather,s plantation Of.
5s acres, now owned by Mr.: Lattimors.
was bought for $e5. - .:.t5 .sis
But the country was selfish, each:
class for itself, and the country, under
those conditions could never have
reached the conditions we; have today.
Money was very scare. His first Job
paid him IS cents day from sunrlse:to
sunset and he had to walk four miles
to get it. . go, 20 <: T.:
Postage in those days was paid by,
the receiver OF the letter and when hisi
first letter came he: didn't have the
postage. He finally borrowed the post
age, but the letter wasnt worth, the,
postage. g :, ;4,i>sS x;
Speaking further Of the malls he said
that the stage and. mail coach from
Yorkville to. Atlanta .,passed tHickkssy
Grove and would make the trip In a
week-if it didn't rain. the df,Yss haSlaa:::
along bugle some :fiye or BIZ Ssst long
made Of thin pieces Of hoard and he:
would sound his husls before Esaehshsk. 81
town sothat the natl aRd ffssa s: aorsss sI
would be ready. %. = @
4 The farmers Wolf ss !lE egsiesd.s
to;f tobacco to CoidKBlE Hhd eslfsit 'tor;
SoHis! Baas. S sii aiia tfs fSatss g t4astsssi
were foot-paths. Few fsode .hpfssbak
and fewer in CARRIAGES The only car p.
riage manufacturer In sthis. whole up
country was B. T. Wheeler Of qrgNlle
and he would only. turn out Some five
OF six vehicles In a. month. A:ig Sx
He gave the following aeeouHt Sf tee
establishment Of Unity church HeSs:
Hickory Grove, as. he Had received IT
from tine oldest inhabitants. A c6InPas
ny of deer hunters sat around a spring
drinking brandy after, a. csssf.il'
chase. There being no. church IN; the.
whole country they decided to bLild! g
Abe Smith, one Of the. parity: gay t!e BIZ
land and the timber and the otksr
the party the nails and tie "a bot: but
it was specified that 1T shbuld Sbe. Fl g.
church for alb dehom!nat atoms and has
so continued to. this day. =.
Occasionally d preacher Would ride
through anG preach. There was agl /. ,ai, o!sfy
one Methodist preacher iEtae;ghbleYf!
York county. He preached EWh = he
came-sometimes ..wice year, ,somes:,
times on Sunday. Sometimes oh. week;
days, whichever the day he happened.
to come. -: Gs.;., :. - 3
Congregations were poor. and ;thsfeti
were no Sunday schools. Later on, the;
blueback. speller and some catecfifsm
questions were taught on Sunday. ), ),
The school houses were ot logs and,
generally built In a day. There were:
no trustees. no furniture: and fey
teachers. Teachers carried INK ahd
pens and boarded around -Wlth the ,pas
irons. His first teacher was q Mr.: Zoe,
Logan, who had no people and no. home.
His salary was $3.50 a month. =: -,
Everybody had a still and. Whisky
was plentiful. Preachers and tsachers
drank and often the schools; W3lfd have
long recesses. Schools gehefhllY; ran
about month-sometlrnes q, little
longer. 80: q. -. -. ~. q
Mr. Wilkerson further briefly review
ed the improvements in housing, from
the log cabin to the comfortable. ,hoHta
of today. He compared the muster
fields with the fine conlradeship Of to-
day, and noted improvements in both
manners and morals. None of these
good things had come except after
meeting obstacles; but letting memory
run back something like three; score
and ten years he felt that the part .6f
the world he knew and the part he had
lived in had grown steadily better; It
had grown better because people he
knew wanted and worked despite many
obstacles to make 1t better. -. =. :.
His question to the present genera :
ton was, what would they do to. FUR
ther improve conditions, that they in
their old age might be able to make
the same kind Of speech he was making
in his old age.
L