Slave Narrative of Susie Riser

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer
Person Interviewed: Susie Riser
Date of Interview: May 17, 1937
Location: Newberry, South Carolina
Place of Birth: Dutch Fork, South Carolina

“I was born near Broad River in de Dutch Fork of Newberry County. I was a slave of Cage Suber. He was a fair master, but nothing to brag about. I was small at slavery time and had to work in de white folks’ house or around the house until I was big enough to go to de field and work.

“Old Marse Cage always made me fan flies off of him when he lay down to take a nap. The fan was made out of brushes.

“De white folks had cotton-pickings, corn-shuckings and quiltings. Dey allus had something to eat at the frolics and I had to help wid ’em.

“I married John Riser. I moved to town several years ago.”


Surnames:
Riser, Suber,

Collection:
Federal Writers' Project. WPA Slave Narratives. Web. 2007-2024. The WPA Slave Narratives must be used with care. There is, of course, the problem of confusion in memory resulting from (73+ years) of the participants. In addition, inexperienced interviewers sometimes pursued question lines related to their own interests and perspectives and attempted to capture the colloquialism of the informant's speech. The interviews provide fascinating insight and surprisingly candid information, however.

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