Have you ever gone to a movie with someone who had helped hide the family valuables from Federal troops? Dick Myers has. Dick and his greatgrandmother would go to the Saturday morning serials and matinees. The cost was a dime per person to watch Flash Gordon and Batman.
Charlotte Prosser Looney's grandmother was a midwife in the community of Hanna. She was also a dip snuffer, as were many of her peers. She once sent Charlotte's brother to a store for some snuff and he thought it was chocolate and decided to eat some before returning home. Upon his return family members recall he glowed with a certain greenish tint. Before the turn of the century the Cobb family ran a mill which made wooden roofing shingles. Part of the mill still remains in Cassatt.
Parker Young can remember his great grandmother telling him that Johnny Reb was just as quick to steal a chicken, pig, or cow as Billy Yank.
Speaking of cows, Dean Jordan tells that during WW11 his grandmother could not find anyone to work on the farm because of the manpower shortage. Her family convinced her to give up the farm and move into town, which she reluctantly did. However, she brought her cow with her into Thomasville.
Margie Griffeth's family came "down the mountain'' from Cashiers to Easley in a covered wagon at the turn of the century. They came to start working at the mills.
My grandmother on my father's side would never drink a coca-cola because many of the third shift workers would drink cokes and take powdered aspirin to help stay awake. Many old timers still refer to coke's as dope.
The Boan family has been in Blaney for many decades. When Sherman's troops moved from Columbia eastward the Boan's put flour on the meat hanging in the smokehouse so the Yankees would think the meat had been poisoned. This ruse worked according to Jim Thornton's great grandmother who told him this story.
Alex Rutledge, a former classmate of Louise McCarley, left this area in the late 30's to take over a mail route in northern California his late brother had purchased. His original home was close to Lancaster and when he returned in the mid 70's someone asked him what the major difference was in the land. He recalled that in the 30's you could drive from Camden to Lancaster and not see a tree. It was all farm land.
Wylie Jowers great grandfather[the great-great grandfather of Darlene Mackey] was very ill and bedridden when the Federal troops came through Jefferson. He was so sick that the family did not bother to hide him. The Bluebellies took him captive anyway and eventually moved him to a prison in New York state. He died there and the family located his grave in the late 80's.
They called him 'Billy Bugle' because he was only 10 years old when he joined the Confederate army. They would not let him fight at that age so they taught him how to blow the bugle. He was with the troops of Robert E. Lee at the surrender at Appomatamax and he, like the other survivors, walked back to S.C. Later, some of his descendents , the Haynes, settled in the grey house across from the Fine Arts Center. During the 50's and 60's the seven Haynes kids, led by Paul, Brenda, and Nevada would trek from this house which was built during the Civil war to the local schools.
An interesting note to the Haynes family tree as that on the other side of the family a great grandfather was a Branham from the Longtown area. This gentleman married a full blooded Cherokee and had a large number of children of which many resided in the West Wateree area.
Dr. Paul Wood had an uncle who served in the Confederate army as a surgeon. He was an uncle not a great uncle. Do the math on that one.
I am collecting stories of living history such as the above. If you have any interesting tales or anecdotes please send me a note at Box 577, Camden,S.C. 29021.
(note: The above address is Buster's. If you would like to submit directly to me I will post your thoughts here: fred.deaton@gmail.com and be sure and put a description in the subject line!)