USA > Georgia > Greene County > History of Greene County, Georgia, 1786-1886 > Part 15
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of crimnals several generations earlier than this curse gripped our nation. My more than a third of a century behind the pres- cription counter prior to the Harrison Anti-narcotic Act, gave me an insight into the private habits of many people; and the universality of self-medication. Then too, I got a slant on that class of predatory fakirs who lived a-way back in the "sticks" and called themselves "Doctor", but their medical training consisted of reading Drs. Gunn, Thompson and other“ Home Treatments" of disease. Fortunately for the public, edu- cation, state, and national Drug Acts and daily newspap- ers have about destroyed the "usefulness" of this class of practitioners, and the average life of the human race has been materially lengthened, and the drug addicts are confined to the crimnal class that infest our crime centers. To say that Dr. Gunn was a fake would be an untruth. He and others of his day felt that they were real benefactors of those who were not within easy reach of a physician by imparting their know- ledge of medicine in book-form, and thereby enable others to treat many forms of illness with some degree of intelligence. Ignorance, African voodooism and "Indian-doctor-medicine" was a fetish in many sections, and they all still exist in some places. Dr. Gunn read widely and quoted from many distinguish- ed authors. He wrote interestingly on all the attributes and vices of mankind; and his knowledge of the practice of medicine was remarkable, for his day.
To me, a far more interesting work on home practice of medicine is "The Medical Companion", by Dr. James Ewell, Physician in Washington, formerly of Savannah, Georgia. The first edition was published in 1807; and one of the first, if not the very first book published, bears the following inscription :
"To his Excellency THOMAS JEFFERSON, PRESIDENT of THE UNITED STATES."
I beg leave to present this book to Mr. Jefferson, not because he is President of 1807, but because he was the patriot of 1776; and still more, because, through the whole of a long and glorious life, he has been the philosopher and friend of his country; with all the ingenuity
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of the former, exposing the misrepresentations of illiberal foreigners; and with all the ardour of the latter, fanning the fire of American science, and watering the roots of that sacred olive which sheds her peaceful blessings over our land. To whom then, with equal pro- priety, could I dedicate a book, designed at least to promote health and longevity? And to whom am I bound by the tenderiest ties of affection and gratitude, as to Mr. Jefferson? The early classmate and constant friend of my deceased father, and instrumentally the author of my acquaintance with the first characters of the state of Georgia; among whom, with peculiar pleasure, I would mention the honour- able names of Milledge, Troup, Bullock, and Flournoy.
That you may long direct the councils of a united and wise people, steadily persuing health, peace, and competence, the main pillars of individual and national happiness, is the fervent prayer, of your Excellency's.
Much obliged, and Very grateful servant, JAMES EWELL."
Dr. Ewell's book not only received the hearty commenda- tion of President Thomas Jefferson, but such emminent medi- cal authorities as W. Shippen, M. D., Professor of Anatomy, and B. S. Barton, M. D. Professor of Materia Medica, Natur- al History and Botany of the Philadelphia Medical College, and many other prominent physicians and surgeons throughout the nation. As to Dr. Ewell's experience and ability, the publishers wrote as follows :
"Also, having been himself a melancholy spectator of the capture of Washington by the British, he has annexed a concise and impartial history of that awful tragedy, with sundry im- portant hints relative to those bilious and camp fevers, and dysenteries, which followed that great national calamity."
(This refered to the third edition which was published in 1816.)
This muchly thumbed "Medical Companion" of Dr. Ewell's bears the name of Samuel Davis of Greene County, Ga. Mr. Davis was the grandfather of the writer's wife, also Messers Charles and Oscar Davis of Atlanta. Dr. Ewell writes of his experience as a physician in Augusta and Savannah Georgia. His reference to his Hospital for Sailors, in Savan- nah, and his efforts to interest the people of Savannah in building a Hospital, leads me to believe that he operated the
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first Hospital that Georgia ever had, and that he was instru- mental in making the city of Savannah hospital-minded for the care of her sick. Of this first Hospital of his in Savannah, he says : "In the year 1805, when our Summer and Autumnal fever raged with uncommon violence and mortality in Savannah, having considerable practice among the shipping, I was in- duced, chiefly from motives of humanity, to open a private hospital for Seamen. And though I had usually from twenty to thirty patients during the sickly season, I lost but one of all who had been taken into the hospital at an early stage of the disease. The very happy result of the little Hospital system above stated, cannot but excite the most earnest wish for a similar establishment in Savannah, but on a much larger scale. Such an institution could not fail to prove a great blessing to the state, but more so to Savannah, where such numbers of useful citizens, especially seamen, are annually swept off."
Eleven years later, in 1816, he writes : "It affords me plea- sure to state, that since the appearance of this friendly hint, in the first edition of this work, in 1807, the humane citizens of Savannah, have actually established a Hospital as above, and have found it abundantly productive of the good effects predicted. Fortunate would it be, if similar institutions were erected in all our seaports. In addition to the softer whispers of humanity, gratitude, now lifts her louder voice to the nation, and surely our gallant sailors, principally the objects of such hospitals, have given glorious proofs in the late awful contest, that they deserve every mark of attention that a great nation in the plentitude of munificence can bestow."
Thus it can be truly said that Dr. James Ewell was the "father" of Hospitals in Georgia ; and perhaps, in many other parts of the United States. Had he published his "Medical Companion" in the twentieth century, he would have been classed by the medical profession, as an unethical Moun-te- bank, and unworthy of recognition.
Some of Dr. Ewell's "Receipts" would be meaningless to us now, For example: Receipt No. 36 reads: Decoction of Bark, Take of Bark, one ounce, Boiling water, one pint. Sim- mer them together for ten minutes and strain off the liquor."
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What Bark? would be a natural question for the uninitiat- ed to ask; but any "old-timer" like Dr. Crawford W. Long of Athens, Joseph Jacobs, Beau Berry, Theodore Schumann, J. S. Pemberton, Asa G. Candler Sr., Percy Magnus, Jim and Harry Sharp, Hutchison Bros., Louis Bradfield, Pinson & Dozier, Lamar, Rankin & Lamar, John B. Daniel, Mood and Arch Avery of Atlanta, Dr. George S. Vardeman of Sparta, Ga. who holds Georgia Pharmacy liscense No. 1, and including present company, any one of them would have known that black-oak bark was intended; and that the old doctor would have prescribed Peruvian bark had it not been so expensive. And, just here, some more medical and pharmaceutical history may enlighten many. Peruvian or Cinchona trees were first found in Bolivia and Peru, and their medical properties were known to the natives,' though little used long before the Ameri- can Revolution. The name Cinchona was given after it had been introducted into Europe, and had effected a notable cure of royalty on the person of the Countess de Cinchon.
As early as 1737, Europeans tried to smuggle plants and seeds of the cinchona into that country, but their efforts met with failure. The two principal varieties are known as Rubra and Flava-Red and Yellow Cinchons; but the red seems to have been prized more highly by physicians, and their prescrip- tions often called for "Red Bark". Just why it was valuable in the treatment of malaria and fever is all forms, they did not know; but it almost invariably brought results. Finally, a French chemist discovered that Quina-Quinine was the active principle of medicinal value, and he proceeded to patent the name and process. For the moment, I cannot place my hand on the history of this valuable chemical, but certainly, it was early in the nineteenth century. Powers & Weightman of Philadelphia, held letters of patent in the United States; and it was not until in the early eighteen-eighties that heir patent expired. Between the years 1880 and 1884-5, quinine sold from 8 to 9 dollars per ounce. About that time, Keesby & Mattison of New York, startled the drug world by placing an advertisement in the New York papers, for men to work in a Quinine Factory. Powers & Weightman countered with law suits and a great reduction in
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price. The quinine war was on . . . . The price kept dropping and finally reached $1.00 per ounce. Both retail and wholesale druggists thought the time had come to "make-a-killing" with the results that many came near "going broke" when the price reached half that figure, or around 50 cents per ounce.
Hog Killing- 1845
On a cold and frosty morning when the wind whistled out of the north the master would decide it was time to kill the hogs. Days before preparations had been made, the pots had been filled with water, the wood had been piled high and planks laid out to stretch the hogs on after they were killed and scalded so that the hair could be scraped off. The hogs were not fed the night before and the bell rang out early for every- one to get up and get busy.
One slave, strong and well trained would stick the hogs in just the right place to bleed them well, as the boy would ride them out of the fattening pen. One slave was trained to cut out the hams, shoulders, middlings and sausage meat. The planter had to provide enough meat for his own use and to feed his slaves so he often killed from 40 to 50 hogs and some- times had two or three "killings".
That was a busy day on the farm. In order to feed the workers a huge pot of liver hash was made and sweet potatoes were roasted in the ashes nearby and cornbread was brought from the kitchen.
The next day the sausage was seasoned with sage, red pepper and salt, and ground and stuffed. The sausages were made into links and hung on long poles in the smokehouse where they were smoked with hickory wood. The fat was cooked and strained into shining cans and the cracklings were stored for cracklin' bread. The little pickaninnies blew up the bladders and put corn in them, tied them and let them dry and had as much fun as children do now, with balloons.
Chitterlings were quite a delicacy and after cleaning care- fully, soaking in salty water for several days the small pieces
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were battered and crisply fried, steaming hot. "Old mammy" excelled at cooking them and she called them "oysters".
Corn Shuckings
There were corn shuckings which were light-hearted fro. lics that made work seem play The people without slaves made a party out of this, where the young folks all took part. The one finding an ear of corn with blue grains got a drink of hard cider but if he found a red ear he got to kiss a pretty girl. As soon as the corn was finished a good supper was served and then the fiddlers would tune up for a dance. This was enjoy- ed until late hours and away the people would go, some on horseback, some in carriages and some in wagons.
Neighbors
Back in the old days when a neighbor was ill, the others pitched in and did his work for him. If his barn or home burn- ed they helped him to rebuild. When crops were bad one neighbor would loan a less fortunate one money to go on. A man's word was usually his bond and he made it good. Once in a great while a rascal would take advantage and he was usually a newcomer.
Vincent Sanford and John Bethune endorsed large notes for one unscrupulous fellow who cashed them and left the county. These two men had to sell their lands to pay these notes. Bethune broke and disheartened moved to Alabama. Sanford became Clerk of the court. Vincent Sanford's father was called "Honest" Jeremiah Sanford, while his son Shelton P. became a teacher at Mercer at Penfield and wrote an arithmetic and algebra textbook which was used for many years in the public schools of Georgia.
Greene County was known for its neighborliness. In 1840 Penfield sent $300.00 to the starving Irish. The Baptists in Greensboro sent two missionaries to Africa. Rev. Thomas J. Bowen went to Nigeria in 1849. He reduced the Youraba tribe language to writing which was a great achievement. He came back on leave in 1853 and married Lourane H. Davis of Greensboro.
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The churches and the Masonic Order were a powerful force in the county. The Union Meeting house built in 1830 where the Presbyterians and Baptists worshipped was a great power for good. Bishop Asbury in 1800 organized a Metho- dist church. The lodge or the church often dismissed a man for drinking too much or not paying his debts. The court re- cords of that period show that men were fined for gambling, card playing, riding others on rails, and blacking the faces of others they wanted to make appear ridiculous, but on the whole pioneers were friendly and good neighbors.
Slaves
Many planters had grown cotton year after year with the slaves clearing up virgin land until as these were used up pro- duction began to fall off because of the erosion and thinning of the land caused by constant row-cropping. About 1840 some small farmers were moving into Alabama and Missis- sippi.
The county fairs that they had at this time showed that some men realized that they must do something to restore the soil.
The Southern Agricultural Society (Central) was organ- ized in 1846 at Stone Mountain and Thomas Stocks of Greene Co. was made President. Two years later Greene Co. organ- ized the Jefferson Agricultural Society with headquarters at Penfield and a county fair was planned.
The mounting slave population was kept under control by the plantation owners. Most of the planters defended sla- very but some did not. Daniel Grant of Grantville, Greene Co. freed his slaves and appointed a guardian for them. Grant moved to Marthasville (Atlanta ) and helped build a part of the railroad, and got in on the ground floor with the fast growing city and became very wealthy. Grant's Park in Atlanta was a gift from Daniel Grant to Atlanta.
Joel Early sent all of his slaves who wished to go, back to Africa. He gave them each $100.00 in silver, clothes and hired a boat from Norfolk, Va. to take them.
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The planters had most of their money tied up in slaves for they had paid high prices for them. A good strong young slave would bring from $2,000 to $4,000. The North had pro- fitted by selling these slaves to the South and now the abolitio- nists were circulating anti-slavery literature and by 1840 were sending hired emissaries to work secretly among the slaves to foment discontent.
Those unfamiliar with the South will never understand or comprehend the relationship that existed between the families and the slaves. A distinction elusive of description existed which was tacitly recognized by all.
Negroes were proud to belong to a family with things of which they could boast, such as their social prominence, or fine horses. They held the poor whites who had no slaves in great scorn. Until emancipation Negroes had no surnames, though they often used their owners.
I do not attempt to say that slavery was a good institution, it most definitely was not, but to say that most of the slaves lived comfortably and were well treated. The North was as much to blame for the slave traffic as the South, as many of the New England art galleries and colleges were endowed with slave-ship money.
No history in Georgia should be written without giving the rightful place to the faithful "mammies" who were im- portant members of every Southern plantation. She took care of the children by day and rocked them to sleep at night singing to them queer chant-like melodies. They were excellent cooks, housekeepers, seamstresses and laundresses and no one could make beaten biscuit, fried chicken and pies like "Mammy".
The Negroes, before the War Between the States wor- shipped in the same buildings and had membership in the same churches with the whites. They were brought up in the same principles of good citizenship as were the sons and daughters of their masters and most of them tried to adhere to these principles throughout their long and useful lives. They also tried to pass on to their children the things they themselves
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had been taught. It was the slaves whose muscles turned a wilderness into a cultivated land.
Most of the slaves in Greene County came in with fami- lies from Virginia and North Carolina and were a generation removed from the wild savages brought into the coastal area from Africa. They came here with these families and were mostly docile and well trained, some were very skillful and many learned to make shoes, tan leather, lay brick, and build homes.
The rows of slave houses back of the great house were neat with clean yards and filled with children. After the days work they would sing their spirituals, wrestle, fiddle and play the banjo. They were a musical and light-hearted people and could join in the rhythm of any song or dance and never miss a beat.
In 1834 there were 8,326 slaves in Greene Co. valued at $8,895,000 or $1,058 each which was 56% of the total tax value of the country. There were 25 free Negroes and about two thirds of the county were Negroes. Half of the tax payers owned no slaves at all, while half of them owned the slaves in the county. Twenty-two tax payers owned 50 or more slaves each.
Peace and Plenty 1820-1850
The Golden Age of the South was between the years of 1820 and 1860. The boats of the world stood at anchor in the harbors wanting cotton, and now that the cotton gins were operating, the virgin and fertile fields with the slave labor could supply their wants and a tide of wealth came into the South. The plantation owners who had come into the South from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and older parts of Georgia could now have time for leisure. Their families had more comforts and educational advantages.
They had beautiful homes of Colonial design with large columns in front, green window blinds, contrasting with the white of the exterior, ample front porches, on which they
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would sit and view the landscape. The planters and their fami- lies lived in luxury and their children were educated in the best schools of the country. The men wore ruffled linen shirts with high collars and black stocks for cravats. The women dressed elegantly, with small waists and ruffled large skirts.
Their homes were substantial and well built by slave labor and their rolling lands as far as the eye could see were grow- ing the fleecy cotton. The rail fences cut off lush green pas- tures for the blooded horses and fine cattle. The driveway curved up across a vast expanse of lawn, bordered by crepe myrtles or cedars on either side. The flower garden on the side or back, smelled of verbena, phlox, cape jessamine, roses, lillies and star jessamine and there on the wall cascaded the purple wisteria and yellow banksia rose.
The old English boxwood against the house gave off a peculiar though not unpleasant fragrance especially when drenched with the dew at night. The huge oaks made silvery shadows on the great house and gave it a cool restfulness that people eagerly sought on the long summer days.
The children could hardly believe it, when grandfather told them that only thirty years ago, the Indians were raiding this very land, burning and pillaging the towns and that a dozen forts manned all night gave the settlers little time to rest from their labors. These settlers were now landed men and gentle- men.
These ante-bellum homes, with some still standing are; Hawthorne Heights, Rice Residence, Cunningham House, Warner Place, Geissler Place, W. P. Mcwhorter Home at Woodville, A. A. Kimbrough Home, John A. McWhorter Home, Old Davis Home, Judge James B. Park, Jefferson Hall, Malone or Mashburn Home below Union Point.
There were no large cities and most of the people lived on farms and villages. The plain people's children went to the Field Schools or Poor Schools. There was the log school house where the pupils sat on benches made of split logs with- out backs. The windows had no glass, only a wooden shutter. The teacher kept school from sunrise to sunset and she taught
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the three R's readin', ritin', and 'rithmetic. For his services the teacher received fifty cents for each pupil per month, us- ually paid in provisions. There were a great many plain but excellent people who did their own work, raised on their farms the crops and cattle which supplied their food and the women made the clothing from cotton and wool, carded, spun and woven, on cards, spinning wheels and hand looms. Candle light and lightwood knots were the only illumination. Many of these boys who studied by firelight became distinguished leaders in mature life.
Cooking was done in large open fireplaces where the large iron crane pivoted back and forth across the hot coals. On the crane, pots were hung, baking was done in iron ovens with tops on which the coals were placed. The oven was on legs and placed over red hot coals on the hearth with more hot coals on the lid. In the ashes sweet potatoes, ash cakes, roasting ears in the shucks were cooked with delicious flavor. Lightbread and cakes cooked in the ovens were superb. Many gourmet dinners for weddings and festive occasions were cooked in this manner and were delicious. The fuel was wood and the hic- kory coals were best for cooking.
On the plantations of the wealthy owners there were field hands, household servants, kitchen servants, carriage drivers and the more skilled slaves made repairs and built houses. Back of the great house were the neat rows of whitewashed slave houses with well swept yards and many pickannies around.
There was the spring house to protect and cover the milk, butter and water. As many as eight cows were milked morning and evening and the rich cream, butter and milk cooled in this spring house.
There were no wire screens in those days and to protect food and milk from flies there were white covers called "tidies" with crocheted edges to cover the pitchers and dishes. Standing by the table was a Negro girl wielding the fly brush made of long peacock feathers, back and forth, back and forth, as the meal progressed. She listened to the sprightly conversa- tion and often the slaves knew everything that went on by her
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reporting the things she heard at the table, even though she often did not understand the meaning of the conversation.
People traveled in buggies, carriages and stagecoaches be- fore the advent of the railroad. The travelers put up at tav- erns and hotels and the horses were taken out, fed and watered. Usually the driver blew loudly on a bugle as he approached the town, and on arrival found a large curious crowd to watch the passengers unload their luggage and to wonder about the outside world.
Freight was carried long distances in wagon trains and neighbors often went together to Charleston, Savannah or Augusta. At night they camped by the road, cooked and ate, and then slept in the covered wagons. The drivers arose early and were on their way cracking the long whips over the backs of the horses or mules as to sound like the rapid firing of a pistol. Some think that the expression of "Georgia Cracker", came from this old custom.
People of this era were gregarious and often had political gatherings, barbecues, dances and camp meetings. George Pierce and Jesse Mercer often were the preachers at these camp meetings and hundreds of people came from several counties. These were held out of doors in the shade of the huge trees and a platform was built for the speaker and singers.
Men like William H. Crawford, John Forsyth, and John Clarke talked at the political gatherings. There was always the social feature at any gathering and usually it was the bar- becue. Several kids, pigs or calves were broiled slowly over a pit of hickory coals. The meat was basted with sauces made from pepper, butter, tomatoes, honey, vinegar and salt, and cooked for about twenty-four hours. The stew bubbled in the pot where the fire burned to make the coals and when the baskets were opened with the cakes, pickles, homemade light- bread and custards, the tables really groaned under the luscious dinner.
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