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Slavery During or Before the Civil War

deborah

deborah

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I am currently working on the research part of my memories as a black slave girl named Clara who was sold at eight years old. I came across a very interesting image.

In the early 1990's I did several meditations were I remembered vividly living with my "momma" - in a small wooden structure, that to me now resembles a shack but then was our home. My momma was so proud of it. One door, one window and wood planks for walls --- all weather worn. I am hoping my attachment works so you can see an image of one;

The text found on the website The Lives of American Slaves in South Carolina describes them briefly- as I remember them. I am looking for more images and references regarding the homes and life of slaves during this time. I remember several homes of other black families all lined up -behind the back of the plantation. Ours was just one of many.

... the neat rows of wood frame slave cabins which seem so typical on plantations in the 1850s were a late reform, developed by Southern planters in an effort to deflect abolitionist outrage.
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I also had never heard the term "Momma"...used for mother...anywhere. But another site confirmed my memory - black children often referred to their mothers as Momma. I was sold in 1848 - never to see her again. Another website confirmed that most black children were sold before the age of twelve. What a difficult life.

Are any of you researching your memories of being a black slave in the south during or before the Civil War? I am having a heck of a time since I had no last name and was only referred to as Clara B. It was common for slaves to have no surnames- if they did, it was their masters.

I am finding loads of information that confirms many of my memories. The only Clara that I can find was a house servant and owned by Joseph Robinson in Charlston SC. She..like me had no last name. And like so many - there does not seem to be any website links for further information.

Anyone have any clues - suggestions? Thoughts? The title for my mother was pronounced moe -ma.
 
Do you know if you were a house slave or a field slave?

I noticed your search seems to be centered around South Carolina, is that a coincedence or on purpose?

Do you have an impression about if your sale was a private one or on an auction block?

Since you know what year you were sold, you might be able to find information on the sale if you can remember the place. Most public business interactions have some kind of paperwork involved and I've heard often lists what type of work that slave is suited for.

Needless to say negros were considered property at that time in that place. Most African Americans have found that to trace their ancestors they have to first trace their ancestor's owners, and then there is a lot of inferenceing from the owners records. House slave, I've heard, are easier to trace because they are more likely to be listed by a name in the owner's records.
 
Hi,

I was to be a house slave. It was a private sale. Here is what I wrote in 1992 -

I was taken when I was only eight years old. I began to struggle and cry as several men loaded me into the back of a wagon. I had been sold to a plantation many miles away. A man grabbed me by the back of the neck and pushed me onto the wagon bed.

I am sobbing and trembling calling out.... "Momma, Momma." I would never see my mother again. White men held her arms as she screamed for mercy, repeating over and over......"My baby, my baby.” As the wagon left I saw other black women consoling her as she went down on her knees and wept. The separation tore my heart in two. I cried ....and I cried.....I cried all the way.

Time shifts..... I find myself in front of a large white plantation house, it was huge, with newly white washed pillars by the entrance. There were willow trees in the front yard that were covered with lichen. Lots and lots of roses lined the front. I was with two older black women who were teaching me the "rules" of the house. I was scared and I was sad inside. All I could do was think of my momma. I missed my momma, I missed my little sister.
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I began looking at SC when I came across the Clara I listed above in the insurance records I found on a website. I have never been very clear - exactly where I lived. I know that Clara and her husband Timmy and daughter Caroline walked to Oklahoma - after the Civil War - where we believed we could be Free. There was free land in Oklahoma. I also know Clara was hung in 1891 for a crime she did not committ. Clara had a silver pocket watch - with the letters LMS engraved on the back.

Last year - I learned that LMS stood for Leonard M. Stiles. I am still researching the possibilites regarding that connection. I know he was a white man. The experiences are quite detailed. Too much to put here. So I will check the historian angle, the website forums and hope.

I am also trying to find information about the lynchings in 1891 - In or near Oklahoma City.
 
I don't know if this helps but here's what I found.

I ran a search for Leonard M Stiles looking for someone that lived in the south on the census records. I only found one promising hit, a Leon Stiles Jr. The index says that's a female, but I don't think so (who would name their daughter Leon, now Leona yes, but Leon Jr.?) Anyways this Leon was 18 in 1860, and lived in Union County Georgia.

There were three other Leanard Stiles that showed up before the 1900 census, but none of them were in the south. One was New Hampshire (54 years old in 1860), Pennsylvania (50 years old in 1860) and Wisconsin (46 years old in 1870) All of them were born in the north also (Vermont, New York and Canada).

I didn't have any luck with a Clara B. I got a little excited when I found a Clara B Stiles, but she turned out to be in England. :D
 
Hi Deborah,

Have you visited this site yet?

Africana Heritage

Chelle is right when she says you'll probably need to do extensive research on the owners in order to learn about their slaves. One important document to look for is the owner's "Plantation Book", or farm journal, which would include a list of all slaves owned by the family, their ages, families, and sometimes a litte other information.

I do a lot of genealogical research. I'll add your names to my lists and see if I can find anything for you. I remember seeing your painting of Clara online, and I think she needs a last name.

Good luck to you,
-- Niamh.
 
Deborah,

I wonder if this might help:

Leander Stiles (First_Last)
Regiment Name 16 South Carolina Infantry
Side Confederate
Company D
Soldier's Rank_In Private
Soldier's Rank_Out Private
Alternate Name
Notes
Film Number M381 roll 31 Natl Park Service Civil War Database

I already ran 1880 census searches for Clara but didn't find any with a husband Timmy or Tim. But at least Ance$try lets you search that one for free.

I also found
Lynchings: the National List, but it doesn't list a Clara or anything similar to what you discribed. Perhaps it wasn't "officially" a lynching, more like kangaroo court. But that doesn't make it any bit less of a horrifying injustice.

Best of luck uncovering your memories and engaging this tragic aspect of our past.

Wyldcat
 
slavery during or before civil war

I love all my children more than life itself, but I have had such a hard time letting my boys go. My oldest son is 24 years old, and he got his drivers liscense 2 weeks ago. He has only been driving for 2 years. He has always respected my fears and "looked after me". He collects action figures and loves video games. I know you wish I would get to the point.

I have never understood why I was so frightened for my sons even after I figured out why I was so frightened for my daughter. We were watching music videos on MTV together one afternoon about 6 weeks ago, and a video came on. I couldn't tell you who the artist was or what the song was. It was a very darkly lit video, and scenes of a black woman crying hysterically at the graves of somebody came on the screen.

I began to scream and cry and I screamed at Kelly to turn the TV off. He refused, and began to berate me for being silly. I knew that I was a Negro slave whose sons had been beaten to death. I screamed for him to turn off the TV, and he wouldn't. I tried to run outside and he wouldn't let me. I was sobbing hysterically. I finally managed to get away from him and get into the bathroom, where I turned on the exhaust fan, the shower and the sink to drown out the sounds of the TV. Kelly came beating on the door, of course, (I had locked it) and he begged me to come out.

I was still sobbing hysterically. He is a very determined man and he opened the door with a screwdriver. When the door opened he was crying. He told me he thought that I was just having a "spell" like I used to have before I figured out why I was so crazy! (I wouldn't watch news, read a national newspaper, or watch most any movie with any kind of violence, any killing or torture, or most any thing exciting) He had turned the TV off and he realized what was wrong with me.

I've talked to him more about the memory flashes than anyone else except for you. He understood exactly why I was hysterical. We held each other and cried for a long time. I have since been free of the awful fear for my sons, because I know where it came from. I don't have any concrete memories of that time, but I know I was a slave and my sons were beaten to death by our master. I have never been able to stand to read about slaves and how they were treated, or I will not watch movies about slaves on TV.

I also can't watch movies or documentarys about WWII, Schindlers List makes my skin crawl to even see the title anywhere, and The Diary of Anne Franke I could never get past the first page. I would NEVER watch the movie.
 
Hi Deborah,

It would seem that Clara could not have been lawfully executed in Oklahoma. Between 1841 and 1966 there were 132 executions in Oklahoma, but only one of them was a woman - Dora Wright, a black domestic servant hanged for murder on July 17th 1903 in Pittsburg County.

This means that either Clara was hanged somewhere else or was the victim of a lynching - lynchings, being unlawful executions without trial. If the latter was the case, no records may exist.

Re Leonard M. Stiles, make sure you search the name spelt Styles as well because people often varied the spelling of names.

I will keep searching for you!

Angelcat :)
 
Hi again Deborah,

I have now checked the execution records for the entire US for the period 1800-1900 and I can find only one record of anyone by the name of Clara as follows:

Clara (Shelton) Black female slave. Hanged for murder on January 4th 1816 in Virginia. Age unknown.

There is a Caroline Shipp (you said your daughter's name was Caroline) aged 18, hanged for murder on January 22nd 1892 in NC. Her colour is unknown.

Angelcat :)
 
Hi, Deborah.

I guess I'll throw in my two cents.

Being African American, when I refer to my mother, I call her a variety of names from "Mom," "Mother,"Mommy," "Momma," or "Woman" (it's a little thing we do, lol) depending on my mood. I'm from the North. However, the further South you go, the more you hear the term "Momma" used.

To find out more about Clara, you would have to find the person that owned the plantation. Often, slaves were given the surnames of their master. But even that is only but so helpful. I've been trying to find information about my great-great grandmother. I know her name, but that's it. The task is quite daunting. Also consider the fact that sometimes, some people might not have been recorded.

The fact that she was to become a house slave means she probably had a lighter complexion. Do you remember what color her mother was? Do you remember what color Clara was? That might give clues as to whether or not her father was the master, which might give you clues to other things.

It's interesting that she had a silver watch. I wonder who might have given it to her. Possibly her mother? Someone who was trying to help her get her freedom? Could she have possibly taken it? Maybe she found it somewhere? At what age did she have the watch?

Do you happen to remember the day when you were sold? Do you remember any other details about what the new plantation looked like? That could give you clues to common architecture at the time, and lead you to a general area. Also, what did the accent sound like? A dialectologist could probably help give you an idea of a time and area. Do you remember what you or anyone else was wearing?

I checked out the link you sent. The picture is interesting because it looks like some of the old schoolhouses in Virginia. Do you happen to remember if you and your mother were the only ones that lived in the house?

Are you positive that Leonard was white?

I hope this reply was somewhat helpful.
 
Dante,

If you click on Deborah's name in her signature, it will take you to her portfolio website. There is a beautiful painting of Clara on the second page (click under "sold works). :)
 
I am so thankful....

For all of your replies. It's been a heck of a week for me. I appreciate your patience. *S*S*S*S I hope this post clarifies HOW Clara got the watch - HOW I confirmed the initials, what I was wearing, and that it was after 1864 due to the date on the forks.

After re-reading my posts - I realized that I have been very vague. So I am going to start by posting the memory I had in a dream. You can find the following also in Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Ph.D's book. The Dreamers Way. If you have it - it's on page #275 - #277.

***The Mojo - Clara, the hanging and moms vision*****

Jul 20, 2000 --It was very lucid and seemed so real. It was in the 1860's, I was a young black woman. I was in an area where several black people had been hung for "crimes" they did not commit or that did not require such a terrible sentence. I saw four black men carrying a coffin and they were singing "Come on, Come on, It' time ta go down to da Mojo, cause someone heres been killed...Keepin on..keepin on.... "

The men wore brown pants, suspenders, funny round hats and black warn boots. An old man was digging through the black peoples possessions, the ones left in the holding area. I saw used bullets, broken chains, copper pennies, rags, nothing of real value. But, when I looked in one woven box -- inside was a man's pocket watch, oval in shape with elongated numbers. There was engraving on the back. I saw an "L" and "M."

Also inside was a cloth wrapped around four forks. Two metal ones and two engraved silver ones. The silver ones had the date 1864 on the back. Then I saw a music box/jewelry box that was made of China and painted with flowers that could fit in my hand. On one side it was a clock, the other a music box, the bottom a drawer for earrings and rings. A black man rode up on his horse and snatched the music box from me and took it to his wife. I only had the watch left, the cloth and the forks.

I wore a long dress, with a white apron. I was barefoot. I could smell the dirt on the ground, everything was in full color. I could hear the singing in a southern accent, I could feel the dirt on my toes.

I told my mother my dream...all except the engraving part. Funny, she asked me if I could see the back of the watch. I said only part of it. She said - "it has engraving on it yes?" I said "Yes." She said, "L.M.S., right?" I said I saw the 'L' and the 'M' but not the "S."

She suggested I work on it and find out the significance... she could see my whole dream before I told it to her, like a movie. She says [dreams] are "her favorite movies."

I hope to find out who L.M.S. is. Also I had to look up "Mojo" at the college library because my dictionary had nothing listed; I thought I made it up. But it is indeed an African form of witchcraft, pertaining to magic, and voodoo in South Africa. I am sure the black slaves in America brought some of their religion with them.
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I will respond more fully later this evening. So much to think about, and I want to respond to each of you. :)
 
Hi Niamh

Thank you so much for the link. The problem is I do not know the name of the plantation owner. The man who owned me. I only know him as "massa." The other problem is - Clara didn't have a last name. Evidentally this too was common. It is not a matter of me remembering it. I will post the memory of her death soon where I clearly saw the grave marker. The name on the wooden cross was Clara B.

Hi wyldcat,

It was indeed a "kangaroo killing": I have not heard that term...but I imagine it means no trial, no jury - immediate execution. That indeed is what happened.

Your links are awesome! I hope to fully engage the depths of information there when I finish classes in two weeks. The Lynchings list is heart breaking. A difficult time in American history to be sure.

Hi Angelcat,

You are correct. It was an immeditate execution as I posted above. No trial, no jury - a same day hanging. THANK YOU, Thank You Thank You - so much for suggesting that the spelling was other than the one I had been researching. "Styles" - and the search continues. :) My Daughter Caroline was alive when I was killed. I had her when I was 14 in 1854. So in 1891 she was 37 years old. We were also living in Oklahoma when I was hung.

Hi norabrindle,

My heart goes out to you. I know all too well - the heart break, the fear, and how the memories of that time can linger. My sister now - was my mother then. She still holds to her fear.....and has not dealt with her soul memories of that time. I hope that someday - she will be as brave as you.

And CunoDante - for you a new post - and a heart felt thanks for sharing with me - your 'history' and inquisitive mind. Your questions are good ones. But in my next post.
 
HI Cuntodante,

There is still so much to heal from in that life......It has been a 13 year journey. Again and again my experiences have reminded me of the cruel treatment black slaves endured. Always the memories are filled with emotions, feelings and thoughts that included, but were not limited to guilt, shame, and fear.

In my meditations and dreams I was able to piece together memories that are historically consistent with African American slaves during the Civil War. Thank you for confirming what you can from your family history. I would appreciate your input ANYTIME in this thread regarding what you do know. :)

For me, the memories revealed much more than I ever expected. They have shown me deeply hidden historical secrets; secrets that are to me now, although I am a white woman, very personal. It was a difficult time....and a difficult life.

My mother then was a very black - black woman. I do not remember my father. It was just me and my mother and my little sister. My skin was lighter than hers.....my daughter Caroline's skin was similar to the actress Halle Barre. Her father was the plantation owner.

In a meditation on 2/16/2002:

I remembered my grandaughter. It was this experience that suddenly placed me in front of my home in Oklahoma......as Clara at about my age at the time, 43. I was hoeing my garden and talking to a neighbor woman who was passing by. I looked over my shoulder, I realized I was watching my granddaughter. She was playing in the fields with a loose scarf over her head. She wore round metal glasses and was about 6 -7 years old. As I turned to see her, I called out her name. Charlene!

As I did, an inner joy I cannot describe grew inside of me. My heart expanded, my vision expanded, I was filled with so much love for this little girl. Then holographically, I saw my grandson now --- Lucas’ image over this young girl. They were one in the same. Tears filled my eyes, and the recognition of her/his soul filled every cell of my being. The meditation ended, with me in tears.
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SO - I am learning how to integrate - then and now and I know - that life ----goes on. Keep those thoughts coming. They really are helpful. :)
 
Deborah

Thank you for sharing this. As a born and raised Southener I can tell you "momma" is very very popular and common in the South.

Among African Americans of my acquiantance it is just about the only term for their moms.
 
Deborah ~

Through the tragedy of it all, you were given the wonderful gift of realizing your grandson now was your granddaughter then, and you have been given another lifetime with her. Amazing ! :)

Thank you for posting in this thread, everyone. I do not know much about what happened to the slaves in America, and am learning through your memories.
 
thoughts.............

Thank You Greenknight. :) Mama2RHB - it is an interesting journey; learning about my past - and that of our African American history. I am glad you enjoy reading this. It's a hard thing to present. Below is a memory of my home as a little girl.

Angelcat, Thank you again for the links. Several of the lynching links I had reviewed last year when I had the memory of how and when Clara died. I will post the memory - if people are interested. I am very interested in the book series you posted about "I was a Slave." Several of the excerpts highlight the language used - memories expressed directly from the slaves themselves.

Cunodante asked me about dialect. It's hard for me to say - I know nothing about dialects. I have small clues - such as the following. My mothers response to me gives me an idea. :) Perhaps one of you know? or maybe the book link you suggested will enlighten me.

****************************************************
My breath became very shallow, almost non-existent. I felt vibrations of energy coursing through my body and I immediately went into the light. I seemed to move rapidly through space, .... I looked down...... I am a small black girl, about five years old. I am inside of a small wooden structure that in appearance looked like a shack. But it was my home. The side boards reminded me of an old barn, there was one door and one window, and two sleeping palettes on the floor. Our house consisted ....of one room.

I am with my momma in my house. I am perplexed as to something a white child had said to me, and in response to my question I hear her say, "Don't pay dem no never min." I turned looking over my shoulder to see her. She was a very heavy woman wearing a long skirt covered with a dirty apron. She wore a tightly wrapped bandana around her head, with her hair tucked neatly in the back. She was my "Momma.”

I began to get an extended sense of memory, my vision expands, I remember, I see ... projected over her is a holographic light of who she is to me now. I can see holographically an image of my sister Terri overlaying this large black woman who was once my mother. It was a wonderful vision filled with recognition, joy and love.
************************************
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Ok, Deborah, I got a chance to talk to my professor. He's one of the top 10 authorities in the world on African American literature, so he knows a LOT about the history. I'm trying to get as much information out of him as possible without telling him that's it's for past life related thing -- he would probably kill me if he found out, lol.

Anyway, I told him I was reading something over the weekend about the civil war era down south, and mentioned that I saw the term "Mojo" in one of the songs in the story I was reading, but was confused by it. Anyway, he said that Mojo isn't really voodoo per se. Rather, it's basically a talisman or some type of charm that's supposed to protect you or keep you safe. Moreover, he said it's representative of coming to acceptance with and having a respect for a reality that you might not fully understand, which may be due to supernatural forces, but you're still part of it nonetheless. (In this case, the reality, he said, would be slavery and the lynchings/deaths that took place.) He said it's pretty similar to how Catholics believe in the cross or holy water -- they have protective powers yet you're also coming to grips with God, a reality you don't/can't fully understand. I also asked him which areas this term was generally used, and he said primarily it was used in New Orleans and Louisiana, but also in Georgia to a small extent. He said it was mostly contained in the Gulf states such as New Orleans and Louisiana due to the physical boundaries that existed.

If you have any other specific questions, I'll see if I can get more answers/knowledge out of him. Also, if you would like some references to read up more info, I can find that out from him too.
 
Thank You Chelle - I opened the link at work - some very powerful things there -couldn't continue to read it though. It emotionally hit me pretty hard and well...I cannot be sobbing and be the professor at the same time. LOLOLOL I will look through it more this weekend.

Greenknight - thank you for confirming that for me. In the meditation - the accent was so clear and strong. I remember being in a daze for weeks and the feeling of speaking that way was right on the surface-- the tip of my tongue.

Cuntodante, WOW - I am so thankful for your willingness to ask on my behalf. All I was able to find was the Webster's Dictionary definition of the word Mojo - but your Professor's explanation of the reason why the term was used and under what context puts the whole thing into perspective for me. AWESOME. Is there something I can do for you - to return the favor?

I will post the lynching later --- I do have some Big questions that relate to Clara's death.
 
Here is something I found on Mojo

Mojo
Mojo is from Black English, first recorded in the mid-1920s. It is common throughout the South. The earliest recorded usages are in reference to the blues and jazz music. The meaning has always been magic, charm, or amulet or more broadly the power and influence derived from such a supernatural source.

It is probably African in origin. Gullah (the dialect of the South Carolina Atlantic islands) has the word moco meaning witchcraft or magic. And the Fulani language of Africa has the word moco'o meaning a shaman.
 
Hi Deborah,

I have located a Leonard M. Stiles. I wonder if he could be the one you are looking for. Here are the details:

Leonard Moses Stiles
Born: 21 March 1808 in Shoreham, Addis, VT
Died: 12 June 1890 (place unknown)
Spouse: Mary E. Hickock (married 1844)

Although he was not born in the south, he could well have been living there by the time of his death.

Seeing that he died in 1890, the year prior to Clara's death, maybe that it how she came by the silver pocket watch, perhaps he left it to her in his will.

If you think this is not the right fella, I will keep searching!

Angelcat :)
 
Hi Angelcat,

Thank you - as usual *S*S*S* I described above in my dream about the Mojo that it was in the 1860's that I found the watch...and that I found it in a woven box. "I was in an area where several black people had been hung for "crimes" they did not commit or that did not require such a terrible sentence.........
......An old man was digging through the black peoples possessions, the ones left in the holding area. I saw used bullets, broken chains, copper pennies, rags, nothing of real value. But, when I looked in one woven box -- inside was a man's pocket watch, oval in shape with elongated numbers. There was engraving on the back. I saw an "L" and "M."

This was indeed during the mans life time that you posted... Lagrima also pointed out that LMS was engraved on the back of pockets watches that were associated with a British Railroad company. I am still looking into it. No free time yet - but soon! :)

In June of 2004 I did a meditation - I knew LMS liked English Fox hunting on horse back, and that he was a wealthy man. I will post more tomorrow.

I really - REALLY do appreciate all the help you have given me - and the others that have been so gracious with their insights and research as well. :)
 
What are the chances?

Well - talk about synchronicity. I have been sitting through hiring committee meetings and interviews for new candidates at the college where I teach What a long process. During an interview - one candidate was interested in the "lynchings" in the south of African Americans at the turn of the century.

The Photography Professor in our department piped up and said -"OH you have to talk to so and so in our department. She has so much information and has been researching it for years." Should have seen the look on my face. LOLOLOL I had no idea nor would I have expected anyone in our department to know anything about lynchings. I hope to contact her and see what information she might be able to share. A small world indeed.

I am looking into your information as well Angelcat. Its a fascinating process and exciting.
 
Last night I did a meditation that revealed some interesting information for me. I am hoping someone can give me some history regarding a term that was used in the south.

I found myself to be about 2 and a half years old - approaching three perhaps. My hair was in high pigtails yet I hardly had any. It was quite short. My feet were bare. I was by a chicken coop and was feeding the chickens. I carried the grains in my skirt - holding the end of my dress up so as to make a basket like shape to hold the food.

I was black, I could see my chubby little hands and I was looking down and could also see my little black feet.. I was enjoying every moment of being around the chickens. My clothes were old and worn, and the small apron on the dress dirty but I was happy.

A white woman and her husband came around the corner by the chicken coop and said.

Oh Harlan, look at that cute lil Pickanninny
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First is Harlan a name? Used in the South? I know no one by that name - and the way she said it was very southern.

Second - I had to look up the word pickaninny after the meditation. It is a degrogatory word - specifically used for a small black child. But does anyone know anything more about it? I am curious - as my internet searches are showing up nothing.

I find it so interesting when things surface that I do not know and have to research. Small validations and what a history lesson! :)
 
Some quotes from the net.
Hint: try to look for pickaninny with one N :)

The pickaninny caricature shows Black children as either poorly dressed -- ragged, torn, old oversized clothes -- or, and worse, they are shown as nude or near-nude. This nudity suggests that Black children, and by extension Black parents, are not concerned with modesty. The nudity also implies that Black parents neglect their children. The nudity of Black children suggests that Blacks are less civilized than Whites (who wear clothes).
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Pickaninny (also pickaninnie) is a Pidgin word form derived from the Portuguese pequenino ("little") via Lingua franca. According to one hypothesis, pidgin has the same etymology.

In the Southern United States, it was long used to refer to African American children. The term was still in some popular use in the US as late as the 1930s, but has fallen out of use and is considered racist.

It was controversially used ("wide-eyed grinning picaninnies") by the British Conservative politician Enoch Powell in his "Rivers of Blood" speech on 20 April 1968.

It is still in widespread use in Papua New Guinea, as a term meaning young child (or just young, as in the phrase 'pickanininy pig', meaning piglet).

In certain dialects of Caribbean English, the words pickney and pickney-negger(pronounced "pick-knee" and "pick-knee nay-ga" respectively) are used to refer to children.
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"Hush My Little Coon" (6 March 1893)
by Joseph W. Wheeler

De silv’ry moon am shining bright,
Hush my birdie, hush my baby,
Shut yo’ eyes my heart’s delight,
Hush my little coon.
Res’ dem little weary feet,
Hush my birdie, hush my baby,
Rag man’s coming down de street,
Hush my little coon;
Shut yo’ eyes my curly headed little pickanninny.
While de nightengale am singing, in de orange grove,
When de robbin twitters in de cornfield at de daybreak,
Run and wake yo’ mammy, my little black faced love.

CHORUS [sung after each verse]
Hush my love, my baby, my honey,
Hush my love, my baby, my honey,
Shut yo’ eyes my sweet pickanninny,
Hush my little coon.

Now rest dat little weary brain,
Hush my birdie, hush my baby,
Bye bye white man came again,
Hush my little coon,
Bramberville aint far away,
Hush my birdie, hush my baby,
Brownies live dare so dey say.
Hush my little coon;
Close beside her pickanninny’s cradle mammy’s sitting,
Watching o’er her baby love, her little octoroon,
Weary from de toiling la de field among de cotton,
Shut yo’ eyes my baby, oh hush my little coon.
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Curious Girl.
 
The idea of the pickaninny was brought up in slave times because the owners would "pick a nincompoop" from the lineup of slaves; or the slave children who couldn't cotton pick cotton "aint pickaninny".
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salc.wsu.edu/Fair_S02/FS13/Entertainment/Pickaninny Origin.htm

I think this 'aint pickaninny' should be translated as 'ain't picking any', am I right?
 
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