To Have and to Hold This page intentionally left blank Larry E. Hudson Jr. To Have and to Hold SLAVE WORK AND FAMILY LIFE IN ANTEBELLUM SOUTH CAROLINA THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA PRESS ATHENS AND LONDON © 1997 by the University of Georgia Press Athens, Georgia 30602 All rights reserved Designed by Betty Palmer McDaniel Set in 10/14 Janson Text by G&S Typesetters, Inc. Printed and bound by Braun-Brumfield, Inc. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. Printed in the United States of America 01 oo 99 98 97 c 5 4 3 21 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Hudson, Larry E., Jr., 1952- To have and to hold : slave work and family life in antebellum South Carolina / Larry E. Hudson, Jr. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8203-1830-2 (alk. paper) i. Slaves—South Carolina—Social conditions. 2. Slaves—South Carolina—Family relationships. 3. Plantation life—South Carolina—History—i9th century. 4. South Carolina—History—1775-1865. I. Title. 445-S7H83 *997 3O5.5'67'o9757—dc2o 96-13711 British Library Cataloging in Publication Data available In loving memory of Dorothy This page intentionally left blank The work of the day being over, I sat down upon my doorstep, pipe in hand, to rest awhile in the cool of the evening. —To Have and to Hold by Mary Johnston This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Genealogical Charts xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xvii Introduction xix ONE For Better for Worse: The Slaves' World of Work i TWO For Richer for Poorer: The Family as an Economic Unit 3 2 THREE In Sickness and in Health: Disease, Death, and Family Disruption 79 FOUR To Love and to Cherish: The Slave Family 141 CONCLUSION To Have and to Hold 177 Notes 185 Bibliography 219 Index 235