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Memories of
Frances Amos Sarratt
Gaffney Ledger |
MRS. SARRATT IS CAPABLE, SUCCESSFUL IN BUSINESS
Feb. 26, 1953, by Dr. R.C. Granberry
During carpet-bagger days in South Carolina, a baby girl was born to
MR. and MRS. CHARLES McALWREATH AMOS at their home on the banks of
the Broad River, then in Spartanburg Co. and was given the name of
FRANCES AMOS . That was 85 years ago last December.
FRANCES AMOS, now MRS. ROBERT CLIFTON SARRATT, born December 17,
1867, was married to ROBERT CLIFTON SARRATT when she was 19 years of
age, and he was 27.
While recently seated in the living room of MRS. SARRATT'S home on
the Chesnee highway, I said to her, " Mrs. Sarratt please tell me
about some of the salient facts of your long and active life."
" Why of course, if you wish to take the time, " she answered....
'What about your parentage, Mrs. Sarratt ? Were they originally
residents of this territory ? " I asked.
" My great grandfather, JOHN McALWREATH, came here from Scotland. He
fought in the War of 1812. It may interest you to know that my great
grandfather was one of a group of six men to organize the first
Presbyterian church, Nazareth, in upper South Carolina. This church
is located in Spartanburg county, out towards the Wellford
community." Then continuing: " My father was CHARLES McALWREATH
AMOS, born Oct. 7, 1844. When he was between 16 and 17 years of age,
he enlisted in the Confederate Army and served for four years. He
was wounded twice during the war".
" My mother was MARY EMALISSA McCRAW, born in 1848, in the State
Line neighborhood. Mother's father- my maternal grandfather- was
ROBERT E. McCRAW. When mother was 19 she was married at the home of
Squire GAFFNEY, commonly referred to as 'the father' of the town of
Gaffney."
" My parents ran away to be married. Grandfather objected for some
reason, to his 19 year old daughter entering wed-lock; he wanted her
at home ! But, you can't stop young love ! It finds a way -so there
was a wild ride on horseback, zig-zagging for ten miles, the father
in hot pursuit and just as the Squire pronounced the couple ' man
and wife ', with JOE WOOD as the witness, the father blew in all hot
and dusty- too late".
The residence referred to as the location of her mother's marriage
is " the old Gaffney home" on the Chesnee highway, not far from MRS.
SARRATT'S present residence. It is a landmark of Cherokee county.
" My grandfather was part owner of the Cowpens Iron Works, located
near the site of the present Battle of Cowpens Monument. This
enterprise was a successful and lucrative business, but was blown up
by the carpet baggers at the close of the war during the
Reconstruction Days."
It was quite evident to me, with out MRS. Sarratt so stating, that
her grandfather, CHARLES AMOS, was a man of sterling religious faith
and an unusual and aggressive business personality.
As I endeavored to reconstruct the living conditions of this area
during the times of CHARLES AMOS, I asked MRS. SARRATT to tell me
some of the things she knew of that period.
" In that day, folks knew how to live at home ", she said. " Of
course, they had servants a -plenty, but there were no ready -made
clothes, for instance. The men made the looms, the women would spin
the wool and the cotton. A room was set aside for the working of
cloth. Grandfather made the cloth for all his slaves. As a matter of
fact, I made all the clothes for our family during the early years
of my married life. The people during those years even made their
own dyes- red, black, yellow and indigo. "
" My grandfather poled rafts down the river to Charleston, carrying
cotton and other products for sale. He would bring back home things
for the family he could not get here, such as jewelry, silverware,
laces, watches, etc.
In grandfather's day and in my earlier years, everybody began to
drink sassafras tea in February, and on into the spring. This tea
was regarded as a fine, health builder, as a tonic which purified
the blood. Honey was used for sweetening. Sorghum molasses was as
usual as pork and beef."
Then I said to her, you were just a child during those days of
1865-1876, tell me about how things were in those days.
" Vivid are those years in my mind", she said." Our people really
suffered. Those carpet baggers were made up of veritable trash- the
trashiest of trash ! " They worked upon the ignorance and
superstition of the poor negroes, who did not know what it was all
about".
Continuing she said " It was necessary for our men to keep horses
hidden and ready to go to avoid being captured and mal-treated.
Nearly all was stolen from the plantations. Mr father-in-law had all
his stock but one old mule carried away over night".
" It was in 1870, that my father purchased a plantation in the
vicinty of the present town of Inman. At that time I was 3 years
old. Cotton was the big business of farmers, it was the back-bone of
our economy. During the early years of our living in this Inman
neighborhood, father, MR. GRAMLIN, and some others, furnished
materials for a railroad to Spartanburg . Later on this road was
extended to Asheville.
In this community lived SALLIE FOSTER, now MRS. J.N. LIPSCOMB and I
remember also being in a class for pen-manship with her brother,
GARLAND FOSTER, who was the 'star' pen-man."
When I made inquiry about the schools around 1870-1880, she said "
You know , of course, that we had no public schools then. Parents
paid tuition when they could organize schools. Limestone was a high
school when organized in 1845, but later , after 1865 it conducted a
school for primary instruction.
" Do you recall your first school", I asked.
" I certainly do! At five years of age , I was sent to a school near
our home taught by MRS. LOU HUMPHRIES, which she conducted in her
home."
The home place burned when FRANCES AMOS was about 13 years of age.
Her father , who had established several business connections in
Spartanburg, moved his family to that place. A house was secured
near the present campus of Converse College. " There had been a
military school where now is the location of Converse College", said
Mrs. Sarratt.
" Memory is a strange store-house. As a small girl I remember seeing
in the basement of that school house the name of the father of
CLAUDE ROSS, former banker of Gaffney, deceased years ago, carved or
traced , in a stone. And I recall also, that the father of C.S.
COPELAND, Gaffney business man at present, was in my classes.
When it came time for me to leave this school in the old military
building, my father carried me to Limestone to see about the
situation there, but at that time was at a low ebb, and I was not
enrolled in the Gaffney school.
There came from Charleston to Spartanburg a MISS GIRAIRDAUX, who
opened a finishing school for girls. The enrollment was limited to
15 and so in that school I was registered."
At her father's home near the present campus of Converse College,
FRANCES and ROBERT CLIFTON SARRATT [ BOB] were married July 6, 1887.
R.C. SARRATT'S grandfather was ANTHONY SARRATT, born August 9, 1777,
and his wife, R.C.'S grandmother, LETITIA by name , was born August
3, 1785. ANTHONY SARRATT was active in church work, for 60 years he
was a consistent member in a Baptist church.
JAMES MADISON SARRATT, born Dec. 13, 1813, was the father of R.C. [
BOB]. JAMES MADISON married JULIA ANN LIPSCOMB and there were born
to this couple 13 children. BOB was the youngest of the 13.
There were five children in the family of MR. and MRS. R.C. SARRATT,
as follows; CHARLES MADISON SARRATT now of Nashville, Tenn., BOYD
LEMUEL SARRATT, Gaffney, FERRELL AMOS SARRATT, deceased at age of
three, FRANCES AMOS SARRATT, now MRS. ALLEN , Gaffney and ROBERT
CLIFTON SARRATT, retired naval officer, Gaffney.
" I am proud of my children, but I suppose that such a feeling is
pardonable in a mother", said MRS. SARRATT. " I have 7 grandchildren
and two great grandchildren, " she exclaimed.
MRS. SARRATT has been and is a vital factor in the family circle.
" I have lived with my children", she said. " When they were small,
I took them with me wherever I went- I have known no rewarding
experience which have been as great as being with the children".
R.C. SARRATT was the studious type person- studied at Limestone and
Wofford, languages, especially Latin and Greek and mathematics were
his favorite subjects. Teaching was his second love; his family
first and other interests were farming and politics.
" It is true , that MR. SARRATT and I inherited nice farms - his
farm was near Providence and mine in the State Line community; both
farms are still in the family."
On the 29th of October, 1926, R.C. SARRATT passed from the scenes
and that was 26 years ago. MRS. SARRATT has managed the estate
during these decades and she stands high in the estimation of
business men of the county.
" I love to buy and sell" she said . The children laughingly say
that I love to BUY, but NOT to sell. They also accuse me of wanting
to purchase all the land that joins mine".
She told of hiring SUSAN 50 years ago for the house, and SUSAN is
now 83 years of age. MRS. SARRATT loved to fish and she loved
horses,
and loves to join all organizations and societies- she says she is a
joiner.
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