| Summary: | Folder contains 2 pages of a biographical sketch of Frank Ziegler compiled for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s.••
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rule ZAlol *0 t e .on or Betty and :lanlal ta1ola:'. !ll t at uIe 0..
about hl. people 10 t at hl. mothar ° e to !lab~ rrom Coor la whan ."0 wo.
cnly one year old ••_ Etk'e rathe:' c e to tte ...tat a tree acr08S t • water d
••s called "~ 19 ~ n" ••oe were boUght r~om t ••~ct1on block 1n nt 8=1 by
• .LAtig,ler. • L.el~!.l" died beto:-e • s.~k ••e barn. Jte::- • de. h his wir. ,
laney ~~ , ~, run the ~lant.tlon. e plantation was 1 c.ted • ere oblnaon
vprln nOW ls.-Tllere we!"'. about five :~nI:d:: d aeria of 18.:ld aad a~out titty
aI.vaa. 'hea. alavea lived 1n log caolua a short distance trom tne h • or the
o~.r.7hey conalsted or ODe room with one .1nd~. and one door. ere we 0 1;
• bed .owe chairs and a table 1n "tha.e • .l.?rl!llnk d08. not remember very much abO'Jt
the lite on thl1 plantetlon because wbile he a. atill very 100DO: "ole 188"
died. he olav•• wore dlvlded betweon ,ho ohl1dren alone wit th~ other pro art] •
•'rank 'IOnt tb B111] ~oioler. 3111y woe to yOJn,,: to handlo ,1. property 00
his alaves were rented out to the ~aller ~lantatlons whoae ownera dldnot have
enou 0)1ave5 b~t were unable to bU7 Clora. ?rank staj'ed wit is t'mlly until
he w~s old enou_~ to work him.81f •• en he wcrked tor d1tta:ent ~.o~le at t_8
u.a~l obs on • tar~,¥lo.in~,hoeln~ and the dut ae around t~s ~o e. ~ s mistress
cooked tor t ...a alave. at t ...e aa=.e t1J:.e t ..at s e cooked far ...a; 0 tazJ.l.l •
ere were no overseers on t l!I pler:.tetiona w a.::e _.i"ank work••. ne.owner
was is own overseer. en t e alaves were uni.ald t e w8 ter did it bim3elt.
l:ank es ivan only ODe Whippin uile he wes a slave. lie says t~et he went out
as usual to teed the lorses o~e o:oing and atter e had ad t e he cl be
into the corn crio to shuck so e corn t~ t 8 8veDln~ tuedln • It as cold t t
day so he thr' st 1s hends SLd . at down i .to t a ahuc~ to ~et t~~ .ar~.
that bot ~armer he ~t sleepy. "Jll niggers 18 e8ay to ~o to sleep" so Waen t~e
master came to 8ee whare a was e tou:.J. 81lit0'81ee,. Ilk says t ..at the master
wes about drunk and 80 "aB e 811y an....ered. F..e accus_d ...'ren.l( or not hl!livino; red
t~a horao8 at all 8n made h :eed them e~aln. :~ ok lays "them horses never ld
eve eoo\1.;h to det 80 ...hey at all I geve t ...em a....8.1D·'. Because he tllousht raIll'
had told a 110 about It no took 1m out en~ wh1p~ed 1m•
at t e t me t 8 war atarted rank was work1n~ !o~ a who had onl' te
slavea. 1s n, O.ill 3slea, sed "rink s a d:'lv::r. 't;1.s dUtles wttre to feed
t 0 livo atoc~ ~d ot oIl t e. bo ready to drivo t. .tar to ~ ploc~ that
be wtmt to:;o. It as beeausti of t ...ls t .•at ..:ran" ";taB in a ;.osition to _"0 to
the ~lcti L8 0 the slaves in o~t~"O~ry. ~rank a 13 t~ese auctlona .are very
c like the "saent day auctlona of har8~8 e:\ • les. e sleves 1i'a:'e placed on
tau ctian block and ~lve Q8QoDat=ations e to st-un....t~ en 8~etl - were
<1 t .ing and da::oe, "tar ~"ey be "t tal ..ed the orowd t e bld:1in would
be;ic an~ t e slave went to tuB ~i~est ~idder.
If en t 81
war wit h1m.
So ]''rank ent
war and for 0
all abo t and
W8S over.
w"" etL'tod a lly ~e1ole: oon t ro:, auk to co . ..0 • to go to
en • ank ....ot tne=- 8 he round his. astdI' sick &!.I. unable to ~"O.
back: to -;,orlc ..'0: tr. Sals8. Ie stayed with .ttr • .::iales urln~ t e
year atter itt 8 close. "sleves were not told wh t the war we.
.0 d1d .ot know th t they we:e rree untIl about a year atter It
he alav~8 .era ot ellowed to ~ to achool but W9nt to church and sULd87
8c~o01. 1 ere waa ne&r0 eac er on the ~lantation who preached to: he slav a
• 18 ~ 8e r o~ld trl to teee tue sleves to read ~assa~s (r t e Bible b~t
Te:y tew or t 81 aver learne ver: much eb~t it.
r&:lll ' Ut16~ .e~e 11 t an • hod lent] t1me to ~Jnt. : t e st rart
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~••oold bunt to~ rabbit•• He did not like to bunt at Di bt. Ee did not like to
ti.h.o o. did very littl ot it.
J. ere wa. 0IUy one ot the slav. that ever tried to run •••y. 1a man wae
a big etron~ belt-breed,ere.k Indi~ and ne~o. He tried .everal • to et
.y..,. and t e only time that he was suocesstul he came back 1n • few day.. ,went
to the ma.ter and told him that he was not ~ln~ to .or~ tor htm and th t he had
"better put him in his pocket." 8 master exchan~d him tor a neuo WOAan and
ber child. -
.About a year attar tee 01".a ot the .. r a troo" ot yank.. oidiers cce and
made camp a .bort distance down tte oa~ trom the hO:l.8 or .rrank'a ma.tar. The Ca,taln
told • 381e. thet it be .ould bava .ome cake. and pi•• m de he and hi. meD .ould
bUy them. me] made the_ ar. carried tb8~ to the oam}, The c.~t.in bou t two and
the soldiers took the reat. en • Salea told the ca?tain that the soldiers would
not ~aYltbe capt.in told 1m to ~iDt out the one. t at wouldn't pay nd h••a~ld
make the!:lo or course they couldn't do th1e ao he...• dldn' t e:;et tn. con-J. thin J
al.e th the .oldier. ea. that th~J wantad they took .itbout aeyin3 anytbln to
anyone.
_ ank didnot care tor ~ ea because he would rather sleep t m1 ~l y when he
was not workio6 • The cbief entertainment or Prank and his triends was dancing_
hey did r.Gt work at nl3ht 80 they held denoieg "bess". ~ere wao or-a slave that
played anold tiddle. Thi. wa. a 1 t~e nu.ic tbey had. He doe. not ram.~~er any or
the aonga that they 8UOJ then. He s8ye that he was not a aloEer •
The alavea were married then 88 taey are now except that t ay did not have a
"paper". Frank wSa not narrled ur.til after the war. He says that when he and hie
"ole woman"declded to "get hitched" they started out to find a preacher and When
thay tound one they were msrried rigbt tbare in the middle ot the road. Thay bad
.ix obildran. Two girls and tour boy., Tha 6irl. ere dead and tbe boy. era all
workinga at sood job•• Two for tne railro.dJoDe in a pipe .bop/and tne other i.
in the army Bomewhere in New York state.
lr~k 121 Q Babtist. He was converted. He W8S ••lklD6 alone one d~ and "8 Voice"
88id to him"wby .ill you idla your time away?" Frank .aid "Glory ba to God I' va
ound peace tor my poor d.,10g soul." The ~'oice" sai4, "Take that and cultivate it" •
But Frank thoug t "the Voice" would tell h more sO he waited. After aeven years
.heD he didnot hear anytbing more ha decided to gp OD and join the churoh anyway.
Frank .eya that be never .... atra1d ot ~ho.ts .He never did .ea ona eO ha "juat
didn't bal1eve thera we. ouch tbings." Ha a•• tha Ku nux Klan onoa but ha knew they
.ere not atter bim 80 he waan' tab-aid.
ank own. bi. own bCl:la and altbou.:;h ba ha. baen blind tor tee paat t iva yaer.
be .eems to be bappy .itb bia lot in lita.
/ by, Edith Simms. Clanton
Chilton County, District #3/
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