Belly-Ache’s Roots: Budding, Blossoming, and Flourishing

By Alfreda Leola Johnson

The patriarch of the family is born into slavery and makes an unsuccessful attempt toward freedom when he runs away from his previous plantation. By chance, he falls captive at a cotton plantation of one of the riches planters in Darlington, South Carolina. His job is that of a coach driver, not having to work as a “buck” in the field. There at the plantation he meets his future wife, Matilda, working as a cook and a laundry maid in the big house.
Once slavery is over, after standing in a circle with their backs turn and hands intertwine, four freed slaves walk south, north, east or west to determine their directions to start their lives.
The patriarch works hard as a farmer. He accumulates and becomes successful and is very prominent in the community. He buys land in 1888 for approximately five dollars an acre, and his children inherit more than 20 acres each and build their homes by the sweat of their brows. His children are also successful farmers and their father instills in them to never work for a white man. The land is still in the family today.
Each offspring has personal struggles with life’s bouts. Whatever challenges they endure they fight to keep the legacy of their father alive. Each one of them is brought to life through the voice of Belly-Ache’s Roots.
Every family goes through trials, tribulations, accomplishments, happy and sad times from the days of old. Your family as well as mine has a testimony and a story to be told. Belly-Ache’s Roots may be instrumental in you finding the stories hiding in your past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665559102

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© 2022 Alfreda Leola Johnson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/06/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-4984-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-4983-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-5910-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022908557

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Alfreda’s Ancestors

Notes from the Author

Introduction

Chapter 1 Elias—Runaway Slave

Chapter 2 Elias, Matilda, and Cyrus

Chapter 3 Elias and Matilda

Chapter 4 Churches

Chapter 5 Sarah, Elias’s Mother

Chapter 6 Agricultural Schedule of the United States Census

Chapter 7 Elihu

Chapter 8 Boyd

Chapter 9 Sarah

Chapter 10 Minnie

Chapter 11 Bennie

Chapter 12 Brock’s Farm

Chapter 13 Leola (Lee)

Chapter 14 Brock’s Family Life

Chapter 15 Junius

Chapter 16 Sam

Chapter 17 Harry

Chapter 18 Leo

Chapter 19 Elias

Chapter 20 Matilda

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Photographs

Sources

In memory of my loving mother, Leola Bacote-Johnson.

Because I love you, Mom, the Bacote legacy will never die.

ALFREDA’S ANCESTORS

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NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR

Belly-Ache’s Roots has been several years in the making. It has been a long time coming. I announced I was writing this book so many years ago, and many thought it would never come to pass. Writing this book required a lot of hard work and diligent commitment. At times, I thought it would never happen, but by the grace of God, I did it.

When writing a book of this caliber, the truth with facts needs to be verified. Some stories were told by family members and family friends, but the majority of information was from research— documentations from wills, estate papers, birth and death certificates, military records, Social Security indexes, grave markers, and whatever else I could find. The family did not change its surname as many freed slaves did, which advanced me further with my research.

What is so phenomenal is that I started this journey with just wanting to know my family’s history. Writing a book was not my intention, but the more I researched and discovered, the more enthralled I became. I found that my family had a wealth of history just begging to have me tell their story through my eyes. I constantly had thoughts and dreams of my ancestors that would not leave my head. I went to bed with pen and paper ready to jot down any thoughts and questions that came to mind that I needed to remember. As soon as I could, I researched and made contact or telephone calls to my inquiries.

I once did not believe in spirits, but I now believe they exist. Spirits connected to my inner soul so intensely that it felt as if they resided in me. They would not leave me alone. I felt in spiritual bondage, and that’s when I knew I could not walk away from this journey. I went to bed nights and awoke mornings with my head so full, I could hardly think about anything else.

I can still see the faces of family and friends I spoke with light up as if they were reliving the past. Some of their stories were paper documented, and some were videoed. The time spent with them was as precious as gold. Some of them have since passed away. Once people have passed away it’s like lighting a fire and burning stories that are gone forever.

The documents I researched can be viewed to substantiate the facts. Stories from folklore are different because it’s what was told to me that was passed through the generations of my ancestors’ beliefs along with some myths. They lived through many of their stories, traditions, customs, and beliefs.

Whenever possible, I included sicknesses, illnesses, and diseases that claimed the lives of my ancestors. It’s good to know your family’s heritage. Have you ever heard people say that something runs in the family? Your family heritage can tell you so much about yourself if you allow yourself to listen and pay attention. It’s amazing to know why we act certain ways or do certain things. You may discover characteristics that are linked to you by way of Grandpa or Grandma. There are so many things that can get passed down from past generations.

What about traditions? Challenge yourself to look into family traditions practiced on holidays and on special occasions. Where and when did they start?

Things we say can be passed down as well. I find myself saying, Daddy would say … and Mama would say … Some of my friends may comment I never heard that before. When I stop to think about some of their sayings I have to laugh.

Sometimes, we may reach back as the old folks would say and get certain characteristics from other family members. Our skin tones, eyes, hair, body frames, looks, and other features may stretch further back than our parents.

I challenge each and every one of you to learn your heritage. Look at your characteristics. Ask questions about traditions. Please don’t wait until it’s too late and say, I should have asked questions and I should have made that visit. Don’t let your answers get burned in the fire.

I wrote a poem that I would like to share. I named it Committed because of the motivation I needed to bring this book to pass.

Committed

God spoke and gave me a task to do

In obedience to him I must follow through

He made an example of Jonah and the whale

This is what happens in life when we fail

God knows the one he can trust to do his work

Never ever take it for granted with a smirk

This book I was appointed to write

God, please give me the wisdom to bring it to light

My family’s past is a story to be told

True facts to me have been unfolded

My talent I must use

It is one I do not want to lose

God, please do not give up on me

I cannot rest if my soul is not free

—Alfreda Leola Johnson

INTRODUCTION

Stop listening to grown folks’ business!

Don’t look in grown folks’ mouths while they’re talking.

Children should be seen, not heard.

It’s none of your business.

Go play.

Go somewhere and sit.

I could go on and on. We were always told that we didn’t get in grown folks’ business. We children knew our place. We didn’t ask questions. Listening from afar, we got bits and pieces. Sometimes, we heard right, and sometimes, we thought we heard right.

That was our people of the past and why our history was buried with them. That’s why some things are myths and some things are truths.

It’s amazing how many stories have been lost because of ignorance in the sense of not knowing any better, ignorance not in a bad way but due to what they saw as secrets. They weren’t secrets, just facts that needed to be told and thus passed down from generation to generation.

If certain things were known, people would think we were crazy … Or so they thought. Not so. There wasn’t anything shameful in the way they survived and the way they handled life’s situations.

Elias and Matilda Bacote, my great-grandparents, did the best they could with what they had. As I chronicle the lives of the patriarch and matriarch and their ten children, I am proud of them. I am blessed my grandfather Brock gave life to my mother. They weren’t educated in the sense of book smarts, but they had what Dad called mother wit. They had wisdom, knowledge, and common sense. From their accomplishments, they used good judgement. They were prominent people in their time. Not too many coloreds were able to own land and homes, but they had both. Some of them could not read or write, but that was not an obstacle. They had things that were considered luxuries during that time. They lavished themselves with professional photography, something a lot of coloreds did not do due to the expense. It just could not be afforded. There was a need for other things, such as housing, food and clothing. They did well for themselves.

Life was good for them. They went through struggles and tragedies, but being the strong people they were, they overcame. They had one another, and most of all, they had love.

According to 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (KJV),

Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. It always protects, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails..

They went through some of the same things we go through today. History repeats itself. Sometimes, life throws us a curve ball, but that doesn’t mean anything is wrong with us. That’s just life.

This book is based on stories told to me. Since I did not travel this journey with my ancestors, I had to rely on family members, some alive and some having gone on. It is impossible for me to know every detail of their life journeys, so it leaves me to use my imagination backed up with facts in history through research. Some stories are told from census records, documents, and birth and death records.

Some stories will make you laugh, others will make you cry, and some will make you proud. There are stories that still have question marks because the answers died with generations that have passed away.

If only I had started sooner, I said to a good friend. He said, You started when it came to you. If I had, who knows how much would have been