Papa Joe (Joseph Melvin Ellis) Memories of Isaac Ellis

The most industrious and intelligent of all slaves was Isaac Ellis. He and his wife Mary were “house servants.” She was the main cook, and he helped with house cleaning, waited on the table, and took care of the family horses. Neither of them were required to do any field work; but in their spare time, they cultivated the acreage assigned to them, raised a horse, a cow, adn other smaller animals. As experts in handling parties and dinners, they wer often called on by neighbors for help in such matters, and my grandfather allowed them to keep whatever was paid them. They saved their money but did not care to be “free”.

When the war was on, the white people who were old enough went to the front; and my grandfather, too old to fight, patriotically turned his silver and gold into Confederate currency, which was swept away when the war was over. However, Isaac Ellis kept his money in gold and successfully hid it. The home place was on the edge of the raiding parties sent out by Sherman as he passed through South Carolina. All movables were carred off by raiders, adn even the handles of cups were broken off to make them useless (I still have one of these). The whole Todd Plantation was stripped and desolate.

When the white soldiers returned from battle, they found an almost hopeless situation. Nobody had any money for a new start. In addition, the Reconstruction Government determined to humiliate those who had been wealthy and influential before the war. The most common tool for this purpose was selling the homes of the white people for “taxes”, which wer extremely high and had to be paid in cash. Neither my grandfather nor his sons were able to bid on the home place when it was put up at auction, but Isaac Ellis had saved enough to make the purchase, and he took title possession of the “big house”.

Isaac had no sense of pride in getting at a bargain his master’s property. He insisted that the whit people stay as long as they wished and offered to let them buy back the place at any time for what he paid. Isaac insisted every year that the whole group come back for a reunion, and he provided the feast and served “his folks” just as capably as a waiter as when he had been a slave. Each year when apples got ripe, he sent word to all the children to come and help themselves. There was the amethyst mine of the place with very good stones, and he welcomed any Todd descendant to come and take some stones. He personally helped them to mine them. After a time, the old house burned, and the reunions stopped, but he always gave the family a hearty welcome if any came by for any purpose. He was a real friend, both in slavery and in freedom and was affectionately called “Uncle Isaac” by all the family.