Georgia G. (2015)

Interview Notes – Shirley Plantation

 Can you tell me about children and games? 

• Africans would play very similar games to the English. They would both play a lot of marbles and the English used glass, but the Africans used clay. The Africans would have toys and games that they made themselves, but the English could buy toys.

• English boys would play almost any game, but girls would normally not play games that would show off their bodies because that was not seen to be ladylike.
• They played games at school sort of like at recess and it would teach them things like coordination, how to count because the cards didn’t have numbers so you would have to count, etc.
• They played indoor and outdoor games. When the weather was nice they would play outside, but when it was bad they would play inside.
• People sometimes played crochet or horseshoes after church, but Sundays were mostly about rest.
• Children played games almost everyday.  

• The Native Americans mostly played games out of animal bones or things that they found. 

• Women would not play cricket together.
• Dominos has been played for centuries and there are multiple ways to play it. 
• Skittles / Nine Pins is an early form of bowling. The only difference between skittles and bowling we play today is that in nine pins you have nine pins and you get three tries. You could play in a table top in a tavern.

• Children started working when they knew right from wrong (at a very early age.)
• If you are a slave and you have a baby you would normally carry it around when you work or you would leave it and check on it or nurse it every now and then.
• When young children would come back from working, they would help do chores around the house. There was a job when you had to mix together all of the animal poop and sand and such, and you could just tell a little kid, “Hey! Let’s play a game!” And then they would help.
• Occasionally children would get separated from their parents. If the master wanted to make money he might sell a kid or a parent. The master also might separate the slaves for punishment. You will normally see a slave be punished by their family being separated before physical harm. The age when children are separated from their family really depends. Does the buyer want a baby that he can raise into a good worker? Does he want an older kid who can already work? 
• If a baby gets separated from its parents, it really depends on who is around to take care of it.