The "head boiler" was also a man of consequence among them, also the head carpenter, cooper, and mule-driver.

These and others filled situations of responsibility, which required more than ordinary capacity.

Of these trusts they were proud.
The manager or overseer on a plantation seldom interfered in the domestic arrangements of the slaves.

Their religious and moral instruction was neglected.

The marriage tie was not regarded as an indissoluble knot, but as a slender thread, to be broken by either party at will.