SLAVE NARRATIVES A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews ivith Former Slaves TYPEWRITTEN RECORDS PREPARED RY THE FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT. 1936-1938 ASSEMBLED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PROJECT WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SPONSORED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Illustrated with Photographs WASHINGTON 1941 VOLUME XI NORTH CAROLINA NARRATIVES PART 1 Prepared by the Federal Writers1 Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of North Carolina INFORMANTS Adams, Louisa 1 Debnam, W. S. 241 Adkins, Ida 8 Debro, Sarah 247 Allen, Martha 13 Dickens, Charles W. 254 Anderson, Joseph 16 Dickens, Margaret E. 259 Anderson, Mary- 19 Dowd, Rev. Squire 263 Andrews, Cornelia 27 Dunn, Fannie 270 Anngady, Mary 32 Dunn, Jennylin 275 Arrington, Jane 44 Dunn, Lucy Ann 278 Augustus, Sarah Louise 50 Durham, Tempie Herndon 284 Austin, Charity 58 Eatman, George 291 Baker, Blount 63 Edwards, Doc 295 Baker, Lizzie 66 Evans, John 298 Baker, Viney 70 Barbour, Charlie 73 • Faucette, Lindsey 302 Barbour, Mary 78 Flagg, Ora M. 307 Baugh, Alice 82 Foster, Analiza 311 Beckwith, John 87 Foster, Georgianna 314 Beetorn, John C. 91 Freeman, Frank 318 Bell, Laura 99 Blalock, Emma 103 Gill, Addy 323 Blount, David 110 Glenn, Robert 328 Bobbit, Clay 117 Green, Sarah Anne 340 Bobbitt, Henry 120 Griffeth, Dorcas 346 Bogan, Herndon 125 Gudger, Sarah 350 Boone, Andrew 130 Bost, W. L. 138 Hall, Thomas 359 Bowe, Mary Wallace 147 Hamilton, Hecter 363 Brown, Lucy 152 Harris, George W. 370 Burnett, Midge 155 Harris, Sarah 375 Hart, Cy 379 Cannady, Fanny 159 Haywood, Alonzo 382 Cofer, Betty 165 Haywood, Barbara 385 Coggin, John 176 Henderson, Isabell 389 Coverson, Mandy 179 Henry, Essex 393 Cozart, Willie 182 Henry, Milly 399 Crasson, Hannah 187 Hews, Chaney 405 Crenshaw, Julia 194 High, Joe 409 Crowder, Zeb 196 High, Susan 417 Crump, Adeline 203 Hill, Kitty 422 Crump, Bill 207 Hinton, Jerry 427 Crump, Charlie 212 Hinton, Martha Adeline 433 Curtis, Mattie 216 Hinton, Robert 436 Hinton, William George 441 Dalton, Charles Lee 223 Hodges, Eustace 446 Daniels, John 229 Huggins, Alex 449 Daves, Harriet Ann 232 Hunter, Charlie H. 453 Davis, Jerry 237 Hunter, Elbert 457 ILLUSTRATIONS Facing page Louisa Adams 1 Viney Baker 70 John Beckwith 87 Clay Bobbit 117 Henry Bobbitt .. 120 Herndon Bogan 125 W. L. Bost 138 John Coggin 176 Hannah Crasson 187 Bill Crump 207 Charlie Crump and Granddaughter 212 Harriet Ann Daves 232 Charles W. Dickens 254 Margaret E. Dickens 259 Rev. Squire Dowd 263 Jennylin Dunn 275 Tempie Herndon Durham 284 George Eatman 291 John Evans 298 Sarah Gudger 350 Sarah Harris 375 Essex Henry 393 Milly Henry 399 it******'* f 820152 "Jk \#B . -? \93< N. C. District No. 2 Worker T. Pat Matthews No. Words 1384 Subject b°u%§a, Afla^s,_________ Person Interviewed Louisa Adams Editor Daisy Bailev Waitt 320152 LOUISA ADAMS "My name is Louisa Adams. I wuz bawned in Eockingham, Richmond County, North Carolina* I wuz eight years old ¥/hen the Yankees come through. I belonged to Marster Tom A. Covington, Sir. My mother wua named Easter, "and my father wuz named Jacob. We were all Covingtons. $0 Sir, I don't know whur my mother and father come from. Solo- man wuz brother number one, then Luke, Josh, Stephen, As- bury. My sisters were Jane, Prances, Wincy, and I wuz near'.. I 'members grandmother. She wuz named Lovie Wall. They brought her here from same place. My aunts were named, one wuz named Nicey, and one wuz named Jane* I picked feed for the white folks. They sent many of the chillun to work at the salt mines, where we went to git salt. My brother Soloman wuz sent to the salt mines* Luke looked atter the sheep. He knocked down china berries ( for »enu \Dad and mammie had their own gardens-and hogs. We were compelled to walk about at night to live. We were so hongry we were bound to steal or parish. This trait seems to be handed down from slavery days. Sometimes I thinks dis might be so. J Our food wuz bad. Marster worked us hard and gave us nuthin. We had to use what we made in the garden to eat. We also et our hogs. Our clothes were -2- bad, and beds were sorry. \We went barefooted in a way. What I mean by that is, that we had shoes part of the time. We got one pair o* shoes a year. When dey wored out we went barefooted. Sometimes we tied them up with strings, and they were so ragged de tracks looked like bird tracks, where we walked in the road. We lived in log houses daubed with mud. They called fem the slaves houses. My old daddy partly raised his chilluns on game. He caught rabbits, coons, an1 possums. J|e would work all day and hunt at night. We had no holidays. They did not give us any fun as I know. I could eat anything I could git. I tell you de truth, slave time wuz slave time wid us. My brother wore his shoes out, and had none all thu winter. His feet cracked open and bled so bad you could track him by the blood. When the Yankees come through, he got shoes. ' "I wuz married in Rockingham. I don't 'member when. Mr. Jiramie Covington, a preacher, a white man, married us. I married James Adams who lived on a plantation near Rocking- ham. I had a nice blue wedding dress. Bfy husband wuz dressed in kinder light clothes, best I rickerlect. It's been a good long time, since dejjln tho'. HI sho do 'member my Marster Tom Covington and his wife too, Snma* Da old man wuz the very^ftlck. He would take what we* made and lowance us, dat is lowance it out to my < -3- daddy after he had made it. K^ father went to Steven Covington, Marster Tom's brother, and told him about it and his brother Stephen made him gib father his meat back to us. "My missus wuz kind to me, but Mars. Tom wuz the buger. It wuz a mighty bit plantation. I don't know how many slaves wuz on it, there were a lot of dem do*. Dere were overseers two of 'em. One wuz named Bob Covington arid the other Charles Covington. They were colored men. I rode with them. I rode wid 'em in the carriage sometimes. De carriage had seats dat folded up. Bob wuz overseer in de field, and Charles wuz carriage driver. All de plantation wuz fenced in, dat is all de fields, wid rails; de rails wuz ten feet long. We drawed water wid a sweep and pail. De well wuz in the yard. De mules for the slaves wuz in town, dere were none on the plantation. Dey had 'em in town; dey wated us time die chicken crowed, and we went to work just as seon as we could see how to make a lick wid a hoe • "lawd, you better not be caught wid a book in yor nan*. If you did, you were sold. Dey didn't 'low dat. I kin read a little, but I can't write. I went to school after slavery and learned to read. We didn't go to school but theee or four week a year, and learned to read. "Dere wuz no church on the plantation, and we were m<: not lowed to have prayer meetings. No parties, no candy pullings, nor dances, no $ir, not a bit. I 'member goin' one time to the white folkses church, no baptizing dat I tmember. Lawd have mercy, ha I ha! No. De pateroller were on de place at night. You couldn't travel without a pas. "We got few possums. I have greased my daddy1s back after he had been whupped until his back wuz cut to pieces. He had to work jis the same. When we went to our houses at night, we cooked our suppers at night.eti and then __________ went to bed. If fire wuz out or any work needed do in1 around de house we had to work on Sundays. They did not gib us Christmas or any other holidays. We had corn shuck- ings. I herd 'em talkin* of cuttin de corn pile right square in two. One wud git on one side, another on the other side and see which out beat. They had brandy at the corn shuckin' and I herd Sam talkin* about gittin* drunk. "I *member one *oman dying. Her name wuz Caroline Cov- ington. I didn't go to the grave. But you know they had a little cart used with hosses to carry her to the grave, jist a one horse wagon, jist slipped her in there. "Yes, I 'member a field song. It wuz 'Oh! come let us go where pleasure never dies* Great fountain gone over1*. Dats one uv *em. We had a good doctor when we got wick. He come "> -5- 6 ft to see us. The slaves took herbs^ £Jey found in de woods. Dats what I do now, Sir* I got some erbs right in my kitchen now, "When the Yankees come through I did not know anything about Jem till they got there. Jist like they were poppin up out of de ground. One of the slaves wuz at his master's house you know, and he said, 'The Yankees are in Cheraw ^^u4i- -+*£*+** and the._Yankees—areJu_town'. It didn't sturb me at tall. I wuz not afraid of de Yankees. I 'member dey went to Miss Emma's house, and went in de smoke house and emptied every barrel of Classes right in de floor and scattered de cracklings on de floor. I went dere and got some of 'em. Miss Emma wuz my missus. Dey just killed de chicksns, hogs too, and old Jeff the dog; they shot him through the thoat. I 'member how his mouth flew open when dey shot him. One tiv 'em went into de tater bank^and we chillun wanted to go out dere. Mother wouldn't let us. She wuz fraid uv 'em. / f "Abraham Lincoln freed us by the help of the Lawd, by his help. Slavery wuz owin to who you were with. If you were with some one who wuz good and had some feel^in's for you it did tolerable well; yea, tollerable well. "We left the plantation soon as de surrender. We lef' right off. We went to goin* towards Payetteville, North Carolina. We climbed over fences and were just broke down -6- «*• chilltm, feet sore. We had a little meat, corn meal, a tray, and mammy had a tin pan. One night we came to a old house; some one had put wheat straw in it. We staid there, next mornin*, we come back home. Not to Marster*s, but to a white ^man named Peggy McClinton, on her plantation. We stayed there a long time. De Yankees took everything dey could, but dey didnft give us anything to eat- Dey give some of de ^men shoes. rlI thinks Mr. Roosevelt is a fine man and he do all he can for us. ,w I 1W?" 320278 *•¦ 8 District No. worker Travis Jordan No. Words 1500 Title Ida Adkins Ex-slave Intervie wed Ida Adkins County Home-, Durham, N.C. 320278 9 IDA A.DKIN3 Ex-slave 79 years. »I wiz trkwn'befo' de war. I mw'&bout eight years ole when' de Yankee mens come through. My mammy an'' pappy, Hattie an' Jim Jeffries helonged to Marse Frank Jeffries. Marse Frank come from Mississippi, but when I -wiz"' J.J,-*i A-'' 1 ¦ba*n he an' Mis' Mary Jane kjpz livin' dovai he^» near Louisburg in ?rorth Carolina whare dey had &r big plantation an'/tdonTknow how many niggers. Marse Frank wuz good to his niggers 'cept^he never Jo give dem enough to eat. He worked dem hard on half rations, but he didn' believe in all de time be^.tin' an' sellin* dem. -laifJJ My pappy worked at de stables, he *«*?? er good hofseman, but my mammy worked at de big house h£--'~pi«r Mis' Mary Jane. . Mammy worked in de weavin' room. I can see her no-y settin' at de weavin' machine an' hear de pedals goin' plop, plop, as she treaded dem wid her fasts. She atuz a good weaver. I stayed rroun' de big house too. pickin' up chips, sweepin' de yard an' such ^as dat. Mis* Mary Jane mz quick as er whip-po'-will. She had black eyes dat snapped,an' dey seed everythin'. She could ^^rt her head so quick dat she'd ketch yo**<"every time ycrictried to steal -er lump of sugar. I liked Marse Frank better den I did Mis' Mary Jane. All us little chillun called him Big Pappy .^Jrvery time he went fro Haleigfe- he brung us niggers back some candj^^He went to Raleigh erbout twice er year.) Raleigh wuz er far ways from de plantations-near 'bout sixty miles. It always took Marse Frank three days to make de trip. A day to go, -2- 10 jgr day to stay in town, an' a day to come back* /dten he always got' eptnfAhe rode hofse back f stead of de carriage , Qm, den sometimes he got homw by sun down. Marse Frank didnf go to de war^pfie w« too ole^ <®o when de Yankees come through dey foun! him at home. When Marse Frank seed de blue coats comin1 down de road he run an1 got his gun* De Yankees mxzr on he^-s-es. I ainft never seed so many men. Dey «5 thick as hornets comin1 down de road in *€ht cloud of dusT^ Dey jcome up to de house an1 tied de ho~!~&^6 to de palinfs; -ffcey--¦'^BBa^m^-»«U» roun* de yard** (Imen dey seed.Marse Frank standin* on de j^al^h wid de gun leveled on dem, dey got mad. Time Marse Frank done shot 4HM *ime wt bully Yankee snatched de gun arway an! tole Marse Frank to hole? up his han*y side and remained there watching. ¦yH '"§' pK- .': p§£ \w% ••• :.!V'".'. ,'-i :%4%: KreM^w? /;../ .:-.,^, /^V A_.--'.'-& ,4v^*feM$<''~.& !^-\ -to- 25 In about an hour there was one of the blackest clouds coming up the avenue from the main road. It was the Yankee soldiers, they finally filled the mile Ion': avenue reaching from marster's house to the main Louisburg road and spread out over the mile square grove. The mounted men dismounted. The footmen stacked their shining guns and began to build fires and cook. They called the slaves, saying, 'Your are free»r Slaves were whooping and laughing and acting like they were crazy. Yankee soldiers were shaking hands with the Negroes and calling them Sam, Dinah, Sarah and asking them questions. They ousted the door to the smoke house and got all the hams. They went to the icehouse and got several barrels of brandy, and such a time. The Negroes and Yankees were cooking and eating together. The Yankees told them to come on and join them, they were free. Marster and missus sat on the porch and they were so humble no Yankee bothered anything in the great house. The slaves were awfully excited. The Yankees stayed there^cooked, eat, drank and played musfic until about night, then a bugle began to blow and you never saw such getting on horses and lining up in your life. In a few minutes they began to march, leaving, the grove which was soon as silent as a grave yard. They took marster's horses and cattle with them and joined the main army and camped just across Cypress Creek one and one half miles from my marster*s place - on the Louispurg Road* **lhen they left the country, lot of the slaves wsnt with Inem aM soon there were none of marster*s slaves left. They .jgpdeiredvaround.....for a year from place to place, fed and wofjfeit -?- 86 most of the time at some other slave owners plantation and getting more homesick every day. "The second year after the surrender our marster and missus .yot on their carriage and went and looked up all the Negroes they heard of who ever belonged to them. Some who went off with the Yankees were never heard of again. When marster and missus found any of theirs they would say, 'Well, come on back home,.' My father and mother, two uncles and their families moved back. Also Lorenza Brodi'e, and John Brodie and their families moved back. Several of the young men and women who once belonged to him came back. Some were so glad to get back they cried, 'cause fare had been mighty bad part of the time they were rambling around and they were hungry. When they got back marster would, say, .'Well you have come back home have you, and the.Negroes would say, 'Yes marster.1 Most all spoke of them as missus and marster as they did before the surrender, and getting back home was the greatest pleasure of all. "We stayed with marster and missus and went to their, church, the Maple Springs Baptist church, until they died. . "Since the surrender I married .James Anderson. I had four children, one boy and three girls. "I think slavery was a mighty good thing for mother, father, me and the other members of the family, and I cannot say anything .ffcut good for my old marster and missus, but I can only speak for those whose conditions I have known during slavery and since. For "niypelf and them, 1/will s:ay again, slavery was a mighty goo<3. thing.** JUH* 320280 1937 27 N..C. District No. 2 Worker Mary A» Hicks No* Words 789 Subject Cornelia Andrews Story teller Cornelia Andrews Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt - v V.4 ! 320280 28 CORHELIA ANDREWS An interview on May 21, 1937 with Cornelia Andrews of Sraithfield, Johnston County, who is 87 years old* **De fust marster dat I 'members wuz Mr. Qute Williams an* he wuz a good marster, but me anr my mammy an* some of de rest of *em wuz sold to Doctor McKay Vaden who wuz not good ter us. "Doctor Vaden owned a good-sized plantation, but he had Just eight slaves. We had plank houses, but we ain't had much food an* clothes. We wored shoes wid wooden bottom in de winter an1 no shoes in de summer. We ain*t had much fun, nothin* but candy pullin*s *bout onct a year* We ain*t raised no cane but marster buyed one barrel of *lasses fer candy eber year* **Xo* know dat dar wuz a big slave market in Smithfield dem days, dar wuz also a Jail, an* a whippin* post. I 'members a man named Bough somethin* or other, what bought forty er fifty slaves at de time an' carried 'em ter Richmond to re-sell. He had four big black horses hooked ter a eart, an* behind dis cart he chained de slaves, an* dey had ter walk, or trot all de way ter Richmond* De little ones Bfi?. Bough would throw up in de cart an* off: 2. 29 dey'd go north. Bey said dat der wuz one day at Smithfield dat three hundret slaves wuz sold on de block. Dey said dat peoples came from fer an* near, eben from New Orleans ter dem slave sales. Dey said dat way 'fore I wuz borned dey us ter strip dem niggers start naked an1 gallop 'em ober de square so dat de buyers could see daj£ dey warn't scared nor deformed. "While I could 'member dey'd sell de mammies rway from de babies, an' dere wuzn't no cryin' rbout it whar de marster would know *bout it nother. Why? Well, dey*d git beat black an1 blue, dat's why» *Huz I eber beat bad? No mam, I wuzn't.* (Here the daughter, a graduate of Cornell University, who was in the room listening came forward* "Open your shirt, mammy, and let the lady judge for herself .* The old ladies eyes flashed as she sat bolt upright. She seemed ashamed, but the daughter took the shirt off, exposing the back and shoulders which were marked as though branded with a plaited cowhide whip. There was no doubt of that at all.) ttI wuz whupped public*, she said tonelessly, '?for breaking dishes an' 'bein* slow. I wuz at Mis' Carrington's den, an' it wuz jist ffore de close o' de war. I wuz in a* ? 30 de kitchen washin* dishes an' I draps one. De missus calls Mr* Blount King, a patteroller, an' he puts de whuppin* yo* sees de marks of on me. My ole missus foun* it out anr she corned an* got me.H A friend of the interviewer who was present remarked, "That must have been horrible to say the least.n "Yo^doan know no thin," the ol# Negro blazed. HAlex Heath, a slave wuz beat ter death, hyar in Smithfield. He had stold something, dey tells me, anyhow he wuz sentenced ter be put ter death, anr de folkses dar in charge rcided ter beat him ter death. Dey gib him a hundret lashes fer nine morninrs an' on de ninth mornin* he died* tt!$r uncle Daniel Sanders, wuz beat till he wuz cut inter gashes anr he wuz tu be beat ter death lak Alex wuz, but one day atter dey had beat him an* throwed him back in jail wid out a shirt he broke out an* runned away. He went doun in de riber swamp an' de blow flies blowed de gashes an* he wuz unconscious when a white man found him an* tuk him home wid him. He died two or three months atter dat but he neb-er could git his body straight ner walk widout a stick j he jist could drag* *I ^specks dat I doan know who my pappy wuz, maybe de stock nigger on de plantation* % pappy anf mammy jiat 31 stepped ober de broom an' course I doan know when. Yo* knows dey ain't let no little runty nigger have no chilluns* Naw sir, dey ain't, dey operate on dem lak dey does de male ! hog so's dat dey can ft have no little runty chilluns. •?Some of de marsters wuz good an' some of dem wuz bad. I wuz glad ter be free an' I lef' der minute I finds out dat I is free. I ain't got no kick a~comin' not none at all. Some of de white folkses wuz slaves, ter git ter de United States an' we niggers ain't no better, I reckons*1* ^880026 *' 32 N.C. District No. 2 No. Words 22,289 Subject: A SLAVE STORY (Princess Quango Henna- donah Perceriah)• Reference: MAR? ANHGADY fo 0 ii *s+r*i i Borker: T. Pat Matthews Editor: George L. Andrews 33 MARY .MmGADY (Princess Quango Hennadonah Perceriah) 1110 Oakwood Avenue, Haleigh, North Carolina* "I was eighteen years old in 1875 but I wanted to get married so I gave my age as nineteen. I wish I could re- call some of the ole days when I was with my missus in Orange County, playing with my brothers and other slave children. "I was owned by Mr. Franklin Davis and my madam was Mrs. Bettie Davis. I and my brother used to scratch her feet and rub them for herj you know how old folks like to have their feet rubbed. My brother and I used to scrap over who should sci'aich and rub her feet. She would laugh and tell us not to do that way that she loved us both. Sometimes she let me sleep at her feet at night. She was plenty good to all of the slaves. Her daughter Sallie taught me my A 3 C's in Jebster's Blue Back spelling Book. When I learned to Spell B-a-k-e-r, Baker, I thought that was something. The next word I felt proud to spell was s-h-a-d-y, shady, the next 1-a-d-y, lady* I would spell them out loud as I picked up chips in the yard to build a fire with* My misaus Bettie gave me a blue back spelling book. -2- £ 34 MMy father was named James Mason.and he belonged to James Mason of Chapel Hill. Mother and I and my four brothers belonged to the same man and we also lived in the town. I never lived on a farm or plantation in my life. I know nothing about farming. All my people are dead and I cannot locate any of marster's family if they ^re living* Marster's family consisted of tv/o boys and two girls- Willie, Frank, Lucy and Sallie. Marster was a merchant, selling- general merchandise. I remember eating a lot of brown sugar and candy at his store. "My mother was a cook. They allowed us a lot of privileges and it was just one large happy family with plenty to eat and wear, good sleeping places and nothing to worry about. They ?**ere of the Presbyterian faith and we slaves attended Sunday school and services at their church. There were about twelve slaves on the lot. The houses for slaves were built just a little ways back from marster's house on the same lot. The Negro and white children played together, and there was little if any difference made in the treatment given a slave child and a white, child. I have religious books they gave me. Besides the books they taught me, they drilled me in etiquette of the times and also in courtesy and respect to my superiors until it became a habit and it was perfectly . natural for me to be polite. "The first I knew of the Yankees was when I was out in my marster's yard picking- up chips and they came along, took my little brother and put him on a horse's back and carried him up town. I ran and told my mother about it. They rode brother over the tovm a while, having fun out of him, then they brought him back, brother said he had a good ride and was pleased with the blue jackets as the Yankee soldiers were called. "We had all the silver and valuables hid and the Yankees did not find them, but they v/ent into marster's store and took what they wanted. They gave my father a box of hardtack and a lot of meat. Father was a Christian and he quoted one of the Commandments when they gave him things they had stolen from others. 'Thou shalt not steal1, quoth he, and he said he did not appreciate having stolen goods given to him. "I traveled with the white folks in both sections of the country, north and south, after the War Between the States* I kept traveling with them and also continued toy education* They taught me to recite and I made money by reciting on many of the trips. Since the surrender I have traveled in the north for various Charitable Negro Societies and Institutions and people seemed very much interested in the recitation I recited called "When Malinda Sings'1* -4- •• «> "The first school I attended was after the war closed. The school was located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and was taught by a Yankee white woman from Philadelphia* We remained in Chapel Hill only a f-?w years after the war ended when we all moved to Raleigh, and I have made it my home ever since. I got the major part of my education in Raleigh under Dr. H.M. Tupper who taught in the second Baptist Church, located on Blount Street• Miss Mary Lathrop, a colored teacher from Philadelphia, was an assistant teacher in Dr. Tupper's School. I went from there to Shaw Collegiate Institute, v/hich is now Shaw University. "I married Aaron Stallings of .varrenton, North Carolina while at Shaw. He died and I married Rev. Mat thews Anngady of Monrovia, west coast of Africa, Liberia, Pastor of First Charch. I helped him in his work here, kept studying the works of different authors, and lecturing and reciting* died My husband, the Rev. Matthews Anngady, and I gave a lot of A my time to the cause of Charity, and while on a lecture tour of Massachusetts in the interest of this feature of colored welfare for Richmond, Va., the most colorful incident of my eventful life happened when I met Quango Hennadonah Perceriah, an Abyssinian Prince, who was traveling and lecturing on the customs of his country and the habits of its people. Our mutual interests caused our friendship to ripen fast and when the time of parting came, when each G -5- 37 of us had finished our work in Massachusetts, he going back to his home in New, York City and I returning to Richmond, he asked me to correspond with him. I promised to do so and our friendship after a year's correspondence became love and he proposed and I accepted him. We were married in Raleigh by Rev» J.J. Worlds, pastor of the First Baptist Church, colored* "P.T. Barnum had captured my husband when he was a boy and brought him to America from Abyssinia, educated him and then sent him back to his native country* He would not stay and soon he was in. America again. He was of the Catholic faith in America and they conferred the honor of priesthood upon him but after he married me this priesthood was taken away and he joined the Episcopal Church. After we were married we decided to go on an extensive lecture tour* He had been a headsman in his own country and a prince. We took the customs of his people and his experiences as the subject of our lectures* I could sing, play the guitar, violin and piano, but I did not know his native language. He began to teach me and as soon as I could sing the song How Firm A Foundation in his language which went this ways Hgama i-bata,Njami buyek Wema Wemeta, Kegana i bukek diol, di Njami, i-diol de Kak Annimix, Annimix hanci 3ata ba Satana i-bu butete Bata ba Upj ami i bunanan Bata be satana ba laba i wa~ . . Bata ba Hjami ba laba IRmonga "*- 38 "We traveled and lectured in ooth the north and the south and our life, while we had to work hard, was one of happiness and contentment. I traveled and lectured as the Princess Quango i-iennadonah Perceriah, wife of the Abyssinian Prince. I often recited the recitation written by the colored poet, Paul Lawrence Dunbar When Mailiftia, Sings to the delight of our audiences. The following incidents of African life were related to me by my husband Quango 'Kennadonah Perceriah and they were also given in his lectures on African customs while touring the United States. "The religion of the Bakuba tribe of Abyssinia was almost wholly Pagan as the natives believed fully in witch- craft, sorcery, myths and superstitions. The witch doctor held alsolute sway over the members of the tribe and when his reputation as a giver of rain, bountiful crops or success in the chase was at stake the tribes were called together and those accused by the witch doctor of being responsible for these conditions through witchery were condemed and speedily executed* "The people were called together by the beating of drums. The witch doctor, dressed in the most hellish garb imaginable with his body painted and poisonous snake bone necklaces dangling from his neck and the claws of ferocious beasts, lions, leopards and the teeth of vicious man-eating crocodiles finishing up his adornment, sat in 39 the middle of a court surrounded by the members of the tribe. In his hand he carried a gourd which contained beads, shot or small stones. He began his incantations by rattling the contents of the gourd, shouting and making many v/eird wails and peculiar contortions. After this had gone on for sometime antil he was near exhaustion- his face assumed the expression of one in great pain and this was the beginning of the end for some poor ignorant savage? He squirmed and turned in different directions with his eyes fixed with a set stare as if in expectancy when suddenly his gaze would be fixed on some member of the tribe and his finger pointed directly at him. The victim was at once seized and bound, the doctor's gaze never leaving him until this was done. If one victim ftpptftsed his nervous fervor the trial was over but if his wrought-up feelings desired more his screechings continued until a second victim was secured. He had these men put to death to justify himself in the eyes of the natives of his tribe for his failing to bring rain, bountiful crops and success to the tribe* "The witch doctor who sat as judge seemed to have perfect control over the savages minds and no one questioned his decisions. The persons were reconciled to their fate and were led away to execution while they moaned and bade their friends goodbye in the doleful savage style. Some- times they were put on a boat, taken out into the middle of a river and there cut to pieces with blades of grass, -8- 40 their limbs being dismembered first cuid thrown into the river to the crocodiles* A drink containing an opiate v/as generally given the victim to deaden the pain but often this formality was dispensed with* The victims were often cut to pieces at the place of trial with knives and their limbs thrown out to the vultures that almost con- tinuously hover 'round the huts and kraals of the savage tribes of Africa* "In some instances condemned persons were burned at the stake. This form of execution is meted out at some of the religious dances or festivities to some of their pagan gods to atone and drive away the evil spirits that have caused pestilences to come upon the people. The victims at these times are tortured in truly savage fashion, being burned to death by degrees while the other members of the tribe dance around and go wild with religious fervor calling to their gods while the victim screeches with pain in his slowly approaching death throes. Young girls, women, boys and men are often accused of witchcraft. One method they used of telling whether the victim accused was innocent or guilty was to give them a liquid poison made from the juice of several poisonous plants. If they could drink it and live they were innocent, if they died they were guilty. In most cases death was almost instantaneous* Some vomited the poison from their stomachs and lived. "The Bakubas sometimes resorted to cannibalism and -9- 41 my husband told me of a Bakuba girl who ate her own mother* Once a snake bit a man and he at once called the witch doctor* The snake was a poisonous one and the man bitten was in great pain. The witch doctor whooped and went through several chants but the man got worse instead of better. The witch doctor then told the man that his wife made/ the snake bite him by witchery and that she should die for the act. The natives gathered at once in response to the witch doctor's call and the woman was executed at once. The man bitten by the snake finally died but the witch doctor had shifted the responsibility of his failure to help the man to his wife who had been beheaded. The witch doctor had justified him** self and the incident was closed. "The tribe ruled by a King has two or more absolute rules. The Kings word is law and he has the power to condemn any subject to death at any time without trial* If he becomes angry or offended with any of his wives a nod and a word to his body guard and the woman is led away to execution. Any person pf the tribe is subject to the Kingfs will with the exception of the witch doctor. Executions of a differ- ent nature than the ones described above are common occurances* For general crimes the culprit after being condemned to death is placed in a chair shaped very much like the electric chairs used in American prisons in taking the lives of the condemned* He is then tied firmly to the chair with thongs* A pole —10— *k& made of a green sapling is firmly implanted in the earth nearby. A thong is placed around the neck of the victim under the chin. The sapling is then bent over and the other end of the thong tied to the end of the sapling pole. The pole stretches the neck to its full length and holds the head erect* Drums are sometimes beaten to drown the cries of those who are to be killed. The executioner who is called a headsman then walks forward approaching the chair from the rear. When he reaches it he steps to the side of the victim and with a large.sharp long-bladed knife lopps off the head of the criminal. The bodies of men executed in this manner are buried in shallow holes dug about two feet deep to receive their bodies. "The rank and file of the savage tribes believe ex- plicitly in the supernatural powers of the witch doctor and his decisions are not questioned. Not even the King of the tribe raises a voice against him. The witch doctor is crafty enough not to condemn any of the King's household or any one directly prominent in the King's service. After an execution everything is quiet in a few hours and the incident seems forgotten. The African Negroes attitude towards the whole affair seems to be instinctive and as long as he escapes he does not show any particular concern in his fellownan. His is af an animal instinctive nature» "The males of the African tribes of savages have very little respect for a woman but they demand a whole lot of -li- 43 courtesies from their wives, beating them unmercifully when they feel proper respect has not been shown them. The men hunt game and make war on other trioes and the women do all the worko A savage warrior when not engaged in hunting or war, sleeps a lot and smokes almost continously during his waking hours. Girls are bought from their parents while mere, children by the payment of so many cows, goats,etc* The King can take any woman of the tribe whether married or single he desires to be his wife. The parents of young girls taken to wife by the King of a tribe feel honored and fall on their knees and thank the King for taking her. "The prince of a tribe is born a headsman and as soon as he is able to wield a knife he is called upon to perform the duty of cutting off the heads of criminals who arS con- demned to death by the King for general crimes. Those con- demned by the witch doctor for witchcraft are executed by dismemberment or fire as described above* My husband was a cannibal headsman and performed this duty of cutting off persons heads when a boy and after being civilized in America this feature of his early life bore so heavily upon his mind that it was instrumental in driving him insane. By custom a prince was born a headsman and it was compulsory that he execute criminals. He "died in an insane ward of the New Jersey State Hospital* EH KJt 580126 #> \«5I N. C. District Ho. 2 Worker T. Pat Matthews No. words 1051______ 44 Subject JAME ARRINGTON Story tellei Jane Arrington Editor Geo. L. Andrews G30I26 45 JANE ARRINGTOET 84 years old 302 Powle Street Raleigh, H. C. nI ort to he able to tell sunrpin cause I wus twelve years old when dey had de surrender right up here in Raleigh. If I live to see dis coming December I will be eighty five years old. I wus born on the 18th of December 1852. nI belonged to Jackson May of Nash County. I wus born on de plantation near Tar River. Jackson May never married until I wus of a great big girl. He owned a lot of slaves; dere were eighty on de plantation before de surrender. He married Miss Becky wilder, sister of Sam Wilder. De Y/ilders lived on a jining plantation to where I wus borned. ttJackson May had so many niggers he let Billy Williams who had a plantation nearby have part of *em. Marster Jackson he raised my father and bought my mother. My mother wus named Louisa May, and my father wus named Louis May*. My mother had six chiliuns, four boys and two girls. The boys were Richard, Farro, Caeser, and Fenner. De girls Rose and Jane. Jane, dats me* MWe lived in log houses with stick an' dirt chimleys* They called ,em the slave houses. We had chicken feather. 2. 46 beds to sleep on an1 de houses wus good warm comfortable log houses. We had plenty of cover an1 feather pillows. "My grandmother on my mother's side told me a lot of stories 'bout haints and how people run from 'em. Dey told me 'bout slaves dat had been killed by dere nnarster's- coming back and worryin' 'em. Ole Missus Penny Williams^ before Jackson May bought mother treated some of de slaves mighty bad. She died an1 den come back an1 nearly scared de slaves to death. Grandmother told all we chillun she seed her an' knowed her after she been dead an1 come back. "John May a slave wus beat to death by Bill Stone an' Oliver May* Oliver May wus Junius May's son. Junius May wus Jackson May's Uncle. John'May come back an' wurried both of 'em. Dey could hardly sleep arter dat. Dey said dey could hear him hollerin' an* groanin' most all de time. Dese white men would groan in dere sleep an' tell John to go away. Dey would say, 'Go way John, please go away'. De other slaves wus afraid of 'em cause de ghost of John wurried 'em so bad. "I wurked on de farm, cuttin' corn stalks and tendin' to cattle in slavery time. Sometimes I swept de yards. I never got any money for my work and we didn't have any patches, brothers caught possums, coons and sich things an' we s- i: 47 cooked rem in our houses. We had no parties but we had quiltin's. We went to the white folks church, Peach Tree Church, six miles from de plantation an' Poplar Springs Church seven miles away. Both were missionary Baptist Churches. "There were no overseers on Jackson May's plantation. He wouldn't have nary one. Billy Williams didn't have none. Dey had colored slave foremen. "After wurkin1 all day dere wus a task of cotton to be picked an' spun by 'em. Dis wus two onces of cotton* Some of de slaves run away from Bill Williams when.Marster Jackson May let him have 'em to wrk. Dey run away an* , come home. Aunt Chaney runned away an' mother run away. Marster Jackson May kept 'em hid cause he say dey mis not treated right. He wouldn't let fem have 'em back no more* f,I never saw a grown slave whupped or in chains and I never saw a slave sold. Jackson May would not sell a slave. He didn't think it right. He kept 'em together. He had eighty head. He would let other white people have *em to wurk for 'em sometimes, but he would not sell none of 'em. 4. 48 "If dey caught a slave wid a book you knowed it meant a whuppin •, but de white chillun teached slaves secretey sometimes. Ole man Jake Rice a slave who belonged to John Rice in Nash County wus teached by ole John Rice's son till he had a purty good mount of larain'. ttWe did not have prayer meeting at marster's plantation or anywhur. Marster would not allow dat. "When I wus a child we played de games of three ( handed reels, 'Old Gray Goose', 'All Little Gal, All Little Gal, All Little Gal remember me'. We took hold of hands \ an* run round as we sang dis song* "We sang 'Old Dan Tucker'. Git outen de way, ole Dan / Tucker, Sixteen Hosses in one stable, one jumped out an' \ skined his nable an' so on. "Dr. Mann and Dr. Sid Harris and Dr. Fee Mann and Dr. Mathias looked arter us when we was sick. Mother and de other grown folks raised herbs dat dey give us too. Ghillun took a lot of salts. mjackson May wus too rich to go to de war. Billy - Williams didn't go, too rich too, I reckons. I remember when dey said niggers had to be free. De papers said if dey could not be freedom by good men dere would be freedom by blood. Dey fighted an* kept on fightin* a long time. 5. 49 f -x Den de Yankees come.^ I heard dem beat de drum. Marster tole us we wus free but mother an* father stayed on with Marster. He promised 'em sumptin, but he give 'em nothin'. Y\frien de crop wus housed dey left\ "Father and mother went to Hench Stallings plantation and stayed there one year. Then they went to Jim Webbs farm. I don't remember how long they stayed there but round two years. They moved about an' about among the white folks till they died. They never owned any property* They been dead 'bout thirty years. "I married Sidney Arrington. He has been dead six years las' September. "I am unable to do any kind of work. My arm is mighty weak. "I know slavery wus a bad thing. I don't have to think anything about it. Abraham Lincoln wus the first of us bein' free. I think he wus a man of God. I think Roosevelt is all right man. I belongs to the Penticostial HollineBS Church•* AC 320031 50 K. C. District Ko. 2 Worker T. Pat Matthews l,oi. Words 1,426' Subject SAAAH LOUISE AUGUSTUS Source Sarah Louise Augustus Editor George L. Andrews > 51 820031 SARAH LOUISE AUGUSTUS Age 80 years 1424 Lane Street Raleigh3 Forth Carolina "I wus born on a plantation near Fayetteville, N. C, and I belonged to J. B. Smith. His wife wus named Henrietta* He owned about thirty slaves, when a slave wus no good he wus put on the auction block in Fayetteville and sold* "Lily father wus named Romeo Harden and my mother wus named Alice Smith. The little cabin where I wus born is still standing* "There wus seven children in marster's family, four girls and two boys. The girls wus named Ellen, Ida, Mary and Elizabeth. The boys wus named Harry, Norman and Marse George. Marse George went to the war. Mother had a family of four girls. Their names wus: Mary, Kate, Hannah and myself, Sarah Louise. I am the only one living and I would not be living but I have spent most of my life in white folk's houses and they have looked after me. I respected myself and they respected me. "Ity first days of slavery wus hard. I slept on a pallet on the floor of the cabin and just as soon as I wus 2- • 52 able to work -any at all I wus put to milking cows* MI have seen the paterollers hunting men and have seen men they had whipped• The slave block stood in the center of the street, Payetteville Street, where -Ramsey and Gillespie Street came in near Cool Springs Street? The silk mill stood just oelow the slave market. I saw the silkworms that made the silk and saw them gather the cocoons and spin the silk# "They hung people in the middle of Ramsey Street. They put up a gallows and hung the men exactly at 12 o1 clock. "I ran away from the plantation once to go with some white children to see a man hung. "The only boats I remember on the Gape Fear wus the Governor Worth, The Hurt, The Iser and The North Stated Oh I Lord yes, I remember the sta^e coach. As many times as I run to carry the mail to them when they come byi They blew a horn before they got there and you had to be on time 'cause they could not wait. There wus a stage each way each day, one up ana one down. "Mr. George Lander had the first Tombstone Marble yard in Fayetteville on Hay Street on the point of Flat Iron place. Lander wus from Scotland. They gave me a pot, 3- 53 a scarf, and his sister gave me some shells* I have all the things they gave me. % missus, Henrietta Smith, wus Mr. Lander*s sister. I waited on the Landers part of the time. They were hard working white folks, honest, God fearing people. The things they gave me were brought from over the sea. "I can remember when there wus no hospital in Fayetteville. There wus a little place near the depot where there wus a board shanty where they operated on people. I stood outside once and saw the doctors take a man1 s leg off. Dr. McDuffy wus the man who took, the leg- off. He lived on Hay Street near the Silk Mill* "When one of the white folks died they sent slaves around to the homes of their friends and neighbors with a large sheet of paper with a piece of black crepe pinned to the top of it. The friends 'would sign or make a cross mark on it. The funerals were, held at the homes and friends and neighbors stood on the jJorch and in the house while the services were going on. The bodies wer4 carried to the grave after the services in a black hearse drawn by black horses. If they did not have black horses to draw the bias-ait they went off and b ©rrowei * them. The co lored p eople 54 washed and shrouded the dead bodies. %• grandmother wus one who did this. Her name wus Sarah McDonald. She belonged to Gapt. George McDonald. She had fifteen children and lived to be one hundred and ten years old. She died in Fayetteville of pneumonia* She wus in Raleigh nursing the 3riggs family, Mrs. F. H. Briggs * family. She wus going home to Fayetteville when she wus caught in a rain storm at Sanford, while changing trains* The train for Fayetteville had left as the train for Sanford wus late so she stayed wet all night. Next day she went home, took pneumonia and died. She wus great on curing rheumatism.j she did it with herbs. She grew hops and other her&s and cured many people of this disease* "She wus called black mammy because she wet nursed so many white children. In slavery time she nursed all babies hatched on her marster's plantation and kept it up after the war as long as she had children* "Grandfather wus named Isaac Fuller. Mrs. Mary Aon Fuller, Kate Fuller, Mr. Will. Fuller, who wus a lawyer in Wall Street, Hew York, is some of their white folks* The Fullers were born in Fayetteville* One of the slaves, Dick McAHster, worked, saved a small fortune and. left it i&i 5» 55 to Mr. will Puller* People thought the slave ought to have left it to his sister but he left it to Mr. Will* L£r. Fuller gives part of it to the ex-slaves sister each year. Mr. Will always helped the Hegroes out wh§n he could. He wus good to Dick and Dick McAlister gave him all his belongings when he died* rtThe Yankees came through Fayetteville wearing large blue coats with capes on them. Lots of them were mounted % and there were thousands of foot soldiers. It took them several days to get through town. The Southern soldiers retreated and then in a few hours the Yankees' covered the town. They busted into the smokehouse at fliarsterfs, took the meat, meal and other provisions* Grandmother pled with .the Yankees but it did no good* They took all they wanted* They said if they had to • come again they would take the babies from the era&les* They told us we were all free. The Hegroes begun visiting each other in the cabins and became so excited they began to shout and pray. I thought they were all crazy. "We stayed right on with marster. He had a town house and a big house on the plantation. I went to the town house to work, but mother and grandmother stayed on 5^'$?%''.' *• : 5G the plantation* My mother died there and the white folks buried her* Father stayed right on and helped run the farm until he died. Ifiy uncle, 31ic Smith, and his family stayed too. Grandfather and grandmother after a few years left the plantation and went to live on a little place which iirs. Mary Ann Fuller gave them* Grandmother and grandfather died there. "I wus thirty years old when I married. I wus married in my missus' graduating dress. I wus married in the white folks' church, to James Henry Harris. The white folks carried me there and gave me away. Ivliss Mary Smith gave me away. The wedding wus attended mostly by white folks. nUty husband wus a fireman on the Gape Fear xiiver boats and a white man's Negro too. We had two children, both died while little. My husband and I spent much of our time with the white folks and when he wus on his runs I slept in their homes. Often the children of the white families slept with me* We both tried to live up to the standards of decency and honesty and to be worthy of the confidence placed in us by our white folks. .mUy husband wus finally offered a job with a shipping concern in Deleware and we moved there. He wus fireman on the freighter Wilmington. He worked there three years, when he wus drowned* After his death I married David Augustus and immediately came back to l\7orth Carolina and my white folks , and we have been here ever since*~ I am a member of several Negro Lodges and am on the Committee for the North Carolina Colored State Fair* nThere are only a few of the old white folks who have always been good to me living now, but I am still working with their offspring, among whom I have some mighty dear friends. I wus about eight years old when Shermanrs Army came through. Guess I am about eighty years of age now.w lllllIC v,0 *> % U. C. District # 2 Subject: A Slave Story i-,0. »/ordss 908 Story Teller: Charity Austin Worker: ffla Pat Matthews Editor: Baisy Bailey Msd.%%' •.. ^:M&^^:;:P^i$f% ^' . #^? ^;., $$ ;/^|lj|p| nn mmsvsmsm 320281 59 CHARITY AUSTIN 507 South Bloodworth Street, Raleigh, H.C. " I wus borned in the year 1852, July 27. I mis born in Granville County, sold to a slave speculator at ten years old and carried to Southwest, Georgia. "I belonged to Samuel Howard. His daughter took me to Kinston, North Carolina and I stayed there until I wus sold* She married a man named Bill Brown, and her name wus Julia Howard Brown. My father wus named Paul Howard and my mother wus named Chollie i^mpsird. My old missus wus named Polly Howard. "John Richard Keine from Danville, Virginia bought me and sent me to a plantation in Georgia. We only had a white overseer there, He and his wife and children lived on the plantation. We had slave quarters there. Slaves were bought up and sent there in chains. Some were chained to each other by the legs, some by the arms. They called the leg chains shackles. I have lived a hard.life. I have seen mothers sold away from their babies and other children, and they cry-in' when she left. I have seen hmsbands sold from their wives,and wifoes sold from their husbands. *&br aham Lincoln came through once, but none of us knew who he wus. He wus just the raggedest man you ever saw* m. 2. *¦ 60 The white children and me saw him out at the railroad* We were settin1 and waitin1 t® see Him. He said he v*us huntin* his people? and dat he had lost all he had* Dey give him some thin1 to eat and tobacco to chew, and he went on* Soon we heard he wus in de White House ohen we knew who it wus come through* We knowed den it wus Abraham Lincoln* u«Ve children stole eggs and sold 'era durin1 slavery. iome of de white men bought fern* They were Irishmen and they would not tell on us* Their names were Mulligan* Flanagan and Dugan* They wore good clothes and were funny mens* They called guns flutes* ' * - nBoss tole us Abraham Lincoln wus dead and we were still slaves* Our boss man bought black cloth and made us wear it for mourning for Abraham Lincoln and tole us that there would not be freedom. Ve stayed there another year after freedom. A lot or de niggers knowed nothin* . fcept what missus and marster tole us. What dey said wus' just de same as'de lawd had spoken to us* nJust after de surrender a nigger woman who wus bad. wus choppin* cotton at out plantation in Georgie* John Woodfox wus de main overseer and his son-in-law wus a over- seer. Dey had a colored man who dey called a nigger driver* De nigger driver tole de overseer de woman wus bad* De over- seer came to he;?* snatched de hoe from her and hit her* The H$fe 3. 81 blow killed her* He wus reported to de Freedman's Bureau* Bey came, wiiupped de overseer and put him in jail. Bey decided not to kill him, but made him furnish de children of de dead women so much to live on. Dere wus a hundred, or more niggers in de field when this murder happened* , nWe finally found out we were free and left. Dey let me stay with Miss Julia ^rown. I wus hired to her. She lived in Dooley County, Georgie. I next worked with Lars. Dunbar after after staying with Mrs. Brown four years. Her name wus Mrs-Minnie Dunbar and she moved to Columbia, South Carolina takin' me with her. - I stayed with her about .. four years* This wus the end of my maiden life. I married Isaac Austin of Eichmond County, Georg.ie. He wus a native of Jarrenton County and he brought me from his hdme in Richmond County, Georgie to Warrenton and then from Warrenton to Raleigh. I had two brothers .and thirteen sisters. I did general house work, and helped raise children during'slavery, and right after de war. Then you had to depend on yourself to do for children. Yis had to doctor and care for them your- self. You just had to depend on yourself. «BeyMd 320 acres of cleared fields in Georgie and then' '&W%icV^ieids, I just donft know now many acres* I , nave;'&S&xi j if is for slaves* Dey- had a basement for a jail in Georgie and a guard.at de holes in it* §|||:Sj8 Z Worker Marv A. Hicks No. Words 339 Subject VINEY BAKER Story teller Viney Baker Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt 320182 ^1 <. VIKEr BAKER Ex-Slave Story An interview with Viney Baker 78 of S. Harrington Street, Raleigh* R Kify mammy wuz Hannah Murry an' so fur as I know I ain't got no father, do* I reckon dat he wuz de plantation stock nigger• I wuz borned in Virginia as yo* mought say ter my marster Mr. S. L. Allen. "We moved when I wuz little ter Durham County whar we fared bad. We ain't had nothin' much ter eat anr ter w'ar. He had a hundert slaves an* I reckon f ive hundert acres o* Ian*. He made us wuck hard, de little ones included* "One night I lay down on de straw mattress wid my mammy, an* de nex* mo'nin* I woked up an* she wuz gone. When I axed *bout her I fin's dat a speculator corned dar de night before an* wanted ter buy a 'oman. Dey had come an' got my mammy widout wakin' me up. I has always been glad somehow dat I wuz asleep. **Dey uster tie me ter a tree an' beat me till de blood run down my back, I doan 'member nothin* dat I done, *•'*: 72 I jist *members de whuppin's. Some of de rest wuz beat wuser dan I wuz too, an1 I uster scream dat I wuz sho* dyin*» "Yess'um I seed de Yankees go by, but dey^ ain*t bodder us none, case dey knows dat *hind eber* bush jist about a Confederate soldier pints a gun. WI warn*t glad at de surrender, case I doan understand hit, an1 de Allen's keeps me right on, an* whups me wuser den dan eber. **I reckon I wuz twelve years old when my mammy come ter de house an* axes Ms* Allen ter let me go spen1 de week en* wid her. Mis' Allen can't say no, case Mammy mought go ter de carpet baggers so she lets me go fer de week-en*. Mammy laughs Sunday when I says somethin* 'bout go in' back. Naw, I stayed on wid my mammy, an* I ain*t seed Mis* Allen no mo*.** AC ^Itt1 320151 ® 73 District # 2 Subject; EX-oLAVE dTQHY No v/ords: 733 Story tellersCharlie Barbour Viorker: Mary A. Kicks Editors Daisy Baile.y Waitt •ffijCX-.,- ,• 320151 74 M-6LAVE 3TOBY An interview on Liay 20,1937 with Charlie Barbour, 86 of .jinithfield, N.C. Johnston County. "I belonged ter Mr. Bob Lumsford hyar in Smithfield from de time of my birth. My mammy wuz named Candice an1 my pappy rs name wuz Seth. My brothers vaiz Hufus, Vsilliam an' George, an' my sisters wuz feary an' Laura. "I 'minds me of de days when as a youngin' 1 played marbles an' hide an' seek. Dar wuzn't many games den, case nobody ain't had no time fer 'em. De grown folkses had dances an' sometimes co'n shuckin's, an' de little niggers pttted dere feets at de dances an' dey he'p ter shuck de co'n. At Christmas we had a big dinner, an' from den.through New Year's Day we feast, an' we dance, an' we sing. De fust one what said Christmas gift ter anybody else got a gif, so of cou'se we all try ter ketch de marster. "On de night 'fore de first day of Jinuary we had a dance what lasts all night. At nidnight when de New Year comes in marster makes a speech an' we is happy dat he thanks us fer our year's wuck an* says dat we is good, smart slaves* *Marster wucked his niggers from daylight till dark, an1 2. ' 75 his thirteen grown slaves had ter ten* 'bout three hundred acres o' land. Course dey mostly planted co'n, peas an1 ve^'e'sbles. "I can 'member, do' I wuz small, dat de slaves wuz whupped fer disobeyin' an1 I can think of seberal dat I got. I wuz do in' housewuck at de time an' one of de sil- ver knives got misplaced. Dey ' cused me of misplacin' it on purpose, so I got de wust beatin' dat I eber had. I wuz beat den till de hide wuz busted hyar an' dar. "We little ones had some time ter go swimmin' an1 we y did} vie also fished, an' at night we hunted de possum an1 de coon sometimes. Ole Uncle Jeems had some houn's what would run possums or coons an' he uster take we boys 'long wid him. "I 'members onct de houn's struck a trail an1 dey tree de coon. Uncle Jeems sen's Joe, who wuz bigger den I wuz, up de tree ter ketch de coon an' he warns him dat coons am fight in' fellers* Joe doan pay much mind he am so happy ter git der chanct ter ketch de coon, but when he ketched dat coon he couldn't turn loose, an' from de way he holler yo' would s'pose dat he ain't neber wanted ter ketch a coon. iShen Joe Barbour wuz buried hyar las' winter dem coon marks wuz still strong on his arms an1 han's an.1 dar wuz de long scar on his face* "I 'members onct a Yankee 'oman from New York looks at gliim an* nigh¦• bout faints* fI reekoaf, says she,1 dat dat §&: •'¦¦''•¦•-'."' "'.'.¦ ' ' ' •"'. • . 3. t 76 am -what de cruel slave owner or driver done ter him1. "Yes mara, I knows when de Yankees corned ter Smithfield* Dey corned wid de beatin' of drums an' de wavin' of flags* jey says dat our governor wuz hyar makin' a speech but he flewed 'fore dey got hyar. Anyhow, we libed off from de mtin path of march, an' so we ain't been trouble so much 'cept oy 'scootin1 parties, as my ole missus call 'em. " Dey am de darndest yo' eber seed, dey won't eat no hog meat 'cept hams an' shoulders an' dey goes ter de smoke house an' gits 'em 'thout no permission. Dey has what dey calls rammin' rods ter dere guns an' dey knock de chickens - in de haid wid dat. I hyard dem say dat dar warnft no use y wastin1 powder on dem chickens. • / ~ lvDey went ober de neighborhood stealin' an' killin1 \ stock. I hyard 'bout 'em ketchin' a pig, cuttin* off his hams an' leave him dar alive. De foun' all de things we done hid, not dat I thinks dat dey am witches, but dat dey has a money rod, an* 'cides dat some of de slaves tol* fem whar marster had hid de things. ttYes 'urn, 1 reckon I wuz glad ter git free, case I knows den dat I won't wake up some mornin' ter fin1 dat my mammy or some ob de rest of my family am done sold. I left de day I hyard 'bout de surrender an1 I fared right good too, do' I knows dem what ain't farin* so well* 0$l 4. 77 ?tI ain't neber learn ter read an1 write an1 I knows now dat I neber will. I can't eoen write a letter ter lialeigh fbout my ole man's pension. "I 'members de days when mammy wored a blue hankerchief 'round her haid an' cooked in de great house. She'd some-* times sneak me a cookie or a cobbler an1 fruits. She had her own little gyardin an1 a few chickens an1 we w'oud ov been happy 'cept dat we wuz skeeredo1 bein1 sold. MIfse glad dat slavery am ober, case now de nigger has got a chanct ter live an1 larn wid de.whites. Dey won't neber be as good as de v/hites but dey can larn ter live an1 enjoy life more* n3peakinf 'bout de Ku Klux dey ain't do no thin1 but scare me back in '69, but if fen we had some now I thinks dat some of dese young niggers v/hat has forgot what dey mammies tol' 'em would do better*11 MI/EH 320243 V- 78 I C. District No. 2______ Subject MARY HARBOUR___________ forker Marv A. Hicks Person Interviewed Marv Barbour fo, fforda, 678_________ Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt_______ ^Ife 320249 *- 79 MARY BARBOUR Ex-Slave Story An interview with Mary Barbour 81 of 801 3. Bloodworth Street, Raleigh, N. C. "I reckon dat I wuz borned in McDowell County, case dat's whar my mammy, Edith, lived. She 'longed ter Mr. Jefferson Mitchel dar, an' my pappy 'longed ter er Mr. Jordan in Avery County, so he said* "'Fore de war, I doan know nothin' much *cept dat we lived on a big plantation an* dat my mammy wucked hard, but wuz treated pretty good. "We had our little log cabin off ter one side, an' my mammy had sixteen chilluns. Fas' as dey got three years old de marster sol' *em till we las' four dat she had wid her durinr de war. I wuz de oldes' o' dese four; den dar wuz Henry an* den de twins, Liza an' Charlie. "One of de fust things dat I *members wuz my pappy wakin* me up in de middle o' de night, dressin' me in de dark, all de time tellin' me ter keep quiet» One o1 de twins hollered some an' pappy put his hand ober its mouth ter keep it quiet. -2- "Atter tee wuz dressed he went outside an1 peeped roun* fer a minute den he corned back an1 got us. We snook out o* de house anr long de woods path, pappy totin' one of de twins an* hoIdin1 me by de han* an* mammy carryin* de udder two. "I reckons dat I will always *member dat walk, wid de bushes slappin* my laigs, de win* sighinr in de trees, an' de hoot owls an' whippoorwhiUs hollerin* at each other frum de big trees. I wuz half asleep anr skeered stiff, but in a little while we pass de plum1 thicket anr dar am de mules an* wagin. "Dar am er quilt in de bottom o* de wagin, an1 on dis dey lays we youngins. An' pappy an1 mammy gits on de board cross de front an* drives off down de road. "I wuz sleepy but I wuz skeered too, so as we rides *long I lisrens ter pappy anr mammy talk. Pappy wuz tellin* mammy *bout de Yankees comin* ter dere plantation, burnin* de co*n cribs, de smokehouses an* *stroyin* eber*thing. He says right low dat dey done took marster Jordan ter de Rip Raps down nigh Norfolk, an* dat he stol* de mules an* wagin an* *sca$ied. ttle wuz skeerd of de Yankees ter start wid, but de more we thinks rbout us runnin* way frum our marsters de skeerder 80 -3- 81 we gits of de Rebs. Anyhow pappy says dat we is goin f ter jine de Yankees* "We trabels all night an* hid in de woods all day fer a long time, but atter awhile we gits ter Doctor Billard's place, in Chowan County, I reckons dat we stays dar seberal days. "De Yankees has tooked dis place so we stops ober, an* has a heap o* fun dancin* an* sich while we am dar. De Yankees tells pappy ter head fer New Bern an1 dat he will be took keer of dar, so ter Mew Bern we goes. "When we gits ter New Bern de Yankees takes de mules an* wagin, dey tells pappy something, an1 he puts us on a long white boat named Ocean Waves an! ter Eoanoke we goes. "Later I larns dat most o* de reffes is put in James City, nigh Hew Bern, but dar an a pretty good crowd on Roanoke* Dar wuz also a ole Indian Witch 'ornan dat I 'mem- bers. "Atter a few days dar de Ocean Waves comes back an1 takes all ober ter New Bern. My pappy wuz a shoemaker, so he makes Yankee boots, an* we gits rlong pretty good. "I wuz raised in New Bern anr I lived dar till forty years ago when me an* my husban* moved ter Raleigh an1 do' he's been daid a long time I has lived hyar ober since an* eben if *en I is edghty-one years old I can still outwuck my daughter an* de rest of dese young niggers.n ^ 1. refugees ' JUH1 «f ¦y. C. District Ho. 2 Worker Marv A, Hicks .JTo. Words_____927 80 Subject Plantation Times_______ Person Interviewed Alice Baugh Editor Daisy Bailev Waitt tf-jgfclJtjJj-- % t£ C> ; N^^oU, Oi-^J^r/ £$}, 'M-^^j, ^HSl #- 320162 .<• 83 PLANTATION TIMES An Interview on May 18, 1937 with Alice Baugh, 64, who re- members hearing her mother tell of slavery days. "My mammy Ferbie, an' her brother Darson belonged ter ivir. David Hinnant in Sdgecombe County till young Mars ter Charlie got married. Den dey wuz drawed an* sent wid him down hyar ter Wendell. De ole Hinnant home am still., standin* dar ter dis day. "Marster Charlie anr Missus Mary wuz good ter de hundred slaves what belonged ter 'em. Dey gib 'em good houses,' good feed, good clothes anr plenty uv fun. Dey had dere co'n shuckin's, dere barn dances, prayer meetin's an' sich like all de year, an' from Christmas till de second day o* January dey had a holiday wid roast oxes, pigs, turkey an* all de rest or de fixin's. From Saturday till Monday de slaves wuz off an' dey had dere Sunday clothes, which wuz nice. De marster always gib 'em a paper so's de patterollers won't git 'em. "Dey went up de riber to other plantations ter dances an' all dem things, an' dey wuz awful fond uv singin' songs. Dat*s whut dey done atter dey comes ter dere cabins at de end o.' de day* De grown folkses sings anf somebody picki : de banjo, De favorite song wuz 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' an» ffaay on yo* Harp Little David'. Be ehilluns uster 2. 84 play Hide an1 Seek, an' Leap Frog, an' everybody wuz happy. "Dey had time off ter hunt an1 fish anr dey had dere own chickens, pigs, watermillons an' gyardens. De fruits from de big orchard an1 de honey from de hives wuz et at home, anr de slave et as good as his marster et.( Dey had a whole heap o:^ bee hives anr my mammy said dat she had ter tell dem bees when Mis* Mary died. She saidrhow she wuz cryin* so hard dat she can't hardly tell !em, anr dat dey hum lak dey am rno'nin' too. ./' "My mammy marry my pappy dar anr she sez dat de preacher from de Methodis1 Church marry rem, dat she w'ar ICiss Mary's weddin* dress, all uv white lace, an' dat my pappy w'ar Mr. Charlie's weddin' suit wid a flower in de button hole. Dey gived a big dance atter de supper dey had, an' Marster Charlie dance'de fifcst set wid my mammy. "I Jist thought of a tale what I hyard my mammy tell 'bout de Issue Frees of Edgecombe County when she wuz a little gal. She said dat de Issue Frees wuz mixed wid de white folks, an* uv cou'se dat make 'em free. Sometimes dey stay on de plantation, but a whole heap uv dem, long wid niggers who had done runned away from dere marster, dugged caves in de woods, an' dar dey lived an* raised dere famblies dar. Dey ain *t wored much clothes an* what dey got to eat an* to w*ar deysariped from de white folkses. Kammy said dat she uster go ter de spring fer 3. water, anr dem ole Issue £rees up in de woods would yell at her, 'Doan yor muddy dat spring, little galf„ Dat scared her moughty bad. "Dem Issue Trees till dis day shows "both bloods. De white folkses won't have 'em an1' de niggers doan want 'em but will have ter have *em anyhow. "My uncle wuz raised in a cave anr lived on stold stuff an' berries. My cousin runned away 'cause his marster wuz mean ter him, but dey put de blood hounds on his trail, ketched him. Atter he gpt well from de beatin' dey gib him, dey sold him. l,I'se hyard ole lady Prissie Jones who died at de age of 103 las' winter tail 'bout marsters dat when dere slaves runned away dey'd set de bloodhounds on dere trail anr when dey ketched 'em dey'd cut dere haids off wid de swords. tt01e lady Prissie tole fbout slaves what aih*t had nothin* ter eat an* no clothes 'cept a little strip uv homespun, but my mammy who died four months, ago at de age 106 said dat she ain't kmowed ho thin* 'bout such doin's. blende Taakees come, dey come a burnin* anf a- stealin*an^ Marster Charlie carried his valuables ter mammy's cabin.but dey found *enu Dey had a money rod an' dey*d find all de stuff no matter whar it wuz. 85 4. said dat all de slaves cried when de Yankees come, an* dat most uv 'em stayed on a long time atter de war. Ky manmy plowed an1 done such work all de time uv slavery out she done it case she wanted to do it an* not 'cause dey ;r.ake her. J,A11 de slaves hate de Yankees an* when de southern soldiers co-ed oy late in de night all de niggers got out of de bed an* hol&in*torches high dey march behin1 de soldiers, all of dem singing We'll Eang Abe Lincoln on de Sour A~-yle Tree. Xes mam, dey wuz sorry dat dey v/uz freeman' dey ain't got no reason tu be glad, case dey wuz happier den dan now. rtI!se hyard mamcy tell 'bout how de niggers would sing as dey picked de cotton, but yo* ain't hyard none uv dat now. Den dey ain't had to worry 'bout nothiri; now dey has ter study so much dat dey ain't happy nuff ter sing no mo"? irDoes yo' know de cause of de war?" Aunt Alice want to a cupboard and retunned holding out a book. "Well hyar's de cause, dis Uncle Tom's Cabin wuz de cause of it all^an' its' de biggest lie what ever been gived ter de public.1* 80 II 380157 C ''•' yr. 87 K. C. District No> 2 Worker Mary A» Kicks *fo. Words 341 Subject YfflOBN THE YANKEES GAMB Story teller John Beckwith Editor Daisy Bailey V/aitt S801S7 88 WHEN TEE YAKKEES GAL© An Interview with John Beckwith 83, of Gary* "I reckon dat I wuz 'bout nine years old at de surrender, but we warn't happy an' we stayed on dar till ray parents died. My pappy wuz named Green an' my mammy wuz named Molly, an* we belonged ter Mr. Joe Edwards, Mr. Marion Gully, an' Mr. Hilliard Beckwith, as de missus married all of 'em. Dar wuz twenty-one other slaves, an' we got beat ever* onct in a while. "When dey told us dat de Yankees wuz comin* we wuz also told dat iff en we didn*t behave dat we'd be shot; an* we believed it. We would'uv behaved anyhow, case we had good plank houses, good food, an' shoes. We had Saturday an* Sunday off an' we wuz happy. "De missus, she raised de nigger babies sors de mammies could wuck. I •members de times when she rock me ter sleep an* put me ter bed in her own bed. I wuz happy den as I thinks back of it, until dem Yankees come. MDey come on a Chuesdayj an* dey started by burnin* de cotton house an* killin' most of de chickens an* pigs. Way atter awhile dey fin*s de cellar an* dey drinks 2. 89 brandy till dey gits wobbly in de legs* Atter dat dey comes up on de front-porch an' calls my missus. When she comes ter de do' dey tells her dat dey am goin' in de house ter look things over. Ivfy- missus dejicts, case ole marster am away at de war, but dat doan do no good. Dey cusses her scan'lous an* dey dares her ter speak. Dey robs de house, takin' dere knives an1 splittin* mattresses, pillows an* ever1 thing open lookin1 fer valerables,an' ole missus dasen't open her mouth. MDey camped dar in de grove fer two days, de officers takin' de house anf missus leavin* home an' goin* ter de neighbor's house. Dey make me stay dar in de house wid 'em ter tote dere brandy frum de cellar,an' ter mafce 'em some mint Jelup. Well, on de secon' night dar come de wust storm I'se eber seed. De lightnin' flash, de thrunder roll, an' de house shook an1 rattle lak a earthquake had struck it» **Dem Yankees warn't supposed ter be superstitious, but lemmie tell yo', dey wuz some skeered dat night; an' I hyard a Captain say dat de witches wuz abroad. Atter awhile lightnin' struck de Catawba tree dar at de side of de house an* de soldiers camped round about dat way marched off ter de barns, slave cabins an' other places whar dey 3. 90 wuz safter dan at dat place. De next mornin1 dem Yankees moved frum dar an' dey ain't come back fer nothin'* MWe wuzn't happy at de surrender an* we cussed ole Abraham Lincoln all ober de place. We \tuz told de disadvantages of not havin' no edercation, but shucks, we doan need no book larnin' wid ole marster ter look atter us* '?ivy mammy an' pappy stayed on dar de rest of dere lives, an' I stayed till I wuz sixteen. De Ku Klux Klan got atter me den lbout fightinr wid a white boy. Dat night I slipped in de woods an' de nexr day I went ter Raleigh. I got a job dar an' eber' since den I'se wucked fer myself, but now I can't wuck an' I wish dat yo* would apply fer my ole aged pension fer me• ttI went back ter de ole plantation long as my pappy, mammy, an' de marster an' missus lived. Sometimes, when I gits de chanct I goes back now. Course now de slave cabins am gone, ever* body am dead, an' dar ain't nothin' familiar 'cept de bent Catawba treej but it 'minds me of de happy days." AC 320163 K Ls < >r! ¦M>* * &* 91 K. C. District No, 2 Worker T» Pat Matthews No. Words 1«566 Subject JOHN C. BSGTOM Story teller John C. Beetorn Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt o 20163 f: 92 JOHN C. BECTOM "My name is John C. Bectom. I was born Oct. 7, 1862, near Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina* lily father *s name was Simon Bee torn. He was 86 years of age when he died. He died in 1910 at Fayetteville, N. C. My mother's name was Harriet Bectom. She died in 1907, May 23, when she was seventy years old. My brother's were named Ed, Kato and Willie. I was third of the boys. E^y sisters were Lucy, Anne and Alice. My father first belonged to Robert Wooten of Craven County, N. C. Then he was sold by the Wootens to the Bectoms of Wayne County, near Goldsboro, the county seat. My mother first belonged to the McNeills of Cumberland County. Miss Mary McNeill married a McFadden, and her parents gave my mother to Mis1 Mary. Mis' Mary's daughter in time married Bzekial King and my mother was then given to her by Mis' Mary McFadden, her mother. Mis' Lizzie McFadden became a King. My grandmother was named Lucy Murphy. She belonged to the Murpheys. All the slaves were given off to the children of the family as they married. "My father and mother told me stories of how they were treated at different places. When my grandmother was with the Murpheys they would make her get up, and begin 2» '.- 93 burning logs in new grounds before daybreak. They also made her plow, the same as any of the men on the plantation. They plowed till dusk-dark before they left the fields to come to the house. They were not allowed to attend any dances or parties unless they slipped off unknowin*s. They had candy pullings sometimes too. While they would be there the patterollers would visit them. Sometimes the patterollers whipped all they caught at this place, all they set their hands on, unless they had a pass. "They fed us mighty good. The food was well cooked. They gave the slaves an acre of ground to plant and they could sell the crop and have the money. The work on this acre was done on moonshiny nights and holidays. Sometimes slaves would steal the marftter's chickens or a hog and slip off to another plantation and have rt cooked. We had plenty of clothes, and one pair o* shoes a year. You had to take care of them because you only got one pair a:year. They were given at Christmas every year. The clothes were made on the plantation. *There were corn mills on the plantation, and Pice mills, and threshing machines. The plantation had about 300 acres in farm land. The enclosure was three miles. 3. 94 Ity marster lived in a fine house* It took, a year to build it. There were about 16 rooms in it. We slaves called it the great house. Some of the slaves ran away and finally reached Ohio. There was no jail on the plantation. Some- times the overseer would whip us. ••The Kings had no overseers. King beat his slaves with a stick. I remember seeing him do this as well as I can see that house over there. He became blind. An owl scratched him in the face when he was trying to catch him, and his face got into sich a fix he went to Philadelphia for treatment, but they could not cure him. He finally went blind. I have seen him beat his slaves after he was blind. I remember it well. He beat ,em with a stick. He was the most sensitive man you ever seed. He ran a store. After he was blind you could nan* him a piece of money and he could tell you what it was. ^There were no churches on the plantation but prayer meeting* were held in the quarters. Slaves were not allowed to go to the white folk's church unless they were coach drivers, etc. No sir, not in that community. They taught the slaves the Bible. The children of the marster would go to private school. ¥e sroal 1 Negro children looked after the babies in the cradles and other young *• ' 95 children. When the white children studied their lessons I studied with them. When they wrote in the sand X wrote in the sand too. The white children, and not the marster or mistress, is where I got started in learnin* to read and write. "We had corn shuckings, candy pullings, dances, prayer meetings. We went to carap meetin1 on Gamp Meeting days in August when the crops were laid by. We played games of high jump, jumping over the pole held by two people, wrestling, leap frog, and jumping. We sang the songs, 'Go tell Aunt Patsy*, ^ome folks says a nigger wont steal, I caught six in my corn field* *Run nigger run, the patteroller ketch you, Run nigger run like you did the other dayr. "When slaves got sick marster looked after them. He gave them blue mass and caster oil* Dr. McDuffy also treated us. Dr. McSwaln vaccinated us for small pox. B$r sister died with it. When the. slaves died marster buried them. They dug a grave with a tomb in it. I do not see any of them now. The slaves were buried in-.a plain box. «*The marsters married the slaves without any papers. All they did was to say perhaps to Jane and Frank, s- * go 1 Prank, I pronounce you and Jane man and wife.' But the woman did not take the name of her husband, she kept the name of the family who owned her* MI remember seeing the Yankees near Fayetteville. They shot a bomb shell at Wheeler's Calvary, and it hit near me and buried in the ground. Wheeler's Calvary came first and ramsaked the place. They got all the valuables they could, andpurned the bridge, the covered bridge over i Cape Fear river, but when the Yankees got there they had a pontoon bridge to cross on,—all those provision wagons and such. When they passed our place it was in the morning. They nearly scared me to death. They passed right by our door, Sherman's army. They began passing, so the white folks said, at 9 o'clock in the mornin'. At 9 o'clock at night they were passin1 our door on foot. They said there were two hundred and fifty thousan' o1 them passed. Some camped in my marster's old fiel'. A Yankee caught one of my marster's shoats and cut off one of the hind quarters, gave it to me, and told me to carry and give it to my mother. I was so small I could not tote it, so I drug it to her. I called her when I got in hollering distance of the house and she came and got it. The Yankees called us Johnnie, Dinah, Bill and other funny names. They beat 6. 9? their drums and sang songs. One of the Yankees sang 'Rock a Bye Baby1. At that time Jeff Davis money was plentiful. Iviy mother had about $1000. It was so plentiful it was called Jeff Davis shucks. My mother had bought a pair of shoes, and had put them in a" -chest. A Yankee came and took the shoes and wore them off, leaving his in their place. They tol* us we were free. Sometimes the marster would get cruel to the slaves if they acted like they were free. nMat Holmes, a slave, was wearing a ball and chain as a punishment for running away. Marster Ezekial King put it on him. He has slept in the bed with me, wearing that ball and chain. The cuff had imbedded in his leg, it was swollen so. This was right after the Yankees came through. It was March, the 9th of March, when the Yankees came through. Mat Holmes had run away with the ball and chain on him and was in the woods then. He hid out staying with us at night until August. Then my mother took him to the Yankee garrison at Fayetteville. A Yankee officer then took him to a black smith shop and had the ball and chain cut off his leg. The marsters would tell the slaves to go to work that they were not free, that they still belonged to them, but one would drop out and leave, then another. There was little work done on the farm, and 98 finally most of the slaves learned they were free. "Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest men that ever lived. He was the cause of us slaves being free. No doubt about that. I didn't think anything of Jeff Davis. He tried to keep us in slavery. I think slavery was an injustice, not right. Our privilege is to live right, and live according to the teachings of the Bible, to treat our fellowman right. To do this I feel we should belong to some religious organization and live as near right as we know how. ttThe overseers and patterollers in the time of slavery were called poor white trash by the slaves. MOn the plantations not every one, but some of the slave holders would have some certain slave women reserved for their own use. Sometimes children almost white would be born to them. I have seen many of these children. Sometimes the child would be said to belong to the overseer, and sometimes it would be said to belong to the marster. AC 320118 AMe l^r 99 N. C. District Ho. 2 Worker Mary A» Hicks Ho. Words 610 Subj ect AUNT LAURA Story teller LAURA IFITJ. Editor Geo. L» Andrews 320118 100 o AUNT LAURA. An interview with Laura Bell, 73 years old, of 2 Bragg Street, Kaleigh, North Carolina. Being informed that Laura Bell was an old slavery Hegro, I went immediately to the little two-room shack" with its fallen roof and shaky steps. As I approached the shack I noticed that the storm had done great damage to the c-haney-berry tree in her yard, fallen limbs litterin1 the ground, which was an inch deep in garbage and water» The porch was littered with old planks and huge tubs and barrels of stagnant water* There was only room for one chair and in that sat a tall Negro woman clad in burlap bags and in her lap she held a small white flea-bitten dog which growled meaningly* ~imen I reached the gate, which swings on one rusty hinge, she bade me come in and the Carolina Power and Light Company men, who were at work nearby, laughed as I climbed over the limbs and garbage and finally found room for one foot on the porch and one on the ground? "I wus borned in Mount Airy de year 'fore de Yankees come, bein' de fourth of five chilluns. stiy mammy an' daddy Minerva Jane an' Wesley 'longed ter Mr. Mack Strickland an1 We lived on his big place near Mount Airy» 8. 101 "Mr. Mack wus good ter us, dey said. He give us enough ter eat an' plenty of time ter weave clothes fer us ter wear. I've hearn mammy tell of de corn shuckin,s an' dances dey had an,' 'bout some whuppin's too. "Marse Mack's overseer, I doan know his name, wus gwine ter whup my mammy onct, an' pappy do' he ain't neber make no love ter mammy comes up an' takes de whuppin' fer her. Atter dat dey cou'ts on Sadday an1 Sunday an' at i all de sociables till dey gits married. "I'se hearn her tell 'bout how he axed Marse Mack iff en he could cou't mammy an* atter Marse Mack sez he can he axes her ter marry him. "She tells him dat she will an' he had 'em married by de preacher de nex* time he comes through dat country. "I growed up on de farm an' when I wus twelve years old I met Thomas Bell. My folks said dat I wus too young ) fer ter keep company so I had ter meet him 'tfoun' an' about fer seberal years, I think till I wus fifteen. "He axed me ter marry him while he wus down on de creek bank a fishin' an' I tol' him yes, but when he starts ter kiss me I tells him dat der's many a slip twixt de cup f an' de lip an' so he has ter wait till we gits married. 3. 102 "We runned away de nexf Sadday an' wus married by a Justice of de Peace in Mount Airy. r,Love ainrt what hit uster be by a long shot," de ole woman reflected, "'Cause dar ain't many folks what loves all de time, we moved ter Raleigh forty years ago, an' Tom has been daid seberal years now. We had jest one chile but hit wus borned daid. "Chilluns ain't raised ter be clean lak we wus. I knows dat de house ain't so clean but I doan feel so much lak doin' nothin', I jest v/ent on a visit 'bout seben blocks up de street dis mo'nin' an' so I doan feel lak cleanin1 up none." I cut the interview short thereby missing more facts, as the odor wa,s anything but pleasant and I was getting tired of standing in that one little spot* "Thank you for comin"1, she called, and her dog growled again. 520111 o MJ66 M 103 K. C. District go. 2 Worker T. Pat Mat thews No. Words 1153______ Subject EMMA. BL.ALOCK . Story teller Emma Blalock iditoF Geo. L« Andrews 320111 104 EMMA. BLALOCK 88 years old 529 Bannon Avenue Raleigh, N. C. "I shore tit 'member de Yankees wid dere blue uniforms wid brass buttons on 'em. I wus too small to" wark any but I played in de yard wid my oldes* sister, Katie. She is dead long ago. My mother belonged to ole man John Griffith an' I belonged to him. His plantation wus down here at Auburn.in Jake County. My father wus named Edmund Rand. He belonged to Mr. Nat Hand. He lived in Auburn. De plantations wus not fur apart. Dere wus about twenty-five slaves on de plantation whur mother an' me stayed. "Llarse John used ter take me on his knee an' sing, 'Here is de hammer, Shing ding. Gimme de Hammer, shing ding.' Marster loved de nigger chilluns on his plantation* When de war ended father come an' lived with us at i&arse John's plantation. Marster John Griffith named me Emmy, ify grandfather on my fathers side wus named Harden Hand, an' grandmother wus named Mason Rand. My grandfather on W mother's side wus named Antny Griffiths an' grandmother wus named Nellie. 2. 105 "Our food wus a plenty and well cooked. Marster fed his niggers good. We had plenty of homespun dresses and v/e got shoes once a year, at Christmas Eve. I ken 'member it just as good. We got Christmas Holidays an1 a stockin' full of candy an' peanuts. Sometimes v/e got ginger snaps at Christmas. My grandmother c©oked 'em. She wus a good cook. My mother's missus wus iviiss Jetsy Griffith and my father's missus v/us Lucy Hand. Dey wus both mighty good women. You know I am ole. I ken 'member all dem good white folks. Dey give us Fourth July Holidays. Dey come to town on dat day. Dey wore, let me tell you what dey wore, dey wore dotted waist blouses an' white pants. Dat wus a big day to ever'body, de Fourth of July. Dey begun singing at Auburn an' sung till dey reached Raleigh. Auburn is nine miles from Raleigh. Dere wus a lot of lemonade. Dey made light bread in big ovens an' had cheese to eat wid it. Some said just goin1 on de fofe to git lemonade an' cheese. "In the winter we had a lot of possums to eat an' a lot of rabbits too. At Christmas time de men hunted and caught plenty game. We barbecued it before de fire. I 'members seein' mother an' grandmother swinging rabbits 3- 106 •fore de fire to cook 'em. Dey would turn an* turn 'em till dey wus done. Dey hung seme up in de chimbly an1 dry 'era out an1 keep 'em a long time an' dat is de reason I won't eat a rabbit toady. No Sir! I won't eat a rabbit. I seed 'em mess wid 'em so much turned me 'ginst eatin' 'em. "I don't know how much Ian' Marster John owned but, Honey, dat wus some plantation. It reached from Auburn to de Heuse River. Yes Sir, it did, 'cause I been down dere in corn hillin' time an' we fished at twelve o'clock in Keuse Hiver. Marster John had overseers, ^ere wus six of 'em. Bey rode horses over de fields but I don't •member dere names. MI never seen a slave whupped but dey wus whupped on de plantation an' I heard de grown folks talkin* 'bout it. My uncles Hat an' Bert Griffiths wus both whupped* Uncle Mat would not obey his missus rules an* she had him whupped. Dey whupped Uncle Bert 'cause he stayed drunk so much. He loved his licker an* he got drunk an* cut up bad, den dey whupped him. You could git plenty whiskey den. Twon't like it is now. Ho sir, it won't. Whiskey sold fur ten cents a quart. Most ever1 body drank it but 4. 107 you hardly ever seed a rnan drunk. Slaves wus not whupped for drinkin1. Dere Marsters give 'em whiskey but dey wus whupped for gittin1 drunk. { Dere wus a jail, a kind of _ stockade built of logs, on de farm to put slaves in when \dey wouldn't mind. } I never say any slave put on de blocjc an' sold, but I saw Aunt Helen Rand cry in' because her Marster Nat Rand sold her boy, Fab Rand. "No Sir, no readin' an' writin'. You had to work. Hal hal You let your marster or missus ketch you wid a book. Dat wus a strict rule dat no learnin' wus to be teached. I can't read an' write, (if it wus not fur my mother wit don't know what would become of me.) We had prayer meetings around at de slave houses. I 'member it well. We turned down pots on de inside of de house at de door to keep marster an' missus from hearin' de singin* an' prayin*. Marster an' his family lived in de great house an' de slave quarters wus 'bout two hundred yards away to the back of de great house. Dey wus arranged in rows. Ihen de war ended we all stayed on wid de families Griffiths an' Rands till dey died, dat is all 'cept my father an1 me. He lef * an* I lef '? I been in Raleigh forty-five years. I married Mack Blalock in Raleigh* He been dead seven years. 5- 108 "Uty- mother had two boys, Antny an1 Wesley. She had four girls , Katie, Grissie, Mary Ella an' Emma. I had three chilluns, two are livin* yet. They both live in Haleigh. "We had big suppers an1 dinners at log rollin's - an' corn shuckin's in slavery time hat hal plenty of corn licker for ever'body, both white an' black. Every- body helped himself. Dr. Tom Busbee, one good ole white man, looked after us when we got sick, an' he could make you v/ell purty quick, 'cause he wus good an* 'cause he wus sorry fer you. He wus a feelin1 man. Course we took erbs. I tell you what 1 took. Scurrey grass, chana balls dey wus for worms. Scurrey grass worked you out. Dey give us winter green to dense our blood. We slaves an' a lot of de white folks drank sassafras tea in de place of coffee. We sweetened it wid brown sugar, honey, or molasses, just what we had in dat line. I think slavery wus a right good thing. Plenty to eat an' wear. "When you gits a tooth pulled now it costs two dollars, don't it? Well in slavery time I had a tooth botherin' me. My mother say, Emma, take dis egg an' go down to Doctor Busbee an' give it to him an' git your 6. 109 tooth palled. I give him one egg. He took it an' pulled sy tooth. Try dat now, if you wants to an' see what happens. Yes, slavery wus a purty good thing. f V— JUNl 1937 -^ 11, C. District Ho> 2 Worker Mary A. Sicks Ko« Words 1430 Cx v*^ Subject Bays on the Plantation _____ Person Interviewed Uncle David Blouit Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt f i 380165 DAYS ON THE PLANTATION As told by Uncle Davift KLount, formerly of Beaufort f County, who did not know his age. "De Marster^^Jifi-1—---' O refers to was Major Ifci. A. Blount , who owned olantations in several parts of North Carolina. r,Yes mam, de days on de plantation wuz de happy days. De marster made us wuck through de week but on Sadays we uster go swimmin1 in de riber an* do a lot of other things dat we lak ter do. r "We didn*t mind de wuck so much case de ground wuz soft as ashes an* de rnarster let us stop and rest when we got tired. We planted Haters in de uplan's and co*n in de lowgroun*s nex* de riber. It wuz on de Cape Fear an* on hot days when we wuz a-pullin* de fodder we*d all stop wuck *bout three o'clock in de ebenin* an* go swimrnin*. Atter we come out'n de water we would wuck harder dan eber an* de marster wuz good to us, castr we did wuck an* we done what he ast us. **I 'members onct de marster had a oberseer dar dat wuz meainer dan a mean nigger. He always hired good ober- seers an* a whole lot of times he let some Negro slave obersee. Weil die oberseer beat some of de half grown boys till de blood run down ter dar heels an* he tole de rest of us dat if we told on him dat he*& kill us. We donH das en* t ast de marster ter git rid of de man so dis went on'fer a long time. 2. 11.2 \ rtIt wuz cold as de debil one day an1 dis oberseer had a gang of us a-clearin* new groun'. One boy ast if he could warm by de bresh heap. De oberseer said no,and atter awhile de boy had a chill. De oberseer don*t care, but dat night de boy am a sick nigger. De nex* mornin* de marster gits de doctor,anr de doctor say dat de boy has got pneumonia. He tells rem ter take off de boys shirt an* grease him wid some tar, turpentine an* ker- osene, an* when dey starts ter take de-shirt off dey fin's dat it am stuck, "Bey had ter grease de shirt ter git it off case de blood whar de oberseer beat him had stuck de shirt tight ter de skin. De marster wuz in de room an' he axed de boy how come it, an' de boy tola him. "De marster sorta turns white an' he says ter me, •'Will yor go an1 ast de oberseer ter stop hyar a minute, please?1 "When de oberseer comes up de steps he axes sorta sassy-like, iWhat yof want?1 "De marster says, 'Pack yo* things anr git off'n my place as fast as yo* can, yo1 pesky varmit.' MDe oberseer sasses de marster some more, an* den I \ sees de marster fairly Jtoose his temper for de first time. Be don't say a word but he walks ober, grabs de oberseer by de shoulder, sets his boot right hard 'ginst de seat of his pants an* sen*s him, all drawed up, out in de yard \ 3. on his face. He close up lak a umbrella for a minute den he pulls hisself all tergether an* he limps outrn dat yard anr we ainft neber seed him no more. "Itfo mam, dar wuzttnt no marryin* on de plantation dem days, an' as one ole ' oman raised all of de chilluns me an* my brother Johnnie ain't neber knowed who our folkses mz. Johnnie wuz a little feller when de war ended^but I wuz in most of de things dat happen on de plantation fer a good while. "One time dar, I done fergit de year, some white rnens comes down de riber on a boat an* dey comes inter de fiel's an' talks ter a gang of us an' dey says dat our masters ain't treatin' us right. Dey tells us dat we orter be paid fer our wuck, an' dat we hadn*t ort ter nab passes ter CJ go anywhar. Dey also tells us dat we ort ter be allowed ter tote guns if we wants 'em. Dey says too dat sometime our marsters was gwine ter kill us all, "I laughs.at rem, but some of dem fool niggers list- ens ter rem;ant it 'pears dat dese men gib de niggers some guns atter I left anr promised ter bring rem some more de nex* week. *X fln*s ottt de nex* day *bout dis an* I goes an* tells de marster. He sorta laughs an* scratches his head, 'Dem niggers am headed fer trouble, Dave, 'he says ter me, \ ran I wants yor ter help me.1. *I-.'«^jffi.., 'Yas sar, mars*ter.' **i$n* 'he goes on, *'Yo* fin *© out when de rest of deft *" 4 1M guns comes Dave ,an** let me know.1 ttthen de men brings back de guns I tells de marster, ^anr I also tells him dat dey wants ter hold er meetinr. ./ «t . All right,' he says anr laughs, 'dey can have de meetin'. Yo:* tell * em, Bave;dat I said dat dey can meet on Chuesday night in de pack house.' "Chuesday ebenin' he sen*s dem all off to de low groun's but me^an* he tells me ter nail up de shutters / ter de pack house an* ter nail rem up good. \ nI does lak he tells me ter do an1 dat night de \ \ niggers marches in anr sneaks dar guns in too. I is \ lyin* up in de loft an* I hyars dem say dat atter de meet- in1 dey is gwine ter go up ter de big house an1 kill de whole fambly* **T gits out of de winder an1 I runs ter de house an \ tells de m&rster. Den me anr him an* de young marster goes i | out an* quick as lightnin', I slams de pack house door an* / I locks It* Deit de marster yells at dem, ' I'se got men an* guns out hyar, 'Me yells, *an* if yo* doan throw dem guns out of do hole up dar in de loft, an* throw dem ebery one out I*se gwine ter stick fire ter dat pack house.' ^Be niggers 'liberates for a few minutes an* den dey .throws de guns out. 'I kmolfrs how many dey has got so T counts till dey throw lem^ all out, den 1^ gathers"4.^) dem * V ^ * , "'9 H*. C. District Fo. 2 Worker T. Pat Matthews No. Words 1741 130 Subject MDREff BOONE__________ Person Interviewed Andrew Boone Editor G. L. Andrews________ 320032 131 ANDREW BOOM age 90 years. Wake County, North Carolina. Harris Farm* ttI been living in dese backer barns fifteen years* I built this little shelter to cook under. Dey cut me off the WPA cause dey said I wus too ole to work. Dey tole us ole folks we need not put down our walkin* sticks to git work cause dey jes* won't goin' to put us on. "Well, I had some tomatoes cooked widout any grease for my breakfast. I had a loaf of bread yesterday, but T et it. I ain't got any check from the ole age pension an* I have nothin' to eat an* I am hongry. I jes* looks to God. I set down by de road thinkin' bout how to turn an' what to do to git a meal, when you cum along. I thanks you fer dis dime. I guess God made you give it to me* WI wus glad to take you down to my livin* place to give you my story. Dis shelter, an ole tobacco barn, is better dan no home at all. I is a man to myself an* I enjoy livin* out here if I could git enough to eat. "Well ole big show is coming to town. It*s d« Devil*s wurk. Yes sir, it's de Devil's wurk. Why dem -2- 132 show tfolks ken make snakes an* make *em crawl too. Dere wus one in Watson Field in de edge of Raleigh not long ago an* he made snakes anr made 'em crawl too. All shows is de Devil's wurk. nI never done anything fer myself in all my life* I always wurked fer de Rebels. I stuck right to 'em. Didn't have no sense fer doin' dat I guess* NGne time a Rebel saw a Yankee wid one eye, one leg an' one arm. De Yankee wus beggin'. De Rebel went up to him an* give him a quarter. Den he backed off an' jes* stood a-lookin' at de Yankee, presently he went back an' give him anudder quarter, den anudder, den he said, 'You take dis whole dollar, you is de first Yankee I eber seed trimmed up jes' to my notion, so take all dis, jes' take de whole dollar, you is trimmed up to my notion'. "I belonged to Billy Boone in Slavery time. He wus a preacher. He lived on an' owned a plantation in Northampton County. The plantation wus near woodland. The nearest river to the place wus the Roanoke. My ole missus' name wus Nancy. When ole marster died I stayed around wid ffcSt one then another of the chilluns, cause marster tole me jes' fore he died fer me to stay wid any of tem I wanted to stay with. All dem ole people done dead an' gone on* -3- 133 "Niggers had to go through thick anr thin in slavery time, with rough rations most of de time, wid jes* enough clothin* to make out wid. Our houses were built of logs an1 covered wid slabs. Dey was rived out of blocks of trees about 3-6 and 8ft in length* De ehimleys wus built of sticks and mud, den a coat of clay mud daubed over 'em. De cracks in de slave houses wus daubed wid mud too* BWe wurked from sun to sun. If we had a fire in coM weather where we wus wurkin* marster or de overseer would come an* put it out. We et frozen meat an* bread many times in cold weather. After de day's wurk in de fields wus over we had a task of piekin' de seed from cotton till we had two ounces of lint or spin two ounces ©f cotton on a spinnin* wheel. I spun cotton on a spinnin* wheel. Dats de way people got clothes in slavery time* WI can't read an* write but dey learned us to count* Dey learned us to count dis way. 'Ought is an* ought, an1 a figger is a figger, all for de white man an* nothin1 fer de nigger*. Hain't you heard people count dat way? "Dey sold slaves jes* like people sell hosses now* I saw a lot of slaves sold on de auction block. Dey would strip *em starfc naked. A nigger scarred up or whaled an* welted up wus considered a bad nigger an* did not bring much. If his body wus not scarred, -4- 134 he brought a good price. I saw a lot of slaves whupped anr I wus whupped myself. Dey whupped me wid de cat o* nine tails. It had nine lashes on it. Some of de slaves wus whupped wid a c&bin paddle. Dey had forty holes in rem anf when you wus buckled to a barrel dey hit your naked flesh wid de paddle an* every whur dere wus a hole in de paddle it drawed a blister. When de whuppin* wid de paddle wus over, dey took de cat o* nine tails an* busted de blisters. J^r dis time de blood sometimes would be runnin1 down dere heels. Den de next thing wus a wash in salt water strong enough to hold up an egg. Slaves wus punished dat way fer runnin' away anr siclu "If you wus out widout a pass dey would shore git you. De paterollers shore looked after you. Dey would come to de house at night to see who wus there. If you wus out of place, dey would wear you out. nSam Joyner, a slave, belonged to marster. He wus runnin* from de paterollers an* he fell in a ole well. De pateroller went after marster. Marster tole rem to git ole Sam out anr whup him jesr as much as dey wanted to. Dey got him out of. de well an* he wus all wet anr muddy. Sam began takinf off his shoes, den he took off his pants an* got in his shirt tail. Marster, he say, -6- 135 'what you takin' off you clothes fer Sam?1 Sam, he say, 1 Marster, you know you all can't whup dis nigger right over all dese wet clothes.* Den Sam lit out. He run so fas' he nearly flew. De paterollers got on dere hosses an* run him but dey could not ketch him. He got away. Marster got Samrs clothes anr carried ,em to de house. Sam" slipped up next morning put his clothes on an* marster said no more about it* "I wus a great big boy when de Yankees come through. I wus drivin' a two mule team an* doin' other wurk on de farm. I drove a two hoss wagon when dey carried slaves to market. I went to a lot of different places* "My marster wus a preacher, Billy Boone. He sold anf bought niggers. He had fifty or more. He wurked the grown niggers in two squads. Vfy father wus named leham Boone and my mother wus Sarah Boone. Marster Boone whupped wid de cobbin paddle an1 de cat o* nine tails an* used the salt bath an' dat wus *nough. Plenty besides him whupped dat way* "Marster had one son, named Solomon, an* two girls, Elsie an' Alice. Ify mother had four children, three boys an* one gir*L. The boys were named Sam, Walter and Andrew, dats me, an* d« girl wus Cherry* nVty father had several children cause he had several women besides mother. Mollie and Lila Lassiter, two -6- 136 sisters, were also his women. Dese women wus given to him an* no udder man wus allowed to have anything to do wid ,em. Mollie an* Lila both had chilluns by him. Dere names wus Jim, Mollie, Liza, Rosa, Pete an* I can't remember no more of *em. ,rDe Yankees took jes' what dey wanted an' nothin' stopped 'em, cause de surrender had come. Before de surrender de slave owners begun to scatter de slaves 'bout from place to place to keep de Yankees from gittin' 'em. If de Yankees took a place de slaves nearby wus moved to a place further off, "All I done wus fer de Rebels. I wus wid 'em an' I jes' done what I wus tole. I wus afraid of de Yankees 'cause de Rebels had told us dat de Yankees would kill us* Dey tole us dat de Yankees would bore holes in our shoulders an' wurk us to carts. Dey tole us we would be treated a lot worser den dey wus treating us. Well, de Yankees got here but they treated us fine. Den a story went round an' round dat de marster would have to give de slaves a mule an' a year's provisions an' some Ian', about forty acres, but dat wms not so. Dey nebber did give us anything. When de war ended an* we wus tole we wus free, we stayed on wid marster cause we had nothin' an' nowhere .7- 137 to go. "We moved about from farm to farm. Mother died an* father married Maria Edwards after de surrender. He did not live wid any of his other slave wives dat I knows of. "I have wurked as a han* on de farm most of de time since de surrender and daddy worked most of de time as a han*, but he had gardens an* patches most everywhere he wurked. I wurked in New York City for fifteen years with Crawford and Banhay in de S"how business. I advertised for *em. I dressed in a white suit, white shirt, an* white straw hat, and wore tan shoes. I had to be a purty boy. I had to have my shoes shined twice a day. I lived at 18 Manilla Lane, New York City. It is between McDougall Street and 6th Avenue. I married Clara Taylor in New York City. We had two children. The oldest one lives in New York. The other died an* is buried in Raleigh. wIn slavery time they kept you down an* you had to wurk, now I can*t wurk, an* I am still down. Not allowed to wurk an* still down. Its all hard, slavery and freedom, both bad when you can*t eat. The ole bees makes de honey comb, the young bee makes de honey, niggers makes de cotton an* corn an* de white folks gets de money. Dis wus de case in Slavery time an* its de case now. De nigger do mos* de hard wurk on de farms now, and am white folks still git de money dat de nigger*s labor makes.* LE 320002 138 STATS EDITORIAL IDENTIFICATION FORM STATE t Horth Carolina RECEIVED FROMJ (State office) Aaheville MS. Interview with W.L.Bost________WORDS 2,000 QUOTA_______ iiix-slave. STATE GUIDE______________________^OCAL GUIDE NON-GUIDE X TABLE OF CONTENTS DIVISION_____________________________ . COMPLETE FOR THIS SECTION? WHAT PERCENTAGE REMAINS?. PREFINAL REVISE NO.__WASHINGTON CRITICISM____________ PREFINAI, REVISE NO.__WASHINGTON CRITICISM PREFINAL REVISE NO. WASHINGTON CRITICISM. PREFINAL REVISE NO.______WASHINGTON CIRITCISM_ PREFINAL NEWi ._______________________ VOLUNTEER CONSULTANTS Name Position Address $y_ Position &ATSt -Sept>27, 1937. ..¦¦¦,. ¦••¦•¦ ' interview with W. L. Bost, Ex-slave - ?? f*-^* . . ,,0 63 Curve Street, ioy Asheville, N* C. By- Marjorie Jones 320002 My Maesa's name was Jonas Bost. He had a hotel in Newton, North Carolina. My mother and grandmother both belonged to the Bost family. My ole Massa had two large plantations one about three miles from Newton and another four miles away. It took a lot of niggers to keep the work a goin* on them both, the women folks had to work in the hotel and in the big house in town. Ole Missus she was a good woman. She never allowed the Massa to buy or sell any slaves. There never was an overseer on the whole plantation. The oldest colored man always looked after the niggers. We niggers lived better than the niggers on the other plantations. Lord child, I remember when I was a little boy, »bout ten years, the speculators come through Newton with droves Of slaves. They always stay »t our place. The poor crit- ters nearly froze to death. They always come »long on the last of December so that the niggers would be ready for sale on the first day of January. Many the time I see four or five of them chained together. They never had enough clothes on t© keep a cat warm. The women never wore any- thing but a thin dress and a petticoat and one underwear. t»ve seem the iee balls hangin1 ©n to the bottom of their dresses as they ran alo#g, jf© J.ike sheep in a pasture ;*£f£Vl&^ any,,sho.es.; ¦¦?$*.¦:¦¦;] S^M-v^ 140 run along on the ground, all spewed up with ice. The specu- lators always rode on horses and drove the pore niggers. When they get cold, they make 'em run 'til they are warm again. The speculators stayed in the hotel and put the niggers in the quarters jes like droves of hogs. All through the night I could hear them mournin' and prayin'. I didn't know the Lord would let people live who were so cruel. The gates were always locked and they was a guard on the outside to shoot anyone who tried to run away. Lord miss,them slaves look jes like droves of turkeys runnin' along in front of them horses. I remember when they put 'em on the "block to sell 'em. The ones 'tween 18 and 30 always "bring the most money. The auctioneer he stand off at a distance and cry 'em off as they stand on the "block. I can hear his voice as long as I live. If the one they going to sell, was a young Kegro man this is what he sayx '•Now gentleaen and fellow-citizens here is a big black buck Fegro. He's stout as a mule, Good for any kin' o*work an' he never gives any trouble. How much am I offered for him?* And then the sale would commence, and the nigger would be sold to the highest bidder. If they put up a young nigger woman the auctioneer cry ©ujtt *Herefe a young nigger wench, how much am I ©fferM •¦*3** for her?" The pore thing stand on the block a shiverin* an' a shakin' nearly froze to death. When they sold many of the pore mothers beg the speculators to sell * em with their husbands, but the speculator only take what he want. So meybe the pore thing never see her husban' agin. . Qle' Massa alw&j/ssee that we get plenty to eat. 0» reourse it was no fancy rashions. Jes corn bread, milk, fat meat, and 'lasses but the Lord knows that was lots more than other pore niggers got. Some of them had such bad masters. ITs pore niggers never • lowed to learn anything. All the was readin' they ever hear was when they/carried through the big Bible. The Massa say. that keep the slaves in they places. They was one nigger boy in Newton who was terrible smart. He learn to read an* write. He take other colored children out in the fields and teach *em about the Bible, but they forgit it 'fore the nex» Sunday. lllis the paddyr©Hers they keep close watch on the pore niggers so they have no chance to do anything or go anywhere, tke^ 4esf IJ^e Pflieemen, only worser. 'Cause they never 1«& the^niggers go anywhere without a pass from his master* If you .*!$$nft;.,4»your pa?®p«r piase when the paddyralltrs :..cjop^^t^3f!;|psh;;;yofu, til'v.yo^-^f: |>lack ..a^;;bjae.' The women :;gftil@i.:;^^||j|,;a^,3he mem $$«.'. %at;,;iS; ¦£&? .:.4®s ^eia' .^a*% M^SMI^^ he' was'¦. .. ':^T^y:'^Basv''- two holes cut for the arms stretch up in the air and a block to put your feet in, then they whip you with cowhide whip • An' the clothes shore never get any of them licks. I remember how they kill one nigger whippin' him with the bull whip. Many the pore nigger nearly killed with the bull whip. But this one die. He was a stubborn Negro and didn't do as much work as his Massa thought he ought to. He been lashed lot before. So they take him to the whippin1 post, and then they strip his clothes off and then the man stan' off and cut him with the whip. His back was cut all to pieces. The cuts about half inch apart. Then after they whip him they tie him down and put salt on him. Then after he lie in the sun awhile they whip him agin. But when they finish with him he was dead. Plenty ttf the colored women have children by the white men, She know better than to not do what he aay. Didn't have much of that until the men from South Carolina come up here and settl« and bring slaves. Then they take them very same children what have they own blood and make slaves out of them. If the jpssus find out she raise revolution. But she hardly find out. The white men not going to tell and the nigger women were aitaya afraid to. So they jes go on hop in* that thing won't be that way always. I remember how the driver, he was the man who did most of 143 the whippin*, use to whip some of the niggers. He would tie their hands together and then put their hands down over their knees, then take a stick and stick it 'tween they hands and knees. Then when he take hold of them and beat *em first on one side then on the other. Us niggers never have chance to go to Sunday Schoolrand church. The white folks feared for niggers to get any re- ligion and education, but I reckon somethin* inside jes told us about God and that there was a better place hereafter. We would sneak off and have prayer meetin1 • Sometimes the paddyrollers catch us and beat us good but that didn't keep us from try in», I remember one old song we use to sing w&en we meet down in the woods back of the barn. My mother she sing an* pray to the Lord to deliver us out o1 slavery. She always say she thankful she was never sold from her children, and that our Massa not so mean as some of the others* But the old song it went something like this: «Qh, mother lets go down, lets go down, lets go down, lets go down. "Oft, mother lets go down, down in the valley to pray. As I went down in the valley ; ' :- - .• '•'•¦: :' * ¦•¦¦'*•:''.¦ *V*# 320279 148 MARY WALLACE BOWE Ex-slave 81 years My name is Mary Wallace Bowe. I w*» nine years ole at de surrender. My mammy an* pappy, Susan an* Lillman Graves, mats* belonged to Marse Fountain an* Mis* Fanny Tu*berville^ but Marse Fountain sold me, my manmy an* my brother George to Mis* Fanny's sister, Ms* Virginia Graves. Ids* Virginia's husban* -wo* J&rse Socter Graves. Dey lived on de ole Elijah Graves estate not far from Marse Fountain's plaitation here in Durham county, an* Ms* Virginia an* Mis1 Fanny seed each other near *bout every day. I was kittle when Marse Fountain an* Marse Boctor went to de war but I remembers it. I remembers it kaze Mis* Fanny stood on de po' clt smilia* an* wavin1 at Marse Fountain t?IWM he went *roun* de curve in de road, den she fell to de floor like she wae- dead.. I thought she wa» dead *wi%± Mis* Virginia th*owed some water in her face an* shie opened her eyes. le nex day lELs* Virginia took me an* mammy an* we all went over an* stayed wid Mb* Fanny kaze she imm skeered.an* so dey*d be compajay_:f or.„¦ eaefe ©their* Mammy. waited on Mis * Virginia an * jjilS^i^itft*!^ but-miuBffly-Baade.''m%;:''w0rk. M::^^^ki^e:vt^Sivbi*ung:-im d&€kiiy&inl::'a& iua Ir&m* Sf&itim* m>iA' ^PlfgiiiiftSfafef'! MLiisFasteayy.y #ftf) .Ifi^iotim^dif« basket- ¦¦ #f *.key§, lap!.. ;#|cii»S:e«i*&. .i#tyS«iRai3i #«lii "*^]gfi|i^ .do; if ¦ 4&;t-&j$0i- come. -2- Svery time dey "tawK Mis* Fanny set an1 twist her han's an' say: !lWhat is we gwine do, Sister, what is we gwine do?*1 Mis* Virginia try to pacify Mis' Fanny. She say, rDonr yof worry none, Honey, I'll fix dem Yankees when dey come.' Den she set her mouf. When she done dat I run an' hid behin*" Mis' Fanny's chair kaze I done seed Mis' Virginia set her mouf befo* an* I knowed she meant biznes'. I didn' have sense ^nuf#to be skeered den kaze I hadn' never seed no Yankee sojers, but-fcww* long befo1 T wuz skeered. 4 y De Yankees come one ifaawniri', an' dey ripped, Oh, Lawci, how dey did rip. When dey rode up to de gate an1 come stomp in1 to de house, Mis* Fanny 'gun to cry. 'Tell dem somethin*, Sister, tell dem somethin*, she tole Mis' Virginia. Mis* Virginia she ain* done no cryin'. When she seed dem Yankees eomin1 'cross de hill, she run 'roun* an* got all de jewelry. She took off de rings an* pins she an' Mis' Fanny had on an* she got all de things out of de jewelry box an* give dem to pappy• '•'Hide dem, MP^amM she tole pappy, "hide dem some place whare dera thieves won'r£inVdemir. Pappy had on high top boots. He dicta' do no thin but stuff all dat jewelry right down in dem boots, den he strutted all 'roun* dem Yankees latighin' to hese|f,l88Bse ifey cussed when dey eouldn' fin1 no jewelry a tall. Dey dicta' fin' no silver neither kaze us nlgg«rs ^:|^P||itef p/3|||s'Fanny aa* Ha* Virginia' hide dat. : We a€l dbwn ta de tottin gin house an* Md it ';$kde •150 -3- loose cotton piled on de floor. When dey couldn' fin' nothin' to ¦ «p big sojer went up to Misr Virginia who wuz standin' in de hall. He look at her an' say: 'Yo's skeered of me, ain* yo'?r Mis' Virginia, ain* batted no eye yet. She tole him, "If I w-w gwine to be skeered, I'd be skeered of somethin*. I sho ain' of no ugly, braggin' Yankee.*' De man tu'ned red an he say: I'lf yoli don' tell me wSSe yo**'' don& hide dat silver I'se gwine to make'yofit skeered." Mis1 Virginia's chin went up higher. She set her mouf an' look at dat sojer twell he drap his eyes* ©sn she tole him dat some folks done come an1 got d^ silver, dat dey done toted it off. '¦¦-... . letter. De letter was from dat peddlar. He tole her dat he w*a Abraham Lincoln hese'f; dat he wuz peddlin' over de country as ¦e** spy, an1 he thanked her for de res' on her shady po'ch an' de cool glass of milk, she give him. When dat letter come Mis' Virginia got so hoppin' mad dat she took all de stuff Mis' Fanny done bought from Mistah Lincoln anr made us niggers burn it on de ash pilef 0en. she made pappy rake up de ashes an' th'ow dem inde creek.* 320148 I\. C. District No. 2 Subject Ex-Slave Hecollections V/orker Mary A» Hicks Person Interviewed Lucy Brown No. vVords 3/7 Editor_____Daisy Bailey Waitt 320148 ISk EX-SLAVS KECGLLECTIQISS An interview with liucy Brown of Hecktown, Durham, Durham County, May 20, 1937. She does not, know her age. ttI wuz jist a little thing when de war wuz over an* I doan 'member much ter tell yo*. Mostly what I does know I hyard my mammy tell it. "We belonged to John Heal of Person County. IT doan know who my pappy wuz, but my mammy wuz named Rosseta an* her mammy's name 'fore her wuz Rosseta. I had one sister named Jenny an* one brother named Ben. "Be mars ter wuz good ter us, in a way, but he ain't 'lowin* no kinds of frolickin* so when we had a meetin* we had ter do it secret. We'd turn down a wash pot out- side de do', an' dat would ketch de fuss so marster neber knowed nothin* fbout hit. uGn Sundays we went ter church at de same place de white folkses. did. De white folkses rid an' de niggers walked, but eben do* we wared wooden bottomed shoes we wuz proud an* mostly happgf. We had good clothes an* food an* not much abuse. I doan know de number of slaves, I wue so little. *^f wmmy said el&t slavery wuz a whole lot wuser 'fore f could ^member. Ske. tol* me how some of de slaves had -2- dere babies in de fielfs lak de oows done, an1 she said dat *fore de babies wuz borned dey tied de mammy down on her face if en dey had ter whup her ter keep from ruinin' de baby. "She said dat dar wuz ghostes an' some witches back den, but I doan~know nothin* rbout dem things. "Naw, I can't tell yo' my age but I will tell yo' dat eber'body what lives in dis block am either my chile or gran*chile. I can't tell yo' prexackly how many dar is of 'em, but I will tell you dat my younges' chile's baby am fourteen years old, an' dat she's got fourteen youngin's, one a year jist lak I had till I had sixteen. "I'se belonged ter de church since I wuz a baby an' I tells dem eberfday dat dey shore will miss me when I'se gone. ** 154 \ A KJ& \ MJG6 ml N.C. District No*__2 Subject! FLWEkTION LIFE IM GEORGIA* No* Words$ 462 Hef er ene e: Midge Burnett Mary Hickst Worker Editor: George L» Andrews v^lJw ':^i^.#;.;':^(^;^: M^$$?Mi& *a-b-abst and my numbers and when I was fifteen I went to school in the log church built by the Moravians. Shey give it to the colored folks to use for their own school and church. (This log house is still standing near Bethania). . Our teacher was a white man. Marse Fulk. He had one eye, done lost the other in the war. We didnH have no colored teachers then. They wasn't educated. We *tended school four months a year. I went through the fifth reiier, the •Korth Carolina Reader1. I can figger a little an1 reii some but I can t write much *cause my fingers 're '.'- all stiffened up. Miss Julia use to read the bible to us an* tell us right an* wrong, and Muh showed me all she could an1 so did the other colored folks. Mostly they was kind to each other. "Ne^m, I don't know much about spells an* charmer. "Course most of the old folks believed in •em. One colored man use to make charms, little bags filled with queer things • He called *em rjacks* ,;-%n* sold *em to the colored folks an* some wMf^e folks Page #7 ±'7± ??Yes**!, I saw some slaves sold away from the plantation, four men and two women, both of *em with little babies. The traders got *em. Sold *em down to Mobile, Alabama. One was my pappy's sister. We never heard from her again. I saw a likely young feller sold for $1500. That was my Uncle Ike. Marse Jonathan Spease bought him and kept him the rest of his life. "Yes'm, we saw Yankee soldiers. (Stoneman's Cavalry in 1866.) They come marchin* by and stopped at *the house. I wasn*t scared 'cause they was all talkin* and laughin* and friendly but they sure was hongry. They dumped the wet clothes out of the big wash-pot in the yard and filled it with water. Then they broke into the smoke-house and got a lot of hams and biled 'em in the pot and ate *em right there in the yard. The women cooked up a lot of corn pone for tem and coffee too. Marster had a barrel of *likker* put by an* the Yankees knocked the head in an' filled their canteens. There wasn't ary drop left. When we heard the soldiers comin* our boys turned the horses loose in the woods. The Yankees said they had to have •em an* would burn the fcouse down if we didn't get *em. So our boys whistled up the horses an* the soldiers carried *em all off. They carried off ol* Jennie mule too but let little Jack mule go* When the soldiers was gone the stable boss said,*if ol* Jennie nu^e once gits loose nobody on earth can catch her unless she wants* She* 11 be back!' Sure enough, in a couple of days she come home by herself an* we worked the farm jus* with her an* little Jack. •Some of the colored folks followed the Yankees away. Five or six @f our boys went. Two of *em travelled as far as Yadkiaville but come back. $ae rest of tem kep* go in* an* we never heard tell Page #8 Y?2 of 'em again* "Yes'm, when we was freed Pappy come to get Muh and me. We stayed around here. Where could we go? These was our folks and I couldn't go far away from Miss Ella. We moved out near Rural Hall (some 5 miles from Bethania) an' Pappy farmed, but I worked at the home place a lot. When I was. about twenty-four Marse R. J» Reynolds come from Virginia an1 set up a tobacco factory. He fotched some hands with *im. One was a likely young feller, named Cofer, from Patrick County, Virginia. I liked 'im an'we got married an' moved back here to my folks.(the Jones family) We started to buy our little place an'raise a family. I done had four chillen but two's dead. I got grandchillen and great-grandchillen close by. This is home to us. When we talk about the old home place (the Jones residence, now some hundred years old) we just say 'the house1 'cause there's only one house to us. ^he rest of the family was all fine folks and good to me but I loved Miss Ella better *n any one or ahythin' else in the world. She was the best friend I ever had. If I ever wanted for anythin* I just asked her an she give it to me or got it for me somehow. Once when Cofer was in his last sickness his sister come from East Liverpool, Ohio, to see *im. I went to Miss Ella to borrow a little money. She didn't have no change but she just took a ten dollar bill from her purse an* says fH ere you are, Betty, use what you need and bring me what's left1. *I always Sid what I could for her too an' stood by her — but one time. Ihat was when we was little girls go in1 together to fetch the mail. It waa hot an* dusty an' we stopped to cool Hoff an* wade in the 'branch*. We heard a horse trottin' an* looked WWVr\,' Page #9 jy3 op anr there was Marster switchin* his ridin' whip an1 look in* at us. 'Git for home, you two, and 1*11 'tend to you, *he says, an' we got! But this time I let Miss Ella go to'the house* alone an' I sneaked aroun* to Granny*s cabin an' hid. I was afraid I»d git whuppedl *Fother time, Miss Ella went to town an1 told me to keep up her fire whilst she was away. I fell asleep on the hearth and the fire done burnt out so*s when Miss Ella come home the room was cold. She was mad as hops. Said she never had hit me but she sure felt like doin' it then. "Yes'm, I been here a right smart while. I done lived to see three generations of my white folks come an* go, an* they*re the finest folks om earth. There use to be a reg'lar buryin* ground for the plantation hands. The colored chillen use to play there but I always played with the white chillen* f This accounts for Aunt Betty's gentle manner and speech). Three of the old log cabins (slave cabins) is there yet. One of *em was the *boys cabin'.(house for boys and unmarried men) They've got walls a foot thick an' are used for store-rooms now. After freedom we buried out around our little churches but some of th* old grounds are plowed under an* turned into pasture cause the colored folks didn't get no deeds to fem. It won't be long *fore I go too but I*m gwine lie near my old home an' my folks. "Yes'm, I remember Marse Israel Lash, my Pappy's Marster. lie was a low, tiick-set man, very jolly an' friendly. He was real smart an' good too, 'cause his colored folks all loved 'im, He worked in the bank an' when the Yankees come, 'stead of shut tin' "Use doer 'gainst * em like the others did, he bid *em welcome. |Bet"ly's nodding head, expansive smile and wide-spread hands Page #10 174 eloquently pantomime the banker's greeting.) So the Yankees done took: the bank but give it back to *im for his very own an* he kep' it but there was lots of bad feelin1 'cause he never give folks the money they put in the old bank. (Possibly this explains branch of the in Salem the closing of the^Cape Fear lank / and opening of Israel Lash's own institution, the First National Bank of Salem, 1$66.) *I saw Gineral Robert E. Lee, too. After the war he come with some friends to a meeting at Five Forks Baptist Church. All the white folks gathered 'round an' shook his hand an' I peeked 'tween their legs an1 got a good look at 'im. But he didn't have bo whiskers, he was smooth-face! (Pictures of General Lee all show him with beard and mustache) "Miss Ella died two years ago. I was sick in the hospital but the doctor come to "tell me. I couldn't go to her bury'in'. I sure missed her. (Poignant grief moistens Betty's eyes and thickens her voice). There wasn't ever no one like her. Miss Kate an' young Miss Julia still live at Hhe house' with their brother, Marse Lucian (all children of the first Beverly Jones and 'old Miss Julia1,) but it don't seem right with Miss Ella gone. Life seems diffrent, some how, 'though there' lots of my young white folks an' my own kin livin' round an' they're real good to me. But Miss Ella's gone! "Goodday, Ma'am. Come anytime. You're welcome to. I'm right glad to have visitors 'cause I can't get out much." A -bobbing little curtsy accompanies Betty's cordial farewell. ft" •¦ Page #11 175 Although a freed woman for 71 years, property owner for half of them, and now revered head of a clan of self respecting, self-supporting colored citizens, she is still at heart a "Jones negro,H and all the distinguished descendents of her beloved Marse Beverly and Miss Julia will he her "own folks" as long as she lives. #diiB 176 i\u C. District # 2 No ?fords: 340 Worker s Mary A. Hicks Subject; Ex- slave Story Story Telkl&Pi John Coggin Editor: Daisy Bailey V/aitt ,/SP@-€Hl' ':&$$-¦£* IK i^^^^ssttffiiiiii •ii,^?''Tjrt i^T:'-i'\ ca:'.- 320188 1T/ JOHN COGGIflk. Ex- Slave Story. An interview with John Coggin 85, of kethod, I\>.C. -.men the interviewer first visited Uncle John he was busy cutting hay for a white family nearby, swinging the sythe with the vigor of a young man. In late afternoon he was found sitting on the doorsteps of his granddaughter's house after a supper which certainly had onions on the menu and v/as followed by something stronger than water. "I was borned on karch 1, 1852 in Orange County. My mammy wuz named Phillis Perm an' she wuz from Virginia. I ain't neber had no paw an' I ain't wanted none, I ain't had no brothers roar sisters nother. "«ve 'longed ter Doctor Jim Leathers, an' de only whuppin' I eber got wuz 'bout fightin' vad young Liss Agnes, who wuz sommers long 'bout my age. Hit wuz jist a little whuppin* but I 'members hit all right. nWe wucked de fiel's, I totin' water fer de six or seben haii'g fchat wucked dar. An1 we jist wu&k£&;:mMer&&e like. We had plenty ter eat an' plenty ter w'ar, do' we did go barefooted most of de year* De marster shore wuz good ter us do*.w "I 'members dat de fust I hyard of de Yankees wuz when young marster come in an' says,*Lawd pa, de Yankees am in Raleigh.* "Dat ebenin* I wuz drawin' water when all of a sudden I looks up de road, an' de air am dark wid Yankees. I neber seed so many mens, hosses an' mules in my Jafe. De band wuz playin' an' de soldiers wuz hollerin' an1 de hosses wuz prancin' high. I done what all of de rest o1 de slaves done/ I run fer de woods. "Atter de surrender we moved ter a place nigh'-.- Dix Hill hyar in Raleigh an1 my mammy married a Coggin, dar's whar I gits my name. All of us slaves moved dar an' farmed. ••Way long time atter dat ole Marster Jim come ter visit his niggers, an' we had a big supper in his honor. Dat night he died, an1 'fore he died his min' sorta wanders an* he thinks dat hit am back in de slave days an' dat atter a long journey he am comin' back home. Hit shore wuz pitiful an' we shore did hate it. "Yes 'um honey, we got 'long all right atter de war. You knows dat niggers ain't had no sense den, now dey has. Look at dese hyar seben chilluns, dey am my great gran1- ehillun an' dey got a heap mo' sense dan I has right now*** EH PS*' s» $3 320150 179 N. C. District No* 2 Worker Mary A > Hicks No. Words 433 Subject HANDY COVERSON Story teller Mandv Coverson Editor Daisy Bailey WaittL 320150 180 MSMJY CGVERSON iic-Slave Story An interview with Mandy Coverson, 78, of 103 South Wilmington Street, Ealsigfu BI wuz borned in Union County to Sarah an' Henderson Tomberlin. % mother belonged to Mr. Moses Coverson, an* my pappy belonged to Mr* Jackie Tom Tomberlin* I stayed wid my mammy, of course, an* Marster Moses wuz good ter me* Dey warn,t so good ter my mammy, case dey makes her wuck frum sunup till sundown in de hot summertime, an1 she ain't had no fun at all* She plowed two oxes, an* if fen yo1 has eher been around a steer yo* knows what agravatin' things dey is* *De ©berseer, whose name I'se plumb forget, wuz pore white trash an* he wuz meaner dan de meanest nigger* Anyhow I wuz too little ter do much wuck so I played a heap an1 X had a big time* "S^T mammy, died 'fore 1 wuz very old an* missus kept me in de house. I wuz petted by her, an* I reckon spoiled* Yo' knows dat den de niggers ain't neber eat no biscuits but missus always gimmle one eber meal an' in dat way she got me interested in waitin' on de table* HI wuzn't old enough ter know much, but T does 'member how de fambly hid all de valuables 'fore de Yankees come, anr 181 dat Mars ter Moses in pickin' up de big brass andirons hurt his back an' dey said dat dat wuz de cause of his death a. little While atterwards. Anyhow de andirons wuz. saved an* dar warn't no trouble wid de Yankees who corned our way, an* dey aintt hurt nobody dar. r wDey did kill all de things dat dey could eat an1 dey stold de rest of de feed stuff. Dey make one nigger boy draw water fer dere hosses f er a day an1 night. De Yankees wuz mean 'bout cussin', but de southern soldiers wuz. jist as bad. Wheeler's Cavalry wuz de meanest in de whole bunch, I thinks. ("De Ku Kluxes wuz pretty mean, but dey picked dere spite on de Free Issues. I doan know why dey done dis 'cept dat dey ain't wantin* no niggers a-favorin' dem nigh by, now dat slavery am ober. Dey done a heap of beatin' an* chasin' folkses out'n de country but I 'specks dat de Carpet Baggers rule wuz mostly de cause of it* / "I married Daniel Coverson, a slave on de same plantation I wuz on, an* forty years ago we moved ter Raleigh. We had a hard time but I'se glad dat he an* me am free an1 doan belong ter two diff fent fambliea.1* 320212 N. C. District No. 2 Worker Mary A. Hicks Ho. 'words 914 183 Subje ct Ex-Slave Story Story teller Willie Cozart Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt 32C212 1^3 EX-SLAVE STORY An Interview by Mary A. Kicks with Willis Cozart of Zebulon, (Wake Co. K. C.) Age 92. Kay 12, 1937. "Ko mam,Mistress, I doan want ter ride in no automobile, thank you, I'se done walked dese three miles frum Zebulon an1 walkin1 is what has kept me goin* all dese years. '"V "Yes'm I*se a batchelor an' I wuz borned on June 11, 1845 in Person County. My papa wuz named Ed an' my maw wuz named Sally, Dar wuz ten of us youngins, Morris, Dallas, Stephen, Jerry, Florence, Polly, Lena, Phillis, Caroline, an* me* Mr. Starling Oakley of Person County, near Roxboro wuz my master an* as long as him an1 ole mistress lived I went back ter see dem. "He wuz. right good to de good niggers an-1 kinder strick wid de bad ones. Pusonly he ain't never have me whupped but two or three times. You's hyard 'bout dese set down strikes lately, well dey ain't de fust ones. Onct when I wuz four or five years old, too little to wuck in de fiel*s, my master sot me an* some more little chilluns ter wuck pullin* up weeds roun' de house. Well, I makes a speech and I tells dem le*s doan wuck none so out we sprawls on de grass under de apple tree. Atter awhile ole master found us dar, an' 2* 184 when he fin's dat I wuz de ring-leader he gives me a little whuppin* • "Hit wuz a big plantation, round 1,200 acres o* land, I reckon, an' he had 'bout seventy or eighty slaves to wuck de cotton, corn, tobacco an* de wheat an* vege'bles* De tX big house wuz sumpin to look at, but de slave cabins wuz. jist log huts wid sand floors, and stick an' dirt chimneys* We wuz * lowed ter have a little patch o* garden stuff at de back but no chickens ner pigs. De only way we had er* makin' money wuz by pickin' berries an* sellin* 'em* We ain't had much time to do dat, case we wucked frum sunup till sundown six days a week* tt33e master fed us as good as he knowed how, but it wuz mostly on bread, meat, an' vege'bles.. *I 'members seberal slave sales whar dey sold de pappy ^y or de mammy 'way frum de chilluns an* dat wuz a sad. time* Dey led dem up one at de time an* axed dem questions an' dj»y wasn't many what wuz chained, only de bad ones, an* soiaetime when dey wuz travelin' it wuz necessary to chain a new gang* ^^.^^.ff^aef^^ni^^^s-^eat^till de blood ru% an* Ilse W^Mb&^:::$^$^%&^%$ Q§*&$* fwi whuppto' s but dty wuz de -$|g!t&Q§fir 'alfl f|z whupfftd.,* cordial ter de dee^ yo' doa« i& if¦*M§&S¥^£a&$=T:l?Niil%|j ^ *$*-¦¦ "ft¦ WffTP&^t-.. f*^^ ©***$U ^ i*.- ^mT^^^^^0M ^'ms^.m mm. teadred* mm% folks 3. im can't stand a real whuppin*. ^rum all dis you might think dat we ain't had no good times, but we had our co'n shuckin's, candy pullinrs an* sich like. We ain't felt like huntin1 much, but I did go on a few fox hunts wid de master* I uster go fishin' too, but I ain't been now since 1S7S, I reckon. We sgmetimes went ter de neighborhood affairs if'n we wuz good, but if we wuzn't an' didn't git a pass de patter-roHers would shore git us- When dey got through whuppin' a nigger he knowed he wuz whupped too. "Be slave weddln's in dat country wuz sorta dis wayt de man axed de master fer de *oman an' he jist told dem ter step over de broom an' dat wuz de way dey got married dem daysj de pore white f olks_ done de same way, .*&tter de war started de white folks tried ter keep us niggers fj?um knowin' 'bout it,but de news got aroun* fOftehow, an' dar wuz some talk of gittin' shet of de master's family an' gittin' rich. De plans didn't tmout to nothin' an' so de Yankees come down. *£ ^members moughty well when de Yankees come through our country. Bey stold ever*thing dey could find an' I Members what ole master said* He says, *Ever* one dat wants ter wuck fer me git in de patch ter pullinr dat forty m£^::M;:M&$&&:,-m% all dat don't git up de road wid dem dr^^ 4. 18Q "Dat winter wuz tough, all de niggers near 'bout starved ter death, an1 we ain't seed nothin1 of de forty acres of land an' de mule what de Yankees done promise us nother. Atter awhile we had ter go ter our ole masters an' ax 'em fer bread ter keep us alive. "De Klu Klux Klan sprung right up out of derearth, but de Yankees put a stop ter dat by puttin1 so many of dem in jail.. Bey do say dat dat's wh&t de State Prison wu*. built fer* *I never believed in witches an* I ain't put muck stock in hain'ts but I*se seed a few things durin* my life dat I can't 'splain,like de thing wid de red eyes da"t mocked me one night$ but shucks I ainft believin* in deal things much. I'ae plowed my Ian*, tended it year atter year, lived by myself an* all, an* I ain*t got hurted yet, but I ain't never rid in a automobile yet, anr I got one tootk le£t#* 320159 187 N. C. District No. 2 Worker: T. Pat Matthews No. Words: 1453 Sub j ect HANNAH CRASSON Story teller Hannah Crasson Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt /!/''> \ >"*¦' 320159 188 HANNAH CRASSOUT ttMy name is Hannah Crasson. I wuz born on John William Walton*s plantation 4 miles from Garner and 13 miles from Raleigh, N. C. in the County of Walce. I am 84 years ole the 2nd day uv Sis las* gone March. 1 belonged to Mr. John William Walton in slavery time. My missus wuz_named Bliss Martha. ftMy father wuz named Frank Walton. My mother wuz named Flora Walton. Grandma wuz 104 years when she died. She died down at de old plantation. My brothers were named Johnnie and Lang. My sisters were Adeline, Violet, Mary, Sarah, Ellen, and Annie. Four of us are livin', Ellen, Mary, Sarah and me. "De old boss man wuz good to us. I wuz talkin' about him the udder night. He didn't whup us and he said, he didn't want nobody else to whup us. It is «jis like I tell you; he wuz never cruel to us. One uv his sons wuz cruel to us. We had a plenty to eat, we shore did, plenty to eat. We had nice houses to live in too. Grandma had a large room to live in, and we had one to live in. Daddy stayed at home with mother. !Ehey worked their patches by moon- light; and worked for the white folks in the day time. They sold what they made. Marster bought it and paid for it. He made a barrel 0* rice every year, my daddy did. 189 "top. Bell Allen owned slaves too. He had a plenty o::' niggers. His plantation wuz 5 miles from ourn. We went to church at the white folks church. When Mir. Bell Allen seed us cummin1 he would say, yonder comes John Walton* s free niggers. •Our marater would not sell his slaves. He give dem to his children when they married off do*. I swept yards, churned, fed the chickens. In de ebening I would go with my missus a f ishin' • We eat collards, peas, corn bread, milk, and rice. We got biakit and butter twice a week. I thought dat de b est things I ^ever et wuz butter spread on biakit* We had a corn mill and a flour mill on the flanta- tion. There wuz about 24 slaves on de place. Bey had brandy made on de plantation,and de marster gib all his slaves some for dere own uses. *My grandmother and mother wove our clothes. Dey were called homespun. Bey made de shoes On de plantation too* I wuz not married til atter de surrender* I did not drees de finest in the world; but I had nice clothes. My wedding dress wuz made of cream silk, made princess with pink and cream bows. I wore a pair of morocco store bought shoes* My husband wuz dressed in a store bought suit of clothes, the coat wuz made pigen tail* He had on a velvet vest and a white collar and tie. Somebody stole de ves* atter dat* *Gnfiof our master's daughters wuft cruel. SometflLmes 190 ,i/" she would go out and rare on us, but old marster didn't want us whupped. •Our great grand mother wuz named granny Flora. Bey stole her frum Africa wid a red pocket handkerchief. Old man John William got my great grandmother. De people in Hew England got scured of we niggers. Dey were afrid we would rise aginst em and dey pushed us on down South. Lawd, why didn't dey let us stay whur we wuz, dey netober wouldn't a been so menny half white niggers, but the old marster wuz to blame for that* "We never saw any slaves sold. They carried them off to sell 'em. The slaves travelled in droves. Fathers and mothers were sold from their chilluns. Chilluns wuz sold from their parents on de plantations close to us. Where we went to church, we sat in a place away from de white folks. The slaves newer did run away from marster, because he wuz good to 'emj but they run away from other plantations. Tes, we seed the patterollers, we called ,em pore white trash., we also called patterollers pore white pecks, They had ropes around their necks. They came to our house one night when we were singin* and prayin1. It wuz jist before the surrender. Bey were hired by de slave owner. My daddy told us to show 'em de brandy our marster gib us, den dey went on a way, kase dey knowed John Walton wuz a funny man about his slaves* Bey gave us Christmas and other holidays. Ben dey, de men, would go to see dere 4. wives. Some of the men's wives belong to other marsters on other plantations. We had corn shuckin's at night, and candy pullin's. Sometimes we had quiltings and dances. *Gne of the slaves, my aint, she wuz a royal slave. She could dance all over de place wid a tumbler of water on her head, widout spilling it.^JShe sho could tote herself. I always luved to see her come to church. She sho could tote herself. "My oldest sister Violet died in slavery time. She wuz ten years old when she died. Her uncles were her pall bearers • Uncle Hyman and Uncle Handy carried her to t he grave yard. If I makes no mistake my daddy made her coffin. Dere wuz no sing-in1. There were seven of the family dere, dat wuz all. Dey had no funeral. Dere were no white folks dere. "•Dey baptized people in creeks and ponds. "fe rode corn stalks, bent down small pine trees and rode 'em for hojpses. We also played prison base* Cohered and white played, yes sir, whites and colored. We played at night but we had a certain time to go to bed. Dat wuz nine o'clock. De boss man looked atter us when we wuz sick. He got doctor*. I had the typhoid fever. All my hair came out. Dey called it de ^mittent fever.* Dr. Thomas Banks doctored me. He been dead a long time. Oht I don't know how long he been dead. Near all my white folka were found dead. Mr. John died outside. 191 5. 192 Walton died in bed. Marster Joe Walton died sitting under a tree side de path. Miss Hancey died in bed. *I 'memher the day de war commenced. My marster called my father and my two uncles Handy and Hyman, our marster called 'em. Dey had started back to the field to work in the afternoon. He said, •Cum here boys, that wuz^our young marster, Ben Walton, says.'cum here boys. I got sumptin' to tell you. Uncle Hyman said, I can't. I got to go to work.1 He said 'Come here and set down, I got sumptin' to tell you.* •The niggers went to him and set do-jan. He told them; £here is a war commenced between the North, and the South. If the North whups you will be as free a man. as I is. If the South whups you will be a slave all your days.' "Mr. Joe Walton said when he went to war dat dey could eat breakfast at home, go and whup the North, and be back far dinner. He went away,and it wuz four long years before he cum back to dinner. De table wuz shore set a long time for hira. A lot of de white folks said dey wouldn't be much war, dey could whup dem so easy. Many of dem never did come back to dinner. I wuz. afraid of the Yankees because Missus had told us the Yankees were going to kill every nigger in the South. I hung to my mammy when dey come through. 6. 193 ttT thought Abraham Lincoln wuz the Medicine man, with grip in his hatir, cause he said every horned man must be free* *I did not think anything of Jeff Davis. I thank de will of God for setting us free. He got into Abraham Lincoln and the Yankees. We are thankful to the Great Marster dat got into Lincoln and the Yankees. Dey say Booker Washington wuz fine, I don't know. "The white folks did not allow us to have nuthing to do wid books. You better not be found tryin' to learn to read. Our marster wuz harder down on dat den anything else. You better not be ketched wid a book. Dey read the Bible and told us to obey our marster for de Bible said obey your marster. ttThe first band of music I ever herd play the Ynakees wuz playin' it. They were playin' a song, *I am tired of seeing de homespun dre.--.ses the southern women wear'. "I thinks Mr. Roosevelt is a fine man. Jus* what, we need..* 520169 1\ C \ 194 N. C. District No* 2 Worker Mary A. Hicks l\o. Words... 130_____ Subject EX-5IAVB STORY Story teller Julia Grenshaw Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt &30169 195 EX-SLAVE STORY As Julia Crenshaw recalled her mother's story. n^f mammy wuz named Jane an' my pappy wuz named Richard. Dey belonged ter Lawyer R. J. Lewis in Raleigh, dar whar Peace Institute am ter day* Mammy said dat de white folkses wuz good ter dem an* gib 'em good food an' clothes. She wuz de cook, an' fer thirty years atter de war she cooked at Peace. "Before de Yankees come Mr. Lewis said, dat he dreamed dat de yard wuz full uv dem an' he wuz deef. When dey corned he played deef so dat he won't have ter talk ter 'em. Him he am dat proud. **lammy said dat she ain't cared 'bout been* free case she had a good home, but atter all slavery wusn't de thing fer America." 32^39 *«* 196 N. C. District No* 2 Worker T.Pat Matthews No, Words 1.414_____ Subject ZEB CROWDER Story teller Zeb Crowder Editor Palsy Bailey Waitt 320239 197 ZBB CROWDER 323 E. Cabarrus Street ttI wont nuthin' in slavery time and I aint nuthin' now. All de work I am able ter do now is a little work in de garden. Dey say I is too ole ter work, so charity gives me a little ter go upon every week. For one weeks 'lowance o* sumptin* ter eat dey gives me, hold on, I will show you, dat beats guessin'. Here it is: -J- peck meal (corn meal), 2 lbs oat meal, 2 lb dry skim milk, and 1 lb plate meat. Dis is what I gits fer one week *lowance. I can't work much, but de white folks gib me meals fur washin' de woodwork in dere houses, de white folks in Hayes's Bottom. What little I do, I does fer him. He gives me meals for workin'. De charity gives me about 80 cts worth o» rations a week» ttI wus seven years old when de Yankees come through. All de niggers 'cept me an' de white folks ran to de woods. I didn't have sense enough ter run, so I stayed on de porch where dey were passin' by. One of 'em pointed his gun at me* I remember it as well as it was yisterday. Yes sir, I seed de Yankees and I remember de clothes dey wore. Dey were blue and dere coats had capes on 'em and large brass buttons. De niggers and white folks were afraid of 'em. De ole house 2. 198 where dey came by, an' me on de porch is still standin', yes sir, and dey are livin' in it now. It belongs to Ralph Growder, and he has a fellow by de name o* Edward, a colored man, livin' dere now. De house is de udder side o' Swift Greek, right at Hands Mill. I belonged ter ole man William Crowder durin' slavery, Tom Crowder's daddy. Ralph is Tomrs son. My missus wus named Miss Melvina an' if I lives ter be a hundred years old I will never forget dem white folks. Yes sir, dey shore wus good ter us. We had good food, good clothes and a good place ter sleep. **My mother died before de war, but Miss Melvina wus so good ter us we didn't know so much diffe»ce» Mother wus de first person I remember seein* dead. When she died Miss Melvina, marsters wife, called us chillun in and says, 'Chillun your mother is dead, but anything in dis kitchen you wants ter eat go take it, but dont slip nuthin'. If you slip it you will soon be stealin' things.' I had four brothers and one sister, and none of us never got into trouble 'bout stealin'. She taught us ter let other people's things alone. "My father wus named Waddy Crowder. My mother wus named Neelie Crowder. Grandpa wus named Jacob Crowder and grandma wus named Sylvia Crowder. I know dem jist as good as if it wus yisterday» !... 3. 199 "Never went ter school a day in my life. I canrt read an' write. Dey would not 'low slaves ter have books, no sir reee, no, dat dey wouldn't. We went wid de white folks to church; dey were good ter us, dat's de truth. Dere aint many people dat knows tout dem good times. D^ey had a lot o' big dinners and when de white folks got through I would go up and eat all I wanted. "I .•member choppin' cotton on Clabber branch when I wtts a little boy before de surrender. When de surrender come I didn't like it. Daddy an' de udders didn't like it, 'cause after de surrender dey had to pay marster fer de meat an* things. Before dat dey didn't have nuthin' to do but work* Dere were eight slaves on de place in slavery time. Clabber branch run into Swift Creek. Lord have mercy, I have caught many a fish on dat branch. I also piled brush in de winter time. Birds went in de brush ter roost. Den we went bird blindin*. We had torches made o' lightwood splinters, and brushes in our han's, we hit de piles o' brush after we got 'round 'em. When de birds come out we would kill 'em* Dere were lots o' birds den. We killed 'em at night in the sage fields-** where broom grass was thick. Dem were de good times* Ho sich times now. We killed robins, doves, pafccidges and 1 The Negroes call the tall grass sage* 4. 200 other kinds o' birds. Bey aint no such gangs o*birds now. V/e briled 'em over coals o* fire and fried 'em in fryin' pans, and sometimes we had a bird stew, wid all de birds we wanted. De stew wus de bes* o' all. Dere aint no sich stews now. We put flour in de stew. It was made into pastry first, and we called it slick. When we cooked chicken wid it we called it chicken slick. *Dere were no overseers on our plantation. Marster wouldn't let you have any money on Sunday. He would not trade on Sunday. He would not handle money matters on Monday, but 'ceptin' dese two days if you went to him he would keep you. He was who a good ole man. Dat's de truf. '*The Ku Klux would certainly work on you* If dey caught you out of your place dey would git wid you. I don't remember anything ;*bout <£e Freedman's Bureau but de Ku Klux Klan was something all niggers wus scared of. .Yes sir, dey would get wid you. Dats right. Hat Hal Dat's right* WI never seen a slave whupped, no sir, I never see a slave sold. I saw de speculators do'. I saw de patterollers, b;ut dey didn't never whup my daddy. Dey run him one time, but dey couldn't cotch him. Marster Crowder allus give daddy a pass when he asked fer it* 5. 201 **1 believe ole marster an1 ole missus went right on ter Heaven, Yes, I de believe dat. Dat*s de truf. Yes, my Lawd, I would like to see *em right now. Dere is only one o1 de old crowd livin*, an* dat is Miss Cora. She stays - right here in Raleigh. "We used to have candy pullin's, an* I et more ash cakes den anybody. We cooked ash cakes out o* meal. We had dances in de winter time, and other plays. I played marbles an* runnin* an* jumpin* when I wus a chile. Dey give us sasa-frac tea sweetened to eat wid bread. It shore wus mighty good. % father never married enny more. He settled right down after de war and farmed fer his old marster and all we chillun stayed. We didn*t want ter leave, an* I would be wid *em right now if dey wus livin*. **I got married when I wus 21 years old, and moved ter myself in a little house on de plantation. De house is standin* dere now, de house where I lived den. I seed it de tidder day when I went out dere to clean off my wife*s grave. I married Lula Hatcher. She died rbout ten years ago. I married her in Georgia. I stayed dere a long time when missus* brother, Wiley Clemmons, went ter Georgia ter run turpentine an* tuck me wid him. I stayed dere till he died; an* Mr. Tom Crowder went after him an* brought him back home an * buried him at de ole home place • He is buried right dere at de Crowder place* 6. 202 ttI have worked wid some o1 de Crowders mos* all my life and I miss dem people, when one of *em dies. Dey allus give my daddy outside patches, and he made good on it* He cleaned up seven acres, and do you know how he fenced it? Wid nuthin1 but bresh. An* hogs an' cows didn't go in dere neither. We had lots o* game ter eat. Marster *lowed my daddy ter hunt wid a gun, and he killed a lot o* rabbits, squirrels, &h' game. We trapped birds an* caught rabbits in boxes. Daddy caught possums an' coons wid dogs. One o* my brothers is livin' at Garner, H. C. I am four years older den he is. From what little judgment I got I thought a right smart o' Abraham Lincoln, but I tells you de truf Ir. Roosevelt has done a lot o' good. Dats de truf. I likes hinutt AC 320243 20'* \J N. C. District No. 2 Worker T. Pat Matthews No. Words 585___ Sub j ect APELIKE CRUMP Story Teller Adeline Crump Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt 320243 204 ADELBES CHUMP 526 Cannon Street ,lMy name is Adeline Crump, and I am 73 years old. My husband's name wus James Crump. My mother's was Marie Cotton and my father's name wus Cotton. My mother belonged to the Faucetts; Rich Faucett wus her marster. Father belonged to the Cottons; Wright Cotton wus his marster* My maiden name wus Cotton. Mother and father said they were treated all right and that they loved their white folks. They gave them patches, clothed them tolerably well, and seed that they got plenty to eat. The hours of work wus long. Nearbout everybody worked long hours then, but they said they wus not mistreated 'bout nothing. When they got sick marster got a doctor, if they wus bad off sick. "They wus allowed holidays Christmas and at lay-by time, an* they wus 'lowed to hunt possums an* coons at night an1 ketch rabbits in gums. They also caught birds in traps made of splinters split from pine wood. "Mother and father had no learnin1. They would not allow ohem to learn to read and write. Marster wus keerfui 'bout that. I cannot read an1 write, lay mother and father told me many stories 'bout the patterollers and Ku Kliuu A nigger better have a pass when he went visitin' or if they caught him they tore up his back. Ths Ku Kitcc 2. 205 made the niggers think they could drink a well full of water. They carried rubber things under their clothes and a rubber pipe leadin' to a bucket o* water. The water bag helt the water they did not drink it. Guess you have heard people tell roout they drinking so much water. "Marster didn't have no overseers to look after his slaves. He done that hisself with the help o' some o* his men slaves., Sometimes he made *em foreman and my mother and father said they all go#~along mighty fine.. The colored folks went to the white folk's church and had prayer meet- ing in their homes. "Mother lived in the edge o' marster's yard. When the surrender come after the war they stayed on the plantation right on and lived on marster*s land. They built log houses after de war cause marster let all his slaves stay right on his plantation.. My mother had twenty-one chillun. She had twins five times. I wus a twin and Emallne wus my sister. She died 'bout thirty years ago. She left 11 chillun when she died. I never had but four chillun. All my people are dead, I is de only one left. ttMarster's plantation wus 'bout six miles from Merry Oaks in Chatham County. We moved to Merry Oaks when I wus fourteen years old. I married at seventeen. I have lived in North Carolina all my life. We moved to Raleigh from Merry Oaks long.time ago. My husband died here seventeen years ago. I worked after my husband died, washin1 3. 206 ana ironin* for white folks till I am not able to work no more. Hain't worked any in fof years. Charity don't help me none. i.,y chillun c;,ives me what I gits. Slavery wus a bad thing, cause from what mother ana father tole me all slaves didn't fare alike. Some fared good an* some bad. I don't know enough *bout Abraham Lincoln an' Mr. Ho os eve It to talk about 'em. Ho, I don't know just what to say. I sho' hopes you will quit axin' me so many things cause I forgot a lot mother ana father tole me. BN 320232 207 j. C. BistrietJtfQ^______ Subject BILL CRUMP_____________ gnrk-er Marv A. Hicks Person Interviewed Bill Crump K>. Words, ?44________ Editor Daisy Bailev Waitt________ 320232 208 C-Musfa] HELL CRUMP Ex-Slave Story An interview with Bill Crump, 82 of State prison, Raleigh North Carolina. MI reckon dat I wus horned in Davidson County on de plantation of Mr. Whitman Smith, my mammy's marster. nify daddy wus named Tom an* he 'longed ter Mr. Ben fi&irry fust anr later ter Mr. Jimmy Crump. Daddy wua named atter his young marster. Dey lived in Randolph, de county next ter Davidson whar me mammy an' de rest of de chilluns, Alt, George, Harriet, Sarah, Mary ai! de baby libed. "Both of de marsters wus good ter us, an* dar wus plenty ter eat an' w'ar, anr right many jubilees. We ainrt none of de dozen er so of us eber got a whuppin', case we ainft desarved no whuppin'; why, dar wusn't eben a cowhide whup anywhar on de place. We wucked in de fie*Is from sunup ter sundown mos* or de time, but we had a couple of hours at dinner time ter swim or lay on de banks uv de little crick an1 sleep. Ober 'bout sun- down marster let us go swim agrin iifen we wanted ter do it. -2- 209 "De marster let us have some chickens, a shoat an* a gyarden, an' 'tater patch, an' we had time off ter wuck 'em* In season we preserved our own fruits fer de winter anr so we larned not ter be so heaby on de marster*s han's. "My daddy wus a fiddler, an' he sometimes played fer de dances at de Cross Roads, a little village near de marster*s place. All what ain't been mean could go, but de mean ones can*t, an' de rest of .us has ter habe a pass ter keep de patterollers from gittin us. "Yes mam, we had our fun at de dances, co'n chuckin's, candy pullin's, an' de gather in *s an' we sarbed de marster better by habin' our fun. "I'se seed a bunch o' slaves sold a heap of times an' I neber seed no chains on nobody. Dey jist stood dem on de table front of de post office at Cross Roads an1" sol* •em terde one what bids de highes.' "We hyard a whisper *bout some slaves bein* beat ter death, but I ain't neber seed a slave git a lick of no kin*, course atter de war I seed de Ku Klux runnin' mean niggers. "Dar wus no marry in* on de plantation, iff en a nigger wants a 'oman he has got ter buy her or git her marster*s permit, den dey am married. "lhen one o* de slaves wus sick he had a doctor fast -3- 210 as lightriin*, an* when de died he wus set up wid one night. De marster would gibe de mourners a drink o* wine mebbe, an* dey*d morn, an* shout, an* sing a 11 de night long, while de cop'se laid out on de coolin* board, which *minds me of a tale. l,Onct we wus settin* up wid a nigger, rfore de war an* hit bein* a hot night de wine wus drunk an* de mo*ners wus settin* front or de do • eatin* watermillons while de daid man laid on de coolin* board. Suddenly one of de niggers looks back in at de do*, an* de daid man an settin* up on de coolin1 board lookin right at him. De man what sees hit hollers, an* all de rest what has been wishin * d at de daid man can enjoy de wine an* de watermillons am sorry dat he has corned back. MDey doan take time ter say hit do*, case dey am gone ter de big house. De marster am brave so he comes ter see, an* he says dat hit am only restrictions o> de muscles. "De nex* mornin*, as am de way, dey puts de man in a pine box made by *nother slave an* dey totes him from de cabin ter de marster*s buryin* groun* at de cedars; an* de slaves bury*s him while de marster an* his fambly looks on. aI doan know much *bout de Yankees case de warn*t none 'cept de skirtin * parties corned our way* •Atter de war we stays on fer four or five years -4- mebbe, an* I goes ter school two weeks. De teacher wus Mr. Edmund Knights from de iVb'th. "I'se sarbed four years an' ten months of a eight ter twelve stretch fer killin' a man. Dis man an' a whole gang of us wus at his house gamblin'. I had done quit drinkin' er montr er so 'fore dat, but dey 'sists on hit, but I'fuses. Atter 'while he pours some on me an':T cusses him, den he cusses me, an* he says dat he am gwine ter kill me, an' he foilers me down de road* I turns roun* an' shoots him. "Dat am all of my story 'cept dat I has seen a power- ful heap of ghostes an' I knows dat dey comes in white an' black, an' dat dey am in de shape er dogs, mens, an' eber' thing dat you can have a mind to." j.E. 211 320148 'H \ I :7 212 N. C District No. 2. Worker Mary A. Hicks No. Words 652 Sub.iect CHARLIE CBQJIEP Person Interviewed Charlie Crunrp Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt__________ 320148 213 CHARLIE CRUMP Ex-Slave Story An interview with Charlie Crump 82 of Cary 4near) "I wuz borned at Evan's Ferry in Lee or Chatham County, an* I belonged ter Mr. Davis Abernathy anr his wife Mis1 Vick. My pappy wuz named Ridge, an* my mammy wuz named Mar thy. My brothers wuz Stokes anr Tucker, an1 my sisters wuz Lula an* Liddy Ann* Dar wuz nine o' us in all, but some o* dem wuz sold, an1 some o* dem wuz dead. "De Abernathy*s wuzn't good ter us, we got very little ter eat, nothin* ter wear an* a whole lot o* whuppin's. Dey ain't had no slaves 'cept seben or eight, in fact, dey wuz pore white trash tryin' ter git rich; so dey make us wuek. "Dey wucks us from daylight till dark, an* sometimes we jist gits one meal a day, De mars ter says dat emjbty niggers am good niggers an* dat full niggers has got de debil in dem. An* we ain't 'lowed ter go nowhar at night, dat is if dey knowed it, I'se seed de time dat niggers from all ober de neigh- borhood gang up an* have fun anyhow, but if dey hyard de patter- oilers comin' gallopin' on a hoss dey'd fly. Crap shootin* wuz de style den, but a heap of times dey can't find nothin ter bet. -2- 214 "I toted water, case daf's all I wuz big enough ter do, anr lemmie tell yo* dat when de war wua ober I ain't had nary a sprig of hair on my haid, case de wooden buckets what I toted on it wored it plumb off. "When we got hongry anr could fin* a pig, a calf or a chicken, no matter who it had belonged to, it den belonged ter us. We raised a heap o* cane an' we et brown-sugar. Hit 's funny dat de little bit dey gibed us wuz what dey now calls wholesome food, an* hit shore make big husky niggers. nMy mammy had more grit dan any gal I now knows of has in her craw. She plowed a hateful little donkey dat wuz about as hongry as she wuz, an* he wuz a cuss if*en dar eber wuz one. Mammy wuz a little brown gal, den, tough as nails anr she ain't axin* dat donkey no odds at all. She uster take him out at twelve an' start fer de house an* dat donkey would hunch up his back an' swear dat she wuznrt gwine ter ride him home. Mammy would swear dat she would, an* de war wouM be on. He'd throw her, but she'd git back on an* atter she*d win de fight he'd go fer de house as fast as a scaulded dog. "when we hyard dat de Yankees wuz comin* we wuz skeerd, case Marse Abernathy told us dat dey'd skin us alive. I'mem- bers hit wuz de last o' April or de fust o' May when dey corned, anr I had started fer de cane fil1 wid a bucket o* water on -3- 215 my haid, but when I sees dem Yankees eomin' I draps de bucket anr runs. "De folks thar 'bouts burnt de bridge crost de ribber, but de Yankees carried a rope bridge wid 'em, so dey crossed anyhow. ltDem Yankees tuck eber thing dat dey saw eben to our kush, what we had cooked fer our supper. Eush wuz cornmeal, onions, red pepper, salt an1 grease, dat is if we had any grease. Dey killed all de cows, pigs, chickens an1 stold all de hosses an' mules* "We wuz glad ter be free, an* lemmie tell yo', we shore cussed ole marster out 'fore we left dar; den we corned ter Raleigh. I'se always been a farmer an' I'se made rdght good. I lak de white folkses an' dey laks me but 1*11 tell yo' Miss, I'd ruther be a nigger any day dan to be lak my ole white folks wuz." M.A. H. L.B. "ftt'*;*-?^!- y^fjy* -SvC» District 3>fo# Subject: B2FCES dr.D iU?TER. THE v*isH# KG* 'Words: 10,018 Story Teller: 1/&TTIS CU2US ,7orker: **ary Kicks Editors ^eorye L. Andrews S§£tto?f;;':' 330050 317 BEFOiiE ajS'D AFTER IHS V/iiR An interview with Mattie Curtis, 98 years old, of Raleigh, North Carolina, Route #4. "I wus horned on de plantation of kr» John Hayes in Orange County ninety-eight years ago* Seberal of de chilluns had been sold 'fore de speculator come en' buyed mammy, pappy an1 we three chilluns. De speculator wus named Bebus an' he lived in Henderson, out he meant to sell us in de tobacco country* "We come through Raleigh an' de fust tiling dat I ^members good wus goin' through de paper mill on Crabtree* We traveled on ter Granville County on de Granville Tobacco path till a preacher named Whitfield buyed us* He lived near de Granville an' Franklin County line, on de Granville side* "Preacher Whitfield, bein' a preacher, wus supposed to be good, but he ain't half fed ner clothed his slaves an' he . whupped 'em bad* I'se seen him whup my mammy wid all de clothes off en her back* He'd buck her down on a barrel an* beat de blood outen her, Dar wus some difference in his beatin* from de neighbors* De folks round dar fud whup in de back yard^ :but-Matrsi Whitfield *ud have de barrel carried in his parloj? fer^de5:be;a,Mnr» • ¦' £• 218 "We ain't had no sociables, but we went to church on Sunday an' dey preached to us dat we'd go ter hell alive if'fen we sassed our white folks* "Jpeakin' 'bout clothes, I went as naked as Yor han* till I wus fourteen year^ old. I wus nailed like dat when my nature come to Lie. ^iarse V-'iiitfield ain't carin', but atter dat mammy tol' him dat I had ter have clothes* "iiuarse Whitfiled ain't never pay fer us so finally we wus sold to His' Fanny Long in franklin County. Dat 'oman wus a debil iff en dar eber wus one. when I was little I had picked up de fruit, fanned flies offen de table wid a peafowl fan an' missed de little slave chilluns* De las' two or three years I had worked in de fiel' but at Mis' Long's I worked in de backer factory* "Yes main, she had a backer factory whar backer wus stemmed, rolled an' packed in cases fer sellin*. ' Bey said dat she had got rich on sellin' chawin' terbaeker* "We wus at Mis' Long's when war wus declared, 'fore dat she had been purty good, but she am a debil new. Her sen am .callecfber.de war an' he won't go. Ley comes an' arrests him, den his,mammy tries ter pay him out, but dat ain't no good* *Be.officers sez dat he am yaller an1 dat dey am gwihe tea? ¦ ;sJaaot,;,his_ head.off an* use hit fer a soap gourd* De Yankees :,.,$|jf|-: #^©o.t0,ki«3#^»n,,here at Bentonville an' Kis* Long went *ffe§§§:.^^p§s;,|i|:Bgbnfederates has got de body but dey won't 3> let her have it fer love ner money* Dey laughs an1 tells her how yaller he am an' dey buries him in a ditch like a dog* "Mis' Long has been bad enough fere den but atter her son is dead she sez dat she am gwine ter fight till she draps dead. Be nex' day she sticks de shot gun in mammy*s back an* ,sez dat she am gwine ter shoot her dead. Llammy smiles an' tells her dat she am ready ter go. Mis' Long turns on me an' tells¦ me ter go ter de peach tree an' cut her ten limbs 'bout ¦:u yard long, dis I' does an' atter she ties dem in a bundle she wears dem out on me at a hundret licks* Lemmie tell yo*, dar vms pieces of de peach tree switches stickin' all in my bloody back #ien she got through* "Atter dat Mi$* Long ain't done nothin1 but v;hup us an' fight till she shore nuff vore out* nDe Yankee captain come ter our place an* tol* us dat da Ian' mis goin* ter be cut up an' divided anong'de slaves, dey would'also have a mule on' a house apiece. ¦/"I doan know how come hit but jist 'fore de end of de • war we come ter Moses Mordicia*s place, right up de hill from here. He wus mean too, he'd get drunk an* whu.p niggers all day off an* on. He-'dkeep dem tied, down dat long too, sometimes. :. from sunrise till darik*, ' **Mr» Mordisia had his yaller gals in'one Quarter ter, . dey'd sen1 hit over ter de black quarter at birth* -Dey do say dat some of dese gal babies got grown, an1 atter goin* back ter de yaHer quarter had more chilluns fer her own daddy or brother. Be Thompson's sprung from dat set an1 dey say dat a heap of dem is halfwits- fer de reason dat I has jist tol' yof. Dem yaller wimen wus highfalutin* too, dey though'dey wus better dim de black ones* "Has yo' ever wondered why de yaller wimen dese days am meaner dan black ones 'bout de men? Well dat's de reason fer hit, dere mammies raised dem'to think 'bout de white men. wWhen de Yankees come dey come an' freed us. De woods wus full of Rebs what had deserted, but. de x'snkees killed s.ome. of" dem*' "Some sort of corporation cut de land up, but de slaves ain't got none of it dat I ever heard about* "I got-married before de war to Joshua Curtis.. I loved him tooj which is more dam most folks can truthfully -Bay* I always had:. craved a home an' a plenty to eat, ¦ but freedom aih^t'giVe' us :notinr but pickled hoss- meat an' dirty crackers, anr 'not';hMlf'^iiough- of &£U ' ."¦¦*¦'¦¦-v : ;^;/:'^josh; ain^t really care 'bout no home but through, die •••%i,:^V-'' 5, :lbiS !,A1I of ciis time I had nineteen chilluns an' Josh died, out I kep-' on an.1 de fifteen what is dead lived tc be near 'boat grown, ever one of dem. "Right atter de war- northern preachers- come around wid & little book a-marrying slaves eii' I seed one of dem marry my pappy an' mammy* Atter dis dey tried to find dere fourteen oldest chilluns whatwus sold away, bjjt dey never did find but three of dem. "But you wants ter^find out how I got along. I111 never fergit my first 'bale of cotton an' how I got hit sold* I wus some proud of dat bale of cotton, an' atter I had hit ginned I set out wid hit on my steer cart fer Haleigh. Be white folks hated de migger den, rspecially de nigger what wus makin1 somethinr so I dasen't ax nobody whar de market wus» r,I thought dat I could find de place by myself, but I rid all day an' had to take my cotton home wid me dat night rca.se I can't find no place to sell hit at* But dat night I think hit over an' de nex* day I goes back'an' axes a policeman roout de market. Lo an' behld chile, I founr hit on Blount Street, an' 1 had pass by hit seberal times de day before*. . m done' »:¦'heap;-:;of' -work at night too,: all;of' my sewih*:;an:*, puesh an* de pieee^'^'lfta^-near de house:;ov@2^'iar: ainrt/neve.r^. ;g0%/no-;W>rk: *e@pt ^0^Mi0$*^ . I ¦ ¦fiha&fc^; p^ift- %r\d.e land.,. ,:;ll©*&£p:: ' &* quick an1 easy* ; ¦ '¦;-?--": iI;;- HDis young generation' -&ihrt worth'; shtfeks* Fifteen years ago I hired a "big buck nigger to help me shrub an * *fcre leben orclock :tte- passed'out :one'"'me*-"" You toow^bout^ lietoen. o*clock in July hit gits in a bloom* Be young generation wid dere schools an dere^'divorcing; ainft • gwine'¦ ter git nothin1 out of life» Hit tms; better" when 'folks ji^t "li^ed^tergetfesr* Dere'"-loafin r gits desi inter trouble •:knii':: dere- nbtel^'-Bisif^ dem b^;-tiusban:t'&-an|; wivtfr too** : •'*•¦ mi ¦*.!*¦& *Ttfc . ':^i¥&*3t$r, : ¦':*$Mfj$!"f %&%,&&**. s>£ :.»? ssKf i*n¦ 229 N. C. District No. 2 Worker Mary A» Hicks No. Words 386___ Sub j e ct John Daniels Story Teller John Daniels Bditor Baisy Bailey Waitt 320281 230 JOHN DANIELS Ex-Slave Story /?") *I*se named fer my pappy* s ole massa down in Spartan- burg, South Carolina, course I doan know no thin* *bout no war, case I warn't borned. I does *member seein* de ole *big house* do*, maybe you want me ter tell you how hit looked? "It wuz a big white two-story house at de end uv a magnolia lane an* a-settin* in a big level fiel* ? Back o* de big house wuz de ole slave cabins whar my folks uster live, "©ey said dat de massa wuz good ter *em, but dat sometimes in de mo'nin* dey jist has lasses an* co*ribread fer breakfas* • **I started ter tell you *bout de Joe A$oe do** "You mebbe doan know hit, but de prisoners hyar doan git de blues so bad if de company comes on visitin* days, an' de mail comes reg'lar, We*s always gittin' up somepin' ter have a little fun, so somebody gits up de Joe Moe. «Yo* sees dat when a new nigger comes in he am skeerd an* has got de blues. Somebody goes ter cheer him up an* dey axes him hadn't he ruther be hyar dan daid. 2- 231 Yo* see he am moughty blue den, so mebbe he says dat he'd ruther be daid; den dis feller what am tryin' ter cheer him tells him dat all right he sho' will die 4*fc-he,s got de Joe Moe put on him, "Seberal days atter dis de new nigger fin's a little rag full of somepin twix de bed an' mattress an' he axes what hit am. Somebody tells him dat hit am de~Joe Moe, an' dey tells him dat de only way he can git de spell off am ter git de bag off on somebody else. Ever'body but him knows 'bout, hit so de Joe ~i*oe keeps comin* back till a new one comes in an' he l'arns de joke. "Talkin' 'bout ghostes I wants ter tell you dat de air am full of *em. Dar's a strip from de groun' 'bout four feet high which am light on de darkes1 night, case hit can't git dark down dar. Git down an' crawl an* yo'll see a million laigs of eber' kin' an' if en you lis*ens you'll hyar a little groanin1 an' den you has gone through a warm spot. B.N. 320186 N. C. District No. 2 V/orker T. Pat Matthews No. Words 725 Subject HARRIET ANN DAVES Story teller Harriet Ann Daves Editor Daisy Bailey V/aitt_____ 320186 'J333 HARRIET ANN DAVES 601 S. Cabarrus Street "%• full name is Harriet Ann Daves, I like to be called'Harriet Ann. If my mother called me when she was living, I didn't want to answer her unless she called me Harriet Ann. I was born June 6, 1856. Hilton Waddell, my mother's marster was my father, and he never denied me to anybody. "ISy mother was a slave but she was white. I do not know who my mother's father was* I.y mother was Mary Collins. She said that her father was an Indian, h'y mother's mother was Mary Jane Collins, and she was white-maybe part Indian. % grandfather was old man William D. Waddell, a white man* I was born in Virginia near Orange Courthouse. The Waddells moved to Lexington, Missouri, after I was born. I guess some of the family would not like it if they knew I was telling this. V/e had good food and a nice place to live. I was nothing but a child, but I know, and remember that I was treated kindly. I remember the surrender very well. When the surrender came my grandfather came to mother and told her: 'Well, you are as free as I am. • That was William D. Waddell. He was one of the big shots among the white folks. f J tt'Hy white,grandmother wanted mother to give me to her entirely. She said she had more right to me than my Indian grandmother that she had plenty to educate and care for me. %• mother would not give me to her, and she cried* L5y mother gave me to my Indian grandmother. I later went back to my mother* trWhile we were in Missouri some of my father's people, a white girl, sent for me to come up to the great house. I had long curls and was considered pretty. The girl remarked, 'Such a pretty child1 and kissed me. She afterwards made a remark to which my father who was there, my white father, took exception telling her I was his child and that I was as good as she was. I remember this incident very distinctly. "S/fcr mother had two children by the same white man, my father* The other was a girl* She died in California* My father never married. He loved my mother, and he said if he could not marry Mary he did not want to marry. Father said he did not want any other woman. Wy father was good to me. He would give me anything I asked him for. Mother would make me ask him for things for her. She said it was nQoharm for me to ask him for things for her which she could not get unless I asked him for them. When the surrender came my mother told my father she was tired of living that kind of a life, that if she could not be his legal wife she wouldn't be anything to him, so she left and x went to LeVenworth, Kansas. She died there in 1935. I do not know where my father is, living or dead, or what became of him. "I can read and write well. They did not teach us to read and write in slavery days. I went to a school opened by the Yankees after the surrender• y "I went with my mother to Levenworth, Kansas. She sent me to school in Flat, Nebraska. I met my huaband there. My first husband was Elisha Williams; I ran away from school in Flat, and married him. He brought me to Raleigh. He was born and raised in Wake County. We lived together about a year when he died July 1st, 1872. There was one child born to us which died in infancy. "I married the second time Rufus H. Daves in 1875* He was practically a white man. He wouldn't even pass for a mulatto. He used to belong to the Haywoods. He died in 1931 in Raleigh. 4. 236 "I think Abraham Lincoln was a fine, conscientious man; my mother worshipped, him, but he turned us out without anything to eat or live oh. I don't think Mr. Roosevelt is either hot or cold - just a normal man." AC 320257 &» % OS* \ 237 N. C. District No* 2 Worker Mary A. Hicks No. Words 429 Subject JERHT DAVIS Story teller Jerry Davis Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt 320257 238 JERBY DAVTS Ex-Slave Story and Folk Tale An interview with Jerry Davis 74 of 228 E. South Street, Haleigh, North Carolina* ^I wus borned in Warren County ter Mataldia an* Jordan Davis* Dere wus twenty-two o* us chilluns, an* natu*ally Marster Sam Davis laked my mammy an* daddy* He owned two hundert an* seventy slaves, an* three, four, or five scopes o* Ian** **3Barster wus good ter us, he gibe us plenty ter eat, an* w*ar, an* he wus good an* kind in his talkin** I warn*t big *nuff ter do much * sides min* de chickens, an* sich lak. **I doan * member so much *bout de Yankees comin* *cept sein* dem, an* dat dey gibe my pappy a new blue overcoat an* dat I slep* on it onct er twict* I knows dat de Yankees wus good ter de niggers but dey warn't so good ter de ole Issues* Bey did *stroy most eber*tMng do*. **I can*t *member, but I*se hyard my mammy tell o* dances* co'n shuckin*s, wrestlin* matches, candy pullin*s an* sich things dat wus had by de slaves dem days* s- 239 "US? pappy tol* me *bout de cock fights in de big pits at Warrenton an1 how dat when de roosters got killed de owner often gibe de dead bird ter him* I*se also hyard him tell *bout de hoss races an* *bout Marster Sam's fine hosses. "I knows dat de marster an1 missus wus good case my mammy an* daddy *sisted on stay in* right on atter de war, an* so dey died an* wus buried dar on Marster Sam*s place. *I wucked in de Dupont Powder plant durin* de World War but I wus discharged case I had acid injury. "Yessum, 1*11 tell you de only rale ole tale dat I knows an* dat am de story *bout ——» Ja^k. JACK *Qnct dar wus a white man down in Beaufort County what owned a nigger named Jack* Die man owned a boat an* he wus fer ever more goin* boat ridin*, fer days anr nights. He larned Jack how ter steer an* often he *d go ter sleep leavin* Jack at de wheel, wid *atructions ter steer always by de seben stars* 3. 240 **0tia night as Jack steered for his master to sleeps Ja^k su&denly fell asleep too* Ihen he awake it wus $kffo £t V ^ tf N*C•District Worker Travis Jordan Sub ject Sarah Debro _ Ex-Slave 90 Years Durham, M.C+ "•*&4Z- . .*$ti:)«^»£&- ^k\ •^lllR^'fi, ^f\,,?&*fv#l ^iliilKliii 3201&9 SARAH DEBRO EX-SLAVE 90 YEARS' "I-'.was bawn in Grange County way back some time in de fifties' His Polly wjbite Cain an1 !,;arse Docter Cain wa& my white folks. Marse Cain's plantation joined Mistah-Paul Cameron's land, liarse Cain owned so mariy niggers dat he didn' know his own slaves when he met dem in de road. Sometimes he would stop dem an' say: *Whose niggera am you?' Dey'd say, 'We's Marse' Cain's nifgers.' Den he would say, 'I'se Marse Cain,* and drive on. Marse Cain was good to his niggers. He didn' whip dem like some owners did, but if dey done mean he sold dem. Dey knew dis so dey minded him. One day gran'pappy sassed Mis' Polly White an1 she told him dat if he didn' 'have hese'f dat she would put him in her pocket. Gran'pappy wuz er big man an' I ax him. how Mis*Polly could do dat. Ee said she meant dat she would, sell ,, him den put de money in her pocket. Ke never did sass Mis' Polly no- more. . . . >. • I was kept at de big house to wait on Mis' Polly, to tote her basket, of keys an,* such as dat. Whenever she seed a chile down in de quarters .dat-..she* wanted; to raise be handt jshe. took dem up. to. d^jbjg h^use .an,*,, traJinM.4em.;:...,, Zjsm to be, a Muse, maid.* , He .day- shjt J.ookjf^ ti^,rpgmw$::i ;ci|^fd,.':.kase..;aheJOM^i I,;w|>ilJ,&. ne^evr, b,e,, *3i>$e4 '¦¦.¦'"'' t^Js^.;^ §£,f§0&^t^ifM: he£; no; more .:Mmf Polly was big . an'*: fat . -2- an* aprons was starched stiff. I had a clean apron every day. We had white sheets on de beds an* we niggers had plenty to eat too, even ham, When Mis' Polly went to ride she took me in de carriage wid her. De driver set way up high an' me an* Misf Polly set way down low. Dey was two hosses with shiney harness. I toted Mis' Polly's bag an' bundles, an' if she dropped her hank'chief I picked it up. I loved Mis' Polly an* loved stayin' at de big house. I was 'bout wais'-high when de sojers mustered. I went wid Mis' Polly down to de musterin' fiel' whare dey was marchin'. . I can see dey feets now when dey flung dem up an' down;, savin*, hep, hep. When dey was all ready to go an* fight, de women folks fixed a big dinner. Aunt Charity an.' Pete cooked two or three days for Mis' Polly. De table was piled wid chicken, ham, shoat, barbecue, young lam*, an'all sorts of pies, cakes an' things, but nobody eat no thin much. Mis* Polly an' de ladies got to cryin.' Be kittles got cold* I was so sad dat 1 got over in de corner an' cried too. Be m&n folks all had ©n dey new sojer clothes, an' dey didn* eat no thin neither. Young Marse ^Tim went up an* put his arm ^rswai*;Mis* ^Pally, Ms m&rMy, but. dat atade h©r cry harder• Msrse Jim was a ©av#lry« Ee rode a big hoss, an' my Uncle Bave went wid hisy-.to -de, £Se:l*;a#': hi® body guard*' Ee hyad^a &bs# too so' if Ifese tTim'-s hoss got shot dare would be another one for him to EideV Us' Polly had another son but he was¦ too drunk to hold a 'fXyy;^l§mX^fyi^-^^^m^:(M^^^i- s&e&fed'%&**^ar?.^©^' to death. We -3- Mis Polly say, 'Lissen, Sarah, hear dem cannons? Dey's killin1 our mens.' Den she lgun tocry* I run in de kitchen whare Aunt Charity was cookin an1 tole her Mis1 Polly was cry in. She said: !She ain't cryin* kaze de Yankees killin' de mens; she's doin1 all dat cryin1 kaze she skeered we's goin1 to be sot free.1 Den I got mad an1 tole her Mis1 Polly wuzn! like dat. 1 fmembers when Wheelers Cavalry come through* Dey was 'Federates but dey was mean as de Yankees. Dey stold everything dey could find an' killed a pile of niggers. Dey come 'roun1 checkin1 • Dey ax de niggahs if dey wanted to be free* If dey say yes, den dey shot dem dovm, but if dey say no, dey let dem alone* Bey took three of my uncles*out in de woods an1 shot dey faces off. I 'members de first time de Yankees come. Dey come galiupin' down de road, jump in1 over de palin's? tromplin' down de rose bushes an1 messin* up de flower beds* Dey stomped all over de house, in de kitchen, pantries, smoke house,: an* ©verywhare, but dey didn' x ind much, kaze near xbout everything done been hid. I was" settin1 on de $teps when a big Yankee come up. He had on a cap ^if his eyes ^as mean. *lhare did dey hide do goV an silver, Nagger?r he yelled at me# ¦">•- - - ¦••¦< ' ¦¦"¦'¦ I was skeered an my hands was ashy, but I tole him I didn1 no thin1 fbout no thin; dat if anybody done hii things dey hid it while I was sleeo. -4- O/K rGo ax dat ole white headed devil,r he said to me. I got mad den kaze he wao tawkin1 'bout Mis1 Polly, so I didn1 say no thin1 . I jus1 set. Den he pushed me off de step an1 say if I didn1 dance he gwine shoot my toes off. Skeered as I was, I sho done some shufflin1 . Den he give me five do Hers an1 tole mfe to go buy jim cracks, but dat piece of paper won't no good. fTwuzn no thin1 hut a shin plaster like all dat war money, you couldn1 spend it. Dat Yankee kept callin1 Mis1 Polly a white headed devil anf said she done ram-shacked 'til dey wuzn1 nothin1 left, but he made his mens tote off meat, flour, pigs, an* chickens. After dat Mis* Polly got mighty stingy wid de vittles an1 de didn1 have no more ham. When de war was over de Yankees was all 'roan1 de place tellin* de niggers what to do. Dey tole dem dey was free, dat dey didn* have to slave for de white folks no more* My folks all left Marse Gain an1 went to live in houses dat de Yankees built* Dey wuz like poor white folks houses, little shacks made out of sticks anf mud wid stick an1 mud chimneys. Dey wuzn* like Marse Cain's cabins, planked up an1 warm, dey was full of cracks, an1 dey wuzn1 no lamps an1 oil. All de light come from de lightwood knots burnin1 in de fireplace. OOsucLay my maiimy eotoe "fctt^Gte big house :a£t#rm&i I ddL&s1 ~5~ 253. her feets. 'Let her stay wid me,' Mis' Polly said to Mammy. But Mammy shook her head. 'You took her away from me an' didn' pay no mind to my cryin', sd» now I'se takin' her back home. We's free now, Mis' Polly, we ain't gwine be slaves no more to nobody.1 She dragged me away. I can see how Mis' Polly looked now. She didn' say nothin' but she locked hard at Mammy an1 her face was white. Mammy took me to de stick an' mud house de Yankees done give her. It was smoky an* dark kaze dey wuzn' no windows. We didn' have no sheets an' no towels, so when I cried an' said I didn' want to live on no Yankee house, Mammy beat me an'made me go to bed. I laid on de strav/ tick lookin' up through de cracks in de roof. I could see de stars,an' de sky shinin' through de cracks looked like Ion;-: blue splinters stretched 'cross de rafters. I lay dare an' cried kaze I wanted to go back to Mis' Polly. I was never hungry til we waz free an' de Yankees fed us. We didn* have nothin to eadl 'cept hard tack an' middlin' meat. I never saw such meat. It was thin an' toudh wid a thick skin. You could boil it allday an' all night an' it wouldn' cook dome, I wouldn' eat it. I thought 'twuz mule meat; mules dat done been - shot on de battle field den dried. I still believe 'twuz mule meat. One day me an' my brothel was lookin' for acorns in de woods, fe founr sumpin1 like a grave in de woods. I tole Dave dey miz sump in' buried in dat moun1. We got de grubbin hoe an' dug. Dey wuz a box wid eleven hams in dat grave* Somebody done -6- 253 hid it from de Yankees an' forgot whare dey buried it. We covered it back up kaze if we took it home in de day time de Yankees anr niggers would take it away from us. So when night come we slipped out an1 toted dem hams to de house an1 hid dern in de loft. Dem was bad days. I'd rather been a slstve den to been hired out like I was, kaze I wuzn* no fiel1 hand, I was a hand maid, trained to wait on de ladies. Den too, I was hungry most of de time an' had to keep fightin1 off dem Yankee mens. Dem Yankees was mean folks. ,.., ^-:. • We's come a long,J?£$::-|pi!# 'See t|iaes. I'se lived near 'bout ninety years an' I'ee^-WeB^^^^aiHl-'inuch. My folks don't want me to talk 'bout slav^gp^¦¦W$flfh shaap niggers ever was slaves. But, while for most colored folks freedom is de bes, dey's still some niggers dat out to be slaves now. Dese niggers dat's done clean forgot de Lawd: dose dat's always cuttin' an' fightin' an' gwine in white folks houses at night, dey ought to be slaves. Bey ought to have an' Ole Marse wid a whip to make dem come when he say come, an' go when he say go, 'til dey learn to live right.. I looks back now an' thinks. I ain't never forgot dem slavery days, an* I ain't never forgot Mis' Polly an' my white starched aprons." 130147 t> tf W tffl 254 N. C. District No. 2 Worker T. Pat MgttfaewB No. Words 80S Subject CHARLES W. DICKENS; ; Story teller Charles W. Dickens Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt >€,-¦ 3&0147 on gbablssw. massm 1115 East Lenoir Street "My name is Charles W.Dickens* I lives at 1115 East Lenoir Street, Raleigh, Worth Carolina, Wake County. I wuz born August 16, 1861, de year de war started. My mother wuz named Ferebee Dickens. My father wuz named John Dickens. I had nine sisters and brothers* My brothers were named Allen, Douglas, my name, Jake, Johnnie and Jonas. The girls Katie, Matilda Francis, and Emily Dickens. **My grandmother wuz named Charity Dickens. My grand- father wuz Dudley T. Dickens. I do not know where dey came from. Ho, I don't think I do. My mother belonged to Washington Scarborough, and so did we chilluns. My father he belonged to Obediah. Dickens and missus wuz named Silvia Dickens,. B®y lowed mother to go by the name of my father after $ey wuz married* *fe lived in log houses and we had bunks in 'em. Blaster died, but I 'member missus wuz mighty good to us* We had %©|«rable fair food, and as fur as I know she wuz good to us in ^eveyy^ way. -We hsjd good clothigg jaa% in a , loomf ;.1^t::i.#:;de.;;:'.clo% wuz^made^^^ |ty:,;father: jL£ve& ............. }w3l^f$B^^ nil 2. 256 There wuz about one dozen slaves on de plantation* Dere were no hired overseers. L'issus done her own bossing. I have heard my father speak about de patterollers, but I never seed none. I heard him say he could not leave the plantation without a strip o' something. "Im'o, sir, the white folks did not teach us to read and write* My mother and father, no sir, they didn't have any books of any kind. »Ve went to white folk's church. i-iy father split slats and made baskets to sell. He said his master let him have all de money he made sellin' de things he made. He learned a trade. He wuz a carpenter. One of the young masters got after father, so he told me and he went under de house to keep him from whuppin* him. When missus come home she wouldn't let young master whup him. She jist wouldn't' 'low it» "1 'members de Yankees comin' through, ,/hen mother heard they were comin', she took us chillun and carried us down into an ole field, and after that she carried us back to the house. Missus lived in a two-sfiory house. tie lived in a little log house in front of missus house. My mother had a shoulder of meat and she hid it under a mattress in the house. When the jfenkees lef, she looked for it; they had stole the meat and gone. Yes,they stole from us slaves. The road the Yankees wuz travellin' wuz as thick vad 'em as your fingers. I 'member their blue clothes, their blue caps. ,De chickens they were carrying on their horses wuz on 3* J crowing*. Bey wuz driving cows, hogs, and things. Yes sir, ' ahead of 'em they come first. The barns and lots were on one side de road dey were trabellin' on and de houses on de other. Atter many Yankees had passed dey put a body- guard at de door of de great house, and didn't 'low no one to go in dere* I looked down at €e Yankees and.Jspit..at •em. Mother snatched me back, and said, 'Come "back here chilej dey will kill you.1 nDey carried de horses off de plantation and de meat from missus7 smokehouse and buried it. My uncle, Louis Scarborough, stayed wid de horses* He is livin' yet, he is over a hundred years old. He lives down at Mo©res Mill, iake County, near Youngsville. Before de surrender one of de boys and my uncle got to fighting one of de Scarborough boys and him. My une§e threw him down. The young Master Scarborough jumped up, and got his knife and cut uncle's entrails tout so. ancle had to carry 'em to de house in his hands. About a year after de war my father carried us to Franklin County. He carried us on a steer cart. Bat's about all I 'member about de war • *Jbraha» Lincoln wuz de man who set us free* I \ ,'¦.¦..• ¦ , ¦ ¦ . I.'... . * think he wuz a mighty^p©&',flaan- He -done so much for de - colored race, but *(iiat he done was intended through de er power* X €©n?1i f&fak slavery wuz right* 4. 258 "I think Ur. Hoosevelt is a fine man, one of the oest presidents in the world. I voted for him, and I would vote for him ag'in. Ke has done a lot for de people, and is still doin'. He got a lot of sympathy for 'em. Yas sir, a lot of sympathy for de people.tt iikt #v' c^ 320184 v- 259 N. C. District Ho. 2 Worker T. Paft Matth?wff No. words 655 _____ Subject MARGARET E. DICKEHS Story teller Margaret E. Dickens Eaitjw* Daisy Bailey Waitt 320184 260 MARGARET E. DICKENS 1115 E. Lenoir St* "My name is Margaret £• Dickens and I was born on the 5th of June 1861. My mother wuz free born; her name wuz Mary Ann, Hews, but my mother wuz colored. I don't remember anything about Marster and Missus. My father was named Henry Byrd. Here is some of father's writing. My mother's father was dark. He had no protection. If he did any work for a white man and the white man didn't like it, he could take him up and whup him. My father was like a stray dog. "My name was Margaret E. Byrd before I got married. Here is some of father's writing - "Margaret Elvira Byrd the daughter of Henry and Mary Ann Byrd was born on the 5th June 1861." My grandfather, my mother's father was a cabinet maker. He made coffins and tables and furniture. If he made one, and it didn't suit the man he would beat him and kick him around and let him go. Dis was told to me. My father was a carpenter. He built houses. "I can read and write. My father could read and write. My mother could read, but couldn't write very much* "I have heerd my mother say w hen she heard the Yankees were eommin* she had a brand new counterpane, my a. 261 father owned a place before he married my mother, the counterpaine was a woolen woven counterpane. She took it off and hieLit. The Yankees took anything they wanted, but failed to find it. We were living in Raleigh, at the time, on the very premises we are living on now. The old house has been to^rn down, but some of the wood is in this very house. I kin show you part of the old house now. VSy mother used to pass this place when she wuz a girl and she told me she never expected to live here. She was twenty years younger than my father. yfy mother, she lived here most of the time except twenty-four years she lived in the North* She died in 1916. My father bought the lan» in 1848 from a man anmed Henry Morgan. Here is the deed. —— "When we left Raleigh, and went North we first stopped in Cambridge, Mass. This was with my first husband. His name was Samuel E. Reynolds. He was a preacher. He had a church and preached there. The East winds were so strong and cold we couldn't stan' it. It was too cold for us. We then went to Providence, R. I. From there to Elmira, N. Y. From there we went to Brooklyn, N. Y* He preached in the State of New York; we finally came back South, and he died right here in this house. I like the North very well, 1. An interesting feature of the, deed is the fact that Henry Morgan made his mark while Henry Byrd'a signature is his own. 3. 262 but there is nothing like home, the South. Another thing I don*t have so many white kin folks up North. I don*t like to be called Auntie by anyone, unless they admit bein* kin to me. I was not a fool when I went to the North, and it made no change im me. I was raised to respect everybody and I tries to keep it up. Some things in the North are all right, I like them, but I like the South better. Yes, I guess I like the South better. I was taarried to Charles W. Dickens in 1920. He is my second husband. **I inherited this place from my father Henry ?yrd. I like well water. There is my well, right out here in the yard. ;fhis well was dug here when they were building the first house here. I believe in havin' your own home, so I have held on to my home, and I am goin' to try to keep holdln1 on to it. JUN1 1937 263 i\ T. C. District Fo. 2 Worker T. Pat Matthews Ho. Words 1369_________ Subje ct REV. SQUIRE DOTO Story teller Rev. Squire Dowd Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt / a. ¦o- rz £ # , -_.-;•„ .';;:^#i5?}'-:'.',i/ 820156 264 HEVnJREKD SQUIRE DOWD 202 Battle Street Raleigh, N. C. it My name is Squire Dowd, and I was born April 3,, 1855. My mother's name was Jennie Dowd. My'father's name was Elias Kennedy. My mother died in Georgia at the age of 70, and my father died in Moore County at the age of 82, I attended his funeral. lay sister and her husband had carried my mother to Georgia, when my sisterrs husband went there to v/ork in turpentine. My mother's husband was dead. She had married a man named Stewart., ifou could hardly keep up jrlth your father during slavery time. It was a har£ thing to do* There were few legal marriages. When a young- man from one plantation courted a young girl on the plantation, the master married them, sometimes hardly knowing what he was saying. *My master was General W. D. Dowd. fie lived three miles from Carthage, in Moore County, North Carolina, fie owned fifty slaves. The conditions werw good. I had only ten years experience, but it was a good ex- perience* No man is fool enough to buy slaves to kill. I have never known a real slave owner to abuse his slaves. The abuse was done T5y patterollers and overseers. 18k- '.'.>;-'•¦'.¦¦ 2. 265 nI have a conservative view of slavery. I taught school for four years and. I have been in the ministry fifty years. I was ordained a Christian minister in 18S5. I lived in Moore County until 1889, then I moved to Raleigh. I have feeling, I don't like for people to have a feeling that slaves are no more .thai: ''-'ogs; I don't like that. It causes people to have the wrong idea of slavery. Here is John Bectom, a well, healthy friend of mine, 75 years of age. If we had been treated as some folks say, these big healthy niggers would not be waikm,. about in the South now. The great Negro leaders we have now -would never have come out of it. "The places we lived in were called cabins. The Hegroes who were thrifty had nice well—kept homes; and it is thus now. The thrifty of the colored race live well; the others who are indolent live in. hovels which smell foul and are filthy, ^Prayer meetings were held at night in the cabins of the slaves. On Sunday we went to the white folk'a church. We sat in a "barredVeff place, in the back of the church or in a gallery. "We had a big time at cornshuckings. We had plenty of good things to eat, and plenty of whiskey and brandy to dpimfe. These sitackings were held at nighWste had a good tine, -andil nmm saw a fight at-ft-eornshu@k£ngin" ¦: ¦;S^;3^e«;'--:^^ master aftej* the abaci ¦:<*&V::*I§S s. 266 was over, we put him in a chair, we darkies, and toted him around and hollered, carrred him into the parlor, set him down, and combed his hair* We only called the old master ^master*. We called his wifey Viissus* When the white children grew up v/e called them Mars, John, Iviiss Mary, etc. *We had some money. We made baskets* On moonlight nights and holidays we cleared land; the master gave us what we made on the land* We h&d money* lfThe darkies also stole for deserters during the war* They paid us for it. I ate what 1 stole such as sugar* I was not big enough to steal for the deserters* I, was a house boy. I stole honey. I did not know I was free until five years after the war. I could not realize I was free* Many of us stayed right on. If we had not been ruined right after the war by carpet baggers our race would have been, well, ~ better up by this time, because they turned us against our masters,.when our masters had everything and we had nothing* The Freedmpifs bureau helped us some, but we finally had to go back to the plantation in order tovlive. *We got election days, Christmas, Hew Xear; etc. as holidays * fhen we were slaves we had a week or more Christmas* The holidays lasted from Christmas Eve to after Mew Tears* Sometimes we got passes. If our master 4. 267 ifould not give them to us, the white boys we played with would give us one* We played cat, jumping:, wrestling and marbles* We played for fun; we did not play for money* There were 500 acres on the plantation* we hunted a lot, and the fur of the animals we caught we sold and had the money* We were allowed to raise a few chickens and pigs, which we sold if we wanted to* ffThe white folks rode t-o church arid the darkies walked, as many of the poor white folks did* We looked upon the poor white folks as our equals* They mixed with us and helped us to envy our masters* They looked upon our masters as we did* "Negro women having children by the masters was common* My relatives on my mother's side, who were Kellys are mixed blooded. They are partly white* v/e«; the darkies and many of the whites .hate that a situation like this exists* It is enough to say that seeing is believing* There were many and are-..now mixed blooded people among the race*. *I was well clothed. Our clothes were made in looms• Shoes were made on the plantation. Distiller- ies were also located on the plantation. When they told r me I was free, I did not notice it* I did not realize it. till many years after when a man made a speech at Carthage, WM^-i^^r 5, ** telling us we were free, "T did not like the Yankees. We were afraid of them. We had to be educated to love the Yankees, and to know that they freed us and were our friends, I feel that Abraham Lincoln was a father to us. We consider him thus because he freed us. The Freedm)m*s Bureau and carpet baggers caused us to envy our masters and the white folks. The Ku Klux Klan, when we pushed our rights, came in between us, and we did not know what to db. The Ku Klux were after the'carpet baggers and the Negroes who followed them. ; Mt was understood that white people were not to teach Negroes during slavery, but many of the whites taught the Negroes* •' The children of the white-folks made us study. I could read and write when the "war was up. They mad& me study books, generally a blue-back spelling book as punishment for mean thinge I done. Mjy Missus., a young lady about 16 years old taught a Sunday fchbol class of colored boys and girls. This Sunday School was Mlct at a different time of day from the white #©lM»"' iemetimes oldJmeii;attd old women-were in these classes* I remember once they asked Uncle Ben Pearson w^i^/as meekest man,:- •Moses* he replied. *lh© was the ;;v^ii»e^t;/mah^:,;;*^$ms^:i:--:MMio Wls the strongest man? * •;;jj$|^^ said *They say Bill 6. 269 > Medlin is the strongest, hut Tom Shaw give him his hands full.1 5hey were men of the community. Medlin was white, Shaw was colored. MI do not like the way they have messed up our songs with classical music. I like the songs, 'Roll Jordan Roll1, *01d Ship of ZionJ 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot*. Classical singers ruin them, though. ttThere was no use of our goin^; to town of Saturday afternoon to buy our rations, so we worked Saturday Afternoons. When we got sick the doctors treated us. Dr. J. D. Shaw, Dr. Bruce, and Dr. Turner. They were the first doctors I ever heard any tell of. They treated both whites and darkies on my master's plantation. *I married a Matthews, Anna Matthews, August 1881. We have one daughter. Her name is Ella. She married George Cheatam of Henderson, N. C. A magistrate married us, Mr. Pitt Cameron. It was just a quiet wedding on Saturday night with about one-half dozen of my friends present. **Sy idea of life is to forget the bad and live for the good there is in it. This is my motto. Mr. jjflfcll^f? 330079 270 IT. C. District Mo. 2 Subject FAI^INIE DUNN__________ Worker T. Pat Mat thews Person Interviewed Fannie Punn_____ Ho. Words 862________ Editor G. L. Andrews____________ 3S0079 271 FANNIE DUNN 222 Heck Street, Ealeigh, N. C. WI don't 'zakly know my age, but I knows and 'members when de Yankees come through Wake County. I wus a little girl anr wus so skeered I run an hid under de bed. De Yankees stopped at de plantation an* along de road fur a rest. I 'members I had diphtheria an' a Yankee doctor come an* mopped my throat. Dey had to pull me outen under de bed so he could doctor me. "One Yankee would come along 'an* give us sumptin* an another would come on behind him an* take it. Dats de way dey done. One give mother a mule an* when dey done gone she sold it. A Yankee give mother a ham of meat, another come right on behind him an* took it away from her. Dere shore wus a long line of dem Yankees. I can 'member seeing 'em march by same as it wus yisterday. I wus not old enough to work, but I 'members 'em. I don't know 'zaekly but I wus 'bout five years old when de surrender wus. "Ify name before I wus married wus Fannie Sessoms an* mother wus named Delia Sessoms. We belonged to Dr. Isaac Sessoms an* our missus wus named Banna.. My father wus named Perry Vick, after his marster who wus named Perry Vick. My missus died durin* de war an* marster never married anymore. "I don't 'member much 'bout missus but mother tole me she wus some good woman an' she loved her. Marster wus mighty good -2- 272 to us an* didn't allow patterollers to whip us none. De slave houses wus warm and really dey wus good houses, an* didn't leak neither. r,I don't 'member much 'bout my grandparents, just a little mother tole me 'bout 'em. Grandma 'longed to de Sessoms an' Dr. Isaac Sessoms brother wus mother's father. Mother tole me dat. Look at dat picture, mister, you see you can't tell her from a white woman. Dats my mother's picture. She wus as white as you wid long hair an' a face like a white woman. She been dead 'bout twenty years. My mother said dat we all fared good, but course we wore homemade clothes an' wooden bottomed shoes. "We went to the white folks church at Eed Oak an1 Hocky Mount Missionary Baptist Churches. We were allowed to have prayer meetings at de slave houses, two an' three times a. week. I 'members goin' to church 'bout last year of de war wid mother. I had a apple wid me an' I sot hungry an' wanted to eat it in meetin1 but mother jest looked at me an' touched my arm, dat wus enough. I didn't eat de apple. I can 'member how bad I wanted .to eat it. Don't 'member much 'bout dat sermon, guess I put my mind on de apple too much. "liarster had about twenty slaves an' mother said dey had always been allowed to go to church an • have prayer meetings 'fore I wus born* larster had both white an' colored overseers but he would not allow any of his overseers to bulldoze over his slaves too much- He would call a overseer down for bein* rough at de wrong time. Charles Sessoms wus one of marster's colored -3- 273 overseers* He rlonged to marster, an1 mother said marster always listened to what Charles said* Dey said marster had always favored him even !fore he made him overseer. Charles Sessoms fell dead one day an1 mother found him. She called Liarster Sessoms an1 he come anr jest cried. Mother said v/hen rnarster come he wus dead shore enough, dat marster jest boo- hooed an1 went to de house, an* wouldnrt look at him no more till dey started to take him to de grave* Everybody on de Plantation went to his buryin' an1 funeral an1 some fromde . dder plantation dat joined ourn. "I 'members but little fbout my missus, but 'members one time she run me when 1 wus goin' home from de great house, an1 she said, 'I am goin1 to catch you, now I catch you1. She pickin1 at me made me love her. When she died mother tole me 'bout her bein* dead an1 took me to her buryin1. Next day I wanted to go an1 get her up. 1 tole mother I wanted her to come home an* eat. Mother cried an1 took me up in her arms, anr said, 'Eoney missus will never eat here a..:ain.f I wus so young I didn't understand. *lBr. Sessoms anr also Dr. Drake, who married his daughter, doctored us v/hen we wus sick. Dr. Joe Drake married marsterfs only daughter Harriet an ' his only son David died in Mississippi. He had a plantation dere. "I been married only once. I wus married forty years ago to Sidney Dunn# i had one chile, shefs dead. -4- 274: "Prom what I knows of" slavery an' what my mother tole me I can't say it wus a bad thing. Mister,. I wants to tell de truth an' I can't say its bad 'cause my mother said she had a big time as a slave an' I knows I had a good time an' wus treated right." jji 320187 275 N. C. District Ho. 2 Worker Marv A. Hicks Wo. Y/ords_______382 Subject. jENimjar bum Person Interviewed Jennvlln Dunn Editor Daisy Bailey ffaitt______ 320187 276 JENKYLIN D'OMF Ex-Slave Story An interview with Jennylin Dunn 87, of 315 Bledsoe Avenue, Raleigh, N. C. "I wuz borned hyar in Wake County eighty-seben years ago. Me an* my folks an* bout six others belonged ter Mis* Betsy Lassiter who wuz right good ter us, do' she sho' did know dat chilluns needs a little brushin* now an* den. "My papa wuz named Isaac, my mammy wuz named Liza, an* my sisters wuz named Lucy, Candice an* Harriet. Dar wuz one boy what died *fore I can 'member an* I doan know his name. "We ain*t played no games ner sung no songs, but we had fruit ter eat an* a heap of watermillions ter eat in de season. "I seed seberal slabe sales on de block, front of de Raleigh Cou*t house, an* yo* can*t think how dese things stuck in my mind. A whole heap o' times I seed mammies sold from dere little babies, anr dar wuz normin* den, as yo* knows. **De patterollers wuz sumpin dat I wuz skeerd of. I know jist two o* *em, Mr. Billy Allen Dunn an* Mr. Jim Ray, an* I'se hyard of some scandelous things dat dey done. Dey do say dat dey whupped some of de niggers scandelous. -2- 277 "When dey hyard dat de Yankees wuz on dere way ter hyar dey says ter us dat d em Yankees eats little nigger young&ns an1 we shore stays hid. "I jist seed squeamishin* parties lookin* fer sumpin* ter eat, an' I'se hyard dat dey tuck ever1thing dey comes *crost» A whole heap of it dey flunged away, an* atterwards dey got hongry too. "One of fem tried ter tell us dat our while" folks stold us from our country an* brung us hyar, but since den I foun' out dat de Yankees stole us dereselves, an' den dey sold us ter our white folkses. "Atter de war my pappy an' mammy brung us ter Raleigh whar Ifse been libin* since dat time. We got along putty good^an* de Yankees sont us some teachers, but most o1 us wuz so busy scramblint roun* makin* a livin' dat we ain't got no time fer no schools. "I reckon dat hit wuz better dat de slaves wuz freed, but I still loves my white folkses, an* dey loves me." # A. ^ 330135 N. C. District No. 2 Worker Mary A. Hicks No. Words 1119 278 Subject AUMT LUCY'S LOVE STORY Person Interviewed Lucy Ann Dunn Editor G. L. Andrews____ & 20125 279 AUNT LUCY'S LOVE STORY An interview with Lucy Ann Dunn, 90 years old, 220 Cannon Street, Raleigh, N. C. "My pappy, Dempsey, my mammy, Rachel an' my brothers an* sisters an' me all belonged ter Marse Peterson Dunn of Neuse, here in Wake County. Dar wus five of us chilluns, Allen, Charles, Corina, Madora anr me, all horned before .de war. "My mammy wus de cook, an' fur back as I 'members almost, I wus a house girl. I fanned flies offen de table an' done a heap of little things fer Mis' Betsy, Marse Peterson's wife. My pappy worked on de farm, which wus boun' ter have been a big plantation wid two hundert an* more niggers ter work hit. "1 'members when word come dat war wus declared, how Mis' Betsy cried an' prayed an' how Marse Peter quarreled an' walked de floor cussin' de Yankees. "De war comes on jist de same an' some of de men slaves wus sent ter Roanoke ter hep buil' de fort* Yes mam, de war comes ter de great house anr ter de slave cabins jist alike. "De great house wus large an' white washed, wid green blinds an* de slave cabins wus made of slabs wid plank floor a We had plenty ter eat an' enough ter wear an' we wus happy. We had our fun an' we had our troubles, lak little whuppin's, when we warn*t good, but dat warnH of tea. -2- 280 "Atter so long a time de rich folkses tried ter hire, er make de po' white trash go in dere places, but some of dem won't go. Dey am treated so bad dat some of dem cides ter be Ku Kluxes an' dey goes ter de woods ter live. When we starts ter take up de aigs er starts from de spring house wid de butter an' milk dey grabs us an' takes de food fer dereselbes. "Dis goes on fer a long time an' finally one day in de spring I sets on de porch an' I hear a roar. I wus 'sponsible fer de goslins dem days so I sez ter de missus, 'I reckin dat I better git in de goslins case I hear hit a-thunderin'. "Dat ain't no thunder, nigger, dat am de canon', she sez. "What canon', I axes?- 'Why de canon what dey am fightiri' wid1, she sez. "Well dat ebenin' I is out gittin' up de goslins when I hears music, I looks up de road an' I sees flags, an' 'bout dat time de Yankees am dar a-kiliin' as dey goes. Dey kills de geese, de ducks, de chickens, pigs an' ever'thing. Dey goes ter de house an' dey takes all of de meat, de meal^an' ever*thing dey can git dere paws on. / "When dey goes ter de kitchen whar mammy am cookiii* she cuss dem out an' run dem outen her kitchen. Dey shore am a rough lot. "I aint never fergot how Mis' Betsy cried when de news of de surrender come. She aint said nothin1 but Marse Peter he -3- 281 makes a speech sayin* dat he aint had ter sell none of us, dat he aint whupped none of us bad, dat nobody has ever run away from him yet. Den he tells us dat all who wants to can stay right on fer wages. "Well we stayed two years, even do my pappy died de year atter de surrender, den we moves ter Marse Peter's other Dlace at Wake Forest. Atter dat we moves back ter Neuse. "Hit wus in de little Baptist church at Neuse whar I fust seed big black Jim Dunn an' I-fell in love wid him den, I reckons. Ke said dat he loved me den too, but hit wus three Sundays 'fore he axed ter see me home. "We walked dat mile home in front of my mammy an' I wus so happy dat I aint thought hit a half a mile home. We et cornbread an' turnips fer dinner an' hit wus night *fore he went home» Mammy wouldn't let me walk wid him ter de gate. I knowed, so I jist sot dar on de porch an' sez good night. "He come ever' Sunday fer a year an' finally he proposed. I had told mammy dat I thought dat I ort ter be allowed ter walk ter de gate wid Jim an1, she said all right if fen she wus settin' dar on de porch lookin'. "Dat Sunday night I did walk wid Jim ter d£ gate an* stood under de honeysuckles dat wus a-smellin' so sweet. I heard de big ole bullfrogs a-croakin1 by de riber an' de whipper-wills a-hollerin' in de woods* Dar wus a big yaller -4- 282 moon, anr I reckon Jim did love me. Anyhow he said so an* axed me ter marry him an* he squeezed my hanr. "I tol1 him I'd think hit ober an' I did an' de nex' Sunday I tol' him dat I'd have him. "He aint kissed me yet but de nex* Sunday he axes my mammy fer me. She sez dat she'll have ter have a talk wid me an' let him know. "Well all dat week she talks ter me, tellin ' me how serious gittin' married is an' dat hit lasts a powerful long time. "I tells, her dat I knows hit but dat I am ready ter try hit an' dat I intends ter make a go of hit, anyhow. "On Sunday night mammy tells Jim dat he can have me an' yo' orter seed dat black boy grin. He comes ter me widout a word an' he picks me up outen dat cheer an* dar in de moon- light he kisses me right 'fore my mammy who am a-cryin*. "De nex' Sunday we wus married in de Baptist church at Heuse. I had a new white dress, do times wus hard. "We lived tergether fifty-five years an' we always loved each other. He aint never whup ner cuss me an' do we had our fusses an* our troubles we trusted in de Lawd an* we got through. I loved him durin' life an' I love him now, do he's been daid now fer twelve years. The old lady with her long white hair bowed her head and sobbed for a moment then she began again unsteadily. -5- 283 "We had eight chilluns, but only four of dem are livin* now. De livin' are James, Sidney, Helen an1 Florence who wus named fer Florence Nightingale. "I can't be here so much longer now case I'se gittin' too old an' feeble an' I wants ter go ter Jim anyhow. The old woman wiped her eyes, 'I thinks of him all de time, but seems lak we're young agin when I smell honeysuckles er see a yaller moon." LE 320271 284 jlM8»«* N.C.District No 3 Subject Tempie Herndon Durham Worker Travis Jordan Ex-Slave 103 Years Old_______ 1312 Pine St.."Durham. K.C. TEMPIE HERHDON DURHAM EX-SIAVE 103 YEARS OLD 1312 PINE ST., DURHAM, N.C. "I was thirty-one years ole when de surrender come. Dat makes me sho nuff ole* Hear 'bout a hundred an' three years done passed over dis here white head of mine. I'se been here, I mean I'se been here. *Spects I^se de olest nigger in Durham. I'se been here so long dat I done forgot near *bout as much as dese here new generation niggers knows or ever gwine know. I£y white fo'ks lived in Chatham County. Dey was Hoarse George an' Mis' Betsy Kemdon. Mis Betsy was a Snipes befo1 she married Marse George. Dey had a big plantation an' raised cawn, wheat, cotton an1 'baeca. I den't know how many field niggers Marse George had, but he had a mess of dem, an* he had hosses too, an' cows, hogs an1 sheeps. He raised sheeps anr sold de wool, an1 dey used de wool at de big house too. Dey was a big weavin* room whare de blankets was wove, an* dey wove de cloth for de winter clothes too. Linda Hernten an' Milla Edwards was de head weavers, dey looked after de weavin* of de fancy blankets. Mis * Betsy was a good weaver too. She weave de same as de niggers. She say she love de clack in' soun* ef de loom an* de way de shuttles run in an* out carryin1 a long tail ©f bright eolored thread. Sosie days she set at de loom all de mawnim* peddlin' wid her feets an* her white han*s flit-tin* ever de bobbins. -2- 286 De cardin1 an.' spinnin1 room was full of niggers. I can hear dem spinnin1 wheels now turnin1 roun' an* say in* hum-m-m-m, hum-m-m-m, an' hear de slaves singin* while dey spin* Mammy Rachel stayed in de dyin' room. Dey wuzn1 nothin' she didn' know 'bout dyein'. She knew every kind of root, bark, leaf an' berry dat made red, blue, green, or whatever color .she wanted. Dey had a big shelter whare de dye pots set overr de coals. Llammy Rachel would fill de pots wid water, den she put in de roots, bark an* stuff an' boil de juice out, den she strain it an'put in de salt an' vinegar to set de color. After de wool an.' cotton done been carded an* spun to thread, Mammy take de hanks an' drap dem in de pot of boilin' dye. She stir dem 'roun* an' lif • dem up anr down wid a stick, an* when she hang dem up on de line in de sun , dey was every color of de rainbow. When dey dripped dry dey was sent to de weavin* room whare dey was wove in blankets an* things. When I growed up I married Exter Durham. He belonged to Marse' Snipes Durham who had de plantation 'cross de county line in Oragge County. We had a big weddin*. We was married on de front porch of de big house. Marse George killed a shoat an' Mis' Betsy had Georgianna, de cook, to bake a big weddin* cake all iced up white as snow wid a bride an' groom standin' in de middle holdin* han's. De table was set out in de yard under de trees, an' yon ain't neve^p seed de like of eats. All de niggers come to de feas* an.' larse ©eorge had a dram for everybody. Dat -3- 287 was some weddin*. I had on a white dress, white shoes an' long white gloves dat come to my elbow, an* Mis1 Betsy done made me a weddin* veil out of a white net window curtain. When she played de weddin ma*ch on de piano, me anr Exter ma'ched down de walk an1 up on de po'ch to de altar Mis' Betsy done fixed. Dat de pretties' altar I ever seed. Baek 'gainst de rose vine dat was full or red roses, Mis' Betsy done put tables filled wid flowers an.1 white candles. She done spread down a bed sheet, a sho miff linen sheet, for us to stan' on, an* dey was a white pillow to kneel down on. Exter done made me a weddin* ring. He made it out of a big red button wid his pocket knife. He done cut it so roun* an' polished it so smooth dat it looked like a red satin ribbon tide 'roun' my finger. Dat sh© was a pretty ring. I wore it *bout fifty years, den it got so thin dat I lost it one day in de wash tub when I was washin* clothes. Uncle Edmond Kirby married us. He was de nigger preacher dat preached at de plantation church. After tfticle Edmond said de las* words ever me an' Exter, Marse George feot to have his little fun; He say, *C6me on, Exter, you an' Tempie got to Jump over de broom stick backwards; you got to do dat to see which one gwine be boss of your househol*.* Everybody come Stan' 'roun to watch. Marse George Bold de broom *bout a foot high off de floor. De ©ne dat jump over it backwards an' never touch de handle, gwine boss de house, an' if bof of dem jump over widout tomchin* it, dey won't gwine be no bossin1, dey jus' -4- 288 gwine be 'genial. I jumped fus1, an.' you ought to seed me. I sailed right over dat broom stick same as a cricket, but when Exter jump he done had a big dram an' his fefcts was so big an' clumsy dat dey got all tangled up in d&t broom an1 he fell head long. Marse George he laugh an1 laugh, an' tole Exter he gwine be bossed 'tv/ell he skeered to speak less'n I tole him to sbeak. After de weddin* we went down to de cabin Mis' Betsy done all dressed up, but Exter couldn* stay no longer den dat night kaze he belonged to Marse Snipes Durham an1 he had to back home. He lef • de nex day for his plantation, but he come back every Saturday night an* stay 'twell Sunday night. We had eleven chillun. Nine was bawn befo* surrender an' two after we was set free. So I had two chillun dat wuzn' bawn in bondage. I was worth a heap to Marse George kaze I had so manny chillun. De more chillun a slave had de more dey was worth. Lucy Carter was de only nigger on de plantation dat had more chillun den I had. She had-twelve, but her chillun was sickly an* mine was muley 6trong an1 healthy. Dey never was sick. When de war come Marse George was too ole to go, but young Marse Bill went. He went an1 took my brother Sim wid him. Marse Bill took Sim along to look after his hoss an1 everything. Dey didn' neither one get shot, but Mis- Betsy was skeered near 'bout to death all de time, skeered dey was gwine be brung home shot all to pieces like some of de sojers was. t De Yankees wuzn* so bad. De mos' dey wanted was sump in* to -5- 289 eat. Dey was all de time hungry, de fus' thing dey ax for when dey came was sumpin1 to put in dey stomach. An1 chickenl I ain* never seed even a preacher eat chicken like dem Yankees. I believes to my soul dey ain' ne-«er seed no chicken *twell dey come down here. An.' hot biscuit too. I seed a passel of dem eat up a whole sack of flour one night for supper. Georgianna sif* flour 'twell she look white an* dusty as aJ&iller. Dem sojers didn' turn down no ham neither. Dat de onlies* thing dey took from Marse George. Dey went in de smoke house an1 toted off de hams an' shoulders. Marse George say he come off mighty light if dat all dey want, 'sides he got plenty of ehoats anyhow. We had all de eats we wanted while de war was shoo tin' dem guns, kaze Marse George was home an1 he kep' de niggers workin'. We had chickens, gooses, meat, peas, flour, meal, potatoes an' things like dat all de time, an1 milk an1 butter too, but we didn1 have no sugar an* coffee. We used groun' pa'ched cawn for coffee an* cane *lasses for sweetnin*. Dat wuzn* so bad wid a heap of thick cream. Anyhow, we had enough to eat to 'vide wid de neighbors dat didn1 have none when surrender come. I was glad when de war stopped kaze den me an' Exter could be together all de time 'stead of Saturday an' Sunday. After we was free we lived right on at Marse George's plantation a long time. We rented de Ian' for a fo*th of what we made, den after while be bought a farm. We paid three hundred dollars we done saved. We had a hoss, a steer, a cow an' two pigs, 'sides some -6- 290 chickens an' fo* geese. Mis'Betsy went up in de attic an* give us a bed an' bed tick; she give us enough goose feathers to make two pillows, den she give us a table an' some chairs. She give us some dishes too. Marse George give Exter a bushel of seed cav/n an some seed wheat, den he tole him to go down to de barn an* get a bag of cotton seed. We got all dis den v/e hitched up de wagon an' th'owed in de passel of chillunran' moved to our new farm, an' de chillun was put to work in de fiel'; dey growed up in de fiel' kaze dey was put to work time dey could walk good. Freedom is all right, but de niggers was better off befo' surrender, kaze den dey was looked after an' dey didn1 get in no trouble fightin' an' killin' like dey do dese da#s. If a nigger cut up an' got sassy in slaveryttm.es, his Ole Marse give him a good whippin' an' he went way back an' set down an1 'haved hese'f. If he was sick^Marse an' Mistis looked after him, an* if he needed store medicine, it was bought an' give to him; he didn' have to pay nothin'. Dey didnf even have to think 'bout clothes nor nothin* like dat, dey was wove an' made an1 give to denu Maybe everybody*s Marse an' Mistis wuzn* good as Marse George an* Ms' Betsy, but dey was de same as a mammy an* pappy to us niggers." 320160 291 i#*« •* JUNl 1937 IT. C. District No. 2 Worker Mary A» Kicks No. Words 466______ Subject EX-SLAVE STORY Story teller George Eatman Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt //!/4- Art I V 330I6fi 292 EX-SLAVE STORY An Interview on May 18, 1S37 with George Eatman, 93, of Caiy, R. #!• ttI belonged ter Mr. (Jus Eatman who lived at de ole Templeton place on de Durham highway back as fer as I can rmember. I doan r'member my mammy an' pappy case dey wuz sold rfore I knowed anything. I raised myself an* I reckon dat I done a fair job uv it. De marster an1 missus wuz good to dere twenty-five slaves anr we ain't neber got no bad whuppin's* ttI doan ?member much playin' an1 such like, but I de 'members dat I wuz de handy boy 'round de house. "De Confederate soldiers camp at Ephesus Church one night, anr de nex1 day de marster sent me ter de mill on Crabtree. Yo! •members where ole Company mill is, I reckon? Well, as I rode de mule down de hill, out comes Wheeler's Calvalry, which am as mean as de Yankees, an* dey ax me lots uv questions. Atter awhile dey rides on an' leaves me 'lone. **While I am at de mill one uv Wheeler's men takes my mule an' my co*n, an1 I takes de ole saddle an1 starts 2. £93 ter walkin' back home. All de way, most, I walks in de woods, case Wheeler's men am still passin'* "When I gits ter de Morgan place I hyars de cannons a-boomin', ahh—h I ain't neber hyar sich a noise, an' when I gits so dat I can see dar dey goes, as thick as de hairs on a man's haid. I circles round an1 gits behin' dem an* goes inter de back uv de house. Well, dar Stan's a Yankee, an* he axes Missus Mary fer de smokehouse key* She gibes it ter him an' dey gits all uv de meat* "One big can uv grease am all dat wuz saved, an' dat wuz burried.....in._de_broom straw down in de fieJJ* "Dey camps roun' dar dat night an* dey shoots ever chicken, pig, an' call' dey sees. De nex' day de marster goes ter Raleigh, an' gits a gyard, but dey has done stole all our stuff an* we am liven'jnqstly on parched co'n* "De only patterollers I knowed wuz Kenyan Jones an* Billy Pump an' dey wuz called po' white trash* Dey owned blood houn's, an' chased de niggers an' whupped dem shamful, I hyars. I neber seed but one Ku Klux an' he wuz sceered o' dem* 3 • OQ/ tfAtter de war we stayed on five or six years case we ainrt had no place else ter go» ,rWe ain't liked Abraham Lincoln, case he wu^ a fool ter think: dat we could live widout de white folkses, anr Jeff Davis wuz tryin1 ter &eep us. case he wuz greedy anr he wanted ter be de boss dog in politics*** AC aaomt'- .&¦— „, * 295 JUit 1937 ® District ff5« Subject Ex-slave Story0 Worker Daisy Ylhaley_____ Interviewed_____Doc Edwards,_____ Ex-slave* 84 Trs Staggville, N#C. 330121 296 DOC ESWURDB-, EX-SIAYB, 84 Yrs, I was bawn at Staggville, M« G## in 1853• I belonged to Marse Paul Gamer on. My pappy was Murphy McCullers, Mammy's name was Judy, Dat would make me a MoGullers, but I was always knowed as D^c Edwards an1 dat is what I am sailed to dis day, I growed up to be de houseman an1 I cooked for parses Benehan,- Marse Paul's s'on, Marse Benehan was good to me. My health failed from doing So much work in de house an' so I would go for a couple of hours each day an* work in de ficl' to be out doors an' get well again? Marse Paul had so many niggers dat. he never counted dem« When we opened de gate for him or met him in de road he would say, lTlho is you? Whare you belong? We would say,r,We belong to Marse Paul*11 "Alright, run along11 he'd say den, an1 he would trow us a nickel or so. We had big work shops whare we made all de tools, an' even de shore Is was made at home. Dey was made out of wood, so was de rakes, pitchforks an' some of da hoes. Our nails was made in de blaeksmith shop by han' an' de pi«ks an' grubbin* hoes, too* W^ had a han' thrashing machine. It was roun1 like a stove pipe,- only bigger. We fed de wheat to it an' shook it 'til de wheat was loose from de straw an1 when it come out at de other end it fell on a big ©loth, bigger den de sheets. We had big curtains all roun' de cloth on de floor,like a tent, so de wheat wouldn' get scattered. Den we took de pitchfork an' lifted de straw up an' T&mxx so de wheat would go on de cloth* Ben we moved de straw when de wheat was all loose -2- 2"«re never paid no *tention to freedom or not freedom. I re- member eve*ybody had work to do in slavery an* dey gone right on doin* it sence. An* nobody don't git nowheres settin* down holdin' their hanTs. It do'n make so much diffunce anyhow what you does jes so*s you does it. "One time when I was carryin* in my fish to "AirliA" Mr. Pern Jones heard me laff, an' after I opened dis here mouf of mine anT laffed fer him I didn't have to b&ther 'bout fish no mo'. Lordy, dose rich folks he used to bring down fum New Yo'k is paid me as much as sixty dollars a week to laff fer *em* One of 'em was named Mr. Fish. Now you know dat tickled me. I could jes laff an' laff *bout dat* Mr. Pern give me fine clo'es an' a tall silk hat. I'd eat a big dinner in de kitchen an' den go in *mongst de quality an* laff fer *em an* make my noise like a wood saw in my th'oat. Dey was orazy 'bout dat. An* then*s when I began to be thankful *bout my manners* I*s noticed if you has nice manners wid eve*ybody peopie gwine to be nice to you. "Well", (with a long sigh) "Jdon't pick up no sich money nowadays; but my manners gives me many a chance to laff, an* I never don't go hungry*'' John has been a well known character for fifty years among the summer residents along the sounds and on Wrightsville Beach* He was a fisherman and huckster in his palmy days, but now John's vigor is on the wane, and he has little left with which to gain a livelihood except his unusually contagious laugh, and a truly re- markable flow of words. "Old John" could give Walter Winchel a handicap of twenty words a minute and then beat him at his own game* -*- 301 His mouth is enormous and his voice deep and resonant. He can make a noise like a wood saw which he maintains for 2 or 3 minutes without apparent effort, the sound buzzing on and on from some mysterious depths of his being with amazing perfection of imitation. Any day during the baseball season John may be seen sandwiched between his announcement boards, a large bell in one hand, crying the ball game of the day, "Old John" to the youngsters; but find- ing many a quarter dropped in his hand by the older men with mem- ories of gay hours and hearty laughter* A fcv ^ V 302 District f3. Subject Ex-slave* Vforketic Daisy Hhaley Interviewed Lindsey fauoette Ex sey jrau< -slave. Church Street, Durham, K. 0. 320198 303 LINDSEY FAUCETTE, 86 Yrs* Ex-slave, nYes, Mis1, I was baroi in 1851, de 16th of November, on de Occoneeohee Plantation, owned by Marse John Norwood an1 his good wife, i.iisf Annie* An1 when I say 'good1 I mean jus dat, for no better people ever lived den my Marse John an* tfis» Annie* One thing dat made our Marse an1 Mistis so good mxz de way dey brought up us niggers« We wuz called to de big house an1 taught de Bible an1 dey mxz Bible readin's every day* Wa vruz taught to be good men an1 women anf to be hones1* Marse never sold any of us niggers* But when his boys andt girls got married he would give dem some of us to take with dem* Mars© never allowed us to be whipped* One time we had a white overseer an* he whipped a fiel* han1 called 8am Norwood, til de blood come* He beat him so bad dat de other niggers had to take him down to de river an1 wash de blood off* When Marse come an1 foun1 dat out he sent dat white nan off an1 wouldn* let him stay on ds plantation over night* He jus1 wouldn1 have him roun' de plaee no longer* Ee made Uncle Khitted de overseer kase he wu* one of de oldest slaves he had an* a good nigger* When any of us niggers got sick Mis* Annie would come down to de ;^ cabin to see ms. Ihe brung de best wine, good ©hieken an* chicken sotap aai* everything else she had at de big house dat she thought we womld, like, an1 she done rrerythijig she sould to get us well again* -2- 304 Marse John never worked us after dark* We worked in de day an1 had de nights to play games an1 have singinfs. We never cooked on a Sunday* Everything we eife on dat day was cooked on Saturday* Dey wusn' lighted in de cook stoves or fire placescin de big house or cabins neither* Everybody rested on Sunday. De tables wuz set an1 de food put on to eat, but noboffy cut any wood an' dey wuzn1 no other work don' on dat day. Mammy Beckie wuz my gran1 mammy an1 she toted de keys to de pantry an' smoke house, an' her word went wid Ivlarse John an1 Mis' Annie. sparse John wuz a great lawyer an' when he went to Pittsboro an* ether places to practice, if he wuz to stay all night, ;.;is* Annie had my mammy sleep right in bed wid her, so she wouldn' be 'fraid* Marse an Mistis had three sons an' three daughters,- De oldest son wuz not able to go to war* Ee had studied so hard dat it had 'fected his mind, so he stayed at home* De secon* son, named Albert, went to war an* wus brought back dead with a bullet hole through his head* Dat liked to have killed j\,arse John an1 Mis' Annie* Dey wuz three girls, named, Mis1 Maggie, Mis Ella Bella and Mis' Rebena* I wu2 de cow-tender. I took eare of de cows an' de calves. I would have to hold de oalf up to de mother cow »til de milk would come down anf den I would have to hold it away 'til somebSty done de milkin'. I tended de horses, too, an' toytMlrg-relae dat I wuz told to do* When de war started anr de Yankees come, dey didn' do much harm to our plaee* Marse had all de silver anf money an1 other things of value hid under a big rock be de river an' de Yankees never did fine anything dat we hid. -3- 305 Our own sobers did more harm on our plantation den de vankees. Dey capped in de woods an1 never did have nuff to eat anf took what dey wanted. An1 lice I I ainft never seed de like. It took fifteen years for us to get shed of de lice dat de sojers lef1 behind* You jus* couldn1 get der, out of your clothes lesf i ou burned dem up. Dey wuz hard to get shed e£§ After de war wuz over Marse JoV.^ let Pappy have eighteen acres of land for de use of t#o of his boys for a year. My pappy made a good orop of corn, wheat an1 other food on dis land. Dey waz a tine when you oouldn1 find a crust of bread or piece of meat in my mammy1 s pantry for us to eat, an1 vrtien she did get a little meat or bread she Yfould divide it between us cbillun, so each would have a share an' go without herself an1 never conplained* When pappy wuz makin1 his crop some of de others would ask him why he didn1 take up some of his crop and get somethin1 to eat* Ke would answer an1 say dat when he left dat place he intended to take his crop with him an1 he did* He took plenty of corn, wheat, potatoes an1 other food, a cow, her calf, mule an1 hogs an* he moved to a farm dat he bought* Later on in years my pappy an mammy come here in Durham an1 bought a home. I worked for dem ftil I wuz thirty-two years old an1 give dem what money I earned* I worked for as little as twenty-five cents a day* Den I got a dray an1 hauled for fifteen cents a load from de Durham depo1 to West Durham for fifteen years* Little did I think at dat time dat 1 would ever have big trucks an* a pay-roll of $8,000*00 a year* De good Law# has blest me all de way, an1 all I have is Histn, even to my own breath* -4- Den one day I went baak home to see my old Marse an* I foun* him sittin' in a big chair on de po'ch an1 his health wuzn1 so good. He sed, "Lindsey5 why don* you stop runnin1 roun1 wid de girls an1 stop you eourt*n? Tou never will get nowhere makin* all de girls love you an1 den you w41k away anf make up with some other girl. Go get yourself a good girl an1 get married* an* raise a family an1 be somebody.w Anf I did. I quit all de girls an1 I foun' a fine girl and we wuz married,' I sho got a good wife; I got one of de best women dat could be foun1 an1 we lived together for over forty-five years* Den she died six years ago nowf an1 I sho miss her for she wuz a real help-mate all through dese years, "We raised five chillun an1 educated dem to be school teachers an1 other trades* I have tried to live de way I wuz raised to* My wife never worked a day away from home all de years we wuz married. It wus my raisin an* my strong faith in my Lawd anf Marster dat helped me to get along as well as I have, an1 I hie as Kim every day for de strength He has given me to bring up my family as well as.I have* Der is only one way to live anfr dat is de right way. Educate your ohillun.if you can,but be sho you give dem de proper moral traininf at home. De right way to raise your chillun is to larn dem to have manners and proper respect for their parents f be good citizens an1 God fear in1 men an? women. When you have done dat you will not be ashamed of dem in your old age. I bless my Maker dat I hire lived so clos* to Him as I have all dese years an* when de time comes to go to Him I will have no regrets an1 no fears * 1\T.C. District # 2 Subject: & SIAVJ STORY Mo. Words: 567 Teller: Ora M. Flagg Worker* T» Pat Matthews Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt M^3^I^Sffi^i®S^i^lli;: l^ife^ 320223 OEA M. FLAGG 811 Oberlin Hoad * My name is Ora M. Flagg. 1 wus born in Raleigh near the Professional Building, in the year 1860, October 16* My motner wus named Jane Busbee* Her marster wus $uent Bus-bee, a lawyer. Her missus wus JuliarBusbee. She wus a Taylor before she married Mr. Busbee. Now I tell you, I can't tell you exactly, but the old heads died. The old heads were the Scurlocks who lived in Chatham County* I heard their names but I don't remember them. Their child- ren when they died drawed for the slaves and my mother wus brought to Raleigh when she wus eight years old. She came from the Scurlocks to the Busbees. The Taylors were relatives of the Scurlocks, and were allowed to draw, and Julia Taylor drawed my mother. It wus fixed so the slaves on this estate could not be sold, but could be drawed for by the family and relatives* She got along just middlin* after her missus died. When her missus died, mother said she had to look after herself. Mr. Busbee would not allow anyone to whip mother. He married Miss Lizjsie Bledsoe the second time* " I wus only a child and, of course, I thought aa I could get a little something to eat everything wus all right, but we had few comforts .We- had prayer meeting and we 2. went to the white people's church. I heard mother say that they had to be very careful what they said in their worship. Lots of time dey put us children to bed and went off. " About the time of the surrender, I heard a lot about the patteroHers, but I did not know what they were. Children wus not as wise then as they are now. They didn't know as much about tilings. " Yes sir, I remember the Yankees coming to Haleigh, we had been taken out to koses Bledsoe's place on Holleman's Hoad to protect Mr. 31edsoe's things. They said if they put the things out there, and put a family of $dgroes there the Yankees would not bother the things. So they stored a lot of stuff there, and put my mother an' a slave man by the name o' Tom Gillmore there* Two Negro families were there. V/e children watched the Yankees march by. n The Yankees went through everything, and when mother wouldn't tellt them where the silver wus hid they threw her things in the well. Mother cried, an' v/hen the Yankee officers heard of it they sent a guard there to protect us. The colored man, Tom Gillmore, wus so scared, he and his family moved out at night leaving my mother alone with her family* The Yankees ate the preserves and all the meat and . ....„.• other things. They destroyed a lot they could not eat* 11' K&fcker and me stayed on with marster after the surrender* and stayed on his place till he died* After that we moved to Peck's Place, called Peck's Place because the property wus sold by Louis Peck* It wus also called the 'Save-rent* section* then in later years Oberlin Road* tt I think slavery wus a bad thing,while it had its good points in building good strong men* In some cases where marsters were bad it wus a bad thing* n Abraham Lincoln wus our friend, he set us free* I don't know much about Booker T* Washington* Mr Roosevelt is all right* Jim Young seemed to be all right* Jeff Davis didn't bother me* I guess he wus all right* EH K. C. District # 2 Sub j ect Ex-Slave Story Mo. «/ords 361 Person Interviewed Analiza Foster* .Vorker Mary Hicks Editor Daisy -Bailey Araitt /x. :ix. ,/ I& 320214 31& EX-SLAVS oTORY An interview with Analiza Foster, 68 of 1120 South Jlount Street, Raleigh, North Carolina* "I wuz bomed in Person County ter Tom Line an* Harriet Cash* My mammy belonged ter a Mr. Cash an1 pappy belonged ter Miss -^etsy Woods* Both of dese ov/ners wuz mean ter dere slaves an' dey ain't carin* much if1en dey kills one, case dey's got planty* Dar wuz one woman dat I hyard mammy tell of be in1 beat clean ter death. "De 'oman wuz pregnant an' she fainted in de fiel1 at de plow. De driver said dab she wuz puttin' on, an1 dat she ort ter be oeat. De master said dat she can be beat but don't ter hurt de baby. De driver says dat he won't, den he digs a hole in de sand an' he puts de 'oman in de hole, which am nigh 'bout ter her arm pits, den he kivers her up an' straps her nan's ovfcr her haid. wHe takes de long bull whup an1 he cuts long gashes all oevr her shoulders an' raised arms, den he walks off an* leabes her dar fer a hour in de hot sun* De flies an* de gnats dey worry her, an' de sun hurts too an' she cries 2* #, a little5 den de driver comes out wid a pan full of vinegar, salt an1 red pepper an1 he washes de gashes* De 'oman faints anr he digs her up, but in a few minutes she am stone dead* wDat!s de wust case dat Ifse eber hyard of but I reckon dar wuz plenty more of denu MTer show yo1 de value of slaves I111 tell yo1 fbout my grandma* She wuz sold on de block four times, an1 eber time she brung a thousand dollars. *ihe vmz valuable case she wuz strong an1 could plow day by day, den too she could have twenty chilluns an* wuck right on* r,De Yankees come through our country an1 dey makes de slaves draw water fer de horses all night* Course dey stold eber1 thing dey got dere I*an?s on but dat wuz what ole Abraham Lincoln tol1 dem ter do*11 MH/EH wr- o« ¦M '.", ^.^kJ-j^fP^PPiPiP^^^WPP ,*» *g ]>uC. District Ho* 2 Ko# iVords: 570 worker: T. Pat Matthews Subject: A SL&VB STORY Story Teller:-Georgianna Foster Editor: George L» Andrews N iM§tlS#* • fem^ •_¦* ¦ -,i..',',y^/^v.: ¦ (•. ,-^.:';.-- ^#^8iffiii# lilil 3£0§i8 D GBCHGIAMA POd'PSR 1308 Poole Road, Route # 2. Raleigh, fforth Carolina. "I mis bom in 1861. I ^ueen Anne. Father was a Freeman and mother was a Wiggins. "There were no churches on the plantation, lily father told me a story about his young master, Joe Freeman and my father's brother Soloman. Marster got Soloman to help whip him. My father went in to see young Missus and told her about it, and let her know he was going away. He had got the cradle blade and said he would kill either of them if they bothered him. Father had so much Indian blood in him that he would fight* &e ran away and stayed four years and passed for a free nigger. He stayed in the Bancomb Settlement in Johnson County. When he came home before the war ended, Old Marster said, 'Soloman why didn't you stay?1 father said, 'I have been off long enough'. -4- 4 Marster said *Go to work*, and there was no more to it. Father helped build the breastworks in the Eastern part of the State down at Ft. *'isher. He worked on the forts at New Bern too. '•I think Abraham Lincoln worked hard for our freedom. He was a great man. I think &r. Roosevelt is a good man and is doing all he can for the good of all. LE 820010 8tpioissr ADBY GILL F. C. District Kb, 2 Subject ___________ ____ Worker T, Eat Mat thews Person Interviewed Addy Gill Kb. Words 976______ Editor G. L. Andrews 330010 ADDY GILL 1614 "W St., Lincoln Park, Raleigh, Horth Carolina. ,rI am seventy four years of* age. I wus born a slave Jan. 6, 1863 on a plantation near Millburnie, Wake County, owned by Major Wilder, who hired my father's time. His wife vms named Sarah Wilder. I don*t know anything *bout slavery 'cept what wus tole me by father and mother but I do know that if it had not been for what de southern white folks done for us niggers we'd have perished to death. De north turned us out wid out anything to make a livin* wid. M% father wus David Gill and, my mother wus Brnily Gill. % father wus a blacksmith an he moved from place to place where dey hired his time. Dats why I wus born on Major V/ilders place. Marster Gill who owned us hired father to Major Wilder and mother moved wid him. For a longtime atter de war, nine years, we stayed on wid Major Wilder, de place we wus at when dey set us free. "Mr. Wilder had a large plantation and^wned a large number of slaves before de surrender. I only Members- four- teen of de ones I know belonged to him. Sir. Wilder wus a mighty gbb&, man. We had plenty to eat an plenty work to do. ie^i wus sevenlin the Majorrs family. Three boys, "two girls> her'iii.^his wi^;-;^»V'biB^s wus 'named-Sam-, ;i;'fill £E£ Crockett. ..-.'' "*is» De girls wus named Florence and Flora. Dey are all dead, every one of Tem. De whole set. I donrt know nary one of *em dats livin. If dey wus livin I could go to *em an* git a meal any time. Yes Sir! any time, day or night. "I farmed for a long: time for myself atter I wus free from •y father at 21 years of age. Den 'bout twelve years ago I come to Baleigh and got a job as butler at St. Augustine Epis- copal College for Colored. I worked dere eight years, wus taken sick while workin dere an has been unable to work much since. Dat wus four years ago. Since den sometimes I ain't able to git up outen my cheer -when I is settin down. I tells ycu, .sister, when a ni::- :er leaves de farm an comes to town to live he sho is takin a mighty nig chance wid de wolf. He is just a riskin parishin, dats what he is a doin. 111 married forty five years ago this past Hovember. I wus married on de second Thursday night in November to Millie Ruffin of Wake County, ITorth Carolina. We had leben chilluns, slap boys an five gals. Four of the boys an one of de gals .>ack, I burst out crying loud* I was so weak from -4- OoS sorrow I could not walk, and the two girls who were with me took me by each arm and led me along half carrying me* "This man Moore carried me and several other slaves to Kentucky* We traveled by train by way of Nashville, Tenn. My thoughts ..arenjiot familiar with the happenings of this trip but I remember that we walked a long distance at one place on the trip from one depot to another. "We finally reached Kentucky and Moors stopped at his brotherfs plantation until he could buy one, then we moved on it. My marster was named William Moore and my missus was named Martha Whitfield Moore. It was a big plantation and he hired a lot of help and had white tenants besides the land he worked with slaves. There were only six slaves used as regular field hands during his first year in Kentucky* "The food was generally common. Hog meat and corn- bread most all the time. Slaves got biscuits only on Sunday morning. Our clothes were poor and I worked barefooted most of the time, winter and summer? No books, papers or anything concerning education was allowed the slaves by his rules and the customs of these times* "Marster Moore had four children among whom was one boy about my age. The girls were named Atona, Beulah, and Minnie, and the b,oy. was named Crosby. He was mighty brilliant. We played together* He was the only white boy there, and he took a great liking to me, and we loved each devotedly. Once in an undertone he asked me how would I -5- 333 like to have an education* I was overjoyed at the suggestion and he at once began to teach me secretly* I studied hard and he soon had me so I could read and write well. I continued studying and he continued teaching me. He furnished me books and slipped all the papers he could get to me and I was the best educated Negro in the community without anyone except the slaves knowing what was going on. "All the slaves on marsterrs plantation lived the first year we spent in Kentucky in a one room house with one fireplace. There was a dozen or more who all lived in this one room house. Marster built himself a large house having seven rooms. He worked his slaves himself and never had any overseers. ..e worked from sun to sun in the fields and then v/orked at the house after getting in from the fields as long as we could see. I have never seen a patteroller but when I left the plantation in slavery time I got a pass. I have never seen a jail for slaves but I have seen slaves whipped and I was whipped myself. I was whipped particularly about a saddle I left out in the night after using it during the day* My flesh was cut up so bad that the scars are on me to this day. "We were not allowed to have prayer meetings, but we went to the white folks church to services sometimes. There were no looms, mills, or shops on the plantation at Marster Moore's. I kept the name of Glenn through all the years as V -6- 334 Marster Moore did not change his slaves names to his family ^ name ? My mother was named Martha Slenn and father was named Bob Glenn* MI was in the field when I first heard of the Civil War. The woman who looked after Henry Hall and myself (both slaves) told me she heard marster say old Abraham Lincoln was trying to free the niggers. Marster finally pulled me up and went and joined the Confederate Army. Kentucky split and part joined the North and part the South. The war ne$s kept slipping through of success for first one side then the other. Sometimes marster would come home, spend a few days and then go again to the war. It seemed he influenced a lot of men to join the southern army, among them was a man named Enoch Moorehead* Moorehead was killed in a few days after he joined the southern army. "Marster Moore fell out with a lot of his associates in the army and some of them who were from the same commtknity became his bitter enemies* Tom Foushee was one of them. Marster became so alarmed over the threats on his life made by Foushee and others that he was afraid to stay in his own. home at night, and he built a little camp one and one half miles from his home and he and missus spent their nights there on his visits home. Foushee finally came to the great house one night heavily armed, came right on into the house and inquired for marster* We told him marster was away. _7- 335 Poushee lay down on the floor and waited a long time for him* karster was at the little camp but we would not tell where he was. "Foushee left after spending most of the night at marster's. As he went out into the yard, when leaving, marster's hull dog grawled at him and he shot him dead* "xv.arster went to Henderson, Kentucky, the County seat of Henderson County, and surrendered to the~Federal Army and took the Oath of Allegiance* Up to that time I had seen a few Yankees. They stopped now and then at marster's and got their breakfast. They always asked about buttermilk, they seemed to be very fond of it. They were also fond of ham, but we had the ham meat buried in the ground, this ?/as about the close of the war. A big army of Yankees came through a f ew months later and soon we heard of the surrender. A few days after this marster told me to catch two horses that we had to go to Lickenson which was the County seat of Webster County. On the way to Dickenson he said to me, !3ob, did you know you are free and Lincoln has freed you? You are as free as I am.* We went to the Freedmen's Bureau and went into the office. A Yankee officer looked me over and asked marster my name, and informed me I was free, and asked me whether or not I wanted to keep living with Moore* I did not know what to do, so I told him yes. A fixed price of seventy-five dollars and board was then set as the salary I -8- 336 should receive per year for my work. The Yankees told me to let him know if I was not paid as agreed* nI went back home and stayed a year. During the year I hunted a lot at night and thoroughly enjoyed being free. I took my freedom by degrees and remained obedient and re- spectful, but still wondering and thinking of what the future held for me. After I retired at night I made plan after plan and built aircastles as to what I would do. At this time I formed a great attachment for the white man, Mr. Atlas Chandler, with whom I hunted. He bought my part of the game we caught and favored me in other ways. Mr. Chandler haa aufrienc^ Mr. Dewitt Yarborough, who was an adventurer, and trader, and half brother to my ex-marster, Mr. Moore, with whom I was then staying. He is responsible for me taking myself into my own hands and getting out of feeling I was still under obligations to ask my marster or missus when I desired to leave the premises. Mr. Yarborough1 s son was off at school at a place called Kiloh, Kentucky, and he wanted to carry a horse to him and also take along some other animals for trading purposes. He offered me a new pair of pants to make the trip for him and I accepted the job. I delivered the horse to his son and started for home. On the way back I ran into ,Uncle Squire Yarborough who once belonged to Dewitt Yarborough. He persuaded me to go home with him and go with him to a wedding in Union County, Kentucky* The -9- 33? wedding was twenty miles away and we walked the entire distance* It was a double wedding, two couples were married. Georgianna Hawkins was married to ^eoiSe Boss and Steve Carter married a woman whose name I do not remember. This was in the winter during the Christmas Holidays and I stayed in the community until about the first of January, then I went back home* I had been thinking for several days before I went back home as to just what I must tell Mr. Moore and as to how he felt about the matter, and what I would get when I got home. In my dilema I almost forgot I was free. "I got home at night and my mind and heart was full but I was surprised at the way he treated me* He acted kind and asked me if I was going to stay with him next year. I was plaased* I told him, yes sir* and then I lay down and went to sleep. He had a boss man on his plantation then and next morning he called me, but I just couldn't wake. I seemed to be in a trance or something, I had recently lost so much sleep* He called me the second time and still I dfrnot get up. Then he came in and spanked my head. I jumped up and went to work feeding the stock and splitting wood for the day's cooking and fires. I then went in and to ate my breakfast* Mr. Moore told me hitch a team of horses to a wagon and go to a neighbors five miles away for a load of hogs* I refused to do so. They called me into the house and asked me what I was going to do about it. I said I do -10-* ooo not know. As I said that I stepped out of the door and left. I went straight to the county seat and hired to Dr. George Rasby in Webster County for one hundred dollars per year© I stayed there one year. I got uneasy in Kentucky. The whites treated the blacks awful bad so I decided to go to Illinois as I thought a ^egro might have a better chance there, it being a northern state. I was kindly treated and soon began to save money, but all through the years there was a thought that:, haunted me in my dreams and in my waking hours, and this thought was of my mother, whom I had not seen or heard of in many years. Finally one cold morning in early December I made a vow that I was going to North Carolina and see my mother if she was still living. I had plenty of money for the trip* I wrote the postmaster in Roxboro, North Carolina, asking him to inform lay mother I was still living, and telling him the circum- stances, mailing a letter at the same time telling her I was still alive but saying nothing of my intended visit to her* I left Illinois bound for North Carolina on December 15th and in a few days I was at my mother's home. I tried to fool them. There were two men with me and they called me by a ficticious name, but when I shook my mother's hand I held it a little too long and she auspicioned something still she held herself until she was more sure. ?/hen she got a 4- chance she came to me and said ain't you my child? Tell me ain't you my child whom I left on the road near Mr* Moored before the war? I broke down and began to cry* Mother nor father did not know me, but mother suspicioned I was her child. Father had a few days previously remarked that he did not want to die without seeing his son once more. I could not find language to express my feelings. I did not know before I came home whether my parents were dead or alive. This Christmas I spent in the county-and state of my birth and childhood; with mother, father and freedom was the happiest period of my entire life, because those who were torn apart in bondage and sorrow several years previous were now united in freedom and happiness. EH N. C. District Ho. 3_______ Subject Sarah Anne Green Worker Travis Jordan________Ex-Slave« 78 Years__________ Durham County____________ SARAH ANNE GREEN EX-SLAVE 78 YEARS MMy mammy an* pappy wuz Anderson an* Hannah Watson. We fus1 belonged to Marse Billy an' Mis Roby Watson, but when Marse Billyrs daughter, Mis' Susie ma*ied young Marse Billy Eeaden, Ole Marse give her me, an1 my mammy an* my pappy for er weddin* gif*. So, I growed up as Sarah Anne fleaden. My pappy had blue eyes. Dey wuz jus1 like Marse Billy's eyes, kaze Ole Marse wuz pappy*s marster an* his pappy too. Ole I.iarse wuz called Hickory Billy, dey called him dat kaze he chewed hickory bark. He wouldn* touch 'bacca, but he kept er twis* of dis bark in his pocket rnos* all de time. He would make us chillun go down whare de niggers wuz splittin' rails an* peel dis bark off de logs befo* dey wuz split. De stuff he chewed come off dte log right under de bark. After dey*d skin de logs we*d peel off dis hickory *bacca in long strips an* make it up in twis*s for Ole Marse. It wuz yellah an* tas* sweet an1 sappy, an* he*d chew an1 spit, an* chew an* spit. Mis* Roby wouldn* 'low no chewin1 in de house, but Ole Marse sho Some some spittinr outside. He could stan* in ste barn door an* spit clear up in de lof*. Qle5 Blarse «4 Jits Boby lived on er big plantation near QoM^m^&^c-Ms.Im4B>Q*it three; hundred slaves* Hgpnah, my mamtyj.mm7&€*to0£- ¦ sifes ¦*-.« *¦¦ •. .¦ ¦. - SililililS -2- 361 some instances slaves were burned at the stake. Families were torn apart by selling. Mothers were sold from their children. Children were sold from their mothers, and the father was not considered in anyway as a family part. These conditions were here before the Civil War and the conditions in a changed sense have been here ever since. The whites have always held the slaves in part slavery and are still practicing the same things on them in a different manner. Whites lynch,rburn, and per- secute the negro race in America yet; and there is little they are doing to help them in enyway. "Lincoln got the praise for freeing us, but did he do it? Ee give us freedom without giving us any chance to live to our- selves and we still had to depend on the southern white man for work, food and clothing, and he held us through our necessity and want in a state of servitude but little better than slavery. Lincoln;,done cut little for the negro race and from living standpoint nothing. White folks are not going to do nothing for negroes except keep them down. "Harriet Beecher Stowe, the writer of Uncle Tom's Cabin, did that for her own good. She had her own interests at heart and I don't like her, Lincoln, or none of the crowd. The Yankees helped free us, so they say, but they let us be put back in slavery again* "then I think of slavery it makes me mad. I do not believe in giving you my story 'cause with all the promises that have been made the negro is still in a bad way in the United States, -2- no matter in what part he lives it's all the same. Sow you may be all right; there are a few white men who are but the pressure is such from your white friends that you will be com- pelled to talk against us and give us the eold shoulder when you are around them, even if your heart is right towards us. "You are going around to get a story of slavery conditions and the persecusions of_negroes before the civil war and the economic conditions concerning them since that war. You should have known before this late day all about that* Are you going to help us? Ho 1 you are only helping yourself. You say that my story may be put into a book, that you are from the Federal Writer's Project. Well, the jaegro will not get anything out of it. no matter where you are from. Harriet B&echer Stowe wrote tJncle Tom's Cabin. I didn't like her book a nd I hate her. Ho matter where you are from I don*t want you to write my story cause the white folks have been and are now and always will be against the negro." JM ^ ^ ft K. C. District No 3 Worker Travis Jordan Subject, Kecter Hamilton Ex-slave 90 Years. .•'„•$&.& •• 0vft2J;:T1E;, *<&.•.»'•!'*' ^'-. .>.?$^# i.Sr- V' '$t\&$'} 120016 HECTEH HAMILTON . ." ' ' EX-SLAVE 90 YEARS ...-•' v • « Dey wuz two General Lee's.in de 'Federate War. One los' his fi?r;ht but de other won his. One of dese Generals wuz a white man dat rode a white hoss , an' de other wuz a mean fightin' gander dat I named General Lee, though I didn' know den dat he wuz goin* to live up to his name. But when de time come dat long neck gander out fit de whole •Federate army. My white fo'ks lived in Virginia. Dey wuz Karse Peter- an' las' Laura Hamilton. Dey lived on de big Hamilton plantation dat wuz so big dat wid all de niggers dey had dey couldn1 Hen1 half of it. Dis Ian* done been handed down- to Marse Peter from more den six granlpappys. . Bey wuz cotton an* 'bacca fields a mile wide; de wheat fields as far as yo1. could see wua like a big sheet of green water, an* it took half hour to plow one row of cawn, but dey wuz plenty of slaves to do de work. Mistah Sidney Effort, Marse Peter's overseer, rode all over de fields every day, cussin* an* crackin* his long blacksnake whip. He drove dem niggers like dey wuz cattle, but Marse Peter wouldn' Flow no beatin,* of his niggers. Harse..Peter had acres an1 acres of woods dat wuz Mm auntinr ^zerve, Bey wuz every kind of bird an1 animal in dem woods in ..}JtooJdLi^./;;..S!*Bis©n;. Dey wuz snipes, pheasants, patridges, squirrels, s$^1b$&.f-;jfymt.stf an* foxes; dey wuz even bears, an* dey wuz -2- wolfs too dat would come anr catch de sheeps at night. Dey wuz always a crowd at Sasy Acres huntin' ridin' dancin' an' havinr a good time. Marse Peter's stables wuz full of hunters an' sadrilers for mens an* ladies. De ladies in dem days rode side saddles. Mis' Laura's saddle wuz all studded wid sho nuff goi* •ticks. De fringe wuz tipped wid gol*, an* de buckles on de bridle vriz solid gol*. When de ladies went to ride dey wore long skirts of red, blue, an* green velvet, an* dey had plumes on dey hats dat bis-w in de win'. Dey wouldn' be caught wearin' britches an* ridin' straddle like de worsens do dese days. In den. times de women wuz ladies. Marse Peter kept de bes* sideboa'd in Princess Anne County. His cut glass decanters cos1 near 'bout as much as Mis' Laura's di-inon* ear rings I's goin' tell yo* 'bout. De decanters wuz all set out on de sideboa'd wid de glasses, an* de wine anr brandy wuz so ole dat one good size dram would make yo * willin' to go to de Jail house for sixty days. Some of dat wine an* likker done heen in dat cellar ever since Ole Marse Caleb Hamilton's time, an' de done built Basy Acres befor Mistah George Washington done cut down his pappy*s cherry tree. Dat likker done been down in dat cellar so long dat yor had to scrape <£e dus1 off wid a knife. I iuz Marse Peter*s main sideboa'd man. When he had siiootin' company"! \,*-|gie£u, !^^^|i$i^ :.JIiy^f©rgQ%.;de'-ear . ¦ «»6— sojer clear ,^>wn &Q M^^i&anch befo' he turned: him loose, den he jump in de waiter an^a^. hese'f off.. ,,Yes^jSjun, 4at wuz, slip some fightin1 goose; he near *bout out fit de fho tttiff Iferse General Lee." ' 3202SO 3?0 N. C. District No» 2 Worker T» Pat Matthews No. Words 942________ Subject GEORGE W. HAHRIS Story teller George W. Harris Editor Daisy Bailev Waitt 320230 GEORGE W. HARRIS 604 E. Cabarrus Street, Raleigh, N. C. "Hey, don't go 'roun' dat post gitting it Btween you and me, it's bad luck. Don't you know it's bad luck? Don't want no more bad luck den what I'se already got. My name is George Harris. I wuz born November 25, 82 years ago. I have been living in the City of Raleigh onto 52 years. I belonged to John Andrews. He died about de time I wuz bom. His wife Betsy wuz my missus and his son John wuz my marster. **Deir plantation wuz in Jones County. Dere were about er dozen slaves on de plantation. We had plenty o* food in slavery days during' my boyhood days, plenty of good sound food. We didn't have 'xactly plenty o' clothes, and our places ter sleep needed things, we were in need often in these things. We were treated kindly, and no one abused us. We had as good owners as there were in Jones County; they looked out for us. They let us have patches to tend and gave us what we made* We did not have much money. We had no church on the plantation, but there wuz one on Marster's brother's plantation next ter his plantation. *W*e had suppers an* socials, generally gatherings for eatin'3 socials jist to git together an* eat. We had 2. a lot o* game ter eat, such as possums, coons, rabbits and birds. "De plantation wuz fenced in.wid rails about 10 ft, in length split from pine trees. De cattle, hogs an' bosses run out on de free range. The hosses ran on free range when de crap wuz laid by. There wuz an ole mare dat led de hosses* She led 'em an' when she come home at night dey followed her* "De first work I done wuz drappin' tater sprouts, drappin' corn, thinnin1 out corn and roundin* up corn an* mindin' the crows out of de field. Dey did not teach us to read an' write, but my father could read, and he read de hymn book and Testament to us sometimes. I do not remember ever go in' to church durin* slavery days. *T have never seen a slave whipped and none ever ran away to the North from our plantation. "When I wuz a boy we chillun played marbles, prison base, blind fold and tag, hide an* seek. Dey gave us Christmas holidays, an' 4th of July, an* lay-by time. Dey also called dis time *crap hillin1 time.** Most o* de time when we got sick our mother doctored us with herbs which she had* in de garden. When we had side plurisy, what dey calls pneumonia now, dey sent fer a doctor. Doctor Hines treated, us. 2,72 3. "fe lived near Trenton, When de Yankees took. New Bern, our marster had us out in de woods in Jones County mindin1 hosses an' takin* care o' things he had hid there. We got afraid and ran away to New Bern in Craven County. We all went in a gang and walked. De Yankees took us at Deep Gully ten miles dis side o* New Bern an' carried us inside de linas. Dey asked us questions and put us all in jail. Dey put my father ter cookinr at de jail and give us hoys work ,rounl de yard* Dey put de others at work at de horse stables and houses. "De smallpox and yaller fever caught us dere and killed us by de hundreds. Thirteen doctors died dere in one day. Jist "fore Gen. Lee surrendered dey carried us to Petersburg, Va., and I waited on Major ^toory and de others worked fer de Yankees. When de surrender came we went back home to Craven County, next to Jones County, and went to farmin1. Sump in' to eat could not hardly be found. De second year atter de war we went back to old marster's plantation. He wuz glad ter see us, we all et dinner wid him. We looked over de place. I looked over de little log cabin where.....I w&z bora. Some of de boys who had been slaves, farmed wid old marster, but I worked at my trade. I wuz a brick moulder. Yes, a brick maker* ttMy mother was named Jennie Andrews and my father 373 4. 374 was Quash Harris. My father belonged to de Harris family on de nex1 plantation in Jones County. Atter de surrender we all went in his name. We changed from Andrews to Harris, I do not recollect my grandmother and grandfather. I can't recollect them. "Marster told us directly after dey declared war dat he expected we would all soon be free. -De majority of de slaves did not want to be free. Dey were stirred up. Dey didn't want it to be. Dey didn't want no fight in*. Dey didn't know. "I married Mary Boy Ian first, of Johnston County, at Wilsons Mills, Jan. 4, 1878. Here is de family record. Ole marster made me copies after de war, and I copied dis. *George Harris was married the year 1878, January the 4th. George Harris was born the year 1855 November the 25th.* MI had five brothers, but they are all dead, fur as I know: John Nathan, Louis, David, Jefferson, Donald and my name George. My sisters, Mary Ann, Sara, Lucy, Penny, Emaline, Lizzie, Nancy, ILeah and one I canft remember. Dats all. ttI thought Abraham Lincoln wuz a great man. I remember him wall* I think he done de best he knowed how to settle de country. Mr. Roosevelt is a smart man. He is doing de best he can. I think he is goin* to help de country.* ¦*-:W£ ST.C. District_&JL Subj eettflg JSX-3MVE STCEY Ko. */ords J2§&. Story TellertSarah Harris Workers Mary A« Hicks Sd itor sDaisv Bailey Vifaitt /I .:0M .¦1 / ^^C^T-^ig enough to work I warded fo# Porter Stea#iaii* X ^ot Sif^cent a week and board, fe had a good homa" l&eiu 1 Just scouted when 1 got dat* 25 cent, and I ju&t run, I ibti^dn.'t run fas'aauff to git to my mother to give dat^iiola^%0''hi^ :amWm^wtlier:^. bou^^:-;a?lioi^*.¦ ®fo&r:§&i her -firit'mlo^^W buy de- home : ^%<0L§&:-W0t ;#|:itti;;:ii#i^i :0M&:'JteT^w4^:;^!iM&. &) suraNsiiier*: issvwwpuii-Girw 8iiS?lii^ 378 .Some weeks she only saved 5 cents. Lan» sold fur< $10 a acre den, "Just after de war de white and colored children played together. Dey had a tent in our neighborhood* I wuz de cook for de white chilluns parties. We played together fer a long time after de war. "I married ^ilas Cooper of Norfolk Va. He worked in the i^avy yard. I wuz married in Haleigh. I had a church wedding. ttI think Abraham Lincoln wuz a great man. He would cure -or kill. But I like my ole master. The Lord put it into Abraham Lincoln to do as he done. The Lord knowed he would be killed. *I think slavery wuz wrong. I have a horror of being a slave* You see all dis Ian' aroum' here. It belongs to colored folks. Dey were cut off wid nothing but dey is strugglin* an' dey are corain' on fast. Be Bible say dat de bottom rail will be on top, and it is comin1 to pass. Sometime de colored race will git up. De Bible say so* "I think Mr.SMIsvflt is one of the greatest mans in de world. He wants to help everybody. "I doan think much of Mr. Jeff Davis. Eeyused to sing songs uv hanging him to a apple tree. Dey say he libed a long time atter de war dressed like a ,oman, he wuz so sk@ere:-slaref 78 Yrs» l#f« tatf &V: Durham, j • C# 320122 380 CY MET/ 78 Trs# Ex*-slaYe# Ephram Mart was my pappy and my miiamy's name was Nellie? He belonged to Marse Ephram liart. One day Marse Hart took some of his niggers to de slare market an1 my pappy was took along too* When he was put on de block an1 sold Marse Paul Cameron bought him* Den Marse Hart felt so sorry to think he done let my pappy be sold dat he tried to buttjiim back from Marse Paul, an1 offered him more den Marse Paul paid for him. But Liarse Paul said, !tNo,Suh. I done bought him an' I want det nigger myself an1 I am goin* take him home wid me to Snow Hill farm* Pappy married my mammy an* raised a f mily on ;,.arse Paul*s plantation* Vie had to be eight years ole before we fgun to work. I tended de ehiekens an* turkeys an1 seeh. I helped tend de other stoek too as I growed older, an1 do anythin* else dat I was yole to do# When I got bigger I helped den wid de thrashin* de wheat an1 I helped dem push de straw to de staek. We had what wuz den called a *groun* hog. It wms a cylinder shaped contrap^tion. We put de wheat straw an all in it an* knock de grain loose from de straw. Den we took de pitchforks an1 tossed de straw up an* about$ an* dat let de wheat go to de bottom on a big eloth. Den we fan de wheat, to get de dust an1 dirt*out, an* we had big ©urtains hung *rounf de eloth whar de wheat lay, so de wheat wpuldn* get all s®atteredton de groun* ? Dis wheat was sacked an* when wanted, *twus took to de mill an* groun1 into flour. De flour wu2 made into white bread an1 de eorn wxz groun1 into meal an* grits* When de wmr started der wus some bad times* One day some of Wheeler** men eome an* dey tried to talce what dey wanted* but Marse Paul had de silver ||;;j^ ._B#^P"''trt^i^fe^'.-."m*'- ar^|isg?**f* to tell dem whar eferythin* 381 -2- wuz, but we said we didn1 know nuthin1. Marse Paul wuz hid in de woods wid de horses an1 some of de other stock* Den Wheeler's men saw de Yankees comin1 anf dey run away. De Yankees chased dem to de bridge an1 dey done some fightin* an1 one or two of Yfheelerfs men wuz killed an1 de rest got away. Den de eaptp[^ri of de Yankees come to kamny1 s cabin an1 axed her whar de meat house an1 flour an sech at. She tole him dat Pappy had de kej^s to ~~" go an1 ax him, ^Ax him nothin1*', de captain said. lie called some of his mens an* dey broke down de door to de meat house. Den dey trowed out plenty of dose hams an* dey tole Mammy to cook dem somethin1 to eat and plenty of it. Mammy fried plenty of dat ham anf made lots of bread an1 fixed dem coffee. How dey did ea%! Dey wuz ^usf as nice as dey could be to Mammy anf when dey wuz through, dey tole Mammy dat she could kave de rest, anf de captain gave her some money an1 he tole her dat she wus free, dat we didn1 belong to Marse Paul no longer* Dey didn1 do any harm to de place. Dey wuz jus* looking for somethin1 to eat. Den dey left* / ( He didn1 leave Marse F&ul but stayed on an1 lived wid him for many years. I lived wid Marse Paul *til he died an1 he done selected eight of us niggers to tote his coffin to de chapel,an9 de buryin1 groun*. he said, nI want dese niggers to carry my body to de ehapel an1 de grave when I die11. We did. It wu$ a lofcd I would have been glfcd had der been two or four more to help tote Marse Paul for he sho wu* heavy* After everythin* wu ready we lifted him up an* toted him to de chapel an1 we sat down on de floor, on each side of de coffin, while de preacher preaehed de funeral sermon* We didn1 make any ifr fuss while sittin* dere on de floory but '¦ w# sho .'was full of grief to see our Sly*6*** 0l* mr*B ***1 17^;^^-^%^ 330130 382 JT. C. District No. 2 Subject THB BLACKSMITH ., ¦<'-• - • '-f. * Worker Mary A. Hicks_____Person Intervievfed Alonzo Haywood Ho. Words ____381________ Editor G. L. Andrews_____________ 320130 383 THE BLACKSMITH An interview with Alonzo Haywood, 67 years old of 1217 Oberlin Road. On East Cabarrus Street is a blacksmith shop which is a survival of horse and buggy days, and the smiling black- smith, a Negro, although he has hazel eyes, recounts the story of his father's life and his own. "My father was Willis Haywood and in slavery days he belonged to Mr. William H. Pool. Mr. Pool liked father be- cause he was quick and obedient so he determined to give him a trade. "Wilson Morgan run the blacksmith shop at Falls of Neuse and it was him that taught my father the trade at Mr. Pool's insistence. "While father, a young blade,worked and lived at Palls of Heuse, he fell in love with my mother, Mirana Denson, who lived in Raleigh. He come to see her ever* chance he got and then they were married. "When the Yankees were crossing the Neuse Bridge at thfe falls, near the' old paper mill, the bridge broke in. They were carrying the heavy artillery over and a great many men followed, in fact the line extended to Raleigh, because when the bridge fell word passed by word of mouth from man to man back to Raleigh* "Father said that the Yankees stopped in the shop to ¦2" 384 jf.ake some hoss shoes and nails and that the Yankees could do it faster than anybody he ever saw. "Father told me a story once 'bout de devil traveling and he got sore feet and was awful lame but he went in a black- smith shop and the blacksmith shoed him. "The devil traveled longer and the shoes hurt his feet . and made him lamer than ever so he went back and asked the blacksmith to take off de shoes. "The blacksmith took them off under the condition that wherever the devil saw a horse shoa over a door he would not enter. That's the reason that people hang up horseshoes over their door. "Mother died near twenty years ago and father died four years later. He had not cared to live since mother left him. "I've heard some of the young people laugh about slave love, but they should envy the love which kept mother and father so close together in life and even held them in death." LS 3:20127 385 K. C. District No. 2 Worker Mary A. Hicks Wo. Words 547 Subject AUNT BARBARA'S LOVE STORY Story teller Barbara Havwood Editor Geo. L. Andrews &0127 386 AUNT BARBARA'S LOVE STORY An interview with Barbara Haywood, 85 years old. Address 1111 Mark Street, Raleigh, North Carolina* "Anything dat I tells you will near 'bout all be 'bout Frank Haywood, my husban1. "I wus borned on de John Walton place seben miles, southeast of Raleigh. My father, Handy Sturdivant, belonged to somebody in Johnston County but mother an* her chilluns •longed ter Marse John Walton. "Marse John had a corn shuckin* onct an1 at dat corn ehuckin' I fust saw Frank. I wus a little girl, cry in1 an1 bawlin' an' Frank, who wus a big boy said dat he neber wanted ter spank a youngin1 so bad, an1 I ain't liked him no better dan he did me. **He 'longed ter Mr. Yarborough, what runned de hotel in Raleigh, but he wus boun* out ter anybody what'ud hire him, an' I doan know whar he got his name. *I seed Frank a few times at de Holland's Methodist Church whar we went ter church wid our white folks. Tou axes if fen our white folks wus good ter us, an' I sez ter yo' dat none of de white folks wus good ter 2- 38* > none of de niggers, we done our weavin* at night an* we wurked hard. We had enough ter eat but we wus whupped some. ttJest *fore de war wus ober we wus sent ter !&*• William Turner *s place down clost ter Smithfield an' dats whar we wus when de Yankees come. *One day I wus settin' on de porch restin* atter my days wurk wus done when I sees de hoss-lot full of men an* I sez ter Marse William, who am talkin* ter a soldier named Cole, *De lot am full of men.1 "Marse Cole looks up an1 he 'lows, *Hits dem damned Yankees,* an' wid dat he buckles on his sword an* he ain't been seen since. "De Yankees takes all de meat outen de smokehouse an' goes 'roun' ter de slave cabins an* takes de meat what de white folkses has put dar. Dat wus de fust hams dat has eber been in de nigger house. Anyhow de Yankees takes all de hams, but dey gibes us de shoulders* ttAtter de war we moved ter Baleigh, on Davie Street an' I went ter school a little at Saint Paul's. Frank wus wurkin' at de City Market on Fayetteville Street an1 I*d go seberal blocks out of my way mornin' an1 night on my way ter school ter look at him. You see I has been in love with him f er a long time den* 388 "Atter awhile Frank becomes a butcher an ' he am makin' pretty good. I is thirteen so he comes ter see me an' fer a year we cou'ts. We wus settin' in de kitchen at de house on Davie Street when he axes me ter have him an' I has him. "I knows dat he tol1 me dat he warn't "worthy but dat he loved me an' dat he'd dp anything he could ter please me, an1 dat he'd always be good ter me. "When I wus fourteen I got married an' when I wus fifteen my oldes' daughter, Eleanor, wus "corned* I had three atter her, an' Frank wus proud of dem as could be* We wus happy. We libed together fifty-four years an' we wus always happy, havin1 a mighty little bit of argument. I hopes young lady, dat you'll be as lucky as I wus wid Frank.* AZ. o202iO 389 N. C. District II Subject Story of Isabel1 Worker Mrs, Edith S. Hibbs Henderson, Negro._______ No. Words 550_____ Interviewed Isabeil Henderson, Edited Mrs. W. N. Harriss 1121 Rankin St, Wilmington.N.C, 320210 STORY OF ISABELL HENDERSON, NEGRO "X " 390 1121 Rankin St., Wilmington, N. C. "I'll be 84 years old come August 9. My gran*- daughter can tell you what year it was I was born I don* 'member but we has it down in the Bible. "I lived near the "Clock Church" (Jewish Synagogue)*, 4th and Market. We had a big place there. My gran'-mother did the cookin'. My mother did the dewin'. I was jus five years old when the men went away. I guess to the war, I don' know. Some men came by and conscip* dem. I don' know where they went but I guess dey went to war. I was such a little girl I don't 'member much. But I does know my Missus was good to me. I used to play with her little boy. I was jes' one of the family. I played with the little boy around the house 'cause I was never 'lowed to run the streets. They was good to me. They kept me in clothes, pretty clothes, and good things to eat. Yes' m we was slaves but we had good times." Interviewer: "What did you eat?" Isabell: ^Oh I don't 'member 'special but I et jes what the family et." *N0TE: The Synafeogne has no clock on the exterior, but Isabell persisted with her name of "Clock Church". - 2 - 391 "ffiaybe my father was killed in the war maybe he run away I don' know, he jus* neber come back no mo*. "Yes'm I remember when the soldiers came along and freed us. They went through breakin' down peoples shops and everything. "My mother married again. She married Edward Robert- son. He was good to me. Yes'm he was better to me than my father was. He was a preacher and a painter. My mother died* When my father, (step-father) went off to preach, me and my sister stayed in the house. "I stayed home all my life. I ^ust wasn't 'llowed to run around like most girls, I never been out of Wiimingtcti but one year in my life. That year I went to Augusta. No'm I don't likes to go away. I don't like the *fcains, nor the automobiles. But I rides in rem (meaning the Jatter). "I remember when the 4th Street bridge was built. I was married over there in St. Stephen's Church, 5th and Red Cross. Yes M*am my auntie she gib me a big weddin*. I was 22 and my husband was 22 too not quite 23. Not a year older than I was. He was a cooper. Yes Ma'm I had a big weddin*. The church was ail decorated with flowers. I had six atten- dants. Four big ones and two little ones. My husband he had the same number I did four big ones and two little ones. I had on a white dress. Carried flowers. Had carriages and everything. My husband was good to me. I didn't stay home with my father but about a month. We wanted to go to ourselves, - 3 - 392 We went in our own home and stayed there until I got a "sickness" (She looked shy) I didnft know what was the matter with me* My father told me I better come home. So I went home to my father and stayed there about two years* "I have had five children. Three are livin1. Two are dead* "I never worked until after he died. He left me with five littxe children to raise* "He was the only man I ever tknowedf in all my life from girlhood up." n n 'iSL.ii fS»> *$< 4-T i /^ N.C. District # 2 Sub ject Ex-Slave Story Mo. ffords 738 Story Teller; Essex Henry V/orkers Mary A. Hicks Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt TlSillfilt ¦' #^«#'#i':- ¦¦/'Ms 'M Vt -^ £:!^:^^ ^HH^lii^^^ 320017 394 33&dX HSKHY £3£-5lave Story An interview with Essex Henry 83 of 713 5. Bast Street, Raleigh, M. C. "1 wus borned five miles north of Raleigh on de Wendell itoad. 83 years ago* My mammy wus I\Tancy an* my pappy wus Louis* I had one sister, Mary, an1 one bruder, Louis* "We 'longed ter Mr. ^ake Mordecai, an' we lived on his six hundert acres plantation 'bout a mile from Millbrook* rdght atter de war he sold dis Ian1 ter Doctor Miller an' bought de Betsy Einton tract at Milburnie. Mr!. Jake had four or five hundert niggers hyar an' I doan know how many at de Sdgecombe County place. MDe wuck wus hard den, I knows case I'se seed my little mammy dig ditches wid de best of 'em. I'se seed her split 350 rails a day many's de time. Dat wus her po'tion you knows, an' de mens had ter split 500. I wus 4oo little ter do much but rnin' de chickens outen de garden, an* so I fared better dan most of 'em. You see Miss Tempie »ud see me out at de gate mornin's as dey wus eatin* breakfas' on de ferander, an1 she'ud call me ter her an' give me butter toasted lightbread or biscuits* She'd give me a heap in dat way, an' $©«de rest of de slaves got hmgty, I doan think dat I eber did* »K: ISsKMiSefti z* 395 I know dat Miss Jenny Perry, on a neighborin' plantation, *ud give my mammy food fer us chilluns. "Mo'nin's we sometimes ain't had notHin* ter eat. At dinner time de cook at de big house cooked nuff turnip 5 salet, beans, 'taters, er peas fer all de han'dr an' long \\'±d a little piece of meat an' a little hunk of co'nbread de dinner wus sont ter de slaves out in de fiel1 on.a cart. "De slaves 'ud set roun' under de trees an' eat an' laugh an' talk till de oberseer, Bob Grayie, yells at 'em ter git back ter wuck. Iffen dey doan git back right den he starts ter frailin' lef' an' right. "Dar wus a tf«w spirited slaves what won't be whupped an' mu uncle wus one. He wus finally sold fer dis. "Hit wus different wid my gran'mother do*. De Qberseer tried ter whup her an* he can't^so he hollers fer Mr. Jake. *r. Jake comes an' he can't so he hauls off an' kicks granny, mashin' her stomieJ*. in. Ee has her carried ter her cabin an' three days atterward she dies wid nothin* done fer her an' nobody wid her. i "Mr. Jake orders de coffinmafcareter make de fine box, an' den he fergits hit. De slaves puts de coffin on de cyart hin* de two black hosses an* wid six or maybe seben hundert niggers follerin' dey goes ter de Simms' graveyard an* buries her. All de way ter de graveyard dey im 3. sings, 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot,1 '^e Promised Lanf, rDe Road ter Jordan,* an* '01s Time Religion.' "Hit's a good thing dat none of de white folkses ain't went to de funerals case if fen dey had de niggers can't sing deir hymns* Does you know dat dey warn't no rligion 'lowed on dat plantation. Ole lady Betsy Holmes v/us whupped time an' ag'in fer talkin' 'ligion er fer sing-in1 hymns. We sometimes had prayermeetin* anyhow in de cabins but we*d turn down de big pot front ol de door ter ketch de noise. • u<'^ ttDey won't gib^ us no pass hardly, an' if fen, we runs 'way de patterollers will git us* Bey did let us have some dances do* now an' den, but not of fen. Bey let us go possum huntin' too case dat wus gittin' something ter eat widout Mr. Jake payin* fer hit. ttMr. Henry, Mr. Jake's bruder an' his Uncle Moses uster come a-visitin' ter de house fer de day. Mr. Henry wus little wid a short leg an* a long one,ian* he had de wust temper dat eber wus in de worl* ; an' he loved ter see slaves suffer, near 'bout much as he loved his brandy. We knowed when we seed him eomin* dat dar wus gwine ter be a whuppin' frolic 'fore de day wus gone. "Bar wus three niggers, Jc^J^ane, J^ianias Ruffin an' Dick Bogers what got de blame fej?, eber*thing what happens on de place. Fer instance Mr. Henry 'ud look in de hawg pen. an* 4. 39? 'low dat hit Speared dat he bruderl stock wus growinr less all de time. Den Mr. Jake sez dat dey done been stold. tt,Why doan you punish dem thievin' niggers, Jake1? " Jake gits mad an' has dese three niggers brung out* deir shirts am pulled off an1 dey 8m staked down on deir stomichs, an' de oberseer gits wored out, an' leavin' de niggers tied, dar in de sun, dey goes ter de house ter git some brandy* " Dey more dey drinks from de white crdck de better humor dey gits in. Bey laughs an' talks an' atter awhile dey think o' de niggers, an' back dey goes an' beats 'em some more. Dis usually lasts all de day, case hit' am fun ter dem. " Atter so long dey ketched Jack Ashe, a Free Issue, wid one of de pigs, an' dey whups him twixt drinks all de day an' at night dey carried him ter de Raleigh jail. He wus . convicted an' sent ter Bald Head Island ter wuck on de breast- works durin' de war an' he ain't neber come back. a Dar wus a man in Baleigh what had two blood noun's an' he made his livin' by ketchin* runaway niggers. His name wus Beaver an' he ain't missed but onct. Pat Norwood took a long grass sythe when he runned away, an' as de fust dog come he elipped off its tail, de second one he clipped (feft its year an' demdawga ain't nm him m& more* ¦5. 398 ttDe war lasted a long time, an' hit wus a mess. •ff Some of tearster Jake's slaves lef' him an' when de x'ankees got ter Haleigh dey come an' tol' 'em 'bout de way ivx. Jake done, well in a few days hyar comes de Yankees a-ridin', an' dey sez dat dey had tentions o' hangin' Mr. Jake on de big oak in de yard if fen he'uv been dar, but h"e ain't. He an' his family had flawed de coop. "Dem Yankees went in de big house an' dey tored an' busted up all dey pleased, dey eben throwed de clothes all ober de yard. "Dey took two big barns o2 corn an' haul hit off an* down Devil's Jump on Morris Creek dey buried ever so much ? molasses an' all. "At Rattlesnake Spring de Yankees fin's whar Mars ter Jake's still had been, an' dar buried, dey fin's five barrels o' brandy. "Atter de war we stayed on as servants o' Doctor filler fer seberal years. I 'members de only time dat I eber got drunk wus long den. De doctor an' his frien's wus splurginr, an1 I went wid another nigger ter git de brandy from de cellar fer de guests. When I tasted hit, hit drunk so good, an' so much l§k sweetin water dat I drunk de pitcher full. I wus drunk three days* *I married Milly^an' sixty years ago we moved ter town. We scuffled along till twenty-eight years ago we buyed dis shack* I hopes dat we can git de ole age pension., case we shore need hit.* 320015 **" H.C. District # 2 Subject: Bx-rilave fltory rio. ..'ordsj Story Teller? Milly Kenry ,orker: Mary A. Hicks Editor: Daisy Bailey v/aitt Mas tf|te life 320015 EX-SIAVE STOHY An interview with Milly Henry 82 of 713 South East Street, Baleigh, U. C. * I wua borned a slave ter Mr. Buck Boylan in Yazoo City, Mississippi. I doan know nothin* "'bout my family fcept my gran'maw an' she died in Mississippi durin' de war. uMarster Buck owned three plantations dar, de Mosley place, Middle place, anr de Hill place. Me an" gran'maw lived at de Mo s ley place. One day Marster Buek comes in^an1 we sees dat he am worried stiff; atter awhile he gangs us up, an' sez ter us: **' De Yankees am a-comin* te. take my slaves 'way frum me an! I don't 'pose dat dey am gwine ter do dat. Fer dem reasons we leaves fer No'th Carolina day at ter teimorror an1 I ain't gwine ter hyar no jaw 'bout hit.' » Bat day he goes over de slaves an' picks out 'roun1 five hundret ter go* He picks me out, but my gran'maw he sez dat :h© will leave ease she am so old an' feeble* I hates da%\Mt>1! don' t \ say* a©thia.'.-;a#' alii./; «. .¦: ov.;: :^:,pi«:leaves.::;h©»ei:inKk4verei\wag^aa, wid, a h€a§> ¦ walkin* an1 ¦ in>:;:'^iu16|i;:taa?ee; weeka^f- ^^k^^/^'^M;teroBal#i^,»:. m.^' s " '"^^^^^:'' 2* You should have been 'long on dat trip, honeyj When we camps side of de road an' sleeps on de groun* an* cooks our rations at de camp fires. I think iat dat wus one spring •fore de surrender wus de nex', w Marster Buck carries us ter B©$Man Avenue dar whar de bridge am now an' we camps fer a few days, but den he sen!s us out terb de Crabtree plantation. Ee also buys a place sommers east o! Baleigh an' sen's some dar. n I misses my gran'maw fer awhile, but at last Uncle Green comes from Mississippi an' he sez dat gran'maw am daid, so I pretty quick stops worrin' over hit. tt Marster 'cides ter hire some o' us out, an' so I gits hired out ter Miss Mary Lee, who I wucks fer till she got so pore she can't ffeed me, den I is hired out ter Miss Sue Blake an' sent ter de Company Shop up above Durham. tt Miss Mary wus good, but Miss Sue she whup me, so I runs away. I went barefooted an' bareheaded ter de train, an' I gits on. Attear awhile de conductor comes fer a ticket an' I ain't got none* He axes me whar I'se gwine an' I tells him home, so he brung me on ter Raleigh* tt I went right home an' toi1 Mr. Buck dat Miss; SuC: whupped me,';¦'¦¦'&' dat I runned away; M ml& 8M hlt;'!'^& .&2Z':¦' %ightj an' he hired*aie out ter 'ifis& Le€ Hamilton who lived, dar .on £*;$1$eiffiyf%$&-'&i&e*tm¦'¦¦¦ ..-¦>¦¦¦¦¦¦: P:&mirW).m»^^^^§. §^^idij^an*;,;r^ an1 da**'" 5* 404 fer Mr. Buck an' make lak dey wus gittin' kilt. * Mr. Buek'd come stompin* anr yellin* stop beatin* dat nigger.* tt Course dis ruitnt de slaves, case dey could talk lak dey pleased ter Mr. Harris, an-' if fen dey could yell loud nuff dey ain't got no whuppin'* 11 Yessum, I'se glad slavery am over; we owns dis home an* some chickens, but we shore does need de ole age pension. I'se got two fine gran'sons, but let me tell vpu dey needs ter wuck harder, eat less^ an1 drink less. CJ2n de count o' dem boys I wants de ABC Stores so's dey won't drink box lyeLj ^V^'i SH -is*/** 405 K". C. District No» 2 Subject CBMEY HEWS Worker T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed Chanev Hews No. Words 737_______' Editor G. L. Andrews 320047 406 CHANEY EEV/S SO years old. 104 Cotton Street, Raleigh, ftorth Carolina. "My age, best of rr.y recollection, is aoout eighty years. I wus 'bout eight years ole when de Yankees come through. Chillun in dem days wus not paid much mind like dey is now. ilhlte chillun nor nigger chillun wus not spiled by tenshun. "I got enough to eat to live on anr dat wus 'bout all I keered 'bout. Des so I could git a little to eat and could play all de time. I stayed outen de way of de grown folks. iio, chillun wus not noticed like d ey is now* "I heard de . rown folks talkin* 'bout de Yankees. De niggers called 'em blue jackets* Den one mornin', almost 'fore I knowed it, de yard wus full of 'em. Dey tried to ride de hosses in de house, dey caught de chickens, killed de shoats and took de horses an' anything else dey wanted. Dey give de nigger hardtack an' pickled meat. I 'members eating some of de meat, I didn't like. "We had reasonably good food, clothin', and warm log houses wid stick an? dirt chimleys. De houses wus warm enough all de time in winter, and dey didn't leak in rainy weather neither. - — ...... aDere wus a lot of slaves an' marster an' missus wus good to father an' mother. When dey had a cornshuckin' we slaves had a good time, plenty to eat, whiskey for de grown folks and a rastlin' match after de corn wus shucked. -2- 407 A nigger dat shucked a red ear of corn got a extra drink of whiskey. Dat wus de custom in dem days. "No prayermeetinrs wus allowed on de plantation but we went to Salem to white folks church and also to white folks. church at Cary. "Dey whupped mother *cause she tried to learn to read, no books wus allowed. Mother said dat if de blue jackets had not come sooner or later I would have got de lash. "Mother belonged to Sam Atkins who owned a plantation about ten miles down de Ramkatte Road in Wake County. Father belonged to Turner Utley and father wus named Jacob Utley and mother wus named Lucy Utley. !My maiden name wus Chaney Utley. Dey wurked from sun to sun on de plantation. . "When de surrender come father an* mother come to town an' stayed about a year an* den went back to ole marster*s plantation. Dey wus fed a long time on hardtack and pickled meat, by de Yankees, while in town. Dey stayed a long time wid ole marster when dey got back. Mother wus his cook. Rats got after mother in town an* she went back to marsters an1 tole him 'bout it an1 tole him she had come back home, dat she wus fraid to stay in town an1 marster jes* laughted an' tole us all to come right in. He tole mother to go an1 cook us ail"sumptin to eat an* she did. We wus all glad to git back home. UI wus too little to wurk much but I played a lot an* -3- 408 swept yards. We drank water outen gourds an* marster woulcE tell me to bring him a gourd full of cool water when he wus settinr in his arm chair on de porch. I thought big of waitin* on marster, yes, dat I did. 9 ttDere wus fourteen of us in family, father, mother an1 twelve chilluns. Dere is three of us livin', two of de boys an* me. "Slavery wus a good thing from what I knows *bout it. while I liked de Yankees wid dere furty clothes, I didn't like de way dey took marster*s stuff an* I tole 'em so. Mother made me hush. Dey took chickens, :.ieat, hogs an' horses. "We finally left ole marster*s plantation an' moved .ies* a little way over on another plantation. Mother an* father died there. "I married Sam Hews in Wake County when I wus fifteen years old. I had no children. After we wus married we stayed on de farm a year or two den we moved to Raleigh. We have wurked for white folks ever since, anr I am still wurkin* for fem now all I am able. I washes an' irons clothes. Sometimes I can't wasli, I ain't able, but I does de be*?1 I can. De white folks is still good to me an* I likes *em." LE 3^ District £fet ,a Worker T» pftfr flfrtlfogYrs No. tfords 1554______ Subject Joe High Person Interviewed Joe High Editor PjfoY BajUyy Vaitt___ -< p>.-ljkr^. jUtJa/cs ijMMi^-ds y/'1 Id-UJs iSIiiiSSII^Silli , SSiK'S;.S: ¦S::':;i>;iS§^^iIi 320158 JOE HIGH _ to ?~«^> Joe High interviewed May IS, 1937 has long been one of the best independent gardners in Raleigh, working variously by the hour or day. "My name is Joe High. I lives at 527 So. Haywood St. ' Halei I i ' Raleigh, N. C. Fow dere is one thing I want to know, is \ dis thing goin* to cost me anything. Hold on a minute, and le1 me see. I want to be square, and I must be square, ilow le* me see, le* me see sumpin'. Sometimes folks come here and dey writes and writes; den dey asts me, is you * goinr to pay dis now? What will it cost? Well, if it costs no thin* I'll gib you what I knows. "Let me git my Bible. I want;-; to be on de square, because I got to leave here some of dese days. Dis is a record from de slave books* I*ve been tryin* to Sit my direct age for 35 years. My cousin got my age. I wuz born April 10, 1857. My mother's name wuz Sarah High. Pat down when s an' den dey said dey were goin' to kill him for tellin' 'em a lie. 420 She herd 'em talkin1 and she bus tea through de crowd and told 'era dat de stuff belonged to anudder man and dat her marster wus not lyin', an' not to hurt 'im. De Yankees said, 'You have saved dis ole son of a bitch, v/e won't kill 'em den.' Dey took all de meat, whiskey, an* everything dey wanted* Marster promised mother a cow, and calf, a sow^ and pigs for what she had done for him an' to stay on an' finish de crop. ';/hen de fall o' de year come he did not give her de wrappin's o' her finger. Dat's what my rnudder tole me. V/e wus teached to call 'em mamraie and pappie. I is gwine to tell you just zackly like it is we were taught dese things. I wants to be pasidefily right in what I tell you. "We lef' dat place an' mammie an' pappie farmed wid Solomon Morgan a Free Issue for several years. De family had typhoid fever an' five were down with it at one time. But de Lawd will provide. Sich as dat makes me say people wont die till deir time comes. Dere is some mighty good white people in dis place in America, and also bad. If it hadn't been for 'em we colored folks would have ben in a mighty bad fix. V/e got our jobs and help from 'em to git us to de place we are at. Dr. Henry Montague doctored us and none died. It wusn't dere time to go. No, no, hit wusn't deiv time to go. We then moved back to Ivlarster's for a year, and then we moved to Rolesville in Wake County. *• 421 "I married den and moved to Raleigh. I married Robert High. Ee is dead. He been dead rbout 30 yearso I don't knov/ much rbout Abraham Lincoln I think he wus a fine man. Mr. Roosevelt's ideas is fine if he can carry 'em out* AC A* 330084 . «B AU617 1937 N. C. District No. 2 Subject KITTY KILL_____________ Worker T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed Kitty Hill_____ Ho. Words___878 ' Editor G. L. Andrews ______ KITTY HILL - 329 West South Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. "I tole you yisterday dat my age wus 76 years old, but my daughter come home, an' I axed her 'bout it an1 she say I is 77 years old. I don't know exactly the date but I wus born in April. I wus a little girl 'bout five years ole when de surrender come, but I don*t rmember anything much 'bout de Yankees. "I wus born in Virginia, near Petersburg, anr mother said de Yankees had been hanging 'round dere so long dat a soldier wus no sight to nobody. "'Bout de time de Yankees come I 'member hearin* dem talk 'bout de surrender. Den a Jew man by the name of Isaac Long come to Petersburg, bought us an* brought us to Chatham County to a little country town, named Pittsboro. Ole man Isaac Long run a store an* kept a boarding house. We stayed on de lot. % mother cooked. We stayed there a long time atterde war. Father wus sent to Manassas Gap at the beginning of de war and I do not 'member ever see in' him. "My mother wus named Viney Jefferson an' my father wus named Thomas Jefferspn,. We * longed to the Jeffersons there and w« went by the name of Jefferson when we wus sold and brought; to I«C. I do not 'member, my grandparents on my mother's pff&SS -2- 424 or father's side. Mother had one hoy an' three girls. The boy wus named Robert, an1 the girls were Kate, Rosa and Kitty. Ivlarster Long bought mother an1 all de chilluns, but mother never seed father anymore atter he wus sent off tode war. "I married Green Hill in Chatham County. I married him at Moncure about nine miles from Pittsboro. We lived at Moncure and mother moved there an1 we lived together for a long time. Ifhen we left Moncure-we come ter Raleigh. Mother had died long time 'fore we left Concure, Chatham County. We moved ter Raleigh atter d e V/orld War. "Mother used ter tell we chilluns stories of gatterollers ketchin* niggers anVwhuppin* *em an1 of how some of de men outrun de patteroilers an' got away. Dere wus a song dey used to sing, it went like dis. Yes sir, ha I hal I wants ter tell you dat song, here it is :\ * Some folks say dat a nigger /wont steal, I caught two in my corn field, one had a bushel, one had a peck, an' one had rosenears, strung *round his neck. 'Run nigger run, Patteroller ketch you, run nigger run like you did de udder day.* J tt!y mother said she wus treated good. Yes she said dey wus good ter her in Virginia. Mother s®id de slave men on de Jefferson plantation in Virginia would steal de hosses ter ride ter dances at night. One time a hoss dey stole an* rode ter a dance fell dead an* dey tried ter tote him home. Mother laughted a lot about dat. I heard my mother say dat de cavalry -3- 425 southern folks wus bout de meanest in de war. She talked a lot about feeler's cavalr^*—......_.... "Dere wus a lot of stealin* an* takin' meat, silver, stock an* anything* Bosses, cows anr chickens jist didn't have no chance if a Yankee laid his eyes on 'em. A Yankee wus pisen to a yard full of fowls. Dey killed turkeys, chickens and geese.. Now dats de truth. Mother said de Yankees skinned turkeys, chickens and geese 'fore dey cooked 'em. Sometimes dey would shoot a hog an* jist take de hams an' leave de rest dere to spile. Dey would kill a cow, cut off de quarters an' leave de rest ter rot. "Mother said no prayer meetings wus allowed de slaves in Virginia where she stayed. Dey turned pots down ter kill de noise an' held meetings at night. Dey had niggers ter watch an' give de alarm if dey saw de white folks comln'. Bey always looked out for patterollers. Dey were not allowed any edication an' mother could not read and write nuther. "I 'member de Ku Klux anr how dey beat people. One night a man got away from 'em near whar we lived in Chatham County. He lived out in de edge of de woods; and when d ey knocked onde door he jumped out at a back window in his night clothes wid his pants in lis hands an* outrun 'em. Dere wus rocks in de woods whar he run an' dat nigger jist tore his feet up. Dey went ter one nigger's house up dere an' de door wus barred up. Dey got a ax an' cut a hole in de door. -4- 426 V/hen de hole got big enough de nigger blamed down on *em wid a gun an1 shot one of dere eyes out. You know de Ku Klux went disguised an* when dey got ter your house dey would say in a fine voice, Etk Klux, Ku Klux, Ku Klux, Ku Klux. Csome people say dey are in slavery now an* dat de niggers never been in nothin1 else; Jbut de way some of it wus I believe it wus a bad thing. Some slaves fared all right though an* had a good time an* liked slavery." LE 320218 427 N. C. District No. 2 Subject JERRY HINTON_________ Worker T. Pat Matthewg Person Interviewed Jerry Hinton No. Words 997________ Editor Daisy Bal ley Waitt______ 320218 428 JERRY" HINTON "My full name is Jerry Hinton. I wus horned in Feb- ruary, 1855. I am not able ter work. I work all I can. I am trying ter do de best I can ter help myself. Yes, just tryin' ter do sump in, ain't able ter work much.. I am ruptured, an' old. My old house looks 'bout old as I do, it's 'bout to fall down, ain't able ter fix it up. It needs repairing. I ain't able ter make no repairs. nI wus born on a plantation in ¥ake County, fty mas- ter wus Richard Seawell, an* Missus wus named Adelaide. His plantation wus on Neuse River. He had two plantations, but I wus a little boy, an' don't remember how many acres in de plantation or how many slaves* There wus a lot of 'em tho'. I would follow master 'round an' look up in his face so he would give me biscuit an* good things ter eat. nMy mother, before marriage, wus named Silvia Seawell, an' father wus named Andrew Hinton. Atter they wus mar- ried mother went by the name of Hinton, my father's fam- ily name. I had—I don't know—mos* anything wus good ter me. Master brought me biscuit an' I thought that wus the greatest thing at all. Yes, I got purty good food. -2- 429 Our clothes wus not fine, but warm. I went barefooted mos* o* the time, an1 in summer I went in my shirt tail. "Dey called de slave houses 'quarters', de house where de overseer lived wus de 'Overseer's House'. Mas- ter had a overseer to look atter his menj De overseer wus named Bridgers. De house where Master lived wus de 'Great House'. "Dey would not allow us any books. I cannot read an' write. I have seen de patterollers, but I neber saw 'em whip nobody; but I saw 'em lookin' fer somebody ter whup. I've neber seen a slave sold. I've neber seen a jail fer slaves or slaves in chains. I have seen master whup slaves though. I wus neber whupped. Dey wrung my ears an' pulled my nose to punish me. "Dere wus no churches on de plantation, but we had prayer meetin's in our homes. We went to de white folks church. My father used to take me by de hand an' carry me ter church. Daddy belonged ter de Iron Side Baptist Church. We called our fathers 'daddy' in slavery time. Dey would not let slaves call deir fathers 'father*. Dey called 'em MaddyJ an' white children cailed deir father, 'Pa*. I didn't work any in slavery time, 'cept feed pigs, an' do things fer my master; waited on him. I went 'round wid him a lot, an* I had rather see him -3- 43(5 come on de plantation any time dan to see my daddy. I do not remember any possums or other game being eaten at our house. I do not remember eber go in* a-fishin durin* slavery time. "Master had two boys ter go off ter de war. Dey car- ried *em off ter de war- I don't know how many children dey had, but I remember two of *em goin* off ter de war. Dont know what became of *em. ttI shore remember de Yankees. Yes sir, Ha! ha I I shore remember dem. Dem Yankees tore down an* drug out ever*thing, dey come across. Dey killed hogs, an1 chickens. Dey took only part of a hog an* lef* de rest. Dey shot cows, an* sometimes jest cut off de hind quarters an* lef* de rest. Dey knocked de heads out o* de barr^jps o' molasses. Dey took horses, cows an' eber*thing, but they did not hurt any o* de children. Dey wus folks dat would tear down things. "Atter de surrender my mother moved over on de plan- tation where my father stayed. We stayed dere a long time, an* den we moved back to Richard Seawell's, old master*s plantation, stayin* dere a long time. Den we moved to Jessie Taylor's place below Raleigh between Crabtree Creek an* Beuse River. When we lef* Taylor's we moved ter Banner Dam northeast of Raleigh near Boone*s Pond. Mother an* father both died dere. Atter leaving dere I come here. -4- I have lived in Oberlin ebery since. Guess 1*11 die here; if I can fit de money to pay my taxes, I know I will die here. "I think slavery wus good because I wus treated all right. I think I am 'bout as much a slave now as ever. "I don't think any too much o' Abraham Lincoln, Jeff Davis or any o' dem men. Don't know much 'bout^'em. Guess Mr. Roosevelt is all right. 'Bout half the folks both black an' white is slaves an' don't know it. When I wus a slave I had nothin' on me, no responsibility on any of us, only to work. Didn't have no taxes to pay, neber had to think whur de next meal wus comin' from. "Dis country is in a bad fix. "Looks like sump tin got to be done someway or people, a lot of 'em, are go in' to parish to death. Times are hard, an' dey isgettin" worse. Don't know how I am goin' to make it, if I don't git some help. We been prayin' fer rain. Crops are done injured, but maybe de Lawd will help us. Yes, 1 trust in de Lawd. "I been married twice. I married Henritta Nunn first, an* den Henritta Jones. I had three children by first marriage, an' none bW second marriage. My wife is over seventy years old. We have a hard time making enough to git a little sumptin to eat • I wus mighty glad to s ee -s- 43£ you when you come up dis mornin1, an1 I hopes what I have told you will help some one to know how bad we need help. I feels de Lawd will open up de way. Yes sir, I do. LE "<* him agais* 320225 436 N. C. District No. 2 Worker T. Pat Matthews No* Words 775______ Subject ROBERT HINTON Story teller Robert Hinton Editor Daisy Bailev Waitt 320225 * 437 ROBERT HINTON 420 Smith Street, Raleigh, N. C. "My name is Robert Hinton* I ain't able to work, ain't been able to do any work in five years. My wife, Mary Hinton, supports me by workin1 with the WA,' She was cut off las' May* Since she lias had no job, we have to live on what she makes with what little washin' she gets from de white folks* an' a little help from charity j dis ain't much* Dey give you for one week, one half peck meal, one pound meat, one pound powdered milk, one half pound o' coffee* Dis is what we git for one week* ttI wus borned in 1856 on de Fayetteville Road three miles from Raleigh, south. I belonged to Lawrence Hinton. Itiy missus wus named Jane Hinton. De Hintons had 'bout twenty slaves on de plantation out dere. Dey had four chillun, de boy Ransom an' three .girls: Belle, Annie an1 Miss Mary* All are dead but one, Miss Mary is livin1 yit. My mother wus named Liza Hinton an' my father wus named Bob Hinton. Ity gran'mother wus named Mary Hinton an* gran'father Harry Hinton. *We had common food in slavery time, but it wus well fixed up, an' we were well clothed. We had a good place to sleep, yes sir, a good place to sleep. We worked 2. from sunrise to sunset under overseers. Dey were good to us. I wus small at dat time. I picked up sticks in de yard an1 done some work around de house, but when dey turned deir backs I would be playin' most o' de time. We played shootin1 marbles, an1 runnin', an* jumpin'. We called de big house de dwelling house an1 de slave quarters de slave houses. Some of 'em were in marster's yard and some were outside. Dey give all de families patches and gardens, but dey did not sell anything. "We had prayer meetin' in our houses when we got ready, but dere were no churches for niggers on de plantation. We had dances and other socials durin' Christmas times. Dey give us de Christmas holidays. "No sir, dey did not whup me. I wus mighty young* Dey didn't work chillun much. I have seen 'em whup de grown ones do'. I never saw a slave sold and never saw any in chains. Dey run away from our plantation but dey come back again. William Brickell, Sidney Cook, Willie Hinton all run away. I don't know why dey all run away but some run away to keep from being whupped. "I have lived in North Carolina all my life, right here in Wake County. We used to set gums and catch rabbits, set traps and caught patridges and doves. a. "Yes sir, I went blindin'. I 'members gittin1 a big light an1 jumpin' 'round de bresh heaps, an' when a bird come out we frailed him down. We went gigging fish too. We found 'em lying on de bottom o' de creeks an' ponds at night, an* stuck de gig in 'em an1 pulled 'em out* "De white folks, ole missus, teached" us de catechism, but dey didn't want you to learn to read and write. I can read and write now; learned since de surrender. Sometimes we went to de white folks church. I don't know any songs* "When we got sick our boss man sent for a doctor, Dr. Burke Haywood, Dr. Johnson, or Dr. Hill. "I 'members when de North folks and de Southern folks wus fightin'. De Northern soldiers come in here on de Fayetteville Road. I saw 'em by de hundreds. Dey had colored folks soldiers in blue clothes too. In de mornin' white soldiers, in de evenin' colored soldiers; dats de way dey come to town. "I married first Almeta Harris. I had six children lay her* Second, I married Mary Jones. She is my wife now* We had six children. 2$r wife is now 65 years old and she has to support me. I am done give out too much to work any more* "Yes sir, that I have seen de patteroilers, but my old boss didn't 'low 'em to whup his niggers. Marster give his men passes* 4. 440 "I know when de Ku Klux wus here, but I don't know much about 'em. "I thought slavery wus a bad thing 'cause all slaves did not fare alike. It wus all right for some, but bad for some, so it wus a bad thing* "I joined the church because I got religion and thought the church might help me keep it. MI think Abraham Lincoln wus a good man, but I likes Mr. Roosevelt; he is a good man, a good man." AC I \ •r> 1 J I 32004.8 441 ii. 0, district Nn. 9. Object ________WILLIAM GBGRGS HIHTON worker 3E- ^a+ ^at.fhoiyp Person interviewed "William ^eorge &inton Mo. ''ords_______£22----------^itor G» L. Andrews_______________ mwiTr 320048 - 4m WILLIAM GEORGE HUHTON Star Street, E.F.B. # 2, Box 171 "I wus born in Wake County in de year 1859, August 28th. I 'members seeing de Yankees, it seems like a dream. One come along ridin* a mule. Dey sed he wus a Yankee bummer, a man dat went out raging on peoples things. He found out whur the things wus located an* carried tne rest there. The bummers •stole for de army, chickens, hogs, an* anything they could take. Atter de bummer come along in a few minutes de whole place wus crowded wid Yankees. De blue coats wus everywhere I could look. "Marster didn*t have but five slaves, an* when de Yankees come dere wus only me an' my oldest sister dere. All de white folks had left except missus and her chillun. Her baby wus only three weeks ole then. "AvYankee come to my oldest sister an* said, *Whur is dem horses?* He pulled out a large pistol an* sed, 'Tell me whur dem horses is or I will take your damn sweet lifefc* Marster hid de horses an* sister didn't know, she stuck to it she didn*t know an' de Yankees didn't shoot. "Bey come back,- de whole crowd, de next day an* made marster bring in his horses. Bey took de horses an' bought some eialckens an* paid for •em., den <3^ey killed an* toolp de -2- 443 rest. Hal ha! dey shore done dat. Paid for some an* took de rest. "I seed de Yankees atter de surrender. Dey wus staying at de ole Soldiers Home on Few Bern Avenue, One day mother carried me there to sell to 'em. One time she went there anr she had a rooster who wus a game. His eyes wus out from fighting another game rooster belonging to another person near our home, Mr. Emory Sewell. She,carried de rooster in where dere wus a sick Yankee. De Yankee took him in his hands an* de rooster crowed. He give mother thirty-five cents for him. De Yankee said if he could crow an* his eyes out he wanted him. He said, he called dat spunk. "Dere wus a man who wus a slave dat belonged to Mr, Kerney Upchurch come along riding a mule. My oldest sister, de one de Yankees threatened, tole him de Yankees are up yonder. He said, *Dad lim de Yankees.* He went on, when he got near de Yankees dey tole hin: to halt.' Instead of haltin' he sold outrunnin* the mule fur de ole field. Der wus a gang of young fox hounds dere. When he lit out on de mule, dey thought he wus.goin' hunting so dey took out atter him, jest like dey wus atter a fox. Some of de Yankees shot at him, de others just almost died a laughin*. "We didn't git much to eat. Mother said it wus missus fault, she wus so stingy. -3- 444 "We had homemade clothes an* wooden bottom shoes for de ^rown folks, but chillun did not wear shoes den, dey went barefooted. UA11 de slaves lived in one house built about one hundred yards from the great house, marsters house wus' called the great house. "My father wus named Robin Hinton an' ffiy mother wus named Dafney Hinton. My father belonged to Betsy Ransom Hinton an' mother belonged first to Reddin Cromb in Lenoir County an1 then to James Thompson of Wake County. I wus borned after mother wus brought to Wake County. Marster had one boy named Beuregard, four girls, Caroline, Alice, Lena and Nellie. I do not remember my grandparents. "I saw a slave named Lucinda, sold to ole man Askew, a speculator, by Kerney Upchurch. I seed 'en carry her off. ,rOne of de slave men who belonged to ole man Burl Temples wus sent to wurk for Mr. Temples* son who had married. His missus put him to totin* water before goin' to wurk in de mornin*. Three other slaves toted water also. He refused to tote water an* ran. She set de blood hounds atter him an* caught him near his home, which wus his ole marster*e house. Ole marster *s son .come out, an* wouldn't let 'emwhup him, an* they .wouldn't make him go back. "Missus Harriet Temples wus a terrible roman, a slave jest eouldn*t suit her. De slave dat run away from young -4- marster wus finally sent back. His marster give him a shoulder of meat before he left. He hung it in a tree. Missus tole him to put it in the smoke house. He refused, sayinr he would see it no more. "A slave by the name of Sallie Temples run away 'cause her missus, Mary Temples, wus so mean to her. She stuck hot irons to her. Made fem drink milk an1 things for punishment . is what my mother an' father said. Sallie never did come back. Jwobody never did know what become of her. "Soon as de war wus over father an' mother left dere marsters. Dey went to Mr. Tom Bridgers. We lived on de farm atter dis. Mother cooked, sister an' I worked on de farm. Sister plowed like a man. De first help my mammy .got wus from de Yankees, it wus pickle meat an* hardtack. I wus wid her an1 dey took me in an' give me some clothes. Mother drawed from rem a long time. ?/e have farmed most our lives. Some- times we worked as hirelings and den as share croppers. I think slavery wus a bad thing* iSits:fac«r ¦' • 820116 W* \«9 446 fr. G. DISTRICT No. 2 Worker Mary A. Hicks fro. Words 465 Subject Eustace Hodges Story teller Eustace Hodges Editor Geo. L. Andrews_____ iV- SOIlfl 441 EUSTACE HODGES An interview with Eustace Hodges, 76 years old, of 625 'i/. Lenoir Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. "I doan know when I wus borned, ner where but at fust ray mammy an' me 'longed ter a EcGee here in V/ake County. My mammy wurked in de fiel's den, ditchin* an' such, even plowin' while we 'longed ter McGee, but he sold us ter Mr. Hufus Jones. I/jy daddy still 'longed ter him but at de close of de war he corned ter Llr. Jones' plantation an' he tuck de name of Jones 'long wid us* "liarse Hufus wus gooder dan Marse McGee, dey said. He give us more ter eat an' wear an' he ain't make us wurk so hard nother. Me had our wurk ter do, of course, but mammy ain't had ter ditch ner plow no mo'. She wurked in de house den, an' none of de wimmen done men's wurk. Course she can't wurk so hard an' have 'leben chilluns-too. She had a baby one day an' went ter wurk de nex' while she 'longed ter McGee, but at Ivlarse Rufus' she stayed in de bed seberal days an' had a doctor* "Marse Rufus uster let us take Sadday evenin' off an' go swiiMiin' er fishin' ergo ter Raleigh. I 'members 448 dat somebody in town had a fuss wid Marse Rufus • rbout lettin' his niggers run loose in town. Marse Rufus atter dat had a oberseer in town ter see 'bout his niggers* ' "I got a whuppin' onct fer punchin' out a frog's eyes. Miss Sally giv ] hit ter me long wid a lecture *bout bein* kin* ter dumb brutes, but I ain't neber seed whar a frog am a brute yit. **Yes*um I heard a heap 'bout de Yankees but I ain't prepared fer dere takin' eben our bread. Miss Sally ain't prepared nother an' she tells 'em whar ter go, den she goes ter bed sick. I wus sorry fer Miss Sally, dat I wus. "De day dat news of de surrender come Miss Sally cried some more an' she ain't wanted mammy ter go, so Marse Eufus said dat we can stay on. Dey said dat Mister McGee runned his niggers of fen his place wid a bresh broom dat day. "Atter de war we stayed on Marse Rufus' place till 1898 when pa died. I had married a feller by de name of Charlie Hodges, what lived on a nearby plantation an' we wus livin' on Marse Rufus* place wid pa an' ma. We moved ter Raleigh den an' atter seberal years mammy moved hear too. Xou can fin* her on Cannon Street, but I'll tell you dat she's pretty puny now, since her stroke.*1 320195 N. C District II 449 Worker Mrs. Edith S. Hibbs, Subject Alex Hugglns* Story and Mrs. Iff. N. Harriss_______ Interviewed Alex Buggins, No. Words 795________ 920 Dawson St, Wilmington. N. Edited Mrs. W. N. Harriss - .1 - 320195 450 STORY OF ALEX HUGGINS, EX-SIAVE 920 Dawson Street, Wilmington, N. C, "I was born in New Bern on July 9, 1850. My father and mother belonged to Mr. L. B. Huggins. My father was a carpenter and ship builder an* the first things I remember was down on Myrtle Grove Sound, where Mr. Huggins had a place. I was a sort of bad boy an* liked to roam 'round. When I was about twelve years old I ran away. It was in 1863 when the war was goin* on. "Nobody was bein* mean to me. No, I was'nt bein* whipped. Don't you know all that story *bout slaves bein* whipped is all Bunk, (with scornful emphasis). What pusson with any sense is goin* to take his horse or his cow an* beat it up. Its pcope'ty. We was prope'ty. Val*able prope*ty. No,indeed, Mr. Luke give the bes* of attention to his colored people, an' Mis' Huggins was like a mother to my mother. Twa'nt anythin* wrong about home that made me run away. I'd heard so much talk 'bout freedom I reckon I jus* wanted to try it, an* I thought I had to get away from home to have it. "Well, I coaxed two other boys to go with me, an* a grown man he got the boat an* we slipped off to the beach an' put out to sea. Yes*m, we sho* was after adventure. But, we did'n get very far oat from sh($*, an' I saw the Ian' get dimmer an* dimmer, when I got skeered, an' then I got seasick, -2-451 an* we waB havin* more kinds of adventure than we wanted, an* then we saw some ships. There was two of * em, an' they took us on board. They was the North Star an* the Eastern Star of the Aspinwal Line, a mail an* freighter runnin* between Aspinwal near the Isthmus of Panama and New York. We used to put in off Charleston. "Then, in 1864 I joined the Union Navy. Went on board our convoy, the Nereus. We convoyed to keep the Alabama, ,_ a Confederate privateer, away. The Comaander of the Nereus asked me how's I like to be his cabin boy. So I was 2nd class cabin boy an* waited on the Captain. He was Five Stripe Commander J. C. Howell. He was Commander of the whole fleet off Fort Fisher. sVhen the Captain wanted somethin* good to eat he used to send me ashore for provisions. He liked me. He was an old man. He didnft take much stock in fun, but he was a real man. I was young an1 was*nt serious. I jus* wanted a good time. I don't know much about the war, but I do know two men of our boat was killed on shore while we was at Fort Fisher. "After the battle of Fort Fisher, we was on our way to Aspinwal. Layin* off one day at Navassa Island, the Mast Head reported a strange sail. *Yftiere away?* *Just ahead*. She seems to be a three mast steamer!* *Which way headed?* We decided it was the Alabama going to St. Nicholas Mole, West Indies. - 3 - 452 "Our Captain called the officers together an' held a meetin*. Says he: 'We'll go under one bell (slow). Lieu- tenant will go ashore an' get some information.' When we got there she had a coal schooner alongside taking on coal. Our, Captain prepared to capture her when she came out. But she did'n come out 'til night. She dodged. Good thing too. She'd a knocked hells pete out o'us. She was close to the water and could have fought us so much better than we could her. iYe didn't want to fight 'cause we knowed enough to jest natu'ally be skeered. She was a one decker man o'war. We was a two decker with six guns on berth deck, an' five guns on spar deck. I never saw her after that, but I heard she was contacted by the Kearsage which sunk her off some island. nI stayed in the navy eighteen months. Was discharged at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Admirax Porter was admiral of the U. S. Navy at that time. "I stayed in New York five or six years, then I came home to my mother. I was in the crude drug business in Wilming- ton for twenty years. "Yes'm I went to church and Sunday school when I was a child when they could ketch me. Whilst I was in New York I went to church regular. "I married after awhile. My wife died about twn years ago. He had one son. I b'lieve he's in Baltimore, but I ain't heard from him in a long time. He don't keer nothin* about me. Of co'se I'm comfortable. I gits my pension, $75 a month. I give $10 of it to my nephew who's a cripple?" wmmrn f* Cj ^ 20124 \$ 453 N. C. District Ho. 2 V/orker T. Pat Mat/hhowp No. Words 645 Subject CH&RLIS H. HUMSE Story teller C. H. Hunter Editor Geo. L. Andrews -20124 454 CHARLIE H. HUNTER, 80 years old, 2213 Barker Street West Raleigh M^y full name is Charlie H. Hunter. I wus borned an' reared in Wake County, N. C, born May, 1857. My mother wus Rosa Hunter an* my father wus named Jones. I never saw my father. We belonged to a family named Jones first, an* then we wus sold to a slave owner seven miles HortlOfest by the name Joe Hayes an' a terrible man he wus. He would get mad *bout most anything, take my mother, chain her down to a log and whup her unmercifully while I, a little boy, could do nothing but stan* there an1 cry, an' see her whupped. We had fairly good food an' common clothing. We had good sleeping places. Itiy mother wus sold to a man named Smith. I married first Annie Hayes who lived sixteen months. "No prayer meetings wus allowed on de plantations an1 no books of any kind. I can read an* write, learned in a school taught by Northern folks after the surrender, Mr. an1 Mrs. Graves who taught in Raleigh in the rear of the African Methodist Episcopal church. The school house wus owned by the church. We played no games in slavery times. I saw slaves sold on the block once in Raleigh* 2. 455 "I wus to be sold but the surrender stopped it. When the Yankees come they asked me where wus my marster. I told them I didn't know. Marster told me not to tell where he wus. He had gone off into the woods to hide his silver. In a few minutes the ground wus covered with Yankees. The Yankees stole my pen knife. I thought a lot of it. Knives wus scarce and hard to get. I cried about they taking it. They got my marster's carriage horses, two fine gray horses. His wife had lost a brother, who had been in the army but died at home. He wus buried in the yard. The Yankees thought the grave wus a place where valuables wus buried and they had to get a guard to keep them from diggin: him up. They would shoot hogs, cut the hams and shoulders off, stick them on their bayonette, throw them over the'r shoulders an1 go on. nWe called our houses shanties in slavery time. I never saw any patterollers. I don't remember how many slaves on the plantation wus taken to Richmond an' sold* My mother looked after us when we wus sick. I had four brothers an1 no sisters. They are all dead. I did house work an' errands in slavery time. I have seen one gang of Ku Klux. They wus under arrest at Raleigh in Governor Holden's time. I don't remember the overseer. a* 45G "We moved to Raleigh at the surrender. Marster give us a old mule when we left him, an* I rode him into Raleigh. We rented a house on Wilmington Street, an1 lived on hard tack the Yankees give us 'til we could git work. "Mother went to cooking for the white folks, but I worked for Mr. Jeff Fisher. I held a job thirty-five years driving a laundry truck for L. R. Wyatt. The laundry wus on the corner of Jones an' Salisbury Street. nI married Cenoro Freeman. We lived together fifty-six years. She wus a good devoted wife. We wus married Dec. 9, 1878. She died in May 1934. ^Booker T. Washington wus a good man. I have seen him. Abraham Lincoln wus one of my best friends. He set me free. The Lawd is my best friend. I don't know much 'bout Jefferson Davis. Jim Young anr myself wus palsy *My object in joining the church wus to help myself an' others to live a decent life, a life for good to humanity an' for God.* AC 0 \ ^oisa B37 457 K. G. District No. 2 Subject EX-SLAVE STCRY ,/orker iviary A. Hicks_____ Story teller Elbert Hunter i:o. Words 670____________ Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt 3S0154 458 EX-SLAVE STORY An interview on May 19, 1937 with Elbert Hunter of Method, N. C, 93 years old. nI wuz borned eight miles from Ralsigh on de planta- tion of iir. Jacob Hunter in 1844. Lay parents were Stroud and Lucy an1 my brothers wuz Tom, Jeems an' Henderson. I had three sisters who wuz named Caroline, Kinjline an* Ann. "Massa Hunter wuz good to us, an' young Massa K&ox wuz good too. ¥y mamay wuz de cook an1 my pappy wuz a field hand. Massa ain't 'lowed no patterollers on his place, but one ti'.i-e when he wuzn't ter home my mammy sent me an* Caroline ter de nex' door house fer something an1 de patterollers got us. Dey carried us home art*' *bout de time dat dey wuz axin' questions young Massa Knox rid up. ^He look dem over an1 he sez,. 'Git off dese premises dis minute,- yo' dad-limb sorry rascals, if us needs yo* we'll call yo'. *My pappy patterolls dis place hissel£.* "Dey left den, an' we ain't been bothered wid rem no more,1* "I toted water 'fore de war, minded de sheeps, cows and de geese; an' I ain't had many whuppin's neither* V Dar wuz one thing dat massa ainft rlow anT dat wuz drinkin* fmong his niggers. "Bar wuz a ole free issue named Denson who digged ditches fer massa an1 he always brung long his demijohn wid his whiskey. One ebenin* Missus tells me an* Caroline ter go ter de low groun*s an* git up de cows an* on de way we fin* ole man Denson's demijohn half full of whiskey, Caroline sez ter lets take er drink bt1 so we does, an1 terreckly I gits wobbly in de kneesf "Bis keeps on till I has ter lay down an* when I wakes up I am at home. Dey says dat Massa Jacob totes me, an^ dat he fusses wid Denson fer leavin1 de whiskey whar I can fin1 it. He give me a talkin' to, an* I ainrt neber drunk no more. "When we hyard dat de Yankees wuz comin1 ole massa anf me takes de cattle an' hosses way down in de swamp an' we stays dar wid dem fer seberal days. One day I comes ter de house an' dar dey am, shootin' chickens aa* pigs an* everthing. I^se seed dem cut de hams off*n a live pig or ox an' go off leavin1 de animal groanln*. De massa had * em kilt den, but, it wuz awful. *Sat night dey went away but de nex* day a bigger drove comedian* my mammy cooked fer *em all day long. Dey killed an* stold ever1 thing, an* at last ole massa ;^€n^,.:'t0;;,|^eigS-:;anr;'axed; fer. a... gyareU Jitter we. got^Ae...'.-,, ^^^^^^^^^M^x^^^^^^^^^X^i^i^^MiMiM^^^J, ;lKllliiltf|aiii 3- 460 gyard de fuss ceased. One of de officers what spent de.night dar lost his pocket hook an1 in it wuz seven greenback doliars, de fust I eber seed, "We wuz glad ter be free even do' we had good white- folks* De wuck hours wuz frum daybreak till dark, an* de wimmens had ter card an' spin so much eber night. We had our own chickens an1 gyarden an1 little ways of makin' money, but not so much fun, "We played cat, which wuz like base ball now, only different. De children played a heap but de grown folks vmcked hard. De cruelest thing I eber seed wuz in Raleigh atter slavery time, an1 dat wuz a nigger whuppin1 "De pillory wuz v/har- de co'rthouse am now an1 de sheriff, Mr. Ray whupped dat nigger till he bled* "I neber seed a slave sale, an' I neber seed much whuppin's, I lamed some long wid de white Chilians, * specially how ter spell. "No mam, I doan know nothin' 'bout witches, but I seed a ghosf. Hit wuz near hyar, an1 hit wuz a-animal as big as a yearlin' wid de look of a dog. I can't tell you de color @£ it case I done left frum dar. B.JU