%images;]> mesn-112 Slave narratives, a folk history of slavery in the United States from interviews with former slaves. North Carolina Narratives, Volume XI, Part 2: a machine-readable transcription. Born In Slavery: Ex-Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Projectmesn Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress.

Washington, DC, 2000.

Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only.

For more information about this text and this American Memory collection, refer to accompanying matter.

41021619 General Collections, Library of Congress. Copyright status not determined; refer to accompanying matter.

The National Digital Library Program at the Library of Congress makes digitized historical materials available for education and scholarship.

This transcription captured with optical character recognition technology is not intended to reproduce the appearance of the original work. The accompanying images provide a facsimile of this work and represent the appearance of the original.

 2000/05/26
Untitled Section 001

A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former TYPE\VR ITTEN H E(0R I)S PREE~AR ED BY I IIE F E1)ERAL WRI L ERS PROJ EC l . I 936 1938 Skives ASSEMULEI) BY FIlE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PI )JEC I WORK PROJECTS ADM INISTRATION FOR TIlE I)ISTRJCT OF COLUMBIA SI~ONSOREI) BY TIlE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Illustrated with Photographs WASIIING J OlN 19H SLAVE NARRATIVES

002

VOLUME XL NORTH CAROLINA NARRATIVES PART2 Prepared by the Federal ~1riters Project of the Works Progress Mrninlstration for the State of North Carolina

003

INFOI~AN1S 1 8 14 20 23 27,30 34 3,7 43 51 54 60 64 72 76 82 90 95 100 105 109 113 116 124 127 138 143 147 151 155 158 162 167 173 177 183 192 196 198 203 207 212 216 220 Jackson, John II. J~oIinson, Ben ohnson, Isaac Johnson, Tina Jones, Bob Jones, Clara Tordon, Abner Lassiter, Jane Lawson, Dave Lee, Jane Littlejohn, Chana McAllister, Charity McCoy, Clara Cotton MeCullers, Henrietta McCullough ~i11 le McLean, James Turner Magwood, Frank Manson, Jacob Manson, Roberta Markham, Millie ~v1ials, Maggie Mitchel, Anna Mitehner, Patsy Moore, Emeline Moore, Fannie Moring, Richard C. Nelson, Julius Nichols, Lila Organ, Martha Parker, Ann Penny, Amy Perry, Lily Perry, Valley Pitts, Tempe Plunirner, Hannah Pool, Parker Raines, Rena Ransome, Anthony Richardson Caroline Riddick, Charity Hiddick, Sirnuel Rienshaw, Adora Robinson, Celia Rogers, George Rogers, Hattie Rountree, Henry Scales, Anderson Scales, Catherine Scales, Porter Scott, William Shaw, Tiney Smith, John Smith, John Smith, Josephine Smith, Nellie Smith, Sarah Ann Smith, William Sorrell, Laura S rreli, Ria Spell, Chaney Spikes, Tanner Stephenson, Annie Stewart, Sam T. Stone, Emma Sykes, William Taylor, Annie Taylor, R. S. Thomas, Elias Thomas, Jacob Thornton, Margaret Tillie Treu, Ellen Trentham, Henry James Upperraan, Jane Anne Privette VThitley, Ophelia Wilcox, Tom Williams Catharine Williams, Rev. Handy Williams, John Thomas Williams, Lizzie Williams, Penny Williams, Plaz Williamson, Melissa Woods, Alex Wright, Anna Yellady, Dilly Yellerday, Hilliard 226 232 236 244 252 259 265 269 276 281 285 289 292 295 299 306 309 312 316 324 327 332 335 342 348 352 355 359 363 367 371 376 380 385 390 394 40 . 406 410 414 420 425 431

004

ILLUSTRATIONS ~~acing page Tina ~ohnson 20 Fannie Moore 3.2? Julius Nelson 3,43 Lila Nichols 14? Tempe Pltts 173 Adora Rienshaw 212 William Scott 259 Tiney Shaw 265 rohn Smith . 269 J osephine Smith 281 Sara T. Stewart 316 William Sykes 327

Memories of Uncle Jackson. 005 001

N. C. District No. 2 .iorker Mrs. ~. N. Harriss No. ~1ords 1363 Subj e ctj~niori~ j~T~~e j~icao~ InterviewedJobxj H~ Jackso~ . 309 5. Sixth St. -~1~-~ ~ ~:~: irap~~ri,~ ~ ~Q .-~------ p ?~3\~~\C~ ~2O14 4

006 002

320144 ~ 2 ~ivlORIES OF UNCLE JACKSON UI was born in 1851, in the yard where my owner lived next door to the City Hall. I remember when they was finishin up the City Hall. I also rezxiember the f oreirian., Mr. James alker, he was general manager. The overs~en. (overseer) was ivir. Keen. I remember all the bricklayers; they all was colored. The man that plastered the City Hall was named George Price, he plastered it inside. The men that plastered the City Hall outside and. put those colum s up in the front, their names was Robert Finey and william Finey, they both was colore1~ Jim Artis now was a contractor an builder. He done a lot o f work round. Wilmin ~ton. Yes ni, they was slaves, inos~ all the fine work round ~1i1rnin ton was done by slaves. They called em artisans. None of em could read,. but give em axiy plan z~! they e ould fo lier i t to the la line . Interviewer: Did the owner collect the pay for the labor, Uncle Jackson? ~ tLI~ o, ma m. That they did n. We had a lot of then artisans mongst our folks. They all lived on. our place with they f~j~ lies They hired theyselves where they pleased. They coll~ ted theypay, an the onliest thing the owner took was enough to support they am lies . They all lived in our

007 003

~.3. yaxbd it was a great b 1g plac e the y w immen e ooked for em and raised the chilluns. ~ ttYOu know, they lays a heap o~ stress on edication these days. But edication is one thing an fireside trainint is another. We had fireside trainin . ~ We went . to church regular ~ All our people marched behind our owners, an sat up in the galle y o~ the white folks church. NOW, them that went to St. James Church behind their white folks didn dare look at nobody else. Twant allowed. They were taught they were better than anybody else. That was called the silk stockint church. Nobody else was fitten to look at. ttI~y rnothe r was the un ess for ~ the white fo iks. In those days ladies wore dot es an plenty of em. My daddy was one of the part Indian folks. i~y mammy was brought here from. ~ashin ton City an when her owner went back home he sold her to my folks You I~iow round~ Washin ton an up that way they was Ginny (Guinea ) ~ niggers, that s what my rnarnniy was We had a lot of the s e rnalatto negro es round here, they was called tt5huffer Tonies , they wasfree issues and part mdi an The le ade r of em was Jame s Samps on We ii en was told to play in our own. yard and. not have nothin to do withfree issue chii en or the coimnon chil en tcross the. street, white or colored, because they was nt Litten to~ sociate with us. You see our owners was rich folks.

008 004

3. 4 Our bit:; house is the one where the ladies of Sokosis (Sorosis) has their ~1ub House, an our yard spread all round there, an our house serva~ts, an some of the best artisans in Wilmin ton lived in our yard. Y~~ know, I r~i not tellin you things what have been t9~ me, but I m tellin you things I ~ioit~. fil remember when the Loabbes company came from Georgia here to ~ilri ton an they had all ladies as officers .* nI remember when the Confederates captured part of the Union Army at Fort Sumter S ~ C and they brought them here to ~ilmin t~n ami put them out under Fourth Street bridge, and the white ladies of Wilmin ton, N. C. cooked food and carried it by baskets full to them. ~IIe all had plenty of food. A warehouse full of everything down there by the river nigh Red Cross Street, an none of us ever went hungry till the war was over. t, ~ remeinb e r when Gen rai Grant s Army e aine to the river. They mounted ~ tO boombar the city. Mr. John Dawson an I~ir. ~i1as Martin, they went on the corner of Second ant Nun Streets on the top of Ben Berry s house an run up a whit e sh e e t for a f lag ant the Yai~e e s di ~ n *Note: Have not been able to verify this memory, and think perhaps the unusual uniforms of the Zoaves caused the small bo~ to think they were women, or some adult may have amused themselves by telling him so.

009 005

4 ;; ~ 5 boombar us . Lir. i~artin gave hi s house up to the Progro i~1arshe11s, and my mother cleaned up the house ail washed for them. Her naine was Caroline West. I remember when tbat Provo Liarshell told the colored people that anyhouse in dilmin ton they liked, that was empty, they could go taJ~e it, an the first one they took was the fine Bellamy ~~~ansion on Liarket an Fifth Street. ~ Unc1e Jackson t, asked the interviewer, ttdonft you remember that house was headquarters of the Federal Amiy? How could colored people occupy it?tt Uncle Jackson: I don t remember nothirit about Federal soldiers bein in that h use, but I m teflin you I ~now~~ a lot of common colored folks was in it because I seen em sittin on the piazza an all up an do~i those big front steps. I seen em. Nice colored people wouldn t a gone there. They had respec for theirselves an their white folks. Eut Dr. i3ellamy came home soon with his fam ly an those colored people got out. ~hey wan t there long. Ei o1f slavery I toted water for the fam ly to drink. ~ remember when there was springe under where the new Court House is now, and all the white folks livin I round the re drank. water from thos e springs . They called. it Jacob Spring. There was also a spring on ~iarket Street between Second ~id Third Streets, that was.called MeCrayer (MeCrary) spring. They didn t low nobody but rich folks to get water from that spring. Of co se I got ~ there

010 006

5.~., G whenever I chose to tote it that far. ~e did n work so hard in those days. I don t know flothlfl a1~out field han s an1 workmen on the river, but so far as I knows the carpenters an people like that started work at 8 &clock A. M. and stopped at 5 o clock P. M. Of course round the house it was different. Our folks done pretty much what the wh ite fo Iks d Id b ecaus e we was all px~tty much one an other. ttDia I ever kflO~i of any slaves bein whipped? I seen plenty o f em whipped over at the j ai 1 but th em was t?~ niggers, (this with a grimace of disgust, and shaking of the head.), they needed whippin . But (with a chuckle) I would bave hat ed~. to see anybody put they han s on one of my owhert s people . We was all spectable an did ~ know notnin aiout whitpen. Our mammy s sp~iked us aplenty, ~ ~ they did. 1 remember when they didn t have no trusseis cross either river, an they had a passages boat by the name of Walker i~i, an the warf was up there by the Charlotte railroad . A L . ) The Boat w ould take you from there to the bluff an then you would have to catch the train to go to Greensboro, and other places in No th Carolina. I remember when the Fourth Street Fire Department beil was in front of the City Hall. An Mr. Maginny had his school right back of the City Hall. . ii believe we was all happy as slaves because we

011 007

6. had the best of kere (care). I don t believe none of us was sold off because I never heard tell of it. I have always served nice folks an never sociated with any other kind. I brought up Mis --- -- s chil ren an now she gives me a life intrust in this place I lives.in. I hav nt never to say really wanted for anything. I bav nt never bothered with wimmen, an had nothin to bother me. itl mus tell you bout Govther Dudley s ~election, an the free issue niggers. They say i~ir. Dudley told em if they d vote for him he d do more for em than any man ever had. So they voted for him an he was elected. Then he ups an calls a const utional convention in Raleigh an had all the voting taken away from em. An that the big thing he done for eni.* *Note: Governor Dudley was elected before Uncle Jackson was born, but he enjoyed thoroughly telling this joke on the free issue niggerst.

Ex-slave story. 012 008

Subj ect EX..SLAV ~1 S TORY story teller ~en~Joh~ao~ Editor ~vB~ey Waitt . ~ri 8 N. C. District No~ 2 Worker ~~vi ~ ii~~ No. Words 920 ~ 1-* as_~---~ - /

013 009

320275 ~ 9 EXdu~$IJ~VE STORY An interview with Ben. Johnson 85 of Hecktown, Durham, Durham County, May 20 1937 . UncLe B~fl)WhO is nearly blind and wh~ walks with ~ a 3tiCk)W~ assisted to the porch by his wife who sat down. near him in a protecting attitude. . }Ie is ntuch Less striking than his wife who is small and dainty witb. perfect features and snow white hair worn in two long braids down her backe She wore enormous heart shaped earrings, apparently of heaV goid i~hile Uncle Ben talked she occasioriafly prompted him in a soft voice. I wuz borned in Orange Co~mty and I belonged ter Mr Gilbert Gre~g~ near Hilisboro I. doan. know nothin !bou~t u~r u~ an ~ daddy, butlhadabrotherim who ~uz ~ ter dress young xnissus ~er her weddin . De tree am still ani ~har I set under an watch era salI Jim I set dar an I cry an cry, specially when dey puts de. ehaiM. on him an~! carries him off, an I ain t neber feitso lonesome in my whole life. I ain t neberhyar from Jim s ine.e an I wonder now sanie time s if en. he s sti li vin .

014 010

2. I knows dat de marster witz good ter us an he fed an clothed us good . We had our own gyarden an we wuz ii long all right . I seed a whole heap of Yankee.s when dey co~ed ter Hilisboro an most of em ain t got no respeck fer God, man, nor de debil. I an t member so much bout em do cause we lives in town an we bas a gyard. / ~e most dat i can tell yo bout am de Ku Klux. I neber will fergit when dey hung Cy Guy. Dey hung him fer a scandelous insult ter a white ~oman an dey coined atter him~ a hundert strong . Dey tries hini dar in de woods, an dey scratches Cy s ami ter git some blood, an wid dat blood dey writes dat he shall hang tween de heavens an de yearth till he am daid daid daid an dat any nigger what take s down de body shall be hunged too. We li sar de nex mornin dar he hung right ob er de road an de sentence hangin ober his haid. Nobody ud bother wid dat body fer four days an dar hit hung, swingin in de wind, but de foa th day de sheriff cames an tak~es hit down. Dar wuz Ed an Cindy who fore de war belonged ter Mr. L~rnch an atter de war he told em ter move. He gives ein a month an dey ain t gor~e so de ~u Kiuxes gits ein.

015 011

:11 3.. irit ~ ~ a cold night when dey corned aa drugged de niggers out n bed. Dey carried ein down in de woods an whup dein, den dey throws ein In de pond, dere bodies brealcin de ice. E~d come out an. corae ter our house, but Cindy ain t been seed since. Sam Allen in Caswell County wuz toi ter riiove an atter a month de hund~bet Ku Kiwc e orne ti his casket an dey teils hini dat his tune has corne an Wen he want ter tell his wife good bye an s~ his pra~ ers hurry up. ~ Dey set de coffin on two cheers an. Sam kisses his oie oman ~ho am a-cryin , den he kneeLs down side of his bed wid his haid on de piller an his arms throwed out front of hini. He sets dar fer a minute an when he riz. he had a long knife in his hand. Fore he could be grabbed he done kill two of de Ku Kiuxes wid de knife an he done gone out ii de t . Dey sin t k.e tch him nother azi de next night when dey coined back, ~ ter git him de~r shot ano her nigger by aceident. I Irnemb ers see i Joe Turner another nigger hung at Hilisboro in 69 but I plumb fergot wIry it wuz.

016 012

4. 12 19~ kxiow one ti me Mis s Hendon inh ri ts a thousand. dollars from her t ~ state an dat night she goes wid her sweetheart ter de gate, an on her way back ter de house she gits knocked in de haid wid a axe. She screams an. her two nigger sarvants Jim an Sam runs an save s her b ut she ani robbed. Den she tells de folkses d~at Jim. an Sam w~ de guilty parties, but her little sister swears dat de~r ain t so dey gits out of it. Atter dat dey fin s out dat it am five mens, At~ter, Edwards Andrews Davi s an. ~ Markham. De preacher eome s down to whar dey am hangin ter preach dar funeral an he t~. s dar while iightnin plays un de dead niens halde an de win blows de trees, an he preaches aich a sermon as I ain t neber byard before. Bob Boylan falls in love wid another oman so he burns hi s wife an four youngins up in dere house . IDe Ku Kiuxes gits him, of course, an dey hangs him high on de old ~ed oak on de Hilisboro Road. Atter dey hunged him his lawyer says ter us boys Bury him good, boys, jist as good as you d bury rae if en I wuz daid.

017 013

6. ~ 13 II shuck han s wid Bob fore dey hunged. him an ~ I he ped ter bury him too an we bury him nice aa we all hopes dat he done gone ter g1ory.~ ,

Isaac Johnson. 018 014

Subj ect ~ ~JOHNSON Story te lier ~ Editor p~isy . 1~aile~ Wait~. N. C. District Nq.~ Worker T~ Pat_I~a~teW~ No. Words 991 14 320209

019 015

.~iwop I ~ ~N ~WptILI~ ptI~ edptre.x~ A~u ~xeqwawe~z 1~ou op I p~eep TT~ a~x~ ~~ep ~r s ~ peep ~ em Se~ me1 jo Ar~ ~u i eotr~s 2t101 o~uee~ ou ~ sew~u S~it9t~O 9p ~ qWGUXOIII ~. s ~ I Pt~ SU ~II~ff 911T1 O~XB3 ~ euieu s.i~.9 ~ ~w pue TTtH t,eur~u sna ~xet~ o~tq ~ :xT~ pue ~xet~o~xq auo p~et~ i e1~~~x ep wo~xj e~ur atzo speoi ~Bo~Io uo :I2tITTrn ~P ~teeu o~. txjv~op txe~z ptr~ ~az~ ~ ~ 912 0 ~PT~ t~q.~rctx etr~. tro tioq. ~trfl~flr~ ~ ~ti sni~ alOE ~xe~~s1xew ~zi tx txqo~ ~ oq. pe2tro~~q et~ uostxt~o,r~ ~ttTJ~ p&c~eu SUM~ I~IeT~QW ~ xew&o ai~T~s ~ et~~ MGJ~ PlO O ~. pa~uo~~q ~ ~ ~n~w tiotm~ SflM ~eq~ ~ StIM etii~u sn~s~ w ~ tIosrn~Of JO~Ef oq. pe~tio~eq i~ ..gg81 g_t qa1ff u~xoq SflM :i t~2no~tq~ etuoo s~u~ ep uet~ pio s~r~e~ ue ~. sn~. i e ptiet~ ~ :~i4xoM ep ~ ~. sour ~xom ep ir~ op ~ ~ ~.no ~ o ~. p ~t~ 9 9 ~ no,& otI O~M ~O Q ~E SflM I t1 ~t~M 1X0 ~.fl oq1 o~ ~ tre ~ro~ op o~ s2ttTt~ peT2ixeJ ~eu esep TT~ 9A~tt ~.i~UPTP 4~e lIT TT~ yb q1 m1 ~ ~iaoj~& p4x~q: ~3nw 0$ 9TIO~ ~ O~. ~98fl I ~~tTT -tea j 1~ i UOP I ~TTW~ itITtLIOUT STt~ ITeM J~X8A ~ tI~t~ e; w~ ~ . ~wno~ ~attaz~:H i: eq~no~ ~aTto~I~o ~xo1~I tIo~:~2aTTm No~rof Dvv~I

020 016

2. . ni wiis to o small to w, dey had nie to do little things like it de chickens, an mindiu de table sometimes; but I wus too small to work. Dey didn~t let children work niuch in dem days till dey were thirteen or fourteen years old. I had plenty to eat, good. clothes, a nice place to sleep an a good time. Marster roved his slaves an other white folks said he loved a nigger more den he did white folks. Our food wus fixed up fine. It wus fixed by a regular cook who didn t do anything but cook We had gardens a plenty meat a plenty, an mot biscuit den a lot o white folks had. I kin remember de biscuit. I never hunted any, but I went bird blindin an set bird traps. I caught lots o birds. Jack Johnson, my marster never had no children of his own. He had a boy with him by the name of Stephen, a nephew of his, from one of his brothers.. Marster Jack hadi three brothers Willis, Billy, and Matthew. I don remember any of his sisters. There was bout four thousand acres in de plantation an bo t 25 s .a!es . Marster would not have an overseer. No sir, de slaves worked very much as they pLeased. He whupped a slave now an then, but not much. I have seen him whup em. He had some unruly niggers. Some of

021 017

~.. 3 o t em were part mdi an an me an . Dey all loved him doe. I never saw a slave sold. He kept his slaves together. He didn t want to git rid of az~y of em. We went to de . white folks church at Neill s Creek a missionary Baptis Church. We played during the Christmas holidays ~ t we got bout two weeks 4th of Jul~r, and lay by time, which wus bou~t the fourth. We had great tinies at corn. shucldn s, log rollin s and cotton pickin s. We had dances. Marster lowed his S aves lots o freedom. ~y mother used to say he wus better den other folks. Yes, she said her marster wus better than other folks. The white folks didn t teach us to read an~ write. I cannot read an write, but de white folks, only bout half or less den half, could read an write den. Dere were very few pore white folks who could read an write. I remember de baptizin s at 4~ Reu oen Matthews Mill Pond. Sometimes after a big meetin~j dey would baptize twenty four at one time. No slaves run away from Marster. Dey didn t have any souse to do so, cause whites and colored fared alike at Marster s. We p ayed base, cat, roiJy hole, and a kind of base ball called round town.

022 018

4. 18 Dr. John McNeil looked after us when we were sick. We used a lot of herbs an things. Drank sassafras tea an mullen tea. We also used sheep tea for measles, you knowi dat. You know how it wus made. Called sheep pill tea. It shore would cuore de measles. Bout all dat would cuore measles den. Dey were bad den. Wus den diy is now. ft1 aaw Wheeler s Cayalry. Dey come through ahead o:f de Yankees. I saw colored people in de Yankee uniIorms. Dey wore blue and had brass buttons on em. De Yankees an Wheeler s Cavalry took everything dey wanted, meat, c1~ickens, an. stock. We st~ed on wid Marster after de w~. I ve never lived out of de state. We lived in de same place ontill old Marster an Missus died. Den we lived wid deir relations right on an here. I am now on a place d ir heirs own. 01e Mar~ster loved his dram, an he gave it to all his slaves. It sold for ten cents a quart. He made brandy by de barrels, an at holidays all drank together an. had a good time. I never saw any of em drunk. People wati t mean when dey were drinking den. It wus so plentiful nobody notices it much. Marster would tell de children bout Raw Head and Bloody Bones an other things to skeer us. He would call us to de barn to git apples an run ant

023 019

5. :1.9 hide, ari~ we would have a time findin hirn. He give de one who found him a apple . Sometime s he didn t give de others no apple. I married Ellen Johnson May 22, 1865 de year de war went up an n~y w! f e I s lvi as you s ee an able to b e ab out I t~ not able to work not ab le to go out anywhere. by myself . I know I cain. t lat much longer but I m thankful to de Lord for spann me dis long. AC

Tina Johnson. Ex-slave story. 024 020

Subj e:c t ~TINA~ ~O~SON~ Story teller Tina ~ i~iso~ Editor ~ Ba.i1e~Wat~ :~. 20 N. C. District ~ Worker ~ A~1JIicks ffo. Words - 346 320189

025 021

32Q189 :: 21 TINA JOIThSON Ex-~S1ave Story An interview with Tina Johnson 85, 5. Bloodworth Street, Raleigh. III wu.z bawned in RiChn1Oflt~ georgia round. eightyfive years ago . I~r m~iirny wuz named Cas s ant my father, dat is my step~father wuz named John Curtis. I got de name o ~ Johnson frum I Johnson I doan know who n~y ~ real daddy wuz. Iv~y mamn~r b elonged ter a Mis Berry who wuz pretty good ter her, but we ain t had nothin but de. coarsest food ant clothes. I had. one brother naine Dennis. an~ ~ an him wucked wid de others in de cotton patch. tWe had done moved nigh Augusta when Sherman c oine, an Sherman s sister wuz a-~livin in Augusta. Dat s de reason dat Sherman missed us, case he ain t wantint ter sturb his sister none. I ain t seed nary aYankee, but fer two days an nights I 1~yard de guns an an felt de earth akin ~ lak a earth3juake wuz hittin it. De air wuz dark an de clouds hunged low, de whole ~ earth seemed ter be fui of powder ant it nostrils seemed lak dey would bust wid de sting of it.

026 022

2. 22 Atter de surrender we stayed on an went through de Ku Klux scare ~ I know dat de Ku fluxes went ter a nigger dance one night an whupped all of de dancers. 01e :~rster Berry wuz mad, case he am t sont fer em at all an he doan want dem . ~Sebera1 years atter de war mammy ~ married John Curtis in de Baptist church at Augusta, an rite an Dennis seed de ceremony. I pulled a good one on a white feller bout dat onet. He axed me if I knowed dat my pappy an mami~r wuz married fore I wuz born.ed. I sez ter him dat I wonder if he knows whar his namn~r ~t pappy wuz married when he wuz born d. We corned ter Raleigh fore things wuz settled atter de war, an I watches de niggers livin on kush, co nbread, lasses an what dey can beg an steal frum de white folkses. Dem da~ys shore wuz bad.

Ex-slave story. Bob Jones. 027 023

~) ~L~%J ~ Subj ec t : ~ je ~ i$trict 1:0. ords: 450 Sior:i TeUe : ~ M~rv ::icks Editor: C~eor~e L. Andrews J orker: 3a~:.()ao ~ Je 17 1937 t_l ~ ~_ I. ~ : ~ ~ . I ~ . .

028 024

.~ 54 S, ~ ~ ~ S2Q~O8O S ~ :5 5 ~~ EX~~SLMTE STORY BOB JONES An interview with ~3ob Jones, 86 years of age, County Home, Raleigh, North Carolina. ni wus borned in Warren County onde plentationrtlongint ter Ivljster Lo~ie Fudd. 1~y mammy wus Frar~kie. My~pappy wua named ~arry Jones~ Hirn an my~1des brother Burton longed ter a Mister Jones dar in de neighborhood. 5 5 ~Marster Logie ~ young L~iarster Joe wus nice as dey could be, but MIS B t~y wus crabbed ~n hard ter git along wide She whupped de sarvants what done de house work an she fussed so bad dat she inoughty nigh run all us crazy. Hit was her what soldrny Aunt Sissy Ann. &n hit wus her what vthupped my sister i~iary ~ bad. Dar vrarn t but s~tx of us slaves but dem six run a race ter see who can stay outen her sight~ f:lyC~ Mar~ter Joe wus one of de. fust t r go ter de war ~! ~ wnated ter go wid him but I bein oi y fourteen dey. teided ter sen Sidney instead. I hated dat, case I shorely wanted ter go. ~ neberseedMa~se $oe but twice atter he left, de S ~ ~vhen h s daddy~ wus burl d an~ when dey brung hI~ body S ~ home frtun de war ~ ~ ~ S ~ S j~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : .. ~ ~ ~ ~ . : ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ S ~ S S ~ ~ ~ ~ S ~ : . ~ ~ s5 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ S~ ~ ~ ~ : ~. s ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~

029 025

. . . ~ . ~ ~ 1 ~ 2. {t~e day about seben or eight Yankees corned trount ~ place lookI . fer Reb. scouts, dey said, but dey ain t f1n ~ none so de~r goes on tbout dere business. De next ~y a few of our soldiers brings Marse Joe s body home frumde wa~ ti ~ doari m~b~r whar he wus killed but he had been dead 30 J~ong dat he had turned dark~ an Santho, a little nigger, sez ter me~ I thought, i3ob, dat i ud turn whi~te when I tent ter heaben but hit pears ter me lak de white folkses am gwine t er turn b lack ~ tiWe buried young LIarse Joe under de trees in de family bUrIiflt grount an we nigger~ sung Swing Low $weet Chariot an :~earer My God to Thee an some others. De oie rnissu~ wu~ right nice ter evertbody dat day an she let de young n~is~u~ take chargeof all de business frum dat time. ~1V/e stayed on de Ru~d plantation fer two years atter de war den we moves ter ~ethod wh r I met Edna Crowder a ~e courted fer seberal months an at las I jist puts my arm rount ~ her waist an. I axes her ter have me. ~ She ain t got no mammy ter ax so ~he kisses me an tells me dat ~he will. ~ t*DUDjflt de eour~e of our married lift we had five chifluns but ~ only one of. d~ni lived. ter be . named, dat wus ~ Hyaciiith, an he d~ied fore he wus a month old. t1:~~~a~ died: too, ~ix years ago, an lef i~i~ ter de . . ~: merelei o.t:de won .. Ail my brudders an .~iaters dead, ~ ~ ~ir&

030 026

3. inyparents dead, my chilluns dead, an~ my wife dead, but I ~ g~t a nie.ce~ UTIII lately I been ljvjnt at de Wake County Home, but my ni ce what lives on Person street says dat ifferi I can .git de pension dat sh . can afford ter let me stay ter her hou.se. I hope I does, case I doan want ter go back ter de County Home.tZ .~ ~

Clara Jones. 031 027

N. C. District No~ V~orker ~ I!?~T~ M~t~th~ws~ No Words ~ 333 Sub j ec t QL~AR~ ~QNE~ Story teller ~ Edi tar P~!i~~y B&iley 320222

032 028

32C222 . 28 ClARA JONES 408 Cannon Street t?1 been unable ter work fer 10 years; I ~ blind. I been in bed helpless fer four years. I eats all I can get, and takes what I am told ter take. De Lord helps me, I am depending on him. He put me into de world and he eau take me out. I was 17 years old at de surrender. i~ missus wus Liiiiie ~cott. I wus a Scott before I married William Jones. ~ ~.~arster wus Aaron Scott. I loved my ~hite folks. Hain t ~::ot no word. ter say ~g~inst ~ em. ~ t think de Government goin to help me any; I have been fooled so many times. ~ie all should fix our salvation right thatts the thing that counts now. ~r time is bout spent here. ttjJ~ white folks went off to de war; dey said dey could whup but de Lord said ~l~0t ~ and dey didn t whup . Dey went off afin ~ t jn~r were soon i~ and m~y did not C orne back De Yankee s e orne through dey took what dey wanted; killed de stock; stole de horses; poured out de lasses and cut up a lot of meaness, but most of emis dead and gone now. No matter whether dey were Southern white folks, or Northern white folks, dey is dead nm. I am helpless, my son, de baby~ who is de only livin

033 029

29 2. chile I has, takes care o me. i~r son is a Baptis Minister, but he has no Church. He stays here, and looks after me. He is forty years old. He has heart disease, axid his lungs are bad . He has no regular j ob so s orne time s we have very little ter eat. Our water is cut off now. We neverhave money to buy any ice. We have had only one ten cent piece of Ic e thi s summer Some time s my son se ts up wi d me all night. Maybe de Lawd will help us sometime. I tru ts hini anyway. tes, I trusts de Lawd.

Clara Jones. 034 030

Subj e C t ~ Story teller ia~ JQfl~$~ Editor ~_ ~ep. L A~rews . ~ 30 N, C. District No. 2 ~orker ~~iar1\LA.~ H~cI ~, No Words 554 %3201 J~7 ~rit~

035 031

320117 31 CLA1~A JOENES An interview with Clara Jones of 408 Cannon Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. UI doan know how old I is but I wus borned long titne ago case I wus a inarried~oman way Thre de w~ir. We lived on Ivir. Fel.ton Mc~eets place hear in Wake. County. I wurked lak a man dar an de hours vvus froni sunup till dark mostly. He aintt had but about fifty slaves but he makes dem do de wurk of a hundret an fifty. We ain t had no fun dar, case hit takes all of our strength ter do our daily task. Yes um we had our tasks set out ever day. One day, right atter my fifth chile wus borned, I fell out in de fiel . Marster come out an looked at nie, den he kicks me an lows, a youngin ever ten months an never able ter wurk, I li sell . A few days atter dat he tuck me an my two younges chilluns ter ~taleigh an he sells us ter i~1arse Rufus Jones. Mars e Rufus am a go od m~i in ever way He fed us good an he give us good clothes an we ain t had much wurk ter do, dat is, not much side of what we had ter do on McGee s plantation. . .

036 032

2. 32 We . ha some fun on LIarse Rufus plantation, watermillion slicin s, candy pullin s, dances, prayer meetin s an sich. Yes main, we had er heap of fun an in dat time I had eleben chilluns. t%r husband, Wifliam~sti11 stayed on ter Mister I~~c~ee s. ~ie got married in 1860, de year fore d war startea, I think. I can t tell yo .much bout our courtin case hit went on fer years an de Marster wanted u s te r gi t marrie d s o s dat I d have chi Iluns ~ Whe n de slaves on de McGee place got married de marster alwa~rs said dat dere duty wus ter have a houseful of chilluns fer him. When de Yankees come Lus Sally, Liarse .tIUfUS wife cried ant ordered de scalawags outen de house but dey jist 1au,~1is at her an takes all we got. Dey ebe a takes de stand of lard . dat we has got buried in de oie fi e an d e haras ngi up i n de tr e e s in de pasture. Atter dey is gone we fin s a sick Yankee in de barn an i ~Iic Sally nurses him. Way atter de war Lus Sally gits a letter an a gol rin~g from hirn. When ae news of ~e surrender comes i~is Sally cries an sez dat she can t do widout her niggers, so kiarse Rufus comes in an tells us dat we can stay on.

037 033

3e Wi 111am move s ob e r dar take s de name of Jones an goes ter an wid a purpose an believe me we makes our livin . ~e stay dar through all of de construetioh days an through de time when de Ku Kiuxes wus goin wild an whuppin s all de niggers. We raise our eleben~chi1luns dsr an dar s ~thar my husban died in 1898 an den I comes ter Raleigh. . I wurked till four ye~s ago when I had a stroke flow I ain t ai~1e ter wurk ari~ I she does want my pension. ~uii1 yol tell dem ter sen hit in de nex mail.

Abner Jordan, ex-slave of Durham County. 038 034

320211 .. ~. 34 3 Sub j eot~bnerJordan~ Ex~ lave - ~ ~ - ~&n1 ~_o~z.~_*__~ .~ - . Interviewed bner Jordan Dur hain C ourity t ~oi~ie, I~ 0.Djstrict I~O. ~1ords_____ ~ r iter Daisy ~Tha1e~ 250

039 035

320211 . Abner Jordan Ex slave,95 years. I, ~ ~ bavrn about 1832 an I wus bawn at ~taggsvi11e, Marse ~au1 Cameron s plaoe. I be1o~ged to Marse Paul. My pappy s naine wus Obed an fly mairnuy wus Ella Jordan an dey wus thirteen chillun on our family. I wus de sane age of Yow~ Marse ~enehan, I played wid hint an wus his body guard. Yes,suh,Wha.re ever young ~iiarse Be~ehan went I went too. I waited on him. Young ~arse Benny run away an~ tlisted in de war, but ~~iarse Paul done went a~n bruni him back kaze he wus too young to go arid fi~bt de yankees. .~rse Paul had a heap if 1!~i~gahs; he had five thousan . When he meet dein in de road he wouldri know derrt an whefl ha azed dem who dey wus an who dey belonged to, dey tell him dey belonged to Marse Paul Cameron an dei~ he would say dat wus all right for dem to g~ right o~. i~y pappy yriis de blacksmith an foreman for Marse Paul, an he blew de horA for de other nig~ahs to come iz~ fromde fiel at night. Dey oouidn leave de plantation without Marse say dey could. When de war come de Yankees come to de house an axed my xnanmiy whare de folks done hid de silver an gol , an dey say dey ~wine to kill mammy if she didn tell dein. But rnanm~y say she didri know whare dey put it, an d~y would just have to kill her for she didn ~ kn w n wouldn lie to keep deia from hurting her.

040 036

36 De sojers stole seven or eight of de ho ses an fou~i de meat an~ stole dat, but dey didnt burn none of de buildin s nor hurt any of us s lave. Pi:.~ pappy an his family stayed wi4 Marse Paul five pears aftar de suri ender den we move d t o Hill sb or o ~ ~ a lway-s I ived t r ~t de s e parts. I amt never been out of North Carolina eighteei~ months in my life. i~orth Carolina is good enough for me .

Jane Lassiter. 041 037

N. C. District No.2 Jorker T Pat ~Matthews No. dords 1044 Sub j e c t ~ANE~ LAASITER~ Story teller Ja~ie ~assit~ Editor Geo. L. Andrews . ~ 320119

042 038

S20119 I :~ 38 JANE I SSITER~ About 80 y~ears old. 324 Battle Street Raleigh, N. C. ttl am bout 80 years old. ~ am somewhere in. ir~r seventies don t zackly knOw niy age I wus here when de Yankees corne an~ I member seem dein dressed in blue. I wus a nurse at dat time not big enot~gh to hold a baby but dey le t me s e t by de cradle an ~ ek it . stAll ri~r white folks dead an all rr~y people an~ dead an I haint got no one to ax bout ~ age . Dey had ~ age an ~ mother s age in de Bible but dey am all dead out now ant I dont t know whur it is. ~L~r mother an me belonged to the Councils. Dr. Kit Council who lived on a plantation in de lower edge of Chatham County b out thre e miles from New Hill. 1~r father belonged to de Lamberts. Their plantation wus near Pittsboro in Chatham County . My father wus nanie d Macon Larnbert alit his marster wus named At Laxnbert. Our missu~s wus named Car ohne 311 ~ fathe s nu ssus wus named Be ekie. My grandfather wus Phil Beil. He belonged to the Bells. They lived in Chatham County . ~r grandmother wus named Peggy an she belonged to de saine family.

043 039

2. .~ 39 We lived in little oie log houses. We called ein cabins. They had stick an dirt ehimleys wid one door to de house ant one window. It shet to lak a door. tiWe did not have any gardens an we never had any money of our own. We Jeatwurked fer de white folks. We had plenty surnptin to eat an it wus cooked good. ~r mother wus de cook an she done it right. Our clothes wus home ~ made but we had plenty shiftin clothes. Course our shoes wus given out at Christmas. We got one pair a year au when dey wore out we got no more an~ had to go barefooted de rest of de time. You had to take care of dat pair uv shoes bekase dey wus all you got a year. The slaves caught gaine sometime an et it in de cabins, but dere wus not much time fer huntin dere wus so much wurk to do. Dere wus bout fifty slaves on de plantation, an dey wurked from light till dark. I member dey wurkint till dark. Course I wus too small to member ail bout it an I don t member bout de overseers. I never seen a slave whupped, but I members seem dem carryin slaves in droves like cows. De w~iite men who wus guardin !em walked in front an some behind. I did not see an~3r chains. I never seen a slave sold an I don t member ever seem a jail fer slaves. . .

044 040

3. 41) ~ Dere wus no books, or lamm uv any kind allowed. You better not be ketched wid a book in yore han s. Oat ~ wus sumptin dey would git you fer. I ken read an write a little but I learned since de surrender . I~r mother tole me tbout dat bein ginst de rules of de white folks. I members it ~vhi1e I wus only a little gal. When de Yankees come thro . Dere wus no churches on de plantation an we wus not tiowed to have prayer meetings in de cabins, but we went to preachin at de white folks church. I member dat. We set on de back seat. I member dat. No slaves ever run away from our plantation cause marster wus good to us. I never heard of him bein bout to whup any of his niggers. Mother loved her white . folks as long as she lived an I loved em too. No mister, we wus not mistreated. Mother tole me a lot bout Raw ~ Head an Bloo y Bones an when I done lnean)she say, Better not do dat any more Raw Head an Bloody Bones ~gwine ter git yo . Ha~ hal dey jest talked bout ghosts till I could hardly sleep at nite, but de biggest thing in ghosts is somebody guised up tryin to skeer you. Ain t no sich thing as ghosts. Lot of niggers believe dere is do . ~ .

045 041

4. 41 lt~e stayed on at marsters when de surrender come cause when we wus fre ed. we had i~ ~ I nowhe re to :; L)ats de truth. Mister, dats de truth. We stayed with marster a long ti~iie an den jest moved ~rom one plantation to another. It wus like dis, a crowd o ~ tenants would get dissatisfied on a certain plantation, dey would move an another gang of ni~ers move in Dat wus all an~r of us could do. We wus free but we had nothin cept what de marsters give us. When we got sick you sees we stayed wid a doctor, he looked after us, but we had our herbs too. We took sassafras tea, catnip an~ horehound tea an flag. Flag vius good to ease pain. Jest make a tea of de flagroots an drink it hot. UI married Kit Lassiter in Chathani County an~ I had seven chilluns. Three boys an four girls. All am d.ead but two Two girls are ii One named Loule Finch, her husband dead. She stays wid me an supports me. She cooks an supports me. I~r other livin daughter 1.3 Venira McLean. She lives across de street wid her husband. Her husband had a stroke an ain t able to wurk no more. Dey live on five dollars a week. . Dey ain t able to help me now. I moved ter k~aleigh 20 years ago. L ~r husband died here.

046 042

5. 42 I heard bout de Ku Klux but dey never give our family no trou.ble cause we didn t give em no cause to bother us. I don t know all bout slavery but. I mej~ers dere wus a lot of big fat greasy niggers goin around, ant I reckin dey ared good or de~r wouldn t a been ~p fat. I ey ~ot plenty to eat even if dey did wurk em. UI believe slavery wus all rite whur slaves wus treated right. I haint got riuff edication to tell you nothiri bout Lincoln an dem udder men. Heard em say he come thro , reckon he did too. I belong to the United iioliness urt S. j ~ ~ ~ (t ~ r ~1 r~, P~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ \~_ ~ % ~ft J~~ ~ ~ j r ~ ~ . ~AC

Dave Lawson. Ex-slave story. 047 043

-s ~- M~ iS:. o. District Travis Jordan Subject D~ive Lawson j. a;x-~s1ave Story Li~k/ed at ~1ue ~in~p, i:.C. 3

048 044

DAVE LA~qSON EX~SLL&1JE MY F~tTFEB tO KIE ~ ~ PRINCIPLE C} t~tACT.ciiRS T LL) IVIE ~NiS STORY YEAFU~3 AGO T7es, sub, de w~sr I knows lout slavery times is what i~, - tOlc: ne bout how caz~ie dey iiu.ng my grari man~x~y an ~ gran papt)y. ~)E~ ::l~m der~ hot at de saljc timE an from de same hrnt of de tree, OLIt ~t 1::,13 say back yonder hefot. Mistah Lincoln come dowa here t: s~:t LiS fli~RCrS free. My mammy wuznt but six ~ionths oie den ant :: ~:uzY ~V fl havcn, but Aunt Becky tole ~rne bout it when I was ole enc;uY to lissen. ~ am no nice tala you ~ ~1flC hear. itts de truf, hut L.~t) nice. De fus time I heard it I did t sleep none for a weeK. Everytime : shut my eyes I seed ~farse Drew Norwood wid dat funnel in his rnouf an~ de hot steam blowint up like a cloud ~ rouri his wicked face ant skeered eyes. ~ . Dey say my grsn pappy s Ol Marse was de meanest white man de Lawd ever let breath de breaf of life. His name was Marse Drew Norwood . He was de it ant owner anywhare un . He owned more lant an more niggers den an~rbody in Person or Gr nvill counties. But he didn make his m~ney wid no tarin, no suh, he sho didnt, he made his mo e~ buyint~ ant sellint niggers. He bought derh cheao ~flt sold detfl high. He would catch all de niggers dat run away from other plantationa an keep ~ dein in his lockup ~ twell he fatten dem de~ he would take d m way off down itt Georgia Alabama r sorn~ placelike dat an selldem fcr abigpi ice. Re ti ~ ~ t .~. ~ s~ ~ :~ ~. ~ ~

049 045

i~,.farse Drew lived over here on de Virginia line tween Red ~~ri:: :~2i~ EJ:Lue Win~g. He owned lant cross de Notth CaEolina line too ~i lived close to Blue ~inc~. i-ic treated hic niggers so mean dey v1a3 ail de time runnin oft . If he cau.c~ht dem he beat dem nea1~~ ~ i)Ut to death . He did beat Cindy Norwood to death one time kazc s ~e run off to ~rse Reuben Jones place an axed him to keep he ~. ~Jh~ ~ot pizen in de cutj places on her back an had fits three th~~.Ts b~I~O de Lawd took her . But Marce Drew ju~ lau.~h 8.11 ~ say he d:Lnt keer, dat she wuzn no count nohow. - aTh t never seed Larse Drew kaze I was ~ v)ay after de n:~ (~~3 was freed, but de~ tole me he looked. ~Ca mad bull. He was sn.oi~t wid a big head set forward on hi~ big, shoulders. His neck was so s~:Lort dat he couldn wear no collar; he jus ~ept de neck bindin 01 ~ shirt pinned wid ~ di~oer pin. l)e deMi done lit a lami.? an ~ sot it burnin in his eyes; his mouf was a w:Lckect~ash cut cross ~ his ~ an when be got mad his lips curled back from his teef like m~~d dog s.. When he cracked his whip de niggers swinged an ~ d6 CIIILLUn screamed wid pain when dat plaited thong bit in dey flesh. He beat 1~Ustis too. Mist C~i~y wuzn no bi~ei~ den a minute an she Skeered ~s a kildee of Marse Drew. She didn live lomg dey say kaze M~rse Drew whipped her jus befo dey fus baby wuz bawn. :r.~:arse Drew done whip Luzartne~ kaze she burnt de biscuits, an I~fis Cary give her some salve to rub on de cut places on her back. Then i\larse Drew foun it out he got ~ ~ dat he come bacK to ae bi~ hOU~~ n tole MiS Cary dat he gwine touch her up wid his whip kaze ~ give Luzarine ~ salve ~ dat when he w~n~ his ~ niggers do3tored he

050 046

~ ~jQCtCC~ CiOE 1 iv~ f, ~ ~ ~:ot to us~ ~iis 1asi~ a little bit to ~ ~L;~: :1~ ~ . J_~ I (J~t~ ~~ot so s~(EGred dat ~ii~: :L:~un ~ rourL an rotin de hOUSE, ~ i~iarse ~ ruJ~ aitGi~ ICI ~ ~n every :~o:~ an den he th ow out ~ ~L i1~ ~- wni;:; ~n ~ curl it roun ~ her shouldeLs . Evei ~ time it Li.U ~ ci~t 01k,: n thruu~:~ her c1othe~. j~t Cary ~~ot so skeered dat dc ~H:; ~ .e th~t ni ht b~fo ~ twuz time . De baby wuz b~n dead an Mii:3 ~ vient on to giory wid it Dey say she was glad to go. ~ ~ e~~.ieryt:~ir~c: on dat p1ant~Ltion, animal an man was sl:eered :jI Ji .~. :. ~:hip~- ~t~t Wkii~ dat never .L~e ~ I~ arse Urew s wris . It was ffla.i~e ~: nome-~t~nneci leatiier plaited in a un co:c~ci bi~ as a mau s tI~ur~ . 1J~ da~i it swun~ irOm a leather strop tied to his wris an at ni!it it lay on a chair side de bed whare he could reach it easy. it was jus be ~o de YankEes corne over here to i~:ht dat ~~arse Dre~ bou1~1ht Cieve a~i Lissa La~~on. Dey was my gran marr~uiy an ~ gran pappy . ~iy IrLaf~ my den was a baby . Marse Drew bou~:I~t ~ for fo hundred an fifty dollars. flat was cheap kaze de niggers was young wL ~ar:~L fann trainint 01e ~iarse didn buy mammy. He said a nigger brat wuzn no good, dey wouidn sell an dey might die beTh de:j -rowed up . sides dey was a straiii on de in~mmy what breas missed it, Lissa ~ut up powerful kaze he made her leave de baby behin but Marse Drew jus ~ laughed an tole her dat he ~~ou1d give her a puppy ; dat ~e:i was plenty o~ houn s on de plantation. Den he snapped de chains on dey wris an led dem off. Llssaant ~1eve never seed dat. baby no more. Aunt Beck Lawson took an raised her an when she r ~rowr~ she was my niax~uny~ r ~ Yes suh Mars e Drew bought dein niggers like he was uyi a

051 047

4.. O:.~$ 01 ~!1U~L~S. Dey wuzn rio morE den muies to him. It was early su~:i~e.: ~ ~ .L:~ ~ brung dem to do plantation, but when wheat cuttin t IIIC OGME Lissa an~ Cieve ~iaS sent to de wheat fiel s. Dey was s ~i rt ni~~:erS, dey worked hard~- too hard for dey own good. In dem tinle,s t.:uz de s:~art, hard workin niggers dat brought de bes price, an nobody didn know d~t~better den Marse Drew. Une iiay Cleve seed iviarse Drew watchin Lissa. She was gleamin de wheat. Her skin was de col~ of warm brown ve1ve~ her eyes was dark ant bright an thinin like inuscadines under de frosty sun, an her body was slender like a young tree dat bends easy. As she stoopE~i ant picked up de wheat, flirigin it cross her arm, she swayet~ bac~ an fo th jus likedena saplins down yonder by de creek sway s in de wint C ~ve watched Marse Drew on de sly. He seed hirn watchiri Lissa. ~ S~d (le lustful look in his eyes, but tt~znt Lissa he lustin afber~ twuz money he seed. in her slender swayint body, in de smooth War:~L Lrov:n Skin, an de quick, clean way she gl~arn de wheat. ~tx~ipped to de wais on de A1abam~. auction block she would bring~near bout a thousan dollars . Cieve gun to . sweat . He turned so sick ri. ~akeered dat he could hardly swing de scythe through de wheat. Marse Drew doie took his baby away au now sumpin way down in his heart tolE: him dat he was ~W~.IIC take Lissa. He d dn keer I1~ he parted ~ ttwuz dollars he seed swingin roun his head gol dollars ~ &h1fli~L brighter den. stars ~ . ~ ~ Twuz d nex .. ~y ~t i~rseDrew wentio . leve s cabin. ~ He. e~ .1~ ~ aiL! ~knoek cm ~e ~r~wi~,de butt o~ his. whip...

052 048

4~: ~ Cieve opened de door . 01e ~Aarse tole hirn to pack Lissa s clothes, dathe was takin her to Sauf F,ostonc ie next da7 to sell her on de blocks Cieve fell on his luees an t~un to plead. He knew 01e Marse WUZS11 TWIne take Lissa to no Souf Boston; he was gwine take her way off an lie wouldn never see her no more. He beg an promise Marse ~c r Drev~ to be ~7ood an do anythinp he say~do if he just leave him Lissa, dat shevas his wife an he love her; Eut Marse Drew hit him cross de face wid his whip, cuttin. his lip in half, den he went .~ Lissats over mL felt or &ec~c arr~s an legs like she might have been a hose. . K!len he done goneCleve went over an set down by Lissa an took her han . ~ Liss gim to cry, den she jumped up an menced to take down her clothes hangin on de wall. ~ Cieve watched her for a while, den he made up his mm he gwine do s~tmoin , dat she aintt gwine be took away from hirn. He say: t~Quit dat, Lissa, leave dem clothes alone. You ain~t gwine leav me, you ain t gwine nowhare, hearme? Den he tole her to rna~e w; a hot fire while he bring in de wash pot. He brung In de big iron pot an set it On de hearth spi raked dc red coals all . roan it, den he filled itwid water. While it was heatin he went to de door an ~ looked outs De ~ done eone down a& night was crowdinr de hills pushin ~ but of sight . By daylight dat white ~flan wou~j~ be comf after Lissa~ ~ . . . . . . ~ . ... . . Clevel&arn ~ed ~ at Lissa. SheHwasst*ndint ~tt,de ~ . ~ ~ brat light*o8 knots showed de tears droppiri off h~r cheeks. ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ . . . . b bitt

053 049

-4- Cleve went outside ~ tBout &n ti~ !e a scritch owl come an set on de roar ant scritched. Lissa run out to siceer ft away, but Cleve cau~,Lt i~er &fl:. Hesay, Dontt do dat, Lissa, leave him alone. Datts de death bird, he biows ~hat he s dolat. So Lissa didn do notIi~i sb~: let de bird keep on scritchin . /TilCfl ~ t ~ uz good an dark Cleve tooi. a lon;2, rope an went out, teilin Lissa to keep de water boum ~ . Then he corne back he had Mars~e irew ail tied up wid de rope an gagged so he couldn holler; he IU; ,CL hL ~ th owed over his shoulder like a sack of meal. He brung him in de cabin an . laid hirn on de floor ~ den he tole him if he wou1d~n sell Lissa dat he wouldn hurt him. Bat Marse Drew shook his head an cussed in, his th oat.. Den Cleve took offde gag~hut : befo de white ~Ln could holler out, Cleve stuffed de spout o f a funnel in his big mouf way dow his th oat% boldin do~m his tongue. He ax him one more time to save Lissa from de block, but Mane Drew look at him wid hate in his eyes shook his head again. Cieve didn ~ say nothin elseto him; he call Lissa ar~ tale her tobrin~ hi* a. pitcher of boumt water.... . . . :. ~. ~ . . : By den I~issa. seed:what ~.j4\r~ Was gwine 4o. She. didn tell, ~ ~fleve not to do it noi~ ~etMnf; she jus t~l1e . 4epitcher wid hat water, den. she:werrL..ovez . an~.,set down on ~e floor .~nY hoI Mane rew 1~ hn4 sq.. be eotil8irt~ mfla.4 ? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ . ~ ; ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ i~ : Thea~Ole~ ~a~se ~ lee&. wbat . dey was tifl~!k~o Ac. to Mm, his eyes ~ bout busted out of his. head, hut when dey ax him again tbO~t ~ ~*Sa he wouldn promise nothint ~ so Cleve set on hirn to ho1~ Int~

054 050

down, den tool: de pitcher an1 gun to pour dat boum water right in dat funnel stickin in Marse Drewrs p~~f Dat mari kicked an strugglEd, but dat water scalded its way do~i;~n his tu oat burnin up his insides . Lissa brur~~ another pitcier full an d&y wuzn no pity in h r eyes as s~e watched Ear~e Drew f1~htin hi~ ~j~r +~ toment, cussin all nig~ers an~ Abraham Lincoln. After da~ Lissa an Cleve set down to wait for de sheriff. Dey kneu ttWUzflt no use to run, dey couldn get nowhare. tBout sunup de folks come an foun M~rse Drew, an dey foun Lissa an Cleve settIn by de door han in han waitin . Then dem niggers tole what dey done an how come dey done it dem white folks was hard. De sheriff took de rope front rouiY Marse Drew an~ cut it in two pieces. He tied one rope roun Ci~ve1s neck an one rope trount Lissa s rieck an hung dem up in da~ big ~ak tree in de yard. Yes, suh, dat s what hapoened to my gran in~uuy an gran pappy in slavery times. Dis here cabin we s settin in is de same cabin whare Cleve an Lissa scalded Marse Drew, an dat oak tree tside dc paf is de saaie tree dey was huw~ on. $omet nies now in de fail of de yGar when I se settinT in de door after de sun done gone down; an de wheat am ripe an~ beiidin in de win , an. de moon am rount an yeller like a mush rrielon, seems like I sees two shadows swingin from de bi~ I1~&~ of dat tree -~ I sees dem swirigin~ low side by ~ s~i~e wid dey fee~t~ n~ear bout touchin de groun . . ~ ~: ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~1 ~ ~

Jane Lee. 055 051

Subj ect ~ ~ Person Interviewed Jane Lee ___ Editor G. L. Andrews N. C. District No. 2 ~iorker ~ iro. Words 390 ~:. .~ :~-~- ~ ~ :~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ . ~:~ y ~~ .~. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~: . ~ ~ ~ .~ ~: ~ ~ .: ~ ~.. . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ ; ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ . . j~~:

056 052

~OOi3 52 JANE LEE An interview with Jane Lee, 81 years old, Selrna, North Carolina. ~ ~1 wus borned de slave of Marse Henry McCuLLers down ~F at Clayton on de Wake an Johnston line. I~iy daddy wus named Addison an my n a~my wus named Caroline. Daddy loj~ed to i~ii~. John Ellington who also lived near Clayton. I doan know de number of ivir. El1in~jt~on s slaves, but I know dat ~arse Henry had six or seben. ~ Marse Henry ain t had no oberseer ner no patterollers nother. He managed his business hisseif an ain t needed~~. nobody. He whupped dem when dey needed hit but dat ain~t often, not dat he ain~t put de whuppin on dem what did need hit. UI members de Yankees commt good as ir en hit wus yesterday. Dey corned wid a big noise, chasint ~ white folks what wus in de army clean away. Dey chase dem to Raleigh an den dey kotch te~, out d~y ain t had much tin:e, ter do us any damage case dey wus too busy atter de PLebs. We woods wus full of runaway sla~s ant Rebs who deserted de army so hit wus dangex ous to walk out. Marse Henry :;~ ~e US a speech about hit an atter I seed one rag a-j mu~fin ni~ger man dat wus so hongry dat his eyes pop out, I ~i!1~ t took no more walks . ~ :~ : tAtter de war we moved on Mr~ Eiii~ toi~ place wid

057 053

-~2-~ ~ daddy an1 dar I stayed.ti~l I married Wyatt Lee. ~ratt wus a bad proposition an~ he got shot in Fay tteville atter w h d five chilluns.. Wyatt tuck a woman to Fayettevifle an~ a man named Frank Wiattiner killed him about her. Den my oldest boy went to wurk in Virginia an a man named Rudolphus killed him bout a yaller gal. Both of de murderers runaway an ain~t never been ketched. 1A11 five of my chil1un~ am daid now, an fer de past ten years I se done ever1thing but cut cord wood. UHOW does I live? Well I lives now an den. De county gives me two dollars a month an de house am mine dunn my life time. Mr. Parrish sold hit to Judge l3rooks wid de understandin dat hit am mine long as I live. I don~t know why, none of us never lori~ged ter de Parrish s ner nothin dat I knows of ~.* .. ~ . ~ ~ J ~ : ~ :; ~:~: . : .. . .~ . ~.. .. . ~ ..: ~: ~ : .~ . . ~ . . !~~ ~ ~J ~ ~ ~4~ ~k ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ J ~ ~ J~ ~ ;~ ~ ~ J ~ J ~ ~4 \ J ~JJ ~

Chana Littlejohn. 058 054

N. C. District~~~ Worker T. Pat Matthews No. ~iords 1138 _____ Sub j ect QP~i~J~ Q_________ Person Interviewed__Chana L t~~ohn Editor_~~~jitt~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~p .~ ~ ~ 323258 54

059 055

~ 55 323258 CHANA LITTLEJOHN 215 State Street .~Li // ~ UI remember when de Yankees come. I remember when ~ ~ de soldiers come an had tents in Marsterts yard before .d.ey went off to de breastworks. My mother wus hired out before de surrender an had to leave her two chilluns at home on Marsterts plantation. Then she come home Christmas he told her she would not have to go back any more. She could stay at home. This wus de last year o de war and he toi her she would soon be free. My eyes are mighty bad. De doctor said he would work on tern if somebody in de Agriculture )~ii1ding would pay it.1 I can t see at all out of one eye and the other is bad. LI doan reckon I wus ten years old when de Yankees C orne but I wus unnit around ant c an r emember a 11 ci is. Guess I wus tbout ei~ht years old. I wus born in Warren County, near Warrenton. belonged to Peter Mitchell, a long, tail man. There were bout a hundred slaves on de plantation. My missus wus named Laura. Mother always called me oie Betsyt when she wus mad at me. Betsy wus ~arster Peter s mother. I remember seem her. She wus a big fat tornan wid white hair. She give biscuits to all 1. The office of the State Board of Welfare is in the Agriculture ~iilding.

060 056

-2- 5G de chillun on Saturdays . She also looked out for de slave chiiluris on Sunday. Ivly father wus n~ned Marcillus Litt1e~ john and my mother wus named Susan Little john. 1We had gardens and patches and plenty to eat. ~ie also got de holidays. Marster bought charcoal from de men which dey burnt at night an on holidays . Dey worked ant made de stuff, an marster would let dem have de steer~ carts an wagons to carry deir corn an~ charcoal to sell it in town, Yes sir, dis wus mighty nice. ~/e had plank houses. Dere wus not but one log house on de plantation. Marster lived in de big house. It had eight porches on it. Dere wus no churches on de plantation, an I doan re~ member any prayer rneetin s When we sang we turned de wasb~ pots an tubs in de doors, so dey would take up de noise so de white folks could not hear us. I do remember de ~atherin s at our home to pray fur de Yankees to come. All de niggers thought de Yankees had blue bellies. The old house cook got so happy at one of dese rneetin s she run out in de yard anT called, Blue bellies come on, blue bellies come on. Dey caught her an carried her back into de house. --- Whende overseer whupped one o de niggers he made all de slaves sing, Sho pity Lawd, Oh~ Lawd for~ive~. When dey sang awhile he would call out one an whup him.

061 057

-3- He had a sing fur everyone he whupped. Marster growed up wid de niggers ant he did not like to whup em. If dey sassed him h would put spit in their eyes and say tflOW I recon you will mind how you sass me. tiWe had a lot o~ game and possums. When we had game marster left de big house, and corne down an et wid us. ~Jhen marster wantt off drunk on a spree he spent a lot of time wid de slaves. He treated all alike. His slaves were all niggers. Dere were no half~.white chilluns dere. Marster would not let us work until we were thirteen years old. Den he put us to plowin ~ soft lan , an de men in rough lan . Some of de women played off sick an went home an washed an ironed an got by wid it. De oberseer tried to make two of em go back to work. Dey flew at him an whupped him. He told de marster when he come home, marster said, Did you low dem women to whup you? t t he replied den marster tole him if women e ould whup him he dldntt want him. ~xt he let him stay on. His name vms Jack Rivers.. He wus hired by marster. Marster Rivers did not have any slaves . Dere wus no jail on d e plantatiOn, case when er overseer whupped er nigger he did not need any jail~. De black ~ .ka better not be caught wid a book but one o de ehilluns at our plantation, 1Y1~rster Peter Mitchell s

062 058

s ist er had taught Aunt Is abe lia to r e ad and wr ite ai ~ dur in ~ de war she would read, an tell us how everythint wus goin . Torn Mitchell, a slave, sassed marster. Marster tole him he would not whup him, but he would sell him. Tom s brothe~ Eenry,toY him if he wus left he would run away, ~o marster sold both. He carried. em to Richmond to sell em. He sold eni on de auction block dere way down on ~oad Street. Jhen dey put Tom on de auction block dey found Tom had a broken leg and marster didn t git much fer him. He wanted to git enough ~er these two grown settled men to buy two young men. Torn wus married. He ~zus sold from his wife and chilluns. Iviarster did not git enough fer em to pay for dese two young boys. He had to pay de difference in money. De boys were bout 21 or 22 years oie. When rnarster got back wid em de overseer tole him he had ruined his plan~ tation. De boys soon become sick wid yeller fever ant both died. Dey strowed it round, an many died. Marster shore made a me s s thin~g s dat time. Dr. Ben Viilson, of Warren County wus Iviarster ~iitcheli s brother-1n--law. He tended de sick folks an he made many trips. Sometimes as soon as he got home dey sent fer him a~gain. We played mumble-peg an hop-scotch when I wus a child, we played jumpin de rope.a lot.

063 059

-5- 59 UI have never been married. I ha~ only one brother. He has been dead six years. Since he died I have had a hard ti~~e makin a livint. E~other John lived wid me until he died. I had only one sister. She died many years ago. I think slavery wus mighty hard an wrong. I joined de church tcause I had religion an de church would help me to . ke~ it. People should be religious sodey will have a place in de beyond. Abraham Lincoln wus a good man. I have his picture. I think Mr. Roosevelt is a good God.~fearin man. When he ~its sick I prays fer him. ~hen he is sick I is jist as scared as I kin be. I prays fer him ter staywell.

Charity McAllister. 064 060

N. C. District No.2 Wo rke r T . Pat i~at thew s No. Words 625 ~ 60 Subj ect~ CHjIT~ci~~ Story ~ EditorDais~)3aiiey Waitt 32Q238

065 061

;.~ . 61. 320233 CHARiTY ~i1~ALLIST~R 602 South Street My naine is Charity ~ ~cA1Iister. I wus here a long time before de Yanke es come here I wus ! bout grown when dey corne through. I ain t hardly a~1eto cook my little suinptint to eat now. I ain t able to work out. No sir, not able to work. Done and worked y time out. I wus a grown gal when de Yankees come. I wus bout 18 years old. I loves to give you de truth anci I knows I wus dat old. I wus a grown gal. Lily father wus named 1~.ob~rt blalock. He longed to de Blalocks o Harnett County. IVly mother ~vus thiie laie Allister. She 1onged~ to Jennett l~icAllister in Harnett County. I longed to Jobn G~eene at Lillington, Harnett County. ~iy mother first longed to Jobn Greene. She got in de family way by a white man, a nd John Greene sold her to a speculator named 3111 Avery of ~aleigh, a speculator. Dey sold my brother. He wus as white as you is. ~hen de surrender came mother went back to Mise Jennett 1~cA1list r in Harnett County. .uat s how dey ~ ot back dere. I wants to te Il d e truth and dats what I is g oin t o do. ftI tell you I wus whupped dunn slavery time. Dey whupped us wid horse ~hair whups. Dey put a stick under

066 062

2. 62 our legs an tied our hands to de stick and we could not d~ nuthin but turn and twist. Dey would sure work on your back end. ~very time you turned dey would hit it. I been ~hupped dat way and scarred up . We slept on rnattresse s made o tow sacks. Our clothes were poor. One~piece dress made o carDet stuff, part oi~ de ti;:.e. One pair o shoes a year after Christmas. Dey give em to us on January first; no shoes till after Christmas. Dey did not ~:ive us any holidays Christmas in harnett County. Dat wus ginst de rules. No prayer nor nuthin on de plantation in our houses.~ Dey did not low us to go to de white folks church, Dey did not ~ low de slaves to hunt, so we did not have any game. Dey did not low us any patches. No sirree, we did not have any money. De slaves Slept a lot on pallets dunn slavery days. A pallet wus a quilt or tow carpet spread on de floor. ~ie used a cotton pillow sometimes. Dere wus about 50 slaves on de plantation. ~e had no overseer on master s plantation, and no books and schools o any kind7~or niggers. I cannot read and write. No sir, I wish I ~ou1d read and write. nI split rails and worked in de Cape Fear River Low Grounds. We fenced de fields wid rails split from trees, pine trees. Dey were eleven feet long. . ~ Yes sir, I~eed de patterollers. I seed a plenty

067 063

3. of dem scoundrels. OhL ho, de Ku L~1ux, Hat, Ha~ Dey were real scandals, and I jest caint tell you all de mean things dey done right after de war. Reubin i~Iatt iew s slave, George I~Iatthews, killed two Ku Klux. iJey double teamed hirn and shot him and he cut em wid de ax, and.. dey died. ni wus married x!ight~. after de war. De second year after de war, I marriecTiRichard Rogers, but I kept ~ naine o McA~ll:L ster right on . My husband be en dead a good long time . Lawd, I dont t know how long . I been married one time, and dat wus one time too much. I have two sons, one name C larenc e and one named J0bn two ~iaughters1 one in Newport News one in ~as~ington, i C one r~axned Lovie, and one named Lula. BN 63.

Clara Cotton Mc-Coy. Ex-slave 82 years. 068 064

Ex-~s1ave ~L3.-J~L~ 82 years ~ iL ;;~ 64 Subj ~ 320032 District ITo. 3 ~1orker Travis J rdan

069 065

e~ 65 C 20032 CLARA COTTON MC-COY EX~-~SLMWE 82 YEARS uYesmna, I was bawn eighty.-two years ago. ~r in~iny died den an my gran mammy raised me . I sho do member when dat man Sherman an his mens marched through Orange County, but, j t d~J~dfl take rio army of Yankees to ruin ray white folks home, it took jus one Yankee but even dat didn tbow my Mistis head. I ain t never seed nobody as proud as my Mis tRj~h Cotton. She never bowed her head to trouble nor nobody ; she nevereven bowed her head in chu ch~ When de preacher prayed s he jus ~ fo ided her hands an s et up straight~, fac in de Lawd wid no fear. No, suh, my Listis ain t gwine bow her head no time. Young Mis Laughter broke her mammyts heart, but she ain t make her bend her head. Mis Laughte ~ ~ sho nuff name was Mi Clorena Cotton. She waan tall an! dark like i~is Riah; she was little an rouii ant pretty as a th rn flower, all pink an gol . She was jus like a butterfly never still a minute ii here an ionder, laughiai wid everybody. Dat s whare she got her name Us niggers gun to call her Mis Laughter kaze she was so happy . She was dGT only one ~ dat could make i Riah smile. She would r;m up to Mis Mali an~ ruffle her hair dat she done e,omb back so slick an smo th, den she would stick a red rose behin ~ her. ears: :~! .. 65y. SNow, pretty Mamrn y, you io~k like you did when:Papp~ ~ :COme c ~i~ tin . ~~Marse~edwouId1ay.down his

070 066

paper an look fus at Mis Riah den at Mis Laughter, an for a minute Mis Riah would smile, den shc would look firm an say to Mis Laughter. Don t you know datrightousness an V irtue am more e eptab le to de Lawd den b ea ty ? You s worldly, Clorena, you s too worldly. Mis Lat~ghter would throw back her head an laugh her eyes would shine bright as blue glass marbles. She tole Mis Riali dat she specs dat when her man come he gwine see her face befo he seed her rightousness, so she gv ine wear roses an curls den he would know her when he se cd her . Den b Th~ j~ Riah could speak her mind, Mis Laughter done gone skippin . down de hail . her little fee ta in de slippers wink from ~e ruffles of her pantXalets . Eve~body on de place love dat chile an de house wasn never de same after she done gone away. ~y grau maiw Rowena say dat Mi s Riah was bawn for trouble. She was bawn de las day of March tween midnight an day . De moon was on de wane an j us as Mi sti s was bavin de wind come down de chimbley an b ew de ashes out on de hearth. Gran rnammy say dat mea~i trouble an death; dat new bawn baby ain1t never gwine keep long de things she love de o an she better never love robody too weLL if she do dey gwine be took away from her, an ~ t oubi~ aho did follow Mis Ri~~~ after she growed Up. ~ . ~. Whende war corne Marse Ned went off to fight. . He was M rs e ~:erai ~~~COtto~ de~ . Dat ~ didn t ~ leave nobody &t. home tC ept Mi.s .~: ~ah~ i~eD ~marnm~ Mis &berta Davis~ but we~caUed her oie

071 067

67 :~ist1s, den dare was Mis Laughter an young Marse Jerome. Young ~arse but fifteen when de war started but dey got him in de las call an he didn never come back no more. De plantation was big but Mis R-iah tended to things an handled de niggers same as a man. De fus year o1 de wa~ she rode a hoss tbout de fieJds ke an overseer, seemt after de cotton ant cawn an taters. But de Yankees come an1 set fire to do cotton; dey took de cawn to dey cari~ for dey hosses, an dey toted off de taters to eat. Dc nex year Mis Riah d dn plant no cotton a taU kaze de se Eds an gin done been burned up but she had de niggers p lant cawn taters an a good garden . Dat fall de wind blew de hickory leaves to de no th an by spring trouble done come sho nuff. Dey was a drouth an de ca~i didn come up; de garden burned to pa chment, but de taters done all right. Wid all dat Mis Riah held up her head an kep goin . Den one day a buzzard flew over de house top an his wings spread a shadow out on de roof . Dat night death corne an got 01e I~iiistis. She passed on to glory in her sleep . . Twas de s will, Mis Riah to le gran mammy an she still held up her head But Grau mammy said dat if somebody had shot dat buzzard an wiped his shadow off de roof 01e Mistis wouldnt have gone nowhare. De next spring dey wasn much to plant. De Yabkees done kep to~in off everything, hosses an all, twefl dey wasnt much lef . But de niggers, gran rnanrny an pappy along wid dem, dug up de ga~de wid:de grubbin hoe anl planted what seeds dey had. Mis

072 068

~ :68 t Riahi: ~ ~ t 1~Tit Laughter s clothes gun ~ to look oie but grantm~i.mmy kept dem washed an sta ched stiff. Twas Mis Laughter dat kep us from frettin too much. She would look at Mi RIah an say 11 be all right i~mmy when Marse Ned comes h nie. Sometime she call her pappy Marse N~d ~jUS like dat . One day Mars e Ned did come home . Dey brurzg him. home . Twas bout sunset . I tmembers kaze twas de same day dat my oie black hen hatched de duck eggs I done set her on, an de apple treed was bloomin . De blooms look jus like droves of pink butterflies flyin on de sky. Dey brought Marse Ned. frL de ho se anr Ia~ . him. out in de parlor. Mis Riali. stood ~AI~h~~1de him wid her head up. TWas de Lawd ~s will, she to le Gran. rnar ~y but an mammy sho ok her head an gun to cry, an say: ryOu can t put dat on de Lawd i Riah,~ you sho can t~ . tTwaaat de Lawd s will a tall, twas de will of de cnssed Yankees.T Den she turn ~roun an took Mis Laughter s hand an led her up stairs an put her to bed. ~ After dat things got wo rs e . Dat wind dat blew tr~ub1e dowii de chinthley for Mist Riah when she was bawn gun to blow barder. De war got young Marse ~Terorzie an shot him down. Dey wom t much to eat de coffe e was made ou~t of pa J ~hed cawn an de ~weeth.i~ was cane lasses, an~ de ham. anr white bread done been gon a long time . Dey won t no eggs an chickens an ~ dey ~L t: ~xt one fresh cows bu~t nobody ai&t never seed MiS ~ ~Riah herh~ dziorshed atear. ~ ~

073 069

-5-. ~hen de surrender corne dey was Yankees canped aU rro~T de piantatio an~ Eiilsboro was full of dem. One day a Yankee maris come to de house. He~as young. He come to see if M1~ tPLiah dic5II want to sell her place. Mis Riali stood in de door an talked to him, she wouldnt let him come on de po ch. Sb~e to le him she would starve beTh she would s e 11 one foot of her I to a Yaxike e an ~ dat he shou1d~i ~ darken de do r o f ~ he r houe e. Bout dat time L~ls Laughter corne down de hail ant stood behin her mammy. Her hai~ curled ~b ut her head yellow as a dandyiioi a~ she had ~ a blue dress. Th~ dat sojer seed her he stopped ~ dey looked a ~ looked at each other ~tweli Vfis~ Riah turned trount . When she done dat Mis Laughter turned an run. up de stairs4 ~fter dat Mis ~ RIah wouldnt let dat chile go no place by hersef. I was her boQ~guard, everywhare she went I had to go too. W~ would go to walk down in de pine woods back of de paster, an ~ somehow dat Yankee would go to walk in. dem woods too. Every time we seed him he would give inc a piece of money, an ~ when I got back to d~ house I didn tell nothin . Dem one day I b~eard dat sojer tell Mi ~ laughter dat he was gwine away. Mis Laughter ~gwi to cry an~ 1 d dn hear what else dey said haze dey s rit ~ d wa de path. But dat night Mis L~.ughter put lier clothes In her box an made me tote lt down to de paster an r ~4e ~t iii de blackberry patch~ Den. She gtve nte a note an

074 070

7() tole me to go to bed wi go to sleep, but w1~e.:. mo~~nin come to give de note to Mist tp~j~j~~ De nex mornin I give de note to Mis ~R1ah but by den i Laughter done gone off wid dat Yankee . Mie ~ Rj~h called all us niggera in de big room.* She took down de family Bible from de stand an marked out Mis Laughter s name. ~I ~in1t ot no daughter, she say. ~ tM~mber de~ chile dat I had am dead an her name mustn never be called in dis house no more. We all went out cept Grantmaxnmy, but Mis Riah woulthi let her talk to her bout ii ii Laughter ant when de letters gun to come dey was sent back unopened. Mis Riah s niece, Mis Betty an Marse John Davis, hur uan c orne to live wid Mis t~j~J.j to he lp he r ~ ~ things ~ but ~body was lowed to call Mis Laughterts n~une. Even though dey was free, gran xnarrnny an pappy an seine more of us niggers stayed on. at de plantation helpin on de farm, but in bout a year is1 Riah tack sick Mit Betty wanted to sen for it Laughter ~ but Mis ~ wouidn even answer but Mit Betty sent for her anyhow ant kept her down stairs. Den one day de sun turned black an~ de chickens went to roost in de day time. Grantmarnniy flung her apron over ~er fgce an tgun to pray kase she knew de death angel was coniin after Mis Riah. Mist Betty ~: got Mii Laught~ an1 when ehe come up de stafrs all us house :~ q~ ers~ood in de ~aii Watchin her go in to see MiS Riah. S1~e was layint oeL d bed wid. ber eyes simt like she was sleep. Mist Laughter went in an *neel down by de bed~ ~axnm~,

075 071

7:1 -.7- . I~m~my she say soft jus ~ like dat. Mis tRjahts b~arLis caugi~t hold .~ ~of de quilt tight,.~ bat she ain t opened her eyes. Gran m~my went up an laid her hand on_ her head, but she shook it off~ Dc tears was runnin down ~is~ Laughtert.s cheeks. izmny,~ she say, Itse sorry -- I loves you, M~nxny.T vii Riah turned her face t o de wall an her back on Mis Laughter. She ain t never opened her eyes. Bout d~at time de sun come out from 1 dem black wings of Sh;~C1OW ~ tRjah s soul went on to glory to meet L~rse Ned~. Yes ru, Mi Riah sho was proud but Gran marnrny say twon ~ no war dat brun~ all dat trouble on her, she . say t~~as de wind dat conic down de chimbley de ni~ht she was bavrn.--~e no th wind dat blowed de ashes bout de hearth. ~

A good mistress. 076 072

72~. ~f.c. District #2 I o. ~ord.s ~~35 Worker : ~iar~y ~ Subject: Teller: Editor: A GOOD i~1iS TRESS ~ ~ ~ ~l~e~~aj tt ~ * . ~ ~ ~ ~ 32C~j9~.L

077 073

73 . 320219 ~ A GOOD MISTRF3S~ An interview with Henrietta McCullers,. eighty-~seven years old, of 531 E.~ Davie Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. n i ~ borned roun eighty~seben years ago in ~ake County. i~ e ant ~y ~j~r~y t longed ter Mis ~ Betsy Adams an iiiy pappy longed ter Mr . Nat Jone s . I think dat Marse Nat hacla whole passel o~ slaves, but ~~is Betsy ain t had more n six or seben. ~ u Yo ax me iffen Mise pets-y wus good ter us? She wus so good dat I loved her all her life now dat ~ s daid I loves her in her grave. t We et de same rations what she et ~ri~ we slept in de saa~ie kind 01 bed sh slept in~ I knows dat sometimes she d have company ~ shetd do a heap o extra fixin ~ but she ain t neber fix better fer de company dan fer us. n She d let us have a co n sbuckint ~net a year, an~ o:C~ course, we had a heap of prayer meetin s an a ~ew socials. Shealn t wanted herni~gers ter dance case she am such a good ~hrist1an but sh e let us have c andy pullin ~ an s ich. p When de wuck warn t pushin ~ she d let us go fishint an s~r4in~th1t an aU~ only we ~jist waded, case we ain t used enough ter de *ater~ Yo~ knew dat ni~gers am nat u 1i~r skeerd o~ water anyhow. . .. ~ ~ . ~ ~

078 074

~. 74 n Iffen de wuck viu~ pushin we wucked from sunup till dark an Mis i3etsy wucked too. Man, she v~ us a wuckin~ woman, an she made us wuck too; but I loves her better dan ~ does my own chilluns now an dat s one reason dat I wants ter go ter heaben. Ail my life when I done a bad thing I think bout vIis ~3etsy ~ teachin s an~ I repents. n ~ plowed an. dug ditches an~ cleaned new grourit; ~it hard wuck am t neber hurted me yit. De master wus ~oo puny to ~vuck, an I often thinks dat ma~rbe he married L.is ~3ets to look atter him. Dey only had one mans Uncle L ose, ar~ so, of course, he had to have some help ter ten bout a hundert acres. n i~1ost of our lan wus ~l~nted in feed stuff fer us an de cattle. An so we raised ever thing but de coffee. Sometimes we drunk Japonica tea, an~ done without de coffee. t on Sunday s yot& should o seen us in our sunday best goin ter church hind de missus coach, wid oie Uncle Mose high on de box. We can t read de hymns eben iffen we had a book cause we ~ain t lowed ter have no books but we sung jist de same. t At Christmas time we had a party at de big house . ~ Mi~ Betsy had sabed a bushel er so o de latest apples an she rn&Ie a big di sh of las ~e s candy ant we p opped pop e orn an wus ~ happy . it betsy always give us some e lothes ant we had a

079 075

75 3. feas all through de week of ho1idays~ H When. de Yankees corned dey jist about cleaned us out~ Dey kills p gs,~.turkeys, calves an hens all over de p1ace,de~ gits de eserves an a heap 0T de lasses an dey sass Mis Betsy~ All dis wus dem bad~mannered soldie?s~ fault, case Abraham Lincoln aintt mean t fer it ter be dis way~ I know.: I reckon dat most o dein soldiers wus pore white trash. Dey doan keer bout de niggers, but dey ain t W~ ted our white folks ter be rich. tt~e ~aiikees am t 3tayed long in our neighborhood case dey am a-~1ookin fer our soldiers, so dey goes away. . r Did I leave atter de war wus ober? Naw sir, I ain t, an all de rest stayed on too. Uncle. Mose stayed on too. Uncle Mose stayed de rest o~ his life, but I left two years atterwards when I got married. tt My memory am gittin so short dat I doan .~ member ray daddy s naine ner my brothers an sisters names. ~ I I member dat my mammy wus named P 1 e ty do an I . members niy fust lessoa from Mise Betsy, Doa.n lie, an~ doan steal, ax fer what yok needs needs mind yo 1, not what yo k an~ ~ L~ti: era ort ter be back in slavery now, dey d be better an happier dan dey is . I am ~ t neber ~ had a whuppin in my life ant dat ,s more dan most of dese free niggers ~ can say. EH

Willie McCullough. 080 076

N. C. District ~ Worker T. Pat ~atthews No. Words 1050 Subj ect ~ ~ Person Interviewed Willie Mc- Cui~~i~u~gIi Editor G. I~. Andr~ws *)f~fl ) ;~ 76

081 077

~. :~ *~~( ~ ( ~6) ~ WILLIE McCULLOUGH 8 McKee Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. Age 68 years. I was born In Darlirigton County, South Carolina, the 14th of June 1869 . My mother was named Ri lia Mc-~ Cullough and my father was named Marion McCullough. I remember them very weil and many things they told me that happened during the Civil War. They beion~ed to a slave owner named Billy Cannon who owned a larg e p1an-~ tation near Marion, South Carolina. The number of slaves on the plantation from what they told me was about fifty. Slaves were quartered in small houses built of logs. ~ They had plenty of rough food and c~oth~~ ing. They were looked after very well in regard to their health, because the success of the master depended on the health of his slaves. A man can t work a sick horse or mule. A slave occupied the same place on the plantation as a mule or horse did, that is amale slave. Some of the slave women were looked upon by the slave ~ owners as a stock raiser looks upon his brood sows ~ that is from ~ the standpoint of produc tion. If a slave woman ~ had children fast she was c one idered very valuable b e~ cause slaves were valuable property.

082 078

~. ~ 78 tiThere was classes of slavery. Some of the ha1f~ white and beautiful young women who were used by the marster and his men friends or who was the sweetheart of. the marster only, were given special privileges. Some o:e em worked very little. They had private quarters well fixed up and had a great influence over the marster. Some of these slave girls broke up families by getting the marster so enmeshed in their net that his wife, perhaps an older woman, was greatly neglected. Mother and grandmother tole me that they were not allowed to pick their husbands. SMother tole me that when she becariie a woman at the age o ~ sixteen years her marster went to a slave owner near by anI got a six~foot nigger man, almost an entire stranger to her, and told her she must marry him. Her marster read a paper to them, told them they were man and wife and told this negro he could take her to a certain cabin and go to bed. This was done without getting her consent or even asking her about it. Grandmother said that several different men were put to her just about the same as if she had been a cow or sow.. The slave owners treated them as if they had been common animals in this respect. .. Mother said she loved my father before the surr~e~er and just as soon as they were free they married. Grandmother was named L&ina Williams She belonged to a planter

083 079

..13_ 79 who owned a large plantation and torty slaves adjoining ~Lr. Cannon s plantation where mother and father stayed. I~r grandmother on my mother s side lived to be 114 years old, so they have tole me. Il ran away from home at the age of twelve years and went to Charleston, South Carolina. I worked with a family there as waitin boy for one year. 1 then went to Savannah, Ga. I had nc particular job and I hoboed every~ where I went. I would wait all day by the side of the railroad to catch a train at night. I rode freight trains and passenger trains. I rode the blind baggage on passenger trains and the rods on freight trains. The blind baggage is the car between the mail car and the engine. The doors are on the side and none at ~the end. I hoboed on to Miami over the Florida East Coast Railroad. I next went from Miam~i to Meniphis, Tenn. after staying there a few days and working wIth a contractor, I again visited Charleston, S. C. I had been there only two days when I met some Yankees~ from Minnesota. They prevailed on me to go home with them, promising if I would do so they would teach me a trade. I went with them. We all hoboed. We were halted at the Blue Ridge mountains but we got by without going to jail. We then went to ~ N. J. ~~cm N. L to Chicago Ill. then into Mi ~ waukee,

084 080

~. So ~1i~ . then on into Minneapolis Minn. Many towns and cities I visited on this trip,~I did not know where I was. My Yan-~ kee companions looked out for me . They taught me the trade of makin~g chairs and other rustic f~urniture~ They taught me 164 ways of making different pieces of furniture. I spent 11 years in Minnesota but during that time I visited the South once every three years, spending several days in the c ounty of my birth . Mother and father farmed all their lives and they often begged me to settle down but the wanderlust had me and for 30 years I trave ed from place to place. Even while in Minnesota I did not stay in Minneapolis all the time. I visited most every town in the state during the eleven years I stayed there and made hobo trips into most of the adjoining states~ The main Yankee who taught me the trade was Joe i~irton. He an~ the gang helped me to get food until I learned the trade well enough so I could make a living working at it. ~ UI have made a lot of money making and selling rustic furniture, but now I am getting old. I am not able to work as I used too. Not long ago I made a trip from Raie igh to Charleston, S C . but the trip wa~ different from the old days. I hitch~hi1ced the entire distance. I rode with white folks On one leg of the trip of over 200 mIles I rode with a rich young man and his two pals.

085 081

SI They had a fruit jar full of bad whiskey. He got about drunk, ran into a stretch of bad road at a high rate of speed, threw me against the top of his car and injured my head. I am not over it yet. I quit the road in 1924. My last trip was from Raleigh, N. C. to Harrisburg, Penn. and return. I have made my home in Raleigh ever since. Done settled down, too oie to ramble anymore.~ LE

James Turner McLean. 086 082

Subject ~ TUii~i~ i~ ~Ai j Story teller J~e sTL~~ Editor ~s~ ai1~ejr Wa~~ N. C. District No.~ Worker ~~!._?a~ ~ No ~ Words 1~,477 ~ .. 82 #~f)rt,1)~

087 083

320207 .. 63 JAMES TTJ~R~ER MCLEAN Lilflngton, N. C. Rotite 1 ~1~! name j s Jatne s Turner McLean I was born ix~ Harnett County near Cape Fear River in the Bu~ies Creek Section, Feb. 20, 1858. I belonged to Taylor Hugh McLean, and he never was married. The plantation was between Buies Creek and the Cape Fearriver; the edge of it is about 75 yards from iithere I now live The place where I live be~on~s to me. Way back it belonged to the l3olden s. The Boldens came from Scotland, and so did the McLeans. There were about five hundred acres in this plantation ~d Marster Hugh McLe an had ab out fifty slaves. The slaves lived in qtiarters and Marster lived in the b~g house which was his home. Marster took good care o his darkies He did iiot allow anybody to whip em either We had good fo od clothe s and plac e s to s le ep . ~r fathe r was Jini McLean and n~r mother was named Charlotta McLean. ~r grandmother was name d Jam 1 calle d ray mother Sissie and called my grandmother manirr~y in slavery time . They cUd riot, have me to do any heavy work just tending to the ~ca1ves, colts, and goi& to the post office.

088 084

2. ~. 84 The post office was at Mxb. Sexton s and we called it Sexton s post office on the Raleigh and Fayetteville Road. The stage run on this road and brought xnail to this place. This post in n~r yard is part of a stage coach axle. You see it? Yes sir, that s what it is. I got it at Fayetteville when they were selling the Old. stagecoach. We bought the axle and wheels an ~ made a cart. We got that stuff about 1870; my father bought it. He gave twelve dollars for jes the wheels and axle. This was after we had taken the iron clad oath and become more civilized. We were daresome to be caught with a paper book or anything if we were tryin to learn to read and write. We had to have a pass to go around on, or the patterollers would work on us. I saw a lot of patterollers. Marster gave his Negroe s a pass for twelve months He sent his timber to ~ilmir~gton, and worked timber at other places so he gave his slaves yearly~ passes. Then when the war was abot~t up me and him went to the post office, and he got the paper. All the niggers were free. We stopped on the way hoir~e at a large sassafras tree bi the side the ro ad where he always stopped to read, and he read, and told me I was free. ni did not know what I t was or what it meant We c.atne pa to the house w~re n~r mother was and I said, Sissie,

089 085

85 30 we is free . ~ $he said Hush, or I wi 11 put the hickory on you.t I then went to grandma, the one I called mammy and threw my arms ar oand her ne ek and sai d Manur~y we are free, what doe s it mean? and mammy who was grandma sai~1 ~ You hush. sich talk, or I will knock you down wid a loom stick. M~rster was contin then, and he had the paper in his hand and was cryin . Re caine to the door and called grandma and said, ~ are free, free as I am, but I want you to stay on.. Lf you go off you will perish. If y~ou. stay ou now the crop is planted and work it, we will divide. Marster was Cryin. ~J said, ~I do not own you ai~r longer. Re told her to get the horn and blow it. It was a ram s hcrn. She blew twice for the hands to conie to the house. They were workin in the river lowground about a mile or more away. She blew a long blow, then another. Marster told her to keep b1owin~. After awhile all the. slaves corne home; she had. called them all in. M~rster niet them at the gate and to Id them to put all the mules up, all the hoes and plows, that th~ were all free. Re invited all to eat dinner. Re had five women cooking. He told them all he did not want them to leave, but if they were going they must eat before. they left. He said he wanted everybody to eat all. he wanted, and I remember the

090 086

4. 86 baru, eggs, chicken, and other good things we had at that dinner. Then after the dinner he spoke to all Of US and~ said, You have nowhere to go, nothin to live on, but go out on ~ other plaxitation arxi build you some shacks. ttlie gave them homes and did not charge ax~y rent. He bought naiis and lumber for them, but he would not build the houses. Some stayed with hirn for fifteen years; some left. He gave them cows to milk. He said the children must not perish. t~Marster was a mighty good man, a feelin man. He cried when s~ome of his slaves finally left hirn. Mother and father stayed ti 11 they go t a plac e of their own . I waited on him as long as he lived. I loved him as well as I did my daddy. I drove for him and he kept me in his house with him. He taught rite to be honest, to tell the truth, and not to steal ai~thing. ~\Vhen freedom came marster gave us a place for a school building and furnished nails and gave the lumber for the floors. He instructed them in building the windows. Re was goin to put his sister Jenette McAllister in as teacher She had married Jim ~cAllister at the Eluff Church, right at the lower part of the Averysboro Battleground where some of the last fightin between the North and South was

091 087

5. ~. 87 done, but a man by the naine of George Miller of Harnett County told him he i~i.ew a nigger who could teach the school. He employed the nigger, whose name was Isaac Brantley, t~ teach the school. lie ~anie from ~knderson s Creek in the lower part of Harnett Cowity. We learned very little, as the nigger ~ead, and let us repeat it after hum. He would hold the book and spell axid let us repeat the words after him without i us see iii the book. He stayed there two months ~ th en a man by the naine of Matthews Haywood Matthews, son of Henderson Matthews came. They were white folks, but went for negroes. Haywood teached there. He got the children st~ted ~id most of em learned to read and write. ttl saw the Yankees come through . Also iht s Cavalry. The Yankees took chickens and things, and they gave u s s oxne things bu t Wheeler s Cavalry gave us in. . They took what they wanted and went on. Marster hid his horses and things in the Pecoaiu.~. When the Yankee s cerne Marster was hid . They rode up to ~ mother and asked her where he was. She said, I do not kn They then asked her where was de silver, his nioney ant de brandy an wine . They got one demijoim full t brandy . They went into the house tore up things

092 088

6. : 88 got his china pipe, fixed for tour people to smoke at one time. You could turn a piece and shett off all de holes but one, when one man wanted to smoke. They threw away his old beaver hat, but before they left they got it and left it in the house ~ieeler s Cavalry stomped things and broke up x~ore den de Yankees. Daddy hid rnarster s money, a lot of it, in the jam de fence He covered it with sand that he threw out of a ditch that ran along near the fence The Yankees stopped and sat on the sand to eat their dinner and never found the money . *1 : have never seen a slave sold, and none never ran away from marster s plantation . When any of his men went to visit their wives he let thera ride the stock, axx~ give them rations to carry There was a jail for slaves at Sumrnerville. I saw it. ~We went to the white folks church at Neil s Creek. Mother used herbs to give us when we were sick. Dr . Turner, Dr John Turner looked after us We were bled every year in the spring and in the fall. He had a little lance He corded your arm and. popped. it in, and the blood would fly. Re took nearly a quart of blood fro& grandma. He bled according to size and age.

093 089

7. . 89 We ought to think a lot o Abraham Lincoln and the other great men such as Booker T. Washington. Lincoln set us free . Slavery was a b ad thing and unjust. AC

Frank Magwood. 094 090

::. C. District 1i~Q-. 2 )V Worker ~. Pat Matthews No. Words 857 Subj ect ~ ~ Pers on Inte rv iewed ~J~a nk ~gw~ Editor G. L. Andrews : ? e)U;()O 3 ~ ~ ? 90

095 091

e, ~ ~ ~ 3 ~ ~ ~ 44 7 % J #. ~ t . 91 FRANK ~EAGWOOD It1 was born in Fairfield County, South Carolina, neai the town of Ridgeway. Ridgeway was on the Southern Rail.. road from Charlotte, N. C. to Columbia, South Carolina. I was born Oct. 10, 1864. I belonged to Nora Rines whose wife was named Emma. He had four ~girls Franc es Ann, Cynthia, and E~nma and one son named George. There was about one thousand acres of land inside the fences with about two hundred acres cleared. There were about seventy slaves on the place. My mother and father told me these things. Father belonged to a man by the naine of John Gosey and mother belonged to oie man lUnes. My father was named Lisbon Magwood and my mother was named Margaret Magwood. They were sold and resold on the slave auction block at Charleston, South Carolina, but the families to whom they belonged did not change the ir names until s name was changed when she married father in 1862. ~There were twolve hildren in the family, three boys and nine girls. Only two boys of this family are living, Walter and myself. Mother and father said at the beginning of the war that the white folks said it would not last long and that in the first years of the war they said one southern soldier

096 092

; :. 92 could whup three Yankee soldiers, but after awhile they quit their brag~in. Most everything to eat and wear got scarce. Sometimes you couldn t g t salt to go in the vegetables and meat that was cooked. People dug up the salty earth under their smoke houses, put water with it, drained it off and used it to salt rations. .~ There came stories that the Yankees had taken this place arid that they were marching through Georgia into South Carolina. They burned Columbia, the Capitol of South Carolina, and had both whites and black scared, they were so rough. The Yanke s stole, burned~and plundered. Mother said they hated South Carolina cause they started the war there. They burned a lot of the farm houses. The army, so my father and mother said, was stretch d out over a distance of sixty~ two miles. Jest think of a scope of country sixty two miles wide with most of the buildings burned, the stock killed, and nothing to eat. The southern army and the northem army had marched back and forth through the territory until there was nothing much left. Where Sherinants ~rr~y stopped and ate and fed their horses the ~groes went and picked up the grains of corn they strowed there and parched and ate them. People also parched and ate acorns in South Carolina. . Father and mother got together after the war and

097 093

fr. 93 they moved to a widow lady s place by the naine of Ann Hunter, near Ridgeway. She was good to us and we stayed there sixteen years. Ann Hunter had three sons, Abraham, George and Henry. Abraham went to South America on a rambling trip. He decided to stay there. He was a young man then and he married a Spaniard. When he came home to see hJs mother it was the year of the earthquake in 1886. He was a grown man then and he brought his wife and children with him. He had three children, all of them spoke Spanish and could not understand their grandmother s talk to them. His wife was a beautiful woman, dark with black hair and blue eyes. She just worshipped her husbariL They stayed over a month and then returned to South America. I have never seen tern since or had any straight news of them. Mother and father lived on the farm until they died, with first one ex~-slave owner and another. They said they had nothing when the war endedand that there was nothing to do. 111 stayed with my mother and father near Ridgeway until I was 21 years of age. I left the farm then and went to work on the railroad. I thought I was the only man then. I was so strong. I worked on the railroad one year then I went t~ the Stone mountain Rock Quarry in Georgia.

098 094

-4.. 94. ttI got my hand injured with a dynamite cap after I had worked there a year and I came home again. I went back to working on the farm as a day hand. I worked this way for one year then I began share croppin . UI farmed ever since I cam to Wake County 15 years ago. I farmed on Mr. Slnipkins place one year then Mr. Dillan bou~ght the place axxl I stayed there nine more ye~ars then I became so near blind I could not farm. I carne to Raleigh to this house four years ago. I have been totally blind since the fifteenth of last December. il married Alice Praylor near Ridgeway when I was 23 years of age. We had nine children. tMy last marriage was ~ to Mamie Williams. I married her in South Carolina. We had four children. They are all living, grown and married off. My chief worry over being blind is the fact that it makes me unable to farm anymore. LE

Jacob Manson. 099 095

JACOB MANSON N. C. Distz~ict j~Q.~_a . Subject Person Interviewed ~ Worker ~ Ratw~t~~ G. L. Andrews No . Words I ~t2C~ Editor ~7 . ..~ .:. ~. ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . - . ~ ~ ~. ~ ~ ~ :~. :- ~ :~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~. . ~ ~ .~ . . ~- .~ ~ ~ ~ .. . ~ ~ ~ I~ ~ ~ d~ ~ .1:: ; ~ H~ 320()5t ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

100 096

320051 ~ ~ . . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ JACOB MANSON . 3 17 . N. Ha3rwo od St . Raie i~ NT . C . 86 ye ars of ag e . ~ ~It has been a long time since I w s born-~bout all my oeopie a~ii dead ceptmy wife an one son an two daughters. lYe sori~ an one daughter live in N. C. an de other daughter live& in Richmond, V . ~ Ii belonged to Col. ~in Eden, hj8 plantation wus in ~~rren C unty an . he owned bout fifty sl ves or more. Dere wus so many of ~ dere he did not know all his own slaves. W~ got ~ighty bad treatment an I jest wants to tell you a nigger didn t stan as much show dere as a dog did. Dey whupped fur rnos ~iy little trifle. Dey whupped me, so dey said, jes to help me git a quicker gait. D~ patterollers come srieakin ro~3~ oft n an v hupped. niggers on ~arster s place. Dey nearly killed my uncle. Dey broke his collar bone when dey wus beatin him ati marster made tern pay ~or it cause uncle never did ~it over it. tt~1iarster would not have any white overs eers . He had nigg&r foremen~ Ha I ha ~ he liked sanie of de nigger omans too good. to have any bdder white man pl~yin aroun em. ~We wurked all day an some of de night an~ a slave who made a week, even atter dola dat, wus lucky if he got off widout ~ettin a beatin. lite had poor f~od an de young slaves wus fed otrten troughs. ~e foo~ wus put in a trough ~ an de little niggers gath~ ~ed round n et. Our cabins wus built of poles an had stick a~n dirt chimleys one door an one little winder at de back end of ~: ~

101 097

~2~: ~ 97 ~ ... de cabin. Some of de houses had dirt floors. Our clothin1 was poor an homemade ~ ~fly of de -s1av~went~ bareheaded an barefooted. Some wore rags roun dere heads an some wore bonnets. Marster lived in de ~reat house. He did not do any work but dr~k a lot of whiskey,. vient dressed up all de time an had niggers to wash his feet an comb his hair. He made me scratch his head when he lay do~i so he could go to sleep. When he ~ ot to sleep I viould slip out. if h waked up when I started to. leave I vfouEl. have to ~ o ba~k an~ scratch his head till he went to sleep agin. Sometimes I had to fan de flies way from him while he slept. No prayer~ meetin s wils allowed, but we sometimes went to de white folks church. Dey tole us to obey our marsters an be obedient at all times. When bad storms come dey let us rest but dey kept us in de fields so long sometimes dat d e storm . caught us fore we could git to de cabins. Niggers watched de wedder in slavery time an de ole ones wus good at. prophesyin de wedder. . ~Mars~ter had rio chilluns by white women. ~ H~ Ii~t h~s sweethearts mong his slavewonien. I air~t no man for tellin fais? stories.. I telle de. truth an dat ~is de truth. At dat time. it ~ ~ hard job to find .amarster dat d1dII~t have womer~ mo~. hia slaves. ~t wus~a ~inerel thing inong de slave owners. ~ ie ?~ ~ sIave~irLs on a plantation near us went to her nhis~t~ a~n tole her bout he~ mar~ter forcing her to let him have ~ autnthi~i to do wid her ar~ her xA~ssus tole her, WeU go on yoit * ~r ~ J :~ ~ ~ ~ ~4 ~ I ~ ~ ~ ~

102 098

belong to hirn. \~9ther m rster named Jimmie Shaw owned a purty slave gal nearly white an he kept her. His wife caught im in a cabin in bed wid her. His wife said surnthin to him bout it an he cussed lais wife. She tole hirn she had caught ~im in de act. She went back to de great house an got a gun. ~Ihen de marster corne in de great house she tole tim he must let de slave girls alone dat he belonged to her. He cussed her agin an sed she would have to tend to her own dam business an1 he would tend to his. Dey had a big fuss an den marster J:~aw sta:~~ted towards her. She grabbed de gun ~n let him have it. She shot ~im dead in de hail. Dey had thre chillun, two Sons an one married daughter. Missus Shaw took her two sons an left. ~De married daughter an her husband took charge of ~ S de place. M1~~u~ an her sons never come backas I Ithows of. . A lot oi~~ de slave owners had certain strong healthy slave S men to serve de slave women. Ginerally dey give one man four women ant dat man better not have mithin to do 1 de udder ~ . women an de women better not have nuthin to do wid udder men. De chillun wus looked atter by de ole slave women who were un~ ~ able to work in de fields while de mothers oi~ de babies worked. ~ De women~ plowed an done udder work as de men did. No books or ~ S larriin of any kind wus allowed. ~ S~S. *C~e mornin~ de dogs begUn to bark an in a few minutes the ~ plantation wus kivered wid ~ankees.~ D~y tole us we w~is free. ~ D~ ,axed me wht~r m~rster ~ s things ~ru~ hid. I tole em I ~cou~4 L ~ gii~e ~ marster ~ s thiuga~. ~ey tole me I had no niarster dat I ~ ~ ~ ~t ~t ~ ~ i ~ ~ i~ ~

103 099

.ui~4.. :~99~ ~ dey had fighted four years to free us an dat marster would n t whup me no more~ Marster sent to de fields an had all de slaves t o C on~e home He told me to te li ~ em no t to run but to fly to de hous e at one e . All plow hands an women com e running home. De Yankees tole all of ein dey vms free. Marster offered some of de Yankees suintin to eat in his house but dey would not eat cook~d food, dey said dey want~,d to cook dere own food. tu. saw slaves sold in slavery time. I ~aw em whupped an many ran away. Some never come b~ck. When wc wus sick we took lots of erbs an roots I married Roberta Edwards ~ f fty~ one years ago. We had six sons and three daughters. Atter the war I farmed around from one plantation to another I hay e never owned a home of my own. When I got too oie to work I come an lived wid my married daughter in Raleigh. I been here four years. I think slavery wus a mighty bad thing, though it s been no~bed of roses since, but den no one could whup me no moi ~ ~ . ~ . . ~ G~, ? t ~

Roberta Manson. 104 100

Subject ~ Person Interviewed Robe~a~L~iansor~ Editor G. L. Andrews :. C. Disti~1ct J~Q.~2 worker T. Pat Matthews i~ o . Viords ~j&-~~Q- ~ . 100. . ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . .

105 101

320049 ROBERTA ~ANSON 317 N. Haywood Street, Ra1ei;~h, N. C. Age 74 LII wus borned de second year of de war an~ de mos I know thOut sl&very wus tole to i~e b:~ other colored folks. I~y ~arster wus Jeldon Edwards and iiiy ~~l1S3US wus I~iissus Lucy. The ~~iantation wus in ~Zarren County near ~idc~e~ay. i~y f~at~1er w s ~ named Lanis Edwards and ~y mother wu~ named i~I1en Edwards. ~ The~j both longed to ~:ie1don Edwards. Father and m~ther said ~ he wus sni~~hty rou:.~h to ein. I heart my mother s~y dat mars ter ~ whupped father so bad dat she ha~ to grease his back to .~ it his ~ shirt off. ~ ~~arst~-r allowed de overseers to whup de slaves. Be ~ overseers wus name~i Caesar I~Torfc-ir, Jim Irissel, and David ~ Porter. UDere wus a oie man dere by de name of Harris Edwards who fed.up the ho:~1 an things. He wus sick an he keTt h~i sick. cil after awhile de oie marster tTied to make him work. De overseers den tool: him out way down in the plum orchard. Dey~ pulled his tongue out an whupped hirn. He died an wus f ourd by de buzzards. De overseers wus named Jim Trissel an David Porter dat did dat. Dis ole.slave ~ to missus; and when she found it out dere wus a awful fuss. One of de white overseers tried to put it off on de udder. It finally fell on ~4Jim Trissel an~ dey soon got rid of him. Ivassus tole him, tyou have killed my poor oie sick servant.t Mr. Jim Trissel killed I an dey wus shore . fraid of him.. He knocked

106 102

-2~ my father down wid a stick an when hs fell my father knocked ITLIS hip out of place. Dey whupped father cause he looked at ~ a ~iave dey killed an cried. UDey didn t allow no prayerrneetin~s or parties in de houses. ~c~o books in de houses. No books or papers, no edication. ttSome of de owners when dey knowed freedom wus con~iin! dey treated de slaves wu~ser den ever bei~ ore. De oie men an ~ ;~io~:eri dat ~ius unahie to work vais negiected till dey died or ~ ~us killed bybeatint or burnin . Col. Skipper did dat thing. he lived near Clarksviiie, Va. He put a lot of oie men an wor~:en on a ~1and in the Roanoke River. De riveD rose an stay3d up eighteen days an dey parished to death~ Dey were sent dere when sick and dey died. Mr. Skipper had over two hundred slaves. He wus one of the richest men in the south and Wir. Nick L~rig wus ai~other rich man. Nick Long owned ~~plantation now known as the C~aledonia State s Prison Farm. Gen. Ransom s plantation wus a part of de land 1ongin~g to the Caledonia State Prison Farm now. It joined Nick Longts plantation. ~ ~ .~ ~ ~Father and mother had bad f~e poor food clothes an shoes. Dey did&t sift slave meal. Dey had no sifters. Sometimes de couards ~nd peas wus not~cleaned forec~ookin . Dey said de more slaves a maxi had de wusser he wus to slaves. L arster had dirt floors in de l4ns. Dey slept on straw bux~ks ~ made . outen baggin ~ straw. Some slept on ~1ie~t~ ~. ~ straw 8~t shucks an ~ covered wid baggin. ~e man ~at Bt lock, 4 ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ . : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ 1~v ~

107 103

~ p ~ - 3-. a negro slave, an his n~othei~ Ella ant grandmother Susan, also slaves, froze to death. Mat Bullock the son of 01e man ~t J uilock tole me this. Dese slaves 1lon~ed to Jim a alock who s plantation wus near Townsville N. C . Weldon Edwards who ovined lather and mother had a whuppin post an dey said dey whupped oie man Jack Edwarc~s to death cause he went to see his sick wife. he crawled from ~e wiluppin post to de house atter ~eLn whupped and died. Dey tole hirn fore dey whupped hirn dat dey wus soin to stop him ~om rurin~n away. Families wus broke n up by sellin . Dey couldn ~t sell a slave dat wus skinned up. Aunt Millie, Agie, ~racy and Lima wus sold from the Edwards family. Aunt i~iillie cried so ~:uch cause she had to leave her y~ung baby dat dey talked of whuipin her, ut den dey say we car~not sell her if w~ whup her an so dey carried er on. Mother sed iviarster ~Je1don Edwards sole :~our wo~:~en away fron: dere your~ chilluns ~~it one time. tt~je lived in lo~ cabins with dirt floors, one door, and one small winder at de back. De cabins had stick an dirt chimbleys ./ w~ien . freedom e orne mother and fath r s tayed on w Id marster cause dey didn t have nuthin. Dey couldn t iea~e. fl~r farmed for shares. Next year the overseer who had beat father s, bad conic atter him to go an work wIth him. It wus Mr Dairid Porter. I axed pa ain t dat de man who beat you so when you wus a slave? An pa say you shet your mouth. He stayed with .~

108 104

104 L:r. Portei two years den we went to ~Ir. William PaschaVs. We stayed th~re four years. Endurinr the next fifteen years we rroved a good many Urnes . We farmed round and round an finally ~!eflt to Mr. Peter ~13rmSt place near where I wus borned. lt1 ~ married there to Jack Manson, 52 years ago in January. 1 had ei~ht chilluns five ~.ir1s an1 three boys . ~hree are living now. One boy and two girls. Two of th~ chilluns are ixi N. ~. and one, a ~irl, is in Virginia. UI think slavery ~ius a bad thi~~ but when freedom come ~~ere wus fluthin else we could do ~::ut stay on wid some of de white folks ~ca se we had nuthin to farm wid an nuthin to eat an wear. ttDe men who owned de T)lantations had to have somebody to farm dere Ian an de slaves had to have somewhur to stay. iJats de way it wus, so if dere wus a lot of IflOV flt about de exslaves kept dom de wurk cause dat s de only way dey had to keep from perishin . De marsters needed em to farm dere Ian an de exslaves dust had to have somewbur to live so both par~ ties kept stayin an~ ~wurkin together. De nigger made fllO~ ~ dey has out of workin fer white folks since de i~var cause dey didntt have nuthin when~t free an dat is all dere i~ to 1t.~ ~ . ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~

Millie Markham's story. 109 105

~1~ST~e~ ~ ~~ -t if. C. District ~. Subject ~ No. words 700 Interviewed ivililie Markham Worker q~d~L. .( ~. ~ ~ : :. ~ ~: ~ ~: ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ :~:. . ~. ~ : T,,~ 3~~~tF :i~i~ i ~ 105 ~- ~ .. L~ ~ ~

110 106

320213 . ~ ~. .~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ . ~ EX~SLAVE STORY AS TOLD BY MILLIE M~R~ iAM OF 615 ST ~ JOSEPH ST DURBAI~ - N C . u ~: was never a s lave Although I was born somewhere about 1855 I was not born In slavery but my father way. I m afrajd this story will be more about my father and mother than it wjll be about myself. UMy mother was a white wbman. Her name was Temple James . S1i~ lived on her father ~s big plantation on the Roanoke River at Rich Square, North Carolina. Her father owned acres of land and many slaves. His stables were the best anywhere around; they were filled with horses, and the.head coachman was named Squire James. Squire was a good looking, well behaved Negro who had a white father. He was tall and light colored. Temple James fell In love with this Negro coachman. Nobody knows h w ~long they had been in love before Temple s father found it out, but when he did he locked Temple in her room. For days he and M~iss Charlottie, his wife, raved, begged and plea& ed, but Temple just said she loved Squire. Why will you act ~ ~ Miss Charlottie was crying . ~ven t we done everything for you and given you everything you wanted? ~!Tei~ie shook her head and said: You haven t given me S~ufre. He s all I do want. t . ~eher1 it ~~as ~ that in the dazt of the night ~ James sent ~~1re a~way; be sent him to another state and sold. ~it.T~mpie.,found it ~ ~ took what money she

111 107

2.~a:+*~r, C ould find. and ran away . She went to the owner of Squire and bought him, then she set him free and changed his name to Walden Squire Walden. But then it was against the law ~or a white woman to marry a Negro unless they had a strain of Negroblood, so Temple cut Squire s finger and drained out saine blood. She mixed this with some whiskey and drank it, then she got on the stand and swore she had i~e~ro blood in her, so they were married. She never ~rent back home and her people disowned her . t~Tempie James Walden, my mother, was a beautiful woman. She was tall and fair with long light hair. She had fifteen children, seven boys and eight girls, and all of them lived to be old enough to see their great~g~and~ children. :i: am the youngest and only one living now. Most of us came back to North Carolina. Two of my sisters married and came back to Rich Square to live. They lived not far from the James plantation on Roanoke River. Once when we were children my sister and I were visiting in Rich Square. One day we went out to pick huckleberries. A woman e arne r iding dow~i the r oad on a hors e . She was a tall woman in a long grey riding habit. She had grey hair and grey eyes She stopped and looked at us. ~ she said, twhose pretty littl~ girls are you? We ~re Squire Walden s children, t I said. ~She looked at me so long and hare that I thotight she

112 108

3. was going to hit me with her whip, but she didntt, she hit the horse. He jumped and ran so fast I thought ~he was going to fall off, but she went around the curve and I never saw her again. I never 1~ew until later that she was I~iiS Charlottie James, my grandmother. UI dontt know ~nything about slavery times, for I was born free of free parents and raised on my father s~ own plantation. I ve been living in Durham over sixtyfive years.

A slavery story. 113 109

~.:oo ~ford$: L) ST Y TEaL~R: ~ ~: orker ~ i~ Pat L~atthews Edit or t ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ..~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ . 32O:~!9 ~ 0 N.c,. District ~ f Subject: ~

114 110

20009 . . . . W!; M~WGfl MibtLS 73 yec~rs old, of 202 Lapla Ztr3et~ R~teigh, ~orth CarOlinas F~ n never fox ~1t de day ~4hen de Yankees come throuj~h Cohnatori count; .3 i beIorz~jed to Torn Dema e an oie r i:,eua in ~li.very tiiue v&ta n:~aiea Liza. r De Deniayea lived In Raiei~h when I wus bor ~ so ~aother tole lue ~ but de; :aoved to a :Jsce ne&r thuithfieid. 11e had ~cut a dozen siaves.~ iIe ~ little c&b ns to.iava in, out dL.Zrster had a Jib i1ou~e to live i ~ th&t set in a ~ rove. I)~ food I got wus good becaame I wu~ a pet in .~te fasi 11. ky i~otha ~wua a cook an a ~et.~ ~iarater s~ us good to ail of lis ca 3: fare~i better den dan I do now. 01e water thought de v:orld pf me and I loved him. idarster aflowed his slaves to visit, have pr~yer rneetinj~,o, hunt, fish, an stn j, snd have a good time when de work eats done Some oZ de slave ovaera did not like marster cause he we so good to his slives. ~ I f I Thej casled us OILS Man Demaies dam free ni~gers. a d1 don t know zy cge zacicly but., I vats a big cal, big enough to ,dtag.a youngin roun tende Yadees corne tiir~t+V 3: 1,us six ysanold.jf no older. . ~E . !hen. d3~ Yaxalcees come diy cafled us to ds wagons an ~ tole a~ ~ t ~ ~er gilT! eacI~ ~ :~ ~ full of harda b;;. %ack. . Psi: topl .cLothea an provisioiaq an give us not 4n~e. e . ~:c;:.t ~:/ ~.: :~ ~ . .1, t% ~ .~ . ; %..t . ;. ~ . . ;.:~ . e, . . . . s.. t. .-. t. I~b. ~*~ J4 t t : ss ~. , ~ t 4. ~ % e. n S ~ ~ e , *.3~ a :i : ;~ ~..~ ~ k ~ ~ w 4 ~: ~: ? ~ ~ ~ ~ . t t . # %v ~# ~ ~: I - t t ___i ra w t : ~ ~ ~ ~ L

115 111

2~ One crowd o~ Yankees would c~ome on an give u~ something an another~ would come along an take. it awa; from us~ D~~r tole us to call marster an~ ~ j~r~y Re~bs~ that ~re ~us free an had no marsters. Dat v~u~ a da~r for me~ ~3on~e of ue Yankees wus ridin , some walkin , an some runnin ~ Dey took de Jfea~:~er beds in marsters ~ou~e to . de windows, cut dem c~pen an let de feathers blow away. it wus a sad time to inc cause dey destroyed so i~h of ~aarster s stuffs u After de Yankees left we stayed right o~n with marster a Iori~ t~lli ~ ~Cfl we ThOVed ~i~:;~ to ot~ier inei~oers of de f~n4Iy. I~1other wo~iId not give up de family an she an daddy stayed ~id ~ as 1oi~g as dey 1ived~ I love de family now an~ I rather be livin wid ein den like I is. Dere :~.s only a~few of de youn~~er set of de Demayes 1ivin~ 031e marster ant missus had three boys, Sye, Lee, Zoa; gi~:hLs~ Vick, Correna and. PMdelia, six chilluns in all. ~ T Dey is all dead but I cantt never forg+it ~em if E live to be a hundred years oie. - .. Ui tr~ies~to live right befcre God an mar. cause I kno~rs I haint got much longer on dis earth. I knows Igot to 1a~r down sometime ~ to rise no more till Jud~nent lDay, den I wants to meet oie rnax ster, missus ~ de fanlily in dat country ~1e;t e derel ll be ~o more goo~yes~ ~ 4 fl.1 wu~ mai~hried at twent~. years ole to; Theodore Miles ~ at de. oie M~:k. Powell place near ~

116 112

I WUS hired as a house girl at dis place wid Mr. Alango Miles faxni1y~ Dey ~iuS some o~ de Dernaye fan2ily. I had ten chillun, four boys an~ six girls~ ~1x of my chillun ar~ i1~r nt now* T*o . oya ~fl four girls. My hu~baUd.beefl dead. 1bout 16 years. He died in Oct. 1921. Buried on de. third Sunday in October. . I have farmedmost of iuiy life ~a i~ have raised a ~jg f~xni1y. 3ometimes we wus hongry an~ sornetime~ we h~d ~~Ienty~ None of my chilluns wus never arrested axis none ever went to priaon. I thinks d&.t~ something to knock on wood about. $laver~r WUS ~ good thing by all nig~ ers. ~tho happened to have good xr~sters. De ~ wus to bl~ne for slavery gettint such a bad reput~tio~. ~ ~ ~ jus~ done a ljttiE~ too rnuch.&~n1 sich caused de war an~ give ~ ni:~ers freedom~ Slavery wu~ good for &ome an~ bad ~or others.H

Ex-slave story. 117 113

Subj ect : ~ Teller.: 4p~z~!a5~Mitck