Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States

Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Various 109[HW: Good points][TR: Date Stamp "JUN 11 1937"]SARAH HARRISInterviewed May 19, 1937.Sarah Harris is my name. I wuz borned April 1861, on the plantation of Master John William Walton. Myfather wuz name Frank Walton and my mother wuz name Flora Walton. My brothers wuz name Lang andJohnny. My sisters: Hannah, Mary, Ellen, Violet and Annie. My grandmother wuz name Ellen Walton. Shewuz 104 years old when she died. My mother wuz 103 years old when she died; she has been dead 3 years.She died in October, 3 years this pas' October.I 'member seeing the Yankees. I wuz not afraid of 'em, I thought dey were the prettiest blue mens I had everseed. I can see how de chickens and guineas flew and run from 'em. De Yankees killed 'em and give part of'em to the colored folks. Most of de white folks had run off and hid.I can't read and write. I nebber had no chance.De Yankees had their camps along the Fayetteville road.Dey called us Dinah, Sam, and other names.Dey later had de place dey call de bureau. When we left de white folks we had nothing to eat. De niggers waitthere at de bureau and they give 'em hard tack, white potatoes, and saltpeter meat. Our white folks give usgood things to eat, and I cried every day at 12 o'clock to go home. Yes, I wanted to go back to my white folks;they were good to us. I would say, 'papa le's go home, I want to go home. I don't like this sumptin' to eat.' Hewould say, 'Don't cry, honey, le's stay here, dey will sen' you to school.'We had nothing to eat 'cept what de Yankees give us. But Mr. Bill Crawford give my father and mother work.Yes, he wuz a Southern man, one o' our white folks. Daddy wuz his butcher. My mother wuz his cook. Wewere turned out when dey freed us with no homes and nuthin'. Master said he wuz sorry he didn't give usniggers part of his lan'.While I wuz big enough to work I worked for Porter Steadman. I got 25 cent a week and board. We had agood home then. I just shouted when I got dat 25 cent, and I just run. I couldn't run fas' anuff to git to mymother to give dat money to her. My father died, and my mother bought a home. She got her first money tobuy de home by working for de man who give her work after de surrender. The first money she saved to puton de home wuz a dime. Some weeks she only saved 5 cents. Lan' sold fur $10 a acre den.Just after de war de white and colored children played together. Dey had a tent in our neighborhood. I wuz decook for de white chilluns parties. We played together fer a long time after de war.I married Silas Cooper of Norfolk Va. He worked in the Navy yard. I wuz married in Raleigh. I had a churchwedding.I think Abraham Lincoln wuz a great man. He would cure or kill. But I like my ole master. The Lord put itinto Abraham Lincoln to do as he done. The Lord knowed he would be killed.I think slavery wuz wrong. I have a horror of being a slave. You see all dis lan' aroun' here. It belongs tocolored folks. Dey were cut off wid nothin', but dey is strugglin' an' dey are comin' on fast. De Bible say dat