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

Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Various 125we moved ter Banner Dam northeast of Raleigh near Boone's Pond. Mother an' father both died dere. Atterleaving dere I come here. I have lived in Oberlin ebery since. Guess I'll die here; if I can git de money to paymy taxes, I know I will die here.I think slavery wus good because I wus treated all right. I think I am 'bout as much a slave now as ever.I don't think any too much o' Abraham Lincoln, Jeff Davis or any o' dem men. Don't know much 'bout 'em.Guess Mr. Roosevelt is all right. 'Bout half the folks both black an' white is slaves an' don't know it. When Iwus a slave I had nothin' on me, no responsibility on any of us, only to work. Didn't have no taxes to pay,neber had to think whur de next meal wus comin' from.Dis country is in a bad fix. Looks like sumptin got to be done someway or people, a lot of 'em, are goin' toparish to death. Times are hard, an' dey is gettin' worse. Don't know how I am goin' to make it, if I don't gitsome help. We been prayin' fer rain. Crops are done injured, but maybe de Lawd will help us. Yes, I trust inde Lawd.I been married twice. I married Henritta Nunn first, an' den Henritta Jones. I had three children by firstmarriage, an' none b [HW: y] second marriage. My wife is over seventy years old. We have a hard timemaking enough to git a little sumptin to eat. I wus mighty glad to see you when you come up dis mornin', an' Ihopes what I have told you will help some one to know how bad we need help. I feels de Lawd will open upde way. Yes sir, I do.LEN. C. District: No. 2 [320179] Worker: T. Pat Matthews No. Words: 568 Subject: MARTHA ADELINEHINTON Person Interviewed: Martha Adeline Hinton Editor: G. L. Andrews[TR: HW Date "8/31/37"]MARTHA ADELINE HINTON #2--Star St., Route 2, Raleigh, North Carolina.I wus born May 3, 1861 at Willis Thompson's plantation in Wake County about fifteen miles from Raleigh.He wus my marster an' his wife Muriel wus my missus. My father's name wus Jack Emery an' mother's namewas Minerva Emery. My mother belonged to Willis Thompson and my father belonged to Ephriam Emery.Mother stayed with my marster's married daughter. She married Johnny K. Moore.Marster had three children, all girls; dere names wus Margaret, Caroline and Nancy. There wus only one slavehouse dere 'cause dey only had one slave whur my mother stayed. Marster Thompson had five slaves on hisplantation. He wus good to slaves but his wife wus rough. We had a reasonably [HW correction] good placeto sleep an' fair sumptin to eat. You sees I wus mighty young an' I members very little 'bout some things inslavery but from what my mother an father tole me since de war it wus just 'bout middlin' livin' at marster's.Slaves wore homemade clothes an' shoes. De shoes had wooden bottoms but most slave chilluns wentbarefooted winter an' summer till dey wus ole 'nough to go to work. De first pair of shoes I wore my daddymade 'em. I 'member it well. I will never furgit it, I wus so pleased wid 'em. All slave chillun I knowsanything 'bout wore homemade clothes an' went barefooted most of the time an' bareheaded too.I member de Yankees an' how dey had rods searchin' for money an' took things. I members a Yankee goin' tomother an' sayin' we was free. When he lef' missus come an' axed her what he say to her an' mother tolemissus what he said an' missus says 'No he didn't tell you you is free, you jes axed him wus you free.' Fatherwus hired out to Frank Page of Gary. He wus cuttin cord wood for him, when he heard de Yankees wuscoming he come home. When he got dere de Yankees had done been to de house an' gone.