Slave Narrative Project, Vol. 11, North Carolina, Part 1, Adams-Hunter

465 Pages·2011·32.88 MB·English

SLAVE NARRATIVES
A Folk History of Slavery in the United States
From Interviews ivith Former Slaves
TYPEWRITTEN RECORDS PREPARED RY
THE FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT.
1936-1938
ASSEMBLED BY
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PROJECT
WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
SPONSORED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Illustrated with Photographs
WASHINGTON 1941
VOLUME XI
NORTH CAROLINA NARRATIVES
PART 1
Prepared by
the Federal Writers1 Project of
the Works Progress Administration
for the State of North Carolina
INFORMANTS
Adams, Louisa 1 Debnam, W. S. 241
Adkins, Ida 8 Debro, Sarah 247
Allen, Martha 13 Dickens, Charles W. 254
Anderson, Joseph 16 Dickens, Margaret E. 259
Anderson, Mary- 19 Dowd, Rev. Squire 263
Andrews, Cornelia 27 Dunn, Fannie 270
Anngady, Mary 32 Dunn, Jennylin 275
Arrington, Jane 44 Dunn, Lucy Ann 278
Augustus, Sarah Louise 50 Durham, Tempie Herndon 284
Austin, Charity 58
Eatman, George 291
Baker, Blount 63 Edwards, Doc 295
Baker, Lizzie 66 Evans, John 298
Baker, Viney 70
Barbour, Charlie 73 • Faucette, Lindsey 302
Barbour, Mary 78 Flagg, Ora M. 307
Baugh, Alice 82 Foster, Analiza 311
Beckwith, John 87 Foster, Georgianna 314
Beetorn, John C. 91 Freeman, Frank 318
Bell, Laura 99
Blalock, Emma 103 Gill, Addy 323
Blount, David 110 Glenn, Robert 328
Bobbit, Clay 117 Green, Sarah Anne 340
Bobbitt, Henry 120 Griffeth, Dorcas 346
Bogan, Herndon 125 Gudger, Sarah 350
Boone, Andrew 130
Bost, W. L. 138 Hall, Thomas 359
Bowe, Mary Wallace 147 Hamilton, Hecter 363
Brown, Lucy 152 Harris, George W. 370
Burnett, Midge 155 Harris, Sarah 375
Hart, Cy 379
Cannady, Fanny 159 Haywood, Alonzo 382
Cofer, Betty 165 Haywood, Barbara 385
Coggin, John 176 Henderson, Isabell 389
Coverson, Mandy 179 Henry, Essex 393
Cozart, Willie 182 Henry, Milly 399
Crasson, Hannah 187 Hews, Chaney 405
Crenshaw, Julia 194 High, Joe 409
Crowder, Zeb 196 High, Susan 417
Crump, Adeline 203 Hill, Kitty 422
Crump, Bill 207 Hinton, Jerry 427
Crump, Charlie 212 Hinton, Martha Adeline 433
Curtis, Mattie 216 Hinton, Robert 436
Hinton, William George 441
Dalton, Charles Lee 223 Hodges, Eustace 446
Daniels, John 229 Huggins, Alex 449
Daves, Harriet Ann 232 Hunter, Charlie H. 453
Davis, Jerry 237 Hunter, Elbert 457
ILLUSTRATIONS
Facing page
Louisa Adams 1
Viney Baker 70
John Beckwith 87
Clay Bobbit 117
Henry Bobbitt .. 120
Herndon Bogan 125
W. L. Bost 138
John Coggin 176
Hannah Crasson 187
Bill Crump 207
Charlie Crump and Granddaughter 212
Harriet Ann Daves 232
Charles W. Dickens 254
Margaret E. Dickens 259
Rev. Squire Dowd 263
Jennylin Dunn 275
Tempie Herndon Durham 284
George Eatman 291
John Evans 298
Sarah Gudger 350
Sarah Harris 375
Essex Henry 393
Milly Henry 399
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N. C. District No. 2 Subject b°u%§a, Afla^s,
Worker T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed Louisa Adams
No. Words 1384 Editor Daisy Bailev Waitt
320152
LOUISA ADAMS
"My name is Louisa Adams. I wuz bawned in Eockingham,
Richmond County, North Carolina* I wuz eight years old
¥/hen the Yankees come through. I belonged to Marster Tom
A. Covington, Sir. My mother wua named Easter, "and my
father wuz named Jacob. We were all Covingtons. $0 Sir,
I don't know whur my mother and father come from. Solo-
man wuz brother number one, then Luke, Josh, Stephen, As-
bury. My sisters were Jane, Prances, Wincy, and I wuz
near'.. I 'members grandmother. She wuz named Lovie Wall.
They brought her here from same place. My aunts were
named, one wuz named Nicey, and one wuz named Jane* I
picked feed for the white folks. They sent many of the
chillun to work at the salt mines, where we went to git
salt. My brother Soloman wuz sent to the salt mines*
Luke looked atter the sheep. He knocked down china berries
(
for »enu \Dad and mammie had their own gardens-and hogs.
We were compelled to walk about at night to live. We were
so hongry we were bound to steal or parish. This trait
seems to be handed down from slavery days. Sometimes I
thinks dis might be so. J Our food wuz bad. Marster worked
us hard and gave us nuthin. We had to use what we made in
the garden to eat. We also et our hogs. Our clothes were
-2-
bad, and beds were sorry. \We went barefooted in a way.
What I mean by that is, that we had shoes part of the time.
We got one pair o* shoes a year. When dey wored out we
went barefooted. Sometimes we tied them up with strings,
and they were so ragged de tracks looked like bird tracks,
where we walked in the road. We lived in log houses daubed
with mud. They called fem the slaves houses. My old daddy
partly raised his chilluns on game. He caught rabbits,
coons, an1 possums. J|e would work all day and hunt at night.
We had no holidays. They did not give us any fun as I know.
I could eat anything I could git. I tell you de truth,
slave time wuz slave time wid us. My brother wore his
shoes out, and had none all thu winter. His feet cracked
open and bled so bad you could track him by the blood. When
the Yankees come through, he got shoes. '
"I wuz married in Rockingham. I don't 'member when.
Mr. Jiramie Covington, a preacher, a white man, married us.
I married James Adams who lived on a plantation near Rocking-
ham. I had a nice blue wedding dress. Bfy husband wuz
dressed in kinder light clothes, best I rickerlect. It's
been a good long time, since dejjln tho'.
HI sho do 'member my Marster Tom Covington and his wife
too, Snma* Da old man wuz the very^ftlck. He would take
what we* made and lowance us, dat is lowance it out to my <
-3-
daddy after he had made it. K^ father went to Steven
Covington, Marster Tom's brother, and told him about it
and his brother Stephen made him gib father his meat back
to us.
"My missus wuz kind to me, but Mars. Tom wuz the buger.
It wuz a mighty bit plantation. I don't know how many
slaves wuz on it, there were a lot of dem do*. Dere were
overseers two of 'em. One wuz named Bob Covington arid the
other Charles Covington. They were colored men. I rode
with them. I rode wid 'em in the carriage sometimes. De
carriage had seats dat folded up. Bob wuz overseer in de
field, and Charles wuz carriage driver. All de plantation
wuz fenced in, dat is all de fields, wid rails; de rails
wuz ten feet long. We drawed water wid a sweep and pail.
De well wuz in the yard. De mules for the slaves wuz in
town, dere were none on the plantation. Dey had 'em in
town; dey wated us time die chicken crowed, and we went to
work just as seon as we could see how to make a lick wid
a hoe •
"lawd, you better not be caught wid a book in yor nan*.
If you did, you were sold. Dey didn't 'low dat. I kin
read a little, but I can't write. I went to school after
slavery and learned to read. We didn't go to school but
theee or four week a year, and learned to read.
"Dere wuz no church on the plantation, and we were
m<:
not lowed to have prayer meetings. No parties, no candy
pullings, nor dances, no $ir, not a bit. I 'member goin'
one time to the white folkses church, no baptizing dat
I tmember. Lawd have mercy, ha I ha! No. De pateroller
were on de place at night. You couldn't travel without
a pas.
"We got few possums. I have greased my daddy1s back
after he had been whupped until his back wuz cut to pieces.
He had to work jis the same. When we went to our houses
at night, we cooked our suppers at night.eti and then _____
">
went to bed. If fire wuz out or any work needed do in1
around de house we had to work on Sundays. They did not
gib us Christmas or any other holidays. We had corn shuck-
ings. I herd 'em talkin* of cuttin de corn pile right square
in two. One wud git on one side, another on the other side
and see which out beat. They had brandy at the corn shuckin'
and I herd Sam talkin* about gittin* drunk.
"I *member one *oman dying. Her name wuz Caroline Cov-
ington. I didn't go to the grave. But you know they had a
little cart used with hosses to carry her to the grave, jist
a one horse wagon, jist slipped her in there.
"Yes, I 'member a field song. It wuz 'Oh! come let us go
where pleasure never dies* Great fountain gone over1*. Dats
one uv *em. We had a good doctor when we got wick. He come
-5- 6
to see us. The slaves took herbs^ £Jey found in de woods.
Dats what I do now, Sir* I got some erbs right in my
kitchen now,
"When the Yankees come through I did not know anything
about Jem till they got there. Jist like they were poppin
up out of de ground. One of the slaves wuz at his master's
house you know, and he said, 'The Yankees are in Cheraw ^^u4i- -+*£*+**
ft
and the._Yankees—areJu_town'. It didn't sturb me at
tall. I wuz not afraid of de Yankees. I 'member dey went
to Miss Emma's house, and went in de smoke house and emptied
every barrel of Classes right in de floor and scattered de
cracklings on de floor. I went dere and got some of 'em.
Miss Emma wuz my missus. Dey just killed de chicksns, hogs
too, and old Jeff the dog; they shot him through the thoat.
I 'member how his mouth flew open when dey shot him. One
tiv 'em went into de tater bank^and we chillun wanted to go
out dere. Mother wouldn't let us. She wuz fraid uv 'em.
/
f "Abraham Lincoln freed us by the help of the Lawd, by
his help. Slavery wuz owin to who you were with. If you
were with some one who wuz good and had some feel^in's for
you it did tolerable well; yea, tollerable well.
"We left the plantation soon as de surrender. We lef'
right off. We went to goin* towards Payetteville, North
Carolina. We climbed over fences and were just broke down