heap of good. If it
hadn't been for Mr. Roosevelt there are many livin' today who would
have parished to death. There are plenty of people walkin' about now
who would have been dead if Mr. Roosevelt had not helped them. The only
chance I had to hold my home wuz a chance given me through him. At my
age, I cannot make much at work, but through things he helped me, and I
is holding my own."

B.N.

N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: Mary A. Hicks
No. Words: 607
Subject: TINEY SHAW, EX-SLAVE OF WAKE COUNTY, 76.
Story Teller: Tiney Shaw
Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt

[Illustration: Tiney Shaw]

TINEY SHAW
Ex-Slave of Wake County, 76.

"My papa wuz a free nigger, case he wuz de son of de master who wuz
named Medlin. When a chile wuz borned ter a slave woman an' its pappy
wuz de boss dat nigger wuz free from birth. I know dat de family wuz
livin' on Mis' Susy Page's place durin' de war an' we wus jist lak
slaves alldo' we wuz said to be free den.

"My pappy wuz named Madison Medlin, maybe for de president, an' my
mammy wuz a pretty, slim brown-skinned gal when I could remember. Dey
said dat she wuz named fer Betsy Ross. I had four brothers, Allison,
William, Jeems and John an' five sisters named Cynthy Ann, Nancy,
Sally, Caroline an' Molly.

"We hyard a heap 'bout de war, but de white folkses didn't want us to
know 'bout it. Most of de white wimmens had ter live by dere selves
durin' de time dat de men folkses wuz away at de war, but de niggers in
our neighborhood stuck ter de missus an' dar ain't no niggers from
other plantations come dar ter insult 'em nother.

"I 'members dat it wuz in April when de Yankees come an' I hyard Mis'
Susy cryin', case she wuz a widder 'oman; an' her crops wuz jist
started ter be planted. She knowed dat she wuz ruint, I reckon.

"Me an' my mammy wuz sittin' by de fireplace when de Yankees come. I
crawled under de wash bench but de Yankee officer drug me out an' he
sez, 'Go fetch me a dozen aigs, an' I wants a dozen now, mind yo'.'

"I looked till I found twelve aigs an' I started ter de house wid 'em,
but bein' so excited I drapped one uv dem an' cracked it. I wuz sceered
stiff now sho' nuff, an' I runned inter de back do' an' crawled under
de bed. De officer seed me do' an' he cracks his whup an' makes me come
out den he sez, 'Nigger what's dat out dar in dat barrel in de
hallway?'

"I sez, 'Lasses sir', an' he sez 'draw me some in dis cup.'