r whup a man once but he certainly
didn't hurt him much. He done more talkin' dan whuppin.

"We went to the white folks' church but they would not allow any of us
any books. No one taught us to read an' write. My father ran away once
because he would not take a whuppin'. When he came back they did not do
or say anything to 'im. Jack Williams would not allow a patteroller to
whup a nigger on his land. If they could git on his land dey were safe.
He had overseers at the plantation. I remember one whose name wus Buck
Buckannon. When we got sick Dr. Jack Williams looked after us. When
Marster Jim Williams got to be a doctor he looked after us.

"Yes, I remember de Yankees. Dey went to our house one Sunday mornin'.
Dey did not fight on our side of the river; dey fought on de other
side o' de river near de Smith House. It wus the battle of Averysboro.
De Smith House wus a hospital. Dey came into the house, my sister Irene
wus house girl. The Yankees put deir pistols to her head and said, 'You
better tell me where dem things are hid. Tell us where de money and
silver is hid at.' Sister did not tell. Boss had started off wid de
silver dat mornin'. De Yankees caught him, took it, an' his boots,
horse and all he had. He come back home barefooted. Dey got mos'
everthing at Marster's house. Dey took my mother's shawl, an' a lot of
things belongin' to de slaves.

"I have heard o' de Ku Klux Klan, ha! ha! Yes, I have. I heard tell of
dey beatin' up people, but I never got into any tangle wid 'em. I just
don't know bout all dem old folks Lincoln, Davis, Booker Washington. I
think slavery wus a bad thing cause dey sold families apart, fathers
from their wives and children, and mothers away from their children.
Two of my sisters were fixed up to be sold when the war ended."

LE

N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: Mary A. Hicks
No. Words: 465
Subject: SARAH ANN SMITH
Person Interviewed: Sarah Ann Smith
Editor: G.L. Andrews

[TR: Date stamp: AUG ? 1937]

SARAH ANN SMITH

An interview with Sarah Ann Smith of 623 West Lenoir Street, Raleigh,
North Carolina.

"I wus borned January 22, 1858 ter Martha an' Green Womble in Chatham
County, near Lockville. My father 'longed ter Mr. John Womble an' mammy
'longed ter Captain Elias Bryant. Dey had six chilluns, I bein' nex'
ter de oldes'.

"Father wus a carpenter an' by his havin' a trade he got along better
before an' at