after de war. Reubin
Matthew's slave, George Matthews, killed two Ku Klux. Dey double teamed
him and shot him, and he cut 'em wid de ax, and dey died.

"I wus married right after de war. De second year after de war, I
married Richard Rogers, but I kep' de name o' McAllister right on. My
husband been dead a good long time. Lawd, I don't know how long. I been
married one time, and dat wus one time too much. I have two sons, one
name Clarence, and one named John, two daughters, one in Newport News,
one in Washington, D.C., one named Lovie, and one named Lula."

BN

District No.: 3
Worker: Travis Jordan
Subject: Clara Cotton McCoy
Ex-slave 82 years
Durham, N.C. RFD #7

CLARA COTTON MC-COY
EX-SLAVE 82 YEARS

"Yes'm, I was bawn eighty-two years ago. My mammy died den an' my
gran'mammy raised me. I sho do 'member when dat man Sherman an' his
mens marched through Orange County, but, it didn' take no army of
Yankees to ruin my white folks home, it took jus' one Yankee, but even
dat didn' bow my Mistis' head.

"I ain't never seed nobody as proud as my Mis' 'Riah Cotton. She never
bowed her head to trouble nor nobody; she never even bowed her head in
chu'ch. When de preacher prayed she jus' folded her hands an' set up
straight, facin' de Lawd wid no fear. No, suh, my Mistis ain't gwine
bow her head no time. Young Mis' Laughter broke her mammy's heart, but
she ain't make her bend her head.

"Mis' Laughter's sho nuff name was Mis' Clorena Cotton. She wasn' tall
an' dark like Mis' 'Riah; she was little an' roun' an' pretty as a
thorn flower, all pink an' gol'. She was jus' like a butterfly, never
still a minute, skippin' here an' yonder, laughin' wid everybody. Dat's
whare she got her name. Us niggers 'gun to call her Mis' Laughter kaze
she was so happy. She was de only one dat could make Mis' 'Riah smile.
She would run up to Mis' 'Riah an' ruffle her hair dat she done comb
back so slick an' smooth, den she would stick a red rose behin' her
ear, an' say: 'Now, pretty Mammy, you look like you did when Pappy come
cou'tin'.' Marse Ned would lay down his paper an' look fus' at Mis'
'Riah den at Mis' Laughter, an' for a minute Mis' 'Riah would smile,
den she would look firm an' say to Mis' Laughter, 'Don't you know dat
rightousness an' virtue am more 'ceptable to de Lawd den beauty? You's
worldly, Clorena, you's too worldly.'

"Mis' Laughter would throw back her