ite folks. On one leg of the trip of over 200 miles I rode with
a rich young man and his two pals. They had a fruit jar full of bad
whiskey. He got about drunk, ran into a stretch of bad road at a high
rate of speed, threw me against the top of his car and injured my head.
I am not over it yet.

"I quit the road in 1924. My last trip was from Raleigh, N.C. to
Harrisburg, Penn. and return. I have made my home in Raleigh ever
since. Done settled down, too ole to ramble anymore."

LE

N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: T. Pat Matthews
No. Words: 1,477
Subject: JAMES TURNER McLEAN
Storyteller: James Turner McLean
Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt

JAMES TURNER McLEAN
Lillington, N.C.
Route 1

"My name is James Turner McLean. I was born in Harnett County near Cape
Fear River in the Buies Creek Section, Feb. 20, 1858. I belonged to
Taylor Hugh McLean, and he never was married. The plantation was
between Buies Creek and the Cape Fear river; the edge of it is about 75
yards from where I now live. The place where I live belongs to me. 'Way
back it belonged to the Bolden's.

"The Boldens came from Scotland, and so did the McLeans. There were
about five hundred acres in this plantation and Marster Hugh McLean had
about fifty slaves. The slaves lived in quarters and Marster lived in
the big house which was his home. Marster took good care o' his
darkies. He did not allow anybody to whip 'em either. We had good food,
clothes and places to sleep. My father was Jim McLean and my mother was
named Charlotta McLean. My grandmother was named Jane. I called my
mother 'Sissie' and called my grandmother 'mammy' in slavery time. They
did not have me to do any heavy work just tending to the calves, colts,
and goin' to the post office.

"The post office was at Mr. Sexton's and we called it Sexton's post
office, on the Raleigh and Fayetteville Road. The stage run on this
road and brought mail to this place. This post in my yard is part of a
stage coach axle. You see it? Yes sir, that's what it is. I got it at
Fayetteville when they were selling the old stage coach. We bought the
axle and wheels and made a cart. We got that stuff about 1870; my
father bought it. He gave twelve dollars for jes' the wheels and axle.
This was after we had taken the iron clad oath and become more
civilized.

"We were daresome to be caught with a paper book or anything if we were
tryin' to learn to read and write.