Emma Blalock
Editor: Geo. L. Andrews

[TR: Date Stamp "AUG 6 1937"]

EMMA BLALOCK
88 years old
529 Bannon Avenue
Raleigh, N. C.

I shore do 'member de Yankees wid dere blue uniforms wid brass buttons
on 'em. I wus too small to work any but I played in de yard wid my
oldes' sister, Katie. She is dead long ago. My mother belonged to ole
man John Griffith an' I belonged to him. His plantation wus down here at
Auburn in Wake County. My father wus named Edmund Rand. He belonged to
Mr. Nat Rand. He lived in Auburn. De plantations wus not fur apart. Dere
wus about twenty-five slaves on de plantation whur mother an' me
stayed.

Marse John used ter take me on his knee an' sing, 'Here is de hammer,
Shing ding. Gimme de Hammer, shing ding.' Marster loved de nigger
chilluns on his plantation. When de war ended father come an' lived with
us at Marse John's plantation. Marster John Griffith named me Emmy. My
grandfather on my fathers side wus named Harden Rand, an' grandmother
wus named Mason Rand. My grandfather on my mother's side wus named Antny
Griffiths an' grandmother wus named Nellie.

Our food wus a plenty and well cooked. Marster fed his niggers good. We
had plenty of homespun dresses and we got shoes once a year, at
Christmas Eve. I ken 'member it just as good. We got Christmas Holidays
an' a stockin' full of candy an' peanuts. Sometimes we got ginger snaps
at Christmas. My grandmother cooked' em. She wus a good cook. My
mother's missus wus Miss Jetsy Griffith and my father's missus wus Lucy
Rand. Dey wus both mighty good women. You know I am ole. I ken 'member
all dem good white folks. Dey give us Fourth July Holidays. Dey come to
town on dat day. Dey wore, let me tell you what dey wore, dey wore
dotted waist blouses an' white pants. Dat wus a big day to ever'body, de
Fourth of July. Dey begun singing at Auburn an' sung till dey reached
Raleigh. Auburn is nine miles from Raleigh. Dere wus a lot of lemonade.
Dey made light bread in big ovens an' had cheese to eat wid it. Some
said just goin' on de fofe to git lemonade an' cheese.

In the winter we had a lot of possums to eat an' a lot of rabbits too.
At Christmas time de men hunted and caught plenty game. We barbecued it
before de fire. I 'members seein' mother an' grandmother swinging
rabbits 'fore de fire to cook 'em. Dey would turn an' turn 'em till dey
wus done. Dey hung some up in de chimbly an' dry 'em out an' keep 'em a
long time an' dat is de re