ld drink a well full of water. They carried rubber things
under their clothes and a rubber pipe leadin' to a bucket o' water. The
water bag helt the water they did not drink it. Guess you have heard
people tell 'bout they drinking so much water.

Marster didn't have no overseers to look after his slaves. He done that
hisself with the help o' some o' his men slaves. Sometimes he made 'em
foreman and my mother and father said they all got along mighty fine.
The colored folks went to the white folk's church and had prayer meeting
in their homes.

Mother lived in the edge o' marster's yard. When the surrender come
after the war they stayed on the plantation right on and lived on
marster's land. They built log houses after de war cause marster let all
his slaves stay right on his plantation. My mother had twenty-one
chillun. She had twins five times. I was a twin and Emaline wus my
sister. She died 'bout thirty years ago. She left 11 chillun when she
died. I never had but four chillun. All my people are dead, I is de only
one left.

Marster's plantation was 'bout six miles from Merry Oaks in Chatham
County. We moved to Merry Oaks when I wus fourteen years old. I married
at seventeen. I have lived in North Carolina all my life. We moved to
Raleigh from Merry Oaks long time ago. My husband died here seventeen
years ago. I worked after my husband died, washin' and ironin' for
white folks till I am not able to work no more. Hain't worked any in fo'
years. Charity don't help me none. My chillun gives me what I gits.

Slavery wus a bad thing, cause from what mother and father tole me all
slaves didn't fare alike. Some fared good an' some bad. I don't know
enough 'bout Abraham Lincoln an' Mr. Roosevelt to talk about 'em. No, I
don't know just what to say. I sho' hopes you will quit axin' me so many
things cause I forgot a lot mother and father tole me.

N. C. District: No. 2 [320232]
Worker: Mary A. Hicks
No. Words: 844
Subject: BILL CRUMP
Person Interviewed: Bill Crump
Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt

[TR: No Date Stamp]

[HW: "photo"]

BILL CRUMP
Ex-Slave Story

An interview with Bill Crump, 82 of State prison, Raleigh North
Carolina.

I reckon dat I wus borned in Davidson County on de plantation of Mr.
Whitman Smith, my mammy's marster.

My daddy wus named Tom an' he 'longed ter Mr. Ben Murry fust an' later
ter Mr. Jimmy Crump. Daddy wus named att