ed de slave houses 'quarters', de house where de overseer lived
wus de 'Overseer's House'. Master had a overseer to look atter his men;
De overseer wus named Bridgers. De house where Master lived wus de
'Great House'.

Dey would not allow us any books. I cannot read an' write. I have seen
de patterollers, but I neber saw' em whip nobody; but I saw' em lookin'
fer somebody ter whup. I've neber seen a slave sold. I've neber seen a
jail fer slaves or slaves in chains. I have seen master whup slaves
though. I wus neber whupped. Dey wrung my ears an' pulled my nose to
punish me.

Dere wus no churches on de plantation, but we had prayer meetin's in our
homes. We went to de white folks church. My father used to take me by de
hand an' carry me ter church. Daddy belonged ter de Iron Side Baptist
Church. We called our fathers 'daddy' in slavery time. Dey would not let
slaves call deir fathers 'father'. Dey called 'em 'daddy', an' white
children called deir father, 'Pa'. I didn't work any in slavery time,
'cept feed pigs, an' do things fer my master; waited on him. I went
'round wid him a lot, an' I had rather see him come on de plantation
any time dan to see my daddy. I do not remember any possums or other
game being eaten at our house. I do not remember eber goin' a-fishin
durin' slavery time.

Master had two boys ter go off ter de war. Dey carried 'em off ter de
war. I don't know how many children dey had, but I remember two of 'em
goin' off ter de war. Don't know what became of 'em.

I shore remember de Yankees. Yes sir, Ha! ha! I shore remember dem. Dem
Yankees tore down an' drug out ever'thing, dey come across. Dey killed
hogs, an' chickens. Dey took only part of a hog an' lef' de rest. Dey
shot cows, an' sometimes jest cut off de hind quarters an' lef de rest.
Dey knocked de heads out o' de barrels o' molasses. Dey took horses,
cows an' eber'thing, but they did not hurt any o' de children. Dey wus
folks dat would tear down things.

Atter de surrender my mother moved over on de plantation where my father
stayed. We stayed dere a long time, an' den we moved back to Richard
Seawell's, old master's plantation, stayin' dere a long time. Den we
moved to Jessie Taylor's place below Raleigh between Crabtree Creek an'
Neuse River. When we lef' Taylor's we moved ter Banner Dam northeast of
Raleigh near Boone's Pond. Mother an' father both died dere. Atter
leaving dere I come here. I have lived in Oberlin ebery since. Guess
I'll