. De
papers said if dey could not be freedom by good men dere would be
freedom by blood. Dey fighted an' kept on fightin' a long time. Den de
Yankees come. [HW correction: New paragraph] I heard dem beat de drum.
Marster tole us we wus free but mother an' father stayed on with
Marster. He promised 'em sumptin, but he give 'em nothin'. When de crop
wus housed dey left.

Father and mother went to Hench Stallings plantation and stayed there
one year. Then they went to Jim Webbs farm. I don't remember how long
they stayed there but round two years. They moved about an' about among
the white folks till they died. They never owned any property. They been
dead 'bout thirty years.

I married Sidney Arrington. He has been dead six years las' September.

I am unable to do any kind of work. My arm is mighty weak.

I know slavery wus a bad thing. I don't have to think anything about
it. Abraham Lincoln wus the first of us bein' free, I think he wus a man
of God. I think Roosevelt is all right man. I belongs to the
Pentecostal Holiness Church.

AC

N. C. District: No. 2 [320031]
Worker: T. Pat Matthews
No. Words: 1,426
Subject: SARAH LOUISE AUGUSTUS
Source: Sarah Louise Augustus
Editor: George L. Andrews

[TR: No Date Stamp]

SARAH LOUISE AUGUSTUS
Age 80 years
1424 Lane Street
Raleigh, North Carolina

I wus born on a plantation near Fayetteville, N. C., and I belonged to
J. B. Smith. His wife wus named Henrietta. He owned about thirty slaves.
When a slave was no good he wus put on the auction block in Fayetteville
and sold.

My father wus named Romeo Harden and my mother wus named Alice Smith.
The little cabin where I wus born is still standing.

There wus seven children in marster's family, four girls and two boys.
The girls wus named Ellen, Ida, Mary and Elizabeth. The boys wus named
Harry, Norman and Marse George. Marse George went to the war. Mother had
a family of four girls. Their names wus: Mary, Kate, Hannah and myself,
Sarah Louise. I am the only one living and I would not be living but I
have spent most of my life in white folk's houses and they have looked
after me. I respected myself and they respected me.

My first days of slavery wus hard. I slept on a pallet on the floor of
the cabin and just as soon as I wus able to work any at all I wus put
to milking cows.

I have seen the paterollers hunting men and have seen men they had
whipped