aleigh
nursing the Briggs family, Mrs. F. H. Briggs' family. She wus going home
to Fayetteville when she wus caught in a rain storm at Sanford, while
changing trains. The train for Fayetteville had left as the train for
Sanford wus late so she stayed wet all night. Next day she went home,
took pneumonia and died. She wus great on curing rheumatism; she did it
with herbs. She grew hops and other herbs and cured many people of this
disease.

She wus called black mammy because she wet nursed so many white
children. In slavery time she nursed all babies hatched on her marster's
plantation and kept it up after the war as long as she had children.

Grandfather wus named Isaac Fuller. Mrs. Mary Ann Fuller, Kate Fuller,
Mr. Will Fuller, who wus a lawyer in Wall Street, New York, is some of
their white folks. The Fullers were born in Fayetteville. One of the
slaves, Dick McAlister, worked, saved a small fortune and left it to
Mr. Will Fuller. People thought the slave ought to have left it to his
sister but he left it to Mr. Will. Mr. Fuller gives part of it to the
ex-slaves sister each year. Mr. Will always helped the Negroes out when
he could. He was good to Dick and Dick McAlister gave him all his
belongings when he died.

The Yankees came through Fayetteville wearing large blue coats with
capes on them. Lots of them were mounted, and there were thousands of
foot soldiers. It took them several days to get through town. The
Southern soldiers retreated and then in a few hours the Yankees covered
the town. They busted into the smokehouse at marstar's, took the meat,
meal and other provisions. Grandmother pled with the Yankees but it did
no good. They took all they wanted. They said if they had to come again
they would take the babies from the cradles. They told us we were all
free. The Negroes begun visiting each other in the cabins and became so
excited they began to shout and pray. I thought they were all crazy.

We stayed right on with marster. He had a town house and a big house on
the plantation. I went to the town house to work, but mother and
grandmother stayed on the plantation. My mother died there and the
white folks buried her. Father stayed right on and helped run the farm
until he died. My uncle, Elic Smith, and his family stayed too.
Grandfather and grandmother after a few years left the plantation and
went to live on a little place which Mrs. Mary Ann Fuller gave them.
Grandmother and grandfather died there.