A good and honest mistake. Hope I didn't rub anyone the wrong way. I guess I'm just an old non-pc nitpicker on facts. As far as my Lawd hab mercy, I guess I've been reading the complete Slave Narratives so much, I'm beginning to spell the way they told things. It's pretty interesting to learn how they lived and felt during the unpleasantness, but in some ways, it's like having to learn a complete new language because of the dialect. If anyone ever finds a copy of them, I'd suggest them as EXCELLENT reading. I honestly wonder and would be willing to bet The Crisis newspaper from Columbus, Ohio and the New York World were both a couple of the many Northern papers that were shut down by the Federal Government for their opposing views. I just couldn't help but send that article since it happened 143 years ago on March 11th. Sorry for being a day late posting it. Edward "The first law of the historian is that he shall never dare utter an untruth. The second is that he shall suppress nothing that is true. Moreover, there shall be no suspicion of partiality in his writing, or of malice." - Cicero (106-43 B.C.)

Edward, Please give us more info about the "Slave Narratives", i.e., is that the full title of the book and who is the author? Pat J.

Pat, Although you can find excerpts of the Slave Narratives online, you can find the complete works at Ancestry.com's store. The link to them is http://shops.ancestry.com/cat.asp?shopid=127&CatID=145&breadcrumb=D127ED145E You'll see the CD Rom for Windows on the site and the price is $35.95. The narratives are broken down by State according to where the people lived at the time they were interviewed after the War. There are numerous spelling errors in them but you can pretty much tell the errors. Otherwise, the narratives are written as told with the same dialect and pronunciation of the former slaves. I'm posting a couple of the narratives just so you can have an idea of what you might find in them. Edward -------------------------------------------------------- Ander, Mary No. Words 1905 Editor G. L. Andrews 6 years of age. 17 Poole Road, R.F.D. # 2. Raleigh, N. C. "My name is Mary Anderson. I was born on a plantation near Franklinton, Wake County, N. C. May 10, 1851. I was a slave belonging to Sam Brodie, who owned the plantation at this place. My missus' name was Evaline. My father was Alfred Modie and my mother was Bertha Brodie. "We had good food, plenty of warm homemade clothes and comfortable houses. The slave houses were called the quarters and the house where marster lived was called the great house. Our houses had two rooms each and marster's house had twelve rooms. Both the slave and white folks buildings were located in a large grove one mile square covered with oak and Hickory nut trees. Marster's house was exactly one mile from the main Louisburg Road and there was a wide avenue leading through the plantation and grove to marster's house. The house fronted the avenue east and in going down the avenue from the main road you traveled directly west. "The plantation was very large and there were about two hundred acres of cleared land that was farmed each year. A pond was located on the place and in winter ice was gathered there for summer use and stored in an ice house which was built in the grove where the other building were. A large hole about ten feet deep was dug in the ground; the ice was put in that hole and covered. A large frame building was built over it. At the top of the earth there was an entrance door and steps leading down to the bottom of the hole. Other things besides ice were stored there. There was a still on the plantation and barrels of brandy were stored in the ice house, also pickles, preserves and cider. "Many of the things we used were made on the place. There was a grist mill, tannery, shoe shop, blacksmith shop, and looms for weaving cloth. "There were about one hundred and sixty-two slaves on the plantation and every Sunday morning all the children had to be bathed, dressed, and their hair combed and carried down to marster's for breakfast. It was a rule that all the little colored children eat at the great house every Sunday morning in order that marster and missus could watch them eat so they could know which ones were sickly and have them doctored. "The slave children all carried a mussel shell in their hands to eat with. The food was put on large trays and the children all gathered around and ate, dipping up their food with their mussel shells which they used for spoons. Those who refused to eat or those who were ailing in any way had to come back to the great house for their meals and medicine until they were well. "Marster had a large apple orchard in the Tar River low grounds and up on higher ground and nearer the plantation house there was on one side of the road a large plum orchard and on the other side was an orchard of peaches, cherries, quinces and grapes. We picked the quinces in August and used them for preserving. Marster and missus believed in giving the slaves plenty of fruit, especially the children. "Marster had three children, one boy named Dallas, and two girls, Bettie and Carrie. He would not allow slave children to call his children marster and missus unless the slave said little marster or little missus. He had four white overseers out they were not allowed to whip a slave. If there was any whipping to be done he always said he would do it. He didn't believe in whipping so when a slave got so bad he could not manage him he sold him. "Marster didn't quarrel with anybody, missus would not speak short to a slave, but both missus and marster taught slaves to be obedient in a nice quiet way. The slaves were taught to take their hats and bonnets off before going into the house, and to bow and say, 'Good morning Marster Sam and Missus Evaline'. Some of the little negroes would go down to the great house and ask them when it was going to rain, and when marster or missus walked in the grove the little Negroes would follow along after them like a gang of kiddies. Some of the slave children wanted to stay with them at the great house all the time. They knew no better of course and seemed to love marster and missus as much as they did their own mother and father. Marster and missus always used gentle means to get the children out of their way when they bothered them an the way the children loved and trusted them was a beautiful sight to see. "Patterollers were not allowed on the place unless they case peacefully and I never knew of them whip in any slaves on marster's place. Slaves were carried off on two horse wagons to be sold. I have seen several loans leave. They were the unruly ones. Sometimes he would bring back slaves, once he brought back two says and three girls from the slave market. "Sunday was a great day on the plantation. Everybody got biscuits Sundays. The slave women went down to marsters for their Sunday allowance of flour. All the children ate breakfast at the great house and marster and missus gave out fruit to all. The slaves looked forward to Sunday as they labored through the week. It was a great day. Slaves received good treatment from marster and all his family. "We were allowed to have prayer meetings in our homes and we also went to the white folks church. "They would not teach any of us to read and write. Books and papers were forbidden. Marster's children and the slave children played together. I went around with the baby girl Carrie to other plantations visiting. She taught me how to talk low and how to act in company. My association with white folks and my training while I was a slave is why I talk like white folks. "Bettie Brodie married a Dr. Webb from Boylan, Virginia. Carrie married a Mr. Joe Green of Franklin County. He was a big southern planter. "The war was begun and there were stories of fights and freedom. The news went from plantation to plantation and while the slaves acted natural and some even more polite than usual, they prayed for freedom. Then one day I heard something that sounded like thunder and missus and marster began to walk around and act queer. The row slaves were whisperin to each other. sometimes they gathered in little canyons in the grove. Next day I heard it again, boom, boom, boom. I went and asked missus 'is it going to rain?' She s in, 'Mary go to the ice house and bring go some pickles and preserves.' I went and got them. She ate a little and gave me some. Then she said, 'You run along and play.' In a day or we every only on the plantation seemed to be disturbed and marster and missus were crying. Marster ordered all the slaves to come to the great house at nine o'clock. Nobody was working and slaves were walking over the grove in every direction. At nine o'clock all the slaves gathered at! the great house and marster and missus came out on the porch and stood side by side. You could hear a pin drap everything was so quiet. Then marster said, 'Good morning,' and missus said, 'Good morning, children'. They were both crying. Then marster said, 'Men, women and children, your are free. You are no longer my slaves. The Yankees will soon be here.' "Marster and missus then went into the house got two large arm chairs put them on the porch facing the avenue and sat down side by side and remained there watching. In about an hour there was one of the blackest clouds coming up the avenue from the main road. It was the Yankee soldiers, they finally filled the mil, lon avenue ranching from marster's house to the main Louisburg road and spread out over the mile square grove. The mounted men dismounted. The footman stacked their shining guns and began to build fires and cook. They called the slaves, saying, 'Your are free.' Slaves were whooping and laughing and acting like they were crazy. Yankee soldiers were shaking hands with the Negroes and calling them Sam, Dinah, Sarah and asking them questions. They busted the door to the smoke house and got all the hams. They went to the icehouse and got several barrels of randy, and such a time. The Negroes and Yankees were cooking and eating to gether. The Yankees told them to come on and join they, they were free. Marster and missus sat on the porch and they were so humble no Yankee bothered anything in the great house. The slaves were awfully ! excited. The Yankees stayed there, cooked, eat, drank and played music until about night, then a bugle began to blow and you never saw such getting on horses and lining up in your life. In a few minutes they began to march, leaving the grove which was soon as silent as a grave yard. They took marster's horses and cattle with them and joined the main army and camped just across Cypress Creek one and one half miles from my marster's place on the Louisburg Road. "When they left the country, lot of the slaves want with them and soon there were none of marster's slaves left. They wondered around for a year from place to place, fed and working most of the time at some other slave owners plantation and getting more homesick every day. "The second year after the surrender our marster and missus at on their carriage and went and looked up all the Negroes they heard of who ever belonged to them. Some who went off with the Yankees were never heard of again. When marster and missus found any or theirs they could say, 'Well, come on back home.' Father, mother, two unless and their families moved back. Also Lorenza Brodie, and John Brodie and their families moved back. several of the young men and women who once belonged to him come back. Some were so glad to get back they cried, 'cause fare had when mighty bad part of the time they were rambling around and they were hungry. When they got back marster would say, Well you have come back home have you, and the Negroes would say, 'Yes Marster.' Most all spoke of them as missus and marster as they did before the surrender, and gettin back home was the greatest pleasure of all. "We stayed with marster and missus and went to their church, the Maple Springs Baptist church, until they died. "Since the surrender I married James Anderson. I had four children, one boy and three girls. "I think slavery was a mighty good thing for mother, father, me and the other members of the family, and I cannot say anything but good for my old marster and missus, but I can only speak for those whose conditions I have known during slavery and since. For myself and them, I will say again, slavery was a mighty good thing." ------------------------------------------------ Henry, Essex An interview with Essex Menry 83 of 713 3. East Street, Raleigh, N. C. "I wus borned five miles north of Raleigh on de Wendell Road, 83 years ago. My mammy wus Nancy an' my pappy wus Louis. I had one sister, Mary, an' one bruder, Louis. "We 'longed ter Mr. Jake Mordecai, an' we lived on his six hundert acres plantation 'bout a mile from Millbrook. Might atter de war he sold dis lan' ter Doctor Miller an' bought de Betsy Minton tract at Milburnie. Mr. Jake had four or five hundert niggers hyar an' I doan know now meny at de Edgecombe County place. "De wuck wus hard den, I knows case I'se seed my little mammy dig ditches wid de best of 'em. I'se seed her split 350 rails a day many's de time. Dat wus her po'tion you knows, an' de mens had ter split 500. I wus too little ter do much but min' de chickens outen de gyarden, an' so I fared better dan most of 'em. You see Miss Tempie 'ud see me out at de gate mornin's as dey wus eatin' breakfas' on de ferander, an' she'ud call me ter her an' give me butter toasted lightbread or biscuits. She'd give me a heap in dat way, an' do'de rest of de slaves got hongry, I doan think dat I eber did. I know dat Miss Jenny Perry, on a neighborin' plantation, 'ud give my mammy food fer us chilluns. "Mo'nin's we sometimes ain't had nothin' ter eat. At dinner time de cook at de big house cooked nuff turnip salet, beans, 'taters, er peas fer all de han'd an' long wid a little piece of meat an' a little hunk of co'nbread de dinner wus sont ter de slaves out in de fiel' on a cart. "De slaves 'ud set roun' under de trees an' eat an' laugh an' talk till de oberseer, Bob Gravie, yells at 'em ter git back ter wuck. Iffen dey doan git back right den he starts ter frailin' lef' an' right. "Dar wus a few spirited slaves what won't be whupped an' my uncle wus one. He wus finally sold fer dis. "Hit wus different wid my gran'mother do'. De oberseer tried ter whup her an' he can't, so he hollers fer Mr. Jake. Mr. Jake comes an' he can't, so he hauls off an' kicks granny, mashin' her stomich in. He has her carried ter her cabin an' three days atterward she dies wid nothin' done fer her an' nobody wid her. "Mr. Jake orders de coffinmaker ter make de pine box, an' den he fergits hit. De slaves puts de coffin on de cyart hin' de two black hosses an' wid six or maybe seben hundert niggers follerin' dey goes ter de Simms' graveyard an' buries her. All de way ter de graveyard dey sings, 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot,' 'de Promised Len', 'De Road ter Jordan,' an' 'Cle Time Religion.' "Hit's a good thing dat none of de white folkses ain't went to de funerals case iffen dey had de niggers can't sing deir hymns. Does you snow dat dey warn't no 'ligion 'lowed on det plantation. Ole lady Betsy Molmes was waupped time an' ag'in fer talkin' 'ligion er fer singin' hyams. He sometimes had preyermeetin' anyhow in de cabins but we'd turn down de big pot front o' de door ter ketch de noise. "Dey won't give us no pass hardly, an' iffen we runs 'way de passerollers will git us. Dey did let us have some dances de' now an' den, but not offen. Dey let us go possun suntin' too case dat wus gittin' something ter eat widout Mr. Jake payin' fer hit. "Mr. Henry, Mr. Jake's bruder an' his Uncle hoses uster come a-visitin' ter de house fer de day. Mr. Henry wus little wid a short leg an' a long one, an' he had de zust temper dat eber wus in de worl'; an' he loved ter see slaves suffer, near 'bout much as he loved his brandy. We knowed when we seed him comin' dat dar wus gaine ter be a whuppin' frolic 'fore de day wus gone. "Dar wus three niggers, John Lane, Ananias Ruffin an' Dick Rogers what got de blame fer eber'thing what happens on de place. Fer instance Mr. Henry 'ud look in de hawg pen an' 'low dat hit 'peared dat he oruderl stock wus growin' less all de time. Den Mr. Jake sez dat day done teen stold. "Why doan you puniah dem thievin' niggers, cake'? "Jake gits mad an' has dere three niggers brung out, deir shirts am pulled off an' dey am staked down on deir stomichs, an' de operseer gits wored out, an' leavin' de niggers tied, dar in de sun, dey goes ter de house ter it sore brandy. "Dey more dey drinks from de thite crock he cotter hunor dey gits in. Dey laughs an' talks an' atter swhile day think o' de niggers, an' back dey goes an' cents 'em some more. Dis usually lasts all de day, case hit am fun ter dem. Atter so long dey ketched Jack Ashe, a Free Issue, wid one of de pigs, an' dey whups him taixt drinks all de day, an' at night dey carried him ter de Raleigh Jail. He wus convicted an' sent ter sald head Island ter wuck on de breastworks durin' de war an' he ain't neber come back. "Dar wus a man in Raleigh what had two blood houn's an' he made his livin' by ketchin' runaway niggers. His name wus Beaver an' he ain't missed but onct. Pat Norwood took a long grass sythe when he runned away, an' as de fust dog come he clipped off fts tail, de second one he clipped off its year an' dem dawgs ain't run him no more. "De war lasted a long time, an' hit wus a mess. Some of Marster Jake's slaves lef' him an' when de Yankees ot ter Raleigh dey come an' tol' 'em 'bout de way Mr. Jake done. Well in a few days hyar comes de Yankees a-rioin', an' dey sez dat dey had tentions o' hangin' Mr. Jake on de sig oak in de yard iffen he'uv been dar, out be ain't. He an' his family had flewed de coop. "Dem Yankees went in de big house an' dey tored an' busted up all dey pleased, dey eben throwed de clothes all ober de yard. "Dey took two big barns of corn an' haul hit off an' down Devil's Jump on Morris Creek dey buried ever so much molasses an' all. "At Nattlesnake Spring de Yankees fin's whar Marster Jake's still had been, an' dar buried, dey fin's five barrels o' brandy. "Atter de war we stayed on as servants o' Doctor Miller fer seberal years. I 'members de only time dat I eber got drunk wus long den. De doctor an' his frien's wus spiurgin', an' I went wid another higger ter git de brandy from de cellar fer de guests. When I tasted hit, hit drunk so good, an' so much lak sweetin water dat I drunk de pitcher full. I wus drunk three days. "I married Milly, an' sixty years ago we moved ter town. We scuffled along till twenty-eight years ago we buyed dis shack. I hopes dat we can git de ole age pension, case we shore need hit."