Raleigh North Carolina

Slave Narrative of Elbert Hunter

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Elbert Hunter Date of Interview: May 19, 1937 Location: Method, North Carolina Date of Birth: 1844 Age: 93 I wuz borned eight miles from Raleigh on de plantation of Mr. Jacob Hunter in 1844. My parents were Stroud and Lucy an’ my brothers wuz Tom, Jeems an’ Henderson. I had three sisters who wuz named Caroline, Emiline an’ Ann. Massa Hunter wuz good to us, an’ young Massa Knox wuz good too. My mammy wuz de cook an’ my pappy wuz a field hand. Massa ain’t ‘lowed no patterollers on his place, but one … Read more

Slave Narrative of Thomas Hall

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Thomas Hall Location: 316 Tarboro Road, Raleigh, North Carolina Location of Birth: Orange County NC Age: 81 My name is Thomas Hall and I was born in Orange County, N. C. on a plantation belonging to Jim Woods whose wife, our missus, was named Polly. I am eighty one years of age as I was born Feb. 14, 1856. My father Daniel Hall and my mother Becke Hall and me all belonged to the same man but it was often the case that this wus not true as one man, perhaps a Johnson, would … Read more

Biography of Pleasants, George W.

Austin Colonist George Washington Pleasants was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, March 30th, 1809, and came from there to Texas in 1830, and first settled at Columbia, and lived there until 1833. There was a great cholera epidemic that year at Columbia, which nearly depopulated the town. Mr. Pleasants had two sisters to die there; one, Fannie, was the wife of Kinchen Davis, and mother of Captain W. K. Davis, father of Judge J. H. P. Davis, of Richmond. Captain W. K. Davis was a Mier prisoner, as will be seen from the account elsewhere of that expedition. After the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Jerry Hinton

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Jerry Hinton Location: North Carolina Date of Birth: February, 1855 Place of Birth: Wake County, NC My full name is Jerry Hinton. I wus borned in February, 1855. I am not able ter work. I work all I can. I am trying ter do de best I can ter help myself. Yes, just tryin’ ter do sumpin, ain’t able ter work much. I am ruptured, an’ old. My old house looks ’bout old as I do, it’s ’bout to fall down, ain’t able ter fix it up. It needs repairing. I ain’t able ter … Read more

Slave Narrative of Adeline Crump

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Adeline Crump Location: 526 Cannon Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 73 My name is Adeline Crump, and I am 73 years old. My husband’s name wus James Crump. My mother’s wus Marie Cotton and my father’s name wus Cotton. My mother belonged to the Faucetts; Rich Faucett wus her marster. Father belonged to the Cottons; Wright Cotton wus his marster. My maiden name wus Cotton. Mother and father said they were treated all right and that they loved their white folks. They gave them patches, clothed them tolerably well, and seed that they got … Read more

Slave Narrative of Charles W. Dickens

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Charles W. Dickens Location: Raleigh, North Carolina (1115 East Lenoir Street) My name is Charles W. Dickens. I lives at 1115 East Lenoir Street, Raleigh, North Carolina, Wake County. I wuz born August 16, 1861, de year de war started. My mother wuz named Ferebee Dickens. My father wuz named John Dickens. I had nine sisters and brothers. My brothers were named Allen, Douglas, my name [HW: question mark above “my name”], Jake, Johnnie and Jonas. The girls Katie, Matilda Francis, and Emily Dickens. My grandmother wuz named Charity Dickens. My grandfather wuz Dudley … Read more

Slave Narrative of Charlie H. Hunter

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Charlie H. Hunter Location: 2213 Barker Street, West Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: May, 1857 Place of Birth: Wake County NC Age: 80 My full name is Charlie H. Hunter. I wus borned an’ reared in Wake County, N. C., born May, 1857. My mother wus Rosa Hunter an’ my father wus named Jones. I never saw my father. We belonged to a family named Jones first, an’ then we wus sold to a slave owner seven miles Northwest by the name Joe Hayes an’ a terrible man he wus. He would get … Read more

Slave Narrative of Jerry Davis

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Jerry Davis Location: 228 E. South Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Place of Birth: Warren County NC Age: 74 Jerry Davis Ex-Slave Story and Folk Tale An interview with Jerry Davis 74 of 228 E. South Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. I wus borned in Warren County ter Mataldia an’ Jordan Davis. Dere wus twenty-two o’ us chilluns, an’ natu’ally Marster Sam Davis laked my mammy an’ daddy. He owned two hundert an’ sebenty slaves, an’ three, four, or five scopes o’ lan’. Marster wus good ter us, he gibe us plenty ter eat, an’ w’ar, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Robert Glenn

Interviewer: T. Pat. Matthews Person Interviewed: Robert Glenn Location: 207 Idlewild Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: Sept. 16, 1850 Location of Birth: Orange County NC Age: 87 I was a slave before and during the Civil War. I am 87 years old. I was born Sept. 16, 1850. I was born in Orange County, North Carolina near Hillsboro. At that time Durham was just a platform at the station and no house there whatever. The platform was lighted with a contraption shaped like a basket and burning coal that gave off a blaze. There were holes in this … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mandy Coverson

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Mandy Coverson Location: 103 South Wilmington Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Location of Birth: Union County NC Age: 78 Ex-Slave Story An interview with Mandy Coverson, 78, of 103 South Wilmington Street, Raleigh. I wuz borned in Union County to Sarah an’ Henderson Tomberlin. My mother belonged to Mr. Moses Coverson, an’ my pappy belonged to Mr. Jackie Tom Tomberlin. I stayed wid my mammy, of course, an’ Marster Moses wuz good ter me. Dey warn’t so good ter my mammy, case dey makes her wuck frum sunup till sundown in de hot summertime, an’ … Read more

Narrative – Lunsford Lane

The small city of Raleigh, North Carolina, it is known, is the capital of the State, situated in the interior, and containing about thirty six hundred inhabitants. Here lived MR. SHERWOOD HAYWOOD, a man of considerable respectability, a planter, and the cashier of a bank. He owned three plantations, at the distances respectively of seventy-five, thirty, and three miles from his residence in Raleigh. He owned in all about two hundred and fifty slaves, among the rest my mother, who was a house servant to her master, and of course a resident in the city. My father was a slave … Read more

Slave Narrative of Chaney Hews

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Chaney Hews Location: 104 Cotton Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 60 My age, best of my recollection, is about eighty years. I was ’bout eight years ole when de Yankees come through. Chillun in dem days wus not paid much mind like dey is now. White chillun nor nigger chillun wus not spiled by tenshun. I got enough to eat to live on an’ dat wus ’bout all I keered ’bout. Des so I could git a little to eat and could play all de time. I stayed outen de way of de grown … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Jones, Julia, Mrs.

Mrs. Julia Jones, daughter of Judge C. C. Dyer, was born in Fort Bend County in 1839. Her father was a native of Tennessee and was born at Dyersburg January 29, 1799, and came to Texas with William Stafford in 1824. In this same year he married Sarah Stafford, who was born February 5, 1809, near Raleigh, North Carolina, Judge Dyer had twelve in family six boys and six girls. He lived to quite an old age, served as county judge of Fort Bend County, and died in 1864 on his farm on the east side of the Brazos River, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Essex Henry

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Essex Henry Location: 713 S. East Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 83 Ex-Slave Story An interview with Essex Henry 83 of 713 S. 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. Right atter de war he sold dis lan’ ter Doctor Miller an’ bought … Read more

Slave Narrative of Addy Gill

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Addy Gill Location: 1614 “B” St., Lincoln Park, Raleigh, North Carolina Place of Birth: Millburnie, Wake County, NC Date of Birth: Jan. 6, 1863 Age: 74 Occupation: Butler I am seventy four years of age. I wus born a slave Jan. 6, 1863 on a plantation near Millburnie, Wake County, owned by Major Wilder, who hired my father’s time. His wife wus named Sarah Wilder. I don’t know anything ’bout slavery ‘cept what wus tole me by father and mother but I do know that if it had not been for what de southern … Read more

Slave Narrative of Barbara Haywood

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Barbara Haywood Location: 1111 Mark Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 85 Aunt Barbara’s Love Story An interview with Barbara Haywood, 85 years old. Address 1111 Mark Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. Anything dat I tells you will near ’bout all be ’bout Frank Haywood, my husban’. I wus borned on de John Walton place seben miles southeast of Raleigh. My father, Handy Sturdivant, belonged to somebody in Johnston County but mother an’ her chilluns ‘longed ter Marse John Walton. Marse John had a corn shuckin’ onct an’ at dat corn shuckin’ I fust saw Frank. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Lucy Ann Dunn

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Lucy Ann Dunn Location: 220 Cannon Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 90 Occupation: House girl Aunt Lucy’s Love Story An interview with 90 years old, 220 Cannon Street, Raleigh, N. C. My pappy, Dempsey, my mammy, Rachel an’ my brothers an’ sisters an’ me all belonged ter Marse Peterson Dunn of Neuse, here in Wake County. Dar wus five of us chilluns, Allen, Charles, Corina, Madora an’ me, all borned before de war. My mammy wus de cook, an’ fur back as I ‘members almost, I wus a house girl. I fanned flies offen … Read more

Slave Narrative of W. Solomon Debnam

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: W. S. Debnam Location: 701 Smith Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 78 Yes, I remember the Yankees coming to Raleigh. I don’t know very much about those times, I was so young, but I remember the Yankees all right in their blue clothes; their horses, and so on. I’ll be 78 years old the 8th of this comin’ September an’ I’ve heard mother an’ father talk about slavery time a whole lot. We belonged to T. R. Debnam at Eagle Rock, Wake County. His wife was named Priscilla Debnam. My father was named Daniel … Read more

Slave Narrative of Hannah Crasson

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Hannah Crasson Location: North Carolina Location of Birth: Wake County NC Age: 84 My name is Hannah Crasson. I wuz born on John William Walton’s plantation 4 miles from Garner and 13 miles from Raleigh, N. C. in the County of Wake. I am 84 years ole the 2nd day uv dis las’ gone March. I belonged to Mr. John William Walton in slavery time. My missus wuz named Miss Martha. My father wuz named Frank Walton. My mother wuz named Flora Walton. Grandma wuz 104 years when she died. She died down at … Read more

Slave Narrative of Martha Adeline Hinton

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthew Person Interviewed: Martha Adeline Hinton Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: May 3, 1861 I wus born May 3, 1861 at Willis Thompson’s plantation in Wake County about fifteen miles from Raleigh. He wus my marster an’ his wife Muriel wus my missus. My father’s name wus Jack Emery an’ mother’s name was Minerva Emery. My mother belonged to Willis Thompson and my father belonged to Ephriam Emery. Mother stayed with my marster’s married daughter. She married Johnny K. Moore. Marster had three children, all girls; dere names wus Margaret, Caroline and Nancy. There wus … Read more