Sergt., Med. Dept., USA Gen. Hospital No. 6; of Wake County; son of A. B. and Mrs. Annie Fleming. Entered service June 17, 1918, at Raleigh, N.C. Sent to Ft. McPherson, Ga. Promoted to Sergt. Nov., 1918. Mustered out at Ft. McPherson, Aug. 16, 1919.
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
Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: David Blount Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Days On The Plantation As told by Uncle David Blount, formerly of Beaufort County, who did not know his age. “De Marster” he refers to was Major Wm. A. Blount, who owned plantations in several parts of North Carolina. Yes mam, de days on de plantation wuz de happy days. De marster made us wuck through de week but on Sadays we uster go swimmin’ in de riber an’ do a lot of other things dat we lak ter do. We didn’t mind de wuck so much case … Read more
Corpl., Aviation Co. 7; of Wake County; son of Mr. and Mrs. M. A. Scarboro. Entered service July 31, 1918, at Wendell, N.C. Sent to Kelly Field, Texas, transferred to Buffalo, N. Y., then to Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. Promoted to rank of Corpl. September, 1918. Mustered out at Ft. Sam Houston March 31, 1919.
Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Jennylin Dunn Location: 315 Bledsoe Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina Place of Birth: Wake County NC Age: 87 Ex-Slave Story An interview with Jennylin Dunn 87, of 315 Bledsoe Avenue, Raleigh, N. C. I wuz borned hyar in Wake County eighty-seben years ago. Me an’ my folks an’ bout six others belonged ter Mis’ Betsy Lassiter who wuz right good ter us, do’ she sho’ did know dat chilluns needs a little brushin’ now an’ den. My papa wuz named Isaac, my mammy wuz named Liza, an’ my sisters wuz named Lucy, Candice an’ Harriet. … Read more
Sergt., Med. Corps, Base Hospital No. 51; of Wake County; son of O. L. and Mrs. Katherine Naylor. Husband of Mrs. Sidneth (Earl) Naylor. Entered service July 25, 1917, at Raleigh, N.C. Sent to Ft. Monroe, Va. Transferred to Camp Wheeler, Ga., then to Camp Upton. Sailed for France Aug. 8, 1918. Promoted to rank of Sergt. Feb. 4, 1918. Returned to USA Sept. 28, 1919. Mustered out at Camp Dix, N. J., Oct. 2, 1919.
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
Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Andrew Boone Location: Wake County, North Carolina. Harris Farm. Age: 90 years Occupation: Worked in show business I been living in dese backer barns fifteen years. I built this little shelter to cook under. Dey cut me off the WPA cause dey said I wus too ole to work. Dey tole us ole folks we need not put down our walkin’ sticks to git work cause dey jes’ won’t goin’ to put us on. Well, I had some tomatoes cooked widout any grease for my breakfast. I had a loaf of bread yesterday, but … Read more
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
Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Clay Bobbit Date of Interview: May 27, 1937 Location: S. Harrington Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Place of Birth: Warren County NC Date of Birth: May 2, 1937 Age: 100 An interview with Clay Bobbit, 100 of S. Harrington Street, Raleigh, N. C., May 27, 1937. I wuz borned May 2, 1837 in Warren County to Washington an’ Delisia Bobbit. Our Marster wuz named Richard Bobbit, but we all calls him Massa Dick. Massa Dick ain’t good ter us, an’ on my arm hyar, jist above de elbow am a big scar dis day whar … Read more
Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Herndon Bogan Location: State Prison, Raleigh, North Carolina Place of Birth: Union County, South Carolina Age: 76 (?) Occupation: Houseboy, Night Watch Railroad Tracks An interview with Herndon Bogan, 76 (?) of State Prison, Raleigh, N. C. I wus bawned in Union County, South Carolina on de plantation o’ Doctor Bogan, who owned both my mammy Issia, an’ my pap Edwin. Dar wus six o’ us chilluns; Clara, Lula, Joe, Tux, Mack an’ me. I doan’ member much ’bout slavery days ‘cept dat my white folkses wus good ter us. Dar wus a heap … Read more
Sergt. 1st Class, Engineers, Co. B, 57th Regt.; of Wake County; son of E. C. and Mrs. Clara B. Stearns. Entered service May 5, 1918, at Florence, S. C. Sent to Ft. Scriven, Ga., transferred to Camp Laurel, Md. Sailed for Brest, France, July 12, 1918. Promoted to rank of Sergt. Jan. 31, 1919. Was in Army of Occupation, Remagen, Geron river patrol, from Jan. 14, 1919, to Oct. 14, 1919. Returned to USA Oct. 27, 1919, Hoboken. Mustered out at Camp Gordon, Ga., Nov. 5, 1919.
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
Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Bill Crump Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 82 I reckon dat I wus borned in Davidson County on de plantation of Mr. Whitman Smith, my mammy’s marster. My daddy wus named Tom an’ he ‘longed ter Mr. Ben Murry fust an’ later ter Mr. Jimmy Crump. Daddy wus named atter his young marster. Dey lived in Randolph, de county next ter Davidson whar me mammy an’ de rest of de chilluns, Alt, George, Harriet, Sarah, Mary an’ de baby libed. Both of de marsters wus good ter us, an’ dar wus plenty ter eat … Read more
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
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