N. C. District: No. 2 [320179]
Worker: T. Pat Matthews
No. Words: 568
Subject: MARTHA ADELINE HINTON
Person Interviewed: Martha Adeline Hinton
Editor: G. L. Andrews
[TR: HW Date "8/31/37"]
MARTHA ADELINE HINTON
#2--Star St., Route 2, Raleigh, North Carolina.
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 only one slave house dere 'cause dey only had one
slave whur my mother stayed. Marster Thompson had five slaves on his
plantation. He wus good to slaves but his wife wus rough. We had a
reasonably [HW correction] good place to sleep an' fair sumptin to eat.
You sees I wus mighty young an' I members very little 'bout some things
in slavery but from what my mother an father tole me since de war it wus
just 'bout middlin' livin' at marster's. Slaves wore homemade clothes
an' shoes. De shoes had wooden bottoms but most slave chilluns went
barefooted winter an' summer till dey wus ole 'nough to go to work. De
first pair of shoes I wore my daddy made 'em. I 'member it well. I will
never furgit it, I wus so pleased wid 'em. All slave chillun I knows
anything 'bout wore homemade clothes an' went barefooted most of the
time an' bareheaded too.
I member de Yankees an' how dey had rods searchin' for money an' took
things. I members a Yankee goin' to mother an' sayin' we was free. When
he lef' missus come an' axed her what he say to her an' mother tole
missus what he said an' missus says 'No he didn't tell you you is free,
you jes axed him wus you free.' Father wus hired out to Frank Page of
Gary. He wus cuttin cord wood for him, when he heard de Yankees wus
coming he come home. When he got dere de Yankees had done been to de
house an' gone.
Durin' slavery dey tried to sell daddy. De speculator wus dere an 'daddy
suspicion sumpin. His marster tole him to go an' shuck some corn. Dey
aimed to git him in de corn crib an' den tie him an' sell him but when
he got to the crib he kept on goin'. He went to Mr. Henry Buffaloe's an'
stayed two weeks den he went back home. Dere wus nuthin' else said 'bout
sellin him. Dey wanted to sell him an buy a 'oman so dey could have a
lot of slave chilluns cause de 'oman could multiply. Dey hired men out
by the year to contractors to cut cord wood an' build railroads. Father
wus hired out dat way. Ole man Rome Harp wus hired out day way. He
belonged to John Harp.
Daddy said his marster never did hit him but one blow. Daddy said he
wurked hard everyday, an' done as near right as he knowed how to do in
everything. His marster got mad ah' hit him wid a long switch. Den daddy
tole him he wus workin' bes' he could for him an' dat he wus not goin'
to take a whuppin. His marster walked off an' dat wus de last of it, an'
he never tried to whup him again.
N. C. District: No. 2 [320225]
Worker: T. Pat Matthews
No. Words: 775
Subject: ROBERT HINTON
Story Teller: Robert Hinton
Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt
[TR: No Date Stamp]
ROBERT HINTON
420 Smith Street, Raleigh, N. C.
My name is Robert Hinton. I ain't able to work, ain't been able to do
any work in five years. My wife, Mary Hinton, supports me by workin'
with the WPA. She was cut off las' May. Since she has had no job, we
have to live on what she makes with what little washin' she gets from de
white folks; an' a little help from charity; dis ain't much. Dey give
you for one week, one half peck meal, one pound meat, one pound powdered
milk, one half pound o' coffee. Dis is what we git for one week.
I wus borned in 1856 on de Fayetteville Road three miles from Raleigh,
south. I belonged to Lawrence Hinton. My missus wus named Jane Hinton.
De Hintons had 'bout twenty slaves on de plantation out dere. Dey had
four chillun, de boy Ransom an' three girls: Belle, Annie an' Miss Mary.
All are dead but one, Miss Mary is livin' yit. My mother wus named Liza
Hinton an' my father wus named Bob Hinton. My gran'mother wus named Mary
Hinton an' gran'father Harry Hinton.
We had common food in slavery time, but it wus well fixed up, an' we
were well clothed. We had a good place to sleep, yes sir, a good place
to sleep. We worked from sunrise to sunset under overseers. Dey were
good to us. I wus small at dat time. I picked up sticks in de yard an'
done some work around de house, but when dey turned deir backs I would
be playin' most o' de time. We played shootin' marbles, an' runnin', an'
jumpin'. We called de big house de dwelling house an' de slave quarters
de slave houses. Some of 'em were in marster's yard and some were
outside. Dey give all de families patches and gardens, but dey did not
sell anything.
We had prayer meetin' in our houses when we got ready, but dere were no
churches for niggers on de plantation. We had dances and other socials
durin' Christmas times. Dey give us de Christmas holidays.
No sir, dey did not whup me. I wus mighty young. Dey didn't work chillun
much. I have seen 'em whup de grown ones do'. I never saw a slave sold
and never saw any in chains. Dey run away from our plantation but dey
come back again. William Brickell, Sidney Cook, Willis Hinton all run
away. I don't know why dey all run away but some run away to keep from
being whupped.
I have lived in North Carolina all my life, right here in Wake County.
We used to set gums and catch rabbits, set traps and caught patridges
and doves.
Yes sir, I went blindin'. I 'members gittin' a big light an' jumpin'
'round de bresh heaps, an' when a bird come out we frailed him down. We
went gigging fish too. We found 'em lying on de bottom o' de creeks an'
ponds at night, an' stuck de gig in 'em an' pulled 'em out.
De white folks, ole missus, teached us de catechism, but dey didn't want
you to learn to read and write. I can read and write now; learned since
de surrender. Sometimes we went to de white folks church. I don't know
any songs.
When we got sick our boss man sent for a doctor, Dr. Burke Haywood, Dr.
Johnson, or Dr. Hill.
I 'members when de North folks and de Southern folks wus fightin'. De
Northern soldiers come in here on de Fayetteville Road. I saw 'em by de
hundreds. Dey had colored folks soldiers in blue clothes too. In de
mornin' white soldiers, in de evenin' colored soldiers; dats de way dey
come to town.
I married first Almeta Harris. I had six children by her. Second, I
married Mary Jones. She is my wife now. We had six children. My wife is
now 65 years old and she has to support me. I am done give out too much
to work any more.
Yes sir, that I have seen de patterollers, but my old boss didn't 'low
'em to whup his niggers. Marster give his men passes.