Main St. Dunn, North Carolina
Route 6
"My name is Nellie Smith. I wus born on a plantation in Harnett County
in 1856, near where Linden now stands. I belonged to ole man Jack
Williams. His wife wus dead when I wus borned. There were many acres in
the plantation; it wus a large one. I don't know exactly how many
acres. There were 'bout fifty slaves on the place. The slave houses
were on a hill. Marster lived in the big house; and it wus a big one
too.
"I do not remember ever goin' hongry when I wus a slave. Father wus the
butler and mother wus a house woman, and we got plenty to eat. My
mother wus named Rosetta Williams and father wus named Atlas Williams.
I do not remember my grandmother and grandfather, but I remember my
great grandmother.
"We had good home made clothes and good beds. Jack Williams wus good to
his slaves. He wus good to me and my mother and father, I have heard
'em say that he wus always good to 'em. Our livin' with him wus good
and we loved him. He thought a lot o' his niggers. He had six children
of his own 4 boys and 2 girls; the boys Dr. Jack Williams, Dr. Jim
Williams, William Williams, Jim Williams; the girls Mary and Martha.
"I did little work in slavery time. Sometimes I fanned flies off the
table at meal times and did other light work. They made children do
very little work in slavery time. We children played base, an' hide the
switch.
"I saw a jail for slaves in Fayetteville, North Carolina, but I never
saw a slave sold. I saw an overseer whup a man once but he certainly
didn't hurt him much. He done more talkin' dan whuppin.
"We went to the white folks' church but they would not allow any of us
any books. No one taught us to read an' write. My father ran away once
because he would not take a whuppin'. When he came back they did not do
or say anything to 'im. Jack Williams would not allow a patteroller to
whup a nigger on his land. If they could git on his land dey were safe.
He had overseers at the plantation. I remember one whose name wus Buck
Buckannon. When we got sick Dr. Jack Williams looked after us. When
Marster Jim Williams got to be a doctor he looked after us.
"Yes, I remember de Yankees. Dey went to our house one Sunday mornin'.
Dey did not fight on our side of the river; dey fought on de other
side o' de river near de Smith House. It wus the battle of Averysboro.
De Smith House wus a hospital. Dey came into the house, my sister Irene
wus house girl. The Yankees put deir pistols to her head and said, 'You
better tell me where dem things are hid. Tell us where de money and
silver is hid at.' Sister did not tell. Boss had started off wid de
silver dat mornin'. De Yankees caught him, took it, an' his boots,
horse and all he had. He come back home barefooted. Dey got mos'
everthing at Marster's house. Dey took my mother's shawl, an' a lot of
things belongin' to de slaves.
"I have heard o' de Ku Klux Klan, ha! ha! Yes, I have. I heard tell of
dey beatin' up people, but I never got into any tangle wid 'em. I just
don't know bout all dem old folks Lincoln, Davis, Booker Washington. I
think slavery wus a bad thing cause dey sold families apart, fathers
from their wives and children, and mothers away from their children.
Two of my sisters were fixed up to be sold when the war ended."