An interview with Margaret Thornton, 77 years old, of Hayti, Four Oaks,
North Carolina.
"I wus borned an' raised on de plantation of Jake Thornton of Harnett
County. My mammy, Lula, my pappy, Frank, an' my brother an' sisters an'
me all wus dere slaves. De man I finally marries, Tom, am also a slave
on de plantation.
"I wus jist five years ole when de Yankees come, jist a few of dem to
our settlement. I doan know de number of de slaves, but I does 'member
dat dey herded us tergether an' make us sing a heap of songs an' dance,
den dey clap dere han's an' dey sez dat we is good. One black boy won't
dance, he sez, so dey puts him barefooted on a hot piece of tin an'
believe me he did dance.
"I know dat my white folks hated de Yankees like pizen but dey had ter
put up wid dere sass jist de same. Dey also had to put up wid de
stealin' of dere property what dey had made dere slaves work an' make.
De white folks didn't loose dere temper much do', an' dey avoids de
Yankees. Now when dey went protrudin' in de house dat am a different
matter entirely.
"I wus brung up ter nurse an' I'se did my share of dat, too honey, let
me tell you. I has nursed 'bout two thousand babies I reckins. I has
nursed gran'maws an' den dere gran' chiles. I reckin dat I has closed
as many eyes as de nex' one.
"Atter de war we stayed on, case Marse wus good ter us an' 'cided dat
we ain't got nowhar ter go. I stayed on till I wus thirteen or fourteen
an' den me an' Tom married. He had a job at a sawmill near Dunn, so dar
we went ter live in a new shanty.
"Tom never did want me ter work hard while he wus able ter work, but I
nursed babies off an' on all de time he lived. When he wus in his death
sickness he uster cry case I had ter take in washin'. Since he's daid I
nurses mostly, but sometimes I ain't able ter do nothin'. I hopes ter
git my pension pretty soon an' dat'll help a heap when I'm laid up, not
able ter turn my han' at nothin'."