An Interview by Mary A. Hicks with Ophelia Whitley of Zebulon, (Wake
Co.) N.C. May 12, 1937.
"I wuz borned at Wakefield in 1841, here in Wake County. My mammy wuz
named Eliza an' my pappy wuz named Thomas. Dar wuz eleben uv us
chilluns, Frances, Sally Ann, Jane, Pattie, Louisa, Alice, Firginia,
Sam, Haywood, Boobie and me. We belonged to Mr. Agustus Foster an' he
wuz right good to us even do' he had a hundred or so other slaves.
"I 'members one whuppin' I got when I wuz little 'bout a big matter dat
looked little at de time. Mens would come by in kivered wagons, (we
called dem speckled wagons) an' steal Marse Gus' nigger chilluns. He
had lost a heap of money dat way, so he forbids us of goin' out ter de
road an' he orders us ter stay 'way back in de rear uv de house. One
day we sees a drove uv dese wagons comin' an' we flies down ter de
road. De marster ketches us an' I flies, but he hobbles ter our cabin
on his crutches an' he pinches me, pokes me wid de crutch an' slaps my
face.
"His son Billy wuz de overseer an' he wuz good ter git along wid, but
he shore made dem darkies wuck. De wimmen plowed an' grubbed, an' I'se
known dem ter leave de field, go ter de house an' find a baby an' be
back at wuck de next day. Dat ain't happen often do', mostly dey done
light wuck fer a week or so. De babies wuz carried to Ant Hannah's
house an' she raised 'em all so's dat de other wimmen could wuck. De
mammies ain't even 'member which wuz dere chilluns half de time, so dar
wuz no mo'nin' when somebody got sold.
"I 'members a slave sale an' hyarin' de marster tell Cindy an' Bruce
ter act up fer de benefit of de buyers. Cindy said dat she could do
ever'thing, so she brung a good price, but Bruce, atter sayin' dat he
could do it all, wuz tole ter hitch up a hoss in a hurry. He got de
hoss an' turned his head ter de spatter board an' tried to hook de hoss
up hind part befo'. De marster can't find no buyer, so he whups Bruce
awful atter he gits him home, but dat black boy says, 'Marse, Yo' can
kill me, but I'd ruther stay on hyar.' I'se seed niggers in chains, but
dey wuz travelin', or wuz mighty bad niggers.
"We had log cabins to live in an' dey wuz comfortable but we ain't had
much jubilees, de marster not believin' in such things. We warn't
teached nothin', not even religion an' we got whupped if we wuz ketched
wid a piece uv paper or a slate. De white folks warn't teached nothin'
den, an' you know dey won't gwine ter take no trouble wid de niggers.
De niggers had a doctor do' when dey got sick same as de white folks,
an' dey got a lot of spring tonic an' such, made out of barks an'
roots.
"When de slaves got married dey done it dis way: de marster hilt a
broom an' dey solemnly steps over it twict den dey kissed an' dey wuz
married, 'course dar wuz something dat de marster said, but I done
forgot whut it wuz.
"When we hyard dat de Yankees wuz comin' some of de niggers went fer de
woods an' stayed till atter de surrender, but most uv us stayed on an'
wucked jist de same.
"My marstar made his own brandy an' whiskey an' when de Yankees come he
wuz a rich man. His smoke house wuz ful o' hams an' he hid 'em in de
ceilin' of my mammy's shack, an' he buried dem barrels of brandy, but
de Yankees done found it all an' dey ain't left nothin'.
"I 'members how some of dem Yankee officers cussed in front of my
mussus an' how I tole' em dat dey mought be Yankees but dey won't half
raised at dat.
"Atter de surrender my marster had ter make de slaves leave, but he
moved my papy's cabin furder an' we jist stayed on same as always till
he died. I 'members moughty well when my mammy an' papy got married
case I seed it two years atter de surrender.
"Dar wuz two witches lived in our neighborhood. Dey wuz sisters named
Miss Quinnie an' Miss Tilda an' I'se seed dem brewin' coffee a many a
time an' pourin' it out in a long neck goard. Dey done a powerful lot
of things which I can't recollect right dis minute, anyhow dey wuz
witches.
"I uster see ghosts on dis very road nigh 'bout ever' night. Dey wuz
white an' spongy lookin' an' dey set under de bushes an' holler an'
holler an' holler. I'se poured water on 'em many a time but it ain't
done no good.
"Do you know chile, slavery wuz a good thing, but folks has improved a
lot since den, an' de Yankees warn't half as good ter us as our ole
marster an missus wuz, even if'n dey did put a stop ter de Ku Klux Klan
beatin' sorry niggers dat had ort ter be hung."