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1(1) What is your name? Mary Jane Simmons
2(2) What are the names of your parents? Anthony and Mary Hannah Simmons.
3(3) Where were they born? Raleigh, N. C.
4(4) Where were you born, and how old are you? Raleigh, N. C. 90 years old.
5(5) Are you the oldest or youngest child, and how many children were in your family? 13 children and I was third to oldest.
6(6) What are your earliest recollections of your parents? (Here at this point ask the subject to relate in detail the movements of his parents from birthplace to the plantation.) My father spent very little time at home as he was timekeeper and worked from daylight to dark. My mother was very industrious and spent most of her time in the field. From the time I was large enough to walk, I worked as nurse for Mrs. Watson's children. I spent very little time at home as I slept on a pallet in the shed room and usually spent all day playing with the white chillun. My parents were born and reared on the same plantations.
7(7) Was the plantation designated by any special name? Hornsby Plantation.
8(8) Who was the owner? Mr. Thomas C. Watson.
1(9) Tell us something about the owner and his family, social customs, educational background, etc.
2Master Watson had seven children. He and Missus were well educated, and were mighty kind to all of the slaves. He taught us to mind and also made his children mind.
3(10) Describe the plantation as to area, location, crops, markets, and other points of interest.
4Master owned several thousand acres of land, and it was located about twelve miles out of Raleigh. He required the slaves to grow all of the food used on the plantation.
5(11) What work did your father do on the plantation and give the number of hours of employment.
6My father was timekeeper and worked from daylight until dark, and lots of times would have to go by the foreman's house and report any trouble he had had with the foreman and then go to the whipping boss' house and report the trouble to him.
9(12) What work did your mother do? She cooked for the white folks and for the single slaves.
10(13) What did your brothers and sisters do? Field work.
11(14) What is your first recollection of the work you had to do for your master and how old were you when you first began work? I went to work for Missus Watson nursing the children by the time I was six years old.
12(15) How many slaves were on your master's plantation and what types of work was assigned to the other slaves? About two hundred families and they all did field work.
1(16) Did your family move to another plantation? No.
2Give details. (Note if family has moved to another plantation, then the previous questions should be repeated to cover each new plantation.)
3(17) Were you ever whipped by your master? Were any members of your family whipped?
4Once. His oldest son, William went in his trunk and got out a bank note and let us play with it. I took the note and tore it in six pieces as six of us were playing store and we called that money and were playing with it when Master Watson came to the house and caught us. He whipped William for going into the trunk and then whipped me for tearing the note up.
13(18) How were you punished by the master for infractions of the rules? Only had one whipping the entire time I was a slave. I dreaded for Master Watson to call me to the office and scold me, so stayed out of trouble.
14(19) How were the other slaves punished? By the whipping boss.
1(20) How were crimes against the state punished when committed by slaves, and what was the procedure followed in these cases from the time of arrest to final sentence.
2Never heard of any crimes like that being committed and I am sure I would have, if there had been any.
15(21) After working hours what did you do with your leisure time? Combed Missus' hair and listened to her play and sing on the organ.
1(22) Were you given any off-days? (a) for celebrations (b) for rest? Describe the celebration.
2On Thanksgiving, we were allowed to attend the picnic after church in the green grove and on Christmas we attended the Christmas tree held in the school house. On the 4th of July we always attended the barbecue given on the Quarters.
3(23) Did you engage in "frolics"? Describe the "Frolics".
4The only frolics I remember were the quilting parties held when the crops were laid by for the women and the log rollings held for the men. These were always held at the same house, for then the woman would take the dinner and the men would work all day rolling logs and after dinner was served, the women would quilt.
16(24) What did you do on Sundays?After cleaning house, and dressing the children, we went to Sunday School.
17(25) Did you attend white or colored churches?We went to the colored church except on special occasions when we were allowed to attend the white folks church.
1(26) If white church, state what provisions were made to accomodate colored worshipers.
2When Master Watson let the niggers go to his church, he had a special side for us to sit, we came in just before the services started and left before the white folks did.
3(27) If attended colored churches, give story on how worship was conducted, baptism, etc.
4One of the colored deacons would conduct our services and he would preach nearly all day on Sunday. The only faith in the Quarters was Baptist, and all of the members were baptized.
5(28) Were any members of your family sold apart from the remainder of the family? If so, were they forever lost to your family or were contacts kept up with the members sold?
6No families were separated. The only slaves Master ever sold were a few of his single slaves.
7(29) Was permission necessary or "pass" required for a slave to make a call outside of the boundaries of his plantation?
8The only permission necessary for us to visit on the other plantation was for us to ask Mr. Jim and if we had been obedient, done all of our work he would let us go, but made us come back by ten o'clock at night.
18(30) What was the punishment for infractions of this rule? Were not allowed to go again for six months.
19(31) Did the master punish for this disobedience, or was the punishment left to the white men of the community? Master Jim, the whipping boss, was given complete charge of punishing all of the disobedient slaves.
1(32) Tell us something about your "courting days"--How long did you court before you popped the question?
2I was married twice, the first time, when I was only 14 years old. I only knew this man about a week as he was a new slave that Master had just bought. He was a bright nigger and had plenty of sense and made me a good husband until his health failed him about ten years later and he was an invalid for a year before he died. My second husband was years younger than I was as he was born after freedom. He died about 15 years ago.
20(33) Were you married by your Master? No.
21(34) Did you live together as man and wife without benefit of clergy? No.
22(35) While courting, did you bring your girl presents as home-made "pulled candy", or handkerchiefs? I never got a present of any kind from either one of my husbands.
23(36) Was there much competition in getting the man of your choice? No.
24(37) Did your master ever allow you any spending money? Yes.
25(38) Who handled minor cases of (a) injuries?
26(b) serious cases?
1(c) were any home remedies used?
2On our plantation Master had a colored mammy that looked after all minor cases and she used simple home remedies, but if she considered a case to serious for her to doctor, Master Watson would take the slave to a doctor in Raleigh.
27(39) Who christened the babies? None were ever christened.
28(40) Who selected the names for the babies? The parents.
29(41) Who provided the food for the slaves? Master Watson.
30(42) Who cooked for the "single" slaves? My mother.
31(43) Were rations given by day or on Saturday nights for the full week. Every family was given a weeks supply of food on Saturday.
32(44) Give a sample menu for (a) week day dinner.
33(b) a Sunday dinner.
1(c) a holiday dinner.
2We had vegetables, milk and meat for dinner during the week. On Sunday, we had chicken instead of meat and for a holiday, we had dessert and several kinds of vegetables and hot biscuit.
3(45) Were all food requirements raised on the plantation? Yes.Were any additions to the larder made by hunting or fishing? Describe hunting or fishing expeditions.Very little hunting or fishing was allowed as Master Watson did not believe in killing his birds and one of his slaves
4was drowned while fishing and he very seldom allowed the slaves to go fishing after that.
34(46) Who made the clothes? They were made on the plantation by the colored women. They were taught to card, weave, spin and sew.
1(47) Were you superstitious? Did you believe that a screeching of an owl was the sign of death? That the bellowing of a cow after dark is a sign of death? That sneezing while eating, or if a dog howls after dark it is a sign of death. Did you believe that if there is a death in the house, the ticking of the clock must be discontinued at once and a white cloth hung over a mirror?
2No, my mother never allowed us to be superstitious.
3(48) Do you believe in signs? As if a dish cloth falls on the floor while washing dishes some one will come in hungry, or if the new moon is first seen through the trees it is a sign of bad luck, or if a rooster crows in the door it is a sign of the coming of a stranger, or if there is itching under the bottom of the foot it is a sign you are going to a strange land.
4No. I do not believe in signs.
35(49) What was the talk on your plantation (a) among the slaves
1(b) among the white folks Concerning the beginning and preparations for the war? Master Watson never let the slaves discuss the war. We never were allowed to listen to the conversations of the
2white folks and I never heard Master Watson discuss the war.
36(50) What part did the master's folks play in the war? His oldest son was killed in the war.
37(51) What part did the slaves on your plantation play in the war? We were given more work to do, but had no part in the war.
38(52) Did Confederate Soldiers come to your plantation? Yes, lots of time after dark for food and shelter. I was always assigned to fixing lunches for them and washing their clothes and filling their water bottles.
39(53) Did Yankee soldiers come to your plantation? No.
40(54) What effect did the war have (a) on your master?
41(b) on the plantation
42(c) on you as slaves
43(d) on your neighbors?
44(a) Wrecked Master Watson's health and left him in very poor financial circumstances.
45(b) Very little change was noticeable on the plantation.
46(c) The slaves saw very little difference as not a single slave left Master Watson as long as he was able to farm and could provide work for them.
47(d) No change.
48(55) Were any battles fought on your (a) plantation? (b) in your vicinity?
49(a) No. (b) No.
1(56) How did the close of the war effect the (a) Master (b) plantation (c) you as slaves (d) the community.
2My master died ten years after freedom was declared. The plantation was sold after his death, and most of the slaves moved to Georgia with a neighbor who was moving all of his ex-slaves. The community was soon a thing of the past.
50(57) When were you freed by your master, and what were your reactions? Immediately after freedom was declared. I never felt the change as I felt that I still belonged to Master Watson.
51(58) What were your relations with your master after freedom? I stayed on and worked for the Watson's as long as Master lived.
52(59) Did Yankee troops remain in your vicinity after the war? None ever came, and if they had they show could not have stayed.
53(60) What are you doing now? Am too old to work and am living with my only child, who takes in washing to support me.
54(61) To what factor or factors do you ascribe your ripe old age? I have kept the commandments from my youth, and have always lived a very quiet life. My motto has always been "Never to bite off more than I could chew."
