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"I wus borned in the year 1852, July 27. born in Granville County, sold to a slave specula ten years old and carried to southwest, Georgia. to Samuel Moward. His daughter took me to Kinston, North Carolina and I stayed there until I was sold. She man named bill brown, and her name wus Julia None. My father wus named Paul Moward and my mother wus Collie Howard. My old missus wus named Polly Howard.
"John Richard Keine from Danville, Virginia and sent me to a plahtation in Georgia. We only a overseer there. He and his wife and children live plantation. We had slave quarters there. Slaves bought up and sent there in chains. Some were cha each other by the legs, some by the arms. They ct leg chains shackles. I have lived a hard life. I seen mothers sold away from their babies and other and they cryin' when she left. I have seen husband separated from their wives, and wives sold from their husband
"Abraham Lincoln came through once, but none knew who he wus. He wus just the raggedest man ye The white children and me saw him out at the railroad. We were settin' and waitin' to see him. he said he wus huntin' his people; and dat he had lost all he had. Dey give him somethin' to eat and tobacco to chew, and he went on. ??con we heard he wus in de White Mouse then we knew who it wus come through. We knowed den it wus Abraham Lincoln.
"We children stole eggs and sold 'em durin' slavery. some of de white men bought 'em. They were Irishmen and they would not tell on us. Their names were Mulligan, Flanagan and bugan. They wore good clothes and were funay mens. They called guns flutes.
"Soss tole us Abraham Lincoln wus dead and we were still slaves. Cur boss man bought black cloth and made us wear it for mourning for Abraham Lincoln and tole us that there would not be freedom. We stayed there another year after freedom. A lot o' de niggers knowed nothin' 'cept what missus and marster tole us. What dey said wus just de same as de Lawd had spoken to us.
"Just after de surrender a nigger woman who wus bad, was choppin' cotton at out plantation in Georgie. John woodfox wus de main overseer and his son-in-law wus a overseer. Dey had a colored man who dey called a nigger driver. De nigger driver tole de overseer de woman wus bad. De overseer came to her, snatched de hoe from her and hit her. The blow killed her. We wus reported to de Freedman's bureau. Dey came, hupped de overseer and put him in jail. Dey decided not to kill him, but made him furnish de children of de dead woman so much to live on. Dere was a hundred or more niggers in de field when this marder happened.
"We finally found out we were free and left. Dey ley me stay with Miss Julia Brown. I wus hired to her. she lived in Dooley County, Georgie. I next worked with Mrs. Bunbar after after staying with Mrs. brown four years. her name wus Mrs. Winnie Dunbar and she moves to Colummia, south Carolina takin' me with her. I stayed with her about four years. This wus the end of my maiden life. I married Isaac Austin of Richmond County, Georgie. He wus a native of Warrenton County and he brought me from his home in Nichmond County, Georgie to Warrenton and then from Warrenton to Raleigh. I had two brothers and thirteen sisters. I did general house work, and helped raise children during slavery, and right after de war. Then you had to depend on yourself to do for children. You had to doctor and care for them yourself. You just had to depend on yourself.
"Dey had 320 acres o' cleared fields in Georgie and then de rice fields, I just don't know how many acres. I have seen jails for slaves. Dey had a basement for a jail in Georgie and a guard at de holes in it.
"No, hol you better not be caught tryin' to do somethin' wia a book. Dey would teach you wid a stick or switdh. De slaves had secret prayer meetin's wid pots turned down to kill de soun' o' de singin'. We sang a song, 'I am glad salvation's free.' Once dey neard us, nex' mornin' dey book us and tore our backs to pieces. Dey would say, 'Are you free? What were you singin' about freedom?' while we niggers were bein' whupped they said, 'Prey, marster, pray.'
"The doctor came to see us sometimes when we were siex, but not after. People just had to no their own doctorin'. Sometimes a man would take his patiant, and sit by de road where de doctor travelled, and when he come along he would see him. De doctor rode in a sully drawn by a horse. Me had a route, one doctor to two territories.
When de white folks were preparing to go to de war they had big dinners and speakin'. Dey tole what dey were goin' to do to Sherman and Grand. A lot of such men as Grant and Sherman and Lincoln came through de South in rags and were at some o' dese meetings, an' et de dinners. When de white folks foun' it out, dere wus some sick folks. Sometimes we got two days Christmas and two days July. When de nigger wus freed dey didn't know where to go and what to do. It wus hard, but it has been hard since. From what de white folks, marster and missus tole us we thought Lincoln wus terrible. By what mother and father tole me I thought he wus all right. I think Roosevelt wus put in by God to do the right thing."
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