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An interview with Mandy Coverson, 78, of 103 South Wilmington Street, Ralsigh.
"I was borned in Union County to Sarah an' Henderson Tomberlin. My mother belonged to Mr. Moses Coverson, an' my pappy belonged to Mr. Jackie Tom Tomberlin. I stayed wid my mammy, of course, an' Marster Moses was good ter me. Dey warn't so good ter my mammy, case dey makes her wuck frum sunup till sundown in de hot summertime, an' she ain't had no fun at all. She plowed two oxes, an' if'en yo' has eber been around a steer yo' knows what agravatin' things dey is.
"De oberseer, whose name I'se plumb forgot, was pore white trash an' he was meaner dan de meanest nigger. Anyhow I was too little ter do much wuck so I played a heap an' I had a big time.
"My mammy, died 'fore I was very old an' missus kept me in de house. I was petted by her, an' I reckon spoiled. Yo' knows dat den de niggers ain't neber eat no biscuits but missus always gimmie one eber meal an' in dat way she got me interested in waitin' on de table.
"I wuzn't old enough ter know much, but I does 'member how de fambly hid all de valuables 'fore de Yankees come, an'
AC dat Marster Moses in pickin' up de big brass andirons hurt his back an' dey said dat dat was de cause of his death a little while atterwards. Anyhow de andirons was saved an' dar warn't no trouble wid de Yankees who comed our way, an' dey ain't hurt nobody dar.
"Dey did kill all de things dat dey could eat an' dey stold de rest of de feed stuff. Dey make one nigger boy draw water fer dere hosses fer a day an' night. De Yankees was mean 'bout cussin', but de southern soldiers was jist as bad. Wheeler's Cavalry was de meanest in de whole bunch, I thinks.
"De Ku Kluxes was pretty mean, but dey picked dere spite on de Free Issues. I doan know why dey done dis 'cept dat dey ain't wantin' no niggers a-favorin' dem nigh by, now dat slavery am ober. Dey done a heap of beatin' an' chasin' folkses out'n de country but I 'specks dat de Carpet Bagger's rule was mostly de cause of it.
"I married Daniel Coverson, a slave on de same plantation I was on, an' forty years ago we moved ter Raleigh. We had a hard time but I'se glad dat he an' me am free an' doan belong ter two diff'ent famblies."
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N. C. District No. 2 Subject Ex-Slave Story Worker Mary A. Hicks Story teller Willie Cozart No. Words 914 Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt"
Crasson, Hannah
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N. C. District No. 2 Worker:T. Pat Matthews No. Words:1453 |
Subject HANNAH CRASSON Story teller Hannah Crasson Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt" |
"My name is Hannah Crasson. I was born on John William Walton's plantation 4 miles from garner and 13 miles from Raleigh, N. C. in the County of Wake. I am 84 years ole the 2nd day uv dis las' gone March. I belonged to Mr. John William Walton in slavery time. My missus was named Miss Martha.
"My father was named Frank Walton. My mother was named Flora Walton. Grandma was 104 years when she died. She died down at de old plantation. My brothers were named Johnnie and Lang. My sisters were Adeline, Violet, Mary, Sarah, Ellen, and Annie. Four of us are livin', Ellen, Mary, Sarah and me.
"De old boss man was good to us. I was talkin' about him the udder night. He didn't whup us and he said, he didn't want nobody else to whup us. It is jis like I tell you; he was never cruel to us. One uv his sons was cruel to us. We had a plenty to eat, we shore did, plenty to eat. We had nice houses to live in too. Grandma had a large room to live in, and we had one to live in. Daddy stayed at home with mother. They worked their patches by moon-light; and worked for the white folks in the day time. They sold what they made. Marster bought it and paid for it. He made a barrel o' rice every year, my daddy did.
"Mr. Bell Allen owned slaves too. He had a plenty of niggers. His plantation was 5 miles from ourn. We went to church at the white folks church. When Mr. Bell Allen seed us cummin' he would say, 'yonder comes John Walton's free niggers.'
'Our marster would not sell his slaves. He give dem to his children when they married off do'. I swept yards, churned, fed the chickens. In de ebening I would go with my missus a fishin'. We eat collards, peas, corn bread, milk, and rice. We got biskit and butter twice a week. I thought dat de best things I ever et was butter spread on biskit. We had a corn mill and a flour mill on the plan tation. There was about 24 slaves on de place. Dey had brandy made on de plantation, and de marster gib all his slaves some for dere own uses.
"My grandmother and mother wose our clothes. Dey were called homespun. Dey made de shoes on de plantation too. I was not married til atter de surrender. I did not dress de finest in the world; but I had nice clothes. My wedding dress was made of cream silk, made princess with pink and cream bows. I wore a pair of morocco store bought shoes. My husband was dressed in a store bought suit of clothes, the coat was made pigeon tail. He had on a velvet vest and a white collar and tie. Somebody stole de vea' atter dat.
"One of our master's daughters was cruel. Sometimes she would go out and rare on us, but old marster didn't want us whupped.
"Our great grand mother was named granny Flora. Dey stole her frum Africa wid a red pocket handkerchief. Old man John William got my great grandmother. De people in New England got scured of we niggers. Dey were afrid we would rise aginst em and dey pushed us on down South. Lawd, why didn't dey let us stay whur we was, dey nebber wouldn't a been so menny half white niggers, but the old marster was to blame for that.
"We hever saw any slaves sold. They carried them off to sell 'em. The slaves travelled in droves. Fathers and mothers were sold from their chilluns. Chilluns was sold from their parents on de plantations close to us. Where we went to church, we sat in a place away from de white folks. The slaves nevver did run away from marster, because he was good to 'em; but they run away from other plantations.
"Yes, we seed the patterollers, we called 'em pore white trash, we also called patterollers pore white pecks. They had ropes around their necks. They came to our house one night when we were singin' and prayin'. It was jist before the surrender. Dey were hired by de slave owner. My daddy told us to show 'em de brandy our marster gib us, den dey went on a way, kase dey knowed John Walton was a funny man about his slaves. Dey gave us Christmas and other holidays. Den dey, de men, would go to see dere wives. Some of the men's wives belong to other marsters on other plantations. We had corn shuckin's at night, and candy pullin's. Sometimes we had quiltings and dances.
"One of the slaves, my aint, she was a royal slave. She could dance all over de place wid a tumbler of water on her head, widout spilling it. She sho could tota herself. I always luved to see her come to church. She sho could tote herself.
"My oldest sister Violet died in slavery time. She was ten years old when she died. Her uncles were her pall bearers. Uncle Hyman and Uncle Handy carried her to the grave yard. If I makes no mistake my daddy made her coffin. Dere was no singin'. There were seven of the family dere, dat was all. Dey had no funeral. Dere were no white folks dere.
"Dey baptized people in creeks and ponds.
"We code corn stalks, bent down small pine trees and rode 'em for horses. We also played prison base. Colored and white played, yes sir, whites and colored. We played at night but we had a certain time to go to bed. Dat was nine o'clock. De boss man looked atter us when we was sick. He got doctors. I had the typhoid fever. All my hair came out. Dey called it de "mittent fever." Dr. Thomas Banks doctored me. He been dead a long time. Oh! I don't know how long he been dead. Near all my white folks were found dead. Mr. John died outside.
Walton died in bed. Marster Joe Walton died sitting under a tree side de path. Miss Mancey died in bed.
"I 'member the day de war commenced. My marster called my father and my two uncles Handy and Hyman, our marster called 'em. Dey had started back to the field to work in the afternoon. He said, 'Cum here boys, that was our young marster, Ben Walton, says cum here boys. I got sumptin' to tell you.' Uncle Hyman said, 'I can't. I got to go to work.' He said 'Come here and set down, I got sumptin' to tell you.'
"The niggers went to him and set down. He told them; 'There is a war commenced between the North and the South. If the North whups you will be as free a man as I is. If the South whups you will be a slave all your days.'
"Mr. Joe Walton said when he went to war dat dey could eat breakfast at home, go and whup the North, and be back far dinner. He went away, and it was four long years before he cum back to dinner. De table was shore set a long time for him. A lot of de white folks said dey wouldn't be much war, dey could whup dem so easy. Many of dem never did come back to dinner. I was afraid of the Yankees because Missus had told us the Yankees were going to kill every nigger in the South. I hung to my mammy when dey come through.
"I thought Abraham Lincoln was the Medicine man, with grip in his han', cause he said every borned man must be free.
"I did not think anything of Jeff Davis. I thank de will of God for setting us free. He got into Abraham Lincoln and the Yankees. We are thankful to the Great Marster dat got into Lincoln and the Yankees. Dey say Booker Washington was fine, I don't know.
"The white folks did not allow us to have nuthing to do wid books. You better not be found tryin' to learn to read. Our marster was harder down on dat den anything alse. You better not be ketched wid a book. Dey read the Bible and told us to obey our marster for de Bible said obey your marster.
"The first band of music I ever herd play the Ynakees was playin' it. They were playin' a song, 'I am tired of seeing de homespun dresses the southern women wear'.
"I thinks Mr. Roosevelt is a fine man. Jus' what we need."
N. C. District No. 2 Subject EX-SLAVE STORY Worker Mary A. Hicks Story teller Julia Crenshaw No. Words 130 Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt"
