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N. C. District No. 2 Subject Ex-Slave Recollections Worker Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed Emma Stone No. Words 326 Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt"
An interview with Emma Stone, 77 of Heck's-Town, Durham, Durham County. 21 May 1937.
"My mamry was a Free Issue an' my pappy belonged ter de Sells in Chatham County. Pappy was named Edmund Bell, mammy was named Polly Mitchel. My sisters was Fanny, Jane, Ann, Josephine, Karcissus, and Cressie. My brothers was Lizah, Hilliard an' another one, but I down 'member his name.
"Yo' knows dat I doan 'member much, but I does know dat days on de plantation was happy. When my mammy married pappy whe moved ter de Bell's plantation se we chilluns, long wid her, was lak de udder slaves.
"De missus gib us her old hoop skirts ter play in an' we played nigh 'bout all de time. We was doin' dis when de Yankees comed by. Dey drives dere hosses up ter de gate an' dey says dat dey is lookin' fer Wheeler's Cavalry. We knows dat it done pass dar de day 'fore, but we is too skeered ter say a thing.
"De Yankees stays 'round dar fer a little while, an' dey gathers rations, den dey goes on atter Wheeler. We uster sing a song 'bout Wheeler's Cavalry but I only 'members dat it went lak dis:
"Wheeler's wheeler's Cav---al---ry, Marchin' on de battlefield wheeler's wheeler's cav---al---ry Marchin' on de battlefield.
It was really a game we played, while we marched an' reaced an' heat on tin pans. De missus ain's carin' case we. is bein' true der de south she thinks. shucks we doan care nothin' 'bout wheeler 'cept what we hyar, on dat ain't so good. We doan keer 'bout de Yankees nother, came we is skeered of dem.
"I hyare rown folkses praisen' Lincoln out I doan know much 'bout him. I doan know nothin' much 'bout none of it, but I does know dat it was on a Sunday dat de picket was lookin' fer wheeler an' dat we was playin' hide an' seek".
