ded I had just been hired out. I was
never sent off. I think slavery was an awful thing, and that Abraham
Lincoln was a good man because he set us free."

LE

N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: Mary A. Hicks
No. Words: 669
Subject: HENRY ROUNTREE
Person Interviewed: Henry Rountree
Editor: G.L. Andrews

HENRY ROUNTREE

Henry Rountree, 103 years old, of near Newsom's Store in Wilson County.

"I wus borned an' bred in Wilson County on de plantation of Mr. Dock
Rountree. I wus named fer his oldest son, young Marse Henry. My mammy,
Adell, my pappy, Shark, an' my ten brothers an' sisters lived dar, an'
aldo' we works middlin' hard we has de grandes' times ever.

"We has two er three corn shuckings ever' fall, we has wood splittin'
days an' invite de neighbors in de winter time. De wimmen has quiltin's
an' dat night we has a dance. In de col' winter time when we'd have hog
killin's we'd invite de neighbors case dar wus a hundret er two hogs
ter kill 'fore we quit. Yes, mam, dem wus de days when folkses, white
an' black, worked tergether.

"Dar wus Candy pullin's when we makes de 'lasses an' at Christmas time
an' on New Year's Eve we has a all night dance. On Christmas mornin' we
serenaded de marster's family an' dey gived us fruits, candy an'
clothes.

"My marster had game cocks what he put up to fight an' dey wus
valuable. When I wus a little feller he had one rooster that 'ud whup
me ever' time I got close ter him, he'd whup young Marse Henry too, so
both of us hated him.

"One day we set down wid bruised backs ter decide how ter git rid of
dat ole rooster, not thinkin' 'bout how much he cost. We made our
plans, an' atter gittin' a stick apiece ready we starts drappin' a line
of corn to de ole well out in de barnyard. De pesky varmint follers de
corn an' when he gits on de brink of de well we lets him have it wid de
sticks an' pretty shortly he am drownded. Marse ain't never knowed it
nother.

"De missus had a ole parrot what had once 'longed ter her brother who
wus a sea captain. Dat wus de cussingest thing I ever seed an' he'd
cuss ever'body an' ever'thing. One day two neighborhood men wus passin'
when dey heard somebody holler 'Wait a minute.' When dey turns 'roun'
de ole parrot sez, 'Go on now, I jist wanted ter see how you looks,
Great God what ugly men!' An' de ole thing laughs fit ter bust.

"Dat ole parrot got de slaves in a heap of