working on the farm as a day
hand. I worked this way for one year then I began share croppin'.

"I farmed ever since I came to Wake County 15 years ago. I farmed on
Mr. Simpkins place one year then Mr. Dillon bought the place and I
stayed there nine more years then I became so near blind I could not
farm. I came to Raleigh to this house four years ago. I have been
totally blind since the fifteenth of last December.

"I married Alice Praylor near Ridgeway when I was 23 years of age. We
had nine children.

"My last marriage was to Mamie Williams. I married her in South
Carolina. We had four children. They are all living, grown and married
off. My chief worry over being blind is the fact that it makes me
unable to farm anymore."

LE

N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: T. Pat Matthews
No. Words: 1120
Subject: JACOB MANSON
Person Interviewed: Jacob Manson
Editor: G.L. Andrews

JACOB MANSON

317 N. Haywood St. Raleigh, N.C. 86 years of age.

"It has been a long time since I wus born--bout all my people am dead
'cept my wife an one son an two daughters. De son an' one daughter live
in N.C. an de other daughter lives in Richmond, Va.

"I belonged to Col. Bun Eden. His plantation wus in Warren County an'
he owned 'bout fifty slaves or more. Dere wus so many of 'em dere he
did not know all his own slaves. We got mighty bad treatment an' I jest
wants to tell you a nigger didn't stan' as much show dere as a dog did.
Dey whupped fur mos' any little trifle. Dey whupped me, so dey said,
jes to help me git a quicker gait. De patterollers come sneakin' round
often an' whupped niggers on marster's place. Dey nearly killed my
uncle. Dey broke his collar bone when dey wus beatin him an marster
made 'em pay for it 'cause uncle never did git over it.

"Marster would not have any white overseers. He had nigger foremen. Ha!
ha! he liked some of de nigger 'omans too good to have any udder white
man playin' aroun' 'em.

"We wurked all day an some of de night an' a slave who made a week,
even atter doin dat, wus lucky if he got off widout gettin' a beatin.
We had poor food an' de young slaves wus fed outen troughs. De food wus
put in a trough an de little niggers gathered round an' et. Our cabins
wus built of poles an had stick an dirt chimleys one door an one little
winder at de back end of de cabin. Some of de houses had dirt floors.
Our clothin' was poor an