o.

EH

By Miss Nancy Woodburn Watkins [320227]
Rockingham County
Madison, North Carolina

[TR: No. Words: 1,165]

Ex-Slave Biography--Charles Lee Dalton, 93.

In July, 1934, the census taker went to the home of Unka Challilee
Dalton and found that soft talking old darky on the porch of his several
roomed house, a few hundred feet south of the dirt road locally called
the Ayersville road because it branches from the hard surfaced highway
to Mayodan at Anderson Scales' store, a short distance from Unka
Challilie's. Black got its meaning from his face, even his lips were
black, but his hair was whitening. His lean body was reclining while
the white cased pillows of his night bed sunned on a chair. His
granddaughter kept house for him the census taker learned. Unka
Challilie said: "I'se got so I ain't no count fuh nuthin. I wuz uh
takin' me a nap uh sleepin' (' AM). Dem merry-go-wheels keep up sich a
racket all nite, sech a racket all nite, ah cyan't sleep." This
disturbance was "The Red Wolfe Medicine Troop of Players and Wheels"
near Anderson Scales' store in the forks of the Mayodan and the
Ayresville roads.

In 1937 in the home of his son, Unka Challilie ninety-three, told the
cause of his no "countness." "I wuz clean-up man in de mill in Mayodan
ontill three years ago, I got too trimbly to git amongst de machinery.
Daze frade I'd fall and git cut."

I cum tuh Madison forty-five yeah ago, and I bought one acre, and built
me a house on it, an' razed my leben chillun dyah. My wife was Ellen
Irving of Reidsville. We had a cow, pigs, chickens, and gyardum of
vegetables to hope out what I got paid at de mill.

Nome I nevah learned to read an write. Ounct I thought mebbe I'd git
sum lunnin but aftah I got married, I didn't think I would.

My old Marse wuz Marse Lee Dalton and I stayed on his plantation till
forty-five years ago when I cum tuh Madison. His place wuz back up dyah
close tuh. Mt. Herman Church. Nome we slaves ain't learn no letters, but
sumtimes young mistis' 'd read de Bible tuh us. Day wuz pretty good tuh
us, but sumtimes I'd ketch uh whippin'. I wuz a hoe boy and plow man. My
mothers' name wuz Silvia Dalton and my daddy's name wuz Peter Dalton.
Day belonged to Marse Lee and his wife wuz Miss Matilda Steeples
(Staples). Marse Lee lived on Beaver Island Creek at the John Hampton
Price place. Mr. Price bought it. He married Miss Mollie Dalton, Marse
Lee's daughter. Dyah's uh ole gra