n't stand up to do a day's work.
The city paid me $200.00, an' paid my hospital bill.

Abraham Lincoln was all right. I think slavery was wrong because birds
an' things are free an' man ought to have the same privilege.

Franklin Roosevelt is a wonderful man. Men would have starved if he
hadn't helped 'em.

N. C. District: No. 3 [320199]
Worker: Travis Jordan
Subject: SARAH DEBRO
EX-SLAVE 90 YEARS
Durham, N. C.

[TR: Date Stamp "JUL 24 1937"]

SARAH DEBRO
EX-SLAVE 90 YEARS

I was bawn in Orange County way back some time in de fifties.

Mis Polly White Cain an' Marse Docter Cain was my white folks. Marse
Cain's plantation joined Mistah Paul Cameron's land. Marse Cain owned so
many niggers dat he didn' know his own slaves when he met dem in de
road. Sometimes he would stop dem an' say: 'Whose niggers am you?' Dey'd
say, 'We's Marse Cain's niggers.' Den he would say, 'I'se Marse Cain,'
and drive on.

Marse Cain was good to his niggers. He didn' whip dem like some owners
did, but if dey done mean he sold dem. Dey knew dis so dey minded him.
One day gran'pappy sassed Mis' Polly White an' she told him dat if he
didn' 'have hese'f dat she would put him in her pocket. Gran'pappy wuz
er big man an' I ax him how Mis' Polly could do dat. He said she meant
dat she would sell him den put de money in her pocket. He never did sass
Mis' Polly no more.

I was kept at de big house to wait on Mis' Polly, to tote her basket of
keys an' such as dat. Whenever she seed a chile down in de quarters dat
she wanted to raise be hand, she took dem up to do big house an' trained
dem. I wuz to be a house maid. De day she took me my mammy cried kaze
she knew I would never be 'lowed to live at de cabin wid her no more
Mis' Polly was big an' fat an' she made us niggers mind an' we had to
keep clean. My dresses an' aprons was starched stiff. I had a clean
apron every day. We had white sheets on de beds an' we niggers had
plenty to eat too, even ham. When Mis' Polly went to ride she took me in
de carriage wid her. De driver set way up high an' me an' Mis' Polly set
way down low. Dey was two hosses with shiney harness. I toted Mis'
Polly's bag an' bundles, an' if she dropped her hank'chief I picked it
up. I loved Mis' Polly an' loved stayin' at de big house.

I was 'bout wais' high when de sojers mustered. I went wid Mis' Polly
down to de musterin' fiel' whare dey was