, Matilda Francis, and Emily Dickens.

My grandmother wuz named Charity Dickens. My grandfather wuz Dudley T.
Dickens. I do not know where dey came from. No, I don't think I do. My
mother belonged to Washington Scarborough, and so did we chilluns. My
father he belonged to Obediah Dickens and missus wuz named Silvia
Dickens. Dey lowed mother to go by the name of my father after dey wuz
married.

We lived in log houses and we had bunks in 'em. Master died, but I
'member missus wuz mighty good to us. We had tolerable fair food, and as
fur as I know she wuz good to us in every way. We had good clothing made
in a loom, that is de cloth wuz made in de loom. My father lived in
Franklin County. My mother lived in Wake County. I 'member hearin'
father talk about walkin' so fur to see us. There wuz about one dozen
slaves on de plantation. Dere were no hired overseers. Missus done her
own bossing. I have heard my father speak about de patterollers, but I
never seed none. I heard him say he could not leave the plantation
without a strip o' something.

No, sir, the white folks did not teach us to read and write. My mother
and father, no sir, they didn't have any books of any kind. We went to
white folk's church. My father split slats and made baskets to sell. He
said his master let him have all de money he made sellin' de things he
made. He learned a trade. He wuz a carpenter. One of the young masters
got after father, so he told me, and he went under de house to keep him
from whuppin' him. When missus come home she wouldn't let young master
whup him. She jist wouldn't 'low it.

I 'members de Yankees comin' through. When mother heard they were
comin', she took us chillun and carried us down into an ole field, and
after that she carried us back to the house. Missus lived in a two-story
house. We lived in a little log house in front of missus' house. My
mother had a shoulder of meat and she hid it under a mattress in the
house. When the Yankees lef, she looked for it; they had stole the meat
and gone. Yes, they stole from us slaves. The road the Yankees wuz
travellin' wuz as thick wid' em as your fingers. I 'member their blue
clothes, their blue caps. De chickens they were carrying on their horses
wuz crowing. Dey wuz driving cows, hogs, and things. Yes sir, ahead of
'em they come first. The barns and lots were on one side de road dey
were trabellin' on and de houses on de other. Atter many Yankees had
passed dey put a bodyguard a