s hard.

We lived tergether fifty-five years an' we always loved each other. He
aint never whup ner cuss me an' do we had our fusses an' our troubles we
trusted in de Lawd an' we got through. I loved him durin' life an' I
love him now, do he's been daid now fer twelve years.

The old lady with her long white hair bowed her head and sobbed for a
moment then she began again unsteadily.

We had eight chilluns, but only four of dem are livin' now. De livin'
are James, Sidney, Helen an' Florence who wus named fer Florence
Nightingale.

I can't be here so much longer now case I'se gittin' too old an' feeble
an' I wants ter go ter Jim anyhow. The old woman wiped her eyes, 'I
thinks of him all de time, but seems lak we're young agin when I smell
honeysuckles er see a yaller moon.

LE

N. C. District: No. 3 [320271]
Worker: Travis Jordan
Subject: Tempie Herndon Durham
Ex-Slave 103 Years Old
1312 Pine St., Durham, N. C.

[TR: Date Stamp "AUG 23 1937"]

TEMPIE HERNDON DURHAM
EX-SLAVE 103 YEARS OLD
1312 PINE ST., DURHAM, N. C.

I was thirty-one years ole when de surrender come. Dat makes me sho
nuff ole. Near 'bout a hundred an' three years done passed over dis here
white head of mine. I'se been here, I mean I'se been here. 'Spects I'se
de olest nigger in Durham. I'se been here so long dat I done forgot near
'bout as much as dese here new generation niggers knows or ever gwine
know.

My white fo'ks lived in Chatham County. Dey was Marse George an' Mis'
Betsy Herndon. Mis Betsy was a Snipes befo' she married Marse George.
Dey had a big plantation an' raised cawn, wheat, cotton an' 'bacca. I
don't know how many field niggers Marse George had, but he had a mess of
dem, an' he had hosses too, an' cows, hogs an' sheeps. He raised sheeps
an' sold de wool, an' dey used de wool at de big house too. Dey was a
big weavin' room whare de blankets was wove, an' dey wove de cloth for
de winter clothes too. Linda Hernton an' Milla Edwards was de head
weavers, dey looked after de weavin' of de fancy blankets. Mis' Betsy
was a good weaver too. She weave de same as de niggers. She say she love
de clackin' soun' of de loom, an' de way de shuttles run in an' out
carryin' a long tail of bright colored thread. Some days she set at de
loom all de mawnin' peddlin' wid her feets an' her white han's flittin'
over de bobbins.

De cardin' an' spinnin' room was full of