George W. Harris
Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt

[TR: No Date Stamp]

GEORGE W. HARRIS

604 E. Cabarrus Street, Raleigh, N. C.

Hey, don't go 'roun' dat post gitting it 'tween you and me, it's bad
luck. Don't you know it's bad luck? Don't want no more bad luck den what
I'se already got. My name is George Harris. I wuz born November 25, 82
years ago. I have been living in the City of Raleigh onto 52 years. I
belonged to John Andrews. He died about de time I wuz born. His wife
Betsy wuz my missus and his son John wuz my marster.

Deir plantation wuz in Jones County. Dere were about er dozen slaves on
de plantation. We had plenty o' food in slavery days during my boyhood
days, plenty of good sound food. We didn't have 'xactly plenty o'
clothes, and our places ter sleep needed things, we were in need often
in these things. We were treated kindly, and no one abused us. We had as
good owners as there were in Jones County; they looked out for us. They
let us have patches to tend and gave us what we made. We did not have
much money. We had no church on the plantation, but there wuz one on
Marster's brother's plantation next ter his plantation.

We had suppers an' socials, generally gatherings for eatin', socials
jist to git together an' eat. We had a lot o' game ter eat, such as
possums, coons, rabbits and birds.

De plantation wuz fenced in wid rails about 10 ft. in length split from
pine trees. De cattle, hogs an' hosses run out on de free range. The
hosses ran on free range when de crap wuz laid by. There wuz an ole mare
dat led de hosses. She led 'em an' when she come home at night dey
followed her.

De first work I done wuz drappin' tater sprouts, drappin' corn, thinnin'
out corn and roundin' up corn an' mindin' the crows out of de field. Dey
did not teach us to read an' write, but my father could read, and he
read de hymn book and Testament to us sometimes. I do not remember ever
goin' to church durin' slavery days.

I have never seen a slave whipped and none ever ran away to the North
from our plantation.

When I wuz a boy we chillun played marbles, prison base, blind fold and
tag, hide an' seek. Dey gave us Christmas holidays, an' 4th of July, an'
lay-by time. Dey also called dis time "crap hillin' time." Most o' de
time when we got sick our mother doctored us with herbs which she had in
de garden. When we had side plurisy, what dey calls pneumonia now, dey
sent fer a doctor. Doctor Hines treated us