e.

Slavery wus a good thing from what I knows 'bout it. While I liked de
Yankees wid dere purty clothes, I didn't like de way dey took marster's
stuff an' I tole 'em so. Mother made me hush. Dey took chickens, meat,
hogs an' horses.

We finally left ole marster's plantation an' moved Jes' a little way
over on another plantation. Mother an' father died there.

I married Sam Hews in Wake County when I wus fifteen years old. I had no
children. After we wus married we stayed on de farm a year or two den we
moved to Raleigh. We have wurked for white folks ever since, an' I am
still wurkin' for 'em now all I am able. I washes an' irons clothes.
Sometimes I can't wash, I ain't able, but I does de bes' I can. De white
folks is still good to me an' I likes' em.

LE

District: No. 2 [320158]
Worker: T. Pat Matthews
No. Words: 1554
Subject: Joe High
Person Interviewed: Joe High
Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt

[TR: Date Stamp "JUN 1 1937"]

[HW: interesting first & last paragraph glad slavery ended but loved
Missus]

JOE HIGH
[HW:--80 years]

Joe High interviewed May 18, 1937 has long been one of the best
independent gardners in Raleigh, working variously by the hour or day.

My name is Joe High. I lives at 527 So. Haywood. St. Raleigh, N. C. Now
dere is one thing I want to know, is dis thing goin' to cost me
anything. Hold on a minute, and le' me see. I want to be square, and I
must be square. Now le' me see, le' me see sumpin'. Sometimes folks come
here and dey writes and writes; den dey asts me, is you goin' to pay dis
now? What will it cost? Well, if it costs nothin' I'll gib you what I
knows.

Let me git my Bible. I wants to be on de square, because I got to leave
here some of dese days. Dis is a record from de slave books. I've been
tryin' to git my direct age for 35 years. My cousin got my age. I wuz
born April 10, 1857. My mother's name wuz Sarah High. Put down when she
wuz born, Oct. 24, 1824. This is from the old slave books. We both
belonged to Green High, the young master. The old master, I nebber seed
him; but I saw old missus, Mis' Laney High. The old master died before I
wuz born. We lived two miles north uv Zebulon. You know where Zebulon is
in Wake County? I had two brothers, one brother named Taylor High,
'nother named Ruffin High. My sister died mighty young. She come here
wrong; she died. I' member seeing my uncle take her