ng an' I members very little 'bout some things
in slavery but from what my mother an father tole me since de war it wus
just 'bout middlin' livin' at marster's. Slaves wore homemade clothes
an' shoes. De shoes had wooden bottoms but most slave chilluns went
barefooted winter an' summer till dey wus ole 'nough to go to work. De
first pair of shoes I wore my daddy made 'em. I 'member it well. I will
never furgit it, I wus so pleased wid 'em. All slave chillun I knows
anything 'bout wore homemade clothes an' went barefooted most of the
time an' bareheaded too.

I member de Yankees an' how dey had rods searchin' for money an' took
things. I members a Yankee goin' to mother an' sayin' we was free. When
he lef' missus come an' axed her what he say to her an' mother tole
missus what he said an' missus says 'No he didn't tell you you is free,
you jes axed him wus you free.' Father wus hired out to Frank Page of
Gary. He wus cuttin cord wood for him, when he heard de Yankees wus
coming he come home. When he got dere de Yankees had done been to de
house an' gone.

Durin' slavery dey tried to sell daddy. De speculator wus dere an 'daddy
suspicion sumpin. His marster tole him to go an' shuck some corn. Dey
aimed to git him in de corn crib an' den tie him an' sell him but when
he got to the crib he kept on goin'. He went to Mr. Henry Buffaloe's an'
stayed two weeks den he went back home. Dere wus nuthin' else said 'bout
sellin him. Dey wanted to sell him an buy a 'oman so dey could have a
lot of slave chilluns cause de 'oman could multiply. Dey hired men out
by the year to contractors to cut cord wood an' build railroads. Father
wus hired out dat way. Ole man Rome Harp wus hired out day way. He
belonged to John Harp.

Daddy said his marster never did hit him but one blow. Daddy said he
wurked hard everyday, an' done as near right as he knowed how to do in
everything. His marster got mad ah' hit him wid a long switch. Den daddy
tole him he wus workin' bes' he could for him an' dat he wus not goin'
to take a whuppin. His marster walked off an' dat wus de last of it, an'
he never tried to whup him again.

N. C. District: No. 2 [320225]
Worker: T. Pat Matthews
No. Words: 775
Subject: ROBERT HINTON
Story Teller: Robert Hinton
Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt

[TR: No Date Stamp]

ROBERT HINTON
420 Smith Street, Raleigh, N. C.

My name is Robert Hinton. I ain't able to work, a