| N.C. District: | No. 2 |
| Worker: | T. Pat Matthews |
| No. Words: | 817 |
| Subject: | ANNIE STEPHENSON |
| Person Interviewed: | Annie Stephenson |
| Editor: | G.L. Andrews |
[TR: Date stamp: AUG 6 1937]
ANNIE STEPHENSON
80 years old
1813 Rosewood Ave.
Richmond, Va.
Now at 717 Saunder's Street
Raleigh, N.C.
"I wus born in Hillsboro, N.C. I 'longed to Charles Holman and my missus wus named Rachel. He owned a plantation near Hillsboro. It wus a mighty big plantation in Orange County, an' he had a good many slaves on dat place. We had tolerable good food an' log cabins and clothes dat you wove in de loom. Home-wove cloth. We had no feather bed. We did not know nuthin' 'bout feather beds. Slaves like dat had bunks an' some slept on de floor. We went barefooted most of the time. Slave shoes had wooden bottoms on 'em. Chilluns wus not give shoes at our place till dey wus big enough to work.
"I 'member seein' de Yankees. Dey wore blue clothes an had brass buttons on 'em. De only work I done wus to sweep yards an' nurse small chilluns. I done very little heavy work. My mother wus named Nicy Oldman an' she worked in de field. My father wus named Billy Briggs, cause he 'longed to the Briggs family. I do not 'member seein' my father but one time. I never seen a slave sold or whupped, but I heard tell of it. My mother tole me 'bout marster whuppin' so severe. We had a rough boss. He had two colored foremen. Dey were slaves who 'longed to marster.
"Dere wus no patches allowed to any of the slaves, an' none of 'em had any money.