WILLIAM SCOTT - NC/# "MY NAME IS WILLIAM SCOTT. I LIVE AT 401 CHURCH STREET, RALEIGH, NORTH CA ROLINA. I WUZ BORN 1860, MARCH 31ST. I WUZ FREE BORN. MY FATHER WUZ WILLIAM S COTT. I WUZ NAMED AFTER MY FATHER. MY MOTHER WUZ CYNTHIA SCOTT. SHE WUZ A SCOT T BEFORE SHE WUZ MARRIED TO MY FATHER SHE WUZ BORN FREE. AS FAR BACK AS I CAN L EARN ON MY MOTHER'S SIDE THEY WERE ALWAYS FREE. "MY MOTHER AND FATHER ALWAYS TOLD ME MY GRANDFATHER WUZ BORN OF A WHITE WOM AN. MY GRANDFATHER WUZ NAMED ELISHA SCOTT. I HAVE FORGOT HER NAME. IF I HEARD HER NAME CALLED I HAVE FORGOT IT. MY GRANDFATHER ON MY MOTHER'S SIDE WUZ A WAV ERLY. I CAN'T TELL YOU ALL ABOUT DESE WHITE FOLKS, BUT SOME OF 'EM, WHEN THEY D IED, LEFT THEIR PROPERTY TO MULATTOES, OR HALF-BREED CHILDREN, AND SEVERAL OF TH EM ARE LIVING IN THIS COMMUNITY NOW. I CAN TELL YOU EXACTLY WHERE THEY ARE, AND WHnRE THEY GOT THEIR PROPERTY. SOME OF THEM ARE OVER HALF WHITE. ,HEY WERE [Y &A-NEGRO WOMAN WHO WUZ A MULATTO AND A WHITE MAN. DEY AIR SO NEAR WHITE YOU CAN 'T TELL THEM FROM WHITE FOLKS. THIS CONDITION HAS EXISTED AS LONG AGO AS I HAVE ANY RECOLLECTION, AND IT STILL EXISTS, BUT THERE ARE NOT AS MANY CHILDREN ACCOR DING TO THE RELATIONS AS USED TO BE. "FREE NEGROES WERE NOT ALLOWED TO GO ON THE PLANTATIONS MUCH. NOW YOU SEE MY FATHER WUZ A FREE MAN. WE LIVED RIGHT HERE IN TOWN. MY FATHER WUZ A DITCHER jND2slAVE GITTnR. -ONE NIGHT THE MAN HE WORKED FOR GOT UP A CROWD AND COME TO WHUP HIM AND TAKE HIS MONEY AWAY FR OM HIM. HE HAD PAID FATHER OFF THAT DAY. DAT NIGHT DEY COME AN' GOT HIM AN' BL INDFOLDED HIM. HE MOVED THE BLINDFOLD FROM OVER HIS EYES AND RUN AN' GOT AWAY F ROM 'EM. HE NEVER DID GO BACK NO MORE TO THE MAN HE HAD BEEN WORKIN' FOR. I WU Z A LITTLE BOY, BUT I HEARD PAPPY TELL IT. DAT WUZ TERECKLY AFTER DE SURRENDER. PAPPY SAW THE MAN HE HAD BEEN WORKIN' FOR WHEN HE SLIPPED THE BLINDFOLD OFF HI S FACE, AND HE KNOWED HIM. "I WUZ A BOY WHEN THE YANKS CAME TO RALEIGH. THEY CAME IN ON THE FAYETTE VILLE ROAD. THEY STOPPED AND QUARTERED AT THE EDGE OF THE TOWN. I REMEMBER THE Y HAD A GUARDHOUSE TO PUT THE YANKEES IN WHO DISOBEYED. LATER ON THEY CAME IN F ROM THE EAST AND QUARTERED AT THE OLD SOLDIERS HOME RIGHT IN THERE, BUT NOT IN T HE BUILDINGS. THERE WERE NO HOUSES THERE WHEN THE YANKEES CAME. THEY HAD SOME HOUSES THERE. THEY BUILT 'EM. THEY STAYED THERE A GOOD WHILE UNTIL ALL THE YAN KEES LEFT. WHEN THE YANKEES FIRST CAME IN THEY CAMPED OVER NEAR DIX HILL, WHEN THEY COME INTO TOWN YOU HARDLY KNOW WHERE THEY COME FROM. THEY WERE JIST LIKE BLUE BIRDS. THEY JIST COVERED THE FACE OF THE EARTH. THEY CAME TO OUR HOUSE AND TOOK OUR SUMPIN' TO EAT. YES SIR, THEY TOOK OUR SUMPIN' TO EAT FROM US NEGROES. MY DADDY DIDN'T LIKE DEIR TAKIN' OUR RATIONS SO HE WENT TO DE OFFICER AND TOLE HIM WHAT HIS MEN HAD DONE, AND THE OFFICERS HAD SUMPIN' TO EAT SENT OVER THERE. ^MY-MAMMY COOKED SOME FUR DE OFFICERS TOO. DEY HAD A LOT OF CRACKERS. DEY CALLED 'EM HARD TACK. THE OFFICERS BROUGHT A LOT OF 'EM OVER DERE. WE LIVED N EAR THE CONFEDERATE TRENCHES JIST BELOW THE FAYETTEVILLE CROSSIN' ON FAYETTEVILL E STREET. THE BREASTWORKS WERE RIGHT NEAR OUR HOUSE. ""IKK OW6>HEN ,HE OLORED MEN FARMED ON \HARE R P\, D(Y6WERE7IVEN JIST E O UGH TO LIVE ON, AND WHEN A WHITE MAN WORKED A MULE UNTIL HE WUZ WORN OUT HE WOUL D SELL HIM TO DE COLORED MAN. DE COLORED MAN WOULD SOMETIME BUY 'IM A OLD BUGGY; DEN HE WUZ C ALLED RICH. PEOPLE WENT TO CHURCH DEN ON STEER CARTS, THAT IS COLORED FOLKS, MO ST UV 'EM. DE ONLY MAN I WURKED FOR ALONG DEN WHO WUD GIB ME BISCUIT THROUGH DE WEEK WUZ A MAN NAMED JUNE GOODWIN. THE OTHERS WOULD GIVE US BISCUIT ON SUNDAY S, AND I MADE UP MY MIND DEN WHEN I GOT TO BE A MAN TO EAT JIST AS MANY BISCUITS AS I WANTED; AND I HAVE DONE JIST DAT. ""MY MAMMY USED TO HIRE ME OUT TO DE WHITE FOLKS. I WORKED AND MADE JIST EN OUGH CLOTHES TO WEAR TO CHURCH UNTIL I WUZ A MAN. I WORKED MANY A DAY AND HAD O NLY ONE HERRIN' AND A PIECE OF BREAD FOR DINNER. YOU KNOW WHAT A HERRIN' FISH I S? 'TWON'T BECASE I THROWED MY MONEY AWAY, TWAS CAUSE WE DIDN'T GIT IT, NUTHER TO SAVE UP. WHEN WE FARMED SHARE CRAP DEY TOOK ALL WE MADE. IN DE FALL WE WOUL D HAVE TO SPLIT CORD WOOD TO LIVE THROUGH DE WINTER. "I WILL TELL YOU NOW HOW I GOT MY START OFF NOW, I AM GOING TO USE DIS MAN' S NAME. I WENT TO WORK FOR A MAN NAME GEORGE WHITAKER. I DRIVE A WAGON FOR HIM. HE 'LOWED ME ALL DE WASTE WOOD FOR MY OWN USE. THIS WUZ WOOD DAT WOULD NO T SELL GOOD ON DE MARKET. I HAULED IT OVER HOME. I WORKED FOR HIM TILL HE DIED, EN HIS WIFE LOWED ME A LITTLE SIDE CRAP. I MADE THIS CRAP, TOOK DE MONEY I GOT FOR IT, AND BUILT A LITTLE STOREHOUSE. I DISREMEMBER HOW LONG I WORKED FE R MIS' HANNAH WHITAKER. DEN I QUIT WORK FOR HER AND WENT TO WORK FOR MYSELF. I OWNS DAT LITTLE STOREHOUSE YIT, DE ONE I WORKED WID MIS' HANNAH WHITAKER, EN FR OM DAT I BOUGHT ME A NUDDER HOME. "WHEN DE YANKEES COME TO RALEIGH DERE WUZ A BUILDING DE CALLED DE GOVERNOR' S PALACE, IT STOOD WHUR DE AUDITORIUM NOW STANDS. RIGHT BACK O' WHERE DE COURTH OUSE NOW STANDS WUZ A JAIL AND A GALLOWS AN' A WHUPPIN' POS' ALL DERE TOGETHER. I KNOW WHEN DEY BUILT DE PENITENTIARY DEY HAULED POLES FROM JOHNSTON COUNTY, D EY CALLED DEM JOHNSTON COUNTY POLES. DEY HAULED EM IN ON TRAINS. DIS POST OFFI CE WUZ BUILT OF PLANK SET UP AN' DOWN. "I REMEMBER SEEING A MAN HUNG DOWNAT DE JAIL. HIS NAME WUZ MILLS. HE WUZ A WHITE MAN. WHEN HE GOT ON DE SCAFFOLD HE SAID, 'WHAT YOU GWINE TO DO TO ME D DO IT QUICK AND BE DONE WID IT'. "I THINK ABRAHAM LINCOLN DONE THE COLORED MAN A HEAP OF GOOD. IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR MR ROOSEVELT THERE ARE MANY LIVIN' TODAY WHO WOULD HAVE PARISHED TO DE ATH. THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WALKIN' ABOUT NOW WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD IF M R ROOSEVELT HAD NOT HELPED THEM. THE ONLY CHANCE I HAD TO HOLD MY HOME WUZ A CH ANCE GIVEN ME THROUGH HIM. AT MY AGE, I CANNOT MAKE MUCH AT WORK, BUT THROUGH T HINGS HE HELPED ME, AND I IS HOLDING MY OWN."