CRA M. FLAGG                 0074-NC/#186
          "MY NAME IS CRA M. FLAGG.  I WUS BORN IN RALEIGH NEAR THE PROFESSIONAL
 BUILDING, IN THE YEAR 1860, OCTOBER 16.  MY MOTHER WUS NAMED JANE BUSBEE.  HER
MARSTER WUS QUENT BUSBEE, A LAWYER.  HER MISSUS WUS JULIA BUSBEE.  SHE WUS A TAY
LOR BEFORE SHE MARRIED MISTER BUSBEE.  NOW I TELL YOU, I CAN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY,
 BUT THE OLD HEADS DIED. THE OLD HEADS WERE THE SCURLOCKS WHO LIVED IN CHARHAM C
OUNTY.  I HEARD THEIR NAMES BUT I DON'T REMEMBER THEM.  THEIR CHILDREN WHEN THEY
 DIED mR WED oOR THE SLAVES AND MY MOTHER WUS BROUGHT TO RALEIGH WHEN SHE WUS EI
GHT YEARS OLD.  SHE CAME FROM THE SCURLOCKS TO THE BUSBEES.  THE TAYLORS WERE RE
LATIVES OF THE SCURLOCKS, AND WERE ALLOWED TO DRAW, AND JULIA TAYLOR DRAWED MY M
OTHER.  IT WUS FIXED SO THE SLAVES ON THIS ESTATE COULD NOT BE SOLD, BUT COULD B
E DRAWED FOR BY THE FAMILY AND RELATIVES.  SHE GOT ALONG JUST MIDDLIN' AFTER HER
-MSS S DIED. 6WHnN&HnR-MSS S DIED,-MOTHER SAID SHE HAD  O-LOOK AFTER HERSELF.
 MISTER BUSBEE WOULD NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO WHIP MOTHER.  HE MARRIED MISS DIZZIE BL
EDSOE THE SECOND TIME.
          "I WUS ONLY A CHILD AND, OF COURSE, I THOUGHT AS I COULD GET A LITTLE
SOMETHING TO EAT EVERYTHING WUS ALL RIGHT, BUT WE HAD FEW COMFORTS.  WE HAD PRAY
ER MEETING AND WE WENT TO THE WHITE PEOPLE'S CHURCH.  I HEARD MOTHER SAY THAT TH
EY HAD TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT THEY SAID IN THEIR WORSHIP.  LOTS OF TIME DEY PUT
 US CHILDREN TO BED AND WENT OFF.
         7! kOUT THE TrME-OF THE SuRRnNDnR, I HEARD A LOT ABOUT THE PATTEROLLERS
, BUT I DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE.  CHILDREN WUS NOT AS WISE THEN AS THEY ARE
NOW.  THEY DIDN'T KNOW AS MUCH ABOUT THINGS.
          "YES SIR, I REMEMBER THE YANKEES COMING TO RALEIGH, WE HAD BEEN TAKEN
OUT TO MOSES BLEDSOE'S PLACE ON HOLLEMAN'S ROAD TO PROTECT MISTER BLEDSOE'S THIN
GS.  SO THEY STORED A LOT OF STUFF THERE, AND PUT MY MOTHER AN' A SLAVE MAN BY T
HE NAME O' TOM GILLMORE THERE.  TWO NEGRO FAMILIES WERE THERE.  WE CHILDREN WATC
HED THE YANKEES MARCH BY.
          "THE YANKEES WENT THRGH EVERYTHING, AND WHEN MOTHER WOULDN'T TELL TH
EM WHERE THE SILVER WUS HID THEY THREW HER THINGS IN THE WELL.  MOTHER CRIED, AN
' WHEN THE YANKEE OFFICERS HEARD OF IT THEY SENT A GUARD TO PROTECT US.  THE COL
ORED MAN, TOM GILLMORE, WUS SO SCARED, HE AND HIS FAMILY MOVED OUT AT NIGHT LEAV
ING MY MOTHER ALONE WITH HER FAMILY.  THE YANKEES ATE THE PRESERVES AND ALL THE
MEAT AND OTHER THINGS.  THEY DESTROYED A LOT THEY COULD NOT EAT.
          "MOTHER AND ME STAYED ON WITH MARSTER AFTER THE SURRENDER, AND STAYED
ON HIS PLACE TILL HE DIED.  AFTER THAT WE MOVED TO PECK'S PLACE, CALLED PECK'S P
LACE BECAUSE THE PROPERTY WUS SOLD BY LOUIS PECK.  IT WUS ALSO CALLED THE  SAVE-
RENT  SECTION, THEN IN LATER YEARS OBERLIN ROAD.
          "I THINK SLAVERY WUS A BAD THING, WHILE IT HAD ITS GOOD POINTS IN BUIL
DING GOOD STRONG MEN.  IN SOME CASES WHERE MARSTERS WERE BAD IT WUS A BAD THING.
          "ABRAHAM LINCOLN WUS OUR FRIEND, HE SET US FREE.  I DON'T KNOW MUCH AB
OUT BOOKER T. WASHINGTON.  MISTER ROOSEVELT IS ALL RIGHT.  JIM YOUNG SEEMES TO B
E ALL RIGHT.  JEFF DAVIS DIDN'T BOTHER ME.  I GUESS HE WUS ALL RIGHT.


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