TOM WILCOX                   0180-NC_/#327
     I WUZ BORNED ON MARCH 18TH, 1856 DURIN' DE BIGGEST SNOW DAT EBER HIT EASTER
N CAROLINA; DEY SAYS DAT HIT WUZ UP TER DE ROOF.  DE PLACE WHAR I WUZ BORNED WUZ
 IN WARREN COUNTY; JIST ACROST DE HALIFAX COUNTY LINE.  MY MAMMY'S MARSTER WUZ M
ISTER OSCO HARRIS AN' HIS WIFE WUZ NAMED MARTHA.
     MY MAMMY'S NAME WUZ ALICE AN' MY PAPPIE'S NAME WUZ CAMELIN.  I HAD THREE BR
OTHERS, LITTLE BERRY, CORNELIUS JAMES, AN' C J.  DAR WUZ FOUR GALS, ANNE, PATTIE
, PENNIE, AN' MARY FRANCES.
     DE WHITE FOLKS WUZ GOOD TER US AN' WE LOVED 'EM, BUT WE WANTED TER BE FREE,
 CASE DE L WD DONE MAKE US ALL FREE.
     MY MISSUS WUZ A RELIGIOUS WOMAN ANZ I CAN'T TELL YO' DE NUMBER UV TIMES SHE
8HAS BEAT ME CASE I DONE SOME KIND UV WUCK ON A SUNDAY.  WE WENT TER CHURCH EVER
Y SUNDAY.
Y SUNDAY AN' WE WUSN'T 'LOWED TER CUSS AN' SICH THINGS.
     I W Z NINE >HEN DE WAR COMMENCE.  DURIN' DE WAR AN' I WUZ WORKIN' IN DE FIE
L', LONG WID DE FIFTY OR SIXTY OTHER SLAVES.  DAR WUZN'T NARY A TRACK MADE IN OU
T SECTION, AN' WE AIN'T KNOWED MUCH 'BOUT DE WAR.
     AS I DONE TELL YO' ONCT WE WUZ FED AN' CLOTHED GOOD AN' WE LIVED FER EACH O
THER, BUT MY PAPPY BELONGED TER ONE MAN AN' MY MAMMY TER ANOTHER ONE AN' SO WE W
ANTED TER BE ALL TOGETHER.  ATTER DE WAR WE STAYED ON TILL 1865, DEN WE COME TER
 RALE!H.  MOST UV DE WIMMENS AN' CHILLUNS WUZ SENT BY DE TRAIN, BUT ME AN' BERR
Y WE WALKED ALL DE WAY BY LOUISBURG, AN' DRIV' PAPPY'S THIRTEEN HEADS OF CATTLE.
     IN 1871 WE BUYED TEN ACRES UV LAN' AT METHOD FER THREE DOLLARS A ACRE AN' M
OVED OUT HYAR.
     NO MAM, WE AIN'T LIKED JEFF DAVUS, BUT WE DID LIKE MISTER LINCOLN.  I 'MEMB
ERS A VERSE UV A SONG DAT WE SUNG DURIN' DE FUST UV DE WAR.
     DAR WUZ ANOTHER SONG I 'MEMBERS, BUT I CAN'T THINK UV NO GAMES, CASE WE AIN
'T NEBER PLAYED NONE.  YO' HAS HYARD DAT ATTER A DOG GITS SO FULL UV FLEAS HE CA
N'T TOTE NO MO'.  WELL, DAT'S DE WAY I IS.  I PEDDLES MY PEANUTS, BUT I BARELY M
AKES A LIVIN'.
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