TEMPIE HERNDON
     I WAS 31 YEARS OLD WHEN DE SURRENDER COME]  DAT MAKES ME SURE 'NOUGH OLD.
NEAR ABOUT  A HUNDRED AND THREE YEARS DONE PASSED OVER DIS HERE WHITE HEAD OF MI
NE.  'SPECTS I'SE DE OLDEST NIGGER IN DURHAM.  I'SE BEEN HERE SO LONG DAT I DONE
 FORGOT NEAR ABOUT AS MUCH AS DESE HERE NEW GENERATION NIGGERS KNOWS OR EVER GWI
NE KNOW.
     MY WHITE FOLKS LIVED IN CHATHAM COUNTY.  DEY WAS MARSE GEORGE AND MIS' BETS
Y HERNDON.  MIS' BETSY WAS A SNIPES BEFORE SHE MARRIED MARSE GEORGE.  DEY HAD A
 BIG PLANTATION AND RAISED CORN, WHEAT, COTTON AND TOBACCA.  I DON'T KNOW HOW MA
NY FIELD NIGGERS MARSE GEORGE HAD, BUT HE HAD A MESS OF DEM, AND HE HAD HOSSES T
OO, AND COWS, HOGS, AND SHEEPS.  HE RAISED SHEEPS AND SOLD DE WOOL, AND DEY USED
 DE WOOL AT DE BIG HOUSE TOO.  DEY WAS A BIG WEAVIN' ROOM WHERE DE BLANKETS WAS
WOVE, AND DEY WOVE DE CLOTH FOR DE WINTER CLOTHES.  LINDA HERNDON AND MILLA EDWA
RDS WAS DE HEAD WEAVERS;  DEY LOOKED AFTER DE WEAVIN' OF DE FANCY BLANKETS.
MIS' BETSY WAS A GOOD WEAVER TOO.  SHE WEAVE DE SAME AS DE NIGGERS.  SHE SAY SHE
 LOVE DE CLACKIN' SOUND OF DE LOOM AND DE WAY DE SHUTTLES RUN IN AND OUT CARRYIN
 A LONG TAIL OF BRIGHT COLORED THREAD.  SOME DAYS SHE SET AT DE LOOM ALL DE MORN
IN' PEDDLIN' WITH HER FEETS AND HER WHITE HANDS FLITTIN' OVER DE BOBBINS.
     DE CARDIN' AND SPINNIN' ROOM WAS FULL OF-NIGGERS.  I CAN HEAR DEM SPINNrN'
 WHEELS NOW TURNIN' ROUND AND SAYIN' HUMMMM, HUMMMM, AND HEAR DE SLAVES SINGIN'
WHILE DEY SPIN.  MAMMY RACHEL STAYED IN DE DYEIN' ROOM.  DEY WASN'T NOTHIN' SHE
 DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT DYEIN'.  SHE KNEW EVERY KIND OF ROOT, BARK, LEAF, AND BERRY D
AT MADE RED, BLUE, GREEN, OR WHATEVER COLOR SHE WANTED.  DEY HAD  A BIG SHELTER
WHERE DE DYE POTS SET OVER DE COALS.  MAMMY RACHEL WOULD FILL DE POTS WITH WATER
 DEN SHE PUT IN DE ROOTS, BARK, AND STUFF AND BOIL DE JUICE OUT.   DEN SHE STRAI
N IT AND PUT IN  DE SALT AND VINEGAR TO SET DE COLOR.   AFTER DE WOOL AND COTTON
 DONE BEEN CARDED AND SPUN TO THREAD, MAMMY TAKE DE HANKS AND DROP DEM IN DE POT
 OF BOILIN' DYE.  SHE STIR DEM ROUND AND LIFT DEM UP AND DOWN SITH A STICK, AND
WHEN SHE HANG DEM UP ON DE LINE IN DE SUN, DEY WAS EVERY COLOR OF DE RAINBOW.  W
HEN DEY DRIPPED DRY DEY WAS SENT TO DE WEAVIN' ROOM WHERE DEY WAS WOVE IN BLANKE
TS AND THINGS.
     WHEN I GROWED UP I MARRIED EXTER DURHAM.  HE BELONGED TO MARSE SNIPES DuRHA
M WHO HAD DE PLANTATION 'CROSS DE COUNTY LINE IN ORANGE COUNTY.  WE HAD A BIG WE
DDIN'.  WE WAS MARRIED ON DE FRONT PORCH OF DE BIG HOUSE.  MARSE GEORGE KILLED A
 SHOAT AND MIS' BETSY HAD GEORGIANNA, DE COOK, TO BAKE A BIG WEDDIN' CAKE ALL IC
ED UP WHITE AS SNOW WITH A BRIDE AND GROOM STANDIN' IN DE MIDDLE HOLDIN' HANDS.
 DE TABLE WAS SET OUT IN DE YARD UNDER DE TREES, AND YOU AIN'T NEVER SEED DE LIK
E OF EATS.  ALL DE NIGGERS COME TO DE FEAST AND MARSE GEORGE HAD A DRAM FOR EVER
YBODY.  DAT WAS SOME WEDDIN'.  I HAD ON A WHITE DRESS, WHITE SHOES, AND LONG WHI
TE GLOVES DAT COME TO MY ELBOW, AND MIS' BETSY DONE MADE ME A WEDDIN' VEIL OUT O
F A WHITE NET WINDOW CURTAIN.  WHEN SHE PLAYED DE WEDDIN' MARCH ON DE PIANO, ME
AND EXTER MARCHED DOWN DE WALK AND UP ON DE PORCH TO DE ALTAR MIS' BETSY DONE FI
XED.  DAT DE PRETTIEST ALTAR I EVER SEED.  BACK AGAINST DE ROSE VINE DAT WAS FUL
L OR RED ROSES, MIS' BETSY DONE PUT TABLES FILLED WITH FLOWERS AND WHITE
CANDLES.  SHE DONE SPREAD DOWN A BED SHEET, A SURE 'NOUGH LINEN SHEET, FOR US TO
 STAND ON, AND DEY WAS A WHITE PILLOW TO KNEEL DOWN ON.  EXTER DONE MADE ME A WE
DDIN' RING.  HE MADE IT OUT OF A BIG RED BUTTON WITH HIS POCKET KNIFE.  HE DONE
 CUT IT SO ROUND AND POLISHED IT SO SMOOTH DAT IT LOOKED LIKE A RED SATIN RIBBON
 TIED ROUND MY FINGER.  DAT SURE WAS A PRETTY RING.  I WORE IT ABOUT FIFTY
YEARS.  DEN IT GOT SO THIN DAT I LOST IT ONE DAY IN DE WASH TUB WHEN I WAS WASHI
NG CLOTHES.
     UNCLE EDMOND KIRBY MARRIED US.  HE WAS DE NIGGER PREACHER DAT PREACHED AT D
E PLANTATION CHURCH.   AFTER UNCLE EDMOND SAID DE LAST WORDS OVER ME, AND EXTER,
 MARSE GEORGE GOT TO HAVE HIS LITTLE FUN.  HE SAY, COME ON, EXTER, YOU AND TEMPI
E GOT TO JUMP OVER DE BROOM STICK BACKWARDS.  YOU GOT TO DO DAT TO SEE WHICH ONE
 GWINE BE  BOSS OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD.  EVERYBODY COME STAND ROuND tO WATCH.  MARSE
GEORGE HOLD DE BROOM ABOUT A FOOT HIGH OFF DE FLOOR.   DE ONE DAT JUMP OVER IT B
ACKWARDS AND NEVER TOUCH HANDLE, GWINE BOSS DE HOUSE.   IF BOTH OF DEM JUMP OVER
 WITHOUT TOUCHIN' IT, DEY WON'T GWINE BE NO BOSSIN', DEY JUST GWINE BE
CONGENIAL.  I JUMPED FIRST, AND YOU OUGHT TO SEED ME.  I SAILED RIGHT OVER DAT B
ROOM STICK SAME AS A CRICKET.  BUT WHEN EXTER JUMP HE DONE HAD A BIG DRAM AND HI
S FEETS WAS SO BIG AND CLUMSY DAZT DEY GOT ALL TANGLED UP IN DAT BROOM AND HE FE
LL HEADLONG.   MARSE GEORGE HE LAUGH AND LAUGH, AND TOLD EXTER HE GWINE BE BOSSE
D 'TWELL HE SCARED TO SPEAK LESSEN I TOLD HIM TO SPEAK.  AFTER DE WEDDIN' WE WEN
T DOWN TO DE CABIN MIS' BETSY DONE ALL DRESSED UP BUT EXTER COULDN'T STAY NO LON
ER DEN DAT NIGHT 'CAUSE HE BELONGED TO MARSE SNIPES DURHAM AND HE HAD TO GO BACK
 HOME.  HE LEFT DE NEXT DAY FOR HIS PLANTATION, BUT HE COME BACK EVERY SATURDAY
NIGHT AND STAY 'TWELL SUNDAY NIGHT.
     WE HAD 11 CHILLEN.   9 WAS BORN BEFORE SURRENDER AND TWO AFTER WE WAS SET F
REE.  SO I HAD TWO CHILLEN DAT WASN'T BORN IN BONDAGE.  I WAS WORTH A HEAP TO MA
RSE GEORGE 'CAUSE I HAD SO MANY CHILLEN.  DE MORE CHILLEN A SLAVE HAD DE MORE DA
Y WAS WORTH.  LUCY CARTER WAS DE ONLY NIGGER ON DE PLANTATION DAT HAD MORE CHILL
EN DEN I HAD.  SHE HAD  12 BUT HER CHILLEN WAS SICKLY AND MINE WAS MULELY STRONG
 AND HEALTHY.  DEY NEVER WAS SICK.
     WHEN DE WAR COME, MARSE GEORGE WAS TOO OLD TO GO, BUT YOUNG MARSE BILL
WENT.  HE WENT AND TOOK MY BROTHER SLIM WITH HIM.  MARSE BILL TOOK SLIM ALONG TO
 LOOK AFTER HIS HOSS AND EVERYTHING.  DEY DIDN'T NEITHER ONE GET SHOT, BUT MIS'
BETSY WAS SCARED NEAR ABOUT TO DEATH ALL DE TIME, SCARED DEY WAS GWINE BE BRUNG
HOME SHOT ALL TO PIECES LIKE SOME OF DE SOLDIERS WAS.
     DE YANKEES WASN'T SO BAD.  DE MOST DEY WANTED WAS SUMPIN' TO EAT.  DEY WAS
ALL DE TIME HUNGRYY, DE FIRST THING DEY ASK FOR WHEN DEY COME WAS SUMPIN' TO PUT
 IN DEY STOMACH.  I AIN'T NEVER SEED EVEN A PREACHER EAT CHICKEN LIKE DEM YANKEE
S.  I BELIEVES TO MY SOUL DEY AIN'T NEVER SEED NO CHICKEN 'TWELL DEY COME DOWN H
ERE.  AND HOT BISCUIT TOO.  I SEED A PASSEL OF DEM EAT UP A WHOLE SACK OF FLOUR
ONE NIGHT FOR SUPPER.  GEORGIANNA SIFT FLOUR 'TWELL SHE LOOK WHITE AND DUSTY AS
 A MILLER.  DEM SOLDIERS DIDN'T TURN DOWN NO HAM EITHER.  DAT DE ONLIEST THING D
EY TOOK FROM MARSE GEORGE.   DEY WENT IN DE SMOKEHOUSE AND TOTED OFF DE HAMS AND
 SHOULDERS.  MARSE GEORGE SAY HE COME OFF MIGHTY SLIGHT IF DAT ALL DEY WANT.  BE
SIDES HE GOT PLENTY OF SHOATS ANYHOW.
     WE HAD ALL DE EATS WE WANTED WHILE DE WAR WAS SHOOTIN' DEM GUNS, 'CAUSE MAR
SE GEORGE WAS HOME AND HE KEPT DE NIGGERS WORKIN'.  WE HAD CHICKENS  GOOSES, MEA
T, PEAS, FLOUR, MEAL POTATOES, AND THINGS LIKE DAT ALL DE TIME, AND MILK AND BUT
TER TOO.  BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE NO SUGAR AND COFFEE.  WE USED GROUND PARCHED CORN F
OR COFFEE AND CANE 'LASSES FOR SWEETNIN'.  DAT WASN'T SO BAD WITH A HEAP OF THIC
K CREAM.  ANYHOW, WE HAD ENOUGH TO EAT TO DIVIDE WITH DE NEIGHBORS DAT DIDN'T HA
VE NONE WHEN SURRENDER COME.
     I WAS GLAD WHEN DE WAR STOPPED, 'CAUSE DEN ME AND EXTER COULD BE TOGETHER A
LL DE TIME 'STEAD OF SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.  AFER WE WAS FREE WE LIVED RIGHT ON AT
 MARSE GEORGE'S PLANTATION A LONG TIME.  WE-RENTED DE-LjND oOR A oOuRcHOF WHAT
WE MADE, DEN AFTER WHILE WE BOUGHT A STEER, A COW, AND TWO PIGS, BESIDES SOME CH
ICKENS AND FOUR GEESE.  MIS' BETSY SENT UP IN DE ATTIC AND GIVE US A BED AND BED
TICK.  SHE GIVE US ENOUGH GOOSE FEATHERS TO MAKE TWO PILLOWS.  DEN SHE GIVE US A
 TABLE AND SOME CHAIRS.  SHE GIVE US SOME DISHES TOO.  MARSE GEORGE GIVE EXTER A
 BUSHEL OF SEED CORN AND SOME SEED WHEAT, DEN HE TOLD HIM TO GO DOWN TO DE BARN
AND GET A BAG OF COTTON SEED.  WE GOT ALL DIS.  DEN WE HITCHED UP DE WAGON AND T
HROWED IN DE PASSEL OF CHILLEN AND MOVED TO OUR NEW FARM, AND DE CHILLEN WAS PUT
 TO WORK IN DE FIELD.  DEY GROWED UP IN DE FIELD 'CAUSE DEY WAS PUT TO WORK TIME
 DEY COULD WALK GOOD.
   X   XXX