Clara Jones
From:
North Carolina
N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: Mary A. Hicks
No. Words: 554
Subject: CLARA JONES
Story teller: Clara Jones
Editor: Geo. L. Andrews
[TR: Date stamp: AUG 6 1937]
CLARA JONES
An interview with Clara Jones of 408 Cannon Street,
Raleigh, North Carolina.
"I doan know how old I is but I wus borned long time ago case I wus a
married 'oman way 'fore de war. We lived on Mr. Felton McGee's place
hear in Wake County. I wurked lak a man dar an' de hours wus from sunup
till dark mostly. He ain't had but about fifty slaves but he makes dem
do de wurk of a hundret an' fifty. We ain't had no fun dar, case hit
takes all of our strength ter do our daily task. Yes'um we had our
tasks set out ever' day.
"One day, right atter my fifth chile wus borned, I fell out in de
fiel'. Marster come out an' looked at me, den he kicks me an' 'lows, 'a
youngin' ever' ten months an' never able ter wurk, I'll sell her'.
"A few days atter dat he tuck me an' my two younges' chilluns ter
Raleigh an' he sells us ter Marse Rufus Jones.
"Marse Rufus am a good man in ever' way. He fed us good an' he give us
good clothes an' we ain't had much wurk ter do, dat is, not much side
of what we had ter do on McGee's plantation.
"We had some fun on Marse Rufus' plantation, watermillion slicin's,
candy pullin's, dances, prayer meetin's an' sich. Yes mam, we had er
heap of fun an' in dat time I had eleben chilluns.
"My husband, William, still stayed on ter Mister McGee's. We got
married in 1860, de year 'fore de war started, I think. I can't tell
yo' much 'bout our courtin' case hit went on fer years an' de Marster
wanted us ter git married so's dat I'd have chilluns. When de slaves on
de McGee place got married de marster always said dat dere duty wus ter
have a houseful of chilluns fer him.
"When de Yankees come Mis' Sally, Marse Rufus' wife cried an' ordered
de scalawags outen de house but dey jist laughs at her an' takes all we
got. Dey eben takes de stand of lard dat we has got buried in de ole
fiel' an' de hams hangin' up in de trees in de pasture. Atter dey is
gone we fin's a sick Yankee in de barn an' Mis' Sally nurses him. Way
atter de war Mis' Sally gits a letter an' a gol' ring from him.
"When de news of de surrender comes Mis' Sally cries an' sez dat she
can't do widout her niggers, so Marse Rufus comes in an' tells us dat
we can stay on.
"William moves ober dar, takes de name of Jones an' goes ter farmin'
wid a purpose an' believe me we makes our livin'. We stay dar through
all of de construction days an' through de time when de Ku Kluxes wus
goin' wild an' whuppin's all de niggers. We raise our eleben chilluns
dar an' dar's whar my husban' died in 1898 an' den I comes ter Raleigh.
"I wurked till four years ago when I had a stroke now I ain't able ter
wurk an' I sho' does want my pension. Will yo' tell dem ter sen' hit in
de nex' mail."
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