Henry Rountree
From:
North Carolina
N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: Mary A. Hicks
No. Words: 669
Subject: HENRY ROUNTREE
Person Interviewed: Henry Rountree
Editor: G.L. Andrews
HENRY ROUNTREE
Henry Rountree, 103 years old, of near Newsom's Store in Wilson County.
"I wus borned an' bred in Wilson County on de plantation of Mr. Dock
Rountree. I wus named fer his oldest son, young Marse Henry. My mammy,
Adell, my pappy, Shark, an' my ten brothers an' sisters lived dar, an'
aldo' we works middlin' hard we has de grandes' times ever.
"We has two er three corn shuckings ever' fall, we has wood splittin'
days an' invite de neighbors in de winter time. De wimmen has quiltin's
an' dat night we has a dance. In de col' winter time when we'd have hog
killin's we'd invite de neighbors case dar wus a hundret er two hogs
ter kill 'fore we quit. Yes, mam, dem wus de days when folkses, white
an' black, worked tergether.
"Dar wus Candy pullin's when we makes de 'lasses an' at Christmas time
an' on New Year's Eve we has a all night dance. On Christmas mornin' we
serenaded de marster's family an' dey gived us fruits, candy an'
clothes.
"My marster had game cocks what he put up to fight an' dey wus
valuable. When I wus a little feller he had one rooster that 'ud whup
me ever' time I got close ter him, he'd whup young Marse Henry too, so
both of us hated him.
"One day we set down wid bruised backs ter decide how ter git rid of
dat ole rooster, not thinkin' 'bout how much he cost. We made our
plans, an' atter gittin' a stick apiece ready we starts drappin' a line
of corn to de ole well out in de barnyard. De pesky varmint follers de
corn an' when he gits on de brink of de well we lets him have it wid de
sticks an' pretty shortly he am drownded. Marse ain't never knowed it
nother.
"De missus had a ole parrot what had once 'longed ter her brother who
wus a sea captain. Dat wus de cussingest thing I ever seed an' he'd
cuss ever'body an' ever'thing. One day two neighborhood men wus passin'
when dey heard somebody holler 'Wait a minute.' When dey turns 'roun'
de ole parrot sez, 'Go on now, I jist wanted ter see how you looks,
Great God what ugly men!' An' de ole thing laughs fit ter bust.
"Dat ole parrot got de slaves in a heap of trouble so de day when de
hawk caught him we wus tickled pink. De hawk sailed off wid de parrot
screamin' over an' over, 'Pore polly's ridin'. We laughed too quick
case de hawk am skeerd an' turns de ole fool parrot loose.
"Hit's things lak dat dat I 'members mostly, but I does 'member when de
news of de war come. Ole missus says dat de will of de Lord be done.
Den ole Marse sez dat his slaves won't be no happier in heaben dan dey
will wid him an' dat de Yankees better keep outen his business.
"De war comes on an' as de niggers l'arns dat dey am free dar am much
shoutin' an rejoicin' on other plantations, but dar ain't nothin' but
sorrow on ours, case de marster sez dat he always give us ever'thing
dat we needs ter make us happy but he be drat iffen he is gwine ter
give us money ter fling away. So we all has ter go.
"Ole marster doan live long atter de war am over, but till de day dat
he wus buried we all done anything he ax us.
"I has done mostly farm work all of my life, an' work aroun' de house.
Fer years an' years I lives on a part of Marse's land an' atter dat I
lives here. I ain't got no kick comin' 'bout nothin' 'cept dat I wants
my ole age pension, I does, an' I'd like to say too, Miss, dat de
niggers 'ud be better off in slavery. I ain't seed no happy niggers
since dem fool Yankees come along."
LE
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