Jane Lee
From:
North Carolina
N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: Mary A. Hicks
No. Words: 390
Subject: JANE LEE
Person Interviewed: Jane Lee
Editor: G.L. Andrews
[TR: Date stamp: SEP 10 1937]
JANE LEE
An interview with Jane Lee, 81 years old, Selma, North Carolina.
"I wus borned de slave of Marse Henry McCullers down here at Clayton on
de Wake an' Johnston line. My daddy wus named Addison an' my mammy wus
named Caroline. Daddy 'longed to Mr. John Ellington who also lived near
Clayton. I doan know de number of Mr. Ellington's slaves, but I know
dat Marse Henry had six or seben.
"Marse Henry ain't had no oberseer ner no patterollers nother. He
managed his business hisself an' ain't needed nobody. He whupped dem
when dey needed hit but dat ain't often, not dat he ain't put de
whuppin' on dem what did need hit.
"I 'members de Yankees comin' good as iffen hit wus yesterday. Dey
comed wid a big noise, chasin' our white folks what wus in de army
clean away. Dey chase dem to Raleigh an' den dey kotch 'em, but dey
ain't had much time, ter do us any damage case dey wus too busy atter
de Rebs.
"De woods wus full of runaway slaves an' Rebs who deserted de army so
hit wus dangerous to walk out. Marse Henry give us a speech about hit
an' atter I seed one rag-a-muffin nigger man dat wus so hongry dat his
eyes pop out, I ain't took no more walks.
"Atter de war we moved on Mr. Ellington's place wid daddy an' dar I
stayed till I married Wyatt Lee. Wyatt wus a bad proposition an' he got
shot in Fayetteville atter we had five chilluns. Wyatt tuck a woman to
Fayetteville an' a man named Frank Mattiner killed him about her. Den
my oldest boy went to wurk in Virginia an' a man named Rudolphus killed
him 'bout a yaller gal. Both of de murderers runaway an' ain't never
been ketched.
"All five of my chilluns am daid now, an' fer de past ten years I'se
done ever'thing but cut cord wood.
"How does I live? Well I lives now an' den. De county gives me two
dollars a month an' de house am mine durin' my life time. Mr. Parrish
sold hit to Judge Brooks wid de understandin' dat hit am mine long as I
live. I don't know why, none of us never 'longed ter de Parrish's ner
nothin' dat I knows of."
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