SLAVE NARRATIVES - Library of Congress

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Interviewer Samuel S» fj&ylor
Person Interviewed Thomas Buffin
1310 Cross Street, Little Rock. Arkansas
Age 82 or 84
"I was torn in Borth Carolinaf Franklin County, near Raleigh. My father's
name really I don f t know. Folks said my master was my daddy. That's what they
told me* Of course, I don't know myself. But then white folks did anything
they wanted to in slavery times.
"W$ mother's name was Morina Ruffin. I don't know the names of my grand- .
parents. That is too far hack in slavery for me« Of course, old man Euffin
my father's father, which would have "been my grandfather, he died way "back
yonder in slave times "before the war. My father gotten kilt in the war. His
name v/as Tom ^uffin. I was named after him. He died trying to hold us. That
man owned three hundred slaves. He never married* Carried my mother round
everywhere he went. Out of all his niggers, he didn't have "but one with him.
That was in slavery time and he was a fool about her.
"I couldn't tell you exactly when I was horn. Up until the surrender I
couldn't tell how old I was. I am somewheres around eighty-two years old.
The old lady is just about the same. We guesses it in part. *e figure it on
what we heard the old folks say and things like that. I remember plenty of
things about slavery that I saw.
f, I never did much when I was a boy. The biggest thing I remember is a
.uule got to kicking and jumped around in a stall. She lost her footing and
fell down and broke her neck right there in the stall. I remember her name
as well as if it was yesterday. Her name was Bird. That was just before