Velma Perry - On the early history of Northside (clip)

Heather Giuffre: So, I guess my first question for you, Velma, would be how did your family get to the Chapell Hill area?

Velma Perry: [Laughter]

HG: [Laughter]

VP: Well, my family got to the Chapel Hill area back in the 1800 and something. I think they got there mostly in 1840. The University up here I thought-- was that 1800 or 1700?

HG: That-- it was created in, I think, 1789.

VP: 1789, yeah.

HG: Yeah.

VP: Oh, course they mostly was here anyway. During the war time-- nah, I believe it’s not-- during the war time that England and America was over-- oh it’s worse than that-- when they’re in-- do you know what that’s called? You know, that war?

HG: Yeah, the Revolutionary--

VP: That, that--

HG: War, yeah.

VP: That, what did you call it, you know. HG: Yeah, yeah. The American Revolution.

VP: Yeah. When the war started-- lost-- when it ended, they had an Earl Bobby. He was from England. Earl, England, Bobby. And when that ended he was here. He owned a great big piece of land. Might have owned a whole lot of land here. In fact, I think he kind of owned half of North Carolina. He owned them everywhere. Hillsborough, everywhere, and he had brought his English slaves over with him when he was here. I guess he brought them when they was fighting I don't want to know.

HG: [Laughter]

VP: But that’s where he brought his English slaves over. And he had his two-- three children. Had two daughters and one son. [He] had slaves all over the place. All over except for his land. Everywhere had slaves. And Jess Hargraves married one of his daughters. And they were here- all of them was here I think, and he gave Jess Hargraves forty slaves. Forty slaves. And, you know, Jess Hargraves owned property all roundabout Meadowmont and all down there, way back down there somewhere. All on that area and all back up this way and every which way. All which way. And then his son was named after his daddy- he’s a junior. Earl Bobby. That’s Earl Bobby was. And he was a junior. Now, he had all his slaves and he had forty slaves. Which his wife’s daddy owned. He owned it all. [Laugther]

HG: Mhmm.

VP: You know what-- and everything. He owned the whole place it looked like to me. He had a great bit. And they were all round it-- they said all ways round here-- they owned every place. Now, I think the University, was founded in 1700 wasn’t it?

HG: Yeah, the late 1700s, yeah. VP: Late in 1700.

HG: Yeah.

VP: Now, the University wanted to, the people wanted to build a university. Now, the slaves they didn’t need to be bought-- they were English slaves. Brought them on the way-- they were English slaves. And they wanted to place to build the University-- whoever it was I don’t know who would want to do that. And Jess Hargraves gave them the property--gave them a great big piece of his-- not all of it. But he gave them a great big part, the part to put the University on.

HG: Mhmm.

VP: And so now they got the property and everything. But you’ve got to put some buildings on it, and all that kind of stuff. And you know who build it? The slaves. [Laughter]

HG: [Laughter]

VP: The slaves built it. And I’m sure that my, what you call them was -- this is my mother’s family--

HG: Mhmm.

VP: And my great-grandmother and great-grandfather was his slaves. His slaves, that’s why my family’s are Hargraves. They were Jess Hargraves’ slaves. [Laughter] Then my grandmother-- great-grandmother and my great-grandaddy. They were slaves though. I can-- mostly if they was English-- they must have known how to build before they got here, because he had them all here. And his son -- he gave his son this area over this way, and someways all in this place. (6:04). Because at the end of this street-- there was Bobby people that lived at the bottom. [Laughter]

HG: Mhmm.

VP: Because they were his slaves. So the slaves was the ones that had to build the University. And then after they got it built and all they could work at the University, and they had to have cooks and maids and all that kind of stuff. His son sold some property here and Jesse would sell property you too-- and a lot of times our -- they would do that and the slaves was--came over. They was putting them over here, I think, more. Must’ve put them over here. Because it was close to the University. Because you see where they lived, well they had property and they lived way down some way from here, you know where?

HG: Mhmm.

VP: All out-- they had to come to work in the morning. [Laughter]

HG: [Laughter]

VP: And so that was mostly why they did it. And, right here in this neighborhood now-- see that house right over there?

HG: Mhmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

VP: That house right side here--

HG: Mhmm

VP: That house in 2-0-4 was a hundred and twenty years old. Oh, so now it’s about a hundred and thirty-one, isn’t it?

HG: Wow, yeah. [Laughter]

VP: About a hundred and thirty years there- same house. People live in it [laughter] right now. And I think that you will find about one or two more on down further more, if you go down. Because this is the street most--not only this street, but this was the neighborhood that they lived in. So most of this neighborhood was nothing but black people.

HG: Mhmm.

VP: The white people was across the street. You know, on-- this is Church Street and on the other side of Church Street is white people. That was white people on that street side. And we on this side. [Laughter]

HG: Uh-huh.

VP: And then-- and back on ways back up in there some of them got-- back up there-- so most of the people that live here, just like we have, we’ve been here all our lives. [Laughter]

HG: Wow.

VP: We didn’t come here, we were been here. HG: Mhmm.

VP: Born here!