Marie Davis Harris was born in Franklin County. Her mother died in 1935 when she was only ten years old, so Marie and her six siblings went to live with her aunt. Marie worked with her family on the Privett tobacco farm and lived with her aunt until she got married at 17 to a man she met on the farm. They had nine children and were married for 42 years until her husband was killed on the job at Carolina Steel. Marie explains what working on the tobacco farm was like, and how later in her life she also used her children to help work on a farm. They decided to move to New Jersey for ten years where Marie did housework and her husband worked with cars. They then moved back to North Carolina to buy a home. She discusses taking her children to church and wanting them to lead "good Christian lives" like she has.