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SLAVE A Folk History of Slavery in the From. Interviews with Former Slaves TYPEWRITTEN RECORDS PREPARED BY THE FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT I 1936 1938 ASSEMBLEI) BY TIlE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PROJECT WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SPONSORED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Illustrated with Photographs United States wAsHIN(;TON 194! NARRATIVES

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VOLUME XVI TEXAS NARRATIVES PART 3 Prepared by the Federal Writers Project of~ the Works Progress Administration for the State of Texas

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INFORMAN~ Lewis, Cinto Lewis, Hagar Lewis, Henry Lewis, Lucy Lincoln, Amos Little, Annie Livingston, Abe Love, John Love, Louis McCoy, John McQ,ueen, Nap McRay, Bill McRay, C. B. Malone, Julia Marshall Adeline Martth, Isaac Martin, James Mathews, Louise Mathews, William Mayes, Hiram Merritt, Susan Miles, Josh Miller, Anna Miller, Mintie Maria Mills, Torn Mire, La San Mitchell Charley Mitchell, Peter Moody, Andrew Moore, A. M. Moore, Jerry Moore, John Mooi~e, Van Moore, William Mo rrow Mandy Moses, Patsy Nelson, Andy Newman, Virginia Nillin, Margrett Ogee, John Osbonie, Annie Overstreet Horace Overton, Mary Owens, George Patterson, I~Jary Anna Patton, Martha Payne, Ellen Perkins Henderson Phillips, Daniel Pierce, Lee Polk, Ellen Powers, Betty Powers, Tulle ~. Price, Allen Price, John Price, :T~ev, Lafayette Probasco, Henry Proctor, Jenny Pruitt, A. C. Q,uarls, Harre Rains, Eda Randall, Millie Hednioun Laura Peece, Elsie Reynolds, Mary Rium, Halter Robinson, ::ariah Ross, 3usan Row, Annie Huffin, Gill Ruffin, Martin Ruffins, Florence Hussel, aaron Ryas, Peter Ryle~, Josephine 154 157 160 162 165 l 71 173 177 180 183 185 188 190 193 195 197 o 205 208 ~18 222 225 227 229 233 236 247 252 256 258 262 265 268 270 274 278 3. 4 8 14 17 20 24 26 29 32 35 38 40 43 45 48 62 65 67 72 75 79 82 85 88 107 110 114 116 118 121 125 128 132 138 142 145 148 152

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ILLUSTRATIONS Facing page 4 20 24 35 38 40 62 65 175 79 10 ? 110 116 118 121 128 132 142 148 152 154 160 Hagar Lewis Annie Little Abe Livingston Nap ~cQ,ueen Bill I~cRay C. B. Mc~ay Jarnes Martin Louise Mathews Susan ~~erritt ~Tosh i ~iles La San I:ire Charley Mitchell Andrew Moody and Vife Tildy A. M. Moore Jerry Moore Van Moore William Moore Patsy Moses Virginia Newman Margrett Nillin John Ogee Horace Overstreet nary Anna Patterson 171

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Facing page Ellen Payne 17? Henderson Perkins 180 Daniel Phillips 183 Ellen Polk 188 Betty Powers 190 Tillie R. Powere 193 ~Tohn Price and wife Liranda 197 Jennie Proctor 208 Eda Rains 225 J~ii11ie Randall 22? Laura Rednioun 229 Elsie Reece 233 Mary Reynolds 236 Walter Rimai 24? Gill Ruffin 262 Martin Ruffin 265 Aaron Russel 270

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/1 b)~ ~ I ~ :tP~w~J~L.( ) ~ ~XSL4~V$~ SPORI~S Paie One j ~ (T,xae) ~ Uncle Cinto Lewis, ex slave, claims to be 111 years old.. He lived in a brick cabin with his wife, Aunt Lucy, on the Hwitin~ton Plantation, in Bra z~ria Co., Texas. Miss Kat Ru~ntin~ton sa~s the cabin oc- cupleci by the old. couple is part of the old slave qu~arters built by J. Greenville MeNeel, who owned the plantation before . Marion Hantin~ton, Miss Kate s father, bou~ht I t . Alth~a~h Uncle Ointe clairiis to be 111, he says he was n~med San Jacinto because he was born during the San Jacinto WarU ~ woild i~ake his a~e 101. su.h, I ~ s Cint .~ Phnt s lucy over there she my wife and I calls her Red Heifer, cau~se her papa s n~me was J~aan ~n& he was a Mexican, She and me raarry right after m~ucipation. We come 1on~ W8~ and we &; in te die to~ther. . ~They named me San Jacinto cause I s born dunn ae San Jacinte war, b~it they calls me Cinto. l s born in Fort Bond County, up near Richmond and. ny old marster was Marse Dave Randn and. his wife, Miss Nancy, was my aissue. She was sister to Marse John McN.e1, what with his brothers owned. all de land hereabouts. WI asiabers once I slips awa~r came dark from de plantation, with s iie there. We is slippin long quiet like and. a pad&le roller L j~zi*p o~Lt fron behin ~ b~eh and say, ,$et s see tour Pass. We didn t have nine but I h~s a piece of paper and I 4ves it t. him and he walks t. wh.r. it am ~ re lieht and then w. run, right tbreu~h old burdock bushes with briars stickin us and. everything. Iffen he cotched ua w. eh. gits a hidin . ~1i..

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~.. Q ~. Ex slave St ri e ~ ~ Tw (Texas) tu tust went t di field when I bout 15 year .14, but they lamed us t e work when we was chaps ~ we would t p ~ j~pm~~ in d~e rews. My asama s name Maria Slaiaons end. my papa, Lewie~ They rared. me ~ip right. Marss Dave wasn t ineen like some. Sometin~es de slaves run away to de weeds and iffen they d~tt cotch t~ fust they finally gits hongry ~ind comes home, and. then they gite a hidin ~. Seme niggers just COLL1C from Africa and old Marse has te watch tern close, cause they is de ones what mostly runs away to de woods. We had. bettsr h uses then, good plank houses, ~nd d.c big house was ~ big and. nice. Course they didn t lam us read ~nd write, ~nd didntt tiow no church, but us steal off and have it sonietinies, and iffen old Marie cotch us he give us a whalint. We didntt have no funersis like flOW, they ~ di~ a hole and rn~ke you a bo~ arid throw ~rou in ~nd cover you up. But de wtdte feiks fed u.s good and give us good clothes. ~ve won red russet shoes and good hetaespun clothes, and we done better n now. Corns Christmas time eid. ruarse sometimes give as two-bits and. lote of extra eats. Iffen it corns Monday, we has de week off. But we bas ~to watch the eats, tcauee niggers what they marsters don t give Sm no Christmas sneak over and eat it all up. S~,metimes we bave dances, and I d play de fiddle for white folks and cullud folks both. ~ play, Youn~ Girl, Old. Girl , ~ High Heel Shoes ~ ~i~d ~ Calico Stsckin~s . Il ~i~en we was freed we was all glad but I stays d t round ~nd werked for ~tarse Dave and he pays me a little. Finally Lucy ~nd me gits married sat of de Book and comes down here to Marse MeNeels. They puts us

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$~L.SLAV~1 STOREES Pate Three .~ 3 (Texas) in debt and makes us work so man years to p~y ~or lt. They gives us our own ground ~nd soraetlaos we makes two bales of cotton on it. Course, we works for them, too, and they p~iys us a little and when Christmas comes we can buy our own thln~s. U used to haul sugar ~nd lasses for Papa John up to Brazorta i~nd sometimes to Csl~mbia. l!Yes, euh, I been hers a 1on~ time, lone tii~ie. All my own stuff is dead now, I ~~xess. I ~ot grandehillen in al~eston, I think, but all my Own stuff is dead.

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420071: :~x~g. ~&v:~ STORIZS (Texas) HAG AR LEWIS, tall and erect at 82 years of ace, lives at 4313 Roea St . El P2.50, Texas. She was born a slave of the Martin family w4 . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ was given with her mother w~d ~Pami1v ~ to M~xy Martin, whe~i she married ~ f John M. Mc?ar .and. They lived near I ~ ~ ~P 1 Tyler, Smith Co., Texas. When freed : : J ~ she rexaained with the Mc~Par1ande .~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ; ~ fyi ~ : until sher~arr1edA. Lewis ~ndrno~ed ~.~1l1~:.~4;v ~ to San Antonio, Texas. Widowed~ early, I she re~ieed two sons. One, chief ~ ~ ~ . ~ ; ~ ~ ~ electrical engineer with. the U. S . ~ ~ ~.. ~ ~ ~ government, lives in New York City. ~ He protides for his 2ged. r~other. UI was born Jan. 12th, 1855. My ~Pirst owners was the }1tartine, eM when their da~ighter, Mary, married, I was give to her. My a~raa lived to 112 ye~rs old. She had. sixteen children. I was the baby. ~ . Mi ssu~s Mary Mc:~ ar1and, my mothe s iatesus and raine taught us children with her own; Learned u.s how to read and write. She treated us just like we were her children. We had very strict leaders, iiy mother and. Missus Mary. She d say, M~va~r ~1z~ay r~3ther) tyoutll have to come and whop Oscar and Ha~ar, they s fightixL~ MwE y Lize would say, No, I ~ whop 1eis, I~1I just punish ~eii.~ ~nd wetd hare to stand with our backs to each other, ~ My ralasus neyer did .auch Who~ppint. ~~1~3~dincabinsaadeof1Oge andchinkelwithmud mortes. We ha~ beds t~iat ha~1 only one leg; they fit in each corner of the walls. ~hey was strong, ou, We could jump on ~ eta and h~~e lot s of fuit. !e . did~~t sta~.iu qu~rt~rs auch. The cabins was near a creek where willows ~2 ew and wet d aa~:e stick horses out of ~ ein. We called it c~ir horse lot. 0* t~e fera was a epiing That threw water h&~h~ and wetd go fishing in ~ ~I u, Paie One

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~x-~1a~e Stories . Pace Two ~ 5 ( ~exas) ~ r a bi~ 1~Jce on one corner of the farii. Marster owned half ~ leagae, maybe more. I W2~S 12 years old. when freed. I can remeaber the w~y my x~i2rster come hoae from the war. The oIde~t son, Os~c~r, an~ I was out in the yard, arn~ I saw ~arster first, coi~in down the roadS, ax~d I hollered and. screa~ned, I~, Osc~r, Marse John s a.-cominl Marse John~s a-~COmin home! We stayed. on with them till they ai . died. off but Oscar. H We neyer ch~nged. our name tlfl aft er the Civil W~ar. Then Marse John said, M~rimy Li ~e ~ you ~ott~ choose a natte. ~ He carried us into Tyler to a bure~ or something. Ma~iay Lize say, I~ii goln; to . keep the name UcPar ~nd. I al&t ~ot no other n~rae.t . . My father w~s a slave fro~u another fana. My mother was the cook. She cooked it all In the s~e place for white folks and us. ~Ve ate the serie, when the vrhite folks was finished. They s a bi~ light bread oven in the yard of the big house and. in front of the quarters, under a big tree. That one baked the pies. The cabins had a big f ire~ place . wi der than that piano there. They d. hang rc~eat and sa~.isp~e and- ~r~T thee in the fireplace. Cut holes in ham and hang thera there. Had big hogeheads filled up with flour, corn and wheat. ~ USoxae pore njggers were h~,f starred. They belonged to other \\ ~ people . Mlesue Mary would call them in to feed. ~ ea see e~i outside the 2 fence p ickt up scraps. Theytd call oat at night, Marse John, Marse ~\ Jo!rn.*: ~ afraid to coiie inda~jtirne. Marse John d. say, tWhatts the ~ ~Theytd say, I se hongry. Hetd say, Come in and git it.~ ~ Ee d~ ct~re lots o meat, tor wetd hear ~em hollerin at nicht when they d ~

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E .sla~e. Stories Page o t . . G, (Texas) . be at the pore ni~ers for beggin or st ah or some crime. Marss John would saddle up Old Charlie and. go~ see. He he.d. a I bi~ shot gun across his lap . We d hear that oie bull whip just a poppin . \ Theyt d turn em b o~ when Marse John ~ot aft er 1 em, He pro sectit ed. some ~ rnarsters for beattnt the sia~es. He kiew they was half feed.in em, One time he let us go see where they d drue two ni~ers todeath with \ oxen. For stealth or somethin I can t s~y we were treated bad., ~ cause \Itd tell a story. Itve always been treated good by whites, but ru~ny of ithe niggers was killed, They d say bad. words to the bosses and they d t shoot tem We d ask Miss M~rsr w~r CUd. they kill old Uncle so and so, and ;Miss Mary ~ say, ti don t know, It s not right to say when you don t ~Jknow. I m glad to see slavery over. . when I was turned, loose Miss Marywas training me and mister 7 to do h~ndwork, knittin and such. Mama wouldn t let us dance, didn t ;w~t any rough children, Miss )Lary d. say, when I d get sleepy, Owl 1 ~ eyes, ain t you ep I d. say, No, ma~&~m, ~riything you want us to /de? I cried to sleep in the big house with Miss Mary and the children, ( t cw~,se ay sister Belle did. Said she s gomn t o turn white cause she _~\~~red with the white folks, ~ Mi s s Ma17 d~ make our Sunday cires se s . My mother put colored~ . \ ~ thread in woven ~iateriai and. they was pretty. We bad. plenty of clothes. ~/ $iSs Mary Saw to that . They paid lay mother for every child she bad. that ~ ~ ~-~ . ( Ii was b, jg: euoi~gb to work, and Marse Tohn saw that others did the s.a~e. ~ \ k\\ 1~ Some Whit es had a daz k hole in the ground., a dungeon ~ they \ to put the ir ala~es in. They t~ eei ry sa bread and water \ ~ V se traid~ of the hole they d~ tell me the devil waa in I ~ ~ ~ - ~-~ ~ ~ -~ - -Y ~_~-~--~ ~

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I ~x..eiave Stories Page T~y ee f7 (Texas) . that hole. We set traps for tpOss~, coons and squirrels. We used. to have big sport rid.in goats. One nepi bttsted. me wide open. Mise Mary s brother put rae on It, ~nd they, trniitshed him good. for it. He didn t get t o PlE~~7 for a long ~ ~ 1~ue ~nd we had. an old. buck sheep ~ He ~ d keep Ose ~r 9nd I up on the Oak patch fence aU the t1in~. ~ ~ / ~ We ~ cl watch the doodle bugs bu lid the ii hous es ~ffe d sine Doodle, Doodle, your house bm ned down.1 Those things would. come up out o ~ their holes just a shakin . ~ One game I reaember was, ~ ~Skip frog, Skip frog, Answer your Mother, ~ she s cellin you3 you, you.z ~Ve d stand in a circle arid. one would be skip frog. !e d slap OiiX~ hands ~nd skip frog would be hoppin just like frocs do . Oh, I wish I could call thera t iae s back again. ~ go back .\ tomorrow. Bu.t I ~xt tryin to live so I can meet ~ once again. ~ ~ ~ I

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~i t ~ 4~2O1.55 EL.SLAV~ STORIES Page One ~ 8 (Texas) HENRY LEWIS was born in 1835, \;)J at Pine Island, in Jefferson. E~ ~ C o. T exas He was owned by Bob Cade. Henry s voice is low and somewhat indistinct and it was evidently a strain on his vocal chords and. also on his memory, to tell the story 0 his life, He lives with one 0 ~ his daughters, In Beaumont, who supports him, with the aid 0 1 his pension, tIuold Bob Cade, he my massa, and Annie Cade, she my missus, Dey had a big plantation over in Louisiana and nother in Jefferson Q0unty, out at Pine Island. Its born a hunnerd. and one year a~go, on Christmas Dey, out at Pine Island, If I lives to see next Christmas day gain, I ll be a hun rd two year old. t1My mammy she come from Mis sippi and she name JMy Lewis. Washington Lewis, one de slaves on Massa Bob s Louisiana pD~ntation, he my daddy. I can t aiember nobody else cept my greatgrainina, Patsy. She s 130 when she die. She look awful, buSt den she my folks. M~r own dear mammy was 112 yeai ~ old when she die. She have ten chilien and de big~es portion dem born in slavery time. ~ ~y ~ ~ ~ L~I$.an .~ dy and Louise. t name after my daddy brudder, Henry Lewis, My white folks have a plantation in Lcnils lena, at Caginiv, and stay over dere in de time. I ~inember when old Mass4Bob used t o come t o Pine Island ~ to stay a month or two, all us li l chilien gather round him and. he used to throw out two bitses and. big one cent pieces ~fl1Ofl~St US~ jisi to see U~S scrammel for dem, ~ Christmas time come round dey give us Christm~s gift and a whole week for holiday. I, ~ never been no nearer east dan Lake Charles ai~1 dat been. lately, so

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? Ixwslave Stories Page Two ~ ~ 9 ( ~fexas) I I ain t never see de old plantation. At Pine Island us have de big woods t~ place with a hunerd workin hands, without de underlin s ( children) . All he I niggers say Cade de good mat. He hire he overseers and say, You can correct dem ~: for dey own ~ and make dem work right, but you. ain t better cut dey hide or ~ draw no blood. He git a-holt some mean overseers but dey don t tarry long. He ~ find out dey beatin he niggers and den he beat dem and say, How dat suit you? ~ MOld massa he a big, stoc1~r Irishman with sandy hair and he ain t had ~ no beard or iau~st ache When he crow old. he have de gout and he put de 1 ong mat~ tress out on de gallery and lay down on it. He say, Come here, my li l niggers, and den he m:~ke us ~ixb he foots so he kin git to sleep. ~ Dey used to have old slavery-day jedge and jury of white folks and ~ dey hear de case and cide how many lashes to give de darky. Deyput de lash ~ Ofl dem, but dey never put no jail on dem. I seed some slaves in chains and. I ~ heared of one massa what had. de place in de fence with de hole cut out for de ~ nigger s neck. Dey hist up de board and de nigger put he head through de hole I and den dey beat him with a lash with holes bored in it and every hole raise ~. de blister. Den he bus dem bu sters Wi th d.c handsaw and dey put salt and I pepper in de bucket water and. noint dem blisters with de mop dip in de water. F Dey do dat when dey in ticular bad humor, ifferi de nigger ain t chop nough ~ cot ton or corn. S0inet me a overseer kilt a nigger and dey don t do nothin ~ to him cept make him pay for de nigger. Bat our massa good. ~ Old massa low us praise Gawd b~it lots of massas didn t low L~em to ~it ~ ~ de knees. Us have church-house and de white folks go in de mornin and us ~ go after dinner. Us used to sing: ~ . H t My~ knee bones achin , ~ My body s o~ci with pain, ~ I calls ~ myself de chile of awd, ~ ; Heaven am my aim. -2-

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Ex~slave Stories Page ~ hree (Texas) ~ ~ lf ~ro~ don t lieve I s a chile of G awd, ~ 31e meet rae on dat other shore, ~ Heaven is my home. ~ I calls myself a chile of G~iwd, ~ I s a I ong t line on my way, ~ But Heai~en ~rn my home.~ ~t Old massa have c~e house make out hand-sawed planks in slavery time. ~: It put together with homemade nails, dem spike, square nails~dey make cleyseifs. ~ It have de long gallery on it. De slaves have li l lo~ cabin house with ~ad~cat ~ chimney on de side and de furn ture mostly ~orgia hosses for beds and mattress make out t ow sacks . Dey no floor in dem house cept what Gawd put in dem. 1! When I six or seven year old dey cides I s bi~ nou~h to start ridin hosses. Dey have de big cattle ranch and I ride all over dis territoxy. l s too ll l to git on de hoss and. dey lift me up, and dey have de real saddle for me, too. I couldn t ~it up, b~it I silo could sta~y up when I git dere. l s ji~t like a hoss-.fly. ~ Beaumont was ji~1 a briarpatch in dem time. Jist one 1I I store and ~ one blacksmith shop, and M~ssa John Herring he own dat. Dat de way I first see ~ my wife, ridin de razige. Dc CRde brand was a lazy BC ( ) dat done register ~ fore I~s born. Us brand from dc first of March to de 15th of December. Old massa have de big fi ld vided in trac s and each slave could ~ have a part and raise what he want and old massa buy de crop from de slave. ~ He s purty good to he slaves, and us have good clothes, too, wool for winter ~ .~ and. Cotton for summer. Us have six suit de year, unnerwear and. all, Dey a ~ trhk like in de cabin for Sunday clothes and. de res hang on a peg, ~ titi5 have plenty good food. to eat, too. Beef and hawgs and bacon and. ~ syz,1~p ~nd sugar and flcnxr was plenty. All de possums and. rabbits ~nd fish and. ~ si ah was j s dat imich more . He give us de barrel whiskey every year too. L ~

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Ex~s1aVe Stories Page ~1ii~ee (Texas) Dey low de 11,1 chilien lots of playtime and no hard task. Us p1ay~ stick hoss and seven-up marble grime with marbles usrnake and de well gaine De gal o r boy s ot In de chair and l~rm way back and t end like dey in de well. Dey say dey so nuuiy feet clown and say, Who you want pull you out? Arid de one you want pull you out, dey sposed to kiss you. Dey used to be nigger traders what cc~ through de country with de herd of niggers j it like cattlemen with de herd of cat tie . Dey fix camp and. dM pen on de ridge of town and people what want to buy more slaves go dere. Dey have a block and make de slaves git up on dat. Maybe one man say, I cive you $2oo . oo and ~ when s through de slave sold to de highes bidder, Old massa warn us look out and not let de trader cotch us, cause a trader jis soon steal a nigger and sell him. De patterrollers corne round beTh de war to see ifeen de massas treat dere slaves good. My wife s gr~inma say dey come round to her massa s place, but befo dey git dere he take a meat skin and make dem nib it round day mouth and git dey face all greasy 8 it look like dey have plenty to eat and he tel). d.em day better tell de patterrolle~ s dey gittin plenty to eat. But dere one big nigger and he say, Hell, no, he ain t give US tflOL~&~1 to eat, Den dat nigger say, Please take inc with ~ou~ ~caUSe 1 ~OU don t ifiassa gwineter kill me when you git gone. Old. massa he die befo de war ~nd den he son, John Cade, take over de place and he brudders help . Dey name Overton ~nd Ta~l or and Bob ~ Junior. Us all want to git free and talk 1bout it in de ~iartere mon~st ourselfs, but we ain t S~T nothin where de white folks heared u~.

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Ex.~s1ave Stories Pace Five ~ 12 (Texas) When war come on I seed. sojers every day. Dey have de camp in Liberty and I watches dem. I heared de gu~ns, too, maybe at Sabine Pass, but I d.idn t see rio actual fightin . i~t a 1on~ year to wait, de las year de war. Dey sont de papers dowr~ on March 5th, I done heared, but dey dithi t turn us loose den. Dis de last state to turn de slaves free. Then dey did~tt let dem ~o in March, de Yankee soj ers come In Jujie and make dem let us ~o. Next mornin after de soje.s come, de overseer reads de papers out and say we s free as he is and we can go. Some stay on de old place a long time and some ~o off. You 1~ow dey ils slaves and wasn t civilize . Some ain1t never git civilize jet . Old massa never give us nothin but he t old us we would stay on iffen we want but I I eft. I goes down close to Anahuac and builds a li~l log cabin at Monroe City, and dat s where dey puttin in oil wells now. Washington Lewis, dat my daddy, he have 129 acres dere. De white folkssay to sign de paper to let dem put de well on it and dey give us ~5O.OO end us sigi d~t paper and dey have de land. H ~ marries in slavery t ime when I s bout 22 year old. My first wife naine Rachel 5.fl: she live on Double Bayou.. She belong to de Mayes plac e. I see her when I ridin de range for Massa Bob. I tells massa I wants to ~it max~r~3r and he ma3~e me ask Massa Mayes and us have de big ~.~e~idin . She dress ~ 1l in white. I have de nice hat anc~ suit of black clothes and daddy a shoemaker and make me de good pai of shoes to git marry in. Us stand front Massa Mayes and he read out de Bible. Us had a real big supper and some de white folks give us money. De first money I wakes am workin for de gov ment in Gk~iiveston. After de war de gov xnent hire fo~~ to clean up c~e trash what de fi~it iii make and.

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13 Ex~1aVe Stories Six (Texas) ~. I am hired. Dey lots of wood and stones 9nd brick and. trees and sich dein bi~ gans knock down. ~ I ~goes back to ridin de prairie and rides till l s 94 year old. ~ I stops de same year Mr. Joe H~bert dies. wi~en I quits I s out workin~, tendin I Mr. Langham s chickens ~nd I forgits it Ch~istm~.s ~nd my birthday till Mr. ~ Lan~ham comes ridin ou~t with my money. Dat s de last work I done and dat in ~ 1931 and I s 94 year old, like I say. I bet dese nineteen Imnerd ni~ers ain t ~ gwine live dat ions. ~ I didntt h~.d no chiUen..~ynay first wife ~nd she been dead bQut ~ 7Q year now. My last wife flRJQC1 Ch~rio~te and she been dead 22 year and ~is i~ have 16 chilien. Dey six gals and ten boys and ten ain livin now. Moss of I~. dem ~ too old to work now. I stays with Ada, here, ~nd she got a gif . She i~ know what kind of herb ;:~rn good for rnedic~ne for diff rent ailments. She born ~ with a veil over de face and am wise to dem things. Dey S de fever weed ~tnd It de debil s shoestrin~~ and fleaweed cures neural~y ~nd toothache. Spanish ~ mulberry root, dat good for kidneys. When anybo~r g~t swolled feets give dein I wild. grapevine. Prickly ash bark ~:ood for dat, too. Red. oak bark good for ~I~: women s trouble s and puiipkin head for de heart . Camphor and. asafoet ida in de F~ b~ round de neck good for de heart. Vlhen de chile git convulsion m~ike dein ~ drink I j VI bluiri . Dat good for ~owed~.up folks too. It good for burns

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fi O.)( EX~SL VE STORU~S Page 0n~ ~ j4 ~ (Texas) :~.ucy LEWIS, wife of Cinto Lewis, does not know her aie, but Is very aged in appearance, about four feet tall and weighs around 65 or 70 pounds. She was born on the MeNeel plentation at Pleasant Grove, land now occupied by No. 2 Camp of th Clemens Prison Farm. Her master was Johnny McNeel, brotherof j. Greenville MeNeel. Eis sister married Dave Randon, Cinto s utaster. Cinto and Lw~y s cabin is furnished with an enomous fourposter bed. axid. some chairs. Pots, pans, kettles and ju~s bang on the walls. The fireplace has a skillet ant beanpot in the as~ss. The old people are almost blind. Yo~~ aU white folks ilLs set a bit while I eats me a little bseakfast I got me a little flap j ack and. some clabber here . Den old flies gobble it ~ for me, don t I ~it to it fust. Me and Cjnto botit starve, old hard time bout ~it us. I surs wishes I could find some of Marse John Dickinson s folks, I she go to them. Me and Cinto ~ot nine he~ grandehullen down in Gal veston, b tit dey ~ write or nothin . All o~r own children ~re dead. DeY ~ Lottie and. Loi~tisa an& Alice, Dey was John, too, but he was SO little and scrawny he die when he a month old. We call him after l4arse John, which we all lev. so ~i~ich. My is~ma s name was lottie E~ilton arid she was born at de Cranby Camp for Johnny MoNeel . My papa was ~ Mezican and went by name of J*an. I don t hardly recoflec when we ~it married. I hardly t~trn fift eon and dey was fat on dese he re old. bones den and I ha~ ins & PU.~tY white calico dress to git married. in. It was low in d.e neck with ~f .4...

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j~L.SLAV~ STORXXS Paie Two (Texas) fies and de sleeves come to my elbow ptu ty like. We she1 hai. d.e finest kind~ of a time when Cinto and me gits aarri~ed, we all fi shea down ~n de b2yOu ~1l day long. Marse John marry us right out of de Bible. tu were bre~and bern in 1~o. 2 Ca~np over thar, but it called ~cNeel Plantation at Pleasant Grove in them days. It was Greenville Li~cNeel s brother an~ his sister, Nancy, marry Dave Ran~1on. When my marster and wife separate, de wife took part de slaves and d.c marster took some others and us tnd we corne down here, UI had. five brothers and one sister and I jus member, Cinto s step-pappy try cross ~e ribber on ~ iot~ in hir~h water and. a ld alU~ator swaller him right up. My marster ~nd his missy were mi~hty good to us, mighty good. We used. to wear good clothes real purty clothes most as go~. as dat Houston cloth you all wearin . And~, she nough, I h~ d some purty red. russet shoes. When we all rei~tl good, Marse John used to cive us small money to buy with. I spent moe of mine to buy clothes. ~ie used. to go barefoot and. only when I go to church ~nd dances I wore my shoes. We sho h~ some good dances in my youn~ days, when I was spry. e ttse& to cut all kind. of steps, de cotillion and de w~.ltz and de shotty (schottische) and. all de rest de c3.ances of dat time. 1~y preacher ~tsed to wimp me d Id. he hear I go t O dance s but I was a r i~ht smart dane in gal. ~ I Was little and. sprite ~n& at . dem yo ~ rig bucks want to d~ancs ~ with me. Cinto di&n t know how to 10 no step, but he could fiddle. Der. was a l~. SOflC which come bask to me, Rich heels and Calico Stockin s. Pare ~ ~L well, Miss Nancy Hawkins, Ei~ h heel shoes and. calico stockin s. -2-

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16 j~x~slave Stories Paie Three (Paie Three) Te~xas .~.. HI can t sine now froni ~.e time I lost my teeth with de B1~.ck John fever. Wnen I ~it dat fever, my Tfli~Sy told. me not to drink a mite of water cept1n~ she told rr~e to. I ~1t so hot I jus c~n t stand it ~nd done drinic a two-pint bucket of water, ~nd my t eth drop right out, Missy sho good to me. Dey bout 20 slaves but I stur in de house all ~e time. Our house have two bi~ rooms ~nd a kitchen and. de boys and~ men h we rooms ~p~rt like little bitty houses on de outside. Then we don t have to green up, I ~its up bout sun-Sup to mt~ke coff e, but when we has to ~x een up de house ~r company I E~,ltS up earlier. Missy Nancy used to wimp me if I done told a 11e, but I didn t ~it whu~pped often. She used to whup me with a cattle wimp made ~ut of C owhid~e. S~)rne Of de slaves wore charms round d.e~r necks, little bacs of asf~dc1ity. Me I ~ot me three vaccirtat ions ~ ~at ai . I need. ~1e used. to ~it lots to eat, greens and suet, fish from de ribber, cornmeal and plenty of su~~ar, even in de war time. Soldiers was around. here ~ thick as weeth~. V~e h~td to cive em a tithe of corn and we makes clothes for es, and. ban1a~es an~ light j~.ckets. We m~e de heavy leaded jackets, with lead. in de skirts of de coat to hold. it down. De lead looked like a marbi e and. *~ ~cut it in 1 on~ s t r Ip s and h~nmer it d. own. t One of dem Yank gunboats come up de river and shell around here~ Bj~ht here. Dem shells come whistlin through de trees and. lop de limbs rij~t of~f. Dem were sho scare times. HI &id~n t want to be free, I was too happy with missy. But I h~ to be free, jus like de others.

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~jJf5~1. ~-~! EX-~SLAVE srpoi~x~s Page One (Texas) ~~MOS LINCOLN 85 was born a slave of Elshay Guidry, whose plantation was in the lower delta cowitry of Louisiana, abc~it fifty miles south of New Orleans. His memories of slave days are somewhat vagu.e. He has lived in Beaumont fifty-two . years. I My t~onbue s ri~t smart thin~. I s ten year old when they blew up that fort. I mean ~ ort Jackson. Grandpa was cookin . They wouldn t let him fight. The fort was in New Orleans. The r kilt lots of people. Th1~y oore holes in the ground and blow it up. A square hole, you know, !~ machine went in there, A man co~lc9 crawl in the hole, yes, yes, sho . The fort was long side tne river. The~r bore holes from the river bank. They had a white paper, a order for ~rn not to corne to New Orleans. They drag cannon in the bole and shoot up trie fort. HS~ n!s freedo~n co~ my pa and ma was squatters on gov ~ent land. It was good land and high lend. k~y pa had bout 100 acres. One night soi~ebody come shoot nim. Shoot him in the back. Ma took the chillen t o Shady Bayou t o grandpa. My grandpa corne from Africy. I never see my other people cause day longe to other masters. My graxidpa die when he 115 year old. Elisha Guidry he my master in slavery. He ha~ lots of slaves. He whip my pa lots of times. He was unwillin to work. He whip my ma, ~ too. One time he cut her with the whip and cut one her big toes right off. Ma come up on the gallery and wrap it up in a piece of rag. . Us have a diZ t house The chimney made with ma~ . It s a good. ~ house. it hot in summer, The beds made with moss and. shucks and the

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Ex~slaVe Stories Page Two (Texas) 18 big old ticks made at the big house. Us didn t have rio chairs. Jes benches. In the room s a ~ig tro~h. Us sit round trie trou~h and eat clabber and bread with. bi& , wood spoon. I eat many a raeal that way myself. UDe& s moral times. A a s 21 fore she ma -ry. The~r didn t ~o wende ~ t round all hours . They mammie s knowed. where they wM~ Folks nowadays is wild and weak. The gals dre ss up co:ie Sunday. All week they wear they hair all roll up with cotton they unfold froi~i the cotton oll. Sunth~ y corne they come the hair out fine, 1~o grease on it. They want it natural curly. ~~Us have good food most time. Steeland log traps fo~ big game. Pit traps in c~e woods bout so long and. so deep, and kivered with bresh ath leaves. That cotch possum and coon and. other thim~gs what coi~e long in the night. Us lace willow twigs and strings and put a cross piece on top and bott~, a~d little piece of wood on top edge. The trap bout two feet off the ground to cotch t,L~C birds . D0ves ~d, ~ny kind birds you can eat, Us clean them li ? birds good and rub ~em down in lard. Lfter they set awhile us broil ein with plent~r~ black pepper and salt. U~ shoot plenty ducks with mas~et, too. ttGreens was good, too. Us eat parsley greens and. shuglar weed. That aig, two foot plant what have red flower on i~. Us ~it lots of em in Wade s Bayou.. Us put li l bit flour in ashea and make asheake. Us cook puiapkin in ashes, too, After slavery I hoe cotton. No money at first, jest work on halves, The trouble that there no equal halves. The white folks par jes I lice they want B . A W8h1 C uldn t work th~t way no t . I h8~. t O come over -2-

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~x~..gla1Te Stories Page Three ( Texas) to Texas cause R man whet want ray lend say I stoled a barrel from ne hc ~se. He try arrest ~ny old. woman cause she say skie find the barrel. Now, I never have the ct~se in lawsuit aiid I spect tO die that we~y. But I has to stay way from Mauriceville for three year ~ ause that m~n say I thiefed he barrel. Things was bad after us corne to Texas for a time. That Li.z~J. Scizche, he sho rough man. Us cropped on the share and ~e take the crop and the money an1. lef fest. Us didn t have a mess of nothin left. III manages :~O live by croppin . I been here 52 year now. My first wife name Massanne Plorshann, that th~ Prench. My wife what I got now n~~ne Annie. Mnss~nne she give r~e six chilien and Annie f o~ir. * ********

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4 O2~9 ~_ ~ . EX~SLAT1~ STORIES Page One (Texas) ANNIE LITTL:~, 81, was born a slave o-~ BUh &OO~?I~, in SpringSfield, Missouri. Her master . owned a plantation in Mississippi, and sent innies family there while she w~s a baby. ~inie now lives in Mart, Texas. t; 1s first a baby ix~ Springfield. Dat in Missouri ~nd dert ~jn where ITs birthed in January, 1856. My da~d.y and me~nmy was Howard and ~nnie end dey longed to MassaBill Gooden~ He have de plantation in Mi~sipp ~nd send us dere while I*s still de Ii I baby. Dat am what d~y cal . de Delta now, ;~xid de cotton so high I c .umb up in de trees to reach de top of de st al and ~ ~ o orn so hi~gh a man on he mule only have ~ e t op he hat showing. If us mind massa and missus, d~y good to us, but if d~ h~ids lazy axxd not work den de overseer whop den. When dey x tn way he sot de blood~ ha~inds on de~ and dey cltunb de tree I s heaThd dem hounds bayin de nigger up a tree jes1 lots of times. Massa never sold none ~ family and we stays with him till h~ wife die and he clic, too. In de cold days de women spin and. we~e de cloth on looms. I stands by ~id pick u~ de shuttle when dey fall. Us nt~gers all wore de clothes uiake on de spinnin1 wheel, but de white folks wore dresses from de store. Dey have to pay fifty and seventy- fiTe cents de yard for calico den. .~ ;.: ~ ~ ~1Den de w come. I 1member how massa come borne on de f~irlough and w1~eri word. come he on de wer, us aU git ready for de big cel bration, Dey d~e y.a~rlin or hawg and mal us niggers cook foi de big feast, Some ~ ~ be stay a week, we Jes do nothin buSt eat and. cook. 0,lbm

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b Bx slaVe Stories Pa~~e Two Dem de good. old dp~rs, 1:~it dey didn t last, for de war ~m over to sot de slaves free and. old m~sa ask if we ll stay or go. lAy folks jes stays till I s a growed gal t~nd gite m~r1ed and has a home of m~r own, Den my obd man ~ tell me how de Y&ikees sto1~ct him from de fields. Dey some cavalfy sojers ~ atid dey ma;kehim take care of de hossee. He s bout tw;ict as old as me, and he say he was in de B~I1I Ran Batti e s cz ture in one bat t le and. run ~ and sc~pe by de holp of a Southern regiment and fin ly come back to ~~issisa1p . He like de war songs like Marchin Through Georgia, but bes f all he like dis song: till ain t gwint~ study war no more, I gwine lay down my burden, Down by de river side, Down by de river side. t t Gwine l~y down m~r sword and shield Down by de riverside, Down by de riverside. t, t ~ ath tt gwine study war no rn ore, ~ OEwine try on my starry crown, ~ Down by de river side, Down by de river sides~ M~e11, he doni lay be lmrden down and quit dis world in 1916. Do I tm~ber arty hant stories? Well, wetd sit round de fire in de wintertime and. tell ghost stories till us chilien fraid to go to bed at night, Iffen I can lect, I~11 tell you one. Dis story am about a old, h~inted. house, a big, old house with two front rooms down arid two front rooms U~:ifld,a~j1 runnin fr~ bacit to front. In back ~ de 11,1 house where Alex, I bo7 what kept he hOSe, t~. ~ Dis big house facs de river. Old Massa go to war and never come

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~x~slavC Stories P~ge Three 22 (Texas) back no r~iore. Old missy jest wait and wait, tfl~1 fjntly dey all say sh~ am weak in de head. Every day she tel . ~e ni~e~s to kill de pig, d~t massa be home today. avery dgy she fix up in de Surid~r best aj~d wait for him. It ~o ~ on 11ko dat for ~rears &id sears, till old miss am gone to be with ora zaassa, ~ ~iid de nigge:~s ~l1 left and dere ~ jest de old house left. One d~y long time after freedom Alex come back, and he hair turned whIte. E~ go up de river to ~e old plantation ~o tell Old Miss dat Old Massa gone to he Heavenly Home, and ~yontt b~ b: ok to de ~ place. He co~n~ up to de old. house and de front g~t~ am offen d.c hinges and de grass high as he herd, ~ d. de blinds all haxigin sideways ~M rattle with de wind. Dey aintt no lightnin bug and no crickets on de fireplace, jt~s de old. house and de wind a-~blowint through ~e window blinds and mo~nin through de trees. Old Alex so broke up he jes sot down ~n ~e steps and TOTe he know~d it he s asleep~~ He saw 01-d ~assa ~ri~ hisseif gwine to war nnd Oi~ Massa am on he white hoss axid he new gray uniform w1~t de wo~n make fcr him, tu~d de band ~ pla~ iri~ Dixie. Old Alex seed hisseif ridin he li~l roan pony by Old Massa s side. Den he drei~ a ~fter de battle when he look for Old Masse and finds him and he hose lyin side by side, & ne gone to where dere air t no more war. ae buries him, and ~den ~e thund ~r andliglitnin m~ke Alex w~ke up and he look in OldUiss room and d~ re she am, ~es1 sittin in her chair, waitin for O1~ Massa. Old Alex go t~ talk with her and. she fade way. Alex stay in he 1i~1 ~1d Cabin waitin to te ~l Old Miss, and. every time it corne rain and ?ightnint she eflus sot in her chair and. go ~ way ~ fore he git ut her ro ~m. So Oit Al ex f1fl~ l~T ~oea to si ~ep forever, but he neve~r left he place of watchin for Old Miss. ~

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~x_slt~veStOr1eS Page Four (Texas) ttD~ white folks and nigg~rs what live in dem th~ys wo~ldn t live in dat big, :~ld house, so it ~m call de hanted haase by de river. It stands all ~ .ofle fcr years and years, till de ne~ folks from up North corne ~nd tore it down.~ (See picture cf house at end of s~orv.) ~ I well lect ~y old man sayin how de steamboat c~zne ~thistlin up 1e I: river cnd all de dax~ies go to singin , Step~mboa.t Comin Roun~. de Bend. Dis am in de cotton patch jes yorid de hanted house and de steamboat whistle ~eazi time to go to dinner. De-t am de Little Red River up in Arkansas, where ~ my old riian, D~Dlphus Little a~a birthed, right near c~e hanted house. ~ 1tDolphus end me marries in ~1ssipp tut cone to Texas arid lives at Hilisboro on Uassa J0hn willoughby s farm. We has ten chilien and Itm livin with my ~ baby boy i~ght now. I~ll tell you de song I gits all c~em chilIen to sleep with: ~ ~}~5i~i~y went way she tell ~ae to stay, ~ And take good care ~ de baby. I She tell me to stay a~id sing dis away, ~ o, ~o to sleepy, li l br~by. ! ~ shut you ~ye arid don t ~ou cry, ~ G~o to sleepy, li l br~by, ~ C u,se ma~niny s boun~ to come bi~ne~by, o go to sleep7, li . baby. ~ stop up d ~ cr2cksimnd sew up de seams, De booger nian nev~r shall cotch ~rou. : Q, go to sleep and. dream sweet dre~is, Dc booger rien never shall cotch you. De river ran wide, de river nui deep, o, bye o, sweet li . babi,r, ~ Dat boat rock slow, she ll rock ~rou to sleep, o, b e o, sweet li l baby. Chorus ~ ~ o, go to sleepy, sleepy, li l baby, . Ca~ise when you. wake, y~.i l1 git saine cake, And ride a 11 I white hossy. o, de li . butterfly, he stole some pie, : Go to sleepy, li . baby. ~ ~ . .~ ~ And flew so high till he put out his eye, ~ .~ :~ O, go to sleepy, li ti baby, ~

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420095 EL.SLATE S~ORI~S Page One ~ 24 (Texas) ABE LIVfl4G~STON, 83 years old, was born a slave t o Mr L~ike Hadnot Jasper Co. Texas, the owner of about 70 slaves. He now lives in Beaumont, Texas. c~ ~\ ~ I done well tn slavery, ~~&use I belonged to Iv~as5a Luke Hadnot ~nd h~ had some bov~ pnd they and me grew up togethe~r. When ~ny daddy beat me I~d go up to the big house and stey there with txie boys end we d git something to e~t from the kitchen. When de whi. te folks has we gits what lei ~assa Luke done well by his nig~ers, he done batter n rims of em. Ils boys, white boys and. me, h~d lots of ~in when us growth up. I memb ~r the gaines us pley and we d. sing this: t Many Bright Many Bright, Three score and ten; Kin you git up by candleligiat? Yes, Iffen your legs Are long and limber arid light. Sometimes us boys, not tne white ones cause they couldnt, would go in the woods and stay aU night. We builds camp~ fires and. watches for witches and. hante. I seen some but what they was I (Ion1 know. By the waterhole, one tall white hant used to con~e nearly every night. I couldn sc~y much hov~ it looked, CaUSS I was too scart to git close. I was jus about big enough to handle the mule when the war bust o~it . My daddy was t~ servant in the army and he help cd. dig the breastwork rou.nd Mansfield fox ttie battle.

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Ex.-slaVe Stories Page Two Page Two News o1~ the freedom come byut 9 or 10 o clock on a Tues- d~y morning. ~05~ us goes home and st8ys there till next Mond9y, Then yankees come and~ told us we 5 free. About 80 of tein come and they slio laughed a lot, like they s glad. war is through. Seen like they s niore for eatin than anything else and dey steal the good. hossee, They ta~ce everything to eat and 40 bIg gobblers and they e~,t the hawgs and beeves, too. How therii Yankees could. e~t~ I never seen nothin like it. 1 come to Jefferson County nfter freedom and got me a job. It was snipin on the railroad, Freedom did.n mean int~ch to me, cause I dIdn know the difference. I done well anyhow.

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/4~ 4 :~ ~ j ~ EL.~SLAV~ ~TORLES Page On~ (Te!xaz) ~: 26 JOHN LOVE, 76, wa~ born near Crockett, Texas, ~ slave o1! J0hn Sin~,1iey. John te ll! of the days of Reconstruction, ~nd life in the river bottorus. He now lives in Marlin, T~x~s. RI s born on de N~che~ River and $p~fld5 all lily earlies life right down~ in de river bottoms, c~ust~ I done live in de Brazo$ bottom, too. Mammy and pappy longed to John Smelley and w~s 2cse and Johns It was wild down in de Neches bottom den, plenty be~rs and panthers ~.nd ~eers snd wolves a~d catainounts, and all kind. birds and wild turkeys. Jes a 11,1 huntin most allus fill de pot de:~ thys. Dc Indians traps de wild animals ~nd trade de hides for suDplies, ~e was ri~ht near to ~e Cherokee and Creek res vation. I knowe lots of Indians, and so~e what was Alabama Indians and. done corfle over here. Dey said. de white people was wrong when dey thinks labar~Aa r~an here we rest.t It ~ ~aean dat a-~-t~ll. It rae~n people whz~t ~ithers ~iulb~rri~a.~ You see, dein A1ab~rna. Indians right crr~zy ~ znulberrie! and hs a da for a fenst when de mulberries gits ripe. Dqt where de tribe ~3t its fla~Tie ~nd de town nara~d efter de tribe. ~ Smelley fit in ~e Mexico dar ~ in de Freedom Wer, out I don t know nothin tbout de battles. De bigges thint~ I ~z~einbers a~n when de so1di~rs coi~ie back, cause dey finds all dey cattle stoled or ~9ead. De soldiers, both kinds, de Federates and Yankees, r~one took what ~.ey want. Dc plantations all growed up in weeds and all de youn~ slaves gorte, ~nd de ones w~iat stayed was~ de oldes and faitbfulles ~. UTimes waS haI~~ and no rnon~y, ~nd if dere ~vasn t plenty wild animals everv body done starve. But after ~44le, new folks come in, and has sorac money and things picks up a 11,1 more1n more. 1-S

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EX~Sla~ Stories Page Two (Texes) We has de sugar cane ~nd makes sorghu~i, and h~is o~ir own raill. Us all, manuny Efld pappy and us chillun, done stay with Massa S~ielley long tine after freedom, 1cau.se we ain t got nowhere to go or nothin . ITd hoip in de Ilass(ts mill, ~nd when we ~~rinds fiat cane to cook into syrup, dis ~ia de song: kin t no more cane on de Neches, Ain t no more cane on de land; Oh ooooo~.ooooo...-.~-~---oC~ D0ne grind it all in ~ .asses, Oh ooooo-~-.-~ ooooo-.-.--~eQ! After I ~ s bout ~rowed, I iaoves to de Br~zos bottom and works for a stockin~n, ddn I works for de i~ian wh~t ciriv de first post on (~C liouston ?~ T~x~e Central right-.of~way. I helped b~ild. dat railro~d from Houston t~) ~Y~co, and build de fences and lay de cross tires. Den I broke wild ho~ses for Mr. C~irry. He give me h ~ groceries e~d twent.ir~five cents a dey. 1 was sho ~ oud of de job. After dis, I carries de m~ll from ~xiin to Eddy, on ~iossb ~ck. De roads went throu~h de Brazos bottoz~i. Dey was jes cowtraiis, stead of roads. Dere was a road. through dat bottom so b2.d de white raen wouldn t carry dat mail, so dey gives it to ;ae and. I ain t got no better sense dan to tr:~ it. Dat six miles thro~igh d~e bottom was all raudholes ~nd when d~ river git out de banks dat was bad, But I helt out for eight years, till de uiR.il sent by tr~~in. I kno~:~rs why dat boll-weevil done come. Dey S~T he come from Mexico, but I think he allus been here. Away back yonder a spider live in de country, tepecially in de bottoizis. He live on de cotton l ,aves and stalks, but he don t hurt it. Dese spiders kep de insects eat UP. ~Y don t plow deep den, ~nd plsnts Cotton in February, so lt made fore d.c insects git bad. Den dey sits to piowin deep, and it am colder c~uBe de trees ail cut,

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E~slave Stories ( Texaa) Fege Three 28 and de~T plows up all de spiders ~nd de cold. kill c~m. De~r planta later, and d~re ain~~ no spiders left to e~ t up de boll~..weevi1. III ic ows an Old boil wcevi.l song, what us sing in de f i~lds: Dc boliweevil is a ii l bug, from Mexico, dey sa~r, Pe come tr~r dis Texae soil, an~1 think he better stay, k-4ookin for a horns ~ ~jes loo~dn ~or a Dt~ farmer took ~e bollw~vil ~nd tut ~uirn in (le ~and, Boll weevil ~pid to far~n~r, I ll st~.nd it like ~ r~n, For its jes rn~r horn.~ ~ its jes :~r home. Upiret ti:rie I seed de NE~X time I seed c~t A~ lookin for a home WPCVII, weevil, he on de e~ stern ti~ain, he on de i~erapiiis train, I o oki n for ahome. ~If anybodv axes you who writ dis 11 l song, Its jest ~ darkr-.skin nigger, with old blue duckin s on.

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 034 029

4~.2()i52 ~L.SLA~TE STORI~ES Page One (Texas) LOUIS LOVI~, 91, was born in Franklin, Louisiana, ~ slave of Donaltron Oaf rey, Wl~LO1fl LOtUS describes as a leadin lawyer and once Unit cd States Senat or. At the - start of the Civil War, Louis was sent to Texas with about ~OO other slaves to escape the Uy~~j~e invaders. Louis now I ives in Orange Te xas and says he spends most of h~S time sitting on the gallery. One hand shz~e s c onst nntly and his re ed.y voice is tremulous. Well, I gu.ess I s Sbout 9 . year old. I member when freedom come. I goes ap to reg stration de year I gits free. I walks up to o .d Doc Young and say, ~ I coiiie reg st ~r for de vote. He say, You t 00 ~OUfl~ tO vote. You ask vour missus. ~issus git de big book bout six inch thick where 5h8 got all de births and deaths on dat place since she been raissus and she cive me a letter evin I nineteen year old. t kep dat letter till not so lone A~O and. our~s it by mistake, t caus e I can ~ r~ ad. )~ve Love he was my daddy and Tildy Love was my mama~ My grandsnsma raise me, tho~igh. Mv massa s n~zne Donaltron Cafrey and he statue st ~3nd in de court hous e square now . He was a leadin lawyer and a United States senator. When Senator Gibs~n die massa he serve out he term. Young massa n~rne Donaltron Cafrey, junior, and ~e ktep de oig bank in New Orleans now. ~ II never was sold. to nobody. I heared folks say my folks come from Kentu.cky, but lay mama born on Massa Cafrey s place . He h~we de oig house, fine old house with galleries all round and big lawns. S It s far back from de road, pushin clost to a mile, I guess. He have seven sugar plantation and after freedom come dey rents it out at

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30 ~x~.Slave Stories Page Two ( Texas) $~3.OO a acre to raise tatars in. Us live in shacks bout like dese rou.n here. Dese times am better n slavery times, tcause aen ~ou co~n ~ go nowheres thout de pass or e patterroller 3 ~it you. D~t mean 25 lashes and more when :Tou sits iiom~. ~My inissus took ~s chilien to de Baptis church snd de white preacher he pre~ ch. De cullud folks cold nave church demselves iffen dey have de manager of li~ion to kinder preach. Course he coL~l&n t read, he jus talk what sie done heareci de white preachers say. I git Shin one time. ~)~t time de overseer cive me de breahin , Dey have sioc~s ~ey put a i~an in. Dey put de in~n leg throi~h de holes and shut it aown. De man jus lay dere and bawl. ~l)t clothes us wore was shirts and us didn t git no britc~aes till us hj~. ~ wearin britches a good many year fore fredcioln, thou~~ Dey ~ive us two suit de year and us have ueefkiide shoes what ~s call moc sins. Dey wasn t no oette ~ people dan my wnite folks. Dey didn t low us to be brutalize bu.t dey didn t low us to be sassy neither. I hoip my grandma milk de cows. ~ien de Yankees come to New Orleans dey go on ~o Port Hudson and have de big fight dere. Massa orier everybody be ready to travel nex mornin . Dey bout 300 peoples in dat travel wagon and dey camps dat night at Camp Fusilier, where de federates have de camp. Deyinake only five mile dat day. Dey stops on~ niait at Pin Hook, in Vez~ilionville. My brtxdder die d.ere. Dey kep on at wa~r till ~Ie~rci~e to Trinity River. I stay aare five year. De overseer on de new plantation naine Smoot. I wait on de table sud grandma she co ok for Smoot . Dey rai Se Sugar cane and corn and peas and sich like. Dey have lots of pork meat. Dey have stock and. one time

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Ex...slaVe Stories Three (Texas) a calf git eat by a panther. Massa hunt ci~,t p~tnther and shoot hirn in a tree. One dF~y Smoot tell me tc~ bring all de hands to de house when dey blows de nom at noon. ~ther~ dey gits dere old massa say dey s free as ~e was. If dey stays he say he give em ~lf de crop, but didiivt one stay. Six ~ seven what want s ~ back t o de old home massa done cive teems t o and~.it tr~ke dem bout six week ~ ~xorne, I~s glad to g t dere. I couldn t see free ~ meant no better, Missus plantation seem mighty pleasant. II been marry twict. Fust time a gal name Celeste, but sh~ fuse to corue to Texas with me ~md dat solve de marriage. I marry dis wife, Sarah, bout a few year ago, Us been marry bou.t 22 year. ** ** ******

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420273 FSL.SLAV~ STORIES Page One (Texas) JOHN MCCOY, ex-.slave, who l1.ves in a small shack in the rear of 2310 State St., H~~uston, Texp~3, claims to have been born J,qn. 1,1838. ~k1t~ ou~h his memory is hazy, John is certain that folks hr~d a heap more s~mse in slave tiiiit~s den dey has now. t,~1eli, s~ih, my white folks done lam ne to start de cotton row right ard point for de stake at de fu end of de field, and dat way a nigger don t git off ~e 1in~ a~d ~o dis a way and dat~~w~.r. He start right aM end right, yes, suhl Dat 1e wny to live you start right n~d ~~ d~ straight way to de end and -~ou c~nnes out pill right. l s been here a mighty long time, I sho hns, and done forgit a heap, 1c~use my head ain t so good no ~~ore, but when I first knowed. my~1f I 1on~s to old Marse John McCoy. Old Miss Mnry w~.s he wife and dey de only white folks whet I ever longs to. Dat how cOiie I~s a McCoy, cause i~1l ~e niggers what old mar~e have goes by his name. My paDpvTs naine was Hector ~nd m~rnniy ~ n~ne Ann, ~nd dey dies when I~s j~s~ a young ~ick and dat been a long tirue fore freedom. kin t got no bradders and sisters what I knows tbout. All a slave have to go by rim what de white folks tells him bout his kinfoiks, Old Marss John have a big place round Houston p~nd r~1ses cotton and corn and bawgs ~nd cows, Dere was lots cf wi1dernes~ den, full of varmints F~fld wildcats ~nd bears, Old Marse done lam me b~dience arid not to lie or steal, and he lam me with de whip. Dat all de li .

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~x~!1aVe Storlee Two (Texas) . 33 1arnifl~ we gits. Does he cotch you with de book or paper, he whip you hand down. He don t whip de old fo k~ none, jeu de young bucks, ~cause dey wild and. mean and dat de onhies way dey larns right from wrong. I tells you like I tells everyone .. folks had heap more sense in slave times dayi dey has now. Lone as a nigger do right, old inarse pertect him, Old Marse feed he niggers good, too, and we hae plenty clothes. Course, dey homemade on de spinnin wheel but dey good. De ehoes j es like t enti ary shoes, only not fix up so goode Old }vthi~ kill ~. cOw for meat and take de hide to de tanner and Uncle Jim make dat hide into shoes. Dey hard and heavy and. hurt de feets, but dey wear like ~rou has iron shoes. Old Marse dontt wo heniggers Sunday like some white folks do. Dat de d~j we has church meet in~ under trees . De spirit e or:~e down out de sky and you forgits all you troubles, ~ I, Slave times was de best ~ cause cull~.d folks am 1g rant and alu t got no Sense and in Slave times white folks show dem de right way. Now dey is free, dey gits uppi~ty and sassy. Some dese young bucks o~xght to git dere heads whipped do~m . Dat I am dem manners. Freedom wasn t no dlff rence I knows of. I works forMarse John jes de same for a long time. He s~y one mornin, John, you c~i go out in defield iff en you wants to, or you can git out iffen you wants to, cause de gov mentteay you Is free0 if you wants to work I~ll feedyou and give you clothes but can t pay you no money. I am t got ~ Thimph, I didn t know nothin what money was, nO1i~w, but I knows i il git plenty victu~als to eat so I stays till Old. marse die ex4 old mies git ehet o~ de place. Den I gits me a job farniln and when I gits ~ for dat I does die and dat for white folks, likes fixin yards. : ~ .

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.. . 34 E~ s1~V~ Stories Pace Three (Texas) ~ black ~nd jes a poor. old nigger, but I rev~renc~ my white folks ~ (~y rared me up in d~ right wn~r. If eullud fo1k~ p~y tentlon and 1ist~T1 to whet (i~ white folks tell dein, dt~ world be a h~p better off s U~ ~~1c1 niggers knows dat s d~ trath, too, 1~ause we larns r~spec and inarin~rs from our white folks and on de great d~y of jedgrnent my white folks is gwineter iu~t rnc~ afl(1 shnke hands with me r~.nd be glad to see m~, Y~, suh, dat ~ truth!

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4 2()i1 :~ u.8LAv:B~ SPOBZJ~ P.m. On. . (~.x&s) NAP MC ~ 80, was born in Te~nesss, a slat. of the MeQ~ioen featly, who later br ght lap t o Texai. Re now liy.I in 3e~ont, ~ t t ~ born in Tenne sees bu.t day bringe way froii dere when 11e a little chile, what ~ na~my say ii eight y.ex gwtne on nine, My daddy nane Bill Ko~te.n and ~y ~a~sy ne leslie. Nie conte from ?enne3e e in de fall in de wagons end it take. ~e a long t tas ca~ies we ea~ps on di wq~ ~ &~t we git e dere and starte to work on de new p1~s. ~Masea bave three cook w~sn and two wae ny grandam aM m~y. D. ~ rota wag right by de kitchen aM we has plenty to eat. Ke was a good sassa and I wt~xldat t knowed it been alavery iffen dey hadnt t told ~ o. I was treat %o good. ~Dey have a big hattie to take cax s de chilien when dey nannies wOrkiftt in de field., and old miseu.. ehe good. to dose chillsn. She cones in her,s f every &~y to ces dein and e~etine pley with dens ~MaSaa son John was de over.eer but de old. ~asaa wouldn t ~ hin to whip de slaves. Iffen it got to be done, old nassa do it, ~t he neyer draw blood like on de plantation. y~d ~t . S~O Of de~ on does plantation. .a7 &ey ain t w~t MasBa Mc~ueen1i nigger. r~md de plan,, . S caise dey . fr.e, dey Lid too good and all, and dey frat& it aeke ders slav.. uneattafy, Dey albia stop ~orktnt Sat~d~~ afternoons and S~tnday and git. pas, to go fishin or b~ntin . S .ett~e day hai prsaehin under de arbor. Den at tinner time dey blow d horn and de eullud folke .1

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~x. s1aYS Stories ~ Two (Texas) ests at de saie tiRe a de whit folk., right where sassa kin watch em, and if dey not snc~~tgh to eat, he say, How ~o.e? What de natter with de i~ooks?1 E. live in a two story h*ime builded. out of l~aber and ai 1 round in de yard was de quarter.. Dey nake oat of logs and nest has a little patch de anisa ~1ows t.*, and. what dey raise dey own. My daddy raise cotton each year aM he rai.. sweet taten and bank ~ im. ~Dey hai Georgia hossee in de ~p~art.rs. Dey was den bed places ~hat de niggers slip on, Dey bores holes ii~ .. wall of d. house and makes di frime of de bed. aM put. cotton mattress and quilt on den. De white folks hawe ho~xse make bedsteads, too. i first bought bed I ae, was a plumb stoniahment to me. It have big poattee to hang skeeter bar ~ De chairs was h~simake too, with de White oak splits for de bottoma~ Massa he didn t go to de wg, but h. sent he oldest boy, call John. Ei~ talces my daddy long to feed. de stock and like dat. I g~a to de ceap ones to es. my daddy and stays a good. while. Dey fun to fight de Ta~ee and dey rest and eat and talk. Dey shoot at de r fie rii~g and d~ey make den practise all dey got to know to b~e good soldier, aWh.n freedon come long, massa lin. us all up by de gallery end say, You is you own wonen and men. Ton is free. Iffen yoi~ wt s to stay, I gives y i land and a te and grocsriss. Iiy daddy stays. NI marry long tine after freedom and raise two batith of chilien. My first wife ha~s sight and my second. wife have nine. dm~2I.

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. ~x.s1aYS Stories (~exae) I ~ebers de story boi~tt de ~an what owned de monkey. Dat ~o!~ke7, he watch and try do everything a man do. One tise a nigger w~ke up he sind ac~,re nother nigger and. when nIght time come he put a white beet over hl~ and sot out for de place dat nigger pass ~ t~ i~onk.y he seed dat nigger with di sheet and he gxeb de nice wI4te tablecloth ~nd throw lt over him ~nd he follow d. nigger. Dat nigger, he hear eoinethitg behint him and look round and see eoi~ethinG white followin hia and he think it a real ghoitie. Den he took out and run fitten to kill hiesel !. De monkey he t ook out aft er dat nigger and when he fell zauet ed in he ~oorw87 ho find tait dat a ~o~tkey chasm hie, and. h~i want to kill &at T oflkel, bi~it he can t do d , C cause de monkey de aasaa ~ pet. ISo one d.~ dat nigger shavin and de ieonkey watch.tn hii~. He know right den de monkey tri de same thing, eo when he gits thr~ shavln1 he turn de raior quick in he hand, so de monkey am t ~ hi~ and draw de back of de razor quick C~I0~~ he throat. Sho enough, when he gone, de mon~y git tIe bresh and ru~b de lather all over he face and de zUgger he watchia throngh a. crack. Ihen dat Monkey thrxigh Bh&~in he &r~w de razor qaick cross he throat b~t he ain t know for to turn It, and he eut he own throat and kill hiesel f. Dat what de nigger want hlii to d~o and he feel satiefy dat de monkey done dead and h~ h~~e he re~engsnoe~ ~ s...,,

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 043 038

~L.s:k&vE Si~C tIZ3 Page One (Texas) BILL Mc1t4,~Y was born in Milaa, Xlfteez~ miles nor~n of San Augt~stine, Texas, in 1851. Re Is a brother of C. B. MeBay. Col. McRay was his owner(the nane may have been spelled McCr~, Bu . says) . Bill now lives in Jasper, TeXae.He le said ~ De an expert cook, s~av ing cooked for hotels, boats and milit ary caiips 40 years . ft 11 was born in }4ilaa in 1851 and c1a~ makes me 86 year oie, My mother and fatr~er was sia~es and dey orung inc to Jasper in 1854. Colenel MoRay, he was ~xir marster and die our DOSS. Ee nave 40 head of z~tgg~re, but he never hit oue of em ~ lick in hie 11m. Re own a big tarm and have a foreman n~ne& Bill Ctusinins. I stay with de Colonel t ill after s free. Us ~a~e good rearster, but some of de neignbors treat dere slates rough. 01e Dr. Neyland of Jasper, kie nave 75 or ~iO slaves and ne was rich and nerd ou de sleires. One day two run away, Toa and Ike, aM Dr. Neyland t~ces de bloo&houn s ax~d ketch dose two nigger. and brung tem &n. One oi d.c nl~ers takes a club a~d knock one 0 de iioun e in de head and kilt him. Dey cook dat dog and make dem njggers eat part of hin. Den dey gi~e both of teis a beati&, .~ De ole log jail in Jasper, it useter stan1 what de Fish St ore is now. Dey have a place othe r side de j ail wtiar dey whip nigger.. De whippia po& was a big log. Dey make de nigger. lie ~ :.: down on it and etrt t ~ to it. I was a 111 boy den and ne and two white boys Coley ~Ray and Benry ~binn, we uset er slip round ~ -.1..

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Ex~s1ave Stories Page Two ~ ~39 (Texas) watch 1em~ Coley s~nd Henry ootrx grow up and go to w~r but neither come back. Sain Swan, he was sneriff and. ne k~tcn two ranaway niggere one day. Dey was brtidders and. dey was n~une Rufe and John Grant Well lie takes ~ e~ and puts dem in jail and. saine oi~ de men git s ~ era out ~nd takes tem down to cte wriippin pos& ~ ien strap em down ar~dgive ein one terrible lashin and den throw salT in dere wounds and ~rou could ~iear acm niggers holler for a mile. Den dey took em back to de farm to wo k. Dey hanged good many niggers tround Jasper ~ In slavery times dey hangs a nigger nanie Jim flenderson, at Mayziew Pond. Us boys went dere and. mark de t, Two cullud men Tom Jerferson ~uid S~n Powe 11 ~ey kill anudd.er nigger and dey hang dcii to de oie white o~k tree wnat is south of Jasper Court Rouses After I s free I cooks for Cap n Kelly in its mil tary camps for 21 year. Den I cook for boats what run up and down de 1 Tecnes and Angelina rivers~ I wants to say, too, dat I wotks for every&hertifin Jasper Cou*ty C5ptifl de las one. Guess l s too young to wo k for hi Z se.. esses

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 045 040

F.X-SLAV~ STORIES Page Or~ 4() (TexaB) C, B Mc(~RAT was born in Jasper, Thxas, in 1861, p~ (4~ 5lave to John H. MeRay, a - ~ J slave trader. C. B. i~ . . rather unepproachabi. and : has a 5ecretive ~ ~ though he believes th. liwaan race will bear a little watch ihg. He t old. of o nly one wife, but hi5 present wife explaired, eonfidenti~1ly, that he has had Bix. He lives in Jasper. My n~jne je c~. B. McP~~y, better know~ as Co natalk, I cause I e long and. thin, Also knowed. es Racer, cause I useter be fleet on ttie feet. When Ite ten year oie I oftem caught a rabbit ~ha~t jump t fore me jus ~ by rannin him down. Do see why zay boys au t do t b~e ease. UI~a botn in Jasper, on Main street, right where Lanier s Store stan s, on the 12th o~ April, in 1861. My father s nase was Calvin Beil McBLq~, de same as mine, and. mother s naxae was Harriet i4eBay. Path~ r was botn in Virginny and mother ta Sabine Cc~inty~ in Texas. M~y brudders names was Bill McBay and Robert and. Dackin Dacus. Father and mother was slayes right h,re in J~eper, ana so was ny grau p~nte who was n in Africy. tIJokm MoRay was us nareter. He was call a nigger trader , ak& was etch a aey mareter dat other peo~pie call he slaves MeRar s free niggere . He make trip% to New Orleans to bay slaves and brung tes back and sol tem to de farmers. Miseus was de bestes1 white wOrnal to cullud folks dat ever live.

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~x.~slave Stories Page Two (Texas) . I I s too lii to wo k much but I member lotes things. Us bave a big dinin roo~n with a big, long table for de cullud. folks and us git jus the same kin o.f food. dat the white folks have on dere table. S ~ ifen a nigger sass marste r and he couldn C ontrol him, he w~e de fuse one to be sol and git rid of. E. sol my uncle dat way. But mareter was good to us when we done right. The nigger women spinned and weaved cloth. I e1 dat s the place in Jasper whai you could go any t ime of day and. see a parlor full of nigger women, sittin up dere fat as dey could be and. with lii to d~O. Mareter have no plantation for de men to wotk but he rinted. lan for tnem to cult vate. M~9X~et er s niggers all got Sunci~r clothes and shoe s . Every one o1~ dem have to dress and come to the parlor so he coald look dein over a for. dey goes to church. Us i~ave a foreman, name C~arli e It wai iii e duty t o keep de place stock wltii wood. He talc. slaves and vo k de wood patckiee when it needed, but ouct marster cows borne trom New Orleans and toting dew all sur fer in ~ xor want or fire. He call oie Cxiarl te and ask him why he not git up plenty wood. Veil, ob. Cnaxlio say, ~od was sAort and. fors I could git *ore dis col spell come and. it too awful col t git wood. Marster s~q, You keep plenty wood or I gwinter sell you5 to a mean marster. Charlie git better for a while then he let wood git low again. So ~e was sol to Bellard. Ad.aws, who had the name of bein hard on hie slaves. Charlie couldn do enough wo k to suit Mareter Adams, eo he put hia in what s knowed as the Louisiana shirt.

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Ex slave Storisi ~ . Page Thre (Texas) Dat was a barrel with a hole cut in txie bottosi jus big enough for Cr~ar1ie to slip ~ie head. through. Dey pull dis on to zila every mornin and then he cou1c1n~ sit d.own or use ne ares, cou). jus walk troun~ all d~ay, de brunt of other elavee jokes. At night dey took it off and: chati him to he be&. after he have wo n dis Louisiana shirt a month cte inarster task he a~gain, He fail and run off to the woods. So Marster Adams, he conic to Marster )LcRay and want to sell Charlie back agaii, but he couldn , cause reedau jus come and they coulthi~ sell slaves no more but Marster MoRay st~y Charlie coul ~ come back and stay on he place if he wanted to. Dey didn try to teach us rea&in arid writii~ but ~iee Mary read &e Bible to us every Sunday. Iffen us g t sick dey git ol~ 1r. Haynes or Dr. Perkins. 7(hen us ohillun, we plays Town Ball and marbles. Motner~s ~av rite lullaby was Bye-o Baby ~xritin . I never seed. any sojers till after de War close, cien I seed. dem camp o~ Uourt House Square right here in Jasper. When freedoni was dared., Miss Mary call us niggers into the parlor and den Marster ~cItay come and. tol ~s wee free. He vise em to wo k trounci. Jasper, whaT they knows people, and says itfen any wange to stay witn fia to ~. please rise up. Every person riz up. So dey all stay with b1~ ror a time After w ile tie gin to rent and. cult vate d.ifferen plantat ion, and. dere treatment not so good, so dey gin to be diseat isy and pull lOose.

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.1 4)f~~ ~ B~X~-SLAT~ STOB11~S Page One ~ ~1 (Texas) . ~*t) ~4~\ JULIA MAI~OE, 79 was born a slave ;k~~ of Ju~e Illison, who owned. a thous ~ . and. acre plantation near Lockhart, ~ Texas, Jul la s mother was killed by ~ ~ another slave. Julia stayed with the ?~lli.on f~iily several years after she w i freed.. She lives at 305 Percy St., Port Worth, Texas. J edge Elli son owned bout a tousand acres I and near Lockhart, a few miles up de Clear Pork river. Bight dere I is borned, and it were a big place and so man~ goint arid c~in1 it look like de beehive. De buildin s and sheds look like de li l toe. I ae~b.r bein left in de mirsery whilst my maiisy work in de fields. One night she go to de river for to wash clothes. She has to wash after dark and so she am waahin and a nigger slave sne up on her and hit her on de neck, and it ais d.c de~h of her. So de w~an what ma~y allus live with takes cars of me den and when freedom ~ ~me ehe moves t o t owi b~tt mas sa w ~ t let her took me. I stay. on with him and runs errands, while I is not fannin de new ~by. Dey has six while I m dere. I fans dem till I draps asleep, and dat call for de whippin . My foster m~ay cc~es out and asks massa to let her have ne, but he wont t do dat But she puts one over on him fin ly ~nd git s me anywq. He am gone and mis~. am gone and I has to stay home alone with de last baby, and a man and woman what was slaves on de place fore surrender, c ~ s by in a wegon and tells me to jump in. Dey takes me to m~ foster mamy and she motes and w t t low me outside, so massa can1t ever find. me.

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~.X 1ave Stories Page Two 44 ( Texa.) She 8p1atn~ lots of things to nie. I done see de women stick dere heada in de waahpot and. talk out loud, while ue in slavery. She telle ne dey pra~tn~ for de Lawd to take dem ~it from bondage. Dey thiz~k it ~t~ht to pray out loud so de Lawd. can hear but dey mustn t let de massa hear dem. s ~ aBk her bout my father and ah. saye him on de place but die fore I~i borned.. Ke was m&ce de husbandS to lote of wogen on de place, cau8e he de big man. She am good to me and care for me till I meets de boy I like.. 158 live. together for fifteen years snd den hi~ dies. My chilien is all dead. He name am William &nereon and I watt. nine yeare fore I marries gain. Den I marrie. Albert )Lalone and I . lucky gsin. He s de good man. One day he am fixin de sills under de house and de whole heise mowea over and falls . on hie. I feels ~o gr evou.s over dat I never marrie. gain. Dat thirty-~four year ago, and I lives alone all de time. It aintt ~cause I doesn t have de chance, cause lots of bucks wants me, cause I . de hard worker. h ~ washes for de livin ~nd washes old massa ~ daugh s clothes. Massa am de powerfal man dunn slavery and have de money and fine clothee and drives de fine teams and acti like de cock of de walk. All dat changes after freedom. I seed him layin in de sun like de dog. I offers to wash k~ clothes and he jus grunt. He done turned stone deaf, and de white folks say it cause he done treat he slaves so bad, I done Live here in tort Worth 1bait fifteen years with my daughter, Bmilah Watkins. I . mighty hap~~y~ here, and has de $10.00 pension and thanks de Lawd for. dat.

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42()284 EX-SLAYB~ STCR1:~ ~S Page One 45 (Texas) ADEL I~1E MARSHALL 3514 Bastrop St., Houston, Texas, was born a slave somewhere in South Carolina. She was bought b~ Capt. Bre~a~t and. brougI~t to Texas while st ill a baby, so she remembers nothing about her family and has no record. of her age. Adeline i~ evidently very old. s Yes suli Adeline Marshall am my nan~e all right ~it folks e round here j ea calle me Grandma. Lawd have mercy, I s been in dis here land too 1on~, too 1on~, and jes ain t no count no more for nothin . I got aistrie2 in my bones and jes look at what I s got on my feet! Dem s jes rags, dat s all, rags an t wear nothtn1 ela On eza dey lmrts s o. Dat s what de red russet shoei what we wears In slave timei done jes pizen ~%e feeti. Lawd, Law~3., dat shot bRd~ times black folke jes ~ raise up like ~at t le in de atable only Cap n Brevard ho what o~n me treat8 he hose es and~ cattle better n he do he nigger~. ft Don t know nothin bout myself cept on Cap n rd B place clown on Oyster Creek. He has de plantation dare what de only place t knows t 111 Its freedomed.. He a~y~ I s a South Car lina nigger what he bo~xght back dore and brung to Texas when I jes a baby. I reckon it de truth, cau~se I ain t never lalowed no aama or papa, neither one. Cap n h. a bait man, and he drivers hard, too, ail de time whippin and atroppln de nigger. to make dem work harder. Didn t make no dtff erence to Cap n how little ~roa ii, cr goes ~mt to de field moi soon s you can walk, De drivers don t use de bullwhip on de lit tie niggers but dey pi aye d.e switch on u~s what eting de hide plenty. Sometimes dey pute a n1gger~ in :: ~ ~ ~ d stocke and leaves dm two or three day., don t give dem nothtn5 to eat III,

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Ex..slave Stories Page Two (Texas) or a drink of water, jes leaves dem till dey moe dead, Does dey die, jes put dem in a box and. dig a hole out back of de hoes lot and. dump dem in and cover up. Ain t no preachin service or nothin , but de poornigger out he mis ry, dat s all. Old Cap n jes hard on he niggers and I member one time dey strops old Beans what s so old he can t work good no more, and in de mornin dey fi n ~s him hangin from a tree back of de quarters . He done hang himself to scape he mis ry! We works every day cept Sunday and has to do our washin den. Does anybody git s ick week days he has t o work Sunday t omaic ~ e t up When we comes in at night we baa to ~o ri~at to bed. Dey don t low no light in de quarters and yot~ better be in bed if you don t want a whippin . We gits a plain cotton sup with a string ro~nd de neck, de stuff dey makes pickin sacks of. St~mmer or winter, dat all we gita to wear. Old Cap n have a big house but I jes see it from de quarters, tcause we wasn t lowed t go up in de yard. I hear say he don t have no wife, ~xt a black woman what stays at de house, Dat de reason so many No Nation niggers round. Some calls dem Bright nig~ers, bi~t I calls dein No Nation O ~ ~ dat what dey s am t all black or al 1 whit e but mix. Dat o orne from slave times. NI knows X s good size when Old Oap n calls us in and say we s free, bu.t nobody tell me how old. I is and I never found out. I kiowa some of us stays and works for somethin to eat, cause we didn t know no one and didn t

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~x-.slave Stories Page T~xee 47 Texas) a~~nowheres to go. Den one day, Cap n come out in ci. field with nether man and pick me and four more ha s workin and say 1 ~ good. workers Dat was Mr. Jack Adams, what have a place obst to Stafford s Run. He say if we wants to work on his place he feed. us and give quarters and pay us for workin and dat how come I leaves old. Cap n, and I ain t never see him or dat place where I~s raise sence, but I reckon he so mean de debbil done got him in torment long time ago. Il ~ works in de field f o r Mr. Jack and dat where Wee Marshall what I marries, works, too. After we gits married we gite a piece of ground and stays on de same place till Mr. Jack die and we come to Houston. flat fore de 1900 et orm. I tells folks when dat storm comin . I ain t lieve in no witch dom s, some way I knows when dat storm comin Dey laughs at dis old. nigger, but it and dey loses hosses and cattle and chickens and houses. I tells de truth jes like it em, and I,a had a hard time in de li~nd.. in dia sinful town, dey don t do like de Good Book say. No, euh, dey don t. say, Love they neighbor, and folA~e don t love nobody but theyselves! ~Jes look at me~ I~s old with mts1ry and lone in de world. My husband and ~ chilien done die long e~o and leave me here, and I jes go from house to hotise, tryin to find a place to stey. Dat why I prays Gawd to take me to his bosom, cause He de onlies one I got to call on.

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 053 048

4Y~3I3 ~ 48 Dibble, Fred, P. L, Grey, Bernice. VJ., Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. ~ vfl(~ *~:~ ~ \jd~i T~x ~uite bl&ck, with close- cut hair and stubby gray whiskers, ISAAC MARTiN is contentedly 8pending the eveuir~g of his life. But two or three darkened teeth show between his thick lips as hb talks. He was enjoying the friendly shade of the old tree in his baeky~rd from his comfortable se9t in ~n old rocker. His feet were bare and his once striped trousers were rolled up above his knees to keep him cool in the hot ruidsuamner wea~ ther. Beside the chair was a paIr of brogan shoes with gaping splits across the toes to avoid craniping hisfeet. He told the story of bygone days with evide~it enjoyment. Dis ~1t ~ je& layiri roun . Ain t nuttin to him rio 1~ I done wo out. I es ~ ii for de Good i~Iarster to call p0 ~ t Isaac home to Glory. t~J~en dey read de proclamation to my inanimy and daddy dey mek em g~ive eb rybody age in de faxn ly. I was twelve year o1~ den. tI was bo n up here in Montgomery county bout t ree mile from Willis upon de I&GN Railroad. I hoip to bull dat I& N Railroad. t oit Major Wood he my daddy marster, arid course he mine too. He was well fixed. He had bout seb xity or eighty

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~ 49 Dibble, Fred, P.W., Grey, Bernice, V.W., ~ Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. -#3. wukkin slaves and I dunno how many li l niggers. I didn lmow nuttin bout o ) Missus, Mrs. Wood. I jis member she a bt~ fat woman. De~ dicin low no 1i 1 nigger chi1~ lun up In de yard roun de big house cep ri to clean up de yard, and dem what done dat, dey hatter be jis ~ like dat yard, clean as peckerwoods. 01 marster he warn t me~ri. He nebber whip em jis so. iffen anybody say de slave orter be whip. Dey halter see him and tell himwhat dey done beTh he give de order to de overseer to whip. Iffen he don t ink dey orter be whip, he say don whip em and dey don git whip. I had to mind ~e cows and de sheep. I had a mule to ride roun on. It wa~ dis way, I hafter mind de cows. 01 marster he plant dif rent fiel s in co n, fifty or sixty or a hundred acres. When dey harve&tin de co n, when dey git one fiel done dey tu n de COWS in so dey kin eat on de stalks and nubbins what lef in dat fiel . I got to ride roun and see de cows don bus over from one fiel what dey done harves into de other fiel where dey wuk or what am t been harves yet. I j is like dat, ridin dat mule roun de. fiel arid keepin de cows tri. .

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~ti t J.. Dibble, Fred, P.L, Grey, Bernice, V.L, Beatmiont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. $tDen dere was five or six of us boys to keep de dogs out de sheep. You know iffen de dogs git in de sheep dey apt to kil I ~ em. Us go huntint wid. de dogs lots of time, and lots of time us ketch rabbits. Dey was six dogs, ~nd de rabbits we kotch was so much vittles for us. I member one night us went out htuitin and ketch fo or Live rabbits. Us tek ~ em home and clean and dress e i, and put ~ em in de pot to have bi~ rabbit supper. I was puttin some red pepper in de pot to season em, and den I rub my eyes wid my han and git dat pepper in my eyes and it sho burn. You know how red pepper burn when it git in your eyes, I nebber will forgit bOut dat red pepper. De ol folks uster show us how to fix de t ings we ketch huntin , and cook lerntt 01 marster sho ttOUght mot of his litl nigger chil~ len. He uster ride in de quarters cause he like to see tern come runnint. De cook, she was a ol woman name Forney, and she had to see atter feedin de chilien. She had a way of callin tern up. ~he holler, Tee, tee, t-e e; aiid all us li~l niggers jis come runz~in . 01 marster he ride up and say, Forney, call up dem li~l pickaninnies, t and o . Forney she 11ft up her voice and holler, Tee, t-e-e,

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51 Dibble, Fred, P.L, Grey, Bernice, V.L, Beaunmnit, Jefferson, Dist. #3. t.~e~ e, and ol marster jis set up on de hass and laugh and laugh a lot to see us come runnin up. He like to count how m~nylitl niggers he did have. Dat was fun for us too. I member dat jes like yestiddy. N utt went hard wid nie . u s I know bout s ry dem was good times. Dey had tbout t ree or fo hundred of 8heep. My father hafter kill a mutton eb ry Friday for de house. Dey bring up de sheep and somebody holt de head cross a block and my father cut de head off wid a hatchet. Sheeps is de pitifullest t ings to kill. Dey jis give up. And dey cries, too. But a go~at, he don give up, flaw sth, he talk back to you to de las . ni member one time dey gwlne to give a school feas , and dey gwine kill a goat. Dey hang dat goat up to a tree by he hind legs so de blood dreen good. Dey cut he t roat, dat s de way dey gwtne kill im. Dat goat seem like hG t on talkint and sayin ~ Please, ~ God, kil . to de las , but dat ain t done rio good. Dat goat jis beg to de las . M~r ol marster he live in a big house. Oh, it was a palace. It had eight or nine rooms. It was buil outer

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52 Dibble, Fred, P.W., Grey, Bernice, V.L, Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. logs, and moss and clay was stuff twixt de logs. Dere was boards on de outside and it was all cell nice on de inside. He lived in a mansion. t~e~ was plenty rich. 01 marster he had a ai wait in man all dress up nice and clean. Now if you wanter talk to cl marster you hafter eau for dat cl waitin man. He come and you tell him what you want and den he Co and tell ol marster and den he say, Brliig him in, and den you go in and see de ol . marster and talk your bus ness but you had to be nie e and hoi your ha t under your arm Dey s big rich people. Sometimet dey have parties what las a week. Dey was havin dore fi~n in dere way. Dey come in kerridges and hacks. My father was de hostler and he hafter keep de hosses and see bout feedin eni. Dey had a sep raj~e li l house for de saddles. 01 marster he kep good hosses. He warn t mean. He had a great big pasture and lots of times people go camp :1.n it. You see it was disaway, de Yankees dey got rushin de ~inerioan people, dat de Confed rates, dey kep COiIIin furder arid furder wes , till dey come to Texas and

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p .~33 Dibble, Fred, P.W., Grey, Bernice, V.W., Beaumont, Jeffex son, Dist. #3. den dey can t go much furder. De Yariees kept crowdin t em and dey on o . when dey o amp in . mar ster pasture, he give em co n. I see ein dribe a whole wagon load of co n and dump it on de groun for dey hos-. ses. De Yankees nebber come till de war close. 3Den dey come all through dat country. Dat was destruction, it seem to me like. Dey take what aey want. ~ When freedom corne and de proclamation was read and de ol marster toi eni dey was free and didn have no 01 marster no mo some of de slavea cried. He tell em, I don t want none of you to leave. I Il give you ~8.OO a mont . ~Al1 de ol folks stay and help gadder dat crop. It sho griebe ol marster and he didn live long atter dey tek his slaves way from him. ~t.l1, it jis kill him, dat s all. I members de Yankees on dat day dey sot to read de proclamation. Dey w~s gwine roun jn dey blue un:~forni and a big long sword hangin at dey side. Dat was cur osity to dem r~iggers. When ol niarster want to go out, he call he li i nig~ ger serbent to go tell my father what was de hostler, to saddle up de hoss and bring him roun . Den ol marster git on him. He had t roe steps so he could ji go up

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34 Dibble, Fred, PJ., Grey, Bernice, V.L, Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. dem steps and den his foot be right at de stirrup. My daddy hoi de stirrup for him to put he other foot in it. I ~ ~ big miff to run after h~ni and ax him to gimrne a dim~ He laugh and sometime he giinine de dii ie. Sometime he pitch it to me and I run and grab it up and say, T ankee, n~arster, and he laugh and laugh. t~Q~t mistus she had a reg lar cook. Dat was my mud~ der s inudder. Eb ryt ing had to be jis so, and eb ry- t ing nice and clean. Dey didn do no reg lar wi~& on Sunday. Eb ry Sunday one of de ther wiinmins haftertek de place of de cook so she could git off. All of em what could would git off and go to de chu ch for de preachin . Dem what turn didn come one Sunday, would go anudder till dey all got roun to go. Marster had two or t ree hundred head of cattle. My gran father, Guilford, had a mule and hoss of he own. Uncle Hank was his brudder, and he had de sheep department to look atter. Sometime de niggers git a hoss or a sheep over, den de marst er buy tj~j. Some of de niggers had a li l patch rotin dey cabin and dey raise veg tabie. 01 niar~ eter he buy de veg table sometime. I didu know what f ree

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r Dibble, Fred, P.W., Grey, Bernice, V.L, Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. dom was. I didnt know. wedder I needed it or not. Seem to nie like it was better den dan now, cause I gotter look eut for myself now. Us uster be on de watch-out for ol~ marster. De fust one see him commt lit out and open de gate for him t ride froo and ol marster toss him a nickle. Wh n it was time to eat, de cl cook she holler out, T-e-e, t-e-e, t e-e-e and all us li l niggers come runfin . &he have a big tray and each of us have a wessel and a spoon. She fill us wessel and us go eat and den us go back for mo . U5 git all us want. Dey give us supper befo de han s eome in from de fiel and what wid pinyin roun all clay and eatin all us could hoi in de afternoon, twarn t long befo us li . niggers ready to go te sleep. Oue tting, o . marster didn want his niggers to run about. Sometime dey want to py over to anudder plantation on Sunday. Den he give etna pass iffen he willin for em to go. Dey had patterrollers to ride from plantation to see iffen dey was any strange niggers dore. When dey wanter marry, de man he repo t to ol marster. He want his niggers to marry on his own plantation. He give em a ~ioe li l supper and a big dance. De~ had

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? Dibble, Fred, P.L, Grey, Bernice, V.W., Beaumont, Jefferzori, Dist. #3. some sort of license but 01 marster tek care of dat. He had two sons what had farms and slaves of dere own. 01 marster didn care if his slaves marry on his eons farms. If any of d~ slaves do niean, he mek em work on Sunday. He dldn b Ieeb In beatin em. fl3~ many of em as could, usually go to de white folks chu ch on sunday and hear de white preacher. Dey sit off to deyse fs In de back of de chu ch. Dein what stay at home have a cullud preacher . ~ Dey try to rais e em up social. ~ ~ Dey had a ol woman to look after de babies when dey rnammies was out in de fiel . Dey have a time sot for de manirnies te come in and nuss de babies . I~e ol woman she had helpers. Dey had a big house and cradle for deni babies where de nuss tek care of em. When ariybcdy die dey have a fun rel. All de han s knock off work to tend de fun rel. Dey bury de dead in a ho made coffin. I nebber pay no tenshun to talk bout ghos es. I nebber b leeb in em. But one time commt from chu ch my uiiol wite say, Ike, you eber see a glios ? Want to see see me?, and I tell her I dt t give a cent, yes I want

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57 Dibble, Fred, P.W,, Grey, Bernice, V.W., Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. to see one. She say, I show you a man dress . all In white what ain t got no head, and you gwlne feel a warm breeze. After a while down de hill by de graveyard she say, Dore he go. I look but I nebor see I but I feel de warm breeze. ~ UI uster go to see a ~al and I uster hafter pass right by a ol graveyard. It was all wall up wid brick but one place dey had steps up over de wall so when dey hafter bury a body two men kin walk up dem steps side by side, and dat deway dey tek de corpse over. Well, when I gil; to dem steps I hear suxnp n . Den I stop and I ain t hear nuttin . When I start walkin ag in I hear de noise ag in. I look roun and den I see sump n white corne up right dore where de steps go over de wall. I had a stick In my han and flex time it come up I nick a rush at it anti hit It. ~ It was jis a great big ol billy goat what got inside 4e wall and was tryin to glt out. He got out jis when I hit hirn and he lit out froc de woods. Dat s de only gliss I eber see and. I s glad. dat warn t no ghos . ~ . 01 marater he had twenty head of cows. Dey give . .~ plenty milk. Dey uster git a cedar tub big as dat dore one full of milk. D~ milkers dey pack it .~ dey head t~ /0

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58 Dibb e, Fred, P.W., Grey, Bernice, V.W., Beaumont, Jefferson, P1st. #3. de house. U~ cow-pen boys had to go drive up de caff s. Cow-pen boys? Cow-pen boys, dem de boys what keep aw~ay de caffa when dey do de niilkin . Co se, lots of times when dey froo milkin us jump on em and ride em. Whenebei dey ketch us dom dat dey sho wear us out. Dat warn t yestiddy. Furai l s concern we had a plum good time in slav ry. Many a year my grampa raise a bale of cotton and marster buy it. Dat wa~ encou~~agin us to be smart. ?~My daddy name Ecimond good and my ma am Maria. I had a brudder and a sister; dey am Cass and Ann. I been a Larmer all my life . I kep on farmiri till de boll weevil hit dese parts andden I quit de farm and went to public work. I work in de woods and cut l gs. I buy dis house. I been here roun Voth bout twentyLive year . UI bee~i marry twict. Dc fus time I marry--I git so stinkin l~ I can t member when it were, but it been a l.ng ways back. My fus wife, Mary Johnson. She die arid den I marry dis yere woman I got yere now. Her naine been Rhoda McGowan when I rnarr~ her but she been marry . Bife if us l , ain t fit for nuttin . Us git pension \\

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:~ 59 Dibble, Fred, P.L, Grey, Bernice, V.W., Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. and dat what us live on now, cause I to ol to do any work no ~ Me arid my fus wife we had ten chillun. Dey s all dead but f0 and I ain t she dey s all livin . Las I heerd of em one was in Houston, arid one in Chicago, and one in Kansas C1t7, and one live here. I see him dis mawnin . 1 heerd tell of de Klu Klux but I ain t neber seed em I rieber did go to ~ t5 p member of de C M E Meth d is eh . when I uster could git about I uster be a steward in de chu ch. Den I was de treasurer of d.c chu ch here at Voth for some seben year . I uster b lon~ to de U.B.F. Lodge, too.r~ Back in slav ry dey alius had a ol darky to train de y.un~ ones and teach ein right from wrong. ~nd dey d wh5~p you for dein wrong. Dey d repo t to de overseer. Some of em ~ was mean arid repo t somebody dey am t like jis to git em in trouble. De overseer he had to vestigate bout it and if it was so, somebody git a whippin . Sometimes ~ some folks repo t sump n when it warn t true. 01 mar~ter he was plum ind pendant. His plantati.in was off from de town. He uster had his mail bruug 121

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: 6O Dibble, Fred, P.W.~, Grey, Bernice, V.W., Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. to him. Fur s I kin member I didxi had to look out for nuttiri . Dey had a time to call all de slaves up and give tern hats, and. anudder time dey give tem shoes, and. anudder time dey give em clo~ s . Dey s ee dat eb rybody was fit. 01 marster allus give em all some kinder present at Crismus. I dunno what all he give de ol folks but he give dc chillun candy and de like. I was allus tickle to see ol marster come roun ~ Oh, good gracious, yes. And it allus tickle him to come trOj~fl and see ail his 11)1 niggers. ~ Orie time Cap n Fisher was sedated wid ai marster, and him and anudder man corne long wid ol~ inarster up de road what run froo de quarters. Dey wanter see de li l niggers. 01 marster call em up and frow out a han ful f dimes. It sho tickle em to see de ll l niggers scramble for dem dimes, and us look for dimes roun dat place for awoek. Dat was enjoyment to de white folks dem days. Marster was g..d to his niggers and none of em eber run away. My mudder she raise ol mistus baby chile. She uster suckle him jis like he her own baby and he allus t inlc lots of her. After he a growed up man he uster. bring her presents lots of times. He call her mammy all de time.

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61 Dibble, Fred, P.L, Grey, Bernice, V.lfl., Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. lie went off to de war. He los he hearin and ~ot deef. Muster been de noise from dem bi~ cannons what done lt. He got his big toe shot off in de war, too. After de war was over he come home and git married. Dat bout all dat I kin member eep n dat I vote in de state and other lections when I s twenty-one year ~-It It .,..I*

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 067 062

420065 ~L~.SLAV~ STOBI3$ Pate O~e (Texas) JAMES ~ARPIN, 31 . Dawson St., San Antonio~ Texai, i~ 90 yeari old.. Hi parents were Preston and L1z~ie kartth and h. wae born in Alexand.ria, Ta. Uses little dialect. UI waa born in Virginia in 1847. My mother wae a elaYs and my grandfather w~ One of the early settlers in Virginia. Re was born in J~aica and. his master took him to ~ngland., When the ~igl~sh caiie to Virginia3 they brought us along a. ser ient., but when they got her.~ everybody had slaYsi, so we wae slaves, too. My mother wa. born in the Weet ndies. IA men n~ined Martin brought my grandfather here and we took bis nase. And ehen marster was ready to die, he n~a&e a will axid it ~ai~I the youngest child in the slaves ~st be rnade free so that was my father end he was ~td.e free when he was 16. That left me and my brothers and sisters all free, but ai . the rest of the f~iily was slates, ~My mother was born a slate near Alexandr ta. The aars ter s dau~ghter, Miss Lisa, read. to ay mothers so ~he got sc*ue learning. When my mother ~ e owner died. he left her t o M iss Li gO and then i~y father met 517 mother and told. her they should get married. My mother said to Miss Lisa: I d. like fine to marry Preston Marttn.~ Miss Liza says, You canot do that, ~cause he s a. free nigger and your children would be fres. You gotta marry one of the slaves. ~ Then Miss Liza lines xp 10 or 15 of the slate men for my mother to pick from, but mother sa~ s she don like any of es, she wants to

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3 .Slave Stories Page Two 33 (Texas) t marry Presto~a Martin. Ui~s Liza argues but my mother is just stubborn, so Mie. Liza sa~s, VII talk to the marster. He says, I can t lose property like that, and. if you can ratai $1,200 y~ can buy yourse f free.1 So my mother and my father saves money and it takes a long time, ~t one da~y they goes to the aarster and lays down the money, and they git. married. ~arster don like it, but he s promised and he can t back out. ~ So me and iiy brothers and. sisters is free. And we sees others soi on the diction block. They re put in stalls like pens for cattle and there s a curtain, e &etisnes just a sheet in front of them, so the bidders can t see the stock too soon, The overseer s atandin just outside with a big black snaics whip ~ncI a pepper box pistol in nie hand.. Then they pulls the curtain up and the bidders crowds round. The o~erseer tells the age of the slaves and that they can do. One bidder t&ces a pair of white gloves they have and rubs his fi*gere over a man s teeth, and he s~i, Toit say this buck~s a~ yeare old, but there0. cups worn to his teeth. He s 40 years 1f he1s a day. So they knock that buck down for $1,000, cause ;fley calls the men bucks and the women wenches. Then the overseer make, tem walk across th. platform, he makes ~em hop, he makes em trot, he makes em jump. u When I m oli enough, I ~in tmzght t o be a saddler and when I ~m 1~/ or 18 I enlist in the Conf,d rate Az ~. Did they whip the slaves? Well, they jus about half killed ~. When it was too rough, they slipped into Canada. A marriags was a event. The bride and groom had to jump over

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xGSlave Stories Page Two (Texas) a broom handle . T~ie boa s m~n had a white preacher omet lass and. there was plenty good beef cornbread. But if the boas didn t cars much, he jus lined em up and said, Mandy, that e your husband and, RUf~1B, that B 7O~ wife ~ Kater the war ~ were Bent to Tixas, tue 9t~i U. S. Cavalry, under Capt. Francis F. Dodge. I was at Port $111, Port Davis, Fort Stockton and. Port Clark. I was in two battles with Indians in the Guadalupe Mountains. I erYe& under Col. Shafter in 1871 and I got my discharge under Oen. Merritt in 18?2. Then I come to Sa~i Antonio. I helped bring the first railroad here. Ph. S.P. in them days only ran near Ssgttin and I was a spiker and. worked the whole distance. Then :i helped build. the old railroad. from Indianola to Cuero and. then fron Cuero to Corpus,and Schleister~ I think, and Cunninghaa wers the contractors. That was in 1873 and 1874. lii drove cattle for big outfits, end drove 2,000 or 3,000 head. fron South Texas sometin~es clean up to Dakota. I drove for John Lytle. Brockha~ts, heran and Bill Sutton. There wasn t no trails and. no fencea. The Indians would co~ ask for seat and. we knew if we dicin t give it to tea they d stampede the cattle. If 1 wasn~t so old, I d. travel round again. I don t believe any man can be educat ed. who alu t traveled. soue. ses....

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o f\~~~r) u~.sLAv:~ STORIES Page One . ~35 (Texas) LOUIS~~ 1LATH~WS, 83, is a sister of Scott Rooper. Her owner was the Ret. Robert Tux ner, Louise married Henry Deggett when she was twenty J im Byers when she was thirty.i one and Bill Mathews ihen ehe was thirty4hree. She ~ lives alone at 2718 ~nnis Ave., lort Worth, about a blo~ f Scot t, Sho , I members dem slavery times, ~ause I~s eleven when de break~ lip cone. ~verybody call my massa Jed.ge Purner, but hirn i~m a Bapt ist preacher and have de small farm arid gen ra). store. My p y and mamr~v don ~ t 1. ive t ogether CaUB e pap py~ am own by Massa Jack Kooper. Massa T~urner done merz~ dem. Mostest de cullu.d folks jus lives together by greeaent den, but sassa have de cer aony. sus live in log cabins with de dirt floor and no windows, and. sleep on straw tick.. All de coolcin done in de satin1 shed but when p~py come over twict de week, mammy cooks him de meal den. 9Let me tell y~s how de young une cared for. Massa give dem special care, With de food. and lots of clabber and silk and pot-liquor, and. dey all fat and healthy. . Massa a~ a preacbar and a farmer and a saloonkeeper. He askes de medicine with whiskey and cherry bark and. ru~st offen nails. It ~xs be good, cause us all fat and sassy. Gosh for might~. ~ How I hates to take dat medicin.Z He say to me1 Take good care de young u.ne, canse de old ones gwine ple~ out soaet~ae, and I wants de young une to grow strong. Massa Turner wants de good deys work and. us all give it to him. Every S~rday night us git d pass if us wants to ge to de party. Us have parties -1..

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Ex..slave Stories Page Two (Texas) and danc in de quadrille and. fiddl es and barij 0es. ~ Sunday massa preach to us, 1~ause he de preacher heself. He preach to de white folks, too. s ~ member dat surrender day, He call u s round him. I c8zi see him now, like I watches him come to de yard, With he hands clasp hind him and he head bowed. I know what he says, I likes every one of y~i. Y*i been faithful but I has to give you up. I hates to do it, not cause I don t wait to free you, b~it cause I don t went to lose you all. Us see de tears in he eyes. Moe very~body leaves, and us go to peppy s place, den comes here in 18?2, right here where. us livs now. My sister, Scott, she lives up de street. It warn~t no houses here den. t gits married. in 1374 to Henry D~gett and he dies In 1884. Den t marries Jim Byers in 1885 end be ~i lazy and no count. He leaves on Christmas Da~ in de mornin and don t come back. Dat de only present he ever give me! Be ai what you e~l1. de Ixick passer. I does de washin aM ironin and he passes de bucks I makes. I ~arrles 3111 Mathews and ha my husband. He dies on Ma~r 15th, di~ year. I has seven chiflen and four of dem ~ right in dis town. PI never votes but once, bout four years ago. I jus don t care bout it. Too ieh fustin round foe me. My husband allue voted de Lincoln ticket. $1 gits round and lt won t be long fore I goesto de Lawd. s resting place. My sister a 81 ai~& t~s 83,, end she lives in de next block yonder ~ Us ~ de cons latien to each other. *500

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I )(I~)C~~ -:K. ~ ~~X~5LAV~ STOBI~S Page One (Texas) ifILLIAM )LATWEWS, 89, was born a slave on the Adams plantation, in Tr~nklia Parish, Louisiana. He was driver of the family cai riege . After William was freed he supported nigseif by hiring out as a field hand ~nd by making and selling baskets. Since 1931 he has lived with his daughter, Sarah Col burn, at 8l2~ 41st St., Galveston, Texas. Course I can lect bout slavery. I is old. and my eyesight am gone, but I can still lect, I ain t never forgit it. W1(y sassa, old Buck Adams, could out mean de debbil heself. Re sho hard. hard and sneaky as slippery ellum. Old Mary Mams, he wife was ~ as hard as he was, Sometimes I used t o wonder how dere chilien ever stood ~ Old Buck Adams brung my m~sy and daddy fron South Car lina to work in de fields and my daddyts name was Economy I~at hews and my mammy s name Phoebe, Simmons was her naae fore she marx~y. I is born on old Buck s place, on Dec-ember 25th, in 1848. Dat plantat ton was in ?rarikl In Parish, some where rou~nd Monroe in Loui s lana. Me and Bill Adams raised together. ~Nhen he shoot a deer I ru~n home like greased llghtnin and git de boss. Sometimes hed. shoot a big hawg and I d skin him~ When I gt big no~gh :i d. drive dere carriage. I was what dey calls de twait in~ boy. t I sot in dat buggy and wait till dey come out of where dey was, and den driv I~t off. I wasn t lowed to git out and visit round with de other slaves. No, euh, I bad to set dere and wait.

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EX~$1aVe$tories PR~ Two ( Texas) De slaves git out In c~e fields fore aun~up ~nd work till black dark, Den dey cOru~ ho~neand have to feel lere way In de house, with no light. My mammy ~nd daddy field hands . My grandma w~s co ok ~i~d have t o gi t in de cook pot bout four otclock to git breakfas by daylight. Dey et by candles or p irie t orches . One cl e black boys st and behin em ~nd bold. it whil e dey et. tf De e . othe s we wore was made out of dyed. ~ 1 o ~ Dat de stuff dey m~Ice s s~ckin out of~ Summer time us go bareThot but winter tinie come, dey give you shoes with heels on em big as biscuits. De qu~ ters is back of de big house arid didn t have no floors. Dey sot plumb on de ground and build like a ht~wg pen. Dey cut down t imber and et ~ke it up at de corners and fill it in with timber with de bark on it. Dere was split log houses and round log houses and ai . sech like dat. )ey have only fifty slaves on dat place, and it a big pl~ce, big no~h for a ~ndred. But what dey do? Dey take de good slaves arid sell em. Dat what dey do. Den dey make de ones what am left do all de work. Sell, sell, all de time, and never buy nobody. Dat Was dem. :~very di~,y venint us go t o de pitcher poke. Dat what dey calls I t when dey issues de rations. You go to de smokehouse and dey weigh out some big, thick rounds of white pork i~eat and give it to you. De syrup weighed out. De meal weighed out . Dey never give us no sugar or coffee . You want coffee, you put de skillet on de fire and put de meal in it and parch lt till lt most black, and put wat er on it Mi~mmy make salt water bread out of a li I f1 our and salt and wat er. Sometimes, dey make de slaves go to church. De white folks sot up fine in dere carriage and drive up to de door anc~ git de slaves out of one cabin, ~en

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~x ~1ave Stories Page Three ~ (~() (Texas) ~.. git de slaveB out O~ de nex cabin, and keep it ~ip till dey gits dein all. Den all de slaves walks front de ~arriage till dey sits to church. le sl~vee sot outside under de shade treei. If de preacher talk real loud, yoti can haar him out de window. u If ~ cullud man take de not ion t o preach, he couldn t preach b ~t de Gospel. Dey di&n t low him do dat. All he could. preach tout was obey de massa, obey de overseer, obey die, obey dat. Dey didn t make no passel of fu~ss bout prayin den, Sometimes dey have pra~yin meetin in a cabin at night. Each one bring de pot and put dere head in it to keep d.e echoes f rom gittin b~.ck. Den dey prey in de pot. Dat de G ~wd s tru~thL ~ I done said, massa sol de good slaves in ~tonroe. No~o~y marry In dein days. t gal go otit and t&ze de notion for some buck and dey m~~ke de 2greeu~ent to live together. Course, if a unhealthy buck tai4~p with a portly gal, de white folks sep r ate em If a man a big, stout n~an, good breed, dey gives him four, five w~nen. Sometimes dey ru.n way. It ain t done dem no good, for de dawgs a~ put on dey trail. If you dumb de tree, d~i dogs hold y~ dere till de white folks comes, and den dey let de dogs git you. Sometimes de d gs tore all dey clothe s off e~d dey am t got nary a rag on em when dey git hone If dey run in de stream cf water, de dogs gite after ein and drowns em. Den Nick, de overseer he whop em. He dr ive down four etalcea for de feets and hands and tie e~ up. Den he who~p ~ ~ from hea.d to feets. De whip make out a hide, cu~t in strips with holes punch in em. When dey bits de skin it make blisters.

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~x~ elave Stories Page POur (Texas) All kind of war talk floatin round fore de Yankees come. Some say de Yankees fight for freedom and some say~ doy ll IctIl all de slaves. Seems like it mast have been in de middle of de war dat de Yankees come. by. \Ye hears somebody holler for us to comeout one night and seed de place on fire. Time we git out dore, de Yankees gone. We fit de ~ire but we had to tote *tter in buckets, and de fire burn up de gin house full o~ cotton and de cotton house, too, and de corn crib. De Yankees allus come through at night and done what dey gwine to do, end den wait for more night ~ fore dey go bout dere irns Ines s . Only one t tine dey come in daylight, end sosie de slaves une dem and go to war. All de talk bout freedom git so bad on de plantation de massa make me upt de men in a big w~on and thive em to Winfield. He say in Thzaa dare never be no freedom. I driv em fast till night and it take bout two days. But dey come back hoa~e but mas sa say if he cotch any of em he gwi ne shoot em. Dey hang round. de woods end dodge round and round till de freedom man come by. we wsnt right on workin after freedom. Old 3.~ck Adams wouldn t let us go It was way after freedom dat de freedom man come and read de paper, and tell us not to work no more less us git pay for lt. When he gone, old Mary Adams, she come out. I ~ what ehe say as if I jee hear her ~w lt. She Sal, Ten years from today liii have ~rou all back gain. Dat ten years been over a mighty long time and she ain t ~it us back yit and she dead and gone. Dsy makes its git right off de place, je. like you take a old hose and turn it loose. Dat how us was. No money, no nothin . I git a job workin ~ for a white man on he fare, but he couldn t pay mucf~. He didn t have nothin .

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Ex-~slave Stories Page Pive (Texas) il He give me jes uou~gh to git a peck or two of meal and a 11,1 ~yrup. I allus works in de field. and melcea ba&cets, big old cotton baskets and bow baskets make ou~t of white oak. I work down de osic to mi~ke de splitL and ~ke de bow basket to tote de lunch. Den I mtilce trays and mix ~owls. I go out and cut down de big poplar aM bust off de big block and sit down straddle, and holler it out big as I wants it, and mnke de bread trw. I make collars for ho~ses and ox whops and quirts out of beef hide. But I looses my eyesight a couple years back and I can t do nothin no more. My gal takes care of me~ NI come here in 1931. Dat de first time Vm out of Franklin Parish. I allus git along some way till I ~ blind. My gal ~n good to me, but de days am :passin and aoon I,ll be gone, *

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1~ (~ I~ ~ u ,) (_\ ~- . ~ ~ . ~L~SLAVE S~LORIES Page One (Texas) (2 \~\ ~? ~ HI.1W~t M Yi~S thinks ~ie w~s born ~~: in 1862, ~ sl~v~ of Tom &Igar, who o~ned a plantation In Double Bpyou, Texas. Hiram lives with two daughters in a r~iirih1ing f a.r~n~ house n~r Beaumont, less than three miles rrom his birthplace on the old Edgar homestead n~r the IronBridge. For thirty years Hlr~xn ha~ served as WoreiiJp-~ fui Mast er o ~ the M~ s on I o Lodge (Negro) in the vicinity. Nativ~ intelligence glet~ms in hiz deep- set eyes, but his speech snows tnat t~e received little schooling. Dc fust tning I rnetib~rs back in siave~ry time wts gittin in cte mister s str~.wberry p~it~h. He s rignt proud or d~t patch and git after us plenty~ Dey was li l Tim Edg~r, dat ~e white bocr, ~nd me. Tim, he still llvin1 down in Wallisvlll~. Old r~psteT he c~it us both r~ cOElpie times for thiefin he ~tra*berries, jes giv~ us a bresh or two to sk~er us. Dat de oiilies time i~e ever dId. wni~ me ~nci you couictn hardi~r o~ll that P whippin . Old men ~ O!fl Ti~dgr~r was u~r m~ster ~nd de oiu ~o~gar place was clown below where Jacksones store lt ~nd bout two mile from where I lives now. Soins de brick from dat house st ill standin dere in as wooc~s ~ My maiflr~ name Mary and DOII Mayes my pape, and I s borned 1 Dout l8b~, I gues5, cause I wazn~t very big when freedom conic. I did most my playin with young master, Tim, hirn and me bout de saine age. ~O1d master was sho good to he slaves and dey ain t never have no cruel overseer nor no lot of whippin like some iuasters did. Mania work in de white folks house ath done de cookin in de big Icitchen. :i big house was a big, low place with galleries round lt. Mama tie ma to a chair leg on de gallery to keep me from ru.nnln off to de bayou.

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Ex~-s1ave Stone s ~ ~ Pace Two 73 (Texa ) Dey fraid. of alligators. Dem gators never did eat no cullud. chilien round us place, but dey allus frald dey would. D~y ei~h bi~ snRkes In de woods, too, dey skeered of dein. De cullud. folks i~l1 have li l brick cabin quarters and. dey have a briokyard right near cte place what a white m~n own and he make de bricks what dey calls Cedar Bayoti brick count of de niud. being diff rerit. I s born in one dem li l brick houses. I don t me ber none my gr2~ndfo1ics sept my papa s ~iame, call ~artha Godfry. She corae from Virginny, and long to de Mayes where !n~r papa born. ~ ~ III never did. bother with Sunday School iuu~ch, me, Dey one on de bayou white lady, Miss Joseph, am de teacher. Dey wasn~t no school but after free I go to schoolon de ed~e of de woods. Dey have teacher name ~inne1ls old blue~back speller to lam cut of. After us freed my papa move up de prairie a ways and hire out to ride d.c range. Dey done lam me to ride when I bout five, s1~ year old and I rid. with d.e old rnan~ Bat ridin business was ice ray job. My daddy never did like to settle down and. farm, but druti~er ride de range for four bits or s ix bite de day. De old maiter done give us nothin j es turn us r~drift but he didn t have much and. everybody jes have to shift for dexnselvp dein days. Us ~it long all right inakin money with de cattlemen. . De prairie lande a good place to ~it things to eat and Lis see plenty deere, sometime eight or ten in de bunch. Dey lots of wolves roamin round lookin for etray cows. Dat when de whip come in handy, to knock dem on de head. Never hear tell of but one bear, and us cotch him on Gum Island and kill him. You ~now dem fanny lookin horny things dey calle armadillos

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~x-slave Stories Page Three (Texas) f~1 q I ~ Dey been immigrate here bout ten year ago. Dey conic ain t knowedwhy. Dey never was none here in slavery frogs and gators. Is i marry 51 year ago t o ~N1lina Day and I e st 111 marry~ t o her. Us mar~ y in her brudder s house with jes homefoiks. Dey~s nine chilien and. eight still livin and most dem farmers, cept two boys in de reg lar army. Dey am Doif and Robert. C~ar x~ns de filin stRtion at Double Bayou. Oscar was in France in de World War. I has two rn~r gals with inc here and two grandchillen. III rode de rance till bout 20 year ago ~nd den I start gittin purty old., so I set ties doi ~n t o far~in . De~r charter a Masonic 1 odge here in 1906, I licite it were number naught 81X, and. dey put me up for ~orshipf ul i~aster of de bunch. After ~ey vouch for rue I git de chair and I been sitti& in de east for 30 year. from somewhere but us time but plenty horny

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4 2()():53 ~L~8LAVE STORIES Page. Ore (Texas) ~ J SUSAN ~RB1TT 87 wa~ b.r* li B ~sk C . Texas a slave - ofAndrewWatt.Ayear~fter she W25 freed, Susian movec3~ with her parente to Harrison Co., and stayed on their farm until she married Will Merritt. They reared fifteen children. Susai has little t, s~y of her l~ife from 1865 to the pres-~ ent, stating that they got along on the farm they werked on shires. Since her huzbath s death Susaa lives with a son, Willie, west of Marshall, Texas, on the Hynsoa Springe Road, I couldn t tell how old I le, but does you think I d ever forgit theza slave thys? I hey. I s bout 87 ormore, cause I s ~ good size gal spinnin all the thread foes the white folks when they lets us loose after siu render. ~I~e born right down ir~ Eb~isk Cotinty, not a long way fr~m Henderson, :;nd Massa Andrew Watt ~xn my owner. My p~ppy, Hob Pollins, he corne from . North Carolina ~.nd belonged to D~e Blr~kely and. m~my come from Mississippi. Mz2mmy h.c~ve eleven of us chilien but four dice when they babies, but Albert, hob, J0hn, ~ Anna, Lul~. and me lives to be growed ~~nd mprried. Massc~ ~tt lived in a big log house what sot on a hill so ~rOu could see it riund for mile., and us lived over in the field in little lo~ huts, ~ll middled along together. They have homemade beds nailed to the wall and baling sack mattresses, and us call them bunks. Us never had no money bu.t plenty clothes a*d gru.b and wear the same clothes all the year round. Massa Watt made our shoes for winter hisself and he made fur*iture and saddles and harness ajid run a grist mill and a whiskey et ill there on the place. That man had ev ythimg~ .

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Ex slave Stories Page Two .. ~ 7G ( Texas) &.. The hands was woke with the bit bell and when massa pulls thp,t bell rope the niggers falls out them bunks like raie fallin . They was in that field fore day and star till dusk dark. They work slap up till Sat urd~y night ~nd thei washe s th~ ii clothes ~ and s onetime s they git s through and h~s time for the party ~d pleys ring plnys. I tn~ber part the words to one play and that Rolllng river, roll on, the old cow ~le in cold wat er . . . now we ~ s got te drink bad wate r ~ cause old c ow d I e in c old wat er, but I cai t memb,r rnore n that. It s too long ago. 0When the hands conic in from the field R.t dusk dark, they h~s to tote water frein the spring and cook and eat and be in bed. when that old bell rings at nine o clock. Bout duck tb.e~y ~ca1ls the chilien ~d gives em a piece of corn pone bout size my hand 2nd a tin cup milk and. pute them to bed, but the growed folks et fat pork and greens and. beans ~nd sich like a*d have plenty milk. E ry Sunday massa give em s ~ne flour ~nd butter and a chicken. Lots of niggers cai~ht a good cowhiding for slippin roimd ~id stealin ~ chicken fore thinday. Massa ~?att did* t have no overseer, but he have a nigger driver what aal jus ~s bad. He carry a long whip 1round the neck and I~s seed him t~e niggers to a tree and. cowhide tem till. the blood nrn down onto the ground. Sometimes the women gits slothful ~.d not able to do their part but they mflkes em do lt anyway. They digs ~. hole bout body deep and. m~kee them womei lie face down lu lt and beats em ae~rly to death. That nigger driver beat the chillei for not keepi* their cotton row up with the lead. me*. Sometimes he made Riggers drag long chains while they

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Ex slave Stories Page Three (~exae) :~... 17 works ii the field and some of ~em run off, but they ought~i t to h~vc clone it, c~se they chase tern with houMs and n~Rrly kilt 1em. Lots 3~ times Massa L~.tt give us a p~ass to go over to George Petro s place or Dick Gregg s plRce. Massa Pethro nm a slave mai k,t and he have big, high scaffold with steps where he sells slaves. They was stripped off to the waist to show their stren~t . Our white folks have a church end ~. place for us in the back. Sometimes at night us gather round the firepl~c~ efld. pr~ and sing s~d cry, bit us ~arentt tlow our white folks kiow it. Thaik the Lewd. us can worship where us wants nowadays. I tmember on~ song we allus sing: I he~u d the veice of Jesus callia Come unto me ~nd live Lie, lie down, weepint OR~ t they he ad on my bre as t. ni corne to Jesus as I wa~ Weary axul line and tired amd. sad, I finds in hini a restiit place, And he has made me glad. Us have two white doctors call Dr. Dan and Dr. Gill Shaw, what wait on us when we real sick, Us wore ~afoedit~ bags round. the neck and it kep off sickness. II stay mos the tune in the big h~se and. massa good but missy am the devil. I couldn t tell you how I treated. Lots of times she tie me to a stab in the yard and. cowhid~e me till she give out, then she go and. rest and c~e back andbeat i~ some more, You see, Vs massa nigger and 5h~ have hei/.wa aiggers what coeie on her side and she never did like 1~e. She stomp axid beat me nearly t. death ath they have to grease my

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fr ~. ~x~s1ave Stories Page i eur (Texas) ~ /8 hack where she cowhide me ~i~d I s sick with fever for ~ week. 1f I have a dollar for ev ry cowhld.la I git, I d. iever have to work no more. YotLflg missy Betty like ~ie and try lam me read.ti a~d writ1~ and she slip to my room ~nd have me d in right good. I 1~rn the aIph~bet. But one d~y Missy J~ie cotch her ~ me and she say, 2~i~gers doa t need to know a*ythin~, ~nd the laine me over the head with the bi~tt of a C owhid.e whip. That white ~ so rough, one day us makii s oap and some little chickens gits in the fire around the pot a~d she s~y I let tem do it and make inc walk barefoot through that bed of co~l~ sev r~1 times. ~ 1 bears bout freed.om ii September wid they s pickin cotton and a white man rides up to massage house on a big, white hose ~nd the housebey tell massa a man waat see him and he hollers, ~Light~ stranger. It a gov men.t man arid he have the big book and a b~i*ch papers and say why ain t massa turn the niggers loose. ~asea say he tryin git the crop ciut and he tell massa have th~ slaves in. Uncle Steven blows the cow horn what they tise to call to eat and all the aiggers come runnin , cause that horn inea;i, Corne to the big house, quick. That m~ reads the paper tellin us wege free, but massa make us work sev ra . months after that. He say we git 20 acres land and. a mule but we didi t git it. . tLots of niggere was kilt after t cause the slaves in Harrison County turn loose right at freedom and them in Thisk County wasn t. But they hears about it and runs away to freedom in Harrison County and they wiaers have ~ ein bushwhacked that s~ t down . You c ~uld se e lote ef . *i~gere ha*gja~ to trees in Sabine bottes right after freedom, cause they cotch em ~ tcr,ss Sabine River and shoot em. They ~ ~ goin ~ . . be 1.t. if soul cry g.~tist em in Judgment y:~ ~ ~ ***..**

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4 # ~1 ~ J P ~ ~ ~ :~L.sLAvE STOBIIS Paie One 79 (?exa~) JOSH MILi~S, ?8~ waa born In Rtckmiond, Virginia, a Blave of the Miles family. In 1862 . ~r. Miles brought his family and slave s t o tranki in ?exaa. After he wa~ freed, Josh worked for the railroad until k~e waa laid off becauee of old age. He lives In Mart, Texas. n ~ was born In Richmond in Vi. rglnny back in 1859 a~d ~y mammy and. pa~ppy was elaveB to a man ~aaued I~i1es, what lived in Ricbicrnnd bu~t owned three plantatlonB out a few miles, and about fifteen }mindred rttggers. Peppy was de faai ly coachman and druv de li l surrey when Massa gwtne see he plan~ tattons. On Sunday he druv de big coach to c~mrch. D~i Old Maa~a wear de big stove~. pipe hat and de 1ong-~ekirt coat and he big boots. Peppy, he wear de tall hat with de blue uniform with brass buttone, and black, Shiny boote. Re have de long horsewhip to crack at dem hosses ~ he drive four or ~tx hoaaee, cause dat coach am big and heavy and de roads am often muddy. ~tMaeaa allue went to de big faire in Louisville and Richmond, where de big hoes races am. Dey name de hosses for Abe Lincoln and Steve Do~tglae, in 1860. De bettin ong what dey sings am like dis: ~ a old plow hoes, whose name am D~ug,doo,dah,doo..dah He s short and thick a reg ~ lar plug oh doo ~ deli doo-dah, doo We re born to work a:11 night, we re born to work all day, t 11 bet my money on de I~jncoln hoes who bets on St even ? Well, dat de way Us lives jas befo de war. When de presidents calls for ~o1unteers, Virgimny goes for de Rebels, and dey moves de capitol to Bichmoud. So Old Massa sees he ll be right in di thick of de war and be eides to come to Texas. He gits he slaves and he folks and hosses and cattle and he household things in de covered wagon and starts. Course, de bosses and cattle walks, and so does us niggers. But massa take he time and stops wherever -1..

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Zx~siaveStorieB ~ Two he wants. I,t take two ~rear~ to make de trip. He stay de whole winter one place, and BtOpe In Naaliville and. Mezaphis and Vick.~rg. All dese places he tra4ie de hossei and mules and oxen and niggers and. everything else he hare. Bu~t he wouldn t trade he pere nal alavee. Dey have de big warehoi~se In places like Memphis aM take de nigger de day befo de sale and give hia plenty to eat to make hi~ look in good bun~or. Dey chain him up de night befo de sale, and iffen he am de fightin nigger, dey handcuffs hie. i auctionneer say, Dis nigger am eightten year old, sound as de dollar, can pick 300 pounds of cotton a day, good disposition, easy to maniige, come up xamlne hirne ~ D57 strips him to de waist and everybody look hiss over and de good ones brting $1,500 sometimes. I seed de old mammy and her two boys and gals sold. One man bUys de boys and old mami~ cry, but it don t do no good. lother man bids de two gals and mei~ny throw such a fit her old massa throws her in, cause she too old to be much count. NDe siege of Vicksburg gins jus after old massa done left there, on he way to Texas, Hi friends tell him ail bout lt. Coffee was $4.00 de pouiid, tea $19.00, butter to $2.00 depound, corn $15.00 de bar l, calico $1.75 de yard and muslin bout $7.00 de yard. De Rebels holds de city long as they could. De bluff over de city have de caves in. it and dey s rented for high rent. ~lc~r am $10 . 00 de pound and. bac on $5 . 00 . Dey eat s mule meat, and. day give lt de ! rench naae, Mule tongue cold, a la brey. We keep s up with what happen and after de war dey tells us bout Richmond. I~ lab tory a~ blowed up Friday, and de Stuart hone burnt . Befo Richmond ei~ taken, dey sings dis song:

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Ex-s1av~ $tories Page Three 8:1 (Texas) t Would you like to hear my song? Itm frald. its rather long Of de On to Richmond, double trouble, Of de half a dozen tripe A.nd de half a dozen s1ips~ 4M de latest bu~tin of de b~ibble. Ptill off yOU coat and roll up you sleeve, l or Richin oth am a hard road t o travel ~ Then 1)~1l off you coat and roll up you sleeve, For Richmond aa a hard road to travel. Dey m~tng dat song to de old tune cal). Old Roe in de Beau. De war ends and in de few months old massa sot he slaves free. He give my peppy some money and he starte out for heseif. He goes to Milliga~i and rents land and raises he fam ly. Old. asaa never goes back to Richsiond. De Yanks gltB what he left so dey no u~e gwine back dere. He lives in franklin till 1914. It ain t like Old Tirginny, 1~it dey s plenty wild game and hawg. and he raises a bale 0 cotton to de acre so he have money once more. NDe~!Ia folks commt to Texas all de time from de old states. It am de new w~rld and dey ltkes it. Dey has de Juneteenth cel bratione after while, and de white folks gives us beeves and hawgs to barbeoue, so Texas em de good place to stay. When I s bout growed, I starts workin on de I. & G. N. railroad and helps build it fro~u Kouston tnt o ~Vaco . I works for it for years and years, and all~a lives near de Bra:os River. l s lived here in Mart forty years. I doesn t have de bitter ~em riea like so~.e de niggera, Cause Old massa allus good to us. I s had de good life and sa bout ready to go to Kebben, and hopes I can see Old Massa dere.

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420197 ~ U~.~SLATi~ ST0RI~S Pace One ~ 82 ( Texas) AI~A MILLF~R, 85, ihres with her daughter, Lucy Watkins, at 407 iv. fluff St., Ft. Worth, Texas. She was born ~. slave in kentucky, and was sold, with her parents, to Mark Loyed, a. farmer in Missc~iri.. He later sold. Arma s rwther, before Anna was old enough to remember her. Then Anna was 8, her owner moved to Palo Pinto, Texas. . ~~I~se now bcv~tt 85 years oie, clats what de white folks tells me~ I se bo n in ~entuck . My maxt~my, pappy and I se sold. by our fu.st mareter to Ilarster Mark Loyed, who lived in ~issouri, He takes us to himts.fara. When Itse bout eight years oie, Marster Loyed sold ix s farm a d cornes to Texas in covered wagons ax~d oxen. Re sbrang ail de slaves wid ~ don taember much 1bout de trip, ~ause Itse sick wid de fever. Itse so bad, de ma.rster thinks I se go in to die One morn i, he come s and. I ooks at me arid. says ~ Dis nigger am too val abie to die. Vt cl better doctor her. V We cw~ps for six clays. .~ We comes to Palo Pinto Rnd dat s wild. country den, Plenty :. of Indiarts, but ae7 never trouble wetuns. My work, 1tw~.e helpin1 wid de chores and. pi ok up de brush whar my pappy was &~.cie arm de land. ~ . When I gite bigger I se pi owed hoe cl, and done all de goin to de ~i:ti, I se helps card, spins and. cu ts de thread. We uns ma~ces all ~ . .~ de cloth for to aa~es de clothes but we doz~i git 1 em In de winter we ~oe1 free ze to death. De a~t was de night work, after workin ~ all ~t. day in de fiels S. H ~ ~ ~ ~ ~De1~~ ~P! US. ~ lt~~ gi~s whipped lots a times. Marster w,*pa cLe aen and aissue wimps de women. Sometimes she wimps wid ~e ~ . ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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i~x~.siave Stone! . Pace Two 83 (T ex~,s) nettleweed. Then she uses ct~.t, de 1ick~ aintt and de burnin after &~a sho misery. Dat just rnens use de rape when dey whups. Bout eatin we keep s full on what me~i ~nd *1~,s~es. ~Ve seldom gits meat. dat taste like, Jus1 ~n r what it looks ~ ilk we wants ~ cause dey put s it In de Dere was a trough for de nigg~rs 2nd one Jus tbout a rnonth befo freedom, off. Dey dOn go f~r, and stays in de dugout. in and ~1t lasses nid milk and wh~t food. dey could. My sis had a baby nid she nuss it ev ry night when ehe comes. Dey rune off to keep from gettin a whuppin . De marster was m~d cause dey lets ~ iule cut hisseif wid. de plow. Sis says ~e bee stung de mule and he gits unruly t~nd tangle in de plow. Marster s~qe, Dey can go far arid will come back when dey gits hongry. I se don ~ow much bout de war. De white folks don talk to us 1bout de war and we rune don ~o to preachin or ~ so we can t lrrn much. When free om coiiee inarster says ~ to us nig~ers Ail dat wants to go, git now. You has ru. And he turns dem away, notbint on cept oie rags. ~arn t enough to cover dere bocty. No h~at, no shoes, no unner~ wear. My pa~py ~nc1 raos ~ de niggers goes but I se have to stay t ill my pappy finds a. place for rie, ~e tells me dat hetll corge for me. I se have to watt over two years. De marster gets worser in de disposition and goes 1rouri sort of taikin to blsse f and den he gits to cusein ev rybody. so b~d, but de etifl~iflt plurn runs rue crazy. De we ~1ts, such ~.s beans, co n ~thit e fi u, we ~ know what like. ~Ve cite bout ~11 de trough ~nd we helps ourselves. for de hawgs. my si~s ~nd ni~er Horace runs Ev rv nicht de~r d sxec~k

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- E~s1~~e Stories P~e Three f34. (Texas) ttIn bout a year after freedom, Marster Loyed moves from P~1o Pinto to Port Worth. He says he don w~.nt to live in a country wh~r d~e niggers ~ free. He kills ~ bout a yer~r ~ .fter de~r n~oves. After dat, I se sho glad when peppy comes for nie. He had. settled at zle on a rented fare and. Itse lives wid hii~ for bout ten years. Den I ~e &;oes ~nd st~y~ wid r~r brudder on Ash Creek. De three of us rente land. ~nd us rims dat f~a,rra. tilise 4t married boat four years after Itse ~oea to Ash Creek, to Bell Johnsoii. ?ie h~.d four chilien, He works for white folks. Bout nine years after we married my husb~n gits dro~iied and. den I works for white folks and cares for my chilien for fo tee~ years. Then Itse ~its married ~a1n. Itse married Fred Miller, a cook, ~nd we lived in ?ort Worth. In 1915 he goes t~~y to cook for de road ~~t~ iiction canip ~nd dats de la3t I1se hears of dat no count ni~er~ tLots of difference when freedoii corcies. Mas de time ~i ter, I1se heve what I wants to eat. Sorueti~e 1twas a little hard to cit, but we ~1te on. I1ee goes to pre~ch1n and has riusic ~M visit wid de folks I ~ se like. Bu.t Marster Loyed makes i~s work froM day11~ht t~ dark in de fiel s ~d make cloth at n1~ht.

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4~2()1~41 ZL~SLAU STCBI~S Page On. s t~35 (Texas) t, I was born in Alabama in 1852 tri Txscaloos a aM my mammy s naine was Hannah, but I don t know ~y pappy s name. When I was still pretty little my brother ~iid uncle and awtt ~ixic1 mother was sold. and. ~e with oem. Dr. )*assie brung us to Texas in an OXcart but ~y sister sta~r with the old. mistress and that the last I ever seen my She was four year old. then.. After we reaches Texas we lives on a great big place, somewhere round Lynchburg and Dr. Massie have two girls and I sleeps on the foot of they bed. They nice to me, they spoil me, tu fac . I plays with the white gale and they feeds me fr~ they tables and. in the eyenj~ my ~anmy t a~ces me down to cl. bey u end wash my face and put me on a clean dress. My mammy cook for the white folks and they treats us both one gal I knowed was bout 8 or 9 end she run away from her swim de Trinity River and it was winter and her feste freezes. dis gal and puts her fests in the fire to thaw ~ and The law ~sey you could tek. slaves way froet sich a man, so Mfl~TI~~ MARIA MILLER, 1404 39th St., Galveston, Texas, was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1852. She has forgotten her first mas~ ter s name but was sold while very ya.~ng to Dr. Massie, of Lyuchburg, Texas. The j ~*i~r~ey to Texas took: three months by oxcart. After the Civil War Mintie went to Houston and stayed. with an old. colored. wom~ whose former master had. given her a house. Later she went to Galveston, where she has worked. for one family 24 years. had to s istsr. fin., but master and Es cotches burnt I em.

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Ex sl&ve Stori.s P~ ~0 (T,x~s) . 86 Dr. Prost t~cs her away from that man and gtv.e her to Miss Nancy what was di uiistres, at ~. Maas:Is i place. T~n they says they gwtne eell me, Cause Miss Nancy s father-P in law diii and they ~ot rid. of eoii~. of us. She didn t want to sell me so she teli me to be sassy antt no one would buy ~e. The~r takesme to Houston ari& to thi market and. a ~nan caU (~eorge !raaer selli tb slaves. The market was a open house, more itic. a shed. We ~ll stands to one side till our turn comes. They wasn t nothin else you could do. They standeme up on a block of wood and. a man bid me in. t felt mad. Y~ see I was young then too young to know better. I dOn t know what they sold me for, but the mati what bought me mad~e me open i~ty mc~ith while he loo~cs at ~y teeth. They done all us that.a-~way, sells us like you sell a hoss. Then my old master bi1~s me goodby and tries to giveme a dog, but I ~aemb~rs what lites Nancy done stay and I sassed him and slapped ~he dog out of his hand So the man what bought me say, Then one o, clock ecrue you got to sell her gain, she a sassy. If she done me that way I~t kill her. So they sells me twice the same day. They was two sellin s that day. My new master, Tom Johnson, lives in Lyrohbu.rg and owns the river boat there, and. has a little place, bout one ~ rn the bayou. Then the war comes and jas t fors war come to Galveston they took all the steamships in the Buffalo Bayou and took the cabine off end mazie f ehips. They put cotton bales ro~d thea and builded em up high with the cotton, to cotch th cann~balls. Two of em was the Island City, and the !e~ptune.

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E~xQs1ave Stories Page Three (Texae) Then freed~i cries and the master say~ we all frei and I goes to Houston with isy mami~. We steys with a old colored woman what has a house her old master d~one give her and I finishes growin there and works soue, But then I comes to Galveston and hired out hers and. I been worktn for these white folks 24 year now.

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j ~:)(rI ~4~1e) ~ ~ ~ EL.SLAv~ STORIES ~ Page One (Tsxaa) TOM MILLS was born in Fayette Co. Alabama, In 1858, a slave of Oeor~ Pattereon, i~ho owned ~ father and. mother. In 18b2 George Patterson moved to Texas, bringing Tom and his mother, but not his father. After they were freed, it was difficult for T~Ss mother to earn a living and they had a hard time for several years, until Tom was old enough to go to work on a ranch, as a COWs hand. In 1892 ~ undertook stock farming, finally settling in Uvalcle in 1919. Re now lives in a four-room house he built himself. A. peach orchard and a grape arbor shade the west side of the houes and. well-fed COWS are in the little paiture. rom is contented and optimistic and. says he can do a lot of work yet. II was born in Alabama, in Fayette Co. in 1858. My mother was named ~aline Riley and. my father was named Thad Mills. My sisters were nstmed ~lla and Ann and Lou and Maggie and Mat ildy, and the youngest one was ast er I had two brothers Ri chard and. 35n. Bob Leb~u.c was my great-uncle and for a long while he ran a freight wagon fr~ Salt Lakes to this country. That was the only way ot~ getting salt to Texas, this part of Texas, I mean, because Salt Lakes is down east of Corpus, close to the bay. My uncle was finally killed by the Indians in ?rio County. In Alabama we lived on Patterson s place. The grandmother of all these Patterions was Betsy Patterson and ~lived. on k~er estate. t My mother wove the clotn It kep her pre tty busy, but she was et out and. active. My uncle was blacksmith and made all the plows, too. u~e Z~ad a picket bouse one room and two beds built in corners.

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Ex-~1ave Autobiographies ~ Tom Mills Page r4~ ~ .( Tua.) My mother done the cookin up at the house because she was workin up there all the tixae, weavin cloth, and of course we ate up there. ihe rest of em didn t like it much because we ate up there, but her work was there. j. guess you never did see a loom? It used to keep rae :oretty busy filin Quills. ~he made this cloth this four dollar a-yard, four-leaf jean cloth, all wool, of course. I was. too little to work dunn the war; of course we packed. a little water an4 got a little wood. I was goin to tell you about this scar on my finger. I was holdin a stick for another little fellow to cut wood and he nearly cut my finger off. That sure woke xaeup. They had field work on the place, but a family by the naine of I x~ow1es did the farm work. I worked stock nearly all ray life. It used to be all the work there was. I think my mother was allowed to make a little money on this cloth business. That is, cloth she niade on the outside. And she was the only one of the slaves that could read. I don t know that they eared anything about her readin , but they didn t want her to read it to the rest of ein. I never e:arned. no money; Iwas too little. We called Old. Man Patterson master and we called Mrs. Patterson mistuss . I don t know what the other slaves had to eat - they cooked~ t i themselves, but ire had Jes what the Patterson s had to eat. On Sunday raornin we had flour bread. Always glad to see Sunday raornin couie. e ma&e the co n meal right on the place on these old~ hand mills that you turn with both hands like this ~hen the Q u jes fust began to ~et ha d, they would crate that; but when

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p~ . ~ ~J d ~x-slave Autobiographies ~ Tom Mills Page T~ires ~ ( Texas) it got ha ci, they would grind it. We always had meat the ye~r t round . We calle d hogshead cheese souse . But we never did make sausage then. It was a long time before we had. a sausage mill.. (ih, sho we ruade ehittlin s (chitterlings). Vie make thera even now. Why mama always takes the paunch and fixes it up ever time we kill hogs. Vie frried beef, strung it out, and put it on the~.line. ~7hen we got ready to cook it, we d take it and beat it and make hash and. fry it or boil it. We had lots of deer and turkeys, quail and tposs~, but they never did. do much eatin rabbits. I didn t eat no possums and. I didn t eat no honey; there was sever l things I didn t like. I like straight beef, turkeys, qjiail/and sQuirrel is mighty fine eatin . I set traps and. ~uld ketch q~iail. Armadillos are pretty good meat, but we didn t eat em then. Why, I was gro~wn before I ever saw an armadillo. I don t know ~ere they immigrated from. Yes mn, I think they come from Mexico; they must surely have because they wasn t any here when I was a young boy. We used to see em in shows before they ever got to be around here. I wore a shirt that hit me down about my knees. When my mother lILade my paxrts, shen~.de era all in one piece, sleeves n all. The fust shoes I ever had~, my uncle tanned the leather and made em. i. gi.tess I was about six years old. He made the pegs, tanned the 1eath~ ~ er, and made the shoes. It take Z 18 months to tan the leather. Bark tanned . Huh I n sm~U that old tannin Tat now . People nowadays, they re livint too easy. I~aid to let a drop of water fall on em. aver day was Sun&ay with me then. After we got up any size, they put us to work but we didn t ~o rk on Swid.~y . Aft er I got to 3us

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~C- s1ave Autobiographies -~ Torn lulls ~ Page (Texai) be a cowboy, of course, they didn t have no Suxx ay then. I ~was twenty-~two when I fust raarried. it was in Lledine. County. Iter name was Ada Coston. She ha ~on a white dress, drag~gin the grount in the back, what you used to call these trains. I remember when they wore these hoops, too. ~ie married about 7 o clock in the evenin . I had. on one or these frock tail coats, b1a~ck broadcloth suit. I had on. good shop made shoes. Vie had better shoes then than we ever have now. Vie had a suDDer and then danced. Had a big wed~ din cake ~ great bi~ white one, had a hole in the center, all iced. all over. think my auntie made that ceke, or my cousin. VIe had coffee, but I never did drink whiskey in my life. think they had chickens ~ if :i: remember right, chicken and dressin . Had a whole lot better to e~t then than I can get now. ~e danced all night. I was at a weddint where they danced three days and nights, and I tell you where it was. Have you been down to Old Bill Thomas ? You have4. Well, that was where it took place. i3ill and ~llen married. when I was about twelve years old, and. I think they danced three days and. nights and maybe longer . Now, ilb they didn t tell you that I cou.ld a told. you if I had. been there. ~e danced these old square dances, what you call the virginia Reel, and the round dances like the Schottische, Polica, waltzes, and all them. I was a dancin fool, wanted to dance all the time. I inherited that from ray mother. She was a terribLe dancer. Old Man eorge Patterson was a very tall and. a dark complected rrian. lie was a kind. old. man. I-le was good to my mother and. all those that come from. Alabama. The old raistuss would whip me, but he didn t. The grandehillun and I could figh t all over the house ; he would jest ~ -4-

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p~x~s1av& Autobiographies ~ Torn i~Ii11s ~ (Texa.) ~et out of the way. But she would get on usonee in awhile. The worst whippin she ever give n~ was about sorae sheep. They had a cane patch down c1os~ to the sheep pen and I went down there and got nie some cane and stripped it off and I was runnin round do~wn there whippin the sheep with that stalk of cane and she found me down there and. took me to the house and learned me better. They never did. whip my mother. I know they whi~ped two others. Two was all I ever knew of ein whippin . Dillard, he rr~arried the o1de~t Patterson g~1, and fly uncle, he borrowed an auger ~m i~r. Diliard to make a fr~ae. ~Vhen dinner time carne, he laid it down and went to his dinner. ~ihen he got back, this bit was broken andhe went and tells him ~Di1lard) and. they caine down to make a search about who had used it. They found that another colored man got it and. used. it to bore some holes with and. broke it, so he took (~Q back and. laid it down and never said. nothin . Them days, a thins like that steel bit was avthil high. They laid. im over a log and whipped im and whipped his wife for not tellin it when they asked her. They had a boy countin the lieks., but j don t know how raany he got. ~hey had nie down there too, and. 1 was ready to get away frora there. I think they had. us do~in there to show what we would get if we didn t do right. The old lady, the rriistuss, she was pretty high-~tenipered ~ her head kind of bounced, like that ~ when she got m d. She was slender and tall. I think they lived in a log house; .1. don t rerneniber niuoh what kind of house it was. j know my mother weaved cloth in one part of it. I &on t think the field was &ery large on that place. I often wanted to go back and see it. it was right on the Sabinal, -.5.. i~age li4

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Page Si:~: 93 j~x-~s1ave Autobiographies ~ u:oin :~ii11s ~ (Texas) right opposite Knowlton Greek. I have heard ray mother tell about slaves bein sold. it ~vas kInd~a like a fair they have now~. They would go there, and some or em sold for a thousand dollars. They said. sorriethin! about puttin tern on a block; the hi~est bithier, you know, would buy em. I don t know how they ~ot ein there, for they wasn t much of a way for e~ to go. cept by oxen, you know. It was back in Alabama where she saw all that. Of course, there was more of that dovm in Mississippi than Alabama, but she didn t know nothin about that. j remember the cotton they raised on the Patterson place. They pieked the seeds out with their fingers and made cloth out of it. they would take coarse wool ~ not tuerino wool, for that w~.s too eine ~ and use the coarse wool for a filler. That was what they would make me do, pick the seed out of that cotton to keep me out of mischief. I remember that pretty well. Kep rae tied down, and I would beg the old. man to let rae ~o, and when he did, if I got into anything, I was back there pickin seeds pretty quick. We would get up about daybreak. ~ hey might have got up be~ fore I knew anybhing about it, but sometimes I got up with my mother, Ihat little school I went to was German, at D Hanis and Castroville. I went to the priest at D Hanis and to the sisters at CastrolTille. No. education to amount to anything. That was after we were freed. I went to schoo~~at the same time that J~ohnny Ney and his sister, Mary, went to school. I would like to see Johnny and. talk to him now. Your grandmother and her sisters and brothers went to th~t school and I remeraber all of era well. One of them boys,

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Ex-~sIave Autobiographies ~ Torn Mills (T.xa.) George, was killed ansi scalped by the Indians, and. that was caused by them boys playin and. scarin each. other all the time. He was i~vith them Rothe boys,and they always had an Indian scare up soniew~y to have fun with eReh other, espeoially to scare George. SO when they did~ discover the Indians and. hollered to George, he ~ou1dn t run, because they had fooled ?jp~ ~ muche So the Indiansslipped up on him and. k~1led lin. Yes, I knew all the Millers better than I did nearly an.y of the rest of the old settlers up there. Aunt Dorcas, t1~t was George s mother, she nursed me through the l2ieasles. I was awful sick, and when my mother heard it and come u~ after me, she told my mother to leave me there~, she would take care of me. I tell you she took good care of nie too. Bui~ that was after freedom. You see, my mother didn t want to come to Texas. She laid out neerly two years before they got hold of her and got her to come to Texas. Alabama wasn t thickly settled than. ~here was bottoms of trees and wild fniit she could eat. She stayed out by herself, and would conie and get something to eat and leave again. But Patterson told her if she would e orne to Texas she would be treated right and not be whipped or nothin like that. And so far as I know, she never wa s wh Ipped . He kep hi s wo rd w ith her. She was useful and they needed her. She wove the cloth and was such a god worker. The 1 irst cow we ever owned, we cut oockleburrs out of a field of~ about seven or ei~tt acres. Mr. ;rohn Ware gave her a cow to cut the burrs out.. . ~ ~ ~Cter the war, rn~y urtole carried my mother and his wife and Page se~n 94

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~S~ave Autobiographies - Tom Mills Page I g~. 95 (Texa.) chilien away, and when they started with Margaret -~ she was his niece and my cousin -~ they overtook em and took Margaret back. She was house girl, she didn t do nothin but work in the house. I don t know whetber they ever pai& her anything or not. They need~ed her to wait on the old. lady. I don t know how that come about then they told~ eni. they was free. I don t know whether mother read it in the paper or he come and told ein. Vie went on, and came right on up the sanie creek to a place where a man had a ranch by the name of Roney. It was an old abonded (abandoned) place, and we didn t have anything to eat. M~ uncle got out and rustled around to get some bread stuff and got some co n, but while he was gone was when we suffered for soniething to eat We didn t have anything to kill wild game with . We would fish a little. When he left he went up in the Davenport settlement, up ;/::~ there about where your grandfather lived. V1,~ got milk and careless V ~ II ~ weeds, but that was all we had, and we were awful glad to see the ~: P\COtfl come. ~d that ~ ~ first taste of Javelin (javelina). It ~ i~entl~~asan~old male iaveiiL)~or i couldn t eat it. I dontt ~ think my uncle ever stole anyting iii his life. I was with him all the time and. I know he didn t. My mother, she went over to Daven-~ ports and my uncle got out and rustled to see where he could get something to do. SO they moved up in the Sabinal any n and. he got on Old Man J~oel Fenley s place. OldMan Parson Monk,~i think, was the first person I ever heaz~ preach. That was down here in. the Patterson settlement . (formerly a settlement six rniles south ot ~the present town of Sabinal).

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~ ~slave Autobiographies ~ Tom Mills Page~.j~~~: 9G (Texas) The preachint was right there on. the place. I Joined the church after I was grown, but that was the cullud. church, then. My mother she joined the white church. She joined the Hardshell Baptist. She never did live in. any colony and the cullud church was too far. They had lots of~ camp meeti~i s. I never was at but one cartip meetin that I know of . They woul d pr ea ah and shout and have a goad t ime and have plenty to eat. That was what most of em went for. But the churches then. seemed to be more serious than they are now. They preached the t altar . t You know, like anyone want ed to j 0m the chur oh they was a mourner, you see, seekin for religion. And they ~ou1d sing and pray with eni till they professed the: religion. I had. a sister that never went to a ineetin that she dldntt get to shoutin and shout to the end of the sermon. I always tried to get out of the way before I Joined because if she got to rae, she would beat on me and talk to iris . We always tr ied to get to her if she had her baby in her arms, because she would je St throw tha t baby away when the Spir it moved . her. Did you ever know of 1~iIonroe Brackins over at Hondo City? t~ell, I and him was both j~os boys and was with ~Tess C~mipbe11, J~oe Dean ~ and a man named ~tcLem.ore. They was white men. ~e went down on the Prio River,and there was some pens down there on the J hnson place. They was tbxee brothers of them ~rohnsons. ~Te had a little bunch of cattle, ~Oint down there. This J~ess Canipbell and Toe Dean was full of devi1rnen~t and they knew Monroe was awful soarey. When we penned the cattle that evenin it was late and Monroe noticed a pile of brush . at the aide of the gat e . EIe asked t ~ w}~ at you reckin that . was there, and. they told hi~ they was a man killed ~ and buried there. ~M,9.u.

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E ~s1ave Autobiographies -~ Torn Mills Page p~ ~ (Texa.) That nicht arter th~rk they was fixin to get supper ready and told Monroe to go ~et sorae water down at the river, but he wouldn t do it. Well, ~L never was afraid of the dark in. nay life, so I had to go get the water. Well, we r~de a fire and. rued supper and then these men put a rope on L~onroe and took him off a little piece and ~apied the rope around a tree and never. even. tied the rope fast. The other man, MoLeniore, he went around the camp and came up on the other side. He had an old. dried cow hide with the tail still on it. The old. tail was all bent, crimped. up. Here he come from down the creek, from where they told Ivtonroe that fellow was buried, and right toward ~ion~ roe with that hide on. Tail first and in the dark it looked pretty bad, and, I tell you, Monroe got to sore~iain . I believe he would have died if they hadn t let him loose. I never laughed so much in my life. When he would ~et soared, he wculd squeal like a hog. He sure was scarey~ Sometimes, I know, we would be woke up in the night and they would be cookin chicken and dumplin s, or havin somethixit like that. I d. like for em to come ever night and wake nie up. I don t know where it come from, but they would always wake the chilien up . (This is an early recollection of and let em have some of it. hischildhood. during slavery) nM~T mother s daddy, i:t he was here, he could tell plenty of things. lie could remember all about them days, and sing them songs too. I ve heard hin tell some xnight~~bad things, and he told somethin pretty bad on hisseif . He said the y captur ed soute Indian ohillen and he was carryin one and it ~ot to cryin and he j took hi~ saber and held it up b~ its feet and cut its head off. Couldn t stan to heer ~it cry. He got punished far it, but he said. he was a

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lb I~x~slave Autobiographies Torn Mills Page~~,~ 98. . (Texas) soldier and not supposed to carry Indian babies. Usually when Indians captured little fellows like that, they carried ein off. Like ~hen they carried off i~rank Buckilew, a white boy. And a cuilud. boy that got away up 0108e to Utopia. They kept the Buokilew boy a long time, long enough that he got to where he understood the lang~iage. It was a long time that the Indians didn t kill a darky, though. But after th.e war, when they brought these cullud soldiers in here to drive ein. back, that started the war with the cullud. peo~ pie then. jfter freedom., I reineraber one weddin the white folks had. That was when rohn Kanady (Kennedy) marrIed Ltlalinda ~Tohnson. He was e. man that lived there n the river and. was there up to the time he died. I wasn t at the weddin , but I was at the infair. They were married east of Hondo City. They had. the infair then and it was a kind of celebration after the weddin? . .~ver body m.et there and. had a big dance and. supper and had a big time. They danced ail night after the supper and. then had a big, breakfast the next inornin . I was little, but I remember the supper and breakfast, for I was en joylu that rayselC. i.~hey was lots to eat, and. they had it too. jfter freedoni, I rerrieniber these c~ziltin s where they ~viould have big dinners. They vrould have me there, t.hread.iri needles for em. We always had. a big time Clin stinas . ~Lh ey had. dances and d inners for a week. Yes m, the cullud people did. They would celebrate the houid.ays out. That was all free too, and they all had plenty to. eat. .. They ~wou1d. meet at one place one night and. have a dance and supper and, the next night, in.est over at another place and have the seine . thins. -11e.

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~t~ Ex-~s1ave Autobiographies ~ Torn Mills Page Tiea~i (Texas) 1~Vhen I got to workin for myself, it was cow work. I done horseback work for fifty years. Meny a year passed that I never missed a day bein in the saddle. I stayed thirteen years on one ranch. The first place was right below Hond.o City. His name was Tally Burnett and I was gettin ~7.5O a month. Went to work for that and. stayed about three or four months and he raised my wages to ~that the others was gettin and thatwas ~ 2.5O. He said I was as good as they were. Then I went to Frio City. I done the seine kind of work, but I went with the people that nearly raised nie, the Rut 1ed~ ges. That s where I was give twice in the census. M~7 mother gave me In and he gave me In. That was one time they had one man too many. I married when I was with them and I worked for hirn after that. Th~.t was when we would work away down on the Rio Grande, when Dentp Fenley and Lee Langford and Tom Roland and the two Lease boys and one or two more was deliverin cattle to the Gold .1~r~nks? ranch. He wanted 8,000 two-~year-~o1d heifers. He had 150,000 acres of 1~nd and wanted cattle to ~book it. Some taken a contract to deliver so many and some taken a contract to deliver so many, sO these men I was with went down below Laredo and down in there. We wound that up in 85. In 86, 1 went to Kerr County and. taken a ranch out there on the head of the G~uada1upe Jilver. I stayed there two years and a half, till they sold out. ~his man I was workin for was from Boston. Y.:, and he leased the ranch and turned it over to me and I done all the hirin andpayin off and buyin end ever thing. when he sold out, I left and went on the Horton ranch about thirteen months. ~.J_ ~ ~ ~ :~.~: ~ ~ ~ ~ k~, ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~) ~ :~ ~ ~c ~ ~ ~ ~ .. ~ . ~ . ~ ~:~: .12

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lot) 1~z~s1ave. Autobiographies ~ I om Mills Page Thirteen (Texai) M~T first wife died in 1892, but we had been separated about five or six years. I married again in. Bandera ~nd Quit rarichin and~ went to stock farmin for Albert Miller, then leased. a place. from Charley Montague two years, then went over into Hondo Canyon and. leased a place there in 98. We stayed there till 1906, then carne to U~ra1c1e. I leased. a place out here, about two hundred acres, four miles from town, and. had odd jobs around here too. Then, about 1907, we went to Zavala County and. stayed till 1919. I leased. a place here, then, and. finally settled. at this place I m on now and have been here ever since. I ve got 11 chilien liirin . One boy, Alfred, is in Lousiana and. I don t know what he s dom , but he s been raarried about five times. I have a boy workin in the post~office in San Antonio named. Mack, and. the rest of the chilien are here. r2here?s Sarah, J~iley, Frank, ~Tarnes, J3anetta, ~rohn, Theodore, ~ornray, Annie i~aurie. They all live here and. work e.t different places. I know when we used. to cai~ out in the winter time we would. have these old-~tinie freezes, when ever thing was covered in ice. We would. have a big, fat cow hangin up and we could slice that meat off and. have the best meals. And when we was on the cow hunts we would. start out with meal, salt end coffee and. carry the beddin for six or eight men on t~o horses and carry our rations on another horse. j guess it would. scare people now to hear em comin with all them. pots and, pans and rnakin all that racket. When we camped and. killed. a yearlin the leaf fat and. liver was one of the first things we would cook. ~ihen they would. start .in to gather cattle to send to Kansas, they would. ride out in the

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.~x-s1ave Autobiographies ~ Torn ~~~i1is Pag Io~t~ ~ (Texas) herd. and pick out a fat calf, and. they would ~et the fleecet and. liver end broil the ribs. The ri~eat that was cut off the rijs was called the fleece. It was a terr ble waste, for many a tinie, the hams wasn t eireii cut out o~ the hide, jes lert there. old. Man Alec Rutledge used to say, when they would throw out bread and meat, he would say, ILtil tell you, Torn, he ~~i1 have to walk alone sometimes because this willful wast e will make woeful want s . He was tal~iii/~ about his brother ~ they was two of em, and sure nough, his brother finally lost all his cattle, quit the business, ~md never had nothing left. There would. be an aw~ul lot of good meat wasted, ~nd now we are payin for it. The first fence J. ever seen wasn t any larger then this ad.d ition here, and it was put up out of pickets. ~ie Mexkins used to build lots of Lences and we got the idea from them, mo~t1y on these o1d-~timey stake~and-~rider fences. it was an awful pasture v hen they had eight mile of fence. The ~ay they ~de the field fences was nothin but brush. I remember when I was a little fellow at John Kanady ~ (Kennedy s j ueorge Johnson would come over and stay with ~ his sister, Mrs. i~anady, and he would keep the cattle out of the fie lii one day, he canie there and put me on his horse . He had. loosened up his girl, and. .L got out there a little ways and one of the cows turned back. The horse was a regular old cow pony and. when tbs.t cow turned back, the old horse turned just as quick and. the sadile slipped and. I stayed there. ttoh, pshaw~ they turn so quiek you have to be on the lookout. You have to watch the b~orse as well as the cow. Some of them horses get pretty siiiax~t. One time they wer~cuttin cattle and a fellow ~ ~m 14im~

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Ex~s1ave Autobiographies ~ jom M11s . Pace (Texai) bro~xght a cow to the edge of the herd. and. the cow turned back and when she did, the horse eut b8ck too and left hirn there. When. he went f:roni under him, that fellow s spurs left a mark clear across the sad~ die as he went over. It was my saddle he was rldin~ and. that mark never did leave it, where the spurs cut across it. We ve done some ritlin even after my wife, here, and I were married. Shets seen em breakin horses and all that.pitchin and bawlin . But, I never was no hand to show off. If I keD my seat, that was all I wanted. You see lots of fellows ridin just to show off, but I never was for anything like that. No, I never did ~o up on the trail. I ve helped pre~are the herd. to take. Usually, there would be one owner takin his cattle up on the trail. They had no place t~ hold the cattle, only under herd. Usually, they would str~rt with a thousand or fifteen hundred head, but they didn t put em all together till they got away out on the divide. They would have em shaped up as they gathered eni and jes hold. what they wanted to send. It didn t take so many men, either, be<~ause they all understood their business. I was jes thinkin about when Mr. Dem.p Fenley and Rutledge was here. They had about nine hundred head of cattle. We brought em right in below Pearsall, right about the Shiner ranch, and delivered em there. But before vie ~ot there at a little creek they called ~~2 they was hardly any place to bed the cattle because they was so much pear. Mr. Rutledge and I always bedded the cattle down, and then I would go on the last relief, usually about the time to get up, anyway. He used me all the tinte ~hen they would get ready to ~o to oan~ in the evenin , and we d. spread em out and let em graze before

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103 Ex slave Autobiographies ~ Tom Mills Page Si t4~en (Tiras) beddin em down. Sometim.es he ~u1d giveme a motion to come over there, and I knew th8t meant an animal to throw. He always ~ot nie to do the rapin if one broke out. ~e1I, we was coniin on with those cattle and. they was a steer that gave us trouble all the time. As soon as you got away, he would walk out or the herd. Well, we got the cattle all bedded d.ovm and. they were cjuiet, but that steer walked out. I was ridin Mr. Fenley s dun horse, and Mr. Rutledge says to me, I tell you what we ll do. We ll ketch that steer out here and give lin a good. whippln . I says, ~e l1 get into trouble, too.~ Well, he was to hold j~ away from the herd and I was to rote ira, but the steer run in front of hirn end out-~run ini~ If he would have run in behind him, I would a caught ira, but that steer beat ira to the herd and. run right into the middle of era. And. ~id he stanipede eri~ Those cattle run right into the camp, and the boys all scramblin ~ the wagon and. gettin on their horses without their boots on. One steer fell and rolled right under the chuck wagon. You know, we run. those ~att1e all night, tryin to hold era. It was a pear flat there, and next mornin that pear was all beat down flat on the ground. whey sure did. run, and all because of that foolishness. Mr. Rutledge ~ot to rue and told rae not to tell it, and I don t reckin to this day anybody knows what ~ona that. I never told you about the panther about to get on to nie, did. I? ~ Well, we was out on the Rio Grand)~, about thirty~one or thirty.. two miles beyond Carrizo. It was at the Las Islas (The Islands) ~i . I was about three days ~ b ehind the ou tut when they went out there. That was in J ly, and they was a law passed th~.t we had. to q~uit wearin our suns the first d~ay of a uly and. hang em on the ~16~.~

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164 ~~~s1ave Autobiographies -~ Toni Mills Page sev.nteen (Texas) ho n of our saddle. Y1b~en I got to the outfit, the boys was ~ettin pretty tired herdint. They had to bring ein out about six miles to grass a~nd to this little creek. Vie would Dut tein In the pen at night and feed era hay. We were waitin there for them to deliver some cattle out of L~exico. ~he Mexkin told nie they was sornethin out there where they were herdin sheep that was scaTin the sheep out 01~ the pen at night. I had seen some bobcats, but I laid down under one of these huisache trees and went to sleep. I had my ~isto1 on and. was layin there and about two o clock, I woke up. I turned over ana. rested myself on my elbow and. looked off there about 12 feet from me and there stood a big old. female panther. She was kind. o1~ squattin and lookin r1gh~ at me. I reached ri~Jit easy and got my Win~ chester t1~t was layin beside rae and. I shot her right between the eyes. V~hy, I had one of her claws here for a long time. She had some young ones some~where. I imagined, though, she was goin to Jump right on nie. It wasn t no good feelin , I know. She was an awful large one. Oh, irAi goodness! I have seen lobos, eight or ten in a bunch. They re sure niean. I ve seen era have cattle rounded up like a bunch of cow hands. If you heard a cow or yearlin belier at night, you could go next morniri and sure find where they had killed 1~r. They would go right Into the cow or calf and eat its kidney fat first thing. I tell you, one sure did. scare rae one time. I was out ridin?, usually ropin and. brandin calves, and I came across a den in the ground. I heard somethinT~ whinin do~vn there i~ that hole. it was a curiosity to me arid I wanted to get one of those little wolf pups. ~at was what I thought it was. I got down they and reached in there

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105 Ex-~s1ave Autobiographies -~ Toni Mills Page ~ighteen ~ <Texas) and got one of those little fellows. They was lovos (lobos). They are usua.lly gray, but he was still b~~ck. ~~hey are black at first, then. they turn gray. He was a little bit of a fellow. ~7el1, I got him out and the old lovo wolf run right at nie, snaDDin her teeth, and my horse jerked back and came near gettin away. But I hung to my wolf and got to my horse arid got on and left there. I didiVt have nothiti to kila\her with. I w~s jes a boy, then. itook that pup and give it to ~VIrS. ~Tiia Reedes, down on the Hondo, and she kep it till it began eatint chickens. I had a bear scare, too. That was in 87, about fifty years ago. Well, ira Wheat was sheriff at Leakey in Edv~ards County, then. I went down there, and I was ridin a horse I broke for a sheriff in Kerr County. I came to Leakey to see Theat ~ you see they was burnin cattle (running the brands) all over that country then. As I was ridin along, I seen some buzzards and I rode out there. Soinethin had killed a hog and eat on it. I kno~ed it was a bear afterwards, but then I went on down to Leakey and started back, I got up on the divide, at the head of a little canyon and I seen those buzzards again. I seen two b~ck things and I jes thought to tu~self them t~r~~6 vras conhin back~nd eatin onthat de~.d hog. I rode up and seen that it was two bears and I rna&e a lunge at em~fld the old bear run off and the little cub ren up a tree. I thought, I ll ketch you, you little rascal. So I tied my horse and I went up the tree after the cub and when I was near im, he sq~ua1led jes like a child. I tell you, when it sq~ualled. thc.t way, here came tI~. t old bear and begin snuffin around the tree. My horse was jes rearm and tryin to break 1o~se out there. I tell you, when I di4get down there and

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10G Ex-~s1ave jutobiogr~aphies ~ Torn IvIi11~ Page Nineteen (?exai) ~e~t to him, I had to lead him about two hundred yards before I could ever get on. him. He sure was scared. Like it was when I was a. boy down on the HoMo one time and I could hear horses corilin and thought it was Indians and after awhile, I couldn t hear nothin but my heart beatin . Uncle Tom Mills is one of the most contented old d~.rkies sur viving the good old days when range was open and a livelihood was the easiest thing In the world to set. He lives in. the western iart of Uvalde, in a four~roora house that he built hiniself. A peach orehard. and a grape arbor shade the west side of the house. It is here that Uncle Torn spends n~any hours cultivating his little garden patch. Contented and wel1~-fed milk cows lie in the shade o~ the oak trees in a little pasture east of the house, and he proudly calls attention to their full udders and sleek bodies. His wife, Hattie, laughs and joins him in cd~versation, helping to prod his meiuory on minor events. He smiles a lot and seems optimistic about most things. I did not hear him speak grudgingly toward anyone, or make a complaint about the old-sage pension he gets. He is always busy about the place and claims that he can dc a lot o~ work yet.

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1 ~ ~2/~.w~P, J ~J~ EL.SL VE STORIES Pa~ge One (Texas) LA SA1~ MIRE, 86 aged Fr~neh Negro of the ?~ar Orchard S~ttIernent, ne~r B~aunvnt, Texas, is alert and inte1~ligent, and his long, w~1Lformed hands gesture whi1~ he tq?ks. He w~s born in Abbeville Parish, Lou.isi~iia, R slave of Prosper Broussard. Hi s father wt~.s a Sp~ini ard, his mother spoke B rench, ~nd hi m~st~i was .~ Creole, La San s patois is superior to that of the average French Negro. His story has been translated. ~ ~ old w~ ? No, I don t remember so much about it, b~caiise I was so young, I was ten ~rears old nt th~ beginnin~ of th~ w~r. I was born the 12th of May, bat I d9 not know of what year, in the Parish of Abbevil , on M sieu Prosper s pLu~tatton between hbevflle and Crowley. M.y parents were sl~res. M7 fath~r ~ Spaniard, who spoke Spanish and Fr~nch. 1~ mother spoke French, the old in~.ster too, all Creoles, I, ~s all the other slaves, spoke French. During the w~.r all the childr~ h~d fe~ r. I drove ~n old ox cart in which I helped pick up the dead soldiers ~nd buried them, A battle took place about 40 rnil~s from the plt~ntation on a bluff near a large ditch -~not near the bayou, no. ~Ve wer freed on Jui r 4th. After the war I remained with my old master. I worked in the house, cooked in the kitchen. Early ~a,ch morning, I m~ ~ cotfee and served it to my master and his family whil~ they were in the bed. ttT~ ~e old master was mean ~made slaves lie on the ground and whipped them. I never saw him whio my father. He often whipped my cnothe: . -.1V..

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$~x slave Stories Page Two (Texas) I d. hide to keep from seeing this. I was afraid. ~Thy did he whip them? I do not remember. He did not h~ve ~ prison, just coups de fauIt (b~atings). But not one slave from our pl~xitation tried to escape to the north that I can remembers ~ ~The slaves lived in litt1~ cabins. Al . alike, but good. beds. T~ooms small as a kitchen. Chimneys of dirt. Good floors. plenty to eat. Cornbread ~nd grits, beef, ch~hintes (coons), des 1~ (possum), i~ couche couche, cand Irish ~nd sweet potatoes. Everyone raised cotton. In the ev~~.ngs the slave warnen and girls (IL seeded the cotton, corded it, made thread of it on the spinning wh~el. They made it into cotton for ftTCSSCS ~nd suits, No shoes or socks, In winter the men might wear t~em in winter. 1 Tever th~ wanmn or children. How many slaves? I do not recall There were so many the yard was The~r worked from sun~..up to sundown, with one hotr for dinner. School? cotton ani drove the oxen to plow the field. It ~ never went t o Mass befcu~e I w~s twenty years old. Yes there were churches and the others went but I did not want t o go There vere benches especially for the slaves, Yes, I was baptized a Catholic in Abbeville, when I was big. Sundey the Negro slaves had rxind dances. Formed a circle -~the boys and the girls ~ and changed partners. They sang ~nd danced at the same time, Rarely on Saturday they bad the dances. They sang and whistled in the fields. ttThe m~ri~ges of the slaves were little affairs, Before the witnesses they d sauter le balais the two and they were married, No celebration, . but a1w~7s the little cakes. One or two We h~d rat bois full. I hoed. 2 1~J

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Ex slave~ories P~g~ Three 1G~) (Texas) t ~e h~.d no doctor. We used vin~ire (~n herb) for the fever; la chaspp~e (s~rsaparill~); la pedecha(an herb), sometimes called L absinthe amer, in a drink of whisketr or gin, fo~ the fever. Des regu .ateurs(patent medicines), On neprly all plantations there were traiteurs1. (a ch~rm~ doctor, always a Negro). Noel we had. the little c~ces ~md special things to eat, but no presents. ni was married by the judge first . and after the marriage was blessed by trie priest. I ~ras 21 yee~rs old.. I wore a new suit, bec~use ~ h~d some money. I worked in the house during the d~y ~nd at night I ceught wild horses Rnd sold them. I remenber my wedding day. It was the Saturday before Mardi Gras. My wife came from G rand Chenier(Cameron) to Abbevilie when she was small. We had I 6 children, Il boys pnd five girls. Three ~4rls and two boys died when they were sm~li. I One year after my marriage I left the big house and made ~ home of ray own. For an enclosure I rn~e p. levee of earth around. I planted cotton. I worked the place for a h~If or a third. t, I c,~rae to Beaumont 12 years ~o, so lay children eo~ild work, b~c~use I was sick. I could no longer work.

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- . .~ s p j~, ?~~.i!.$~) EL.SLAVE STC ~IES P~e One 110 (Texas) OHABL~Y MITC1~LL fariner in Pano1~. Co. Texas was born in . 1852, a slave of Nat Terry~ ~n i~tiner~ant Baptist preacher of I~n ch urg, Virginia. Chancy left the Terrys one year after he was freed. He worked in a tobacco factory, then as a waiter, until18a7, when he moved to Pano1~ Co. For fifty years he has farmed. in the Sabine River bottom, about twenty five miles southeast of Marsh~Il, Texas. I s born in Virginia, over in Lynchburg, arid. it was in 1852, and. I longed to Parson Terry and Missy Julia. ! don t member my p*pw t C aus e s s old ~ when I s a baby but my rneinmy was wi 11e d to o~. ~ ~ the Terrys ~nd allus lived with them till freedom. She worked for ~p them and they hired her out there in to~vn for cook and house serv~.nt, ~ They hired me out most times as nues ~or white folks chilien, and I missed. Torn Thu.rinan s chilier~. He run the bakery there in L~nch~ burg and come from the no~th, ~nd when war broke they made him and noth~,r northener take a iron clad oath the~r wouldn t help the north. D,~rin the war I worked in Massa Thurman s bnkery, helping make hard tack and doughnuts for the federate sojers. He give me pi~nt~r to eat and wear and treated me av~ well as I could hope for. Course, I didn t git rio schoolin . The white folks alLis said niggers don t need no .arnin . Some niggers larnt to write their initi~Is on the barn door with charcoal, then they try to find out who done that, the white folks, I mean, and say they cut his fingers off iffen they t find out who done it . A .01*.

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Ex..s1~ve Stories Page Two )T~x&s) . Lynchburg was ~oo3. sized when war corne on and Woodruff s nigger traclin y ard. was b~it the bigg~s thing there. It was eli ~!enced n and~ had a big stand in middle of where they sold the slaves; They got a big price for ~ ein nnd handcuffed and chained ~em together ~nd le3- 1~ off like convicts. That y~rd wr.s ft l of Lou1si~n~ ~nd Texas s1~ve buyerE mos all the time. None of the nigg~rs wanted to be sold to L0uisi~na, cau,se that s where the~ beat ein till the hide was raw, and sa1te~ ~em and beat ~m so~e more. C0urse us slaves of white folks what lived in town wasn t treated like they was on most plantations. Massa Nat ~nd Missy Julia w~s good to us ~:3fld most the f~o1ks we wes hired out to was good to us. L7nchburg was full of pattyrollers j~iis~ like th~ cou~try, though, pfld they h~d a fenced 4rx whippin post there in town ~nd the pattyrollers sho put it on a nigger iff~n they cotch hicn withou~t ~ pis~. iJter war broke Lee, you know General Lee himself, come to L~t.nch.. \ burg ~nd had. a cai~pground there and lt look like another town. The federates had a scrimmage with the Yankees about t~vo miles out from ~nchbur~~ ~nd t after surrender eneral ~il~,ox and a bIg comp~xiy of Y~k~ ~ come there. De c~rc~p was obst to ~ big college there in Lynchburg ~.nd they throwed. ~p ~ big bre2stworks out the other side the oo11e~e. I never seed it till after surrender, t cause us wasn ~ ~ lowed to go out there . Gen. Shuinaker was commander of the Federate artillely and kilt the first Yankee that come to Lynchburg. The~r drilled the co11e~e boys, too, there in tOwn. i: didn t know till after surrend~er what they drilled them for, cause

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Ex- elave Storie (Texae) Page This., the white folks didii t talkthe war mongst ~i.s. 3out a. year after the Yankees come to I~ynohbu.rg they moved the cullud. free school out t o Lee s Camp and. met in one of the barracks and. had. four white teachers from the north, and. that school ru.n aev ral years after eurreru3.er. Lots of l ederate sojers passed through Lynchburg goin ~o Peters1mr~. Once some Yankee sojers come through clost by a~d there was a ecritninage tween the two armies, but it didn t last Iong.Gen. Wilcox had a standin army in Lynchbu.rg after the war, when the Yankees took things over, but everything was peaceful and. quiet then. After su.ra ender a man calls a meetin of all the slaves in the fairgrounds and tell s us we s free . We 1 ~ promised anything. We jus had t o do the best we could. But I heared lots of slaves what lived on farms say they s promised forty acres and. a mule but they never did git it. We had to go to work for what-S ever they d. pay us and we d.id.n t have nothing and. no place to go when we was tu.rned loose but down the street and road, When I left the Terry s I worked in a tobacco factory for a dollar a week and that was big money to me. Ma~i n~ worked too and we managed ~eomehow to live. After I married I started fax~nin but since I got too old I live round with mychillen. I has two BOUS &nd a boy what I raised. One boy lives obst to Jacksonville and the other in the Sabine bottom and the boy what I raised lives at Henderson. I been gittin $10.00 pension since January this year.(1937) . I never fool round with politics much. I~s voted a few times, but most the time I don t. I leaves that for folks what knows politics. I says this, the young niggers am t bein raised like we was. Moat of them don t have no mannere or no moral. self-respect. . . I d.on t hey. auch in ~antsbtit I s heared. my wi.~e.call.my.name. She e . . . . j... -.3 . . . .1) Ii~: f; ?~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~

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Ex~s1ave Stories . . Page Pour (Texas) . . ~.& ~J been dead. foar years . If you crave to see yaar dead foiks you Il never see them, but if you t t think I ~ out them they 11 e orne back soins time. *Two nigger women d1ed~ in this house and. both of thera allus smoked a pipe. My boy andine used to smell the pipes at ni~t, since they died., and one morniti I seed. one of them. I jus happened to look out the window and saw one of then go in t o t he cowpen I knowed. her by her bonnet. They s a nigger church and cemetery up the road. away from my bo~ise where the dead folks cane out by twos at night and go in the church and hold. service. Me and. the preacher what preaches there done seed. and heared them. They e a way of kespin off hauts. That done by tackin au old. shoe by the side the door, or a horseshoe over the door, or pu .lin~ off part of the planks of your hou~se and puttin on s orne new boards. e, se es e

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i,)g~ ~ . ~ I 14 IL~SLAT1 STc ~I~S Peg. One ( T.:xas) PIT$~R KITCF~TJ1I, tfl the late eevintiei, waa born In Jasper, Tsxas a slavi of Thad Lenier He has live& in or near Jasper all his 11f.. sTes,~, I s Peter Mitchell and I was born right near hire and niy father and ~othr waen~t lawful zarrte&, ~ niggers wasn t in ~ d~ys. My pz p~ e naae was R1chard~ Lanier and my nasmiy s was Martha Mitchell, but us all teken ~amay s naae. Sh. taken her n~e froua Mitchella what owned. her beTh de Lauter. git her. My brothers naned Lewis Johnson end ~nnis Fisher, and Willtaa anti Mose and Peter Mitchell. My sisters was &ikt ~n& Louisa end ~ffis, 5M~y was de house gal. She say de Mitchells don. treat h.r hardi but Maa~a Lani.r party good. to us. In sum~ter ehe kep us chilien near d1e big hoess in d~i yaH, but we couldn t go in de house. tn winter we stays roun& de shack where we lives while a~iu work. $w. gite plenty combrea~ and soup an& peas. On Iun&~ dey gives us jus ~ biscuit ~ arKi we totes it round in di pocket half ds day ~nd~ shows it to de others, and says, See ithat we has for break~ fast.t n ~ wears &UCktn~ dye~1 with indigo and hickory sh, and w. has no shoes till wi gite old no~igh to work. D dey brogans with de brasa to.. Mamy knitted de socks at night and. weaves coats in winter. Many a night I sits up and spins ant card.s for aa~. TMMaasa Lanier ii~ in de fine, big house end have hundreds of soils in d,. plantation and has twenty.five houssi for de elavss and den

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L. i~x-elave Stories p~. ~ ( ~sxas) families. He k.p j~is nough of de niggers to work da land aM ds extry h sells 11k. hosses, Missy lamed m~ay to read and dey have &. ~I11WI preachsr, named Sam Lundy. Dy have de big bayou in de field whsr. dey bapti.ss. D. ihits people has de big pool bc~~t 50 yard from de house, where dey~ baptise. Sometimes dey runs *way but didn t git far, cause de patt.r rollers watches night and day. Some de men slaves makes hoe hand.1 s aM cotton sacks at night and ds wac~ien slavsa washes and Iroita and sews and knits. ~Fs had to work so many hoere every night, and. no holidays ~t hr. tu. plantation so big, dey kep de doctor right on d~ place, and takin purty good car. ~ cts sick niggeri cause day worth money. w. ~as not so bad. off, but we never has de fu~n, we jus works and sleeps. I, When fre.dots c orne de~ turn us loose and say to I ook oat fer ourselves. Mos of de slaves jus works round fox de white folks den and gits pay in food and de clothe., but after whils di slaves lama to take cars demselves I marries anti was dress up in black and my wife wore cli purple dries. D. Rev. Sai Radnot marry us. lt farms all my 11f. and it ain t been so bad. I~s too old to work mach now, but I makes a little hers and there 04 de odd. jobs.

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42011G ~ -~ (~ ~ :~xmsLA1~E~ STOBI~S Page One ( Texas) ANZRE1~ MOODY was borm in 1855, in Orange, Texas, a slave to Colonel Fountain ~ioyd, who owned a p1~~ntation 0 about 250 ~cre~ on Lacey s River, Atid.rew is sail to be the oldest ex~-5laye in Orange County. Ii was ten year old when freedom coitie and I~n the oldest slave what was born in Orange County still livin there, They called Orange, Green Blu.ff at the first, then they call it M~dis3n, and then they call it Orange. I used. to live on Colonel Fountain Floyd s p ~x~ tation on Lacey s River, bout I? i~iiles from hc~re. They had bout forty hand~s bi~ encu~h to pick cotton. My ~ranthnother was with me, but not mv~ mother, and. my father, Ball, he belong to Locke and Thomps. ~e lived in houses with homemade furniture, Yes, they tiad. rawhide chairs and whenever they kilt a beef they kep1 the skin offen the head to make seat for chairs, Colonel Floyd he treat ~is good, as if h s us father or ir~other. No, we dicin suffer no tbuse, cause h~ didn low it and he didn do it hisself, Parson Pipkin, he coiue round and preach to the white folks and sometimes he preach extry to the cullud. quarters. Some of the cuUud folks could read. the hyjans. Young missu.s, she lam era. They sing, Jerdon ribber so still and col , Let s go down to Jeraon. Go down, go down, Let s go down to Jerdon, EveDy ma~ had. a book what carried his own niggers names.

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~x.~s1ave Stories Paie Tv~o 117 (Texa!) The niggers names was on the white folks church book with the white folks names ~:3fld~ them books We~ like tax books. The tax collector, he come round. and say, How many lt l darkies ~r u got?t ~ then he put it clown in the ~essment book, Folks h~.d good. times Christmas. Dancin and big dinner. They Cive em two or three day holiday then. They give Christmas g1f~, maybe a paix ck s or sugar candy . The whitefoiks kill turkey ~id s~t table for the slaves with everything like they have, hr~.d and biscuit and caJ~e and po k and balced turkey and chicken and sich. They cook i~t a skillet e~nd spider. Th~ cullud folks make hoe c&ce and a~ h cake and. cracklin bread and theyused to sing, ~Iy baby love shortenin bread. tt?rnen a hand die they Ru stop work the nex d~y after he die ~nd they blow the horn and ol~ Uncle Bob, he pr~ and. sing songs. They have a w~ce the nL~~ht he die and cori~ from all round and set up with the corpse all night. They mr~ke the coffin on the place and have two hands di~ a grave. ttThe w~y they done~ when mancipation come, they call up at twelve o clock in June, 1865, right out the - e In D~nc~n W ood, t~W1~t the old. field. and. Beaumont. They call i~y~ mother, rho ~on~ come to live there. They say, Now, listen, :ro~i and. your chill ~n don long to ~ne no ~v. Y0u. kin stay till Christmas i:r y~ wants. So mother she stcy but ~t Christmas her th~sban come and they all go but Inc. I was the las nigger to stay after freedom come, ~nd the marster and. ~ would go h~rntin and fishint in the N eches River. We ate raccoon then and rabbit and keep the rabbit foot for luck, jus the first joint. The Tob7t what we call it, and ~f we didn have no ~To~by( we coulcin git no rabbi% nex1 tiin~ we goes huntin .

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4Y~O2 I 2 EX~SL~1Ti~ STORIES P~ ge On~ (Texas) . ~4. MOORL a~:ed pr~cher and school teacher of J~arrison Co., Texa~, w -s born in 1846, a ~iave of L L ~3herrad wno, in th~ 183O~~s, sett1~d ~ 1ar~e planta. ti~rn ~i~ht mile2 northeast of i~iarsha21. Moore worked as a farinharid. for several years after he I eft horae but I at ~r at t~nc1ed Bishop arid ~11ey Colleges, in Marshall, and obt~irxed a te3cher*s cert1fic:rt~, Fe taught and preach~d until ~e forced hirn to ret ire~ t~D his far!~1, which i~ on lnnd thr~t ~vas ~)nce a p~.rt of his r~st~rts p1~ntation. My nPlrLe is ALaont L L~oore and I w~ born Tight here in Hnrri~on County, ir~ 1845, ~nd be1on~ed to Mast r ~. R. Sherr~d. ~iy rn~st~r wa~ one of the first settlers in these pr~rts ~nd owned a big p1antati~n, eight 1nh1~B north~st of ~iarshai1, My father was Jiles D. Moore and he ~s born in ~~1~ba~aa, ~nci nrr i~oth~r, Anna, was ~born in ~isSi3~ pp1. They c~me t o ~x~s a~ slaves. My granthgoth~r ~ n ra:~ aotherts side was Cherry aM sh~ be1on~ec5 to the Sherr~ci~, too, Sh ~ ~aLc1 the Indians ~a~re them a hot time when they first cgy~e to T~xa~ Finally they b~cime friend1~ to the white people. H~ty mistress was li~cinda Sherrr;cI ~nd she h~1 a world of chfldren. They lived in ~ ~, 1O~ house, but ~rou wouldn t know it was a log house u.ni~s~ you went up in th~ attic where it wasn1t ceiled. The ~1~ves helped master build the house. The qii~rters locked like a little town, with the houses all in lines. 1They h3d ru.les for the slaves to be governed by ~nd the7 were ivhipped when they disObeyed. L~St~ didn t have to whip hie slaves much, because he -~1~ .

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Ex.-elave Stories Page Two jj9 (Texas) was fair to them, more t1~anmost of the slaveowners. Lots of masters wouldn t let the slaves have any thing an1. wouldn t let them read. or even look at a book. Itve known courts in this county to fine slaveowners for not clothing and f ee& ing their slaves right. I thought that was right, because lc~ts of them were too stingy to treat the slaves right unless they maci.e them do it. Corn shucking was a bi~ sport for the Negroes and whites, too, in slavery time. Sometimes they gave a big dance when they finished. shucking, but my master s folks always had a religious service. I went to a Methodist church arid it lied too floors, one for the slaves and. one for the whites. Just before the war they began to let the Negroes preach and. have some ioc~ks, a hymn book and a Bible. After the war they treated the slaves fine in this part of the country. The industrious ones could work and save money. Down in Louisiana lots of owners divided syrup, neat and other things with the sls~ves. My brother and I saved. enough to buy five hunctred acres of lend. Lots of white men took one or more slaves to wait on them when they joined the army, but my master left me at horns to help there. Some Owners didntt free their slaves and. they soon put soldiers at Marshall and Shreveport and arrested the ones who refused to let the slaves go. My father died during the war and my mother stayed with Master Sherrad three years after surrender. I stayed with her till I was bit enough and. then hired out on a farm. They paid farmhands $10.00 to $15.00 a month then. H Then I went to school at !iley arid Bi shop College s here for four yeas s an~1 I hold a county teacher s cert ifi cats. I have taught school in Karrison and

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E3~~Blav~e Stories p~ge (~exa.) Gregg Counties and in C~ddo Pari eh, in Louisiana. I start ed preaching in 1880 and for several. years wa~ Dietrict Missionary for the Te~-Louisi~a Mi~sionary 3~ttst ~esociation. I have preached in and. organ~ized churche~s all over :E~ast Texas~ n!. raised six children and two boys and two girls are still luring. The girls live in Longview and one boy farms. The other boy is a preacher here in Harrison County. s ~ have voted in county and othr electi ons . I think they shoald instruct the Negroei to th.y cwi ~v~ote like white folks. The yoai~g )legross now have a better chance then most ~ u~ had. They have their schools ~nd churches but I don t think they t ry ~s hard as we d.id.. We learned lote from the white folks find their teaching wa~ genuine i~nd had. a great eff,ct on us, I. attribu~te the Christian beliefs of oui people to the earnest, faithful t ~acbing of ~ite people and t oday ~e have many ~ educated Negro teachers and preachers and leaders that we are not ashamed of.

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420229 ~L4sLAv~: STOPi~S Paie One 121 (Texas) JERRY MO ~E, a native of Harrison County, Texas was born Wiy 28, 1848, a slave of Mrs. Isaac Vim Zandt, wbo was a pioneer civic leader of the county. Jerry has alwsys lived in ~&arshall. For fifty years after he was freed. he worked as a brick r~son~ He now lives alone on the Port Caddo road, and is supposted by a $l5~OO per month p~rtsion from the gov~. erriz~nt. lAy naine is J. M. Moore, but all the white w~d cullud folks calls me Uncle Jerry, tcause I has lived here r~os 5ln e Marsh~Il started, I was born on th~ 28th of LIay, in 1348, up on the hill where the College of Marshall le now, and I be1on~d to the Van Zandt s. That wa~ their old home place. UI never did. see Col. Isaac Van Z~mdt, r!iv mistresses husband, but hae hecred her and the older Th Iks t alit lot s ~ him. They s~y he was the one who helped set up Marshall rtrid narirn it~ They say h~ ran ~or Governor and h~d F~ good chsxice, but was never honorated as Governor, cause he ied fore elect j on. M~ taistress was named Fanny and w~s one sweet soul. She had five ch~idren and. they lived here in town but have a purty bi~ farm east of town. My mother sewed for Mistre~s Faxiny, so we lived in town, There were lots of nig~r s on the farm ond everybody r ound these part s called us Van Zandt s free niggers, tr~p~~5 our white folks shared with their riarkies and l~.rned. eni all to read and write. The cther owners w~uldntt have none of Van Zandt B niggers~ . L&y mother Was Amy Van Zandt Moore and was a Tennessian. 24~r father was Henry Moore and. he belonged. to e. oil bachelor named. Moore, in Alabama.

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Ex s1ave~tories ~ Two 122 (Texas) Moore fre~cI all his ni~g~rs 1fore manc1p~tion e~cept three. They ~vas to pey a debt pi~id my father was Moore s choice man ~nd w~ one of the threes He bou.ght hiss~1f. He had saved ~rn ~or~e money pM when they went to sell him h~ bid $800.00. The auctioneer cries tround to git a r~fse, but wouldn t nobody bid on rn: , father ~aase he was one ofMoore s free nig~er~ . ~y father done s.~y after the war he c~u1d have bu~r&1 hisseif ~or $1.50. So he was a free ict~n tfore the inancIpation and he couldn t live rnon~ the slaves ~i~d he h~d to have a ~.iardipn who w~ sponsible for hi~ conduct till after surrender, They was lots of nig~ers here froi~ th~ free states fore the war, ~ut they~ ~ lowed to raix with the slaves, Mistre~s Fanny allus give the children a candy pullin on Saturday ni4~t and the bi~ foLks danced arid had parties. She allus gave th~ children twent~ .$ive cent~ apiece when the circus corne to town. The patterrollers wasn t lo ~ed bout our pl~ce and~ her darkies went mos anywhere ~iid wasn t ever bothered. I never seed ~ slave whipped on our place. ~ give her 4~arkies noriey along for dom odd Jobs and they could ~ ~nd it for what they wanted. She wps a Christi&i w n~n and reed the Bible raos ~1l the time. She give my raother two acres of land at mancipt tion. The first thins I ~e~d of the war was the musterin ~nd drillin sojers here in Marshall back in Buchanan s time, Polit ics wa~ hot in 59 and 60. 1 taernber ~ havin a big dinner and barbecue and speakin on our plac . They had a railroad to Swanson~e Landing on Gaddo Lake and the train crew brung news from boats from Shreveport ~nd N~w Or1e~ns. Soon as the traiLn pulled into town it signaled. Three long, moarnful whistles meant bad news~ Three short, quick whistles rne~mt good news, I went to town for the mail with my

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Ex-slave Stories Page Three 123 (Texas) sister durin the war. She d say to me, Jerry, the sooner the war is over, the sooner we ll be free. All the Van Zandt Negroes wanted to be free. They didn t understand how well they was bein treated till after they had to make their own livin . I rec lect the time the cullud folks registered here after the war. They outnumbered the whites a long way. Davis was governor and all the white folks had to take the Iron Clad oath to vote. Carpetbaggers and Negroes run the government. In the early days they held the election four days. They didn t vote in precincts but at the court house. The Democratic Party had no chance ti timidate the darkies. The publican party had a Loyal League, for to protect the cullud folks. First the Negroes went to the league house to get structions and ballots and then marched to the court house, double file, to vote. My father was a member of the 11th and 12th legislature from this county. He was lected just after the Constitutional Convention, when Davis was elected governor. Two darkies, Mitch Kennel and Wiley Johnson, was lected from this county to be members of That Convention. Durin the Reconstruction the Negroes gathered in Harrison County. The Yankee sojers and Progoe law made thousands of darkies flock here for protection. The Ku Klux wasn t as strong here and this place was headquarters for the Freedman. That the Progoe Marshal said and was Gospel. They broke up all that business in Governor Hogg s time. They divided the county into precincts and the devilment was done in the precincts, just like it is now. My father told me about old Col. Alford and his Kluxers takin Anderson Wright out to the bayou. They told him, You better pay. Wright got down on His knees and acted like he was prayin till he crawled back and jumped Off in the bayou. The Klux shot him fifty or sixty times, but he got away.

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~x s1~tve Stor1e~ Page ?our (Texa!) L ~Z The Loyal Leag~ie give him money to leave on and. he stayed away a long time. He came back to appear against Alford ~t his trial and when the jury gave ~1ford ninety nine years AMerson was glad, of coarse. I left th~ Van Zandts two years after I was freed. and wrked in hotels and on the railroad and. saved up morey and went in business, helping people ship cotton. I ve seen a thousand cotton w~ons In town at one time. I stayed in business till I was bu~rnt out. I came back to Marshall and took up the brick mason trade and worked at it till I got too old. to hold out. I ve sat On the jury in the county, justice and. federal courte, I know enough to vote or set on a jury bat I think the restriction on colored folks votin is all right in this State. The white folks has a good. government system. Our leaders ain t hard~-hearte~d people and the cullud folks is well off or better as if they voted. Itve lived here in )Lax sbali most all the time since I ~vas born and ain t had. no trouble. Aslong as the Negroes t~eat the white folks right, the white folks Will treat them right.

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4Y2(i)183 t~ ~ ~SLt~xa:rRI:~s~ Page Orte 125 ~ JO2~ MOORE, 84, was born ~ slave to Th~ncan Gregg, In Verinillionville, La., where h~ lived until ne was freed. In 1876 he c~zne to Texas nnd now lives In Beauraont, HI was twelve year old when freedom broke up, I lives ~ ~ ttween Vermillionville and Lafayette in Louisiana end ray massais naine Duncan Greg~s and. fle have -ourty b1~ farra ~nd lots of culiud people. His house was two, three hun erd yard from de ni(ger cuarters. De old ~ra nr~s, de~r took c~re of ~ chilien. when dere mothers was in de fields arid took dem up to de big hou.se so de white folks co~ild ~ee em pl~y. We chiliens was dress in a shirt ~ra Sometime dey ~ce wh~,t dey call moccasin out of skeerce. Dey raise cie food and )i~,ve grits :round 1n de grits mill, Dey raise hnw~s cud meke syrup ~nd Nrrn 2~ d raise chickens, i~Iarster dId~n low d.c nig~ers to hr~ve big ~~arc1en patch but sometime ~ie low cru have pl~.ce raise waterraillion. Marster have purty good house, a box- hoi~.se, and have good furniture in it. De cullud folks have haase witn c~iimbly in de middle of twz rooms and or~e farnbl~ live on one side de dumbly ~nd tnother fa~i bly on tie other side dc cnimbly. De chilien h~e p~1lets on d.c floor. ifter ~ my daddy die with cholera. I don know how many chilien in us famnhiy. My daddy g n~ie Valmore Moore aM mama s narae SillIm~. we ~v~i.s barefoot. r~.w~aIde. ShOes was ~1-~.

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Ex slave Stories pape Two ~ ~Lf~,L) (Texas) ttTjey tiave niggers in d~ fields bi iifferent squads, a hoe squad arid~ a plow sqund,~u td de overseer was pretty rapid. Ifferi dey t do (3 ~ ~vo i~ de y buck d~iu down ~nd wthp dem . Dey t ie dey hands ~nd feet togedder and maice ~ put ftc h~ids tween de kneew, and put ~ long st :Lck I tw~er de hands t o d.&y can t pull em o~it ~i&den dey wnip dem in good fasr~ic~a. Then war starts, d~r have a fig~it ~t Penock Bridge, not f~.r from a place dey c211 L~ fette. Dey burn de brid~ge and keep d~ Y~nk~s from takiLlt de town. Bat de Yankees gits flo~tin bridges ~nd gits cross de ba~rou dat way. Dc Y~nk~es cornes to our pL~ce and. d~y ~o to d.c sug~rhouse and tekes barrels of suge.r and syru.p, ~nd corn and rne~t ~nd de white folks hides d.c chickene unrier de bed, bat de old rooster crow and c~n de Yankees hear dem, Young m~.rst~r say he gwine to w~r to kill n Yan1ce~ ~nd bring he head back ~nd ne t~ke a servent fl0~~g ~ dic~1 bring no Yankee h~ad. baclc but he hnui~ ~ shot up ara, but d~t purty soon git wel1~ ~Iffr~n us sick dey rrwke med cine out of weess, moe bitter weed, honeset dey calls Lt. De~r bile J~r~is~1em o~k and give it to us~ We lias dances sot~,times ~nd si~s t Run n igge r nui, De patterroles git ~rou; ~ nigger nui, It a~i~ ~os ds?T. Or we sings My old. missus p cr~.se rae Shoe a l~ a day, When s:r~e die sne set me free Sboo a la a day. She live so lone her head git bald, Shoo a la a day. She give up de idea of dvin~ a-tall Shoo a la a day.~

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Page Three Ex slave Stories ( Tex~as) Sometimes we holler$ de corn hollers. One was somethin like this: Rabbit gittin up In a holler for iiggers kotch for breakfast. Sometii~es my mudder jump up in de air and. sing, _ Sugar in de gourd~, Sugar in de gou~, ~ Iffen TOU wanter git S De sugar out... R - o - o I - 1 de gourd over.1 And all de time she shoutin dat, She jumpin rigiat straight up in dc air. ~ li ~ heered lot5 about de Klu Klux. S0metimes dey want a nigger s place and dey put up notice lie better 85i.i out ~nd leave. Iffen he go see a lawyer, de lawyer would.u take de case, tcause moe dem in with de Klux. Ee tell de nigger he better sell. I co~ae to Texas in 76 and been here ever since. I s had. 13 chillei. I owns eigtit acres in ctis place now and I got de purties corn in de country but de inseck~ give it de blues.

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/1 . )(~fl I 1 ~~~ j %Fi f~~J :gL~s:L1Ly ~ 8TORI~S PBge Oui :128 (Texas) VA~ ~ itow living at 2119 St. Charles 8t,, Houston, Tex. waa born on a plantatton owned by the Cunningh faaily near Lynch1~urg, Tirginia. ~hi1e Tan was still a baby, his owner moved to a plantation near Croiby~, Tex. Tan is about 80 years old, Lj~O I ear, t a born on de first day of September, near Lynchbw?g, In Tirginy, but I . rea.red up here in Texas. ~!y m~my s name was Mary Moore and my ap~1 s name Was Tom Moore . Me1T~m7 longed to de Ou~intnghams but Peppy longed to de Mcltnneya, what waa Mieq O~nntngh~ . eliter end her husban Tha s how my mammy and pap~y come together. In dem days a slave man see a slave gal ihat he wants and he asks his old. massa, kin he see her. Iffen she owned by someone e1se,~ de massa ask de gil s massa iffen it all ri~ght to put em together, an~ iffen he sa~r so, dey did. Twa nt no Bible weddin like now. MEUWny had 19 chilien, 10 boys and 9 gals, but all of em dead t cept me. 1~y was call Matthew and Joe and Earn s and. Horace and Charley eM Saie and Dave and )LiUie exid Tlney and. Mary and PhyUts, and I forgit de others. ~hile I jus a baby Massa Cunningham and he family and he slates, an& Musa MeKinney and he slaves comes to Texas. I never did member old Masea Cunningham, ~Ca11eS dey tells me he kilt t~ & rann beef, right after we gits to !exu. Dey say he didn t take up nough slack on dat rope when he tryin brand ds beef and de critter rared over end broke massa B b&Ck. :&~t r asabers Missy Mary Eilen ~~Unnbgh~, he wife, fr de time I S a little teller till she die. She sho was d good ~aan and treated cis slaves good. -1-e

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~x~.slave Stories Page Two (Texas) MUa~y told me it dis..a.way how c~e de ~ unninghams and dl McKinn~eye to cone to Texas. When war begin most folks back in Virginny what 0mB slaves aoved further eo~ith, and. lots to Louisiana and. Texas, o~ise dey say de Yankee. won1t never git dat far and dey won t have to~free de slaves iffen dey come way over here. Sides, dey so many slaves runnin way to de north, back dere. Mi~uiay say when dey starts for here in de wagons, de white folks tell. da po nigger., what waa so ig rant dey lieve all de white folks tell aw, dat where dey is goin de lakes full of syrup and. covered with batter ceJces, and dey won t have to work so hard. D. tells em di s so dey don t rtin away. swell, ~aw say dey cones to de lake what has round things on top de water. Course, dey jus leaves, but de niggere thinks hers is dl l~e with de synip and. one ru.ns to de edge and takes de big swallow, and spits it out, and say !bifZ t reckon h. think. dat funD~y syrup. De plantation at Crosby was a great big place, and after old Massa O~Lnninghaa kilt by dat beef Missy G,~nntnghem couldn t keep it up and we goes to Galveston. 1 re she has de great big house with de beautiful things in it, de mirrors and de silk shairs and. de rugs what soft no~gh to sleep on. Missy ~Unn1ngh9m mighty good to us nig~ers and on Sund~ she d fill up da big wood trq with flour and grease and hawg meat so we could. have de biscuit and white bread. Maaay say back in Tirginny &e~ called biscuits knots and. white bread. tangle- d.ough. Iffen old Missy ~inningh~a ain t in heaven right now, den dere at&t nones Cause she so good to us we all Lovsd her. She n vsr

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~X ~l~ye Stories Page Thi~ee (Texas) took de whip to us, but I heered. my aa~ni~ say she ~owed a slave w~ea what owned by Msssa Rick~ats, and she workin in de field, and she heavy with ds chile what not born yet, end she has to Bet &oun in de row to rest. She was hain di iiieery and couldn t work good. and de boss ~an had a nigger dig a p it where her it O~aCh fi t in and la~ her down and tie her so she cane t squiz~ roend none, and. flog her till ah. lose her ~tnd. Yes suh, dat di truf, ay mammy say s1~ knowed dat woman a long t irne after dat and she never right in de head gain. rjhen de war broke, de Union loldiere has a cawp not ~ fax fros we uns and I ilipe down dere when old missy not lookin , cause de soldiers gi~. me black coffee and sugar what I takes to my Inamsy. I had to walk in de sand up to de knees to git to dat camp. Lote more chilien went, too, but I never seed. no cruelness by ct~ soldiers. Dey give. you de e~igar in de big bucket and when you pats de hand in it yc~i could pinch de wat er out it cause it not refined sugar I ~ke y~i gits now, but it surs tasted good. ~Maa*y wraps me in both de Yankee and. de federate flags when I goes to dat cei*p, and de soldiers tares off de federate fl~g, but I alL is wears it round de hause, sause old. missy tell me to. When freedom coae, oil aUssy tel . ay aamity, You t~s free now, and. you all jus have to do de best y kin. But maa~y she never be~ way froa old. aissy in h~r life, and. she didn t want no more freedom dan what s~ had~, so we jus stays with old Misy till she aoved. back to Crosby. .53..

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~x. ~i1&vs Storise Page Pair 131 ( Texas) ~b..n pappy sot free by Massa Albert McKtnney, he didn t hays nothin ~ not vsn a shirt, so Massa Albert tlowe& hia stey and work round d.e plantation. One day fore we goss back to C~?osty~, pappy come down to Ga3~eeton to see sammy ~nd us chillsn, cause he wants to take us back with hia. Re ri~I all d.e w~q on a suie, carl7ln a wallet what was tbroimi over de back of de mule like de pack saddle, and he giv s it to mammy. Toe know what waa in dat wallet? Be brwig a coon and possum and some corn dodger, tcauss he thinks we don t bare nough to eat down there. L~~imy she give one look at de stuff and e~, T~i, Torn, l s stayin right here with old Missy Owmtnghaa, end we has white folks atB and she throw do whole mess tw~. I sho ta~ber dat hap~enin . 3~it old miB.7 gittin poorly and~ like I told you, we move back to Crosby and m~niy and p~y lives together gain. I gits me some small work here and thers till I grows up, and I s worked hard all my life. wAll de old folks ii gone now. Old. missy, she cite in Crosb~rd and mammy and pa PT die t 00 and is buried there. Doct or say I got dis and dat wrong and can t work no more, so I guess I go, too, fore long. But I still ha love for my old missy, 1~~ause she loved us and sho was good to tt., and it make me feel kinda good. to talk bout her and d~ old times. *s.***** ** ***e

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 137 132

:Ex~8LAv:~ s~oitm~s . Pace One 132 (Texas) . WILLIAM MOORE wa~ born a slave of the Wailer family, in Seirna, Alabama, about 1855, His master moved to Mexia, Texas, during the Civil War. William now lives at lOl6~ Good. Street, Dallas) T~xas. My mammy done told. inc the reason her and. my paw s name am Moore w~s cause afore they ~ I onged t o Marse Tom WaIler they longed to Marse Moore, but he done sold therx~ off, Marse Torn heared they gwine r~iancipate the slaves In Selma, so he got his things and. niggers togetherand come to Texas. )Ly mammy said they come in covered wagons but I wasn t old nough to tmember nothin bout it, The first lections I got is d~own in Limestone County. karse Tain had a fine, big house painted white and a big prairie field front his house and two, thr~e farms and. orchards, He had five hundred head. of sheep, and I spent mos my time bein a shepherd boy. I starts out when I ~m 1 ~md larns right fast to keep good co~tnt of the sheeps. Mammy s name was Jane and paw s was Ray and I had a br other and. four sisters, Rachel and Mandy and. Harriet and. ~llen. We had a purty hard time to make out and was hongry lots of tthes. Marse Toga didn t f~.l called on to feed his hands any too i~uch. I tm~bers I had a oravin for victuals all the time. My mammy used to say, My belly craves soxaethint and. it Craves meat. I d take lunches to the field hands and they d say, Lawd Gawd, it am t nough to sto~p the gripe in yoa belly. ~ ~e made out on things from the fields and rabbits cooked in li l fires. ..01~

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~x~.s1ave Stories Page Two (Texas) We had 1i l bitty cabins out of logs with puncheon bed.s and. a bench an~1 firep1~ce in it. ~ e chillun made out to s1~ep on pellets on the floor, t, Some Sunaays we went to church some place. ~e allus 1ik~d to go any place . k white preacher al .u.s told us to bey our masters and. work hard and sing i~nd when we~ die w~ go to Heavens Marse Torn didn t ixiind us singin in otu cabins at night, but we better not let him cotch us prayin . Sterna 11k, niggers jus got to pra~r. Half they life em in pra~rin . Some nigg~r take turn th~t to watch and see if Marse Torn anyways 1bout, then they circle theyselve on the floor in the cabin and pri~y. They git to moanint low and gentle, tSome day, some day, 80111C day, this yoke gwine be li ft ed offen oui shoulders 1 11Marse Tom been dead long tune now. I lieve he s in hell. Seem like that where he long. ~e was a terrible mean man ~n h~ a indiff ent, me~jl wife . But he had. th~ fines ee chuliun the L~iwd ever let 1 ive r~fld breathe on this eerth. They s so kind. and ~ over us slaves. Some them chiflun used. to read us 1i ~ things out of papers and bo oks, We d 1 ook at them papers and books 3. Ike they so~thin mighty curl ous, but we better not let Marse Tom or his wife know lU karse Tom wasa fitty man for meanness. He jus tbout had to beat soniebod every day to sat isfy his cravin . He had a big bu) lwhip and. he stake a nigger on the ground and. make nother nigger hold. his head down with his mouth in the dirt and ihip the nigger till the blood run ou~t and red up

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~x-S1ave Stories Page Three (Texas) . . the ground. ~V~e li l niggers stand round ~nd see it done. Then he tell us, Run to the kitchen ~xid ~it sonic salt from Jane. That my m~nrny, she was cook, He d sprinkle salt in the cut, openpiaces and. the skinjerk arid quiver ~d the i~ian slobber and puke. Then his shtrt stick to his back for a week or more, My mammy had a terrible bad back once. I seen her tryin to git the clothes off her back ~~id a woman say, \Vh ~t s the matter with you b~ek?t It was r~w snd bloody and she s~r 1~arse Torn done beat her with a handsaw with the teeth to. her bq,ck. She di ~d with the marks on her, the teeth holes goin crosswise her back, Then I s growed I asks her bout it and she say Marse Torn ~ot mad at th~ cookin rind grabs h~r by the hair and drue her out the ho~.se and grabs the spw off the tool bench and whips her. M1v paw is the first picture I got in my mind. I was settin On rn~w s 3. ap ~nd paw c orne in and s ~y Marse Torn loaned h lin out t o work on a darn they s buildin in Houston and. he has to brOs One day word come he was h~lin a load of rocks through the swamps and a low-hanging grapevine cotched hiflt under the neck and jerked him off the seat and the wagon rolled. over him and kilt him dead. They buried him down there soniewheres. lone day 11m down in the hawg pen and hears a loud agon~r screamin up to the house, When I git up close I see Marse Tom got mam~iy tied. to a tree with her clothes pulled down and. he s layin it on her with the bullwhip, and the blood am runnint down ber eyes and off her back, I goes crazy. I say ~ Stop, Marse Porn t ~ he swings the whip and ~ t reach me good, but it cuts jus the same. ~ I sees Miss )La17 standin in the cookhouse door. I

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~x.~S1ave Stories Pace Pour 135 ( Texas) runs round crazy like and sees a big rock, ~nd I t~dces it and throws it md it cotches Marse Tom in th~ skull and he goes down like ~ poled ox, Miss Mary Comes out and lifts her paw and helps him in the house and then comes and helps me undo mammy. Mammy and ~e tp~ces to the woods fortwo, three months, I g~iess. My sisters meets us and grease mamrny s back and brings us victuals, Purty soon they s~y it a~i safe for us to corne tri the csbin to eat at night t~nd they watch for Marse Tom. 0Qne d~y Marse Tom s wife ~xn in the yard. arid ~he c~ ls me Rnd s~y she ~ot somethin forme, She keeps her hand under her apron. She keeps beggin me to come up to her. She say, Gimme :.rou hand. I reaches out my hand and she grabs it arid si ips a si ip knot rope over it . I sees then that s whet she had unc~!er her apron arid the other end tied to a li~1 bush. I tries to get loose and n~,ns round ~nd I trips her up ~nd she fails rmd bre~s her arme I gits the rope off my arm and runs, Mammy and. me st~ys hid in the bresh then, We sees Sam ~d Billie and they tell us they am fighti& over us niggers. Then they done bld us the nigg~rs dared to Marse Tom they am t gwinebeno iaore i ~ p4~id we could come up pnd stay in our cabin ~nd they d see Marse Tom didn t t~nothin , And that s what mammy end tac did. Satri p~nd Billie was two the biggest niggere on the place anci. they done got the shotguns out the house some way ox tother. One day Marse Tom ~zn in a rock~rion the porch ~tnd Sam and Billie am at andIn by with the guns. We all seen five white men ridin up. Wh&~ they gits near -4-.

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t, Ex slave Stories Page Five (Texas) . iac Sam say to Marse Torn, ?irst white rn~n sets hisseif inside that rail fence gits ~ it fro~i the gun. t )~rse Tom waves the white men to go back but they g9llpps right up to the fence and swings off they bosses. Marse Tom sir, t5t~y ot~itside, gen inan, please do, I done change my t They say, What s the matt er here? We C orne to whip you niggers like you done hire us to ~tarse Tom s~r ~ I done change my ici, but 1f you s tay out si de It 11 bringyou the money. They argues to come in but ILarse Torn ou~tt lk them and they say theytfl go if he brings thea they three dollars apiece. He takes them the money and theygoes t~j~y~ HMarse Tom cuss and rare . but the niggers jus . stay in the woods and fool tway they time. They say it ain t no use to work for nothint all them days. t. One day I ~m in a ~ ~ ixmion tree in middle a lit I pond, eat T simmons and my si Mandy, come rul . She say, tUs niggers am free ~ I looks over to the hous and seen the niggers pilin they li l ~inch of clothes and things O~it2ide they cabins. Then mammy come ruimintwith some other niggersand m~mi~ was head runner. I dumb down out that tree and run to meet her, She say Marse Tom done told. her he gwine keep me and pay her for it. She s ar.scareci 111 stay if I wants to or not and she begs me not to. we gits tip to the house and aI . the niggers standin there with they t I b~k2ndle8 on they head and they aU say, ~Ihere we goln t

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Ex -alave Stories . ~ Six ~ .~ ~ (Texas) ~ Mammy said, I dontt know wh.~re you aU gwine but me, znyself,am gwine to ~o to Miss Mary. S0 all the nig~ers ~its in the cart with mammy and. we goes to Miss )Mry. She meets us by the back door and say, Corne in, ~ and all you chilien and ni I the rest of you, You can see my ~&oor em open and. my smokehouse door ~n open to you and. liii bed you down till we figurates a way for you., vre ~ii cries and Sifl~S and preys and. was so ~ cited we didn t eat no supper, though mammy stirs up some victa~ s. sit. warn t long afore we found places to work. Miss Mary found us a pbtce with a fine wbit~ m~i and we works on sharance and. drifts round to some other places and lives in Corsi~ana for awhile and.. buys mamy a 1i I house and she died there. 1 got married and had three chilien, cute, fetchin li l chilien, and t hey went to school Wasn t no trouble tbout school then but was when manci~pation come, My brother Ed was in school then and the Ku Klux come and drove the Yankes l~4y and gen man out and. closed the school, }4y chilien growed. up and ~y wife died and I spent inos my days workin hard on farms. Now Vin old and throwed. wsy. But I ~ thankful to Gawd and. praiseful for the pension what lets me bave a li ~ somethin to eat and a place to stay.

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4 420150 . : . EL.SLAV:E s~ro~a~s Paie One ~ (Texas) MANDY MORROW, 80, was bsrri a slave Qf Ben B~1cer near Ge.rget swn Texas. Mr. Ba~cer swned Mimdy s grandparents, parents, three brothers and. sue sister. After she was freed, Mandy was ~ov. ~ Step1~i Higg s ci,lc whul~ he ccupied. the Gorn s Manslin in ~A~iist1n. She married several times and gave birth to eight children. Two of her Sons were in the World W~r and. one was killed in action. She now re~ ceives a $11.00 Old. Age Pension check ~ each month, 2nd lives at 3411 Prairie Ave . Port Worth, Texas. ~ Massa, I ~ know zactly how old. I is, ~cause I ever gits de statement from my ~iassa. My daddy keep dat record in he Bible and I don t knw who has it, But~Its old. nough fsr te ~member de war ~ 1cause I carries i~ricle s lunch to him ~nd sees de federate sojers practicin . One day I steps ~. 1i~1 while end. watch d.c sojers and. dey am practicin shottin and I s~~ed ne s,jer drap after de shot. Den dere le ts of $ cit ement and ~ ~ nough, d~t soj er dead . Dec says it s a accident. ~ born in B~rnet County on Massa s farm, and I has three brothers call Lewis and. Monroe ~nd Hale, and one sister, Mollie. Most de time Massa am in de town, Cause he have blacksmith ship dere. Fr m what l s larnt b~r talk with other slaves, we s lucky slaves, t Cause clerc ne sich thing 28 whippin in our fann. Shi dere s epankin s, and Vs de one what gits dem from my mammy, cause I s de pestin chile, ints simething all de time. I gtts in de devilment. AMassa sm ked, and I eides t try it, es t gita snex.ld pipe and so~e1~rn~ ui ed tebac~y~ and goes t~ de barn and cvers i~p with de ha~r. ~ ; ~ . ~ .

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Ex. slave St.ries ( Texas) 139 Page ~w, Mammy miss me, tcause everything wn quiet around. She l sk fir me and cime to de barn and hears d~ ~rthk1in if de hay. She pulls me oi~it if dat and den dere am plenty ef fire put in my rear and I sees lits 9f smike. I she members dat sperienceZ ~Ve all lives in one big family, cept us have dinin rum for de cullud felks, Grandpappy sin de carpenter and 1cpuse if dat us quarters fixed fine and h~s reg lar windews and. handmade chairs and a real wood. floor. Mammy and my. grandma ~m c eoks ~nd p owerful g.ed ~nd dey s lariat me end dat how I cime te be a ceok. Like everybody dem times, us raise everything and. m~J~es preserves and cure de meats. De hams and bacsns am smoked. Dere sin n hickory we d round but we uses d~ cerneobs and dey makes de fine flavor In de meat. Many s de day I watches de fire in dat smokehouse and keeps it low, to git de smoke flavor. I isll ws de ciskin when I gits big and goes for myself and I never wants fir de job. . When surrender breaks all us stay with Massa for good, long spell. When pappy am~ ready t. go for hisself, }hassa gives him de team if mules and de team ifixen and some hawgs and mae cow and. sine chickens. Dat give him de gs.d start, My uncle gits de blacksmith ship frem de Massa and den him and pappy gse s t ogether and dies de blackemithin and de haulin . I stays in Geirgetown biut 20 year and. den I g.es t. Austin and dere I wsrke far 5e big tSlkB After I been dire b.ut fFve year, Goy ! nor James . ~:~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ .~ ~:~ : ~ ~ ~ : ~ . ~ ~ ~: ~ . ~ : .~. : ~ ~..... .: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~.

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~x~ slaye-~St ries Page Three 14:() (Texas) Stephen H.gg sends for me t e be cook in d.c Mansion and. dat de best cook j ob Its e~ver had. De gev n r qm mighty fine man ~nd so am he wife, She 2m net if de good health and. allus bave de misery, and befet long she s~y to me Mandy I s gwlneter pend on ~r~u w~tbsut my wat~hin~ . Massa H.~g allus say I does wonders with d~t food. end. him proud fer t. have him friends eat it. Yes, suh, de Gov ner wn de coed m~. You knows, when he old. nigger mammy die in ~emple, him drap al1 he work ~nd goes te de fun ral and dat show him don t forcit de kindness. Ne, siili, I don t knew d.c naines of dc pespl~ what comes te de Mansion to eat. I hears dem talk but bow you ~sp se die ign. mus n ig~er unnerst ~nd wh~~t dey talks bout . Lewd L-~mighty~ D~y t aiks and talks and one thing make pression en my nind. De G v ner talk lets tb~t railroads. I works for dc Gsv nor till he wife die and den l s quit, t cause I d~ t went boss ~ by de housekeeper what ~ t know much b .ut ceekin~ and ~m allus fustin round. II csoks here and yonder ~nd den gits mixed up with dat mar~ nage. De fust hitch lasts bout one yes~r and de nex bitch lasts bout two year and tbiut fsur years later I tries it tgain and dat time it lasts till I has two chilien. Three year dat hitch lasts. After while I ~ar~ ries Sam M.rrew and. dat hitch sticks till Sam dies in 1917. I has six chilien by him. My two sides b ys j ines de ~xmy and goes t s Prence and de young sx~e gits kilt .nd. de ether cimes h.me. All ~ chilien scattered new :. . ~1 ~ ~ ~- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ L

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Ex~slave Stsries Page Peur ( Texas) ~nd I t knew where 1they s at ~ In 1920 I s married de last t irne and. dat hitch lasts ten years 2nd US sep rate In 19.30, cwise dat man am no good. Why f r I wants a man what ain t of dc service to me? If I wants de pet, den I gits d~ d~twg or de cat. Sbuc~kc~ It didn t take me long. Then dey don t satisfy dis nigger, I transports dem. ~1De lest five and. six year I does ll l werk, cause I don t h~ve no substance te me no more. I s jus bout wore sut. I g1t~ dat pension frsm d.c state ev ery month and wtth dat $11.00 I has t I git on.

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1e)~! ~~) -?~6~_~I ~*# EX~SL&V~ STORt~S Page One (Texas) PATSY MOSES, 74, was born in Port Bend. Co. Texas a slave of the A~nstrong family. She tells of charms and. C onjure many learned from ex-.slaves. Patsy lives at Mart, Texas. II was bo~ n in Fort Bend County, abou~t de year 1863. My daddy s old master by naine of 4rmstron~ br~xn~ my folks prom Tennessee. My own daddy and mammy was named Prest on and Lu.cy 4rmstrong. Mammy s grand~ dad was Uncle Ned Butler, and he longed to Col. Bitler, ifl Knoxville, in Tennessee. Old mast~r sold he plantation and come to Texas isa befo freedom, cause nobody thunk dey d have to free de slaves in Texas. ISMy great grand.~dad fit in de ~v l~tiona~ ~ar and my own daddy fit in de war for freedom, with he master~for bodygu~ard. Re had some fingers shot off in de battle and. was tooken pris ner by dem Yankees, but he run way and come back to he master and he master was wounded and coins home. Den he uioved to Texas befo l s born. My old ~rand.-dad done told me all bout conjure and. voodoo and luck charms and signs. To dream of clear water lets you know you is on de right side of Gawd. De old vo3doo doctors was dem what h~d de most power, lt seem, over de nigger befo and after de war. Dey 1~s meetin places in secret and a voodoo kettle and nobody know what am put in it, maybe snakes and spiders and. hwnan blood, no tellin what. Folks all corne in de dark of de moon, old. doctor wave he arms and. de folks crowd up close. Dem what in de voodoo strips to de waist and commence to dance while de dr~ims beats. Dey dances faster and faster and chant and pray till dey falls down in a heap. De armour bearers hold de candles high and when dey sways and chants dey seize with power what sends dem leapin and. whirlln . Den de .1.1..

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Ex~- s1ave Stories Page Two ~ (Texas) . i4t~ t ime dat o . d do e to r w ork he spe 11 on dem he want s t o conjure . Many am de spell he casts de~a days. Iffen he couldn t work it one way, he work it nother, and when he die,do he stay ~ruried? No, sir! He walks de street ~nd many seed he ghost wavin he arms. t!De conjure doctor, o1~ Dr. Jones, walk bout in de black coat like a preacher, and wear sideburns and uses roots and sich for he medicine. He larnt bout dem in de piney woods from he old grenny. He didn t cast spells like de voodoo doctor, but uses roots for smallpox, and rind of bacon for mumps and sheep -wool tea for whoopin cough and for snake bite he used alum end saltpeter and bluestone mi~ with brandy or whiskey. He could break conjure spells with broth. He take he kettle and put in splinters of pine or hickory, j~s sO dey has bark on dem, covers dein with water and puts in de conjure salt. Hk good charm bag am mRke of red flannel with frog bones and a piece of snakeskin and some horse hairs and. a spoonful of ashes. ~t bag pertect you from you enemy. Iffen dat bag left by de doorstep it sake all kind mis~ fortune and sicknesses and blindness and fits. De big, blnck nigger in de corn field inos allus had three charms round he neck, to make him fort nate in love, ~nd to keep him well and one for Lady Luck at dice to be with hirn. Den if yo~ has indigestion, wear a penny round de neck. De power of de rabbit foot am great. One nigger used it to run away with. His old granny done told him to try it and he did. He conjures hisself by takin a good, soapy bath so de dogs can t smell him and den say a hoodoo over he rabbit

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~x..s1ave Stories Page Three (Texas) foot, and go to de creek and git a start by wadin . Dey didn t miss him till he clear done and dat show what de rabbit foot done for him. to, Molly Cottontail, Be sho not to fall, Give me you right hind foot, My luck won1t be for sale.t De ;~raveyard rabbit am de best, kilt by a cross-~eyed pusson. De niggers all lieved Gen. Lee carried a rabbit foot with him. To keep de rabbit foot s ltLck workin it good to poui soue whiske~r on it once in a while. If you has a horseshoe over you door) be sho it from de left, hind foot of a white hOse) but a gray hoes am better n none. Conjures am sot with de dark or light of de moon, to make things waste or ~row, Iffen a hen crow, it best to wring her neck and bake her witL cranberry sauce and gravy and forgit botit her crowin . Everybod~ know dat. I larnt all dem spells from my daddy and mammy and de old folks, and niost of dem things works iffen yo~i tries dem.

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4l~)o f ~~2( .~ ~ ~X~.SLAV~ STORIIS Page One ( Texas) ANDY NELSON, 76, is leader of a small rural set tiement of nsgroe s known as Moser Valley, ten miles east of Yort Worth on State Higxiway #15. He was born a slave to J. Woli~, on a Denton County farm, and his mother belonged to Dr. J hn Barkewell, who owned an adjoining farm. At the death of his fatner he wag sold to Dr. :B~rkswell. When freed, he and. his mother came to BirdviUe and later moved to Moser Valley, which derives it nan~e from Teiley Moses, who gave his farm to his slaves, and sold parcels to other negroes. I, ~ t tn~ber m~ich bout de war but I was ~ n in slavery near de line of Terrant County, in 18 1. My master was named ~oIf, but bout de end of de war he sells me to Dr Barkswell who owns my mammy. When de war is over we gits out and comes to Birdville and aft er three years Master Moser give s my ma~ny 17 acres of . Es owned lote of slaves and gives em all some land for a home. br t en t welve years after de war, de flux gits after de niggers who Is gittin into davilment. De cullud folks sho1 quavered when thy thought de Klan was after them. One nigger crawls up de chimney of de fireplace and that nigger soon gits powsrful hot and has to come out. You should of seen that nigger. He warn t imukan loolcin He is ai . soot fussed up choked and skeered. y warn t after him ~mt wants to ask him if he ~ows ~hai other niggers is hidin . t was too young to git in no picLcle ment Witia de Klux. Tears after dat, I ve married and have four, firs chiliens, I-l..

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~U ~x.-S1ave Stories p,~ge Two (Texas) and I se commt home. I ~e stci~pped by seven men on hossis and dey all has rifles and pi~to1s. I s~y t~myse1f, De flux sho hare come back and day is gwine to git me. It sho looks like troublsinent.t One of dem weighs bout 135 pounds end. has dark hair az~d complexlwi, and. he says to me, ligger, whar . de lower Dalton cros t t Dere wae two cross in s of de Trinity River d.s upper and d. lower. I says, Ds upper crossin is back yonder.1 He s~e, I knows wkiar de upper crossing i~, I~ss askin you whaT de lower one is Don fool with us nigger 0Dere was a big fellow, bout 250, settin in de saddle and sorta ant goglin , with his gun pointin at me. De hole in de end of dat gun looked big as a cannon. ~ie was mean lookin and chewin a quid of terbaccy. He saye, T~ is goin with us to de crosein. Lead de way.~ Den I gits de quaverment powerful bad. I knOWS I s a gone nigger. $1 says to dem, ~I done nothin , and de big fellow ~i~ee his gtin and. says, Git goin , nigger, to dat lower crossin , or you ll be a dead nigger., On de way I never 8~!B a word, but I se prayin de good Lawd to save dis nigger. When we reached de eroesin ~ I saye to myself, Dis am de end. De little fellow says, Do you know ~ho I is? I sa~s, No. Re says, Ills. Sam Bass.1 I se heered of Sam Bass, verybody had. in dem days. Re was leader of a band.

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Ex.. Slave Stories Page Three 1 ~ 1 (Texai) ~He says, t~ don want nooociy to ~cnow we been here. Which you ruther be, a thi4 nigger befo or after tellint? De bi~ fellow say., ~atce a sno joo. L dead nigger caint talk, and den ~t~it~ 1aiBifl~ de gun. I wanta to ta)k~1 but I se so skeered I can say one word. Dsn Saai Base says, No, noZ Let him go and den I knowe d.S Lawd. has heered. dis niggsrs prayers. Dey tella me dey . co~in1 back if I tells arid I pro~iised not to till, I se skeered for a week after dat. H In a few weeks I hears dat Sain Bass is killed at Rouiid Bock. Den I telli. Dat s de ~ troublement l s. been in. Since dat l es been busy earnin vittles for de fe~ily. It ~ been married 40 years and wetuns has 14 chilien and 10 of ~em are livin . If it warn t for d~is farci and de work wn~ite folks give me, I don know how I could of got on. We gita a pension of $21 every month from de state and dat l~lps a heap. I ss never had no scxioolin . T*y used to think us cullud folks has no use for edwuacati on. I thinks &Iff rent and sends my chilien to school. Dey reads to me from de papers and sicki.

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~L.SLA~V~ STORI1~S ( Texas) VIP~INIA NEWM~A~ was freeborn, the ciaugliter of a Negro be~t captain and a part negro, part Indian r~ioth~er. When p. young ~giri, Virg1n~a ~ppr~nticed herself, ~nd s~vs she was nu~segirl in the far~ily 01 G ov. Foster, of Louisiana, Sne does not know her age, but says she saw the Stars faut1 in 1333, Skie ha$ the ~ppear~nce of extreme old ~e end. is generally conceded to be 100 years old or mores She now lives in B~a~~ i~aont, Texas. Pace One Jh~n de stars f~all I~s bout six year old. They didn fall on de grou . They cross de sky like a raillions of f~r~bugs, 1tI~y fue flRIflC ~eorgi~ Turner, tcause my pappy1s n~x~ie George Tu~rner, and he a freeborn nit~g~r T~aL He s captain of a boat, but tney call ~eU1 VCs~e)~s theni &~ys. It hay livin quarters in it ~nd ~o back 2nd forth tween dis pi.!~ce pM dat and go back to.Airicy, too. ~ My ~ranc1mudder, sne an ~.fricy wo~n~n. They bru.ng her free born from Mricy ~xid SO!~ people what knowe~d things one time toit us wt~ to~ proud. bat us had reason t o be proud. My dma s fambly in Africy was a .~tfrican prince of de rulin people. My udder grandmudder w~:ts a pure bred. Indian wora~n ~nci sue raise all my mudder s chilien. My i.~tuader n~jae Eli Ohivers. h ~en I e small I live with my ~randmudder in a oLd. log cabin on the ribber, way ~t In OEC bresh pis li.~ce de u~utr I~aia~e live. I t3 UO~~M Ofl my fadcier s bi~ boat, tway below Grades Isl~i~a, close by Franklin, in Louisiana. They tells me iae cari~ C~~O Of cotton in cie hull of cie boat, and when I~s still lUi t!~iey puts out to seas and grandinudder, Sarph Turner h~r name, ~. ~ us ~j~d kep us with her in de)~abin. ~1.. ~12Oi .i.G 148

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Ex~e1ave Stories Page Two j~I9 ( P exa5) Us didn t1av~ stick of ftu ni~ture in de house, no bed, no eflair, no ~ US CUt saplings bougn.s ~r bed, with green ii~ose over ei~ Us w~s h~ppy, though. Us climb treei~ ami pL~y. It was hard sornet1m~ to git things to ~ ~t so f~r in ~e woods and us ~.t mos1 everythi.ng what run or c~w1 or fly outdoors, Us e~t many ratt1esn~)~e and. thera s fine eatin . ~e shoot ~e sn~)ce ~nd skin him and cut hirn in li l dices. Den us stew him slow witn lots oi brown gravy. II They allus aekin rn~ now in~~e hoe~ c~ke like we et . Ju~ take as cornmeal 3fld sait and wat~r and. r~a~ e patties with de hands and. wrop de sofa patties in cabbage leafs, stir out de ashes ~nd put de patties in de hot ashes. Dat was good.. One my gran&radders ~ old Mexican man call Old. M~n Caesar. All ae grandfolks was freeborn and raise de chilien d.c same, hut ~ th~n us gits bi~ tziey tell us do what we wants. Us could stay in d.~ w~oa~ and be free or go up to 1IVC witn d.c white folks. I s a purty big gal wtien I go~e up to de big house and prentice myself to work for ~.e Fosters. Dey have big plantation at Franklin and lots of slaves. One tinie dc G~overnor cripple in he leg arid I do nottiin but nuss him. I s been so long in de woods and don see nobody much dat I love it up wltn de white fo1~s . Dey t lowed. us have daxice s ~nd when dat old. cord.ian starts to pl~y, irfen I ain t git ~iy hair comb ylt, it don t git cota~. De boss mau lilce to s~ de niggers tJ~Oy d~r ~selves. Us d2nce de quarrille. Us hare ception~l marsters. My fadder si~ on Marster Lewis plan tation and. can t walk and de marster brung him a spensive reclin.int chair. Old. Judge Lew1~ was his merster.

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Bx~.51ave Stories . Page,~o (Texas) . . . NI git mar27 rom de p1~t~t ba aM my busba& he name Beverly Nemaaz ~ he from de ~ew1s pla*tatloa t* Opeloueai. They read otit n de Book aid after d.e readli us have lOtB of white folks to co~ne ~~id wat eh us have bi g dance . . When a nigger do wrong del, they didn send him to d.c pe*. They put him tcrose a barrel wid strop ulm bet~i*t~ Then fightin1 gin, aU our whi te folks and u~ slaves have to go ~w~y from Louisiana. Opelousae and. them place was free long tiae t fore cie udd.ers. Us strike o~tt for Texas and. it took a year to walk irom de Bayou. la ~ ouche to de Brazos bottoms. t }~ave to tote my two li l boys, dat was Jonab~ end- Simoi. They couian neitner walk ylt. Us have de luggage ii ci e ox cart and us have t o walk. Dey was some eullud people arid. white ~d de muM. d~ ag de feetses and stick up de whee .e ~ dey couldn even move. Us all walk baref~ts aad our feets brealc a~d run they so sore, and blister for months. It cold. srid hot sometime and rati ~nd us got no house or no tent. IDe white folks settles in Jasper county, on a plantation dere. After while freedom corne to Texas, too, but ~iLos~ de slaves stay round. de old. marsters. 1s de only one what go back to La4siaua. After de war my fambly git broke up a~d ay three oldee chilien never see de li l ones. Dose later chilleit, dey~s eignt ijyin now out a nine what was born since slavery and~ my fourth chile d~e seven year ago when she 75 year old. ~ ~1iien I git back to L~~isi~& I come to be a midwife and I brwag so many babies here I can t count. De old priset say X Ougb.t to have a big book with all their names to aenber b~v.

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P~e TI~Z. Ex..alaYe Stories (Texas) wit were bo~it dis time I have my tir bought dress and it was blue gitinea with y~1ler spots. It were long at d.c ~nkie and maJce with a body wate Us wi~e~ lots of uizerwear a*d I ai*1t take ~ otf yit. I iever been sick, Its jus weak. I aliios go bU~ soue time back buSt now I git. my eecoa sight and. I sees well aough to sew. 1M

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A i1 )i~19 :~ ~ ~ ~ -~- ~ ~ STORIES . . . Page Oie ~ ~ .~ . ~ (Texae) ~ . Ui2. ~. UAR R~T~~ NILLIN, 90, was bon a slave to Charles Corneallus, at Palestine, Tex~s. Ifter . they were freed, Margrett and. her mother iioved t o ham e Creek, Texas. She now lives with one of h~r child.re* at . 1013 W. Pe ach St . Fort Worth, Texas, Ya e, ear s de old. slave and. bout my ag~ .~ I aa y~x~ng woman when de War started. Mus be 90 for sure and maybe more. My inarster s name was Charles Conisallus and bias owned a small farm neat Palest me and. him had. jus four slaves, my mammy, my sister and. my cousin and rae, I don know ~ batit my pappy, for ne asoi he ~ B sold tfore l s born and. I ~ neyer seed. him, I tell y~~i ~boat d.c place. Dere was a cabli with bunks ron to sleep on ana. fireplace ron to cook ii. ~o wiidow was in dat cabin, just a hole with a swingin door and dat lets flies in dunn de suranier ~nd colt in dunn de winters But if you ehutts dat window dat shut out de light. De marster aimt d.c boss of dia nigger, cause I loigs to Missy Conmeallus and she don 1low any oti~er persom bOBS iie. My work was ii d.c b jg ha~ise sic~i as s~wiag, knitting and. tending Missy, i: keeps de flies off her with de fan and I does de fetching for her, sich as water and. d.c eRack for to eat, ~d d.c likes. Whem s~e goei to fi~ for sleerp I combs her hair aid rabs her feet. I can t member dat she spea~c any cross word.e to die nip~er. NO~.r marster he good t us and t ak. we suns t o ch~.rch. ~d wInxppia~, not am him place. De worst am scoldii. !ot sai7 have

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Sx~sla.ve Stories Page Two (Texas) sich a good. home, cause lots gits bused powerful. bad. Marster s ne ighbo r s me an t o nie niggers and whixps ~ em awful . De ctevil t have dat malt now My mammy git de p sentme*t lose of times. Often i~i de mornin1 she say to me, Chile, dere am gwine be someone die, I seed dc angels last night and dat am st~o sign. Sxio ~ nough, fore long we heered. someone has died. Some says dc haunts brings p sentment to mammy. Jore de War I hears de white folks talking bout it. I in~mbers h~arin bout someone fires on de fort ~th dem d.c mens starts jinim de army ~ Dc marster di dn go and. hi s boy t oo young. We didn hear lots bout de War an~. de only way we k~owe it goin on, sometimes we~uns coulcin git *aagh to eat. Afte r freedom uns se e d.c Klux 2nd dey is round our place but dey not come after us, Dey comes across dc way bOut a nigger call 3ohnson, ~nd him crawls under him house, but d y makes him come out p~nd gives him some licks and what de bellow come from dat niggerl Him had ~it foolishment in him head. and dey come to him for dat, t, Aft er de ~war mammy and me goes to vii e Creek and takes d.c sewint for make de livint. We gits long all right a ter awhile, arid den I marries Be~t Nillin. He cUes bout fifteen year ago and now I lives with my son,Tom, and don work cause I~s too old.. What I likes bee, to be sle~ve or free? Well, it s dis way. In slavery I owns i and never owns nothin . In freedom I ~e own de home and raise de family. All dat cause iie worr7meflt and. ii slavery I has no worrymeit, but I takes de freedom.

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420109 . ~ ~~ ~ EL~SLAVE STORI~ES ~Page One ~ (Texas) JOH~T OGEE, 96 years old, was born li Morgan City1 La. iR 1841, th~ property of Aired Wiiiiwae. John ran away to join the Union At i~ w~d served three year s, He recalls Sher-.~ man e aarch throu.gh Georgia and. So~ith C~roiina ~rtd the siege of Vickeburg. He came to Jefferson County in 1870, and ha~ iived~ there since. nI was born near Morgan City, Louisiana in a old log cabin with a dirt floor, one big room was all, suh. My mother and father and. four chilleR lived in that room. The marster, he live in a big, old. house near us. I tmei*ber it was a big house ~nd my m~u.dder done the cleanin and work for them. I jl2~s played. ro~uid when I~s growin and the fus work I d.one, they start me to plowin . II haven t got ~ like j used~ to, but I ~iembers when I s In the army. Long bout ~63 I go to the ax my and. there was foui of ~is who rua away from home, me and my father end nother m named Thaanuel Young and tnother man, but I disremember his name now. The Yankees corned bout a mile ~rcm us and they took every ear of corn, kilt every head. of et ock and. thirteen hawgs and lbOt~t fiftee* beeves, and feed their teams i*d. themselves. They pay the old lady in Col. fed, rate money, b~tt it t long ~ fore that was no money at all. When we think of ail that good. food. the Yankees done got, we j~ie~ t~ and. une up with th~. We figger we git lots to eat and the ree we t dida t figger. When they we lef . My fat her got kilt from an ambush, in Utse tppi - I think it was Jackson. . We went to Misstippi) then to South Carolina. I went through I ll ,

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. Ex~s1aYe S;orlee ~ Page Two 155 (Texas) G~eorgia and So~ith Caro1in~. with Sherman 8 army, The fus battle lasts two days and nights a~d they was bout 800 men kilt near s I kin ineaber. Some of era you could fiiid the head. end not the body. That was the battle of Vi cksbur~. After ~ the battle it took three deys to bury them what got kilt and they had. eight mule throw big ~rrows back this way, and put tea ill and. cover tea up. I~ that town was a well bout 75 or8O feet deep ~nd they put 19 dead bodies in that we .i e~d fill her up, . After the war we went through to Atlanta, in Georgia and. st~ tbout three weeks. Fjn~tlly we come back to Mlss ippi when stirrend r come. The nigger troops was mlx with the others b~t they wasntt no nigger offi..~ cers. ifter the w~.r I corne home and the old. marster he didu fu.se at me 1~bout going to war and for long time I work on the old plantation for wages. I member then the flu Klux come and when that h~ pen I come to Texas. They never did. git me but some they got and kilt. I k~owed several ruen they whip purty bad.. I know Narcisse Young, they tell him they was comm1. He hid in the woods, in the trees and he open fire and. 1d~tseve2 of them. They was a cullud. man with them ~nd after they goes, )ie coaes back and asks caxi he git them dead. bod1es~ Narcisse let him arid then Narcisse he lef and goes to New Orleans. I thinks it great to be with the Yankees, bat I wishes I hadnt after t got there. ~Vhen you see 1,000 guns point at you I 1c~ows you wishes ~ o~i d stayed in the woods. tiThe way they cUd. was put 100 men in front and they git shoot and fall down, and then 100 men behin g t up and. shoot over tem and that the way they goes forward. They wasn t no going back, ~CaUSe thea men behin ~ would shoot you. I seed. tem fightin close nough to knock ~. :. ~ ~

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~x...s1a v~e Stories Page Three (Texas) on. nother with a bay net. I aj~t ~ ~o ~ loaders guns, they was all muskets, i~uzz1e loaders, nid. they shoot a ball about big as your finger, what yo~i calls a minnie ball. I coins to Taylor s Bayou. in 70 and. rid. stock long time for Mister Arceneaux and }Lister Moise Brou.ssard. and. farms some to ~ Then I comes to Beaumont when I s too old. to work no more, and. lives with one of my girls. 15G

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4 *~)1 ~ s) X f~uv ~J ~ EL.sLLvB~ STORLES ~ Page One 157 (Texas) A~N lE OSBORNE 81 was boris . lu At1a~ta, Georgia, a slave of Tom Bias. She was ~ refugeed to Louisiana by the Bias fwnily, before the Civil War, and remain-j cd. there with them for two years after she was freed, She has lived in Marshall, Texas, eir~ce 1869. Yes, euh, I~s a G eorgia nigger. I longed to }4assa Tom Bias, and he lived in Atlanta. I couldn t state jus how old I is, but I knows I was elevsn years old. when we come to Marshall, and thats in 1869. Mammy was Li zzie and. ~ born in Atlanta, and I s heared her s~y she was cive to Torn Bias to settle a dept her owner owed. I don t know nothin bout my daddy, cspthe am named Tom Biae, and that am massa s nan~e. So I guess h ~ s my daddy. But I had two brothers, prank and Jases, and I don t know if Massa Bias was they daddyor not, Massa Bias .f~ge.s me and my marnray to Mansfield, in Louisiana whei ~ s ju. t a . They corne in wa+gons and was two in ontlis on the way and the big bo~rs and insu rode ho~sback, but ail the niggere big nou~h had to walk. Massa Bias opsnes a farm twelve mile frora Mansfield. My mammy plowed and hoed and chopped and p icked C ot t on and as good as the menfoiks . I allue worked in the houss, nussin the white chillen and spinnin and housework. Me and my brother, Pra1k, slip in MISSy Bias house on a pallet. No matter how cold it was we slep on that pallet without no cover, in front the fireplace. Old man Tom never give us no money and half ~ nough clothes . I had one dress the year round, two lengths of cloth sewed together, and I didn t knew nothin bout playin neither. 1 1 made too auch fuss they put ins under the bed, My white folks didn t teach us nothi~ cept how they could ~ the whip on us . I had to put on a knit t in of et ki s in the ru -..1..

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~x~e1aVe Storlee . ~ Page T~!s (Texa5) and. if I dldn t git it out by night Mi ssy put the laeh on me . My mammy was sceered. of old. Torn Bias as if he was a bear. She wox ic~ed in the fi~e1d all clay andc ~ein at night and help with the stock. After supper they a~1e her spin cloth. Massa fed. well nough, bu.t macis us wear o~ir old lowel . ~ lothes till they most fell off us. We was treated jus like animale, 1~it some ~ . owners treated they stock better n old. Tom Bias handled my folks. I still got a car over my right eye where he put m~ in the dark two months . We had a young ~cow and when she had. her first calf they sent me to milk her, and she kicked me and nu me round a li l pine tree, fightin aM tryin to hook me. Massa and missy stand in in the gat e al I the time hoi? erin t o me t o make the cow stand st ill. I got clost to her and she kicked in. off the stool and. I run to the gate, and massa grab inc and hit me cross the eye with a leather strap and I couldn t see out my right eye for two months . He ~ dead now, but I s gwine tell the truth bout the w~y we was triate I. III could hear the guns shootin in the war. It sound like a tbinder storm when them cannons boomin . Didn~t nary one our menfoiks go to war. I know my brother say A*ni. When them cannons st Or s booTnin we s swine be a3J~ freed from oh Massa Tom e beatin s. ( But massa wouldn t let us go after surrender. My m~my pretends to go to town a d takes Fr~ and. goes to Mansfield and asks the Progoe Marshal what to do. He say we s free as old man Tom and didn t have to stay no more. Frank stays in town and mammy bringe & paper from the progoe, but she s ece.r.d. to give ~ it to Massa Tom. Me and James out in the 7~rd D~ki~~ seap. I s totin ~ water from the spring and Jamee ~etchii fireweod to put round the pot. Mammy tells James to keep gem next time be goes after wood a~ her and me come round

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Xx..slave Stories Page Three (Texas) nother way and meets him down the road. That how we got way from old man B tas . }.~e a~id maimi~ walk~ off and leaves a pot o ~ s oap b ifln in the bac~ard. ~e sot our pails down at the spring and c~its tiirougii th fi~ld and meets James down the bip. road. ~e left bout ten o clock that nornin and walks all day till it st2.rts to git dark. Then we comes to a white man e h~ise and as~ could we stay all night . H. give us 2 good supper and let us sleep in his barn and breakfast next mornin and hts wife fixes up some victuals in a box and we starts to Mansfield. We was sceered most to d~ath when we come to that man ~ s house fear he cl take us back to old man ~3ias. B~t we had to have sometb.n to eat from somewheres. When mammy tells him how we left old m~i Bias, he says, That damn rascal ought to be Ku Kluxed.t He told. us not to be fraid. ~ Ne come to Mansfield and finds Frank and mammy hires me and James out to a white widow lady in Mansfield, and she sho a good, sweet soul, She told mww to corne on and stay there ~.th us till she git a job. We stayed with her t~ years, Then old man t~harlie Stewart bru.ng us to }Larshafl, aM when I s eighteen I marries and lives with him twsnty-s ix ea. He worked on the railroad and h lped move the shops from ~llsvil1e to M*Thh&ll. He laughed and said the first engine they n~n froid here to Jefferson had a flour barrel for a smokestack. He dted and I married Tom Osborne, txtt he s dead eight years. I raises a i~o1e p~.ssel chilien and got a passel~andchillen. They allus bringe me a hen or omin . My boy is cripple and lives with me and my gal s ~ husband works for Vil ey C.liege . Old 1~fl Bi& SOfl got in jail and sent for me. Re say t Ann, you is my sister, and help me git ait of j ail I told him I dik~ ~ help him in afld WGUId* t b,IP ~ OUt. I ~.h.d and ironed and new sit. ~ ~ ~.oo psnsi*~, M7 b~7 ~t ht. i~ ~t off bi the railroad. Re cIRe t do ich. ~ ~ ~ -_____~- ~ -~-~-- -~

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 165 160

3~OI 1~ zL.~sLjy~g STO~IKS Page One (?sxaa) ~ OT~STBD~? was born in Harri son Co,, Texas, in 1856, ft s1a~. of M. J, Rail. He was brought to 3a~znont when a yc~ith and etui lives the~s, * I bc~rfl flG&T MaThhBII wha~t was de e aunty seat and ny nast er ~&$ call Kall, My not~sr n~e Je~rtie and ny fatb~er~s n~ne Josh. a. c~1~e back frc~ de ~ feterate War and neye r got over i t. Re in de ai~y ~i th he yoang nassa, ~Dat Old plantation n~tst have been ~bout 200 acres oe even moe, ~ tboat 500 head of slaves to wo& it. ~aasa flail, he big lawyer aM bot~&ht nors niggers e~sry ysar. He kep ~ a overseer what was white ant ~ ~igge~ driver. Sonetine dey whip de slaves for ~mt dey call ~ isbe&joac. . Dey t is en down and whip ~ ~ 3ut I was raise ~ ~ roaM ~e ~c~se~ ~ca~e I a fa r rite nigger. w ~ niggeri &idn t har~e no fu.rni tn~re ni~ch in te r hoassi &. bed~~teM nail u~p to de eid.. da ho~ss7 and sone Old seats and beaches. De rati~n~ was neat aM neal. ant syrap tiasses. Dey give ~en de shirt t o wears made out of lowers. Dat ~at dsy nake de cotton saek out of. De grt~wed. people has shoes but de chi?1~ has no neet. ~Cktri;tmas tine and 1oa1 th Ji~1y dey h~~e d.c tance, jtts a reg lar old bre &kdo~n dance S~ae was dane in ~ SVin~g te Corner ant some in de aiddle te floor c~ttin 2 Chicksn wi~&. Du bas banjo pickers. Seen lilce it~ folks was bapp~r whsn dsy s tarts dasein . Iffen dey et art without as perni t de pat terrole. r~a ~p on ten and it 150 1 asb~ss . Law, t nigger, aho~ scatter when te patterroles Cones. J1L~ let a aimer git te start and de patterrol. s~o~ got to git a ROTS O~ htise f tO git u, ,

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1x..lavs StorioB ~ ~ (Pexaa) dat nigger e~si dat nigg.r sho move twa, from dat placel ~h n cl. war Coasa I eee& plenty soldier. anti if dey bays cli uiiifora I coul& t. ). lt ju, ta upots, for d.y so dirty. Dey was Taik.. eoldier. and eon.. etope in Marshall and takes charge of de court aartial. ~Ior. long~tiae cane to go up and bear de frsedo~. le has to go up an& hear dat we s fre . Massa Kall, he say we kin eta~ aM hi pay u~ for de work. We d1~JI have nothin so soit of us tay., geth.rin de crop, Soae of dia gite de patch of land from ~asaa and rat~ss a bale of cotton. Massa buy dat cotton and den he sell it. After ihile they slip. aw~, some of ea work. for cl. ~iits folks ancl ioms of a go.. to fariin on what they calta de harle. I works nearly e,erywhere for cli whP,e folks and saks nough to eat aM git de clothe.. It was harder n bein de slav. at first, but I like. it b.ttsr, cause I kin go wh~tr I went. and git what I want.. 4Dey was conjuie ~ and w~en in .lav.ry &~. and dey aake out dey kin do thing.. One of ~em give a old lady di bag of eaM and tol& her lt keep her maus from shippin her. I~t same day she git too upptt~ and. ease d.e assia, canai she fe.l safe. Dat easea, he whip dat nigger i0 hard ku cut dat beg of aand plumb in two. Dat I U Rt de conjurs a~ builne... ~

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420184 EL~SI1jVE STORIES Page One (Texas) . MARY OT 3IRTON, Il? W. Heard St., Cleburne, Texas was born in Termes ~e e but i~o~ed when very young t o Carr oil Co . Az k~nsas, where her parents belonged to Mr. Kennard. Ma17 does not know her age. Il I ~5E3 bOfl~ lfl Tennessee but I don member wher ~nd I done know how oie I is I don 1member what de marster s n2xne was dere~ My motherts name was Liza ~id my father s nwae was Dick. Then I was bout four rear oie, my marster and mistis give me to dere daughter, who marri ed a Dr . J~ae s Cox and dey come t o Texas and br oi~ht me with I em, ~ The raareter in Arkansas which give ~ne t o hi s daughter was n~uned Kennard. I never seed. him but one time. Dat when he was sick ~nd he had all his little n1g~r~ dressed up and brought in to ~ee him. Dr. Cox and. his wife ~nd me come to Fort Gr~h~m, In Hill County, Texas from Arkansas . We was bout two weeks o~ain . Port Gr~ha~ wasn1 no ~ lar fort . Dere was ~ s orne sold 1ers ~i, de re :~nd dere was ~. little town. Lots of Indians corne In to trade. Den de doct or ~ot a farm on NoI2n river not far from whar Cleburne i.e now, and we went there. t, mil e wa was on de farm I got marr ted.. My 1uisb~n was Isaac ~x ight. I had. seven hillen by him. My second lmsban was Sam O rerton. Hirn ~nd me had two chilien. I w~sn t married to I saac by a preacher. De slaves wasn~ jin rally married dat way. Dey jus told dey marsters dey ~ wanted to be hu~sbaxi and wife Rfld if dey agreed dat was ~Ll d.ere was to it, dey was said. to be married. I heered some white folks hM wed.di&e foi dere niggera, but I never did see none, *01~

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~x.~sIave Stories p~ ~ j~3 (~exas) . My marster hM bout four slaves. He sold and bought slaves: sev r~1 times, but he ccialdn sell me, tcause I belonged to de mietis, ~:T~ she wouldn let him sell nie. I cooked and washed and ironed and looked ifter de chilIen, niostly, Dey had three chilien, btit de mistis died when the least one was bout six months ole and I rai~ d de two older ones. Dey was two bo~rs, and dey w~s bout grown when I lef after fre edorn. We slaves h~4 goc~ nuf houses to live in. We clicin have no ~arden. I wore cotton dresses in suimner and lin~ey dresses and. a shawl in de winter . I had shoes most of de time. My white folks was pretty ~pood to keep me in clothe~. I generally went to church wid. mistis. D1&TI bave no 8pecial clothes when I ~ot married. I slep in de kitchen ~en raUy, and had a wooden bed, sometimes with a cotton mat~ t res s and soinet imes it was a shuck mat t re ~ s. My aistis teached me to read and write, but I would.n learn. I never went to school neither. She would read. de Bible to us. I didn know no songs when I was in slavery. I didn know ~ no baptizin . I didn play no certain games jus pl~red roun de yard. WI wasn at no sale of slaves, but saw some bein tuk by in Chains once, when we lived at Reutereville. Dey was said to be bout 50 in de b~inch. Dey was chained together, a chain bein run ~tween em somehow, 2nd dey was afl man and women, no chilien. : 1~Y WaS OU foot. Two whit~ men was ridin hosses anddriTin de niggerelike dey was ahherd of attle! t,~ots 9f slates run away, but I don know how dey got wOrd $round mong de niggers. : : : : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~c ~ ~ &~ ~ ~ ~ J~ ~

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~-1ave. Storie5 . ~ Page Three 164 V (TexaB) 1 don rne~iber mach b~t de war. Dere wasn no fighti& whar we was 0x1 de fari~ on Nolan river. On de d.ay we wa~ made free de Ta~r$t er c~ie and call ed. us out one at a t line and. toi u~ we was free. He said to me, Mary~ you. le free by de law. You don belong to me no more. You can go wherever you w~ to. I ain t got no more to eay bout you. He toi ue if we d. 5tay awhile he d. treat U$ good. and~ ~ybe t d. bett er $tay, as de pe ople was pretty much worked up . De rest o ~ 1ena stayed bout a week, den dey went off, and never coiiae back, cept I5aac . I idn go but I et ayed a long time after we was in~de free. I didn carenothin I ~j~y~~ bein free. I d.id.n bave no place to go and. didn know nothin to do. Dere I had plenty to eat ~nd a place to st.~y and th~t was all I knowed. bout. When I lef I hired~ out as cook. I got ten d.oll~r8 a month 2nd all my fo od. ~nd do the s ~nd a pi ace t o 5leep . I didii 5pend. but one dime of my P ~T for eight months. I bought candy wid. dat dime, like a waikin stick. UI sure wish I knew how old. I is, but I am sure. i d.on e v~en know my birtbd~r~ (According to some white persons who have known Mary for ~. long time calculated from information Mary had. given thera es ~to her younger days, when her me~iory wa~ better th~rt lt is now, she le prob-~ ably more then one bund.red. years ol&)

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 170 165

.I~-. 420315 * . ~ ~ ~ 16~5 Dibble, Fred., P.W., Beehier Rheba, P.W., ~ Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. ~3. GEORGE OWEN~, rnedii~m . in height and . weig2~it, seated comfortably under the shade of an old. oak tree, was clad ii~i a blue . shirt and overalls and brogan shoes with a few slits cut in them to prevent hurting his feet. He has kinky gray hair, a bit ef cray hair on bis chin and a nicely trinmied mustache on his upper lip. George s right eye is completely closed from an injury which lie re~ ceived. while in railroad service. Born near Marshall, Texas, the slave of Dave Owens, he bold his story with great interest and enjoyed the opp rtuni~y to tell about the old. ~ days. . I was bo n right close to de 1 powder mill up in Marshall Texas where dey uster mek powder . Dey call it Mills Quarters. I was a right sizeable boy t t .1 ~ when freedom c.~e. Dave Owens, dat was niy .3) rnarster n~nie, and dat was my daddy name too . My Ge.rge William David Owen. I use dat William ca~e one of de~ other Owens uster git my mail. . toi marster he had a big farm plantation. Dey uster raise cotton, and co n and taters and sich like. My daddy was d.c shoemaker for de plantation . One day me and my daddy was talkin . D&t was de fus Grisnius attez freedom. He say t. me, t3 ~, does you know e-.. ~ ~ ~ ~ I

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16(~ Dibble, Fred, P.W.,. Beehier Rheba, P.W., Beauznont, Jefferson, Dist. ~3. how .1 you t ~ say, N., suh. 11e say, TW lI, . you is 12 yeart .1 I member dat and dat was de t Crismus atter freedom. Iiili~ms was my fus marster but he ccl us t. Owens. He live in Marshall, but he hab a plantation bout t ree or f. mile eut. Atter dat Owens he buy out Mills (c~uar~ ters from Williams. ttMy wtik was jis de odds and en s roun de yard.. When ol mistus call me and tell me to pick up chips, r pull up weeds or bring in wood and sich, I hafter d.c it. Y,u know how winunen is, allus havin you do fus one t ing and den anudder. I neber did wuk in de fiel . It was a big plantation. Dey was in de neighborhood of 25 or 30 slaves on de place. Us had a good. marster and. I speck us was pretty lucky. 01 marster see to it dat us have plenty t. eat. Dey feed. us milk and taters and. peas, and bread. and meat. No sir, we didn ~ down at n, trough for to eat. Dey had tables in de slaves houses. Us sit down t us meals like hi.rnian bein s. My mammy was de cook on de place. ~ Her naine was Sarah owens. . Dey give de little ones what ceuldn cerne to de table, a pan and. spoon fer dem to have at meal time. Dem what so

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Dibble, Fred, P.L, Beehler, Rheba, P.L, Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. little ~ ey can t eat outer a pan, dey have suck bottles for dem. Dey iri:t;Lk bout 12 or 14 head of COW Ofl de place. Dey had plenty of milk and butter. Dey had a big safe what dey put de nilik and. butter In to keep it fresh. Dore was a trough wid water in Itand dey sot de milkand butter in lt in de summer time. Dey had a peg .f wo d in a hole at de en , and when d~ey want t, change d.c w~ter d~ey pull out de peg and treen de water out arid put seine cool fresh water In. When I was a by us uster play wid sp,.ls, and. puppies and stick hosses. Us uster have bows and arrers. Sometime us go out in de wood. huntin wid de bows and. arrers. Us shoot at birds and. sich, but us neber did had no luck at it.1 De grown up folks uster go huntin at night and kill deers and tpess~~~s. Dey had to have a permit transfer iffen dey go huntiri r go from one plantation t anudder. Iffen dey d~i&n have a permit de patterrollers would git felnhlpit . De patterr.llers neber git rue. I see eni chase slaves. When dey ketch erutey whip tem, arid tell em nex time be she t, have a pass fr.m ei niarster. ~

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168 Dibble, Fred, P.L, Beehier, Rheba, P.~., ~ Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. I neber see ol marster beat nobody. What whippin he done he done lt wid his meut . He rni~hty keen speakin den, but when he speak rough to a nigger he need it. ttDe kind of chu ch dey have in dem days on dat place was ence~corner chu ch. Dey go off down In defence corner and sing and pray. Dey feerd for anybody to see T em. Dey was some cullud preacher roun but dey warn t on us plantation. I jine de Baptis Cbu ch but dat was way atter slavery. I uster be pro tern deacon. De fus money I earn was wukkin on the T&P Rall-~ road. I jis blsw it in, you know like boys do. I los dis eye raliriadin . I was spikin en a col frosty mornin . I hit dat spike and lt broke up in t ree piece and de middle piece hit me in de eye and put it Seemz like I members de sojers. I couldn specify wedder dey was Yankees or net. You knew dat ol battle fo t (fort) was dore at Marshall, two or t ree mile from Milla quarters . Dem sojers had on long blue overcoats wid. brass but~ tens on em. Dey was a eagle on dem button. De way I member dat, I Lind. one 1x1 de road like it was tore off and. I pick it up and make me a play toy outer it.

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Dibble, Fred, P.W.,~eehler, Rheba, P.L, Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3. Dey uster keep two cannons at de ce t house and dey shoot dem cannon eb ry Friday. I member dey uster stick a rod in emand el vate eni. Dey had a U.S. !lag ~i de mas -pole and dey shoot de cannon when dey ~tekdown de flag. t t sick or dunno. to show dunne nuthin bout conjur inen~ I see people cripple and dey say conjure nun done It, but I I ain t neber see no ghos needer. People try em to me but I ain t see em. One time I see sumpin white in de weed and I go up t. see what it was and it warn t nuthin cep n a pillew what somebody left in a swing ! tween two Iffen I dn had. a I t, in me I t guess I d been bra~ve nuff to g. see what it was. I allus pr,riounced de patterrellers and de KIu Klux.ers bout de saine. Fur as seem ein, I ain t. I t ink dey done good t. de country. Dey d.idn bedder nobody cep n dem what was eut of dere place. Iffen dey had some now j t m.ught do good ~ ttIf you all keep on you gwineter hab a book uter my testtm.ny. 169

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i~ii Dibble, Fred, P.L, Beehier Rheba, P.L, Beaumont, Jeffers n, Dist. ~3. Dey had a gin on d.e plantation and de mek de do s on a. 3pj~njuT wt~eeI and 1 om. I see my mammy mek many a bolt of ci. ~f in a loom she &ie. It mighter slip my membrance how dey tel us we free, but I members my daddy s~.y we free. Us stay on ol niarster s place a while den he buy a li l place de ther side of Marshall. He do odd jobs rotin , ~ ~ time I marry Mary Harper at Gilmer. Dey wae two darters, Gettys and Alice Owens. I lef her and I ~riarry my secon wife, Betty Cheatham in 1913. I been un dose parts . bout 46 or 47 year and I been in Kountze 25 year . I don t t ink I commit to aem ry anyt ing else. I ain t gwine to tell no mo cause I ain t to make stateRent and testify bout u~i I am t know bout.

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 176 171

42()O( )41: ~X.-.SLAVE STORIES Page One 171 (Texas) / ~ MARY ANNE PX!~TEJ~ SONS who now lives with her daughter, Eliz. abeth Lee, in Austin, Texas, was born i~n ~Ou1stana, but she does not know exactly where. She Is between 97 ~~nd 102 years old. Ma17 and her mother be longed to Col. Aaron Burleson of Rogers Hill, Travis County, Texas. Way beck yonder ray name was Mary Anne Burleson and I s born in Louisiana sc~newher ~. I knows l s told dey brtin~ me arid. my m~inmy to Texas when ~ eie~teen months old, and. dat Massa Turner what brune us, so1~i lis to Col. Aaron Burleson. Massa Bu.rleson bu;rr both of us, cause he a good m~n cud didn t lieve In sep~r~t1n a chile from de m~xnzny. I do think dat ri~an gone to Heaven. When I growed up it w~s ny job to wet nuss Rufe Burleson, cause he minmy didn t have nou~h milk for him. Beside dat, I helped in de loom room and have to spin five cuts de day, but I S f~.st nough to make eight cuts~ Lurint cotton pickin time I larns to count a little, tcause I pic!:s de cotton, brune it to de wagon and listen to tem countin On dem scales. Pu.rty soon I could of counted m~r own cotton. ~4ass~ Burleson good to we~uns and when a woman have a chile and no husband to take care of her, he make a man go out Rnd chop wood for her ~nd dat s lave 1i~d bet ter ~ct 3. Ike he want s to Massa so good to us he have lumber hauled clear from de Bnstrop ~inerIes ~nd builds us good wood dwellin s He have d.c olpntation on Rogers Hill what am east of ~A~st1n.

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~1 ~d ) Ex.~laVe Stories Page Two j~ ~ (Texas) Now, let me tell you bout de cooks. Z~assa Burleson have de cook for de big house ~nd de cook ~or de slaves. Dere t~ kitchen in de big house for de white folks and. dere a kitchen with a long t~.ble for de hands. ~ e had purtv good victuals and I ~member we have so nrach hawg meat we d throw e ho&s head and feet sway. Massa raised he own hawgs and everythin he et, we had. it, too. Sometiiiies we et deer meat and dere times we had. bear meat ~xtd honey, ~cew~e Massa Burleson h~ve he own bees, too. I member how at sweet 1tater time my m~txnmy d sneak out to de patch and scratch up some sweet taters. Then Massa Burleson finds de taters gone, he jes say, ~ I know nobody done dis but c~e Lawdl I seed many ~ Injun and seed ~em in droves. De~ Injuns never bothered us. A old Injun call Placedo and he son come on down to massa s place and he give ~m plenty food. When de Injuns come near de catt .e d bellow and cut up, cause dey knowed it was Injuns round. ~!hen l s bout 20 years old I marries Alex Patterson and he was brung from Tennessee to Texas and owned by Massa Joshua Patterson. After freedom we rents land from Massa Patterson and lives dere and farms bout seven years. Me and Alex has 15 chilien and six of dem is still livin . Dere is two here in Texas and. two in California and one in Oklahoma and One in Kansas, My husband am dead now and I~s alone. I ~ ~ ~ little farm of 36 acres out near Rogers Hill and. I gits sixty dollars de year for de rentin of dat land and now de folks wants me to sell it But my kD.ISbaIId bought dat place and I wants to keep it. I don t git no pension. I know dis imich, I s worked harder since after freedom dan I ever worked befo freedom.

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4~ ~82 ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~L.SI~LVE STOBLi~S ~ Page One * : ~ . ( (~ exa5) ~ . ~ ~:~ MABTRL PATTON wae born 91 yeare 2go in ~k~ib~ a, ~iave to the ~ Lott farally, who came to Texas about 1847 and. settled near ~ Goliad.. After . in&rrying ~ bearing two children, surviv1n~ a~ fwnine and scarcity of wat er $he was fre ed She her husband ~nci other! of her f ainlly leased. farm land. on the San An~ tonic River near La Bahia Mission, at Goliad. Yestin, I was botn befo de war. Best I kin recoinmember, I ll be 91 years old. corne June 15, 1937. I wa~ bo n in A.I~bw~a, but waz brought to Texas when I was nine m~onths old. My folks stopped at Goli~ad, on de creek near to G oliad. ~ . ttI 1member seem1 de soldiers, but ttweren t no fi~htiri round us no closer den Oo~us Christi. One day one of my uncles went to Corpus Christi. Ee e y, Dey done toi all de women ~id chilien to git outta town. We done heard tem shootin bor.sbs. De smoke w~s so thick it looked like it were cloudy. De s ldiers come throt~h arid took anything dey wwited outta. de stores. Pretty soon nothin was left in de stores and dey couldn g t no more. My mother was a cook. We chilien brought in wood. and water. M~ ~r uncles had cotton patches. My~ master ~~1 dere cotton for dem and dey had. xaoney to buy shoes or anythin~g dey needed. We picked cotton and picked peas. We had. a spinnin wheel and a ~ wea~re(1ooza) . We made ioth, blaflket s and our own et t s ~ We made dye outta live oak b~ k, mesquite hark, pecan lea~ee, They made a: dark brown and it d~edthe cloth ~xid blan~ete pretty, ~ ~ ~ . ~t~p

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:I~x~ ~sMTe Autobiographies ~ Martha Patton . ~ * 174 I never saw any slaves whipped, nor any with challis on. our ~white people were very good to us. ~ieIr name was. Lott, ~Tim Lott, yes m, me and ~TIm Lott was chilien tog~ther. He sure was a good boy . He died. over at Goliad. yea ~. We made cotton and wool cloth both, yes m, we made both. We: raised cotton. ~he sheep were so po~ they woul&die. We would go through de woods and find de dead sheep and pick de wool offen ~ em~ Then we would wash de wool end. spin it into thread and weave it Into cloth to make wool clothes, 1T~y man, he worked in de tan ya d~. 1{e fixed de hI&es to make us all de shoes we had, and dey inadeharness and. sad&les to ~ie gov nment ~ to de soldiers. To make de linie to take de hair ofT of d~e hi~es, d~ey would burn limestone rooks. then dey would hew out troughs and soak de hides in lime water Ull all the hair come off. ien dey would take ooze ~nade from red oak bark and rub the hides tIll dey were soft and. dry. :~ey sho was hard t ixne3 after de war, and dunn de war too. Our white folk was good to us, but we had. a time to get pervisions. Somet mies we had. co ~n me al and s orne t ixaes we woul d h ave flour . We would pa ch co n meal and make Coffee. When we could git em. we used. pertater peeli~igs, pa:~ ched, for cottee. Sometimes we drank wild~ sage tea. When we could, we would go over on &e Brews to de molasses mills and. get m~olasses and. brown sugar; when we couldn t, we had~ to d~o widout &e sweetenin later sb~o ~wes sca ce. 1e had to tote it about halt a mile

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. ~X~laT~ ~tobio~aphies ~ Martha Patton Page & ~ from de; hole. ~je creeks Just dried up, only tiong in holes. De iells was all dried up. t~iere would be &ea& eows lyin On t other side of ~ d~e hole and grasshoppers thick on &e water, but we jist sklnnri~ed de water off and went on. ~idntt make us sick, lady, twas all we had and de good Lotd took ea e of us, flDe grasshoppers sho was bad tJ~~ bout fo or five in d~e ebenin ; dey would be s o thick de sun ~ would be cloudy li ~ Dey was a little speckled grasshopper. Yes m, redand spe kled. De ohicken~ and hawgs et em. Dey et so niahy grasshoppers de meat was right red. Y u couldn t eat it. TtTw n t no use to send. f0 a do ~ ta ~ ~ V cause dey didn ~ t have no medicine . MY grandmother got out in ~ de woods and got erbs. She niade sage bthn (bairn). One thing I reconiember, she would take oo n shucks ~ de butt end. of de shucks ~ and. boll em an~ make tea. ~would break de chIlls and fever. De Lo d fixed a way. v~e used roots for medicine t o. Dey was salt lakes, lie men would get a wagonbed. full of salt and take it to town and trade it t~or flour. De men would take de old ox wagons and go down to Mexico towa cis BrowrlsTille to git pervisions . Coffee - ~ real coffee -~ vas a dollar a poun . De men what used. terbaccer had to pay a dollar a plug. Cotton cloth was fifty and sixty cents a y& . Dunn de war de white people had church in their homes. Dey would have church in de mornin arid in de afternoon dey would ~rea h to de slaTes, ~ Atter de war, ie all leased land on de ribbah fun~ e white :r~lks my uncles, my brothers and. ails. We leased de land ~o ~. ~ . ~ ~ ~ . ~ .. ~ ~ ~

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176 ~x-~5IaTe utobio~raphiea ~ Martha Patton Th~ ~4 six years. At d~e end. of dat time most of us bought places. . ~~When de war ~as over and. we nioved, de nien put up a picket house. Dr. McBride, a soldier, taught school. when de crops ~as laid by, all de men and. woxaen w~ent to school. De chilien went all de time. We had log seats and a dirt Lb . We would have meetin s inde schOol house. 9~wasn t fine, but we had good tirnes~ 9Ve lived abat to de old niisalon, built during Santa Anna s vrar, I think it were. ~ ~ . I has ten chilien; seven of them are living. I have fifteen or nineteen grandohillen, but I don t know where dey all are or what de y are do ing .

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 182 177

420239 F~Xw4SLAVZ STORIES Page One 1 7? (~exas) ~ EL~ PAYNE, 88, was born a slave o ~ Dr. evans, pioneer physician of Marshall, Texas, axid father-.in - law of former Governor Clark. She married Nelson Payne when she was twenty.4ive and. they farmed in Marshall for fifty two years. Since Nelsonteedeath eleven years ado, fl .~n has operated the farm herself and has always made a crop. She lives alone . on the Port Cad.do Road, My name is Ellen Payne now, but in slave times ft was ellen ~vans, and I was born on the old Mauldin place right here at Marshall and belonged to old Dr. ~v~ns. Dr. evans loans the Bible what had all our ages In it and never got it back, so when be freed us they guessed oar ages. My mistress say I was bout sixteen years o d when surrender come, and my daddy and mammy was Isoin and Becky Lewis. Mamn~ come from Tennessee and they was seventeen of us chilIen. Master ~vans lived in a big brick house on the north side of Marshall and run hi s farm four mile s from town, and I stays d. on the farm bu~ come in town sone with my ~ to work for Mistress nancy. The niggers on other farms had t o sleep on Damn-. it-St O ~ b eds but we d.idfle t have that kind. ~1e had good. wood beds and hay mattresses with lowell covers. NI mostly minded the calves and chickens and turkeys. Master 3~vans h~.d a overseer but he didn t low him to cut and slash his niggers and we Udn t have no bard tas1~naster. They was ~bout thirty slaves on the farm, but I is the only one livin now. I l ved all i~y white folks and. they was sweet to us. The hands worked from sun to sun and ~ had. a t ask at night . Some spinned. or made baskets or chair bottoms or knit socks. Some the youngtuns

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Ex.~s1aVe Stories Page Two 178 (Texas) courted and. some jest rambled rotind most &~i night. On Saturdzy was the pr2~yer meetin in one hou.se and a dance in another. On Sunday some went to church and visitin , but not far, ca~ise that was in pattei roller times. They was alLis p1ent~r to eat and One ni~er ctIdII t do nothin but raise gardens. They hunted coon and possuza and rabbits with clogs iand the whit e folks kilt deer and b ig game ~ like that . My daddy ellus had some money, tcause he made b~~kets and chair bottoms and sold them, and Master :~vans give every slave a patch to work ~ they could sell it end keep the ~on~y. We didntt know nothin but what went on at the place. Us slaves didnt carry news cause they w~sn t none to carry snd if the white folks want to send. news anywhere, they put a boy on a mule to take it. tMaster ~vans had a old. wom~i what tended to us when we was sick, and he give us quinine and cal omel ~nd cast or oil and. boneset tea. That tea was nou~h to kill a roule, but it done us good, Some wore ~sfidity bags round they necks to keep off sickness. My young mistress married Master Clark and. they lived close, and ray mammy and. me used. to spent part the time workin for her. Master Clark got to be governor boat tine war started and moved to ~A~istin. I still got the Bible he give me. I tmember the white southern men folks mn off to the bottoms to git w~y from war but I never seed nothin of the war. When we was freed my old master calls us up and say, ~YOU is free, and Pm mighty glad, but I~m mighty sad, We stays On till Christmas, then ma~zny and me leaves and hires out, I stays workin with her till I ~ twenty.4ive and then I mar~ ries Nelson P~ne.

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Ex..slave Stories Page Three ( Texas) My young mistress sends me a blue worsted dress to marry in, and we s married at rna~rzny s house and. she give us a nice supper. He was a f~rrner ~id we kep on livin on the farm fiftytwo years till he ~4ied. ~Ve loved ~ar~n life, I raised four boys but none of them is livin now. When ~elson died. first one then nother hoips me and. I has made a c~op every year till flow. I m too old now, but I still raises some corn ~nd peas and. garden stuff. They gives me a $15.00 month pension, but I likes to be dom s~nethin . li still shouts at meetin s. I don t h~we nothin to do with it. It hits rae jes like a streak of lightning, arid there ain1t no holdtnt it~ I goes flOw to camp meet in s cl ost t o Kam ~ t~k and t rie s to have, but when I git s the spirit, I jest can t ho f that shoutin back. The youn~g folks makes fun of me, but I don t wind. Style ~m crowded all the grace out of ligion, today. * *** * *** *

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 185 180

~32OO94 3:L.SLAVE STORIIS Pa . One 180 (T.xu) B~END1RSW PXRKINS, about 85, was born a slave to Jobn Pruitt near Nashville Term. who owned Hen. dergon s mother and about 20 other s1a~s. Prior to the Civil War, )tr. Pruitt moved to Centerville, Leon Co., Texas, and old Henderson and his aother to Torn Garner, of Centervil le When the war began, Henderson was old~ enough to b. trustod with taking grain to the nul and other duties. After they were freed, Henderson and his i~other worked in Mr. Garner s tavern u~ntil he sold. it. He thon placed the two on a piece of land and gave them tools to work it. Henderson later married and Roved to Waco, where he reared 14 children. After they were g~ own he moved to Yort !orth and now lives at 610 Penn St. I se tells yO~i di truth bout my aie, I se too ol for any good, but fron what de whits folks says, Pee botn bout 1839 in Ten sse, near Nash~il1e. In den L~qs, twarn t so partic lar bout gettint married, and. n~ masmy warn t before I s bo1n, so I se don know sy father. Dat s one on die nigger. RAfter Itse ol enough to tote water, pick up kindlin and. sich, Mareter Pruitt moves to Texae, near Centervilli and so1~ e and. ~r ~~m to Marster Garner. My maiy gits married seven t1~es after we cones to Texas. Marster Garner runs a tarern, d~ calls ~.m hotels now. My senmy was cook for de tavern. De other nigger s named Gib, and Ines to do de work trouz~ cl. place and take grist to de water mill for to grin . Marster have de farm, too, afld have seven nigger. on &at place and. sometimes I goes dore for to he p.

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Zx..Slave Stories Page Two :181 (Teias) Well, bout treatment, you can say Marater Garner am di beetest man ever lived. I se jus says he am O. K. I se never kiears xklm say one cross word. to my mammy. Back in Tennessee, Marster Piiiitt was good, too. Elms have atm s own still and gives de toddy to we uns lot~s of times. I se gii;i a few wkiuppin s, but twas my fault. I se cause de devilment. I tells you baut s~e. I drives de oxen and. de twos~h1l cart for to go to de water mill and sich. In dem d~~s it was great insult to say, To~i uns has bread and rotten egg for supper. I se gwine to de mill one dey, past de school and. I ) S~7 I dat to cte chillene. I thinks de teacr~er wo&t let ~ come ait, but I makes a mistake, for it am like yellow jackets pourin outta di hive. Dey throws sticks and stones at we~wi. and dat aprise de ox and b~e runs, De road am rough and dat cart have no springs and de coin madi scatterment On de road, Marster wimps us for dat. Not hard, j~at a couple licks. ~Did yox s ever drive de ox? Deys de devil sometimes and de angel sometimes, When deys gwine home, you ca~ go to sleep and dey talas yot1 dare. If dey. dry and you comes near water, de devil can t stop em, dey goes in de water wid de ear~ and all date in it. When de wax starts Marster s girl gits married to Charlei T~ lor, and dey have big ~ Befot de war ~ over, ~ have hard time. De soldiers comes and takes all de co1n, all d. meat, every chicken and all de t bac~. You could& buy t baccy for a dollar a pmind. B~it w. makes it. We talces de leaves and cures dem, den place dem on de board and put honey tween sea. We place a log on top and leave it bout a month. Thite man, dat aui t baceyl

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- ~1 ~ Ex-~S1aTe Stories P.1g. Titree (Texas) RAfter de army took &e food, lt ~Di scarce for awhile. Short time after de army come, de pigeons goes north. If ycca s never ee tat, lt ~m hard~ to believe. Dey am so thick and so many dey cuts orf de min like de cloud~. ~ Ufl gits lots of 1eia an& dat helps with de food. I se sho glad. de ar~y don come any more, once was nuff. I se seen squirrels traveltn on its groun so thi,Cnk it look li~ce de carpet. Dey was all rwinin1 s way frcm de anny. When freedom comes, some sans ~ day says Grant s ran. lines we~t~ns up side de h~mse and. says, 1~ i5 am now frss, and we~uns is free. I wouldn leave de ~arster, hi~ am sich a gran man so I stays with him till he c~uits running de tavern. tilt a~ a long time after day I gits married. We una have weddin st~pper and siio~ sin happy den. Den we move s to Waco aud has 14 chilien. We ns had good t Ines in slavery, but I likes my freed~. De Marster allus give us a pass on ~inday and some nights when we has dance and sich, But iffen you went out without a pass, den de patterollers I fore de War - or de flux - eiter de War would cone for ymi. Dein niggers without de pass sho makes de scatterment, out de window or up de ChimflSy. But when ~ is free, we uns goes anywhere we wants to. ******* *******

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 188 183

420()68 (~f:~ ~ One STORIES OF EL.SLAV~S . (Texas) ~ DANIEL PRILLIPS Sr. 704 VirgInia Street, San Antonio, Texas. Born 1854 at Strlngtown, five miles south of S~ Marcos, Texas. Big framed., good natu.red., Never has worn glasses. n i was a slave t o Dr. Dailey and. hi s son, Dr. Thomas Dailey. They brought my mother ~nd father from Georgia and I was born in S~rIngtown just after they arrived, in 1854. I calls him Mr. Tommy. Dey has a plantation at Stringtown and a ranch on de Bl~~co River. We come from Georgia In wagons. Marse Dailey raised cotton and coin on de plantation. On de ranch dey ketches wild horses and. I herds dem. When Itrn on de ranch I has to drive de wild horses into de pen. De men cotches de wild horses and. I has to drive tem so s dey won~t git wild agin. Lots of dem wild. horses got colts and I h~s to brand dem. Marse Dailey he helps to cotch de wild. horses but I has to drive 1em. In de mornin I drives dem out and in de evenin I drives dein back, Dere s sure a lot of dem wild. horses, Marse Dailey brings twenty-.five slaves froui Georgia but he sells some after we comes to San Marcos. No su.h, we niver gits paid. We lives In log houses built on de side of a hill. De houses has one r~~om, My mother has a wooden bed with a cotton mattress. My sister Maria was housewoman. My younger sister married a m~n naxr~ed Scott. tiWe feeds good, Derets cornbread ~nd beef. Plenty milk, tcause

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Stories of Ex-slaves Page Two j~34. Texas Marse Dailey s ~ot plenty cows. Dere s gardens with peas, ~bb~ge, beans and beets. We makes de clothes ourseif. My father is handy man. He bUll ds a 1 ooin and a sp inn in ~ wheel No sah we di dii t d.o no hant i Marse Dailey dIcIn let us have ~ins. ~W S treated all right. My uncle is overseer. When de war s over I didn t ~ about it. Marse Tommy cones to de ranch when I~111 herdint de wild hOTS6b. He stays, D~n, you se free now. I s;~y, Tha dat mean, Marse Tommy? ~ He st~ir, Dat mean ~rou can live with you m~mm~t and :~ou p~ppy ~nd what 1r~ru m~kes you kin keep. ~nd I leaves de wild horses end comes to de plantation. Yas suli, we goes to church. We walks fo mile to de church. De wtite folks sits in front and. de culiwl folks sits back by de do . Yassuh, wets glad de slav ry is over. ~y mothe~ would go to milk cows ~nd I was sent to kill a calf. And- dere was m~r mother in de corner of de fence and she was prayin , ~O, Lawd, set us free! I was too ~oun~ for de army. My brother was a cook in de Confed crate Army, and de Yankees run dem 60 miles In one night. And my brother is ridin one horse and front of hirn is a pack horse, ~nd he cut de traces of de pack horse and dat horse rim so he didn t see him again. Yassu.h, my brother was 108 years oie. He died two years ego. We gits alone better after wets free. Often de Yankees comes down to S~m Marcos. Dey wants to buy milk. t, One t irne on de piantat i on ~ cuilud pre acher want s t o hold a service. De marster say all right . De preacher must tefl how much he collects. Dat so de marster fj~I out if we s got an~ money. s s s

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 190 185

(~ EX~L~V~ STORLES Page On~ 185 (Texas) L~ PIERCE 8 ?, was born a slave of I~vans Spencer, in Marshall, Texas. Lee W85 sold. to a trader in 1861, and bought by Henry Fowler, ~ sulphur Springs, Texas. Lee remained. with his master until 1866, then returned to Marshall. When kr became too old to work, he went to live ~ th a son, in Jefferson, Tex. My naine ~za Lee Anderson Pierce, borned on the fifteenth of May, in 1850, up in Marshall, and. longin to Marse i~vans Spencer, what was a surveyor. I never knowed my pappy. He died tore I was oorned. Mammy was ~innieSpencer and Old Marse s folks fotched her to Texas from ~reen wood, what am over in Miseissippi. Ythen I was bout eleven year old, Marse Spencer done ~ot in debt so bad. he had to sell me off from mammy. He $old me to a epec lator named ~ Buckley, and he taken me to Jefferson ~nd drapped me down there with a man called Sutton. I h~d a hard time there, had to sleep on the floor on hot ashes, to keep warm, in wintertime. I nussed Marse Sutto~ts kids bout a year, den B~ick1ey done got me gain and taken me to de nigger trader yard. in Marshall. I was put on de block and sold jest like a cow or horse, to Marse Henry Fowler, what taken me to Sulphur springs. I lived with him t ill after surrender. Marse Fowler worked bout a hundred and fifty acres of land and. had sev ral cullud families. He done overseeing hisseif, but had a black man for foreman. I seed plenty niggers whopped for not dom dey tasks. He d whop ein for n ot pi c kin s o many hundreds of c ot t on a day, buckle ~ em down hawg fashion and. whop em with a str~. Us never stopped. work no day, les sen Sunday and not then iffen gras s in the field or crop s sufferin . Most time we et bacon and cornbread and. greens. Sometimes we d git

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Ex-slave Stories P~e Two (Texas) ~ deer meat to eat, ~cause a old man named Buck Thomas am clo~t friend to Marse Fowier and a big 1~inter. Vie ~ot our own fish when we w~5fl~~ workin . The first work I drne was herdin sheep. I never done rau~ch field work, ~ut I was Icep busy with them sheep and. other jobs round the place. The cullud. folks had big breakdowns Satu day night and a good time then and on christmas, oi~it 211 the res the time us just worked. On Christmas we never got nothin but white shorts. Them was for biscuits ~nd they was jus like cake to the niggers in slavery time. Marse Fowler didn t have too much regard for he black folks. Two families of them was stolen niggers. spec lator done stole them in Arkansas and fotch them to Texas. I ~ d.idn t know much boat the war, ~ c~use I ni only ten year ~.d when it starts, and the white folks didn t talk it with us cullud folks. Long bout the end of th~ war a big Yuikee camp was at Jefferson right where the cotirthouse is now, but I wasn t lowed to go there Pnd never did know nothin1 bout it. I ~ stayed with Marse Fowler t ill the Ku Klux got t o gi . The Yankees run it out of business. That Ku Klux tusiness started from men tryin to run the niggers back to they farms. They near all left they masters and didn t have nothin or nowhere5 to go. The cullud folks was skeered of them Kiuxers. They cOme round the house and had some kind of riggin sois they coul~ drink sev rai buckets of water. A cullud man at Jefferson,named Dick Walker, got up a cullud militia to keep the Klux off the niggers. The militia met hexe in the old African Methodist Church. Marse Fowler done git up a bunch of thirty men to break up that cullud. militia, and he org ized his bunch at our place. I holped. saddle

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Page Three ~x~s1ave Stories (Texas) the hosses theni~ht they went to take the church. Ben Bjggerstaff, he was one the main white l aders. They tilt sev ra . of the militia and wounded lots more. That s after the Yankees done leave. I hirei out to Col. King, a Yankee officer in Sulphur works for him one year. I was makin $25.00 a month. Land was five cents an acre ~it I wouldn t buy none. That same land ~m now. But I left and come back to Jefferson. II never found ray mammy until. 1870. She was workin in a cafe in Terrell. Judge ~stes of Jefferson and son~e white men done been to Dallas and stopped where she was workin . She asked ein if they knowed Lee Pierce 8nd the Judge said he did. Vthen she clone tell him how lone it ~ since she seed me, he put h .~r on the tra in andsent her to Jefferson. I ~ was here when Jay G0uld t ned t o git them t o le t him put his railroad through this town and they told him the:~r didn t need a railroad. Then they done somethi n~ on Red i~ver what done take all the water ciut of Big Cypress ~nd the town went down to nothin . Oullud folks n~n this town bout them times. Paul ~Latthews, a cullud man, was county judge, ~nd Bill Wisham was sheriff. ~I think the younger race of our folks has more vantages for prosper ty than what we had. ~(ost of them sin makin good. u~e of it. Some ain t got no principle or ambition, but lots of them are spectable people. 1 ****** ***** Spings, and sellin for twentyworth a fortune

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 193 188

~~OO~7 Pace One ..EX-SL v~ STORIES (Texas) :~ ~ ELLEN POLK, born in Gonz8.les County, ~ Texas, Age, 83. lives at 724 Vir... ~4 ~ ~ini8 Blvd.. San A,ntonio, Texas. ~ Her hair is only s1i~ht1y grey at the temples and. forehead and her eyesight is gnod. tu was a slave to Jim and Hannah Nations, Gonzales County, Texas. Marse Jim was a fine looker, a heavy set man. He and. Missis lived in a bi~ lumber house with a shitigle roof. Dere was a nice yard. with lots of pecan trees ~xid de plantation fields h~d rail fences aroun dem, Dere were fields o ~ cotton and co n an& a purty river ~ric1 ~1l kind of wild. flowers. Marse Jim sho was good. to his slaves, but his foremens ~ He bought my inud~er and. some other slaves in Mississippi an~ dey walked frwti Mississippi to de Nations plantation in Gonzales. Ma.rse Jim had nigh a hundred slaves. De quarters was built of logs and de roofs was river botto in boards. Some of de houses was built of 10Es like de columns on d.is house, It was a fine, big pl~.ntation. De young women slaves wu~&ed in de fields ~nd de oie women slaves macle de cloth on de spinnin wheels and de looms. Den de women would go in de woods and take de bark frum de trees ~j~d pursley fru~ de ~roun and mix dem wid copperas ~nd put it all in a big iron pot ~nd boil it. Den dey would strain de water off and dye de cloth, De color was brown ~nd, O Lawd, all de slaves wore de sejcie color clothes. Dey even niacle our socks on de plantation.

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Ex slave Stories ~11en Polk Page Two Texas JLLJJ~ t oie Missy Eanrnth was sho good to me. I had to feed. de children while dere mudders was in de fields. Missy Hannah wnuld have de cooks fix d~e ~ru.b in a big pan and I would take it to de cullud quarters and. feed em. 1De plantation was on de Guadalupe River and. when dere was no meat de slaves went t o de river and killed wild hogs and turkeys and ketched fish. We groun de co n for corn~bread and made hominy. And, o Lawd, d.e sugar cane, a~d what good lasses we used to m~Jce. De slaves had purty ~oo d t irne s and de ol e bos s was awful. good to ~ em . We drank we 11 wate r In dry t ime s we t ot e d. de wat er frum de r iver for washin De houses was log cablns. De men slaves built em. Dey goes into de woods ~nd chops down de big trees and den dey rneke em square. Did dey h~ve tools? Sho, dey had a ax and a hatchet. Dey splits de trees i~n two and dat m~tkes de sides of de house and. de roiin side Is outside. How de~r ni~:e dem logs t Ight? Jus wid mud Den dey puts de boards over de mud so lt cain t fall out . ~Then dey malces de boards dey splits de end of de log and puts de hatchet in de place ~nd it makes a nice, smooth board, Dey makes de beds like d~t too, Dey takes four sticks and lays poles in de crotches, d~n dey puts branches crossways. No suh, dey never I had. no springs. For a mattress dey had. hay and. straw, sometimes corn slmcks or cobs. Dey slep good, too, t, Aft er de war we 1 Ive d on de plantat ion a long t tine de n we moved to 3~ ~arcos, den back to de plantation. I was married on de plantation and moved here 24 years ego. I liked de slavery days de best, ~

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 195 190

42()~ 14 Ex-sLkv:E s~oiti~s Page OnP :190 (texas) ~ i~TTY POWi~BS 80 was born a slave of Dr. Howard Perry, ~ who owned Betty s family, several hundred other slaves and. a large plantation in Har~ rison Co., Texas~ Betty nar -~ ned. Boss Powers when she was ~ only thirteen. She now lives . at 5237 Fletcher St., Fort Worth, Texas~ That for you vrnts dis old nigger s stoi y bO~.it de old slevery d,~rs? Tain t worth ~nythin , l s jus a hard workin person all ~y life ~nd raised de fain ly and done r ight by T em as best I knowe& To tell the truf bou~t ~y age, I dom~ t imow tzactly. I ~ de war time and de surrender time. 0 s old nough to f~n flies off d~e white folks and de tables when surrender come. If you come bout five year ado, I could telt you lots more, but It~ 1ij3,~1 d.c head mis ry. Irs born in Harrison County, bout twenty~4ive miles frOEn Marshall. Mass s name am Dr. Howard Perry and next he house am a li~l build.in for he office. De plantation an awf\ big one, and miles long, and. more n two hundred slaves was dere. Each cabin ha~ve one family and. dere a~ three rows of cabins~,~bo~~ half a nile long. ~ and pappy arid us twelve chilien lives in one cabin, so mammy has to cook for fourteen people, sides her fieN work. She ~ up way befog daylight fixin breakfast and supper after dark, with de pine knot torch t o make d~ig1~t . She cook on de fireplace in wint er and in de yard In summer, Ll de rations measure out Sunday inornin and It have to do for de week, It am not nough for heavy eaters and we has to be real care~l or we goes hongry. We has meat aM cornmeal and tlasses and tatere ~

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Page Two Ex~sIeVe Stories (Texas) peas and beafls a~ milk0 Dem short rations causes plenty trouble, cause de ni~gers has to steal food ~id it ~ de whippin jf dey gits cotched. Dey ~ in a fix if dey can t work for bein hon~ry, 1cause it am de whippin den, shot, so dey has to steal, and most of ~exn d~id ~iid takes de whippin . Dey has de full stornech, anyway. stDe babies has plenty food, so dey grow up into strong, portly men and women. Dey stays in de nursery whilst dey mammies works in de fields, and has plenty milk with cornbread crumble up in it, and potlicker, too, ~nd honey ~nd ~ lasses on breed. De massa and ~ he wife am fine but de overseer am tough, and. he wi fe t oo. Dat worc~an have no mercy. You s ce dem long ears I has? Dat s from de ~ dey ~its from her. De field hands works early and late and often all night. Pa~py makes de shoes and zaammy weaves, and you could hear de bump, bump of dat loom at night, when she done work in de field all dey. Missy know everything what go on, cause she have de spies mongst d.c slaves, She purty good, though. Sometimes de overseer tie de nigger to a log and lash him with de whip. If de lash cut d.c skin, dey puts s~t On 1. We aifltt ~ to go to church and. has bout two parties a year, so dere ain t much fun. Lawd, L~wd, most dem slaves too tired to have fun noway~ Then all dat work am finish, dey s glad to git in de bed and. sleep. ~Did we i.ins have weddints? White man, you knows better n dat. Dem t lines cu.llud folks am ~ put t ogether. De massa say, Jim and Nancy, you go live together, and when dat order give, it better be done . Dey thiiilcs nothint on de plantation boat de feelin s of de w men and. d.ere ain t no spect for dem,, De overseer and white mens took vantage of d.c w~en like dey wants to. - 2..

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Ex~s1aVe Stories Pege Three 192 ( Texas) 4 De woman better not make no fuss bout sich. If she do, it ~n d.e whippin fcr : her. I sho thanks de Lawd surrender done come befc I~s old nou~h to have to stand for sich. Yes, sar, surrender saves di~ nigger fi~ slchb Then de war am over, thousands of sojers passes our place. Some camps neerby, and massa doctors dem. When massa call us to say we s free, dere am a yardful of niggers. He ~1ve every nigger de age statement and say dey co ild viork on ha1v~s or for wages. He vises dem to stay till dey git de foothold and. lam how to do~ Lots stays and lots goes. My folks stays tbo~t four years and works on shares, Den peppy buys de piece of land 1bou.t five miles from dere, De land aintt c1ea~ , so wetuns ai . pitches in and clears it end builds de cabin. Was we~uns proud? There twas, our place to do as we pleases, after be in si ave . Dat sho am de good fe elm We works like beavers putt mt de crop in, and my folks staysdere till dey dies. I leaves to git married dM next year and l s onl~r thirteen years old., and marries Boss Powers. Wetuns lives on rent lend nearby fcr six years and has three chilien and den he dies. After two years I marries Henry Ruffins and has three more chilien, and he dies in 1911. ITs livin with two of dem now, I never took de name of Ruffins, 1cause I s dearly love Powers and. c3n~~ stand to give up he name. Powers done make de will and wrote on de paper, To my beloved wife, I gives ail I has. Wasn t dat sweet of him? II comes to Fort Worth after ~ffin dies and does housework till I s too old, Now I gits de $12.00 pension every month and dat help me git by, **s

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 198 193

420077 L~sLAv:E s~oi~rB~s Page One 19~ (Texas) TILLI~E R. POWFSBS was born free in Oklahoma, neaI~ the Washita River, Her mother had. been kidzapped by ~ band of raid1n~ Indians, one of whom was her fathers Her mother, desiring to prevent ; rier from living amo!~g the Indians, wr2pped her in a buff2lo robe and laid her on the road. n~a~ the Washita, where ehe was found by Joseph Powers, an army officer, who took her to. his plantation 1i~ ~dgecxabe Co., North C~ro1ina. Sne lives at 1302 L 11th St. Port Worth, Texas. Il ~ don ~ tmeaber my mwnmy or pappy, and eJ~1 I knows bout my early 11Th was toi me by Marster Powers. He says hira and he wife te~Ln soldiers back to so~ fort and. dey sees a bundle side de road near de Washita River, wropped in a ouflalo robe. He gits off iais hoss and picks de bundle up and i~ dat bundle am de piccaniny, dis nigger. Dat 7? year ago. Dey took me to ~dgecombe Co., over lxi Nortn Car lina, whar him owis ~ p .~ntation and bout 50 slaves. Dere l s dopted. tlDey raises de cotton and tobaccy and corn end sich. Den dere ein hawgs and chickens and sheep and s ich a orchard with peaches and pears ::~nd s ich, ot de work I done in slavery was eat de food., cauSse I s only six year old when de war ein over. BuSt I members bou.t d.c plantation. ~ De treatment am good and bad. If de nigger gits onruly, him gits a whippin , but de marater s orders is for not to draw de blood like I heered dey do on other places. De food is plenty, cept for de shortage cause by de War . When de food gits short s orne of d.c niggers am sent a-~hu~stl in for game s ich as de turkey and de squirrel but we uns

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Paie Two ~x..sIaTe Stories 194 (Texas) allus has plenty cor~mea1 and las ses and. fmit~ aid wetuns see sojers? L~wd~a~.massyI Tow~rd~s de las , jus t rore surrender ana alter, we ~uns see dem by thousands de Tanks and de federates, dey s passin and repaesin . Thei d.e War ~m ovor, de marster come home and. he calls all us cullud. folks t o de house ~ma him reads a paper and says, ~ All yous iiggers a~ ~~ee a~ you ca& go w~ar you wants, but I vises yous not to go till yc~ts rias a place ror wort ana make de Ijyji . A1 ~ de niggers stay a1~ lust, den leave one arier tnother. I jus d.c ciiile ana de orpnaa, so I i~as i~o stay ana it was bes tor me. Mars;er pays me w~sa I big eaou~a to wo~, and gives me $5.oO a iIonl;Ji, pji I works x or him ~ Ill I ~ s 18 years .tu, ~)5~ aS missy aie ana I 1ea~es. Da; w~,s e bre ~up 01 de place. I cries ~ow wnei I thinks 01 de missy, cause ens aLLus good. to rue and I reels ror her. Aft er dat I works round a while anci gits married to Jonn Daniels i.n lisaO. Dis nigger was better off in slavery dan with dat aigger. Thy, lila wont work and. whips me if I complains. I stood dat tor six year ~nd den I~s ~rauspor~ed ~iia. Dat in Roberts Couni~y. Mars~er Race Rotineon orougnt dat no good nigger and me, with bout 50 ozner niggers, nere to Texas. ~e tluis snare cropped for lita till I tmnsported dat ornery husba* . $1 makes a livi*t workin for wnite folks till bout three years ~go and now I gits $15.00 e~v~ery ~nth ~rom de State to live on, cause I rias higzi blood now and. I can t work no more.

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420290 ~8LAV~ STORIF~S . Page One (~exas) ALLEN PRI ~E was born In a c~ve~ed wagon in l annin Co., Texas, in 1862. His master was John Price. Allen re. members many incidents of pioneer days, and stories of the Civil War told him by the Price family. Allen now lives in Mart, Texas. De way I comes to he born in Texas am my pappy and mammy is in de covered wagon, commt to Texas with dere master, what ~m John Price, what was a Virginny man. Dey stops in ~nnin County awhile and. dere I m born. Dat in 1862, dey tells me. Dc Price and Blair families was first OflCS to come to Texas. Dey had to use ox teaias and ford. creeks and rivers and watch for Indians. I done hear dem talk bout all dis, ~cattse course I can t member lt. Once de Indians done stack dem and dey dmv 1em off, and every night near dey hears dc bowl of de wolves and other wild animals. Some folks went by boat and dey had river boat s ongs one like dis: I m drinkin of ram and chawin tobaccy, HI! Oh! The rollin river! I ~n d.rinkin of rum and chawin t obaccy, . Itm boun for the wide Missouri. Dese things am handed down to me by de Price family and. my granddaddy. De Pri ce fa~nily done fight for de t racy all de way down de line of de f~jnily, to my own paPpy, who went with he master when dey calls for volunteers to stop d.c blockade of alveston. My master thunk he gwine scape de worst of de war when he come to Texas and dey am livin peaceable de year ~ born, raisin cotton. Dey had a gin what my pappy worked in, and makae dey own clothee,t O o, vvhen de Ta*kees

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Ex...slave Stories (Texas) Page Two ha$ de Texas ports blockade so de ships can t git in. When dey blocka4ee Ga1~ veet on, our old. ma8ter done t ake n~y pappy~ for bodyguard and ~o1unt eers t o help. F in ly Q!efl . )~agrath~r takes Gsive ston from de Yankees with two old. cot t on et earners what have cotton bales on de decks for breastworke, ~ ~ De last bat tie Mait.r Price and. my pappy was In w& de bat tie of /. Sabin.e Pass and de Yankee general Banks doite s end ~ bou~t five ~ thousand t roops on transporte with guiaboate, to force a 1au~in . Capt. Dick Dowling had forty-. e even nien t o fend dat Pase and i~ pa~y helped build breaetworks when dem Yankees firm . Capt . Do~ tug done r~in dem Yankees off aM takes de eteamer Clinton and bout three hurniredaud fifty priBonere. My p~.py told. me some de Captain e men d ldn t have real guns dey have wood. guns what dey call cain flage nowadaye. . ~ My peppy helped at de ho!pltal aft er dat bat tie and. d~ey hae lt in and makes bandage s out of sheet s and pillow caee~ and underwear and. usee and carpets for quilts. I member dis song, what dey slug all de time after de war: a hotel de rugs o, ~ a good old. Rebel, and dat s jus what I am, And for di.5 land of freeth n, I do not give a damn; . I~m glad we fought again ein and. only wi sh we d won, And I ain t aaked no pardon for anything I ve done. t, I won ~ t be reconstruct ed. I ut bett er &an de~ am, And for a carpetbagger I do not give a daan. So I$m or to de fronti.r, soon ai I can go I ll fix me up a weapon and start for Mex1co~ II can t get my m~eket and fight dsm now no more, But I$~ not goin to love dma, dat a~ certain sho .I don t want no pardon ~or what I wa~ or ai, I won t be reconetr~xcted, and I don t give a damn. 1 ~&s m1ghty~ little to eay bout myself. l s only a poor Baptiet D. her~tag. handed down to me am de prbudee t~1ng I knows. De Priesi end no matter i~I~t side ~ d.ey don fight for d.y I t,f ta d. right. preacher, w&s brave 190

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I ~)(~i~ ~) ~t#~.f~fl/~L ~ I B~~sLAv1i; STORIES Page OflC JOHN PRICE, nearing 80, was ~born e, slave of Ch2rles Bry~n, in M0rgan City, Loui~i~na. The :Bryans brou,~ht h n to Tex~ts ~bout 1861, and. he now lives in Liberty. Mirandy, his wife, was piso a c~lave, but has had p~ par~lvtic stroke and speaks with such difficulty that she cannot tell the story o. her life. Their little ho~ne and y:~ rd ~re well cared for. lIII~3 five year old w~ien de Ljncoln war broke up and my papa vas v~me G~org~ Bry~n in slavery time and. he come froni St. Louis, what ~rn in Missouri. After freedom de old boss h~ call up de hands and say, 2lffen you wants to wear my n~P-le ~ can, but take ~ one iffen you wants to, ~o my d~.ddy he chance he n~ue t,o George Price ~nd dat ~vhy my n~ne 3ohn Price. ~I~y old massa name George Bryan and he wife nr~ine Felice. Dey t.~iy my papa when ht~ 18 ~Tear old boy and dey take hi~ ~nd raise him ~nd put all dey trust in hirn and h~ run de plcce when de old rn~n gone. flat in ~1~r~n City, in Louisiana On .e Berwick side. Dc year l s one ye:2r old us come to Texas and settle in Liberty. I W~?.S &~l~Tifl1 In my rn~iy s ~rrn~ ~fl(i her n~ r~e Lizette but dey call her Lisbeth, She mo~ ly ?rench. I got three sister, Sally Hughes and Liz~ Jon~&s ~nd Celina, and two brothers, Pat Whitehoiise and Jim Price. De white folks h~ve a ~ fair house one mile down south of Paywood ax~d it were a long, ~r~me house and a pretty good farm. Us quer ters was log houses built out of 11 l pine poles pile one top de other. Dey have nail up log, country beds and homemade tables ~nd rawhide bottoni chairs and. benches. Dein chair have de better weight dan de chair today. Iffen you rare b~ck now, de chair gone, but de rawhide stay with you.

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Ex-~s1ave Stories ~ Two 198 (Texas) De old zne..ssa pretty fair to us all. If~en my papa whip me I slips ~t de house and runs to d~ b~ house and crr.wls under de ~1d. massa S bed, Sorn~tinie he w~e up 1~i de middle de night and say, ~0y, z~id I riot answer. i~n he say gain, Bo~r, I know y~ou un der t at bed. You done b~~ti afoul your p~p~ ga1n,~nd he act awful mad. D~n he throw he old sojer Coat under de bed for to make me a pallet and I sIe !p dere all night. Us chilien have 1ot~ of time to play and. not rauch time to work. U! allus ridin oIc1. stick hosses and. tie a rope to de stick ~nd call it a z~iartinga1e. Us make Tnarbles out of clay and dry ~i ~nd play with em. De old. boss wouldn t ~ us h~tv~ no knife, for fear us cut each other. L~s n~v~r sick mu.ch dem CI2yS, but us have de toothache. Dey t~k~ white tree b~rk what taste like pepp~rn~1nt ~nd stew lt up with honey and cure de tooth~.che. :IUS never go to church. Some my wlf, s people eay desr used to have a church in de hollow an1 dey h~v~ runn~ ~ for to wat eh for de old boss iian arid tell em de massa corn~n~. Us old massa say ChrlstinR.s D~ am he c ay to treat ~nd he t~11 us bout Ss~xity Claus. Us taken us soaks up to h~ house and hang dein round de big fireplace and c3en In de Inornin us find. candy ~nd cake an~1 fruit end. have de big t1rn~. N~w Ye~ Day was old missy time. She fix de big dinner on dat ~y and- r~obody have to work. ~ ~Vh~ n de war is bre~kin old massa come by ship to G alveston 1~zp de Trinity River to Liberty by boat to try to save he n1g~ers, but

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Ex-.51~ve Stories Page Three i9~) (Texas) it wcsn!t no use. Us s~ lots of tents out by Liberty 2M de~r say it sojers. I ~ long with de big boys, dey sn~ks out de spailes and digs holes 1~t de pr~iri~ in de knolls. Us plannin to live in dem holes in de knolls. Hher~ d.ey ~:ay de Tat cees is comir~ I ~ Is fraid and I he~ar de cannon say, t Boom boor ~ from ~a1v~st on to Loutsisna. Dc young white missy, she ~1 lus siri~: de song d~at g0 lt We are a band of brothers n&t Ive t e de soil, Pi~htiu for our liberty with treasure, blood and toil, And wh~ri U3 rights was threaten , ~e cr~r rise far and near, Hiirr2h for tb~ Bonnie ~1ue FI~ what bears a sin~1e star. tjfter freedo~n my ~pa move away but de oH masse corne after him ~nd worry him till he most have to corne hack. Then r~,r ~j,~ sister havt~ de whoopint cough, old ~ssa come down in a hurry ~d say, You ~winet~~r kIll dem chilien, and he puts my sister ~nd brother on de hoss in front of hirn and takes ein home and cures 1em hisseif. It were years after d2t fore my papa leave hirn g~.in. tDey driv beefs and have two rive~s to cross to ~it dere, de Sabine and de Neches. Dey liver em by so rn~ny head and. iffen day ain t have no~igh, other mens on d.c prairie help em fill out de number what dey neficis. I~s rid rna~v a wild lioss in my d~y and datts where I make my first money for myself. I s workin in !~ratt when I ~cicie to ~it marry and I uiarr~r dis gal, i~iirnndy, bout 52 year ago ~id us still been togetb~r. Us marry in MOSs Bli.iff and S~xn Harris, he a culiud man, he de preacher what marry us. I have on pretty fair suit of clothes but one thing I tmember, de gal I marry, she have $5.00 pair Of shoes on her feet whet I buys for her.

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:E~x~.s1.ave Stories Page poux 200 ( Texas) H~j5 done have five sons ~nd three daughters and. I been a pretty I fluent lai man ~ round Ljberty. One time dey a mari name Ed Pickett what W:~S rurinin for Clerk of de Court in Ljberty County arid h~ come round !r~y pl?ce lectioneerin~, cause he say wh~~tev~r way I votes, dey votes. Did you ever hear a old coon dog? Old. coon dog, he got a ~ieep ~oice what ~ A,~woo~o o a~woo~o~o. You can hear him a mile. deli, d.at ~d Pickett he say to rue, Jobn Price, you know what I wants you. to do? I wants you put d~t other feller up a tree. I wants crou put him so fur up a tree he c~ t even he~.r dat 000fl dog belier. And I d.oes it, cause I~s pretty fluentir l ~ here.

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 206 201

4203S3 Dibble, Fred ~ Beaumont, Jefferaon Co.Dist~~3 ~g ~ 201. I !LORI~S 07 !~SLA!~ B~ETEREND LAPAtH~TTE PRI ~ ancient and venerable minister of a small, dilapidated church on the outskirts of Beaumont, received his education under hiB old master, a plantation owner of the South. He was born a slave of the Kigginbotham family, in Wilcox County, Alabaaa, but after the death of hie original master, he became known as t Orphan children property and went to Lc*~tisiana to live with Robert and. Jim Carroll, brotherz~in~ law of S~m Higginbothaui. Thiring the Civil lai , la7ayet te then about 12 ye~ars o .d( he do s not know his exact age) served as water boy for yomg Bobert Carroll at the battle of Mansfield. When the slaves were freec~ he came to Texas ant has been a ~dnister since that time. Re lives with his one daughter in a small ramshackle house near the cimreh and. conducts Baptist services each Sunday. La?ayette is small and very dark, and. with his crop of almost white hair and hie Tan Dyke bard, he has facial characteristics much like those of the patriarch who played the part of De Lawd in the ~Green Pastures ~ picture. His conversation, is ~ that of a devou,t person, well informed in the Scripture s. t I had a statement when I was bon, but I dont ~ just now. ~Then de war fass start I was water toter for my iiarster. Well, now den, i: wan to say dat my marster whar I was bo n in lilcox County, Alabama, his naine was Higginbotba~. When Mr. Higginbotham die, his s on Mr. Sam Kigginbotham, was my young mars ter. When he married, he tarry in dc Carroll family. My father arid mother belong to Mr. Riggin. bothan, Mr. See, he move to Louisiana. When he went back to Alabaaa, he tuic sick wid de cholera and die dere. Mr. Sas, he marry Miss Ca line Carroll. Later on after Mr. S~m die Miss Ca line marry Mr. Winn. I bec orgie orphan chilien property. Mr. hun was de 1 er. When I was a email boy I ha~ playtime. I alms had. good o~ers. When I get bigger I had. sone time off after work in de evenin s and on Sundays. Den I want to say I we,s hi red out an dey claimed dey was goin to be a war. The north and. de south was goin to split apart. lU 1B61 war c~mence

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Dibble, Fred Beaumont, Jefferson Co.Dlst.f3 p~e 2 202 and ~y mistress die, I w~s den etayin wid. de Carroll ~ami1y. De Oarrolli were brothers of n~y owner. )lr . Jim and )Lr. Robert was soldier. in de war. ~Lr. Robert was in de jniantryr ~ ~ Jjj~ they took him along to drive. Wh~i day waS goin to Barn Cheat ( evid.entiy the name of a place) Mr. Bobert he say to rae, fl7~7, ~ go back home and. tel , ma skie need. not be oneasy bout me, 1ca~se de Yankees Is retreatin to Nachitoches. So I driv back b~.tt I dithi put up de team. When I was tellin her, it ~as bmt three mile over to Mosses Fiels (Mosses Field vas the local name for the tract of land on which the battle of Mansfield was fought, tn part). When I was tellin her, a big cannon shot o~erhead ~ Boom . She jus shook and say, Oh, Pa~, git some co n and throw it to de hogs and go to Chicet. I got some co n and start to git out .. crib. i~y shot another cannon. She say to me, Go back and giTe de Co tn to de pigs, When I put my feets through de crib do dey shoot another shot, and I pull my feets back, She tell me to go back and feed. de pigs, but I don know if I ever did git de coin to de pigs. Mr. Carroll say dat at Manefiel where dey waa ehootin de big guns de ladies was ci7ifl~ . He t oie em dey needn to cry now, when dey was shootin de big guns dey wasn t kuhnt men, but when dey hear de little E2~:uns shoot, den dey could start cryjn~, cau!e dat ~eai~ dat men was gittin kill. I dunno if you ever parch popco~n. 1~tt d.c way de little guns sotin~. Re say dat den dey could begin cryin . ~k Y w it e people( the Confed.e rat es) was cociin from Shreveport to meet de Yankees from Nachitoches, simm to go to Shreveport . If anything was a WUflflerf Iil considerat i on it was den,Mr. Robert Carroll was stood up by a big tree there at Mansfiel and. d.e captain, he said, I ~ anybody here dat know de ne ighborho od? He r. s de ting dey want to know: Wb fl de soldiers start o~.it dey did& want ~ to l~Uflch ~it and git mix up. Dey sent for Mr. Carroll1 cause he live tbout a mile away. He ~

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Dibble, Fred Beaumont Jefferson Co. Dist. #3 peg. 3 203 order t o an by de tree ~nd de captain went by wavin a sword and purty soon de captain was kill. Dey kep on fIght In and after awhile a soldier come by and. ax wl~at he ~ there. He ~ai& he had orders to stan dere. De soldier say &at de captain was kill and for him to go and help wid. de wounded soldiers. When de big General come from Shreve port and holler, Charge, de Yankees git in de corner of a rail fence. Dey broke right through dat fiel ol prairie ant 60 ~en git kill dead befo dey git across. Nex clay, coming home, 1 want to tell you de hosses didzi lay on dis side nor on dat side1 dey jus squat down, dey was dead. I think lt was a w~.umerful cmeideration to bring up in mem ry. H One night right t e re de battle was fc~ght we had t o camp I t was ramm and sleetin and snowinl I said, dat ~ goin to do tonight? Mr. James Carroll said, ~We just hafta stan wtere we camp. 3us~ stack de g~xns and put out w~at yo~a call de watchman I said, Sentinel and. he said, Tes ~ Dey had ~at you call de relief. Dey wasn t in bed, dey was out under a t re e in de col Ev l y hour d d walk ~ out long a runway to walk guard. It was a wunnerful d.lstressin time. De soldiers had a little song dey sung: Eat when yOU1~O hu.ngry, Drink when you re dry, Iffen a tree don Idil you, T~U ll live tu you die. Dis was cause dey had to stan under trees and. when de Yankees shoot oanno~ dey d. knock off limbs and. tops of trees and. them under de trees a ight git kill from de fallin branches. Another sons was: tlt ~ was on de eighth of April, Dsy all 1member well, When fifes and. dr ms were beat in For us all t O march wat In slavery times de slaves went to cburch wid dere w its folks and

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Dibble, lred Beaumont, Jefferson Co. Dlat4 3 Page 4 204 heard de wtlte preacher. I never icnew of cuUud baptisms. ~~ey ~ have camp ineetifl and when cullud people wanted to jine d.e church dey1d. ta~ce em in den. I didn quite git through bout de Mansfiel battle. Dem 60 men d.at was kill, dey jua dig a big hole and. put em in and threw dirt on em. I went back after two or three da~Srs ~nd de bodies done Bwell and crack de grout . Ma.rst er e plan tation comin from Shreieport wae on de sai side of Mosses l iel ~ ~e was about . S ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ j~~~t-t~ 1 and ~ mile from Mosses Piel . I wasn t acquair~t W~4 m~i~ w~it~t~ ~t~LBe I w~s wid de Carrolls and dey was allue kind. I heard dey was people dis w~y and dat, but I don know tbout dat. My w~ ite folks ~ee dat I was not abuaed. When news of de surre nder come 1 ot~ of cuflud folks se em t o be rej oi o in and. sing, kHIts free, 11s free as a fro tcause a frog had freedom to git on a log and. juutp off when he pl~ase. Some jus etayed. on wid tiere wtite folks. One time dey say day sen all de nigger. back to Africa. I say dey never git me. I bin yere, and my w3ite folks bin yere, and yere I goin to stay. My young marster say he want me for a nigger drivel) so he t each me how to read and spell so I couU ten to business, In time of de war Miss Catline say de soldiers been dere and take de bes1 hoss. Dey sent me off wid Ball, a little hoas. When I come back I meet some sol di ers Dey say dey gain take de ho s s if dey don de Tankees cone take em, I t eli ~ em dey done got Mareter Carroll other hoes to leave dis one, ~ey say, Git down, I goin give you a feW licks anyhow. I fall down but dey never hit me and dey say, Maybe dat Mr. Carrold whose hoes we tuk, le t di s b 07 go on wid de hose hiss Ca line spy she wish she &let me t&ki~atdy, day was de best ~ n I an to tell you one et ory ~ baut de rabbit. De rabbi t and. de tortue had a race. De tortue git a lot of tort~see and put ~JII long de way. Ever now and den a tortue crawl lOng de way, and de rabbit SBy, ~30~ YOU flOW, Br er !ortus? And he say, Sb and shoe, but my legs very short. When dey git tired, de tortue win cause he dere, bL~Lt he never run de race, ~ he had tortuses etraw d out all ~ long de way. De tortue had. other tortueee help him.

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 210 205

420135 ~ . EL.SLAV~ STORIES Paie One (Texas) EENRY PHOBASC O, 79 was born. a ~ slave of .Lnth ew McGowen, who owned a plantation aM 50 slaves in Wa1k.~. er County, Texas. Henry lived with his f~iiily, in Waco, wit il 1875, when h~ became a stock h~md O~ Judge Weakly s rwich In ellis County. In 1902 h~ came to Fort ~ torth aM worked In packing plants until 1932, Since that time he has supported himself by any litt ~ work he could find and now has an $8.00 per month pension. He lives at 2917 Cliff Cliff St. Fort forth, Texas. Irs ~ on ~assa McGowen s plantation. He name was Andrew McGowen ~nd us lived near Thintsville, down in Walker County. All my folks and grandfolks was dere, Gr~ndpap am carpenter, grandma a~n nu~ss for euliwl chilien, and papp~r and marm~y does de shoemakin and de cookin . t, In de days I s a b oy even de Pl ows was made on de place . Dc bl~cksinith do de iron work ~d de. wood work i~m done by pappy, ~nd de plows am mostly wood. Ju~s, de point and de shear am iron. My grandpap made de mouldboards out 0f wood. No, ear, twarnt no steel maaldboards den. I L watch gr~ndpap t ake de hard wood block and with de ax wid de drawshave and de plane and saw and rule, him cut ~.nd fit de mouidbo&~rd to de turnint t plow. De mouldbo&rd a ~ bout one yeat. Now, with de shoes it am dif rent and dem last moretn twict de time as store shoes. Gosh for might~r~ ~ cesi t wear dem out. De leather am frein cattle raise on d.c place and. tau right der.. ~ it real. oak tan, and. strong as steel. ~e~wis grease de shoes with mtttton t&ll~w and dat make dem waterproof slases. Cotton am nmin crep and. corn for feed. De corn feed both de -Il..

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Ex-slave Stories Page Tw, . 206 (Texas) critters and de niggers, cause de m~iz~ food for de nig~era am de corn and de cornbread and de corn mush. C urse, us have other victuals, plenty meat and veg tables. De hawgs a .lus ran tri d.c woc~ds and find d.ere own food, sich as nut s and acorns Dey aUus fat -~tnd when mas sa want meat he hit eh de mules to de wagon and go to de woods. Dere him catch de h~wg with ~ mark on it arid fotch it in. Dc quarters thu not mansions, dey am log cabins with dirt floors, but good nough, Dey am fixed tight for de winter. If you wn used. to sleepin in de bunks with straw ticks, Its jus good as de spring bed. De fust tiiae I sle~js on de spring b~d, l s ~w~ce most all night, When surrender corne, in~ss-a told wetuns dat ai . us sm free folks and he reads from de pRper. Now, him say, yous am free and dem what wants to go, let me know. I~ll range for de pay or to work de lend on shares. Some goes but an. my folks stays, but in bout a year pappy moves to W:~co and r~in a shoe shop. I stays with him till I 17 year old, den I goes to fils County and works on de cattle ranch of Judge Weakly. His brand wn 111 ~nd him place clost t o Files Valley . s I amt to ri de some on de plantation and s oon I s de go od r ider ~~nd I likes dat work best. We has lots of fun when we goes to town, not mu ch drinkin , like . r SOme people says, but its mostest mischievious de b ys sin. We gits de joke on de preacher once. Him tellin bou~t harm .f drink and one of us say, Read from de Bible, Proverbs 31, 6 ~nd 7. Him reads and it am like dis: Give de strong drink to him dat ~i ready t. perish and wine to dem what am heayy Qf he~2 t ~ Dat de last time hini talk to us ~ bOul; drink.

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Ex..slaVe Stories Pace Three (Texas) 07 ~Ve~uns holds d.e Kangaroo Court. If we1uns been on de party and sOmeone c3~O something what ~ right, den charges ~m file gainst you. If dem charges file, it s she yaus found guilty, cause de fine ~in a drink for de bunch. If you don t buy de drink it s a lickin with a pair of leggin s. If you low de hoss to throw you., d~t am cause for charges. ttDe 1~st round-Sup I works am at Oak OErove near Fort Worth and dat bout 40 year ago. After dat, I goes to Mulesfoot and. works for T.D.Myers for bout five y~r, den I~s done a little farmin on de plains for awhile. ultil tell you bout my married li~. I marries de tust time when I s 24 year old to Bertha Ellers and wetuns live t.gedder 20 year and. sep rates. ?ie1uiis h~tve 11 chilIen. Couple year after dat I goes to de cotton patch for d~ short spell and. meets a woman. We uns right off married and dat hitch lasts till de picking se~s n am over. Den, b,ut two year after dat cotton pickin hitch I marries Mary Little ~uid we uns lives t .ged.d.er two yeax~ and dat am two year too many. Dat de last of de marriage ~isiness. Now I jus f ols d.c time away and I has no one to fuss at me bout where I goes and sich. Sich am my joy~ent now. ** ****** **s

Ex-slave autobiography. 213 208

~1 )U~(1 ) ) For Ex~S1ave Volume Page one 208 ~LSL~kVE STORIES (Tf~x~~z) EX~~ SLAVE AUT OBIOGR~iPHY JENNY PROCTOR was born In Alabama In 1850. She was a slave of the Proctor family and began her dutIe8 about the house when a very young girl. Le soon UB she was considered old enough to do field labor she waa driven with the other slaves from early morning un~ tu late at night. The driver was ortiel and administered severe beatings at the slightest provocations. Jenny remained vith her owners ai~ter the close of the Civil War, not from choice hut because they had been kept in such dense ignorance they had no knowledge ot how to make their own living. After the death of her master several years lat~ er, she and her husband, John Proctor, came to Texas in a mule drawn covered wagon and settled in Leon County near the old town of Buffalo. There they worked as share croppers until the death of her hueband. She then came to San

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Page two 2O~ Angelo Texa.s Wi th her SOU ~ with whom she has made her home for many y3ara. Jenny, who TaB ill at the time she vas 1nterviei~. ed, shook her old white head arid said, SI s hear tell of dem good slave days but I amt nev r seen no good times den. My mother s name was Lisa and when I wa,a a very small chile I hear dat driver goin froni cabin to cabin as early as 3 o clock in de mornin and when he comes to our cabin be say, Lisa Lisa git up from dere and git dat breakfast. My mother, she was cook and I don t recollect nothin bout ~y father. If I had any brothers and sisters I didn know it. We had oie ragged huts niad~e out of poles and sonie of de cracks chinked u~ WI a mud and mo sa and some o f deza t We d idn have no good beds, jea scaffolds nailed up to de wall out of poles and de oie ragged throwsd on dem. Dat sho was hard sleepin but even dat feel good to our weary bones after dein long hard days work in de field. I tended to de chilltm when I was a little gal and tried to clean de house jee like oie misa tells nie to~ Den soon as I was 10 years oie, oie mar8ter, he say, Cit dis yere nigger to dat cotton patoh. I recollecte once when I wqa tryin to clean de house like oie misa tel . me, I finds a biscuit and X s so hungry I et it, cause we nev r see sich a thing as a biscuit only some times on ~.inday mornin . We j have oo n braid and syrup and some times fat bacon, but when I et dat biscuit and she comes in and say, Whar

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Pags three .2i~ dat biscuit? I say, Miss, I et it cause l a ao hungry. Den sne grab dat broom ~nd start to beatin me over de head wid it and callin me low do,n nigger arid I guess I je. clean lost niy head CaUSS I know d better den to tight her if I knoved anything tall, but I start to ti~flt h~r r*.nd de driver, he cornea in and he grabs me and starts beatin nie wid dat cat..of~nineu..tai1.,* *~ big leather whip, branching into nine talle. _J_ -~~j~w-~- ~-~-~- ________. _ ~- .-. --- - - - ~- -~ -~ -u~- ~ ~ and he beats me tIl I fall to de floor nearly dead. Es eut my back all to pieces, den dey rube salt in de cuts for 10 p~Ifli8 liment Lud Laid bon sy Z Dem was awful days. Then oie marster corne to de house he say, That you beat dat nig. ger like dat for? md de driver tells ht~ why, and. he say, She can t work now for a week, s~e pay for several biscuits in dat time. He sho was mad and he tell oie nias she start de whole mess. I still got dem scars on my oie back right now, je. like my grandi~other have when ehe die and ~ . a~. carryin ILias right on to de grave jes like she did. ir mareter, he vouidn low us to go fishing, he Bay dat too easy on a nigger and wouldn ~ us to hunt none either, but some time le slips off at night and ketch :possunis and when oie marster saelle ds~ poe~i~s cookin way in de flight he vraps up in a white sheet and gits in de chimney corner and scratch on de vail and ehen de rn in de

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Page four 211 cabin goes to de door and say, Who e He say, ~ .It: s me, what s ye cookin In dere? and de man say, I s cookin pO8BUm. He say, Cook him and bring me de hind q~uarters and you and de wife and de ohillun eat de rest. We nev r had no chance ter git any rabbiti cept when we was a-elearirk and gru~bin de new grounds, den ~e ketch some rabbits and if dey looks good to de white folks dey takes dem and if dey no good de neggera git dem. IVe nev r had no gardens. Some times de slaves git vegetables from de white folks g~irden and sometimes dey didn . ~oney? tJmph um~ We nev r seen no money. Guess we d 8~ bought sumpin to eat wid it 1f we ev r seen any. Fact le, we oudn ~ a knowed hardly how to bought anything, cause we didii know nothin bout goiri to town. Dey spinned de cloth what our clothes was made of and we had. straight dresses or slips made of lowel. Sometimes dey dye em wld sum~ac berries or sweet gum bark and some~ times dey didn . On Sunday dey make all de chillun change, and what we wears tU we gits our clothes washed was gun~ fly sacks wid holes cut for our head and arms. We dldn have no shoes e eptin saine home made nioooasins and we didn have dem ti~1wo was big ohillun. De l1ttl~ chillun dey goes naked tu dey was big enough to work. Dey was soon big enough though, cordin to our marster. We had red flannel for winter under clothes. 01e luise she say a sick nigger cost xD~ore den de flannel.

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Page tlve 21.2 Weddin s? Ugh umi We jes 5tepa over de broom and we s married, Bai Hai HaZ 01e marster he had a good houae. De loge ias all he~ed oft smooth like and de cracks all fixed wid nice chinkin , plum spectable loolcln even to de plank floors, dat was eum:pln . Be dldn have no big plantation but he ke.ps bout 300 Blavea in dim little huts wid dirt floors. I thinks he calle it tour farms ihat he had. Sometiniee he would sell some of de alave8 oft of dat big auction block to de highest bidder when he could git enough fer one. When he go to sell a slave he teed dat one good for a few days, den when he goes to put em ~p on de auction block he takes a meat akin and greases all round dat nigger mouth and makes sa look like dey be~ eatin plenty meat and sich like and W48 good end strong and able to work. Sometinies he sell de babes from de breas and den again he sell de mothers from de babes and ae husbands and de wives, ~nd so on. He wouldn let em holler much when de folks b e sold away He say I have you who op ed I f you t hush. Dey silo loved dere six chillun though. Dey wouldn want no body buyin dem. We might a done very well if de oie driver hadn been so mean, but de least little thing we do he beat us for it, and put big chains round our ankles and make us work wid dem on tu de blood be out out all around our ankles. Soins of de marsters have what dey oall stockades

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Page aix 213 and puts dere heads arid feet and arms through holes In a big board out In de hot sun, but our old driver he had a bull pen, dats only thing like a jail he had. When a slave do anything he didn like he takes em in dat bull pen and chains em down, face up to de sun and leaves em dere tu dey nearly diea. None or us ~as lowed to aee a book or try to learn. Dey say we g t smarter den dey w~s if we learn ~xiythir~, but we slips around and gitB hold of dat Web ster s old blue back speller and we hides it tU way in de night and den we lighte a little pine torch,* *Several long splinters ot rich pine, of a lasting quality and making ~ bright light. and studies dat spellin book. We learn it too. I can read some now and write a little too. ~ Dey wasn t no church ror de slaves but ~e goes to de white folks arbor on Sunday evenin and a white man h. gits up dere to preach to de niggere. He say, Now I takes my text which is nigger Obey your marster and your mie~ tress, cause what you git from dem here In dis world am all you ev r goin to git, cause you jes like de hogs and de other animale, when you dies you amt no more, atter you been throwed in dat hole . I gue sa we believed dat tor a while cause we didn have no way findin out ditferent. We didn ses no Bibles. Sometimes e slave would run away and jea live wild

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Pa e seven in de woods but most times dey ketoh eni and beats em, den ch~t1fl8 em down In de sun tU dey nearly die. De only way any slaves on our farm ev r ~O88 anywhere was when de boss sends him to carry some news to mother plantation or when we slips oft way in de night. Sometimes after all de work was done a bunch would have it made up to slip out down to de creek and dance. We sho have~un when we do th:it, most tiiflOS Ofl Sat day nigkit. All de Christmt~s we had wa8 oie ~arster would kill a hog and give us a piece of pork. We thought dat was eum~ pin and de way Christim~s lasted was cordin to de big sweet gun back log what de slaves would cut and put in ds fireplace. When dat burned out, ds Christmas was over. So you ki:OW we all keeps a lookiri de whole year round for de biggeBt sweet gum we could find. When we jes COUldfl find de sweet gum we git oak, but it wouldu last long enough, bout three days on average, when we didn have to work. 01e marster he sho pile on dem pine knots, git~tin dat Christmas over so we could git back to work. We had a few little games we play, like Peep Squir~ rel Peep, You Can t Catch Me, and sich like. We didn know nothin bout no New Years Day or holidays oept Christmaa. We had some co n ehuckin a sometimes but de white folks gite de fun and de nigger gits de work. We didn have no kind et ootton pickiu e capt jee pick our 0m cotton. l s oan hear dem d~rkies now, gain to de cotton

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Page eight 215 patch way tore day a : Psg~y, does you love me now? One ole man he sing: Sat day night and Sunday too Young gala on my mind, Monday mornin way fore day 01e marster got me guns. Chorus: Peggy, does you love me now? Den he whoops a sort of nigger holler, what nobody can do jee like dem oie time darkies, den on he goes, n t Po isum up a s immon tre s, Rabbit on de ground Lud Lewd possum, Shake dem aiirnnone down. Peggy, does you love me now? Holler Be~bbit up a gum stump Possum up a holler ait him out little boy And I gives you half a dollar. Peggy, does you love me now? We didn have much lookin after when we git sick. We had to take de worst stuff in de world fer medicine, isa so it was cheap. Dat ois blue mass and bitter apple would keep us out all night. 5om~L3times he have de doctor when he thinks we goin to die, cause be say he lint got

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Pags um, any one to Ioae, den dat calomel what dat doctor would give us would purty nigh kil . us. Den dey keeps all kinds or lead bullets and. asafoetida balls round our necks and some carried a rabbit foot wid dem all de tixiie to keep oft evil of any kind. Lawd,Lavd,.honeyZ it seems impossible dat any of us ev r livel to aee dat day of freedom, but thank God vs did. When oie marster conies down in de cotton patch to telle U8 bout bein tree, he say, I hates to tell you but I knowa I s got to, you is free, jes as free as ras or anybody else whats white. We didn hardly know wbat he means. We Je8 ~rt of huddle round together like seared r~ibbits, but after we knowed what he mean, didn many of us go, cause we didn know where to of went. 01e marster he say he give us de woods land and half of what we make on it, and we could clear lt and work it or starve. Well, we didn know hardly what to do cause he Jee gives us acme oie dull hoes an axes to work with but we all went to work and as we cut down de trees and de p les he tells us to build de fence round de field and we did, and when we plante de co n and de cotton we jes plant ail de fence corners full too, and I never seen 80 much stuff grow in all my born days, several ears of oo n to de stalk and dem big cotton stalks was a layin over on de ground. Some of de oie slaves dey say dey believe de Lawd knew surapin bout niggers after all. He 1St8 US put cO n in his crib and den

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Page tsri 217 we builds cribs and Ilidia take long tors we could buy some ho8see and some mtiles and some good. hogs. Dem mangy ~hogs what our marster give ua de tiret yeax~ was plum good hogs after we greass dem and scrub dem wid lye soap. He Joe give us de ones he thought tas sho to die but ws was a tin goin nov and fore long we was a buildin better bouaea and teelin kind of happy like. After oie marster dies we keeps hearin talk of Texas and me an my oie man, l a done been married several years den and had one little boy, well we gits in our covered wagon wid our little mules lAtched to it ~tnd we comes to Texas. We worked as shar croppers around Buffalo, Texas tu my oie man he died. ~y boy was nearly gvoin den so he wants to come to San Angelo and work, so here we is. He done been married long time now and got six chillun. Some of dem work at hotels, and cafes and fillin stations and in homes.

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 223 218

~ . ~ . ~.... t~ i~X-.SLAVE S~ORI~S Page One 21L~ ~ ~~1 (Texaa) ~ KL A. G. Pr~iitt wae born about 1861, a elave of the Magill family, in ~ ~ ~ St. Martinville, La. He livee in ~ a settlement of Negroes, on the . road. 1eadin~ from Monroe City to Ana~mac in a shanty made of f1at~ . -. - tened. tin cans, odd pieces of cor n~gated iron and ecrap lumber, held together with rope, nails and. tar paper. Pruitt migrated from Beau- mont to Monroe City when the oil ~ ~ boom came and. ekes out an existence doing odd jobs in the fielde. He is a small, muscular man, aressed. i~ faded work clothes arid heavy brogans, laced with string. I really does live in Bee~irnont, but when dey start dat t lk bout makin sich good. money in de oil fields I done move out here to git some of dat. It ain t work so good, though, and I been tearin1 down part my house dis week and plannin to move back. I ain~t lect ~zru.ch bout slavery time, cause I jes too 1i I but I can tel 1 s orne things my mama arid grannma done t 01 d me. u ~ ~ born in St . Mart mv 111e over j n Loul siana. I done go back to de old plantation onct but it 5tart to change den. Dave Magill he was de old massa and. Miss ~ rances de missy. My mama naine Bachel Smith and she born and raise right d.ere and. my daddy I am t never seed but mama say he n~n~ Bru.ford Pruitt. Dey brudders and sisters but only one livin and dat Clementine James in Beaumont. jes fore freedom us done move to Snowball, Texas, what was SOinewheree obst to Cold. Springs. Dey told us dey tryin keep us slaves I way from de Yankees . Dey everywhere j s ~ Ike dem I t 1 black ant s what gits in de sugar, only dey blue. l s jes de li l chile den, runnin I round in my split shirt . tail. Dem was sho fancy shirt tails dey make us Wore in dem d8~S . D~7 make ~ em on de loom j es in two p tee es ~ with ~ 1

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~x s1ave Stories p~e ~rwo 219 (Texae) a hole to put de head through and. nother hole at de bottom to put de lege through. Den ie split em up de side, so s u~s CO~Lld ran and play withoat dem tyin us roand de knees and. throw us down. Even at dat, dey shoe was&t nO good to do no tree climbin n you pull dem moe ~ up over you head. Us chilien ran down to de rail gate when us see dus ciotids coinin and watch de sojere ridin and marchin by. Dey ain t never do no fightin around us, but dey s gunboats down de bayous a ways and as could hear de big gLins from de other fights. Us liii niggers ~ iilce to wave to dem sojere, arid when de men on iiOSSC$ gq by, deyseern like dey more enjoyin cieyeelvee an de others. $1 ~ have de old. gramina what coLe from Tirginny. lier name Mandy Brown. Dey low her hi re her own t une out . She wasn t freeborn but dey give her dat much freedom. She co~ld go git her a job anywhere jes as long as she brung de old missy half what she done make. Iffen she make $5.00, she give Miss Prances $2.50 and like dat. De old. massa he plumb good I ain t Icnowed of but one dein mens on de place and culiud preachers. chilien have to ~o to he cabin and. too. He de shoemaker on de plantation. My mama done told me bout de dances day have in de quarters. 1~y tage de big sugar hogahead. and stretch rawhide over de top. Den de man straddle de barrel and beat on de top for de drum. Dat de onlies mu~sic dey have. to he slaves. He have a good many but what he ever whip. He have a church right Dey old Pet er Green and every i~ us be teach u.s prayers. He teach us to count, -2-

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Ex-~s1aVe Stories Page T~ij~ee (Texas) r H Us allus nave good. thin~B t o eat cabbage greens and. e orr~bread and ~ bacOfl. Jes good, plain food. Dey have a sugarhouse arid a old m~ cal). de ~ sugar boiler. He give us de cane juice out de kitties and ~io~ us tote off lots ~ dem cane jints to eat. Dat in June. De field. hands stay up in de big barn and shuck coni on rainy days. Dey shuck corn and sing. Tie chilien keep de yard. clean and tie weeds together to make brooms for de sweepin . Us sep rate de seed from de cotton and a old. woman do de cardi,n ~ Dey have nother old woman what do nothin on de scene Imt weave on de loom. t; One old. old. ~ lady what am moe oo old t o gi t und, she take care de chilien and. cook clerc food sep rate. She take big, black iron washpote and cook deiii plumb full of victuals. Come five in de evenint US have de bigges meal dat s~ seem long time ~ cause dey am t t feed u.s but two meal a day, not countin de eat in us do endurin dc ~ day. After freedom come us leave Snowball and go back to Louisiana. Old. massa am t give us nothin . I marry purty soon. I never go t o school but one month in my life. and. dat in New Iberia. I can sien mY naine and read it but dat all. UI works fu~st for Mr. William Weeks as de yardboy and. he pay me $7.00 de month. De fast money I gits I s ~O glad I runned and. take it to my ma~. I have de steja and he nearly die of de yellow fever. I s hardly able wait till I~s 21 and can vote. Dat my idea of somethin , moe as good as de tust time I wears pants. tu tries farmin aihile but dat ain t suit me so good, Den I gits me de job firm a steamboat on de Miss eip River, de steamer Mattie. She go

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Ex~slave Stories Page Four . 221 (Texas) from New Orleans through Morgan City. I fire in de sawmills, too. My fust wife naine Liny and us marry and live together 43 year and. den she die. In 1932 I marry a gal call Zellee what live In Beaumont arid she still dere. I ~ n~v~r have no chile in dis world. I, ~ lame all dese things bout ~ slav ery from my mama and grainma, cause I allus ask questions and dey talks to me lots. Dat s cause day s nobody but me and. I allue under dey feet s. ***** ******

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 227 222

I ~ 1 ~ ~ .~ ~ 4r~J ~) ( . EX-ELLVE STORIES Page O~e ( Texas) HARR~ Q~UABLS, 96, was bora ii Flardilce, }~1ssour1, a slave of John W. C~uarls, who sold. him to Chancy Gukiot, The latter owner moved to Texas, where Barre lived at the time of er~iaiicipatiok. Harre now lives ~ ii Madisoiville, Texas. His ~\ memory is very poor, but he ~ rnaue~ed to recall a few inci-~. dents of early days. ~ Massa Q,uarls he live ii Missouri, Place call Flardice. He : done give me to he soi, Ben, ~ he sold me to Massa Charley ~i~iot. Massa Chari~ come to Tex~s but I don t know whei. It s befo de freedom war, d&t all I knows, My daddy naine Dan and mammy Hannah. She was blind. I member us have smell room in back of dere house, with de bed. make from pole a and cowhide or deerhide, Our massa good to us. UI must be pu.rty big when ws come to Texas, cause I plows n.nd is stockznan back in Missouri. I don t know xactly how o 4-I is, but it am prob bly bout 96. I th1~k dat bout right. ~ lt Sir, us got one d~r a week and Christmas Day, was ail de ~ hail. day us ever heered. of and us c ould~n ~ t go anywhere cept us have ~ pass from c~ur massa to nother. If us slips off dem patterrollers gits ~ us. Patterroller hits 39 licks with de rawhide with de nine tails. ~ Patterroller gits 50 ceits for hittin us 39 licks. Captain, here am ~ de words to de patterroller song: ~ Run, nigger, run, patterroller cotch you, ~ How kin I n~n, he got me iii de woods ~ And all through de pasturer ~ White man na, but nigger r~n faster, ~ I Sir, us have everything to eat what s good but here 1* ~ Texas everybody eat beef and~ bread and. it ~m cook~d in oven in de fire .1-

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Ex~..s1ave Stories (Texas) .223 Page Two place and. in wasbpot out ir~ de open, Sir, de great day am when massa bru.ng jR de great fat Co oi a~ad p o ssiim. UCaptath, us has no ~ dem days 1~g de slaves. I d. ask massa could I have a gal if she lomg to iother massa, and she ask her massa could I come see here If dey says yes, I goes see her once de week with pt~ss. Boss, say, I had. three wives. When l s sot free dey wouldn t let inc livewith but one. Captain, that ain t right, cause I w9nts all three, My missus larnCd me readin aid writia1, ~Lfter freedom I taught de first nigger school. Dat in M~dic~on and Leon Counties. I s de oa .y nigger what c~x~ read and write in two settleneits. They was thousaids couldn t read and write. I ~ lieve it s 1861 when us come to Texas. Us camps at Neasho in Arkansas and then come through the Indian Nation. Massa was purty good. He treated. us jus tbout like you. would a good mule. ~ wore horseshoes ai~d rabbit feet for good. luck. Then us have de hoodoism to keep.massa from bein1 mean. Us git d.c stick z~ad notch so many notches on it and sup up to massa s front steps, with~it him seem us, and put this stick wader his doorsteps. Every night us go back to de stick and drive it down one notch. By time de last notch down in de ground, lt make massa good to us. Dat called hoodoism. Massa tells us W&S free on June teenth. I leaves. I made a fiddle out of a gourd fore freedom and lame t O Pl87 it I pla.~ed for dances after I~s free.

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~x~s1aTe Stories ~ Th 224 : (~exas) I marries F~mi1y Ualois z~nd us have de honrn weddi* but iot a*y preacher. Us jus tgreed. live together as ma* aid wife and that all they was to lt. Us have one ~aI and one boy. Emily leaves and I marries Iitxci*dy Willia~ns. ~ ~reacher marries us. Us Lave three boys and two gals. tey ai . farms *ow. I has some sixty odd grand and great gra~dchillen. ~tSay, boss, I wants to sine you ~ song fore you goes: Walkii i~ de parlor, Light~ni~ is a yaller gal. She live up ii d.e clouds. Thunder he is black ma*, Re can holler loud, Thei he ki sses lightila . She dart up in wonder, He jump up and grate de clouds; That what m~ ce it tbunder. ~ * .************

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~X.~sLAvEs Page One (Texas) ~*tu:it Eda RaLns, 94, was born a slave in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1853. In 1860 Eda, her brot}i~ra and mother, ; :ere bou~ht by a Mr. Carter and brought to Texas. SL~e now lives th Douglasvllls,, T~ xas. ~ I doL~?t m ~tber my first marster, 1cause my ma~.ray and Jim and. John ~ ;~O was LQ~ brothers, and rae wa~ soJ.3 when I was seven and. brought to C~u~las~, in Texas, to hire out. BeTh i,e lef Little Iock, whar I ~as ~r)rn, we was vaccirta~e1. for ~i~1ipox. ~.ie Caine through in a wagon to Texa3 aflQ camped xit at niht and we siep on the ~youn~. t~nen I s hired out to the To~lins at Douglass I sho ~ot lonesome or l s jus a litt1e~ girl, ~ know, and wanted t~ see ~:r mother. rhey put ~e to work parchin cof~Cee and r~y arm was still aore, and Itd pa ch arid cry, and pa ch and cry. Fth~1ly Mi ~sus Tomlin say, Y0u C~~fl quit now, She lookcd at my arm and then put me to ten~n~ c!:il?en. I was fannin the baby with a turkey wine faxi and I fell to sleep arid when the mi~sus ~eW itie she snatched the fan and str~tck me in the face with 1t~ This scar ~n my forehead is from that quill stuck ir~ my head. I ~1ept ort a pallet in the missus room and she bought me some c lothes. ~he had nine chull n, two boys and seven girls. But after awhtle she sol me to Marster Roac~k, and he b3nght riiy mother and Lily brothers, so we was to~edder again. Wt~ had our own cabin and two bed~s. ~very day at four they called us to the Mg house and give us flhilk and mush. The white chilien had to eat It, too. it WaS OTiS )~ Iflarst~r s ideas and he said ~ raised thati4way~ ~l..

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~X~LAV~~ s~ro~x~s P~ge Two 2~ (Texas) 6 Now, I mue tell you all tb~yt~~ Christmas. Ou~r biggest time was at Christmas. Marster d give us maybe fo bite to spend as we wanted and maybe we d bu. y a string of bead. or some sech notion. O~ Christmas ~ve we played games Young Gel Loves Candy, or Ride and Whoop . ~ Didn know nothin bout Santa Claus, never was lamed that, But we allus knowed what we d ~it on Christmas znornint Old. Mareter allus call us togedder and give lis new clothes, shoes too. He alius wen to town on the Eve and bru.ng back our things in a cotton sack. That oie sack d be cr~ed full of things and. we knewed. it was clothes and shoes~ ~ cause Marster &idII lieve in no f ooi ishnese. We got on pair shoes a year, at Christmas. Most times they was red and I d allus paint mine black. l s one nigger did.n like red, I d. skim grease off dishwater, mix it with soot from the chimney and. paint my shoes. In winter we wore woolen clothes and got ~en at Christmas, too. We was woke up in the iaornin by blowing of the conk. It was a big shell. It called us to dinner and if ~ything happened special, the cori~k ailus blew. t, I seed runaway slaves and marsi ~r kep ~ any he caught in a room, and. he chained ~n till he coult reach their marsters. We didn get lamed to read and write b~t they took care of us iffen we was sick, and. we made medicine ou.tta black willow and outta black snake root and boneset. It broke fevers on us, but, Lawey, it was a dosi. After freedom they toi us we could go or stay. I stayed a while but I married Clainborn Rains and~ lived at Jacksonville. We had ten chil~ len. The Lawd s been right good. to me, even if ITm blind. Nearly all ~y 01e white folks and my chilien has gone to Judgment, but I know the Lawd won t leave me here too long tfore I jines em. ~ .~ ****** .

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~ ~()j 08 ~L.sI~ :~ STCRL~S P~ One (Texas) MILLI~~~ R~kWDALL~ was born in Mississippi, but spent most of her slavery ~ on the 1 4n M~tillan farm, near Big Canc~, Louisiana. She is about 80 years old, thoegh her estimate of her actual age is vagua. She now lives in Beaumont, Texas. I was jes boat six year old when peace was dared and I donebeen born in Mi sei asippi but us move to Bayo~t Jacques, tother aide of Big Cane, in Louisiana. I a~~ be purty old. now. My name Millie Randall and my mammy, she call Bosse but I ~on t know nothin t ~t my pmw. My old massa name Dan ~~~1llan and he wife she name Laura. It esre ~ old wood cc~ntry where my wh ite folks was end us live way out . t~y rais. de corn ~ de cotton and when dey wasn t workin in de field, dey d~iggin~ c~tit Eitumps and movin lo~s and clearin up new ground. Dey have iota of goat s and sheep t 00, and raises dey own rice. Dey give us cuilud folks de ration in a sack right ~eg iar. It have jes plain food. in it, butplenty for .vsrybo&y. Missy have de bi~ pla~k hou.e and us have de little log h(~PUSe. Us have jes old pla& beds and no furniture. Us clothes m~ks out good, strong clOth, but dey was plain ~8~CS. All us white folks was mean, I tells you de truf. T,s, Lawd, i: seed. dem be~ and almost kilt on us own place. That dey beat dem for? t Cause dey cou~ld~n1t he ~p demselves, I guess De white folks havi de niggers like dey want dem and dey treat d~a bad. It were de

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Stories Page Two ~ ~ (Texas) old, buily, seen over~eere what was dom de beatin up with d. nigger. arid I guess dey would have kilt me, but I m too little to beat wich. I heered. ~bixit dem Yadcees drivln dey hosses in de white folks hou e and m~,)cin dem l.t dem sat offen de table, Another tlae, dey coins to de plantat ion and all de niggers locked in de barn . Dose sold~ier~ go in de house and find de white bOss man hidi~n in 1tween de mattresses and dey stick swords through de mattrsse and kilt hia. Some de white folks hides dey silver sud other thirge what worth lote of unoney and hang deis down in de well, so de Yankees not fi~id dem. But dey find. dem anyway. r~7 brea}cs open a store what was 13ck up and. told de nigger. to git ail dey wants. D. woiien ketches up de bottom of dey ekirt r~ind. de waist and fill dem ~tp with everything d~ey wants, ~After freedoi~ old aassa not t3,0~ ~y aamrny have us chilien. 3e talces me and my brother, Benx~, in de wagon and druv us round and round so dey couldn t find us. My mammy has to git de J~avtice of de Peace to go make lila turn u~ a..loose. He brung us to ~ir aam~~ and wi~s we glad to see her. UI clan t ~no~b~r zactly when I git aarry. It was at Big Cane arid when I git marry I J es git aarry d&t e all ~ ~.Y was thre Chille~ but dey all dead now and so mY husban . se**s.s*.

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420263 i3~X-SLAVE STORIES Page One (Texas) LAURA BEfl~4OUN was born about 1855, a slave of th. Roberteon family, in Jonsst~wu(now abeorb.d. by M*iiiphle) Tenn.se.e. Lau~ra I s a quaint rotund fig-. ui s of a woman, a living pictin-e of a comic opera mammy. She livse at 3809 M8y0 St., Dallas, Texas. The fi~nny thing bou.t me is, ITs a present td the white folks, right off, They s lookin for my ma~imy t o have a baby and, Gawd. bless, Ils borned twins, a boy and a girl. When Its six months old, ~L1ss Gusta, my old missy s daughter, marries Mr. Scru~gs, and I s give to h~r for a wed.d ~ prisent. !!~jQ5 Gt18t~ ~1 proud of me and. I slip right on the fest of her bed. ~Ye livedat 144 Third. ~xchange Street in Memphis. 511e didn t hay. but two slaves rae and. Lucy, the co 0k. Law, I dI .n t know I was no slave. 3: thunk I s white and plumb indiff snt frog the niggers. I . right e prised when I finds out I~s nigger, jus like the other black faces! I had. good. t unes and j es ~ plcyed. round. and got in devilinsnt. Some-. times Mr. Scruggs say, Its gwine whip dat brat, but Miss Gusta allus say, No you, aintt gwin. lay you hands on her and if in you doss I~m gwine quit you. Miss Gusta was indiff ant to Mr. Scruggs in quai ity. H. fooled her to marry him, lettin on he got a lot of things he ain t. I seen soj.rs all togg.r.d up in uniforms and rnarchin and wavin . Plenty times they waves at mi, bUt I didn t know what it. all ~b 1~t. ~ Otusta allue took me to church azid most times I went to sleep by h.r feet, aAt when I s bout eight the Lawd gits to workin right inside 010

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Page Two j~~.s1ave Storils (Texas) me and I perks up and listens. Purty soon the glory of Gawd sc nded. right down ~ on rae ~fld I didn1t know nothin e1se~ i ru~ away up into the ridges and crosses ~ a creek on a foot og. I stays up round them caves In tal . cane and grass where pWitherS and bears is for three days fore they finds me. They done hear me ~ praisin Gawd an. shoutin , ~I got Jesus. w~.xi ta., finds me I done slap the ~ sides out my dress, ies~ slappin my h~mds down and praisin the Lawd. That was a gooa dress, too. I heared tell of some niggers wearin cotton but not me I weared percale. ttThey done take me home and Miss Gusta say, You ain t in no fittin condit i~n to j me a church right . now. You got to cairn dovm sid.srable first. But when Its nine : ear old she talces me to the Trev.sant St. Baptist cimrc~ and lets me jjne and I~s baptised in the Mississippi river right there at Memphis. Bout that time the Fed rais come into M.xriphis and. scared the daylights out of folks. ~Aiss Otista calls rue and wrops ray hair in front aM puts her jewelry in under the plaits and pulls them back and. pins them clown so you. couldn t ss nothin ~ She got silverware and giw. lt to rae and I r~n in the garden and buries it. I hid it plenty good, tcauss we lik to never found ~t after the Fed rals was gone. They come right up to our hous ~nd Mr. Scruggs run out the back door and tried to leap the rail fence in the backyard. H. cotchsd the seat of his pants on the top rail and hung there aiangl in till the Fici rais pulls him down. H. hurt his leg and it was a bad place for a long time, When I ...d him hangint there I cut a d.ido and kep scr.ainin 1Mi as ~ Gusta, he e a~dyin ai~4 them Fed rais got plumb t icki. cd at me. t1They went in th. smok.hous. and got ai . th. sugar and rice and etrowed it up and down the strs.te afld flOt C$Xifl~ at ~ll that victuals was scarcer thw~ ~ lisa s teeth in them parts3 . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ :~... ~ .~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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Ex.slaV~ Stories Page Three ~ ( Texas) Then Miss Gusta done tell me I wasn t no slave no urnre, but, shucks, tha.t don t rat~an nothin to ~ c~us~ I ain t never knowed. I was one. In them times the Ku Klux got to ekuilduggerin round ~nd done take Mr. Scruggs and give him a whippin but I never heared what it had to do about. He don t like them none, nowvs, and shets hisseif up in the house. He a curious kind of mai, it pear to me, iffen I s to tel). the plain out truth. I don t Ui ink he was much but kind of t rashy, ~ I~s seventeen M1s2 Giista sickened and suffered in her bed in terrible fashion. She begs the doctors to tell her if she s a dyin so she C ould ei e ar up bus ins ss ~ fote she pass .d. away. She t o~k three days and fixed things up ~nd told me she didn t want to leave rae friendless and lone. She wanted UI, to git married. I had a man I thunk I d think well of marryln ~nd Miss Gusta t~lVS me ~way on her bed at the weddin in her rom, She told my husband not to cuff me none, 1cau8e I never been bused in my life, and to this day I ain t never been hit a lick in my life. Liy first baby was born the year of the big yellow fever in New Orleans. I had six chilien but they all died when they s littl. from crespin spasms. I ~dverti~es round in the papers and finds my maniny ~nd she come and lived with me. She s in a pitiful shape. l or. the co~sin of war her master done sold her and the man what bought her wasn t so light on his niggers. She said he made her wear breeches and tote big, heavy logs ~nd p~Ow with oxes. One the men knocked . her on back the head with a club and from that day she allus shook her head. from side to side all the tim., like sha couldn t git her mind straight. She told me my paw fell off a bluff in M.i~iphis and stuck a sharp rock right through his head. They propped. him in a blanket and buried him. That s ~ll I ever knowed bout him.

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232 . Ex~slave Stories Page B our (Texas) ttMy husband was a good man and a good work r~ We farmed and I worked for white folks. W1 took a notion to come to p,xas and I been In these parts ever since. ~ ~ . III c1OI1~t haveno complaint to m2~1C . I seen some hard times, but l s able to do a little work ~~id keep goin . They Is so many mean folks in the world and so many good. ones, end l~m mighty pro~xd to say my whit. folks was good ones.

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u :t ~~ J ~L-SLAV~ ST~IE8 ~ Page One ~ (Tees) ~ r_ > ~ ~ELSI~E Rg~c~, 90, was born a slave of Joim }Lueldrew, in Grimes County, Texas. Xlsie came to Fort forth in 1926 to live with her only remaining child, Mrs. Luffin Baker, who supports ~1sie with the aid. of her $7,00 monthly old. a~e pension. this borned in Grimes Co~rnty, ninety years ago. L~t am long time, child. It am heap of change since den. ~Ve couldn t see dem airplanes lyin in de air and. hear folks sing and talk a thousand miles away. ~ hen I s de young un de le you could hear anybody am bout a quarter mile and den dey has to holler like a stuck hawg. My massa s name am John Mtteldrew and. he have a small plantation near Navasota, and. bout twenty cullud folks, nos of tem lated to each othe r. The re was seven chilien in max~ny s family and I s de baby. Pappy dies when I s a year old, so I don ~ mem~e~~ him. tl Dey iarnt me t o weave clot h and sew, and. my bru~dder am de shoenu~ker. My mammy tend de dows and Uncle Joim am de carpenter. De Lawd bless us with de good xnassa. Massa John die befo de war and. Missie Mary marries Massa Mike Hendricks, and he good, too But him die and yOung Massa Jim Mueldrow take charge, and him jus as kind as he peppy. t Nother thing am change a heap . Dat buyin all us wears and eats. Gosh mighty, when l s de gall, it am awful li l us b~iys. Us raise nearly all to eat and i~raar and. has good. home-raised meat and aU de milk and butt er us wants and f~it ~nd lasses and eggs and. tea and coffee onet a week. Now I has to live on $7.00 a month and what place am I bes ~ off? 1 ~ de as s place . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -1

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Ex~s1ave Stories Page Two (Texas) ~ .~ ~ ~Te uns has S~iMays off and goes to church. Old. man Buffington V preaches to us after dinner. Dere am allus de party on Saturday night . on our place or same other place nearby. We git d.e pass and lt say what F time to be home. Itde nile, twelve o clock. We danees~de quadrille and ~ sings and sich, De music ara fiddles. Bu~t de big time and. de happy time for all us cullud. folks am Christmas De white folks has de tree In de big house and somethin for all us, When Ml ss je Mary holl er Santa Claus botit due I ~ all gathers at de doo r and purty soon Sent a pears with de red coat and 1 ong white whiskers in de room all lit with candles. He gives us each de sack of candy and. a pair of ~hoes from de store. Massa never calls for work frcxn Christmas to New Years, cept chores. Dat whole week am for cel bration. So you. sees how good massa am. Young Massa Jim and. Sam jines de army and I helps make dem a~y . clothes. X s bout fotirteen den. Lots of young men goes and lots never comes back. Sam gits his right leg shot off and dies after he come home, bLt Jim lives. Den su.rrender come and Massa Jim read de long paper, He say, .1 splaln to y as. It de order from de gov raent what make it gainst de law to keep yous slaves . T0u should seed dem cullud folks . Dey t plumb shock. Dere faces l nig as dere ax~n, and so pester dey don t ~ow what to say or do. HMass~ never say nother word and. walks away. De cullud folks say, t There we uns gwlne live? What uns gwine do? Dey fret s all night . ~ Nex mOrnin massa sey~ What yOU~U.ns gwlne do? Uncle JQbn say, When ~ ~r1Ia~9 Den massa lat~ghe hearty and sa~ dey V can stay for wages

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~x s1ave Stories Page Three (Texas) ttWell, sar, dere a banch of happy cullud folks after dey larnt dey could stay and. work, andmy folks stays nearly dey could stay and. work, ath my folks stays nearly two years after ~ pation. Den us all move to Navasota and. hires o~t as cooks. I cooks till I s eighteen and. den marries John Love. He am &e carpenter and right off builds a house on land he buy from Dr. Terrell, he old. massa. I has four chilien, and dey all dead. now. He died in 1881, way from home. He s on his way to Austin and draps dead. from some heart mis ry. Dat ~ big sorrow in my life. There I is, with chilien to support, so I goes to cookin gain and we has some purty close times, but I does it and sends dem to school. :r don t want dein to be like dey mammy, a un.knowledge person. ~ fter eight years I marries Dave Reece and has two chilien. He am de Baptis preacher and have a good church till he died, in 1923. Den soon after I gits de letter from old. Missie Mary, and she am awful sick. She done write and visit me all dem years since I lef de old. plantation. I draps everything and goes to her and. she am awful glad to see me. She begs me not to go back home ~nd one day she dies sudden~-like with a heart rais~ry. She de bes friend I ever has. UI canes to ?ort Worth in 1926 and lives with ray daughter. l s paralyze in de right side and can t wc~rk no more, and it aa fine I has de good. daughter.

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t4)iy~)1 ) . ~fr ~ ~ ~ ~L.PSLAV1~ STORIJ~S PageOne 2~6 ( Texas) MARY REYNOLDS claims to be moreth~m a hundred ~rears old. She was born in slavery to the Kilpatrick f~n1ly, in Black River, Louisiana. ~iax~r now lives at the Dallas County Con~ valescent Home. She has been blind for five ~rears and. is very feeble. i ~y p~wt s name was Tom iT~ughn and he was from the north, born free man and lived and died free t o the end of his days. He wasn t no eddicated rn~n, but he was what he calls himself a piano m~n~ He told me once he lived in New York ~nd Chicago ~nd he built the insides of pianos and knew how to m~e them pl~y in tune, He said some white folks from the south told he if he1d corne with them to the south he d find a lot of work to do with pianos in them parts, nnd he come off with them. t He saw my maw on tne Kilpatrick place and her man was dead. He told Dr. Kilp~trick, my massa, ne d bu~r my maw and her three chillun with all the ~:ioney hC hn~d, iffen he d sell her. )k~t r. Kilpatrick was never one to sell pny but the old ni~ers who w~s part wortin in the fields and past their breedin times. So . i~y pnw marries my maw and works the fields, s~e as any other nigger. They had six ~a1s: Martha ~nd Panda r~nd Josephine and ~llen ~uid K~ her me and me. I was born s~inetime as Miss Sara Kilpatrick. Dr. Kilpatrick s first wife and my m~w come to their time right together. Miss Sara s maw died and they brung i~ SS Sara to suck with me. It s a thing ~ e ai&t flCVCT forgot. ~1y in~w~s name w~s Salue and Miss Sara allus looked with kindness on m~ flaw.

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~x_s1aVeStOr1e8 Page Two (Texas) ~e sucked till we was a fair size and pl~yed together, which wasntt no common thing. None the other li l niggers played with the white chillun. Bat Mjss Sera loved me so~good. HI was jus bout big nough to start playin with a broom to go bout sweepin up and not even half dom it when Dr. Kilpatrick sold. me. They was a old white man in Trinity and his wife died and he dldntt have chick or child or slave or nothin , Massa sold me cheap, ~cause he didn t want Mise Sara to pl~v with no nigger young~un. That old. man bought me a big and left inc all day, with the door open. I jus sot on the with that doll. I used to cry. He d come home and. give me and then go to bed, and I slep on the foot of the bed with all the time in the dark. He never did close the door. ~ Liiss Sara pined and sickened. Massa done what no peartness in her. She got Bicke.L and sicker, He say, You 11,1 gal is grievin the life out her body and she sho gwine die iffen ~rou don t do sornethin bout it Miss Sara says over and over, I wants Mary. Massa say to the doctor, That a li~l nigger ~young~un I done sold. The doctor tells him he better git me back iffen he wants to save the life of his child. Dr. Kilpatrick has to give a big plenty more to git ne back than what he sold me for, but Miss Sera plumpe up right off r~th grows into fine health, Then ifiassa marries a rich lady from Mississippi and they has chillun Ic? company to Miss Sara and seem like for a time ehe forgits me, doll and went off floor and played somethint to eat him. I was scart he could, and massa but they brung nother wasnt t doct or.

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~~~1aVe Stories Three (vexas) ~ ~. ~ : ~Massa Kilpatricic walntt no piddlin man. Re was a man of plenty. He had a big hOUSe with no more style to it t~i~n a crib, but lt could room plenty people. He was a medicine doctor an~ tiiey was rooms in t~ie second story for sick folks what come to lay in. it would take two days to go all over the land he owned. He had cattle and stock and sheep and moretn~ a hundred slaves and more be ides. He bought the bes of niggere near every time the spec lators c~e that way. He d m~1ce a swap of the old ofles and give money for young ones what could work. He raised corn and cotton and cane and ttatere and gooberB, sides Uis peas and other feedin for the niggere, I tmember I helt a hoe handle mighty onsteady when they put a old w~en to lam me and eome other chillun to scrape the fields. That old. woman would be in a frantic,She d show me and then turn bout to show some other li 1 nigger, ax~. I d have the young corn cut clean as the grass. She say, ?or the love of Gawd, you better lam it right, or Solomon will beat the breath out you 1 Old man Solomon was the nigger driver. Slavery was the worst days was ever seed in the world. They was things past tellin , but I got the scars on my old body to show to this d~r. I seed worse than what happened to me. I seed them put the men and women in the stock with they hands screwed down throtigh holes in the board and they feets tied together and they naked behinds to the world. Solomon the the overseer beat th~i with a big whip and massa look on. The ni&~ere better not stoP in the fields when they hear them yell They cut the flesh most to the bones and.aome they was when they taken them out of stock and put th.em on the beds, they ~ver got up again.

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~x~.eIaVe Stories T0ur ~ (Texas) When a nigger died they let his folks come out the fields to see him . afore he died. They buried him the same day, take a big plank and. bust it with : ~ ~ in the middle nough to bend it back, and put the dead. nigger in betwixt it. They cart them down to the graveyard on the pince ath not bury them deep nou~gh ~. that buzzards wouldn t ccxie circj.int round. Niggers mourns now, but in them days they wasn t no time for mournin~, ~ The conch shell blowed afore daylight and all hands better git out f a roll call or Solomon bust the door down and git then out. It was work hard, git beatin s and half fed. They br~ng the victuals and water to the fields on ~ a si ide pulled. by a old mule. Plenty tixn~s they was only a half barrel water and it stale and hot, for all us niggers on the hottes days. Mostly we ate pickled pork ~md corn bread and peas and beans and taters. They never was as ~nuch as we needed. Plie times I hated most was pickin cotton when the frost was on the boils. My hands git sore ~nc~ crack open and. bleed. We d have a li l fire in the fields and iffen the ones with tender hands couldn t stand lt no longer, we d ru~n and warm our hands a I j :i bit When I o ould et eal a ~ t ater, I used to si ip it in the ashes arid when I~d run to the fire Pd talce it o~t and eat it On the sly. 111n the cabins it was nice and. warm. They was built of pine boardin and ~ they was one long rom of them up the h13.1 back of the big house. Near one side ~ of the cabins was a fireplace. They d bring in two, thiee big logs and put on ~ the fire and they d last near a week. The beds was made out of puncheons fitted ~ in holes bored in the wall, and pl&flks laid tcross them poise. We had tickin ~ alattresses filled with corn Shucks. Sometimes the men build chairs at night. We ~ did~It know mu.ch bou~t havin ~othin though. L ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~

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Page Five j~j~siave Stories 2 (Texas) Someti~es massa let niggers have a li l p~.tch. They d mise ttaters or goober s. They lik~d to hi~~e thera to help fill out on the victuals. T~ters ronsted i~T) the ~shes was the best t~i~ti~~ ~tin i ever h~d. I could die better satisfi~!d to h~ve just one more tate: ronst~d in hot ashes, The niggers had. to work th~ p~che~ at night rind d~g the taters ~nd go ~ b ~rs at night, Then if they ~nted to sell ~nv in town they d have to ~it ~. p~ss to c~O~ They had to go ~t ni~ht, ~c~use they couldn t ever spnre ~ hnnd from the fields. ~Qnce in a while they d give us a 1i i piece of Sat d~y evenint to wash out clothes in th , brnnch. We h~inged them on the ground in the woods to di~v. They was t~ pl~ce to wash clothes from the weil, but they was so mnriy niggers all couldn t git round to it on Sund~rs. When they d git thT aigh with the clothes on Sat d~y e~ven~.r1s the niggers which sold they goobers ~nd ttaters brun~ fiddles and guitars and co:ne out pind play. The others clap they hnnds ~nd stomp they feet and we yO1~n~-1L~ns cut a step round. I was plenty bi~:gity nnd liked to cut a step. 11~e was scart of Solomon ~nd his whip, though, and he didn t like froiickin . He didn t like for us nigge~s to pr~v, either. 7e never heared of no church, but us hnve pra~rint in the cabins. ~?e d ~et on the floor ~nd pray with our heeds ~._awn low rand sirg low, but i~ Solomon heared he d corae ~nd beat on the wi~Ll with the StOCi~ of his whip. He d sny, 1I~li corne in there ~nd tear th~ hide off you brck~.t~ But some the old ni~gers tell us we ~ot to pray to Gawd that he don t tnlnk different of the blrcks and the whites. I know that Solomon is btu nin in nell toc~y, ~nd it pleasures me to know it. Once my m~w ~nd p~w taken me and Katherine after night to slip to nother place to p pr~yin and singin . ~ nigger rnnn with white beard toi d us a daY ~i:~ Coniint when fliggers only be slaves f Gawd. ?i e prays for the end of Trib lation

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i~x~s1ave Stories Page Six (Texas) and the end of beatin s ~ f~ thoes that fit our feet. We prayed that us niggers could have all we wanted to eat and special for fresh meat. Some the old ones say we have to bear all, ~cause that ai . we can do. Some say they wa3 glad to the time they s dead, cause they d rather rot in the ground than have the beatinTs, That I hated most was when they d beat rae and I didn t know what they beat me for ~id I hat ed them rae naked as the d~r I was born. When we 8 comm1 back from that ayi I thunk I heared the nigger dogs and somebody on horseback. I say, Maw, its thera nigger hounds ~nd th~y 11 e t us up. You co~1d hear them old. hounds and sluts abavin . Maw listens and say, Sho nou~h, them dogs am runnin and Gewd help us~ ~ Then she and. paw talk and they t~1ce u.s to a fence corner and stands us up tgainst the rails and say don~t move and if anyone comes near, don t bre~he loud. They went to the woods, so the hounds chnse them and not git us. Me and Katherine stand there, holdin hands, shakin1 sO we can hardly stand. We hears the hounds come nearer, but we don1t move. They goes after paw and. maw, ~x ~t they circles round to the cabins and. gits in. Maw say its thepower of G~awd. In them deys I weared shirts, like all the young1uns. They had. collars and comebelow the knees and was split up the e ides . That e all we weared in hot weather. The men weared jeans and the women gingham. Shoes was the worst es trouble. ~e wearec3 rough russets when it got cold, and it seem powerful strange they d never git them to fit. Once when I was a young g9~L, they gct nie a new pair and all bras s etude in the t 0es . They was t 00 ii ~ 1 ~Or but I had to weg, them. The brass trimznin ~ CUt into m~v~ ankles and them places got iiiis ble

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~x~slrVe Stories Page Seven (Texas) bad. I rubs tallow in them sore places ami wrops r~s roun . them j~nct my sores got. wOr~er nncl worser. The scars are there to this day. ~$I w~sn t sick much, though, Some theni~~rs hnd chills and fever a lot, b~t t,hey ki~dn t discovered ~ ~n~v d1s~as~s then aS now. Dr. Kilpatrick give sick nig~ers ipec~c ~nd as~!oetida ~ r~d oil and turpentine ~nd b1~ck fever pills. They vr~.s r~ cabin called the spinnin house ~nd two looms mid two spinfliri wheels goin ~11 the time, arid two ni~~r women sewtn~ nil the time. It tOOk plenty SeWifl to iunke all the things f~r a p1~ce so big. Once m~sa goe~, to Baton Rouge ~nd brung br~ck a y~11~r g~t1 dressed In fine st~1e. She w~s r~ se!:?mst~r ni~g~r. He builis her a house ~wpy frm th~ iunrters ~nd she done fine Sr3W~fl~ for the whites. Us n1g~ers knowed the doctor took n black wom~n auick as rie did r~ white ~nd t0)k an~r o~ his placehe wanted, and he took them often. But rnost1~T th~~ chillun born on th~ p1~ce .o~ked like ni~gers. Aunt Che~vney allus say four of hers wps rn~tss~ s, but h-~ didn t cive them no mind. But this yaller g~1 br~ds so fast t~xxd gits a mess of white croung uns. She larnt them fine manners nnd combs out they hai. r. ~ Onct two of them goes down the hill to the doll house where the Ki1patrici~ chilkui ~rn p1~yin . They wantsto ~o In the dolihouse ~fl(1 one the Kilpatrick boys sa~r, That s for white chi1iun~ They si , 1I~7~~ ain t no niggers, ~caus~ we ~ot the srun~ d~ath1y :~ou has, ~nd he cora~s to see us near every d~ and fotch~s us CiOth~~ ~nd th1n~s fro~n town., They is fussin and Missy Kilpatrick is listenin out her Ch~jflber windows She h~ard them white nigger~ s~v, 1He is ~ur daddy and we call him daddy when he comes t o our h~us e to see OlL~ rnamn,

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Page Xlght ex slaVe Stories ~ (Texas) O When massa ca~r home th&t evenin his wife hardly say nothin to him, and he ask her what the matter and she tells him, Since y~i asks me, Vm studyint in my mind bout them white young1uns of that ~ller nigger wench from Baton Roi~ge. He say, NOW, hnney, I fotches that gi l ju~~ foe you, cause she a fine seamster.1 She say, It look kind of funny they got the same kind f hair and eyes as my chillun 9nd they got a nose looks 111e yours.1 He say, Honey, you just p~y1~1 ttent ion t o talk of li I chillun that am t got no mind to what they Bay. ~ She say, Over in Mississippi I got a home and plenty with my daddy and I got that in my niind. ~e11, sh~ didn t never leave and mnssa bought her a fine, new span of surrey hosses. But she don t never h~ve no riore chullun and she ain t so cordi~i ~ with the massa. Margaret, that yallow gal, has more white youngtuns, but they ~ don t nev~r go down the hill no more to the big house. ~ Atint Cheyney was jus out of bed with a su&lin baby one time, and she ~ run away. Some sa~r that was ~ nother bab~r of massa 8 bThec1ifl~ ~ She don t come ~ to the house to nurse her baby, so they misses her and bld. Solomon gite the ~ nigger hounds ~ takes her trail. They gits near her and ehe grabs a limb and ~ tries to hist herself In a tree, but them dogs grab her and pull her down. The men hollers them onto her, and the d~s tore h~r naker arid et the breast s plumb off her body. She gt well and lived to be a old woman, but nother ~oman has to ~ suck her baby and she ain t got no sign of breasts no more. - ~ ~ They give all the niggera fresh meat on Christmas and a plug tobacco ~ all round, The highes CO tton picker git s a su lt Qt clothes and all the wogen what ~ had twine that year gits a outftttln Of clothes for the twins and a double, ware

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Page Nine ~x~slave Stories 2~~4 Texas) Seems like after I got bigger, I member more n more niggere run ~w~zT, They s most ~llus cotched. Massa used. to hire out his niggers for wage apfl(1S. One time he hired me ~nd a nigger boir, ~urner, to work for some ornery white trash n8~zne of Kidd. One day Turner goes off and don t come back. Old~ man Udd s:~~v I Imowed bout it, ~nd he tied my wrists together and stripped me. He ~anged me by the wrists from a limb on a tree and spraddled my legs round the ;runk ~x d tied my feet together. Then he beat me. He heat me worser than I ever )~en beat before and I faints dead away. When I come to Pm in bed.. I didn t ~re so much iffen I died. UI didnit know bcmt the passin of time, but Miss Sara come to me. Souie rh~te folks done ~:lt word to her. Mr. Kidd. tries to talk hisseif out of it, but :155 Sara fotches me home when I~m well flough to move. Skie took me in a cart ~nd ray rn~w takes care of me. Massa looks me over good and says I~l1 g t well, but Tin ruin~ for breedin chillun. After while I taken a not ion to marry and nassa and missy marries us aine as all the ni~ers. They stands inside the hotise with a broom held crosswise f the door and we stands outside. Missy puts a li l wreath On my head they kept here and we st eps over the broom Into the house . Now, that ~ s all they was to he in,~rvjn After freedom I ~its married and has lt put in the book by a preacher. One d~y we was workln1 in the fields and hears the conch shell blow, so e all E~Oes to the back gate of the big house. Massa ala there. He say, Call the oil for eve~ nigger big ncmgh to walk, and. I want s them to go t o the river and ~it there. They s gwine be a ~ show and I wants you to see lt. They was a big boat )wn there, done built up on the sides with boards and holes in the boards and a *9,

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~x.-.s1aVe Stories ~ Paie Ten ~ (Texas) . ~ .. ~n it gu~n barrel st~ckin through every hole, ~e p4n t never seed nothint 1 ike that. Massa goes up the plank onto the boat ~nd comes out on the boat porch. He say, This ~ia ~ a Yankee boat . He goes inslde and. the water wheels st~ ts taovin and that boat goes inovint up the river and they says it goes to Natches. The boat wasn t more n out of eight when a big drove of sojers comes into town. They s~y they s Fed rals. More n half th~niggers goes off with them sojers, but I goes on back horns cause ~ m~r old. mammy. Next diV them Yankees is swanui1~ the place. Some the niggers wants to show them somethin , I follows to the woods.. The niggers shows them sojers a big pit in the ground, bigger n a big houses It is got wooden doors that lifts up, but the top am sod~ded and grass growin on it, so you. couldn t tell it. In that pit is stock, hosses aM cows and miii es and money and chinaware and. s liver and a mess of stuff them sojers takes. We jus sot on the place dom nothin till the white folks comes home. Miss Sara come out to the cabin and say she wants to read a letter to my mammy. It come from Louis Carter, which is brother to my mammy, and he done follow the 1ed rais to Galveston. A white man done write the letter fcr him. It am tored. in half aM massa d.one that. The letter say Louis am worklnt in Galveston and wants mammy to corne with us, ~nd he ll pay our way. Miss Sara say massa swear, Damn Louis Carter. I ain t gwine tell Saille nothin , and he starteto tear the letter up. But she won t let him, and she reads it to m~m7. After a t line massa takes all his niggers what wants t o Texas with him and mammy gits to Gaj. ~eston and. dies there. I goes with massa to the Tennessee COlOny and then to Navas ota. Mise Sara marriec Mr. T Coleman arid goes to ~l Paso. She wrote and told. me to come to her and I aflus meant t O ~O.

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~x~s1aVe Stories ~ Page 11 (Texas) My husband and me farmed round f~r times, and then I done housework and cookin f~r many years. I come to D~1ias an& cooked seven year for one white family. My husband died years ado. I ~ttess Miss Sarabeen dead these long years. I alILLs kep my years by Miss Sara s years, ~count we is born so close. I been blind and nios helpless for five year. I~rn gittin ini~ghty en~ feeblin and I ain t walked outside the door for a long time back. I sets and members the times in the world. I members now clear as yesterdey things I forgot for a long time. I tmembers bout the days of slavery and I don t lieve they ever gwine have slaves no more on this earth. I think G~awd done took that bu~rc~en offen his black chillun and. I ~m aimin to praise hirn for it to his face in the days of Glory what ain~t SO far off.

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4Y2()~38 ~L.SLAVi~ STORIES Page One (Texas) V1AIJT~1B RIME 90 warn b orn a slave of Captain Hatch, in San Patricio County, Texas. After Walter was freed, he helped his father farm for several years, then worked as a cook for fifteen years on the King Ranch. He moved to Fort !orth and cooked for Mrs. &rthur ~oetz for twent~-~five years. He lives at 913 E. Second St., Fort ~ orth. You wants to know bout slavery? Vieil, I s had. a deal happen sides dnt b~t I s born on Captain Hat ch s plantation, cross de bay from Corpus Christi. He liad somewlieres near fifty slaves, and mammy told me he ~iyed. her in ~ennt~ssee and pappy in South Carolina. Massa Hatch ~xi~srs ~nd sells ni~gers s os~ie dem days but he am t a ni~ge r t rader. Dein sales am onething what make de pression on me. I hears de old folks whisper bout gwine h~ve de sale and bout noon dere a~ a crowd of white folks in de front yard and a nigger trader with he slaves. Dey sets up a p1at~ form in middle de cr9rd and one white man gits on dat and nother white man cornes up and has a white woman with him. She pears to be bout fifteen ~ ears old and has long, black hair down her back. Dey puts her on de platform and ~en I hears a screen, and a woman what look like de gal, cries out, 1,11 cut my throat if lay daughter am sold. De white man goes and talks to her, arid fin ly lows her to take de young gal away with her. Dat sho stirs up Some motion mOn~st de white folks, but dey say d9t gal bi~ve jas a li l nigger blood and can be sold for a slave, but she look white as anybody I ever seed. t, I pull s weeds and runs errands while I s a child . ~vYe has some good eats but has to steal de best things from de white folks. Dey never give us none of them. ~e has roastifl ears better n dey cooks dem now. 7e puts dem, ShUcks and. all, in de hot ashes. Meinio~r makes good ashcake, with salt and corn nieal and. bacon grease and. flats lt out with de hands. 1

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Page Two Ex slave S to ries 2 ~ 8 (Texas) ~tMassa a~d misaus took dey goodness by spells like. Sometimes day was hard to ~it long with and sornet lines dey was easy to git long with. I don t know de cause, but it am ~o, De mostest trouble am bout de work, Dey wants you to work if 70U can or can t . My pap~j have d.c back mis r~r and. many de time I see~d him crawl to de ~r1st mill. Him am buyed tcause hirn am de good injilliand. He tells us his pappy am white, and dat one reason he am de run-.awayer. l s scairt p_11 de t ime ~ cause he run away., I seed hirn git on~ whippin and nothin I can do cept stand dere and cry. Dey gits wh1ppi~~s every time ~iassa feels cross. One slave naine Bob Loves when ra~ssa start to whip him he cuts his throat and ~ dives into de river. He am dat scairt of a whippin dat he kilt himself. ~ t1My peppy wasn1 t fraid of nothin . He e~n ii~ht cullud. from de white . blood, and he runs away sCV1 rai times. Dere ara bi~ woods i~l1 round and we ~ sees lots of run~.awayers. One old fellow naine JoIin been a ntn-awayer for four years and de patterrollers tries all dey tricks, but dey can t cotch him. ~ Dey wants him bad, tcause it spire other slaves to run away if he stays a-~loose. Dey s ot s de trap for him . Dey I~nows he like good eats so dey ranges for a quilt in and gives chiti in s and lye horn mey. John cornes and am inside when de ~ patterroll rs rides up to de door. Everyboty gits quiet and John stands near de door, and when dey starts to come in he grabs de shovel full of hot ashes and ~ throws dem into de patterrollers faces. He gits through and. runs off, hollerin , ~ Bird in de air! e ~ s One wom~ name Rhodie runs off for lone spe U De hounds won t hunt he r. ~ She steels hot light bread when dey puts lt ~n de window to cool, and lives On I dat, She told my mammy how to keep de hounds fr a followin you is to take ~ black pepper and put it in you socks and run wlthomit iou shoes. It make de

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Ex slave Stories Page Three 2~~9 (Texas) hounds sneeze, One day Vs in d.c woods and meets de nigger run~wayer. He comes to de cabin and mammy inr kes him a bcon and eg~g sandwich and we never seed. hirn ~ Maybe he done got clear to J~1exico, where a lot of de slaves runs to. De first we knows bout war ~nd when some Union ships comes into de Bay and shoots at Corpus Christi. ~Vhen dat shootin start, all de folks round us takes to de woods and sev ral am still gone. Dey am shakin all over. 9 Bout de third wear of de war massa mOVeS up to Clinton, but he moves back, cause he can t rn~ke no money dere . Den he h~ve ~l 1 de quarters move up close to de big house, so if we tries to make de run fr lt in de night he can cotch us. I~t no use, 1cause de on~s what am still with him won t run anyway. One day I seed massa settin on de ~al ry and hirn face all screw up. He says, GPo git you maxnzriy ~nd everybody. I goes a~-.flyin . My shirt tail don t hit my b:ck till I tells everybody. Massa ~m cryin and be reads de p~iper and says, You is free as I is. ~Vhat ~rou gwine do? 1~mmy says, We 8i~ stayiri right here. But next mornin pappv borrows a ox-teem to tote our stuff away. ~ goes ~ sixty miles and stays bout six months, den takes a place where we can jaak:~ a crop. Den massa tells us we can live on de old place without de rent and have whr~t we can rar~ke. So we moves back and Stays two years. Den we moves sev ral places and sometimes old inlssu~s comes to see us and say Un t you shame? De Yankees I s feedin you. But dey wasn ~ t cau~ e we wa~ rnakin a crop.

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E~.-slaVe Stories Pour - 1~d (Texas.i When I gits up big nough to hire out I works for old. man King on some drives, fore pappv and ~naminy dies of de fever. Den I ~aarries Minnie 3~nnett, a light cullud g~ , what ~m knowed as High Ya1l~r, Her maraz~y am a white ~vot~1. She was kidnapped in Kentuci~j by some white i en and dey dyed. her hair and skin and brung her to Texas with some slaves for sale. Massa i~eans, in Corpus, buyed her. She was so sraall all she me~bered was her real nE~1 ~1e was Mary Schious and her parents am white and she lived in Kentiicky. Massa Means comes in de next moinLn and busts out cussin , for dere ~m black d~e ~11 over de pillow and his slave azii gettin blonde, but dem slave traders ~m gone, so he can ~ do nothin . He cides to keep her and she grows up with de 5laves jus like she ~n a nigger. She gits used to bein with dein end. marries one. She has one child fore freedom, what ~n Minnie. She has to Am away to git freedom, cause ;wi~ssa ~e~ns won t let her have freedom. Lots of slaves has to do dat. i?ell, after I mar ~ies Minnie, we go ~s to de fa~nous King Ranch. It was only in two sections :Ien and I hires as cook on de San ~ertrudis section, but ~ sent to de other section, dc Puerta .~gua Dulce, and works dere fifteen years. Old man King h~s plenty trouble in dein days. One tirae some Mexicans C3iae~ to .3rown3ville and takes everything a~ dey goes. Old man King had two cannons and when dey has battle dey finishes with one cowboy dead and one Mex 1cej~ dead. Ko cannons was fired, though. He has more troubles with rustlers and f~1l~w~ who dont like de way he s gittin all de land.. Dey tries to kill him lote of tii~es, but he fools deza and dies in bed.

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Page FIve 2~1 ix slave Stories ( ~exas) I CO(fle3S to Fort ~Vorth and cooks. Minnie dies fore long of de stomach Eli S ~ 17 . I works f or a M Issus ~o e t z and marri es ~ne s Skel ton wha t wo rks de re, tOO. (e has five chilien and I works dere for twenty five years, till I goes blind, I s allus de big, stout fellow, helpin somebod~r, and after I ~ blind I has to pend on other people to help me. De white folks sho been good. to rae since I been in dis shape, and de state sends me $13.00 a month to pay de bills with, Dat a big help, but I s bout three, four weeks hind now. ~ e old mari King s daughter3 ~im here and b oks rae up and leaves me a couple dollars. I gits lori~ some way. I sets ht~re and thinks bout old times. Qne song we use to sing was Throw de Sraokehouse Ke~rs Down de ~Yell. Dat cause dere so many thieves in de country everybody have big lockc on de smokehouse if dey spects to Keep dey meat.

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4~O3O2 EX~S1~LTE STORIES (Texas) MARIAH ROBINSON, bora 1* Monroe, Georgia, does iot kiow her age but from cert ~a fact B and her e~peara~ce is probably 90 or over. Her master was Judge EIU. Re gave Mariali to his son-ii-law, Bob Young, who brought her to Texas. She now . lives la Mendiai, Texas. I s ~oried over In Georgia, ii dat place call Monroe, and mammy was Lizzie Hill, cause her massa Jed~e Hill. I~s haies1, I don t kiow de zact date I~s born d. Missy Joe, my missy, put de record of all ages In de court ho~xse for safe keepin to keep de Indians from b~irnin dem up ~nd dey s burnt up when de court house burns . All I knows is. my you ges sister, what live in Georgia, writ me bout a year ago a*d say, tLast Thursday I s 81 year old. Dere Is five chilien twixt my and her ~e and dere is six chilien younger ~ me. Dat de best I can give of my ace. Jedge H1U s daughter, Miss Joseph1ne~ married Dr. Young s son, what lived in Ca~rtersville, in Geor~1a, but had. done moved to Texas. Den my missy give ~ne to Miss Josephine to come to Texas with her to keep her from de lonely hours and bein sad so far way from home We come by rail from Monroe to Social Circle and dere boards de boat Sweet Home , Dore : was jus ~ two boats on de line de Sweet Home and de Katie Darling. ~ Us sails down de Atlantic Ocean to New Orleans, myself and. my aunt Lonnie and uncle Jobis, all with Mise Josephine. When us gits to New Orleans us rested and put in de trader s office, Us slaves, I mean. Dis de w~y of dat. Our massa, Massa Bob Young, he a cotton bu~ er and he done left Georgia without payin a cotton debt and dey holds us for dat. . 0 1.~ ~ ~ ... ~ ~ ~. ~. ~ ~

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)~x~slave Stories Page Pwo ~ (Texas) Miss Josephine wires back t o Ge orgia t o Dr . Young and. he come and git us out. He come walkin down de street with he goidheaded walkin cane. Us upstairs In de tr~der s office. I seed him commt and cries out, f o, yonder comes Massa Young. He looks up and shooked he goidheaded walking st i ck at me ~~rl s 978 ~ sever m md, ol d bo s s have ~rou out In a few minute s ~ Den he git s de hack soon as us out aud sends us to de port for to cot eh de boat. Us gits on dat boat and leaves dat evenin . Cornu down de Mississippi f cross de Gulf us seed no land for deys a~d days and us go through de G~U1f of 1v~exico ~nd iRids at de port G~alveston, and us come to Waco on de stagecoach. Us lives four year on Austin St. in Waco dat four years fore de war of 1861. Us boarded with Dr. Tinsley and he and G~en ral Ross was good friends. I worked in a Wi~ room dom work sich as whippin on laces aid rufflin ~nd tuckin . Den us come to Bosque County right n~~r Meridian, cause Mass~. Bob have de ranch dere and. de time of de freedom war us lives dere. ~Us be in de house at night, peepin out cte window or pigeon hole and see Indi~ns c 0mm De chief leRd in front . Dey wild Comaiches . S0met ime dere 50 or 60 in a bunch and dey did raidin at night. But I s purty brave ~nd oes three mile to Walnut Spring every day to git veg tables. I rid de donkey. liss 3o~ephine boards all de Bosque C aity school chilien and us have to ~it e food. I seed droves of wild turkey and b~iff~loes a~d antelopes aid. deers. seed. wild cats and coons and bu~nches of wolves and. heered de panthers scream Ike de womai~ Us lived ii a log cabin with two chimneys and a long shed-~~room and de kitchen fireplace i de skillet and over and de pot racks. Us on de steel mill and hominy and cheese. ~ I got de prize for spinnin I ~Ooked ii lade me~i~ ~ ~

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~x~..s1ave $tories Page Three (Texas) and weavln .I knitted. de stockii~s but Miss Joe had. to drap de stitch j for me to turn de heels and toes. ~ Dunn de freed.oni war Massa Gen ral Bo1~ Young git kilt at de last batt le. Dat de Bu? . R~in batt . e and he fi t under Gen rai Lee. Dat left my missy de war widow and she manrny come live with~her and. she teached in d.e school. I stays with dem four year after freedora and I ~s one of de family for de board and. de clothes. They s good to me and likes to malce ~e . de best lookin ~md neatest slave in c~at pl~e. I h~.d sich as purty starche dresses end dey hoip me fix de hair ilce. Us used de soft, dim ca~dleltght and I make de caidle sticks. Us have gourd dippers and oak btte~cets to dip water out de well and us maIe wooden tubs out of stumps end battlin sticks to clean de clothes. II I doue already met up with Peter Robinsoi. He ~ s de slave of Massa Ridley Robinsofl what ~as gwlne to California from Alabama) with all he slaves. Massa Robinson ~it kilt b~r de Mexican and a white ma~t name Gihb Smith ~its to owi Peter. He hires him out to a farmer clost by us ranch azd I gits to meet him and us have de courtship and sits married. Dat fore freedom, Us marries by Ceasar Berry, de slave of Massa Buck Berry. Ceasar am de cullud preacher. Pete was telligent and liable aitd de good mai. He plsyed de fiddle all over de catintry end. I rid horseback with him miles and miles to dem dances. Peter coud write de plain hand. ~ and he gits to haul lumber from ~Vaco to make de Bosque County court house. He lame more ~xtd gits to be de co~inty s ftist cullud trustee ~ de fiist cullu~L teacher. He gits 1~~Rted to see after de widows in time of war and. in de construction days. ~ I~*, ly he is sont to Austi n1 de capt tal of Texas t o be z~e~p sent ive . ~* ~ ~ ~ ~- b ~.. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~A, ~ ~ .~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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~ s1ave Sto ri es Page Pour (Texas) Pete aud me begot ten chilien. My ftist chile am borned two months fore freedom. ~&. ter us slaves is freed us hired ~it for one year to git means to go free o~. Us held by de committee call ?ree Committee ~en. ~ De wages Is ten dollars de month to de family. ~ft~r us re8dy to go for ourselves, my missy am de poor widow and she have only three cows arid three calves, but she give one of each of dem to Pete a~d me. After leavi~ Miss Joe us move here and yonder till I ~its tired of sich. By dei~i us have sev ral, chilien and I changes from de frivol ty of life to de sincerer~ess,. to shape de dest iy of de chiliens life. I tells Pet~e when he comes back fro~i fiddlin one night, to buy me de home or hitch up ~xid carx~ me back to Missy Joe. Dat lead him to buy ~ strip of land in Meridian. He pays ten dollar de acre. ~Ve h~s a team of oxen, call Broad and Back, and we done our fa~in with dem. Pete builds me a. house, Iwils de lumber from Waco. Twict us gits burnt out, but buil~~s lt gain. Us makes de orchard a~2d sells de fruit. Us raises bees a~td sells de honey and gits cows and chickens ~x~d turkeys. Pete works good and I puts O~ my bonnet and walks behind him and draps de con. He gits in organizin de fast cullud clairch in Meridi~, de cullud Cwnberland Pres terian Church. Us has ever lived de useful life. I works at cookin ~nd washli and ironji . I helps de doctors with de babies. But de &Ls bility of age have to ~me and now I is most disabled and feels stunted ~z~d pov ty stricken. I d hiCS t O WOIiC flOW, bUt I lei ~t able,

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I EL.SLAVE STORIES Page One ~ (Texas) SU5AI~ ROSS was born at Magnolia Springs~ Texas, about 1862, a slave of Chester Horn. Her feat. ures a~zd the color of her 8km, together with a secretive manner, would point to Ithian blood . She lives with a daughter in the et~st part of North Qjiarters, a Negro settlement in Jasper, Texas, rnd I s st il I act Ive en ou+gh t o help her daaghter in their little cafe. Susan Ross my n~ae and I e born at Magnolia Springs thirlnt d~ war, 8o~Letime befo freedom come, I guess boat 1862. Pappy s naIne Bob Forn and he come from Georgia, and maim~y name Eallie Horn, and she think she part Indian, bu~t she ain t sho . Chester Horn our r~ssa and he have big pl9ntation i~t Ua~nolia Springs, and. he kep one big famil~r connection of slaves. SometIme he sold. some of ~em and he sold my brother, Jack, ~nd my aunt, too. My other brother naine Jim mid S~rn and Aaron and Bill Horn, and ny sisters name Mandy and Sarthi and Emily. Masse have li l houses a . . cwer de plantation for he slaves. Mass2, and h~ folks punich dey sieves awful hard, and he used to ti tem up E~fld whip tern, too. Once he told my m~a~y do somethiR and. she didn t and he t ie and. whip her, and I skeert ~ c77. MPJUm7 cook ~nd work in d.c field. II jcst ~&ember I used to see sojers driss i* blue uniforras walkin ~ all over dc country watchia how things go in Massa want one my brothers go to War bUt he wouldn t ~ so I seed him buckle m~ brother down on a log and whip hira with whips, d n with hand. saws, t ill when he turn him loose you cou.ldn t t eli what he look 1 ike. My brother le ~ but I don t know whether he went to war T n& UI members when de men w~s goin to war, somebody allus ~

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Ex~~slaYe Storiss Page Two (Texas) cot~e git em. Lots of em didn t want to go, but dey has to. ~~&e go to school after us free. when my~ oldes brother hear us 15 free he give a whoop, run and j~irip a high fence, and told rflrLTnf!l~ goodbye. Den he grab nie up and hug and kiss inc and say, Brother ~orLe, don t spect ~rou ever see me no more,t I don t know where he go, but I ne~~r~r did. see him ~g~in~ After freedom, p~py and mammy moves off to deyselfe and fari~s. I marry when I ~ s fourteen 2nd de Rev. George ~ iI~c18, he per.. fora de ceremony. 1e riarry quiet at home and I wore blue dress and my husband gran black suit. I have four chilien and five gr,~~n chi1lext, ~Ly hasb~n he z~ork here and yonder on de farm and what he kin git. l s de rldow now ~x~d gits $ll.~YQ pension, bu.t have only git it tour time3. I lives here with my daughter and us r~ake ~ 11,1 in (lis yere rest rari . I never did see bit one ghost, but I sho see one. I cookin at de hotel in town and have to git up ~nd ~o do~ de railroad track to :ty work befo it git light. One mOrning a great, tz~L 1 soutethin , tall ~nd slender ~c a porch post, ccrae walkbt long. He step to on~ side, b~it he didn t have no feets. I reckon he h~ve a head, oi~t I couldn t see it. As I pass hirn I didn t say nothin ~nd he didn t either. He didn t h~ve tirie to, befo I broke and ru.n for mY life. Dat s de onliest ghost I ever see, but I often feel de spirits close by me.

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FI )(~ I ~ ~r- ~ ~ r E)~.sLAv:~ STOR~S ~ Orte (Texas) ~IE R0~7, 86, was boru a slave to Mr. ~ Pinn~1y, who o~v~i~d a p1sxit~ion in N~co~och~s Co., n~x Fb.~sk, Texas, Sfle h~ lived at 920 Frank St., Fort worth, since 1933. lI wps sho horn in slavery ~nc1 ~s n~x a~I knows, I rnus~ t~e boUt B6 y~ar old, frrm what rriy mp~my tells z~. I fii~~rs tn~at, cause I ~ oh ~nou1~th to c1e~ de woo . when d.e ~r st~rts nnd. d~y didn t gen-~ erally put de c~ai1lun~ tr ~~ork fore theys ten :~e~.r old. ~ Charler owne~d ~n~ r!l2TDJny ~nd ~y f~ur ~istem end two broti e~rs but my pappy wp,s oi~rn~d by M~rster John Kiuck, ~nd h~ place was bout five mile from 1~rster ~n;r1~y s D1~ntntion. My o~ppv was lowed a pass ev~r~r two w~~s !or to cOmr~ ~jj~d s~c~ him s f~rai1~r, but him sees us ixure often th~ n that, ~ him sneak off every time him have r~ ch~tnc~. Allus cuilud folks lived in de~ cullul quarters. 1~ cabins w~s buflt witn 1o~s Rrid d~y have no f1o~r. Dey have bunks for to sl~p on 3~(l d~ firep1~ce. In de surrtrn~r tir~e ~ de culluA fo1~s ~1eeps outside, and wetuns b~d to fignt ~osauito~s in th~ nicht ~mnd flies in de dry. They was flies and then so:~e xciore flies, with ~1l d~re re1~.tions, in tki~ c~ib1~s. De food ~?::1 E~c~stly cornin~a1 ~nd l~s~s ~nd ~ th~t e~n ~ h~s to i~zt ~rou de week. Le truth ~ri, lots cf tirn~ w&uns roes hun ;ry1. Ev~rythin~ th~.t ~zri worn ~.nd eat wcs raised on t~e p1~,ce, c~pt ~1t and~ pepper ~.d stu f like that. Dey raise ~ cotton arid d~ whe~t, ~d de corn and de cpjiC, ~sici~s dc fruit ~ sich, ~id th~ eh~ck~n~ ~M de sheep afl~. de COWS and d~ haw~s, ~ ~ ~ ~

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~X;elave Stories Page Two 2~9 11 De raarster has two Overseers wkiat i~end.s to de work and ~signe ea~a.~ n ~ei ~o do de certain work and keep de order. Shoes was made by a sX~oemaker what ~i also de tamier. Olotk tar de clothes was made by (IC 5pixu~erS wLcl Weavers ~fld that wnat they lRrned me to do. My firet work WaC teasin de wool. . I be~ s you don1 t biow wriat teasin de wool am. It am pickin de burrs and trash and. sicti out 0 de wool for to git it ready ior ~e arrit. 1~Tow tor ae t~eatment, does yous want to know ~ that? Well, twarnt good. Wne~a die nigger am five year old, de marster give rae to fin s son, Marster Bjlly. That am luck for ins, ~c~ee Mar~ei~er Billy am real good to me, but Mareter Charl~r p~ pawerTh.l crae3. to hirns slaves. At de work, him have de overseers drive ~e:~ from dayii~it bu dark, and whups ~ eIn for every little tninj~ wnat does wrong. Wrieu dey wL~ups aey ties cte nigger over de barrel and gives so many licks with de rawnide WLIUp. i: seed siaves what cou.ldntt git up after de whuppin s. Some near died cause of de ounistiment. Dey never give d~ cullud folks de pass for to go a vieitin , nor tl0ws parties on de p1~ce. As fer to go to church, s~mt that fr~ yous head.. ~Thy, wetune waen1 even lowed to pray. Once my mammy slips off to de woode near de house to pray and~ she prays powerful loud. and she am tieard, wid wrien the com~back, ehe w~xiipped. ~ My maraay ;and me not have it ~O h~Td, cause erie de cook and I longs t, Marster Billy. Him won t let tem wimp me tifen he knows beat it. But one time, when l s beut six year, I stumblee and. b~rea~cs a plate and de missy wimps me for Ihat, Here am de scar on my arm fm a that whnp~pii~

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Ex~.slave Stories Pa~eThree . 2GO) (Texas) After dey has aX~u~ent dey never whu~ps me when Marster Billy round. :~aots of time him say, Come here, Bunch, dey calls rae BIIRCh, . cause I s portly ~ and him have soinethin~ good for me to eat. After that, it wasn t lone ~fore de War starts and de marster s two c~ays, Billy ~~nd John, jines de array. ~ l s powerful grieved aiid cries two days and. ~ll de time Mareter Billy cone I worries bout him ~ittin shoot. Dc soldiers comes and. ~oe5 in de crib and talces all de corn, and ma~ces my mammy cook a Tnea . Marst~r Charley cuss everything and. every~ody awl us witch out axtd keep out of nie ~ After two years hirn sits a letter frog M~rster Billy arid him s~y him be norne soon ~nd tziat Joan ~n kilt. Missy starts cryin ~nd de Mareter juisps up and stats cuesi~O de War and hin~ picks up d.c ~ot poker ~nd say, ~ ree de nigger, will dey? I free dem. And be Mt ray ma~ny on de neck and she starts mo~nin a~d cryin arid draps to de floor, Dere t tw~is de Missy a-m~wnin ~ my mammy a-.msu~rniri and de marster a-cussin l~:nid as hi~ can. Him takes de gun offen de rack arid starts for de field whar de niggers e~i a~.workin . My sister and. I sees that and wetuns starts runnin and screamin , ca~ise we wae nas brothers and. sisters in de field. But de good Lawd took a hand in that mess and de marster ain t gone far in d.c field when him draps all of a sudden. De death sets on de m&irster and de niggers comes runniia to him, ~im c~ t talk or mere and dey t.te him in de house. De doctor comes and de ri5~t day de marster dies. Den Marster Billy comes home and de break up took place with freed mfsr de nigger s. Moe f sa left as s,o~ ~ dey could~

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Exi.BlaveSt,rjes ~ Page 0 mir 2C1 (Texas) De missy gits ver~r coits~e~j~ a~ ter freedom. De w nen wa~ In de spinnin house and we~uns specte a~nother whuppin ~r eco1d1~, tcause that d~ usual ~ w1~~n she comes. She c~es in ~nd 5Et~ S, ~Good a,r~1Rt, womexie, R21d skie iaever saict sicrn fores She s~y she p~r wades t, afl. wkiat staye and how good she treat gem, But iay peppy eoi~es and takes us ever to de ~id.w Perry s land te werk f~r share. ~Lfter that de ~j~y found Marster Billy bi de shed, dead, wi~tn him throat~ ci:~ and de razor side him. Dere a piece of p~er say he not care f.r to live, ~cause de xiigger free aud dey s all broke up. 0ifter five yeaxs I marries .Ge.r~e Summers and we lives in Rttsk. ~ has seven chilliins. He goes and I marries Ba as Jackson and on Saturday we marries sand on Menday we wake down de street and Rufus accide~it 1y steps on a white iian s foot and cie wntte man kille hirn with a pistol. I marries gaie a ~er t wo 3TCaTh to Charl s Row. Dat nigger I plum quits after one year, tcause him was too rough~. Hirn jealous and tote de razor with him aU de time and sleep with lt under him pillow. Shucks, him says he carry ei~ dat way cause hiii likes me. I don t want any nigger to eki~,w his fection for me dat way, so I transporte myself from him. t, I ma~:es a Wi for de wAite folks tU four year ago and now I lives with my daighter, Minnie Row. Guess I ll live here de balance Sr my 11f. -. ~twont be long. *********** *.**

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~2OO9j IL.SLAV:E STORIES ?~ge One 2C2 . (Texas) GILL RtJrnN, an exslave, was born in 1.837 on the Hugh Perr~y iplantation, In Harrison Co~xnty, Texas. He an& hti mother were sold. to Charley Butler, in Houston County, and about & year before the Civil War they were bought by flenl7 ~ Rargrove, ~ho had purchased~ 011V. fath . er from Hugh Perry. Thus tiie fa~i1y was reun~te& Gill now lives two iaIlee south- west of Karnack, on State highway No. 42. ~ sI was bo n on the Hush Perry plantation over near Lee. My papa was name &tben RulfIn and mama s nase was I sabeL la. We was sold seyer~ ~ times, but allue k~p tue name of Ruffin. I was ju. a nu.si& babe when Marster Perry sold m~xay to Max ster B~tler and. he carried us to Houston County. Pap~i was left at the Perry s but Marster Ba~ gro~e b ought him and then ne bought taammy and nie . That s the first time I ~s~ber seem ay para, but my ~aaa had told me bout him. De first marster I reinembet marster Butler, live& in a big, two story log ~3ouse with a gallery. The slave. lived. a short piece away in little log cabins. Marster Butler owned. lots of land sn~ niggers aM he sho believed in ma~cin~ ~ em won~ There wsn no loafin roun S dat white man. Mi esus name was Sarah and. she made ins a houseboy when I was small. I aUus took de oo n to mill and. went after things Missus would borrow frcm 1. neighbors. She allus mads me rid.s a mule, caU05 de country wa,s full of wild. prairie cattle and varaints Mismis kiad a good saddle pony, and I allus rode belain her when she went visitin,

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~x elave Stories ~ Page Two 2C3 (Texas) Then I growed. up Marster Butler took me outta 1e house and put ins to work in de field. We tiad an overseer dat eho~ made us step. ~e was used rough dunn slavery time. ~ e lived in log k~ouses with wooden e bunks nailed to de walls and ~iome-.made pleyik tables and benokies They give us one gar~*)!1t at a time and. that had to be slap wore out fore we got another. All us niggers went barefoot. I neTer a~n a nIgger wIth shoes on till after de surrender. . I ~ di dn have no garcIene and al. I we et come from de whi te folks. They fed us turnips, greens, and meats and cornbread and. plenty of milk. w. worked every day sept Sunday and dn know any more bout a holiday dan cl im in up a tree back ard. They neye r give us money, and we hit dc~ field by iun~p and stayed. dere till eundo~. The niggers was whipped with a ridin quirt. t The wood s was full of runaways and I heered them hounts a runnin ~ I Ike deer aany a t line and heered dat whip when they s ce~ght d tie em to a tree with a line and nearly kill em. On rainy days we was in de crib shu~kin corn, arid he never let us have parties. Sometimes we went fishin or huntin on Sat day afternoon, but that wain orten. Marster Tht .er was shot. He run a store on the place and one day a white boy was pilferin round and he slap him. De boy goes kio~ne and tell his pappy ~nd nie peppy kill Marster Butler. So me and my mmmy was sold. to Marster Hargrove, who owned my peppy. That was freedom to me, causs Marster Renry didn ~tff his niggers roun~. I worked roant dehouse mostly, wid fjxint harness and buggi es end wagons

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Fx- laYe Storisa Page Three ~ 2~i (Texas) $1 never Icriew but one nigger to run away from Marster Kargrave. He slip off and. does to Shreveport. That was Peter Going. Marster missed him and he goes to fin hiM. When he fin s himin Sbrevepox t, he say, Come on, Peter, yaa knowed. what you was dom and you~s goin to pay for it t Marster tied him ~ehtn ~ buggy and trots de hossee all way back home. Then he ties Peter to a tree and. makes him sta~r dere ai . night with nothin to eat. Peter, nor none o ~ the res 0t the niggers didn ever try t o run of f aft er that, I ~ don t member much ~ bout de war I see the infantry one t liii over thar close to where Karnacic is, I was sittin on a mule when they pass. All they say is t~5tte~ git on home, nigger. Marster 1sf for de war but didx~ ~y long. He would& tell us nigge re we was free aft er surrender and. we worked on the plantaton mon n a year after that. After I ).ef the Hargroves I lived with my peppy and mammy till I married I~xcinda Greer and we raised two boys and two girls to be gro~ and married. They all dead. row, and. since nty wife died, about S years ~o, I live here with Will Jones, my grandson.

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4~O 34 ~ ZL.sLAn STORIES ppge On . (Texae) MARTIN RUPPIN, 83, was barn a. slave if Joli Perry, near old Port CaM,, n Oadd Lake. He stayed with his master until . 1876, then lived with hie patents on the farm until 1880. He then raved t. Marshall, Texas, wIne he cooked for hotels and ~cafee . t . until l932~ ~ Since he has been .. * unable t, work, the Red Cross has helped him, axtd he draws a $12,00 monthly old a~e pension. ~ b rn right here in Harris n Coanty, on Jot ?erry s plantation, what was right near Part Caddo, on the lake. ~. T was only elevsn year ild when the niggers was freed. Will E:u*rfin was my daddy and be carie frein North Car liia~, A4Rsnnj was Cynthia and was barn in Texas. I wasn t big enmxgh t. t*te water ta the field when war started, bat I driv up the eows and caltes ad helpsd tend aassas chilien. M~assa Perry had rare1n a tbeu.sand acres 1* his place and so r~any aiaers it loskeci like a little ten. The ni ers lived in r*u~i ht~sn, ca-ass they n may he had to make ~ea ii re ynost anjwai. ~fli~e ;rtw & slaves et c3nbread aM bacns ad iasse~ ~nd ~ailk, b~t afl the iUn ~ot ni *11k ad bread aM a little lusts. Massa han fifteen sr trnty women carding and wasting ant . spinning inst all the tise. ~h rigger kiM ~is task and the chilien gathered h rfln i* t~e~ wnds t; ~a~ke dyes fir elot~ts, tTs ware tIII1~ *htt~ l*flll tlflhes~ thaa 357 wsS sbs thia ant I~4afl. Lflg rrsneet s naet CharIty and shmre was ne drttsr t Sn stays tas ids ta~ U ~ 4S$&t, tMy !tXS4 k~ . . ~ ~ ~ ~-4( .

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~x-s ave Stsrles Page Tw. ~ ~ (Texas) Them what fed the st sek ~t up ~t three ~nd the verseer would tap a bell ~ s. many times t~ ra~k~ ~em git up. The rest g~t up at f*ur and wsrked till g~3Gd. dark, They d give us a hundred lashes f3r not cI ing ~ur task. The iverseer put five nien ~n you; ~ne en each hand, ins in each f t ~nd inc ti hild. y.ur head d,wn ti gun. You ciuldn t di anyth~i~ but wiggle . The bl.ed wiuld fly fire they was thrsugh with you. When I~s a li~1 felliw, I seed niggers whipped in the field. Sime-~ times they d taJce em behind the b.i~ cirn crib ~nd fix tein up. Slaves sud f~r $250 t~ $1,500. S.metiznes they swapped em and had. t, give b ,t. The Ib.~tt ~ allus cash, Sein Jenes pre~iched t~ us and read the Bible. He told. us haw ti di and preached Hell~$ire and jed~aent like the white preachers. Us had service at ur church when One ~f us died. and was buried In ~ur wn graveyard. The ni~gers sun~ sings in the field. when they was feeling g.edand ~ scart if eid massa. S~iaetirne they d slack up su thet~ h e and ld massa h.ller, I ~ ~ watchin y.us. The hands say, tyas, suh, us sees ysu, tes. Then they brightened up ~n that hie. . ~ si G.m shuckin~s was a. big eccast in them days and mas sa give al 1 the hands a quart whi skey ~p1e ce . Th d drink wh iskey, get happ~r and make mire n ise than a little, but better nit git drunk. W&d~ dance all night when the cern eh~ickin was ver. It ~ heared. the canitins rwnbling at Mansfield ai . thriugh the night duriig the war. It was dark and. sm ky all raund .ur place fr m the war, ~ . I stied.. there in Massa Perry e ~ place and seed s.ld.i~ere eaz~ry ,Wa~ t.dd~i ~ ~ ~ ~: ~ ~ . ~ ~ . ~ ; :: ~ :~ ~ .. ~ ~ S ~ ~ S ~ ::: s ~

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Ex~-s1ave St ries Page Three 2t~? (Texas) . . ~ ~ and meat ~nd barrels ef fleur t take to war, 1tMas5a d1dfl~t tell us we wa~ free fir three ~r fiur days aft r freed.m. Thert he seid, Y u i~ free; d.n t leave, I ll pa~r you. The uig~er5 dtdn t blew what heineant at fir5t, then samesne say, ~We is free ~ mere whippinge ~d beat in~B . Y~u iii~ht to see em jump ~nd clap theii hand$ aad pep them heel5, tI)~y daddy and. mammy left and went t~ a farm t~ w~r1c fir theyselve$, but I $tayed till I was near bout gr~wed. Then I etayed with daddy and mammy and then came t. Marshall. ~e,ds was m.stly here then. I ceoked. all rsund t wn f.r tb.ut fifty years. I didzi t marry till I ~ fiirty4w . I wa~ w.rking at the Capit3l Hetel f~ $15.CO a week. Th~.be Witt, a cullud Baptist preacher, mar- ned me and Lula Dew~ and us raises five chilien. UMY wife i~ dead. and I ain t been able t~ werk far five year5. The relief and the Red Cr 55 carried me till I g t my pen~iin and I s sb. thank~i t. git that $12,00 a month. s...

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 273 268

1Y2()i. 4G . JL.SLAYg sroar~s Pa e One (Texas) t( ~ YLCRU~Z ~J?1I1~S was born of ex. sisys parents in DeK:alb, Nxas. She talk~ of ~ptriti, ghowts and apel .., reciting tucl&ents tol.i. her by her father and itother, who wer. .uppossd to have th power and the epirit She 1t~es with a daighter at 102D W. Weatherford St., Port Worth, Pexas, Does I believe in de ghostiee? I sho does and I telle youi wt~ I knowe dere a~ ghostiee. Firat, t~s hear end. see dem and lots of other folk. I ataiJced. to has. Den ~y papp~ and my ~arny both could eee dee, ~nd dey has special powera, but dey was good. power., Dey has no uae for de evil apall. all all .ich. In de old. day. fore surrender de cu.llud folk. talks bout ghosties and~ hante but e~ncs thtecation ~pi for de oullud folks come of dem lam. to say spirit, ate~j of ghost. Now dey has de c~rch dat sa~ de preacher kin bring de ghost ~ but dey celle it de epirit to de neetin and talk with ~e*. D~ am de spiritualist-tue cbnrch. I S tellin y~~i de thing. I hear. my m~amy and pappy tell, and some I . seed. for ayself What I seei, I kin be de wt~ese for end what my mammy and. p~pp~ say., E kin be de witness for dat, cause I . not gwtne lie bou.t what de dead people say.. Demi am only one way to best de ghost and it ~i call de Lawd. and he will banish rem. Some folks don t know how to best ~ so day gits tan Uzed ba&. Der. a man call Everson, end he been ds slave. De ghost come and. t ll him to go dig in de graveyard for de pot of gold., and. to go by hima.lf. But he am fraid of de gravepard and didn t go. So de ghost ~pear. gain, but dat man do~ttt go till de ghost come de third time. So he goes, but he takes two other man with him. isi..

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E~.slai~ Stories Page Two 2C9 (Texas) ~Zverson digs b~it fi,e feet, where de ghost toit hia to, and he spade hit da iron box. ~ prises de cover off and. dat box ~t full of de gold coins, fives and tens and. twenties, gold money, a whole buahel in dat ~ He hell~rs to da two aen and dsp c~es runnin, but by d. tias clay gits dire, de box ~ stink and all they can see is de hole where it go down, Dey digs and &i~s~ ~it it ain t no ua . If him hadn t taken de sen with his, him be ri~ but de ghost ditin t want dem other men dere. u Zn dat clerc s~e country, dez s e~ a fars what eho ~ hanted. Many fg,ltes tri s to live in dat house, but e~ forced to move, It aposed de niggers ~at de cruel sassa on dat fars kilt in slave tines, cones back to tan lizs. De ghostiea co~nee in de night and walks back and forth cross te yard, and dey can see en as plain as dey. Dors nobody ihat will stay on dat farn. TM ypappyancoain hoseondeho8sonenightandhefeelltke someone on dat hose bein his . He turn and kin see sonething. Ks say, s Phat for you git. on ny hose? but dere an r~ answer, He tries to touch dat thing, b~~t he pass his hand r ight throagh it and he biow t t a ghos t and peppy hops off tat hoes and am on le gr~nd ruzmin quicker ian greas.d li~itning. P~,py sees tat hoes, with de haut on hin, gwine throu~gh de woods like de doez . BRight here in diPs bouse, a person die ~nd dey spirit tan lts. at night. It c~e aftsr we goes to bed and patters on 1s floor with d bare feet and rattles &. paper. Dat sho git ne all a.quivernent. I hass to get de 3ible end call de Lawd to banish den. )at I seed de shadow of dat ghost oft~ end. it an a nan ghost and it look sad..

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 275 270

~ 4~2OQ3 ~ ~ ~- Page One~ ~ ~ 27f) ~L.sI~AY:E STORIES (Texae) ~&4R~W RUSSEL, 82, was born ~ slav, of Wiflj~ Patrick, wh~ owned Aaon i re, a hun~fred other elavee, and. a large plantation in Ouachita Parish, n~ar Monroe, Loui~1ana. Aaron re$ined. with the ?at rick family ~tht il he was 28; t1~ien moved to Tex~Ls. E. farmed ~ all hie life unti~t. old. age forced him to stop work.~He then moved to a suirnrb of Worth, to be near his children. Massa William Patrick give my mammy 4.e statement. It say Vs ~:Q ~) borne& li: 1855 and dat in~ce me 82 year old.. M~ssa Patrick, he own de big ~ plant~ti(>n obst to Monroe, over in Louisiana. ~ Dat d.c big place, with ~ over a 1~nerc1 niggera. I! . t When de war start ~ s bout s ix year old, but I has de good ~ n~emt ~ of dem times. Masea have no chilien so nobody goes from dat place, ~ but 1~t~ de n~eighbor boys us knows goes to de a~rmy. ~: 1.? ~ !~! .~ lit firet everything go good after war start but de last end. am ~ not so ~cod. De trouble am de Yanks come and tl~1ces de ration5 fz om massa. ~ Dey take 5 e 0m and. meat and kil t s evera!. bawgs ~nd takes two yearl 1 s. ~ Dat s ~p z~iake massa ma& Hirn git so mad him cr~r. If massa had&t spect sich ~zid tide de rations, us sho suffer, but bkck of de cotton field massa ~ done have lis dig de pit. In de pit us put de h~y and lay de rations in dere s ich as corn and smoke meat and tatere . ~ De Yanks t find dat ~ . stuff.~ ~t w~iat de soi ers t&ces make it nip ari4i. tuck t o gi t 1~y. I ~U1 11~5 nigger. cited when de sojers t~ikes dc rations. De older .~ -~c~ t1es ~aI~3 to ft~t dem Yanks. Dere d been troL~~ble iffen massa didn t say to~ dem ; t~ keep w~q . All us like massa, h1t treat us fine~ and us wil1in~ ft~t for 1~irn. ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ lu- ~ \ .~ . ..~ ~.L . ~ . ~ : ~ : . ~ ~ ~.

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Ex slave Stories . Pace Two ( Texas) li Dc sojers come back aft er dat and use one mas sa s buildin s for headquarters, for long time. ~ ~at beTh de battle at Vicksburg. At first us yo~ng uns ecart of dem, but after while us play with them. After de Vicksburg battle dey goes off and us sorry, c~se dey treat us with candy and things. But massa glad git shet of dem. Us you.ng uns have de fun with de old. niggers. Massa know and sho have de good. laugh. I ll tell you bout it: li I Twas disaway. De old ni~ggers scart o ~ liants . Us young uns takes de long rawhide string and makes dc tick-tack on de cabin roof where Tom and. Mandy livin . I climbs de tree bout 50 foot high back de cabin and holds de string. It go thwzrp on de roof, bout darktirne. Tom and Mandy settin in dere, talkin with some folks. Us keep thuinpint de tick~tack. Tom say That dat on de roo ~ Dey et ops talkin . I thump s it gain. Mandy say, Gosh for mighty! What am It? One nigger~say, De hante, it de hante, ~ and dem cullud folks come way from dere right now. I hears de massa laugh for to split de sides. Arid Tom and. Mandy, dey wouldn t stay in de cabin dat night, no, sax , dey sleeps in de yard. t De bell ring fore dayl ight and. de work start . When de c~il lud. ~fo J~s starts out in dc mornin it like de army, Some goes to de fields, some * to de spinAin some t o dc shoeshop and so on. De hours am long, but massa am good. No overseer, but de leader for each crew. n ~ member when Massa call us and Say, TOIL S free. Us d.Idn t .ieve him at first. He say he put each fam ly on de pi ce of land. and us work it on shares. Rim have lots of married co~les on he place. I knows most plantatIons de cul .ud. folks treated like cattle, but massa different, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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Ex slave Stories ~ Page Th~e ~ 272 (Texae) Hjm have de re~ 1ations. If dey wants to marry dey asks him and dey has de cer mony, what am step over de broom laid on de floor, ~ tMy pappy stay with mas sa arid farm on shares . I stays t 111 I s 26 year old and den gits de piece of i~nd for myself. Us gits long ~o.od, ~c~use us stay on inass&s place and. he structs us what to do. He say to stay out of de mess and keep workiri .. For long time us never leave de place after de war ~ cause of trouble ~*1ne on. Dere am t tracs it wasn ~ safe for no cullud person to go off de plantation. Some foolish niggers what listen to some foolish white folks gits de *rong structions. Dey comes to think dey c~n I u.n de white folks. Now, when dey starts sich, course de white folks don t I low sich, S0me of dem stubborn niggers h~s t o be edumacated by de Ku Klux El ~n . Dat am de t ouch edum~ cat i on and s orne dem niggers neye r git s over de lesson. iDem dat do never forgit i.t! tu never hears dat ~y callud folks gits de land offen dere massa. I heared some old cullud folks say dey told it to be sich. Sho , de igno mus fools think de gov ment ~wine take land from de massas ~nd give it to dem! Mas sa Pat ri ck tell us all bout s ich. Like n Igge re vot in . I s be en asked. to vote but I knows it wasn t for de good. What does I know bout votin ? So I follows massats structions and stays way from sich. If de cullud folks ~ an do de readin and knows what dey do, maybe it all right for dem to vote. ~ ~D~ way tw~s after surrender, ~ foolishment for niggers to try votin and run de gov ment. I wants to go some other place iffen day do. De young uns flow gittin edwnacated and iffen dey lam de right way, den dey have right to vote. I Jus farms and makes de livin for my family. My first wife dies in 1896 and I marries in 1907 to 1~Lsie Johnson. She here with me. -L.

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Ex-slave St Ortes . Pa~ ~j~j1~ ~ . 273 (Terne) My life aft er freedom l t s o bad. t cept de last few years. Times lat ely I s wish I s back with de xnassa, cause I has plenty rat ions dere. It hard to be hongry and dat I s been many t imes lately. I ~ ~ old now and ant t work mu ch s o dere t ~ j ~ I has to pend. on ray ob illen and dey haire de hard time, too. I don t know what wrong, I gu~ess de Lawd punish de f~1ke for somethin . I jus have tiiist till he call meto Jedgment.

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 279 274

42()i 68 1 k .~ EL~SLAV~ STORI~~S Paie One j 4~ (Texas) - PETER RYAS about 77 years old, was born a slave o ~ Volsant Four- net, in St. Martinville Parish, Louisthna. He speaks a French patois more fluently than Eng-. lish. Peter work~d at the refin-. eries In Port Arthiis for sixteen years but iii health forced him . to stop work ~nd he 1iv~s on what odd jobs he and his wife can pick up. ttIts borned bout 1860, I gw~ss, in a 11,1 cypress timber house in de quarters section of de Fournet Plantation. Dat in St.Martinville Parish, over in Louisiana, Dem 11 l houses good ~nd tight, with two bi~ rooms. Two faxai1i~s live in ont~ hou~. Dey bout ten houses, Wsieu Volsant Poarnet, he my old. massa and he wife name i~issus Porine. Dey have eight chilien and de bab j boy name Brian. Hirn arid rae, us grw up to~edder. ~Js allus p1a~r togedder, He been dead three year now and here I is still. All dem in my fanily ara field workers. I too 11 . to work. L~iy mama naine Annie and papa naine Aired. I have oldes brudcier, dat Gabriel, and noth~ .r brudder nalue ~Tarice, and two sisters, Harriet and Amy. Old massa s house hrive bi~ six or eight room, ~a1leries front and back. ~Js cullud chilIen never ~o in ~e big house much. Old massa he done feed good, Coosh.-coosh with !lasses. flat my .~ favorite dein day. Dat ma~ce with me~J. and water and salt. Dey stir it .in big pot. Sorneti;ne dey kill beef. Us have beef head and neck and guts cook with gravy and sprend on top coosh coosh. flat good food. Down on Vermilion Bayou ~un a1li~ators. Dey fish and snakes, too. .~ Us eat alliator tail steak. Taste like fish. J ~s skin hide off dli-. gator tail. Slice it into steek. Fry it in m& i. and hawg fat. Dat like

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Ex 5lave Stories P ~ ( Texas ) ~ ag .~ 2; 5 ~ar fish, Sorn~time ~it 1amp~r eel. De~r hard to cotch, Perches arid catfish and niudcat ea~~t to cotch, vater bird, too. Th~ck and crane. Crane 1ik~ fish. Us take bont, go 1on~ bayou, find nesti~s in sedg~ grass. Old massa llus good, He low pnp~ and some to have 11,1 patch round de~r door. De~r eat ~hat ~iey raise. Some sells it. Papa raise pu~pkin and watem.~1on, He hav ~ p1ent~r bee-gum with bees. After freedom he rn~k~ rnOnt~y awnile. He sell de honey fror~ dem bees. Dat plantation full cotton and corn. Us chilien sleep in d~ cotton~ house. It be so soft. In d~ quarters houses chilIen didn t h~ve no bed. Dey slept on tow sack on de floor. ~)~t why dem cott:n piles felt so soft. gassa h~ve special place in woors ~ here h~ hr~ve ineanest ni~gers whip. He nv~r hir much, b~it ~artiirte cornin on. Some de ~owed ones runs ~ way to ci~rn Yan~ees. Re have to whip so:ue (3 ~n. He h~v~ stoc~cs to pu.t dey neck in when ~ e ~hip ~em. Massa never chain he sl~wes. I seed tnlkin p~rrcte. L~ass8. didn t havE; Ofl , but other mass~ts cUd. Dat parrot taLc. He tell ~then de nigger run away or when h~ not work. Us white folks all Catholic. Us not ~o to c~irch, but ~11 chilien christen. Dat in St. Martinvi l ~ catholic Ch~rch. All u.s christen dere. .& ter freedom I start go to church re~ lar. I still does. UDe~T ~ give us pants till u.s ten yea ~ old. In winter or summer C~s bore long, split tail shirt. Us never even think of shoes. After I~s twelve papa buy my first p~ir shoes. T)ey have di~mond brass piece on toe. I so fraid dey wear out I won t wear dem. De war ~oin on. Us see sojers all ~e time. us hide in bresh and pl~!k1p snipe at dem. All ~ e white folks in town gang up. Dey send dere slaves out on Cypress Island. Dey do dat try keep Yankee sojers from

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Ex-~s1ave Stories . ~ ~wo (Texas) find dein. It ain t no use. Dem Yankee find. dat bri ~e what lead from mainland to island. Dey CO~~i~ ~cross dat bridge. Dey find us p11. Dem white fo1~~s call cleyselves hidin us but dey alnt do so good. Dey ga~rd dat bric1~e. But sO~rie de n1~gers dey slip off de Island. Dey jine de Yankees. Dey plenty alligators in dat bayou. So~netirne I wonder if dem ni~g-rs vthat try ~o through swnmp ever ~it to Yankees. Dem alligators bru~tal, I member black gal call Ellen, che washin clothes in baYOU. I)ey wash clothes wi:h big rocks den. Dey have wooden paddle with hole and beat clothes on rocks. Dis g:~1 down in ze draw b~r herself. She washin clothes. Bi~ alligator had dug hole in side de bank. He Come out and. snap her arm off jes bove elbow. She scream. Men folks run down and killed alltgator. Us chilien wouldn t ~tch out for alligator. Us play in li l flat, bi~teaux and swing on wild. grapevine over water. I done see snRkes. Dcv look big nough swallow two li l niggers one bite. De~r alligator turties, too. If dey snap you, yo~ can t git loose less ~rou cut dey neck slap off. I kill lots dem. Dey old mens on plantation what they think which mens. Dey say co~dd put bad mouth on you. You dry up ~nd die fore you time. Dey take your strengt . Make ~ro~ walk on knees and hands. Some folks carr~~ silver money round neck. Keep off dat b~d mouth. ttQld massa oldes SOfl, Gabriel he Colonel in war. He &nd old massa both Colonels. Lots sojers pass Oui place. Dey go to fight . Dein with green caps was white folks. Dem with blue caps was Yankees. Us hear suns from bo~,ts and cannons. After war over massa corne home. Dey no law dem time. Things tore up.

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Ex~..slave Stories Pace Four (Texas) f~w~ ( Dey put m~rsha1 in to rn~ke laws. Some folks call him Progo(provost) 24arshal. He come round. See Low us dom . Make white folks low nig~ers go free. But -~is st~:W with raassa a year. I)ey finish crop so everybody h~ve to eat. Den us papa Ii lOVC to Ethnonci LeB~ a ~c farm. ~Eork on shares. Second nlove to Cade place, run oy Ed~r DeBileu. J~~I railroad station, no town. I shave ~ane for money. It 1867 or 1877 yellow fever strike. People die like dem flies. Bat fever pay no tention to skin color. white folks go. Black folks ~o. Dey die so fest de:~r pile dem in wagons. ~)ey pay mens $10.00 to ~o inside hcru~se and carry dem o~t to wa~on. Lots nig~ers makes $10.00. Dat fever strike aLdck, M~n come ~ee me one mornin~ He all right. Dat m~n dead fore dark, It bad sickness. It ~ev rel years ~fter dat dey have smallpox sickness. It b~1, too. All us stay round farm till l s 22 year. I never ~o to school. In 1882 t marry Viney Ballieo. She Baptist. I raar~y in Baptist church. Cullud preacher. Never white preachers ~ der~. Allus white priests. Vlney die ~nd all us four chilien dead row. I marry Edna LeBlank in 1917. ~ II git dissatisfy with farmin in 1911. 1 come to Lalce Charles. To~ Port Arthur nex year. I work ~t refinery sixteen year. I too old now. Us git what work us can. J~S from dere to here. ***** ****

Ex-slave stories (Texas). 283 278

~1r~Q~3()9 ~ ~i Ex~..slave Stories ~ One (Texas) .~ . JOS1~PHWE~ RYL~S known to the colored, people as ~ Mama Honey , Was born a slave of James Sultry, G~alveston insurance a~gent~ She does not knoW her ace. She lives in Galv~~ston, Tex~sb Sho, I m JosepMne Ryles, only everyon ~ round here calls ~ae M2;na Hon~:r ~md I most for~t r~y n~i ie till you says it right den. Honey, I ll be ~iad to tell ~ou all I ~ne&~r bout slavery, but it ain t much, for rn~, mind ain t so good no more. Sometimes I can t member nothin a..t~ll. Itin too old. I don t know how old, but me .~nd dat Gulf got here boutde same time, I reckon, I m borned in G~alv~ston and Ja~n~s Sultry owns my mother arid she de only slave what he b~ve. He have a kind of big house on Church St and my mother done de housework and cookin till she sold in de country, I wIshes ~rou ~~~1d v~ talked to her, she knowed. all tbout slavery, and she come from I~ashville to Mobi1~ arid den to1Texas. Her n~me ME;7 Alexander and my dar~dy s name Matt fllii~ms and. ~ Schwoebel own him. Den us sold. to Er. Snow whet livein Polk county. Us ~its sold right he~ e in Galveston without gwine no pl~.ce, my mother and nie and my li l brother. My daddy couldn t f~O with us and I ain t never seed him . t~8 in. Mr. Snow 1i~ eout in ~e country and have a big place ~nd a lot of field hands and us live In cab~ns. t~j~y mother was de cook for de white folks and rriy li l brother, Cherl e Evans, WRS ~ie water toter in de fields. Re brang water in de bucket ~nd give de hands a drink.

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Elx slave Stories ~ P$~ Two 279 (Texas) Plenty t lines de niggers r~xn way, ~ dey have. to work awftil hard. aM de s~in awful hot. Dey Mdes In de woods and Mr. Snow keep nigger clogs to hunt ~em with. Deindogs b~we big ears and de~ so bad I never fools ~ round dem. Mr Snow t eke of dere chains t o git de scent of de nigger and. dey kep on till dey finds him, and. sometimes dey hurt him. I knows dey tore de meat off one ~em field hands. My mother used to send inc and my brother out in de woods for. d~e blackberry roots and she ma)ce medicine out of dem, You jest t&oe de few draps at de time. Den she take de cornmeal and brown it and make coffee out of it. t, I didn t pay imich tention to dat war t ill Mr. Snow says us free and den us go to alveston and. she git work cookin and I stays with her, 1*1 can t tell you much. My mind. jes ain t no more good. no more, L ~ ~ I ~ ~ \~ J~ 4 rj~k~I~( ~i