*Uncle Cinto Lewis, ex-slave, claims to be 111 years old. He lived in a
brick cabin with his wife, Aunt Lucy, on the Huntington Plantation, in
Brazoria Co., Texas. Miss Kate Huntington says the cabin occupied by the
old couple is part of the old slave quarters built by J. Greenville
McNeel, who owned the plantation before Marion Huntington. Miss Kate's
father bought it. Although Uncle Cinto claims to be 111, he says he was
named San Jacinto because he was born during the "San Jacinto War",
which would make his age 101.*
"Yes, suh, I's Cinto. That's Lucy over there, she my wife and I calls
her Red Heifer, 'cause her papa's name was Juan and he was a Mexican.
She and me marry right after 'mancipation. We come long way and we goin'
to die together.
"They named me San Jacinto 'cause I's born durin' de San Jacinto war,
but they calls me Cinto. I's born in Fort Bend County, up near Richmond,
and my old marster was Marse Dave Randon, and his wife, Miss Nancy, was
my missus. She was sister to Marse John McNeel, what with his brothers
owned all de land hereabouts.
"I 'members once I slips away come dark from de plantation, with some
others. We is slippin' 'long quiet like and a paddle roller jump out
from behin' a bush and say, 'Let's see your pass.' We didn't have none
but I has a piece of paper and I gives it to him and he walks to where
it am more light, and then we run, right through old burdock bushes with
briars stickin' us and everything. Iffen he cotched us we sho' gits a
hidin'.
"I fust went to de field when I 'bout 15 year old, but they larned us to
work when we was chaps, we would he'p our mammas in de rows. My mamma's
name Maria Simmons and my papa, Lewis. They rared me up right.
"Marse Dave wasn't mean like some. Sometimes de slaves run away to de
woods and iffen they don't cotch 'em fust they finally gits hongry and
comes home, and then they gits a hidin'. Some niggers jus' come from
Africa and old Marse has to watch 'em close, 'cause they is de ones what
mostly runs away to de woods.
"We had better houses then, good plank houses, and de big house was sho'
big and nice. 'Course they didn't larn us read and write, and didn't
'low no church, but us steal off and have it sometimes, and iffen old
Marse cotch us he give us a whalin'. We didn't have no funerals like
now, they jus' dig a hole and make you a box, and throw you in and cover
you up. But de white folks fed us good and give us good clothes. We wore
red russet shoes and good homespun clothes, and we done better'n now.
"Come Christmas time old marse sometimes give us two-bits and lots of
extra eats. Iffen it come Monday, we has de week off. But we has to
watch the eats, 'cause niggers what they marsters don't give 'em no
Christmas sneak over and eat it all up. Sometimes we have dances, and
I'd play de fiddle for white folks and cullud folks both. I'd play,
'Young Girl, Old Girl', 'High Heel Shoes,' and 'Calico Stockings.'
"When we was freed we was all glad, but I stayed 'round and worked for
Marse Dave and he pays me a little. Finally Lucy and me gits married out
of de Book and comes down here to Marse McNeel's. They puts us in debt
and makes us work so many years to pay for it. They gives us our own
ground and sometimes we makes two bales of cotton on it. 'Course, we
works for them, too, and they pays us a little and when Christmas comes
we can buy our own things. I used to haul sugar and 'lasses for Papa
John up to Brazoria and sometimes to Columbia.
"Yes, suh, I been here a long time, long time. All my own stuff is dead
now, I guess. I got grandchillen in Galveston, I think, but all my own
stuff is dead."