*Virginia Newman was freeborn, the daughter of a Negro boat captain and
a part Negro, part Indian mother. When a young girl, Virginia
apprenticed herself, and says she was nursegirl in the family of Gov.
Foster, of Louisiana. She does not know her age, but says she saw the
"Stars fall" in 1833. She has the appearance of extreme old age, and is
generally conceded to be 100 years old or more. She now lives in
Beaumont, Texas.*
"When de stars fall I's 'bout six year old. They didn' fall on de grou'.
They cross de sky like a millions of firebugs.
"My fus' name Georgia Turner, 'cause my pappy's name George Turner, and
he a freeborn nigger man. He's captain of a boat, but they call 'em
vessels them days. It have livin' quarters in it and go back and forth
'tween dis place and dat and go back to Africy, too.
"My grandmudder, she an Africy woman. They brung her freeborn from
Africy and some people what knowed things one time tol' us we too proud
but us had reason to be proud. My grandmudder's fambly in Africy was a
African prince of de rulin' people. My udder grandmudder was a pure bred
Indian woman and she raise all my mudder's chillen. My mudder name Eli
Chivers.
"When I's small I live with my grandmudder in a old log cabin on the
ribber, 'way out in de bresh jus' like de udder Indians live. I's born
on my fadder's big boat, 'way below Grades Island, close by Franklin, in
Louisiana. They tells me he carry cargo of cotton in de hull of de boat,
and when I's still li'l they puts out to sea, and grandmudder, Sarah
Turner her name, tuk us and kep' us with her in de cabin.
"Us didn' have stick of furniture in de house, no bed, no chair, no
nothin'. Us cut saplings boughs for bed, with green moss over 'em. Us
was happy, though. Us climb trees and play. It was hard sometime to git
things to eat so far in de woods and us eat mos' everything what run or
crawl or fly outdoors. Us eat many rattlesnake and them's fine eatin'.
We shoot de snake and skin him and cut him in li'l dices. Den us stew
him slow with lots of brown gravy.
"They allus askin' me now make hoe-cake like we et. Jus' take de
cornmeal and salt and water and make patties with de hands and wrop de
sof' patties in cabbage leafs, stir out de ashes and put de patties in
de hot ashes. Dat was good.
"One my grandfadders a old Mexican man call Old Man Caesar. All de
grandfolks was freeborn and raise de chillen de same, but when us gits
big they tell us do what we wants. Us could stay in de woods and be free
or go up to live with de white folks. I's a purty big gal when I goes up
to de big house and 'prentice myself to work for de Fosters. Dey have
big plantation at Franklin and lots of slaves. One time de Governor
cripple in de leg and I do nothin' but nuss him.
"I's been so long in de woods and don' see nobody much dat I love it up
with de white folks. Dey 'lowed us have dances and when dat old 'cordian
starts to play, iffen I ain't git my hair comb yit, it don't git comb.
De boss man like to see de niggers 'joy demselves. Us dance de
quadrille.
"Us have 'ceptional marsters. My fadder sick on Marster Lewis'
plantation and can't walk and de marster brung him a 'spensive reclinin'
chair. Old Judge Lewis was his marster.
"I git marry from de plantation and my husban' he name Beverly Newman
and he from de Lewis plantation in Opelousas. They read out'n de Book
and after de readin' us have lots of white folks to come and watch us
have big dance.
"When a nigger do wrong den, they didn' send him to de pen. They put him
'cross a barrel and strop him behin'.
"When fightin' 'gin, all our white folks and us slaves have to go 'way
from Louisiana. Opelousas and them place was free long time 'fore de
udders. Us strike out for Texas and it took mos' a year to walk from de
Bayou la Fouche to de Brazos bottoms. I have to tote my two li'l boys,
dat was Jonah and Simon. They couldn' neither walk yit. Us have de
luggage in de ox cart and us have to walk. Dey was some mo' cullud
people and white and de mud drag de feetses and stick up de wheels so
dey couldn' even move. Us all walk barefeets and our feets break and run
they so sore, and blister for months. It cold and hot sometime and rain
and us got no house or no tent.
"De white folks settles in Jasper county, on a plantation dere. After
while freedom come to Texas, too, but mos' de slaves stay round de old
marsters. I's de only one what go back to Louisiana. After de war my
fambly git broke up and my three oldes' chillen never see de li'l ones.
Dose later chillen, dey's eight livin' now out'n nine what was born
since slavery and my fourth chile die seven year ago when she 75 year
old.
[Illustration: _Virginia Newman_]
"When I git back to Louisiana I come to be a midwife and I brung so many
babies here I can't count. De old priest say I ought to have a big book
with all their names to 'member by.
"It were 'bout dis time I have my fur' bought dress and it was blue
guinea with yaller spots. It were long at de ankle and make with a body
wais'. Us wore lots of unnerwear and I ain't take 'em off yit.
"I never been sick, I's jus' weak. I almos' go blin' some time back but
now I git my secon' sight and I sees well 'nough to sew."