*George Owens, medium in height and weight, seated comfortably under the
shade of an old oak tree, was clad in 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 of gray hair on his chin and a nicely
trimmed mustache on his upper lip. George's right eye is completely
closed from an injury which he received while in railroad service. Born
near Marshall, Texas, the slave of Dave Owens, he told his story with
great interest and enjoyed the opportunity to tell about the old days.*
"I was bo'n right close to de ol' powder mill up in Marshall, Texas,
where dey uster mek powder. Understan'? Dey call it Mills Quarters. I
was a right sizeable boy twel' year' ol' when freedom come."
"Dave Owens, dat was my ol' marster' name, and dat was my daddy' name
too. My name' George William David Owen. I use dat William 'cause one of
dem other Owens uster git my mail."
"Ol' marster he had a big farm plantation. Dey uster raise cotton, and
co'n and 'taters and sich like. My daddy was de shoemaker for de
plantation."
"One day me and my daddy was talkin'. Dat was de fus' Crismus atter
freedom. He say to me, 'Son, does you know how ol' you is?' I say, 'No,
suh.' He say, 'Well, you is 12 year' ol'.' I 'member dat and dat was de
fus' Crismus atter freedom."
"Williams was my fus' marster but he sel' us to Owens. He live in
Marshall, but he hab a plantation 'bout t'ree or fo' mile' out. Atter
dat Owens he buy out Mills Quarters from Williams."
"My wuk was jis' de odds and en's 'roun' de yard. When ol' mistus call
me and tell me to pick up chips, or pull up weeds or bring in weed and
sich, I hafter do it. You knew how wimmen 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. Ol'
marster see to it dat us have plenty to eat. Dey feed us milk and
'taters and peas, and bread and meat. No sir, we didn' sit down at no
trough for to eat. Dey had tables in de slaves' houses. Us sit down to
us meals like human bein's. My mammy was de cook on de place. Her name
was Sarah Owens."
"Dey give de little ones what couldn' come to de table, a pan and spoon
for dem to have at meal time. Dem what so little dey can't eat outer a
pan, dey have suck bottles for dem."
"Dey milk 'bout 12 or 14 head of cow' on de place. Dey had plenty of
milk and butter. Dey had a big safe what dey put de milk and butter in
to keep it fresh. Dere was a trough wid water in it and dey set de milk
and butter in it in de summer time. Dey had a peg of wood in a hole at
de en', and when dey want to change de water dey pull out de peg and
dreen de water out and put some cool fresh water in."
"When I was a boy us uster play wid spools, 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."
"De grown up folks uster go huntin' at night and kill deers and
'possums. Dey had to have a permit transfer iffen dey go huntin' or go
from one plantation to annuder. Iffen dey didn' have a permit de
patterrollers would git 'em."
"De patterrollers neber git me. I see 'em chase slaves. When dey ketch
'em dey whip 'em, and tell 'em nex' time be sho' to have a pass from ol'
marster."
"I neber see ol' marster beat nobody. What whippin' he done he done it
wid his mout'. He mighty keen speakin' den, but when he speak rough to a
nigger he need it."
"De kind of chu'ch dey have in dem days on dat place was fence-corner
chu'ch. Dey go off down in de fence corner and sing and pray. Dey feerd
for anybody to see 'em."
"Dey was some cullud preacher' 'roun' but dey warn't on us plantation. I
jine' de Baptis' Chu'ch but dat was way atter slavery. I uster be pro
tem deacon."
"De fus' money I earn' was wukkin' on the T&P Railroad. I jis' blow it
in, you know like boys do. I los' dis eye railroadin'. I was spikin' on
a col' frosty mornin'. I hit dat spike and it broke up in t'ree piece'
and de middle piece hit me in de eye and put it out."
"Seems like I 'members de sojers. I couldn' specify wedder dey was
Yankees or not. You know dat ol' battle fo't (fort) was dere at
Marshall, two or t'ree mile' from Mills Quarters."
"Dem sojers had on long blue overcoats wid brass buttons on 'em. Dey was
a eagle on dem button. De way I 'member dat, I find one in de road like
it was tore off and I pick it up and make me a play toy outer it."
"Dey uster keep two cannons at de co't house and dey shoot dem cannon
eb'ry Friday. I 'member dey uster stick a rod in 'em and el'vate 'em.
Dey had a U.S. flag on de mas'-pole and dey shoot de cannon when dey tek
down de flag."
"I dunno nuthin' 'bout conjur' men. I see people sick or cripple' and
dey say conjure' man done it, but I dunno. I ain't neber see no ghos'
needer. People try to show 'em to me but I ain't see 'em. One time I see
sumpin' white in de wood and I go up to see what it was and it warn't
nuthin' 'cep'n' a pillow what somebody lef' in a swing 'tween two tree'.
Iffen I hadn' had a li'l "coffee" in me I don' guess I'd been brave
'nuff to go see what it was."
"I allus pronounced de patterrollers and de Klu Kluxers 'bout de same.
Fur as seein' 'em, I ain't. I t'ink dey done good to de country. Dey
didn' bodder nobody 'cep'n' dem what was out of dere place. Iffen dey
had some now it mought do good."
"If you all keep on you gwineter hab a book outer my testimony."
"Dey had a gin on de plantation and dey mek de clo's on a spinnin' wheel
and loom. I see my mammy mek many a bolt of clo'f on a loom befo' she
die."
"It mighter slip' my 'membrance how dey tol' us we free, but I 'members
my daddy say we free. Us stay on ol' marster's place a while den he buy
a li'l place de other side of Marshall. He do odd jobs 'roun', too."
"Fus' time I marry Mary Harper at Gilmer. Dey was two darters, Gettys
and Alice Owens. I lef' her and I marry my secon' wife, Betty Cheatham
in 1913. I been 'roun' dese parts 'bout 46 or 47 year' and I been in
Kountze 25 year'."
"I don't t'ink I commit to mem'ry anyt'ing else. I ain't gwine to tell
no mo' 'cause I ain't to make statement and testify 'bout sumpin' I
ain't know 'bout."