*Ellen Payne, 88, was born a slave of Dr. Evans, pioneer physician of
Marshall, Texas, and father-in-law of former Governor Clark. She married
Nelson Payne when she was twenty-five, and they farmed in Marshall for
fifty-two years. Since Nelson's death eleven years ago, Ellen has
operated the farm herself and has always made a crop. She lives alone on
the Port Caddo Road.*
"My name is Ellen Payne now, but in slave times it was Ellen Evans, and
I was born on the old Mauldin place right here at Marshall and belonged
to old Dr. Evans. Dr. Evans loans the Bible what had all our ages in it
and never got it back, so when he freed us they guessed our ages. My
mistress say I was 'bout sixteen years old when surrender come, and my
daddy and mammy was Isom and Becky Lewis. Mammy come from Tennessee and
they was seventeen of us chillen.
"Master Evans lived in a big brick house on the north side of Marshall
and run his farm four miles from town, and I stayed on the farm, but
come in town some with my mammy to work for Mistress Nancy. The niggers
on other farms had to sleep on 'Damn-it-to Hell' beds, but we didn't
have that kind. We had good wood beds and hay mattresses with lowell
covers.
"I mostly minded the calves and chickens and turkeys. Master Evans had a
overseer but he didn't 'low him to cut and slash his niggers and we
didn't have no hard taskmaster. They was 'bout thirty slaves on the
farm, but I is the only one livin' now. I loved all my white folks and
they was sweet to us.
"The hands worked from sun to sun and had a task at night. Some spinned
or made baskets or chair bottoms or knit socks. Some the young'uns
courted and some jest rambled round most all night. On Saturday was the
prayer meetin' in one house and a dance in another. On Sunday some went
to church and visitin', but not far, 'cause that was in patterroller
times.
"They was allus plenty to eat and one nigger didn't do nothin' but raise
gardens. They hunted coon and possum and rabbits with dogs and the white
folks kilt deer and big game like that. My daddy allus had some money,
'cause he made baskets and chair bottoms and sold them, and Master Evans
give every slave a patch to work and they could sell it and keep the
money.
"We didn't know nothin' but what went on at the place. Us slaves didn't
carry news 'cause they wasn't none to carry and if the white folks want
to send news anywhere, they put a boy on a mule to take it.
"Master Evans had a old woman what tended to us when we was sick, and he
give us quinine and calomel and castor oil and boneset tea. That tea was
'nough to kill a mule, but it done us good. Some wore esfidity bags
round they necks to keep off sickness.
"My young mistress married Master Clark and they lived close, and my
mammy and me used to spent part the time workin' for her. Master Clark
got to be governor 'bout time war started and moved to Austin. I still
got the Bible he give me.
[Illustration: _Ellen Payne_]
"I 'member the white southern men folks run off to the bottoms to git
'way 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 I'm mighty glad, but
I'm mighty sad.' We stays on till Christmas, then mammy and me leaves
and hires out. I stays workin' with her till I'm twenty-five and then I
marries Nelson Payne.
"My young mistress sends me a blue worsted dress to marry in, and we's
married at mammy's house and she give us a nice supper. He was a farmer
and we kep' on livin' on the farm fifty-two years, till he died. We
loved farm life. I raised four boys but none of them is livin' now. When
Nelson died first one then 'nother holps me and I has made a crop every
year till now. I'm too old now, but I still raises some corn and peas
and garden stuff. They gives me a $15.00 month pension, but I likes to
be doin' somethin'.
"I still shouts at meetin's. I don't have nothin' to do with it. It hits
me jes' like a streak of lightning, and there ain't no holdin' it. I
goes now to camp meetin's clost to Karnack and tries to 'have, but when
I gits the spirit, I jest can't hold that shoutin' back. The young folks
makes fun of me, but I don't mind. Style am crowded all the grace out of
'ligion, today."