*Elsie Reece, 90, was born a slave of John Mueldrew, in Grimes County,
Texas. Elsie came to Fort Worth in 1926 to live with her only remaining
child, Mrs. Luffin Baker, who supports Elsie with the aid of her $7.00
monthly old age pension.*
"I's borned in Grimes County, ninety years ago. Dat am long time, child.
It am heap of change since den. We couldn't see dem airplanes flyin' in
de air and hear folks sing and talk a thousand miles away. When I's de
young'un de fartheres' 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 Mueldrew and he have a small plantation near
Navasota, and 'bout twenty cullud folks, mos' of 'em 'lated to each
other. There was seven chillen in mammy's family and I's de baby. Pappy
dies when I's a year old, so I don't 'member him.
"Dey larnt me to weave cloth and sew, and my brudder am de shoemaker. My
mammy tend de cows and Uncle John am de carpenter. De Lawd bless us with
de good massa. 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 pappy.
"Nother thing am change a heap. Dat buyin' all us wears and eats. Gosh
'mighty, when I's de gall, it am awful li'l us buys. Us raise nearly all
to eat and wear, and has good home-raised meat and all de milk and
butter us wants, and fruit and 'lasses and eggs and tea and coffee onct
a week. Now I has to live on $7.00 a month and what place am I bes' off?
Sho', on de massa's place.
"We'uns has Sundays off and goes to church. Old man Buffington preaches
to us after dinner. Dere am allus de party on Saturday night on our
place or some other place nearby. We gits de pass and it say what time
to be home. It de rule, twelve o'clock. We dances de quadrille and sings
and sich. De music am fiddles.
"But 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 Missie Mary holler, 'Santa Claus 'bout due,' us all gathers at de
door and purty soon Santa 'pears with de red coat and long, white
whiskers, in de room all lit with candles. He gives us each de sack of
candy and a pair of shoes from de store. Massa never calls for work from
Christmas to New Year's, '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 dere army
clothes. I's 'bout fourteen den. Lots of young men goes and lots never
comes back. Sam gits his right leg shot off and dies after he come home,
but Jim lives. Den surrender come and Massa Jim read de long paper. He
say, 'I 'splain to yous. It de order from de gov'ment what make it
'gainst de law to keep yous slaves.' You should seed dem cullud folks.
Dey jus' plumb shock. Dere faces long as dere arm, and so pester dey
don't know what to say or do.
"Massa never say 'nother word and walks away. De cullud folks say,
'Where we'uns gwine live? What we'uns gwine do?' Dey frets all night.
Nex' mornin' massa say, 'What you'uns gwine do?' Uncle John say, 'When
does we have to go?' Den massa laughs hearty and say dey can stay for
wages or work on halves.
[Illustration: _Elsie Reece_]
"Well, sir, dere a bunch of happy cullud folks after dey larnt dey could
stay and work, and my folks stays nearly two years after 'mancipation.
Den us all move to Navasota and hires out as cooks. I cooks till I's
eighteen and den marries John Love. He am de carpenter and right off
builds a house on land he buy from Dr. Terrell, he old massa. I has four
chillen, 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 am big
sorrow in my life. There I is, with chillen to support, so I goes to
cookin' 'gain and we has some purty close times, but I does it and sends
dem to school. I don't want dem to be like dey mammy, a unknowledge
person.
"After eight years I marries Dave Reece and has two chillen. 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, and one day she dies sudden-like with a
heart mis'ry. She de bes' friend I ever has.
"I comes to Fort Worth in 1926 and lives with my daughter. I's paralyze
in de right side and can't work no more, and it am fine I has de good
daughter."