*Mariah Robinson, born in Monroe, Georgia, does not know her age, but
from certain facts and her appearance, is probably 90 or over. Her
master was Judge Hill. He gave Mariah to his son-in-law, Bob Young, who
brought her to Texas. She now lives in Meridian, Texas.*
"I's borned over in Georgia, in dat place call Monroe, and mammy was
Lizzie Hill, 'cause her massa Jedge Hill. I's hones', I don't know de
'zact date I's borned. Missy Joe, my missy, put de record of all ages in
de court house for safe keepin', to keep de Indians from burnin' dem up,
and dey's burnt up when de court house burns. All I knows is my younges'
sister, what live in Georgia, writ me 'bout a year ago and say, 'Last
Thursday I's 81 year old.' Dere is five chillen 'twixt my and her age
and dere is six chillen younger'n me. Dat de best I can give of my age.
"Jedge Hill's daughter, Miss Josephine, married Dr. Young's son, what
lived in Cartersville, in Georgia, but had done moved to Texas. Den my
missy give me to Miss Josephine to come to Texas with her to keep her
from de lonely hours and bein' sad so far 'way from home. We come by
rail from Monroe to Social Circle and dere boards de boat 'Sweet Home'.
Dere was jus' two boats on de line, de 'Sweet Home' and de 'Katie
Darling.'
"Us sails down de Atlantic Ocean to New Orleans, myself and my aunt
Lonnie and uncle Johns, all with Miss Josephine. When us gits to New
Orleans us 'rested and put in de trader's office. Us slaves, I mean. Dis
de way of dat. Our massa, Massa Bob Young, he a cotton buyer and he done
left Georgia without payin' a cotton debt and dey holds us for dat.
"Miss Josephine wires back to Georgia to Dr. Young and he come and git
us out. He come walkin' down de street with he goldheaded walkin' cane.
Us upstairs in de trader's office. I seed him comin' and cries out, 'O,
yonder comes Massa Young.' He looks up and shooked he goldheaded walkin'
stick at me and says, 'Never mind, old boss have you out in a few
minutes.' Den he gits de hack soon as us out and sends us to de port,
for to cotch de boat. Us gits on dat boat and leaves dat evenin'. Comin'
down de Mississippi 'cross de Gulf us seed no land for days and days and
us go through de Gulf of Mexico and lands at de port, Galveston, and us
come to Waco on de stagecoach.
"Us lives four year on Austin St., in Waco, dat four years 'fore de war
of 1861. Us boarded with Dr. Tinsley and he and Gen'ral Ross was good
friends. I worked in a sewin' room doin' work sich as whippin' on laces
and rufflin' and tuckin'. Den us come to Bosque County right near
Meridian, 'cause Massa Bob have de ranch dere and de time of de freedom
war us lives dere.
"Us be in de house at night, peepin' out de window or pigeon hole and
see Indians comin'. De chief lead in front. Dey wild Comanches. Sometime
dere 50 or 60 in a bunch and dey did raidin' at night. But I's purty
brave and goes three mile to Walnut Spring every day to git veg'tables.
I rid de donkey. Miss Josephine boards all de Bosque County school
chillen and us have to git de food. I seed droves of wild turkey and
buffaloes and antelopes and deers. I seed wild cats and coons and
bunches of wolves and heered de panthers scream like de woman.
"Us lived in a log cabin with two chimneys and a long shed-room and
cooked in de kitchen fireplace in de skillet, over it de pot racks. Us
made meal on de steel mill and hominy and cheese. I got de prize for
spinnin' and weavin'. I knitted de stockin's but Miss Joe had to drap de
stitch for me to turn de heels and toes.
"Durin' de freedom war Massa Gen'ral Bob Young git kilt at de last
battle. Dat de Bull Run battle and he fit under Gen'ral Lee. Dat left my
missy de war widow and she mammy come live with her and she teached in
de school. I stays with dem four year after freedom and I's one of de
family for de board and de clothes. They's good to me and likes to make
me de best lookin' and neatest slave in dat place. I had sich as purty
starched dresses and dey holp me fix de hair nice.
"Us used de soft, dim candlelight and I make de candle sticks. Us have
gourd dippers and oak buckets to dip water out de well and us make
wooden tubs out of stumps and battlin' sticks to clean de clothes.
"I done already met up with Peter Robinson. He's de slave of Massa
Ridley Robinson what was gwine to California from Alabama, with all he
slaves. Massa Robinson git kilt by de Mexican and a white man name Gibb
Smith gits to own Peter. He hires him out to a farmer clost by us ranch
and I gits to meet him and us have de courtship and gits married. Dat
'fore freedom. Us marries by Ceasar Berry, de slave of Massa Buck Berry.
Ceasar am de cullud preacher. Pete was 'telligent and 'liable and de
good man. He played de fiddle all over de country and I rid horseback
with him miles and miles to dem dances.
"Peter could write de plain hand and he gits to haul lumber from Waco to
make de Bosque County court house. He larns more and gits to be de
county's fust cullud trustee and de fust cullud teacher. He gits 'pinted
to see after de widows in time of war and in de 'construction days.
Fin'ly he is sent to Austin, de capital of Texas, to be rep'sentive.
"Pete and me begot ten chillen. My fust chile am borned two months 'fore
freedom. After us slaves is freed us hired out for one year to git means
to go free on. Us held by de committee call 'Free Committee Men.' De
wages is ten dollars de month to de family. After us ready to go for
ourselves, my missy am de poor widow and she have only three cows and
three calves, but she give one of each of dem to Pete and me.
"After leavin' Miss Joe us move here and yonder till I gits tired of
sich. By den us have sev'ral chillen and I changes from de frivol'ty of
life to de sincereness, to shape de dest'ny of de chillins' life. I
tells Pete when he comes back from fiddlin' one night, to buy me de home
or hitch up and carry me back to Missy Joe. Dat lead him to buy a strip
of land in Meridian. He pays ten dollar de acre. We has a team of oxen,
call Broad and Buck, and we done our farmin' with dem. Pete builds me a
house, hauls de lumber from Waco. Twict us gits burnt out, but builds it
'gain. Us makes de orchard and sells de fruit. Us raises bees and sells
de honey and gits cows and chickens and turkeys. Pete works good and I
puts on my bonnet and walks behind him and draps de corn.
"He gits in organizin' de fust cullud church in Meridian, de cullud
Cumberland Pres'terian Church. Us has ever lived de useful life. I works
at cookin' and washin' and ironin'. I helps de doctors with de babies.
"But de dis'bility of age have to come and now I is 'most disabled and
feels stunted and pov'ty stricken. I'd like to work now, but I isn't
able."