*John Walton, 87, was born August 15, 1849, a slave of Bill Walton, who
lived in Austin, Texas, until the Civil War. He then purchased a farm in
Robertson County, Texas. John and his wife, Missouri, own a little home
at 1008 Juniper St., Austin. Each receives an old age pension of $10.00
a month.*
"My name am John Walton, yes, suh, and I's born right here in Austin.
Dat on de 15th day of August, in 1849. I done had de papers on dat but
where dey is now I don't know. Pappy's named Gordon Walton and I 'member
he die while de war goin' on, or jes' befo'. I disremember. My mammy was
a small woman, named Mary.
"Massa Bill Walton owns all us, and he de brother of Buck Walton, and us
live in Austin till it said de Yankees comin'. Some southern folks here
in Austin was diggin' ground for a fort, old Fort MacGruder, jes' south
of Austin. So Massa Bill takes us all 'way from Austin and up to
Robertson County, 'cause he done figured de Yankees can't git up dere.
"I done field work up dere and even us kids had to pick 150 pounds
cotton a day, or git de whoppin'. Us puts de cotton in de white-oak
baskets and some dem hold more'n 100 pounds. It 'cordin' to de way you
stamps you cotton in. De wagon with de yoke of oxen standin' in de field
for to pour de cotton in and when it full, de oxen pulls dat wagon to de
hoss-power gin. Us gin'rally use 'bout 1,600 pounds cotton to make de
bale.
"Purty soon after Massa Walton opens he farm he die and Missus Walton
den marries a Dr. Richardson and he git de overseer what purty rough on
us. He want all us to stay right in line and chop 'long and keep up with
de lead man. If us didn't it am de bullwhip. He ride up and down and hit
us over de back if us don't do de job right. Sometimes he'd git off he
hoss and have two slaves hold one down and give him de bullwhip. He'd
give it to him, too.
"I helped break up de land and plant and chop cotton and a little of
everything. Jes' what had to be done at de time, I goes out and does it.
I run 'cross plenty snakes and one day one bit me right top de foot.
Dere plenty varmints, too.
"In de fall of de year us kill plenty hawgs and put up de gamblin' racks
and hang dat meat up for de night. Dere some big dogs what watched de
meat and one old dog, old Jefferson, was bigger'n any dog I ever seed.
He kilt many 'nother dog. One night a big panther try steal de hawg meat
and old Jeff cotch him and helt him till de men comes. De panther tore
Jeff up purty bad. Us heered dem panthers scream at night, and if you
didn't know, you'd think it a woman. I could tell de diff'rence, 'cause
de panther scream have de little growl at de end. If he half mile 'way,
you'd hear dat little whang.
"One night I goes out in de bottom with my dog. I was huntin' but I
don't like what I finds. A big panther follows me and old Nig, dat my
big, black bulldog, scart him 'way from me. I sho' run dat night, and I
never slip 'way no more at night.
"Massa's big house sot 'way from our cabins. Us have de big room where
de slaves' meals all cook and de fireplace 'bout four foot 'cross and
plenty ashes in de mornin' to make de ashcakes. For breakfast us have
meat and ashcakes and bran-coffee or sassafras tea. You could keep dem
dried sassafras roots de year 'round and dey jes' as strong. Us plowed
'em up in de field, 'cause dey growed wild.
"Us didn't have time for de playin' of games durin' de week, 'cause it
dark when us goes out and it dark when us comes back. Us sho' was tired.
At night dat overseer walk by our cabins and call out to us, to see if
us all inside. If us don't answer he come up and find out why, and he'd
find us, too.
"I larned to read and write a little jes' since freedom. Us used
Webster's old blue-back spellers and I has one in de house to dis day
and I wouldn't take nothing for it.
"The first year after freedom I farms with mammy and my stepdaddy. Pappy
done die. Us done purty good de first year and I keeps on farmin' most
my life. I marries Georgia Anne Harper in 1875 or 1876 in Limestone
County. Us have four chillen and three is livin'. I marries 'gain in
1882 to Missouri Fisher and us have eight chillen and six is livin'.
"Us gits 'long on what de state give us now, and it ain't so bad. Times
is diff'rent. I never done much but farm, so I don't know so much 'bout
everything what goes on."