*Sylvester Sostan Wickliffe, of Ames, Texas, was born in St. Mary's
Parish, Louisiana, in 1854. A free-born Negro, Wickliffe tells an
interesting story about his life and that of his uncle, Romaine Vidrine,
who was a slave-holder. Wickliffe has a nicely furnished home in
Beaumont, and two of his children have been to college.*
"I's what dey call a free-born nigger. Its a long story how dat come
about, but I can tell you.
"Three Frenchmen come to Louisiana from France. In three generations dey
mix with Indians and Negroes. Dey high-born Frenchmen and 'cumulate
plenty property. Before dey die dey make 'greement 'mongst demselves.
When one die de property go to de other two; de last one livin' git all
three plantations and all dat's on dem. It so happen dat old man
Vidrine's daddy live longes', so he git it all. But he so good he divide
up and my daddy gits forty acres good land. My daddy's greatgrandpapa
was one dem first three Frenchmen.
"My daddy was Michael and mama was Lucy and dey a whole passel chillen,
Frances, Mary, Clotilde, Astasia and Tom, Samuel, Gilbert and Edward. My
daddy was part Indian and I had some half-brothers and sisters what wore
blanket and talk Indian talk. Dey used to come see daddy and set round
and talk half de night and I never understan' a word dey sayin'.
"Mama didn't have no Indian blood in her, but she born in Louisiana and
a right purty, brown-skin woman, probably some French or Spanish in her.
"My uncle, Romaine Vidrine, de son of old man Vidrine, he have de
bigges' property. He was a slave-holder. Dey was a number niggers in
Louisiana what owned slaves. Romaine, he have 'bout thirty-eight. Dey
was a big dif'ence make 'tween slave niggers and owner niggers. Dey so
much dif'ence as 'tween white folks and cullud folks. My uncle wouldn't
'low slave niggers to eat at de same table with him or with any of us
free-born niggers.
"Folks come down from de noth sometimes and mistook de slave for de
owner or de owner for de slave. My uncle was sech a purty, bright man,
he must of been a quadroon. He had long burnsides and a long tail coat
all de time. He was very dignified. He was good to all he slaves, but
when he say work, he mean work. He ain't never 'low none de slaves be
familiar with him.
"De old Romaine house was a old*fashioned house make out of cypress. Dat
everlastin'. It come to a peak on top and dere was one big room what run
de whole length in de back and dat de sleepin' room for all de li'l
chillen. De growed-up folks have sleepin' rooms, too. Dey have a cook
shack outside. It a sep'rate house.
"Us live in a purty good house not very far from de big house. Dey have
what dey calls a private school. It was kep' by my uncle. Only de
free-born niggers went to it. De older ones educated in French and de
young ones in French and 'merican, too. After de war dey hire a white
man named William Devoe to be teacher. He educate de chillen to de third
gen'ration. He come to Texas with me and die 'bout five years ago.
"When a couple want to git marry on de old Romaine place, uncle sent for
de priest from St. Martin. Dey wasn't no priest round Franklin or what
dey call New Iberia later. When I's most a growed boy de priest come
baptise 'bout forty of us. He use de water* out uncle's cistern for de
ceremony. When us goin' down de road to de baptisin' dey's a squirrel
run 'cross de road and us chillen all broke and run to cotch it. Law,
dat jus' 'bout scare my old godmother to death. She took so much pain
dat us all nice and clean and 'fraid us git dirty. Her name was Nana
Ramon Boutet and she live here in Ames settlement for many year. Us
laugh many time 'bout dat squirrel.
"Dey used to call us de free Mulattoes from 'cross de bayou. De nearest
town was Pattersonville and it five mile away. Now dey calls de
settlement Vidrinville for old man Romaine Vidrine. De plantation
suppor' a grist mill and a raw sugar mill. Dey make de sugar dark, big
grain, 'cause dey ain't no 'finery in dem days. Dey put de sugar in big
five hunerd pound hogshead and take it by boat down de Teche to New
Orleans and sell it. Dey use de money to buy coffee and cotton. Us
didn't raise cotton. I never see no cotton till I's a big boy and come
to Fort LaFayette.
"De grist mill was built 'way from de house. Dey have a long lever what
stand out de side and hitch hosses with a rawhide belt to make de mill
turn. Us folks all raise rice. Not like now, Lawdy, no. Dey jes' plant
rice in rows like corn and cultivate it like any other crop. Dey wasn't
no irrigation ditch. After de rice harves' dey put it in a mortar make
out a cypress log or block and knock de roughness off de rice with de
pestle.
"Every fall us go huntin' deer round Chicimachi Lake. Dey calls it Grand
Lake now, but de reg'lar Indian name am Chicimachi. Dere was a tribe of
Indians by dat name. Dey wasn't copper skin, but more yaller like.
"When war commence it purty hard on folks. Us see soldiers comin' 'cross
de bayou in blue suits. Dey raid de sugar mill and take de livestock and
foodstuff on de Pumphrey place. Dey have a awful battle five mile away.
Dat at Camp Boesland, on de Teche. Dat a awful battle! My brother go
dere next day and see soldiers standin' up dead 'gainst trees with dey
bay'nets still sot.
"De Confed'rates come and took all de slaves to build de fort at
Alexandria. When dey come to de Romaine place dey see niggers, and ain't
know which free and which slaves. Dey line my daddy up with deothers,
but a white man from town say, 'Dat a good, old man. He part Indian and
he free. He a good citizen. He ain't s'pose do work like dat.' So dey
didn't take him.
"De Yankees damage de Romaine property 'siderable. Dey take a whole year
crop of sugar and corn and hosses. Afterwards dey pass a law and de
gov'ment 'low money for dat. It was 'bout twenty year before dey git de'
money, but dey git it. Romaine and he heirs git $30,000 for dem damages.
"After war over, old man Romaine tell he slaves dey free now. But he
say, 'You is most born right here and iffen you is bright you stay right
here.' Dey all did stay. But dey ain't never git to jine with de
free-born. Dey still make a dif'ence.
"After freedom I 'cide to larn a trade. I 'prentice myself to de
blacksmith trade for clothes and board. I larn all I can in three year
and quit and open a shop on Bayou Tortue, 'tween St. Martin and
Lafayette. I charge $2.00 for to shoe a hoss all de way round. Den I
beat plows, build two-wheel buggy and hack. I make sweepstocks and
Garrett and Cottman plow. Dat after de time of de wood mould boards. I
make mine with metal.
"I come to Texas in 1890, to Liberty, and been right round dere and Ame
for forty-seven year. I start me a gin and blacksmith shop when I first
come. I marry in Houston to Epheme Pradia, 'nother free-born nigger, and
I still marry to her after forty-seven year. Dat a good long hitch. We
have seven chillen, all livin'. One gal went to de Catholic church
school in Galveston. One boy go to Pradeau University in New Orleans.
Dey two blacksmith, one farmer, one good auto mechanic and de three gals
keeps house.
"I 'member lots of songs us sing in French but I can't give 'merican for
dem. I know de song, _LaLoup Garou_. I try to translate one song for
you:
"Master of de house
Give me meat without salt;
When de stranger come,
He give me roast chicken."