*Steve Williams was born a slave of the Bennett family in 1855. They
were residents of Goliad County, Texas and owners of only a small bunch
of slaves. He and the other slaves were driven away hurriedly after the
soldiers had threatened the slave owners for not having turned the
slaves loose as soon after emancipation as they should have. Steve
worked around his old home for his victuals and clothes a few years,
then drifted about the country as a farm hand, finally landing in San
Angelo, Texas where he worked for awhile as cook at a barbecue stand. He
now lives alone in the back yard of his niece and is hardly able to get
in and out of his small cabin on his crutches.*
Steve relates the story of his life as follows:
"I wasn't very big when I was a slave. Fact is, we was set free 'fore I
was big enough to remember much about how dey does but I's hear my
mother tells 'bout dem Louisiana slave holders, dem what had dem
drivers. Now dey was sho' rough on dem. My mother's name was Charlotte
Williams and my father he was name Bill and dey belong to de Williams
dere, you see, and was sold to Mr. Bennett and brought to Goliad. Dats
how come I's named Williams and my marster named Bennett. Our little log
huts was put up 'round in de back yard and our beds was home-made, jes'
kind of plank scaffolds like. Our beddin' wasn't too good, jes' fair
cotton beds. Ole marster's folks dey have big feather beds and a nice
log house.
"I never seen any money when I was a boy to 'mount to anything and for a
long time after dat war I never seen too much.
"We had pretty good to eat such as vegetables from de boss's garden and
plenty of all kinds of meats. Some of de colored folks likes 'possum de
best but I always likes coon. Jes' bile him, den bake him good and brown
and aint no 'possum can come up wid dat.
"We had good homespun clothes and some times we have shoes.
"I never did see none of the slaves sold but I hear my mother tells
'bout how horrible dat was. I didn' learn much readin' and writin'
'cause no body never teach me none.
"We goes to camp meetin' after de war but not much, den dat was de white
folks meetin'.
"On Christmas we usually have a shoat and cakes and lots of fiddlin' and
dancin'.
[Illustration: _Steve Williams_]
"Slaves didn' have no weddin's. De boss he jes' puts dem in a cabin and
gives dem a wife and dey all calls dat married. Fact is, dey jes' wasn'
so much marryin' done 'mong de colored.
"When we hear we was free we hear it from some of de other slaves and we
was held longer den some in de north, but one day our boss comes from
town and he say to his wife, he say, 'Dem soldiers say iffen we don't
git dem niggers 'way from here dey goin' come out here and sweeps us out
of de cradle.'
"He sho' got busy den. He comes out and he say, 'You all git, I mean git
from here'. So we jes' scatters 'round, here and yonder, not knowin'
'zactly what to do. Some of us works on one farm and some on another for
a little co'n or some clothes or food. Finally I works 'round 'til I
comes to San Angelo, Texas and I cooks barbecue for a long time 'til I
jes' finally breaks down. Now, I don' try to do nothin' but jes' hobble
'round a little on my ole crutches."