Forward, in Jasper, Texas. She has spent her entire life in that
vicinity, and now lives in Jasper with her son, Joe McRay. Millie
has been totally blind for fifteen years and is very deaf.
"Us used to live 'bout four mile east of Jasper, on de Newton Highway. I
reckon I's 'bout 95 year old and I thank de Lawd I's been spared dis
long. Some my old friends say I's 100, and maybe I is. I feels like it.
"I's born in Alabama and mammy have jus' got up when de white folks
brung us out west. Pappy's name Jim Forward and mammy name Mary. Dey
lef' pappy in Alabama, 'cause he 'long to 'nother massa.
"My massa name Jason Forward and he own a lot of slaves. I work as
housegirl and wait on de white women. Missus name am Sarah Ann Forward.
Massa Jason he own de fust drugstore in Jasper. I have de sister, Susan,
and de brudder, Tom. Massa and missus, dey treats us jes' like dey us
pappy and mammy.
"Us have more to eat den dan us do now. Us never was knowed to be
without meat, 'cause massa raise plenty pigs. Us have fish and possum
and coon and deer and everything. Us have biscuits and cake, too, but us
drink bran meal coffee. Massa and missus has no chillen and dey give us
feast and have biscuits and cake. Befo' Christmas massa go to town and
buy all kinds candy and toys and say, 'Millie, you go out on de gallery
and holler and tell Santy not forgit fill your stockin' tonight.' I
holler loud as I can and nex' mornin' my stockin' chock full.
"After freedom come, us stays right on with massa and missus. Massa
teach school for us at night. Us learn A B C and how spell cat and dog
and nigger. Den one day he git cross and scold us and us didn't go back
to school no more. Us didn't have sense 'nough to know he tryin' do us
good.
"Den missus git sick, but she dat good, dat when one cullud man git
drown in de 'river she sit up in bed and make he shroud and massa feed
de whole crowd de two days dey findin' de body. After him bury, missus
git worse and say, 'Jason, pull down de blind, de light am so bright it
hurt my eyes.' Den a big, white crane come light on de chimney and us
chillen throw rocks at him, but he jes' shake he head and ruffle he
feathers and still sit dere. I tells you dat de light of Heaven shinin'
on missus and iffen ever a woman went dere, she did. She de bes' white
woman I ever see. De day she die, I cry all day.
"When de sojers go to de war, every man take a slave to wait on him and
take care he camp and cook. After de end of war, when de sojers gwine
home, don't know how many Yankees pass through Jasper, but it sound like
de roar of a storm comin'. Every officer have he wife ridin' right by he
side. Dey wives come to go home with dem. Dey thousands bluecoats,
ridin' two abreas'.
"When I young lady, dey have tourn'ments at Adrian Ryall place west of
Jasper and de one what cotch de hoss bridle de most times, git crown
queen. I gits to be queen every time. I looks like a queen now, doesn't
I?
"After us git free a long time, me and Susan and Tom us work hard and
buy us de black land farm. But de deed git' burnt up and us didn't know
how to git 'nother deed, and a young nigger call McRay, he come foolin'
'round me and makin' love to me. He find out us don't have no deed no
more and he claim dat farm and take it 'way from us and leave me with
li'l baby boy what I names Joe Millie McRay. But never 'gain. I never
marries.
"Us done work in de cotton field and wash many a long day to pay for dat
farm. But dat boy growed to be a good man and I live with him and he
wife now. And he boy, Bob, am better still. He jes' work so hard and he
buy fine li'l home in Jasper and marry de bes' gal, mos' white. Dey have
nice fur'ture and gas and lights and everything.
"Dey treat us purty good in slavery days but I'd rather be free, but it
purty hard to be blind so long and most deaf, too, but I thank de Lawd
I's not sufferin'. I gits de pension of 'leven dollars a month. I's so
old I can't 'member much, only sometime, things comes to me I thought I
forgot long time ago. I's had it purty hard to pay for de farm and den
have it stoled from me when I's old and blind, but de good Lawd, he know
all 'bout it and we all got to stand 'fore de jedgment some day soon.
420051
[Illustration: Louis Fowler]
LOUIS FOWLER, 84, was born a slave to Robert Beaver, in Macon Co.,
Georgia. Fowler did not take his father's name, but that of his
stepfather, J. Fowler. After he was freed, Louis farmed for several
years, then worked in packing plants in Fort Worth, Tex. He lives
at 2706 Holland St., Fort Worth.
"Dis cullud person am 84 years old and I's born on de plantation of
Massa Robert Beaver, in old Georgia. He owned my mammy and 'bout 50
slaves. Now, 'bout my pappy, I lets you judge. Look at my hair. De color
am red, ain't it? My beard am red and my eyes is brown and my skin am
light yellow. Now, who does you think my pappy was? You don't know, of
course, but I knows, 'cause on dat plantation am a man dat am over six
feet tall and his hair as red as a brick.
"My mammy am married to a man named Fowler and he am owned by Massa Jack
Fowler, on de place next to ours. Our place am middlin' big and fixed
first class. He has first-class quarter for us cullud folks. De cabins
am two and some three rooms and dey all built of logs and chinked with a
piece of wood and daubed with dirt to fill de cracks. De way we'uns fix
dat dirt am take de clay or gumbo which am sticky when it am wet. Dat
dirt am soaked with water till it stick together and den hay or straw am
mixed with it. When sich mud am daubed in de cracks it stay and dem
cabins am sho' windproof and warm.
"De treatment am good and Massa Beaver have de choice name 'mong he
neighbors for bein' good to he niggers. No work on Sunday, no work on
Saturday evenin's. Dem times was for de cullud folks to do for
demselves. Massa Beaver have it fixed disaway, he 'low each family a
piece of groun' and dey can raise what dey likes.
"De rations am measure out and de massa allus 'low plenty of meat and we
has wheat flour. Mos' de niggers don't have wheat flour, but massa
raises de wheat and we gits it. We kin have 'lasses and brown sugar but
one thing we'uns has to watch am de waste, 'cause massa won't stand for
dat.
"De meat am cured with de hick'ry wood smoke and if you could git jus'
one taste dat ham and bacon you'd never eat none of this nowadays meat.
It sho' have a dif'rent taste.
"We makes de cloth and de wool and I could card and spin and weave 'fore
I's big 'nough to work in de field. My mammy larned me to help her. We
makes dye from de bark of walnut and de cherry and red oak trees, and
some from berries but what dey is I forgit. Iffen we'uns wants clay red,
we buries de cloth in red clay for a week and it takes on de color. Den
we soaks de cloth in cold salt water and it stays colored.
"Massa builded a log church house for we'uns cullud folks for to go to
God. Dat nigger named Allen Beaver am de preacherman and de leader in
all de parties, 'cause him can play de fiddle. No, Allen am not
educated, but can he preach a pow'ful sermon. O, Lawd! He am inspire
from de Lawd and he preached from his heartfelt.
"Dere am only one time dat a nigger gits whupped on dat plantation and
dat am not given by massa but by dem patterrollers. Massa don't
gin'rally 'low dem patterrollers whup on his place, and all de niggers
from round dere allus run from de patterrollers onto massa's land and
den dey safe. But in dis 'ticlar case, massa make de 'ception.
"'Twas nigger Jack what dey chases home and he gits under de cabin and
'fused to come out. Massa say, 'In dis case I gwine make 'ception,
'cause dat Jack he am too unreas'able. He allus chasin' after some
nigger wench and not satisfied with de pass I give. Give him 25 lashes
but don't draw de blood or leave de marks.'
"Well, sar, it am de great sight to see Jack git dat whuppin'. Him am
skeert, but dey ain't hurtin' him bad. Massa make him come out and dey
tie him to a post and he starts to bawl and beller befo' a lick am
struck. Say! Him beg like a good fellow. It am, 'Oh, massa, massa, Oh,
massa, have mercy, don't let 'em whup me. Massa, I won't go off any
more.' De patterrollers gives him a lick and Jack lets out a yell dat
sounds like a mule bray and twice as loud.
"Dere used to be a patterroller song what sent like dis:
"Up 'de hill and down de holler
White man cotch nigger by de collar
Dat nigger run and dat nigger flew,
Dat nigger tore he shirt in two.'
"Well, while dey's whuppin' dat nigger, Jack, he couldn't run and he
couldn't tear he shirt in two, but he holler till he tear he mouth in
two. Jack say he never go off without de pass 'gain and he kept he word,
too.
"De big doin's am on Christmas Day and de massa have present for each
cullud person. Dey am little things and I laughs when I thinks of them,
but de cullud folks sho' 'joy dem and it show massa's heart am right.
For de chillen it am candy and for de women, a pin or sich, and for de
men, a knife or sich. On dat day, preacherman Allen sho' have de full
heart, and he preach and preach.
"But de war starts and it not so happy on massa's place and 'fore long
he two sons goes to dat war. De massa show worryment 'cause dey fightin'
here and dere and den come de day when dey fight right nex' to de
massa's place. It am in de field next to we'uns and de two boys, young
Charley and he brother, Bob, am in de fight. It am for sev'ral days de
army am a-marchin' to de field and gittin' ready for de battle. Durin'
dat time, de two boys comes home for a spell every day. Early one
mornin' de shootin' starts and it am not much at first but it ain't long
till it am a steady thunder and it keep up all day.
"De missy am walkin' in de yard and den go in de house and out 'gain.
She am a-twistin' her hands and cryin'. She keeps sayin', 'Dey sho' gits
kilt, my poor babies.' De massa talk to her to quiet her. Dat help me,
too, 'cause I sho' skeert. Nobody do much work dat day, but stand round
with quiverments and when dey talk, dey voice quiver. Why, even de
buildin's quivered. Every once in de while, dere am an extry roar. Dat
de cannon and every time I heered it, I jumps. I's sent to git de eggs
and have 'bout five dozen in de basket, holdin' it in front of me with
my two hands. All a sudden, one of dem extry shoots comes and down dis
nigger kid go and my head hits into de basket. Dere I is, eggs oozin'
all round me and I so skeert and fussed up I jus' lays and kicks. I
wants to scream but I can't for de eggs in my mouth. To dis day I thinks
of dat battle every time I eats eggs.
"De nex' day after de battle am over, mos' us cullud folks goes to de
field. Some of 'em buries de dead, and I hears 'em tell how in de low
places de blood stand like water and de bodies all shoot to pieces.
"Massa's sons not kilt and am de missy glad! She have allus colored
folks come to de house and make us kneel down and she thank de Lawd for
savin' her sons. Dey even go to other places and fights, but dey comes
home after de war am over.
"Surrender come and massa tells us we can stay or go and if we stay he
pay us wages or we works on shares. Some go and some stay. Mammy and me
goes to de Fowler place with my stepfather and we share crops for three
year.
"I stays with dem till I's 18 and den I gits married. Dat in 1871 and my
wife died in 1928 and we'uns have four chillen. All dat time I's farmed
till 'bout 30 year ago when I works in de packin' plant here in Fort
Worth. I works dere 20 years and den dey say I's too old and since den I
works at de odd jobs till 'bout five years ago.
"Since I's quit work at de packin' plant it am hard for dis cullud
person. I soon uses up my savin's and den I's gone hongry plenty times.
My chillen am old and dey havin' de hard time, too. My friends helps me
a little and I gits de pension, but it am only $3.00 a month and,
course, dat ain't 'nough.
"After all dese years I's worked and 'haved, I never thinks I comes to
where I couldn't git 'nough to eat. I's am wishful for de Lawd to call
me to jedgment.
420307
CHRIS FRANKLIN, 82, was born a slave of Judge Robert J. Looney, in
Bossier Parish, Louisiana. Chris now lives in Beaumont, Texas, and
supports himself by gardening and yard work. He is thrifty and owns
his own home.
"Yes, suh, dis is Chris Franklin. I signs my name C.C. Franklin, dat for
Christopher Columbus Franklin. I's born in Bossier Parish, up in
Louisiana, jes' twenty-five miles de other side of Shreveport. I's born
dere in 1855, on Christmas Day, but I's raise up in Caddo Parish. Old
massa move over dere when I 'bout a year old.
"Old massa name Robert J. Looney and he a jedge and lawyer. He have a
boy name R.J., Jr., but I's talkin' 'bout de old head, de old 'riginal.
De missy, her name Lettie Looney. He weren't no farmer, jes' truck farm
to raise de livin' for he household and slaves. He didn't have over a
half dozen growed up slaves. Course, dey rears a lot of young'uns.
"My pappy's name Solomon Lawson. He 'long to Jedge Lawson, what live
near us. When freedom come, he done take de name Sol Franklin, what he
say am he pappy's name.
"Jedge Looney have de ord'nary frame house. Dey 'bout six, seven rooms
in it, all under one roof. De dinin' room and cook room wasn't built off
to deyself, like mos' big houses. It was a raise house, raise up on high
pillars and dey could drive a hoss and buggy under it. He live on de
Fairview Road.
"Us slaves all live in one big slave cabin, built out of plank. It built
sort-a like de 'partment house. Dey four rooms and each fam'ly have one
room. Dey have a lamp and a candle for our comfort. It jes' a li'l,
ord'nary brass lamp. Dey used to make 'em out of wax and tallow. Dey
raise dere own bees and when dey rob de bee gums dey strain de honey and
melt de wax with tallow to make it firmer. Dey tie one end de wick on
de stick 'cross de mold and put in de melted wax and tallow.
"Dey have a table and benches, too. But a chair de rare thing in a
cabin. Dey make some with de split hick'ry or rawhide bottom. Dey have
hay mattress. De tickin' am rice sacks. Us have mud chimney. Dey fix
sticks like de ladder and mix mud and moss and grass in what dey calls
'cats'. Dey have rock backs, and, man, us have a sho' 'nough fire in
'em. Put a stick long as me and big as a porch post in dat fireplace. In
cold weather dat last all day and all night.
"When de parents workin' in de field, somebody look after de chillen. De
nannies come in and nuss dem when time come. De white folks never put on
'strictions on de chillen till dey twelve, fourteen years old. Dey all
wear de straight-cut slip. Dey give de li'l gals de slip dress and li'l
panties. In wintertime dey give de boy's de li'l coat and pants and
shoes, but no drawers or unnerwear. Dey give dem hard russet shoes in
wintertime. Dey have brass toes. Dey plenty dur'ble. In summertime us
didn't see no shoe.
"Massa Looney jes' as fine de man as ever make tracks. Christmas time
come, he give 'em a few dollars and say go to the store and buy what us
want. He give all de li'l nigger chillen gif's, jes' like he own. He git
de jug of whiskey and plenty eggs and make de big eggnog for everybody.
He treat us cullud folks jes' like he treat he own fam'ly. He never take
no liquor 'cept at Christmas. He give us lots to eat at Christmas, too.
"Sometime old missy come out and call all de li'l niggers in de house to
play with her chillen. When us eat us have de tin plate and cup. Dey
give us plenty milk and butter and 'taters and sich. Us all set on de
floor and make 'way with dem rations.
"Dey had a li'l church house for de niggers and preachin' in de
afternoon, and on into de night lots of times. Dey have de cullud
preacher. He couldn't read. He jes' preach from nat'ral wit and what he
larn from white folks. De whole outfit profess to be Baptis'.
"De marryin' business go through by what massa say. De fellow git de
massa's consen'. Massa mos'ly say yes without waitin', 'cause marryin'
mean more niggers for him comin' on. He git de jedge or preacher to
marry dem. Iffen de man live on one plantation and de gal on 'nother, he
have to git de pass to go see her. Dat so de patterrollers not git him.
"De slaves used to have balls and frolics in dey cabins. But iffen dey
go to de frolic on 'nother plantation dey git de pass. Dat so dey can
cotch runaway niggers. I never heared of stealin' niggers, 'cept
dis-a-way. Sometime de runaway nigger git fifty or hundred miles away
and show up dere as de stray slave. Dat massa where he show up take care
of him so long, den lay claim to him. Dat call harborin' de nigger.
"Dey lots of places where de young massas has heirs by nigger gals. Dey
sell dem jes' like other slaves. Dat purty common. It seem like de white
women don't mind. Dey didn't 'ject, 'cause dat mean more slaves.
"Sometimes de white folks has de big deer drive. Dem and de niggers go
down in de bottoms to drive deers up. Dey rid big, fine hosses and start
de deers runnin'. Dey raise dere own dogs. Massa sho' careful 'bout he
hounds. He train dem good and treat dem good, too. He have somethin'
cook reg'lar for dem. Dey hunts foxes and wolves and plenty dem kinds
varmints.
"I seen sojers' by de thousands. When 'mancipation come out massa come
to de back door with de paper and say, 'Yous free.' He furnish dem with
all dey needs and give dem part de crop. He 'vide up de pig litters and
such 'mongst dem. He give dem de start. Den after two, three year he
commence takin' out for dere food and boots and clothes and sich.
"De night de pusson die dey has de wake and sing and pray all night
long. Dey all very 'ligious in dere profession. Dey knock off all work
so de slaves can go to de buryin'.
"De white folks 'low dem to have de frolic with de fiddle or banjo or
windjammer. Dey dances out on de grass, forty or fifty niggers, and dem
big gals nineteen year old git out dere barefoot as de goose. It jes' de
habit of de times, 'cause dey all have shoes. Sometimes dey call de jig
dance and some of dem sho' dance it, too. De prompter call, 'All git
ready.' Den he holler, 'All balance,' and den he sing out, 'Swing you
pardner,' and dey does it. Den he say, 'First man head off to de right,'
and dere dey goes. Or he say, 'All promenade,' and dey goes in de
circle. One thing dey calls, 'Bird in de Cage.' Three joins hands round
de gal in de middle, and dance round her, and den she git out and her
pardner git in de center and dey dance dat way awhile.
"After freedom dey have de log cabin schoolhouse. De first teacher was
de cullud women name Mary Chapman. I near wore out dat old blueblack
speller tryin' to larn A B C's.
"I leaves Caddo Parish in 1877 for Galveston, and leaves dere on de four
mast schooner for Leesburg and up de Calcasieu River. Den I goes to de
Cameron Parish and in 1879 I comes to Beaumont. I marries Mandy Watson
in 1882 and she died in 1932. Us never have no chillen but 'dopts two.
Us marry in de hotel dinin'-room, 'cause I's workin' for de hotel man,
J.B. Goodhue. De Rev. Elder Venable, what am da old cullud preacher,
marries us. I didn't git marry like in slavery time, I's got a great big
marriage certif'cate hangin' on de wall of my house.
"I 'longs to several lodges, de Knights of Labor and de Knights of Honor
and de Pilgrims. I never hold no office. I's jes' de bench member. I's a
member of de Live Lake Missionary Baptist Church.
"I's got de big house of my own, on de corner of Roberts Avenue and San
Antonio street. After my wife die, I gits de man to come and live dere
with me. Dat's all I knows.
420002
[Illustration: Orelia Alexie Franks]
ORELIA ALEXIE FRANKS was born on the plantation of Valerian Martin,
near Opelousas, Louisiana. She does not know her age, but thinks
she is near ninety. Her voice has the musical accent of the French
Negro. She has lived in Beaumont, Texas, many years.
"I's born on Mr. George Washington's birthday', the twenty-second of
February but I don't know what year. My old massa was Valerian Martin
and he come from foreign country. He come from Canada and he Canada
French. He wife name Malite Guidry. Old massa a good Catholic and he
taken all the li'l slave chillen to be christen. Oh, he's a Christian
massa and I used to be a Catholic but now I's a Apostolic, but I's
christen in St. Johns Catholic Church, what am close to Lafayette, where
I's born.
"My pa name Alexis Franks and he was American and Creole. My ma name
Fanire Martin and I's raise where everybody talk French. I talks
American but I talks French goodest.
"Old massa he big cane and cotton farmer and have big plantation and
raise everything, and us all well treat. Dey feed us right, too. Raise
big hawg in de pen and raise lots of beef. All jes' for to feed he
cullud folks.
"Us quarters out behind de big house and old massa come round through de
quarters every mornin' and see how us niggers is. If us sick he call
nuss. She old slavery woman. She come look at 'em. If dey bad sick dey
send for de doctor. Us house all log house. Dey all dab with dirt 'tween
de logs. Dey have dirt chimney make out of sticks and dab with mud. Dey
[Transcriber's note: unfinished sentence at end of page]
"Lots of time we eat coosh-coosh. Dat make out of meal and water. You
bile de water and salt it, den put in de cornmeal and stir it and bile
it. Den you puts milk or clabber or syrup on it and eat it.
"Old massa have de graveyard a purpose to bury de cullud folks in. Dey
have cullud preacher. Dey have funeral in de graveyard. Dat nigger
preacher he a Mef'dist.
"Old massa son-in-law, he overseer. He 'low nobody to beat de slaves. Us
li'l ones git spank when we bad. Dey put us 'cross de knee and spank us
where dey allus spank chillen.
"Christmas time dey give big dinner. Dey give all de old men whiskey.
Everybody have big time.
"Dey make lots of sugar. After dey finish cookin' de sugar dey draw off
what left from de pots and give it to us chillen. Us have candy pullin'.
"Dey weave dey own cloth. Us have good clothes. Dey weave de cloth for
make mattress and stuff 'em with moss. Massa sho' believe to serve he
niggers good. I see old massa when he die. Us see old folks cry and us
cry, too. Dey have de priest and burn de candles. Us sho' miss old
massa.
"I see lots of sojers. Dey so many like hair on your head. Dey Yankees.
Dey call 'em bluejackets. Dey a fight up near massa's house. Us climb in
tree for to see. Us hear bullets go 'zoom' through de air 'round dat
tree but us didn't know it was bullets. A man rid up on a hoss and tell
massa to git us pickaninnies out dat tree or dey git kilt. De Yankees
have dat battle and den sot us niggers free.
"Old massa, he de kind man what let de niggers have dey prayer-meetin'.
He give 'em a big cabin for dat. Shout? Yes, Lawd! Sing like dis:
"'Mourner, fare you well,
Gawd 'Mighty bless you,
Till we meets again.'
"Us sings 'nother song:
"'Sinner blind,
Johnnie, can't you ride no more?
Sinner blind.
Your feets may be slippin'
Your soul git lost.
Johnnie, can't you ride no more?
Yes, Lawd,
Day by day you can't see,
Johnnie, can't you ride no more?
Yes, Lawd.'"
420136
ROSANNA FRAZIER was born a slave on the Frazier plantation in
Mississippi. She does not remember her masters given name, nor does
she know her age, although from her memories of various events
during the Civil War, she believes she is close to ninety, at
least. Rosanna is blind and bedridden, and is cared for by friends
in a little house in Pear Orchard Negro Settlement, in Beaumont,
Texas.
"My mammy was a freeborn woman named Viny Frazier and she come from a
free country. She was on her way to school when dey stoled her, when she
de young gal. De spec'lator gang stoled her and brung her and sold her
in Red River, in Mississippi. Missy Mary, she buy her. Missy Mary
married den to one man named Pool and she have two boys call Josh and
Bill. After dat man die, she marry Marse Frazier.
"My daddy name Jerry Durden and after I's born they brings us all to
Texas, but my daddy belong to de Neylands, so we loses him. My white
folks moves to a big plantation close to Woodville, in Tyler County, and
Marse Frazier have de store and plenty of stock. He come first from
Georgia.
"All us little chillen, black and white, play togedder and Marse
Frazier, he raise us. His chillen call Sis and Texana and Robert and
John. Marse Frazier he treat us nice and de other white folks calls us
'free niggers', and wouldn't 'low us on dere places. Dey 'fraid dere
niggers git dissatisfy with dey own treatment. Sho's you born, iffen one
of us git round dem plantations, dey jus' cut us to pieces with de whip.
Some of dem white folks sho' was mean, and dey work de niggers all day
in de sun and cut dem with de whip, and sho' done 'em up bad. Dat on
other places, not on ours.