look like all de Yanks in de world jumpin' dere hosses over dat fence,
so I whirls round and run in dat barn and dives in a stack of hay and
buries myself so deep de folks like to never found me. Dey hunted all
over de place befo' dey done found me. Us kids scart 'cause we done see
dem Yanks' bayonets and thunk dey was dere horns.
"Dem Yanks done take all de flour and meal and wheat and corn and smoked
meat. After dat master fixes up a place in de ceilin' to store stuff,
and a trap door so when it closed you couldn't tell its dere.
"I lives in and round de old place till 1910, den comes to Texas. I jist
works round and farms and gits by, but I ain't never done nothin' worth
tellin'.
420257
[Illustration: Nelsen Denson]
NELSEN DENSON, 90, was born near Hambirg, Arkansas, a slave of Jim
Nelson, who sold Nelsen and his family to Felix Grundy. Nelsen's
memory is poor, but he managed to recall a few incidents. He now
lives in Waco, Texas.
"I'll be ninety years old this December, (1937). I was born in Arkansas,
up in Ashley County, and it was the twenty-second day of December in
1847. My mammy was from Virginny and pappy was from old Kentucky, and I
was one of they eight chillen. Our owner, Marse Jim Densen, brung us to
Texas and settled near Marlin, but got in debt and sold as all to Marse
Felix Grundy, and he kep' us till freedom, and most of us worked for him
after that.
"Marse Jim Densen had a easy livin' in Arkansas, but folks everywhere
was comin' to Texas and he 'cides to throw in his fortunes. It wasn't so
long after that war with Mexico and folks come in a crowd to 'tect
theyselves 'gainst Indians and wild animals. The wolves was the worst to
smell cookin' and sneak into camp, but Indians come up and makes the
peace sign and has a pow wow with the white folks. Marse git beads or
cloth and trade for leather breeches and things.
"I want to tell how we crosses the Red River on de Red River Raft. Back
in them days the Red River was near closed up by dis timber raft and de
big boats couldn't git up de river at all. We gits a li'l boat, and a
Caddo Indian to guide us. Dis Red River raft dey say was centuries old.
De driftwood floatin' down de river stops in de still waters and makes a
bunch of trees and de dirt 'cumulates, and broomstraws and willows and
brush grows out dis rich dirt what cover de driftwood. Dis raft growed
'bout a mile a year and de oldes' timber rots and breaks away, but dis
not fast 'nough to keep de river clear. We found bee trees on de raft
and had honey.
"It was long time after us come to Texas when de gov'ment opens up de
channel. Dat am in 1873. 'Fore dat, a survey done been made and dey
found de raft am a hundred and twenty-eight miles long. When we was on
dat raft it am like a big swamp, with trees and thick brush and de
driftwood and logs all wedge up tight 'tween everything.
"'Fore Texas secedes, Marse Jensen done sell us all to Marse Felix
Grundy, and he goes to war in General Hardeman's Brigade and is with him
for bodyguard. When de battle of Mansfield come I'm sixteen years old.
We was camped on the Sabine River, on the Texas side, and the Yanks on
the other side a li'l ways. I 'member the night 'fore the battle, how
the campfires looked, and a quiet night and the whippoorwills callin' in
the weeds. We was 'spectin' a 'tack and sings to keep cheerful. The
Yanks sings the 'Battle Cry of Freedom' when they charges us. They come
on and on and, Lawd, how they fit! I stays clost to Marse Grundy and the
rebels wins and takes 'bout a thousand Yanks.
"Most the slaves was happy, the ones I knowed. They figgers the white
men fightin' for some principal, but lots of them didn't care nothin'
'bout bein' free. I s'pose some was with bad white folks, but not round
us. We had more to eat and now I'm so old I wouldn't feel bad if I had
old marse to look after me 'gain.
420131
VICTOR DUHON was born 97 years ago in Lafayette Parish, La., a
slave of the Duhon family. His blue eyes and almost white skin are
evidence of the white strain in his blood. Even after many years of
association with English speaking persons, he speaks a French
patois, and his story was interpreted by a Beaumont French teacher.
"My papa was Lucien Duhon and my mama Euripe Dupuis. I was born over in
Louisiana in Lafayette Parish, between Broussard and Warville. I'm 97
years old now.
"I didn't have brothers or sisters, except half ones. It is like this,
my mama was a house servant in the Duhon family. She was the
hairdresser. One day she barbered master's son, who was Lucien. He says
that he'll shave her head if she won't do what he likes. After that she
his woman till he marries a white lady.
"My grandmama was stolen from Africa and she lived to be 125 years old.
She died last year in April. I think I'll live long as she did. There
were fifteen slaves on the land what Duhon's had but I never ran around
with them. I had room at the back of the big house. You know, Madame
Duhon was my grandmama. She was good to me. The only thing I did was
look to my master's horse and be coachman for Madame. Master had four
sons. They were Ragant and Jaques and Lucien and Desire. Desire was shot
at the dance.
"Master had about 100 acres in cotton and the corn. He had a slave for
to hunt all the time. He didn't do other things. The partridge and the
rice birds he killed were cooked for the white folks. The owls and the
rabbits and the coons and the possums were cooked for us. They had a big
room for us to eat in. Where they cook they had a long oven with a piece
down the middle. They cooked the white folks things on one side. They
cooked their own things on the other. They had each ones pots and
skillets.
"I didn't play much with the black children. My time went waiting on my
white folks.
"Sometimes the priest came to say Mass. The slaves went to Mass. The
priest married and baptized the slaves. They gave a feast of baptizing.
We all had real beef meat that day.
"When my mama had 22 years she married a Polite Landry slave. Then she
went to the Landry plantation. There was often marrying between the two
plantations. When they married the wife went to her man's plantation.
That made no difference. It wouldn't be long before a girl from the
other place marry into the man's plantation. That kept things in
balance.
"My mama married Fairjuste Williams. They had two sons and a daughter. I
didn't know them so much. They were half brothers and sister.
"I had 22 years when war came. You know what war I mean. The war when
the slaves were set free. I wasn't bothered about freedom. Didn't leave
master till he died. Then I went to work for Mr. Polite Landry.
"I was always in good hands. Some slaves ware treated bad. Mr. Natale
Vallean beat up a slave for stealing. He beat him so hard he lay in
front of the gate a whole day and the night.
"I worked on farms all my life. Then I came to Beaumont. About 23 years
ago, it was. I worked at anything. Now I'm too old. I live with my
daughter.
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| |
| Transcriber's Corrections: |
| |
| |
| Page 3: Then (and weepin' when they sot us free. Lots of |
| them didn't want to be free, 'cause they knowed nothin' and |
| had nowhere to go. #Them# what had good massas stayed right |
| on.) # Page 14: too (niggers. There am 'bout 30 old and |
| young niggers and 'bout 20 piccaninnies too little #to# |
| work, and de nuss cares for dem while dey mammies works.) |
| |
| Page 28: way ("I stays with Miss Olivia till '63 when Mr. |
| Will set us all free. I was 'bout 17 year old then or more. |
| I #say# I goin' find my mamma. Mr. Will fixes me up two |
| papers, one 'bout a yard long and the other some smaller, |
| but both) |
| |
| Page 52: Mockbateman ("My pappy was Ike Bateman, 'cause his |
| massa's name am #Mock Bateman#, and mammy's name was |
| Francis. They come from Tennessee and I had four brothers |
| and six sisters. We jes' left de last part) |
| |
| Page 67: home-make ("Marster have de plank house and all de |
| things in it was #home-made#. De cook was a old cullud woman |
| and I eat at de kitchen table and) |
| |
| Page 85: bit ("Every year they have #big# Christmas dinner |
| and ham and turkey and allus feed us good. Us have Christmas |
| party and sing songs. That) |
| |
| Page 90: LaSan (slave born. My papa was Olivier Blanchard |
| and he white man carpenter on old plantation. We belong to |
| Clairville #La San# and all live on that place. My papa just |
| plain carpenter but could draw patterns for) |
| |
| Page 114: chilen (School. Dem was good times. De mistus cook |
| dinner and send it down for de old folks and #chillen# to |
| have plenty.) |
| |
| Page 147: bit ("Old massa's name was William Lyons. I didn't |
| have no old missus, 'cause he was a bachelor. He had a #big# |
| plantation. I don't know how big but dey somethin' like |
| twenty fam'lies of slaves and some dem fam'lies) |
| |
| Page 164: nyself ("I seed some bad sight in slavery, but |
| ain' never been 'bused #myself#. I seed chillun too lil' to |
| walk from dey mammies sol' right off de block) |
| |
| Page 195: tim (Ross drives de cattle north and I says to |
| him, 'I's good hand at de drive. Kin I go with you nex' |
| #time# you goes north?' And not long after dat we starts and |
| we gits to Kansas City. After Marster Ross gets shut of) |
| |
| Page 211: women (I saw Massa Oll and he done married after I |
| left and raised a family of chillen. I saw Missie Adeline |
| and she was a old #woman#. We went out and looked at the |
| tombstones and the rock markers in the graveyard on the old |
| place, and some of) |
| |
| Page 212: woned ("My master was Dick Townes and my folks |
| come with him from Alabama. He #owned# a big plantation |
| fifteen miles from Austin and worked lots of slaves. We had |
| the best master in the whole county, and everybody called) |
| |
| Page 214: gen'zen ("Old massa name Jim Moore. He a fair old |
| #gen'man#, with a big bald place on he head, and he am good |
| to de slaves. Not even as stric' as old) |
| |
| Page 226: bit (best men I ever knows in my whole life and |
| his wife was jes' like him. Dey had a #big#, four-room log |
| house with a big hall down the center up and down. De logs |
| was all peeled and de chinkin' a diff'rent color from de |
| logs and) |
| |
| Page 228: "e (De war am on, but us don't see none of it. But |
| 'stead of eatin' cornbread, us eats bread out of kaffir corn |
| and maize. #"We# raises lots of okra and dey say it gwine be |
| parch and grind to make coffee for white folks. Dat didn't) |
| |
| Page 251: conb (I go to milk I puts her in de trough. I |
| saved her life lots of times. One time she's on de #cone# of |
| de two-story house, when she's 'bout two years old. I eases |
| up and knocks de window out and coaxes her to come to me. |
| 'Nother) |
| |
| Page 258: Day (woman a big, red pocket handkerchief and a |
| bottle of liquor. He buyed dat liquor by de barrel and liked |
| it hisself. #Dat# why he allus had it on de place.) |
| |
| Page 262: outselves ("We mos'ly lived on corn pone and salt |
| bacon de marster give us. We didn't have no gardens |
| #ourselves#, 'cause we wouldn't have time to work in dem. We |
| worked all day in de fields and den was so tired we |
| couldn't) |
| |
| Page 263: Weht (usually split from hem to neck and I had to |
| wear them till they was strings. #Went# barefoot summer and |
| winter till the feets crack open.) |
| |
| Page 267: bit ("Dey feeds us well sometimes, if dey warn't |
| mad at us. Dey has a big trough jes' like de trough for de |
| pigs and dey has a #big# gourd and dey totes de gourd full |
| of milk and dey breaks de bread in de milk. Den my mammy) |
| |
| Page 289: whay (us call Massa John, and he wife, Miss |
| Lizzie, and we is de only cullud folks #what# dey owns.) |
| |
| Page 292: everhas (more carpet baggers and liars dan you |
| ever has seed, and you'll be worse off den you #ever has# |
| been, if you has anythin' to do with dem. Den she opens de |
| book and tells us all when us born and how old us am, so us |
| have some record 'bout) |
| |
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