Tag: Ancestors

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30967/30967-h/30967-h.htm#Page_115

MOLLY HARRELL was born a slave on the Swanson plantation, near Palestine, Texas. She was a housegirl, but must have been too small to do much work. She does not know her age, but thinks she was about seven when she was freed. Molly lives at 3218 Ave H., Galveston, Texas.

“Don’t you tell nobody dat I use to be a slave. I ‘most forgot it myself till you got round me jes’ den. Course, I ain’t blamin’ you for it, but what you done say ’bout all de plantations havin’ schools was wrong, so I jes’ had to tell you I been a slave myself. It jes’ slip out.

“Like I jes’ say, I knows what I’s talkin’ ’bout, ’cause I use to be a slave myself and I don’t know how to read and write. Dat why I say I can’t see so good. It don’t do to let folks know dey’s smarter’n you, ’cause den dey got you right where dey wants you. Now, Will, dat de man I’s marry to, am younger’n me but he don’t know it. When you git marry, you don’t tell de man how old you is. He wouldn’t have you if you did. ‘Course, Will ain’t so young heself, but he’s born after de war and I’s born durin’ slavery, so dat make me older.

“Mr. Swanson use to own de big plantation in Palestine. Everybody in dat part de country knowed him. He use to live in a plain, wood house on de Palestine road. My mother use to cook and wait on tables. John was my father.

“Dey use to have de little whip dey use on de women. Course de field hands got it worse, but den, dey was men. Mr. Swanson was good and he was[Pg 116] mean. He was nice one day and mean as Hades de next. You never knowed what he gwine to do. But he never punish nobody ‘cept dey done somethin’. My father was a field hand, and Mr. Swanson work de fire out dem. Work, work—dat all dey know from time dey git up in de mornin’ till dey went to bed at night. But he wasn’t hard on dem like some masters was. If dey sick, dey didn’t habe to work and he give dem de med’cine hisself. If he cotch dem tryin’ play off sick, den he lay into dem, or if he cotch dem loafin’. Course, I don’t blame him for dat, ’cause dere ain’t anythin’ lazier dan a lazy nigger. Will am ’bout de laziest one in de bunch. You ain’t never find a lazier nigger dan Will.

“I was purty little den, but I done my share. I holp my mother dust and clean up de house and peel ‘tatoes. Dere some old men dat too old to work so dey sot in de sun all day and holp with de light work. Dey carry grub and water to de field hands.

“Somebody run ‘way all de time and hide in de woods till dere gut pinch dem and den dey have to come back and git somethin’ to eat. Course, dey got beat, but dat didn’t worry dem none, and it not long till dey gone ‘gain.

“My mother sold into slavery in Georgia, or round dere. She tell me funny things ’bout how dey use to do up dere. A old white man think so much of he old nigger when he die he free dat nigger in he will, and lef’ him a little money. He open de blacksmith shop and buy some slaves. Mother allus say dose free niggers make de hardes’ masters. One in Palestine marry a nigger slave and buy her from her master. Den he tell everybody he own a slave.

“Everybody talk ’bout freedom and hope to git free ‘fore dey die. I ‘member de first time de Yankees pass by, my mother lift me up on de fence. Dey use[Pg 117] to pass by with bags on de mules and fill dem with stuff from de houses. Dey go in de barn and holp deyself. Dey go in de stables and turn out de white folks’ hosses and run off what dey don’t take for deyself.

“Den one night I ‘member jes’ as well, me and my mother was settin’ in de cabin gettin’ ready to go to bed, when us hear somebody call my mother. We listen and de overseer whisper under de door and told my mother dat she free but not to tell nobody. I don’t know why he done it. He allus like my mother, so I guess he do it for her. The master reads us de paper right after dat and say us free.

“Me and my mother lef’ right off and go to Palestine. Most everybody else go with us. We all walk down de road singin’ and shoutin’ to beat de band. My father come nex’ day and jine us. My sister born dere. Den us go to Houston and Louisiana for a spell and I hires out to cook. I works till us come to Galveston ’bout ten year ago.

ANDY ANDERSON, 94, was born a slave of Jack Haley, who owned a plantation in Williamson Co., Texas. During the Civil War, Andy was sold to W.T. House, of Blanco County, who in less than a year sold Andy to his brother, John House. Andy now lives with his third wife and eight of his children at 301 Armour St., Fort Worth, Texas.

“My name am Andy J. Anderson, and I’s born on Massa Jack Haley’s plantation in Williamson County, Texas, and Massa Haley owned my folks and ’bout twelve other families of niggers. I’s born in 1843 and that makes me 94 year old and 18 year when de war starts. I’s had ‘speriences durin’ dat time.

“Massa Haley am kind to his cullud folks, and him am kind to everybody, and all de folks likes him. De other white folks called we’uns de petted 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.

“I’s gwine ‘splain how it am managed on Massa Haley’s plantation. It am sort of like de small town, ’cause everything we uses am made right there. There am de shoemaker and he is de tanner and make de leather from de hides. Den massa has ’bout a thousand sheep and he gits de wool, and de niggers cards and spins and weaves it, and dat makes all de clothes. Den massa have cattle and sich purvide de milk and de butter and beef meat for eatin’. Den massa have de turkeys and chickens and de hawgs and de bees. With all that, us never was hongry.

“De plantation am planted in cotton, mostly, with de corn and de wheat a little, ’cause massa don’t need much of dem. He never sell nothin’ but de cotton.[Pg 15]

“De livin’ for de cullud folks am good. De quarters am built from logs like deys all in dem days. De floor am de dirt but we has de benches and what is made on de place. And we has de big fireplace for to cook and we has plenty to cook in dat fireplace, ’cause massa allus ‘lows plenty good rations, but he watch close for de wastin’ of de food.

“De war breaks and dat make de big change on de massas place. He jines de army and hires a man call’ Delbridge for overseer. After dat, de hell start to pop, ’cause de first thing Delbridge do is cut de rations. He weighs out de meat, three pound for de week, and he measure a peck of meal. And ‘twarn’t enough. He half starve us niggers and he want mo’ work and he start de whippin’s. I guesses he starts to edumacate ’em. I guess dat Delbridge go to hell when he died, but I don’t see how de debbil could stand him.

“We’uns am not use’ to sich and some runs off. When dey am cotched there am a whippin’ at de stake. But dat Delbridge, he sold me to Massa House, in Blanco County. I’s sho’ glad when I’s sold, but it am short gladness, ’cause here am another man what hell am too good for. He gives me de whippin’ and de scars am still on my arms and my back, too. I’ll carry dem to my grave. He sends me for firewood and when I gits it loaded, de wheel hits a stump and de team jerks and dat breaks de whippletree. So he ties me to de stake and every half hour for four hours, dey lays ta lashes on my back. For de first couple hours de pain am awful. I’s never forgot it. Den I’s stood so much pain I not feel so much and when dey takes me loose, I’s jus’ ’bout half dead. I lays in de bunk two days, gittin’ over dat whippin’, gittin’ over it in de body but not de heart. No, suh, I has dat in de heart till dis day.[Pg 16]

“After dat whippin’ I doesn’t have de heart to work for de massa. If I seed de cattle in de cornfield, I turns de back, ‘stead of chasin’ ’em out. I guess dat de reason de massa sold me to his brother, Massa John. And he am good like my first massa, he never whipped me.

“Den surrender am ‘nounced and massa tells us we’s free. When dat takes place, it am ’bout one hour by sun. I says to myself, ‘I won’t be here long.’ But I’s not realise what I’s in for till after I’s started, but I couldn’t turn back. For dat means de whippin’ or danger from de patter rollers. Dere I was and I kep’ on gwine. No nigger am sposed to be off de massa’s place without de pass, so I travels at night and hides durin’ de daylight. I stays in de bresh and gits water from de creeks, but not much to eat. Twice I’s sho’ dem patter rollers am passin’ while I’s hidin’.

“I’s 21 year old den, but it am de first time I’s gone any place, ‘cept to de neighbors, so I’s worried ’bout de right way to Massa Haley’s place. But de mornin’ of de third day I comes to he place and I’s so hongry and tired and scairt for fear Massa Haley not home from de army yit. So I finds my pappy and he hides me in he cabin till a week and den luck comes to me when Massa Haley come home. He come at night and de next mornin’ dat Delbridge am shunt off de place, ’cause Massa Haley seed he niggers was all gaunt and lots am ran off and de fields am not plowed right, and only half de sheep and everything left. So massa say to dat Delbridge, ‘Dere am no words can ‘splain what yous done. Git off my place ‘fore I smashes you.’

“Den I kin come out from my pappy’s cabin and de old massa was glad to see me, and he let me stay till freedom am ordered. Dat’s de happies’ time in my life, when I gits back to Massa Haley.[Pg 17]

SARAH ALLEN was born a slave of John and Sally Goodren, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Before the Civil War, her owners came to Texas, locating near a small town then called Freedom. She lives at 3322 Frutas St., El Paso, Texas.

“I was birthed in time of bondage. You know, some people are ashamed to tell it, but I thank God I was ‘llowed to see them times as well as now. It’s a pretty hard story, how cruel some of the marsters was, but I had the luck to be with good white people. But some I knew were put on the block and sold. I ‘member when they’d come to John Goodren’s place to buy, but he not sell any. They’d have certain days when they’d sell off the block and they took chillen ‘way from mothers, screamin’ for dere chillen.

“I was birthed in ole Virginia in de Blue Ridge Mountains. When de white people come to Texas, de cullud people come with them. Dat’s been a long time.

“My maw was named Charlotte, my paw Parks Adams. He’s a white man. I guess I’m about eighty some years ole.

“You know, in slavery times when dey had bad marsters dey’d run away, but we didn’ want to. My missus would see her people had something good to eat every Sunday mornin’. You had to mind your missus and marster and you be treated well. I think I was about twelve when dey freed us and we stayed with marster ’bout a year, then went to John Ecols’ place and rented some lan’. We made two bales of cotton and it was the first money we ever saw.

“Back when we lived with Marster Goodren we had big candy[Pg 13] pullin’s. Invite everybody and play. We had good times. De worst thing, we didn’ never have no schoolin’ till after I married. Den I went to school two weeks. My husban’ was teacher. He never was a slave. His father bought freedom through a blacksmith shop, some way.

“I had a nice weddin’. My dress was white and trimmed with blue ribbon. My second day dress was white with red dots. I had a beautiful veil and a wreath and ’bout two, three waiters for table dat day.

“My mother was nearly white. Brighter than me. We lef’ my father in Virginia. I was jus’ as white as de chillen I played with. I used to be plum bright, but here lately I’m gettin’ awful dark.

“My husban’ was of a mixture, like you call bright ginger-cake color. I don’ know where he got his learnin’. I feel so bad since he’s gone to Glory.

“Now I’m ole, de Lord has taken care of me. He put that spirit in people to look after ole folks and now my chillen look after me. I’ve two sons, one name James Allen, one R.M. Both live in El Paso.

“After we go to sleep, de people will know these things, ’cause if freedom hadn’ come, it would have been so miserable.[Pg 14]

WILLIAM M. ADAMS, spiritualist preacher and healer, who lives at 1404 Illinois Ave., Ft. Worth, Texas, was born a slave on the James Davis plantation, in San Jacinto Co., Texas. After the war he worked in a grocery, punched cattle, farmed and preached. He moved to Ft. Worth in 1902.

“I was bo’n 93 years ago, dat is whut my mother says. We didn’ keep no record like folks does today. All I know is I been yere a long time. My mother, she was Julia Adams and my father he was James Adams. She’s bo’n in Hollis Springs, Mississippi and my father, now den, he was bo’n in Florida. He was a Black Creek Indian. Dere was 12 of us chillen. When I was ’bout seven de missus, she come and gits me for her servant. I lived in de big house till she die. Her and Marster Davis was powerful good to me.

“Marster Davis he was a big lawyer and de owner of a plantation. But all I do was wait on ole missus. I’d light her pipe for her and I helped her wid her knittin’. She give me money all de time. She had a little trunk she keeped money in and lots of times I’d have to pack it down wid my feets.

“I dis’member jus’ how many slaves dere was, but dere was more’n 100. I saw as much as 100 sold at a time. When dey tuk a bunch of slaves to trade, dey put chains on ’em.

“De other slaves lived in log cabins back of de big house. Dey had dirt floors and beds dat was made out of co’n shucks or straw. At nite dey burned de lamps for ’bout an hour, den de overseers,[Pg 10] dey come knock on de door and tell ’em put de light out. Lots of overseers was mean. Sometimes dey’d whip a nigger wid a leather strap ’bout a foot wide and long as your arm and wid a wooden handle at de end.

“On Sat’day and Sunday nites dey’d dance and sing all nite long. Dey didn’ dance like today, dey danced de roun’ dance and jig and do de pigeon wing, and some of dem would jump up and see how many time he could kick his feets ‘fore dey hit de groun’. Dey had an ole fiddle and some of ’em would take two bones in each hand and rattle ’em. Dey sang songs like, ‘Diana had a Wooden Leg,’ and ‘A Hand full of Sugar,’ and ‘Cotton-eyed Joe.’ I dis’member how dey went.

“De slaves didn’ have no church den, but dey’d take a big sugar kettle and turn it top down on de groun’ and put logs roun’ it to kill de soun’. Dey’d pray to be free and sing and dance.

“When war come dey come and got de slaves from all de plantations and tuk ’em to build de breastworks. I saw lots of soldiers. Dey’d sing a song dat go something like dis:

“‘Jeff Davis rode a big white hoss,
Lincoln rode a mule;
Jess Davis is our President,
Lincoln is a fool.’

“I ‘member when de slaves would run away. Ole John Billinger, he had a bunch of dogs and he’d take after runaway niggers. Sometimes de dogs didn’ ketch de nigger. Den ole Billinger, he’d cuss and kick de dogs.

“We didn’ have to have a pass but on other plantations dey did, or de paddlerollers would git you and whip you. Dey was de poor white[Pg 11] folks dat didn’ have no slaves. We didn’ call ’em white folks dem days. No, suh, we called dem’ Buskrys.’

“Jus’ fore de war, a white preacher he come to us slaves and says: ‘Do you wan’ to keep you homes whar you git all to eat, and raise your chillen, or do you wan’ to be free to roam roun’ without a home, like de wil’ animals? If you wan’ to keep you homes you better pray for de South to win. All day wan’s to pray for de South to win, raise the hand.’ We all raised our hands ’cause we was skeered not to, but we sho’ didn’ wan’ de South to win.

“Dat night all de slaves had a meetin’ down in de hollow. Ole Uncle Mack, he gits up and says: ‘One time over in Virginny dere was two ole niggers, Uncle Bob and Uncle Tom. Dey was mad at one ‘nuther and one day dey decided to have a dinner and bury de hatchet. So day sat down, and when Uncle Bob wasn’t lookin’ Uncle Tom put some poison in Uncle Bob’s food, but he saw it and when Uncle Tom wasn’t lookin’, Uncle Bob he turned de tray roun’ on Uncle Tom, and he gits de poison food.’ Uncle Mack, he says: ‘Dat’s what we slaves is gwine do, jus’ turn de tray roun’ and pray for de North to win.’

“After de war dere was a lot of excitement ‘mong de niggers. Dey was rejoicin’ and singin’. Some of ’em looked puzzled, sorter skeered like. But dey danced and had a big jamboree.

“Lots of ’em stayed and worked on de halves. Others hired out. I went to work in a grocery store and he paid me $1.50 a week. I give my mother de dollar and keeped de half. Den I got married and farmed for awhile. Den I come to Fort Worth and I been yere since.

WILLIAM ADAMS, 93, was born in slavery, with no opportunity for an education, except three months in a public school. He has taught himself to read and to write. His lifelong ambition has been to become master of the supernatural powers which he believes to exist. He is now well-known among Southwestern Negroes for his faith in the occult.

“Yous want to know and talk about de power de people tells you I has. Well, sit down here, right there in dat chair, befo’ we’uns starts. I gits some ice water and den we’uns can discuss de subject. I wants to ‘splain it clearly, so yous can understand.

“I’s born a slave, 93 years ago, so of course I ‘members de war period. Like all de other slaves I has no chance for edumacation. Three months am de total time I’s spent going to school. I teached myself to read and write. I’s anxious to larn to read so I could study and find out about many things. Dat, I has done.

“There am lots of folks, and edumacated ones, too, what says we’uns believes in superstition. Well, its ’cause dey don’t understand. ‘Member de Lawd, in some of His ways, can be mysterious. De Bible says so. There am some things de Lawd wants all folks to know, some things jus’ de chosen few to know, and some things no one should know. Now, jus’ ’cause yous don’t know ’bout some of de Lawd’s laws, ‘taint superstition if some other person understands and believes in sich.

“There is some born to sing, some born to preach, and some born to know de signs. There is some born under de power of de devil[Pg 5] and have de power to put injury and misery on people, and some born under de power of de Lawd for to do good and overcome de evil power. Now, dat produces two forces, like fire and water. De evil forces starts de fire and I has de water force to put de fire out.

“How I larnt sich? Well, I’s done larn it. It come to me. When de Lawd gives sich power to a person, it jus’ comes to ’em. It am 40 years ago now when I’s fust fully realize’ dat I has de power. However, I’s allus int’rested in de workin’s of de signs. When I’s a little piccaninny, my mammy and other folks used to talk about de signs. I hears dem talk about what happens to folks ’cause a spell was put on ’em. De old folks in dem days knows more about de signs dat de Lawd uses to reveal His laws den de folks of today. It am also true of de cullud folks in Africa, dey native land. Some of de folks laughs at their beliefs and says it am superstition, but it am knowin’ how de Lawd reveals His laws.

“Now, let me tell yous of something I’s seen. What am seen, can’t be doubted. It happens when I’s a young man and befo’ I’s realize’ dat I’s one dat am chosen for to show de power. A mule had cut his leg so bad dat him am bleedin’ to death and dey couldn’t stop it. An old cullud man live near there dat dey turns to. He comes over and passes his hand over de cut. Befo’ long de bleedin’ stop and dat’s de power of de Lawd workin’ through dat nigger, dat’s all it am.

“I knows about a woman dat had lost her mind. De doctor say it was caused from a tumor in de head. Dey took an ex-ray picture, but dere’s no tumor. Dey gives up and says its a peculiar case. Dat woman was took to one with de power of de good spirit and he say its a peculiar case for dem dat don’t understand. Dis am a case of de evil spell. Two days after, de[Pg 6] woman have her mind back.

“Dey’s lots of dose kind of cases de ord’nary person never hear about. Yous hear of de case de doctors can’t understand, nor will dey ‘spond to treatment. Dat am ’cause of de evil spell dat am on de persons.

“‘Bout special persons bein’ chosen for to show de power, read yous Bible. It says in de book of Mark, third chapter, ‘and He ordained twelve, dat dey should be with Him, dat He might send them forth to preach and to have de power to heal de sick and to cast out devils.’ If it wasn’t no evil in people, why does de Lawd say, ‘cast out sich?’ And in de fifth chapter of James, it further say, ‘If any am sick, let him call de elders. Let dem pray over him. De prayers of faith shall save him.’ There ’tis again, Faith, dat am what counts.

“When I tells dat I seen many persons given up to die, and den a man with de power comes and saves sich person, den its not for people to say it am superstition to believe in de power.

“Don’t forgit—de agents of de devil have de power of evil. Dey can put misery of every kind on people. Dey can make trouble with de work and with de business, with de fam’ly and with de health. So folks mus’ be on de watch all de time. Folks has business trouble ’cause de evil power have control of ’em. Dey has de evil power cast out and save de business. There am a man in Waco dat come to see me ’bout dat. He say to me everything he try to do in de las’ six months turned out wrong. It starts with him losin’ his pocketbook with $50.00 in it. He buys a carload of hay and it catch fire and he los’ all of it. He spends[Pg 7] $200.00 advertisin’ de three-day sale and it begin to rain, so he los’ money. It sho’ am de evil power.

“‘Well,’ he say, ‘Dat am de way it go, so I comes to you.’

“I says to him, ‘Its de evil power dat have you control and we’uns shall cause it to be cast out.’ Its done and he has no more trouble.

“You wants to know if persons with de power for good can be successful in castin’ out devils in all cases? Well, I answers dat, yes and no. Dey can in every case if de affected person have de faith. If de party not have enough faith, den it am a failure.

“Wearin’ de coin for protection ‘gainst de evil power? Dat am simple. Lots of folks wears sich and dey uses mixtures dat am sprinkled in de house, and sich. Dat am a question of faith. If dey has de true faith in sich, it works. Otherwise, it won’t.

“Some folks won’t think for a minute of goin’ without lodestone or de salt and pepper mixture in de little sack, tied round dey neck. Some wears de silver coin tied round dey neck. All sich am for to keep away de effect of de evil power. When one have de faith in sich and dey acc’dently lose de charm, dey sho’ am miserable.

“An old darky dat has faith in lodestone for de charm told me de ‘sperience he has in Atlanta once. He carryin’ de hod and de fust thing he does am drop some brick on he foot. De next thing, he foot slip as him starts up de ladder and him and de bricks drap to de ground. It am lucky for him it wasn’t far. Jus’ a sprain ankle and de boss sends him home for de day. He am ‘cited and gits on de street car and when de conductor call for de fare, Rufus reaches for he money[Pg 8] but he los’ it or fergits it at home. De conductor say he let him pay nex’ time and asks where he live. Rufus tells him and he say, ‘Why, nigger, you is on de wrong car.’ Dat cause Rufus to walk further with de lame foot dan if he started walkin’ in de fust place. He thinks there mus’ be something wrong with he charm, and he look for it and it gone! Sho’ ‘nough, it am los’. He think, ‘Here I sits all day, and I won’t make another move till I gits de lodestone. When de chillen comes from school I sends dem to de drugstore for some of de stone and gits fixed.’

“Now, now, I’s been waitin’ for dat one ’bout de black cat crossin’ de road, and, sho’ ‘nough, it come. Let me ask you one. How many people can yous find dat likes to have de black cat cross in front of ’em? Dat’s right, no one likes dat. Let dis old cullud person inform yous dat it am sho’ de bad luck sign. It is sign of bad luck ahead, so turn back. Stop what yous doin’.

“I’s tellin’ yous of two of many cases of failure to took warnin’ from de black cat. I knows a man call’ Miller. His wife and him am takin’ an auto ride and de black cat cross de road and he cussed a little and goes on. Den it’s not long till he turns de corner and his wife falls out of de car durin’ de turn. When he goes back and picks her up, she am dead.

“Another fellow, call’ Brown, was a-ridin’ hossback and a black cat cross de path, but he drives on. Well, its not long till him hoss stumble and throw him off. De fall breaks his leg, so take a warnin’—don’t overlook de black cat. Dat am a warnin’.[Pg 9]

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