Slave Narratives, Oklahoma

V >> Various >> Slave Narratives, Oklahoma

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

God Bless old Master Ben--he was good white folks!

Oklahoma Writers' Project
Ex-Slaves

ELIZA EVANS
Age 87
McAlester, Okla.

I sho' remember de days when I was a slave and belonged to de best old
Master what ever was, Mr. John Mixon. We lived in Selma, Dallas
County, Alabama.

My grandma was a refugee from Africa. You know dey was white men who
went slipping 'round and would capture or entice black folks onto
their boats and fetch them over here and sell 'em for slaves. Well,
grandma was a little girl 'bout eight or nine years old and her
parents had sent her out to get wood. Dey was going to have a feast.
Dey was going to roast a baby. Wasn't that awful? Well, they captured
her and put a stick in her mouth. The stick held her mouth wide open
so she wouldn't cry out. When she got to de boat she was so tired out
she didn't do nothing.

They was a lot of more colored folks on de boat. It took about four
months to get across on de boat and Mr. John Mixon met the boat and
bought her. I think he gave five hundred dollars for her. She was
named Gigi, but Master John called her Gracie. She was so good and
they thought so much of her dat they gave her a grand wedding when she
was married. Master John told her he'd never sell none of her chillun.
He kept dat promise and he never did sell any of her grandchillun
either. He thought it was wrong to separate famblys. She was one
hundred and three years old when she died. I guess her mind got kind
of feeble 'cause she wandered off and fell into a mill race and was
drowned.

Master John Mixon had two big plantations. I believe he owned about
four hundred slaves, chillun and all. He allowed us to have church one
time a month with de white folks and we had prayer meeting every
Sunday. Sometimes when de men would do something like being sassy or
lazy and dey knowed dey was gonna be whipped, dey'd slip off and hide
in de woods. When dey'd slip back to get some food dey would all pray
for 'em dat Master wouldn't have 'em whipped too hard, and for fear
the Patroller would hear 'em they'd put their faces down in a dinner
pot. I'd sit out and watch for the Patroller. He was a white man who
was appointed to catch runaway niggers. We all knew him. His name was
Howard Campbell. He had a big pack of dogs. The lead hound was named
Venus. There was five or six in the pack, and they was vicious too.

My father was a carriage driver and he allus took the family to
church. My mother went along to take care of the little chilluns.
She'd take me too. They was Methodist and after they would take the
sacrament we would allus go up and take it. The niggers could use the
whitefolks church in the afternoon.

De Big House was a grand place. It was a two-story house made out of
logs dat had been peeled and smoothed off. There was five big rooms
and a big open hall wid a wide front porch clean across de front. De
porch had big posts and pretty banisters. It was painted white and had
green shutters on de windows. De kitchen was back of de Big House.

De slaves quarters was about a quarter of a mile from de Big House.
Their houses was made of logs and the cracks was daubed with mud. They
would have two rooms. Our bedsteads was made of poplar wood and we
kept them scrubbed white with sand. We used roped woven together for
slats. Our mattresses were made of cotton, grass, or even shucks. My
mother had a feather bed. The chairs was made from cedar with split
white oak bottoms.

Each family kept their own home and cooked and served their own meals.
We used wooden trays and wooden spoons. Once a week all the cullud
chillun went to the Big House to eat dinner. The table was out in de
yard. My nickname was "Speck". I didn't like to eat bread and milk
when I went up there and I'd just sit there. Finally they'd let me go
in de house and my mother would feed me. She was the house woman and
my Auntie was cook. I don't know why they had us up there unless it
was so they could laugh at us.

None of old Master's young niggers never did much work. He say he want
'em to grow up strong. He gave us lots to eat. He had a store of
bacon, milk, bread, beans and molasses. In summer we had vegetables.
My mother could make awful good corn pone. She would take meal and put
salt in it and pour boiling water over it and make into pones. She'd
wrap these pones in wet cabbage or collard leaves and roll dem into
hot ashes and bake dem. They sho' was good. We'd have possum and coon
and fish too.

The boys never wore no britches in de summer time. Boys fifteen years
old would wear long shirts with no sleeves and they went barefooted.
De girls dressed in shimmys. They was a sort of dress with two seams
in it and no sleeves.

Old Master had his slaves to get up about five o'clock. Dey did an
ordinary day's work. He never whipped them unless they was lazy or
sassy or had a fight. Sometimes his slaves would run away but they
allus come back. We didn't have no truck with railroaders 'cause we
like our home.

A woman cussed my mother and it made her mad and they had a fight. Old
Master had them both whipped. My mother got ten licks and de other
woman got twenty-five. Old Mistress sho' was mad 'cause mother got
whipped. Said he wouldn't have done it if she had known it. Old
Mistress taught mother how to read and write and mother taught my
father. I went to school jest one day so I can't read and write now.

Weddings was big days. We'd have big dinners and dances once in a
while [HW: and] when somebody died they'd hold a wake. They'd sit up
all night and sing and pray and talk. At midnight they'd serve
sandwiches and coffee. Sometimes we'd all get together and play ring
plays and dance.

Once the Yankee soldiers come. I was big enough to tote pails and
piggins then. These soldiers made us chillun tote water to fill their
canteens and water their horses. We toted the water on our heads.
Another time we heard the Yankee's was coming and old Master had about
fifteen hundred pounds of meat. They was hauling it off to bury it and
hide it when the Yankees caught them. The soldiers ate and wasted
every bit of that good meat. We didn't like them a bit.

One time some Yankee soldiers stopped and started talking to me--they
asked me what my name was. "I say Liza," and they say, "Liza who?" I
thought a minute and I shook my head, "Jest Liza, I ain't got no other
name."

He say, "Who live up yonder in dat Big House?" I say, "Mr. John
Mixon." He say, "You are Liza Mixon." He say, "Do anybody ever call
you nigger?" And I say, "Yes Sir." He say, "Next time anybody call you
nigger you tell 'em dat you is a Negro and your name is Miss Liza
Mixon." The more I thought of that the more I liked it and I made up
my mind to do jest what he told me to.

My job was minding the calves back while the cows was being milked.
One evening I was minding the calves and old Master come along. He
say, "What you doin' nigger?" I say real pert like, "I ain't no
nigger, I'se a Negro and I'm Miss Liza Mixon." Old Master sho' was
surprised and he picks up a switch and starts at me.

Law, but I was skeered! I hadn't never had no whipping so I run fast
as I can to Grandma Gracie. I hid behind her and she say, "What's the
matter of you child?" And I say, "Master John gwine whip me." And she
say, "What you done?" And I say, "Nothing." She say she know better
and 'bout that time Master John got there. He say, "Gracie, dat little
nigger sassed me." She say, "Lawsie child, what does ail you?" I told
them what the Yankee soldier told me to say and Grandma Gracie took my
dress and lift it over my head and pins my hands inside, and Lawsie,
how she whipped me and I dassent holler loud either. I jest said dat
[HW: to] de wrong person. [TR: "didn't I?" at end was crossed out.]

I'se getting old now and can't work no more. I jest sits here and
thinks about old times. They was good times. We didn't want to be
freed. We hated the Yankee soldiers. Abe Lincoln was a good man
though, wasn't he? I tries to be a good Christian 'cause I wants to go
to Heaven when I die.

Oklahoma Writers' Project
Ex-Slaves

LIZZIE FARMER
Age 80 years
McAlester, Okla.

"Cousin Lizzie!"

"What."

"I'se seventy years old."

And I say, "Whut's you telling me for. I ain't got nothing to do with
your age!"

I knowed I was one year older than she was and it sorta riled me for
her to talk about it. I never would tell folks my age for I knowed
white folks didn't want no old woman working for 'em and I just
wouldn't tell 'em how old I really was. Dat was nine years ago and I
guess I'm seventy five now. I can't work much now.

I was born four years before de War.--"The one what set the cullud
folks free." We lived on a big plantation in Texas. Old Master's name
was John Booker and he was good to us all. My mammy died just at de
close of de War and de young mistress took me and kept me and I growed
up with her chillun. I thought I was quality sure nuff and I never
would go to school 'cause I couldn't go 'long to de same school with
de white chillun. Young mistress taught me how to knit, spin, weave,
crochet, sew and embroider. I couldn't recollect my age and young
Mistress told me to say, "I'se born de second year of de War dat set
de cullud folks free," and the only time she ever git mad at me was
when I forgot to say it jest as she told me to. She take hold of me
and shook me. I recollects all it, all de time.

Young mistress' name was Elizabeth Booker McNew. I'se named after her.
She finally gave me to my aunt when I was a big girl and I never lived
wid white folks any more. I never saw my pappy till I was grown.

In the cullud quarters, we cooked on a fireplace in big iron pots. Our
bread was baked in iron skillets with lids and we would set the
skillet on de fire and put coals of fire on de lid. Bread was mighty
good cooked like dat. We made our own candles. We had a candle mold
and we would put a string in the center of the mold and pour melted
tallow in it and let it harden. We would make eight at one time.
Quality folks had brass lamps.

When we went to cook our vegetables we would put a big piece of hog
jowl in de pot. We'd put in a lot of snap beans and when dey was about
half done we'd put in a mess of cabbage and when it was about half
done we'd put in some squash and when it was about half done we'd put
in some okra. Then when it was done we would take it out a layer at a
time. Go 'way! It makes me hungry to talk about it.

When we cooked possum dat was a feast. We would skin him and dress him
and put him on top de house and let him freeze for two days or nights.
Then we'd boil him with red pepper, and take him out and put him in a
pan and slice sweet 'taters and put round him and roast him. My, dat
was good eating.

It was a long time after de War 'fore all de niggers knowed dey was
really free. My grandpappy was Master Booker's overseer. He wouldn't
have a white man over his niggers. I saw grandpappy whip one man with
a long whip. Master Booker was good and wouldn't whip 'em less'n he
had to. De niggers dassent leave de farm without a pass for fear of de
Ku Kluxers and patrolers.

We would have dances and play parties and have sho' nuff good times.
We had "ring plays." We'd all catch hands and march round, den we'd
drop all hands 'cept our pardners and we'd swing round and sing:

"You steal my pardner, and I steal yours,
Miss Mary Jane.
My true lover's gone away,
Miss Mary Jane!

"Steal all round and don't slight none,
Miss Mary Jane.
He's lost out but I'se got one,
Miss Mary Jane!"

We always played at log rollin's an' cotton pickin's.

Sometimes we would have a wedding and my what a good time we'd have.
Old Master's daughter, Miss Janie, got married and it took us more'n
three weeks to get ready for it. De house was cleaned from top to
bottom and us chillun had to run errands. Seemed like we was allers
under foot, at least dat was what mammy said. I never will fergit all
the good things they cooked up. Rows of pies and cakes, baked chicken
and ham, my, it makes my mouth water jest thinking of it. After de
wedding and de feast de white folks danced all night and us cullud
folks ate all night.

When one of de cullud folks die we would allers hold a "wake." We
would set up with de corpse and sing and pray and at midnight we'd all
eat and den we'd sing and pray some more.

In de evening after work was done we'd sit round and de older folks
would sing songs. One of de favorites was:

"Miss Ca'line gal,
Yes Ma'am
Did you see dem buzzards?
Yes Ma'am,
Did you see dem floppin',
How did ye' like 'em?
Mighty well.

"Miss Ca'line gal,
Yes Ma'am,
Did you see dem buzzards?
Yes Ma'am,
Did you see dem sailin',
Yes Ma'am.
How did you like 'em?
Mighty well."

I've heered folks talk about conjures and hoodoo charms. I have a hoss
shoe over de door dat will bring good luck. I sho' do believe certain
things bring bad luck. I hate to hear a scrinch (screech) owl holler
at night. Whenever a scrinch owl git in dat tree at night and start to
holler I gits me a stick and I say, "Confound you, I'll make yet set
up dar and say 'Umph huh'," so I goes out and time I gits dar he is
gone. If you tie a knot in de corner of de bed sheet he will leave, or
turn your hat wrong side out too. Dey's all good and will make a
scrinch owl leave every time.

I believes in dreams and visions too. I dreamed one night dat I had
tall palings all 'round my house and I went out in de yard and dere
was a big black hoss and I say, "How come you is in my yard? I'll jest
put you out jest lak you got in." I opened de gate but he wouldn't go
out and finally he run in de door and through the house and went
towards de East. Right after dat my son died. I saw dat hoss again de
other night. A black hoss allus means death. Seeing it de other night
might mean I'se gwineter die.

I know one time a woman named May Runnels wanted to go to church about
a mile away and her old man wouldn't go with her. It made her mad and
she say, "I'll be dammed if I don't go." She had to go through a grave
yard and when she was about half way across it a icy hand jest slap
her and her mouth was twisted way 'round fer about three months. Dat
was a lesson to her fer cussing.

One time there was a nigger what belonged on a adjoining farm to
Master John Bookers and dey told us dis story:

"Dis nigger went down to de spring and found a terrapin and he say,
'What brung you here?' Jest imagine how he felt when it say to him,
'Teeth and tongue brung me here, and teeth and tongue will bring you
here.' He run to de house and told his Master dat he found a terrapin
dat could talk. Dey went back and he asked de terrapin what bring him
here and it wouldn't say a word. Old Master didn't like it 'cause he
went down there jest to see a common ordinary terrapin and he told de
nigger he was going to git into trouble fer telling him a lie. Next
day the nigger seen de terrapin and it say de same thing again. Soon
after dat dis nigger was lynched right close to de place he saw de
terrapin."

Master John Booker had two niggers what had a habit of slipping across
de river and killing old Master's hogs and hiding de meat in de loft
of de house. Master had a big blue hog and one day he missed him and
he sent Ned to look fer him. Ned knowed all de time dat he had killed
it and had it hid in his loft. He hunted and called "Pig-ooie, Pig."
Somebody done stole old Master's big blue hog. Dey couldn't find it
but old Master thought Ned knowed something 'bout it. One night he
found out Ned was gonna kill another hog and had asked John to go with
him. He borrowed John's clothes and blacked his face and met Ned at de
river. Soon dey find a nice big one and Ned say, "John, I'll drive him
round and you kill him." So he drove him past old Master but he didn't
want to kill his own hog so he made lak he'd like to kill him but he
missed him. Finally Ned got tired and said. "I'll kill him, you drive
him by me." So Master John drove him by him and Ned knock de hog on de
head and cut his throat and dey load him on de canoe. When dey was
nearly 'cross de river Old Master dip up some water and wash his face
a little, then he look at Ned and he say, "Ned you look sick, I
believe you've got lepersy." Ned row on little more and he jump in de
river and Master had a hard time finding him again. He had the
overseer whip Ned for that.

I think Lincoln was a wonderful man. Everybody was sorry when he died,
but I never heerd of Jeff Davis.

Oklahoma Writers' Project
Ex-Slaves

10-19-38
1,876-words

DELLA FOUNTAIN
Age 69 years
McAlester, Oklahoma

I was born after de War of de Rebellion but I 'member lots o' things
dat my parents told me 'bout slavery.

My grandmother was captured in Africa. Traders come dere in a big boat
and dey had all sorts of purty gew-gaws--red handkerchiefs, dress
goods, beads, bells, and trinkets in bright colors. Dey would pull up
at de shore and entice de colored folks onto de boat to see de purty
things. Befo' de darkies realized it dey would be out from shore.
Dat's de way she was captured. Fifteen to twenty-five would pay dem
for de trip as dey all brought good prices.

I was born and raised in Louisiana, near Winfield. My mother's Master
was John Rogers and his wife was Miss Millie. Dey was awful good to
deir slaves and he never whupped his grown niggers.

I 'member when I was a child dat we didn't have hardly anything to
keep house wid, but we got along purty well I guess. Our furniture was
home-made and we cooked on de fireplace.

We saved all our oak-wood ashes, and would put a barrel on a slanting
scaffold and put sticks and shucks in de bottom of de barrel and den
fill it wid de ashes. We'd pour water in it and let it drip. Dese
drippings made pure lye. We used dis wid cracklings and meat scraps to
make our soap.

Father took a good-sized pine long and split it open, planed it down
smooth and bored holes in de bottom and drove pegs in dem for legs;
dis was our battling bench. We'd spread our wet clothes on dis and
rub soap on 'em and take a paddle and beat de dirt out. We got 'em
clean but had to be careful not to wear 'em out wid de paddle.

We had no tubs either, so father took a hollow log and split it open
and put partitions in it. He bored a hole in each section and drove a
peg in it. He next cut two forked poles and drove 'em in de ground and
rested de ends of de hollow log in dese forks. We'd fill de log trough
wid water and rinse our clothes. We could pull out de pegs and let de
water out. We had no brooms either, so we made brush brooms to sweep
our floors.

Dere was lots of wild game near our home. I 'member father and two
more men going out and killing six deer in jest a little while. Dey
was plentiful, and so was squirrels, coon, possums and quail. Dere was
lots of bears, too. We'd be in de field working and hear de dogs, and
father and de boys would go to 'em and maybe dey'd have a bear. We
liked bear meat. It was dark, but awful good and sweet.

De grown folks used to have big times at log-rollings, corn-shuckings
and quiltings. Dey'd have a big supper and a big dance at night. Us
children would play ring plays, play with home-made rag dolls, or we'd
take big leaves and pin 'em together wid thorns and make hats and
dresses. We'd ride saplings, too. All of us would pull a sapling down
and one would climb up in it near de top and git a good hold on it,
and dey would turn it loose. It took a purty good holding to stay wid
it, I can tell you.

All de ladies rode horseback, and dey rode side-saddles. I had a purty
side-saddle when I growed up. De saddle seat was flowered plush. I had
a purty riding habit, too. De skirt was so long dat it almost touched
de ground.

We spun and wove all our clothes. I had to spin three broaches ever
night before bedtime. Mother would take bark and make dye to give us
different colored dresses.

Red oak and sweet gum made purple. Bois d'arc made yellow or orange.
Walnut made a purty brown. We knitted our socks and stockings, too.

We celebrated Christmas by having a big dance and egg-nog for ever'
body.

During slavery young colored boys and girls didn't do much work but
just growed up, care-free and happy. De first work boys done was to
learn to hitch up de team to Master's carriage and take de young folks
for a drive.

My older brothers and sisters told me lots of things dey done during
slave days. My brother Joe felt mighty big after freedom and strutted
about. One day he took his younger brother, Ol wid him to where father
was building a house. Dey played 'bout de house and come up to where a
white man and father was talking. De white man was rolling a little
ball of mud in his hands and he just pitched it over on Ol's foot. It
didn't hurt him a mite, but Joe bridled up and he started to git
smart, and father told him he'd break his neck if he didn't go on home
and keep his mouth shet. Father finally had to whup Joe to make him
know he was black. He give father and mother lots of concern, for dey
was afraid the Ku Kluxers would git him. One day he was playing wid a
axe and chopped off brother Ol's finger. Mother told him she was going
to kill him when she caught him. He took to de woods. His three
sisters and two neighbor girls run him nearly all day but couldn't
catch him. Late in de evening, he come up to a white neighbor's house
and she told him to go in and git under de bed and dey couldn't find
him. Curtains come down to de floor and as he was tired he decided to
risk it. He hadn't much more dan got hid when he heard de girls
coming. He heard de woman say, "He's under de bed." He knowed he was
caught, and he put up a fight, but dey took him to mother. He got a
whupping, but he was shocked dat mother didn't kill him like she said
she was. He didn't mind de whupping. He growed up to be a good man,
and was de apple of my mother's eye.

Father knowed a man that stole his Master's horse out and rode him to
a dance. For some reason de horse died. De poor man knowed he was up
against it, and he let in to begging de men to help him git de horse
on his back so he could put him back in his stable and his Master
would think he died dere. Poor fellow, he really did think he could
tote dat horse on his back. He couldn't git anybody to help him, so he
went to the woods. He was shot by a patroller 'cause he wouldn't
surrender. Dey captured him but he died.

Paul Castleberry was a white preacher. De colored would go to church
de same as de whites. He give de colored instructions on obeying
Masters. He say, "while your Master is going f'om pillar to post,
looking after your intrusts, you is always doing some devilment." I
'spect dat was jest about de truth.

My sister played wid Miss Millie's little girl, Mollie. De big house
was on a high hill and at de foot of de hill. Nearly a half-mile away
was a big creek wid a big wooden bridge across it. Soldiers come by
ever' few days, and you could hear deir horses when dey struck de
bridge. Sister and Mollie would run upstairs and look down de hill,
and if it was Confederate soldiers dey would run back and tell Miss
Millie and dey would start putting out de best food dey had. If dey
saw Yankee soldiers, dey would run down and tell 'em and dey'd start
hiding things.

De Yankees come through dere and took ever' body's horses. Lots of
people took deir horses and cows and hid 'em in some low place in de
deep wood.

Miss Millie had a young horse and she had 'em take him to de wheat
field and hide him. De wheat was as high as he was. De Yankees come
by, and a man had stopped dere just before dey come. He was riding an
old horse, and he was wearing a long linen-duster--a duster was a long
coat dat was worn over de suit to protect it from de dust.

Dis smart-aleck hid behind de house and as de soldiers rode up he shot
at 'em. Dey started shooting at him and he started running, and his
coat was sticking straight out behind him. De soldiers surely wasn't
trying to hit him, but dey sure did scare him plenty. Miss Millie was
certain dey was going to find her horse but dey didn't.

Master John Rogers was good to all his slaves, and they all loved him
and would a'died for him. One day he was sitting in his yard and
Mollie come running down stairs and told him de Yankees was coming. He
never say nothing, but kept sitting dere. Dat morning he had a big
sack of money and he give it to my mother to hide for him. She ripped
her mattress, and put it in de middle of it and sewed it up. She den
made up de bed and put de covers on it. De Yankees searched de house
and took de jewelry and silverware and old Master's gold mug, but dey
didn't find his money.

My parents lived close to de old plantation dat they lived on when dey
was slaves. De big house was still dere, but it was sure dilapidated.
Ever'body was poor after de War, whites and blacks alike. I really
think de colored was de best off, for they knowed all 'bout hardships
and hard work and de white folks didn't.

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24