|
Texas Slave Narrative
Wash Armstrong
Wash Armstrong
of Peach Tree, is a negro of medium height and normal weight. He says he is pure negro, and he is quite dark, but his nose, lips, and the general shape of his face resemble the white race. He is nervous and cautious. Says his memory is impaired by the attacks of epilepsy, which he has had intermittently for
the past six years."Wash Armstrong
' my name. I's the younger brudder of Manuel Armstrong
of Bevilport. I's bo'n in Cherokee county to'd (toward) the end of the war. Jack Armstrong
was my fadder and Zilpha Armstrong
was my mudder. Dem bofe come from Geo'gia. Munroe
, Manuel
, Robert
and Joe
was my brudders. My sisters was Martha
, Fanny
and Liza
." "Us lib on the fa'm atter us freed and all wuk in the fiel'. Nebber see my gran'paren's. I was too li'l to wuk much, jes' pick up chips an tote li'l pails of water, and he'p 'bout the house and yard. Don' 'member the fust money I ebber earn'. I 'member us hab cawn
bread, peas, sweet 'taters, syrup and bacon dat we raise' to eat. Dey let us boys hunt and fish w'en us young. Many's the 'coons, 'possum, rabbits and fish we'uns kotch." "Everett Armstrong
was us marster, and Miss Katie
was us mistess. Dey hab big frame house and t'ree chillen. Marse Armstrong
hab big plantation of sebenty-five or hunnerd acre'. Marse kep' fo' (four) fam'ly of slaves, dey was 'bout fo'ty or fifty head. Dey wuk from sun-up to sun-down. Dey hab place to tek care of cullud chillen. The li'l boys wo' long shu'ts of d'mestic and the li'l gals wo' slip dresses. Dey fu'nish us wid brogan
shoes wid brass to' w'en us ol' 'nuff to wuk. Us wo' the same clo's on Sunday. W'en comp'ny come, us run off to the woods and stay' 'til dey lef'." "Marster hab bad overseer. He ride 'roun' on one big horse wid rope and blacksnake whip and give each slave a lick or two, or
tie 'em and whip 'em. Dey use' to auction off the slaves, but I don' know w'at dey brung." "Fadder and mudder nebber learn' to read and write. Atter freedom come, w'en I's nine year' ol', I go to school and study de Blue-back Webster, de English Primer, and de 'rithmetic
and figger some. Dey hab Mistah Moore
, a w'ite teacher, to teach the cullud chillen in the cullud school t'ree mile' wes' of Jasper. Us play' marbles, baseball and swing. Atter freedom come, some of the slaves stay' wid dere marster', but dar warn't no compellment 'bout dat. Us hab good marster and mean overseer." "On
Sunday, we go to chu'ch and sing, 'Come Ye dat Lub the Lawd' and 'Am I Bo'n to Die?' and 'The Ol' Time Religion' and lots mo'. Ain't nebber seed no ha'nts nor ghos'es. W'en I's twenty-fo' or five, Lula Seale and me git marry. The cullud preacher marry us at he house at Bevilport. Lula wo' w'ite dress and me a
dark suit. Us hab big crowd dere and hab good time. Us hab seben chillen. One boy lib wid me now 'bout fo'ty-t'ree year' ol' dat nebber hab marry. He the baby chile, and he mudder die' long time 'go." "Don' 'member much 'bout the war. I's too young den. Us jes' fa'm and
lead quiet life. Nebber hab been in jail or eben on the witness stan'. Marse Armstrong's Mef'dis' preacher, and us is Mef'dis' too. I like all de preachers. Some talk better and some knowed mo' 'bout the Scriptures. Us lib on my daughter' place. I's can't come to town no mo' 'lone
cause some kind of spells 'tack me ebber since I's had the fever six year' 'go, and I falls anyw'er on the road and mought git run over. Can't tell you much on dat 'count 'cause I's done forgit a lot
BACK TO TEXAS "A" SLAVE NARRATIVE INDEX
|