Stearlin Arnwine

Stearlin Arnwine , who lives about six miles north west of Jacksonville, is of medium build and rather feeble now. My second visit found him in the field among his children and granchildren, trying to show them how and what work to do, even tho his eyesight is very poor. Very appreciative and grateful that some one should have interet enough in him to sit down and talk with him, he gives me the following account of his past life. I was bo'n befo the war in 1853 jest about three and a half miles south of Jacksonville on what is known as Gum Creek. My mother was the property of Albertus Arnwine , a bachelor. Mr. Arnwine owned four negro women, my mother, Ann , my grand mother, Gracie , an Aunt Winnie and Aunt Mary . He didn't own any negro men (except the children born to these women.) Grandmother shared the big house with Mr. Arnwine and the other women had cabins in the yard. Each raised a family of children. My mother came from Memphis, Tenn., but I don't know whar my father came from. He was Ike Lane. I have three half brothers Joe , Will and John Schot , and two sisters, Polly and Rosie . When Mr. Arnwine died, before the war he made a will in which he gave his property to his slaves, the negro women. Judge Jowell promised Mr. Arnwine , on his death bed that he would take us to a free country, but he didn't. He took us to his place for a year or two and the negro women never did get the 900 acres that Mr. Arnwine gave them, I knows that I still have a share in that land but hit takes money now-a-days to win in case in court. When the war broke out I fell into the han's of Mr. John Moseley of Rusk, he lived about three miles south of Rusk. I remember that Mr. Dick Reagan brought his nigger dogs to round us up. We were workin' in the field an when we heard that Mr. Reagan had turned the dogs loose, me and John , Arnwine ran an clum a hickory nut tree. We sot up there till they blowed the horn at the house an we know to go in. I was the only one of my family to go to Mr. Moseleys but he took Aunt Winnie an her three chillun, Tom , Ed , an Viny . My mother worked in the government shoe-shop at Rusk during the war. She could make as good shoes as any body. I never did work in the field. When I was with Judge Jowell I jest run errands, toted water, watched the gaps and waited on Mr. Jowell . When Massa John took me to live with him he said I must be his house boy-an house boy I was. Massa was sho good to me, and I did love to be with him and follow him aroun'. The kitchen was out in the yard an I had to carry the victuals, when they was cooked, to the big dinin-room. As soon as dinner was over Massa John always took a nap, lie down for one hour each day an my job was to set by him an fan him, an lawsy me, I'd get so tired but I knowed I had to keep that fan a-gwine. I can hear him now, as he'd wake up he'd say, "Colonel, go get me a drink outa the north east corner of the well". One day while I was fannin Massa John I drapped off to sleep and he woke me up by slippin' a chaw of tobacco in my mouth, one he had already chawed. When we lived at Mr. Arnwines we had to pull straw and strip up shucks to make our beds of. Didn't know any thing about cotton beds, we put this grass and shucks in sacks an slept on the sacks. We also had straw and grass beds at Mr. Moseleys . The Moseleys had five children, Jane , Mary , Alf and Horace . Then the baby, a little girl named Robina . It was my duty to take care of her. I'd make her play houses, get her night clothes ready, and play around the place with her. When we were sot free it nearly kilt me to leave that little gal. I don't remember how much land massa John had but a big plantation cause he had lots of slaves besides us. Old man Gus was the over-seer an he had the right to punish all slaves who wouldn't work. I remember a white man by the name of Gates "refugeed" from some where in Louisiana, he camped on Massa Johns premises while lookin for a location whar his slaves would be safe from the Yankees. He had the poorest cattle, nothing but skins and bones, and he made his slaves eat that. I well remember seeing some of those old poor cows skinned and some one threw a piece of the meat agin a tree an hit stuck thar hard and fast. You know pore beef is gummy and sticky, well that was so sticky they could hardly handle it, yet they had to eat it. We chillun had our supper before night, mos' usual it was pot licker an bread. We all ate from a big skillet. Aunt Mindy was the cook. One-eyed Gus Willingham was the over-seer but Massa John got shed of him cause he got drunk one day. No mam Massa John wouldn't tolerate no whiskey drinkers, didn't beleav in it, no mam.

I learned to spin, weave an knit, I knit, I knit lots of socks. Aunt Rachel was the weaver, an all the weavin was done in her cabin. She also done the milkin and washin. Aunt Winnie an Ad were the spinners. Mr. Moseley had two step-daughters, Missus Mollie and Laura Summers , that went to school at Rusk. It was my job to take them up thar every Monday morning on horses an go back atter them on Friday afternoon. The only whippin I ever got was for staying all night with mother one Friday night. You see I had gone atter the girls and for some reason they didn't come home an hit was so late I was afraid the patter rolls would get me so I stayed with my mother an went home next mownin, but Massa John met me and I knew when I saw him what was comin. What I was gonna get, I begged and cried an tried to tell him why I stayed over night. I say 'Massa John , you know you didn't give me no pass an I was afraid of the patter rolls', but I reckon he had his min made up cause I got the whipping. I never earnt no money during slavery days but my brother-in-law gave me five dollars, a five dollar bill one day as I was going atter the girls. I was so proud of it I showed hit to the girls when I got to school, an I say look here Miss Emma , what I gone an got, an held up the bill an Miss Emma she took that money away from me. She say you don't need that, here take this candy and give me the money. She gave me two sticks of candy, an I was satisfied. I remember how I showed the candy to the other chillun when I got home. I've seed a good many slaves on the auction block. They were sold accordin to their strength and muscles. They were stripped to their waist an if they had good muscles and a strong body they brought a good price. A man or woman who was pore and sickly lookin didn't sell for very much. I've seed the women and little chillun crying an beggin not to be separated. Missus Mosely , Miss Em we called her cause her name was Emaline , was strict an positive. When she said no, we knew she meant it, yet if she seed one of us in trouble she came to our rescue. She couldn't stan to see my cry, and I soon larn't to cry an beg an Miss Em would say, "Alright Stearlin go on." They only church service I know any thing about was when the slaves would get together once in awhile at night and have prayer meetin and sing. I remember that I used to hear some old love songs, "Barbra Allen ", and one about "Oh to me the time seems long, since you and I did part." About the only thing we chillun knew to play was ridin stick hosses. I've made a many a mile on a stick horse. When the war was over and we were sot free, Massa John gave his chillun a big roll of confederate money and they gave us chillun some of it to trade and buy stick hosses with. Some terrible tradin an buyin went on I tell you. When Massa John tole us we were free he didn't seem to pay hit no tention, but Miss Em she bawled and squalled, say her property was bein taken away from her. I didn't see my mother very often during slavery but after we were freed she gathered us together an moved to the Dr. Middleton place out from Jacksonville. From there to the Ragsdale place whar I've been ever since. When any of the slaves got sick Massa John an Miss Em was good to see atter 'em. His main medicane was blue mass an epicak but if that wasn't enough he would get a Doctor. Every Monday morning the food was portioned out. Massa John weighed up a peck o' meal and 3 1/2 lbs. bacon to each family an that had to do till the next Monday. They had plenty 'taters, beans and vegetables to cook. The slaves cooked an et in their own cabins. My job on Saturday was to take a bushel of wheat to Fisher's mill an have it made into middlins (a grade of flour). We hardly knew what a buscuit was. Just on Christmas morning the little chillun got a half o' biscuit an the grown folks a whole one. I woew my first pants when I was 14 years old, an they stung me til I was mizable. The cloth was store bought, but the pants was made at home. It was what we called dog-hair cloth. My mother made the first shoes I had, we called em red rippers. I didn't know how to pray till after we were freed and back at home with my mother. She taught us at night how to pray, I hired out after I got begger and finally larn't to read and write. Stearlin has four girls livin, Joyce , Maybell , Georgia , Mary Ann , and some small grand children he is having to raise. Been married four times; other wives dead.