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Texas Slave Narrative
Henry Baker
Henry Baker
, 80 living at 301 E. Rosedale Street, Fort Worth, was born a slave to Dr. Neal
, at Richmond. Va. His father belonged to John Thomas
who owned a plantation next to Dr. Neal's
. As John Thomas
would not sell Henry's father to Dr. Neal
, Henry
and his brother and sister became the property of Dr. Neal
. During the war Dr. Neal
moved to a small farm in Washington County, Texas, After moving to Washington County, Henry's
mother married Simon Allen
. After freedom they moved to Brazos County and three years later his mother died there. His stepfather let a Mr. Patterson
keep him. At the age of 16 or 17, he went to Austin and worked in three different hotels. He worked for the I&G N Railroad in Palestine, and traveled with a lightning rod salesman for a few months. He moved to Robertson County and farmed for 16 years. He married Lucy Foster
while in Robertson County, and raised two children. He moved to Fort Worth in about 1902, and has lived here since that time. "Well now, I's bo'n on de 29th day of June, I's don' know whut yea' but I's pushin' 80 yea's now. I's bo'n on Marster Doc
Neal's
plantation, dat waz jus' six miles below Richmond, Va. Now I's tell how cum we'ns name to be Baker
. My father waz brought over from Africa an' sold to de Baker family, an' dey named hem, Joe Baker
. Dey den sold hem to John Thomas
, who owned de plantation next to Marster Neal
. He cum over to Marster Neal's
plantation to see my mother, her name waz Agnes
. Dey wanted to git marryed an' de marster says its all right, so dey gits marryed. Marster Neal
, he tried to buy my father from John Thomas
, but he wouldn't sell my father, cuze he waz de best ditch digger on John Thomas
plantation. So we'ns chillen becum Marster Neal's
property, an' whin Marster Neal
moved to Texas we'ns never seen him no mo'. "Now I's don' 'member nothing 'bout moving to Texas becuze I's too young. My brother an' sister, dey told me 'bout it lots of times. Der names waz, James
an' Sallie
, an' dey waz some whut ol'er dan me. Dey say dat during de war whin things got warm dere in Richmond dat Marster Neal loaded all his stuf in two wagons an' started fur Texas. Der waz 'bout eight slaves an' 'bout dat many chillen. All de slaves walked behind de wagons, but de chillen dat waz too young to
walk, rode in de wagons. My brother told me dat I's rode in a hammock under one of de wagons. De Yankees got 'fter Marster Neal an' he ran off an' left Mr. Christen
in charge. I don' know jus' how long we'ns waz gittin' yere, but I guess it waz a long time."Mr. Christen
tuk we'ns to Washington County, an' whin we'ns git dere Marster Neal
waz waitin' fur we'ns. De marster bought a small farm an' put de slaves to wokke clearin' de land. Dey cut down trees an' built de marster a big house an' dey built a bunch of little huts fur de slaves. De huts jus' had holes fur windows an' some of dem had plank floors. Dey would split de logs an' plane 'em
down to git de splinters off. Dey had bunks built against de wall an' dey made de mattress out of hay an' grass. It waz some time 'fter de war before dey started making wooden beds wib rope corded bottoms. Now den, dey had one hut dat all de slaves ate in. Der waz one woman, dat waz Aunt
Easter
, she cooked fur de whole push. I's don' 'member jus' how dey would git der breakfast, but I's know dat whin dey waz wokkin' next to de house dat she would blow a horn an' dey would cum in fur dinner. Whin dey waz wokkin' away from de house, she would fix der dinner up in buckets an' carry it to 'em. All de
chillen ate together an' dey waz jus' lak pigs. Dey put de eats on de table an' dey sho' went 'fter it. Der waz lots to eat such as it waz. Now in de spring of de yea' we'ns had vegetables, pot-likker, co'n bread, milk an' coffee, very seldom de marster gave we'ns meat. In de fall of de yea' de marster kill
hogs an' den we'ns had lots of meat. Now den, pot-likker is de juice from de greens dats boil down."De slaves wokked from de time dey could see till dey couldn't see. De overse'er rang a bell 'bout four o'clock in de mornin' an' de slaves would git up an' eat an' go to de fiel'. Once in a while whin dey
waz up on der wokke dey would git Sat'day 'fternoon off. Dey always got Sunday's off, an' de women wash de clothes an'
clean up de huts. De men would go fishin' or jus' stay 'round an' help de women folks. Der wazn't much runin' 'round on de plantation. Dey sang some songs whin dey wokked 'round de house an' in de fiel', but I's don' 'member none of dem."When one of de slaves git sick Marster
Neal
sent fur a Doctor. De slaves waz good property an' de marster couldn't let 'em die, becuze he would have to buy anuther to tak his place. Der waz some of de ole women on de plantation dat waz jus' as good as de Doctors. Dey could git you well jus' as quick as de Doctor, sometime quicker.
"Ever'time de slaves went any whur dey had to have a pass or de padder-rollers would whip 'em wib a cowhide whip. I's don' 'member much 'bout de padder-rollers but I's seen lots of de Kluk. Boy dey kept de life skeered out of we'ns chillen, we'ns would run under de house or de bunks
or jus' anything dat we'ns could git under. I's don' 'member if dey ever whip anybody or not, but I's know dat dey cum 'round to de niggers house an' tell 'em whut dey had to do. If dat nigger saw 'em cumin' furs' dat nigger would tak to de woods."I's 'member de time my mother gits a whippin', dat waz
becuze her an' a nigger dat dey called Uncle Dick
, had a fight. De marster, he cum up while dey waz fightin' an' whipped my mother wib a cowhide whip. He whipped her till de blood jus' streamed from her. Dat lak to kill me, I's cried a long time, it jus' broke my heart. Uncle Dick
, he run away while de marster waz whippin' my mother an' de marster had to run hem down wib de hounds."We'ns waz in de fiel' one day an' looked up an' saw 'bout 200 or 300 soldiers cumin' down de road. We'ns run to de marster house. Some of we'ns waz under de house whin de soldiers gits der. One soldier
man says dat we'ns free an' could go whur we'ns pleased. Der was lot of rejoicin' an' singin', we'ns so happy dat we'ns didn't know whut to do. Der waz a general breakin' up, de niggers didn't know whur dey waz goin', dey jus' went."My mother had marryed Simon Allen
befor we'ns free an' he tuk we'ns to Brazos County an' gits a job wib de railroad. We'ns lived der fur 'bout three yea's den my mother, she die. Den my stepfather jus' scattered we'ns chillen 'bout. My sister stayed wib my stepfather's mother an' his sister tuk my brother. He let Mr.
Patterson
tak me, an' I's stay wib Mr. Patterson
till my stepfather marry again."My stepfather marryed a woman der in Washington an' dat woman waz de meanest woman I's ever seen. She waz jus' a regular she Devil. My stepfather cum an' got me an' tuk me home an' dat woman tuk all my clothes away from me. She whipped me ever'time I's turn 'round. In
January whin it waz cold as ever'thing, I's run away an' goes back to Mr. Patterson
house. Mr. Patterson
wouldn't let my stepfather git me, an' I stayed der till I's 16 or 17 yea's ole. Dey waz sho' good to me, dey waz always givin'me money an' I's never suffer fur anythin'. Dey sent me to school an' bought all my clothes. I's sho' had a good time while I's wib Mr. Patterson
. "I's wanted to run 'round so I left out whin I's 'bout 16 or 17 yea's ole. I went to Hempstead an' got a job on de farm. De man name waz McDade
, an' he sho' wazn't a man to pay fur his wokke. He jus' bluff 'em out of it. I stayed der fur two yea's an' I's never got a cent out of hem. I left dere an' went to Austin an' got a job at de City hotel washin' dishes. I's git 15 dollars a month fur dat an' I sho' hung on to dat. I guess I's dere fur almost
two yea's. I know I had quite a wad of money whin I left."I went to wokke fur de Avenue hotel but I only stayed der fur a few weeks. I got along fine but de manager waz to grumbly. So I gits a job wib de Ramond hotel an' wokked der fur mo' two yea's. Dey sold out to anuther man an' I wokke fur hem fur
'bout two yea's. I's never made mo' 15 dollars a month wib de hotels, but I's git my meals an' dat wazn't bad. "I's gittin' tired of de hotels so I's go to Palestine an' gits on de extra gang wib de I&G N Railroad. I's git a dollar an' 50 cents a day, but I's payin' 50
cents a day fur board so I's quits dat 'fter three months. I's jus' foolin' 'round Palestine whin a man cums along an' wants me to wokke fur hem on de lightning rod wagon. Dat wazn't hard wokke so I's tak hem up on dat. All I's do waz to tak care of de hoss's an' help hem wib de ladders. He
payed me ten dollars a month an' I stayed wib hem till we'ns git to Texarkana. "I's tired of runin' 'round so I's go to Robertson County, an' rents me a farm. I's marry Lucy Foster
while I's farmin' an' we'ns had two boys. I's wanted to keep my boys on de farm but I's doin' no good so I's move to Fort Worth. I guess I's on de farm fur 'bout 16 yea's. "Whin we'ns git to Fort Worth, I's do all kinds of wokke. I bought me a wagon an' hoss an' peddled meat
to de cullurd folks. Den I gits a job wib Armour an' Company, I's don' know how many yea's I's wokke dere but its waz a long time. Yere lately I's no good fur wokke so I jus' stay 'round my boys.
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