Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  James Barber

Soldierly in bearing, with unbent shoulders, slim waist, and erect carriage, James Barber is one of the more youthful appearing of the old ex-slaves. He is a tall, tans kinned negro, with short grayish white hair, and a brisk voice with scarcely a trace of dialect. Born in Brazoria, Texas, in 1858, he and his mother belonged to Mrs. Orr, a widow, and were hired out to other farmers to work."My marster an' his ol' lady was named Orr . My missus' name was Martha Orr . She had two sons an' two daughters. They was all grown when I was a kid. They never had any plantation of dere own but they had slaves an' made their own livin' ev'ry year." "Both her sons was in de Civil War. I 'member when they git furloughs an' come home to see they mother an' sister. De ol' marster was dead befo' I was born or befo' I kin recollect. I never 'member seein' him." "I could hear de noise an' de soun's 'r cannon from Galveston comin' up de stream when de win' was blowin' from de souf'. I 'member hearin' de Gulf of Mexico roll when de win' was from dat direction." "I was 'bout seven year' ol' when freedom come. I never had to do nuthin' much. I jus' played 'roun'. I was dere at de end er de breakup. I never see a man er (of) no kin' (kind) whip my mother. I saw de ol' lady whip my mother one time wid a cowhide. She cried out, 'Pray missus.' I 'member I tuk hole er de whip an' she quit. She muster seen dat I felt fo' my mother an' it made her sorry. Anyhow she didn' whip my mother no mo' an' she didn' whip me neither." "When freedom come she tol' my mother, 'Well, Ca'line , you free. You kin go inter town an' hire out. You deman' yo' wages. But you caint take dese chillun cause you ain' got no husban' to take care of dese chillun. You leave 'em here an' I take care er 'um.' So my mother lef' us dere an' she (the mistress) took care er us jis' like her own. We sleep on a mattress on de floor in de room where she sleep. She git up at night an' tuck us in our own bed. I'd jis' put my arms 'roun' her neck. I uster call her 'mother' like de w'ite folks an' call my own mother 'mammy'." "When her son die she lost her min'. I was gittin' on 'bout sixteen year' ol' den. I still call her 'mother.' Her folks from far off come an' dey didn' like it cause I call her 'mother.' Dey say if I don' quit callin' her 'mother' dey git de sheriff at me. One day I see 'im comin'. He say, 'Jim , come with me.' I went up to de house with him an' he say if dey anyt'ing to give me to give it to me. Dey give me some clo's an' den he say, 'Now, Jim , you leave dis town an' don' come back 'less dey sen' fo' you.' So I lef' but I hate to leave her when she sick. Later on when she git her min' back I see her ag'in but I never went back 'il dey sent fo' me."After de breakup de Yankees pitch camp on a bluff opposite where we was. De w'ite folks was sorter skittish cause de Yankees was dere. When dey lef' we children uster git de cartridges an' bomb shells, I guess dey were, an' play wid 'em. Outside er ol' missus' sons I see very few Confederates.""I see slaves from other plantations run off in de woods. After freedom come one woman that had been in de woods come up to our w'ite folks. De briers an' thorns had cut sores on her an' in some er de sores dere was screwworms. They was one man Mike Mitchell allus in de woods.""De slaves houses had home made furniture, tables, rawhide bottom chairs an' de like. They cooked in fireplaces. They was very few stoves. They cooked lots in a spider. Some places had brick quarters fo' de slaves. On cotton plantations they had log houses.""On Sundays a minister would preach. He preach one Sunday in de mont' to de cullud folks. Mother always got me ready to go to church." "Ol' missus had one daughter, Jennie , that was a school teacher. She woulder taught me but I didn' care 'bout it. Mister William Orr was a stockman an' I took a notion I jus' had to go on a cow drive. Ol' missus say I better not that I be sorry. Some time after that de horse I was ridin' throw me an' fell down on me an' broke my arm. I say den I never goin' on a cow drive ag'in but wasn' long after I git up I was ridin' de range ag'in."


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