Joe Barnes

"Dey give de little ones bacon to sack and tie de string to de bacon and de other round dey wrists, so day won't swallow or lose de bacon. For de little bits of ones dey rings de bell for dey mammy to come from de field and nuss 'em."After freedom come us stay a year and den move to Beaumont end us work in de sawmill for Mr. Jim Long. De fust money I git I give to my mammy. Me and mammy and stepdaddy stays in Beaumont two years den moves to Tyler and plants de crop. But de next year us move back to Beaumont on de Langham place and mammy work for de Longs till she die."When I git marry I marry Dicey Allen and she die and I never marry no more. I worked in sawmillis' and on de log pond and allus gits by pretty good. I ain't done no work much de last ten year. I's too old."I sort a looks after my grandchillun and I sho' loves dem. I sits 'round and hurts all de time. It am rheumatism in de feets. I reckon. I got six grandchillun and three great-grandchillen and dat one you bears cryin', dat de baby I's raisin' in dere."I's feared I didn't tell you so much 'bout things way back, but de truth is, I can't 'member like I used to.

Trace of time has left its imprint on uncle Joe Barnes , and although very feeble, he manages to do a few chores around the house in order to keep his great-grandchildren in line while their mother works. He is tall, rather small in build, gray hair, a stubby gray mustache, his eyes are small and reflect no emotion or sparkle; time and ill health have removed that. In his kind, gentle voice he relates with little interest, his experience in slavery days. His every action bespeaks his fondness for his great-grandchildren, and they in turn have a great respect for him.
"Dey calls me Paul Barnes , but my name ain't Paul , it's Joe Barnes . I was bo'n up here in Tyler county on de Sapp place in 1858. My marster was Jim Sapp and missus' name was Ann . Dey was good to me. I small den, but dey uster wuk on me (thrash him). I reckon for bein' bad."
"De Sapp ' place was a good big place. Dey uster raise a sight of cotton and co'n. Ol' marster Jim he had 'bout 25 or 30 slaves on de plantation.""My mammy's name was Artimisi , but dey call her Emily . My pa' name was Jerry Wooten , 'cause he live on de Wooten place. My stepfather' name was Barnes and I tek his name. My parents dey had a broomstick weddin" I 'member 'reckly (directly) atter freedom one time my brudder went to cross de creek to git de hosses. Dey was lots of rain and de creek was all swol' up high. De water was so high and so fas' it wash him off de hoss and I ain't seed him since. Dey nebber did fin' he body. He was 'bout ten year' ol' den.""W'en I was a chile us uster play marbles, and run rabbits and ride stick hosses and de like. W'en I git mo' bigger us play ball, sorter like baseball, us hit de ball and run 'roun' and sich, but it warn't real baseball.""On de Sapp place de marster he live in a big box house. Dey had de quarters in a row. Some of 'em was box house and some log house. De houses hab two room' and one fam'ly live in a house.""I kin kinder rec'leck 'em whippin' slaves. Marster was mean to 'em. Dey tie 'em down 'cross a bar'l or log and whip' 'em. Mos' de time dey whip 'em 'bout wuk. Dey wuk 'em by task and if a nigger ain't git he task done dey whip 'em. Some of 'em run away. Dey had w'at dey call de nigger dog to ketch 'em. One nigger run away one time. He could run fas'er dan de dog and de dog ain't kin ketch 'im. He stay in de woods a long time, but atter dat he tek a notion to come back and let 'em whip 'im.""Dey had a big ol' cow ho'n w'at dey blow to call de slaves up for dey dinner. Us had a little cup dey put pot-licker in. Dey give us meat and co'nbread and bacon. Dey give 'em greens too. Dey uster cook eb 'ryt'ing on de fireplace. De chim'leys was 'bout fo' feet wide. Dey had pots and ovens and put fire on top and bottom of some. Dey uster mek pones of bread. De overseer uster give out de feed to de slaves. He was a good man.""I uster wear w'at I call a one-button cutaway. It was jis' a shirt mek outen homespun with pleats down front. Dey mek dey own cloth dem time.""I nebber see no sojers. Ol' marster he scouted (hid out in the woods) so he wouldn't hafter go to de war. He had two boys. One was name' Grope and I furgit w'at de other name.""I didn' go to chu'ch. Dey wouldn't let us go. But us didn' hafter wuk on Sunday. It was a good ways from w'ere us live to de chu'ch house. De ol' marster he didn' go to chu'ch. Dey warn't no preacher 'roun'. W'en anybody die dey gadder 'roun' and sing at de grave and bury 'em.""W'en dey was any marryin' to be done ol' marster he done it. He marry de folks in de broomstick style.""Us uster go huntin' lots. Dey kill 'possum, and 'coon, and deer and rabbit. Dey eat it and dey kep' some. Dey dry it and smoke de 'possum in de chim'ly." "W'en de slaves git sick dey uster sen' to de drug sto' and git some blue mash (bluemass) and calomel and mek 'em take dat.""Dey uster give de little ones bacon to suck. Sometime' dey tie a string to de bacon, and tie de other en' 'roun' dey wris'. Dat so dey won't los' it or swoller it befo' it time to swoller it. For de little bits of ones dey ring a bell for dey mommers to come from de fiel' and nuss (nurse) 'em." "Atter freedom come us stay a year on de plantation and den us move' to Beaumont. De fus' wuk dey done dere was wukin' in de sawmill for Mr. Jim Long . De fus' wuk I eber done was hoein' in de fiel', and de fus' money I git I give to my mammy.""Me and my mammy and my step-daddy lef' de same time and stay in Beaumont two year', den us move' back to Tyler and plant a crop. 'Bout dat time my step-daddy die. De year atter dat us move' back to Beaumont on de Langham place. My ma she wuk for de Longs 'till she die.""W'en I git marry I marry Dicey Allen . She die and I nebber marry no mo'." "Atter I quit farmin' I went to sawmillin'. I wuk on de log pon' all de time. I been here 15 year' but I ain't done no wuk to do no good in ten year'.""Us had two chillen. I live wid one of my gran'chillen. I sorter helps look atter dey chillen. I jis' sits 'roun' and hurts all de time. It rheumatism in my feet I reckon." "I got six gran' chillen and t'ree great-gran'chillen. Dat 'un you hear cryin', dat's de baby I's raisin' in dere."