Charlotte Beverly

Charlotte Beverly was born a slave to Captain Pankey's wife, in Montgomery County, Texas. She has lived most of her life within a radius of 60 miles from Houston, and now lives with one of her children in a little house on the highway between Cleveland and Shepherd, Texas. She does not know her age, but appears to be about ninety."I's born in Montgomery County and I's the mudder of eleven chillen, four gals and seven boys. My grandma come from Alabama and my daddy was Strawder Green and he belong to Col. Hughes . My maw named Phyllis and she belong to Capt. Pankey ."There was 'bout forty niggers, big and little, on the plantation. Lawd, they was good to us. Us didn' know nothin' 'bout bad times and cutting and whipping and slashing. I had to work in the house and I 'member one thing I has to do was scrub Mistus' gol' snuffbox twict a week. She kep' sweet. Scotch snuff and sometimes I takes a pinch out."We used to go to the white folks church and if us couldn' git in we'd stand round by the door and sing: Mistus wouldn' 'low us dance on the place but they give us pass to go to dance on nex' plantation, where my daddy live."Every year they have big Christmas dinner and ham and turkey and allus feed us good. Us have Christmas party and sing songs. That was sweet music."Marster have a lovely house, all ceiled and plastered. It was a log house but it was make all beautiful inside with mirrors and on the board was lots of silver and china and silver spoons with the gol' linin's and part of my job was to keep 'em sparklin'."Folks in them times cooks in the fireplace and my auntie, she cook. She make 'simmon bread and 'tater pone and the like. She mash up 'simmons with butter and pour sweet milk and flour in it. That make good 'simmon bread. We has skillets what was flat and deep and set on three legs."The slaves liven in little log houses and sleep on wood beds. The beds was make three-legged. They make augur hole in side of the house and put in pieces of wood to make the bed frame, and they put straw and cotton mattress on them bed. Old marster used to let he slaves have a extra cotton paten to theyselves and they work it by the moonlight. They could sell that cotton and have the money for theyselves."My white mistus was a Christian and she'd own her God anywhere. She used to shout, jus' sit and clap her hands and say, 'Hallalujah.' Once I seed her shout in church and I thinks something on her and I run down the aisle and goes to fannin' her. "One often slaves was a sort-a preacher and sometimes marster 'lowed him to preach to the niggers, but he have to preach with a two over his head, cause he git so happy he talk too loud. Somebody from the big house liable to come down and make him quit 'cause he makin' 'sturbance.  "I brings water from the well and they have what they call piggirs, and they was little tubs with two handles. Mistus wouldn' 'low me to do any heavy work. "I see sojers and knits socks for 'em by moonshine. Me and my husban' was married by a Yankee sojer. I was dress in white Tarleyton weddin' dress and I didn' wear no hoop skirt. I had a pretty wreath of little white flowers, little bitty, little dainty ones, the pretties' little things. When I marry, my sister marry too and our husban's was brudders. My husban' dress in suit of white linen. He sho' look handsome. He give me a gol' ring and a cup and saucer for weddin' gif'. We git married in Huntsville and us didn' go no weddin' journey trip. He was so poor we couldn' go round the house! I's 'bout twenty some year when I marries, but I don' know jus' how old. We has a big dance that night and the white folks come, 'cause they likes to see the niggers dance. "The white folks had interes' in they cullud people where I live. Sometimes they's as many as fifty cradle with little nigger babies in 'em and the mistus, she look after them and take care of them, too. She turn them and dry them herself. She had a little gal git water and help. She never had no chillen of her own. I'd blow the horn for the mudders of the little babies to come in from the fields and nurse 'em, in mornin' and afternoon. Mistus feed them what was old enough to eat victuals. Sometimes, they mammies take them to the field and fix pallet on ground for then to lay on. "The las' word my old Mistus Pankey say when she die was, 'You take care or Charlotte .'

By the side of the highway which leads from Cleveland to Shepherd, Texas, stands a dilapidated shack which bears signs of former mercantile activities. On sunny days, an ancient negress, Charlotte Beverly , emerges from the adjacent lean-to, and spends a quiet afternoon on the broken gallery. Charlotte is soft spoken, slow-moving, with a skin like weathered parchment and eyes which glow with subdued good humor. A native Texan, she was born the slave of Captain Pankey's wife, and has lived most of her life within a radius of 60 miles of Houston. Lately, she has been visiting with her children in San Jacinto county. "I was bo'n in Montgomery County. I's d' mudder 'r' 'leben chillen, fo' (four) gal 'n' seben boy still livin'. My grammaw come from Alabama. She had one chile w'en d' w'ite folks brung her from dere t' Texas. My daddy was Strawder Green. He b'long t' Colonel Hughes . My maw named Phyllis . She b'long t' Cap'n Pankey ." "W'en I git marry dey mek me 'n' ol' man jine han's 'n' jump ober a broom stick. My grammaw 'n' her husban' git marry dat way too. Atter freedom come she t'ink she orter git marry ober like d' w'ite folks. She didn' like d' way she marry d' fus' time. But d' ol' man he say he don' see no sense in dat, dey done been marry 'n' he ain' gwinter do it ober ag'n. She done up 'n' quit him."  "Dey was 'bout t'ree (three) families 'n' 'bout t'irty 'r' fawty (30 or 40) niggers, but 'n' little on d' plantation. 'Lawd, was dey good t' us.' No, us didn' know nuthin' 'bout bad times, 'n' cuttin' 'n' whippin' 'n' slashin'. I had t' wuk in d' house. I 'member one t'ing I had t' do was t' scrub d' mistus' gol' (gold) snuff box twict a week. She kep' sweet Scotch snuff. Sometimes I tek a pinch 'r' two d' snuff out. Mistus she know ebry time I tek any. She say, 'Come yere, Charlotte , lemme smell yo' bref (breath). Yo' done tek some 'r' my snuff.' Den she say, 'You oughtn' t' do dat. I don' want you t' be raise' up day way.' People t'ink folks w'at hab you ain' know how t' bring up dey slaves.' 'You orter ax fo' it iffen you want it.' 'You ax fo' it 'n' it 'n' you shall hab some.' So d' nex' time I scrub d' box I say, 'kin I hab some? 'n' she say, 'Sho chile, now dat d' way. Alays ask w'en you want t'ings.' So I alays did atter dat."   "We uster go t' d' w'ite folks chu'ch. If us couldn' git inside d' chu'ch house we stan' 'roun' by d' do' (door) 'n' winder. Us uster sing,   'Hallelujah, we mus' be bo'n 'r' God, Hallelujah, we mus' be bo'n ag'in.'and,   'W'en I git home t' Heben. I will see Jesus bye 'n' bye.'  "Dey sing some 'r' d' w'ite folks hymns too. Dey sing, 'An' am I bo'n t' die? 'n' Ol' Ship 'r' Zion' 'n' udders. I alays lub t' sing-" "I don' git 'long so well now. I got too much py'reea 'r' d' gums. I jus' move yere t' my baby daughter from Houston on New Year Day. My hair uster be long 'n' purty but d' ol'er (older) I gits d' shorter my hair gits."  "At mudder's place d' mistus was a good Christian lady. Dey wouldn' 'low us t' dance on dey place. Dey gib us pass t' go t' dance on d' nex' plantation, dat w'ere my father lib. We couldn' go dere 'thout a pass cause d' patterroles git you iffen you don' hab a pass. Neder our folks let 'em whip us. Dey didn' 'low nobuddy t' whip us.""Ev'ry year dey hab a big Crissmus dinner at d' marster's house. Dey hab ham 'n' turkey 'n' plenty 'r' t'ings. Dey alays feed us good. Dats why I looks so good now co'se I was fed good in my young days. W'en us hab d'   Crissmus party us sing songs, Crissmus songs dey call 'em. I dis'member d' way dey go but dey was sweet music.""On d' place dey had lots 'r' saddle hosses. Dey learnt dem t' be race hosses. I uster could race a hoss good's any boy. I like t' race bareback wid my hair flyin' 'n' no shoe' on." "D' marster had a lubly (lovely) house, all ceil 'n' plaster. It was a big log house but it was mek all beau-i-ti-ful inside. It was plaster 'n' fix up nice. Dey had big mirrors w'at reach from d' flo' t' d' ceilin'. On d' board was lots 'r' silver 'n' china. Dey hab silver spoons w'at had gol' (gold) linin's. Part 'r' my job was t' shin dem t'ings 'n' keep 'em sparklin'."  "Folks in dem times cook in d' fireplace. Dey didn' hab no stoves den. I warn't big 'nuf t' cook co'se dat purty heaby wuk. My auntie she cook 'n' my mudder she was d' milker. Dey cook 'simmon (persimmon) bread 'n' 'tater pone 'n' d' like. Dey mek 'simmon bread outn' 'simmons Dey mash up d' 'simmons wid butter 'n' po' (pour) some sweet milk 'n' flour in it. W'en d' 'simmons ripe dey kin be squeeze' in d' han. Den dey mek d' bes' simmon bread. We hab butter milk 'n' custard made outn' clabber. Dey beat up d' clabber wid buttermilk 'n' flavor it 'n' put it in a crus'." "D' slaves lib in little log house. Ev'ry family hab a log house to dey own. D' cullud peoples all sleep on wood beds. D' beds was mek three legged. Dey mek a auger hole in d' log side 'r' d' house, 'n' put in pieces 'r' wood t' mek d' bed frame. Dey put straw 'n' cotton mattress on dem bed t' sleep on. Sometime w'en d' wedder (weather) was col' t'ree 'r' fo' people sleep togedder in jus' one bed."  "'Roun' d' fireplace in d' quarters dey hab black pot 'n' skillick 'n' spider 'n' udder t'ings t' cook ham 'n' cabbage 'n' vegetubble, 'n' 'possum 'n' sich. Some 'er dem skillicks was flat 'n' deep 'n' sot on t'ree leg. I hab one at my ol' home. I lub it co'se it b'long t' my mudder. I 'member w'en dey uster cook 'possum in dem pot. 'Possum good w'en you know how t' fix it right. Dey uster clean 'um 'n' lef' 'um out in d' col' t' freeze. Den dey let d' air strike t'rough 'um 'n' cook 'um wid sage 'n' sweet 'taters."
"Ol' marster uster let he slaves hab a extry cotton patch t' deyse'fs. Sometime dey wuk it by d' moonlight. Dey could sell d' cotton w'at dey raise 'n' spen' d' money fo' deyse'fs. Dey buy dif'rent t'ings sometime. Somebudy dat gwinter go t' town buy all d' t'ings w'at d' black folks want wid dey own money 'n' bring back d' change. He neber mek he slaves wuk in heat 'r' d' day 'n' gib 'em Sat'day atternoon off." "My w'ite mistus was a Christian. She'd own her God anyw'ere. She uster shout; jus' sit down 'n' clap her han's 'n' say, 'Hallelujah.' Once I see her shout in d' chu'ch. I didn' know w'at dat was den. I t'ink sumpthin' ail her, 'n' I run down d' aisle 'n' went t' fannin' her." "W'en ol' marster uster go t' Houston I uster sleep wid mistus. She say, "Cholly , my husban' done gone t' Houston. Wash yo'se'f 'n' put on a clean gown cause you gwinter sleep wid me t'night.' I uster lub t' sleep wid her in d' big bed cause it so sof' 'n' nice but she sho' mek me wash plenty fo' bedtime come. I was 'bout six year' ol'. Dat didn' worry me none co'se my mudder uster mek me wash fo' I sleep wid 'er too." "D' grown niggers hab money w'at dey earn from dey cotton patch 'n' dey spen' dat at Crissmus time. Ol' boss was a hones' Christian man. He alays see dat dey git w'at dey sen' t' town fo' at Crissmus. One 'r' d' slaves was a sorter preacher. Sometime d' marster 'low him t' preach t' d' niggers but he hab t' preach wid a tub ober he head co'se he git so happy he talk too loud. Somebudy from d' big house liable t' come down 'n' mek him quit cause he makin' a 'sturbance." "I see sojers 'n' knit socks fo' dem by moonshine. Dey neber had no battle 'r' nuthin' like dat 'roun' dere. Me 'n' my husban' was marry by a Yankee sojer. I was dress' in a w'ite Tarleyton weddin' dress. No mam, I didn' marry in no hoop skirt though some did. I had a purty bridal wreath of little w'ite flowers, little bitty, little dainty ones, d' purties' little t'ings. My sister she was my mistus' seamstress. She mek my weddin' dress. Atter freedom she uster go t' d' w'ite folks house 'n' sew dere. Me 'n' my sister git marry at d' same time 'n' us husban's was brudders. Her husban' dress her up bea-u-ti-ful fo' d' weddin'. My husban' was dress in a suit 'r' w'ite linen. He sho' look han'some. My husban' gimme a gol' ring 'n' a cup 'n' saucer fo' a weddin' gif' (gift). We git marry in Huntsville. Us didn' go on no weddin' journey trip. We was so po' (poor) we couldn' go 'roun' d' house. I was 23 year ol' w'en I git marry. Us had d' bigges' kin' 'r' ball dat night. All d' w'ite folks come 'roun' t' dat ball. Dey like fo' t' see d' niggers dance." "D' ol' boss man he come t' see me fo' he die. My marster he couldn' hardly read 'r' write. He git my husban's marster t' come ober 'n' read fo' him. Dats who read t' us 'bout freedom.""I don' 'member seein' no slaves git whip' bad. I see some in chains but I ain' know w'at dey done. Dey sho' couldn' wuk w'en dey was in chains. W'en freedom cry out many a nigger run away outn' de fiel'." "W'en anybudy on d' plantation die nobudy hit a lick 'r' wuk. W'en he die dey sot up 'n' pray all night. Now don' you t'ink dat right? Dey w'ite folks uster mo'n (mourn) fo' d' cullud folks. Dey cry a heap. My uncle die on d' road t' Houston 'n' us neber git t' see him ag'in. He tek sick all 'r' a sudden. He was gwine dere wid a yoke 'r' oxen hitch t' a oxcart, traffickin' a load 'r' cotton. W'en he die ol' marster 'n' mistus scream sumpthin' orful." "O, yassum, one time I did git a whippin'. Dey gimme a keeler (bucket) wid water 'n' 'taters in it 'n' tell me t' wash d' 'taters fo' dinner. I put d' bucket down 'n' wash my feet in d' water d' 'taters was in. Mistus say t' my auntie, 'call dat chile in 'n' kerreck (correct) 'er.' She neber say, 'whip 'er, but my auntie knowed dat was d' t'ing t' do. I knowed bettern' t' do it. Satan made me do it." I done see some funny t'ings. W'at dey was I dunno. Maybe dey was ghos'es (ghosts). Some 'r' dem had no head. Dey was all w'ite. Mos' times dey was gwine 'way from d' house.' Somebudy die. I had t' go through a peach awchid (orchard) t' go t' d' well t' git water. Dey was a little cabin in d' awchid by d' paf (path). Nobudy lib dere cause dat w'ere d' pusson (person) die. One day I see a woman stan'in in d' do' (door). I say, 'good ebenin' mam,' but she ain' say nuthin'. W'en I go back she still in d' do'. I tell mistus 'bout dat woman not answer me. She look kinder funny 'n' say, 'I don' reckon she didn'.' 'n' I say, 'why?' 'n' she say, 'Ne' min' Jack m' lantern, g'wan 'bout yo' bizness.' Den I git scare' 'n' I wouldn' go back dat way no mo'. My auntie say, 'dat foolishness,' 'n' try t' mek me go but d' mistus she say, 'no, us tek d' bucket 'n' go usse'f. It mek dat chile too scarey." "Dey hab w'at dey call piggins. Dey was little tubs wid two han'les. Dat w'at I tuk t' d' well t' hol' d' water in cause it not too heaby. Mistus wouldn' 'low me t' do no heaby wuk." "Mistus stay 'n' nuss d' sick 'n' gib 'em medicine. She gib 'em salts, 'n' cal'mel, 'n' oil 'n' mek teas. She mek teas outn' yerbs. Dey's good medicine in dem wood fo' fever now, but I don' trus' myse'f t' git 'em. I don' 'member like I uster." "Marster he nebber hab no oberseer. He nebber hab no trubble wid he niggers. My uncle he was d' oberlooker. D' w'ite folks had intrus' in dey cullud people. Sometime dey was 's many 's fifty cradle wid little nigger babies in dem. D' mistus she look atter dem 'n' tek care 'r' dem herse'f. She tu'n (turn) dem 'n' dry dem herse'f. She had a little gal t' git water 'n' help. She nebber had no chillen 'r' her own. I blow d' horn fo' d' mudders 'r' d' little babies t' come in from d' fiel's 'n' nuss 'em, in d' mawnin' 'n' atternoon. Den atter dey nuss dey baby dey go back t' d' fiel' t' wuk ag'in. Mistus feed d' baby in d' daytime, dem dat was ol' nuff t' eat wittles (victuals). W'en dey mudders come in from d' fiel's at night dey tek dem home wid 'em.""Sometimes w'en d' babies was nussin', dey mammies would tek dem t' d' fiel' wid 'em 'n' fix a pallet on d' groun' fo' dem t' lay on. Den dey hab dem dere 'n' don' hafter come back t' d' house t' nuss dem." "D' las' word ol' mistus Pankey say w'en she die was, 'you tek care 'r' Cholly ."