Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Charley Bowen

Charley Bowen , a retired Negro butcher of Marshall, was born August 14, 1845, near Mobile, Alabama, as a slave of Billie Bowen . He was brought to Texas by the Bowens before the war and remained on their place near Gilmer, Texas, until about four years after Emancipation. Upon leaving Upshur County, Charley moved to Marshall where he has followed the butcher trade until his inability to work, five years ago. Charley and his third wife now live on the Carter's Ferry Road, in the southwest part of Marshall. He receives a $5.00 per month old age pension.  My name is Charley Bowen and my owner was Billie Bowen . I was bo'n in Alabama, Chambers County, the 14th day of August, but I growed up in Texas, twelve miles this side of Gilmer, in Upshur County. I couldn't tell you the zact (exact) year I was bo'n, but I 'members coming to Texas before the war, with the Bowens . I was a big boy then. We crossed the big lake at Mobile on our way to New Orleans, then come on to Upshur County; der (there) is whar I was growed up. I is in my nineties, ca'se I was mos' on to being a grown man when surrender come. I was doing all kind of plowing, chopping and hauling wood and anything the grown men could do.  Sol Bowen was my pa. He was bo'n and raised in Alabama. My mother was Emaline , but God knows whar she was bo'n. When she come into the world it was just like raising cattle with the Niggers. The owners was selling you off by the time you was walking and sometimes before. I never seed my grand-people; they stayed in the old States.   My mother had a house full of chil'ren..six boys and four girls that I recollect...there was Gilbert , Scottie , Phillip , Nat , Isaih , Delila , Fannie , Martha and Winnie .  My Mistress had four boys and three girls; Randolph , Comelus , Lonzo , Robert , he got killed in the war, Jane , Mary and Ella . There was a crowd of us what come to Texas. We come part of the way by dirt road and part of the way by boat. My owner had a big farm and owned 'bout 200 darkies when freedom come. He lived in a big house up on a hill, and the "quarters" sot down in the field. The old boss come down and holler 'bout day light for the hands to get going. The children warn't bothered. He kept wood piled up in the winter for to keep a fire for the children. He had no overseer, the boys done the bossing. He had a Nigger foreman of the plow hands and a Nigger foreman of the hoe hands. My father run wagons for him and went to Shreveport and Jefferson with cotton and fetched back loads of rations . I ain't got a scar on me put there in slavery time. I allus had my bread and milk twixt meals when I was coming up. My white folks treated us as people and not as beasts. Old Master never was wroth. There was some reporbate folks in the country and we could hear the whips whining on their place long fore day. One owner what lived on an jinning farm kept a bell on one of his Niggers ca'se he was allus running away. It was fixed on a steel band and locked round his head.  "Sometimes Master give us Saturday off. If we hoe so much during the week, he give us Saturday. At night when the hands come in from the field, they just set round the "quarters". Old Master didn't work them, he warn't in that class. We warn't beat and driv' in the rain like most of them. If we didn't obey, we looked for a whipping. On Sunday we got our flour, syrup and coffee for the old folks. You drunk coffee in them days, there warn't no tatter (potato) peelings, parched pecan shells and trash like this storebought coffee you get nowdays. We et meat, bread, greens, and milk till we couldn't hold no more. Deer was like cows, in droves, when I come to Texas. There was fox and lots of other varmits, too. The white folks allus treated us at Christmas time with extra rations and little membrances.  I never seed any Niggers sold, but I'se seed them being driv' down the big road in chains. I 'members when the war struck the country. I seed Government wagons and soldiers marching down the big road by our house. My young Master Robert got killed in the war. I seed 'bout 400 Yankees in a drove when the war ceased. They stopped at our house for water. When freedom come, old Master called all us up and say, "You is free as I am; if you wants to stay on here, I'll feed and clothe you like I allus has." My father moved out on the place and stayed there four or five years.  I recond I do 'members the Ku Klux. It was lots like going to the army. At night you heard them coming down the road in droves and them guns shooting sometimes all night. They scattered the darkies like beasts. They got after my father, but never got their hands on him. He got out of the house and run off through the fields to the woods. Then he come to some of the old settlers for protection and they told him they wouldn't let the Ku Kluxers bother him no more. I left the Bowen's place 'bout five years after surrender and come to Marshall. All this out here round Wiley College was just woods then. I married my first woman directly after surrender. She died and I'se married two more. I'se raised seven chil'ren. Four of them is still living. My boy works here in the shops and my girls is married and lives on farms round over the county.  I 'fessed religion way back in slavery time. The Lord give me what education I got. I can read the Bible and write a little. I think everybody ought to do right. I am at a wonder ca's there is so many changes coming. Here they is getting up this old folks history. That ought to have been done long time ago. I like to talk 'bout slavery time. The other day me and a man was talking 'bout it and he say, "Some of the white folks got to account for what they done to the darkies some of them used to pile bark round them and burn them." I told him that folks is no different today than in slavery time." Some of them is good and some of them is bad. I'se voted in the President election, but my vote won't count in the other election. I never voted a Democrat ticket in my life. I believe in a straight way of going. I'se butchered all round town here. The white men I worked for come to me and wanted me to vote agin' whiskey. I ask them, "Why don't you let me vote for Sheriff and county officers?" I say to them, "I ain't going to vote agin whiskey for you. I believe in a straight way of going. If I can't vote for Sheriff and county officers, I ain't going to vote agin whiskey". I lost lots of jobs ca'se of it.  Now they is got women leading. That makes me wonder. The Lord give the law to man and intended he should lead. They say another war is coming. I say, "Let it come, I ain't got long to stay here and if war come I can crawl in a hole and hide in bushes somewhere". People ought to pray for the sufferings that is on earth. I don't keep up with the doing of the younger set. They is moving too fast. I was raised right along with the white folks. I seed a change coming a long time ago. It's here now, and I wonder what is all of it coming to. My wife takes good care of me. The Government gives me $5.00 a month pension. If I need bread or meat and ain't got no money the white folks all know me round town and let me have what I want. So I is blessed and going to keep on doing right and going the straight way.


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