Minerva Bratcher

 I was born in 1851, in Sabine County near Milam. My father's name was Henry Hall and my mother's name was Kitty Hall . I had one brother and one sister and four half sisters. My mother belonged to Mr. Jim Burrows , who come to this country from Alabama. When I was six years old I was give to Mr. Billie Sourlock , 'cause he married one of Mr. Jim's daughter."My Mistress learned me how to do all kinds of housework and I was busy all the time washing dishes, dusting, sweeping, combing chilluns hair, washing chilluns feet, knitting, hanking thread and weaving cloth. Laud Miss, you don't know how much folks had to do them days, and everybody worked, the old slave women who were too old to work in the field cooked, took care of the little niggars and helped spin and weave cloth. Ever morning over-seer blow a horn for the slaves to get up. When dinner time come the dinner for the slaves was put on big tables down in the quarters. I recon there was a 1000 acres in old Marsters plantation and about sixty slaves so it took a lot of cooking but everybody always had plenty. "The plantation house was a big two story house, I don't jest remember how many rooms, but on the first floor was the big ballroom where they had big balls and where Mistress girls played on the Melodin. "Yes ma'm, my white folks learned me to read and write, they was good Christian people and read the Bible to me everyday, and the slaves had a church where we had preaching on Saturday night and Sunday. A white preacher always done the baptizing and everybody would shout and pray and sing 'Let the Light Shine on You.' I like a white preacher named Brother Mills better than any I remember. "No ma'm, didn't none of the slaves on old Marsters plantation ever go to no north, and when they visited on other plantations they had to get a furlough from the over-seer, and be back by a certain time. Yessum they worked on Saturday evening jest like any other day and when they went to the quarters at night they went to bed. "Christmas and New Year's days the slaves had a big dinner and didn't have to work. "I don't remember much about the big war, I didn't understand what the white folks fighting for. When they done quit fighting old Marster come in one day with a paper in his hand and say to us, 'You all jest as free as I am. You can stay and work here or you can go jest as you please.' I stayed jest like I always had as a maid for old Mistress. "I married Jim Bratcher . I didn't have no big wedding like some folks do, but I sure had a pretty dress what old Mistress give me, a white swiss all trimmed in ruffles. "I have two children, fifteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren."