Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Ned Broadus

"Yess'um, dis ole Ned Broadus , jes' hangin' 'roun' on dis ole earth. No'm don' jes know when I was born but my w'ite folks books said dat I was fifty years ole when de Freedom War broke out. 'Cordin' to dat I mus' be 'bout a hunnerd an twenty-five or more. I was born in Wilcox County, near Mobile, Alabama. In Texas I has libed near Lott an' Marlin an' Waco. When de war broke out Marse Churchill Jones what owned me was gitting his niggers togedder to take to de war. I said I guess I'm not to go, 'case I ain' ole nuff I ain' no forty year ole. Marse Churchill laff an' say, 'Yo black rascal, yo won't see fifty agin'. He an' 'nuther w'ite man, our neighbor, argify 'bout my age an' Marse Churchill show he sale paper on me. Don't know whar dat paper got to, but down in Marlin, Marse Churchill show it lots time an' he say 'Ned was fifty year ole w'en de war broke out.' Dat's all I know. Ole Marse Churchill carried ten niggers wid him to de war an' he brudder, Marse Sanford Jones , took five. Marse Churchill lost so meny niggers dat he 'cided to bring his niggers home an' run 'em to Texas 'case Marse thought dere would nebber be no free niggers in Texas.  Dere was Marse Churchill , Jim , Paul , Billy and Churchill Junior , but dey all daid now. Marse Churchill sent his niggers to Texas under an overseer, John Williamson . Dat war was shore a bad un. All us field niggers didn't hab no sense wid a gun. Dey sont us atter de battle out on de field to bring in de bodies of de dead an' wounded back to camp. It wa'n't no right wuk fo' me but I had to do it. Dem bodies handled like logs. Dere was my young Marses all cut up an' blood all ober dem an' dey beggin' ole Ned to gib 'em jus' a drink an' a easy place to lie an' moanin' an' it was dark an' I jus' don' lak to tell 'bout dat time, Miss. "Marse Churchill sont 'bout two hunnerd of us niggers in a train of wagons on de Texas road. We wuked on the way on plantations whar de hands had gone an' dey needed help. We was headed fer a plantation 'tween Marlin an' Reagan, which belonged to Marse Churchill Jones . We had ox wagons an' some mules. We left Alabama 'bout de third year ob de war. We made two crops an' den dey say de niggers is free. Dey gave part ob de third crop to us. My w'ite folks gib me a cow an' some pigs when us was freed. We mos' of us, staid on the Jones plantation an' helped fa'am it on shares with de owner. Marse Churchill 'pended on me to see dat de rent was paid an' he tole me to look atter de fa'am. I been called "Jones " 'till freedom, den I took my daddy's name "Broadus ". He was called "Ned Broadus " atter de w'ite man what owned him. "We came to Texas by way of Mobile an' New Orleans, 'crost de Mississipp on a flat boat above whar de steam boats loaded. Some places whar we stopt to wuk on our way to Texas, dey wanted to be awful bossy an' mean to us, but Marse Williamson tol' 'em 'No, don't do dat way, dese niggers wuk hard an' behave, yo' let 'em 'lone else I do some dat whippin'.' When we got to de place we goin' in Texas, Marse put us to wuk clearin' land an' fellin' logs fer de houses big ones for ole Marse an' cabins fer de slaves an' barns fer de stock. We had purty good close an' plenty food. 'Cose, durin' de war, we got less ob some kins 'case dey had to sen' it to de soldiers. "Oh, yass'um, sometim' us got whipped. I only got one hard whippin'. Dat was when I killed a pig an' ate it. We had ploughed hard all day an' was hongry. Dat sassy fat pig runnin' 'roun under our foots, looked mighty good. W'ite overseer said 'better tell de truth, Ned .' Ned didn't an' he got whipped. He! He! Yep, we killed dat hog an' et him too, knowed ef we got cotched, we'd git a whippin', but it shore was good hog meat. "Yass'um, tole 'nother lie. W'ite man ask't me did I wanna be free, an' I said 'No' tole 'nother lie. No'm dey couldn't larn me to write, did read a little, not much. Ef I'd had knowed like you doin' (to write), now maybe I could a done better. "I shore hab cut meny an acre of land an' cut meny a tree in my day. But I got no teef no more. Hab to pull de crus' off'n my biscuits now an' tro dem away dat's troin' money away. "Marse Churchill like to use cottonwood trees to make de houses. We used to split out boards fer houses. We used to dry de beef by hangin' it out in de sun, an' we render out de tallow to make candles an' put in de string fer de wick. We used a forked plow to open the groun' an' we dropped de corn by hand. We used a "Calf-tongue" plow; that was a straight piece of iron 'bout wide as your hand, it was used to cover up the corn. "Dese winters are mild by de side of what we used to have. I members, way back right after de Civil War, de trees frose so hard that you could break de limbs off de trees great big limbs too, big 'round as your leg. Dat was down in de Brazos bottom. "Dey didn't hab meny fences nor much law in dose days. But eny body steal a beef an' he got cotched, dey would put 'em in a log cabin an' keep 'em a day or two without eny thing to eat. Dat would larn 'em. Dere were two churches on de farms. Sho! I used to git whippins but dey didn't 'mount to nuffin'. Ole man Jones had a rule nobody could never cut de hide off no nigger wukkin' fer him, no matter what he done wrong. "I was de father of nine chillun, Henry was my oldest. I had two wives, bofe of em dead now an' mos' my chillun. I was eighty odd ole when my baby gal was born. She was by my secon' wife I don' 'member any special singing or songs; I liked to dance de break down an' pigeon wing; not too ole now to cut de pigeon wing. No'm didn't hab no special songs I likes "Swing low Sweet Chariot". Dat's too long ago fer me to 'member what us played, jus' played 'bout de yard like odder young'uns did. When we married, we jus' wore new close made on de plantation.


Negro superstitions "Whatebber goes obber de ole debbil's back gwine come back under his belly.""Whar dey ain't no debbils dey ain't nairy need for angels.""De spirit can sing, but de flesh gwine wail.""Miss, allus keep a keerful tongue you want keep a happy heart.""Yer mustn't stretch yer feet out longer'n yer blanket "When de ole rooster crows three times yer better get up an' get doin'. "Hab a dew three mornin's come rain shore." "Effen a nigger don't pick five hundred pounds cotton a day, the debbil gwine come shore an' carry him away. Songs, When you see me dying, I don't want you to make no alarms; Foh I can see King Jesus comin' To fol' my dyin' arms.Refrain: Well, well, well, so I kin die in Jesus Well, well, well, so I kin die in Jesus Well, well, well, so I kin die in Jesus Jesus gonna make up my dyin' bed.When you hear that I'm a-dyin', I don' want you to be afraid; All I want my frien's to do Is take de pillow from under my haid. Refrain: Well, well, well, so I kin die easy, etc.When you see my dyin' I don' want you to cry; All I want my frien's to do Is close my dyin' eyes.Refrain: Well, well, well, so I kin see Jesus, etc.When you heah I'm dyin' I don't want you to mou'n; All I want my frien's to do Is give dat bell a toneRefrain: Well, well, well, tone the bell easy, etc.
I'se goin' from de cotton field, I'se goin' from de cane.
I'se goin' from de little log hut Dat sets up in de lane.
Dey tells me up in Kansas, So many miles away,
Dey tells me up dere, honey Dey're gettin' better pay.
Jesus rides a milk-white hoss, No man can hindah!
He rides him up an' down de cross, No man can hindah!
Chorus: Ride along, Jesus, No man can hindah! Ride along Jesus, No man can hindah.
When I was boun' and in trouble, An' didn' know what to do, I open my mouf unto de Lawd Now de saints I must go through.Dey crucified my Lawd An' He nevah said a word. Dey crucified my Lawd An' He nevah said a mumblin' word. Not a word not a word not a word.



BACK TO TEXAS "B" SLAVE NARRATIVE INDEX