Fred Brown

Fred Brown , 84, 1414 Jones St., Fort Worth, Texas, was born a slave to Mr. John Brown , who owned a plantation along the Mississippi River, in Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Fred was eight years old when the Civil War started. During the war, he and a number of other slaves were taken to Kaufman Co., Texas, as refugees, by Henry Bidder , an overseer. He worked five years as a laborer after he was freed, then worked as a cook until 1933.

"Sho', I has time to talk to you 'bout my life, 'cause I can't work any more and I has nothin' but time. It am de rhumatis' in de leg, it ketch me dat way, from de hip to de knee,  zip  dat pain goes! "I's bo'n in ole Louisiana, in Baton Rouge Parish, on de 16th of November, in 1953. I knows. 'cause massa give dis nigger a statement. You see, dey don' larn de niggers to read in dem days, her figger, but I can read figgers. See dem on dat car? Dat am 713. Dat am bad figgers. I never has any truck with sich numbers as de 7 er de 13. "Massa have quite part a plantation in Louisiana, dis side as Mississippi River. De slaves him own am from 40 to 50 sometimes. In our family am pappy, mammy and three brudders and one sister, Julia , and six cousins. Dat am 13 and dat's why massa had so much trouble with niggers runnin' 'way!  "Everyone have dere certain we'k and duties for to do. Mammy am de family cook and she he'p at de loom, makin' de cloth. My daddy am de blacksmith and shoemaker and de tanner. I 'spains how he de tennin.' He puts de hides in de water with black-oak bark and purty soon de hair come off and den he rolls and poun's de hides for to make dem soft. "When I's 'bout 8 years old, or sich, day starts me to he'pin' in de yard and as I grows older I he'ps in de fields. Massa, him raises cane and co'n mostly, no cotton  De buildings on de place am de resident of de massa and de quarters for de niggers. Dey am built from logs and de quarters has no floors and no windows, jus' square holes whar de windows ought to be. Dey have bunks for sleepin' and a table and benches, and cooks in de fireplace.  "We allus have plenty for to eat. plenty co'nmeal. 'lasses and heavy, brown sugar. We gits flour bread once de week, but lots of butter and milk. For de coffee, we roasts meal bran and for de tea, de sassafras. Den we has veg'tables and fruit dat am raised on de place. De meat mostly am de wil' game, deer and de turkey, but sometimes hawg meat.  "Massa have overseer and overlooker. De overseer am in charge of wo'k and de overlooker am in charge of de cullud women. De overseer give all de whippin's. Sometimes when de nigger gits late, 'stead of comin' home and takin' de whippin' him goes to de caves of de river and stays and jus' comes in night time for food. When dey do dat. de dawgs is put after dem and den it an de fight 'tween de nigger and de dawg. Jus' once a nigger kills de dawg with de knife, dat was close to freedom and it come 'fore dey ketches him. When dey whips for runnin' off, de nigger am tied down over a barrel and whipped ha'd, till dey draws blood, sometimes.  "Dem fool niggers what sneak off without de pass, have two things for to watch, one is not to be ketched by de overseer and de other am de patter-rollers. De nigger sho' am skeert of de patters. One time my pappy and my mammy goes out without de pass and de patters takes after dem. I'se home. 'cause I's too young to be pesterin' roun'. I sees dem comin.' and you couldn' catched dem with a jackrabbit. One time annuder nigger come runnin' from de patters and hides under de house. Dey fin' his and make him come out. You's seen de dawg quaver when him's col'? Well, dat nigger have de quaverment jus' like dat. De patters hits him five or six licks and lets him go. Dat nigger have lots of power - him gits to de quarters ahead of his shadow. "Now. I tell 'bout some good 'imes. We is 'lowed to have parties and de dance and we has for music, sich as de banjo and de jew's harp and a 'cordian. Dey dance de promenades and de jigs. Sometimes day have de jiggin' contest and two niggers puts a glass of water on dere heads and den see who can dance de longes' without spillin' any water. Den we has log-rollin'. Dere was two teams, 'bout three to do team. and dey see which can roll de log de fastes'. Den sometimes a couple am 'lowed to git married and dere am extry fixed for supper. De couple steps over de broom laid on de floor, dey's married don.  "Sometimes de overlooker don' lot dem git married. I 'splains it dis way. He am used for to father de chillun. Him picks de pertly. and de healthy women dat an to real do portly chillen. De overlooker. he am portly man. Dem dat him picks he overlooks, and not 'low dem to marry or to go round with other nigger men. If dey do, its whippin' sho.' De massa raises some fine, portly chillen, and dey sel' some, after day's half-grown, for $500 and sometimes mere. "De war didn' make no diff'runce, dat I notices, 'cept massa and one overseer jines de army. Massa come back, but de overseer am captured by de Yankees, so massa says, and we never hears 'bout him after dat. De soldiers passes by lots of times, both de 'federates and de 'blue bellies'. but we's never bothered with dem. De fightin' was not close enough to make trouble. Jus' 'fore freedom come, de new overseer am 'structed to take us to Texas and takes us to Kaufman County and we is refugees dere. De Yankee mans tells us we am free and can do sich as we pleases. Dat lef' us in charge of no one and we'uns. jus' like cattle, wen' wanderin'. "Pappy, him goes back to Louisiana to massa's place. Dat am de las' we hears from him. Mammy and I goes to Henderson and I works at dis and dat and cares for my mammy ten years, till she dies. Den I gits jobs as cook in Dallas and Houston and lots of other places.  "I gits married in 1901 to Ellen Tilles and I cooks till 'bout four years ago, till I gits de rhumatis'. Dat's all I can tell you 'bout de ole days.

Fred Brown , 84, now living at 1414 Jones St., Fort Worth, Texas, was born a slave to Mr. John Brown , who owned a plantation along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Mr. Brown owned Fred's parents, three brothers and one sister, in addition to about thirty other slaves. Fred was eight years old when the Civil War started. At that time, he was helping to do the house and yard work. During the war, he and a number of slaves were taken to Kaufman County in Texas as refugees by Henry Bidder , an overseer. He worked five years as a laborer after his freedom, then worked as a cook until his health forced him to quit all work in 1933.

"Sho! Ise have time to talk to youse 'bout my life, 'cause Ise can't work any more and Ise have nothin' but time. It am de rumitiz (rheumatism) in de leg ooh, it catch me den. It catch me dat way, f'om de hip to de knee, zip dat pain goes.  "Well, Ise bo'n in ol' Weziana, Baton Rouge Parish, Nov. 16, 1853. Ise know 'cause de Marster gives dis nigger a statement. W'te man youse figure it, don't dat make me 84 yeahs ol'? Youse see, deys don't larn de niggers to read in dem days, nor figure, so Ise can't figure much. Ise can read dem. Youse see dem figures on dat car? Well, dem am 713. Lawd a Massie, 713, dat am bad figures. No sar! Ise never have any truck wid sich numbahs as de 7 or 13. "Marster have quite pert a plantation in Weziana, 'twas dis side of de Miss'sipp River. De slaves him own am f'om 40 to 50 some times. In weuns fam'ly am my pappy an' mammy, three brudders an' my sistah Julia an' six cousins. W'at! dat am 13, sho 'nough. Well, dats w'y de Marster had so much trouble wid de niggers runnin' 'way.  "Every one have deir certain wo'k an' duties fo' to do. My mammy am de fam'ly cook. Marster have no chillun, so 'twarnt much wo'k fo' her an' she he'p at de loom, makin' de cloth. My daddy am de black-smith, shoemakah an' de tanner. Ise 'splain how him do de tannin'. He puts de hides in de wauter wid black-oak bark, prutty soon de hair come off, den he rolls an' poun's de hides fo' to make dem soft. "W'en Ise 'bout eight yeahs ol', or sich, deys stahts me to he'pin' do de yard wo'k an' he'pin' mammy in de house, totin' wauter, totin' fiah wood an' sich. As Ise grows ol'er deys give me othah wo'k to do. W'en de wah am ovah Ise den he'pin' in de field. Marster, him raises cane an' co'n mostly, no cotton. "De buildin's on de place am de resident ob de Marster's an' de qua'tahs fo' de niggers an' sheds. De qua'tahs fo' weuns am built f'om logs, no flooahs, no windahs, jus' square holes whar de windahs ought to be. In de qua'tahs, dey have bunks fo' sleepin', de table an' benches, an' cooks in de fiah place. "Weuns always have plenty fo' to eat, sich as 'twas. All de co'n meal, lasses, an heavy brown sugar dat weuns want, flouah bread once de week, lots ob buttah an' milk. Fo' de coffee, weuns use de roasted meal bran an' fo' de tea de safusas  (sasafras). Den weuns have veg'tables an' de fruit dat am raised on de place. De meat mostly am de wild game, sich as de hawg, deer an' de turkey.

"Fo' to catch an' fetch de wild game, dat am de 'Joyment fo' dis nigger. Ise jus' a younguns den, but deys let me go wid 'em lots ob times. W'ens deys shoots de deer, dat am de 'citement. Weuns have de houn' dawgs, deys run de deer. Youse heah dem houn's far off, goin' Boo, Boo, den deys come closah an' closah, den watch fo' de deer. Watchin' fo' de deer to come close 'nough fo' shootin', am de 'citement time. Youse have to be careful fo' not git de quavers an' can't shoot w'en de deer come. Dat sho am de fun an' 'citement."Marster have de overseer an' de overlooker. De overseer am in charge ob de wo'k an' de overlooker am in charge of de cullud women, him am a nigger. De overseer gives all de whuppin's. Mos' of dat am fo' leavin' wid out de pass an' runnin' away. Some times w'en a nigger leaves wid out de pass, he gets overlayed an' am not dere fo' wo'k in de mo'nin', den de overseer knows dat de nigger violates de rule 'bout leavin'. Dat calls fo' de whuppin', sho. Sometimes w'ens de nigger gets overlayed, 'stead of comin' home an' takin' de whuppin', deys goes to de caves ob de river an' stays, an' jus' come in de night fo' eats. W'ens deys do dat, de dawgs am put aftah dem. Den it am de fight 'tween de nigger an' de dawg. Jus' once a nigger kills a dawg wid de knife. Only once deys fail to git de nigger, dat was close to freedom. Freedom come befo' deys catch him. W'ens deys whups fo' runnin' off, de nigger am tied down over a barrel an' whupped hard, till deys draws blood sometimes. Fo' failure to do de wo'k right de whuppin' 'twarnt so hard an' not so often.  "Dem fool niggers dat sneak off wid out de pass, have two thin's fo' to watch, one is to not be catched by de overseer an' de tudder am de Patter Rollers. De nigger sho am skeert of de Patters. De Patters watch fo' de niggers w'at am out wid out de pass, an' whups dem if deys catch dem. One time my pappy an' mammy am out wid out de pass an' de Patters takes aftah dem. Ise home, ob course, 'cause Ise too young fo' to be pesterin' 'roun'. Ise see pappy an' mammy a comin'. Why, youse couldn't catched em wid a skeert jack rabbit, Ise thought dey git teched in de head. W'en deys git to de qua'tahs, deys have no breath, an' sez to me, wa-wa-wauter. Ise gits dem de drink ob wauter; den deys tell me de Patters am aftah dem an' 'way deys go, down to de cave in de river bottom. Ise know den dat deys warnt teched, but deys smart. Weuns younguns crawls undah de house. Allus cullud fo'ks am skeert of de Patter Rollers. It am jus' few minutes till de Patters come, 'course deys couldn't fin' my fo'ks, den deys go 'way.  "One time a nudder one of de niggers am a runnin' f'om de Patters, an' him hides undah de house. De Patters fin' him an' made him come out. Youse seen de dawg quaver w'ens hims cold?  Well, dat nigger have de quaverment jus' lak dat. De Rollers hit him five or six licks, den lets him go. Dat nigger still have lots ob power, him goes to de qua'tahs 'head ob his shadow. "Ise been tellin' 'bout de bad time. Now, Ise tell 'bout some good times. Weuns am 'lowed to have de parties an' de dances. Weuns have fo' de music, sich as de banjo, jew's harp, an' de 'cordian, an' fo' de time, dey beat de piece ob steel. Dey dance de ol' fashion dance, de promenade, an' de jog. Some times dey have de jiggin' contest, two niggers puts a glass ob wauter on deir heads an' den see who can dance de hardest wid out spillin' any wauter. Den 'twas de log rollin'. Dat am de contest 'tween two teams, 'bout three to de team, dey see which can roll de log de fastest. Den some time a nigger couple am 'lowed to git ma'ied. Dat am good time, too. Fo' de weddin', dere am extry fixed fo' de suppah. Allus eats an' sings, aftah de couple step over de broom dat am laid on de flooah, deys ma'ied den. Some times, de cullud overlooker don' lets dem gits ma'ied dat wants, de permission must come f'om him. "To tell 'bout de overlooker, Ise 'splains it dis away. He am used fo' to father de chilluns. Him picks de po'tly, prolific an' healthy womens dat am to rear de po'tly chillins. De overlooker, himse'f, am po'tly man. Dem dat hims pick, he overlooks, an' will not 'low dem to mai'y, or to fuss 'roun' de udder niggers. If dey do, tis de whuppin' sho. De Marster sho raised some fine, po'tly chilluns, dey sold some, aftah deys half grown,fo' $500, an' some times more. "De wah didn't make any diffe'ent dat Ise noticed, 'cept de Marster an' one of de overseers j'in de ahmy. De Marster come back, but de overseer am captured by de Yankees, so de Marster says. Weuns never heahs 'bout him aftah dat. De soldiers pass by lots ob times, both de 'federates an' de "blue bellies", but weuns am never bothered wid dem. De fightin' am not close 'nough to us to cause any trouble, so Ise don' see, or know, 'bout sich. Jus' befo' freedom come, de overseer heah f'om de Marster an' am 'structed to takes us to Texas. Hims takes weuns to Kaufman County, an' weuns are de refugees dere. W'en de Yankeemans come, dey kill Bidder, dat am de overseer. De Yankeemans tell weuns dat weuns am free an' dat weuns can do sich as weuns please. Dat lef' weuns in charge ob no one an' weuns, jus' lak cattle, went wanderin'."Daddy, hims goes back to Weziana to stay at de Marster's place. Dat am de last weuns heah ob him. My brudders an' sistah, deys go heah an' dere. My mammy an' Ise go to Henderson , whar Ise gits wo'k f'om diffe'ent w'ite fo'ks adoin' dis an' dat. Ise takes care ob mammy till she dies, 'bout ten yeahs aftah freedom. Aftah mammy dies, Ise wo'ks in Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth an' lots ob other places, as a cook

"Ise gits ma'ied in 1901 to Ellen Tilles , weuns have no chilluns, an' pahted in 1908. What fo' youse want to know why weuns sep'rated? Well, Ise tell youse. W'en weuns ma'ied, Ellen have three chilluns. Now, Ise can fights de one, but not de ahmy. So Ise jus' 'treats an' vamoosed. Dem chilluns makes de diff'ence 'tween us. "Ise cooks till 'bout fouah yeahs 'go, since den Ise not able 'cause my rheumatiz, ouch dere am dat zip f'om my hip to my knee 'gain. To tell youse de truth, Ise done everythin' dat anybody tells me fo' dis rheumatiz, but 'taint done any good. If it gits much wors'er, Ise can't walk. If dis nigger gits so him can't walk, Ise trust de Lawd will see fit to call dis nigger to him.