Steve Brown

Steve Brown , 78, living at 108 S Calhoun St., Fort Worth, Texas, was born a slave to Dave Gurley , then living in Mobile County, Alabama, where he conducted a large plantation. He migrated to Texas in 1864 and located in McLennan County, adjacent to the city of Waco. Gurley transported only a fraction of the slaves he had owned in Alabama. He came to Texas with 40 slaves, among whom were the parents and grandparents of Steve Brown . After Steve's family were emancipated they remained on the Gurley plantation for a period of ten years. At the age of 19 Steve Brown became an employee of the M.K.& T. railroad working as a section hand. Later he became a fireman and worked as such for a period of 15 years. He then went to Oklahoma and there engaged in farming until 1935, at which time he came to Fort Worth. He now lives on a pension in the sum of $14. per month received from the State of Texas. He married Frances Burns in 1926. She died in 1920. There were no children born to the union.   "I'se bo'n a slave, but surrendah gets me out of it w'en I'se six yeahs old, so 'twas not much slave life fo' me an' Ise not sorry 'bout it. Ise jus' old nuff to do chores an' sich w'en weuns am put free."Ise bo'n in Alabam' in 1859 on de plant'tion dat belong to  Marster Dave Gurley . De place was neah Mobile in Mobile County. Marster Curley was a rich man wid lots of lan' an' slaves. We had 'bout 200 slaves, but lost de most of dem an' ended up wid only 40. Dat happened in 1864, an' de way 'twas dey slaves am confi'cate, as dey called it, an' 'twas some dat run away to de union sojers."Marster had so much trubble dat he 'cides to move an' he came to Texas in de early part of 1856. He settled in McLennan County, Texas, an' starts a plant'tion right on de edge of Waco. Wher de plant'tion was am all builded up now.  "W'en Marster Gurley comes to Texas, he had 'bout 40 slaves. My father, mother an' fouah grandparents am wid him. De furst thin' weuns had to do w'en weuns gets to Texas, am build a house fo' de Marster an' cabins fo' de cullud fo'ks.  "De Marster thinks 'twas fo' ever dat de slave cabins am gwine to be used 'cause he had awful good cabins built. Dat is good 'codin' to de way cabins am built dem days. De Cabins am not made f'om logs, lak 'twas on most places, but out of lumbah. Weuns made de lumbah out of logs, by hand. What, an' how weuns do to make de lumbah am dis a-way. Weuns split de logs into slabs, usin' a sledgehammer an' a wedge, den wid a broadax weuns smooth the edges. Dat a-way weuns matched de slabs so dey don't have to be chincked. Weuns put moss betwix de slabs so de wind can't come in. Weuns also put a flooah in de cabin. De trubble was w'en de wood am dry, de way it gets durin' a dry spell, it shrinks, dat would leave cracks. W'en 'tis a rain spell de wood would swell an' dat caused de boards to buldge. Weuns could stuff rags in de cracks, but could do nothin' 'bout de buldgin'. Many times Ise stuffed rags in de cracks to keep de cold wind out. "De cabins am finished 'bout a yeah befo' de time surrendah comes. De Marster don't have use fo' all the cabins after surrendah 'cause some of de fo'ks left. Most of dem stayed at de start, but one after de tudder left till 'twas jus' three families thar.  My fo'ks stayed fo' three yeahs after surrendah an' wo'ked lan' on shares. Marster Curley was a kind an' reason'ble man. Durin' slavery times he always tuks good care of de cullud fo'ks. After freedom he does all he can so de cullud fo'ks can get a foot hold.  Durin' slavery de Marster always furnish each family wid a cow, dat gives dem all de milk an' buttah dat deys can use. Marster always raised a big herd of hawgs, so weuns had plenty of meat. Yas 'twas smoked, dat is de hams an' de bacon. 'Course he raised lots of co'n dat am needed fo' stock feed an' fo' co'nmeal an' he raised wheat fo' white flouah. Weuns always tuks de co'n an' wheat to Waco whar thar am a grist mill an' have de grain ground. De miller tuks so much of de grain fo' de grindin' bill, so they am no money paid out fo' de meal or flouah. Weuns raised plenty veg-ables an' made lots of 'llasses f'om de cain dat weuns raised. Thar am bees nuff to give weuns lots of honey. Now, what mo'e could weuns have 'cept weuns gets po'erhouse steaks an' fancy dishes. De fancy dishes, Ise don't care fo'. Give dis nigger hawg joel an' turnipgreens, potlicker an' co'n bread an' youse can have all de fancy dishes. How 'bout chicken? Well, sho dant am good food an' weuns had chicken. Dat am a tudder thin dat de Marster does fo' de cullud fo'ks. He see to it dat each cullud family have 'bout 25 chickens fo' thar own use. Dat many chickens gives many eggs an' deys raised lots fo' eatin'. So youse see weuns lived good. "After surrendah 'twas diffe'ent. Some of de cullud fo'ks am worst off after dey am freed. Deys don't have de Marster to manage fo' dem an' sometimes deys am short on rations. Thar am many times Ise would be joyful if Ise could sat down to a real lak weuns had on de old plant'tion. 'Course Ise don't starve, but 'tis many times Ise pruty hungry after Ise leave raster Curley's place.  Twas 'bout 10 yeahs after surrendah Ise leaves de fo'k an' go fo' myself. De fo'ks whar still on de plant'tion. Ise den made my home wid my grandparents. Dey had a piece of lan' 10 miles f'om Waco. Ise wo'k fo' diffe'ent white fo'ks on de farms round thar till Ise 19 yeahs old, den Ise gets a job as section hand wo'kin' on de Maty railroad. Ise wo'ked on de section fo' two yeahs den Ise go to Vicksburg Miss'ssip an' thar goes to wo'k in de roundhouse fo' de Wacco railroad. After fouah yeahs Ise learnt to fire de engine. Ise fired freight engines fo' three yeahs den dey give me a passenger run 'twix Vicksburg an' Meridian an' on da run Ise stayed fo' six yeahs.  "Well, de reason Ise quit de railroad 'cause Ise come neah bein' in a bad wreck an Ise gets de feelin' dat somethin' am gwine to happen to me.  "Sho, Ise can 'plain how 'twas. Weuns am on de run f'om Vicksburg to Meridan an' am 'bout 30 minutes late. De regular place to most de tudder train runnin' West f'om Meridian am at de town of Morton, but 'cause weuns am late weuns gets de ordahs to meet de train at Forest. Dat am de correct ordah, but de engineer reads it wrong, or m'ybe Tom gets it mixed in his head an' runs by Forest. 'Twas a limited train, so weuns never stop at Forest 'cept on signal. Ise don' notice 'cause Ise busy shovelin' coal keepin' up steam for de grade am hard. Finally Ise notice weuns am on level track an' dat am past Forest, I'se hollered to de engineer, Ise sez, "aint weuns to meet de West bound at Forest." "Fo' God mighty, Yes". He sed an' looks at his watch.  "Boy bear down on dat shovel 'cause Ise gwine to use steam an' beat dat tudder train to de lake sidin'. Ise got to do it," he sez. "He don't have to tell dis nigger to bear down on de shovel, 'cause Ise know weuns have to make de lake sidin' or Ise a gone nigger. Weuns had 'bout 15 miles to go wid a level an' some down grade f'om whar weuns am. Dat engineer pulled de throttle wide open an' leves it thar. Den 'tis up to me to make de steam to get de speed. Dat engine sho am usin' steam, but Ise stayed right thar by de firebox an' watched de fire an' was Ise pa'ticular how Ise placed de coal? Ise sez Ise is. Ise spread it thin an' often en' get a whit heat. Dat engine am eatin' coal fast, but Ise stayed wid her an's she got to poppin' an' gives de speed. Dat engine am a rockin' an' a pitchin' 'cause of de speed it am hittin' de low spots. Tracks dem days warnt lak de tracks now. Thar whar plenty low spots.  low spots. De engineer hollered to me:  "Stay in thar fellow youse am doin' good", Ise holler back.  "Keep dis baby on de track an' Ise stay wid youse It am pitchin' so Ise 'fraid 'twould jump de track if it gets a might mo's speed. Ise sweatin' lak a nigger at de 'lection, as de white fo'ks sez, 'cause de rockin' makes it so dat 'tis all Ise could do to stand up, but thar am de coal. Ise have to feed dat baby, so Ise battle on. "Ise gettin' anxious to heah dat whistle toot fo' de sidin' 'cause de further weuns go de worster de rockin' an' Ise sho 'twas gwine to jump de track if she goes any faster, but de engineer never pushes in de throthle. He jus' leaves it reared back. Anyway at last Ise heahs de whistle blast fouah long ones an' dat am fo' de sidin' an' den de engineer pushed in de throthle. "Weuns had to come to a stop fo' de watch, jus' as dat am done weuns see de tudder train comin' 'round de curve 'bout one mile off. Weuns pulled into de sidin' an' jus' as weuns cleared de switch an' closed it the tudder thundered by. Weuns did not have minute to spare. Well, 'course thar whar a call to de head office. De engineer am blamed fo' what happened. De super-tendent sez de engineer should have backed up, but should not have read de ordah wrong in de furst place. Ise not blamed but little fo' not tellin' de engineer, so dey discharged Tom an' gives me 30 days lay off.  "Durin' de 30 days Ise go to Birmingham Alabam'. 'Course Ise looked up de firemen workin' on de L & N railroad. Dey tell me de road want fireman. Ise called on de roadmaster an' Ise hired. Ise 'sposed to take a run on a freight de next mo'nin out of Birmingham gwine East. Well sar, 'tis somethin' dat keeps tellin' me not to go, somethin' jus' makes me feel lak Ise doin' wrong to tuks dat job an' Ise failed to show up fo' de run. Well, what do youse think? Dat engine jumped de track 10 miles East of Birmingham, tips over an' de fireman am killed. Ise sez to myself, "dat am nuff, nigger. If youse want to live go on de farm", an' thar am whar Ise go. "Ise den went to Oklahoma, neah Admore an' farmed till 1920, den went to Swanson Texas, an' farmed till 1935. After dat Ise come to Fort Worth.  "Yes sar, Ise mai'ied jus' short time. Ise mai'ied Frances Burns in 1926. She lived only two yeahs after weuns mai'ied. Weuns had no chilluns, so Ise lone in de wo'ld widout chick or chiles.  "After Ise quit railroadin' Ise led a quiet life. Ise lak to have friends an' enjoy visits, but de wild parties out fo' me an' Ise thankful fo' bein' dat a-way.  "After de wah thar whar lots of trubble 'caused by de Klux. Well, den Ise on de old Marster's place an' Ise listed to his 'vise an' stays home. Dat a-way Ise never gets in trubble wid dem an' all Ise know am what Ise heah 'bout thar doin'. "What Ise think 'bout de cullud fo'ks voting am dat dey should vote. Ise don't think it am right fo' any party to keep de cullud fo'ks out. Ise always vote in de general 'lection. Thar am one time in Winterwood Oklahoma dat Ise stoped w'en Ise go to vote. Dat am do only time dat Ise had any in'ference. Thar am several persons dat de Gov'ment sent to prison 'count of dat in'ference wid de cullud fo'ks votin'. "Ise don't wo'k any mo'e 'cause Ise can't. Ise lives on de pension. 'Tis $14. a month dat Ise got. Rent heah don't cost me, so Ise have dat money fo' food an' clothes. Dat 'tis de way Ise make now.