Jack Cauthern

Jack Cauthern 85, was born near Austin. Texas. Dick Townes owned Jack and his parents. After they were freed, the family stayed on the plantation, but Jack went to San Angelo, because "times was too dull in Travis County. My master was Dick Townes and my folks come with him from Alabama. He owned a big plantation fifteen miles from Austin and worked lots of slaves. We had the best master in the whole county, and everybody called us 'Townes ' free niggers," he was so good to us, and we worked hard for him, raisin' cotton and corn and wheat and oats. "Most the slaves lived in two-room log cabins with dirt floors, over in the quarters, but I lived in master's yard. That's where I was born. There was a tall fence 'tween the yard and the quarters and the other nigger boys was so jealous of me they wouldn't let me cross that fence into the quarters. They told me I thinked I was white, jes' for livin' in master's yard. Me and young master had the good times. He was nigh my age and we'd steal chickens from Old Miss and go down in the orchard and barbecus 'em. One time she cotched us and sho' wore us out! She'd send us to pick peas, but few peas we picked! "Old Miss was good to her cullud folks. When she'd hear a baby cryin' in the night she'd put on boots and take her lantern and go see about it. If we needed a doctor she'd send for old Dr. Rector and when I had the measles he give me some pills big as the end of my finger. "We went to church all the time. Young Miss come over Sunday mornin' and fetched all us chillen to the house and read the Bible to us. She was kind of a old maid and that was her pleasure. We had baptisin's, too. One old cullud man was a preacher. Lawd, Lawd, we had shoutin' at them camp meetin's! "I guess we was glad to be free. Old master done die and Old Miss was managin' the plantation. She had the whole bunch in the yard and read the freedom paper. The old slaves knowed what it meant, but us young ones didn't. She told everybody they could stay and work on shares and most of 'em did, but some went back to they old homes in Alabama. "I stayed a while and married, and came to San Angelo. The reason I come, times was dull in Travis County and I done hear so much talk 'bout this town I said I was comin' and see for myself. That was in 1900 and it was jes' a forest here then. I worked eighteen years in McCloskey's saloon, and he gave me ten dollars every Christmas 'sides my pay and a suit every year. I wish he was livin' now. My wife and I was together fifty-two years and then she died. After a long time I married again, and my wife is out pickin' cotton now."It seem mighty hard to me now by side of old times, but I don't know if it was any better in slavery days. It seems mighty hard though, since I'm old and can't work.

Jack Cauthern was born December 23, 1852 near Austin, Texas. He and his parents, Gabriel and Lucinda Cauthern were slaves of Dick Townes . They took their name from Jack's grandfather's owner. Jack was too young to work in the field but assisted with the chores about the place. He was given unusual training and uses excellent English. After the slaves were freed he remained with his parents on the plantation as sharecroppers. He came to San Angelo when the town was just a village and has lived a very active life. His story follows:

My marster was Dick Townes and my parents came with him from Alabama to Texas. He owned a big plantation 15 miles from Austin, Texas and worked lots of slaves. We had the best marster in the whole country. The slaves on the other plantations called us Townes ' free niggers, because he was so good to us. He had an overseer but he was kind to the slaves and they worked hard for Marster, raisin' cotton, corn, wheat and oats."Most of the slaves lived in 2-room log cabins with dirt floors, over in the quarters but I lived in Marster's yard. That's where I was born. There was a big fence between this yard and the quarters, and the other nigger boys was so jealous of me, they wouldn't let me cross that fence into the quarters. They told me that I thought I was white just because I lived in Marster's yard,but I better not cross that fence. Me and my young marster had good times together. He was about my age and we would steal chickens from ole Miss and go down in the orchard and barbecue them. One time she caught us and she sho' wore us out. "I was too young to work in the field so I was sent out with young marster to pick peas, in pea pickin' season, but few peas we picked!"Ole Miss was good to the colored folks. When she heard a baby cryin' in the quarters at night whe would put on some boots and take her lantern and go see about that sick baby. If we needed a doctor she always sent for Dr. Rector . He was an old man, and when I had the measles he gave me some pills as big as the end of my finger."Yes, ma'm, we went to church all the time. My young mistress would come over every Sunday mornin' and take all the colored children to the Sunday School room in her house. She was a kind of old maid and this was her pleasure. We had baptisin's too. One old colored man on the plantation was a preacher. Lawd, Lawd, we had shoutin' at them camp meetin's."When we had weddin's they just jumped over the broom stick and that was what they called marryin' in them days; they didn't have any license like they do now."I guess we was glad when we was freed. Ole Marster had died and ole Miss and her cousin, Tiny Gray was managin' the plantation.I remember well when my mistress read the proclamation. She had the whole bunch together in the yard. The older slaves understood what it meant but the young ones didn't. They all thanked her and she told us that all could stay who wanted to stay and we could work on the shares. Most of us stayed but some went back to their old homes in Alabama and different places."I remember when the war ended I saw a string of soldiers as long as this street comin' down back of the field, goin' to Austin. When the colored folks saw them and heard them Yankees blowin' them bugles, good Scots, they didn't know what was happenin'.

My parents died at Austin, Texas. I lived with my first wife 52 years and she died right here in San Angelo. The reason I came to San Angelo, times was dull in Travis County and I had heard so much talk about this town I said I was comin' out here and see for myself. That was in 1900 and I hunted rabbits and quail here when this was just a forest. I worked 18 years in T. H. McCloskey's saloon. You know he was a prominent man here; his statue stands in the cemetery now. Yes, ma'm, he was a good man. He ran a saloon but he never drank, himself. Every Christmas he gave me $10.00 and he bought me a suit of clothes every year. I wish he was livin' now. "It seems mighty hard to me now by the side of the way I have lived. My wife is out pickin' cotton, tryin' to make us a livin', and my health is so bad I can't do anything. But I don't know if it was any better in slavery days. It seems mighty hard, though, since I am old and can't work." A medium sized man who, although 87 might pass for 65, is Ben Chambers formerly of Walker County, Alabama, but a resident of Liberty for many years. His gray wool lacks that kinkiness usually associated with the race. Despite the mid-afternoon sun of an August day, he was out plowing in his field. Ben was a former slave of Lazarus Goolsby and spent most of his youth on a plantation in Jasper county."I write to de ol' marster some year' ago to gimme my age outer de ol' Bible. Dey uster keep all de slaves' names and ages in de Bible. De ol' marster was dead so she sen' it back herself. I was forty-six den and dat would mek me eighty-seben year' ol' dis year good as I kin figger. I say dat 'cause I ain't able to read and write and I jis' hafter figger."I was bo'n in Walker county, Alabama, on de plantation what ol' man Lazarus Goolsby have. My mama name was Jane and she b'long to de Goolsbys . My pappy' name was Charles and he b'long to ol' man Chambers what live on a plantation what ain' fur away. My pappy he hafter git a pass eb'ry time he want to come see my mama. Dey uster had a bunch of men what dey call patterrollers, and dem patterrollers ketch 'em and whip 'em iffen dey ketch 'em out widout a pass."Dey was seben chillen what my mam kep' wid her on ol' man Goolsby ' place. De chillen allus b'long to dey mamas' marster. All dem was bo'n in slav'ry time, but I was de onlies' one big 'nuff to go in de fiel'.I uster dribe de ol' marster 'roun' so's he could see de fiel's and de han's. He mek me git out and count de rows off for de han's to do dey wuk. I's kinder like de vice president. Dey uster figger dat twenty rows to hoe for a growed up man was a good task."I uster go huntin' wil' hogs wid de marster. Dem wil' unmark' hogs was de fresh meat for de cullud folks. De goats and beefs and sheep he keep for hisse'f. Us go huntin' dem hogs wid houn's. Us tree 'em jis' like fox or wil'cat. Dem hogs was sho' mean when you rile 'em up. Ol' marster he allus want to be sho' us git plenty to eat. I say dat for marster. He allus want his darkeys to hab plenty though he did work 'em from sun-up to sun-down. He furnish' fo' poun' of meat to a man and a peck of meal and in p'portion for de chillen. He give a kipper full of flour. Dat's 'bout a quart. Eb'ry man had to go up Sadday night to git his rations. Dat was de big 500-acre farm not far from Woodville."Dey had li'l log houses for de darkeys to live in, but dey hab a good frame house for us 'cause my mama was de cook for de white folks."I was a good big boy when de ol' marster decide he can't mek it no longer on de ol' lan' 'cause it too po'. Dey figger to move to Texas. He mek it soun' like de promise' lan'. He say us could raise hogs. Jis' like 'em loose in de woods to git fat. In Alabama de lan' couldn' s'port hogs. Dat lan' was so po' us hafter haul leaves to fertilize it. Ol' man Goolsby move' to a big farm 'bout eight mile' from Woodville. Us mek dat trip by wagons. Us camp on bofe sides of de Mis'sippi Ribber and come on froo Lou'sana to Texas Cose, dat split up my pappy and mama 'cause he still hafter stay on ol' man Chambers ' place. I ain't never seed him no mo'. My pappy write to me atter freedom to come home. He eben sen' me de money on de railroad. Dat soun' good 'cause I ain't never ride on no train, but I like Texas too well to leave. I sen' him his money back 'cause I gwineter stay right here. I was a-livin' 'roun' Woodville dere a long time befo' freedom come. "De very fus' t'ing I kin rec'lict when I was a li'l boy was me and de young marsters playin' togedder. Dey was ol'er dan me. Addison he cut my big toe off wid a hatchet one time. He didn' mean to but he sho' did git whip' for it."Us uster play cat baseball. Us play seben up to see who gwine bat fus'. Dey mek de rings sich and sich a distance apart and dey hafter run from one ring to anudder or to de base like dey do in other games. Us uster ride stick hosses too. Us would lope 'em 'roun' de lot like dey was buckin'. Us play some ring plays wid de gals, but I disremember 'bout dem now."Us boys hab 'bout two suits of clo's a year. Dey was a ol' seamster name' Harriet . She was a cullud woman. In durin' of de war dey had looms and wove de clo'f at home. De wimmens was give tasks in spinnin'. Atter de war dey buy clo'f and she mek de clo's. Dey mek clo'f plain and bought some shu'ts and lowers."I driv de kerrige to carry de white folks to chu'ch on Sunday. I hafter ketch ol' Tom and Bill , dey was de two kerrige hosses, and curry 'em and bresh 'em and keep de harness all oil' up, and hitch 'em up and drive to chu'ch. I keep dat buggy all clean up and lookin' nice. Dat was one of de bestes' tasks on de plantation and some of dem other niggers was sorter jealous of me."Ol' marster he b'long to de hard-shell Baptis'es. Dey was a preacher name' Gibson what sho' 'spoun' (expounded) de Bible 'cordin' to de law and de scripture. I Mef'dis' now, but in dem time de slaves eider b'long to de chu'ch he marster b'long to or none 'tall. Ol' marster uster hab preacher Gibson come preach to de slaves. He uster preach mos'ly under a big oak to de niggers. Dey uster sing, 'Dis de Lord, done for me, de worl' can't take it away.' I forgit de res'."Ol' marster and mistus was good Christians. Dey try to teach dey slaves right and wrong. Ol' marster he treat' his slaves nice. He whip' 'em when dey wouldn' do what dey was tol' to or iffen dey run away he whip but I b'leeb he was responsible. Sometime he didn' whip at all, jis' talk to 'em."My marster give eb'ry man wid a fam'ly a s'pply of wood and boards and lumber. Dey set up a scaffol' and mek a platfo'm 'bout five foot high and fo' feet square. Dey put dirt on dat and buil' a fire upon it so dey hab light to wuk dey own li'l plot and garden at night. De marster give 'em a li'l piece of lan' to raise vegetable' and cotton and sich on. Dey could eat de vegetable' and marster he would buy de cotton and pay 'em for it. Dey gin de cotton right on de place. Dey had a ol' time cotton compress. Dey gin de cotton right on de place. Dey had a ol' time cotton compress. Dey tek a big log and cut in it like de side of a screw all down de side. Dat fit in some hebby (heavy) timbers what had screw places in 'em too. Dey was a li'l square shed 'bout 8 or 10 foot square over it and dey was two long beams stickin' down. Dey hitch a team to each de beams and drive 'em 'roun' and dat mek de log screw down and press de loose cotton in a bale."Ol' man Goolsby would give a weddin' for any woman what marry a man on de place or off de place. When dey was married dey was marry by de marster's word. He give de woman to de man. Atter de marriage he fix up a house for de wife. He want to be sho' dere's a nice snug house and yard to tek care of all de chillen."Dere warn't much furn'ture in dem houses, jis' benches and a rough table and a box for to put clo's in. Sometime dey jis' hang 'em up on pegs on de wall One night I hafter go out to de prairie to see 'bout some bosses. I had a place by de edge of de wood where I put my dinner. When I go back to eat it was gone. I see a nigger slip out de wood and git it. So I go home and tell my pappy 'bout it. He say it was a sperrit. I say, 'Dat sperrit name' Willie.' He say, 'Was you scare'? I say, 'Naw.' He say, 'I knowed you warn't scare'. Dat sperrit was wid you."Anudder time a sperrit was wid me. I was gwine froo a watermilion patch and I pick a big watermilion and tek it home wid me. When I git home my daddy he say dat sperrit was wid me and help me tote dat watermilion 'cause I couldn' tote it dat good all by myself. I dunno how 'bout dat but I does know dat when I git on de po'ch dat watermilion git a whole lot hebbier."Dey was lots sup'sitcions in dem time. Dey wear sump'n' sew up in a rag what dey call a 'toby' for good luck. Dey was a ol' man on de place what was a conjur' man. He mek out like he could keep de marster from whippin' you. He mek dis and dat pow'ful toby. Den de nigger pay him so much for de toby. De trouble was maybe dey git whip' de very fus' day dey wear dat toby. I heerd of bad mou'f, but iffen anybody eber put it on me I ain't never knowed it. "Dey was a ol' lady name Liza what live on de place. She sho' was ugly. She want 'em to dance wid her one night. I wouldn' dance wid her. She git mad and go home and beat up a rattlesnake head and mek dus'. I dunno how she got dat dus' on me but I git a big swellin' under my arm. Dey come and tol' me what she done. "Dere was anudder feller what say he kin draw dat swellin' out under my arm. He put cups under my arm and draw out right smart water and den it git well."All de young marsters go to de war. Dey 'listed. Dey was t'ree of 'em git kill. Dat was Gus , and Melton , and Zibby . Young marse John and marse Addison what I uster play wid so much, dey come back. I hear de cannons shoot. Dey say dey was down at Sabine Pass. "De lastes' whippin' I eber git I dribe ol' marster up to Woodville. Dey was lots of de Yankee sojers millin' 'roun' in de town. Ol' marster he ain't let none of us free yet. Dey done 'stablish a buro (bureau) in Woodville so dey could go out and see iffen de niggers was tu'n free. De head sojer tol' ol' man Goolsby dat all de niggers was free. De ol' man he 'greed wid de Yankee. When I git home I mos' too excite' to onhitch de hosses. I run down and tell all de darkeys de Yankee man at Woodville say us all free. Ol' marster he hear 'bout it and come down and whip me. He say I tryin' to free he niggers. De nex' day dey swore him and den he come and tol' us we free. "De res' of dat season I stay wid some of 'em and help 'em work out de crop. I was put in c'ntrol of de han's from June to Chris'mus. Dem what stay git one thu'd of de crop. De others ain't git nuffin'. Dey go up to de sto' for dey clo's and food on credick 'till de crop was sol'. De ol' marster 'lowed dem to work he mules and didn' charge 'em no extra for it.""I lef' Woodville and come to Liberty forty year' ago. I been back to see Aunt Minervy Bendy and some of de other kinfolks, but I ain't neber live dere since I move' 'way. I try to stay 'roun' home. I git 'long all right when dey was a Klu Kluxin' 'roun'. I do right by de white folks and dey ain't neber bodder me. De Klu Klux raid here twice but I neber bodder wid 'em. I see some of de white and cullud men dey whip but dey ain't pestered me."I's done mos' all kinds of work. I's work on de railroad section right here in Liberty. I had a pretty good woodyard six or seben year' and ship' wood by boat to Galveston and Houston and mos' eb'ry 'int 'roun', I guess. I a-farmin now. I's ol' but I ain't quit yet. I mek a li'l bread and 'taters. I fixin' jis' now to go plow dem 'taters I hafter try to mek some kind of livin' 'cause dat li'l pension ain't nuff for us I's been a member of de A.M.E. Chu'ch and a steward in de chu'ch for a long time. I's been chaplain in de Mason's Lodge and I b'longs to Pilgrim Lodge, de U.B.F., and de Willin' Workmen, but I ain't able to pay my dues any mo', so I ain't in good stan'in'."I been marry twict. My fus' wife was name' Ellen . She die' and dey bury her t'ree mile' from here. Me and my fus' wife got fo' chillen what's livin' now, Bill , Gus , Jordan , and Massick . My secon' wife Sally . I marry 'bout 30 year' ago. Her name was Williams when I marry her. She been marry twict befo' I marry her..