Anthony Christopher

Anthony Christopher , better known as Uncle Tony, was born a slave of Charles Patton , at West Columbia, Texas, in 1851. Although almost totally blind, Uncle Tony says that until his eyes "went out" he could show "dese here young buck niggers how to work." He lives in Houston, Texas "Well, suh, iffen you wants me to tell you 'bout myself and what I see, I tells you first I seed a heap 'fore my eyes went out a few years back. Yes, suh, I sho' has. You see, I's old now, but I 'members de plantation what Marse Patton owned down in Brazoria county where I's born. I hear de Hoggs owns it now. "Marse Patton had de big place, de big place sho', right on Varney's Creek what run in de Brazos river. He got lots of cotton and corn and cane to make sugar and cattle and hawgs and hosses and plenty niggers to work de place. Niggers all has ground to raise truck stuff, too, like 'taters and sech. Why, jes' most anythin' to eat what you see at de store now we raise right on dat place. "Course by rights my folks was free 'cause mama tell me dey's free back in Virginny where she and pappy was born. But somehow dey gits bonded 'gain and when de Pattons comes to Texas dey brings my folks and dey is slaves sho' 'nough here. Marse Patton was purty good to de chillen and wouldn't let dem work till dey's most growed up"But de overseer sho' use to whip dem niggers what work in de field. I seed dem hold bacon over a fire and let de hot grease drop on de bare hide of a nigger what was tie down on de ground and den lash him from de head down to de feet. Yes, suh, I sho' has seed it, jes' like I's tellin' you. Dey didn't bother mama and pappy none, though, and dat's 'cause Deenie , what was my sister, was Marse Patton's gal. He wasn't married and he keeps Deenie up to de big house. "Whoo-e-e, dat sho' a fine house brick, with de gall'ry runnin' most all de way round and on de roof am a rooster not a real live one, but de kind what go round when de wind blow. 'Cross de creek is de stock lot and sugar house and quarter for all de niggers. We has good brick quarters and wood floors, 'stead jes' bein' on de ground like some had. At de end am de fireplace where mama keep de cookin' pots. "But Christmas was de time for chillen and grown-ups, too. We has de barbecue and lots of sweetenin' and Marse Patton let de niggers have a dance in de sugar house. We chillen eat so much we 'bout bust and den Grandmammy Judy make up a mess of red oak bark tea, what am sho' good for de stomach. De soldiers comes and makes marse turn us free and some leaves but we stays and gits pay for workin'. Den pappy gits some ground down in de river bottoms and makes good crops dere. Den I gits growed and goes to San Antonio and gits me a job haulin' wood. Dey pays me $25 a month and feeds me and sleeps me. When I ain't doin' dat I is herdin' sheep and den I gits a job on de railroad, layin' steel. Dat work, sho' 'nough. We lays seven mile of track a day till we gits to Devil River. Dat where I larns to gamble and on pay day we plays poker and shoots craps and sometimes has a monte game. I wasn't so lucky at cards but dem dice sho' 'nough good to me! After dat's done I goes to Brenham and works on de Santa Fe on de gradin' gang. Den I gits married and goes to farmin' at Chapel Hill and dat where I votes de only time in my life. No, suh, I ain't never voted since. You see, dey is havin' de big 'lection and some white folks come to de farm and tell me I's got to vote 'publican, 'cause dey say dem 'publicans done free us. So I goes to de place and de man say, 'What you vote, 'publican or Dem'crat?' I say, ''publican,' and jes' 'bout dat time some shootin' start and I hears somebody say dey gwine run every nigger-lovin 'publican out de country, and I ain't never seed no 'publican from dat time to now. I's work for lots of white folks and work hard, and done most any kind of work till my eyes went out on me a while back. Huh! While dem eyes was good, I could show dese here young, buck niggers how to work. Yes, suh! Drake , Clarence , P.W. Houston , Anthony Christopher , better known as Uncle Tony , lives in a typical "shotgun" type dwelling located in an alley court leading off York St., between Lamar and Dallas Ave., in Houston, Tex. Born on the Charley Patton plantation at West Colubmia, Tex. in 1851, Uncle Tony, although almost totally blind is otherwise hale and hearty, claiming that until his eyes went "out" a few years ago, he could "show dese here young buck niggers how to work. Well, suh, iffen you wants me to tell you 'bout myself an' what I see, I tells you first I'se see a heap 'fore my eyes go out a few years back. Yes suh, I sure has.

You see I'se old now but I 'members de plantation what Marse Patton owned down in Brazoria County whar I was born, 'jes like 'twas yestiddy. I hear de Hoggs own it now.  Marse Patton had a big place, a big place sure, right on Varney's Creek what run into de Brazos River right near West Columbia. He got lots of cotton an' corn an' cane to make de sugar, an' cattle an' hogs an' horses an' plenty niggers to work de place. Niggers all have ground to raise truck-stuff, too - like 'taters an' sech. Why, jes most anything to eat what you see at de store we raise right on de place. Course by rights my folks was free, 'cause mamma tell me dey was free back in Virginny whar she an' pappy was born. But somehow dey gets bonded ag'in an' when de Pattons come to Texas dey brings my folks an' dey is slaves sure 'nuff here. Marse Patton was pretty good to de chillen on de place though, an' wouldn't let none work 'til dey was most growed up. I know all I did was watch de ones what was littler'n me, while de mammys was workin'. But de overseer sure use to whip de niggers what work in de field. I'se see 'em hold bacon over a fire an' let de hot grease drop on de bare hide of a nigger what was tied down on de ground, an' den lash him from he head down to de feet. Yes suh, I sure has see it jes' like I'm telling you."Dey don't bother mamma an' pappy none though an' I guess it's 'cause Deenie , what was my older sister, was Marse Patton's girl. He wasn't married an' he keep Deenie up to de big house. Whoo-e-e, dat sure was a fine house. It was brick with a gallery running 'most all de way 'round it, an' on de roof is a rooster, not a real live one, but one of de kind what goes round when de wind blows. De house sit on one side of Varney's Creek, an' 'cross de creek is de stock lot, an' sugar house an' de quarters for all de niggers. We has good brick quarters, too, yes suh, an' wood floors 'stead of jes' being on de ground like some had. At de end is de big fire place an' chimney whar mamma keep de cooking pots. But Christmas was de big time for de chillen an' de grown ups too. We has a barbecue an' lots of sweetenin', an' Marse Patton let de niggers have a dance in de sugar house. We chillen eat so much we 'bout bust, an' den Granmammy Judy what is sorta like a woman doctor, make up a mess of red oak bark tea - an' dat sure is good for runnin' off of de stomach."Dat's 'bout all I knows 'bout slave times, 'ceptin when de big General U. S. Grant comes with de sojers an' makes Marse Patton turn us free. Dey jes' comes out to de place an' tell Marse Patton nobody ain't slaves no more, dat dey is jes' as free as he is. Some of de niggers leave an' some stay an' help make de crops. Dats what we did an' Marse Patton pay de folks for working. Den pappy get some ground down in de river bottoms, an' we make good crops dere, 'til I is growed up. An' den I makes up my mind I wants to be my own man, an' I leaves mamma an' pappy, an' goes to San Antonio, an' gets me a job haulin' wood. Dey pays me twenty five dollars a month an' feeds me an' gives me a place to sleep. When I ain't hauling wood, I's herding de sheep, but de boss man gets him some dogs what herd de sheep, an' den I quit an get a job on de railroad laying steel

Dat was work sure 'nuff. We lays seven miles of track a day, an' I stay on de track an' grade gang 'til we gets to de Devil River. Dats whar I larnt to gamble, an' on pay day we plays poker an' shoot craps an' sometimes we has a monte game. I wasn't so lucky at de cards, but de dice was sure 'nuff good to me."I comes back to San Antonio, an' goes to Brenham up in Washington County an' gets me a job on de Santa Fe road what was building. I works on de grading gang, an' de mule skinners dump de dirt whar I tell 'em to."Den I gets married an' we goes to farming at Chapel Hill, an' dat's whar I voted de only time in my life. No suh, I ain't never voted since. You see dey is having a big 'lection an' some white folks come to de farm an' tell me I's got to vote for de Republican, 'cause dey say de Republican is what freed us. So I goes to de place, an' de man say, 'What you vote, Republican or Democrat?' I say 'Republican', an' jes' 'bout de time I say 'Republican', some shooting commenced an' I hear someone say dey is going to run every nigger-loving Republican out of de County, an' I ain't never see no Republican from dat time to now."Yes suh, I's worked for lots of white folks an' worked hard, an' done most any kind of work 'til my eyes went out on me awhile back. Huh, while de eyes was good I could show dese here young buck niggers how to work, yes suh."