Amos Clark

Amos Clark , 96, was born a slave of Robert Clark , in Washington County, Texas. After Amos was freed, he farmed near Belton, Texas. Amos now lives in Waco. I was borned on the second of April, in 1841. Mammy say dat de year, 'cause Marse Bob's brother, Tom , done go tradin' and has a lot of trouble with de Indians, and comeback with scars all over he arms. It warn't all dey fault, 'cause Marse Tom allus gittin' in trouble with somebody."When I was still half-growed, Marse Bob traded me to Marse Ed Roseborough , and we come to Belton to live. Us piled ox wagons high with beddin' and clothes and sich, and Old Marse had he books in a special horsehair trunk, what de hide still had hair on. It had brass tacks all trimmin' it up, and it was sho' a fine trunk, and he say, "Amos , you black rascal, keep you eye on dat trunk, and don't git it wet crossin' de water and don't let no Indian git it." Us had a sizeable drove of cattle and some sheep and pigs and chickens and ducks. "Marse and Missis finds where dey wants de house and us gits dem axes out and in a few days dere am a nice log house with two big rooms and a hall 'tween dem, mos' as big as de rooms. Us been on de road 'bout six weeks and Missis sho' proud of her new house. Den us makes legs into houses for us and a big kitchen close to de big house. Den us builds a office for Old Marse and makes chairs and beds and tables for everybody. Old Miss brung her bed and a spindly, li'l table, and us make all de rest. "For eatin' de good shooters and scouters gits birds and rabbits and wild turkeys and sometimes a lot of wild eggs or honey, when dey chops a bee tree down. A old Indian come to help us hunt. He'd work a week if Marse Ed give him some red calico or a hatchet. Old Miss done bring a dozen hens and a bag of seeds, and folks come ridin' twenty miles to swap- things. "Dere warn't no mill to grind corn, so de boss carpenter, he hollows out a log and gits some smooth, hard rocks and us grind de corn like it was a mortar. Old Man Stubblefield builded a watermill on de creek 'bout eight miles from us, and den us tooken de corn dere. "Dere was three hundred acres and more'n fifty slaves, and lots of work, clearin' and buildin' and plantin'. Some de cabins didn't git no floor for two years. Jes' quick as dey could, de men gits out clapboards for de walls and split puncheon slabs for floors and palin's for fences. "Missis, she takes two de likelies' young slaves and makes a garden, come spring. Somehow she git herself roses and posies and vegetables. "Dere warn't no overseer. Marse Ed , he jes' ride round on he big hose and see to things. Us didn't know nothin 'bout de war much, 'cause none us could read or write. "Dere was two fiddlers 'mongst us, Jim Roseborough and Tom . Dey'd have to big barbecue for folks come from miles round, and coffee and chicken and turkey and dancin' and fiddlin' all night. Come daybreak, dey jes' goin' good. Us niggers dance back de quarters, and call
'All eight balance and all eight swing,
All left allemond and right hand grand,
Meet your partner and prom'nade, eight,
Den march till you come straight.
First lady out to couple on de right

Swing Mr. Adam and swing Miss Eve, Swing Old Adam befo' you leave, Don't forgit your own  now you're homeTwo, three years after dat I marries Liza Smith . Us has four chillen and all dead 'cept John , and he lives out west. After freedom Old Marse say kill a yearlin' and have de big dinner and dance. De young ones he told to scatter out and hunt work, not to steal and work hard. Some de oldes' ones he give a cabin and a patch of land. He say de niggers what want to stay on and work for him can, iffen he make enough to feed dem. I stays with Marse Ed , but he give me a patch of twenty acres and a sorghum mill to make a livin' on. Dat how I gits on my way after freedom. I gits dat sorghum mill to workin' good and works de Roseborough land and my patch, and raises corn and cotton and wheat. I was plumb good at farmin'. I allus had a piece or two of money in my pocket since I can 'member, but now de old man's too old. De gov'ment gives me seven or eight dollars a month and I has a few chickens and gits by, and de good white folks nigh by sees dat dis old boy don't git cold.

I was borned April 2, 1841. Mammy said dat was de year 'case Marse Bob Clark's brudder Tom went away to de Santa Fe er tradin' an' he was gone er long time. Marse Tom seem like he caused er lot ob trubble an' I 'members when he was ole man an' had bad scars all ober he arms an' back, whar he got tied up in trubble wid de Injuns. Dat was in ole Washington County. "De Clarks got a notion to move an' dey sold me to Marse Ed Roseborough an' him an' his fambly come to Belton to live."Yassum, I 'members dat move. Us piled de ox waggins high wid beddin', close, dishes an' sich. Ole Marse had he books in a special horse hair trunk. I means de outside ob de trunk was covered wid a horses' hide what still had de hair on it. It had brass tacks all trimmin' hit up. It was shore a fine trunk an' he say "Amos , you black rascal you keep your eye on dat trunk. Don't git it wet er crossin' de water an' don' you let no Injun git dat trunk." Us had a sizable drove ob cattle, some sheep an' in one ob de waggins was pigs an' chickens an' ducks in boxes "Us was headin' fer some lan' Marse Ed had traded fer up near Belton. Marse an' Mistis foun' whar she wanted de houses an' de servants got dem axes out an' in a few days dere was a nice log house wid two big rooms an' a hall 'tween 'em dat was mos ez large as de rooms."Us'd been on de road er trablin' an' campin' fer 'bout six weeks an' Mistis was shore proud ob her new home. Den us made log houses fer de servants; an' a big kitchen close to de big house. Dey had porches an' a long lean-to behind de big log house. Dis was de boys rooms. Den ole Marse had to had he office an' dere was tables, cheres an' beds to build fer de cabins an' de big house. Kase dere wuzn't much roads dem days an' us built a bridge did us want one. An' so us didn't move much fernichure. Mistis Ann bringed her bed an' a spindly leetle table. But ole Jim Blackfoot he was shore spry wid he tools. An' he split an' carved an' smoothed up some fine looking chestes an' tables, cheers an' sech. Cose dat was some months atter us moved. "Belton was jes a startin' out in dem days. Dey got dere supplies by freighters from Houston an' odder places. Oh, us sometimes didn't hab sugar an' us'd drink our coffee black. An' I likes it dat way now. Corn pone an' greens and coffee is what I likes. Persimmins an' watermillons are pow'ful fine eating too. Dats my specials."In dose days us'd hab some ob de bes' shooters an' scouters to scour de woods fer birds, rabbits an' wild turkeys. Sometimes dey would git a lot ob wild eggs, er honey when dey'd chop a bee tree down. Us had fine eatin' den. "De ole Injun dat 'ud come roun' wid he squaws 'ud go wid us an' help us hunt. He'ud go a week effen Marse Ed gibed him some red Kaliker er a hatchet. Dat Injun said he knowed long time 'fore our colony come dat de pale faces was comin'. He said when de bees come to place an' hive up twarnt gwine be long 'fore pale face come. So de Injun he jes' lef' de place whar dere is lots ob honey. "Mistis Ann brunged a dozen hens an' a bag ob seeds. Folks come ridin' twenty miles an' swap different things to git a settin' ob eggs er some seeds. "Dere was no mill near to grind corn so ole man Jim , de boss carpenter, he hollowed out a log an' got some hard smoove rocks an' us'd grind de corn liken it was a morter. "Ole Man Stubblefield or Stubblelock , builded a water mill on de creek 'bout eight miles from us 'bout six months atter us come dar. Mammy ud take ripe corn an' boil it soft an' grate it, den bake it in a pone. "I guess dere was three hundred acres in de plantation an' 'bout fifty sarvants. Dere was lots ob work, clearin' lan' fer de plantin', an' buildin' fences, barns an' sech; 'sides dat de quarters had to hab chimneys an' fences too. Some de cabins didn't git no floors fer 'bout two years. Jes' as fas' as dey could de men got out clap boards fer de walls ob de big house an' split puncheon slabs fer floors an' palins fer a fence. Miss Ann she took two ob de likeliest young men an' started her gardens come spring. Some how she got herself some roses and posies. Den de vegetable garden, it had to hab ebery stump outen hit. Wild grapes was plentiful in de woods an' wild dewberries. De wimmin got dese in de fall an' spring an' fixed up presarves an' sech. Mammy knowed jes' what roots an' leaves to 'cumulate fer medicine. She allus paid special tension to de medicine. She had to nuss de white chillun, Bob , Ann an' C'aline . No'em us didn't hab ober seer. Marse Ed he jes' ride roun' on he big hoss en' he seed to things. Us didn't know nuffin 'bout de war much. None ob de sarvants kuld read er write an' us jes' lef' de white folks 'tend to dat. Dere was two fiddlers 'mongst us. Dey was Jim Roseborough and Tom . Some days de folks from nigh an' fer ud come see Marse and Mistis. Dere ud be a big barbecue an' dere ud be big tables built 'tween de big trees. Dere was all kinds ob eberyt'ing, vegetables, coffee, chicken, turkey, potatoes, honey an' corn bread. Dere wuzn't much flour. Dey'd start dancin' an' de fiddles screechin' long 'bout de middle ob de atternoon. Come day break an' dey jes' a goin' good. Us'd build a big fire in de yard an' clean up a wash pot to make de coffee in an' dere was coffee all de time. Dem was de good ole days. I married Liza Smif an' us had four chillun. Dey all daid but John an' he libes out west.Atter freedom, Marse tole us to kill a yearlin' an' hab a big dinner an' dance. De young ones he tole to scatter out an' hunt em work. He tole us to not steal, to pay what us owed an' wukk hard. Some of de olest ones he gibed a cabin an' a patch ob lan'. By now de big house was finer an' larger an' had a lot ob store bought fernichure. Marse Ed brought looms an' spinnin' wheels long fore dis an' he built him a mill. He said all de niggers dat want to stay on an' help him work can do so effen he can make enough to feed em. I stayed wid Marse Ed even tho he had gib me a patch ob twenty acres an' a sorghum mill to make a livin' on. De nex' year Marse died an' he son Bob wukked de niggers on halves. "Ize ole an' de rumatiz hes doubled me up but Ize been raised by good white folks. Dere wuzn't no whippin' much on our place. Jes' 'nuff to limber dere hides an' to make 'em work. Us went to church wid de white folks an' set in de back. Oh, Ize shook a foot to Little Yaller Gal, Ole Dan Tucker, Little Brown Jug, an sech. Yassum guess I kuld call an ole timer. The white folkses uster come atter me fer miles aroun' to call er dance. De ones I kin 'member goes like dis, all eight balance an' all eight swing, all lef' alleymond an' a right hand grand, meet yore pardner an' prom'nade eight, march till you come straight. First lady out to de couple on de right, swing Mr. Adam an' swing Miss eve, swing ole Adam befor' yo leabe. But don' forgit your own; Now yore home. All lef' alleymond an' a right hand grand, Meet yore pardner an' prom'nade eight, till you come straight. Dey called dis de Adam an' Eve Dance. Bout two, three years atter freedom I got my sorghum mill to workin' good an' dats how I made my livin' an' workin' de Roseborough lan' an' my patch. I hoped raise cotton, corn an' wheat. Yessum, Ize plum good at gardens. Fer some years now, Ize been too porely to do much but garden an' fool wid chickens an' sech. Dey used to sing "Dem Golden Slippers" an' I likes dat song, an' "Swing Low Sweet Chariot." I like all de 'ligious songs effen dey gits up an' sings em like dey's a-feelin' em. I allus had a piece er two ob money in my pocket since I can 'member. But now de ole man's too ole. De Goberment gibs me seben er eight dollars a month an' I got a few chickens an' gits by, cose I cayn't git me no wood ner no wukk, but de folks nigh by allus see dat de ole boy don' git cold. Fore freedom de white folkses dat come visiting ole Marse, dey allus want a little extra an' dey gibes us little change. Yassum Marse let us keep it. Come Chrismus an' birfdays us gits presents an' us gibs presents. Sometimes de white folkses git in a jam wid dere wurkk an' Marse he send ten er fifteen ob he boys to help out. Den sometimes Marse he need help an' back it comes from dem. Us boys jes' like to show de odder servants us can out-chop wood an' in general out wurk dem. But sometimes some ob dem is de bes'. No'm, Marse didn't whup much but dere was a white man lives eight er ten miles from wher us libbed an' dey was shore mean to der servents. Us had a big bell dat was rung when it was time to go to wurk er to come in outen de fields er woods. Dese folks had a big cow horn an' dat white man could blow a blast on it dat soun' like de las' trump ob Gabriel on de Jedgement Day. W'en dat horn ud set up a long wail an' roun' de whisper ud go "Nigger on de run! Nigger in de woods." An de ole folks on our place ud want squirrel er fish right den an' de half size boys ud hab to hab a hunk ob meat an' bread an' mebbe er ole piece quilt er a piece ob duckin' an' out he go. Ob course effen a howl hoot er any sech thing de boy ud stop look very careful roun' an' git scairt an leabe de food an' quilt. "No'm us didn't do nuffin fer no run-way niggers! But I tell you effen dat nigger got caught he shore gwine be tied down an' git he back slashed 'till it bleed a week. No'm I didn't nebber see dem whup 'case no sarvent but dem dat's hopin' ober seer lowed roun' dere, an dey didn't nobody leave a scar on Marse Ed's niggers. He'ud shot de man dat cut de blood outen he sarvent. But Ize nussed em in de dark ob de night atter a beatin'. Dere ober seer had brung a bunch to help Marse Ed clar some lan' an' one ob de men he sick an' keep stumblin' an' fallin' an' not keepin' up he work. De man plead an' cry but he got beat mos' to def. Marse Ed wazn't home dat day. When he come next day he come next day he cuss an' cuss an' he looka black like thunder. He git ole Miss to doctor de nigger an' he run dat ober seer off de place. Us shore scairt dar ud be a shootin' but Mistis done git de guns outen de way. Marse talkt to de owner an dey fuss an' den de white folks dey don' speak no more. No'm Ize don' know dat white man's name. Niggers don' larn how to forgit. "Mistis read de Bible to us an' tell us how to live right. She tried to larn some ob us to read an' write, but us rather chase rabbits, ride calves, go fishin' an' rar aroun'. Us went to church when de white folks did.