Harrison Cole

I was born in Galveston on de Fourteenth day of September, eighteen hundred an' sixty-one. My Aunt bound me to General James E. Harrison in de year 1872, w'en I was ten years old. I libed wid him as his body servant until he was stricken wid paralysis an' died in de 1875."General Harrison cum f'om Aberdeen, Missippi in 1854 or '55 to dis place about ten miles f'om de little village of Waco, an' settled on de Tehuacana ribber a few miles south ob de ole Torrey Brudders Tra'in' House, which was de only otthorized tradin' post ob de Gobernment in dis part of Texas fer years. Yes, I kin tell you a little 'bout de ole tradin' house an' de country dat goes back befo' my time"Dis tradin' house was jes' a few miles up Tehuacana Ribber from whar de General located; hit was first run by de Torrey Brothers f'om Houston, an' de Indians f'om all ober Texas cum here to trade. Dey'd bring dey buffalo skins, an' all kind of animal pelts, an' dey capture wild hosses an' mules an' bring dem too, an' trade fer de goods dat dey hab at de tradin' house. "De story is dat Stephen F. Austin held all dis land aroun' de Tehuacana f'om de La Vega Land Grant, to colonize, but w'en he was helt a prisoner in Mexico, dey demanded money fer his release, an' he sent word to a man by de name of Williams, an' he sold hit to he sister a Mrs. St. John , dat libed at de time in Connecticut, an' dis was de way dey got de money to git Stephen F. Austin out ob de Mexican prison. Any way, dis is one ob de stories 'bout de ole land grant dat de tradin' house not far from whar General Harrison settled was located. An dis place an Waco was de nearest places de settlers had to trade w'en General Harrison cum to Texas. Later on hit was run by other men. "W'en dis was a tradin' post at dis time dey had 'bout six or seven log cabins, de biggest of dese was to keep de skins dat was brought by de Indians to trade for dey supplies, like groceries, guns an' ammunition an' whiskey. De biggest trade dey had first was de Buffalo skins, dey was tanned by a man in de post an painted inside wid de pictures of animals an' de tress an birds an' so on. Dey sold for three dollars an' up, depending on de size of de skin. Some was shipped up North whar dey was used for cover for sleds an' wagons. "W'en de Indians would bring in de wild hosses an' mules, sometime dey had dem tamed an' sometimes de tradin post has to tame dem, dey keep men for dat purpose, dey bring from thirty to forty dollars each. In one of de cabins dey used hit for de supplies dat was for de Indians, to exchange for dey skins an' pelts an horses an' mules, besides de guns an' whiskey an' groceries, dey had de wool blankets an' wool cloth in de bright colors an' de calico dat dey used later w'en dey commence to wear de clothes like de settlers, den dey had de copper wire dey used to make ornaments wid. Dey kept glass beads, powder, lead, tobacco, an' knives, dey always buy de knives. Some of de houses was whar de folks lived dat run de tradin' house, dey kept an' agent dat knew how to trade wid de Indians, an' a man dat knew how to fix de guns dey called de gunsmith, an' dey would have a man to beat de skins to run de insects out of dem befo' dey was tanned, an' a trapper dat stayed here an' went out in de bottoms an prairies to hunt. "De agent would act as interpreter between de white folks an' de Indians, an' sometimes de Indians would bring white chillun to de post to be ransomed by dey folks. De folks tell how w'en de Indians cum to trade dey ride single file, an' w'en dey is cumin' over a hill dey look like a string of ants jes a creepin over de top of de hill, de braves would cum first an' de squaws next wid dey papoose (babies) on dey back, den de pack hosses dat carry de skins dey is bringin to trade at de post. "I has told you 'bout dis tradin' post because hit was de closest tradin place to de Harrison Plantation, an' w'en de folks from Houston quits hits, den hit is called Barnards store I think an' dis is after de days dat de Indians gone, an' dis is w'en I cum's to de Harrison plantation. After de General cum's back from de Civil War den he builds de big brick house jes as hit stands today, as hit faces de old Waco road, jes a little ways up de hill from Tehuacana creek, an' whar later de Houston an' Texas Central rail-road runs in front of hit, an' down de road across de creek dey builds de switch for de Houston an' Texas Central railroad an' dey call hit Harrison Switch. "A man by de name of Glover did de brick work an' I helped to carry de bricks for him to set. Dey was burned right here on de plantation, an' mos' of de timbers was cut off de place too. De sills are made from de oak trees dat grew on de place, dey is lots of walnut in de house finishing, de stairs are of walnut, dey was made from de trees dat grew on de place too. "W'en de house was finished de General held open house an' had his friends from everywhar to cum to hit. Dey has de big dinners an' dey has de house parties an' de folks cum an' stay two an' three weeks for a visit, den w'en dey is passin thro' dey always stop here. If dey stranger reaches dis place an' night overtakes him de door is open to dem, same as to de Generals friends.

Some of de friends dat visit him from Waco dat I 'members was General Speight , who was in de army wid him, an' James Tinsley , S. H. Clinton , Dr. Wilkes , Dr. McGregor an' Dr. B. H. Carroll . "W'en dey has de City an' County Fair's at Waco, dey has dem down jes outside de city on south Third Street, what Oakwood Cemetery now is. De General has some fine hosses dat I drives to de carriage, dey names was Rebel an' Black Hawk. Dey is round hosses, dey know dey belongs to de quality, dey holds dey head high an' dey arch dey necks an' w'en I rides dem dey prance an' in de parades none look so fine to us as old Rebel an' Black Hawk. Dey lived up to dey names. How did dey live? Well dey raise dey livin right here at home dey raise cattle, an hogs, hosses an' mules, dey has all de birds an' wild animals dey want to go out an' kill. "I stayed wid de General until he died den I stays on wid his son Captain John H. Harrison . De General has three boys an' four girls; dey was John H. James , an' Richard , de girls was named Mary , Emma , Laura an' Earle . Mary married Ab Bedwell , Laura married a Ross an' was de mother of Shapley Ross , an' Gov. Sul Ross was his uncle. Emma married James Carter an' Earle married a lawyer by de name of D. C. Bolinger . "W'en de General died his son Captain John H. Harrison lived on in de old home, he had a son dat married Dr. Dunklins daughter, dey lived on de Dunklin plantation dat joined de Harrison farm. W'en we had sickness de General's brother, Dr. Richard Harrison , took care of us an' w'en de General got down sick, Dr. Richard an' Dr. Wilkes, de father of de Dr. W. O. Wilkes who is livin now, helped Dr. Richard Harrison to look after his father, de General. Dis Dr. Richard Harrison lived across de ribber on South Third Street. "W'en people died f'm all ober de country as far as Marlin, de settlement, East of Big Creek, an' all ober de county, dey sent to Harrison fer de casket maker, de General kept, to make de caskets, bof' fer de w'ite an' de cullud folks. He helped to take care ob de ones who died whether dey had de money to pay fer hit or not. "Dr. B. H. Carroll an' General Harrison organized de first Baptist Church fer de colored folks on de Harrison plantation, an' dey ordained de first preacher, dis was in de year 1872, or 73; an' dey has been a church at dis place eber since; dey has torn de ole one down an' built a new one on de hill-side, nearer de ole Waco an' Marlin road. "De present church house stands jes' a little ways f'om whar de ole one dat Dr. Carroll an' General Harrison organized 'bout 1872, hit is on de east side of de Tehuacana Ribber, 'cause mos' ob de colored congregation libed on dis side of Tehaucana. De first colored preacher was named Moses Irvin an' he preached for twenty-five years to dis church. W'en dey had de baptizin's, dey would usually hab dem in de Tehuacana, whar hit was not so deep an' whar de bed ob de ribber am hard an' rocky. De preacher would first go down wid his long stick to feel in front as he walked, to see if dey was any holes in de bed of de ribber, den he would find de place he would motion to de deacons to lead de candidates in, an' dey would sing somethin' lak dis: "Roll Jordan, roll, roll, roll Jordan roll, I wants to go to heaven w'en I dies, Fur to hyear sweet Jordan roll." Den, jes' befo' each one ob de candidates was baptized, de crowd on de bank would sing, "Missionary Baptist is my name, missionary Baptist is my name, Missionary Baptist is my name, 'ligion is so sweet, De Lord said baptism hit must be, we gwine 'bey His will; De Lord said baptism hit must be, for 'ligion is so sweet.
As dey was led out of de water some of dem is shoutin an' singin

Newbawn, Newbawn, Newbawn Chile, Like a little babe in de manger, De ole ribber Jordan was mighty deep, but 'ligion is so sweet."As de baptizin is over de congregation departs for dey homes a singin', "Roll Jordan roll, roll Jordan roll, I wants to go to heaven wen I die, Fur to hear sweet Jordan roll. Oh shout my sister shout, My sister she's a shoutin, Kaze she hears sweet Jordan roll.An' dis is 'bout like de Baptizin's dat we has at de present day. 

De field hands lived wid de other folks in de quarters, an' dey was up on de hillside whar de flood from Tehuacana did not reach, an' w'en four o'clock in de mornin's cum de bell from de big house rings, an' dis means dat everybody dat is able to work has to get up an' eat his breakfast an' be ready for de nex' bell dat rings at five o'clock to go to de fields w'en dey kin work in dem an' w'en hit too rainy an' cold den dey has other work to do, maybe haulin de wood an' some of de men chops hit an' de wimmen go an work in de house an' help in de kitchen an' some in de sewin' room whar dey still spin an' weave de thread to make de homespun clothes. In de fields we raise de cotton, corn, cane, oats, cow peas an' wheat wen we would thresh de wheat an' oats we had an' old fashioned thresher dat was driven by a horse on what dey called de treadmill, he would go roun an' roun to keep de mill goin' an' dis is why dey call hit de tread mill. Later General Harrison owned a flour mill at Clifton dat was located on de Bosque river an' run by water power. After dis was built de farmers brought dey wheat to hit from all over dis country, dey cum from Marlin, Brushy Creek, de settlement east of Big Creek dat later was de Mart community, an' as far as Axtell on de north east. Waco was jes a little town an' de bes I recolleck was dat dey did not have a flour mill den. Dey hauled de cotton to Bremond, de nearest railroad until de Houston an Texas Central built from Bremond into Waco, den dey made de switch which is called Harrison switch to dis day. By dat time de Harrison fambly ship dey cotton right from de switch to Houston to de market. W'en we planted de cotton we would clear up a piece of land an' run a furrow wid de old fashioned bull tongue plow, den we drop de seed in de furrow, throw de dirt on top of hit wid a furrow down de side, an' den leave hit till hit cum's up befo' we work hit, sometimes if we has much rain an' very busy we does not work hit any more, but we makes from half to a bale an' acre on de Tehuacana bottom, de land was so rich an' we did not have any insects to bother or Johnson Grass, all dese things like dey has now.

"W'en de Brazos git on a rise an' backs up into de Tehuacana den hit would overflow, but not so bad in dem days as hit does now, mostly because dey was so much more timber an' grass dat held de water, but even den we had to stay up at night w'en de rise was comin' f'om de big rains an' de Brazos overflowin' into hit, hit goes to creeepin' out little by little, den we goes to watchin' if hit is goin' to git high enought dat we has ter move de cattle an' stock, de cabins was built on high grou' to escape de floods, so we did not hab to move de folks W'en dey has de weddin's, de Generals' wimmin folks cooks fer a week an' dey has big preparations, dey makes de mos' fancy cakes an' decorates dem wid all kinds of fruit an' flowers in de icin' an' de trimmin's, Mrs. Harrison was a fine artist an' she carried out her artistic work in her decorations. Dey has de weddin' suppers in de big dining room whar all dey friens' cum an' dey serbes hit to as many as kin' be seated 'round de long table. De General had two plantations, de one on de Tehuacana had seven hundred acres in hit whar de home place stood, an' de one down de riber near Marlin had a thousan' acres, an' w'en de war was ober, he kept right on wid his plantation, an' de way dey libed was jes' 'bout de same. De Brazos bottom land was so rich dat dey allers had big crops an' de prices was allers pretty good, so dey was plenty ob money fer de folks dat libed on de plantation, de times was better den dan dey is now. De biggest pest was de grasshoppers dat cum in 1879, den de pigeon followed de nex' year, but we made good crops eny way. W'en hit rained, an' hit was too muddy fer de hosses to pull de kerridge, dey rode hossback an' drove de oxen to Waco fer dey supplies, an' dey hauled de cotton an' de odder produce to Houston to de market, befo' de Houston an' Texas Central Rail Road was built thro' de country to Waco from Bremond. I well 'member de old waterin' trough as hit stood on de square in Waco for de thirsty teams of oxen, horses an' mules, dey had dem in de wagon yards an' all public places as well as de hitchin' posts. I most forgot to tell you 'bout de guide posts dey had in de early days, dey stood at de cross-roads wid a hand pointing to de right an' to de left, an' painted on dem was de number of miles to de next community or town, w'en dey led thro' de woods an' de timber dey was friends in need, for to de traveller, all directions looked alike, hit was de same on de prairie an' de hilly country to de north of Waco, de prairie country lay to de east of de Brazos an' Tehuacana, an' dis was easy for a stranger to lose his sense of direction. I will venture to say dat to many a traveller de old Harrison house by Tehuacana was a guide post so it stood on de road to Houston an' to many who have known hit for dese many years hit points a silent hand to de past an' de glories of de happy days, an' brings back de memories of de many who stopped for de hearty welcome an' de kind word of good will dat de old General an' his decendents down to us who served him always had for de stranger dat passed our way. In memory of de old road dat led so many by de gate of de ones who has passed on to dey final home, I quotes you dis little poem of other days, "De old road blossoms wid romance Of covered vehicles of every grade."