Steve Connally

Steve Connally , 90, was born a slave of Tom Connally , grandfather of United States Senator Tom Connally , from Texas. The family then lived in Georgia, and Steve's master was a member of the Georgia Legislature.

I was born in Murray County, Georgia, and was a slave of Massa Tom Connally , but they called him Massa "Cushi" Connally . He was a member of de Georgia Legislature. I stayed with Missy Mary Connelly till I was sixty-seven and Massa Cushi died when I was sixty-nine. "My mother, Mandy , weighed two hundred pounds and she was de Connally cook. When I was born, she took de fever and couldn't raise me, so Missy Mary took and kep' me in a li'l cot by her bed. After dat. I'm with her nearly all de time and follows her. When she go to de garden I catches her dress tail and when she go to de doctor, 'bout eighty miles away, I goes with her. I mus' tell you why everybody call Massa Connally Cushi . Dere am allus so many Tom Connallys in de fam'ly, dey have to have do nickname to tell one from de other. "Back dere in Georgia, us have lots and lots of fruit. Come time, de women folks preserves and cans till it ain't no use. My mammy take de prize any day with her jelly and sech, and her cakes jes' nachelly walk off and leave de whole county. Missy Mary sho' de master hand hersef at de fine bakin' and I'd slip round and be handy to lick out de pans. "Dey didn't have no 'frigerators den, but dey built log houses without a floor over de good, cold spring, and put flat rocks dere to keep de milk and cream and butter cold. Or dey dig out de place so de crock be down in de wet dirt. Dey sho' have to make de latch up high, so de bad chillen couldn't open dat door! "De plantation in Georgia was de whopper. I don't know 'zactly how many acres, but it a big one. Us make everything and tan hides and make shoes, jes' like all de big places did. De big house and de weavin! house and de tannin' yard and de sugar mill and slave quarters made a li'l town. Dere used to be some mighty big doin's dere. De Connelly men and woman am allus good lookers and mighty pop'lar, and folkses come from far and near to visit dem. All de 'portant men come and all de sassiest belles jes' drift to our place. Dere sho' lots of big balls and dinners and de house fix mighty fine dem times. De women wore de hoop skirts and de ribbons and laces. My missy was de bes' lookin' from far and near, and all de gem'mans want to dance with her. She sho' look like de queen you see in de picture books and she have mighty high ways with folks, but she's mighty good to dis here li'l black boy.

I goes in de buggy with Massa Cushi , up to Tennessee, to git his sons what been kilt or wounded. Massa Ned , he dead, and Massa Charles , he shot in de hip, and die after he git brung home. Massa Dick hurt, too, but he didn't die. "Right after de Civil War, when I'm 'bout nineteen, I comes to Texas with de Connallys , all what didn't git kilt in de war. I stays with Missy Mary till she die in Georgia. Her son, Jones Connally , come to Brazos County, near Bryan, and after dat removes to Eddy. I works for him two years and has lived round Eddy ever since. De Connallys give me a house and lot in Eddy. Some de fool niggers 'spected a lot, but I wasn't worryin' none. All I wanted was to stay near de Connallys . Mos' gen'ly all de slaves what I knowed was found places for and help git a start at jobs and places to live. All de Connally slaves loved dem. Some de timber land give to Mrs. Rose Staten and when she go up dere a old nigger woman name Lucy sees her. She so happy to see one dem Connally chillen she laugh and cry "Massa Jones Connally have de twin gals, name Olla and Ella . Olla born with de lef' arm off at de elbow and she allus follow me round. When I go to milk I puts her in de trough. I saved her life lots of times. One time she's on de conb of de two-story house, when she's 'bout two years old. I eases up and knocks de window out and coaxes her to come to me. 'Nother time, I's diggin' de well and some clods falls down and I looks up and dere am dat Missy Olla leanin' over, mos' tumblin' in de well on her head. I gives de loud yell and her brother-in-law come runnin' and grabs her legs. "Senator Tom Connally , what am a son of Jones Connally , often says he'd like to visit his grandpa's old home in Georgia. I'd like mighty well to go with him and take him all over de old home place and out to de old cemetery.

I was born in Murray County, Georgia. I was a slave to Marster "Cushi" Tom Connally , dat was a member of de Georgia legislature. I am about ninety-four years old now, 'cordin' to de white folks' record. I stayed wid Mistis Mary Connally until I was sixty-seven years old. Marster Tom Connally died when I was sixty-nine. My mother, Mandy Connally , weighed two hundred pounds, she was de Connally cook. When I was born, she took de fever an' couldn't raise me, so Mistis Mary Connally took me an' kept me in a little cot by her bed. I followed her all de time, when she went to de garden I would follow her 'round an' would catch to her dress tail, an' go all over de garden wid her. When she went to de doctor, about eighty miles away, I would go wid her. I stayed wid her a month at a time. When she would go to de doctor, I waited on her. Master "Cushi" Tom Connally was Senator Tom Connally's grandfather. Dere was always so many Tom Connallys in de Connally fambly dat each had to have a nickname to tell one frum de uther. When I was about nineteen, I came to Texas wid de Connallys , all dat din't get killet in de war. I still have a twenty dollar bill on some Merchants Bank, dated about 1861. I went in a buggy wid Marster Tom Connally up in Tennessee during de war, to get his sons dat had been killet or wounded. I was so little I could just sit up in de buggy. I looked to see ef I could see Marse Ned , his brains was shot out, an' Marse Charles was shot in de hip Marster brought Marse Charles home where he died. Marse Dick was hurt too. De Connallys moved frum Dalton, Georgia, an' come to Texas, right after de Civil War; but I stayed wid Mistis Mary 'till she died in Georgia, den Marster Tom Connally died. Dere son Jones Connally come to Texas, to Brazos County, near Bryan, an' later removed to McLennan County an' located near Hewitt an' later he moved to Falls County near Eddy where he died in 1903. After de war I worked two years for de Connallys . I bored holes, cut an' put up posts an' fence 'round three acres of land at Eddy. I have lived 'round Eddy ever since. De Connallys give me a house an lot in Eddy. Jones Connally an' his wife died. "Mistis Maggie Connally married Miller Washington , off de Mount in Georgia, she died at Moody, Texas. I nussed her when she was little. "Ola an' Ella Connally, daughters of Jones Connally an' his wife Mary , was twins; Ella was de favorite; Ola was born wid her left arm off at de elbow. I liked Ola de best. I tole Mistis it hurt me de way she would rock Ella an' would put Ola on de bed. Ella died wid de measles when she was two years old. Ola would follow me 'round, an' when I went to milk I would put her in de trough while I milked. I saved her life lots o' times. One time she was on de comb of a two-story house, she was den 'bout two years old, I eased up, knocked de winder out an' coaxed her to come to me. Another time, I was diggin' a well an' some clods fell down; I looked up an' dere was Mistis Ola leanin' over, almost tumblin' down in de well on her haid. I gave a loud yell an' my brother-in-law come runnin'. He grabbed one of her legs, just as de dirt she was on began to cave in an' he yanked her back to safety. Mistis Ola married Mr. Laughlin an' lives at Eddy, Texas."I have been married three times; onst in Georgia an' twice in Texas. My last wife died of blood poison. I did not have any chillun. De Connallys bought sixty-five or sixty-six acres of land, northwest of de present Atlas Cement plant. It was timber land, an' de timber was used foh wood. Twenty-five acres of dis land was give to Mrs. Rose Staton , she had never seen dis land, so one time she went to see de land. On land adjoinin', or near dis land, lived a fambly of negroes an' an ole negro woman named Lucy , saw Mrs. Staton . When she saw her, she was so happy she laughed an' cried; she was so happy to see one of de Connally chillun fer who she had wurked. "Senator Tom Connally , son of Jones Connally , often says he wished to visit his grandfather's old home in Georgia I could take him all over de ole home place out to de ole cemetary, tannin' yard, an' all de ole houses." "Some dem fool niggers spected a lot but I wasn't worryin' none, all I wanted was to stay near de Connallys . I only know what Marse Connally did an his slaves. Mos generally all our folks was found places fer an helped to git a start at jobs an places to live. Warn't no slaves made to stay an finish crops or work atter Freedom was 'clared. Dey all jes worked 'round fer white folks like dey did durin' slavery, doin' cookin' an washin' an field work. Before Freedom de slaves didn't need no fernichure much, jes a bed, a hay mattress or two an some cheers. Us cooked an et down in de kitchen ob de big house. De foodstuff was kep fer all us in de big smoke house. No'm dere warn't no gins like now in slavery time. Us picked de cotton off de seed by han, dat was work fer night times an rainy, cold days when us couldn't do nuffin else. Mos everything us needed was made at home in dose days an dey lasted longer dan now. Ob corse, de white folks had fine boughten close but dey used some home made cloth too. Back in Georgia, we had lots an lots of fruit. Come time, de women folks ud preserve an can twil it warn't no use; an us'd peel an dry lots of peaches an sech. My mammy could take de prize any day wid her jelly an sech. An her cakes jes nacherly walk off an leave de whole country. Mistis Mary was shore a master hand herself at de fine bakin an fixin up de jam an sech. I'd slip 'roun on de big bakin day an be handy to lick out de pans ef I didn't git cotched. Dey jes nacherly can't raise fruit inTexas like dey do in ole Georgia. Dey didn't hab 'frigerators like now, but dey fixed buckets to put milk an butter in de wide well to keep it cool or in spring houses. Dey built log houses widout floors over a good, cold spring an put flat rocks here en dere to put milk, cream, butter an meat on to keep it cool; or dey would dig out a place so de crock would be down in de wet dirt. Dey shore had to make de latch up high so de bad chillun couldn't open dat door to slip something to eat.

De Connally plantation in Georgia was a whopper, I don't know zactly many acres but it was a big one. Us made every thing an' fixed our cotton, tanned hides an made shoes an all jes like all de big places did. De big house, de weavin house, de tannin yard an sugar mill an slave quarters made a little town itself. Dere used to be some mighty big doins dere. De Connally men an womem was allus good lookers an mighty popular an folkses come from far an near to visit dem. All de 'portant men come an all de sassiety belles jes drifted to our place. Oh, yas, dere was shore lots of big balls an dinners. De house was fixed mighty fine dem times. De women in dose days wore hoop skirts, ribbons an laces an my Mistises was de bes lookin from far an near an all de gemnans wanted to dance wid her. Mistis Mary shore look like a queen dat you see in dese here picture books and she had mighty high an mighty ways wid folks, but she was mighty good to dis here little black boy.