Katie Darling

Katie Darling , about 88, was born a slave on the plantation of William McCarty , on the Elysian Fields Road, nine miles south of Marshall, Texas. Katie was a nurse and housegirl in the McCarty household until five years after the end of the Civil War. She then moved to Marshall and married. Her husband and her three children are dead and she is supported by Griffin Williams , a boy she found homeless and reared. They live in a neat three-room shack in Sunny South addition of Marshall, Texas.

You is talkin' now to a nigger what nussed seven white chillen in them bullwhip days. Miss Stella , my young missy, got all our ages down in she Bible, and it say I's born in 1849. Massa Bill McCarty my massa and he live east and south of Marshall, close to the Louisiana line. Me and my three brudders, Peter and Adam and Willis , all lives to be growed and married, but mammy die in slavery and pappy run 'way while he and Massa Bill on they way to the battle of Mansfield. Massa say when he come back from the war, That triflin' nigger run 'way and jines up with them damn Yankees.'  Massa have six chillen when war come on and I nussed all of 'em. I stays in the house with 'em and slep' on a pallet on the floor, and soon I's big 'nough to tote the milk pail they puts me to milkin', too. Massa have more'n 100 cows and most the time me and Violet de all the milkin'. We better be in that cowpen by five o'clock. One mornin' massa cotched no lettin' one the calves de some milkin' and he let me off without whippin' that time, but that don't mean he allus good, 'cause them cows have more feelin' for than massa dud missy.  We et peas and greens and collards and middlin's. Niggers had better let that ham alone! We have meal coffee. They parch meal in the even and bile it and drink the liquor. Sometime we gits some of the Lincoln coffee what was lef' from the nex' plantation. "When the niggers done anything massa bullwhip them, but didn't skin them up very often. He'd whip the man for half doin' the plowin' or hoein' but if they done it right he'd find something else to whip them for. At night the men had to shuck corn and the women card and spin. Us got two pieces of clothes for winter and two for summer, but us have no shoes. We had to work Saturday all day and if that grass was in the field we didn't git no Sunday, either. "They have dances and parties for the white folks' chillen, but missy say, 'Niggers was made to work for white folks,' and on Christmas Miss Irene bakes two cakes for the nigger families but she darsn't let missy know 'bout it. "When a slave die, massa make the coffin hisself and send a couple niggers to bury the body and say, 'Don't be long,' and me singin' or prayin' 'lowed, jus' put them in the ground and cover 'am up and hurry on back to that field. "Niggers didn't cou't then like they do now, massa pick out a po'tly man and a po'tly gal and jist put 'on together. What he want am the stock. "I 'member that fight at Mansfield like it yes'day. Massa's field am all tore up with cannon holes and ever' time a cannon fire, missy go off in a rage. One time when a cannon fire, she say to me, 'You li'l black wench, you niggers ain't gwine be free. You's made to work for white folks.' 'Bout that time she look up and see a Yankee sojer standin' in the door with a pistol. She say, 'Katie , I didn't say anythin', did I?' I say, 'I ain't tellin' no lie, you say niggers ain't gwine git free.' "That day you couldn't git 'round the place for the Yankees and they stays for weeks at a time."When massa come home from the war he wants let us loose, but missy wouldn't do it. I stays on and works for them six years after the war and missy whip me after the war jist like she did 'fore. She has a hun'erd lashes laid up for me now, and this how it am. My brudders done lef' massa after the war and move nex' door to the Ware place, and one Saturday some niggers come and tell me my brudder Peter am comin' to git me 'way from old missy Sunday night. That night the cows and calves got together and missy say it my fault. She say, 'I'm gwine give you one hun'erd lashes in the mornin', now go pen them calves.' "I don't know whether them calves was ever penned or not, 'cause Peter was waitin' for me at the lot and takes me to live with him on the Ware place. I'm so happy to git away from that old devil missy, I don't know what to do, and I stays there sev'ral years and works out here and there for money. Then I marries and moves here and me and my man farms and nothin' 'citin' done happened.

Katie Darling , now 88 years of age, was born in 1849 as a slave of William McCarty , whose plantation was located nine miles southeast of Marshall on the Elysian Fields Road. Katie was a nurse and housegirl in McCarty household until five years after the war. Her mother died in slavery and her father ran away to the North about three months before the Battle of Mansfield Louisiana. Leaving the McCarty's , Katie moved to Marshall where she resided with her brother until her marriage several years later. Her three children, as well as her husband are dead, and now she is supported by Griffin Williams , a boy she reared, and lives in a three room cabin in Sunny South addition in Marshall. 

You is ta'kin now to a Nigger what nu'sed seven white chil'ren in them "bull-whip" days. Miss Stella , my young mistress, got all our ages down in a Bible, dat is how I knows I was bo'n in '49. I was a slave of Master William (Bill ) McCarty what lived southeast of Marshall close to Louisiana line. I was the only girl, but had three brother, Peter , Adam , and Willis . We all lived to be grown and married. Mammy died in slavery, and Pappy run away while he and Master William was on the way to the Battle of Mansfield. Master say when he come back from the War. That trifling Nigger ran away and jined up with them dam Yankees". Master had six children when the war come on, Herbert , Walter , Jennie , Stella , Bell , and Harvey . I nu'sed all of them. I stayed there in the house with them and slep on a pallet on the floor. By the time I was big enough to tote a cow pail they put me to milking. Master had over a hundred head of cows and most of the time me and Violet , another house girl, did all the milking. We was up before five and by five we better be in that cow pen. We better milk all of them cows too or they'd bull-whip us. But we didn't allus do it. Them calves got lots of that milk. One mornin Master cotched me letting one of the calves do the "milking". It was cold and snow was on the ground and I was barefooted. Master says, "I'll let you off this time". But that don't mean he was allus good to us, cause them cows had more feeling for us than they did. Several times Master would say to Mistress that it was cold and bad and hadn't she better try to find some old shoes for us. Mistress say, "Them Niggers don't need no shoes, they better get out of here to that cow pen". Master McCarty only had three families of slaves on the place. They lived in one-room log houses that had two bunks to the house. They slep' on straw matresses. They et peas, greens, collards and middlings. Niggers had better let that ham alone.

The McCarty place jined the Henry Ware Place. His niggers would wo'k for Master Ware some, and Master Ware's niggers worked for him. The slaves on our place drank meal coffee. They'd parch meal in the oven, bile (boil) it and drink the liquor. When Master Ware's fo'k would have company they bring Mammy's fo'ks the biscuits and "Lincoln" coffee that was left. Dat "Lincoln" coffee was sumpin' to us Niggers. Master Williams fo'ks had it too, but Mistress saw to it that they didn't get anything extra. Master William done all the bossing his-self. When the Niggers done anything he would bull-whip them, but didn't skin them up very often. He tie the men up with ropes when he whipped them. He'd whip them for half doing the plowing or the hoeing, but if they done it right he find something else to whip them for. At night the men had to shuck co'n and the wimmen would card and spin. The Niggers got two garments apiece for winter and two for summer, but no shoes. Sometimes they'd give us the shoes the white fo'ks wore out. We warn't 'lowed to go no where hardly. We worked Saturday jist like Monday, and if that grass was in the field we didn't git no Sunday.They had dances and parties for the white fo'ks chil'ren, but Mistress said, "Niggers was made to work for white fo'ks". On Christmas Miss Irene would bake two cakes apiece for the Nigger families, but she darsn't let Mistress know 'bout it. There warn't many nigger chil'ren on the place. Them as was there would play "Hide and Hoop", "Hiding Switches and Swing" with the white chil'ren, but they darsn't hurt one of them.When a slave would die, Master made the coffin his-self. He sent a couple of Niggers to bury the body and tell them Don't be long. There was no singing and praying allowed, but just put them in the ground, cover 'em up and hurry on back to that fiel'.The white fo'ks told us there was "ghosts" in the country and if we slip off at night they'd get us. I didn't believe in no "haunts". One night I started to slip off and I come up on a big deer there close to the house. His horns looked like a chair setting up there. I didn't know what it was and supposed it was a "ghost". 'Bout the time I saw it Master shot at it, and I ain't been whare I was going yit. The Niggers was all afraid to go down to a certain thicket cause it was "haunted". After I was 'bout grown, I learned that the "haunt" was a white man that the McCarty's and the Ware's hung for stealing mules.

After supper Master would drag out his old fiddle on the front porch and the Niggers danced and sang while he played "Run Nigger Run, the Paddyrollers Will Catch You", and other tunes. They didn't 'low no Nigger to have a book or learn to write. We went to chu'ch with the white fo'ks, but never 'lowed to have our own chu'ch.Niggers didn't court like they do now, Master would pick out a po'tly man and a po'tly gal and jist "put 'em to-gether". What they wanted was the stock.The McCarty place was close to the Louisiana line. I 'member that fight at Mansfield like it was yesterday. Master's fiel' was all torn up with cannon holes. Ever time a cannon would fire, Mistress would go off in a rage. One time when a cannon fired she say to me, "You little black winch, you Niggers ain't going to get free. You was made to wo'k for white fo'ks". 'Bout that time she look up and a Yankee soldier was standing in the door with a pistol. She say, "Katie , I didn't say anything, did I". I say, "I ain't telling no lie, you say 'Nigger ain't going to get free'. That day you couldn't get around the place for the Yankees. They stayed there for weeks at the time. When Master come home from the war he wanted to let us loose, but Mistress wouldn't let them go. I stayed on and worked for them six years after the War. Mistress whip me after the War just like she did before. She has one hundred lashes laid up for me now.My brothers left the McCarty's sho'tly after the war and moved to the Ware place. One Saturday, some of the other Niggers on the place come back from town and tell me that my brother Peter said he was coming after me Sunday night. That night the cows and calves got together and Mistress said it was my fault. She say, 'I'm going to give you one hundred lashes first thing in the morning, now go pen them calves'. I don't know whether the calves were penned or not. Peter was waiting for me at the lot and took me to live with him on the Ware place. I married 'bout three years after I left the McCartys , and we moved to Marshall 'bout seven years later. I'se lived here ever since.