Nelson Davis

I was borned, so my w'ite folks say, in 1836. My daddy was a slave name Nelson Davis , too an' Mammy was call Mary . Befo' she git married to daddy, she was de slave ob a man name Palmour . Bof' daddy an' Mammy lib in Georgia. Dey was born dar too. De folks allers call ma Belse . I had three brudders and two sisters. Dey name was Perry , Dennis , Sasta , Nancy and Caroline . I 'longed to a man name Roland Palmour all my life twil us come ter Texas in 1862. I was er grown man den an' not married. My marster was er kinder ole man an' he had 'bout fifteen families ob slaves. Hit was my task ter allers dribe de ole Marster all ober he plantation in er buggy so he could obersee de wukk. Marster he lib in er big, nice house, but de odder w'ite folks didn't think Marster er rich man, but dey say he had er good libin'. Marster was sho good ter he niggers an' w'en it had ter be done ter whip er bad lazy nigger, de Marster's son, name Evelant Palmour , he would do der whippin'. Ole Marster did not hab many slaves who was mean, dey was er putty good bunch ob niggers. Ole Marster had erbout three hunnerd acres ob land.  Ebery mornin' de slaves was woked up erbout four o'clock an' sent ter de fields ter plough, hoe, cut brush or fire wood an sech. Dey allers wukked twill erbout dusk. Effen er slave had ter be whipped, de w'ite folks allers had hit done 'fore all de oder slaves. Dey would lay de nigger ercross a log an' dey had a leather strap dey would dip in grease 'fore dey hit er lick wid hit. Dey nebber locked no slave up, but de Marster 'ud sho' had dem whipped effen dey wouldn't wukk er effen dey try to run away. Dere was some slaves on dis plantation dat had ter be kep' chained together ter keep dem f'om runnin' erway. Ole Marster allers kep' blood hounds on de plantation to help find de slaves when dey 'ud run erway. One time my brudder he run erway an' w'en de houns find him he in der ribber, an' he has a long blade jes' lak a cradle blade on er reaper; w'ile he out in der ribber, de houn' dey swim up close to whar he at an' brudder, he cut de houn' dog in two, den Marster's boy he tek de old gun an' he tak he sight an' plug down onter brudder but brudder he woe what gwine er happen' an' he duck down in de water. Brudder he stay erway twill he git so pow'ful hongry he boun' ter come home. Ole Marster, he jes' bilin' mad erbout dem houns an' he hab de pattyrollers watch de odder niggers on de plantation so close dat dey jes' nacherlly can't slip no nofin' ter eat ter brudder an so he forced ter come in ter git him something ter eat an' den Marster he cotch him. Marster had him stretched ober er log an' whipped an' den he sot him ter wukk in de field.

Ize seed niggers sold meny an' meny er time. Dey would put de niggers up on er blech an' er man' ud auction 'em off. Der would be a w'ite man come through de country wid er lot ob niggers all chained togedder an' he 'ud stop at er plantation an' der de niggers 'ud be bought an' sold. I was nebber sold, I stayed wid ole Marster f'om de time I borned. Ole Marster an' all he fambly was tollerable good to de slaves but no, dey didn't larn no nigger ter read nor ter write. Us nebber heard tell no news 'lessen us hear de w'ite folkses er talkin' 'mongst demselves, 'bout somefin'. Dar was er church on our plantation fer de slaves. Us all 'ud go ter de church w'en de w'ite folkses had deir meetins. Dar was some ob de slaves on our plantation dat could read an' write but I doesn't know whar dey larned ter do hit, guess hit mus' er been 'fore dey come ter our place. Dar was jes' the preacher man dat libed on der plantation. Us all 'longed ter de Missionary Baptist Church an' us baptize de members. Mos' a usual us hab de baptizins ebery three months on er Sunday in de atter noons. At deze baptisins dey 'ud sing songs an' pray an' do some shoutin'. W'en er slave die, all de odder slaves on our plantation go ter de funeral. Somebody 'ud go ter de carpenter shop an' two or three ob de slaves 'ud make de coffin. De slaves 'ud be buried dar on de plantation in er slave grave yard. Eben effen hit was in der middle ob de week, ole Marster 'ud hab every body quit wukk an' go ter de funereal. Dar was lots ob slaves dat runned erway an' git ercross de line inter what dey call de North. Not none ob dem eber come back effen dey once git ercross dat line. News was took from one plantation ter anodder by slaves. But dey had er pass an' de pattyrollers keep er strict watch ter see dat no nigger stay out too long or be out widout er pass from de Marster. Effen de pattyroller cotch er nigger out too late er widout er pass, he sho whip dat nigger hard.  Dar was allers er slave woman dat stayed at de quarters ter look atter de slave chillun w'ile de old folks an' de odders wukked in de field. Effen any ob de slaves git sick dat ole woman cuss dem too. Ole Marster allers had he w'ite doctor look atter any slave dat git sick. None ob us niggers ebber wear no charms ner sech to keep off de sperets er de sickness.  I fit in de war wid de Southern Soljer an' I hope ter build breastwukk durin' dat war. Dar was times atter er big battle dat Ize seed de ditches plum full ob dead folkses. Dem Yankess was sho smart folkses. Dey jes' necherlly won dat war. W'en de news dat de Souf done los' an' dat us slaves was free, ole Marster, he call us slaves all togedder an' he say us free ez he am, an' dat us could stay dar wid him er us could go whar us want ter go. Some of de slaves lef' an' some stayed wid Marster. I jes' couldn't go no whar else, so I stayed wid Marse lak allers. I think dat dis ole Nelsen nigger was er lots better off w'en us was in slavery dan since us been free. I had er better time den dan Ize had since. Atter erw'ile, I went ter anodder place call Fountain's Place" in Georgia, an' den atter erw'ile I come ter Texas. Ize been in Texas sixty-six year. I guess I had been in Texas mos' nigh eight years 'fore I married a girl named Nancy Washington . She libed in Freestone County, Texas. She died. Den I married Queen Smith an' she died. I had six children dat am libin' an' I got ten chillun dead. I got twenty-eight gran' chillun and twenty great gran' chillun an' three great-great-gran' chillun'. All ob dem lib near Wortham in Freestone County, Texas an' dey wukk an' lib on farms.