Amy Else

Amy Else , an 89 year old Negress, is a native of Harrison County, having been born June 20, 1848, at Marshall, Texas, as a slave of Dr. William Evans , a pioneer preacher and physician of Harrison County. During her infancy, Amy's father was sold to Judge Adkins , but Amy and her mother remained in the Evans household as servants of Dr. Evan's daughter, Miss Joe Evans . Amy's mother left the Evans immediately after Emancipation, to join her husband, but Amy continued to live with the Evans until three years later, at which time she went to reside with her parents. Five years later she was married to George Else , of Marshall, and lived with him until his death, eighteen years later. She reared eight children to be grown and married, and since the death of her husband, has been supported by them. Amy now lives with a married daughter, Rosie Webb , in the Macedonia Community, five miles northwest of Marshall. She receives a $10.00 per month old age pension from the Government.

I was bo'n way back in slavery time right there in Marshall and has seed the town grow from a skit of woods to what it is now. I is 89 years of age and has good health ca'se I was well took care of by Dr. Evans , my white folks, and I has allus lived right and been took good care of since I was sot free. My Master's homestead was right where Bishop College is. He had a big farm and hundreds of Niggers west of town, but I never went out there. His home place was a big fine house with the "quarters" built 'round the edge of the yard. In his house he just kep' my mother to spin, and the cook. The first work I done in slavery time was to nuss (nurse) my mama's babies so she could spin. My father's name was Sam Lacy , and we went in the name of Lacy . He was born in Texas, but I don' know where. Dr. Evans sold him to Judge Adkins when I was a baby. My father was a first class carpenter and worked for Judge Adkins till after freedom. My mother's name was Lucy and was born in Memphis, Tennessee. I'se heard her tell how she was out in the yard feeding chickens and a speculator come up to the fence and say to her, "Come here, young one, I'se got something for you". She went to him and he grabbed her up and put her in a wagon under some quilts. She say he had a wagon load of chil'ren he had stole. Dr. Evans was in Memphis, Tennessee and seed her on the block being sold by the speculator, and he bought her and brought her to Texas. He give her to his daughter, Miss Joe , and she raised her and all her children right there on Dr. Evans place in Marshall. I had four brothers, Sam , Anderson , George and Will , and one sister, Dora . My old Mistress was Nancy , that was Dr. Evans ' wife. They had four girls and four boys.

We had everything on earth that we wanted to eat and wear. We et in Master's house after the white folks got through. Old Mistress made the cook load up a big tray of vitels and set it on a table in the hall. Then Marster called us to come and eat. He stood right there by us with a walking cane. If we got to fighting over the vitels, he whacked us over the head with his cane. They spun and dyed cloth by the bolt. My mother run the loom. They dyed the cloth in a big kettle on the fireplace, and made all kinds of clothes for Sunday and ever-day. My Master made all our shoes too. He had a tanning-house there on the place and kep' one man busy all the time making shoes and harness. The "quarters" in town was good houses. We had good beds and bed clothes. Every family had good comforts and blankets. The "quarters" on the farm was fixed good too, and the darkies was treated good. I never heard of my old Master ever hitting one of his Niggers. He had a overseer on the farm, but he warn't 'lowed to whip the wimmen at all, and if he treated the men bad he was turned off. Old Master driv' out to the farm in his buggy every day to see that things went on right. We never had no parties in town for the blacks, but the white folks had big parties. Master never give us any money ca'se we didn't need it; we got anything we needed in the way of food and clothes. They allus give us some kind of presents at Christmas and a big dinner, and we didn't have to work Christmas Day. I didn't play much when I was coming up, c'ase I had to nuss mama's babies so she could spin. Lots of times she had to run the loom at night. No one every told me stories when I was a child.

There ain't no sich things as "ghosts" and "haunts". Some of the Niggers was skeered (scared) of them, but I warn't scared of nothing, 'cept Ruff Perry's hounds that they used to chase Niggers when they run away. My old Master was a preacher for the old Baptist Church in Marshall, 'fore they had a building. They met in a school house for a long time. On Sunday morning he hitched up his hoss (horse) to the buggy and went and held services. Then he come back and got the colored folks. They all walked long behind the buggy to the church, and he give them services. Parson Clemmons was the pastor of the church when I 'fessed religion, and he baptized me. My mama made me a long, white robe to be baptized in. I still 'members the song they sung: Let's go down to Jordon, Religion is so Sweet Let's go down to Jordon Christ said, Baptizing must go on Let's go down to Jordon.I 'members well when that war broke out. My Master's oldest boy, John, went to it. They brought him home all wrapped in a blanket and bad wounded. I nussed him till he died. There warn't no one awake but me when he died, and I was skeered nearly to death. His wife was on the bed beside him but was sleeping when he died. I seed them when they brought dead soldiers home off the battle-field. They was in boxes long rows of them, and they buried them in the old Marshall Cemetery. I 'members when they dug ditches and made banks of dirt 'round the edge of Marshall. They said it was for protection from the "Yankees". I'se seed the soldiers come in town off guard duty, half starved and with hardly no clothes. 'Bout the second year of the war, they built a powder mill north of town. They blowed up the powder when they knowed the "Yankees" was going to win the war. I can tell you when the darkies was sot free. A big bunch of "Yankee" soldiers come through town on hosses and a foot. There was a big band following them and the hosses was keeping time to the music. The soldiers had on blue jackets and big brass buttons and swords shining. It was a pretty sight. I 'members 'zactly what old Master and Mistress done and said when the darkies was sot free. We noticed that Master and Mistress didn't come out of their room till up in the day. It was so quiet round the house it seemed like someone was dead. Way up in the day the farm Niggers started coming in on mules, in wagons and on foot. We was in the "quarters" here in town. Mama asked somebody, "What's the matter, all the hands are coming in from the farm?" Then the cook come to the "quarters" and said for all us to come 'round in the front yard. Old Master and Mistress come out on the porch crying, and Master say to the Niggers, "Peace is declared, you is free." He told us that we could go or stay on the place, and them as wanted to could buy them places. Most all the old generation stayed on and bought farms from him. He let them pay them out by the year. Children of the older generation is still living on the old Evans place here close to Marshall. Them "Yankees" done a lot of dirt right after the war. Two of them come to our house on Judge Adkins place. I was over there with my folks visiting. My mama saw them walk by the window two or three times. She told my father he better hide, ca'se she was skeered them soldiers was up to some devilment. He went out the back door and hid under the house with an ax. Directly they come in the front door and went to the kitchen and started-breaking up the dishes and pouring out the flour and groceries on the floor. Mama tried to get them to leave and one of them hit her with a loom treddle. My father run in the back door with the ax and hit one of them 'cross the back with the ax and broke his back. The other one left. Both of them left their caps. One of them went to town and told the officers that they stopped at a house to get a drink of water and a Nigger hit one of them with an ax and broke his back. The officers come to arrest my father, but he told them 'bout one of them nearly killing my mother with a loom treddle. Judge Adkins and Dr. Evans come up while the officers was there and ordered them off the place. He told them that, "these darkies warn't bothering nobody, and your soldiers come in and jumped on a helpless woman". That was done while the "Yankee" soldiers was camped at Marshall. They done their devilment at night after they was off duty. A while after that the Southerners made them leave town. I stayed on with my Master's folks 'bout three years after my folks moved off the place, then I went to them. I married out of my mother's house.

I'se been the mother of eight children all girls. Five of them is still living. My husband worked on public work in Marshall and I lived with him eighteen years 'fore he died. Since he has been gone, I'se been supported by my children. Three of the girls live here, and two of them in Houston. I just stay round with them. The Government is giving me a little pension. It ain't much, but I'se proud to get it. I never had anything to do with politics. I think the wimmen is doing wrong by voting. The Lord made man the head of everything. It was Eve who made Adam break the law, and wimmen is still doing it today. Some of this young race of our folks will do and some won't. I didn't come up the way most of them is being raised today. I guess it is ca'se times are different now than when I was a girl. I was almost raised up in the church, and was told to allus live right. Most of this young race is awful, don't care anything for the church or have respect for old age.