Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Mary Gaffney

Mary Gaffney was born in Selville, Miss., in 1846 and brought to Texas in 1860. She settled in the western part of Madison County and has been there ever since. My father was owned by Jessie Wilson and Mother's name Mary Gaffney now. I had one sister name, Sue . There was only the two of us and Sue was nearly grown when I was born so I did not play with her so much. I heard them say I had grandparents, but I never did see or hear much of them as they would not let us think much about our people then because if we did it would be hard to trade us off. Now I gets a small pension from the Government and the little jobs I gets to do for the white folks I does pretty well.

I was born in Selville, Mississippi in the year of 1846 and brought to Texas in 1860. We settled in the western part of Madison County and been there ever since. My father was owned by another man, his name was Jessie Wilson . Mother's name, May Gaffney now. I had one sister name, Sue . After we came to Texas mother was put with another man named Joe Gaffney . Our home life we did not know very much about as being only two of us kids and Sue was nearly grown before I came along so I never did play with her so much. Since I could remember Mistress had me bringing in wood and doing jobs like that around the house. Our quarters were good, it was built out of hides put together with poles. It was always dry inside and our beds were on the ground in one corner of the room. There was six of us negroes to the room. Our beds were made out of grass, shucks and few cotton seed scattered over that, and we could get close together and crawl under that straw and keep real warm and dry all the year round. Of course that was not much protection from wild animals like we had here then, but that was what Maser built for us to stay in and that is where we had to stay.

After Maser sold out and came to Texas we had log quarters built different, and we had the same kind of beds, but here Maser locked us in at night cause there was lots of Indians then and they would scalp everyone they could find. We were afraid to go very far from our quarters unless Maser was with us. No sir, I heard them say I had grandparents, but I never seen or heard much about them as they would not let us think much about our people then because if we did it would be hard to trade us. The work I did was to clear land, hoe cotton and corn, build fences and I had to help Mistress cook. Son, I done nearly any kind of work that came along on the farm. No sir, I never did earn any money. Maser gave us a nickel or dime once and awhile and I spent mine for candy as that was about all we could buy then and not very much of that as it was all made by hand. Yes we had plenty to eat at all times, pork and beef cooked on the open fire, toasted as it was called then, and sometimes we cooked it on a great big flat iron skillet. We had cornbread, grated by hand gathered from the field, as we need it once a week while we was in Mississippi, we had flour too and plenty to eat growed out of the garden. Yes we had possum, rabbits and fish. I likes fish the best, get them fresh water fish like we had then fried good brown, well - "go away from here man  No sir, Maser always had big garden and he let the slaves have what they wanted out of his garden. In hot weather we had white royal clothes. Our shirts or dress was made out of homespun clothes. In cold weather we had woolen clothes and they were real warm. On Sundays we had white shirts and they must be real clean. No shoes did we see, though in cold weather we took tan hides and wrapped around our feet to keep them warm. My wedding dress was just plain white royal shirt or dress as you want to call it. Maser was a good man, bless his soul, though we knew to hop when he said jump, because he was a man that did not take a lot of foolishness as he was a real quiet man and he always done what he told you he would do. Mistress she was a jolly good woman, full of life; things never did bother her, she was always laughing and talkin. Their children was real good hard working boys. They had five boys and no girls. One of them boys could ride the wildest horse that was ever roped. Maser's home was log house, had 4 rooms with hall run through and was covered with boards that the slaves riveted out with their hands. Everything that was built then came out of the woods by hand. Maser had about 100 acres in his plantation and had about 18 slaves on it. He woke us up every morning about 4 o'clock and we had the work done around the house and we would be waiting in the field for daylight to come. We worked just as long every day as we could see. We was whipped if we did not work or got stubborn there on the farm. But back there in Mississippi I'se saw slaves wear bells because they would get a pass and not come home when Maser would tell them to and for being contrary. Them bells was fixes on a brace so'es the slave could not hold the clapper or get them off. It was plum disgrace if a slave was put in that shape, they would all laugh at him or her and that would make the slave feel bad.

Everyone that had very many slaves had a jail on his plantation to lock the slave in everytime they got so unruly and they would give the slave a good whipping and then put him in that jail and stop all his going away, that would hurt the slaves worse than a beating. They would not let him go to the dances or go see his woman or things like that. Yes, I'se seen slaves sold and auctioned off. The first thing they did was to make us clean up good and put clean clothes on, then they would give us some tallow from a beef and grease our face, hands and feet, then they would trot us out before the bidder so he could look us over real good; then he would offer Maser a price. Maser never would take the first bid, he would always get the highest bid he could before he sold; then the fun would take place, all the hollering and bawling you never heard. Well you have sold calves from cows haven't you? and heard them bawl for 3 or 4 days for their calves, that was just the way with the slaves. Mostly like burying a slave, because when they sold a slave the new buyers would nearly everytime carry them clear out of the state, and the slaves that were left at home would not even know where the new Maser was carrying them or even his name. They done that so we would not be wanting to go see our son, daughters, mother or father.

Well I saw one slave in chains one time and he needed to be, yes sir, as they was a girl there on the plantation and he begged his Maser for her and his Maser finally agreed to let him have her, as he was a pretty well built negro. They was married, that is, when Maser put her to him that was all they was to marrying then. He lived with her most a year, then she was going to have a baby and he did'nt want her to, so there one night he just choked her to death. Maser put him in jail at night and in the daytime he had to wear chains around his legs. He never could go to any more dances or have not another free day there on the plantation. On Sunday he was locked up and kept away from all the rest of the slaves, but they told me he finally got hold of some wire and hung his self before freedom. That was pretty hard to put on a negro but he committed a hard thing when he choked his wife and unborn baby to death. Well no sir, they did not learn me how to read and write, I caught on enough to sign my name when Mistress was teaching her boys how to read and write there on the slate at night, as I used to go over to her house and fix their supper, wash up the dirty dishes and then fix the white children's beds, wash them, put on their night clothes and put them to bed. We had church there close, as we went to the white folks church, they always had a place in their church fixed for the slaves. Maser and Mistress always set aside an hour every Sunday to read the Bible to us and teach us about that book. They always taught us to tell the truth, if we was caught telling falsehoods Maser sure would land on us. My favorite preacher, Bro. Andrew , was always coming to Maser's home and teaching us about the Book. I'se don't remember none of them songs we use to sing, I'se plum forgot all about them. I'se so happy son, cause I knows I'se going to that happy place when I dies, Glory be to God. When a slave died we just dug a hole in the ground, built a fence around it and piled him in, no singing, no preaching or praying ever took place during slavery time. Maser would say,  Well he was a pretty good negro, guess he will go to Heaven all right  and that was about all they was to a negro funeral then. We would not even shed a tear because he was gone where they would not be any more slaves. That was all the slave thought about then, not being a slave because slavery time was hell. You know son, the negro race of people are free and happy if they can go where they want to and can get cornbread and sorghum syrup once a day. They can hardly stand to be kept where they can't prowl or roam at night, as that is nature with our people to roam around at nighttime just like a hawk. Well they was one or two slaves that tried to run off and go to the north but they did not get very far, as the white people caught them, if the white man had not got them the patterrollers would have. That was one thing the slaves sure were afraid of, them patterrollers, they beat the negro pretty bad. Son, when we went to our quarters we just mostly fell in at the door we would be so tired when we came in from work, it would be 9 or 10 o'clock at night. We always had the stock to feed, cows to milk, hogs to tend to so it would be real late every night when we got to our quarters and we would be plum quiet and still until they left, as all the slaves were afraid of them because they were real rough on the slaves. They did not show the slaves any mercy at all in no way. No we did not work on Saturday evening, but Saturday morning we washed all the slaves and also Mistress' clothes, then Saturday evening we washed and cleaned up ourself for Saturday night, as that night the slaves had moonlight dance somewhere on the plantation. We did not have floors in our quarters so we went somewhere under big tree where the ground was hard and level to dance. That was the happiest time of the slaves because the rest of the time it was just about like being a convict, we had to do just like Maser told us. We would get together and dance, talk and have our fun, Maser he would not be there to holler instructions at us. I never will forget them old dances out there in the woods, as we had negro banjo picker and some would be beating on tin pans and so on  for the negroes to dance by. These dances lasted all night long as they was no one to bother us and the next day was a holiday and we did not have to work on Sunday. We sometime had to go to church but the most of the Sundays we either was on the creek in swimming or else we were just lying around sleeping or telling tales about our self. Christmas, that was the most happiest day of the year. Maser he always gave the slaves some kind of present. The young negro boys would be out at the front caring for the young white people's horses and the negro girls were in the house taking care of the men's hats, overcoats and girls wraps. The old negro woman would be in the kitchen helping her Mistress prepare a good meal, then after all had eaten the slave girls they washed up the dirty dishes; the boys they would be getting all the furniture out of one of the largest rooms preparing it for a big dance that night for the young white folks. They would pick out the best negro player for the young folks that night and every time a new couple could come in to take his place on the dance floor, he would have to walk under the miseltoe and kiss his girl, then we could all get a real laugh out of the. That was the happiest time of the year, as Maser would let the slaves all have a good time and he was not hard on the slaves at Christmas, then when Christmas week was over, on New Years Day we would all pass resolutions for the coming year. The slaves was always glad to see Christmas come, but when it was over they would be sorry because then, work began for another year and hell to pay if we did not do exactly like Maser wanted us to do.

When one of Maser's family died, the slave would take on worse than if it had been one of their own, because most of the time Maser's family was more of a friend to the slaves then their own color was. Although we never had but very few deaths of either color while we were slaves on our plantation. The games we played as children were: See-saw, wolf over the river and then we played ball, throwing it over the house. One player would be on one side and the rest would be on the other side, and when he caught the ball then he would try to catch one or more of the players on the other side of the house; the ones he caught before they got on the other side of the house would be on his side until he could catch all them before the game was broke up. We had something that would charm Maser so he would be good to us. Take a stick and place it under his doorsteps, drive it one lick every night until we could drive it plum up in the ground without him seeing us or leaving any sign, what we was doing then, that would charm Maser and he would be good to us until that stick rotted all to dirt, then we would have to drive another stick in the ground under his doorsteps. We has caught rabbits, cut off their feet and tied that around our neck on a string to bring us good luck. Yes sir, I seen plenty of ghosts. One time I went to another plantation, when I'se coming home something that had great big red eyes and mouth started coming after me, boss I just out run that thing, it come close to me one time and I run faster than ever. Then another time I'se passed by a graveyard at night, and them there dead people were everyone done come out and sitting there on top of their own graves, then when I started to pass by, them dead people they just dropped back in their graves and never even made a noise. Son, my legs would not carry me away from there fast enough. I guess them dead people just come up out of their graves to get some fresh air, anyway they was dressed in white, I guess they was just Angels and did not want me to see them. One night I was riding horse home from a dance after freedom, and all at once the horse stopped dead still and I listened, then I heard a woman scream out there in the woods, that horse sure did run and snorted till he got home just like something had him. I'se telling my white folks about what I heard, they says, Oh that was a panther. My Maser had some dogs and he gets his gun and dogs and goes back over there and runs that panther all night before he gets to kill it, then he brought it home and made chair bottoms out of it's hide and soap out of the fat. When we got sick we had the best of care. If we was bad sick Maser got the white doctor, if we were just ailing Maser got us the old negro Mammy and she would gather all the medicine out of the woods. She would get red oak bark, Jerusalem oak and pivety roots and boil this down to a syrup then give to us for malaria, chills and fevers. If we had earache, just clip off piece of negro's wool, put that in the stove, brown it until it would crumble then pour in our ears and that would stop at once. For sores she would gather pine tar or pine bark and poke root and cook it to a syrup then add a little tallow or grease and cornmeal, that is the best salve known to man or beast yet. Maser he seen that we had good care, because if he did'nt and let a slave die, he had lost some money, it was not like it is now. If you kill a negro you hire another, that is because the negro is not worth money to them like they was then. I know that we had better care then than we do now, because we do not have the money to pay doctor bills with and therefore we have to do without and suffer it out the best way we can. Yes I remember that was because Maser he went and took my man with him. When Maser came home he was terrible dirty, ragged and his beard was awful. I don't think he had hardly shaved since he left. I'se heard my man say that war was terrible thing to go through with. He had to help bury dead men and then help to take care of them that was shot. He said they just dug long hole and piled from one to twenty-five men in together, never even put them in a box or anything but what they had on. I think its awful when they just pile a whole bunch of people there in a hole together and pile the dirt on top of them. No preacher to pray for them, nothing but guns popping while they are being buried.

When Maser come home he told me that I was free, I just hollered, because then I could go where I wanted to or I could get on a log and jump off if I wanted to, but my merriment did not last long because I'se soon began to wonder who was going to feed and clothe us or get us doctor when we got sick, then we began to ask Maser and cry as we did'nt know what we was goin to do. Well he said, he did'nt know as the government had done freed us and he did'nt have any more to do with us. By that time we had began to beg Maser to let us stay there with him, and finally said he would let us know in a few days what he could do. We had nothing to eat and he would not let us have anything while he was thinking what he could do with us, and when he did finally tell us what he would do, we was the happiest bunch of negroes you ever saw. He said he still had the quarters, teams and land and if we wanted to we could stay on there with him and work his team and land on the halves and he would let us have a few clothes and our groceries, then that fall we could pay him for what groceries and clothes he let us have out of our half of the crop. Yes sir, we sang cause we knew we was going to have something to eat then, eat and we did. We was the happiest negroes you ever saw, we could go where we pleased and knew we had a place to stay. We worked on there that way for Maser eight or ten years, but I am going to tell you son, we did not have an easy time, nosir, because everything we got we had to work for. When I married it was just home wedding, fact is, I just hated the man I married but it was what Maser said do. When he came to Texas he took up big lots of land and he was going to get rich. He put another negro man with my mother, then he put one with me. I would not let that negro touch me and he told Maser and Maser gave me a real good whipping, so that night I let that negro have his way. Maser was going to raise him a lot more slaves, but still I cheated Maser, I never did have any slaves to grow and Maser he wondered what was the matter. I tell you son, I kept cotton roots and chewed them all the time but I was careful not to let Maser know or catch me, so I never did have any children while I was a slave. Then when slavery was over I just kept on living with that negro, his name was Paul Gaffney . Yes after freedom we had five children, four of them is still living. My grandchildren I don't think I can count them but I thinks they are twenty. I'se had one great-granchild. Yes they are all here close farming but none of them are doing any good, they are just starving through some way. Well son, I don't know exactly what I did expect from freedom, but I knows different from what I got I can tell you. I'se kept hearing about our race back there in Africa how free they was and how they did not have to work like we did here. I'se could get free I'se be like by grandparents back there in Africa, I'se could roam the woods, get our living out of the woods and sleep where night overtook us and live with the man I wanted to and they would not be any law there to bother us.

Then again I'se thought maybe they would give me part of Maser's land as we had made what he had. But no sir, we was not given a thing but freedom. Yes we got hell if we were not careful what we done. Instead of being free, slavery had just begun among the negroes and the poor white people, if we were not careful after we were supposed to be free, and went anywhere we were not to go, hell was to pay. In other words we was a people turned loose like a bunch of stray dogs, and yet we were not free either. Instead of going where we pleased we could not for several reasons. No sir, there was not any homes divided or was we given one, no sir, and our owners did not give us money or force us to stay as servants. But still we were worse off than servants after the war, as they most always knew their jobs, but we didn't as we did not know anything only what our Maser's made us do. Did not have a place we could go. If we were caught in town without our white man with us we got run out by the other white people, as then we was lower than a dog, that was the way the white people saw us. But somehow by suffering hunger, cold and everything that a race of people could, we got by some way, I don't know how and we are still here and bringing more and more negroes into the world every way. I'se done anything I could get to do, or as I had better say, what the white people would let me do, as I says we was freed one way to go in worse slavery than ever, as under real slavery we did have plenty to eat some clothes to wear and someone cared whether we got sick and died or not, but after the war we did not have anything to eat half the time, no money to buy clothes with much less money to have a doctor with when we got sick and no one cared what became of us, we could have died for all our white man cared. If we got work which we had to do, half the time we never got payed for that so we had to take just what they would give us. If we could have got everything we worked for, then our living would still be small as our wages never were more than 15 to 35 cents a day, and that was hard work from sun to sun. Well in a way them K K K they were a real help to the negro race of people, though I never was afraid of them because I knew I was not going to do anything for them to get hold of me. I knew one negro that Mistress sent him to San Antonio for his Maser so he would have horse to ride back. He was riding one horse and leading another, she did not send pass with him as the war was over and the slaves were done declared free and before that negro boy got to where he was going them K K K held him up for his pass and he did'nt have any, so they took him off his horse and beat him up so bad he liked to have died, then they took some rawhide strings, bound his hands and feet around that horse's belly and turned that horse toward home. When he got home he was nearly dead, without anything to eat or drink. They had to take him from that horse and carry him to his quarters and the doctor thought for several days that he was going to die, as inflamation had set up in his legs where he was bruised. An old negro mammy there saved his life by putting his feet in a pan of hot water, boiling that inflamation out of that negroe's legs and he got well. That is what the KKK would do for the negro if he tried to leave his Maser without his Maser say so, and if we went to another white man it was because Maser was tired of us and we would have to go where Maser said go and work for the man he said work for. Well, we voted if our white men said vote and for who he said vote for, as we did not know anything then about voting or who to vote for unless Maser told us. The way we voted was to go touch the pencil as he voted, we never did know who we voted for or what good we was doing in voting. All we knew was what our white people told us to do and we better do it, as I told you we was not a free people and still are not. Anyway we have become more and more educated and I think now that we should be allowed more privilege in voting, but we still have to vote like the white man tells us to vote and we have to pay taxes if we have cows, hogs, or horses and we have to send our boys to fight for our country and then we do not have any say in who we elect to office, I don't believe that is right. You see we cannot vote him out of office and the white man can, so I guess that is the reason they do us like they do is because they can. Well I'se never done anything yet but cook, kept house and helped my man farm. We was to where one time we cut cordwood for $1.00 a cord to get something to eat as we did not have a bite and no way to get it except cut wood. I'se helped him saw all day long, but now the government is better to me than they is ever been, they give me a small pension now to get by on with me still doing little jobs for the white people such as, washing and things like that. You asked me son, about our young people. They does pretty well, that is some of them do. I'se believes if times would ever get better they would do lots better than they do. The worst trouble with the young people they will not tell the truth, but that is not their fault, they have just learned more the ways of the world as they have become more educated. They have advanced from what we were when we was turned loose without any education, could not hold jobs like these young negroes can. They can read and write and they have found out how the white people has done them so they have got to where they will steal and not tell the truth, and the white man, most of them will beat the poor negro out of everything he can, then make the negro pay two or three prices for what he gets and some of the store people will charge the negro a higher price than he will his own color. I guess they think that is all right, but I don't.


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