Texas Slave Narratives

 

 

 

 

Texas Slave Narrative

  William Hamilton

William Hamilton belonged to a slave trader, who left his on the Buford plantation, near Village Creek, Texas. The trader did not return, so the Buford family raised the child with their slaves. William now lives at 910 K. Weatherford St., Ft. Worth, Texas.

Who I is, how old I is and where I is born, I don't know. But Massa Buford told me how durin' de war a slave trader name William Hamilton , come to Village Creek, where Massa Buford live. Dat trader was on his way south with my folks and a lot of other slaves, takin' 'an somewheres, to sell. He camped by Massa Buford's plantation and asks him, 'Can I leave dis li'l nigger here till I comes back?' Massa Buford say, 'Yes,' and de trader say he'll be back in 'bout three weeks, soon as he sells all the slaves. He mus' still be sellin' 'em, 'cause he never comes back so far and there I am and my folks am took on, and I is too li'l to 'member 'em, so I never knows my pappy and mammy. Massa Buford says de trader comes from Missouri, but if I is born dere I don't know. De only thing I 'members 'bout all dat, am dere am lots of cryin' when dey tooks as 'way from my mammy. Dat something I never forgits. I only 'members after do war, and most de cullud folks stays with Massa Buford after surrender and works de land on shares. Dey have good times on dat place, and don't want to leave. Day has dances and fun till de Ku Klux org'nizes and den it am lots of trouble. De Klux comes to de dance and picks out a nigger and whups him, jus' to keep de niggers scart, and it git so bad dey don't have no more dances or parties. I 'members seein' Faith Baldwin and Jeb Johnson and Dan Hester gittin' whupped by de Klux. Dey wasn't so bad after women. It am allus after dark when dey comes to de house and catches de man and whups him for nothin'. Dey has de power, and it am done for to show dey has de power. It gits so bad round dere, dat de menfolks allus eats supper befo' dark and takes a blanket and goes to de woods for to sleep. Alex Buford don't sleep in de house for one whole summer. No one knowed when de Klux comin'. All a-sudden up dey gallops on hosses, all covered with hoods, and bust right into de house. Jus' latches 'stead of locks was used dem days. Dey comes sev'ral times to Alex ' house but never cotches him. I'd hear dem comin' when dey hit de lane and I'd holler, 'De Klux an comin'.' It was my job, after dark, listenin' for dem Klux, den I gits under de bed. Why dey comes so many times round dere, am 'cause de second time dey comes, Jane Bensom am dere. Jane an lots of woman, wide as de door and tall, and weighs 'bout three hunderd pounds. I calls, 'Here comes de Klux,' and makes for under de bed. There an embers in de fireplace and she fills a pail with dem and when de Klux busts in de door she lets dem have de embers in de face, and den out de back door she goes. Two of dem an burnt purty bad. De nex' night back dey comes and asks where Jane am. She 'longs to Massa John Ditto and an so big everybody knows her, but de niggers won't tell on her. She leaves de country fin'ly, but dey comes lookin' for her every night for two months. Right over on Massa Ditto's place, am a killin' of a baby by dem Klux. De baby am in de mammy's arms and a bunch of Klux ridin' by takes a shot at de mammy, and it hits de baby and kills it. Right after de baby killin', sojers with blue coats comes dere and camps front of Massa Buford's place and pertects de cullud folks. I goes over to dey camp every day and dey gives me lots of good eats. De cullud folks has lots of trouble after de war, 'cause dey am ir'rant niggers and gits foolishment in de head. They gits de idea de white folks should give dem land and mules and sich. Over in de valley, Massa Moses owns lots of land and fifty nigger families, and he gives each family a deed to 'bout fifty acres. Some dem cullud folks grandchillen still on dat land, too, de Parkors and Farrows and Nelsons and some others. Den all de other niggers thinks dey should git land, too, but dey don't, and it make dem git foolishment and git in trouble. In 1897 I marries Effis Coleman and has no chillens, so I is alone in de world now. I can't do much and lives on de $10.00 de month pension. De white folks lets me live in dis shack for mowin' de lawn, but I worries 'bout when I can't do no more work. It am de awful way to spend you last days.


William Hamilton , 77, 910 E. Weatherford St., Ft. Worth, Tex., was born a slave to Mr. William Hamilton , a traveling slave trader who left William while still an infant, with Alex Buford . This was done with the understanding that he would return and take William, but he failed to do so. Alex was owned by Mr. Buford , who owned a plantation near the Village Creek community, which is located about two Mi. E. of Handley, Tex. William does not know anything about his place of birth, except as informed by Mr. Buford . His vocation has been farming, and common labor. He married Effie Coleman in 1897. No children were born to them, and they were separated in 1901. His story:

Who Ise am, how old Ise am, who my Marster am, whar Ise bo'n, an' all sich am told me by Alex Buford . If 'twarnt fo' him, Ise not know nothin' 'bout sich. 'Twas dis away, jus' befo' de wah am closed, my Marster William Hamilton , comes through heah an' stops at Village Creek. Thar am whar Alex Buford lives on Marster John Buford's plantation. Alex am owned by Marster Buford . Marster Hamilton am a nigger driver, an' he was on his way south of heah, wid my fo'ks an' 'bout 50 tudder slaves. He am tookin' dem somewhar to sell. He camped by Marster Buford's place an' says to Alex ,  Could Ise leave dis piccaninny heah wid yous 'til Ise come back in a little while. 'Twill be soon as Ise sells de slaves. Yas sar, says Alex ,  Ise will keep him fo' yous. How long 'twill be? Marster Hamilton says,  Bout three weeks. Soon's Ise sell all de niggers.  Well, him must be still sellin' de slaves, 'cause he never comes back so far. Well, thar Ise am, left, an' my fo'ks am took on. Dat am de last Ise ever see of my fo'ks. Marster Buford told me dat my Marster's name am William Hamilton , an' dat's de way Ise gits my name.

Marster Buford says Hamilton am f'om Missouri. He says de reason he wants to leave me at Buford's , 'cause he don't want to sell me, an' am gwine to keep me fo' himse'f. My mem'randum aint much 'bout de wah, an' Ise jus' have little 'collection 'bout my fo'ks an' w'en Ise left at Buford's . Ise 'membahs 'twas lots of cryin' w'en dey tooks me 'way f'om my mammy. 'Twas something Ise never fo'gits. Ever' time Ise thinks 'bout it, my blood heats. Mostest of de cullud fo'ks stays on Marster Buford's place after surrendah, an' wo'ks de land on shares. Alex am owned by Marster Buford , an' he stays on de place too. In dat section am de Ditto's , de Cannon's , an' de Johnson's plantations, an' mostest of de cullud fo'ks stayed on their Marster's place. Deys 'joyed demse'ves wid de parties an' dances. Dey had good time 'til de Ku Klux Klan am o'gnized, den 'twas lots of trouble fo' de cullud fo'ks. De Klux comes to de place whar de dance am gwine on, an' picks out some nigger, an' whups him. Deys do dat jus' to keep de niggers skeert. It gits so bad 'til de cullud fo'ks am 'fraid to have parties an' dances. Ise big kid den, but warnt old 'nough to dance. Alex always tooks me wid dem w'en dey goes to dance, so Ise 'membahs seein' Faith Baldwin , Jeb Johnson , an' Dan Hester gittin' whupped. De Klux warnt so bad after de womens, 'twas de mens mos'ly. 'Twas always after dark w'en dey comes to de house, catch de men, an' whups him fo' nothin'. Deys have de powah, an' 'twas done fo' to show dey have de powah. It gits so had, de men fo'ks always eats their suppah befo' dark, tooks a blanket an' goes to de woods fo' to sleep. Alex Buford don't sleep in de house fo' one whole summah. Twas so dat no one know w'en de Klux comes. All a-sudden deys gallop up on hossback, all covered wid hoods, an' bust right into de house. 'Twarnt any locks on de dooah dem days, jus' latches whar used, so deys could push right in. De Klux comes sev'ral times to Buford's place, but him am never catched. Him always gone to de woods. Ise could heah dem comin', an' w'en dey hits de lane, Ise heah de  Ca-clap, Ca-clap. of de hosses hoffs. Ise hollers,  De Klux am a-comin. 'Twas my job after dark, listenin' fo' de Klux. Den if Alex am thar, he skidoos an' Ise goes under de bed. How it come dat deys comes back so many times am 'cause de second time dey comes, Jane Benson am thar. Now, Jane am lots of womens. Wide as de dooah an' tall, an' Ise sho she weighs 300 pounds. Well, Ise heah de  Ca-clap, ca-clap, of de hosses an' says,  Heah comes de Klux, an' Ise makes fo' under de bed. Thar am embers in de fire place, an' she fills de pail wid dem. W'en de Klux busts in de dooah, thar am six-seven, an' deys all cluttered together, she lets dem have de embers in de face an' out de back dooah she goes. While dey am fittin' off de embers, an' he'pin' one an' tudder, Jane am to de woods. Two of dem am burned purtty bad, so deys have to took care of de ones dat am hurt, an' don't took time to hunt fo' her. 'Twas dark anyway, so 'twarnt any use to hunt 'cause she am in de woods, an' dey would have a hard time to find her. Dey comes back de next night, an' ask 'bout whar she am. Jane use to b'long to Marster John Ditto , an' she am so big ever'one knows her, but weuns don't know anything 'bout her, or anybody else. Dem days, cullud fo'ks won't tell 'bout tudder fo'ks. No sar! If deys had catched her, dat woman would be in fo' some hard whuppin's, but she left de country, an' goes to Moser Valley. Fo' 'bout two months, deys come once ever' week, lookin' fo' Jane . Over on Jack Ditto's place, thar whar a killin' of a baby by de Klux. De way 'twas, de baby am in de mother's arms, an' a party of Klux am ridin' by, an' tooks a shot at de mammy. Well, deys don't hit de mammy, but deys hits de baby an' kills it. Right away after de killin' of de baby, thar am sojers wid blue coats came thar. Deys camped in f'ont of Buford's place. Dey protects de cullud fo'ks, an' den 'twarnt any mo' whuppin's an' sich. Ise goes over to de camp 'bout ever' day, an' plays wid dem. Deys have lots of fun wid me, an' feeds me lots of good eats, so Ise sad w'en dey goes 'way. Deys stayed fo' a long time. Ise don't 'membahs how long. De Klux picked on Jack Ditto's niggers mo' dan de tudders. Yous see, he am a Baptist Preachah an' preached to de cullud fo'ks, an' m'ybe de Klux don't lak fo' him to does dat. Now, Ise can't tell 'bout trouble over votin'. Ise only heahs 'bout sich. Ise know Alex Buford voted couple times. Ise never voted, 'cause it am a fake de why cullud fo'ks have to vote heah.

Anyway, Ise can't read nor write, an' dat makes it hard fo' me to vote. Ise have to have someone do de votin', an' den Ise don't know what dey does wid my vote, so why vote?  Sho, de cullud fo'ks have a hard time after de wah. Dey am igno'mus niggers, an' gits lots of foolishments in de head. Thar whar wome fo'ks dat thinks de Gov'ment am gwine to give dem de white fo'ks's farms, an' sich. M'ybe dat talk am stahted 'cause Marster Moser , over in de valley, gives his cullud fo'ks land an' mules, an' sich. Marster Moser owns lots of land, an' owned 'bout 50 nigger fam'lies. W'en surrendah comes, he leaves all de fam'lies on de land, and gives dem each a deed to 'bout 50 acres. Thar am some of de boys of de cullud fo'ks dat gits land, dat am still thar. De Parkers , Farrows , Nelsons , an' some tudders. Yas sar, Ise mai'ied once. 'Twas in 1897 Ise mai'ied Effie Coleman . Weuns lives together fo' seven yeahs, den sep'rates. Weuns have no chilluns, so dis cullud fo'ks am 'lone in dis world. Ise can't do much wo'k, an' only gits $10.00 de month pension. De white fo'ks dat owns dis place lets me live in dis shack, an' fo' dat, Ise mows thar lawn. Ise worries lots 'bout how Ise gwine git by w'en Ise can't do any mo' wo'k a-tall. 'Tis awful way to spend yous last days.


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