Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Larence Holt

 

Larence Holt , 79, was born near Weedville, in Tyler County, Texas, a slave of William Holt . He new lives in Beaumont, Texas.

I's jus' small fry when freedom come, 'cause I's born in 1858. Bill Holt was my massa's name, dat why dey calls me Larnce Holt . My massa, he came from Alabama but my mammy and daddy born in Texas. Mammy named Hannah and daddy Elbert . Mammy cooked for de white folks but daddy, he de shoemaker. Dat consider' a fine job on de plantation, 'cause he make all de shoes de white folks uses for everyday and all de cullud people shoes. Every time day kill de beef dey save de hide for leather and dey put it in de trough call de tan vat, with de oak bark and other things, and leave 'on dere long time. Dat change de raw hide to leather. When de shoe done us black dam with soot, 'cause us have to de dat or wear 'am red. I's de little tike what help my daddy put on de soot. Massa have de big plantation and I 'member de big leg house. It have de gallery on both sides and dey's de long hall down de center. De dogs and sometimes a possum used to run through de hall at night. De hall was big 'nough to dance in and I plays de riddle. My mammy have four boys, call Eb and Ander and Tobe . My big brother Eb he tote as many buckets of water to de hands in de field he were all de hair offen de top he head. I be so glad when Christmas come, when I's li'l. Down in de quarter us hang up stocking and us have plenty homemake ginger cake and candy make out of sugar and maybe a apple. One Christmas I real small and my mammy buy me a suit of clothes in de store. I so proud of it I 'fraid to sit down in it. 'Torials in dem day was strong and last a long time. One time I git de first pair shoes from a store. I thought dey's gold. My daddy bought dem for me and dey have a brace in de too and was nat'ral black. When freedom come us family breaks up. Old missy can't bear see my mammy go, so us stay. Dey give my daddy a place on credick and he start farm and dey even 'low him hosses and mule and other things he need. My massa good to de niggers. I stays with my mammy till she die when I ten year old and den my brother Eb he take me and raise me till I sixteen. Den I go off for myself. young year us have good time. I fiddle to de dance, play 'Git up in de Cool,' and 'Hepus Creek and de Water.' Us she' dress up for de dance. I have black calico pants with red ribbon up de sides and a hickory shirt. De gals all wears ribbons 'round de waist and one like it 'round de head. Us have mere hard time after freedom come dan in all de other time together. Us livin' in trouble time. 'Bout 15 year age I lest a leg, a big log fall 'cross it when I makin' ties. I had plenty den but it go for de hospital.

Peg-legged Larnce Holt , 79, native of Tyler county and resident of Hillister, Texas, is still active despite his handicap. His round head is almost hairless while a thick stubble of beard edges his un-wrinkled face. Heavy winter underwear buttons beneath his chin, but his one good foot is bare because of the heat. Larnce lost his leg when a heavy log crushed it about 15 years ago. Although he was small when freedom came he has many incidents to relate of the period immediately following the Civil War. Bill Holt was his master. I's jus' small fry w'en freedom come. Ain' eber 'member doin' no wuk much, not eben erran's. I's bo'n in Tyler county, five mile' from Woodville. Bill Holt was my marster's name, dat's why dey call me Larnce Holt . My marster he come from 'way over dere too. I mean Al'bama. Bofe my mudder Hannah Holt an' my daddy, Elbert was Texas'. Dey hab a big plantation. I 'member de big log house. It hab two rooms an' gallery on bofe side'. Dey's a open hall down de center. De dogs an' sometime' a 'possum uster run t'roo de hall at night. De hall was big 'nuf to hab dance' in. Atter I git a young man I play fiddle for de dance in de ol' w'ite folks' house. My mudder was de cook for de w'ite folks but my daddy he de shoemaker. Dat consider' a fine job on de plantation. He mek all de shoes de w'ite folks use for eb'ry day an' all de cullud people' shoes. Dey hab w'at dey call tan vats. Dat was a troff (trough) w'at dey put de hides in. Den dey put oak bark an' other t'ings an' leave dem dere a long time. Dat change de raw hide to ledder (leather). Den dey mek shoe' an' harness an' sich t'ing outn' dem. Dey raise dey own ledder on de farm. Eb'ry time dey kill a beef dey save de hide for ledder. W'en de shoe' done, us black dem wid soot. Us hab to do dat or wear dem red. I's de little tike w'at holp my daddy put de soot on an' den maybe I hol' de nail' for him sometime. I 'member de fus' pair of shoe' I git from a sto' (store). I thought dey was gol'. My daddy bought dem. Dey was a Crissmus gif' 'bout de las' one befo' freedom, I t'ink. Dey hab a brace in de toe an' dey was natural black. I be so glad w'en Crissmus come. Down in de quarter' us hang up us stockin'. Dey hab plenty of home-mek ginger cake, candy mek outn' sugar, an' maybe a apple for de stockin'. One Crissmus I be real small an' my mudder buy me a suit of clo's in de sto'. I so proud of it I 'fraid to sit down in it. 'Terials (materials) in dem day' was strong an' las' a long time. Dey's fo' (four) us chillen belong to us fambly. My mudder hab fo' (four) boy', Tobe Bendy , he was jus' a ha'f brudder. My other brudder' name' Eb an' Ander . My big brudder Eb he tote water to de han's in de fiel', w'en I's jus' a baby. He tote so many bucket' on he head down to Brigg Spring an' back dat he wo' (wore) all de hair offn' de top he head. Dat Brigg Spring deeper'n' I is. W'en freedom come us fambly bre'k up a w'ile. Ol' mistus can't bear see my mudder go so us stay.

My mudder stay an' I stay. Dey give my daddy a place on credick an' he start' fa'm (farm) right of way. Dey eben 'low him hosses, mule' an' t'ings he need. My marsters was good to de help. My brudder, Ander, he stay wid mudder. My daddy hab a big dinner on de Fo'th of July. He hab goat an' chicken an' blackberry an' peach pie. Some of de w'ite folks come down an' mek a speech. My daddy pay for all dat food. De nex' year or two atter dat my daddy give de fus' Juneteenth dinner in de ter'tory (territory). Dey hab big speech dere too. De nex' year dey hab de cel'bration at Spring Hill an' from den on 'roun' dif'rent settlement. My mudder die' w'en I 10 year' ol' an' my brudder, Ebho , he tek me an' raise' me 'til I 16. Den I go off for myse'f. Dem young year' us hab good time. I fiddle to de dance. Fiddle' 'Git up in de Cool' an' 'Hopus Creek an' de Water.' Us play 'base' on Sunday wid de gals. Us chase one another an' holler. Us sho' dress up dem day. De clo's was home-mek. I hab black calico pants wid red ribbon up de sides an' a hick'ry shu't. De gals all wear ribbon 'roun' dey wais's an' one jus' like it 'roun' de head. Dey comb dey hair an' wrop it in black string. I reckillec' de big September sto'm. Lots of de fence blow down an' stuff wander off an' git drown'. Us hab go out lookin' 'long de crick bank. Mos' dem 'long Tootlan Creek. Dat win' (wind) an' rain las' near' a week. No supply wagon could git t'roo an' us hab to lib on 'taters an' milk an' not much of dat. Us see mo' hard time atter freedom come dan in all de other time togedder. De ol' marster an' mistus been dead 'long time but us still libin' in trubble time. I marry for a home 'cause I's all 'lone. Lucy dat I marry den, she still my wife atter 55 year'. Us hab 12 chillen an' on'y t'ree die. It 'bout 15 year' ago I los' dis leg. I's mekkin' ties an' a big log fall 'cross it an' bre'k it all up. I had plenty den, but one plantation go for de hospital an' I los' de other. I ain' neber use no tobacco. I's a deacon in de chu'ch. De Holiness Chu'ch. I's de head of de committee of de Farmer's Union, de charity an' sich committee. Chu'chs ain' w'at dey uster be. Dey uster be solid but dat don' mean nuthin' now. You can't 'pend on dem.


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