Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Zeno John

Zeno John , a small man with scant gray hair and beard, was walking along the streets of Beaumont. His lips are thinner and his nose more prominent than many of his race. An old gray coat was thrown lightly across his arm. He was clothed in an ensemble of blue shirt, vest and trousers, of which each piece gave evidence of coming from a different source. A felt hat of several winters was on his head, and on his feet were Boston elastic shoes. He was born near Ville Platte, Louisiana on the plantation of Sauterne Fontenot , where he grew up during and subsequent to the war of 1861-65. He willingly seated himself and gave such an account of his early experiences as he could remember, emphasizing the fact that much of those events 'come back to him like a dream.

I was jis' 'bout t'ree or fo' year' ol' when de war was over and freedom come. I warn't big 'nuff to t'ink 'bout slavery den and when I growed up big 'nuff, it was done gone. When I's ol'er, I hear what people say, and I kin sorter 'member back on what I been from and den I see mo' 'bout it. My ol' marster was Sauterne Fontenot and his fus' wife was name Certerne . She die' while de war was a-goin' on. He marry again but she warn't my mistis 'cuase dat tuk place atter freedom come. Dey was all Cath'lics. I was christen' in de Cath'lic Chu'ch over in Ville Platte, Lou'sana. Dat where I bo'n and raise up and dat where my marster live. I was too li'l to do any wuk in slavery time. All de li'l chillen, white and cullud, jis' play 'roun'. Sometime dey call us to pick up chips and li'l t'ings like dat or bring 'em li'l t'ings dey want, but dey ain't mek de li'l niggers wuk when dey li'l, 'cuase dey want 'em to grow up strong. Dey had a man to do all de heavy wuk. Dey allus had one in de bunch to look 'roun' and see atter de res' and train 'em. Dey start' 'em to wuk when dey git at de age to start out and do wuk. I seen 'em come and git my marster and tek him to de war, but I was so li'l I didn' know what it mean. Marse Fontenot he live in a big 'roun' top house, had a top like dat (a hip-roofed house). Dey had a big plantation and lots of niggers. I dunno how many dey had. I neber see 'em wukkin' in de fiel'. I too li'l. Dey didn' 'low de li'l chillen to go out to de fiel' where de growed up niggers was a wukkin. Sometime us chillen see 'em tekkin' a nigger off to whip him. Us try to foller and see what dey gwine do to him, but dey allus mek us go back. Dey neber 'low us to see 'em whip him, but us could hear him holler. Dey was a good bunch of chillen 'roun' dat place to play. De chillen from de nex' plantation 'roun' dey all come dere and play togedder. Marse Fontenot had mebby fo' or five chillen hisse'f. I 'member dey was two of 'em gals. I 'member de sojers comin'. Dey was dress' in blue clo'se. Dey jis' go in de barn and tek de co'n. Iffen dey couldn' git de key jis' bus' in de do'. I t'ink dey call 'em robbers.

My mother she name' Clara John and my father name' Zeno jis' same as me. On my ma's side dey was t'ree of us. Two of 'em die. On my father side dey was scattered. I dunno how many dey was. Dey's one livin' now in Oklahoma. He was de baby. I dunno how my parents marry. Marster could mek 'em marry who he want to. When de marsters see a good big nigger sometime dey buy him for a breeder. My daddy was much of a man, yessir. My mother was a good size woman. She warn't so tall like my daddy, but she mo' sorter fat. Befo' he die he say he had sebenty chillen, gran'chillen and great-gran'chillen  Atter de war my parents move away. Dey share crop and farm. My ma had another man den. When freedom come all de darkies move away from de ol' plantation. Us uster live in li'l log cabins on de ol' place. De fus' wuk I done was hoe and plow and farm for my step-daddy. I done dat 'till I git big 'nough to wuk for myself. In dem times de cullud folks didn' mek no record. Dey jis' go by what ol' marster say. We neber uster know what it was to go to a sto', and us neber know how to spen' money. Ol' marster he had a cemetery what he bury de niggers in. Dey bury de white folks in de Cath'lic cemetery in Ville Platte. De slaves had preachin' 'rangements 'mong deyselfs. Dey had a leader for dey meetin's. When any nigger die de leader he fun'alize de corpse. When de babies bo'n ol' marster allus hab em christen' in de Cath'lic chu'ch but when dey grow up dey kin be what dey want to. I uster b'long to de Odd Fellows. I neber hol' no office. You hafter be l'arn' (learned) to hol' office and I couldn' qualify. I neber did go to school. I heerd 'bout de Klu Klux. We call 'em Jay-hawkers. Dey go in de house and rob. Dat was in de time of de war. I didn' see 'em but I heerd 'bout 'em. I don' know no 'member of 'em killin' anybody but iffen dey was any money in de house dey sho' git it.  Well, dey claims dat Jesse James was a jayhawker. He was one to hisself. Dem fellows in de war time come in a crowd togedder. I don' 'member de songs but I hear de white folks talkin' 'bout "Dixie Lan'." I hear 'em say 'Lib and die in Dixie. When I was 'bout 17 or 18 year' ol' I marry. I was farmin' for myself den and I marry Mary Johns . She was a Baptis' and us git de Baptis' preacher to marry us. I neber jine' her chu'ch, I's Cath'lic still. Atter Mary die' I marry Marthy Johns . I was 'bout thutty den. I's had five chillen, fo' boy' and one gal. T'ree of de boy, dey's a hobo-in' like. Dey ain't got no wifes. Sometimes dey's a-passin' through and see me and sometime dey don't. I calls 'em tramps.


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