Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Green Jones

A small amount of gray hair showed at the sides of the old felt hat that Green Jones was wearing. The dark face, typical in contour of his race, was adorned by a thin gray beard. A white striped fabric shirt and tan trousers made up his clothing, and well worn shoes were on his feet. A little walking cane added just a touch of jauntiness. He was quite young when freedom came and his memory of early days is limited. He was born and reared near Abbeville, in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, on the plantations of Mr. Guss Perry and Mr. Landry . My daddy' fus' master was a sugar planter name' Gus Perry . He secon' master was name' Landry , and he mos'ly raise' cotton. My mammy was Ca'line Jones . I was jis' a li'l chile in slav'ry time and I play 'roun' de big house. All de li'l white and cullud chillun run 'roun' and play togedder When I was real li'l, my mammy she come back outer de fiel' to look atter me once in de day. She look atter me at twel' 'clock in de night. Den was when I git nuss. Now, I 'members some 'bout slav'ry time, but I hear mo' dan I know since den. I see de sojers when I was a li'l boy in N'Yawlins. Dey was Yankees. Dey wo' blue unifo'm' and cap, and sich. My daddy he was in de army and us all move' to N'Yawlins. I 'members sump'n' 'bout de Klu Kluxes. I seed 'em. Sometime dey come in dey 'customed clo's, and sometime dey wear other kinds. Seem to me lots of time dey dress like Mardi Gras. I dunno so much how dey look. I so 'feard of 'em I didn' wait to look at 'em. Atter freedom come and I git bug 'nuff, I do mos' any kinder work I kin find to do. I farm wid my pappy in V'milion some. I fus' come to Texas in 1890, and stay here 'til 1914. 'Bout den I work all 'long de Santa Fe, at Voth and other places, lumberin'. Den I come back to Beaumont in 1920 and I been here eber since.

I been marry two time. My fus' wife was name' Lettie Jones . Now she name' Lettie Light . She got too much for me. Den atter dat I marry my secon' wife. Her name was Daisy . She dead. Us hab a quiet weddin'. I pay de preacher. Us had a nice supper wid cake and wine. One of us daughter, name Daisy , she grow up, den she die. De res' of 'em die' young. Ghos'es? Yes, I seen 'em. Sometime dey stan' up like a pusson (person). Sometime dey like a skeleton. I uster tu'n my head 'roun' and see 'em. I seen 'em at night, but I neber see none in de day time. I's heerd 'bout conjur' people, too, but I ain't neber see none, so I dunno nuttin' much 'bout 'em, 'cep'n' what I heerd and I dunno much 'bout dat. De bigges' part of my days I spen' doin' hard work. Dat how come I's so broke up like I is now.


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