Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Julia Malone

Julia Malone , 79, was born a slave of Judge Ellison , who owned a thousand acre plantation near Lockhart. Texas. Julia's mother was killed by another slave. Julia stayed with the Ellison family several years after she was freed. She lives at 305 Peroy St., Fort Worth, Texas. "Jedge Ellison owned out a thousand acres land near Lockhart, a few miles up de Clear Fork river.

Right dere I is borned, and it were a big place and so many goin' and comin' it look like de beehive. Do buildin's and sheds look like do li'l town. "I 'member bein' left in de nursery whilst my mammy work in de fields. One night she go to de river for to wash clothes. She has to wash after dark and so she an washin' and a nigger slave sneak up on her and hit her on do neck, and it an de death of her. So de woman what mammy allus live with takes care of me den and when freedom come she moves to town, but massa won't let her took me. I stays on with him and runs errands, while I is not fannin' do new baby. Dey has six while I'm dere. I fens dem till I draps asleep, and dat call for de whippin'.  My fester mammy comes out and asks masse to let her have no, but he won't de dat. But who puts one over on him fin'ly and gits me anyway. He an gone and missus an gene and I has to stay home alone with do last baby. and a man and woman what was slaves on de place 'fore surrender, comes by in a wagon and tells no to jump in. Dey takes no to my foster mammy and she noves and won't 'low me outside, so massa can't ever find me.  She 'splains lots of things to me. I done see de women stick dere heads in de washpot and talk out loud, while us in slavery. She tells me day prayin' for de Lawd to take dem out from bondage. Dey think it right to pray out loud so de Lawd can hear but dey mustn't let de massa hear dem. "I asks her 'bout my father and she says him on de place but die 'fore I's borned. He was make de husband to lots of women on de place, 'cause he de big man. "She am good to me and care for me till I meets de boy I likes. Us lives together for fifteen years and den him dies. My chillen is all dead. He name am William Emerson and I waits nine years 'fore I marries 'gain. Don I marries Albert Malone and I's lucky 'gain. He's de good man. One day he an fixin' de sills under de house and de whole house moves over and falls on him. I feels so grievous over dat I never marries 'gain. Dat thirty-four year ago. and I lives alone all de time. It ain't 'cause I doesn't have de chance, 'cause lots of bucks wants me, 'cause I's de hard worker. I washes for de livin' and washes old massa's daughter's clothes. Massa am de powerful man durin' slavery and have de money and fine clothes and drives de fine teams and acts. like de cock of de walk. All dat changes after freedom. I seed him layin' in de sun like do dog. I offers to wash he clothes and he jus' grunt. He done turned stone deaf, and de white folks say it 'cause he done treat he slaves so bad. I done live here in Fort Worth 'bout fifteen years with my daughter, Boulah Watkins . I's mighty happy here, and has de $10.00 pension and thanks do Lawd for dat.


Julia Malone , 79, 305 Percy St., Ft. Worth, born a slave to Judge Ellison who owned a 1,000 acre plantation near Lockhart, Texas, and many slaves including her mother who was murdered by one of the Judge's slaves. Julia worked for the Ellison family several years after freedom when she was kidnapped and taken to a negress who was her mother's companion during slavery. This woman cared for her until she was 15 when she married Wm. Emerson ; 3 children were born to them before his death 15 years later. In 1900 she married Albert Malone who died in 1903 after the birth of a daughter. "I'se bo'n sev'ral yeahs befo' de wah on de plantation dat Judge Ellison owns. 'Twas 'bout 1,000 acres neah Lockhart a few miles up de Cleah Fork River. Ise don't know 'bout de numbah ob slaves on de place but 'twas so many gwine an' comin' dat 'peared lak de bee hive. 'Twas so many buildin's on de place fo' dey raised ever'thing dere dat deys need fo' food an' de clothes. Deys grows de cotton to sell but keeps some ob it an' some ob it and some ob de wool f'om de sheep to make de clothes. 'Twas de makin' ob de clothes aftah wo'k houahs dat caused so much trouble 'twix de overseer an' de niggers. Deys was tired aftah wo'kin' all day dey would drap asleep. Den 'twould come de whuppin'. "Ise 'membahs dat Ise left in de nursery by my mammy while am wo'kin' in de field. Den one night my mammy went down to de river fo' to wash some clothes. Youns see dat's de way she have to does to git some clean clothes. If she am not weavin' an' spinnin' de cloth, she am washin' de clothes aftah wo'k. Dey don't lets her off f'om wo'k til dahk an' makes her wo'k ever' day. If she wants to wham she have to goes to de timbah an' cut a little wood. So she am washin' de clothes an' a nigger slave f'om de place sneak up on her an' hit her on de neck an' 'twas de death ob her. Ise don't know w'y den but Ise miss her. Ise stay on wid de women dat lives wid my mammy fo' many yeahs. "W'en freedom comes she moves to town but de Marster wont lets her took me. Ise stay wid de Marster an' runs errands while Ise am not fannin' a new baby. Deys have six ob dem while Ise dere. Ise stands an' fans de babies 'til Ise draps fast asleep. Dat calls fo' de whuppin'. De white fo'ks dat visits de place tells de Marster an' de Mistez 'twas hahd to stand in one place an' fan, not movin' 'round. Any chil's would goes to sleep while jus' fannin'. De Marster jus' whups me anyway 'cause him says dat 'twas all Ise good fo'. "My fostah mother comes out an' ask de Marster to give me to her but de Marster says Ise bettah off whar Ise am. Ise don't know what fo' 'cept to fan de chilluns an' wait on de old fo'ks. Deys don't send me to chu'ch or to school. Ise don't learn any-anything but Ise know as much as de tudder kids 'cause deys don't sends dem either while Ise dere. My fostah mother puts one over on de Marster an' gits me anyway 'cause sev'ral yeahs aftah freedom w'en de fo'ks am all gone an' left me fannin' de new baby de man an' woman dat 'twas slaves on de place befo' freedom comes drives up in de wagon an' hollers fo' me to come out. W'en Ise comes out dey says, "Jump in". Ise jump in an' 'way weuns goes. Dey tooks me to my fostah mother who am livin' in town. Right away she moves f'om de place whar she am livin'. W'en weuns gits to de new place she tells me not to goes outside fo' any reason. Ise gits awful tired stayin' in de house but 'twas lots bettah dan fannin' all dem babies dat keeps acomin'. "While Ise am livin' dere wid her she tells me all 'bout de old slave life. She tells me 'bout de hahd times my mammy have in slavery. She 'splain lots ob thing to me dat Ise often wondahs 'bout but am skeert to ask de Marster or de Mistez. She 'splain one thing to me dat Ise wants to tells youse 'bout. Ise often sees womens stick dere heads in de wash pot an' talk out loud. She 'splains dat dey am prayin' fo' de Lawd to tooks dem out f'om bondage. Deys thinks dat dey must talk loud fo' de Lawd to heah but deys must put cloth over deys head to keeps de Marster f'om heahin' dem pray. 'Twis one prayah dat am answered 'cause youse see de niggers am free. Ise ask 'bout de whuppin' an she 'splain 'bout dem; she show me many scahs on her back f'om whuppin'. "Ise ask 'bout my father an' she says him am on de place but dies befo' Ise bo'n. He was used fo' de father to sev'ral womens on de place. He was a big man an' my mammy was a big woman. Ise am not de runt; Ise six foot fouah an' up til Ise gittin' so old Ise could do de days wo'k. "While Ise am livin' dere wid her de nigger dat killed my mammy was caught in de act. Youse heah' 'bout de nigger in de woodpile? Dis nigger was in de woodpile on de white man's place w'en his wife scream fo' help. Some neighbah men come runnin' an' she tells dem 'bout de nigger catch her skirt but run w'en she screams. De men finds de nigger hidin' in de woodpile an' tuks him 'way f'om dere an' says de rope am not good 'nough. He aint been seen since an' Ise 'spect it severs him right. He tells de men dat him am de one dat kills de wench on de Ellison place so weuns knows him am de one dat murdered my mammy. "My fostah mother cared fo' me 'til Ise meets de one boy dat Ise lak. Ise mai'ied him an' weuns lived together fo' 15 yeahs w'en he died wid de slow fever. Ise 'bout 15 w'en weuns mai'ied an' weuns have 3 chilluns. Deys all dead. His name am William Emerson an' am good man. Ise waits fo' nine yeahs befo' Ise mai'ys 'gain. Dis time Ise mai'ied to Albert Malone an' Ise lucky 'gain 'cause he am tudder good man. He wo'ks hahd all de time an' gives weuns good livin'. Him one day am fixin' de stills undah de house. Ise am in de house sattin' down sewin' on something w'en de whole house moves over an' falls down on him. De house broke his back an' busted one ob his lungs. W'en de house fall Ise know dat something have to be done quick. Ise sees fust if Ise can does somethin' but Albert am pinned an' can't says anything. Ise runs to de next place whar dere am two mens wo'kin on a wagon. Deys comes wid me an' fixes one ob dem ballast things whar de small end ob de board am undah de place youse wants to lift. Den deys lift while Ise goes undah an' drags him out. He never says tudder word to anybody an' 'taint long 'til he am dead. Dat fust me all up. Ise feels so sorrowful 'bout it dat Ise never mai'ys 'gain. Dat's been 34 yeahs ago an' Ise lives 'lone all de time. 'Taint 'cause Ise don't have de chance to mai'y. 'Twas lots of bucks dat wants me 'cause Ise hahd wo'ker. "After Albert dies Ise wash de clothes fo' de livin'. Ise wash de old Marster's daughter's clothes dere in Lockhart.

 De Marster broke down aftah freedom comes fo' de niggers. Him was de powe'ful man while de niggers am in slavery. Have lots ob money an' wore fine clothes, drove fine teams wid carriages, an' walked 'round lak de cock ob de walk. All dat changed aftah weuns am free. Ise sees him layin' in de sun lak de dawg. Ise offers to wash his clothes free but him jus' grunts an' his daughter says, "Aw let him 'lone. He never done anybody any good." Ise feels sorry fo' him anyway. He tu'ned stone deaf. De white fo'ks says 'twas 'cause he treats de slavery niggers so bad. Deys says 'twas de Lawd's punishments on him. "Ise comes to Fort Worth 'bout 15 yeahs ago to live wid my daughter, Beulah Watkins . Ise mighty happy heah. De State sends me $10.00 de month pension an' Ise thank de Lawd fo' dat. De white man can give an' de white man can take 'way, dese niggers all time runnin' 'round mouthin' 'bout de 'mount deys gits pension bettah 'membahs dat. Ise can does de things dat Ise wants to an' Ise 'membahs dat w'en de gospahs goes to mouthing 'round me. Ise goes 'round mindin' my own business


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