Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Melea Malone

Melea Malone born in Montgomery County, Texas owned by Mastor Johnson Collard , first mistress named Ann , and last mistress named Margaret Collared . My name before I married were Emme March King . I had a good master, and mistress. They never spoke a cross word to us slaves. I had a good feather bed to sleep on during slave time. I'se raised my feathers from shoulder. I plowed and hoed. I sometime pick cotton. Sometimes we had a small cotton patch. We earned a little money that way. We had big fat coon, possum and rabbits, but my brother turned me against rabbit cause he spit on one I had cooking. Lord have mercy child. That liked to have killed my soul. Yessir, we cooked in a big skillet. We cooked meat in one end, and potatoes in the other end. It was about three feet long. We wore old hume spun dresses, made out of cotton after we picked the seed out of the cotton. My mistress wouldnt let me wear short dresses and I don't like a short dress yet. In cold weather we wore good warm outing. When I married I had on warm white dress and my mother made it--the first Sunday dress I ever had. I had a good master--he was good to his black folks and my mistress told me long as her eyes were open she would protect her negroes. My old master he lay in the heart of the earth and I still praise him. My master he live in a good plank home. We stay in small one room house in back yard. Our master he ring bell about day light. He made us git out and got to work, but he let us quit fore sundown. So we could cook that grub. Lord child, you hear these calves bawl, when you take or sell it mammy, that is way slaves did when they had auction sale or trade, the slaves away. The woman and children they bawl holler and cry, cause lots times they never would see husband, son, wife or brother any more. Some of the children never hear tell of their father. We totes pass if we travel except to our masters brothers, if you did the patter rollers would get you. They would cut you to. I seen one slave chained to horse and he ask me to give him drink of water. I had to hold the bucket to his lips so he could drink. His hands was chained behind him. He would run off that was his whipping. I went to white folks church and the white preacher he preach to us black folks. No sir, we was not allowed to read. They work us pretty hard every day. Sometimes I would fall right in the door, and sleep and the patter roller would come and walk all over us. My master call me to the door and told me I was free that I could go or stay just which I wanted to do. Yes sir, we make crop on half when we set free. We make good crop. My first husband was B. D. Johnson . We had one boy and one girl. We have church wedding, preacher marry us. He died then I married Peter Malone . We have three children. We have home wedding and no preacher marry us. I have seventeen grand children. I havent seen one of my boys in 52 years, another one in 41 years. The boy that I live with he farm.


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