Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Rosie McGillery

I was owned by Alton Sharp , brought to Texas from South Carolina, born 90 years ago. My fathers name I dont know. Mothers name Johanna Sharp . I'se had two brothers, Felix and Fred Sharp . I had no sisters that I know about. My grandparents I dont know about excepting I'se heard my mamma talk about them. I'se heard her say that back in Africa that they lived in a house that was built out of straws, that come together like old-fashioned potato hill plum round at the top, and that they were not able to read or write nor had to work like we do today as the men climbed cocoanut trees and used bow and arrow to kill all we had to eat.  Boss they never did worship God like they do now. They worshiped the moon, stars and sun. I'se played with the little white children cause my brother was sold to another man before I got old enough to play with them but we had pretty good quarters. We had good quarters in South Carolina. I came to Texas about six months after the war stopped. Our quarters in South Carolina were built out of logs with the cracks stopped with mud. Sos we would not freeze in cold weather. We worked mostly in tobacco fiel and shed curing and growing tobacco. Then I'se cooked some for mistress Luler , casue she was sickly most of the time. Then she had large family to wait on. Master he sometimes would give me nickel or dime and when I get chance I would buy candy, but it was not often that he ever give one of his slaves any money. Boss, master he always had plenty to eat. Yessir, I'se cooked great big pots of rabbits and possum. I'se still like possum cooked good and brown with them potatoes, lay all around that possum. I'se believes I'se likes possum better than I do rabbit. The slaves never had garden master he always have a big garden and he would feed the slaves and when it got cold we had woolen clothes. In warm weather we wore jest old loyal clothes. And on Sunday we wore white loyal shirts or dresses. Master, he was good man. He was sure good to his slaves. Mistress Luler she was just plum white angel, and they have white children, tho they was mischief, just like all children are and they live in old time log house with lots of shade trees all around it. It had these here open and shutter windows in it. They didnt have glass windows likes they do now and master he never had no big bunch of slaves he had four grown slaves and he had two little slaves, he have about twenty acres in his plantation. He never grow anything but tobacco. He would wake up the slaves every morning about four thirty o'clock. He would have us in fiel waiting for daylight to come so we could see then he work us every day jest long as we could see. He hardly every whip one of his slaves. He would hit him thirty nine licks with his whip. You know sometimes your mule he get stubberin you have to whip him that was the way of slaves. Yessir, I'se seen slave sold all the bawling and hollering it took place cause most time it meant separation and they didnt know whether they would ever see one another or not. They would make the slaves take bath, clean up, then grease their hand and face until they could shine like new money. Sos they could get good price for them they wanted slave to be in good shape just like if you gone sell yearling you would want him fat. That was what they did with the slaves. If one of them had broken leg, arm or didnt have but one eye, he or she didnt bring a good price. Why, boss the slave didnt travel much unless they had pass then he have to have a pass to the place where they were going and when they started to a certain place they better gone to that place if they didnt the patterroller would get negro and what they done to slave would be plenty. They would hit him thirty nine licks with raw hide. Boss, the patter roller they were bad to the negro he wouldnt go anywhere but what they would be watching them. So us slaves, we had to behave our selves. We had church, that is the white folks did and master he make us go to church every Sunday and he always taught us to tell the truth.

I'se remember old preacher Spear . He preach to the negro every time he could and I just loved that white man. Boss, that preacher he was always telling us about the little babe in the manger. When they have funeral among the slave, they always had preacher to conduct the funeral. The negro they would sing a song or two then the preacher he would pray. Then the negro they would pile the dirt around that negro. Boss, the slave mostly went and fell in at the quarters cause they would sure be tired and give out. No sir, master always give us holiday on Saturday. On Saturday nights we always had banjo pickin, tin pan beating and negro dance. Sunday we lay a round and rest so we wouldnt be give out Monday. When we gets home from church cause master he make us go to church we would rest then. When I'se child, boss I'se always with the white children. We play wolf over the river, and ring games where both old and young both would take part. We would ring up and drop a rag behind some one, and that one catch one that dropped the handkerchief, if he didnt catch him he would go in the middle of the ring. He couldnt get out unless he steals the rag from some one and that one he had to get in the middle. So on and so on. When the slaves become sick the master he always look after them, because he didnt want to lose one. Some time we had sassafras tea then other time the doctors he would give us pills. I have had string tied around my neck with camphor to keep away the chills and fevers. When little chile is cutting teeth the best thing that can be done is to tie string around her neck with spices of all kind and let it stay there. I'se remember plenty about the war. Cause the first thing we had to do was all the women and children leave the state after the war started, to get out of the way of them there soldiers. The fences and barns was all burned all the stock killed and captured, boom, boon bang every where boss, and I couldnt be still. I'se half pick up soldiers and some would be dead, some nearly dead, them they would finish killing. Most time when they bury them they would dig a long hole and pile them all in there together cover them over with dirt. When that thing was over lots of the boys they never come home. Some of the people didnt know their boys was kilt until after the war, and their boys never did come home. When the war was over, master he called all his slaves to his back door and told them they were free, that they could do as they pleased. Boss, and we all begin to cry and holler, because our master he was good to us. We begin to ask him what we were gone to do now as we couldnt read nor write, didnt have no money, no job and nothing to eat. He told us that he didnt know, but that he still had his place there and it had to be rebuilt, and if we wanted to stay he would give us a job for awhile. We all stays with him about six months then another white man said he was coming to Texas and we began to beg him to let us come to Texas with him. He said we could come if we was able to walk that far. So's he gits covered wagon and starts with us following, father, mother and me. He would let us ride some if we give out. Boss all we had to eat was what we could kill. He had one of them old time guns. Some time we could trade meat to the Indians for corn. One place, boss, the Indian they got mad at Mr. Jones and steal his horses, but he followed them and made friends with the Indians and they let him have his horses back, then one time they rode by his camp and begin shootin at his small son James . They come down to the mill where he had stop to help a man, took some sugar cane, laughing, telling him they scare papoose, have some fun out of pale face. He just laughed with them and gave them a big arm full of sugar cane and they rode on. Boss, we was most two years getting to Texas, in the mean time along the way his wife, Mrs. Sarah , she take sick with fever and dies. We digs grave beside the road and here he make casket out of log to put her in. He didnt have no preachah, he just took large rock, cut her name on it and lay at the head of her grave. Then he just rides off and leaves her there.

After I got to Texas, I marry Lee McGillery . We have big wedding and plenty to eat. We have seven children, three girls and four boys and we have twenty-seven grand children. Theys all farming and they are not doing so well. I thought the government ought to have give us better treatment than they did. They wouldnt let us claim any land for a long time then we like to not got any thing to work it with. We had to use wood plows and Lee he finally got holt of two steers and broke them to work. Them days we never had much to eat, save what we kill and growed. Didnt have money like we got today. It was a hard matter for negro to get anything with out he had some white folks to get it for him and if negro got out of his place the KKK would take him out and tar and feather him. They often got after the negro here in the south. Wouldnt let negro vote, nor say in anything that was to do here in south. They were always after negro if he wouldnt work for nothing. He had to be doing something if he didnt here comes the KKK all robed up to where they look like ghost. They were very few negro here in the south that voted. Boss, I'se never done nothing but farm and keep house and cook for my family. The government now gives me a small pension and then I gits out and does odd jobs to get by on. I thinks this here young bunch of negro aint no count. They wont tell the truth and they wont work but I think if the times were better they would do lots better, cause say well what the use to work we will get beat out of what we make anyway. So they are no need for us to work. Boss, I dont know what gone come of these here young negroes casue they wont tell the truth. The old devil is gone get the hole bunch, but I'se lays lots of it to these here hard times, cause when negro is doing pretty good they are lots different from what they are now.


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