Jerry Moore

Jerry Moore , a native of Harrison County, Texas, was born May 28, 1848, a slave of Mrs. Isaac Van Zandt , who was a pioneer civic leader of the county. Jerry has always lived in Marshall. For fifty years after he was freed he worked as a brick mason. He now lives alone on the Port Caddo road, and is supposted by a $15.00 per month pension from the government. My name is J. M. Moore , but all the white and cullud folks calls me Uncle Jerry . 'cause I has lived here mos' since Marshall started. I was born on the 28th of May. in 1848, up on the hill where the College of Marshall is now, and I belonged to the Van Zandts . That was their old home place. I never did see Col. Isaac Van Zandt , my mistresses' husband, but has heared her and the older folks talk lots a him. They say he was the one who helped set up Marshall and name it. They say he run for Governor and had a good chance, but was never honorated as Governor, 'cause he died 'fore election. My mistress was named Fanny and was one sweet soul. She had five children and they lived here in town but have a purty big farm east of town. My mother sowed for Mistress Fanny , so we lived in town. There were lots of niggers on the farm and everybody round these parts called us 'Van Zandt's free niggers.' 'cause our white folks shared with their darkies and larned 'em all to read and write. The other owners wouldn't have none of Van Zandt's niggers. My mother was Amy Van Zandt Moore and was a Tenneasian. My father was Henry Moore and he belonged to a old bachelor named Moore , in Alabama. Moore freed all his niggers 'fore 'mancipetion except three. They was to pay a debt and my father was Moore's choice man and was one of the three He bought hisself. He had saved up some money and when they went to sell him he bid $800.00. The auctioneer cries 'round to git a raise, but wouldn't nobody bid on my father 'cause he was one of Moore's 'free niggers'. My father done say after the war he could have buyed hisself for $1.50. So he was a free man 'fore the 'mancipation and he couldn't live 'mong the slaves and he had to have a guardian who was 'sponsible for his conduct till after surrender. They was lots of niggers hers from the free states 'fore the war, but they wasn't 'lowed to mix with the slaves. Mistrass Fanny allus give the children a candy pullin' on Saturday night and the big folks danced and had parties. She allus gave the children twenty-five cents apiece when the circus come to town. The patterrollers wasn't 'lowed 'bout our place and her darkies went mos' anywhere and wasn't ever bothered. I never seed a slave whipped on our place. She give her darkies money along for doin' odd jobs and they could spend it for what they wanted. She was a Christian woman and read the Bible mos' all the time. She give my mother two acres of land at 'mancipation. The first thing I seed of the war was them musterin' and drillin' sojers here in Marshall, back in Buchanan's time. Politics was hot in '59 and '60. I 'member 'em havin' a big dinner and barbecue and speakin' on our place. They had a railroad to Swanson's Landing on Caddo Lake and the train crew brung news from boats from Shreveport and New Orleans. Soon as the train pulled into town it signaled. Three long. mournful whistles meant bad news. Three short, quick whistles meant good news. I went to town for the mail with my Ex-Slave Stories (Texas) Page Three) sister durin' the war. She'd say to me, 'Jerry , the sooner the war is, the sooner we'll be free. All the Van Zandt Negroes wanted to be free. They didn understand how well they was bein' treated 'till after they had to make their own livin.  I rec'lect the time the cullud folks registered here after the war. They outnumbered the whites a long way. Davis was governer and all the white folks had The Loyal League give him money to leave on and he stayed away a long time.