Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Mandy Morrow

Mandy Morrow , 80, was born a slave of Ben Baker , near Georgetown; Texas. Mr. Baker owned Mandy's grandparents, parents, three brothers and one sister. After she was freed, Mandy was Gov. Stephen Hogg's cook while he occupied the Governor's Mansion in Austin. She married several times and gave birth to eight children. Two of her sons were in the World War and one was killed in action. She now receives a $11.00 Old Age Pension check each month, and lives at 3411 Prairie Ave., Fort Worth, Texas.

Massa, I don' know 'zactly how old I is, 'cause I never gits de statement from my massa. My daddy keep dat record in he Bible and I don't know who has it. But I's old 'nough for to 'member de war 'cause I carries uncle's lunch to him and sees de 'federate sojers practicin'. One day I stops a li'l while and watch de sojers and day am practicin' shootin', and I seed one sojer drap after de shot. Den dere lots of 'citement. and sho' 'nough, dat sojer dead. Dey says it's a accident. I's born in Burnet County on Massa's farm, and I has three brothers call Lewis and Monroe and Hale , and one sister, Mollie . Moat do time Massa am in de town, 'cause he have blacksmith shop dere. From what I's larnt by talk with other slaves, we's lucky slaves, 'cause dere no sich thing as whippin' on our farm. She', dere's spankin's, and I's de one what gits dem from my mammy, 'cause I's de pestin' chile, into something all de time. I gits in de devilment. Massa smoked and I 'cides to try it, so I gits one old pipe and some home-cured tobaccy and goes to de barn and covers up with de hay. Mammy miss me, 'cause everything am quiet 'round. She look for me and come to de barn and hears de crinklin' of de hay. She pulls me out of dat and den dere am plenty of fire put on my rear and I sees lots of smoke. I she' 'members dat 'sperience! We all lives in one big family, 'cept us have dinin' room for de cullud folks. Grandpappy am de carpenter and 'cause of dat us quarters fixed fine and has reg'lar windows and handmade chairs and a real wood floor. Mammy and my grandma am cooks and powerful good and dey's larnt me and dat hew I come to be a cook. Like everybody dem times, us raise everything and makes preserves and cure de meats. De hams and bacons am smoked. Dere am no-hickory wood 'round but we uses de corncobs and dey makes de fine flavor in de meat. Many's de day I watches de fire in dat smokehouse and keeps it low, to git de smoke flavor. I fellows de cookin' when I gits big and goes for myself and I never wants for de job. When surrender breaks all us stay with Massa for good, long spell. When pappy am ready to go for hisself, Massa gives him de team of mules and do team of oxen and some hawgs and one cow and some chickens. Dat give him de good start. My uncle gits de blacksmith shop from de Massa and den him and pappy goes together and does de blacksmith' and de haulin'.

I stays in Georgetown 'bout 20 year and den I goes to Austin and dere I works for de big folks. After I been dere 'bout five year, Gov'nor James Stephen Hogg sends for me to be cook in de Mansion and dat de best cook job I's over had. De gov'nor am mighty fine man and so am he wife. She am not of de good health and allus have de misery, and befo' long she say to me, 'Mancy. I's gwineter 'pend on you without my watchin'.' Massa Hogg allus say I does wonders with dat food and him proud for to have him friends eat it. Yes, suh, de Gov'nor am de good man. You knows, when he old nigger mammy die in Temple, him drap all he work and goes to de fun'ral and dat show him don't forgit de kindness. No, suh, I don't know de names of de people what comes to de Mansion to eat. I hears dem talk but how you 'spose die igno'mus nigger unnerstand what dey talks 'bout. Lawd A-mighty! Day talks and talks and one thing make 'pression on my mind. De Gov'nor talk lots 'bout railroads. I works for de Gov'nor till he wife die and den I's quit, 'cause I don't want bossin' by de housekeeper what don't know much 'bout cookin' and am allus fustin' 'round. I cooks here and yonder and den gits mixed up with dat marriage. De fust hitch lasts 'bout one year and de nex' hitch lasts 'bout two year and 'bout four years later I tries it 'gain and dat time it lasts till I has two chillen. Three year dat hitch lasts. After 'while I marries Sam Morrow and dat hitch sticks till Sam dies in 1917. I has six chillen by him. My two oldes' boys jines de army and goes to France and do young one gits kilt and do other comes home. All my chillen scattered now and I don't know where they's at. In 1920 I's married de last time and dat hitch lasts ten years and us sep'rate in 1930, 'cause dat man am no good. Why for I wants a man what ain't of de service to me de pet, den I gits de dawg or de cat. Shucks! It didn't take me long. When dey don't satisfy dis nigger. I transports dem. De last five and six year I does li'l work, 'cause I don't have no substance to me no more. I's jus' 'bout were out. pension from de state every month and with dat $11.00 I has


Mandy Morrow , 80, was born a slave to Mr. Ben Baker , who farmed near Georgetown, Tex. Mr. Baker owned Mandy's grandparents, parents, three brothers, and one sister. Mandy was former Gov. James Stephen Hogg's cook while he occupied the Governor's Mansion in Austin, Tex. She was a cook from her childhood until her age forced her to quit in 1932. She was married several times and gave birth to eight children. Two of her sons were in the World War, one of them killed in action. She now receives a $11.00, Old Age Pension check from the State of Tex., and resides 3411 Prairie Ave., Ft. Worth, Texas. Her Story:

Marster, I's don't know 'zactly how ol' I's am, 'cause I's never gits de statement f'om my Marster. My father keep de record in de Bible. Dat am somewhar 'roun', but I's don't know who has it. I's ol' 'nough fo' to 'membah de wah. How I's know sich am 'cause I's ol' 'nough fo' to carry Uncle's lunch to him an' I's see de Confed'rate sojers practicin'. One day, I's stop a little w'ile an' watch de sojers. Dat I's do often. Dey am practicin' shootin' dat day, an' I's see one sojer drap aftah de shot. Den dere was lots ob 'citement an' sho 'nough, dat sojer am dead. Dey says 'twas accident an' dat de gun am loaded wid de ball w'en 'twarnt s'posed to be. Yous see, my Uncle am a blacksmith, wo'kin' in de Marster's shop in Georgetown. Dat's how come I's passin' de sojers. I's bo'n in Burnet County, 'cross de river f'om Georgetown, on de fahm ob Marster Ben Baker . He owns my grandparents, an' my father an' mother, an' Lewis , Monroe , an' Hale . Dem am my brudders an' my sistah's name was Mollie . Mos' ob de time, de Marster am in town 'cause he have de blacksmith shop an' some udder business dere too. F'om w'at I's larnt by de talk wid udder ol' slaves, weuns am lucky slaves, 'cause dere was no sich thing as de whuppin' f'om de Marster. No Sar! Weuns know nothing ob sich. Oh shucks, sho, dere am spankin's. 'Tis me dat gits dem an' my mammy gives dem. I's am de pestin' chil's, de worst dere was, into something all de time. I's had to be doin' something. If 'twas not something useful, den 'twas some thing ob de devilment dat I's find to do dat calls fo' de spankin'. W'ite man, ha'f de time I's had to stand up w'en I's eats. So 'twas dis nigger dat took all de punishment on de fahm, an' I's need it too. Let me tell yous w'at devilment I's gits into once. De Marster smoked. So do my gran'pap an' my pappy, an' I's 'cides to try it. Co'se I's know dat dey wont let me so I's do de sneak. I's gits one ob de ol' pipes an' some ob de home cured t'baccy. Well, Sar, I's goes to de bahn an' covers myse'f wid de hay. Sho, I's do dat so if some one come in de bahn, dey can't see me. Now, dere I's is, an' tryin' to light de match. Mammy miss me, you see, ever'thing am quiet an' dat am de sign to Mammy dat something m'ybe wrong, so she looks fo' me. She comes in de bahn an' w'en she entahs, I's squat so to make myse'f small. She heah de crinklin' ob de hay an' thinks it am de hen layin' dere. W'en she looks, 'tis her little chick she sees wid de pipe, t'baccy, an' matches. Lawd a mighty!, w'at yous try to do?, burn de bahn?" she asked me. No", says me. "I's try to smoke de pipe. If I's minute latah, yous would have plenty ob smoke", she tol' me, "come heah". She pulled me outer dat. Now, w'ite man, dere am plenty fiah put on my rear an' I's see lots ob smoke. I's sho 'membahs dat 'sperience.

Weuns all live lak one big fam'ly 'cept w'en weuns cullud fo'ks have de quatahs, an' 'cept fo' de eatin'. De Marster have de dinin' room fo' weuns cullud fo'ks too. Grandpappy am a cahpentah. 'Cause ob dat, weuns quatahs am fixed fine. Co'se, dat am compared wid de udder nigger quatahs 'roun' dere. Weuns have reg'lar windahs, an' han' made chaiahs, an' a wood flooah. Gran'pap spen' his extra time, fixin' up de quatahs. De rations am de same as de Marster's, 'cept him have a fam'ly cook. Dat am my mammy an' my gran'ma am de cook fo' de cullud fo'ks. De diffe'nce in de food am de diffe'nce in de cookin'. Both de cooks am powe'ful good an' deys larnt me. Dats how come I's come to be a cook. Lak all de udder fahms in dem times, weuns raise ever'thing an' p'eserve de fruit an' veg'tables, also cure de meats. De hams an' bacons am smoked. No, dere am no hick'ry wood 'roun' dere, but weuns use de co'n cobs an' deys make de fine flavah. Many's de day dat I's watch de fiah in de smoke house. Yous see, de less fiah, de bettah. I's have to keep de fiah smolderin'. If it gits to blazin', dat cooks de meat befo' it tooks de smoke flavah. W'en I's gits big 'nough to be larnt, I's he'p mammy an' dat way, I's larnt to p'eserve an' 'tend to curin' meat an' all sich. I's follow de cookin' w'en I's gits big an' goes fo' myself. I's never wants fo' a job. De job am waitin' fo' me w'en I's am youngah. W'en surrendah comes, allus cullud fo'ks stays wid de Marster fo' a good long spell. W'en pappy am ready to go fo' himse'f, Marster gave him a team ob mules, a team ob oxen, some hawgs, a cow an' some chickens. Dat give him de good staht. My uncle gits de blacksmith shop f'om de Marster. Den Uncle an' pappy go togedder an' run de blacksmithin' an' haulin' business. I's goes to wo'k as de domestic cook. 'Twarnt long aftah I's stahts wo'kin' fo' udder persons dat people come to me an' says, "If yous gits out ob de job, jus' come to weuns an' goes to wo'k". I's stay in Georgetown fo' 'bout 20 yeahs aftah surrendah an' den I's goes to Austin. Dere, I's wo'k fo' de big fo'ks. Aftah I's dere fo' 'bout five yeahs, Gov'nor James Stephen Hogg sent fo' me to be his cook in de Gov'nors Mansion. Dat am de bes' cook job I's ever had. De Gov'nor am mighty fine man an' so am his wife. De Gov'nor's wife not have de good health an' she always have some misery. 'Twas not long aftah I's dere 'til she says to me, "Mandy , I's gwineter 'pend on yous widout my watchin' yous". Marster Hogg always says dat I's could do wondahs wid de food. Lots ob dishes I's fix fo' de Marster Hogg an' him am proud fo' to have hims friends eat it. W'y does yous wants to know how I's cook dis an' dat dish? Yous aint gwineter cook dem, be yous? Well, I's tell yous one dat Gov'nor Hogg sho lak de mostest ob any. It am spaghetti, an' dis am de way to cook dat dish: Tooks one pound ob spaghetti, ha'f quart ob tomatoes, one pint ob milk, fo'th pound ob buttah, ha'f pound ob New Yawk snap Cheese. Now, de way to fix it: Break de spaghetti in small pieces, put it in boilin' wautah an' boil fo' 'bout 20 minutes, drain de wautah an' blanch; grate de cheese, shred de tomatoes, put 'bout ha'f teaspoon ob soda in de milk an' pour into de cheese an' tomatoes an' mix it all up togedder, den salt to taste, 'bout table spoonfull ob de salt an' 'bout fo'th teaspoon ob red hot peppah. Put all dat in de bakin' dish, cut in small pieces an' lay de buttah over de top. Now, it am ready fo' de faiahly hot oven. Bake it fo' 'bout 45 minutes, or 'til good brown color covers de top. Den it am ready to do joy to de eatahs.

W'ite man, de mo' yous eat ob dat spaghetti, de mo' yous wants. "Good", 'taint de wo'd fo' to 'splain it. Yous want me to tell 'bout some mo' dishes? No Sar! One am 'nough. Yous try dat one. If it am good, come back fo' mo' an' fitch some money. Yas Sar! De Gov'nor Hogg am good man. Yous know, dat w'en his ol' nigger mammy died in Temple, him drap all his wo'k an' goes to de fun'al. Dat show him don't fo'git de kindness. No Sar, I's don't know de names ob de people dat come fo' de meals at de Mansion. I's never goes whar deys are. Co'se, I's heahs dem talk. Shucks, now yous wants to know w'at deys talk 'bout. How yous s'pose dis igno'mus nigger can undahstan' w'at deys talk 'bout. Lawd a Mighty!, deys talk an' talk. Dere am one thing dat makes de 'pression on my mind. De Gov'nor talks lots 'bout railroads. Yas Sar, him talk lots 'bout dat. I's wo'k fo' de Gov'nor 'til his wife died, den I's quit. W'y? Oh, 'cause I's don't want to be bossed by de housekeepah. She don't know much 'bout de cookin' an' am always fustin' 'roun' an' tellin' me to do dis an' dat. Aftah I's cook heah an' dere, I's gits mixed up wid de mai'iage. No Sar, I's not mai'ied w'en I's wo'k fo' de Gov'nor, but I's mai'ied befo' den.


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