Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Hannah Mullins

Hannah Mullins , 81, 1820 Chambers St., Ft. Worth, born on June 19, 1857 on the M. T. Johnson farm at Johnson Station, Tarrant Co., Tex. Her mother was the farm midwife and children's nurse and Hannah Mullins stayed with the Johnson children until after freedom. Her parents remained on the plantation until their death but she married Wm. Mullins at 16 and they established a home near the Johnson farm. After 3 children were born to them they moved to Arlington, Tex. and later to Ft. Worth where Bill was employed at common labor till death in 1935, when Hannah started living with her daughter. She receives a $9.00 monthly pension from the State.

Ise sho bo'n slave an' wisht Ise nevah freed 'cause 'twas de bestest life a nigger lived 'cause him don't have to worry 'bout nothin' long's he's a slave. Ise bo'n on Col. M. T. Johnson's plantation at Johnson Station, Tex. a little ovah 81 years ago an' Ise been told 'twas on June 19th. Twas lak a little city wid de buildin's an' all dat am on de plantation. Ise fails to recall de number of slaves Marster Johnson have, but Ise 'members dat each fam'ly have a double log house. Dat is dere am two rooms sep'ated by a hall 'twixt dem an' de houses am in rows lak a city. Den Marster have de shoe shop, where de hide tannin' am done an' de blacksmith shop, de gin mill, dere am de spinnin' room where de cotton an' wool am spun into thread an' de looms where de thread am run into cloth so's de seamstresses make de clothes. Marster Johnson's plantation am self supportin' far's Ise knows an' raises de cotton to make de money crop. Tudder crops am small 'cordin' to de cotton but 'twas 'nough to raise veg'tables an' so fo' food. Each family gits deys rations on Sunday mo'nin' after de bell rings, an' tooks de rations to dey own cabins, where de women folks cooks it when needed. If de family have good workers in it it am give a cow an' hawgs to raise. Weuns all has chicken oncet in awhile but de Marster keeps de chickens in a bunch togedder. Ise a kid on de plantation but Ise knows what it's all about 'cause freedom nevah changed things much round dere. Ise raised in de nursery 'til Ise 'bout five yeahs old. De nursery am where de mammies brings deys babies 'til dey can git 'em back aftah workin' hours. Dis nursery am wo'k aplenty fo' de womens dat runs it 'cause dey am s'posed to keep de kids outer fights. 'Twas a big job 'cause de kids will fight evah time de womens have dey backs turned. De real trouble comes off when meal time come around. 'Twas sev'al long wood troughs put on de table an' each kid am give a wood spoon. Usual de troughs have milk wid co'n bread crumblin's in it an' de kids am lined up an' down de table. De nurse gives de word when to eat an' de kids all tries to git mo' dan de rest of dem. Dat starts de a'guments an' de fights all ovah. De nursery also has slides fo' to play on an sev'al sand boxes. Marster Johnson am so good to all de little kids. Mammy am de mid-wife fo' de whole place. She am sorts hunchback an' not able to work good but am good at mid-wifin' so de Marster sets her at dat an' carin' fo' de little piccaninnies 'til deys able to be in de nursery wid de rest of de kids. Mammy mid-wifed fo' ol' Mistez too.

Mistez have four-five chilluns an' after Ise five yeahs ol' Ise took out to stay wid dem as de nurse. 'Twarnt any nursin' to be done but Ise jus' to do what dey wants me to do lak gwine aftah wautah, he'pin' dress an' so on. De Johnson kids could have made it hard gwine fo' me but deys good to me an' we all plays togedder lak Ise white as dey is. Ise fed de same victuals an' wears de same clothes as dey does. Have de same sleepin' time an' all. Ise fails to 'collect de games weuns all played but de Johnson kids am house kids an' don't want to be all de time arunnin' aroun' so 'twas easy fo' me. Ise all de time wantin' to go to de field an' wor'k wid my pappy but Mistez Kate Johnson wont let me 'cause she wants me to stay wid de kids. 'Twas de best fo' me but Ise guess Ise bo'n to be a plow hand 'cause dat's what Ise all de time wantin' to does. 'Ise don't know nothin' 'bout when freedom comes but Ise knows de time 'cause my pappy comes aftah me an' weuns all lives togedder in de cabin 'stead of me aliving in the Marster's house wid de kids. Pappy an' mammy goes on wo'kin' fo' Marster as de field hands on wages 'cause weuns nevah share crops while weuns am livin' at Johnson Station. Ise gits plenty plowin' to does aftah Ise goes to live wid my mammy an' pappy. All de time Ise at Johnson Station Ise nevah had shoes on my feet 'cept when weuns goes to chu'ch an' weuns nevah goes to chu'ch 'til aftah freedom 'cause 'twarnt no chu'ches fo' de cullud fo'ks in slave'y times. Weuns nevah puts de shoes on gwine to cuu'ch 'til weuns am sev'al hundred feet away; 'twas done dat way to save de shoes. Aftah freedom comes de Klux goes to runnin' aroun' ovah de country an' causin' de cullud fo'ks plenty trouble. Ise see de Patter rollers befo' freedom but de Klux comes right up to where weuns lives to git people. Dey goes aroun' ovah de country in bunches on hoss back. My mammy am riding her mule down de road to'ards home aftah mid-wifin' fo' some cullud fo'ks an' a bunch comes down de road aftah her. Mammy moves ovah so dey can git past widout any botah but aftah dey am passin' one of dem hollers, 'Halt.' Tudder mens says, 'Dat's Emma . She's alright.' an' dey rides on widout any trouble. Tudder trouble am w'en de Klux am tryin' to shoot Martha Ditto' s husband. 'Stead of shootin' him one of de shots goes strayin' an' kills de baby in Martha's arms. De Klux kinda thinned out aftah dat an' 'twarnt much trouble.

Bout de next thing am Ise mai'ied to William Mullins . Dat's his Sunday name, but weuns all calls him 'Bill '. Ise 'bout 16 den, and weuns moves to our own place where Bill have made de 'greement wid Mistez Kate to share crop. Ise gittin' so old now dat Ise fails to 'member anything 'ecept dat Bill and me moves to Arlington, Texas aftah three chilluns am bo'n to us, an latah weuns moves to Ft. Worth. Aftah comin' to Ft. Worth twas one move aftah tudder. Bill wo'ks at common labor an' weuns takes trips out to plac-s to pick cotton. Weuns rides de train th'ough Bowie, Tex. an' have to lean way back in de chair wid de blinds pulled down or de Bowie fo'ks shoots de cullud fo'ks. Dey have signs dat say, 'Nigger don't stop here' and weuns don't. Tudder place lak dat am Blum, Tex. Weuns picks cotton South of Blum an' twarnt 'lowed to go N. of de river. 'Twas death if weuns done so. Nigger bettah sho not stick his head head outer de winder at Blum. He git it shot if'n he does. Den tudder place weuns goes fo' little while am Boley, Okla. De niggers run dat place an' 'twarnt no white fo'ks 'lowed to stay. 'Twarnt right fo' fo'ks to carry on lak dat. Ise see 'taint no mo' carryin's on lak dat. Tudder troubles de nigger have am de votin' troubles. Most of de white fo'ks lak de cullud fo'ks but a few mean ones make it hard on de cullud 'cept at votin' time. Den all de white fo'ks tells de nigger dat if'n dey don't vote fo' so an' so 'twill be hard on de niggers 'cause tudder fellow is a Nigger Hater. 'Twas a hard job fo' de nigger to tell jus' who am de bestest one to vote fo'. 'Taint hard fo' a nigger to vote when he have a friend who gives him whiskey an' tells him who to vote fo'.

Give most de niggers two drinks an' he'll vote hisself back into slav'y. Dat's 'bout all Ise can 'collect fo' youse. Ise could tell plenty but fo' my sickness. Fo'ks can't git de propah food an' gits sick easy. In de old days de doctahs don't undahstand so much lak dey does now an' dey cured youse. 'Twarnt so many med'cines to git. Camulel am used lots an' Blue Mass. Fo'ks says now dat Blue Mass am plisen but Ise notice dat it done a lotta good in slave'y time. Evah Spring weuns take Bella Donia tea to clean youse out. It'd mighty nigh kill youse but it'd clean youse out good. Den 'twas lemon-weed tea. Dat'd be good now if'n youse could find it. Aftah Bill an' me goes aroun' f'om place to place he gits too old to wo'k an' weuns comes heah to Ft. Worth to stay. 'Twas most relief food weuns got 'til de pension come out coupla yeahs ago. Bill dies in 1935 an' Ise livin' heah wid my daughter.


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