Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Kitty Reese

Her dingy flannel underskirts showing several inches below a calico apron, Kitty Reese , Cleveland, sat on a rickety chair on the leanto porch of her cabin. About the door half a dozen little pickaninnies of assorted sizes played with two mongrel dogs, a cat, and several chickens. Kitty's face is decidedly concave and pock-marked, while her grizzled hair is worn in short thick plaits. She is crippled and moves with difficulty, aided by a stout ash walking stick. She was a slave on the Judge Thomas place in Missouri, but came to Texas as a small child. She keeps house for a daughter and takes care of the numerous grandchildren. I's eighty-t'ree year ol'. I come t' dis country durin' slab'ry time. I was jis' a li'l chile den. I was bo'n in Missouri. My marster was Jedge Thomas . He hab a big farm. I 'member us come fr'oo (through) Freestone County. W'en I was a li'l chile us uster play hoss on a li'l tree ben' ober. Dey hatter watch out f'r b'ars w'en us was comin' yere (here) from Missouri. Dey was lots mo' happen but I pass 'em offn' my min'. I hafter lay down some 'r' dat stuff. My daddy was John Goodwin , 'n' my mammy was Millie Goodman . My marster uster go t' town 'mos' eb'ry day. W'en he come home from town all us chillen run t' d' gate w'en us see 'em comin' 'n' open d' gate f'r 'im. He wait f'r us t' shet d' gate 'n' us climb up in d' buggy 'n' all go waggin' up t' d' big house in d' buggy. He hab a big log cabin. He hab too many slave' I couldn' t'ink how many. I slep' on a good pallet mek outn' carpet in d' room wid young mistis. Dey hab a log kitchin f'r d' cullud folks. Dey gi' 'em (give them) bread 'n' milk. I liketer eat 'em t'gedder. Dey gib us bile' (boiled) beef 'n' taters, lots f'r all d' li'l chillen, jis' like lots 'r' li'l pig. W'en us git helpin' 'r' all dat us happy 's a lark. Us t'ought us was up dere. Us hab plain dresses but us nebber wo' shoes. On Sunday 'n' w'en us go t' camp-meetin' on d' uder plantation us wear some 'r' young mistus shoe' 'n' dress'. W'en us come back us hafter tek 'em off 'n' put 'em up in d' big house careful f'r anudder time. Dey didn' lemme out wid d' udder niggers. W'en us go t' camp meetin' sometime d' cullud folks git t' shoutin' 'n' den dey cut up mo' shine 'n' a li'l. Sometime' dey jump so high dat hit look like dey go out fr'oo d' top 'r' d' house. I allus 'member dat 'cause my mudder uster be a great han' t' sing. She die long time ago, but 'twarn't till atter 'mancipation.  Dey warn't but one mean nigger on dat place. He name' Injun Joe 'n' he was d' nigger oberseer. He whip 'n' slash d' niggers w'en dey didn' wuk fas' 'nuf. He was beatin' a nigger f'r nuttin' one time 'n' d' nigger pick up a hoe 'n' bus' 'im in d' head wid it 'n' kill''im. He mek a statements t' d' boss 'bout it but dey nebber done nuttin' t' him 'bout it. Atter us come t' Texas us hab a farm 'bout six mile' from Houston. W'en freedom come ol' marster say us free 's he was. He tol' us us could hab lan' but I dunno 's none ebber tuk it up. Dey all 'fraid t' go. Atter long time one 'r' two mek a bre'k t' go t' Houston t' wuk. I was only 'bout 'leben w'en us sot free, but I didn' know w'at freedom meant. I stay wid d' w'ite folks 'til I marry. I marry at Wes'fiel' in a justice 'r' d' peace house. He marry us outen a book.

In slabry times dey marry d' udder way mos' 'r' d' time. My husban' name Cornelius Reeves . D' ol' mistus she gimme a weddin' dress. It was w'ite pique wid a tight basque wais' 'n' a fringe all 'roun' d' wais', Us hab thut'teen chillen 'n' lots 'r' gran'chillen 'n' fo' great gran'chillen 'n' one great-great gran'chillen. Cornelius done been dead long time. Dese chillen w'at 'roun' d' do' now is my dawter's. Dey calls me "udder mommer." Dey be all right iffen dey didn' keep so much noise.' I glad we wasn' marry in slab'ry time, 'cause lots 'r' time dey part husban' 'n' wife. De marster didn' consider dey feelin's 'tall. Iffen d' wife was a purty good po'tly lookin' woman dey keep 'er 'n' sell d' husban'. Sometime de husban' lib on one plantation 'n' d' wife 'n' chillen on anudder. D' husban' hafter git a permit t' go 'n' see he wife. D' chillen mos' d' time b'long t' d' mudder' marster. D' marster he read off d' matrimony hisse'f 'n' den kinsidder 'em man 'n' wife. W'en us was little dey t'reaten us 'n' tell us Ol' Sis So- 'n'-so look in d' cabin winder iffen us bad. Ol' Sis So'n'-so was a ghos'. Us try t' keep d' g'os'ses 'way by wearin' a dime wid a hole in it tie 'roun' us ankle. Us wo' a red bag 'roun' us wais', too. Dey uster fix up turrible' t' keep 'way g'os'ses 'n' bad luck. Dat's goin' on t' dis good day wid some folks right 'roun' yere (here). Iffen I hab t' do all dat I b'leeb I rudder tek t'ings like dey come.


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