Texas Slave Narrative
J A Robinson
Recalling early days along the Trinity River and Bay and the bombardment of Galveston, J.A. Robinson , a tall, stooped negro, spoke in a peculiarly monotonous voice of a childhood spent near Wallinsville, Texas. His bald dome shone with sweat and he constantly mopped it with a huge dampish bandana. Robinson , about 81 years of age, was one of a family of slaves owned by the three James brothers. I 'member w'en dey come an' conscrip' my marster, he was Martin James , d' udder two boys was Miller an' Jim . Miller he didn' come back from d' war. D' conscrip' man he was a li'l man, I never forgit. Miss Fannie (the mother of the James boys) she was cryin' 'bout it. Dey come up an' tuk 'im 'way wid 'em. W'en dey was bombardin' galveston, Miss Fannie an' my A'nt Chaney dey was on d' po'ch cryin' an' wrigin' dey han's 'cuase dey could hear d' big guns, an' dey didn' know whar is young marster (Martin ).
Dey treated us good as could be. Us had good t'ings t' eat same as d' w'ite folks, an' good clo's t' wear. Dey make d' clo's right dere on d' farm. I help wid it many times. Many times I hol' d' broch w'ile dey win' (wind) up d' hanks. Dey make d' cloth on d' loom. On'y time I 'member of any nigger gittin' whip, the marster hit one 'bout three licks on d' head fo' cussin'. Us lived t'gedder on d' place. D' family wasn' split up. Dey was some w'ite people like Cheyenne pepper, tho'. W'en freedom broke out dey sen' for me t' go t' Galveston. I went t' my mother w'at was in Galveston nussin' d' ol' missus. D' name of d' boat we sail on was d' White Loaf. Marster had a confrunse (conference) wid my Uncle Nathan fus, he was d' overseer. Den he call 'em all t' do front an' tol' us we was free. Many times I see houn's chase niggers. I clim' up on d' fence t' watch 'em go by. Dey run aw'ile an' trot aw'ile. Uncle Nathan say dey was runaway niggers. I saw soljers on'y one time. Some come thr'u wid what dey say was gov'n'ment wagons. We was well treat'. Freedom wasn' much bettah. I t'ink in a way dey was treated nicer (under slavery).
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