Texas Slave Narrative
Mary Scranton
A spare figure, neatly dressed in a flowered print house apron, with smooth, grayish white braids unadorned by combs or pins, this is Mary Scranton , aged Beaumont negress of French extraction. Mary's voice has the slurred intonation of her race, and she speaks both English and a French patois. Her home is attractive, showing good taste in the selection of furniture and draperies. As the slave of La San Guidry , she once lived in LaFayette, Louisiana, where she married and bore five children. She now makes her home with a son. Befo' I marry my name' Mary Louise Scranton . I's bo'n in Louisiana right close t' LaFayette. My fadder was Joseph Johnson 'n' my mama was Clara Bell Johnson . My fus' marster was name' Valliere , I don' 'member he las' name. My nex' marster was LaSan Guidry . All my brudders 'n' sisters done dead now. I's bo'n on d' fifth 'r' October, 1859, 'n' was baptise' d' secon' 'r' July, 1860. Marster was so good t' he slaves dey sen' dem t' d' chu'ch t' baptise' d' chillen. W'en I was baptise' my gramma was my godmudder 'n' my mama' brudder was my godfadder. I don' 'member how many slaves dey was on d' place. I's too small. But I do know dey was lots 'r' dem. D' pries' neber come t' d' house 'n' neber come t' see d' culled folks a 'tall. Dey tek me t' d' Cath'dral in LaFayette fo' d' pries' t' baptise me. I was a good age but I was young. I uster play 'roun' wid my marster' li'l gal. We was jis' young 'n' play 'roun' like chillen does. I seed men in war time but I didn' know iffen dey was sojers 'r' not. I tol' my mama 'n' she tol' me dey was sojers but dey was jis' a great big man t' me. I seed lots 'r' dem march by wid ba'nets but I didn' knowed w'at dey was. My fadder went t' d' war.
I don' eber 'member my fadder. He die right 'long atter de war in Berwick, Louisiana. He die befo' he git out d' army. My mama tol' me befo' she die dat may fadder he done went in d' Yankee army. D' fus' wuk dey gib me t' do was jis' t' sit by d' cradle 'n' rock d' baby. I was jis' a li'l girl, jis' big 'nuf t' do dat. Dey neber mistreat' me. I's too li'l. Atter freedom my mama stay wid d' w'ite people dere in Louisiana 'til she die. I kin reckilleck jis' my mama 'n' my gramma, 'r' all my people. I been a Cath'lic all my day from my fus' communion 'til now. D' w'ite folks 'n' d' culled folks go t' d' same chu'ch. D' w'ite folks sit ahead 'n' d' culled folks sit behin'. W'en dey sep'rate us (slaves separated from their masters) dey hab some chu'ches fo' d' w'ite folks 'n' some chu'ches fo' d' culled folks. D' w'ite folks he'p d' culled folks buil' dere chu'ch 'n' gib dem some 'r' d' lubly (lovely) stain' glass winders outn' d' ol' w'ite folks chu'ch. Dey gib dem some 'r' d' pews too. Dat was d' St. Paul's culled Cath'lic Chu'ch. D' w'ite folks chu'ch den is a culled folks chu'ch now. My husban's bury close t' dat chu'ch. I go'd (went) t' d' service w'en dey bury him. I's French 'n' not 'Merican. I kin talk French too, well's 'Merican. I uster cook 'n' wuk in d' fiel'. Atter freedom I wuk in d' fiel'. I uster pick plenty cotton w'en I's a small chile. I could cook good too befo' I's berry (very) ageable. I sho' know how t' mek gumbo. You put in d' pepper 'n' onion. You don' put in no garlic, dat too strong. 'N' den you brown d' rice right brown t' mek a good gumbo. Den you put w'at you wanter in it-chicken 'r' shrimp 'r' meat. I uster cook crawfish too. You tek d' tail from dat crawfish. You cook d' tail 'n' use dat w'ite meat under d' tail. Fix it like gumbo 'r' mek a stew. Sometime' some people put in t'maters, 'n' some people don' put in no t'maters at all. I uster cook all kin's 'r' fish 'n' crawfish 'n' eel. Atter slav'ry d' culled folks was so glad t' see deyse'fs clear. I don' 'member how ol' I was w'en I marry but I t'ink I's bout 24 year ol' den. I's a good age. I marry in Louisiana. George Scranton was my husban'. Dat was 'long time ago. We was marry by a trabblin' miss' narry, two 'r' dem. Dey come t' d' house 'n' marry us dere. I 'member I's dress in a purple dress. My husban' die seben year' ago dis year in Po't (Port) Arthur. Us hab five chillen, but done los' t'ree. I don' do nuthin' much no mo'. I jis' keep house fo' my son, George Junior , w'at wuks in d' mattress wuks, 'n' fo' d' gran'chillen.
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