Smith, Tucker I was born in St. Louis, Mo., in 1851 according to what they tells me. Was owned by George Smith , father's name Joe Smith , mother's name Sadie Smith . Have one brother Tom , one Jack and one named Alex , one sister Sarah and one Julia .

Well son, I'se don't remember very much about our home life only we played with the white children when we got time to play. Our quarters it was very well as it was just cave in the side of the mountain, dug out way back in there, and yes sir, it was real dry and warm in the winter and cool in the summer time. Yes sir, the front was covered over with logs and we had doors to it. No sir, we'se never locked in it and our beds they was built right on the ground there in one corner of our room out of straw, moss and shucks, boss it was really good place to live cause there was no storms then to bother you cause they could not blow our quarters away no sir. I'se do not remembers my grandparents, but I'se been told they was brought here from Africa, but I'se never did knows. Well son, all the work I'se ever done back there during slavery time was to ride after stock, Maser he did not farm. Yes he had a little garden and we built fences, cut wood and so on. Boss I'se could ride the wildest horse that ever had hair on his back, that was most my job riding horses and breaking them so'es they could be gentle. No son I'se never earned money in slavery days but Maser has give me money and I'se buy candy, tobacco and so on like that cause I'se go all over the country on them wild horses learning them to ride. Well son, I'se wore buskskin clothes the most of the time when I'se on them wild horses but then when I'se not riding horses I had in warm weather what they called royal shirts to wear made from cotton put together with hand work. In cold weather we had woolen clothes, shoes and so on and old brogan shoes, I wishes I could get me pair them now cause we never could wear them out. On Sunday we just had plain white royal shirts to wear, boss them old shirts they opened all the way down the front and came clear down to our ankles. Well son we had cornbread cooked most of the time out in the open on camp fire like in great big flat skillet, and it was mixed with water and salt and that was all too son, but it was good - yes sir, and wild meat such as beef, pork, fish, rabbits, possum and so on cooked out sometimes on a forked stick over the blaze. Sometime would cook in pot boiled or fry on open fireplace. I sure did like my meat all the time. No sir, us slaves did not have our own garden, but Maser he had good garden all the time and he gave us what he wanted us to have out of his garden. Well son, Maser George Smith he was jolly good white man, course he was rather rough on the slaves if they were not behaving themselves; he was a real good white man our Maser was. He nearly always done every thing he told the negro he would and Mistress, bless her soul, she was real good to her negroes, but she did not have much to say, but she did everything she could for her slaves and their two boys. They had fine children and they were all full of fun and devilment. Child! them there boys were sure good to this old negro, yes sir, they were.

They lived in a real frontier house surrounded by stock and corrals, among shade trees there on the side of a large mountain. It was built western style, had 4 large rooms downstairs and 3 upstairs with a large rock fireplace. We built it out of just rough boxing planks and logs. It had western style doors covered over with wild animal hides to keep out the rain and cold. Son, I do not know how many acres there was on Maser's ranch but it would take two days to ride clear around his land. We never had very much fences no sir. Well son, Maser he would get us out of bed about 4 o'clock nearly every morning. Yes sir, we would ride all day long in the saddle, sometimes we got home by dark then other times it would be real late when we come in especially if we were marking and branding horses, yearlings and so on, cause Maser he did not ever farm. Maser he had several slaves there on the ranch something like 15 or 16, I don't remembers just how many. Son we worked from sun to sun if that is what you want to know. Maser he woke us up about 5 o'clock every morning to get in the saddle and we stayed there until dark drove us in, sometimes it would be long after dark when we got in from the pasture. Yes sir, we were whipped if we were sassy or stubborn or if we did not exactly work like Maser thought we should. Maser he was pretty rough on the slaves if he did not think they were doing like he thought they ought to do. The overseer he sure enough was hard on us slaves when Maser was gone. I'se seen him get pretty rough on one slave that Maser had there on the plantation, I'se believes he really had it in for that slave, it seemed that way sure enough. He tied that slave's hands around a tree and whipped him one time unmerciful, then again he tied his hands together up over a limb and whipped him again another time until that poor negro could not hardly walk, and all that slave done was slow about his work, as he would be scared of the overseer and he would try to get in a hurry and not do his job right and the overseer would be right on him with that cat-o-nine tails. Yes sir, all us slaves were afraid of that overseer as he would just soon kill a negro as not, cause they did not cost him one cent and he did not care what he done to us negroes or how he treated us cause he did not think that we would ever be free and that we might cause him plenty of trouble some day. They were some of the slaves that would have done him a lot of damage if they could have. Well no sir, we did not exactly have a jail there on the ranch for the slaves but Maser he always had a place where he could take care of the unruly negroes. He could just stake them out somewhere till they would behave themselves. Well yes child, I'se seen a few slaves that was traded and auctioned off to the highest bidder on them. They would clean us up real good, make us grease ourselves with a greasy meat skin so that we would look real fat and slick, and then they would trot us out before the people that was going to buy or trade for us. Maser he would then let them look us over real good and then he would take all the offers that he could get before he would accept any and the one that offered the most was the one that got the slave. Then after the slaves found out the one he had bought, all the hollering and bawling it would take place for several days because they never did expect to see the slave that was sold any more, as then the slaves never had a thought that they would ever be free and could go and roam as they pleased. Well son when we traveled in bunches we just ganged up and started out in front of our Maser as he most generally followed along behind us on horseback and directed the way he wanted us to go. You know son we did'nt have trucks or cars and not very many trains to travel on like we do now and all our travels were either horseback or foot and most slaves went on foot. Sometimes when there was just one, why our Maser would let us ride on a horse. Yes sir, I'se seen Maser chain slaves to a tree and left them there a week at a time cause they would get unruly. You asked me while ago about jail there fore us, that was his jail, a good heavy chain and lock, that was a pretty severe punishment to some of us slaves. He chained me one time and left me one whole week cause I just let a horse that he was trying to break get a loose and it took us several days before we could capture him again. Boss that was the longest week that I ever spent in my whole life and all he would give me to eat was just cornbread and water twice a day. Well no sir, boss, the white folks did not try to learn us how to read or write, they would not take that much trouble with just only a slave as they looked on us in those days just about like we do a mule today, as just something to work, not something to take any trouble with in the way of trying to learn us how to read or write. No sir, we did not have any church there on the ranch, nor did the white people either. We did not take time to go to church as Maser he never did quit for Sunday nor any other day hardly, for that matter, once and awhile we had a Sunday off.

Yes he would read that good book to us sometimes when we would ask him to if he had time, cause he was in the saddle most of the time. Boss, I'se did not know any preache nor did I ever get to go to church, so'es I cannot answer them questions you'es is asking me. Well son, I'se seen few white folks buried there on the ranch and some negroes too that would get killed by wild horses and cattle. All the ranch hands they would just dig their graves both black and white and sing a few songs and they would make a few remarks about what a good fellow he would be and then cover the grave over, and that was about all they would be to a funeral there on the ranch. Well no sir, boss, I'se never heard of any negroes that ever tried to run off to the north but we had one negro that run off and joined up with Jesse James , that there bad man that the people talked about, but he was one of the best men that I'se ever seen. Son I'se wants to tell you I'se cooked lots of meals for him out there on the prairie and on the mountains when he was hiding out from the law. Course the law could have captured him lots of times but they did not want him, no sir, cause they knew it meant death to contrary him and so they let him alone. He went just about where he pleased. Well son, we had to have a pass before we could go from one ranch to another and maser he would send a note by us to other men and he would give us a pass so we would not get in trouble with the white people or the patterrollers either, cause them patterrollers they would sure get the negro if they caught him off his ranch without a pass. The negroes they would carry their passes in their hand and if they met someone on their way he would show his pass whoever he met would let him continue on his way to where his Maser had sent him and the patterroller would not bother the poor negro. But if he should be caught off his ranch without a pass and the patterroller did get hold of that poor negro it was just too bad, cause they would stretch him over a log and hit him 39 licks with a red-heifer on the naked hide, that meant he would sure be tore up to where he could not hardly sit down for more than a week. All us negroes that wanted to do right sure did have to be very careful if we stayed out of trouble. Son, then sometimes we accidently got into trouble before we knew what we had done, but that was the way of the poor slave he had to be very careful. Course some did'nt care of being in trouble as that was all they were looking for anyway, but that did'nt help them any either with their Maser. What we generally done when we went to our quarters was to go to bed we would be so tired out. Once and awhile I would steal out of my quarters to where the horse that I rode was kept and slipped off to another farm to see my woman but I was very careful that Maser did not catch me or the patterrollers either, if they had it would have just been too bad on this poor negro, cause they would sure give me a whipping.

Well yes sir, son I'se never did hardly know when Saturday came or Sunday either for that matter, cause Maser he made us ride right on after his stock. Well once and awhile on Saturday night Maser would let us have a dance where us negroes could be together for a while but not every Saturday night, and we could not stay out any later than midnight, cause Sunday we had to ride right on after his stock. Yes Christmas he would give us that day off. He would kill a yearling and have big barbecue and dinner to celebrate on this one day off. Then I did not know what we was celebrating ofr, but of course I'se since learned what we was celebrating for on this special day. No sir, I'se did not know of any other holiday in the year. Well son, I'se do not know that I'se ever remembers a wedding among Maser's people or a death more than I'se already told you about. Well sir son, I'se knows that there was a few weddings among the slaves there on Maser's ranch and they all was home weddings. We would have to ask Maser for our woman, and if he gave his consent we was already considered married. Then we would have to ask Maser for a pass to go see our woman, sometimes Maser would let us go stay Wednesday and Saturday nights with our wives if we would be good negroes, if we was'nt real good once a week was all we got to stay with our woman and then sometimes he would not let us go but every two weeks and stay all night with them. That was mean to us don't you think white folks? Well son, they was not very many games that us negro kids got to play, what we did was at night mostly and it was called hide-and-seek, sometimes in the winter we would play snow ball when they would be a big snow on the ground and we could not work then much. No sir, I'se don't remember any songs then, and no sir, we did not have any riddles or charms that we used as I'se remembers anything about. No sir, I'se don't know as I'se ever heard tell of bloody-bones or raw-heads. No sir, I'se never seen or heard tell of a ghost or ghost stories that I'se remembers about. We had to watch the wolves and wild animals and keep them away from our stock, especially calves. No sir, don't knows as I'se ever had anything very funny that happened to me and I'se sure don't believes in them there ghosts, cause when people die they are dead and they are not going to come back here and haunt you. Boss these here live ones are the ones that will do you trouble and they are the ones to be afraid of not the dead people. Well when we got sick we had pretty good care takened of us. We used all kinds of remedies to cure all our ills. Yes we gathered herbs, cotton roots and privet weed, also wild mayflower roots for our malaria, fevers and chills. Then we had a cough syrup that we made out of honey, vinegar, wild onions boiled this all down to a thick syrup and it is one of the best cough medicines you ever got son. Yes if we got leg broke or arm, or if we could not cure our own sickness then Maser he got the white doctor to take care of us, cause we were too valuable for him to lose if he could help it, as then we slaves were valued from $750. to $1500. but son many a time has I played sick so'es to get out of work and get several days rest, but son Maser would not know anything about it. Of course our old negro mammy she would know it but then she would not tell off on us and she would make us some kind of colored tea to fool our Maser with, she had to give us something, if she had'nt our Maser would have known right straight that we were playing off on him and was not sick to start with.

Well son, I'se remembers some about the war as my Maser he joined up with the south and Jesse James , and they fought under the black flag and if they captured prisoners it was either death or you, the way they fought in that war. Son I'se seen them take a few prisoners and stand them up and shoot them like you would shoot a hog. That war was a terrible thing. Maser he goes and gets wounded in that war and brings him there for us negroes to nurse while he was sick and after he gets to so'es he can travel again he joined back in that war. Boss if it had not been for that bunch of soldiers and the way they fought, the war would have been over long time before it was. Then when the war was finally over it was a long time before our Maser set us free. We could come and go when we got ready but we did not get any money from our Maser after the war, we just continued to work there and he fed us and give us a few clothes to wear and that was all they was to freedom for as we knew. We worked on that way for 5 or 6 years then Maser he died from that wound he received in the war and one of his sons took over his ranch and he called all the negroes together there one morning and told them that they were free and that he was putting the ranch under new rules. He turned all us negroes off and hired white people except one old negro woman to help his mother and we had to hunt another job and I'se lights out for Texas. All the work I could get here was farm work and so I gets me a job over in Houston County from Colonel Williams McLean and worked for him there on the farm until I'se married, then I'se farmed ever since on the halves. Well son I'se married here in Texas to Bessie Sherman . We had a large wedding and were married by the preacher and we had about a weeks dancing and plenty to eat then, or we had what the negroes called a wedding supper. I sure was glad when it was over cause I had done got tired of all that merry making. We had 5 children, 3 girls and 2 boys. They are all married and got children of their own. I believes I has 9 grandchildren now and one great-grandchild. Yes sir son, they are all here close by farming but they are just barely getting by. They gets some help from this here WPA work.

Well son, I'se do not members just what I'se did expect from freedom cause we was not exactly set free for several years, our Maser just did not say anything to us about being free. Of course we would hear other negroes say that we ought to be free, but we was afraid to say anything to our Maser about it. No sir, don't believes I expected them to gives me any farm or mules either cause as I tells you we were not wise in those days like we are now. I'se did not ever think that they would give me any of Maser's land. No sir, I'se don't believe I heard of any farm or ranch being cut up and the negroes getting any. Of course I'se heard some negroes say their Maser's ranch ought to be divided but I did'nt know what they were talking about. Well son, I'se did not get nothing when I'se set free but the clothes that I had. I had 2 changes each of work and Sunday clothes. No sir, they was not any plantation divided that I'se ever heard of. Well my Maser's son when he freed us long time after the war he gave us negroes all a five dollar gold piece around, to help us. He said for us to find us another job and he was giving us all our clothes. He was pretty good to us negroes. Well, yes sir, I guess that was what you would call us, we were not free and given liberty, he just went right on like the war or nothing had every happened. Of course us negroes were afraid to leave or say anything to Maser if we had he would more than likely just beat us up or shot us cause he was real bitter after the war to work everyone and everybody. His own family could hardly get along with him, well tell the truth they did'nt. Our Mistress, she left him and stayed with her father until Maser died, course in his last illness she came back and waited on our Maser. Well son I'se could not get work to do up there in Missouri, so'es I comes to Texas and first gets me a job working on the farm for Mr. William McLean and I worked for him more than a year, but Son our wages were awful low. We did not get very much for what we done. Whenever the white folks would pay us our wages would not be more than from 15 to 30 cents a day for work that we did in those days. Of course son, we could buy lots then for 30 cents.

That reconstruction period it was hell on the negro race as we were turned a loose without any education or even trained to do our work without the white man to tell us what to do, as it all fell on our shoulders and we were not prepared to meet the load that was put on us. But son even if we did like to have starved and all went without clothes to wear we came through pretty well and we became brighter and brighter but I do not even want to go through what we did after the war between the states, nor do I ever want our color of people to ever have to endure what we did in those early days here in America, as I am afraid they would never make the grade like we did like we did or as easy, because the negro sure did suffer here for a number of years after they was freed. In fact son, give me slavery time to freedom, cause we we did have plenty to eat and wear. When we got sick we had the best of doctors to see that we were taken real good care of. Yes sir Child, we had the KKK and the patterrollers after us, we could not make a move for several years after the war cause the KKK were right on our heels and believe me child, we sure did have to step careful if we did not get the KKK on us right now, they did not wait and give us time to adjust ourself to freedom after the war. In fact we were worse off than if we had remained under slavery as there was countless numbers of our color that were hung, whipped and beat unmerciful through the KKK and the patterrollers together before we could get readjusted to our new station in life here in our new country where we were captured and brought from our native land, but we have done gone through hell to gain freedom and a new station in life for our color and race of people. Son I wants to stop here and tell you some experience I'se had one time in my life as you knows I'se is an old southern negro used to the southern ways with our white people here and not use to them northern people. I'se went north one time as I thought I could do lots better in the north than I could here in the old south. There was one of them northern negroes comes down here telling us negroes that we was crazy to stay here in the south, as back north we was treated on the same terms that the white people were, to tell you the truth child, he was teaching equality among the white and black people, so'es I went north but I'se found everything different from what he told us it was. I liked to have starved to death up there in the north, I'se could not get no kind of work and I'se went slam broke trying to find me a job and I'se went 3 or 4 days without food. I starts out to begging for them to give me something to eat, going from front door to door as that was the way they done there but they did not care for me. I guess if I had not run on to a southern man up there I would have sure went hungry before I got something to eat, but I kept going from door to door and finally I came to the wrong door cause when I knocked the white man he came to the door and opened it. He said, get your black self off my front door and round to the back before I break your dam neck. I says thank God! cause I knew right then I was going to get something to eat cause I had done found a southern white man, and when I'se eating he begins to question me and he found out about where I'se from and what I'se doing there in the north. After he had fed me he gave me enough money to get home on. Child, I'se never do want to go away from this here old south no more long as I lives cause them there northern negroes who has white women for their wives and white men has negro women for their wives, they sure do not care how hungry and cold you gets. That is awful for the people to mix their blood that way, cause their children are neither white or black, just a mixed race of people that will soon run out to where they will not be any account. No sir son, I'se never tried to vote cuase I'se did not know how to vote nor what we were voting for. Yes sir, I'se had friends that held office but they never bothered this old negro about voting. Course I'se would not unless they should have forced me to vote and they never did do that cause they knew that I did not want to vote.Yes I thinks the younger race of negroes that have become educated should be allowed some more privilege in voting than they do have here in Texas now, but there is no way us negroes can change that and I guess when the white people want them where they can vote more they will give them the privilege so they can do more voting, don't you think?Well son, about all I'se done here in the south was to farm and do farm work. I'se never held any of these here other kinds of jobs, farm work and that kind of work is all I'se ever done.

Son the government gives me a small pension now and that helps this poor old negro to get by, but I'se won't cost the government very much cause my days now are numbered. I'se don't expects to live very much longer now, as I'se can hardly get about no more. These here old legs of mine they have got so stiff I can hardly stand on them. I'se guess they will get to where I'se cannot use them at all.These here young people they are all right in their way but sometimes I don't like their way. Some of them will not tell you the truth but the worst thing that is wrong with them is they don't want to work, they think the government ought to feed them, but you know son that it will soon break the government cause we have got to have somebody to grow something to eat. Of course I'se realize that times and conditions are pretty hard right now, but they are not half as hard as they were just after the war between the states. The government did not feed us then we had to work for everything we got. I believes that our younger race of people are becoming too well educated for their own good. Looks like the more we educate them the lazier they get, so I'se in favor of not so much education and a little more work for our people.