I was bo'n in Alabama and my mother was Viney Askew . She belonged to Marster Green Askew . My father was Wesley Jones , 'cause he took his marster's name. My mother was a good cook and she cooked for de marster. She had a great big stove and she made salt-risin' broad, too. We and all de slaves lived in cabins near de big house and some of de slaves would have chillen by de marster. When we come home from de fields at night, do woman cooked de food and don dey was so tired dey jus' wont to bed. We didn' have fun in de evenin's, but on Christmas mornin' de marster give us eggnog and sich. Don we'd sing but I don' 'member de songs now. De crops in Alabama would be cleared by July 4 and don we'd have sev'ral days off, all de slaves. Dey'd give us pits of barbecue and pies and cakes to eat. When we was sick de marster would sen' for de doctor and we made teas outta herbs and sich. Alabama was full of chills and fevers in dam days and we drunk catnip tea for fevers and blue and white sage. Calamus root, looks like an onion, was good for de chillens' colic. My mistress' niece had a big plantation and she had a place whar she had de slaves whopped. She had a reg'lar whoppin' post. My marster jes' had a large cowhide whoop. Yes, I got a whoppin' more'n once. Sev'ral times marster took hold my ears and bumped my head 'gainst de wall. But gen'rally dey was good to me. We wasn't 'lowed no whiskey, 'less we was sick. De poor white folks was good to us, better'n rich folks. Dey'd give us a quarter now'n den. I can 'member how de slaves was fattened like hawgs and den marched to town and 'round and auctioned off like cattle. Some of 'em had done somethin' mean and was sold off. Some of 'em brought more'n a thousand dollars down in How Orleans.

I knows of one slave who liked to run 'round at night. She was nuss to marster's girl and she give it morphine to put it to sleep. She give de baby girl so much morphine dat her body was full of it and she died. De cullud folks got to talkin' too much and de baby was dug up and 'xamined. De slave was put in jail and kep' there a long time and don she was sold. Heap of de slaves would run away and go up north. Dey would try to find 'am by sendin' nigger houn's after 'em. Once de houn's caught a slave and he kep' sayin', 'O, Lawd ... O, Lawd!' After de war, whom we was free, de slaves would go here and there and a lot of 'em died. Dey'd git de black measles, go out in de woods and die. Day didn' know how to take care of demselves. I stayed at marster's house eight months, don hired out at ten dollars a month. Dat was de fus' money I ever made and I didn' want to go to school, 'cause I wanted to make dat money. Dat looked like big money to me. I was proud to have it. 'cause I could git what I wanted. I cain't read or write to this day. I was married to General Thompson , and he'd been a slave too, in Alabama. Yes. General was his given name. I was 16 years old when I married and a white preacher married us durin' a 4th of July celebration. Yes, we had a big time and a good time. We come to Texas later and my husban' farmed on the Brazes. We had eight chillen, and two of 'em is livin.' My husban' died and I buried him, den I took up with a Horace Foster , and he was nothin' but a gambler. I lived with him 'bout 8 years, but he never would marry me, no I lef' him.

My name is Mary Thompson , and I was bawn in Denton, Miringo County, Alabama, about eighty-seven yeahs ago. My mothaw was Viney Askew , and she belonged to Marster Green Askew , a Georgian. My fathaw was Wesley Jones . He took his Marster's name. I was about fifteen yeahs old when slavery ended, and I have a wo'se time now dan I did den. Meat is so high, and hardly fit to eat. I always felt mysef free even befo' freedom, 'cause I didn't have to do no field work. I cleaned house, nussed de chillun, and waited on table. We wusn't given no money. We wus given our room, food and clothes. I lived in de "big house" wid de Marster and mistress, and slep' on a pallet on de floah. I had to git up durin' de night and wait on de chillun, ... give 'em watah and so on. De chillun liked me and called me Mary , and de chillun's folks treated me all right, except once or twice. Some of dose chillun is still livin' in Alabama, and I could have a room wid 'em to dis day. My mothaw was a good cook, and people in sto'es in town brought rabbits, 'possums and tukkeys for her to cook. She also made good cakes and good sponge cakes. She had a large stove and also made home-made bread  dey called it salt-risin' bread. In cold weathaw, we wore gingham dresses, and good, wahm stockin's and shoes. Dey took good cah of us. In hot weathaw, we woah ginghams and went beahfoot, but we put on shoes to go to chuch. We was allowed to go to chuch at three on Sunday aftahnoon. De white folks always sent us a white preachah to do de preachin', 'cause de slaves - mos' of 'em - couldn't read or write. De preachah would tell us to be good to our masters and mistresses. We was Presbyterians. I was sca'ed to learn to read or write, 'cause a lot of slaves said dat de white folks would maybe cut off our fingahs. No, de white folks never did hep me to read or write. I kin remembah how we would heah somebody a-screamin' at times at a house, and my sistah and me would run theah and see whut wus wrong. We was told dat de mistress had got a telegram and dat one of her boys had been kilt in de wah. Dat wah lasted so long, dat it was a shame. I remembah how de soldiahs - de Confederates - would jes' walk into de kitchen and hep themsefs. Dey would say, "We have been to de wah, and you - all jes' been settin' down  we are hongry"; and dey would hep themsefs. My mistress' niece had a big plantation, and she had a place whah she had de slaves whooped. She had a reg'lah whoopin'-post whah de slaves was whooped. My Marster jes' had a large cowhide whoop. Yes, I got a whoopin' more'n once. Well, I was jes' a slave, and I have never forgotten it. If dey treated me right, I tried to do right. Several times de Marster took hold of my eahs and bumped my haid against de wall  otherwise dey was good to me. I'm jes' tellin' you de truf. We wusn't allowed no whiskey, unless we was sick. De white poor folks was good to us, better'n de rich folks. De poor folks'd give us a quartah now and then. I remembah how drunk some of de slaves got. I kin remembah how de slaves was fattened like hogs, and den marched to town and marched aroun' and auctioned off like cattle 

Some of de slaves had done somethin' mean, and was sold off. Some of de slaves brought more'n a thousand dollahs down in New Awlins. I know of one woman-slave who was workin' fo' de white folks, and she liked to run around wid de white sto'e men at night. She was a nuss to her Marster's girl, and she would give her morphine to put her to sleep, so she could run around and not let de Marster know it. It ended up by de slave nuss givin' de baby girl so much morphine dat her body was full of it  and de baby died. De baby was buried and de cullud folks got to talkin' too much, and de baby was dug up again, and examined. De slave nuss was put in jail and kep' thah a long time. She was den sold. Heap of de slaves would run away and go up Nawth. De Marsters would try to find 'em by sendin' "nigger houns" aftah 'em. Once de houns caught a slave and he kep' sayin', "Oh, Laws  oh, Lawd!" De slaves had cabins neah de "big house". Some of de slaves -- like a seamstress -- would have chillun by de Marster  and nobody had bettah bothaw dem chillun! Dey was taken good care of. When de slaves would come home frum de fields at night, de wimmen would cook de food, and de men and wimmen would eat, and dey was usually so tired dat dey would go on to bed. De crops in Alabama would be cleared by July 4, and de Marsters would give us several days off  dat is, all slaves. De Marsters would give us pits of barbecue, pies and cakes to eat. Den we'd have plenty to eat  and it wasn't like now. On Christmas mawnins, de Marsters would give us eggnog and so on. Den we'd sing spirituals and songs. No, I don' remembah none of de songs now. On New Yeah's, we'd sing out de old, and sing in de new. When we was sick de Marster would send fo' a doctah. We also used different herbs and teas. We had to drink Blayton's Spring water, which de doctah said was good fo' us, but which tasted like rotten eggs. Alabama was full of chills -- and -- Alabama was full of chills - and - fevers. Catnip tea was given to de chillun fo' fevers and to make 'em res'. Blue and white sage was good fo' fevers. Calamus root - which looked like an onion - was good fo' de chillun's colic. Aftah de wah, when we was free, de slaves would go heah and thah, and a lot of 'em died. Dey would git de black measles, go out in de woods and die. Dey didn't know how to take care of themsefs and got sick. I stayed at Marster's house fo' eight months, den hired out  at ten dollahs a month. Dis was de fus' money I evah made, and I didn't want to go to school, 'cause I  to make dat money. Dat looked like big money to me. I was proud to have money, 'cause I could git whut I wanted. I have been workin' evah since. I nevah did go to school, and I kain't read or write to this day! I was married to General Thompson, an ex-slave, in Alabama. Yes, General was his given name. I was sixteen yeahs old when I was married, and a white preachah married us durin' a 4th of July celebration! Yes, we had a big time, and a good time. We come to Texas latah, and my husban' fahmed on de Brazos. We had eight chillun  thah is only two boys livin': Howard and Allison. Howard works on a boat somewhere; Allison lives in Alabama. Don' know whut he's doin'. I have two granddaughters and one grandson. My husban' died and I buried him. Den I took up wid one Horace Foster , who was nothin' but a gambler. I lived wid him for about seven or eight yeahs, and he nevah would marry me, so I lef' him. He was jus' a gambler, ennyhow, and I've prayed de Lawd many, many times to forgive me.