Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  John Walton

John Walton , 87, was born August 15, 1849, a slave of Bill Walton , who lived in Austin, Texas, until the Civil War. He then purchased a farm in Robertson County, Texas, John and his wife. Missouri, own a little home at 1008 Juniper St., Austin. Each receives an old age pension of $10.00 a month.

My name am John Walton , yes, such, and I's born right here in Austin. Dat on de 15th day of August, in 1849. I done had de papers on dat but where dey is now I don't know. Pappy's named Gordon Walton end I 'member he die while de war goin' on, or jes' befo'. I disremember. My mammy was a small woman, named Mary . Massa Bill Walton owns all us, and he de brother of Buck Walton , and us live in Austin till it said de Yankees comin'. Some southern folks here in Austin was diggin' ground for a fort, old Fort MacGruder, jos' south of Austin. So Massa Bill takes us all 'way from Austin and up to Robertson County, 'cause he done figured de Yankees can't git up dere. I done field work up dere and even us kids had to pick 150 pounds cotton a day, or git de whoppin'. Us puts de cotton in de white-oak baskets and some dem hold more'n 100 pounds. It 'cordin' to de way you stamps you cotton in. De wagon with de yoke of oxen standin' in de field for to pour de cotton in and when it full, de oxen pulls dat wagon to de hoss-power gin. Us gin'rally use 'bout 1,600 pounds cotton to make de bale. Purty soon after Massa Walton opens he farm he die and Missus Walton den marries a Dr. Richardson and he git de overseer what purty rough on us. He want all us to stay right in line and chop 'long and keep up with de lead man. If us didn't it am de bullwhip. He ride up and down and hit us over de back if us don't do de job right. Sometimes he'd git off he hoss and have two slaves hold one down and give him de bullwhip. He'd give it to him, too. I helped break up de land and plant and chop cotton and a little of everything. Jes' what had to be done at de time. I goes out and does it. I run 'cross plenty snakes and one day one bit me right top de foot. Dere plenty varmints, too. In de fall of de year us kill plenty hawgs and put up de gambling' racks and hang dat meat up for de night. Dere some big dogs what watched de meat and one old dog, old Jefferson, was bigger'n any dog I ever seed. He kilt many 'nother dog. One night a big panther try steal de hawg meat and old Jeff cotch him and helt him till de men comes. De panther tore Jeff up purty bad. Us heered dem panthers scream at night, and if you didn't know, you'd think it a woman. I could tell de diff'rence, 'cause de panther scream have de little growl at de end. If he half mile 'way, you'd hear dat little whang. One night I goes out in de bottom with my dog. I was huntin' but I don't like what I finds. A big panther follows me and old Nig, dat my big, black bulldog, scart him 'way from me. I sho' run dat night, and I never slip 'way no more at night. Massa's big house sot 'way from our cabins. Us have de big room where de slaves' meals all cook and de fireplace 'bout four foot 'cross and plenty ashes in de mornin' to make de ashcakes. For breakfast us have meat and ashcakes and bran-coffee or sassafras tea. You could keep dem dried sassafrasroote de year 'round and dey jes' as strong. Us plowed 'em up in de field, 'cause dey growed wild. Us didn't have time for de playin' of games durin' de week, 'cause it dark when us goes out and it dark when us comes beck. Us sho' was tired. At night dat overseer walk by our cabins and call out to us. to see if us all inside. If us don't answer he come up and find out why, and he'd find us, too. I larned to read and write a little jes' since freedom. Us used Webster's old blueback spellers and I has one in de house to dis day and I wouldn't take nothing for it. The first year after freedom I farms with mammy and my stepdaddy. Pappy done die. Us done purty good de first year and I keeps on farmin' most my life. I marries Georgia Anne Harper in 1875 or 1876 in Limestone County. Us have four chillen and three is livin'. I marries 'gain in 1882 to Missouri Fisher and us have eight chillen and six is livin'. Us gits 'long on what de state give us now, and it ain't so bad. Times is diff'rent. I never done much but farm, so I don't know so much 'bout everything what goes on.


John Walton , 87, was born a slave on August 15, 1849, to Mr. Bill Walton , who had a home in Austin and lived there until the Civil War. He then purchased a farm in Robertson County. Shortly after this Mr. Walton died. Mrs. Walton then married a Dr. Richardson . After emancipation John , his mother and his stepfather rented a farm on halves. In 1875 or 1876, he married Georgia Anne Harper . They had four children. In 1882 he married Missouri Fisher. They had eight children. John and Missouri own their own home at 1008 Juniper St., Austin. John and Missouri each get a pension of ten dollars a month. His story:

John Walton is my name and I was bawn on August 15, 1849, heah in Austin. Fathaw's name was Gordon Walton . I jes' do remembah my fathaw and he died while de war was goin' on--or jes' befo'. I disremembah. My mothaw was Mary Walton . I can remembah my mothaw. She was a small woman. Our mawster was Bill Walton of Austin, and he was de brothaw of Buck Walton . We lived in Austin until de time when it was said dat de yankees was comin'. Some Southern army people here in Austin was diggin' ground fo' a fort ole Fort Mac Gruder   which was jes' south of Austin We was took away f'om Austin by Mawster Walton and was tool up to Robertson County. Up in Robertson County Mawster Walton opened up a big fahm. I had to do field work. Us slaves had to do a certain amount of tasks a day. Even us kids had to pick 150 pounds of cotton a day... or we got a whoopin'. We picked cotton and put it into laghe and small white-oak baskets. Some of dem baskets would hold more'n a hunnert pounds of cotton. It was accordin' to de way yo' stamped de cotton in. A wagon wid a yoke of oxen hitched to it was standin' in de field ready fo' us to pour our cotton in. When de wagon was full de oxen pulled de wagon to de hoss-power gin. We ginerally used about 1,600 pounds of cotton to make a bale. Soon after Mawster Walton opened his fahm he died. Mistress Walton den married a captain or Dr. Richardson . Mawster Walton didn't never allow no overseer on his place but Dr. Richardson did. Dis overseer got putty rough wid us. Durir de cotton hoein' time, de overseer wanted all of us--dat is de biggest ones--to stay right in line and chop along. We had to keep up wid one another. And if we didn't we jes' got de bull-whoop. De overseer would ride up and hit us over de back if we didn't do our job right. At times de overseer would git off'n his hoss, have two other slaves hold another one down and give him de bull-whoop. They'd give it to him, too. I had to help break up de land, plant de cawn and cotton, chop de cawn and cotton and do a little of everything. Jes' whut ever had to be done at de time, I had to go out and do it. In clearin' land, we'd run across plenty of snakes. One day I was diggin' up sprouts and I was barefooted when a snake bit me right on top of my foot. Bein' virgin land dere was plenty of snakes. Dere was also plenty of varmints. In the fall of the year, we'd kill plenty of hogs. We'd put up "gamblin' racks" and hang de hog meat up fo' de night. Sometimes we'd hang de meat on de rack and place it among two trees. Dere was some big dogs on de plantation and day watched dat meat. Dere was one big dog, ole Jefferson, which was bigger'n any dog I ever seen. Ole Jefferson killed many another dog. One night a big panther tried to steal de hog meat, but ole Jefferson caught him and held him till de men got dere. Den de panther cut up ole Jefferson putty bad and tore loose and run back into de bottom. Dat's de last we saw of dat panther. We could hear de panthers' scream at night and if yo' didn't know de difference yo' wouldn't know whether it was a woman or a panther. I heard it so often dat I could tell de difference. If yo' listened yo' could hear dat, when he screamed, he had a growl at de end. If he was half a mile away, you'd hear dat whang. My mothaw wouldn't allow me to go out alone at night, so a dog was sent along wid me. De bottom was a good piece f'om our cabin and one night I went huntin' out dere. Comin' back to de cabin, a big panther follered me. But old Nig, a big black bulldog, kept dat panther away f'om me. When me and Nig got back to our cabin. I heard dat panther scream. Yo' sho could hear a panther a-follerin' yo' by him pattin' his big paws along on de ground. Mother asked me, "Wheah has yo' all been to? I'se been a huntin'," I told her.Mother told me, "If yo' ever go off fom heah again at night, I'll whoop yo', dog or no dog.And I never slipped away no mo'e at night. I remembah how I used to ride and break wild mustangs. One Sunday mawnin', after a long dry spell, I got on a mustang. Dat mustang began pitchin' and den stumbled into a hole up to his breast and over his head I went. I didn't know nothin' till way into de evenin. When I come to mysef, I was at home and a doctor stood over me and asked how I felt.I said, "I feel all right".But I found out different when I wanted to move. I hurt all over...my back and shoulders hurt putty bad. But, dis accident didn't keep me f'om ridin' hosses. I rode 'em fo' years after dis.De mawster's big house set away f'om our cabins. Between three and four o'clock in de mawnin', de overseer rung de bell and we had to git up.

We had a big fireplace about four foot across and dere'd be plenty of ashes in de mawnin' to make ashcakes.Fo' breakfast we usually had meat, ash-cakes, bran-coffee and sassafras tea, which we made f'om de dried sassafras roots. Yo could keep dem dried sassafras roots de year 'round, and day'd be jes' as strong. Yo' could plow 'em up in de fields, cause day growed wild. Sassafras tea was good fo' yo' blood, and also fo' de whole system.Dere was no likker allowed on dis plantation, 'cause our new mawster was a doctor. I never saw no whiskey among de slaves durin' slavery time. I can remembah, though, when I was bit by dat snake, a doctor come on de place and give me some whiskey. He jes' come and give it to me. I know it made me might sick. De stuff he give me seemed to make me sicker den de snake bite.We didn't have much time fo' de playin' of any games durin' de week, 'cause it was dark when we went out and it was dark when we come back. We sho was tired. Durin' de fall we'd git up early and git through puttly late. At night de overseer would walk by our cabins and call out to us, to see if we was all inside. If we didn't answer, he would come up and find out why, and he would find us too!When we'd go a courtin' we'd have to have a pass or de patrol would git yo'. Day'd sho whoop yo' too, if yo' didn't have yo' pass. Befo' day got through wid yo', yo'd wished yo' had four passes.I have learned to read and write a little mostly jes' since freedom. I learned a little bit durin' slavery. After freedom, we used Webster's old blue back spellers. I have one in de house to dis day and I wouldn't take nothin' fo it.The first year right after freedom, I fahmed wid my mothaw and step-daddy. Fathaw died durin' de war. We done putty good de first year. De man dat we was workin' fo' furnished de plows de seeds and everything. We give de boss half of everthing whut we raised. We plowed wid oxen and hardly knowed whut a mule was. I married my first wife in about 1875 or 1876. She was Georgia Anne Harper . De weddin' took place up in Limestone County. We had four chillun and three is livin'. De second time I married was in about 1882, and I was married to Missouri Fisher . She was called Missouri 'cause she was bawn in St. Louis, Missouri. Her and her folks come to Texas wid dere Mawster Fisher after freedom. Me and Missouri had eight chillun, of which six is livin'.


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