Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Sep 01 - 02:08 PM

If the stories were transposed into "correct" English, they would reflect only the transposer, not the person who lived his story and is telling it in his own words. I find some of the efforts at correctness now are terribly misguided. The collection is one to read a bit at a time. The origins of inner city "black" talk, with some of its own grammar and vocabulary and is the dispair of English teachers at the pre-secondary level, show up here.

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: ard mhacha
Date: 02 Sep 01 - 01:50 PM

Kats, As they say in this part of Ireland, You`re a sound man. Slan Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Sep 01 - 03:24 PM

Thanks, Ard, glad you enjoyed it. I often wonder about my ancestors as I know several of them were slave owners, in fact one came from Barbados with over 100 slaves. I know it was the fact of the times, but I wonder how they would feel if they knew my daughter married a man from Antigua and my precious grandsons are mixed race.

I found that accout so moving and tragic as well as so matter of fact in the telling. Like Dicho, I think there is incredible material there for ballad-writers. I also agree that we need to remember the conditions of other minorities in our country and to keep the past in perspective. I think the person who put up those narratives did a good job, on the main page, of explaining the reason for leaving them in the vernacular and not changing them for today's more sensitive tastes.

All the best,

kats (I like that!*bg*)

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: ard mhacha
Date: 01 Sep 01 - 03:08 PM

Kats, What a site, fascinating reading. I remember being in Charleston West Virginia on holidays and my cousin pointing out where the slaves were sold,have read a lot on Slaves and slavery and I thank you for leading me to another gem. Slan Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Sep 01 - 12:19 PM

Susan, slavery was, and still is in some regions, a terrible thing, but I hope that you are putting it into the perspective of the time. Britain supported the Confederate States because of the importance of cotton to their mills. Britain outlawed slavery only one lifetime before the United States. Mexico had the peon system which persisted in the southwestern area taken from Mexico, New Mexico Territory not eliminating it until 1868, 3 years after the Civil War. Many Indians were kept in bondage under the system. "Outrage" must be properly directed and the people of the present South must not be condemmed because of the sins of the past, as some of tne people who post here do.

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: Susan from California
Date: 01 Sep 01 - 12:01 PM

There are several books I would like to recommend for those of you who still like the printed page. My favorite is "To Be a Slave", compiled by Julius Lester. I read it and cry, my students (7th & 8th grade) read it and are outraged. Many of the WPA narratives are available in book form also and they are amazing. I will check my classroom for titles if anyone is interested.

Sue

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 31 Aug 01 - 11:37 PM

There haven't been more than 2-3 Mudcat sites I couldn't access through clickies but there are some other URLS that were denied. Our Netscape is serviced by an outfit called Excite which is in or near receivership. We hope it will go under and be replaced. I counted about 70 of these slave interviews from Texas and in this archive there must be many hundreds from the states where the project existed. The various writers projects during the depression turned out a fantastic volume of work and preserved much that would otherwise been lost. I can imagine folk-ballad writers going through this material and finding inspiration.

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Aug 01 - 11:15 PM

Well, that is a little odd, Dicho, unless you use something other than IE; maybe they don't have it set up to work with Netscape?

At any rate, that site you linked is tremendous, thank you! And, I agree with Lulu, wholeheartedly!

kat

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 31 Aug 01 - 10:50 PM

Still can't get it to work, Kat. But the last one I gave brings up all of the stories collected, from a number of states. Item 16 of "Born in slavery" brings up the Texas collection. There is one by Lulu Wilson, p. 190, that has this sentence in the 1st paragraph: "I got plenty to say about slavery. Lulu Wilson says she knows they ain't no good in it and they better not bring it back." Amen.

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Aug 01 - 10:28 PM

Hmmm, sorry it didn't work for you Dicho. Here is a link to the main page: WPA Narratives.

Thanks very much for the information, I will take a look. In the meantime, here is the one I linked to, in case others can't get it to work, also.

Texas Slave Narrative
Charley Mitchell []

Charley Mitchell , a Panola County farmer, was born in 1852 as a slave of Nat Terry , an intenerent Baptist preacher of Lynchburg, Virginia. His mother also belonged to the Terrys , and was hired out by them to other white families in the city. Charley was a house servant in the Terry household, and was also hired out by them as a nurse. He left the Terrys one year after surrender, working in a tobacco factory and as a "dining-room" man until 1887 when he moved to Panola County, Texas. For the past fifty years he has resided in the Sabine bottoms of Panola County, about 25 miles southeast of Marshall.

I was bo'n in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1852 and belonged to Parson Nat Terry and Mistress Julia Terry . I don't 'member my Pappy 'cause he was sold when I was a baby. Mammy was willed to the Terrys and allus lived with them till freedom. The Terrys kep' Mammy hired out there in town as a cook and house servant. They hired me out too, during slavery as a nu'se for white fo'ks chil'ren. I nu'sed Tom Thurman's chil'ren. He run a bakery there in Lynchburg and come from the No'th 'fore the war. When the war broke out they made him and another northern man that run a store there take a iron clad oath they wouldn't help the No'th.

During the War I wo'ked in Mr. Thurman's bakery helping make "Hard-tack" and doughnuts for the soldiers. Master Terry collected our wages each month, but we never seed none of it. They say "A Nigger don't need no munny". They giv' us plenty to eat and wear and treat us as well as you could hope for. The white fo'ks also say a Nigger don't need no schooling. Some of them learned to write their 'nitials (initials) with char-coal. Mr. Boss man found a Nigger's 'nitials writ on the barn door with char-coal and call us up and make us tell who done it. Then he say he gonna cut our fingers off if he cotch us doing it again. Lynchburg was a good sized town when the war come on. Woodruff's "Nigger-trading yard" was 'bout the biggest thing there. It was all fenced in and had a big stand in the middle of where they sold the slaves. They sold them for a big price, and handcuffed and chained them together and led off like convicts.

The yard was full of Louisiana and Texas slave buyers mos' all the time. A "niggers" doom was done sealed if he was refuged to Louisiana cause that was where they beat them till the hide was raw, salt 'em and beat 'em some more. Mammy was first hired to the Bigger's family. One time Mr. Bigger was over to the Terry's and come down in the kitchen and wanted to whip me fer something I done. He jest drawed back to hit me with a whip when Mistress Julia come in and stopped him. The next day she made Mammy quit the Biggers and hired her to the Thurmans . Master Nat and Mistress Julia was good to their darkies. Slaves of the white fo'ks who lived in town warn't treated like they was on most of the plantations. Course some of the Bosses was hard on them, but if they behave and tend to their work they got along alright. Lynchburg was full of Pattyrollers jest like the country. They had a fenced in whipping post there in town and the Pattyrollers sho put it on a Nigger if he cotch him without a pass. The slaves warn't 'lowed to visit round town at night. There was no parties fer them in slavery time. A little something "special" to eat at Christmas was all they got in way of "extras".

Lee's Camp-ground was at Lynchburg during the war. It look like another town. The 'Federates had a scrimmage with the Yankees two miles out from Lynchburg during the War. After surrender Gen. Wilcox and a big company of Yankees come there. Lots of soldiers that was shot and hurt in the war was treated there in the tobacco factories that was made into hospitals during the war. After surrender a man calls a meeting of all the slaves there in the fair grounds and tells us we was free. We had to go to work for what-ever they would pay us. We didn't have a thing and no place to go when we was turned loose but down the street and road. When I left the Terry's I wo'ked in a tobacco factory fer a dollar a week. That was big munny to me. Mammy wo'ked too and we managed somehow to live. Mistress Julia told us we was free and she say for us to 'member that she had allus taught us to be good, honest and truthful and not be sassy to white fo'ks. I've heard "haunts" call my name since I moved to Texas. A few years ago my last wife who had been dead four years passed through the hallway and called "Charley " three times. If you crave to see your dead fo'ks you'll never see them, but if you don't think 'bout them they'll come back sometime. I live in a house where two Nigger women died. Both of them was old when they died and allus smoked a pipe. My boy and me used to smell the tobacco in their pipes at night when the window was up and the wind was in the right direction. One mo'ning I saw one of them. I got up early and jest happened to go to the window and look out. I saw one of them going toward the cow pen. I knowed her by the bonnet she wore.

There is a "Nigger" church and cemetery up the road away from my house where the dead people come out by twos at night and go in the church and hold service. Me and the preacher what preaches there have seed and heard them. There is a way of keeping off "haunts". That is done by tacking an old shoe by the side of the door, or a horseshoe over the door, or by pulling off part of the planks of your house and putting on some new boards. Lee's Camp was located close to a big college there in Lynchburg. They throwed up a big breast-works out the other side of the college. I never seed the camp till after surrender, 'cause boys warn't 'lowed to go out there. General Shumaker was Commander of the 'Federate Artillery, and killed the first Yankee that come to Lynchburg. It was a large camp, and had lots of soldiers there. They drilled the college boys too. I liked to watch them drill the college boys there in town. They wore grey caps and suits in the winter and white suits in the summer. I didn't know till after surrender what they was drilling them for. The white fo'ks didn't talk the War 'mung (among) us. Some of the old fo'ks knowed what they was fighting for. 'Bout a year after the Yankee's come to Lynchburg they moved the colored free school out to Lee's Camp and met in one of the barracks. They had four white teachers from the North, and it run several years after surrender. Lots of 'Federate soldiers passed through Lynchburg going to Petersburg. Once some Yankee soldiers come through close to Lynchburg and there was a scrimmage between the two armies 'bout two miles from town. It didn't last long. I hear fo'ks say that they found several blue jackets of the Yankees where they fought after the scrimmage was over.General Wilcox had a standing army in Lynchburg after the war when the Yankees took things over. Everything was peaceful and quiet.I was freed there in Lynchburg. Lots of the owners told the slaves they was going to be free the second and third year of the war. The slaves in town was turned loose at freedom. We warn't promised anything. We just had to do the best we could. I hear lots of slaves what lived on farms say they was promised forty acres of land a a mule.I never nu'sed any after slavery. I wo'ked mostly in factories and waiting on white families till I married, then I started farming. Since I got too old to wo'k and my wife died, I live 'round with my chil'ren. I have two sons and a boy I raised still living. One of the boys lives close to Jacksonville, on the farm. The other one lives here in Sabine bottom of Panola County, and the boy I raised lives at Henderson and works on the road. I'se been getting $10.00 pension since January of this year. (1937).I never fool 'round with politics much. We can vote in the General Election if we pay our poll tax by the first of February. I'se voted a few times, but most of the time I don't vote. I leave that for fo'ks what know politics.I say this lots of times 'bout the young set of Niggers, "They not being raised like I was raised". Most of them don't have no manners or no moral self-respect.I don't 'member much 'bout the songs they sung just after the war. Fo'ks can't holler and sing in town like they do in the country. I recalls a fellow saying just after the war: "All the Niggers are singing, 'You Can Have All The World, But Give Me Jesus', but the white fo'ks done grabbed up the world, so the Niggers don't have the world or Jesus either. []

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 31 Aug 01 - 08:32 PM

Couldn't bookmark. They come up through http://memory.loc.gov and go to search. Type in Born in Slavery and check Match exact phrase. Sorry for the confusion I am causing.

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 31 Aug 01 - 08:03 PM

I forgot to say- check box "Match this exact phrase."

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 31 Aug 01 - 08:00 PM

Kat, I got a black screen with adds. The same story, and many, many others from other states as well, is on the American Memory site (Library of Congress) Go to this site and type in: Born in Slavery. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/mesnbibquery.html

Subject: RE: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: wysiwyg
Date: 31 Aug 01 - 07:36 PM

Kat.... I'm speechless. That one narrative is just the tip of an iceberg over there... one could get lost for days...

Thank you so much for posting this.

Amazing.

~S~

Subject: Slave Narrative from TX - folkloric
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Aug 01 - 07:16 PM

In searching for something else, I came upon an incredible oral history by a Charley Mitchell, a slave who moved to Texas after being freed. Very interesting. If you'd like to read it, please Click Here.

kat