Clara Brim
From:
Texas
CLARA BRIM, slave of William Lyons of Branch, Louisiana, now lives
in Beaumont, Texas. The town of Branch was known in slave days as
Plaquemine Bouley. Clara estimates her age to be 100 or 102, and
from various facts known to her and her family, this would seem to
be correct.
"Old massa's name was William Lyons. I didn't have no old missus, 'cause
he was a bachelor. He had a big plantation. I don't know how big but dey
somethin' like twenty fam'lies of slaves and some dem fam'lies had
plenty in dem. My ma was Becky Brim and pa, he name Louis Brim. She come
from Old Virginny. Dey work in de field. I had two sister name Cass and
Donnie and a brudder name Washington. He went off to de war. When it
break out dey come and take him off to work in de army. He lost in dat
war. He didn't come back. Nobody ever know what happen to him.
"Some de houses log house and some plank, but dey all good. Dey well
built and had brick chimneys. Dey houses what de wind didn't blow in. Us
had beds, too, not dem built in de wall. Us sho' treat good in slavery
times, yes, suh. Old massa give us plenty clothes to keep us good and
warm. He sho' did.
"Old massa, he wasn't marry and eat de same things de slaves eat. He
didn't work dem in de heat of de day. 'Bout eleven o'clock, when dat sun
git hot, he call dem out de field. He give dem till it git kind of cool
befo' he make dem go back in de field. He didn't have no overseer. He
seed 'bout de plantation hisself. He raise cotton and corn and sweet
'taters and peas and cane, didn't fool with rice. He didn't go in for
oats, neither.
"When Sunday come Old Massa ask who want to go to church. Dem what wants
could ride hoss-back or walk. Us go to de white folks church. Dey sot in
front and us sot in back. Us had prayer meetin', too, reg'lar every
week. One old cullud man a sort of preacher. He de leader in 'ligion.
"When de slaves go to work he give dem de task. Dat so much work, so
many rows cotton to chop or corn to hoe. When dey git through dey can do
what dey want. He task dem on Monday. Some dem git through Thursday
night. Den dey can hire out to somebody and git pay for it.
"Old Massa even git de preacher for marryin' de slaves. And when a slave
die, he git de preacher and have Bible readin' and prayin'. Mostest de
massas didn't do dat-a-way.
"I as big in war time as I is now. I used to do anything in de field
what de men done. I plow and pull fodder and pick cotton. But de hardes'
work I ever done am since I free. Old Massa, he didn't work us hard,
noway.
"He allus give us de pass, so dem patterrollers not cotch us. Dey 'bout
six men on hoss-back, ridin' de roads to cotch niggers what out without
de pass. Iffen dey cotch him it am de whippin'. But de niggers on us
place was good and civ'lized folks. Dey didn't have no fuss. Old Massa
allus let dem have de garden and dey can raise things to eat and sell.
Sometime dey have some pig and chickens.
"I been marry his' one time and he been dead 'bout forty-one years now.
I stay with Old Massa long time after freedom. In 1913 I come live with
my youngest girl here in Beaumont. You see, I can't 'member so much. I
has lived so long my 'memberance ain't so good now.
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Sylvester Brooks
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William Branch
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