Easter Jackson
From:
Georgia Narratives, Part 2
[TR: date stamp MAY 8 1937]
Life Story as Told by Aunt Easter Jackson
Ex-Slave
It was during the height of slavery days that Frances Wilkerson and one
child came to make their home in Troup County, having been bought by Mr.
Tom Dix from a Mr. Snow, of Virginia. Frances, being an unusually
intelligent slave, able to weave, spin, and do all kinds of sewing, cost
Mr. Dix $1500.00. She received excellent care, never once being allowed
to do any field work, and was kept at the "Big House" to do the sewing
for the household.
Frances' husband, Silas Wilkerson, was bought by the Wilkerson Family,
who were neighbors.
It was here on the Dix plantation, located about one mile from what is
now the Court Square, that another child, Easter, was born, a few years
before the Civil War. It is with a smile of tenderness that she
described her life on the old plantation.
"Yes, chile, I can see Mistus now a-ridin' up on her grey horse, "Pat",
wid er basket on her arm plum full of biscuit! Yes, chile, white
biscuits! and ain't no short cake ever been made what could hold a light
to dem biscuits. Mistus would say, 'Where's dem chillun, Mammy?'
"Lawdy, you never seed so many little niggers pop up in all yo'
life--just 'peared lak de come right out o' de groun'. Sometimes dere
'ud be so many chillun, she'd have to break de biscuits to make 'em go
'roun' and sometimes when she's have an extry big basket, she'd say,
'Bring on de milk, and less feed dese chullun.' A big bucket o' milk
would be brung and po'd in little troughs and de'd lay down on dey
little stommacks, and eat jest lak pigs! But de wuz jest as slick and
fat as yer please--lots fatter an us is now! And clean too. Old Mustus
would say, 'Mammy, you scrub dese chillun and use dat "Jim-Crow."' Lawd,
chile! I done fergot you doan know what a "Jim-Crow" wus--dat's a little
fine com' what'll jest natchully take the skin plum off yo' haid 'long
wid de dirt.
"Dem was good old days, plenty ter eat and a cabin o' sticks and dirt to
call yo' own. Had good times too, 'specially on de 4th of July and
Christmas, when old Marster Tom allus let de niggers have pigs to kill
for de feas'; why chile, you should er seen de pot we cooked dem pigs
in, it wus so big an' heavy, it took two to put the i'on led on. And
sech music! Music played on harps, saws, and blowin' quills. Ever'body
had a good time; even de "white folks" turned out for de dance which
went 'way into de night.
"Den dere wus de prayer meetin's, once a week, first on one of the
plantations den a nother; when all de niggers would meet and worshup,
singin' praises unto the Lord; I can hear 'em now, dere voices soundin'
fur away. Yes sir! Folks had religun in dem days, the "Old Time
Religun." Our white folks belonged to the First Baptis' Church in
LaGrange, and all de slaves went to de same church. Our services wus in
de basement.
"But t'wasn' long 'fore de war broke out, and den things wuz turrible;
de niggers would huddle 'roun' de "Big House" scared ter death o' de
orful tales that wus told er bout de war! It wusn't but er bout a year
til young Marster Tom, John, and Bee wus called to de war. Albert and
Scott Dix, two young slaves, went with Marster Tom and John and stayed
by them 's close as de could, cookin' and gettin' good for de camp. But
t'wus a sad day when de word come dat Marster Tom wus dyin'. Old Mistus
left right straight, all us slaves goin' down to de train wid her, an'
when she got on, she wave her han' an' said, 'I want all o' you, white
and black, to take keer o' my baby.'
"When she got dere 'twuz a two-story house where they had Marster
Tom--the blood had run down de stairs.
"Ole Mistus had stood so much she couldn't stan' no mo',--the next
mornin' she wus dead in de bed! One o' de slaves, Albert, and her son,
John, carried her on dere shoulders for five miles, but the war bein' so
bad dey couldn't carry her no further, so dey buried her by de road and
after de war wus over, de took her to de fam'ly graveyard.
"Den de word spread lak wild fire: "The Niggers wuz free". That night
all the slaves went up to the "Big House", wurried an' askin' 'Young
Marster Tom, where is we goin'? What is we goin' to do?' Young Marster
Tom said, "Go on back to your cabins and go to bed, dey are your homes
and you can stay on here as long as you want to.""
* * * * *
According to Aunt Easter's statement, life for the slaves on the Dix
plantation changed very little after the war. She later was married to
John Henry Jackson, whose mother also came from Virginia. Aunt Easter
had fourteen children, six of them are now living in Troup County and
have good jobs. She has made her home with her children and has the
respect of all the "white folks", and she often boasts that "her white
folks" will care for her till she dies. She now lives on West Haralson
Street, LaGrange, Troup County, Georgia.
Next:
Snovey Jackson
Previous:
Camilla Jackson
