Fred Dibble
From:
Texas
Dibble, Fred, P.W., Beehler, Rheba, P.W., Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3.
A frail sick man, neatly clad in white pajamas lying patiently in a
clean bed awaiting the end which does not seem far away. Although
we protested against his talking, because of his weakness, he told
a brief story of his life in a whisper, his breath very short and
every word was spoken with great effort. His light skin and his
features denote no characteristic of his race, has a bald head with
a bit of gray hair around the crown and a slight growth of gray
whiskers about his face, is medium in height and build. WASH
ANDERSON, although born in Charleston, S.C., has spent practically
all of his life in Texas [Handwritten Note: (Beaumont, Texas--]
"Mos' folks call me Wash Anderson, but dey uster call me George. My
whole name' George Washington Anderson. I was bo'n in Charleston, Sou'f
Ca'lina in 1855. Bill Anderson was my ol' marster. Dey was two boy' and
two gal' in his family. We all lef' Charleston and come to Orange,
Texas, befo' freedom come. I was fo' year' ol' when dey mek dat trip."
"I don' 'member nuttin' 'bout Charleston. You see where I was bo'n was
'bout two mile' from de city. I went back one time in 1917, but I didn'
stay dere long."
"My pa was Irvin' Anderson and my mommer was name' Eliza. Ol' marster
was pretty rough on his niggers. Dey tell me he had my gran'daddy beat
to death. Dey never did beat me."
"Dey made de trip from Charleston 'cross de country and settle' in
Duncan's Wood' down here in Orange county. Dey had a big plantation
dere. I dunno if ol' marster had money back in Charleston, but I t'ink
he must have. He had 'bout 25 or 30 slaves on de place."
"Ol' man Anderson he had a big two-story house. It was buil' out of logs
but it was a big fine house. De slaves jis' had little log huts. Dere
warn't no flo's to 'em, nuthin' but de groun'. Dem little huts jis' had
one room in 'em. Dey was one family to de house, 'cep'n' sometime dey
put two or t'ree family' to a house. Dey jis' herd de slaves in dere
like a bunch of pigs."
"Dey uster raise cotton, and co'n, and sugar cane, and sich like, but
dey didn' uster raise no rice. Dey uster sen' stuff to Terry on a
railroad to sen' it to market. Sometime dey hitch up dey teams and sen'
it to Orange and Beaumont in wagons. De ol' marster he had a boat, too,
and sometime he sen' a boatload of his stuff to Beaumont."
"My work was to drive de surrey for de family and look atter de hosses
and de harness and sich. I jis' have de bes' hosses on de place to see
atter."
"I saw lots of sojers durin' de war. I see 'em marchin' by, goin' to
Sabine Pass 'bout de time of dat battle."
"Back in slavery time dey uster have a white preacher to come 'roun' and
preach to de cullud folks. But I don't 'member much 'bout de songs what
dey uster sing."
"I play 'roun' right smart when I was little. Dey uster have lots of fun
playin' 'hide and seek,' and 'hide de switch.' We uster ride stick
hosses and play 'roun' at all dem t'ings what chillun play at."
"Dey had plenty of hosses and mules and cows on de ol' plantation. I had
to look atter some of de hosses, but dem what I hatter look atter was
s'pose to be de bes' hosses in de bunch. Like I say, I drive de surrey
and dey allus have de bes' hosses to pull dat surrey. Dey had a log
stable. Dey kep' de harness in dere, too. Eb'ryt'ing what de stock eat
dey raise on de plantation, all de co'n and fodder and sich like."
"Atter freedom come I went 'roun' doin' dif'rent kind of work. I uster
work on steamboats, and on de railroad and at sawmillin'. I was a sawyer
for a long, long time. I work 'roun' in Lou'sana and Arkansas, and
Oklahoma, as well as in Texas. When I wasn't doin' dem kinds of work, I
uster work 'roun' at anyt'ing what come to han'. I 'member one time I
was workin' for de Burr Lumber Company at Fort Townsend up dere in
Arkansas."
"When I was 'bout 36 year' ol' I git marry. I been married twice. My
fus' wife was name' Hannah and Reverend George Childress was de preacher
dat marry us. He was a cullud preacher. Atter Hannah been dead some time
I marry my secon' wife. Her name was Tempie Perkins. Later on, us
sep'rate. Us sep'rate on 'count of money matters."
"I b'longs to de Baptis' Chu'ch. Sometime' de preacher come 'roun' and
see me. He was here a few days ago dis week."
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Uncle Willis Anderson
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Andy Anderson
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