Harriet Jones
From:
Texas
HARRIET JONES, 93, was born a slave of Martin Fullbright, who owned
a large plantation in North Carolina. When he died his daughter,
Ellen, became Harriet's owner, and was so kind to Harriet that she
looks back on slave years as the happiest time in her life.
"My daddy and mammy was Henry and Zilphy Guest and Marse Martin
Fullbright brung dem from North Carolina to Red River County, in Texas,
long 'fore freedom, and settled near Clarksville. I was one of dere
eight chillen and borned in 1844 and am 93 years old. My folks stayed
with Marse Martin and he daughter, Miss Ellen, till dey went to de
reward where dey dies no more.
"De plantation raise corn and oats and wheat and cotton and hawgs and
cattle and hosses, and de neares' place to ship to market am at
Jefferson, Texas, ninety miles from Clarksville, den up river to
Shreveport and den to Memphis or New Orleans. Dey send cotton by wagon
train to Jefferson but mostly by boat up de bayou.
"When Marse Martin die he 'vide us slaves to he folks and I falls to he
daughter, Miss Ellen. Iffen ever dere was a angel on dis earth she was
it. I hopes wherever it is, her spirit am in glory.
"When Miss Ellen marry Marse Johnnie Watson, she have me fix her up. She
have de white satin dress and pink sash and tight waist and hoop skirt,
so she have to go through de door sideways. De long curls I made hang
down her shoulders and a bunch of pink roses in de hand. She look like a
angel.
"All de fine folks in Clarksville at dat weddin' and dey dances in de
big room after de weddin' supper. It was de grand time but it make me
cry, 'cause Miss Ellen done growed up. When she was a li'l gal she wore
de sweetes' li'l dresses and panties with de lace ruffles what hung down
below her skirt, and de jacket button in de back and shoes from soft
leather de shoeman tan jus' for her. When she li'l bigger she wear de
tucked petticoats, two, three at a time to take place of hoops, but she
still wear de white panties with lace ruffles what hang below de skirt
'bout a foot. Where dey gone now? I ain't seed any for sich a long time!
"When de white ladies go to church in dem hoop skirts, dey has to pull
dem up in da back to set down. After freedom dey wears de dresses long
with de train and has to hold up de train when dey goes in de church,
lessen dey has de li'l nigger to go 'long and hold it up for dem.
"All us house women larned to knit de socks and head mufflers, and many
is de time I has went to town and traded socks for groceries. I cooked,
too, and helped 'fore old Marse died. For everyday cookin' we has corn
pone and potlicker and bacon meat and mustard and turnip greens, and
good, old sorghum 'lasses. On Sunday we has chicken or turkey or roast
pig and pies and cakes and hot, salt-risin' bread.
"When folks visit dem days dey do it right and stays several days, maybe
a week or two. When de quality folks comes for dinner, Missie show me
how to wait on table. I has to come in when she ring de bell, and hold
de waiter for food jus' right. For de breakfas' we has coffee and hot
waffles what my mammy make.
"Dere was a old song we used to sing 'bout de hoecake, when we cookin'
dem:
"'If you wants to bake a hoecake,
To bake it good and done,
Slap it on a nigger's heel,
And hold it to de sun.
"'My mammy baked a hoecake,
As big as Alabama,
She throwed it 'gainst a nigger's head,
It ring jus' like a hammer.
"'De way you bake a hoecake,
De old Virginny way,
Wrap it round a nigger's stomach,
And hold it dere all day.'
"Dat de life we lives with old and young marse and missie, for dey de
quality folks of old Texas.
"'Bout time for de field hands to go to work, it gittin' mighty hot down
here, so dey go by daylight when it cooler. Old Marse have a horn and
'long 'bout four o'clock it 'gin to blow, and you turn over and try take
'nother nap, den it goes arguin', b l o w, how loud dat old horn do
blow, but de sweet smell de air and de early breeze blowin' through de
trees, and de sun peepin' over de meadow, make you glad to git up in de
early mornin'.
"'It's a cool and frosty mornin'
And de niggers goes to work,
With hoes upon dey shoulders,
Without a bit of shirt.'
"'When dey hears de horn blow for dinner it am de race, and dey sings:
"'I goes up on de meatskins,
I comes down on de pone--
I hits de corn pone fifty licks,
And makes dat butter moan.'
"De timber am near de river and de bayou and when dey not workin' de
hosses or no other work, we rides down and goes huntin' with de boys,
for wild turkeys and prairie chickens, but dey like bes' to hunt for
coons and possums.
"'Possum up de gum stump,
Raccoon in de hollow--
Git him down and twist him out,
And I'll give you a dollar.'
"Come Christmas, Miss Ellen say, 'Harriet, have de Christmas Tree carry
in and de holly and evergreens.' Den she puts de candles on de tree and
hangs de stockin's up for de white chillen and de black chillen. Nex'
mornin', everybody up 'fore day and somethin' for us all, and for de men
a keg of cider or wine on de back porch, so dey all have a li'l
Christmas spirit.
"De nex' thing am de dinner, serve in de big dinin' room, and dat
dinner! De onlies' time what I ever has sich a good dinner am when I
gits married and when Miss Ellen marries Mr. Johnnie. After de white
folks eats, dey watches de servants have dey dinner.
"Den dey has guitars and banjoes and fiddles and plays old Christmas
tunes, den dat night marse and missie brung de chillen to de quarters,
to see de niggers have dey dance. 'Fore de dance dey has Christmas
supper, on de long table out in de yard in front de cabins, and have
wild turkey or chicken and plenty good things to eat. When dey all
through eatin', dey has a li'l fire front de main cabins where de
dancin' gwine be. Dey moves everything out de cabin 'cept a few chairs.
Next come de fiddler and banjo-er and when dey starts, de caller call,
'Heads lead off,' and de first couple gits in middle de floor, and all
de couples follow till de cabin full. Next he calls, 'Sashay to de
right, and do-si-do.' Round to de right dey go, den he calls, 'Swing
you partners, and dey swing dem round twice, and so it go till daylight
come, den he sing dis song:
"'Its gittin' mighty late when de Guinea hen squall,
And you better dance now if you gwine dance a-tall--
If you don't watch out, you'll sing 'nother tune,
For de sun rise and cotch you, if you don't go soon,
For de stars gittin' paler and de old gray coon
Is sittin' in de grapevine a-watchin' de moon.'
"Den de dance break up with de Virginny Reel, and it de end a happy
Christmas day. De old marse lets dem frolic all night and have nex' day
to git over it, 'cause its Christmas.
"'Fore freedom de soldiers pass by our house and stop ask mammy to cook
dem something to eat, and when de Yankees stop us chillen hides. Once
two men stays two, three weeks lookin' round, pretends dey gwine buy
land. But when de white folks gits 'spicious, dey leaves right sudden,
and it turn out dey's Yankee spies.
"I marries Bill Jones de year after freedom. It a bright, moonlight
night and all de white folks and niggers come and de preacher stand
under de big elm tree, and I come in with two li'l pickininnies for
flower gals and holdin' my train. I has on one Miss Ellen's dresses and
red stockin's and a pair brand new shoes and a wide brim hat. De
preacher say, 'Bill, does you take dis woman to be you lawful wife?' and
Bill say he will. Den he say, 'Harriet, will you take dis nigger to be
you lawful boss and do jes' what he say?' Den we signs de book and de
preacher say, 'I quotes from de scripture:
"'Dark and stormy may come de weather,
I jines dis man and woman together.
Let none but Him what make de thunder,
Put dis man and woman asunder.'
"Den we goes out in de backyard, where de table sot for supper, a long
table made with two planks and de peg legs. Miss Ellen puts on de white
tablecloth and some red berries, 'cause it am November and dey is ripe.
Den she puts on some red candles, and we has barbecue pig and roast
sweet 'taters and dumplin's and pies and cake. Dey all eats dis grand
supper till dey full and mammy give me de luck charm for de bride. It am
a rabbit toe, and she say:
"'Here, take dis li'l gift,
And place it near you heart;
It keep away dat li'l riff
What causes folks to part.
"'It only jes' a rabbit toe,
But plenty luck it brings,
Its worth a million dimes or more,
More'n all de weddin' rings.'
"Den we goes to Marse Watson's saddleshop to dance and dances all night,
and de bride and groom, dat's us, leads de grand march.
"De Yankees never burned de house or nothin', so Young Marse and Missie
jes' kep' right on livin' in de old home after freedom, like old Marse
done 'fore freedom. He pay de families by de day for work and let dem
work land on de halves and furnish dem teams and grub and dey does de
work.
"But bye'n-bye times slow commence to change, and first one and 'nother
de old folks goes on to de Great Beyon', one by one dey goes, till all I
has left am my great grandchild what I lives with now. My sister was
livin' at Greenville six years ago. She was a hundred and four years old
den. I don't know if she's livin' now or not. How does we live dat long?
Way back yonder 'fore I's born was a blessin' handed down from my great,
great, grandfather. It de blessin' of long life, and come with a
blessin' of good health from livin' de clean, hones' life. When
nighttime come, we goes to bed and to sleep, and dat's our blessin'.
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Lewis Jones
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