James Boyd
From:
Texas
JAMES BOYD was born in Phantom Valley, Indian Territory, in an
Indian hut. A man named Sanford Wooldrige stole him and brought him
to Texas, somewhere near Waco. James does not know his age, but
thinks he is a hundred years or more old. He now lives in Itasca,
Texas.
"I's born in dat Phantom Valley, in de Indian Territory, what am now
call Oklahoma. Us live in a Indian hut. My pappy Blue Bull Bird and
mammy Nancy Will. She come to de Indian Territory with Santa Anna, from
Mississippi, and pappy raise in de Territory. I don' 'member much 'bout
my folks, 'cause I stole from dem when I a real li'l feller. I's
a-fishin' in de Cherokee River and a man name Sanford Wooldrige come by.
You see, de white folks and de Indians have de fight 'bout dat day. I's
on de river and I heared yellin' and shootin' and folkses runnin' and I
slips into some bresh right near. Den come de white man and he say,
'Everybody kilt, nigger, and dem Indians gwine kill you iffen day cotch
you. Come with me and I ain't 'low dem hurt you.' So I goes with him.
"He brung me to Texas, but I don't know jus' where, 'cause I didn't know
nothin' 'bout dat place. Massa Sanford good to us, but look out for he
missus, she sho' tough on niggers. Dere 'bout 1,600 acres in de
plantation and de big house am nice. When de niggers wouldn't work dey
whup 'em. Us work all week and sometime Sunday, iffen de crops in a
rush. Massa not much on presents or money but us have warm clothes and
plenty to eat and de dry place to live, and dat more'n lots of niggers
has now.
"Sometime us have de corn huskin' and dere a dollar for de one what
shuck de mos' corn. Us have de big dance 'bout twict a year, on
Christmas and sometime in de summer. When de white folks have dere big
balls us niggers cook and watch dem dance. Us have fun den.
"I likes to think of dem times when us fish all de hot day or hunts or
jus' lazed 'round when de crops am laid by. I likes to shet de eyes and
be back in old times and hear 'em sing, "Swing, low, Sweet Chariot." I
can't sing, now you knows can't no old man sing what ain't got no teef
or hair. I used to like to swing dat 'Ginia Reel and I's spry and young
den.
"Dere's lots I can't 'member, 'cause my mem'ry done gone weak like de
res' of me, but I 'member when us free us throw de hats in de air and
holler. Old massa say, 'How you gwine eat and git clothes and sech?' Den
us sho' scairt and stays with us white folks long as us can. But 'bout a
year after dat I gits de job punchin' cattle on a ranch in South Texas.
I druv cattle into Kansas, over what de white folks calls de Chissum
Trail. I worked lots of cattle and is what dey call a top hand. I's
workin' for Massa Boyd den, and he gits me to drive some cattle to
Mexico. He say he ain't well no more and for me to sell de cattle and
send him de money and git de job down dere. I goes on down to Mexico and
do what he say. I marries a gal name Martina in 1869, down in Matamoras.
Us have four chillen and she die. Dat break me up and I drifts back to
Huntsville.
"I done change my name from Scott Bird, what it am up in de Territory,
and make it James Boyd, 'cause I done work for Massa Boyd. I's gwine be
'bout 108 year old in next January, iffen de Lawd spare me dat long.
"After I been in Huntsville awhile, I marries Emma Smith but us only
stay together 'bout a year and a half. Wasn't no chillen. Den I drifts
to Fort Bend County and dere I marries Mary McDowd and us have two
chillen. She die with de yellow fever and off I goes for Burleson
County. Dere I marries Sally McDave and she quits me after us have three
chillen. Down in old Washington County I marries Frances Williams and us
lived together till 1900. Dere am no chillen dere. Den I goes to Austin
after she die and marries Eliza Bunton in 1903. Us have eight chillen
and she die in 1911. Den I comes to Hill County and marries Mittie Cahee
in 1916. She quit me. In 1924 I marries Hegar Price clost to Milford. Us
live together now, in Itasca. Us didn't have no chillen, but dat don't
matter, 'cause I's de daddy of 'bout twenty already.
"I mos' allus wore de black suit when I marries. Jes' seemed more
dressed up like. Some my wives wear white and some colors, didn't make
much diff'rence, so dey a likely lookin' gal for me. Sometime it am a
preacher and sometime it am Jestice of Peace, but de fust time it am
Catholic and priest and all.
"Talkin' 'bout all dis marryin', I mos' forgit to show you my scar. I
fit in dat freedom war 'long side Massa Sanford and got shot. Dat bullet
go through de breast and out de back and keep me six months in de bed.
De fust battle I's in am at Halifax, in North Car'lina. Us git de news
of freedom when us at Vicksburg, in Mississippi. Mos' us niggers 'fraid
say much. De new niggers 'spect de gov'ment give dem de span of mules
and dey be rich and not work. But dey done larn a lot dese past years.
Us am sho' slaves now to hard work, and lucky iffen us git work. Lots
dem niggers figgers dey'd git dere massa's land, but dey didn't. Dey
oughta of knowed dey wouldn't. Warn't no plantation ever divided I
knowed of, but some de massas give de oldest slaves a li'l piece land.
"After de cattle days done gone, I farms in Hill County. I works twelve
year for Massa Claude Wakefield, right near Milford, too. De old man
ain't due to live nowhere long and I's gittin' 'bout ready to cross de
river. I's seed a heap of dis here earth and de people in it, but I
tells you it am sho' hard time now. Us is old and cripple' and iffen de
white folks don't holp us I don't know what us gwine do.
"Some dese young niggers gone plumb wild with dere cigars and cars and
truckin' and jazzin' and sech. Some go to school and larn like white
folks and teach and be real helpful. But talk 'bout workin' in slave
time--'twarn't so hard as now. Den you fuss 'cause dere's work, now you
fuss 'cause dere ain't no work. But den us have somethin' to eat and
wear and a place to sleep, and now us don't know one day what gwine fill
us tomorrow, or nothin'.
"I'd sho' like to shake Massa Boyd's hand again and hear him come
singin' down de lane. Us hear him sing or whistle long 'fore he git dere
and it mighty good to see him. De slaves allus say, 'I's gwine 'way
tomorrow,' and I guess I's gwine 'way pretty soon tomorrow.
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Jerry Boykins
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Issabella Boyd
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