Larnce Holt
From:
Texas
LARNCE HOLT, 79, was born near Woodville, in Tyler County, Texas, a
slave of William Holt. He now lives in Beaumont, Texas.
"I's jus' small fry when freedom come, 'cause I's born in 1858. Bill
Holt was my massa's name, dat why dey calls me Larnce Holt. My massa, he
come from Alabama but my mammy and daddy born in Texas. Mammy named
Hannah and daddy Elbert. Mammy cooked for de white folks but daddy, he
de shoemaker. Dat consider' a fine job on de plantation, 'cause he make
all de shoes de white folks uses for everyday and all de cullud people
shoes. Every time dey kill de beef dey save de hide for leather and dey
put it in de trough call de tan vat, with de oak bark and other things,
and leave 'em dere long time. Dat change de raw hide to leather. When de
shoe done us black dem with soot, 'cause us have to do dat or wear 'em
red. I's de little tike what help my daddy put on de soot.
"Massa have de big plantation and I 'member de big log house. It have de
gallery on both sides and dey's de long hall down de center. De dogs and
sometimes a possum used to run through de hall at night. De hall was big
'nough to dance in and I plays de fiddle.
"My mammy have four boys, call Eb and Ander and Tobe. My big brother Eb
he tote so many buckets of water to de hands in de field he wore all de
hair offen de top he head.
"I be so glad when Christmas come, when I's li'l. Down in de quarter us
hang up stocking and us have plenty homemake ginger cake and candy make
out of sugar and maybe a apple. One Christmas I real small and my mammy
buy me a suit of clothes in de store. I so proud of it I 'fraid to sit
down in it. 'Terials in dem day was strong and last a long time. One
time I git de first pair shoes from a store. I thought dey's gold. My
daddy bought dem for me and dey have a brace in de toe and was nat'ral
black.
"When freedom come us family breaks up. Old missy can't bear see my
mammy go, so us stay. Dey give my daddy a place on credick and he start
farm and dey even 'low him hosses and mule and other things he need. My
massa good to de niggers. I stays with my mammy till she die when I ten
year old and den my brother Eb he take me and raise me till I sixteen.
Den I go off for myself.
"Dem young year us have good time. I fiddle to de dance, play 'Git up in
de Cool,' and 'Hopus Creek and de Water.' Us sho' dress up for de dance.
I have black calico pants with red ribbon up de sides and a hickory
shirt. De gals all wears ribbons 'round de waist and one like it 'round
de head.
"Us have more hard time after freedom come dan in all de other time
together. Us livin' in trouble time. 'Bout 15 year ago I lost a leg, a
big log fall 'cross it when I makin' ties. I had plenty den but it go
for de hospital.
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Bill Homer
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Eliza Holman
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