Lizzie Jones
From:
Texas
LIZZIE JONES, an 86 year old ex-slave of the R.H. Hargrove family,
was born in 1861, in Harrison County, Texas. She stayed with her
owner until four years after the close of the Civil War. She now
lives with Talmadge Buchanan, a grandson, two miles east of
Karnack, on the Lee road.
"I was bo'n on the ole Henry Hargrove place. My ole missus was named
Elizabeth and mammy called me Lizzie for her. But the Hargroves called
me 'Wink' since I was a chile, 'cause I was so black and shiny. Massa
Hargrove had four girls and four boys and I helped tend them till I was
big enough to cook and keep house. I wagged ole Marse Dr. Hargrove, dat
lives in Marshall, round when he was a baby.
"I allus lived in de house with the white folks and ate at their table
when they was through, and slep' on the floor. We never had no school or
church in slavery time. The niggers couldn' even add. None of us knowed
how ole we was, but Massa set our ages down in a big book.
"I 'member playin' peep-squirrel and marbles and keepin' house when I
was a chile. Massa 'lowed the boys and girls to cou't but they couldn'
marry 'fore they was 20 years ole, and they couldn' marry off the
plantation. Slaves warn't married by no Good Book or the law, neither.
They'd jes' take up with each other and go up to the Big House and ask
massa to let them marry. If they was ole enough, he'd say to the boy,
'Take her and go on home.'
"Mammy lived 'cross the field at the quarters and there was so many
nigger shacks it look like a town. The slaves slep' on bunks of homemade
boards nailed to de wall with poles for legs and they cooked on the
fireplace. I didn' know what a stove was till after de War. Sometime
they'd bake co'nbread in the ashes and every bit of the grub they ate
come from the white folks and the clothes, too. I run them looms many a
night, weavin' cloth. In summer we had lots of turnips and greens and
garden stuff to eat. Massa allus put up sev'ral barrels of kraut and a
smokehouse full of po'k for winter. We didn' have flour or lard, but
huntin' was good 'fore de war and on Sat'day de men could go huntin' and
fishin' and catch possum and rabbits and squirrels and coons.
"The overseer was named Wade and he woke the han's up at four in the
mornin' and kep' them in the field from then till the sun set. Mos' of
de women worked in de fields like de men. They'd wash clothes at night
and dry them by the fire. The overseer kep' a long coach whip with him
and if they didn' work good, he'd thrash them good. Sometime he's pretty
hard on them and strip 'em off and whip 'em till they think he was gonna
kill 'em. No nigger ever run off as I 'member.
"We never have no parties till after 'mancipation, and we couldn' go off
de place. On Sundays we slep' or visited each other. But the white folks
was good to us. Massa Hargrove didn' have no doctor but there wasn' much
sickness and seldom anybody die.
"I don' 'member much 'bout de War. Massa went to it, but he come home
shortly and say he sick with the 'sumption, but he got well real quick
after surrender.
"The white folks didn' let the niggers know they was free till 'bout a
year after the war. Massa Hargrove took sick sev'ral months after and
'fore he did he tell the folks not to let the niggers loose till they
have to. Finally they foun' out and 'gun to leave.
"My pappy died 'fore I was bo'n and mammy married Caesar Peterson and
'bout a year after de war dey moved to a farm close to Lee, but I kep'
on workin' for de Hargroves for four years, helpin' missus cook and keep
house.
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Toby Jones
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