Mary Johnson
From:
Texas
MARY JOHNSON does not know her age but is evidently very old.
Paralytic strokes have affected mind and body. Her speech, though
impaired, is a swift flow of words, often profane. A bitter
attitude toward everything is apparent. Mary is homeless and owes
the necessities of life to the kindness of a middle aged Negress
who takes care of several old women in her home in Pear Orchard, in
Beaumont, Texas.
"Now, wait, white folks, I got to scratch my head so's I kin 'member.
I's been paralyze so I can't git my tongue to speak good. It git all
twist up.
"I don't know how old I is. My daddy he have my age in the big Bible but
he done move 'round so much it git lost long ago. He used to 'long to
them Guinea men. Them was real small men and they sho' walk fast. He
wasn't so tall as my mommer and he name John Allen and he a pore man,
all bone. He sold out from the old country, that Mississippi. My mama
name Sarah and she come from Choctaw country, 'round in Georgia. I have
grandma Rebecca, a reg'lar old Indian woman and she have two long black
braid longer'n her waist and she allus wore a big bonnet with splits in
it. You know de Indian people totes they chillens on they back and my
mommer have me wrop up in a blanket and strop on her back.
"I's the firstborn chile and my mommer have two gal chillen, me and
Hannah, and she have seven boy. Where I's born was old wild country and
old Virginny run down thataway. Everything was plenty good to eat and I
seed strawberries what would push you to git 'em in your mouth.
"Clost to where I's born they's a place where they brung the Africy
people to tame 'em and they have big pens where they puts 'em after
they takes 'em outta they gun ships. They sho' was wild and they have
hair all over jus' like a dog and big hammer rings in they noses. They
didn't wore no clothes and sometime they git 'way and run to them swamps
in Floridy and git all wild and hairy 'gain. They brung preachers to
help tame 'em, but didn't 'low no preacher in them pens by hisself,
'cause they say them preacher won't come back, 'cause some them wild
Africy people done kill 'em and eat 'em. They done worship them snake
bit as a rake handle, 'cause they ain't knowed no better. When they gits
'em all tame they sells 'em for field hands, but they allus wild and
iffen anybody come they duck and hide down.
"My old missy she name Florence Walker and she reg'lar tough. I helps
nuss her chile, Mary, and Mary make her mommer be good to me. Us wore
li'l brass toe shoes and I call mine gold toe shoes. Them shoes hard
'nough to knock a mule out. After young missy and me git growed us run
off to dances and old missy beat us behind good. She say us jes' chillen
yet and keep us in short, short dress and we pull out the stitchin' in
them hems so us dresses drags and she sho' wore us out for that.
"Did us love to dance? Jesus help me! Them country niggers swing me so
hard us land in the corner with a wham.
"My brudder Robert he a pow'ful big boy and he wasn't 'lowed to have no
pants till he 21 year old, but that didn't 'scourage him from courtin'
the gals. I try tease him 'bout go see the gals with dat split shirt.
That not all, that boy nuss he mommer breast till he 21 year old. He
have to have that nussin' real reg'lar. But one time he pesterin' mommer
and she tryin' milk the cow and the cow git nervous and kick over the
bucket and mommer fall off the stool and she so mad she wean him right
there and then.
"Old massa he never clean hisself up or dress up. He look like a vagrant
thing and he and missy mean, too. My pore daddy he back allus done cut
up from the whip and bit by the dogs. Sometime when a woman big they
make a hollow out place for her stomach and make her lay down 'cross
that hole and whip her behind. They sho' tear that thing up.
"Us chillen git to play and us sing
"'Old possum in the holler log
Sing high de loo,
Fatter than a old green frog,
Sing high de loo,
Whar possum?
"That church they have a 'markable thing. They a deep tranch what cut
all 'round the bottom and clay steps what lead all the way to the top
the mountain and when the niggers git to shoutin' that church jes'
a-rollin' and rockin'. One the songs I 'member was
"'Shoo the devil out the corner,
Shoo, members, shoo,
Shoo the devil out the corner,
Shoo, members, shoo.'
"Us li'l gals allus wore cottanade dresses ev'ry day. Them what us call
nine-stitch dresses. Mammy make fasten-back dresses and fasten-back
drawers and knit sweaters and socks for the mens. She git sheep wool
what near ruint by cockle burrs and make us chillen set by the hour and
pick out them burrs.
"Us houses like chicken coops but us sho' happy in that li'l cabin
house. Nothin' to worry 'bout. Mammy cook them grits, that yaller
hominy. She make 'ash cat', cornbread wrop in cabbage leaf and put ashes
'round it.
"The old plantation 'bout on the line 'tween Virginny and Mis'sippi and
us live near the Madstone. That a big stone, all smooth and when a dog
bite you you go run 'round the Madstone and wash yourself in the hot
springs and the bites don't hurt you.
"I seed lots of sojers and my daddy fit with the Yankees and they have a
big fight close there and have a while lots of dead bodies layin' 'round
like so many logs and they jus' stack 'em up and sot fire to 'em. You
seed 'em burnin' night and day. They lay down and shoot and then jump up
and stick 'em and sometimes they drunk the blood outten where they stick
'em, 'cause they can't git no water.
"After freedom us go in ox team to New Orleans and daddy he raise cotton
and sell it and mommer sell eggs. My daddy a workin' man and he help
build the big custom house in New Orleans and help pull the rope to pull
the boats up the canal from the river. That Canal Street now. He put he
name on top that custom house and it there to this day. You can go there
and see it. He help build the hosp'tal, too.
"One time us live close to the bay and that gran' and us take a stove
and cotch catfish and perch and cook 'em on the bank and us go meet
oyster boats and daddy git 'em by the tub.
"I git marry in Baton Rouge when I sixteen and my husban' he name Arras
Shaw and he lots older'n me and I couldn't keep him. He in Port Arthur
now. My husban' and I sawmill 20 year in Grayburg, here in Texas, and
then us sep'rate. I been in Beaumont 16 year and I's rice farm cook in
the camp on the Fannett Road. They tells me I got uncles in Africy. I
goes to Sanctified church and that all I can do now.
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Mary Ellen Johnson
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James D Johnson
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