Mary Kincheon Edwards
From:
Texas
MARY KINCHEON EDWARDS says she was born on July 8, 1810, but she
has nothing to substantiate this claim. However, she is evidently
very old. Her memory is poor, but she knows she was reared by the
Kincheons, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and that she spoke French
when a child. The Kincheons gave her to Felix Vaughn, who brought
her to Texas before the Civil War. Mary lives with Beatrice
Watters, near Austin, Texas.
"When I's a li'l gal my name Mary Anne Kincheon and I's born on the
eighth of July, in 1810. I lives with de Kincheon family over in
Louisiana. Baton Rouge am de name of dat place. Dem Kincheons have
plenty chillen. O, dey have so many chillen!
"I don't 'member much 'bout dem days. I's done forgot so many things,
but I 'members how de stars fell and how scared us was. Dem stars got to
fallin' and was out 'fore dey hits de ground. I don't knew when dat was,
but I's good size den.
"I get give to Massa Felix Vaughn and he brung me to Texas. Dat long
'fore de war for freedom, but I don't know de year. De most work I done
for de Vaughns was wet nuss de baby son, what name Elijah. His mammy
jes' didn't have 'nough milk for him.
"Den I knit de socks and wash de clothes and sometimes I work in de
fields. I he'ped make de baskets for de cotton. De man git white-oak
wood and we lets it stay in de water for de night and de nex' mornin'
and it soft and us split it in strips for makin' of de baskets.
Everybody try see who could make de bes' basket.
"Us pick 'bout 100 pound cotton in one basket. I didn't mind pickin'
cotton, 'cause I never did have de backache. I pick two and three
hunnert pounds a day and one day I picked 400. Sometime de prize give by
massa to de slave what pick de most. De prize am a big cake or some
clothes. Pickin' cotton not so bad, 'cause us used to it and have de
fine time of it. I gits a dress one day and a pair shoes 'nother day for
pickin' most. I so fast I take two rows at de time.
"De women brung oil cloths to de fields, so dey make shady place for de
chillen to sleep, but dem what big 'nough has to pick. Sometime dey sing
"'O--ho, I's gwine home,
And cuss de old overseer.'
"Us have ash-hopper and uses drip-lye for make barrels soap and hominy.
De way us test de lye am drap de egg in it and if de egg float de lye
ready to put in de grease for makin' de soap. Us throwed greasy bones in
de lye and dat make de bes' soap. De lye eat de bones.
"Us boil wild sage and make tea and it smell good. It good for de fever
and chills. Us git slippery elm out de bottom and chew it. Some chew it
for bad feelin's and some jes' to be chewin'.
"Sometimes us go to dances and missy let me wear some her jewl'ry. I out
dances dem all and folks didn't know dat not my jewl'ry. After freedom I
stays with de Vaughns and marries, but I forgit he name. Dat 'fore
freedom. After freedom I marries Osburn Edwards and has five chillen.
Dey all dead now. I can still git 'round with dis old gnarly cane. Jes'
you git me good and scared and see how fast I can git 'round!"
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Lucinda Elder
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Ann J Edwards
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