Pauline Grice
From:
Texas
PAULINE GRICE, 81, was born a slave of John Blackshier, who owned
her mother, about 150 slaves, 50 slave children, and a large
plantation near Atlanta, Georgia. Pauline married Navasota Grice in
1875 and they moved to Texas in 1917. Since her husband's death in
1928 Pauline has depended on the charity of friends, with whom she
lives at 2504 Ross Ave., North Fort Worth, Texas.
"White man, dis old cullud woman am not strong. 'Bout all my substance
am gone now. De way you sees me layin' on dis bed am what I has to do
mos' de time. My mem'randum not so good like 'twas.
"De place I am borned am right near Atlanta, in Georgia, and on dat
plantation of Massa John Blackshier. A big place, with 'bout 150 growed
slaves and 'bout 50 pickininnies. I doesn't work till near de surrender,
'cause I's too small. But us don't leave Massa John, us go right on
workin' for him like 'fore.
"Massa John am de kind massa and don't have whuppin's. He tell de
overseer, 'If you can't make dem niggers work without de whup, den you
not de man I wants.' Mos' de niggers 'have theyselves and when dey don't
massa put dem in de li'l house what he call de jail, with nothin' to eat
till deys ready to do what he say. Onct or twict he sell de nigger what
won't do right and do de work.
"Us have de cabin what am made from logs but us only sleeps dere. All us
cookin' done in de big kitchen. Dere am three women what do dat, and
give us de meals in de long shed with de long tables.
"To de bes' of dis nigger's mem'randum, de feed am good. Plenty of
everything and corn am de mostest us have. Dere am cornbread and
cornmeal mush and corn hominy and corn grits and parched corn for drink,
'stead of tea or coffee. Us have milk and 'lasses and brown sugar, and
some meat. Dat all raise on de place. Stuff for to eat and wear, dat am
made by us cullud folks and dat place am what dey calls se'f-s'portin'.
De shoemaker make all de shoes and fix de leather, too.
"After breakfas' in de mornin' de niggers am gwine here, dere and
everywhere, jus' like de big factory. Every one to he job, some
a-whistlin', some a-singin'. Dey sings diff'rent songs and dis am one
when deys gwine to work:
"'Old cotton, old corn, see you every morn,
Old cotton, old corn, see you since I's born.
Old cotton, old corn, hoe you till dawn,
Old cotton, old corn, what for you born?'
"Yes, suh, everybody happy on massa's place till war begin. He have two
sons and Willie am 'bout 18 and Dave am 'bout 17. Dey jines de army and
after 'bout a year, massa jine too, and, course, dat make de missy awful
sad. She have to 'pend on de overseer and it warn't like massa keep
things runnin'.
"In de old days, if de niggers wants de party, massa am de big toad in
de puddle. And Christmas, it am de day for de big time. A tree am fix,
and some present for everyone. De white preacher talk 'bout Christ. Us
have singin' and 'joyment all day. Den at night, de big fire builded and
all us sot 'round it. Dere am 'bout hundred hawg bladders save from hawg
killin'. So, on Christmas night, de chillen takes dem and puts dem on de
stick. Fust dey is all blowed full of air and tied tight and dry. Den
de chillen holds de bladder in de fire and purty soon, 'B A N G,'
dey goes. Dat am de fireworks.
"Dat all changed after massa go to war. Fust de 'federate sojers come
and takes some mules and hosses, den some more come for de corn. After
while, de Yankee sojers comes and takes some more. When dey gits
through, dey ain't much more tookin' to be done. De year 'fore
surrender, us am short of rations and sometime us hongry. Us sees no
battlin' but de cannon bang all day. Once, dey bang two whole days
'thout hardly stoppin'. Dat am when missy go tech in de head, 'cause
massa and de boys in dat battle. She jus' walk 'round de yard and twist
de hands and say, 'Dey sho' git kilt. Dey sho' dead.' Den when extra
loud noise come from de cannon, she scream. Den word come Willie am
kilt. She gits over it, but she am de diff'rent woman. For her, it am
trouble, trouble and more trouble.
"She can't sell de cotton. Dey done took all de rations and us couldn't
eat de cotton. One day she tell us, 'De war am on us. De sojers done
took de rations. I can't sell de cotton, 'cause of de blockade.' I don't
know what am dat blockade, but she say it. 'Now,' she say, 'All you
cullud folks born and raise here and us allus been good to you. I can't
holp it 'cause rations am short and I'll do all I can for you. Will yous
be patient with me?' All us stay dere and holp missy all us could.
"Den massa come home and say, 'Yous gwine be free. Far as I cares, you
is free now, and can stay here and tough it through or go where you
wants. I thanks yous for all de way yous done while I's gone, and I'll
holp you all I can.' Us all stay and it sho' am tough times. Us have
most nothin' to eat and den de Ku Klux come 'round dere. Massa say not
mix with dat crowd what lose de head, jus' stay to home and work. Some
dem niggers on other plantations ain't keep de head and dey gits whupped
and some gits kilt, but us does what massa say and has no trouble with
dem Klux.
"It 'bout two year after freedom mammy gits marry and us goes and works
on shares. I stays with dem till 1875 and den marries Navasota Robert
Grice and us live by farmin' till he die, nine year since. 'Bout 20 year
since us come here from Georgia and works de truck farm. I has two
chillen but dey dead. De way I feels now, 'twon't be long 'fore I goes,
too. My friends is good to me and lets me stay with dem.
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