Priscilla Gibson
From:
Texas
PRISCILLA GIBSON is not sure of her age, but thinks she was born
about 1856, in Smith County, Mississippi, to Mary Puckett and her
Indian husband. They belonged to Jesse Puckett, who owned a
plantation on the Strong River. Priscilla now lives in Jasper,
Texas.
"Priscilla Gibson is my name, and I's bo'n in Smith County, way over in
Mis'ippi, sometime befo' de War. I figger it was 'bout 1856, 'cause I's
old enough to climb de fence and watch dem musterin' in de troops when
de war began. Dey tol' me I's nine year ole when de War close, but dey
ain' sure of dat, even. My neighbor, Uncle Bud Adams, he 83, and I's
clippin' close at he heels.
"Mammy's name was Mary Puckett, but I never seed my father as I knows
of. Don' know if he was a whole Injun or part white man. Never seed but
one brother and his name was Jake. Dey took him to de War with de white
boys, to cook and min' de camp and he took pneumony and die.
"Massa's name was Jesse Puckett, and Missus' name Mis' Katie. Dey hab
big fam'ly and dey live in a big wooden-beam house with a big up-stair'.
De house was right on de highway from Raleigh to Brandon, with de Strong
River jis' below us. Dey took in and 'commadated travelers 'cause dey
warn' hotels den.
"Massa have hunner's of acres. You could walk all day and you never git
offen his lan'. An' he have gran' furniture and other things in de
house. I kin remember dem, 'cause I use' to he'p 'round de house, run
errands and fan Mis' Katie and sich. I 'members chairs with silk
coverin's on 'em and dere was de gran' lights, big lamps with de roses
on de shades. And eve'ywhere de floors with rugs and de rugs was pretty,
dey wasn' like dese thin rugs you sees nowadays. No, ma'am, dey has big
flowers on 'em and de feets sinks in 'em. I useter lie down on one of
dem rugs in Mis' Katie's room when she's asleep and I kin stop fannin.'
"Massa Puckett was tol'able good to de slaves. We has clothes made of
homespun what de nigger women weaved, and de little boys wo' long-tail
shirts, with no pants till they's grown. Massa raised sheep and dey make
us wool clothes for winter, but we has no shoes.
"De white folks didn' larn us read and write but dey was good to us
'cep' when some niggers try to run away and den dey whips 'em hard. We
has plenty to eat and has prayer meetin's with singin' and shoutin', and
we chilluns played marbles and jump de rope.
"After freedom come all lef' but me 'cause Missus say she have me boun'
to her till I git my age. But I's res'less one night and my sister,
Georgy Ann, come see me, and I run off with her, but dey never comes
after me. I was scart dey would, 'cause I 'membered 'bout our neighbor,
ole Means, and his slave, Sylvia, and she run away and was in de woods,
and he'd git on de hoss, take de dogs and set 'em on her, and let dem
bite her and tear her clothes.
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Gariel Gilbert
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Rosanna Frazier
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