Rosa Green
From:
Texas
Dibble, Fred
Beaumont, Jefferson Co. Dist. #3
ROSA GREEN, 85 years old, was born at Ketchi, Louisiana, but as
soon as she was old enough became a housegirl on the plantation of
Major "Bob" Hollingsworth at Mansfield, Louisiana. To the best of
her knowledge, she was about 13 when the "freedom papers" were
read. She had had 13 children by her two husbands, both deceased,
and lives with her youngest daughter in Beaumont. Their one-room,
unpainted house is one of a dozen unprepossessing structures
bordering an alleyway leading off Pine Street. Rosa, a spry little
figure, crowned with short, snow-white pigtails extending in
various directions, spends most of her time tending her small
flowerbeds and vegetable garden. She is talkative and her memory
seems quite active.
"When de w'ite folks read de freedom paper I was 13 year old. I jes'
lean up agin de porch, 'cause I didn' know den what it was all about. I
war'nt bo'n in Texas, I was bo'n in Ketchi, but I was rais' in Manfiel'.
Law, yes, I 'member de fight at Manfiel'. My ol' marster tuk all he
niggers and lef' at night. Lef' us little ones; say de Yankees could git
us effen day wan' to, 'cause we no good no way, and I wouldn' care if
dey did git us. Dey put us in a sugar hogshead and give us a spoon to
scrape out de sugar. 'Bout de ol' plantation, I work a little w'ile in
de fiel'. I didn' know den like I see now. Dese chillen bo'n wid mo'
sense now dan we was den. Dey was 'bout ten cullud folks on de place. My
ol' marster name Bob Hollingsworth, but dey call 'im Major, 'cause he
was a major in de war, not de las' one, but de one way back yonder. Ol'
missus work de little ones roun' de house and under de house and kep'
ev'yt'ing clean as yo' han'. The ol' marster I thought was de meanes'
man de Lawd ever made. Look like he cuss ev'y time he open he mouth. De
neighbor w'ite folks, some good, some bad. My work was cleanin' up 'roun
de house and nussin' de chillen. Only times I went to church when day
tuk us long to min' de chillen. When de battle of Manfiel' was, we didn'
git out much. When de Yankees was comin' to Gran' Cane, my w'ite folks
dig a big pit and put der meat and flour and all in it and cover it over
wid dirt and put wagon loads of pine straw over it. It was 'bout five or
six mile to Manfield and 'bout 49 or 50 mile to Shreveport. My ol'
marster tuk all he niggers and went off somweres, dey called it Texas,
but I didn' know where. De ol'er ones farm. Dey rais' ev'yt'ing dey
could put in de groun', dey did. My pa was kirrige(carriage) driver for
my ol' missus. He was boss nigger fo' de cullud men when marster wan't
right dere. My father jis' stay dere. See, dey free our people in July.
Dat leave de whole crop stanin' dere in de fiel'. Dey had to stay dere
and take care of de crop. After dat dey commence makin' contraks and
bargins. I was 22 years ol' when I marry de fus' time. Both my husban's
dead. I had 13 chillen in all.
"De fus' time I went to church, missus tuk me and another gal to min' de
chillen. I never heared a preacher befo'. I 'member how de preacher word
de hymn:
'Come, ye sinners, po' and needy.
Weak and wounded, sick and so'.'
"I couldn' understan' it, but now when I look down on it I sees it now.
I bleeve us been here goin' on fo' year' right yere in dis house."
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William Green
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Ow Green And Granddaughter
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