Sally Banks Chambers
From:
Texas
SALLY BANKS CHAMBERS, wife of Ben Chambers of Liberty, does not
know her age. She was born a slave of Jim Moore, in Oakland,
Louisiana. Sally has been married three times and has had seven
children, about 54 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Heavy
gold earrings hang from her ears and she dresses, even in
midsummer, in a long-sleeved calico shirt, heavy socks and shoes,
and a sweeping skirt many yards wide.
"Befo' I marry de first time my name am Sally Banks, and I's borned in
de old states, over in Louisiana, round Oakland. I ain't 'member nothin'
'bout dat place, 'cause I's so small when dey brung me to Texas.
"Old massa name Jim Moore. He a fair old gen'man, with a big bald place
on he head, and he am good to de slaves. Not even as stric' as old
missus, what was de big, stout woman. She am terrible stric', but she
whip de li'l white chillen too, so dey be good.
"My daddy name John Moore and mama name Car'line, and dey borned in
Louisiana. My grandpa was Lewis Moore and grandma name Polly, but dey
wasn't reg'lar Africy people. My grandma, she have right smart good
blood in her.
"When old massa come to Texas he brung us over first by wagon, a mule
wagon with a cover over de top, and he rent de house clost to Liberty.
But de nex' year he find a place on de river bottom near Grand Cane and
it jes' suit him for de slaves he have, so he brung all de rest over
from Louisiana.
"My mama have four chillen when us come to Texas, but she have eleven
more after freedom. When war broke out she have six, but she multiply
after dat. She de milker and washwoman and spinner, and make de good,
strong clothes.
"Dey have li'l separate houses make outten logs for us slaves. De white
folks house was one dese big, old double-pen house, with de hall down de
middle. Dey have right nice things in it.
"De white folks 'lowance out de food every Saturday night and dat spose
last de week. All de cullud folks cook for deyself 'cept'n de single
mens, and dey eats up in de big kitchen. Us have syrup and cornbread and
lots of sweet 'taters and homecure' meat what dey salt down and hang in
de smokehouse.
"De old missus, she ain't 'low no dancin' or huzzawin' round dat place,
'cause she Christian. Dey 'low us Saturday and Sunday off, and de women
do dey own washin den'. De menfolks tend to de gardens round dey own
house. Dey raise some cotton and sell it to massa and git li'l money dat
way. Us don't never have no presents, but dey give eatments mostly.
"De young massas both go to war. Dey John Calhoun Moore and William. De
oldes' goes crazy, kind of shellshock like. As far as I knowed, he ain't
never git no more better. Young William and de old man comes back
without no scratch, but dey ain't serve long. All dey three 'lists by
deyselfs, 'cause dey didn't have no truck with dem conscrip'ers. One my
uncles, Levy Moore, he go to war to wait on de massas, and he struck
with de fever at Sabine Pass and die right dere.
"After freedom riz up, old massa come home. Den he call all de growed
folks and tell dem dey's free. A heap left, dey jes' broke ranks and
left. My daddy and mama both stay. Dey de fav'rites. Old missus make
present to my mama of a heap of things she need. But de white folks was
jus' rentin' and when dey have no slaves no more dey give it up and move
to Tarkington Prairie. Us lost track of dem and ain't never seed dem no
more.
"My daddy come back to Liberty den and work in de woodyard. Mama, she
larn me to work and cook and sich and hire me out to nuss a white baby.
I ain't knowed how much dey pay, 'cause mama she collec' de money.
"I's 19 year old when I marry de first time. You know I got two dead
men, dat Dick Owens and Nero Williams, both of Liberty. I has two gals,
Alice and Airy, for Dick, and five chillen for Nero. Dey all dead but
Adlowyer and Mamie, and dey lives right here. I been marry some thirty
odd year to Ben Chambers but us ain't never have no chillen.
"Goodness, I dunno how many grandchillen I has. I jedge 'bout 54 in all
and 13 great ones.
"I loves to work and I ain't gwineter beg, though I's got too old to do
much. I can't take it but a li'l at a time, but I gits by somehow.
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Jeptha Choice
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Jack Cauthern
