Wash Ingram
From:
Texas
WASH INGRAM, A 93 year old Negro, was born a slave of Capt. Jim
Wall, of Richmond, Va. His father, Charley Wall Ingram, ran away
and secured work in a gold mine. Later, his mother died and Capt.
Wall sold Wash and his two brothers to Jim Ingram, of Carthage,
Texas. When Wash's father learned this, he overtook his sons before
they reached Texas and put himself back in bondage, so he could be
with his children. Wash served as water carrier for the Confederate
soldiers at the battle of Mansfield, La. He now lives with friends
on the Elysian Fields Road, seven miles southeast of Marshall,
Texas.
"I don' know just how ole I is. I was 'bout 18 when de War was over. I
was bo'n on Captain Wall's place in Richmond, Virgini'. Pappy's name was
Charlie and mammy's name was Ca'line. I had six sisters and two brothers
and all de sisters is dead. I haven't heard from my brothers since
Master turn us loose, a year after de war.
"Pappy say dat he and mammy was sold and traded lots of times in
Virgini'. We always went by de name of whoever we belonged to. I first
worked as a roustabout boy dere on Capt. Wall's place in Virgini'. He
was sho' a big man, weighed more'n 200 pounds. He owned lots of niggers
and worked lots of land. The white folks was good to us, but Pappy was a
fightin' man and he run off and got a job in a gold mine in Virgini'.
"After pappy run away, mammy died and den one day de overseer herded up
a big bunch of us niggers and driv us to Barnum's Tradin' Ya'd down in
Mississippi. Dat's a place where dey sold and traded Niggers jus' lak
stock. I cried when Capt. Wall sold me, 'cause dat was one man dat sho'
was good to his niggers. But he had too many slaves.
"Cotton was a good price den and dem slave buyers had plenty of money.
We was sold to Jim Ingram, of Carthage. He bought a big gang of slaves
and refugeed part of 'em to Louisiana and part to Texas. We come to
Texas in ox wagons. While we was on the way, camped at Keachie,
Louisiana, a man come ridin' into camp and someone say to me, 'Wash,
dar's your pappy.' I didn' believe it 'cause pappy was workin' in a gold
mine in Virgini'. Some of de men told pappy his chillen is in camp and
he come and fin' me and my brothers. Den he jine Master Ingram's slaves
so he can be with his chillen.
"Master Ingram had a big plantation down near Carthage and lots of
niggers. He also buyed land, cleared it and sol' it. I plowed with oxen.
We had a overseer and sev'ral taskmasters. Dey whip de niggers for not
workin' right, or for runnin' 'way or pilferin' roun' master's house. We
woke up at four o'clock and worked from sunup to sundown. Dey give us an
hour for dinner. Dem dat work roun' de house et at tables with plates.
Dem dat work in de field was drove in from work and fed jus' like hosses
at a big, long wooden trough. Dey had to eat with a wooden spoon. De
trough and de food was clean and always plenty of it, and we stood up to
eat. We went to bed soon after supper durin' de week for dat's 'bout all
we feel like doin' after workin' twelve hours. We slep' in wooden beds
what had corded rope mattresses.
"We had to learn de best way we could, 'cause dere was no schools. We
had church out in de woods. I didn' see no money till after de
surrender. Guess we didn' need any, 'cause dey give us food and clothes
and tobacco. We didn' have to buy nothin'. I had broadcloth clothes, a
blue jean overcoat and good shoes and boots.
"De niggers had heap better times dan now. Now we work all time and
can't git nothin'. Sat'day night we would have parties and dance and
play ring plays. We had de parties dere in a big double log house. Dey
would give us whiskey and wine and cherry brandy, but dere wasn' no
shootin' or gamblin'. Dey didn' 'low it. De men and women didn' do like
dey do now. If dey had such carryin's on as dey do now, de white folks
would have whipped 'em good.
"I 'member dat war and I sees dem cannons and hears 'em. I toted water
for de soldiers what fought at de Battle of Mansfield. Master Ingram had
350 slaves when de war was over but he didn' turn us loose till a year
after surrender. He telled us dat de gov'ment goin' to give us 40 acres
of land and a pair of mules, but we didn' git nothin'. After Master
Ingram turn us loose, pappy bought a place at De Berry, Texas, and I
live with him till after I was grown. Den I marry and move to Louisiana.
I come back to Texas two years ago and lived with my friends here ever
since. My wife died 18 years ago and I had a hard time 'cause I don'
have no folks, but I's managed to git someone to let me work for
somethin' to eat, a few clothes and a place to sleep.
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Charley Hurt
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