MARY OVERTON 1737-TEX/#355 I'SE BORN IN TENNESSEE BUT I DON' 'MEMBER WHERE, AND I DON' KNOW HOW OLE I IS. I DON' 'MEMBER WHAT DE MARSTER'S NAME WAS DERE. MY MOTHER'S NAME WAS LIZA AND MY FATHER'S NAME WAS DICK. WHEN I WAS 'BOUT FOUR YEAR OLE, MY MARSTER AND M ISTIS GIVE ME TO DEIR DAUGHTER, WHO MARRIED A DOCTOR JAMES COX AND DEY COME TO T EXAS AND BROUGHT ME WITH 'EM. THE MARSTER IN ARKANSAS WHICH GIVE ME TO HIS DAUG HTER, WAS NAMED KENNARD. I NEVER SEED HIM BUT ONE TIME. DAT WHEN HE WAS SICK A ND HE HAD ALL HIS LITTLE NIGGERS DRESSED UP AND BROUGHT IN TO SEE HIM. DOCTOR COX AND HIS WIFE AND ME COME TO FORT GRAHAM, IN HILL COUNTY, TEXAS, FROM ARKANSAS. WE WAS 'BOUT TWO WEEKS COMIN'. FORT GRAHAM WASN' NO REG'LAR FOR T. DERE WAS JUST SOME SOLDIERS CAMPIN' DERE AND DERE WAS A LITTLE TOWN. LOTS O F INDIANS COME IN TO TRADE. DEN DE DOCTOR GOT A FARM ON NOLAN RIVER, NOT FAR FR OM WHAR CLEBURNE IS NOW, AND WE WENT DERE. WHILE WE WAS ON DE FARM, I GOT MARRIED. MY HUSBAN' WAS ISAAC WRIGHT. I HA D SEVEN CHILLEN BY HIM. MY SECOND HUSBAN' WAS SAM OVERTON. HIM AND ME HAD TWO CHILLEN. I WASN'T MARRIED TO ISAAC BY A PREACHER. DE SLAVES WASN' JIN'RALLY MA RRIED DAY WAY. DEY JUS' TOLD DEY MARSTERS DEY WANTED TO BE HUSBAN' AND WIFE AND IF DEY ApREED, DAT WAS ALL DERE WAS TO IT, DEY WAS SAID TO BE-MARRIED. I HEnRE D SOME WHITE FOLKS HAD WEDDIN'S FOR DERE NIGGERS, BUT I NEVER DID SEE NONE. MY MARSTER HAD 'BOUT FOUR SLAVES. HE SOLD AND BOUGHT SLAVES SEV'RAL TIMES, BUT HE COULDN' SELL ME, 'CAUSE I BELONGED TO DE MISTIS, AND SHE WOULDN' LET HIM SELL ME. I COOKED AND WASHED AND IRONED AND LOOKED AFTER DE CHILLEN, MOSTLY. DEY HAD THREE CHILLEN, BUT DE MISTIS DIED WHEN THE LAST ONE WAS 'BOUT SIX MONTHS OLE AND I RAISED DE TWO OLDER ONES. DEY WAS TWO BOYS, AND DEY WAS ']OUT GROWN WHEN I LEF' AFTER FREEDOM. WE SLAVES HAD GOOD 'NUF HOUSES TO LIVE IN. WE DIDN' HAVE NO GARDEN. I WOR E COTTON DRESSES IN SUMMER AND LINSEY DRESSES AND A SHAWL IN DE WINTER. I HAD S HOES MOST OF DE TIME. MY WHITE FOLKS WAS PRETTY GOOD TO KEEP ME IN CLOTHES. I GEN'RALLY WENT TO CHURCH WID MISTIS. DIDN' HAVE NO SPECIAL CLOTHES WHEN I GOT MARRIED. I SLEP' IN DE KITCHEN GE N'RALLY, AND HAD A WOODEN BED, SOMETIMES WITH A COTTON MATTRESS AND SOMETIMES IT WAS A SHUCK MATTRESS. MY MISTIS TEACHED ME TO READ AND WRITE, BUT I WOULDN' LEARN. I NEVER WENT TO SCHOOL NEITHER. SHE WOULD READ DE BIBLE TO US. I DIDN' KNOW NO SONGS WHEN I WAS INSLAVERY. I DIDN' KNOW 'BOUT NO BAPTIZIN '. I DIDN' PLAY NO CERTAIN GAMES, JUS' PLSYED ROUN' DE YARD. I WASN' AT NO SALE OF SLAVES, BUT SAW SOME BEIN' TUK BY IN CHAINS ONCE, WHE N WE LIVED AT REUTERSVILLE. DEY WAS SAID TO BE 'BOUT 50 IN DE BUNCH. DEY WAS C HAINED TOGETHER, A CHAIN BEIN' RUN 'TWEEN 'EM SOMEHOW, AND DEY WAS ALL MAN AND W OMEN, NO CHILLEN. DEY WAS ON FOOT. TWO WHITE MEN WAS RIDIN' HOSSES AND DRIVIN' DE NIGGERS LIKE DEY WAS A HERD OF CATTLE. LOTS OF SLAVES RUN AWAY, BUT I DON' KNOW HOW DEY GOT WORD 'ROUND 'MONG DE N IGGERS. I DON' 'MEMBER MUCH 'BOUT DE WAR. DERE WASN' NO FIGHTIN' WHAR WE WAS, ON D E FARM ON NOLAN RIVER. ON DE DAY WE WAS MADE FREE, DE MARSTER COME AND CALLED U S OUT ONE AT A TIME AND TOL' US WE WAS FREE. HE SAID TO ME, "MARY, YOU IS FREE BY DE LAW. YOU DON' BELONG TO ME NO MORE. YOU CAN GO WHEREVER YOU WAN' TO. I AIN'T GOT NO MORE TO SAY 'BOUT YOU." HE TOL' US IF WE'D STAY AWHILE HE'D TREAT US GOOD AND MAYBE WE'D BETTER STAY, AS DE PEOPLE WAS PRETTY MUCH WORKED UP. DE REST OF 'EM STAYED 'BOUT A WEEK, DEN DEY WENT OFF, AND NEVER COME BACK, 'CEPT IS AAC. I DIDN' GO, BUT I STAYED A LONG TIME AFTER WE WAS MADE FREE. I DIDN' CARE O, I)''BOUT BEIN' FREE. I DIDN' HAVE NO PLACE TO STAY AND DAT WAS ALL I KNOW ED 'BOUT. WHEN I LEF' I HIRED OUT AS COOK. I GOT TEN DOLLARS A MONTH AND ALL MY FOOD AND CLOTHES AND A PLACE TO STAY AND SLEEP. I DIDN' SPEND BUT ONE DOLLAR OF MY PAY FOR EIGHT MONTHS. I BOUGHT CANDY WID DAT DIME, LIKE A WALKIN' STICK. I SURE WISH I KNEW HOW OLD I IS, BUT I AIN' SURE. I DON' EVEN KNOW MY BIRT HDAY. X XXX