MARTHA SPENCE BUNTON         1583-TEX/#334
     I WAS BORN ON NEW YEAR'S DAY.  YES, SUH, IN 1856, ON MASSA BELL'S PLANTATIO
N OVER IN TENNESSEE.  DE NAME OF DE TOWN WAS MURPHREESBORO, AND MY MAMMY AND MY
FOUR SISTERS AND ME ALL 'LONGED TO MASSA JOHN BELL, BUT HE DONE SOLD US TO MASSA
 JOSEPH SPENCE, AND DAT HOW I COME BY MY NAME.
     I 'MEMBERS HOW MASSA SPENCE BRUNG US TO TEXAS IN WAGONS, AND THE WAY WE KNO
WED WHEN WE HIT TEXAS AM 'CAUSE MASSA 'GIN TO TALK 'BOUT A NORTHER.  WHEN DAT NO
RTHER DONE STRIKE, ALL DE WEEDS AND LEAVES JUS' STARTS ROLLIN'.  US POOR, IG'RAN
T NIGGERS THUNK AT FIRST DEY WAS RABBITS, 'CAUSE WE'D NEVER SEED A RABBIT DEN.
MASSA SPENCE RID HIS HOSS AND MISSIE SPENCE COME 'LONG IN DE RICHER WAY, IN A CO
ACH.  DE CHILLEN WALKED MORNIN'S AND DE OLDER FOLKS WALKED AFTERNOONS.
     MASSA SPENCE COME TO MONTROPOLIS, RIGHT NIGH TO AUSTIN, AND SETTLED DOWN.
I HELPED CARRY DINNER PAILS TO DE FIELD WORKERS, AND DEY WAS FULL OF MEAT AND CA
BBAGE AND BISCUITS.  PAPPY WASN'T DERE THEN, 'CAUSE HE WAS OWN  BY MASSA BURROWS
, OVER IN TENNESSEE.  BUT WHEN HIS MASSA DIED, MY MASSA BOUGHT PAPPY AND HE COME
 OUT TO TEXAS.  BEFO' I'S A SIZEABLE CHILD, MAMMY TOOK SICK WITH DIPTHERIA AND D
IED AND PAPPY HAD TO BE MAMMY AND PAPPY TO US.  PAPPY WAS A BIG-BODIED MAN AND O
N SUNDAY MORNIN' HE'D GIT OUT OF BED AND MAKE A BIG FIRE AND SAY, "JIMINY
CRIPES]  YOU CHILLEN STAY IN YOU BEDS AND I'LL MAKE DE BISCUITS."  HE WOULD,
TOO.  I LAUGHS WHEN I THINKS 'BOUT DEM BIG, RYE BISCUITS, WHAT WAS SO BIG WE CAL
LED DEM NIGGER HEELS.  DEY SHO' WAS BIG BISCUITS, BUT DEY WAS GOOD.  WE NEVER DI
D GIT NO BUTTER, THOUGH, AND SOMETIMES WE'D ASK THE WHITE CHILLEN TO GIVE US A P
IECE OF BISCUIT WITH BUTTER ON IT.  WE GOT PLENTY OTHER EATS - SLICED MEAT AND R
OASTIN' EARS AND SWEET MILK.
     AFTER FREEDOM PAPPY SENT US TO SCHOOL TO DE WHITE TEACHER, AND DAT'S WHY I
CAN READ AND WRITE.  I WENT TO DE SIXTH GRADE AND QUIT.  PAPPY WAS DRINKIN' A LO
T THEN.  HE'D TAKE ALCOHOL AND MIX WITH 'LASSES AND WATER.  BUT HE WAS GOOD TO U
S.  SOMETIMES A TEXAS NORTHER COME UP AND WE'D BE ON THE WAY HOME AND WE'D SEE S
OMETHING COMIN' WHAT LOOK LIKE A ELEPHANT AND IT WAS PAPPY, WITH A BUNDLE OF COA
TS.
     I WAS TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OLD WHEN I MARRIED ANDY BUNTON AND HE JES' RENTED F
ARMS HERE AND YONDER.  WE HAD A BIG WEDDIN' AND PORK AND TURKEY AND CAKE.  AUNT
LUCY HUBBARD, WHAT WEIGHED THREE HUNDRED POUNDS, DONE DE COOKIN' DAT DAY.  WE HA
D SUCH A GOOD TIME NOBODY KNOWED WHEN ONE DE GUESTS STOLE A WHOLE TURKEY.
     I WAS MOTHER OF NINE CHILLEN AND THREE OF DEM IS LIVIN' NOW.  ANDY MADE A P
URTY GOOD LIVIN' TILL HE HAD A PARAL'SIS STROKE.  POOR OLD FELLER]  IN DE END, I
 TOOK CARE OF HIM AND HAD TO WORK LIKE I WAS YOUNG AGAIN.  I CUT WOOD AND CARRIE
D WATER AND WASHED AND COOKED.  I HAD TO FEED HIM.
     I OWNS MY PLACE HERE.  IT AM TWELVE ACRES AND PAPPY BOUGHT IT LONG AGO FOR
$25.00 DE ACRE.  MY SISTER LIVES HERE TOO, AND MY SON, HOWARD, COMES HOME SOMETI
MES, BUT HE'S GOT EIGHT HOUN' DOGS HE CAN'T FEED.  I SHO' CAN'T FEED DEM ON DAT
$11.00 PENSION WHAT I GITS.
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