JOHN ELLIS                   1626-TEX/#056                                   037
         MY FATHER AND MOTHER, JOHN AND FANNIE ELLIS, WnRE sOLD rN2sPRrN FInL<,
MISSOURI, TO MY MARSTER, PARSON EILLIS, AND  TAKNE AWAY FROM ALL THEIR PEOPLE AN
D BROUGHT TO JOHNSON COUNTY, TEXAS.
         MY MARSTER, HE WAS A PREACHER AND A GOOD MAN. NONE OF DE SLAVES EVER HA
VE BETTER WHITE FOLKS DEN WE DID.
         WE HAD GOOD BEDS AND GOOD FOOD AND DEY TEACHES US TO READ AND wRITE tOO
. DE BUFFALO AND DE ANTELOPE AND DE DEER WAS MOS' AS THICK AS DE CATTLE NOW, AND
WE WAS SENT OUT AFTER DEM, SO WE WOULD ALWAYS HAVE PLENTY OF FRESH MEAT. WE HAD
HOGS AND CATTLE TOO. ANY OF DEM WHAT WAS NOT MARKED WAS JUST AS MUCH OURS AS IFF
EN WE HAD RAISED DEM, 'CAUSE DE RANGE WAS ALL FREE.
         SOME OF DE FISH WE WOULD CATCH OUT OF DAT BRAZOS RIVER WOuLD BE2sOBBIG
DEY WOULD PULL US IN BUT FINALLY WE WOULD MANAGE TO GITS DEM OUT. DE RABBITS AND
DE 'POSSUM WAS PLENTIFUL TOO AND WID DE BIG GARDEN WHAT OUR MARSTER HAD FOR US A
LL, WE SHO' HAD BOOD TO EAT.
         I'S DONE ALL KINDS OF WORK WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN A FA)M.MY BOSS HE HAD
ONLY FOURTEEN SLAVES AND WHAT WAS CALLED A SMALL FA'M, COMPARED WID DE BIG PLANT
ATIONS.AFTER OUR DAYS WORK WAS DONE WE WOULD SET UP AT NIGHT AND PICK DE SEED OU
T OF DE COTTON SO DEY COULD SPIN IT INTO THREAD. DEN WE GOES OUT AND GITS DIFFER
ENT KINDS OF BARK AND BOILS IT TO GIT DYE FOR DE THREAD 'FORE IT WAS SPINNED INT
O CLOTH. DE CHILLUN JES' HAVE LONG SHIRTS AND SLIPS MADE OUT OF DIS HOME SPUN AN
D WE MAKES OUR SHOES OUT OF RAWHIDE, AND LAWDY] DEY WAS SO HARD WE WOULD HAVE TO
 WARM DEM BY DE FIRE AND GREASE DEM WID TALLOW TO EVnR WEjR DnM 'TjL$.
         WE HAD GOOD LOG HUTS AND OUR BOSS HAD A BIGGER-LOG qO bE. fENEVER DID
WORK LONG INTO DE NIGHT AND LONG 'FORE DAY LIKE I HEAR TELL SOME DID. WE DIDN' H
AVE NONE OF DEM DRIVERS AND WHEN WE DONE ANYTHING VERY BAD OLD MARSTER HE WHOOP
US A LITTLE BUT WE NEVER GOT HURT.
         I DIDN' SEE NO SLAVES SOLD. DAT WAS DONE, I HEAR, BUT NOT SO MUCH IN TE
XAS. I NEVER DID SEE NO JAILS NOR CHAINS NOR NOTHIN' LIKE DAT EITHER, BUT I HEAR
S 'BOUT DEM.
         WE NEVER WORKED SAT'DAYS AND DE COLORED WENT TO .HUR.H WID DE >HITES AN
D JINE DE CHURCH TOO, BUT DEY NEVER BAPTIZED DEM SO FAR AS I KNOWS.
         WE HAD LOTS TO EAT AND BIG TIMES ON CHRIStMjN,-MOS' AS BIG  S WHnN&DE6W
HITE FOLKS GITS MARRIED. UMPH, UM] ONE OF DE GI'LS GOT MARRIED ONCE AND SHE HAD
SUCH A LONG TRAIN ON DAT WEDDIN' GOWN 'TIL ME AND MY SISTER, WE HAVE TO WALKS AL
ONG BEHIND HER AND CARRY DAT THING, ALL OF US A-WALKIN' ON A STRIP OF NICE CLOTH
 FROM DE CARRIAGE TO DE CHURCH. WE SHO' HAVE DE CAKES AND ALL DEM GOOD EATS AT D
EM WEDDIN' SUPPERS.
         I NEV'R HEAR TELL OF MANY COLORED WEDDIN'S. WE-JES'-JuM S-OVnR DE2kROOM
 AN' DE BRIDGE SHE HAS TO JUMP OVER IT BACKWARDS AND IFFnN SHE lOulmN'JUMP IT B
ACKWARDS SHE COULDN'T GIT MARRIED. DAT WAS SHO' FUNNY, SEEIN' DEM COLORED GI'LS
A TRYIN' TO JUMP DAT BROOM.
         OUR BOSS, HE TELLS US 'BOUT BEIN' FREE AND HE WAY HE HIRE US BY DE-MONT
H AND WE STAYS DERE A YEAR AND HE DIES, DEN OLE MISS SHE GO BACK TO MISSISSIPPI
AND WE JES' SCATTER 'ROUND, SOME A WORKIN' HERE AND SOME A WORKIN' YONDER, MOS'
TIMES FOR OUR VICTUALS AND CLOTHES. I COULDN' TELL MUCH DIFFERENCE MYSELF 'CAUSE
I HAD GOOD PEOPLE TO LIVE WID AND WHEN IT WAS DAT WAY DE WHITES AND DE COLORED W
AS BETTER OFF DE WAY I SEES IT DEN DEY IS NOW, SOME OF DEM.
         I SEEM JES' PUNYIN' AWAY, DE DOCTORS DON' KNOW JES' WHAT'S O G6fIDME
 BUT I NEBER WAS USE TO DOCTORS ANYWAY, JES' SOME RED ROOT TEA OR SAGE WEED jND
SHEEP WASTE TEA FOR DE MEASLES AM ALL DE DOCTORING WE GITS WHEN WE WAS SLAVES AN
D DAT DONE JES' AS WELL.
         MY WIFE SHE BEEN DEAD ALL DESE YEARS AN' I-J \'-LIV S8HnRE j ON(.
         CHILLUN? NO MAM, I NEVER HAD NO CHILLUN 'FORE I WAS MARRIED AN' I ONLY
HAD TWELVE AFTER I WAS MARRIED; YES MAM, JES' NINE BOYS AND THREE GIRLS, BUT I P
REFERS TO LIVE HERE BY MYSELF, 'CAUSE I GITS ALONG ALRIGHT.
  X   XXX
STP