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Anderson and Minerva Edwards, a Negro Baptist preacher and wife were both slaves on joining plantations in Rusk
County, near Henderson. Anderson was born March 12, 1844 as a slave of Major Matt Gaud, and Minerva was born
February 2, 1850 as a slave of Major Flannigan. As a boy Andrew would get a "pass" and visit his father, who was a
slave of Major Flannigan. In this way Andrew and Minerva met before emancipation. They continued to work for
their respective masters until about three years after the War, when they re-moved to Harrison County with their
parents. Later they married and reared a family of sixteen children to be grown. Six of their boys are still living and
employed on public works in Marshall. Andrew and Minerva live in a small, but comfortable farm house two miles
north of Marshall on the Macedonia Road, and draw a $14.00 per month pension from the Government.
"My father was Sandy Flannigan. He run off from his first Master on the Eastern shore of Maryland and come to
Texas. Here he was picked up by a slave buyer who sold chances on him. If they could find his master in Maryland
he would have to go back to him, if they couldn't find who he belonged to, the chances was good. Wash Edwards,
of Panola County bought the chance on Pappy,
but he run off from him too, and come to Major Flannigan's in Rusk County. Finally Major Flannigan had to pay
$4,000 in all to get a clear title to him. I hear him say that he come to Marshall before there was anything here, and
how he used to catch squirrels and rabbits where the square is now.
My mother was named Minerva and belonged to Major Gaud's. I was born there on his plantation on March 12,
1844. You can ask the tax man at Marshall 'bout my age. He's fix my 'semption (exemption) papers since I was
sixty. I had seven brothers and two sisters. They was Frank, Joe, Sandy, Gene, Preston, William, Sarah, and Delilah.
They all lived to be old fo'ks. The baby chile just die last year. Fo'ks was more healthy when I was growing up than
now. They didn't die young like fo'ks do now. I'se 93 now, and ain't dead; fact I feels right pert mos' of the time.
My Mistress was named Mary. She and Master Matt had three boys and one girl. They lived in a hewed log house
that is still standing now there near Henderson. The "quaters" were across the road from Masters house and set all in
a row. He owned three families of slaves. Master had lots of horses, sheep and cows. Pappy was herder for him till
he was freed. The Government run a big tan-yard there on Major Gaud's place. One of my Uncles was shoemaker
for the Government. Just 'bout the time of the War, I was piddling 'round the tannery and a Government man say to
me, "Boy, I'll give you a $1,000 to go get me a drink of water". And he did,
but it was "Federate" money that got "Killed", so it done me no good. Mammy was a weaver, and made all our
clothes. Master give us plenty to eat and wear. Fact is he treated us kinda like his own boys. Course he would whip
us when we needed it, but not like I seed darkies whipped on other farms. He give us a "pass" most any time we
wanted it when we wanted to go anywhere so we wouldn't get hurt by them "pattyrollers". The other Niggers call
Major Gaud's slaves "Free Niggers". We could hear them crying and moaning on jining farms when they was
"putting it on them". If they would have gone on and took it right when they correct them, it would have lightened
the burden. Some of the Niggers just naturally had ha'd heads and would run off when they whip them. That jest
made it ha'der on them.
I wo'ked in the fiel' from one year's end to the other. When we come in at dusk, we had to cook and eat supper and
be in bed by nine o'clock. We slep' on bunks that had straw and shuck mattresses. All the cooking was done on the
fire place. Master would give us mos' anything he had to eat 'cept biscuits. Dat "ash-cake" warn't bad eating. It was
cooked by putting co'n meal batter in shucks and baking it in the ashes. We didn't wo'k in the fiel' on Sunday, but
had so many stock to tend to that it kept us busy Sunday same as Monday. Master Gaud was a wicked man and
didn't care anything about God, Heaven and his outfit. If we went to church, it was Mistress that took us. She was a
religious woman, and allus went to church on Sunday. The first church I went to was under a big mulberry tree
there on the place. A white man done the preaching. Master had told us that if we be good Niggers and obey him
that we would go to heaven. But I felt all the time that there was something better than that for me. So I kept praying
for it till I felt the change in my heart. I was by myself down by a spring when I found the Lord.
When the darkies prayed in slavery they darsn't let the white fo'ks know 'bout it or they beat them to death. When
we prayed we turned a wash pot down to the ground to catch the voice. We prayed lots in slavery to be free and the
Lord heard our prayer. We didn't have no song books, the Lord give us our songs. When we sing them at night
'round the fire place it would be just whispering like so the white fo'ks not hear us. We would hum them as we
wo'ked in the fiel'. One of our favorite songs went like this:
"My knee-bones am aching My body's racking with pain I really believe I'se a chile of God This ain't my home
cause heaven's my aim".
Master Gaud used to give big co'n shuckings and cotton pickings. The wimmin cooked up big dinners and Master
would give us whiskey and we've shucked co'n all night lots of times. On Saturday nights they made us sing and
dance. We made our own instruments, which was gourd fiddles and quill flutes. Generally
Christmas was just like any other day, but I got Santa Claus twice during slavery. Master give me a sack of
mollasses candy and some biscuits. That was whole lots to me.
They never 'lowed a Nigger to have a book, and if we did learn to write and they knowed it, they'd cut our fingers
off. When a slave died they made the "box" there on the place and let the fo'ks go to the burying. But there warn't no
crying, singing or praying 'lowed.
The Vinson's and the Fry's that lived jining farms to Master Gaud sold slaves. I'se seed Niggers sold and chained
together like stock and driv' off in herds by a white man on a horse. They'd sell babies away from their mothers. The
Lord never did intend sich as that.
I believe in that "ghost" and "haunt" business yet. I seen one when I was a boy. It was right after Mammy died. Me
and Pappy and the other chil'ren lived there in one of Major Gaud's cabins. I had gone to bed and woke up and saw
it come in the door. "It" had a body, legs and tail like a wooly poodly dog and face like a man. He walked over to
the fire-place and raised the lid off the skillet of potatoes setting on the hearth. Then he walked over to my bed,
raised up the cover and crawled in bed. hollered so loud it woke all the Niggers on the place. Pappy say what's the
matter with me. I tell him I seed a "ghost". He say I was crazy, but I guess I knows a "haunt" when I sees one.
And that ain't the only haunt I'se seen. Minerva there can tell you 'bout that haunted house we lived in near Marshall
just after we was married. (Minerva, setting nearby, says, "Deed I can," and proceeded to relate the following
account of their "haunted" house.)
'The next year after me and Anderson was married we moved on a place northwest of Marshall. It once belonged to
some white fo'ks. The man was real mean to his wife and would beat her up and choke her nearly to death. Finally
she died there in the house and he left the country. Andrew rented the place and we moved in. We hadn't been there
long till we heard peculiar noises at night. The Niggers round there told us the place was "haunted" fore we moved
in but I didn't believe in "haunts" then, but I do now. One night we saw that woman that died come all round the
house with a light in her hand. When she come in the house it would light up all over. Neighbors said it look like it
was on fire. One night she came and walked all round the house with a black hearse following her. We left our crop
and moved away from there and ain't gone back yit to gather our crop. Fore we moved in the place had been vacant
since the woman died there. One night Charlie Williams that lives in Marshall and runs a store out by the T. & P.
Hospital, got drunk and went out there to sleep. While he was sleeping that woman come on him and nearly choked
him to death. Ain't nobody ever lived in the house since we was there.
The Niggers all tell us they don't see how we lived there long as we did.'
I 'member when the War started. Master's boy, George Gaud, saddled up old Bob, his pony, and left for the war. He
stayed six months before he come back home. When he rode up Master say, "How's the war, George". Master
George say, "It's hell. Me and Bob has been running Yankees ever since we left". 'Fore the war Master didn't ever
say much about slavery, but when he heard the slaves was free he cursed and say, "God never did intend to free
Niggers". And he cussed till he died. They didn't tell us we was free till a year after the war. One day a bunch of
Yankee soldiers rode up to the place. Master and Mistress saw them coming and hid out. They walked into the
house. Mammy was churning and one of them kicked the churn over and say, "Get out, You'se just as free as I is".
Then they ram-sacked the place and broke out all the window lights. When they left it look like a storm had hit the
house. Master come back to the house and that's when he started on a cussing spree that lasted as long as he lived
'Bout four years after the War, Pappy come and took me to Harrison County, and I'se lived here ever since.
Minerva's Pappy moved from the Flannigan place to a jining farm 'bout the same time, and several years later we
was married. We married at her house. She wore a blue serge suit and I wore a "cut-a-way" Prince Albert suit. There
was 'bout two hundred fo'ks at the wedding.
The next day they give us an infair and a big dinner. We raised sixteen children to be grown. Six of the boys are still
living and all working in Marshall.
I'se been preaching the Gospel and farming since slavery time. I jined the chu'ch 83 years ago when I was a slave of
Master Gaud. They took me in to the white chu'ch, and baptized me down there in the spring branch close to where
I found the Lord. I started preaching right after I jined the chu'ch. Course when I started preaching, I was a slave
and couldn't read or write. Till freedom I had to preach what they told me to. Master made me preach to the other
Niggers that the "Good Book" say that if Niggers obey their Master they would go to heaven. I knew there was
something better for them but I darsn't tell them so lest I done it on the sly. That I did lots. I told the Niggers, but not
so Master could hear it, if they keep praying that the Lord would hear their prayers and set them free. I'se preached
mos' all over Panola and Harrison County. I started the Edward's Chapel there in Marshall and pastored it until a
few years ago. It's named for me. I don't preach much now, cause I can't hold out to walk far, and I got no way to
go.
Alex Hampton, P. W. District No. 1 Marshall, Texas"
