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Hannah Jameson, an aged Negress of Marshall, was born in Bright Star, Arkansas, about 1850, as a slave of Henry
Larry. During her childhood Hannah's father was sold off the place and her mother was given another husband,
Cole Copeland. During the war, 1863, Hannah's Master brought his family and a large number of slaves to Texas
and settled a plantation near Hughes Springs. Hannah's mother and step-father and family remained on their owner's
place for about five years. Hannah married John Jameson, moving to Jefferson and later to Marshall. She has been
married twice and raised four step-children. Since her separation from her second husband, five years ago, she has
been supported by her step-children and Government relief. She now lives with a widowed sister on the Carters
Ferry Road, in southwest suburbs of Marshall and receives a $12.00 per month old age pension.
My name is Hannah Jameson. I 'members coming to Texas in 1863, when I was 'bout thirteen years old. I can read
and write and tell you lots 'bout slavery times.
I 'members where I was bo'n back in Arkansas, close to Bright Star. There was no towns much dem days. Bright
Star was jest a village. There was a store and postoffice and a man rid (rode) a mule and carried mail on a ten mile
route.
My father come from North Carolina with Henry Larry and my mother come from Mississippi with John Paterson.
The Patersons and Larrys settled on ajinning places there in Arkansas. John Paterson sold my father to Henry Larry
and Larry give him to my mother for her man. There warn't no wedding by law and preachers dem days. My mother
was named Fannie. She raised three slavery children, me and my brothers, Nelson and Solomon. Den Larry sold my
father and my mother took Cole Copeland for her man. She had of the free-bo'n children, William, Jim, Cole, Susie
and Mariah. I never seed my father no mo' after he was sold off the place.
I 'members coming to Texas. My mother say it was in '63. When we left Arkansas, I was big enuff to milk and
churn and tote wood. I 'members dat like it was yesterday ca'se when we got to Texas they put us out in the woods
in a pen to protect us from the wolves and varmits till them could fix us a place to live in. Varmits was as thick as
they could be and they darsn't let us out after sundown. Henry Larry built his place right there at Hughes Spring on
the big road to Linden. He fixed a regular place for the Niggers. You never seed beds like we had them days. They
had jest one leg, you couldn't put them no where but in the corner. They had pole rails and board slats, and dere
warn't no a-falling down to 'em. Den we pulled grass and fix the mattress.
In my owners family there was four boys, Jim, Jeff, John and
Shuck. They done the bossing. My Mistress was Nancy. She had two girls, Caldonia and Miss Ella. Our white fo'lks
warn't cruel to us. My Master had 'bout fifty Niggers, he didn't own big droves like some of the owners. All the
white folks warn't alike. There was good and bad like today. Some wouldn't give you no chance, I'se seed them on
jinning places tie Niggers hand with a rope and whip them till all they could say was, "Pray, Master". At night they
cooked a little supper, did their task and go to bed. Every Saturday the owners give them rations. If it didn't last - do
the best you could to Saturday agin. They got what the white folks say to get out of the garden. There was no
chance to have their own gardens. The good folks give the Niggers parties, but the bad ones didn't give them a
chance to get over the fence. Lots of them had to wash at night and on Sunday, down by the spring by a pine knot
torch, ca'se they had to come out clean Monday morning. Most of the owners worked the Niggers all day Saturday.
At night the wimmen had to spin three or four curts of cloth. The men had a task and if they didn't done it, there was
where a whipping scrape come in.
I never seed any Niggers sold, but seed them driv' down the road to the sale block. The owners went to sell off their
Niggers the first of January.
We liked our white folks ca'se they warn't cruel to us and teached us to read and write. I tell you how that was. Ole
Mistress girls and boys all had them a little Nigger. Miss Ella was my young Mistress. She divide her bread and
meat with me and take her book and give me my A B C's. The white boy and the Nigger et bread and meat together,
played together and if ole Master or Mistress started to whip him, he would say, "This is my Nigger, don't thrash
him".
I sho' members them corn shuckings. Dey was sumpin. After the corn was all husked and all the white folks was
gone to bed they danced the rabbit dance and sing alike this:
Early one morning, on my Massa's farm Cut that pigeon wing, Lizy Jane I heard dem chickens a-givin the alarm
shake yo feet, Miss Lizy Jane Shake yo feet, Niggers, It'll soon be day, Skoot along lively, Miss Lizy Jane; Massa
ketch us dancin', there'll be ------ to pay, We got taters to dig and hoe dat corn Hit dat duffle-shiffle, Lizy Jane You'd
better be a-humping, coz it'll soon be morn, Shake dat balmoral, Lizy Jane.
Lordy me, dem was the times. De best days of dis ole Niggers life am gone, but when I think of the good times
before the war, dese bones of mine get to live agin like dey was at dem parties when de Niggers knocked off dat:
Rooster in de chicken coop, crowing for day Horses in the stable go nay, nay, nay Ducks in the yard go quack,
quack, quack, And de geese go filley-I-fee, Pigs in the pen squealing for slop, Big dogs barking like they never will
stop, Guines in de tree go pat-a-rack, pat-a-rack And de goose go filley-I-fee.
When we was coming to Texas I seed the soldiers and heard 'em say, "Them is Yankees going to fight". My
Master's boy, Shuck, he fit (fight) in the war but warn't shot. I was a good sized hunk den, but not big enuff to take a
woman's part. I waited on my Mistress and fetched her things when we was a-coming to Texas, and in Arkansas.
The first work I done in slavery was waiting on Mistress and toting water to the field. I don't 'members much of de
war 'cept dem soldiers going to fit (fight).
Master told us we was free. At first he wouldn't, den he had to. He told all the Niggers, "You is free; you got no
more Master and Mistress; you can go or stay". When surrender broke, you could tie all a Nigger family had in a
bed sheet. They had nothing 'cept a house full of Niggers and no where to go. Most of the old ones stayed with ole
Master, but the young ones separated.
I married five years after surrender to John Jameson and we come to Jefferson. We stayed there 'bout five years and
come on to Marshall and here I still is and don't know zactly how old I is.
Me and Jameson lived together twenty years and he died. I married a Nigger, Creer, but he was so no account I quit
him and took back on Jameson's name.
I sho do 'members the Ku Klux raging and beating folks. That's the reason ma and my step-pa stayed with old
Master. He protect them.
I don't take no stock in politics. I leave that to the men folks. If'n they can't tend to it, I don't see dat de wimmen
would help things any.
I don't know 'bout these young ones that is a-coming up. I worked for the white folks as long as I was able to work
and didn't take no stock in their doings.
Me and my sister, Mariah, bo'n the second year of surrender, live by ourself. The relief folks helped us on. I gets
$12.00 a month pension and dat man at de courthouse say Mariah is going to get hers.
Drake, C.H., P.W. Houston, Texas, Dist. #6 (11-11-37 (No))
