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Ellen Kelly
"I was born on de old Starnes place, three miles from de town of old Springfield, near de town of Grosbeck, but dey
was no Grosbeck untill long after I was grown an' had a family of my own. I was born in 1848 thirteen year befo' de
war for freedom cum. My Massa an' Misses was named Billy an' Sally Townsend. My pappy was named Sam
Forge, an' I has a brother named Sam Forge dat is livin' now.
"W'en de War cum, in 1861, I kin 'member how dat we used to watch de soljers goin' by to join. Dey had on dey
gray suits, most of dem was de ones dey folks made on de old spinin' wheel an' de loom, whar dey was not able to
buy or git de suits or uniform's from de army, dis was w'en de army is organizin'. Some of de men goes back to East
Texas an' joins de companies dat go to de old States, an' some goes on down to Galveston an' Houston to join.
"Dey was a stage line dat go by our house, hit run from Waco thro' Fairfield an' on down in South Texas, den hit go
North to Dallas an' East Texas, whar dey take de stage for de old States, like Arkansas, Missippi, Louisana an' up to
St. Louis. We see de people passin' like you did w'en de big World War cum, an' dey was goin' to de trainin' camp,
only not so many people like den. But de excitement was jes de same, only de w'ite folks thought dey would whip
de Yankees an' be back in few months. How hit turned out an' how dey cum back you already know.
"One day de young Misses married a young Massa by de name of Jim Moore, I goes an' help take keer of her an'
help to raise dey son dey named Billy. He is not a big husky fellow like lots of de young Massa's, an' w'en he joined
de army to go to help fight de Yankees, dey was great sorrow an' weepin' by de Massa's folks an' de slaves too.
"He is sent up in Arkansas, an' he is in some of de battles I think wid Sterling Price, any-way he git sick an' de cold
settles on his dung an' he stay in de Little Rock Hospital for a long time, den de Massa goes for him an' bring him
back home whar he dies after he lingers along for several months. He tell de stories of how he fought de Yankees
an' how dey run some of dem out of Arkansas, but hit been so long dat I does not 'member how hit was now.
"After de war is over, den dey has de Reconstruction days, dey has all kinds of trouble wid de nigger's dat does not
understan' dey still has to work. Dey think de Government is goin' to take keer of dem, but after de soljers cum to
old Fairfield, an' dey has so many killin's an' de soljers finally is sent back whar dey cum from, an' de w'ite folks
take up de managin' agin, dey put de nigger officers out, den thing settle back like dey was befo' de war.
"My w'ite folks, dat I belonged to, is all dead but Mistis dat married Massa Jim Bradley of Grosbeck. He is a lawyer
in Grosbeck now an' he cum here long time ago w'en he was a young man an' dey married after de war is over as
well as I kin 'member.
"I kin 'member w'en I was a gal, jes befo' de war cum, how de long wagons trains would pass goin' on de stage road.
Dey has de oxen hitched to dem an' haulin' de freight from East Texas to Waco, an'
down to Houston, den dey pass goin' to old Jefferson whar hit is shipped by boat to de markets. Sometimes dey
would be ten or twelve head of oxen to de wagons. Dis was de way de freight was hauled long time after de
Houston an' Texas Central Railroad was built from Dallas to Houston.
"De first w'ite fambly dat cum to dis community after de Fort Parker massacree was Logan Stroud. He cum from
Robertson County in de year 1842 an' built his home at Bur-Oak Springs, jes across de river from whar Jacks Creek
Reunion Groun's is, he goes back to Robertson County, near whar de town of Calvert now is an' marries Miss Jane
Haveland. De nex' day dey rides horseback from Robertson County to his new home near whar Grosbeck is now,
an' start to making dey home. She was de first w'ite woman to cum to dis place after Fort Parker fell. He lives here
few years, den he moves over an de old Waco - Springfield road whar he lived all durin' de war.
"De other family dat I 'members hearin' 'bout an' dat I know too was de Anglin's, an' I will tell yer 'bout de charmed
life of old Abram Anglin', for if dey ever was a man wid a charmed life he was de one. Hit is a long story, but if yer
will jes listen to my tellin' hit, I will try not to make hit too long. Hit is things dat has been handed down to me an'
things dat I know myself, for I knew old man Abram Anglin well.
"Dis story goes back to de time de Parkers Fort was built, in 1833.
"Abram Anglin an' his father cum to Texas wid de Parker Family,
dey built a cabin 'bout a mile from Parker's Fort in 1835. Hit was near what is de Stroud place on de Highway No.
14 am now. On de mornin' of May 19th, 1836, dey was in de field w'en Mr. Plummer cum wid de news 'bout de
Parker Fort massacree by de Indians. Dat night he started to de Fort to look after de wounded, an' took wid him
Silas Bates, Ervay Faulkenberry, an' Mr. Plummer, dey met David Faulkenberry wid Mrs. Silas Parker an' two of
her chillun wid de Indians after worked first.
"Den as dey was passin' de Faulkenberry cabin he saw a ghost, hit was dressed in w'ite wid long w'ite streamers
down hit's back, old man Abram was so skeered dat he jes stood speechless, de ghost waved hits arms for dem to
cum in an' w'en dey git de courage to go in dar, dey found dat de ghost am old Granny Parker dat de Indians had
wounded an' stripped of all but her night clothes. She had cum all de way to de Faulkenberry house from de Fort by
crawlin. Dey took some bed clothes an' wrapped her up an' hid her a ways from de house while dey went to de Fort.
"W'en dese men got to de Fort, dey could not see a single person, or hear a human sound. De dogs was barkin' de
cattle lowin' de horses neighin' an' de hogs a squealin' makin hit sound all ghostly an' creepy. Still de ghost's did not
git dem. De old lady, Granny Parker had told dem whar she had hid some money, so dey look for dis, it is hid under
a hickory bush an' dey find hit by de moonlight. Hit is a $106.75 in silver. After dey is thro' lookin' an' does not find
anybody dey goes back an' takes Granny Parker back to dey hidin' place in de Navasot bottom, whar dey stay all
night. De nex' mornin' dey goes back to de Fort an' git dey provisions, but dey is afraid de Indians will cum back so
dey hurry to Fort Houston, near whar Palestine is now, an' send twelve men back to bury de dead folks de Indians
had killed. So dis Abram Anglin jes escaped de Fort Massacree by de accident of bein' gone w'en de Indians cum,
an' dis show dat he has a charm worked on him from some whar.
"Den let me tell yer another time, hit was in January, not quite a year after de Fort Parker massacree. Abram Anglin,
David an' Ervay Faulkenberry Hunter an' Andrews left Houston to find some strayed horses. Dey find some on de
east side of de Trinity an' send back to Fort Houston by Dauthet an' Hunter who was to cum back de nex' day. Ole
man Abram Anglin, Andrews an' de two Faulkenberry built a raft an' crossed de river.
"After dey had hunted all day for more horses, dey cum back to de river an' dey is so tired dat dey lie down on de
banks an' goes to sleep. After awhile dey wakes up wid de noise of de Indian war whoop an' de Indians firein' at
dem wid some guns dey has. David Faulkenberry an' ole man Andrews bof' is wounded an' Abram Anglin was shot
in de thigh. David Faulkenberry an' Andrews jump into de river an' swim to de other side. At first Ervay
Faulkenberry an' Abram jump behin' a tree intendin' to fight, but w'en dey see hit will be no use to fight such a
crowd dey jump into de river too wid de arrows an' de bullets whistlin 'bout dem.
"After dey catch up wid Andrews an' Faulkenberry dey meet ole man Hunter cumin' back from de Fort, he takes
Abram to de Fort an' git a party to go back after Faulkenberry an' Andrews, but dey did not find dem untill de nex'
mornin' an' dey is bof' dead. Ervann Faulkenberry, brother of de one dey find dead, was never seen again. Dey is an'
old Indian tale 'bout how he fought an' killed good many Indians an' was wounded an' befo' he let dem take him he
jumped into de river. So as hit was befo', Abram Anglin alone of dis party, was left to tell de tale of dis fight.
"David Faulkenberry left a widow dat afterward married Elisha Anglin de father of Abram, an' Abe married de
daughter of Davis an' Nancy Faulkenberry, (de widow his father married). De widow Faulkenberry left several
children of David's an' one was Terrell Faulkenberry de grand-dad of Clanton D. Faulkenberry of San Antonio, an' a
daughter named Rebecca Faulkenberry.
"Dey is one more story dat shows dat Abram Anglin's life was under a charm. W'en he an' his sweetheart, Rebecca
Faulkenberry decided to git married, dey has de consent of dey folks, but Texas was a Republic den, an' dey would
have to go to Mexico to git dey license, so dey jes git married wid-out a license, as dey was no law dat had to have
one den.
"Dey settled south of Grosbeck an' built dem a home which is still standin', an' long time afterwards w'en Texas was
a state an' Springfield de county seat, Abram an' Rebecca decides to git married wid a license, so wid dey grown
chillun an' dey friends dey go over to Springfield an' git dey license an' git married agin, w'en de preacher asks if
any body object, Uncle Silas say, "I do" an' de preacher say
"On what groun's? jes to joke dem Uncle Silas say, "Dey have'nt dey parents consent". So once more de gods was
good to Abram an' de charm held to his being legally married by Texas Law's.
Reference: Interview with Ellen Kelly, Mart - Grosbeck, R.F.D.
Mrs. Ada Davis, P.W. McLennan County, Texas Dist. #8 (August 11, 1937 (No))
Kelly, Pinkie -- Additional Interview
AUNT PINKIE KELLY, whese age is a matter of conjesture, bus who says she was "growed up when set free," was
born on a plantation in Brassria Co., owned by Grecevillo McBeal, and still lives on what was a part of the McNeal
plantation, in a little cabin which she says is much like the old slave quartere.
"De only place I knows 'beat is right here, what was Marce Greenville McNeal's plantation, 'cause I's born here and
Marse Greenville and Missy Amelia, what was his wife, is de only ones I ever belonged to. After de war, Marse
Huntington come down from up north and took over de place when Marse Greenville die, but do big house burned
up and all de papers, too, and I oculdn't toll to save my life how old I is, but I's grewed up and worked in de fields
befo' I's set free.
"My mammy's name was Harriet Jackson and she was born on de same plantation. My pappy's name was Dea, but
folks called him Good Cheer. He druv oxen and one day they show me him and say he my pappy, and so I gases he
was, but I can't tell much about him, 'cause chillen then didn't know their pappys like chillen de new.
"Meet I 'members 'bout them times is work, 'cause we's put out in de fields befo' day and come back after might.
Then we has to shall a bushel of corn befe' we goes to bed and we was so tired we didn't have time for mothin'.
"Old man Jerry Driver watches us in de fields and iffen we didn't work hard he ship us and whip us hard. Then he
die and 'nother man call Archer come. He say. 'You niggers now, you don't work good, I beat you,' and we she'
worked hard them.
"Marce Greenvill treated us pretty good but he never give us mothin'. Sometime we'd rea away and hide in de
woods for a spoll, but when they cotch as Marse Greenville tie us down and whip us co we don't do it no more.
"We didn't have no clothan like we do new, jes' cotton levers and rubber shoes. They used to feed us peas and
cornbread and honiny, and sometime they threw beans in a pot and bilo it, but we never had hawg most.
"Iffen we took sick, old Annt Becky was de docter. They was a building like what they calls a hospital and she put
us in there and give us calomel or turpentine, pendin' on what ciled us. They allus kop' the babies there and lot do
mammies come in and suckle and dry 'em up.
"I nover heared such 'bout no wat and Marse Greenville never told us we was free. First I knews was one day we
gwine to do fields and a man come ridim' up and say, 'Whar you folks gwino?' We say we gwine to de fields and
then he say to Marse Greenville, 'You can't work these people, without no pay, 'cause they's as free as you is.' Law,
we sho' shout, young folks and old folks too. But we stay there, no place to go, so we jes' stay, but we gits a little
pay.
"After 'while I marries. Allen Kelley was de first husban' what I ever owned and he die. Houston Edward, he the las'
husban' I ever owned and he die, too.
"Law me, they used to be a sayin' that chillen born on de dark of do noon ain't gwinter have no luck, and I guess I
sho' was born then!"
