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Round-faced, with a smooth, tannish skin and the prominent cheek bones of her Indian ancestry,Sue Lockridge, is a
pleasant negress in her late seventies. Faded brown eyes, double chins and large, even teeth are facial
characteristics. Although she maintains that her former owners, the Alcorns of Brenham, Texas, were cruel, she tells
of them without rancor. Sue's husband, George, also an ex-slave, died about three weeks ago, but she speaks of him
matter of factly, and seems more interested in her chances for a pension than in her bereavement.
"My husban', George, he uster live here but he die' bout t'ree weeks ago. He was 84 year' ol'. I bo'n in slav'ry myself,
but I ain't quite 80 yet. I don' 'member as much 'bout slav'ry times as George did."
"My daddy was Isom Bilbo. He come from Injun Territory and he were free-bo'n. He couldn' talk us talk, he talk
Cherokee. I uster know some of dem word but I can' 'member 'em no mo', I's too ol'. My mammy was a Alabama
woman and she name' Emily. I nebber see my gran' parents 'cause dey was sol' 'way from her on de block in
Alabama. She nebber did tol' me nuttin' 'bout dem."
"I's bo'n in Brenham, Texas, on July 18. I don' 'member de year, but it in my papers somers 'roun' yere. I's bo'n on a
farmin' place w'at b'long to Jimmy Alcorn. Us lib 'way off dere in de prairie lan'
---jis' ol' bal' prairie lan'. Us could hear rain crows soundin' dey noise. Dey don' sound like real crows, dey mek long
funny noise. W'en dey call in de eb'nin' it de sign it gwine to rain befo' day. Us uster see and hear lotser owls too,
dem li'l brown owls. A ol' owl's bad luck. W'en you hear dem dat's a sign of deaf (death). Dey snake' dere too and
long red lizard' w'at us run 'way from. Dey was lots of little horny frogs. Some of de chillen play wid 'em but I too
scare' to tech 'em."
"My mammy would go to de fiel' to wuk wid a skillet of rations on her head. She spin on de wheel too, for de other
wimmen to weave. My daddy wuk in de fiel'. He was de one w'at blow' de ho'n for to call de niggers in to de fiel'
and stop wuk and come to eat and sich."
"Ol' marse Alcorn was cruel to he slaves. Some of dem slave whip' so bad de blood run. Marster allus git mean
overseers. He nebber hab any jail. He mek 'em carry a bar'l over dey head for punishment or he hab 'em tie' down
and whip' 'em. Iffen dey run off he bull-whip 'em atter he git de dogs to ketch 'em."
"Dey 'lowance de food eb'ry Sadday---jis' meat and co'n; bread was beaten bread w'at was bake in de oven. On
Sadday night my daddy allus go huntin'. He ketch rabbit and 'coon and 'possum and dat de onlies' other t'ings us hab
to eat."
"Us uster wear homespun clo's but I don' 'member 'bout no shoes. De ol' farm was a good big ol' place wid plenty
people on it---lots of 'em. De marsters house was a big log house, jis' a plain house, but de quarters houses was log
and mud houses in rows. Dey hab li'l chinaberry tree in de yard to sit down under.
"My task in slav'ry time was to mind de sheep and keep de wolfs outer de sheep and de sheep outer de co'n. W'en I
not doin' dat I he'p in de big house. De ol' mistus name' Nanny. She allus poppin' me on de head wid her han'. She
whip' me wid a switch, too. I clean up de house and wash de dishes. Mistus she ain't had no chillen. Dey was a ol'
man name' Alfred w'at wuk in de house. He keep de house straight. He mek de fires too."
"My sister Rhoda, she de onlies' one too little to wuk. De han's hafter be in de fiel' at daylight. Dey was sho' flyin'
'roun' dere. De little nigger babies hafter stay in de house all by deyse'fs and cry 'til dey mammys come in from de
fiel'. Dey didn' had no furnicher in de house, jis' mek beds nail' on to de wall and no tables. Dey eat offen a ol' box
and sit on de flo'. I guess it good t'ing dey ain't got nuffin' like dat 'cause dey too tired to do nuffin' w'en dey come in
cep'n' rock de baby to sleep."
"Us didn' braid up us hair 'til Sunday. Dey warn't no chu'ch but us all hafter clean up on Sunday and didn' hafter
wuk. Dey was no preachin' for de cullud. Dey warn't no preachin' for nobody."
"Us chillen all sit 'roun' in li'l huddles and play. Us hafter be quiet w'en us play---dere was no runnin' or shoutin'
'lowed 'roun' dere. Us play wid li'l rag doll and sich."
"W'en de war come ol' marster hab a son name' Jimmy w'at go to de war. He volunteer to go, he jes' go. My daddy
he didn' wanter go to de war. I don' 'member Jimmy eber comin' back. Us nebber seed no other sojers 'roun' dere.
Dey's a ol' man name' Titus w'at try to run off. Dey git atter him and shoot him right froo de mouf. Ol' Titus, he got
gran'chile right here in Beaumont now."
"W'en freedom cry out ol' marster tell my daddy, 'You's free as I is, but I'd ruther you stay and wait for de crop.' I
was in de yard dere but chillen in dem day' warn't 'lowed to talk. My ol' daddy he pick right up dat very mo'nin' and
lef'. He move' over to Mister Rudderford. He hab de name of bein' good to he niggers in slavery time. My daddy he
tek he wife and all he chillen. Rudderford give him a wagon to move in. My daddy hab a time findin' my big sister,
Mimi, 'cause de ol' marster done hire her out to wuk for somebody else."
"It were a time befo' I eber marry. I marry Isaac Wright. He uster be a slave and us was chillen t'gedder. My mammy
teach me to go to de Baptis' Chu'ch and I was marry in de Baptis' Chu'ch. Us jes' hab a li'l sumpin'. Rev. Mose
Johnson, he baptise' me and marry us. I hab five chillen altogedder. Me and him was togedder only a li'l w'ile den I
marry George Lockridge. He die' jes' 'bout t'ree week' ago. I stay wid my daughter and gran'daughter, Ruth."
"Brenham, up near de captible of de United States, us went dere on us weddin' trip."
