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SUSAN MERRITT, 87, was born in Rusk Co., Texas, a slave of Andrew Watt. A year after she was freed, Susan
moved with her parents to Harrison Co., and stayed on their farm until she married Will Merritt. They reared fifteen
children. Susan has little to say of her life from 1865 to the present, stating that they got along on the farm they
worked on shares. Since her husband's death Susan lives with a son, Willie, west of Marshall, Texas, on the Hyason
Springs Road.
"I couldn't tell how old I is, but does you think I'd ever forgit them slave days? I 'lieve I's 'bout 87 or more, 'cause I's
a good size gal spinnin all the thread for the white folks when they lets us loose after surrender.
"I's born right down in Rusk County, not a long way from Henderson, and Massa Andrew Watt am my owner. My
pappy, Hob Rollins, he come from North Carolina and belonged to Dowe Blakely and mammy come from
Mississippi. Mammy have eleven of us chillen but four dies when they babies, but Albert, Hob. John. Emma, Anna,
Lula and me lives to be growed and married.
"Massa Watt lived in a big log house what set on a hill se you could see it 'round for miles, and us lived over in the
field in little log huts, all huddled along together. They have homemade beds nailed to the wall and baling sack
mattresses, and us call them bunks. Us never had me money but plenty clothes and grub and wear the same clothes
all the year 'round. Massa Watt made our shoes for winter hisself and he made furniture and saddles and harness and
run a grist mill and a whiskey still there on the place. That man had ev'yt'ing.
"The hands was woke with the bit bell and when massa pulls that bell rope the niggers falls out them bunks like rain
fallin'. They was in that field 'fore day and stay till dusk dark. They work slap up till Saturday might and then
washes their clothes, and sometimes they gits through and has time for the party and plays ring plays. I 'member part
the words to one play and that, 'Rolling river, roll on, the old cow die in cold water ...now we's got to drink bad
water 'cause old cow die in cold water,' but I can't 'member mere'n that. It's too long ago.
"When the hands come in from the field at dusk dark, they has to tote water from the spring and cook and eat and be
in bed when that old bell rings at nine o'clock. 'Bout dusk they calls the chillen and gives 'em a piece of corn pone
'bout size my hand and a tin cup milk and puts them to bed. but the growed folks et fat pork and greens and beans
and sich like and have plenty milk. Ev'ry Sunday massa give 'em some flour and butter and a chicken. Lots of
niggers caught a good cowhiding for slippin' 'round and stealin' a chicken 'fore Sunday.
"Massa Watt didn't have no overseer, but he have a nigger driver what am jus' as bad. He carry a long whip 'round
the neck and I's seed him tie niggers to a tree and cowhide 'em till the blood run down onto the ground. Sometimes
the women gits slothful and not able to do their part but they makes 'em do it anyway. They digs a hole, 'bout body
deep, and makes them women lie face down in it and beats 'em nearly to death. That nigger driver beat the chillen
for not keepin' their cotton row up with the lead man. Sometimes he made niggers drag long chains while they
works in the field and some of 'em run off, but they oughn't to have done it, 'cause they chase 'em with hounds and
nearly kilt 'em.
"Lots of times Massa Watt give us a pass to go over to George Petro's place or Dick Gregg's place. Massa Pethro
run a slave market and he have big, high scaffold with steps where he sells slaves. They was stripped off to the
waist to show their strength.
"Our white folks have a church and a place for us in the back. Sometimes at night us gather 'round the fireplace and
pray and sing and cry, but us daren't 'low our white folks know it. Thank the Lawd us can worship where us wants
nowadays. I 'member one song we allus sing:
"'I heard the voice of Jesus callin' Come unto me and live Lie, lie down, weepin' one Res' they head on my breast.
"'I come to Jesus as I was Weary and lone and tired and sad, I finds in him a restin' place, And he has made me
glad.'
"Us have two white doctors call Dr. Dan and Dr. Gill Shaw, what wait on us when we real sick. Us wore seafoodita
bags 'round the neck and it kep' off sickness.
"I stay mos' the time in the big house and massa good but missy am the devil. I couldn't tell you how I treated. Lots
of times she tie me to a stob in the yard and cowhide me till she give out, then she go and rest and come back and
beat me some more, You see, I's massa nigger and she have her own niggers what come on her side and she never
did like me. She stomp and beat me nearly to death and they have to grease my back where she cowhide me and I's
sick with fever for a week. If I have a dollar for ev'ry cowhidin' I git, I'd never have to work no more.
"Young missy Betty like me and try larn me readin' and writin' and she slip to my room and have me doin' right
good. I larn the alphabet. But one day Missy Jane cotch her schoolin' me and she say. 'Niggers don't need to know
anything.' and the lams me over the head with the butt of a cowhide whip. That white man so rough, one day us
makin' soap and some little chickens gits in the fire 'round the pot and she say I let 'em do it and make me walk
barefoot through that bed of coals sev'ral times.
"I hears 'bout freedom in September and they's pickin' cotton and a white man rides up to massa's house on a big,
white hoss and the houseboy tell massa a man want see him and he hollers, 'Light, stranger.' It a gov'ment man and
he have the big book and a bunch papers and say why ain't massa turn the niggers loose. Massa say he tryin' git the
crop out and he tell massa have the slaves in. Uncle Steven blows the cow horn what they use to call to eat and all
the niggers come runnin', 'cause that horn mean, 'Come to the big house, quick.' That man reads the paper tellin' us
we's free, but massa make us work sev'ral months after that. He say we git 20 acres land and a mule but we didn't git
it.
"Lots of niggers was kilt after freedom,' cause the slaves in Harrison County turn loose right at freedom and them in
Rusk County wasn't. But they hears 'bout it and runs away to freedom in Harrison County and they owners have 'em
bushwhacked, that shot down. You could see lots of niggers hangin' to trees in Sabine bottom right after freedom,
'cause they cotch 'em swimmin' 'cross Sabine River and shoot 'em. They she' am goin' be lots of soul cry 'gainst 'em
in Judgment.
Merritt, Susan -- Additional Interview
Susan Merritt, an 87 year old ex-slave, was born in Rusk County, near Henderson, as a slave of Andrew Watt. She
vividly recalls, as a girl about 15 years old, slave life on the Watt plantation. After being freed a year after the War,
she re-moved to Harrison County with her parents. Several years after the war, Susan was married to Will Merritt,
and reared a family of fifteen children to be grown and married. Since the death of her husband, she has resided
with Willie Merritt, a son, who lives west of Marshall on the Hynson Springs Road.
"I couldn't tell how old I is, but do you think I could ever fergit them slave days. I was a good size girl spinning all
the thread for the white fo'ks clothes and helping Mistress with the looms when they let us loose after surrender.
I was bo'n down in Rusk County, near Henderson, on Master Andrew Watt's place. Hob Rollins, my pappy, came
from North Carolina and belonged to Dave Blakely. Mammy came from Mississippi and belonged to the Watts.
There was eleven of us children, but four died when they was babies. Albert, Hob, John, Emma, Anna, Lula, and me
lived to be grown and married.
Master Watt had four children, two boys and two girls, and lived in a big log house what set upon a hill so you
could see all round for miles. The slaves lived over the fiel' in little log huts all "huddled" along together. They had
home-made beds nailed to the wall and two legs and baling sack mattresses. We called them bunks. The Negroes
never had no munney but plenty of clothes and grub. We had to wear the same clothes the year round. Master Watt
made our shoes hisself. He made furniture, saddles, ha'ness, tools and run a grist mill and whiskey still there on the
place. That man had everything.
The hands was woke up in the morning with a big bell. When Master pulled that bell rope the Negroes fell out of
them bunks like rain falling. They was in the fiel' 'fore day and stay until dusk dark. They worked slap up till
Saturday night, then they all had to wash their clothes. Some time on Saturday night there was parties where we
played ring plays. I only remember part of the words to one play. That was "Rolling river, roll on, the old cow die in
cold water .. now we'se got to drink bad water cause the old cow died in cold water."
When the hands come in from the fiel' at night, they had to tote water from the spring, cook and eat supper and be in
bed by the time that bell rang at nine o'clock. 'Bout dusk they called all the chil'ren in and give them a piece of
co'n-pone bread 'bout the size of my hand, a tin cup of milk and put them to bed. The grown folks et fat po'k,
greens, beans, co'n bread dumplings and sich like, and had plenty of milk to drink. On Sunday Master gave all of
them butter, flour, and a chicken. Lots of the Negroes caught a good cow-hiding for slipping 'round and stealing a
chicken 'fore Sunday. We wore white "lowel" home-spun cotton clothes. They gave us one garment at a time and
we wore that the year round. The slaves never had no munney but plenty of grub. My pappy made tar at night and
traded it for whiskey.
Master Watt didn't have no overseer, but he had a "Nigger driver" that was just as bad. He carried a long whip
'round his neck and beat the other Negroes just like he was a white man. I'se seen slaves tied to a tree and cow-hided
till the blood run down off them onto the ground. Some of the women would get slothful and not able to do their
part but they made them do it. They dug a hole, 'bout body deep, and would make the women lie face down in it and
beat them nearly to death. They would whip the chil'ren for not keeping their row up with the "lead-man". When
that Nigger driver would holler "Come On" or "Let's go" you'd see the hands brighten up on that hoe. They made
some of them drag long chains while they wo'ked in the fiel'. They was so hard on them that sometimes they
couldn't stand it, and some of them run off. But they oughtn't to have done it for they chased them with hounds and
nearly kill them when they catch them.
The slaves warn't 'lowed to go anywhere without a pass. Some time they would slip off and go over to a jining
place. They just wanted to get away from home and talk. They had patrollers along the road and if he catch a slave
without a pass he sure treated him rough. Lots of time Master Watt would give us a pass to go over to George
Petro's or Dick Greggs place. Mr. Petro run a slave market on his place. He had a big, high scaffold with steps to it
where he sold the slaves. They were stripped off to the waist when they was being sold to show how strong they
was. The slave buyers would chain them together like steers and a white man on a horse would drive them home
like cattle.
There warn't no chu'ch on the place for the Negroes. The white fo'ks had a big white chu'ch off the place. We'd hook
up oxen to the wagon and go to church over there. They had a place for us in the back of the church. At night the
slaves would gather round the fire place on their knees and pray, and sing, and cry, but they darsn't let the white
fo'ks know anything about it. I didn't know than what they was cryin' 'bout, but I does now. Thank the Lord we can
now worship when we wants to. I 'member one favorite song was:
"I heard the voice of Jesus saying
'Come unto me and live'
Lie down, lie down weeping one
And rest they head on my breast I come to Jesus as I was
Weary, lone, tired and sad I found in him a resting place
And he has made me glad".
The slaves warn't 'lowed to have no religious services at funerals or any other place. When a Negro died he was
buried there on the place. My uncle Steven Watt was a Christian man and would pray at the grave.
They took good care of us when we was sick. Two white doctors, Dr. Dan and Dr. Gill Shaw, of Camben waited on
us. Lots of the Negroes wore asfidity bags (asfidity and camphor) around their neck to keep off certain diseases. A
white man named Long died there on the place. Lots of the Negroes said if they went certain places that Long
would chase them away.
I allus lived in Master Watt's house after I was big enough to work. They never 'lowed me to go down to Mammy's
house. I had a good Master, buy my Mistress was a devil. I don't believe I can tell you how I was treated. I come on
Master's side. She had her slaves that come on her side, and never did like me. Lots of times she tied me to a stob
out in the yard and "cow-hide" me till she give out, then she leave me and go rest and come back and beat me some
more. She had a boy 'bout seven years old that would git mad, lay down in the floor, hold his breath and turn purple
and die off. Once he had one of his mad spells and Mistress Jane 'cused me of hurting him. She stomp me and beat
me nearly to death. They had to grease my back where she "cow-hided" me, and I was sick a week with a fever from
it. If I had a dollar for every cowhiding I got, I'd never have to work anymore.
My young Mistress Bessie liked me and tried to learn me to read and write. She would slip to my room, and had me
doin' right good. I learned the alphabet. One day Mistress Jane catch her "schoolin'" me, and lammed me over the
head with the butt of a cowhide whip and tell Miss Bessie that she would cowhide her if she caught her learnin' me
anything. 'Niggers don't need to know anythin', she said. That white woman was so rough that one day we was
makin' soap and some little chickens got in the fire 'round the pot and burned to death. She said I let them do it and
made me walk barefooted through a bed of coals several times.
I heard 'bout freedom in September, but don't 'member the day. They was pickin' cotton on the place. A white man
ride up to Master's house on a big white horse. The house boy tells Master that a white man out the front wants to
see him. Master walked to the door and hollers "Light, stanger". That's what he allus say when anyone rides up to
the place. It was a Government man. He had a big book and a bunch of papers and wants to know why Master Watt
hadn't turned his Negroes loose. Master told him he was trying to get his crop out. He tole Master to call the slaves
in. Uncle Steven blowed the cow horn that they used to call the hands in at dinner and all the Negroes come running
cause when that cow horn blowed during the day that meant "Come to the house, quick". The man read a paper to
the slaves telling them they was free. That's the first we knowed anything about it.
Master worked them on several months after the man was there. Master said we was going to get 20 acres of land
and a mule, but we didn't get it. Lots of Negroes was killed after freedom. The slaves was turned loose in Harrison
County right after the war.
Negroes in Rusk County heard about it and lots of them run away from slavery in Rusk to freedom in Harrison
County. Their owners had them "bushwhacked" ... shot down while they was trying to get away. You could see lots
of Negroes hanging to trees in Sabine bottom right after freedom. They would catch them swimming across Sabine
River and shoot them. There sho' is going to be lots of soul cry against them in Judgment.
(Dibble, Fred, P.W., Beaumont, Jefferson, #3, 23 October 1937, (No))
