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Cassie Middleton, is a small, shiny-black skinned negress, a former slave in Gilgal, Texas, near Jasper. Her husband
died, leaving her a house and half a block of land in South Quarters, Jasper. She has raised a large family, several of
whom live with her. Cassie still works out a little, but isn't strong, and is very anxious for a pension. She is polite,
but emphatic and has a way of lifting her chin high when she talks. She and her widowed daughter seem energetic,
but her son Hebe and other of the family, do not seem very ambitious.
"My name is Cassie Middleton. I was bo'n in Gilgal, Jasper county, Texas, but dunno de 'zact date. I kin 'member de
Civil War. My fadder' name was Henry Green, an' he come from Georgia. Mudder's name was Frances Green, an'
she come from Mis'sippi. Dey was bo'f sol' an' ship' into dis country. My ol'es' brudder was Richard Green of Gilgal.
Romanthy an' Isaiah was my younger brudders. My sisters, Gemma an' Ella is libin', an' I hab five sisters w'at died
w'en dey was babies, 'cause dey put my mudder through, an' mek her wuk so hard, an' didn' give her much care w'en
she was sick."
"We hab a good life w'en us was all togedder. We was a nice-raise' fambly, an' my mudder was a good pyore (pure)
woman, dat nobudy could say anyt'ing 'gainst. Us beds was bunks, buil' 'long de sides of de house, outn' plank. We
pull' grass an' fill' sacks for mattress'."
"I don' 'member nuthin' 'bout my gran'parents. People was sol' so fas', an' dey drif' so in dem days, 'til dey couldn'
hardly tell nuthin' 'bout deyse'fs."
"Us farm' 'til I git marry, since den, I been washin' an' i'onin' for a libin'. We didn' know nuthin' 'bout money in dem
days. Atter freedom, Dad support' us 'til we was young ladies. I earn' my fus' money hoein' an' pullin' hay, an' Dad
tuk it an' spen' it."
"We hab plenty of co'n bread to eat, an' syrup, 'taters, an' de like. Eb'ry onct in a w'ile we hab bake 'possum an'
'taters, an' fry' or stew' rabbit. Dey was oodles of 'possum an' rabbits if you could ketch dem. People cook' better in
dem days dan dey does now. Dey try' to put on too much style now, ha'f cook dey food an' ruin' peoples' stomachs.
W'er I was, slaves didn' hab no gardens 'til dey was freed."
"In summer, we wo' lawn an' seersucker, w'en I was ol' 'nuf to 'member. In winter, we wo' home-spun, wid brass tip'
brogan shoes, wid a worsted or linsey-woolsey dress for Sunday. I was marry at home atter freedom come. My dress
was a dotted w'ite Swiss. My folks give me a feas' to one hunnerd head of people. Ol' man Alfred McFarlane, a
Baptis' preacher, he marry us."
"In slav'ry, us hab one good marster an' one mean one, but we didn' stay wid de mean one long, 'cause he sol' us
'gin. Judge Brooks was our fus' marster, but he sol' us to Hamp an' Tom Ford, an' dey sol' us to somebudy else. Our
las' marster lib in a big fine house, on a big plantation with hunnerds of acres in it. Fo' (four) or five famblies of
slaves farm' dis plantation. We 'gin to wuk at daylight or soon atter, an' wuk 'til dark. We et supper by a ol' brass
lamp. Marster didn' rush us so much in de fiel', but we hab to keep busy. We neber was punish' 'cause we didn' give
no trouble. I neber seed slaves punish'. Dere war'n' no jail as I knowed 'cep'n' de ol' log jail in Jasper."
"Fadder an' mudder was sol' sev'ral times. Mammy an' pap didn' know nuthin' 'cep'n' wuk an' weave at de spinnin'
wheel, an' I's spun a lot myse'f. Atter freedom, I spun an' knit an' sol' socks an' stockin's."
"De slaves went to chu'ch. Dey read de Bible at home, an' sometime' de w'ite folks read de Bible to dem w'at couldn'
read. Dey baptise' in holes dat dey clean' out in de creek. Dey sung all kinds of ol' timey chu'ch hymn'. Dey kep' a
corpse at home, an' "waked 'em" at home. In dem days, dey cared for sick an' dead people. Dey didn' hab no
undertaker, but many come an' help'. Dey haul de corpse in a wagon or a spring-wagon, an' eb'rybudy follered wid
dere hosses in a slow walk."
"We didn' wuk Sattiday atternoon, we wash' an' i'on us clo's for Sunday. We hab candy pullin's on Sattiday night,
an' we hab hol'days on Crissmus an' New Year', an' June 19th. Offen we hab dances Sattiday night or hol'days. W'en
we was li'l we play' 'jump de rope' wid muscadine vines for ropes. Mudder an' fadder wouldn' 'low us shoot marbles.
I's neber seed no ghos'tes in dis worl'."
"Marster an' Mistess tuk care of us w'en we was sick, or mek somebudy else do it. Dey git stuff outn' de woods, an'
mek syrup an' teas for us. Don' 'member much 'bout de sojers, but I's heerd mudder tell how awful some of de sojers
treat' de cullud women."
"De fus' day dey was free, dey cel'brate' de nineteenth of June, an'
dey cel'brate' it yet. Dey didn' let dem know 'til mont's atter dey was freed. Daddy start' to farm for hisse'f, but
mudder didn' wuk in de fiel's. She hab cook' in slav'ry, an' now she cook' for de fambly an' spun an' knit."
"Coggie Middleton was my husban'. He dead, an' at my age, I don' want anuder husban'. I's hab thu'teen chillen,
seben dead, an' six libin'. I's got twel' gran'chillen, an' t'ree or fo' (four) greatgran'chillen. Dey is all marry an' at wuk
for deyse'fs. Some of dem farm, one is a butcher, one is a carpenter, one wuks in concrete, de res' cook, wash, an'
i'on. I's wukked at mos' eb'ryt'ing. Atter his wife died, I raise' Aaron Wigley's five gals for him, an' a fambly of six
chillen for Pole Mitchell. I's been a member of de Holiness Chu'ch for twenty year'."
(Miss Effie Cowan, P. W., McLennan County, Texas, District #8, 11/6/37, (Yes))
