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MINERVA BENDY. 83, was born a slave to Lazarus Goolsby, Henry Co. Alabama, who brought her to Porns
whom she was five. They settled near Weedville. where Minerva at ill lives.
"My earlies' 'membrance was do big. white sandy road what lead 'way from do house. It was clean and white and us
chillun love to walk in do soft. hot sand. Dat in Henry County, Alabama. where I's born and ay old marster was
Lesarns Goolsby and he have do big plantation with lots of nigger folks. I 'member jus' as good as yesterday
wigglin' my toes in dat sandy road and runnin' 'way to do grits mill where dey grind do meal. Dat have de big water
wheel dat sing and squeak as it go 'round.
"Annt Mary, she make all us little chillen asleep in de heat of do day under do big, spreadin' oak tree in do yard. My
mamma have 17 chillen. Mar name Dellie and my daddy name Hord.
I's jus' a little chile in den days and I stay in de house with do white folks. Dey raise me a pat in do family. Misses
Goolsby, she have two gals and day give me to do oldest. When she die day put her in do bed with her but iffen I
knowed she dyin' dey wouldn't be able to cotch me. She rub my head and tell her papa and mama. 'I's gwine 'way
but I wants you promise you ain't never whip my little nigger.' Dey never did.
"I's jus' 'bout five year old when us make de trip to Texas. Us come right near Woodville and make de plantation. It
a big place and dey raise corn and cotton and came. We makes our own sugar and has many as six bottle on de
furnace at one time. Dey raise dey tobacco, too. I's sick and a old man he say he make me tobacco medicine and dey
dry do loafs and make dem sweet like sugar and feed me like candy.
"I 'member old marster say war broke out and Capt. Collier's men was a-drillin' right dere south of Woodville. All
de wives and chillen watch dem drill. Dey was lots of dem, but I couldn't count. Do whole shebang from do town go
watch den.
"Four of do Goolsby boys goes to dat war and dey call John and Ziby and Zabud and Addison. Zabud. he git
wounded, no he git kilt, and Addison he git wounded, I worry don, 'cause I ain't see no reason for den to have to die.
"After us free dey turn us loose in do woods and dat de bad time, 'cause most us didn't know where to turn. I wasn't
raise to do nothin' and I didn't know how. Dey didn't even give us a hoecakes or a slice of bread.
"I's a June bride 59 year ago when I git married. De old white Baptist preacher name Blackshear put no and dat
nigger over dere. Edgar Bendy. togedder and us been togedder over since. Us never have chick or chile. I's such a
good nuss I guess de Lawd didn't want me to have name of my own. So's I could nuss all do others and I 'spect I's
nussed most do white chillun and cullud, too, here in Woodville.
Bendy, Minerva -- Additional Interview
Her hawk-like features are chiseled like a black cameo and the skin is drawn tightly across her high cheek bones.
Minerva Bendy, Woodville, Texas, negress, is very active for her years, and her slim, straight figure indicates the
energy which must have made her a true companion to her husband, Edgar, so called the 'best hunter in Tyler
county,' when they made their hunts into the Big Thicket country many years ago. For 59 years the couple have
been married, and most of these years have been spent in the vicinity of Woodville. Minerva was once the slave of
Lazarus Goolsby, of Henry county, Alabama, and came to Texas as a child of five.
"My earlies' 'membrance was d' big, w'ite san'y (sandy) road w'at lead 'way from d' house. It was clean 'n' w'ite. Us
chillen lub t' walk in d' sof' hot san'. Dat was in Henry county, Alabama, w'er I's bo'n. My ol' marster was Lazarus
Goolsby 'n' he hab a big plantation wid lots 'r' nigger folks."
"Dey's t'ings I kin reckilleck 'bout d' ol' home place. Dey say I's on'y 'bout five year ol' but I may been some ol'er
cause I 'member t'ings so good. Dey hab a fence in playgroun' fo' d' little chillen, culled 'n' w'ite 'n' a ol' culled
woman name' Mary dat tuk care 'r' us all."
"I 'member jus' good 's yestiddy wiggle my toes in d' san'y road. Den I 'member run 'way t' d' ol' grits mill w'er dey
grin' d' meal. Dat mill hab a big water wheel dat sing 'n' squeak as it go 'roun'. Dey wouldn' 'low us chillen t' go
down t' d' mill skeer us git drown'."
"Aunt Mary she mek all us little chillen sleep in d' heat 'r' d' day. Wouldn' 'low us t' play. Dey was big spreadin' oak
tree in d' yard 'n' no grass grow under dem, jus' w'ite san'. Us couldn' go far from d' house cause dey's too many
snakes. I ain' got a t'ing in d' worl' fo' a snake t' do. He kin be jus' 's big as a straw but he name still 'snake'."
"My mama hab 19 chillen, 17 'r' dem bo'n befo' us come t' Texas. Her name Dollie. My daddy name Herd. My big
sister, nex' ol'es' she did all d' weavin' 'r' d' cloth in d' house."
"I's jus' a little barefoot kid in dem day. I didn' hab t' wuk. Jus' stay in d' house wid d' w'ite folks. Dey raise me a pet
in d' fambly. Ol' Lady Goolsby she hab two gals. Dey gib me t' Ad'line, d' ol'es' daughter. W'en she die young dey
put me in d' bed wid her. Iffen I knowed she was dyin' dey wouldn' been able t' kotch me t' put me in d' bed. She rub
my head 'n' call 'r' mama 'n' papa 'n' say, 'I's gwine 'way but I want you t' promise you ain' neber whip my little
nigger.' Dey neber did."
"I's jus' a little chap 'bout five year' ol' 'r' 'roun' dere w'en us mek d' trip t' Texas. Don' 'member much 'bout d' trip t'
Texas. Us cross d' bigges' ribber I eber see. I don' know d' name 'r' it. I's so skeer w'en I see a big house comin' up d'
ribber I jus' roll up in d' w'ite woman's dress 'n' wouldn' come out no mo'. It was d' Red ribber 'r' d' 'Sippy
(Mississippi) 'r' sumpthin' like dat."
"I 'member one t'ing happen on d' trip. My mama's two brudder' come out t' see us 'bout d' fus' 'r' secon' night out.
Dat d' onlies' time I eber see 'em. Dey come t' d' camp 'n' brung my mama a sack 'r' sweet 'taters. Us chillen sat up all
night 'n' bake 'n' eat dem sweet 'taters. Dat ol'es' one was my Uncle Henry."
"Us come right near Woodville 'n' mek a plantation. Sometime dis nex' October us gwine t' hab d' th'ud (third)
re-union 'r' all d' niggers. Us hab it 9 mile east 'r' Woodville. I's d' onlies' one lef' now was bo'n in Alabama 'n' dey
sho' mek a big fuss ober me. I's a ol' head. I's 84 year ol' on October 27."
"D' Texas plantation was a big place. Dey raise co'n, cotton, 'n' cane. Us mek ouah own sugar outn' d' cane. Dey hab
big sugar kittle, deep ol' wide ones. Sometime' dey hab 's many's six kittle' on de furnace at one time. Dey raise dey
own tobacco too. W'en I's little I hab kinder spells like. Dey wouldn' 'low me t' play wid d' uder chillen much cause I
los' my bre'f. A ol' man w'at mek medicine 'r' diffren' kin' he say mek me tobacco medicine. Dey tek d' leaf's 'n' dry
dem dry, dry, 'n' mek dem sweet like sugar. Dey mek dem mighty sweet 'n' feed me like candy. Den d' ol'er I git d'
less sugar dey put in d' tobacco 'n' I fin'lly cure. I use tobacco any way dey is t' fix it do' (though), deptn' cigarette."
"I 'member d' ol' marster say dey's war bre'k out. Cap'n Collier's men was a drillin' right dere sou't 'r' Woodville. All
d' men's wives 'n' d' chillen go t' watch dem drill. Us little nigger nuss gals go 'long too t' watch d' babies. Us tek us
lunch. D' ban's play music 'n' d' mens march 'n' march wid dey guns 'n' uniforms. Dey was lots 'r' dem I couldn'
count cause I neber go t' school in slav'ry. D' whole shebang from d' town go t' watch d' drillin'."
Po' (four) 'r' d' Goolsby boys go t' d' war. Dey names was John, Ziby, Zabud 'n' Addison. Dey was just common
sojers. Zabud he git kill at d' battle 'r' Richmon' I t'ink. Dat muster been d' las' battle. Addison dey bring home
wounded from dat same fight. Us git a message dat Zabud was kill. I ain' neber fool wid d' war befo' dat. I worry
den do' ('though) cause I ain' see no reason fo' dem t' hafter die."
"Yes, merciful, dey whip d' slaves. But dey neber whip me 'r' none my mama's dey didn' 'buse neder. I see 'em whip.
I see one nigger boy w'at ain' got sense git he eye mos' gouge out cause he ain' know how t' wuk right. Some 'r' d'
w'ite folks was good t' dey niggers but some was 'orrible."
"Atter us was free dey tu'n us loose in d' woods. Dat was a bad time. Mos' us didn' know w'er t' tu'n. I wasn' raise t'
do nuthin' 'n' I didn' know how. Dey didn' eben gib us a hoecake 'r' a slice 'r' bacon."
"I neber go t' school in d' during 'r' my life. One time atter I marry I go t' school at Spring Hill t'ree week'. Us hab a
Ol' McGuffick reader 'n' a ol' Blue back Webster, but I didn' learn much."
"I's a June bride 59 year ago I git marry. D' ol' w'ite Baptis' preacher name Blacksheer put ne 'n' dat nigger ober
dere, Edgar Bendy, togedder 'n' us been togedder eber since. Us neber hab chick 'r' chile. I's such a good nuss I
guess d' Lawd didn' want me t' hab none 'r' my own so's I could nuss all d' uders. I spec' I's nuss mos' 'r' d' w'ite 'n'
culled chillen in Woodville."
"Right atter d' war end dey hab a country fair yere in Woodville. D' Klu Klux come in on d' train. Dey march right
from d' track up d' main street 'n' down w'ere d' highway is now. D' Klu Klux done tuk my daddy out 'n' whup d' fire
outn' him. I don' know w'at fo' 'n' I don' t'ink dey do eder. Dey whip far mo' dan dat, too. I tell you d' truf, dey was
disfigure' dat's all. Iffen dey was w'ite dey sho' look like sumpthin' else."
William E. Smith Palestine County District #8 (July 13, 1937 (yes))
