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Florence Napier, 79, 1100 Galveston St., Ft. Worth, Tex., was born a slave to Mr. Matson Ragsdale, who owned
Florence's mother and about 20 other slaves with a plantation in Falls Co., Tex. Florence's father was owned by Mr.
J. Williams, who owned an adjacent plantation. The mother and her four children remained one year on the place
after Emancipation. Florence married Frank Furkins in 1879. Six children were born to them before their separation
in 1894. Her second marriage was to King Napier, on Dec. 10, 1899. No children were born to them, and he died
Dec. 10, 1910. Her story:
"Ise bo'n in Falls County, neah Marlin Texas, three yeahs befo' de wah starts. Ise 79 yeahs old now. My Marster am
Marster Matson Ragsdale, an' him owned 20 slaves. My mother an' three tudder chilluns am owned by him, but my
father am owned by de next neighbor, Marster J. Williams. Ise don't 'membahs much of slavery days, 'cept de last
couple yeahs, an' Ise never wo'ked as de slave, but Ise 'membahs how de tudder slaves do de wo'k.
"My mammy am bo'n in Nashville, Tennessee, to Marster Nealy. Him gave mammy to his daughter Betty, w'en de
daughter mai'ied Marster Ragsdale. Dat am w'en mammy comes to Texas. 'Twas wid Betty an' her husband.
"De cullud fo'ks all lived in de cullud qua'tahs 'cept mammy an' me. Weuns lived in de servant's qua'tahs. Mammy
am de fam'ly cook. De qua'tahs am built of logs. Jus' one room, an' deys have de dirt flooah. De chimney am made
of mud an' sticks, an' de space 'twix de logs am chinked wid mud mixed wid straw.
"Ise can see de old plantation now, in my mind, an' dat sho makes me lonesome. Oh yas, Ise been back dere many
times fo' a vist since Ise come away. Ise jus' have to go thar sometimes. 'Twas fouah yeahs ago, de last time Ise visit
de old place. Co'se all de fo'ks am dead, an' dat makes me mo' lonesomer.
"Yous know, de Marster an' de Missy am so kind to weuns cullud fo'ks, an' dat's why Ise lak de old plantation, an'
love de Marster an' de Missy. Yas sar, Ise do anything fo' dem, even die if dey ask me to.
"Ise sho 'joy myse'f on de old plantation, an' weuns all had a good time. Allus have plenty to eat. Marster use to
says, "De cullud fo'ks raised de food, an' deys 'titled to all dey wants". Same wid de clothes. W'en de Marster says
de cullud fo'ks raised de food, 'twas true fo' sho. Ever'thing on de place, weuns raised right dere. All de meat,
veg'tables, co'n, fruit, an' sich, an' all de cloth an' de clothes am made right thar. No sar, 'twarnt much de Marster
have to buy.
"Weuns have de parties, an' 'twas a church at Gables dat weuns goes to, an' have a white preachah dat does de
preachin', an' 'forms de mai'iage ceremonies fo' de cullud fo'ks.
"As fo' de whuppin's, 'twarnt any, an' co'se, 'twarnt any need fo' sich 'cause weuns all mind de Marster, an' him am
not unreasonable.
"W'en surrendah comes fo' weuns, mammy an' weuns chilluns stayed wid de Marster fo' 'bout a yeah. After 'bout a
yeah, father 'ranged fo' a farm at Cross Creek on Liberty Hill, an' thar de fo'ks stayed 'till dey died. 'Twas 'bout
fouah yeahs ago w'en father dies, an' him am over 100 yeahs old.
"Thar am plenty trouble fo' de niggers after surrendah. De Night Riders gits to gwine 'round. Yas, Ku Klux Klan am
de name. Well, deys o'gnized fo' to keep ordah, but 'twarnt long 'til 'twas disordah deys bring. Some fo'ks says 'twas
lots peoples dat guised demse'ves lak de Klux, dat caused de troublement. Anyway, dey caused lots of niggers to git
whupped, an' 'twas some dat gits killed.
"My father gits chased twice, an' once, deys catched him, an' he gits awful whuppin'. Den father gits on a hoss, an'
rides to Austin to see Gov'nor Hamilton, Ise think 'twas. De Gov'ment sent sojers to Marlin, an' after dat, 'twarnt any
mo' frettin' fo' de cullud fo'ks by de Night Riders.
"Ise stayed wid my fo'ks 'till 1879, an' den Ise mai'ied Frank Furkins. Weuns sep'rated in 1894. Thar whar six
chilluns. De oldest am 14 yeahs old, but weuns made it go on de farm.
"After six yeahs, 'twas in Decembah, de 10th, 1899, Ise mai'ied King Napier. He died in Decembah, de 10th, 1910.
Weuns had no chilluns.
"Ise always made it go, an' gits by. Ise never suffered, but at times, Ise awful short of rations.
"King an' Ise comes to Fort Worth in 1901. King wo'ked at anything him could git to do. Him does common labor,
mos'ly.
"'Bout de votin', Ise does dat once. Dat am w'en Cockrell am Mayor. My father always voted. Ise have my 'zemption
ticket, an' can vote if Ise wants to. Ise never pays much 'tention to de a'guments, but heahafter, Ise gwine to vote. Ise
gwine to find out 'bout de pension business, an' vote to fix sich. 'Tis shame how deys use some of de old fo'ks.
"Ise wo'ked hard all my life. My father an' mother wo'ked hard, an' does de wo'k dat am necessary. Now, in my old
days w'en Ise can't wo'k anymo', dey says Ise can live on $8.00 a month. Why, 'taint 'nough fo' food. If 'twarnt fo'
my daughter, Minnie Furkins, dat Ise live wid, Ise sho starve. She am not able to tooks care of me. 'Tis hardship on
her fo' me to be on her hands. She wants to send her chilluns to school, but Ise tooks so much f'om de chilluns. Dat
away, Ise a-standin' in de chilluns way.
"'Tis a great life. Start out as de slave, an' end up my life tryin' to live on $8.00 de month. Ise sho bettah off as de
slave. My Marster always feeds good, an' clothe de slaves well. Deys never suffer fo' sich.
"De deah old plantation. Ise sho wants to go look at it once mo' befo' Ise go to Glory.
