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"I don' know de zact time I was borned, but I does know dat I was born in de state of Mississippi back in slavery
time. My owners was Tom Pollard an' Mealy Pollard. Dey moved to Atlanta, Georgia in my early life an' tuck me
wid dem. I nebber libed in de slave quarters 'cause I was nussmaid for my mistiss two chillun, Jim an' Oscar. Dat
caused me to lib in de big house wid de w'ite folks. Yes'um I felt big w'en I got 'roun' de uther niggers, 'cause I allus
wore nice close an' was allus clean an' had my haid com'ed. My close was nuthin' fine but dey didn' have no holes in
dem, dey was jes' home spun close but I was 'bout de bes' lookin' slave on de plantation. I don' know much 'bout
what hap'ned in de quarters 'cause I didn' fool 'roun' de niggers no mor'en I had to.
"I 'members good de Wah, de Freedom Wah, 'specially w'en de fightin' got near de Pollard home in Georgia, an' us
had to leave Georgia an' go to Arkansas. Dat trip frum Georgia to Arkansas was one more trip. Us had to keep out
of de way of de 'Jay-hawkers' an' fer dat re'son us didn' go on de road, us jes went thru de woods an' eny way us
could to git 'cross de country. Us went in ox-waggins an' hit tuck a long time. It was a hard trip de way we had to
go, us had to cook out in de open on dat trip, de cookin' was all ober an' de fire put out befo' dark 'cause dat would
be all de 'Jay-hawkers' needed to fin' us was a light or fire, each day when we left de place whar we camp'd de nite
befo'
all de place whar de fire had been was covered up so ef dey passed thru de woods dey would not know eny one had
been dere de nite befo'. De ole marster didn' stay dere in Arkansas but one year, he didn' take time to gadder de crop
but 'bout half way an' come to Texas. He come to Meridian an' was dere fer a w'ile an' den moved to Kimble Bend
in Bosque County, I was set free june 19, 1865. I was tole dat I was free befo den, by some school teacher, atter I
was gron' she tole me Mr. Abe Lincoln sot de niggers free long time befo' dat, an' de w'ite folks in Texas wanted to
git dere crops done befo' de niggers was set free an' lef, guess dats why my c'usins in Georgia don' celebrate de
June'teenth like us does. I was gron' an' Ko'tin w'en I was freed.
"I didn' git no more whupins den eny uther chile, my marster an' missus had to make me mind 'cause I was like all
chillun I wanted to play w'en dere was wurk to be did. We played wid rag dolls an' dishes de w'ite chillun had
chiney dolls; dey sho was pretty. I allus wurked 'roun' to git de w'ite chillun to let me play wid de chiney dolls, an'
let dem hab my dolls made out ob rags. De way dem dolls was made, ole missus would cut out a piece of cloth de
shape of a doll an' stuff hit wid cotton real tight an' den take a lead pencil an' make de eyes, nose an' mouth on one
side of de haid an' dat was de face ob de doll. She would allus take an' make it a dress out ob one of her pretty store
bought dresses, an' dat would make me better satisfied to play wid it 'cause she knowed I didn' like dem rag dolls
like I did de chiney dolls.
"I w'nt to church wid de w'ite marster an' missus an dem chillun, dey allus dressed me up on Sunday an' som'tims
tied a pink or blue
ribben on a piece of my hair I nebber did keep my hair wrapped like lots ob de niggers, 'cause ole missus made me
comb it ebery day. De comb I used was one she bought frum a peddler hit was made out ob a cow horn, hit sho did
pull my nappie hair. I went mos' ebery whar wid ole missus. I mean when she tuck de chillun, 'cause, w'en she got
all dressed up wid her finery on she didn' habe no time to be bothered wid dem chillun atter she got to whar she was
goin', an' I had to see about dem.
"I didn' hab no need fer no money 'cause I had eberythin' de w'ite chillun had to eat, in de way ob candy an de sich,
w'en us went eny place. At de house I had eberythin' de w'ite people had. My w'ite folks nebber did eat no possums
or rabbits, us had fish som'tims.
"I nebber is seed no ghostes de w'ite folks allus tole us dere waz'nt eny sich thing as ghostes. Dat dey was jes stories
so as to make de bad chillun 'fraid so dey would be good. Dey use' to tell us 'bout de ghostes w'en us 'bout de fire at
nite in de winter befo' us go to bed an' hit would hab me so 'fraid I would pull de kiver all ober my haid an sleep dat
way all nite. I jes went to sleep so 'fraid I didn' move all nite an' w'en mornin' come an' hit was time to git up, I
would be so tired I didn' want to git up. Ole missus would call me lots ob times an I didn' move. But one call from
ole marse an' I would jump out ob dat bed an' go runnin'. De bed I had was a little bed dat rolled under de big one in
de day an' at nite it was put in de hall or jes eny place dey wanted me to sleep I didn' hab no special place to sleep.
"I liked de alarery days 'cause I was treated good but I guess of I had been treated like I has hearn 'bout some of dem
was treated I would'n liked it. But den days I had plenty to eat, a good place as any body to stay an' plenty close to
wear an' I didn' hab no worries like I had had since I been free, 'bout tryin' to find wurk an' hab a little somethin' to
eat an wear. 'Course I'ze ole now an' hab to depen' on somebody else fer w'at little I hab."
Reference: Interview with Helinda Pollard, Ex-slave, Meridian, Texas.
(Davis, B. E., Madisonville, Texas, Dist. #8, 12 September 1937, (No)) "
