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Aunt Eda Bains, 94, was born a slave in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1853. In 1860 Eda, her brothers and mother, were
bought by a Mr. Carter and brought to Texas. She now lives in Douglasville. Texas.
"I don't 'member my first marster, 'cause my mammy and Jim and John who was my brothers, and me was sold
when I was seven and brought to Douglass, in Texas, to hire out. Befo' we lef' Little Rock, whar I was born, we was
vaccinated for smallpox. We came through in a wagon to Texas and camped out at night and we slep' on the groun'.
"When I's hired out to the Tomlins at Douglass I sho' got lonesome for I's jus' a little girl, you know, and wanted to
see my mother. They put me to work parchin' coffee and my arm was still sore, and I'd pa'ch and cry, and pa'ch and
cry. Finally Missus Tomlin say. 'You can quit now.' She looked at my arm and then put me to tendin' chillen. I was
fannin' the baby with a turkey wing fan and I fell to sleep and when the missus saw me she snatched the fan and
struck me in the face with it. This scar on my forehead is from that quill stuck in my head.
"I slep' on a pallet in the missus' room and she bought me some clothes. She had nine chillen, two boys and seven
girls. But after awhile she sol' me to Marster Roack, and he bought my mother and my brothers, so we was togedder
again. We had our own cabin and two beds. Every day at four they called us to the big house and give us milk and
mush. The white chillen had to eat it, too. It was one of marster's ideas and he said he's raised that away.
"Now, I mus' tell you all 'bout Christmas. Our bigges' time was at Christmas. Marster'd give us maybe fo'-bits to
spend as we wanted and maybe we'd buy a string of beads or some sech notion. On Christmas Eve we played
games. 'Young Gel Loves Candy,' or 'Hide and Whoop.' Didn' know nothin' 'bout Santa Claus, never was larned
that. But we allus knowed what we'd git on Christmas mornin'. Old Marster allus call us togedder and give us new
clothes, shoes too. He allus wen' to town on the Eve and brung back our things in a cotton sack. That ole sack'd be
crammed full of things and we knowed it was clothes and shoes, 'cause Marster didn' 'lieve in no foolishness. We
got one pair shoes a year, at Christmas. Most times they was red and I'd allus paint mine black. I's one nigger didn'
like red. I'd skin grease off dishwater, mix it with soot from the chimney and paint my shoes. In winter we wore
woolen clothes and got 'em at Christmas, too.
"We was woke up in the mornin' by blowing of the conk. It was a big shell. It called us to dinner and if anything
happened 'special, the conk allus blew.
"I seed runaway slaves and marster kep' any he caught in a room, and he chained 'em till he coul' reach their
marsters.
"We didn' get larned to read and write but they took care of us iffen. we was sick, and we made medicine outta
black willow and outta black snake root and boneset. It broke fevers on us, but, Laway, it was a dose.
"After freedom they tol' us we could go or stay. I stayed a while but I married Clainborn Rains and lived at
Jacksonville. We had ten chillen. The Lawd's been right good to me, even if I'm blind. Nearly all my ole white folks
and my chillen has gone to Judgment, but I know the Lawd won't leave me here too long 'fore I 'jines em.
Rains, Eda -- Additional Interview
Aunt Eda Rains, now 94 years old, was born in Little Rock, Ark., in 1853. Left Little Rock at the age of 7, in
company with her mother, whose name was Lucy Carter, and her two brothers whose names were Jim and John
(they took the name of Carter because a fellow by that name owned them at that time.) He brought them, in
company with several other negroes, into Texas to hire them out. They landed at Douglass, Nacogdoches County
and Eda was hired out to a family by the name of Tomlin. Her brothers and mother was not separated. Eda's story as
told to me:
"Befo' we left Little Rock we wus vaccinated for small pox and yellow fever. My arm was awful sore and by the
time we got to Douglass it looked like my arm would rot off. We came thru in a wagon and camped out at night.
Sometimes we could find a vacant house to sleep in, and sometimes we slept on the groun'.
When I was hired out to the Tomlin family at Douglass I shore got lonesome for I was just a little girl you know and
wanted to see my Mother. As soon as I was left at Tomlin's the first work I did, they put me to parchin coffee. My
arm was sore an I'd parch and cry, parch and cry, parch and cry, parch an cry. Finally Mrs. Tomlin say, "You can
quit now." She looked at my arm an say, "why yo arm's worser than I thought it was." Then they put me to mindin
the two
chillun, and anything else that was to be done. Mrs. Tomlin was so mean to me I was watchin the baby as he slept
fanning him with a turkey wing fan. I drapped off to sleep and when Mrs. Tomlin saw me asleep she snatched the
old fan from my han an struck in the face with it. This scar on my forehead is from the quill that stuck in my head.
The neighbors heard me cryin and came over to see what the trouble was. When they saw my face bloody they tole
Mrs. Tomlin if they didn't turn me loose or let some [sic] have me that they would prosecute 'em. So Mr. William
Roark near Alto bought me, my mother and two brothers. He wouldn't agree to buy one of us unless he could buy us
all. Didn't want to separate us. After we belonged to Marster Roark we were never separated.
When I lived with Mrs. Tomlin I slept on a pallet in her room. Had no money to spend, but sometimes they bought
me some clothes and would give me candy once in a while. A good portion of the cooking was done on a fireplace
tho they had a cook stove.
There were nine Roark chillun, two boys and seven girls. Miss Emma was my mate, we tole each other every thing,
and played together more than any others. The house they lived in was a big two room log house. Yassum, Miss
Emma an' I were same as sisters, loved each other that way. Mr. and Mrs. Roark was very good to us.
My mother, brothers and myself had our own cabin to live in, as die the other negro families. We had two beds in
our cabin. Did our own cookin, and eating in our cabin except in the afternoon at four
oclock all the children were called to the big house and fed. We went into the kitchen and sot down to the long table
and thar we eat milk and mush That was all we had but Marster made us eat all we could hold then we didn't eat any
supper.
The white chillun had to eat the milk and mush at four oclock, same as we negroes. Hit was just one of Marster's
ideas. He said he was raised that way and thought hit would make us healthier to eat early. Somethims Marster
would give us a little money and let us go to the store near by and buy first one little notion and another, so' we'd
learn how to buy, but our biggest money was at Christmas. He generally gave us fe-bits to spend as we wanted to.
Maybe we'd buy a string of beads or some notion.
On Christmas Eve night we played games. May be "Young gal loves candy", or "Hide and Whoop." Didn't know
nothin about Santy Claus. Never was taught that. We allus knowed what we were going to get on Christmas
morning. Old Marster call us all together and give us our Christmas. It was shoes and some clothes. He'd always go
to town on Christmas Eve day. Ride a hoss or mule, and bring our Christmas things, back in a cotton sack. That ole
sack would jest be crammed full o' things, and we knew it was clothes and shoes cause he didn't bleve in no
foolishness. We only got one pair shoes a year; that was the ones at Christmas. Most time they were red and I'd allus
paint mine black. I'se one nigger that didn't like red. I'd skim the grease offen the dishwater, mix it with soot from
the chimney and
paint my shoes. In the winter we wore woolen clothes. If we didn't have a woolen petticoat we quilted the cotton
one from the knee down cause that made it warmer.
We were woke up each morning by the blowing of the conk. (The conk was a large sea-shell, circular shape, curled
round and round, with a large opening at one end and a small one at the other.) The conk called us to dinner, and if
anything happened, unusual or any one was in distress the conk blew.
I saw several slaves punished. If a nigger was mean an contrary he was stripped of his clothes and whipped with a
strap.
I seed a good many run away slaves too. Marster has a room where he kept the run aways chained, until he could
get work to their owners whar they was. Us peaceable niggers wouldn't go nigh the runaway room. Scared of 'em.
The white folks didn't have time to learn us to read and write, but iffen any of us got sick they sho seen atter us. I
seed a terrible time when we had the black-tongue. First Mr. Frank (Marsters youngest boy) took and died wif it,
then Marster hisself took hit and went to jedgment. Two of his grand chillun die wif it. Then I took it. My neck and
throat and tongue swole up and turn black. I remember I was feedin the fattening hogs when it strick me. In jest a
little bit I couldn't speak, but Miss Emma and the others doctor me and with the Lords help they pulled me thru.
One of the mainest medicanes we larn to make was out of black
willow, black snake root and bone-set. Hit broke the fevers on us, but lawsy hit was a dose to take; the bone-set
nearly puke us. We would leave hit out some times when we thought our white folks wouldn't know hit, but when
they kotched up wif us they make up put it'n.
We had a great time when Miss Emma (Marster's daughter) git married. We cook and cook and cook and clean
yards and everything. I member de cup cakes dey made - great pans of 'em, and after dey was iced dey spread 'em
out on a scoffold to dry and we chillun would slip by and steal 'em off de planks. Dat weddin supper, uh! I ain't
never seed nothin like it since. An Infair dinner was jes as fine. Great pound cakes dey made with thick icing, and
pies; O no honey, they didn't make 'em like pies are made today 'cause we dried the fruit they was made from, we
had lot of peaches and apples and great stacks of pies was baked and fried. Then thar was the meats to cook. Hams
to boil and bake, back bones and ribs, sweet potatoes and of course vegetables. We chillun sho enjoyed the affair
'cause we had all the good things to eat we could hold.
My white folks (Marster Roarks folks) never keered so much about turkey at Christmas. O yes, they had turkey and
plenty chickens and mos generally cooked some but what I liked mos' was the back bones they cooked. 'Pears like
missus Roark knowed jest how to cook 'em and seem lack they were better at Christmas time.
We made peach leather by takin the soft peaches, mashin 'em up then spreading that out on clean boards to about
1/2 inch thickness.
A knife was a good thing to spread it with. When it dried a few days it was rolled up or folded up and put away an
used to make peach rolls and peach dumplins out of, and it was delicious.
After we were sot free they told us we could stay on there or go, which ever we wanted to. I stayed on a while then
hired out and worked till I married Clainborn Rains. My husband died in 1923, and was buried at Jacksonville. We
had ten chillun all dead but Mag, the one I'm living with.
The Lawd has been good to me; even if I am blind, I know he knows what's right. Nearly all my white folks and all
my chillun but one has gone to Judgment, and I know the Lawd has a purpose in leaving me here.
(Liberato, Mary, Galveston, Texas, 2 March 1937, (No))
