LAURA RED?OUN was born about ... 1855, a slave of the Robertson family, in Jonestown (now absorbed by
Memphis) Tennessee. Laura is a quaint, rotund figure of a woman, a living picture of a comic opera mammy. She
lives at 3809 Mayo St., Dallas, Texas.
"The funny thing 'bout me is, I's a present to the white folks, right off. They's lookin' for my mammy to have a baby
and, Gawd bless. I's borned twins. a boy and a girl. When I's six months old, Miss Gusta, my old missy's daughter,
marries Mr., Scruggs, and I's give to her for a weddin' present.
"Miss Gusta am proud of me and I slep' right on the feet of her bad. We lived at 144 Third Exchange Street in
Memphis. She didn't have but two slaves, me and Lucy, the cook. Law, I didn't know I was no slave. I thunk I's
white and plumb indiff'ent from the niggers. I's right s'prised when I finds out I's nigger, jus' like the other black
faces!
"I had good times and jes' played round and got in devilment. Sometimes Mr. Scruggs say, 'I's gwine whip dat brat,'
but Miss Gusta allus say. 'No you ain't gwine lay you hands on her and iffen you does I'm gwine quit you.' Miss
Gusta was indiff'ent to Mr. Scruggs in quality. He fooled her to marry him, lettin' on he got a lot of things he ain't.
"I seen sojers all toggered up in uniforms and marchin' and wavin'. Plenty tines they waves at me, but I didn't know
what its all 'bout.
"Miss Gusta allus took me to church and most times I went to sleep by her feet, But when I's 'bout sight the Lawd
gits to workin' right inside me and I perks up and listens. Purty soon the glory of Gawd 'scended right down on me
and I didn't know nothin' else. I run away up into the ridges and crosses a creek on a foot log. I stays up 'round them
caves in tall cane and grass where panthers and bears is for three days 'fore they finds me. They done hear me
praisin' Gawd and shoutin', 'I got Jesus.' When they finds me I done slap the sides out my dress, jes' slappin' my
hands down and praisin' the Lawd. That was a good dress, too. I heared tell of some niggers wearin' cotton but not
me - I weared percale.
"They done take me home and Miss Gusta say, 'You ain't in no fittin' condition to jine a church right now. You got
to calm down 'siderable first.' But when I's nine year old she takes me to the Trevesant St. Baptist church and lets
me jine and I's baptised in the Mississippi river right there at Memphis.
"Bout that time the Fed'rals come into Memphis and scared the daylights out of folks. Miss Gusta calls me and
wraps my hair in front and puts her jewelry in under the plaits and pulls them back and pins them down so you
couldn't see nothin'. She got silverware and give it to me and I run in the garden and buries it. I hid it plenty good,
'cause we like to never found it after the Fed'rals was gone. They come right up to our house and Mr. Scruggs run
out the back door and tried to leap the rail fence in the backyard. He cotched the seat of his pants on the top rail and
jes' hung there a-danglin' till the Fed'rals pulls him down. He hurt his leg and it was a bad place for a long time.
When I seed him hangin' there I cut a dido and kep' screamin', 'Miss Gusta, he's a-dvin'.' and them Fed'rals got
plumb tickled at me.
"Whey went in the smokehouse and got all the sugar and rice and strewed it up and down the streets and not carin'
at all that victuals was scarcer than han's teeth in them parts!
"Then Miss Gusta done tell me I wasn't no slave no more, but, shucks, that don't mean nothin' to me, 'cause I ain't
never knowed I was one.
"In them times the Ku Klux got to skullduggerin' round and done take Mr. Scruggs and give him a whippin' but I
never heared what it had to do about. He don't like them none, noways, and shuts hisself up in the house. He a
curious kind of man, it 'pear to me, iffen I's to tell the plain out truth. I don't think he was much but kind of trashy.
"When I's seventeen Miss Gusta sickened and suffered in her bed in terrible fashion. She begs the doctors to tell her
if she's a-dyin' so she could clear up business 'fore she passed away. She took three days and fixed things up and
told me she didn't want to leave me friendless and lone. She wanted me to git married. I had a man I thunk I'd think
well of marryin' and Miss Gusta give me away on her bed at the weddin' in her room. She told my husband not to
cuff me none, 'cause I never been 'bused in my life, and to this day I ain't never been hit a lick in my life.
"My first baby was born the year of the big yellow fever in New Orleans. I had six chillen but they all died when
they's little from creapin' spasms. I advertise round in the papers and finds my mammy and she come and lived with
me. She's in a pitiful shape. 'Fore the comin' of war her master done sold her and the man what bought her wasn't so
light on his nigger's. She said he made her wear breeches and tote big, heavy logs and plow with oxen. One the men
knocked her on back the head with a club and from that day she allus shook her head from side to side all the time,
like she couldn't git her mind straight. She told me my paw fell off a bluff in Memphis and stuck a sharp rock right
through his head. They wrapped him in a blanket and buried him. That's all I ever knowed 'bout him.
"My husband was a good man and a good worker. We farmed and I worked or white folks. He took a notion to
come to Texas and I been in these parts ever since.
"I don't have no complaint to make. I seen some hard times, but I's able to do a little work and keep goin'. They is so
many mean folks in the world and so many good ones, and I'm mighty proud to say my white folks was good ones.
Redmoun, Laura -- Additional Interview
Laura Redmoun was born sometime between 1855 and 1867 in Jonestown, Tennessee. (Now absorbed by
Memphis) She was born in slavery to the Robertson family. She is a widow and receives a pension but does laundry
work for a white family. She lives at 3809 Mayo Street, Dallas, Texas. Laura terms herself a whitefolk's Nigger. She
is a quaint, rotund figure of a woman; a living picture of the comic opera mammies.
The funny thing 'bout me is, I was a present to the white folks right off. They was looking for my little old mammy
to have a baby and bless God I was born twins. They was two of me, a boy and a girl. Then when I was six months
old Miss Gusta, my old mistress' daughter (Old Mis' Robertson) married Mr. Scruggs and then old Mis' gave me to
Miss Gusta for a weddin' present.
Miss Gusta was proud of me like I had been her own little baby. I slep' right on the feet of her bed. We lived at 144
third Exchange Street in Memphis. Thats where Miss Gusta moved to when she married but she was a country girl
'cause she was growed up in Jonestown a little piece from Memphis. 'Course thats where I was born.
Miss Gusta didn't have but two slaves, Lucy the cook, and me. Law, I didn't know I was no slave. I thought I was
white and plumb indifferent from the Niggers. I was right 'sprised when I found out I was Nigger just like the other
black faces.
I had good times when I was little girl. I jest played 'round the place and got into devilment. Sometimes Mr. Scruggs
would say, "I'm a gonna' whup that brat." Miss Gusta would say, "No you ain't goin' lay yo' hans on her and iffen
you do, I'm goin' quit you." Miss Gusta was indifferent in quality from Mr. Scruggs. He fooled her to marry him,
lettin' on like he got a lot of things he ain't got.
When I was a little girl I seen sojers a-going to war all toggered up in uniforms and with big wagons pullin' cannons
behind them. They all went up the streets marchin' and wavin' and singin' and smilin' big as you please at the folks
on the streets. I 'members plenty times they waved at me and I waved right back, not knowin' what 'twas all 'bout.
It was long 'bout that time I 'gins to perfess religion. I was eight years old and Miss Gusta always tuk me to church
with her. Most times I went to sleep down by her feet. But the Lord got to workin' right inside me and I perked up
and begins to listen.
Miss Gusta never did hit me in her life but she punished me terrible. She get the Bible and read me 'bout my sins
and put me in the black dark closet to steddy 'bout my sins 'til I could ask God's forgiveness and come to her and tell
her that I was sorry. I studied over my sins so much I 'cided I was through with sinning.
Pretty soon the Glory of God jest 'cended right down on me and I didn't know anything else. I run away up into the
bear ridges and I had to cross a creek on a foot log. I stayed up there around them caves in the tall cane and grass
where the panthers and bears were for three days before they found me.
The mens came to the creek on horseback and they could hear me praisin' God and shoutin' "I got Jesus." They had
to go two miles down the creek and ford it there 'cause they couldn't get through the tall cane on my side of the
bank. When they found me I had slapped the sides out of my dress, jest slappin my han's down and praising the
Lord. That dress was a good dress too. I heard tell of some niggers wearin' cotton but not me I wore percales.
They tuk' me home and told Miss Gusta she ought to give me a whuppin' but she said I didn't mean no harm and
abody wasn't going to lay a han' on me. She tol' me, "You ain't in no fittin' condition to join the church just now.
You got to calm down considerable first." But the grown folks jest run from me when I would get religion. I jest
plumb threw fits. When I was nine-years-old Miss Gusta had Lucy take me to the Trevesant St. Baptist church and
let me join. I was baptised in the Mississippi river right there at Memphis.
Bouten' that time the Federals came into Memphis and scared the daylights out of folks. Miss Gusta called me and
wropped my hair in the front and put her jewelry in under the plaits and
and pulled them back and pinned them down on my head where you couldn't see nothing. She got silverware and
gave it to me and I run in the garden and buried it. I hid it plenty good 'cause we like to never found it after the
Federals was gone. Them Federals come right up to our house and Mr. Scruggs run out the back door and tried to
leap the rail fence in the back yard. He caught the seat of his pants on the top rail and jest hung there a danglin' 'til
the Federals pulled him down. He hurt his leg and it was a bad place for a long time.
When I seed him hangin' there I cut a dido and kept screamin' "Miss Gusta, he's a dyin', he's a dyin. The Federals
got plumb tickled at me.
Them Federals went into the smoke house and got all the sugar and rice and strowed it up and down the streets not
carin' a'tall that vittles was scarcer than hen's teeth in them parts.
Then Miss Gusta tol' me I wan't no slave no more but shux that don't mean nothin' to me. 'Cause I ain't never
knowed I was one.
In them times the KuKlux got to skullduggerin' around and they tuk Mr. Scruggs out and give him a whuppin' but I
never heard what it had to do about. Noways he don't like them none and shets himself up in the house. He was a
curious kind of man it 'pears to me iffen I'm to tell the plain out truth. I don't think he was much but kinda trashy.
I was scared of the Ku Klux but they never bothered me, fact to tell I can't never reccollect seeing one.
When I was seventeen Miss Gusta sickened and suffered in her bed in a terrible fashion. She begged the doctors to
tell her if she were a-dyin' so she could clair up some of the business before she passed away. She said she was
satisfied to go when they told her that she gonna' die. So she tuk' three days and 'sulted folks and fixed things up.
She 'sulted with me and she said she didn't want to leave me friendless and lone. She said she wanted me to get
married.
I had a man I thought I'd think well of marryin' and Miss Gusta said for me to get married 'fore she died. She gave
me away on her bed at the weddin' in her room. She told my husband not to cuff me none 'caused I'd never been
'bused in my life. And to this day I aint never been hit a lick in my life.
My first baby was born the year of the big yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans when folks was running away and
coming up the river to Memphis. I had six children but they all died when they was little from creepin' spasms.
I advertised roun' in the papers and found my mammy and she came and lived with me. She was in a pitiful
condition. Before the ceasin' of the war her master sold her and the man what bought her wan't so light on his
niggers. She said they made her wear britches and tote big heavy logs and plow with oxes. Once they went to whup
her and she fit them back and it took two men to hold
her. She scratched and bit. One of the mens knocked her on the back of the head with a club and from that day she
always shook her head from side to side all the time like she couldn't get her mind straight.
She tol' me 'bout my paw and how he had fell off a bluff in Memphis and stuck a sharp rock right through his head.
They tuk him back to the plantation and wropped him in a blanket and buried him. That was all I ever knowed 'bout
him.
My husband was a good man and a good worker. We farmed and I worked for the white folks. Then we tuk a notion
to come to Texas. I been in these parts ever' since.
I don't have no complaints to make. I seen some hard times but I'm a good Christian and I'm able to do a little work
and keep goin'. They is so many mean folks in the world and so many good ones and I'm mighty proud I can say I'm
one of the good ones.
(Gauthier, Sheldon F., Tarrant Co., Dist. #7, 9-12-37) "