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In feeble health and sick, Ellen Sinclair was reclining on a neat bed with clean bed clothes. She is rather small, her
hair gray and her mouth toothless. She was clad in a green and spotted calico print dress. Her feet were encased in
ragged stockings. The furniture of the room was of good quality, and the surroundings bespoke a fair amount of
cleanliness and good rearing.
"Yes, I was bo'n in slavery but I was jis' a infant when freedom come. I kin tell you right smart 'bout it though,
'cause my mammy tol' me lots 'bout it. Cose, what I tells you, you understan' dat what my mammy tol' me."
"De ol' marster he was Bill Anderson. His plantation was over 'tween Beaumont and Orange in Duncan Woods. Me
and Wash and Oliver was bo'n on ol' Bill Anderson's place."
"I 'members a li'l bit 'bout ol' marster's house. It was a big plank house and over to de norf' side dere was a
cistern-well. It was sot down in de groun' but part of it was on top. I 'members dey was a roof on it and us uster run
up and down on dat roof."
"Dey was seb'rel darkey' on de place. My pa was Dick Anderson. Bob Brown he was s'pose to marry my ma and
dey raise' me. My ma was name Harriet Anderson."
"Dere was one man name' John Turner what b'long to Bob Anderson. He sorter s'pose to be marry to one of de
wimmens on de place. He uster come up dere from de other place seben mile' away to see her. He stay all night 'til
fo' 'clock in de mawnin' den he git up and walk back de seben mile' so he be dere to go to wuk when it time to go to
de fiel' to start wuk."
"My ma she die' of chile-baby. I marry at fo'teen year' ol' on de fo'teent' of December. Dat my birfday. Bob Brown
he marry me off. Cose, dat were atter freedom come. Dey tells me I be 70 year' ol' on de fo'teent' of December
comin', but I dunno."
"I neber did git but t'ree whippin's and dat was atter freedom come."
"Lawd, I's a po' ol' woman and I don' reckon I'll be here much longer but I want to shine wid de sun some day. My
pa was one of dem niggers what didn' have no sense. Dey shot him froo de body one time and he hafter tek med'cin'
all de res' of he life. I's de onlies' daughter he got livin'."
"I been marry t'ree time. I stay widder of de fus' one twel' mont'. I can't tell how long atter de las' one. Sinclair he
was de las' one. I was buyin' dis place. He try to git me to fix de papers so he kin git de place, but I jis' had 'nuff
sense not to do it. Iffen I hadn' had dat sense I wouldn't a had dis place now."
"I wasn' one to go runnin' 'roun' to dances and parties. I been to de movies once in my life, dat's all."
"Madam Turner, dat de woman Brown b'long to, she read de Bible and tell me what was right and wrong and how I
oughter do."
"Dat Bill Anderson wasn' much good man. He had t'ree boys, Wash and Oliber and Irvin'. Ol' man Anderson he hab
a daughter by one of he slaves and he son hab a chile by dat daughter. Dey mek de wimmen do what dey want and
cose, dey slaves and coultn' help deyself. Some of 'em hab cuts 'cross dey back where dey beat 'em to mek 'em do
what dey want. He beat 'em wid platted ledder whip. He was jis' a brute. 'What 'come of him? Why, he die' and go
to hell.' I know dat 'cause dey tell me when he dyin' dey had to hol' him in de bed."
"I been livin' here 'bout sebenteen or nineteen year'. I fus' move to Beaumont and den I come here. When I hafter
mek my own livin' I wash and iron. Yessir, right to de wash tubs I went."
(Phipps, Woody, Tarrant County, Texas, District #7, 12 September 1937, (No))
