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EMMA TAYLOR, 89, was born a slave of the Greet family, in Mississippi. She and her mother were sold to a
Texas man, whose name Emma has forgotten. Emma lives with one of her children, in Tyler, Texas.
"My maw and paw lived in Mississippi, and belonged to Marse Greer. Dat dere name, too. All the slaves tooken
dere master's name. 'cause dey hadn't no use for a name, nohow.
"De first thing I 'members is followin' my maw in the cotton patch. She allus went ahead, pickin' cotton, and made a
clean place with her sack draggin' on the ground. But de first work I ever done was feed de chickens and geese and
shell corn to feed dem.
"Us nigger chillen couldn't play with de white chillen. De worstest whippin' I ever got was for playin' with a doll
what belonged to one marse's chillen. I 'members it yet and I ain't never seed a doll purty as dat doll was to me. It
was make out a corncob with arms and legs what moved and a real head, with eyes and hair and mouth painted on.
It had a dress out of silk cloth, jist like one my missus weared when she went to meetin'. Dat li'l gal done leave de
doll under de tree. but missus found me playin' with it and whipped me hard.
"We lived in a cabin in de back field 'hind de big house. one room and a shed room, where maw done all de cookin'
for de whole family. I had three brothers and three sisters, all dead, I supposes. Dey all older'n what I was. We
cooked on a fireplace, and a big pot hanged on poles over de fire and de bread cook on dat fire in a skillet what was
made of two pieces of iron, turn up all round. We puts de dough in one and turns de other one over it, den buries it
in de coals a few minutes till it brown on de top and bottom. It was good, jist as good as nowadays. baked in a oven.
Our beds was made out of straw and old rags, but we kept warm sleepin' a whole lot in one bed in winter, but we
slept outside in summer.
"I was sold one time, Marse, he gittin' old and 'cide he didn't need so many slaves, so he have de sale and a man
come and put us all up on a big platform. We pulls off nearly all our clothes, so as to show how big we was, and he
'gins hollerin' 'bout who gwineter buy, who gwineter buy. I was scart and thunk I has to leave maw, so I 'gins
hollerin' jist as loud as he does. He turn 'round and say, 'Shut up, you li'l coon, you. I can't hear nothin'.' I hides my
face in maw's apron and didn't know no more till we's all loaded in a wagon and starts to de new home. We gits dere
and is give new clothes and shoes, de first ones I ever had on and it taken me a long time to larn to wear dem things
on my feet.
"Us niggers has to git up at four in de mornin', and work, work till us can't see no more. Den dey work at night. De
men chops wood and hauls poles to build fences and make wood, and de women folks has to spin four cuts of
thread every night and make all de clothes. Some has to card cotton to make quilts and some weave and knits
stockin's. Marse give each one a chore to do at night and iffen it warn't did when we went to bed, we's whipped.
One time I falls plumb asleep befo' I finishes shellin' some corn, but I didn't git a bad whippin' dat time.
"Sometimes de niggers danced and played de fiddle and us chillen played in de yard. We could stay up all night
dem times, but had to work next day, and hardly ever stayed up all night. Dat durin' harvest or at Christmas time.
"All de victuals was issued out by de overseer and he give 'nough for one week, den iffen us eat it all up too soon, it
am jist go without. Lots of times, I went down to de 'tato patch a long time after everybody am in bed, and stole
'tatoes, so we wouldn't be hungry next day. I allus covered de hole up good and never did git cotched. De dogs got
after me one time, but I put pepper in dey eves and dey stopped. I allus carried pepper with me.
"I marries when I's fifteen, not so long befo' I'm free. Nigger men didn't git no license to marry dey gals den. Dey
jist picked her out and asked marse, and iffen he 'grees, dey's married. But iffen he don't want it, dat man ?as to find
heself 'nother gal. De men what lived on 'nother plantation couldn't see dere wives but onct every two weeks. Marse
buyed my husban', Rube Taylor, and he come to live with me.
"One day marse say we's all free and we has a big celebration, eatin' and dancin'. But we near all stayed on his place
for a long time after day. He paid us thirty-five cents de day and let us live in de same old houses.
"After we done left him, we jist drifts 'round, workin' for white folks, till we manages to git a farm. Rube done died
a long time back, and I lives with my baby child.
Taylor, Emma -- Additional Interview
Commonly known as Aunt Em, Emma Taylor, thinks she was born in 1849, making her approximately 89 years of
age.
Yes'sm I members working during slavery times. My maw and paw come to Texas from Mississippi a long time
befo I was born. They was the property of a man named Greer, and that was their name. De slaves nearly allus took
de name of deir master in dem days, cause dey didn't have no use for no name anyhow. About de first thing I
members is following my maw in the cotton patch picking cotton. She allus went ahead, pickin cotton, and made a
clean place wid her sack a dragging on de ground for me to walk on. De first work I ever done was helpin to feed de
chickens and de geese. I was supposed to feed dem every morning and every night, and during deday I had to help
shell de corn offin de cobs to feed 'um wid. I dont' member much about dem days, I guess I jist played around in de
back yard wid de other children. We couldn't play wid the white children. I members de worst whippin I ever got
was for playing wid a doll dat belonged to one of mass's childern. I members it yet, and I ain't never seed a doll as
purty yet as dat doll was to me. Hit was made out of a corn cob, wid arms and legs dat would move, and a real head,
wid de eyes and hair and mouth painted on. Hit had on a dress made outta silk cloth jist like one dat my mistress
wore when whe went to de meeting house. Dat little girl had left it in de yard under a great big tree, and I jist
walked up and played wid it a little, but Mistress found me and whipped me wid a switch she took offin de tree I
was standing under. No'am, I
never did play wid de doll any more.
We lived in a cabin in de back field behind de big house. Dere was one room, and a little shed room, whar maw
done de cookin for de whole family. Yes'sm I had three brothers, and three sisters, all of dem is done dead, long
long time ago. Dey was all older dan I am, and I'se gittin old now, won't be long. We cooked on an open fire, jist
built up jist outside de door of de shed room. A big pot hung on some poles ova de fire, and we boiled all our vittils
on dat. De bread was cooked on de same fire in a big skillet. Dat was two flat pieces of iron, jist turned up a little all
round. We puts de dough in one, and turns de other one over it, den we burries it in de coals of de fire just a few
minutes till it browns on de top and on de bottom. Yes'sm it was good, jist as good as it is now days cooked in de
oven. Our beds was made out of straw and old rags, but we managed to keep warm in de winter by sleepin a whole
lot in one bed. In de summer, we nearly allus slept outside de house under a tree, wasn't neerly so hot on de outside.
I was sold one time, dats de only time I members of. Yes'sm, all de family was sold at one time. Master, he was
gittin old, and he decide he didn't need so many slaves on de place, so he held a sale, and a man from some other
place come and sold us. He puts all de family up on a big platform, and when we had pulled off nearly all our
clothes, soas he could tell how big we were, he began hollowing bout who gonna buy, who gonna buy. I wasn't very
big, but I members being scared dat I was gonna have to leave my maw, and I began hollowing jist bout as loud as
he was a hollowing. Den he turns around and he says, "Shut up, you little coon you, I can't hear anything dats going
on," so I got scared sure nouf den, and I jist hid my face under my maw's appern and didn't know no more till we all
was loaded in a wagon and started to our new home. No'm we didn't take any thing, ceptin what clothes we had on.
When we got to our new home, some whar near Jacksonville, we was given some new clothes, and some shoes. Dat
was de first shoes I ever had on, and it took me a long time to learn to wear dem things on my feet.
De darkies had to get up at four in de morning and work and work till they couldn't see no more. Den dey had to
work at night. De men had to chop wood, and haul up poles to help build fences and cut up for wood. De women
folks had to spin four cuts of thread every night, and den make all de clothes for all de slaves on de place. Den some
of dem had to card de cotton to make quilts, and to weave de cloth, and den knit stockings outtin big thread. Master
gived each one a chore to do, and if it wasn't done before we went to bed, we were whipped. One time I fell plumb
asleep befo I had finished shelling some corn, but I didn't git much of a whippin dat time. I never did run when I
was fixin to git a whippin.
I seen some of dem run, and den they tied dem up wid chains to a post, and dey got lots worse whippins dan iffin
dey had jist been still. Master never did whip any body lessin de needed it. Iffin dey done what he told dem to, and
didn't talk back, dey didn't never git no whippins hardly ever.
We worked all picking cotton, or choppin cotton, or howing corn; some nights then after all de work was done, de
older darkies danced, and played de fiddle, while de chillerns played in de yard. We could stay up all night on
nights like dat, but we had to work de next day, and we hardly ever stayed up all night. Dat was during de harvest,
or at Christmas times.
All de vittils was issued out to us by de overseer, and he allus give us enough for one week, den iffin we eat dat up,
we had to do wid out till de next week anyhow. Lots of times, I went down to de potato patch a long time after all
de others were in bed, and stole some potatoes, so we wouldn't be haungry de next day. I allus covered the hole up
good, and I never did git caught. De dogs got after me one time but I put pepper in their eyes, and dey stopped. I
allus carried pepper wid me too heint de dogs iffin dey got atter me.
I got married when I was fifteen or about den, don't member jist exactly but wasn't long befo I was freed. Negro
men didn't git de license to marry dey gals den. Dey jist picked out de gal dey wanted, and den asked the gals master
to give de gal to him. Iffin he did, dey was married and iffin he didn't, dey wasn't, and de man had to find him self
another gal. We got married though. De men wasn't allowed to see their wives but once every two weeks, iffin dey
didn't belong to de same man. Jist a little while after me and Rube Taylor married, my master bought him, and he
come to live wid us. Den not long after dat, we was all freed. Dat was after the war was over. I didn't know much
about dat war, didn't none of de men go dat lived round us. When our master told us dat we was as free as he was,
we had a big celebration, but we nearly all stayed on his plantation for a long time after dat. He paid us thirty five
cents a day to work for him, and still let us live in our houses dat we had.
After we left him, we jist drifed around, working out for de white folks, till we managed to git a farm, and go to
work for ourselves. Rube done been dead a long time, and I lives wid first one child and den anoder, mostly wid my
baby.
No'am, I don't git de pension, I can git along pretty well widout it, and lots of others can't. Jist as well let dem have
it dat needs it worse'n I does. Young marster back, but he was sho sick a long time atter he come home. No'm we
didn't think he was gonna lib for a long time, jist lay abed wid all de shades down. Den atter he got up, he sat in de
yard in a wheel chair, all summer,
jist wasted away till he wasn't nothin but skin and bones. I sho did learn to like him while he was sick. Waited on
him all de time, runnin errands, and gittin him water and sich. Den's de time he told me all de stories of how he
faught wid de Yankees, and how dey made camps and swam cross de rivers an everything. No'm we didn't leave
Marster for two or three years atter de war was over. We jist kept on workin and workin, and de only change dat
come was we could go anywhar we pleased, and when de cotton was sold, we all got paid something to buy some
clothes for de winter. No'm we didn't wanta be free, what would we a done iffen we was free; didn't know how to do
nothin, didn't have no home, no land, nothing till we could work nouf to buy us a mule. She made it hard on some of
de slaves dat didn't have no homes, jist strayed like cattle thout no whar to go, and nothin to eat.
Yes'sm, I learn't to read a little, and write my name from Marster while he was sick so long. He sho was good to me,
sho did hate to leave him, when I had to. My maw left when Old Marster die, and de family broke up. Young
Marster moved to town, den I got a job workin on another farm, didn't work anywhar long at a time, jist one season,
den I would move on and work furst one place den another, till I finally got married. Yes'sm I'se got five chillerns,
all offem livin, most offem workin at public works. I don't do nothin anymo, ceptin once in a while I helps wid
sawin wood. No'm I can't see much now, jist big things what I meet. Live's wid my chillerns round, 'Bout. Dey's all
good to me, allus has been. All I does now is takes care of de grand-chillern, tellin dem stories like I been tellin you.
(Colbert, Joe W., Fort Worth, Texas, District #7, 5 March 1937, (Yes))
