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DIANAH WATSON, 102, was born a slave of Tom Williams, at New Orleans. In 1870, Dianah went to Jefferson,
Texas. She now lives with a married daughter in the Macedonia Community, five miles northwest of Marshall, Tex.
"My name am Dianah Watson and I used to keep my age, but I done got sick and can't 'member it now. I can't say
'zactly how old I is but I's a past-growed woman when the war broke out, and my old missy's daughter done told me
once out the book I's borned in 1835.
"I's borned and bred 'bout a half mile from New Orleans. My mammy was Sarah Hall and she's borned in Galveston,
and my papa was Bill Williams. My old missy done take me from my mammy when I's a small baby and raised me
to a full-growed woman. I slep' in the same room with my young missy and had a good time in slavery, didn't suffer
for nothin' and never was cut and slashed like some. Me and Miss Laura come right up together and I's her own
nigger slave.
"Massa Williams treated his block folks with 'spect. They was in the field from 'fore day till dark, but they was took
good care of and fed and plenty clothes. Old Master Tom done the bossin' hisself and when he's dyin' he calls all his
five boys to his bed and say, 'Boys. when I's gone. I don't want no cuttin' and slashin' my niggers. They's got feelin'
same as us.'
"But the oldes' boy, William, got the debbil in him and hires a overseer, and he rid in the fields with a quirt and rope
and chair on his saddle. When he done take a notion to whip a nigger, he'd make some the men tie that nigger to the
chair and beat him somethin' scand'lous. He got mad at my mother's sister, Aunt Susie Ann, and beat her till the
blood run off her on the ground. She fall at his feets like she passed out and he put up the whip and she trips him
and gits the whip and whips him till he couldn't stand up. Then some the niggers throwed him off a cliff and broke
his neck. His folks gits the sheriff but master's boys orders him off the place with a gun. There warn't no more
overseers on the place after that.
"If niggers of these days done see what I seed in slavery time they'd pray and thank they Gawd every day. My
master's place sot right 'cross the big road from a place they cut and slashed they niggers. You'd hear that white
man's black folks hollerin' like cows. I's stood many a time on our front gallery and seed them cut and slash the
blood off them niggers. I seed old women half-bent from beatin's goin' to the field. They overseer had a wooden
paddle with nails in it. I used to say to missy, 'Why they cuttin' and slashin' them black folks that-a-way?' Missy say,
'Dianah, that there white man got the debbil in him.'
"I seed them sell my mama. I ask my old missy why and she say, 'To go to her husband.'
"When the war broke out I's a full-growed woman. New Orleans was full of sojers and they wouldn't let us go to
town. Me and young Mr. Tom used to git on the roof and watch them. The cannons was roarin' like thunder and
smoke thick and black as clouds. I got scart when they sot the niggers free, at the niggers shoutin'. I didn't know
what 'twas for.
Old Miss say to me, 'They been in slavery but you don't know what slavery is. Dianah.'
"Two years after that my old miss carries me to Galveston to my mammy. She tell her to take good care of me and
we lived there three years and moved to Jefferson. Our things come by boat but we come in wagons. I married John
Smith purty soon after that but he died 'fore long. Then I married Noah Watson and now he's dead. I done raise six
chillen but only one am livin' now and that's my younges' gal and I lives with her here.
"I tells the young race iffen they come up like me they wouldn't act so smart. They needs somebody to take the
smartness outten them. But my gal am good to me. I gits a pension and pays it to her to take care of me. I born here
a hundred years and more and I won't stay much longer, and I don't want to be no 'spense to nobody."
Watson, Dianah -- Additional Interview
Dianah Watson, a 102 year old Negress of Harrison County, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a slave of Tom
Williams. She was taken from her mother as a baby and reared to be a grown woman by the Williams. Two years
after Emancipation, her Master's folks took her back to her parents, who then lived in Galveston, Texas. Three years
later Dianah moved, with her parents, to Jefferson, Texas. She has been married twice and reared six children. At
present Dianah resides with her only living child, a married daughter, in the Macedonia Community, five miles
northwest of Marshall. She receives a $10.00 per month old age pension.
My name is Dianah Watson. I used to keep my age, but I got sick and can't 'member it now. My ole Mistress'
daughter kept the book with our ages for a long time, but it got lost. I can't say zactly (exactly) how ole I is, but I
was a past-grown woman when the war broke out.
I was bo'n and bred 'bout a half mile from New Orleans, in Mr. and Mrs. Tom Williams' house. My mother was
Sarah Hall and she was bo'n in Galveston. My father was Bill Williams, but I don't know where he was bo'n. I
'members my mothers folks, Grandma Mariah and Grandpa Jake, they was from Arkansas, and belonged to the
Bowmans. They lived just back of the field from where we stayed. My mother just had two children, me and my
brother, Richard.
My ole Master had five boys and one girl and lived right on the Mississippi River, in a half mile of New Orleans.
He sho' had a heap of land and Niggers. The Nigger "quarters" looked like a little town, but I don't know much
about then ca'se I never went over there much. My old Mistress took me away from my mother when I was a baby
and raised me to a full grown woman. Me and her daughter, Laura, come right up together. I slep in the same room
with my young Mistress and et at the table right along with my white folks. If I was with my white folks now, I'd be
living fine and doing well. I had a good time in slavery ... didn't suffer for anything, and was never cut and slashed.
I didn't wear no home-made clothes either. I got store-bought dresses and shoes just like my young Mistress.
My Master's black folks was treated with respect and taken good care of. My mother could pull a hoe as good as any
man you ever seed. The darkies was in the field from 'fore day till dark; but they was took good care of and fed and
clothed right. Ole Master Tom done the bossing his-self. When he knowed he was gwyne to die, he called all his
boys to his bed and told them, "Boys, when I'm gone I don't want no overseer on the place, cutting and slashing my
Niggers. They is got feeling same as us ... treat them good like I did". After Master Tom died, his oldest boy,
William took over the bossing. He got the devil in him and hired a overseer. The overseer rode in the fields with a
quirt, a rope, and a chair on his saddle. When he took a notion to whip the one of Niggers, he made some of the men
tie him to the chair and beat them scandoulous. He got mad at my mothers' sister, Aunt Susie Ann, and beat her till
the blood run off her on the ground. She fell at his feet like she had "passed out" and he put up his whip. She tripped
him and got the whip and whipped that man till he couldn't stand up. She and some more of the Niggers then took
him and threw him off a cliff and broke his neck. His folks got the Sheriff and come after Susie Ann, and Master's
boys ordered them off the place with a gun. There warn't no more overseers on the place after that.
If the Niggers of now days had seed what I seed in slavery time, they would pray and thank their God every day.
My Master's place sot right cross a big road from a place where they cut and slashed their Niggers. You could hear
that man's black folks bellowing like cows. I didn't go over there. I'se stood many times on our front porch and seed
them cut and slash the blood out of them till it run off on the ground. I'se seed ole wimmen, half bent from beatings,
gwyning to the field. The overseer rode a horse and carried a chair behind his saddle. On the saddle horn he kept a
tie rope, a raw-hide quirt, and a wooden paddle with nails in it. I'se seed them take them ole half bent wimmen and
beat them till they couldn't walk for three days. I used to say to my Mistress, "Why are they cutting and slashing
them black folks that way." She say, "Dianah, that white man has got the devil in him."
I'se seed boys most grown have to wear just a long shirt with no pants and no shoes. They warn't even 'lowed to go
to church. I'se heard my old Mistress say they had to sleep on the floor winter and summer. When he fed them at
dinner, he took their grub to them in the field in a tub and at night some of them didn't see anything but a beating. I
don't know if all the darkies was done that way in Louisiana, but that's what I seed with my own eyes and I ain't
gwyne to lie 'bout it.
My young Mistress give me all the learning I got. My ole Mistress just carried me to church once when I was a girl
ca'se I was too big a devil. Then I fessed religion and went to church all the time. A white preacher baptized me in
the Mississippi River. When I was baptized it was in the winter and the pastor took a iron rod and broke the ice so
he could baptize us. It sho' was cold, but I didn't feel it ca'se I had the love of God in my heart. When I 'fessed
religion a ole white man said, "That Nigger ain't got no religion". My mother said, "Dianah done gone and 'fessed
religion and I bet she ups and cusses that man". The pastor patted me on the shoulder and said, "God bless you little
girl". They sung a lot of songs when I was baptized, but I don't 'members them. I wasn't studying nothing when the
pastor carried me in the water but coming out and telling the devil "farewell".
I'se stood on our gallery and seed Niggers sold off the block like stock. I seed them sell my mama. I asked my ole
Mistress why they was selling her and she say, "To go to her husband".
My grand daughter told me the other day that they was telling at school that they was gwyne to get slavery back. I
told her, "Well, honey, if they do, I hope I ain't here, if I have to see what I seed in the last slave time".
I knows when the war broke out. I was a full grown woman. New Orleans was full of soldiers and they sho' done
some fighting. All of my ole Master's boys went to the war 'cept the baby boy. They wouldn't let us go to town
when the war was going on. Me and young Mr. Tom used to go on top of the house and watch them fighting. The
cannons was roaring like thunder and the smoke was thick and black as clouds. I got scared when they sot the
blacks free, at the Niggers shouting. I didn't know what it was for. I asked my ole Mistress what it was all 'bout. I
say to her, "Look at them ole wimmen. 'Fore they was half bent, but now they is straight as a poker and spry as a
kitten". Mistress say to me, "They is been in slavery, but now they is free. You don't know what slavery is, Dianah,
and you ought to be glad".
Two years after the darkies was sot free, my ole Mistress carried me to Galveston to my mother. Se say to my
mama, "Now Sarah, you know Dianah don't know nothing 'bout field work, so take good care of her". We lived at
Galveston three years and then moved to Jefferson. Our things come on the boat, but we come in wagons. I lived
with my mother in Jefferson till I married John Smith, then we come to Harrison County and my husband died.
Then I married Noah Watson, and now he is dead. I raised six children, but only one is living.
I 'members the Ku Klux ... lots of folks got hurt 'bout that business. A bunch of them come to our place 'fore I
moved to Galveston and I cried and hollered and my ole Mistress come and got me ... I was out in the yard.
I tell the young race of our folks if they had come up when I did they wouldn't act so smart. If they had an overseer
over them like they did in slavery time, he would take the smartness out of them. I live here with my only living
child. They me a little pension and I pays it to them for taking care I'se been here more than a hundred years and I
won't stay longer, and I don't want to be no expense to nobody.
(Foreman, Heloise M., Dallas County, District #4, 27 August 1937, (yes))
