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Emma Countee Wilson, 805 Nebraska Street, San Antonio, Texas. 85 years old. Born in Rutersville, Fayette
County, Texas. Tall and spare, skin black and shiny; very dark, alert eyes. Hair forms white pompon on top of the
head with fringe of black hair surrounding it. Emma does not wear glasses. She is an unusually handsome woman
for a full blooded negro. Her features are regular and her facial contour is excellent.
"I was fifteen years ole de September after de nineteenth of June, 'Mancipation day. My mother was bohn in
Louisville, Kentucky and my father was bohn in Maryland. De two of dem was slaves to Marse Russel in
Rutersville. I was bohn in de log cabin dat was in de back yard of my Marster's house. So was my brudders and
sisters but all of dem is dead now 'ceptin' two brudders. De Marster's house is big; it's a big box house, 'bout nine
rooms.
"Dey don't 'low me to go much to my mother's house in de yard and dey never 'lows me to go to de log cabins whar
de slaves lives.
"Dey's floors in my mother's house. She got a wooden bed to sleep in wid boards across to hold de mattress on. I
sleep on quilts on de floor of de big box house.
"Marse Russel has 'bout 24 slaves on de place. Dey wuks de fields and de gahden and dey takes care of de stock and
de slaves ain't 'lowed nothin' on'y what de Marster gives 'em.
"De slaves don't complain 'cause Marster give 'em plenty to eat. Dere was big gahdens of beans and vegetables and
cohn and wheat and bahley.
"Dere was plenty game. Wile duck, possum, rabbit and turkey. De white folks never eats de wile game, and o Lawd,
lots of coons too.
"I was de house gal and my mother was general cook. I'se 'lowed to eat at de same table whar de white folks eats
and I eat de same food after dey stops eatin'. Marse Russel was good to de slaves. Dey has heaps to eat but dey ain't
got no money. De Marster never 'lows any of us to read a book.
"De ole women slaves weaves de cloth and knits de socks and de stockins. In de winter dey puts de wool from de
sheep 'tween de cotton cloth and makes us coats and jackets for de cold weather. Dey's a man offen de plantation dat
makes de shoes. No suh, he doan jus' hang de hides on de bahn door. He takes bark and tans de hide. Den he takes
de hair off, and oh Lawdy, dat was hard leather. Dey calls dem shoes 'brogans. 'Dey hurts so I can't wear 'em on'y in
cole weather. What's dat? Does I go in my stockin' feet. Lawdy, Lawdy, I runs in my bare feet.
"Sometimes de Marster let de slaves go to church. De church ain't on de plantation. Iffen one nigger likes t'other and
dey wants to get married, Marse Russel reads somethin' from a piece of paper and den he say-'Now dat's your wife
and dat's your husband.'
"De overseer whops de slaves like dey was hosses when de slaves don't mind or de overseer gets mad.
"Marster Russel he don't sell no slaves but over at Lagrange dey got auction blocks. And my mammy ain't afraid to
go 'cause Marse Russel don't sell no slaves. And she say ole man Faxon dat's a slave on de next plantation is standin'
by de auction block wid a baby on each arm. And de man what sell de slaves take de two babies offen old man
Faxon and sell de two babies.
"And one time when I'se little de trader drives a parcel of slaves across Marse Russel's plantation and one woman
got a baby at her bosom. And de baby cries 'cause it's so hot and de overseer gits tired of hearin' de baby cry. So he
say,
"Gal, you lay dat baby long side of de road!' And a little piece further de mother tell a colored woman to pick up her
baby and give it de name of Susan. And dat's de on'y name we ever hear for dat baby when she grow up.
"Marse Russel let us stay on de plantation six months after 'Mancipation. Den we goes to John Holman's place
across de Colorado River, and 'clare to de Lawd dat's de first time I ever see a river. We wuks for Mr. Holman on
shares, half to de Marster and half to us but we pays all de bills. Iffen de cotton pickin' got to be hired, it come out
of our half. Sometimes our half ain't nothin' but de Marster git his half clear.
I's married on Mr. Holman's place and me and my husband goes to Eagle Lake to live. Now I lives here in de winter
wid my daughter and de summertime I lives wid my son in Eagle Lake."
(Mrs. Ada Davis, P.W., McLennan County, Texas, District No. 8, 2 February 1938, (No))
