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CAROLINE WRIGHT, about 90 years old, was born near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dr. Warren Wortham owned
her parents and their 14 children. Caroline was 12 when they were freed. Her father, Robert Vaughn, moved go
Texas, where ho prospered and bought more then 300 acres of Teklacoana bottom land in McLennan County.
Caroline and her husband now live at 50 Grant St., Waco, in a little house they bought after their family was grown.
"I was bo'ned in Louisiana on Jones Crock, by Baton Rouge, 'bout 80 years ago. I disremember the year. My pappy
was Bob Vaughn and my mammy was Rose Ann. Dey was bo'ned by Baton Rouge. I had six sisters, Betsy Ann,
Lydia, Nancy, Paga and Louison; and three brothers, Horace, Robert and Ten. We was all owned by Dr. Warren
Wortham and his wife, Annie. Mr. Bob, de doctor's brother, had us in charge, and he hired us out to Hays White,
who owned a sugar plantation on do Mississippi River by Baton Rouge. Us all stayed at his place two year. Dere
was sugar cane, co'n, peas and tomatoes raised on de farm. We lived in a leg cabin made of pine logs and our beds
was made outta pine timber with co'n shucks tacked on de bed, and our kivers was feather beds.
"In Clinton, in Louisiana, we was all put en de block and valued. I was six year old and I was valued at $1,500. But
our family wasn' sold to anyone. I was given to Miss Muriel, Dr. Worthan's daughter. Me and my sisters was made
house slaves and my mammy and pappy and brothers was made fiel' slaves.
"Our marster, Dr. Worthan, sho' was a fine doctor. He never whip us. De young missus learned us our A B C's
'cause dere was no school for de slaves. Dere wasn' no church on de plantation, but us all wont 'casionally to a big
log cabin and camp shad. Sometime a white would preach and sometime a cullud preacher.
"I only 'member one slave who ran away. He was so worthless, he came back when he got ready. He wasn'
punished, 'cause he wasn' mean, just lazy. I never saw no jail for slaves and never saw any whipped. We allus had
from Friday noon to Monday mornin' off.
"On Christmas, the white folks allus give us presents and plenty to eat, and us allus had a big dance five or six time
a year. Dr. Worthan lived in a great big log house made from cedar logs.
"One day, I seen a lot of men and I asked de missus what day was doin'. She tol' me dey come to fit in de war. De
war got so bad dat Mr. Bob tol' us we was all gwine to Texas. Us all started out on Christmas Dey of de firs' year of
Lincoln's war. We went in ox wagons and us and mules to ride.
"On de trip to Texas, one evenin' a big storm come up and Mr. Bob, he asked a man to let us use a big, empty house.
Dey put me by de door to sleep 'cause I was de lightes' sleeper. Some time in de night, I woked up and dere stood de
bigges' haint. I ever saw. He was ten feet high and had on a big beaver coat. I hollers to my pappy, 'Pappy, wake up,
dere's a haint.' Nex' mornin' we got up and day was nothin' outta place. No, ma'am, we didn' cotch de haint, a haint
jus' can't be cotched.
"Nex' mornin' we started agin on our journeys, and some time in March we reach Texas. They took us all 'cross de
Brazos en a ferryboat, jus' 'bout where de 'spansion bridge is now.
"De doctor took us all on de farm on de other side of where Bosque is now. On de farm us raised all kinds
vegetables and grain and sugar cane to make sorghum, but no cotton. We all lived in one and two room log cabins,
made out of cedar posts. Us didn' make any money for ourselves, but us had plenty of hog meat, beef, butter, milk,
cornbread and vegetables to eat, lots no' dan us have dose days. Us did all de cookin' in de fireplaces. Us sho' did
have plenty of possum, and rabbit, and us cotched lots of fish outta de Bosque River.
"De woman slaves, eleven of us, had our own gardens and us spun all our own clothes. In de summer us all wore
cotton stripe and in de winter, linsey dresses. On Sunday us had lawn dresses and us she' did come out looking
choicesome.
"Dr. Wortham had Si for an overseer. It was a big farm and had forty or fifty slaves to work it. Us got up 'bout four
in de mornin' and ate breakfas' 'bout mine o'clock. All de slaves had to work from sun to sun, and when us was sick,
de marster treated us.
"When I was 'bout 16, I married William Wright. He was bo'n a slave near Rapid Pass, Kentucky. When he was
eight year old, he and his family's owner died. and he went to the daughter, Mrs. Richard Mason, on Black River, in
Louisiana, as "heir property." He was raised dere, but when he's freed he comes to Texas and works for
Ganey Mason, seven mile east of Waco. He's 105 year old new and you cain't ha'dly unnerstan' what he's talkin'
'bout. We was married on the 23d day of December, in 1869. Will and me she' did have a fine weddin'. De women
cooked for three days and we danced and ate. My weddin' dress was elegant. It was white lawn with blue ribbons.
Will and me had 12 chillen and raised 9, and us has 14 grandchildren.
"Will and me has been married 'bout 75 year and is still married. It's disrespectful how de young folks treats
marriage nowadays.
"Ten year after our chillen's growed, we swaps what land we has for dis little house, but we had to pay some money,
too. Will was more'n 90 years old and I was eighty some years old, but we got this house and we is happy. We can
sit under that big chinaberry tree in de fron' yard and leak at de big trees over dere on Waco Creek, and one of our
sons lives with us.
Wright, Caroline -- Additional Interview I was borned in Lous'ana on Jones Creek by Baton Rouge, about ninety
years ago, I disremember the year. My pappy was named Rob Vaughn and my mammy was Rose Ann. Dey was
borned in Lous'ana by Baton Rouge. I had six sisters, Betzy Ann, Lydia, Nancy, Paga, an' Louisan; and three
brothers, Horace, Robert and Tom. My mammy and pappy had fourteen childern in all an' we furst lived in Baton
Rouge. My mammy was hired out by our mahster to Mrs. Sara Watson, an' den us all moved out to Hays White's
sugar plantation. Dere was sugar cane, corn, peas, and 'tatoes raised on de fa'am. We libed in a log cabin made of
pine logs an' our beds was made out of pine timber with corn shucks tacked on de bed and our kivers was fether
beds.
My mammy an' pappy an' sisters an' brothers an' me was owned by de Wortham fambly, Dr. Warren Wortham and
his wife Annie. Mr. Bob, de doctor's brudder had us in charge, an' he hired us out to Hays White, who owned a
sugar plantation on de Mississippi Riber by Baton Rouge. Us all stayed on his place for two year, but I was kept in
de house of Dr. Wortham's Mother, an' my sisters an' brudders helped on de White's plantation.
In Clinton, in Louis'an we was all put on de block and valued. I was six year old and was valued at $1,500.00, an'
our fambly was never to be sold to any one. I was gibben to Mis' Muriel, Dr.
Wortham's daughter. Me an' my sisters was made house-slaves, an' mammy and pappy an' brudders was made fiel'
slaves.
One day, I seen a lot ob men an' I axed Mis' Wortham, de doctor's mother, what dey was doin'. She tol' me dey had
come to fit in de war. De war got so bad dat Mr. Bob tol' us we was all gwine to Texas. Us all started out on
"Christmas Day of de furst year ob Lincon's war." Dere was about forty or fifty slaves and all de Wortham fambly.
De trip was made in ox wagons and us had mules to ride.
On de trip to Texas, one evenin' a big storm come up and Mr. Bob he axed a man to let us use a big empty house.
Dey put me by de do'r to slepp 'cause I was de lightest sleeper. Sometime in de night, I woked up an' dere stood de
biggest haint I ebber seed. He was ten feet high an' had on a big beaver coat. I hollers to my pappy, "Pappy, wake
up, dere's a haint." Ebbery body woked up, an' de haint looks at us all an' went tromping all ober de house, breakin'
dishes and tearin' our clos. Nex mornin' we got up an' dey ain't nothin' out of place. "No mam, we didn't cotch de
haint--a haint jus' can't be cotched."
Nex' mornin' we started on our journey. Mr. Bob he say no mo' stain' in hainted houses. Sometime in March, us
reached Texas. Mr. Bob and Dr. Wortham, who had come part way to meet us, took us all 'cross de Brazos on de
ferry boat in Waco jus' 'bout where de 'spension bridge is now. Dey was diggin' up stumps on Austin street so dey
wouldn't break de wagon wheels. Dere was a big log cabin an' jail 'bout where de city hall now is. I didn't see no
Indians, but dere sho was lots ob trees.
De doctor took us all on de farm on nor' Bosque on de odder side of where Bosqueville is now. On de farm us raised
all kinds of vegetables an' grain an' sugar cane to make soghum, but no cotton.
On de farm, us all lived in one an' two room log cabins, made out of cedar posts. My ma an' my pappy worked on de
farm an' de boys. My sisters an' me worked in de house, doin' all de house work fo de Wortham fambly. Us didn't
make any money, but us had plenty of hog meat, beef, butter, milk, corn bread an' vegetables to eat, lots mo den us
hab dese days. Us did all de cookin' on de fireplaces. Yes mam, us sho did eat plenty of possum, an' rabbit, an' us
cotched lots of fish out de Bosque ribber. Us eat all de food de white folks gabe us.
De women slaves, eleven of us, had dere own gardens. Us eleben spun our own clothes. In de summer, us all wore
cotton stripe an' in de winter linsey dresses. On Sunday us had lawn dresses, an' us sho did come out looking
choicesome.
Our mahster, Dr. Wortham sho was a fine doctor. He nebber whip us. Didn't need whip us, 'cause us allus did what
us was tol' to do. De young missus learned us our A B C's, dere was no schools for slaves. Us picked up other things
from de white folks.
Dere was no church on de farm, but us all went 'casionally to a big log cabin an' camp shed. Sometime a white
would preach and sometime a colored pusson. This place was for the colored folks. I disremember the preachers'
names. We sang songs and had prayers. Some of the songs was "Raised in Grace" and "Hark from the Tomb." None
of the slaves died for a long time. My mammy and pappy did not til I was in my fifties.
I only 'member one slave who ran away. He was so wothless, he came back when he got ready. He wasn't punished,
'cause he wasn't mean, jes' lazy. I never saw no jail for slaves an' neber saw any whipped. Some time us would get a
pass an' go visitin'. We allus had from Friday noon to Monday mornin' off. Sometime, on Sunday, us would have a
prayer meetin' on the farm.
On Christmas the white folk would allus give us presents and plenty to eat. An' us allus had a big dance five or six
time a year. My mahster, Dr. Wortham, was allus good to us. Our doctor's wife was kinder peeky, an' she had to be
sent away. Dey had three chillen, two boys an' one girl. Her name was Anna Maria Montgomery; an' de boys was
named Evan an' En Wortham. Dey all lived in a big log cabin made from cedar logs, with 'bout five or six rooms.
Dr. Wortham had Si for a overseer. He worked and carried out the doctor's orders. It was a big farm an' had forty or
fifty slaves to work it. Us had to get up about four o'clock in de mornin' an' did not have breakfas 'till 'bout nine. All
de slaves had to work from sun to sun, an' when us was sick, Dr. Wortham treated us. He give us powder and pills.
When I was 'bout sixteen, I met William who is still my husband. (William Wright was born of slave parents, born
near what he calls Rapee or Rapid Pass, Kentucky. When he was a child of eight, his mistress died, and he and his
family went to her daughter, Mrs. Richard Mason on Black River in Louisianna as "heir property." He was raised
there, but came to Texas and was working on the farm of Ganey Mason seven miles west of Waco when he married
Caroline, who pronounces her name "Caline". He is now 105 years old, very feeble and hard to understand. The
couple took out their license to wed in McLennan County, December 23, 1869, just five years after the Civil War
had ended.) Will an' me sho did have a fine weddin'. De women cooked fo' three days, an' we danced and ate. My
weddin' dress was elegant. It was white lawn with blue ribbons. Will an' me had twelve chillen, an' raised nine, an'
us has fourteen grandchillen. Will an' me has been married 'bout seventy-five years an' is still married.
It's disrespectful way de young folk treat marriage dese days. Trouble wid you young folks today, you won't stay
together no time an' learn to git along wid each other's ways. It says in de Book, "What God has jined ain't nobody
to put asunder" an' dats de way it out to be."
Caroline was twelve years old when they were freed, and her father, Robert Vaughn, prospered as a free man and
bought more than 300 acres of Tehuacana bottom land in McLennan County, Texas. Ten years after the Wrights
had raised a dozen children, and the father was beginning to suffer from strokes, he and his wife moved into town
from the farm, making a "swap" of their remaining farm acreage for the interest in a house at 59 Grant Street, Waco,
near the bank of the Waco creek as it flows down to join the Brazos. The fact that Wright was a monogenarian, his
wife in her eighties did not discourage them from starting out to buy their home. It is a small one and real estate
values are not high where it is located but there is a chinaberry tree in the front yard under which sets a rocker, a
front porch where they can sit and look across at the big trees on the banks of the creek, and there are neighbors in
calling distance. One son lives with them and their baby daughter "right 'greeable now, that she's forty-five" lives
just a few blocks away. Their first seven children were girls, then came four boys but the twelfth child was a girl.
(Alfred E. Menn, P.W., Travis County, Austin, Texas, 9-12-37, (Yes))
