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Sally Banks Chambers, wife of Ben Chambers of Liberty, is a wiry little negress, who looks much younger than her
years. She is exceptionally dark, and her hair is thick and dark, showing few traces of gray. Heavy gold earrings
hang from her ears, and she dresses, even in midsummer, in a long sleeved calico jumper shirt, heavy sox and shoes,
and a sweeping skirt of many folds. Born in Oakland, Louisiana, she was brought to Liberty when small, by her
master, Jim Moore. She has been married three times, and to the best of her remembrance has had seven children,
about 54 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren.
"Befo' I marry de fus' time my name was Sally Banks. I's bo'n in de ol' states in Lou'sana, 'roun' Oaklum. I ain'
'member nuthin' 'bout dat place 'cause I's so small when dey brung me to Texas."
"De ol' marster was name' Jim Moore. He was a fair ol' gentleman, wid a big bald place on he head, nice skin and
coal black hair. He was good to de slaves. He wasn' even as strick as de ol' mistus. I 'member de onlies' time he ever
whip us chillen was for eatin' green peaches. He was 'fraid dey would give us a spell wid de stomachache, and
stomachache fever wasn' no fun. He done tol' us to keep outen dem peaches, but we sneak in de orchard anyway. He
didn' whip us hard but he sho' skeer us."
"De ol' mistus Sarah Moore was a big stout woman. I reckillect her 'cause she was so strick. She want us to be good.
She ain'
want no bad talk or rough play. She whip de li'l w'ite chillen jes' like de black."
"My daddy' name was John Moore and my mama name' Ca'line Moore. Dey was bofe bo'n in Lou'sana. De
gran'parents was Lewis Moore and Polly. Dey wasn' reg'lar Africy people. My gran'ma she have right smart good
blood in her. Dey wuk on de same place wid us."
"W'en de ol' marster decide to come to Texas he brung two men, two wimmen, my mudder and her chillen fus'. He
leave mos' de slaves back in de ol' state. Dey come by wagon, a mule wagon wid a kivver over de top. Dere wasn'
no house buil' so he hafter rent one for a year. Dat was close to Liberty. Dey wasn' so much 'roun' dere den though,
and he look 'roun' for anudder place."
"De nex' year he find a place on de river bottom near Gran' Cane. It jes' suit him for de quantity of slaves he have.
So he come and brung us all dere and go back to Lou'sana and brung de res' of dem too."
"My mama she have four chillen w'en us come to Texas. Two of dem was younger dan me and one ol'er. She have ll
more atter freedom. W'en de war broke she have six chillen but she multiply atter that. Mama was de milker and
washwoman and did de spinnin'. She mek all de clo's for de place and dey was good strong clo's too."
"Dey have li'l sep'rate houses mek outen logs for de slaves. Dey didn' put much furn'chure in dem. De w'ite folks
house was one dese big old double pen house, wid a hall down de middle. Dey have right nice t'ings in it."
"De w'ite folks 'lowance out de food ev'ry Sattiday night. Dat was s'pose to las' a week. De cullud folks dey cook for
deyse'fs all 'cep'n' de single mens and dey eat up in de big kitchen. Dey have lots of syrup, co'n bread, sweet 'taters
and home-cure' meat w'at dey salt down and hang in de smokehouse to dry."
"De ol' mistus she ain' 'low no dancin' or huzzawin' 'roun' de place 'cause she was Christian. Us w'ite folks was
Baptis', and I's a Baptis' too, but dey didn' 'low us to jine chu'ch w'en we was small. De growed up cullud folks was
let go to chu'ch wid de w'ite folks but dey ain' boddered wid de chillen. Dey jes' try teach us to be good on de
place."
"Dey 'low de cullud folks Sattiday and Sunday off from de fiel'. De wimmen folks was s'pose to do dey own washin'
'cause dey ain' got so many diff'rent clo's. De menfolks dey ten' to de gyardens 'roun' dey own house. Dat was more
back in Lou'sana than Texas, though. De menfolks raise cotton and sol' it to de marster for dey spen'in money. De
w'ite folks give off Crissmus and holidays, too. Dey ain' give presents but dey give eatments mos'ly."
"Us li'l chillen spen' mos' de time amusin usse'fs. Us jump de rope and play dolls wid dolls mek wid weeds tie
togedder. Den dere was de ring games like 'Chase de Squirrel' and dem like dat. We sing a li'l song wid dem but I
done forgit dem. Us chillen wasn' so bad 'bout playing mud pie as some. Chillen love to eat clay and dey tell us not
to play wid it. De ol' folks say dat clay fill you wid worms."
"My young marsters bofe go to de war. Dey was John Calhoun Moore and William Moore. De ol'es' went crazy. It
was shell-shock like. Dey brung him back from de war dat way and as fur as I ever knowed he ain' never git no
better. Young William he come back widout no scratch and so did de ol' man but he ain' serve very long. Dey all
t'ree enlis' by deyse'fs. Dey didn' have no truck wid de conscrip'ers."
"One of my uncles, Levy Moore, he go to de war to wait on de marsters. He was struck wid de fever at Sabine Pass
and die right dere. Us never saw no outside sojers, jes' Levy and de marster. Dey wo' sorter yeller unifo'ms."
"Atter freedom riz up de ol' marster he come home. Den he call up all de growed folks and tol' dem dey was free. A
heap lef'; dey jes' broke ranks and lef'. My mammy and daddy bofe stay. Dey was de fav'rites. De ol' mistus mek my
mama a present of a heap of things she stood in need of."
"De w'ite folks didn' own de place. Dey was jes' rentin'. So atter dey didn' have no slaves to help dem wuk de groun'
dey couldn' keep de big place. So dey give it up and move to Trakington Prairie. Us los' track of dem and ain' never
see dem no mo'."
"My daddy come back to Liberty den and wuk in a woodyard for a man name' Joe Baldwin. He was a w'ite man.
Mama she teach me to wuk, to mek beds and sweep and cook and sich. She hire me out to nuss a li'l w'ite baby. I
ain' knowed how much dey pay me 'cause my mama killect' it. Den atter dat she hire me out to hoe and pick cotton
in de fiel'."
"I was 19 year' ol' when de fus' time I marry. You know I got two dead men, dat Dick Owens and Nero Williams,
bofe of Liberty. I have two gals, Alice and Airy for Dick and five chillen, Jesse, Arthur, Adlawyer, Melindy and
Mamie, for Nero. Dey's all dead but Adlawyer and Mamie, who live right yere in Liberty. I been marry some 30 odd
year' to Ben Chambers, but us ain' never have no chillen."
"Goodness, I dunno how many gran'chillen I has. Lessee, Alice die' wid 12 chillen, and den dey was some de others
die' wid as many as 10 and 11 apiece. Oh, I jedge dey's 'bout 54 gran'chillen in all, and 13 great-gran'chillen."
"Dat's stayin' in de worl'. I can't tek dem on on'y a li'l at a time. I done spent mos' my life nussin' chillen, mine and
other folks."
"I love to wuk. I won't steal and I ain' gwineter beg, though I has got too ol' to do much. All through my marry' life I
done belong to de Trininty Valley Chu'ch, dat's a Baptis' chu'ch yere in Liberty."
Sheldon Gauthier (Sept. 25, 1937 (No))
