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Alice Moore Davidson was born a slave about seventy-eight years ago. She doesn't remember dates, and isn't sure
where she was born. She is a mulatto. Her father was Tom Moore, a white man. Tom Moore bought Alice's mother,
Caroline Moore, when she was only three years old. When Caroline was old enough to work, she became Moore's
house girl. Alice was too young to do much work during slavery, but she says she worked hard after freedom. When
Alice's mother died, Alice became the ward of her step-parents, Joe and Irene Walker, who were farmers at
Cottonwood, Bastrop County. On January 9, 1882, according to the date in her Bible, she married Charlie
Davidson, who was a farmer on Dr. William Sheppard's plantation at Del Valle, Travis County. Alice lives on her
farm at 2800 E. Second Street, Austin. Her husband died in 1935.
"I was Alice Moore when I was a girl. I don't remember jes' how old I am. De good folks has always told me dat I
was bawn about seventy-eight years ago. I don't remember jes' where I was bawn.
"Yo' want me to tell yo' de truth? I do remember dat my father was Tom Moore, a white man. Tom Moore bought
Ma when she was a little chile of about three years old.
"Caroline Moore was my Ma. I was jes' a small chile when Ma died, Ma took sick one Sunday evenin', got a pain in
her side, and died. De doctah said she had pneumonia. I was de only chile Ma had. When she was livin', we was
always talkin' to each other. Ma would tell me dat she didn't want me to die and leave me. We sure did love each
other. She sure was a good mothaw to me. She sure was. Ma was sorta small and slim, but some heavier'n me.
"After Ma died, I would git spells ob sadness, and I would go and climb a tree - any old tree - and staht to thinkin'
and cryin', 'cause my Ma was gone, and she had been so nice to me. I sure was lonesome for her.
"I was too little to do much work durin' slavery days. Yo' see, I had to work hard after slavery, 'cause I was never
with no kinfolks down here. I had no aunts, no uncles, and nobody down here. We never did know nothin' about
Ma's folks, 'cause she was too young to remember anything, when she was sold to Tom Moore.
"I never had much schoolin' in my young days, or since. I went to school jes' about one term, I think. This was after
freedom. The school was held in a log church at Cottonwood. The teacher's name was Henry Curry, a colored man.
Teacher was good at teachin', and he was awful good to us. But, he sure made us git our lessons, though. He sure
did. I reckon he might be livin' yet down in Bastrop County. Dat's all the schoolin' I had, and I done forgot all ob
dat. I can't read and write today.
"I remembah now dat Tom Moore married Mrs. Hornsby, a widow, and he went to live on his fahm at Hornsby's
Bend. I believe dat's right. She was a Mrs. Hornsby.
"I went to live with my step-parents, Joe Walker and Irene Walker. Joe and my step-mothaw had a fahm down at
Cottonwood. I was livin' wid dem when I went to school. It was now when I had to staht workin' hard, but my
step-parents was good to me. I had to git up at the break of dahn, and pick cotton. I remembah how de white cotton
was so full ob dew, and how much heavier de cotton weighed dis way. De dew on de cotton would git all ober us. I
never was a good cotton picker, and I couldn't pick much.
"Dere was times when I would go along de Cottonwood Branch and de Colorado River and pick up driftwood and
pack it home in my arms. I remembah we had a lahge cedar bucket wid brass rings aroun' it, and I had to go to the
creek and pack water up to de house. One day, I was walkin' home wid de bucket ob water on my head when a limb
knocked if off and busted it all to pieces. I could balance dat bucket ob water on my head. When dat bucket busted
on de groun', I stahted out cryin' 'cause dat bucket had belonged to Ma befo' she died. I cried and cried. I was only
ten years old, I reckin, and I wasn't old enough to pack sich a big bucket.
"It was about in de eighties when my step-parents moved to de Washington Plantation at Garfield. Dis was de
George Washing fahm on de Colorado River and his folks had moved to Austin. George took care ob the place for
his fathaw, and dem white folks sure was good to us. I had to pick cotton here, too, but I didn't do much good. I had
to do a lot ob plowin' on the place. I done a lot ob plowin' befo' I come here, too.
"It was while I was livin' here dat I got married. De Bible has a writin' in it dat say dat I married Charlie Davidson
on January 9, 1882. Charlie was workin' on the fahm dat belonged to Dr. William Sheppard at Del Valle. De folks
jes' called him doctor, but he was a preacher. He is de one whut married us. Charlie was workin' fo' him, and he was
gittin' fifty cents a day fo' his work. We got our house and milk free, though, and had to buy our meat. Charlie had
to git up early and milk four cows, and den he had to go to de field.
"We had five girls and four boys. Dey is all livin' but one boy. I live here on my place wid some ob my chillun, but
dey won't help me. One daughter livin' here wid me fell on de ice last winter, and crippled herself up. She is still
usin' a crutch. I don't git a pension ob any kind, and I sure has a tough time. My husband died in 1935, and I have no
way to make a livin'. I have no money to pay taxes wid.
"I was too small to know anything about slave uprisings in my days. I was too small to remembah much ob
anything."
Alex Hampton, P.W. Marshall, Texas, Harrison County (10-5-37 (Yes))
