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MARY KINCHEON EDWARDS' says she was born on July 8, 1810, but she has nothing to substantiate this claim.
However, she is evidently very old. Her memory is poor, but she knows she was reared by the Kincheons, in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, and that she spoke French when a child. The Kincheons gave her to Felix Vaughn, who brought
her to Texas before the Civil War. Mary lives with Beatrice Watters, near Austin, Texas.
"When I's a li'l gal my name (Mary Anne Kincheen) and I's born on the eighth of July, in 1810. I lives with de
Kincheen family ever in Louisiana. Baton Rouge am de name of dat place. Dem Kincheens have plenty chillen. O,
dey have so many chillen!
"I don't 'member much 'bout dem days. I's done forget so many things, but I 'members how de stars fell and how
scared us was. Dem stars get to fallin' and was out 'fore dey hits de ground. I don't know when dat was, but I's good
size den.
"I got give to Massa Felix Vaughn and he brung me to Texas. Dat long 'fore de war for freedom, but I don't know de
year. De most work I done for de Vaughns was wet nuss de baby son, what name Elijah. His mammy jes' didn't
have 'nough milk for him.
"Den I knit de socks and wash de clothes and sometimes I work in de fields. I he'ped make de baskets for de cotton.
De man git white oak weed and we lots it stay in de water for de night and de nex' mornin' and it soft and us split it
in strips for makin' of de baskets. Everybody try see who could make de bes' basket.
"Us pick 'bout 100 pound cotton in one basket. I didn't mind pickin' cotton, 'cause I never did have de backache. I
pick two and three hunnert pounds a day and one day I picked 400. Sometime de prize give by massa to de slave
what pick de most. De prize am a big cake or some clothes. Pickin' cotton not so bad, 'cause us used to it and have
de fine time of it. I gits a dress one day and a pair shoes 'nother day for pickin' most. I so fast I take two rows at de
time.
"De women brung oil cloths to de fields, so dey make, shady place for de chillen to sleep, but dem what big 'nough
has to pick. Sometime dey sing
"'O---he, I's gwine home,
And cuss de old overseer.'
"Us have ash-hopper and uses drip-lye for make barrels soap and hominy. De way us test de lye am drap de egg in it
and if de egg float de lye ready to put in de grease for makin' de soap. Us threwed greasy bones in de lye and dat
make de bes' soap. De lye eat de bones.
"Us boil wild sage and make tea and it smell good. It good for de fever and chills. Us git slippery elm out de bottom
and chew it. Some chew it for bad feelin's and some jes' to be chewin'.
"Sometimes us go to dances and missy lot me wear some her jewl'ry. I out dances dem all and folks didn't knew dat
not my jewl'ry. After freedom I stays with de Vaughns and marries, but I fergit he name. Dat 'fore freedom. After
freedom I marries Osburn Edwards and has five chillen. Dey all dead new. I can still git 'round with dis old gnarly
cane. Jes' you git me good and scared and see how fast I can git 'round!"
Edwards, Mary Kincheon -- Additional Interview
Mrs. Mary Kincheon Edwards, who says she is 127 years old, was born a slave on July 8, 1810. She was brought up
by the Kincheons of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She remembers she could speak French in Louisiana. She doesn't
remember when she came to Texas but she does remember that the Kincheons gave her to Felix Vaughn with whom
she stayed during slavery. She remembers only a few incidents of life as a slave. She says she learned to read a little
after freedom, but has now forgotten all she ever learned. During slavery, she married a man named Mill, but she
can't remember his first name. After freedom she married Osburn Edwards. They had five children, all of whom are
dead. Her mother was Celie Kincheon and her father was Thomas Kincheon. Mary lives with Mrs. Beatrice Watters,
Rural Route #5, Box #151, Austin. She uses a gnarled cane and can still shuffle about. She gets a monthly pension
from the State of Texas. Her story:
"When I was a little girl my name was Mary Anne Kincheon. I was bawn on July 8, 1810. I lived wid de Kincheon
fambly in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Day Kincheons had plenty ob chillun....oh, day had so many chillun! All I
remembah is how me and a lot ob dem kids worked in de fields.
"I don' remembah much about dem days, 'xceptin' dat I know I could talk French but I kan't no mo'e. I'se done fo'got
so many things. I know how at one time de stahs got to fallin' and how scared de people was. De stahs fell and was
out befo' day hit de groun'. I don' know when dis was.
"I don' know when it was when we come to Texas, but I do know I was give to Mawster Felix Vaughn. My Mistress
was Emily Vaughn.
"About the mos' work I had to do fo' de Vaughns' was to wetnuss dere baby son, Elijah Vaughn. His mammy jes'
didn't have enough milk fo' him.
"Den I also had to knit socks, fix up and wash de clothes, and at times I worked in de field. Mawster Vaughn give
me my room and board, and also some pay. Every month he give me some money but I don' remembah how much it
was.
"I know dat we used mighty big baskets to pick cotton in. I had to help make dem baskets. De men would git us
some white-oak wood, and we'd let it stay in de water fo' de night and next mawnin', it was soft and ready to be split
into strips fo' de makin' ob de baskets. I could make a basket putty fast but I had to do other work in between, too.
Everybody tried to see who could make de best basket.
"We could pick about one hunnert pounds ob cotton in one basket. I didn't mind pickin' de cotton, 'cause I never did
have a backache. I was never bothered wid a backache in my life. I picked two and three hunnert pounds ob cotton a
day, and one day I picked about four hunnert pounds.
"Sometimes a prize was give by the owner ob a plantation to de slave whut could pick de most cotton fo' one day.
De prizes was a big cake or a suit fo' a man and a dress fo' a woman. Pickin' cotton at dat time wasn't so bad, 'cause
we was used to it. We had a fine time ob it. One time I won a fine dress and another time a pair ob shoes fo' pickin'
de most cotton fo' de day. I'd be so fast dat I could take two rows at a time.
"A lot ob de wimmen would bring oil-clothes to de fields, so day could make a shady place fo' de kids to sleep. De
kids dat was big and ole enough had to go out and pick de cotton.
"Some of de folks was putty happy in de fields and would sing:
'O-ho, I'se gwine home, and cuss out de ole overseer.'
"We had a ash-hopper and we'd use de drip-lye fo' makin' barrels ob soap and hominy. De way we tested de lye was
to drop a egg in it. If de egg was floatin', de lye was ready to be put into de grease fo' makin' soap. Sometimes we
used greasy bones and throwed 'em into de lye. Dis made de best kind ob soap. De lye would eat up de bones and
make very fine soap.
"We would boil wild sage and make a tea. Dis tea sho smells good. I use a little sugar wid it but I gets mo'e good
out ob it without de sugah. It's good fo' fevah and chills. Some people use it fo' almost anything. When day feels
bad. Yo' jes' pull up de whole sage weed, let de leaves dry--lay 'em up somewheahs in de shade and den make yo'
tea.
"People would go to de bottoms and cut out a piece ob slippery elm, and dan chew it. Dis was good fo' a lot ob
things. Slippery elm was slimey lak chewin' wax. Most ob de folks used it to cure bad feelings. And others would
jes' chew it to be chewin'.
"Sometimes we went to dances to other plantations. We went in big wagons which was pulled by oxen. We'd hurry
up our work so we could go early. Mistress Emily would let me wear one ob her good dresses and some ob her
jewelry to de dances. Folks would say:
"Look at Mary.....she out dances us all; and look at all ob dat jewelry!
"De folks didn't know dat it wasn't my jewelry. I sho had a good time.
"After freedom, I still stayed on wid de Vaughns. I was married to Mill------don' remembah his first name--befo'
slavery ended. After freedom I married Osburn Edwards. I had five chillun but day is all gone.
"I can still git aroun'. Jes' yo' git me good and scared and see how fast I can git aroun'!
Alfred E. Menn Austin, Texas (September 8, 1937 (No))
