|
|
ORELIA ALEXIE FRANKS was born on the plantation of Valerian Martin, near Opelousas, Louisiana. She does
not know her age, but thinks she is near ninety. Her voice has the musical accent of the French Negro. She has lived
in Beaumont, Texas, many years.
"I's born on Mr. George Washington's birthday, the twenty-second of February but I don't know what year. My old
massa was Valerian Martin and he come from foreign country. He come from Canada and he Canada French. He
wife name Malite Guidry. Old massa a good Catholic and he taken all the li'l slave chillen to be christen. Oh, he's a
Christian massa and I used to be a Catholic but now I's a Apostolic, but I's christen in St. Johas Catholic Church,
what an close to Lafayette, where I's born.
"My pa name Alexis Franks and he was American and Creole. My ma name Fanire Martin and I's raise where
everybody talk French. I talks American but I talks French goodest.
"Old massa he big cane and cotton farmer and have big plantation and raise everything, and us all well treat. Dey
feed us right, too. Raise big hawg in de pen and raise lots of beef. All jes' for to feed he cullud folks.
"Us quarters out behind de big house and old massa come round through de quarters every mornin' and see how us
niggers is. If us sick he call muss. She old slavery woman. She come look at 'em. If dey bad sick dey send for de
doctor. Us house all log house. Dey all dab with dirt 'tween de legs. Dey have dirt chimney make out of sticks and
dab with mud, Day
"Lote of time we eat coosh-coosh. Dat make out of meal and water. You bile de water and salt it, den put in de
cornmeal and stir it and bile it. Den you puts milk or clabber or syrup on it and eat it.
"Old massa have de graveyard a purpose to bury de cullud folks in. Dey have cullud preacher. Dey have funeral in
de graveyard. Dat nigger preacher he a Mef'dist.
"Old massa son-in-law, he overseer. He 'low nobody to beat de slaves. Us li'l once git spank when we bad. Dey put
us 'cross de knee and spark us where day allus spank chillun.
"Christmas time dey give big dinner. Dey give all de old men whiskey. Everybody have big time.
"Day make lots of sugar. After day finish cookin' de sugar day draw off what left from de pots and give it to us
chillen. Us have candy pullin'.
"Day weave dey own cloth. Us have good clothes. Dey weave de cloth for make mattress and stuff 'em with moss.
Massa she' believe to serve he niggers good. I see old massa when he die. Us see old folks cry and us cry, too. Dey
have de priest and burn de candles. Us she' miss old massa.
"I see lots of sojers. Dey as many like hair on your head. Dey Yankees. Dey call 'em bluejackets. Dey a fight up
near mass's house. Us climb in tree for to see. Us hear bullets ge 'seem' through de air 'round dat tree but us didn't
knew it was bullets. A man rid up on a hoss and tell massa to git us piccaninnies out dat tree or dey git kilt. De
Yankees have dat battle and dem sot us niggers free.
"Old massa, he de kind man what let de niggers have dey prayer meetin'. He give 'em a big cabin for dat. Shout?
Yes, Lawd! Sing like dis:
"'Mourner, fare you well,
Gawd 'Mighty bless you,
Till we meets again.'
"Us sings 'nother song:
"'Sinner blind.
Johanie, can't you ride no more?
Sinner blind,
Your feets may be slippin'
Your soul git lest.
Johnnie, can't you ride no more?
Yes, Lawd,
Day by day you can't see.
Johnnie, can't you ride no more?
Yes, Lawd.'"
Franks, Orelia Alexie -- Additional Interview
She is so thin that her unbelted print dress hangs in folds from shoulder to ankle, and reveals her bony contours at
every move. Orelia Alexie Franks, Beaumont negress, has an erect carriage despite her years, which she is unable to
count. Thick, grayish white wool, unbraided and unparted, covers her head. Her voice has that peculiar musical
accent of the French negro, and gestures too, are expressive of that race. She derives much pleasure from repeating
the fact that she was born on Washington's Birthday and on the plantation of Valerian Martin, near Opelousas. She
has been in Beaumont for many years and has raised a numerous family of her own, and grandchildren and great
grandchildren.
"I was bo'n on Mr. George Washington's birfday---de twenty-secon' of Febawary. I don' no w'at year I was bo'n in
but I was bo'n on Washington's birfday."
"My ol' marster was Valerian Martin. He come from foreign country. He come from Canada an' he Canada French.
He was marry twict. He secon' wife was name Malite Guidry. I dunno w'at he fus' wife name. Ol' marster he tuken
all de li'l slave chillen to de Cath'lic Chu'ch for to be chris'en'. Oh, he was a Christian marster. I uster be a Cath'lic
but now I's a Apostolic. Dat was in Saint Johns Cath'lic Chu'ch. Dat was close to LaFayette, Lou'siana w'er I was
bo'n."
"My pa' name was Alexis Franks. He was 'Merican an' Creole. My ma' name Fanire Martin. My pa die' w'en I little.
I was raise' w'er eb'rybudy talk' French. I talks 'Merican but I talks French goodes'."
"I was bo'n on Febawary de twenty-secon'. I was'n' not quite sebel years in slav'ry. I uster play 'roun' with de other
chillen. De w'ite chillen dey was ol' missus' gran'darters. Dey uster had dem big doll an' us uster play with 'em. I tell
you w'er dat was. It was 'bout a mile from w'er de railroad roun'house was, 'bout a mile from town."
"Oo-oo de sojers, I see lots of 'em. Dey so many dey like hair on yer head. Dey was Yankees. Dey uster call 'em
Bluejackets. Dey was a fight not far from de quarters right up in front of Marster's house. Us chillen clim' up in a
tree to see. Twar'n't long 'fo' us hear bullets go 'zoom' froo (through) de air 'roun' dat tree but us didn' know w'at it
was. Den a man rid' up on a hoss an' tell marster he better git dem pickaninnies outer dat tree an' put 'em in de house
or dey git kilt. Den dey put de chillen back in de quarters so dey be quiet an' don' git shoot. De Yankees hab dat
battle an' den dey sot de niggers free."
"Ol' marster he stay home. He git it fix up so him an' he son-in-law don' hafter go to de war."
"Ol' marster he big cane an' cotton farmer. Oo-oo-oo dey hab big plantation an' raise eb'ryt'ing. Us was all well
treat', Laws a mussy, yes. Dey feed us all right too. Give 'em all dey could eat. Raise' big hog' in de pen. Dey raise
lotser beef. All jes' for to feed his cullud folks. Dey hab a ol' man an' a ol' woman to stay in de quarters an' tek care
of de chillen w'en dey daddys an' mammies out in de fiel'
wukkin'. He kep' a book w'er he sot down de time all de chilen was bo'n an' Baptis'."
"Marster de kind of man w'at let his niggers hab dey own prayer meetin'. He give 'em a big cabin for dey prayer
meetin'. Shout? Yes, Lawd.' Uster sing,
'Mourner, fare you well God Almighty, bless you 'Til we meet ag'in.'
Another song dey uster sing was,
'Sinner blin' Johnnie can't you ride no mo'? Sinner blin' Yo' feet may be slippin' Yo' soul git loss, Johnnie can't you
ride no mo'? Yes, Lawd, Day by day you cannot see, Johnnie can't you ride no mo'? Yes, Lawd.'
"I dunno wedder dey g'oses or ha'nts or w'at, but dey uster mek me run many a time. One time I see a man an' a
woman all dress' in black. So Fannie hafter run, but dey ketch me. One time w'en I's layin' down, sump'n' come
press on my eye. So I git up an' put my li'l mattress close by de big folks bed."
"De nigger quarters was out b'hin' de big house. Ol' marster uster come 'roun' froo (through) de quarters eb'ry
mo'nin' an' see how de niggers was. If dey was sick he call' for de nuss (nurse). She was a ol' slav'ry woman an dat
was w'at she hafter do. She come look at 'em. If dey bad sick dey sen' for de doctor."
"De house in de quarters was all log house. Dey was all dab with dirt 'tween de logs. Dey hab a dirt chim'ly mek
outer sticks an' dab with mud. Dey hab a sep'rit bedstid in de house an' bench an' some rawhide bottom chair. Lotser
time' dey give us coosh-coosh. Dat mek outn' meal an' water. You bile de water an' salt it den you put in de co'n
meal an' stir it an' bile it 'til it t'ick jis' right. Den you put milk or clabber or surup on it an' eat it."
"Ol' marster hab a grabeyard a purpose to bury de cullud folks in. Dey hab a cullud preacher to preach. Dey hab de
fun'rel in de grabeyard. Sometime' dey hab some kinder servis at de house too. Dat nigger preacher he was a
Mef'dis."
"Ol' marster son-in-law was he oberseer. He didn' 'low nobudy to beat up he slaves. Cose us little ones git spank'
sometime'. Dey jis' put us 'cross dey knee an' spank us on de place w'er dey allus spank chillen, you know. Dey
spank' w'ite chillen an' nigger chillen all de same. W'en folks git marry dey git marry by jumpin' over de broom."
"Crissmus time dey give 'em a big dinner. Dey give all de ol' men whiskey. Eb'rybudy hab big time. Us chillen uster
call ol' marster 'Matt'. He name was Andrew Martin. W'en dey see 'im come at twel' o'clock dey all run to meet 'im."
"Dey uster mek lotser sugar. Atter dey finish' cookin' de sugar dey draw off w'at was lef' from de pots an' give it to
de chillen an' us hab candy pullin'."
"I see ol' marster w'en he die'. Us chillen didn' know w'at "dead" mean. Us see de ol' folks cry an' us cry' too. Dey
hab de Pries' an' burn candles. Us sho' miss ol' marster. Us uster keep on lookin' for 'im in de middle of de day."
"Dey uster weave dey own clof. Us hab good clo's. Dey weave de clof for mek mattress outer an' stuff 'em with
moss. Marster sho' b'leebe to serb (serve) he niggers good."
