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PAULINE GRICE, 81, was born a slave of John Blackshier, who owned her mother, about 150 slaves, 50 slave
children, and a large plantation near Atlanta, Georgia. Pauline married Navasota Grice in 1875 and they moved to
Texas in 1917. Since her husband's death in 1928 Fauline has depended on the charity of friends, with whom she
lives at 2504 Ross Ave., North Fort Worth, Texas.
"White man, dis old cullud woman am not strong. 'Bout all my substance am gone now. De way you sees me layin'
on dis bed am what I has to do mos' de time. My mem'randum not so good like 'twas.
"De place I am borned am right near Atlanta, in Georgia, and on dat plantation of Massa John Blackshier. A big
place, with 'bout 150 growed slaves and 'bout 50 pickininnies. I doesn't work till near de surrender. 'cause I's too
small. But us don't leave Massa John, us go right on workin' for him like 'fore.
"Massa John am de kind massa and don't have whuppin's. He tell de overseer, 'If you can't make dem niggers work
without de whup, den you not de man I wants.' Mos' de niggers 'have theyselves and when day don't massa put dem
in de li'l house what he call de jail, with nothin' to eat till days ready to do what he say. Onct or twict he sell de
nigger what won't do right and do de work.
"Us have de cabin what am made from logs but us only sleeps dere. All us cookin' done in de big kitchen. Dere am
three women what do dat, and give us de meals in de long shed with de long tables.
"To de bes' of dis nigger's mem'randum, de feed am good. Plenty of everything and corn am de mostest us have.
Dere am cornbread and cornmeal mush and corn hominy and corn grits and parched corn for drink, 'stead of tea of
coffee. Us have milk and 'lasses and brown sugar, and some meat. Dat all raise on de place. Stuff for to eat and
wear, dat am made by us cullud folks and dat place am what dey calls se'f-s'portin'. De shoemaker make all de shoes
and fix de leather, too.
"After breakfas' in de mornin' de niggers am gwine here, dere and everywhere, jus' like de big factory. Every one to
he job, some a-whistlin'. some a-singin'. Dey sings diff'rent songs and dis an one when days gwine to work:
"'Old cotton, old corn, see you every morn.
Old cotton, old corn, see you since I's born.
Old cotton, old corn, hoe you till dawn,
Old cotton, old corn, what for you born?'
"Yes, suh, everybody happy on massa's place till war begin. He have two sons and Willie an 'bout 18 and Dave am
'bout 17. Dey jines de army and after 'bout a year, massa jine too, and, course, dat make de missy awful sad. She
have to 'pend on de overseer and it warn't like massa keep things runnin'.
"In de old days, if de niggers wants de party, massa am de big toad in de puddle. And Christmas, it am de day for de
big time. A tree am fix, and some present for everyone. De white preacher talk 'bout Christ. Us have singin' and
'joyment all day. Den at night, de big fire builded and all us sot 'round it. Dere am 'bout hundred hawg bladders save
from hawg killin'. So, on Christmas night, de chillen takes dem and puts dem on de stick. Fust dey is all blowed full
of air and tied tight and dry.
Den de chillen holds de bladder in de fire and purty soon, 'B A N G,' dey goes. Dat am de fireworks.
"Dat all changed after massa go to war. Fust de 'federate sojers come and takes some mules and hosses, den some
more come for de corn. After while, de Yankee sojers comes and takes some more. When dey gits through, dey ain't
much more tookin' to be done. De year 'fore surrender, us am short of rations and sometime us hongry. Us sees no
battlin' but de cannon bang all day. Once, dey bang two whole days 'thout hardly stoppin'. Dat am when missy go
tech in de head, 'cause massa and de boys in dat battle. She jus' walk 'round de yard and twist de hands and say.
'Dey sho' git kilt. Dey sho' dead.' Den when extra loud noise come from de cannon, she scream. Den word come
Willie am kilt. She gits over it, but she am de diff'rent woman. For her, it am trouble, trouble and more trouble.
"She can't sell de cotton. Dey done took all de rations and us couldn't eat de cotton. One day she tell us, 'De war am
on us. De sojers done took de rations. I can't well de cotton, 'cause of de blockade.' I don't know what am dat
blockade, but she say it. 'Now,' she say. 'All you cullud folks born and raise here and us allus been good to you. I
can't help it 'cause rations am short and I'll do all I can for you. Will yous be patient with me?' All us stay dere and
help missy all us could.
"Den massa come home and say, 'Yous gwine be free. Far as I cares, you is free now, and can stay here and tough it
through or go where you wants. I thanks yous for all de way yous done while I's gone, and I'll help you all I can.' Us
all stay and it sho' am tough times. Us have most nothin'
to eat and den de Ku Klux come 'round dere. Massa say not mix with dat crowd what lose de head, jus' stay to home
and work. Some dem niggers on other plantations ain't keep de head and dey gits whupped and some gits kilt, but us
does what massa say and has no trouble with dem Klux.
"It 'bout two year after freedom mammy gits marry and us goes and works on shares. I stays with dem till 1875 and
den marries Navasota Robert Grice and us live by farmin' till he die, nine year since. 'Bout 20 year since us come
here from Georgia and works de truck farm. I has two chillen but dey dead. De way I feels now, 'twon't be long 'fore
I goes, too. My friends is good to me and lets me stay with dem.
