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MOLLY HARRELL was born a slave on the Swanson plantation, near Palestine, Texas. She was a housegirl, but
must have been too small to do much work. She does not know her age, but thinks she was about seven when she
was freed. Molly lives at 3216 Ave H., Galveston, Texas.
"Don't you tell nobody dat I use to be a slave. I 'most forgot it myself till you got round me jes' den. Course, I ain't
blamin' you for it. but what you done say 'bout all de plantations havin' schools was wrong, so I jes' had to tell you I
been a slave myself. It jes' slip out.
"Like I jes' say, I knows what I's talkin' 'bout, 'cause I use to be a slave myself and I don't know how to read and
write. Dat why I say I can't see so good. It don't do to let folks know dey's smarter'n you, 'cause den dey got you
right where dey wants you. Now, Will, dat de man I's marry to, am younger'n me but he don't know it. When you git
marry. you don't tell do man how old you is. He wouldn't have you if you did. 'Course, Will ain't so young heself,
but he's born after de war and I's born durin' slavery, so dat make me older.
"Mr. Swanson use to own de big plantation in Palestine. Everybody in dat part de country knowed him. He use to
live in a plain, wood house on de Palestine road. My mother use to cook and wait on tables. John was my father.
"Dey use to have de little whip dey use on de women. Course de field hands got it worse, but den, dey was men. Mr.
Swanson was good and he was seen. He was nice one day and mean as Hades de next. You never knowed what he
gwine to do. But he never punish nobody 'cept dey done somethin'. My father was a field hand, and Mr. Swanson
work de fire out dem. Work, work ---dat all dey know from time dey git up in de mornin' till dey went to bed at
night. But he wasn't hard on dem like some masters was. If dey sick, dey didn't habe to work and he give dem de
med'cine hisself. If he cotch dem tryin' play off sick, den he lay into dem, or if he cotch dem leafin'. Course, I don't
blame him fer dat, 'cause dere ain't anythin' lazier dan a lazy nigger. Will am 'bout do laziest one in de bunch. You
ain't never find a lazier nigger dan Will.
"I was purty little den, but I done my share. I help my mother dust and clean up de house and peel 'tatoes. Dere
some old men dat too old to work so dey sot in de sun all day and help with de light work. Dey carry grub and water
to de field hands.
"Somebody run 'way all de time and hide in de woods till dere gut pinch dem and den dey have to come back and
git somethin' to eat. Course, dey get beat, but dat didn't worry dem none, and it net long till dey gone 'gain.
"My mother sold into slavery in Georgia, or round dere. Sue tell me funny things 'bout how dey use to do up dere. A
old white man think so much of he old nigger when he die he free dat nigger in he will, and lef' his a little money.
He open de blacksmith shop and buy some slaves. Mother allus say dese free niggers makes do hardes' masters. One
in Palestine marry a nigger slave and buy her from her master. Den he tell everybody he own a slave.
"Everybody talk 'bout freedom and hope to git free 'fare dey die. I 'member do first time de Yankees pass by, my
mother lift me up on de fence. Dey use to pass by with bags on de mules and fill dem with stuff from de houses.
Dey go in de barn and help deyself. Dey ge in de stables and turn out de white folks' hosses and run off what dey
don't take for deyself.
"Den one night I 'member jes' as well, me and my mother was settin' in de cabin gettin' ready to go to bed, when us
hear somebody call my mother. We listen and de overseer whisper under de door and told my mother dat she free
but not to tell nobody. I don't know why he done it. He allus like my mother. so I guess he do it for her. The master
reads us de paper right after dat and say us free.
"Me and my mother lef' right off and go to Palestine. Most everybody else go with us. We all walk down de road
singin' and shoutin' to beat de band. My father come nex' day and jine us, My sister born dere. Den us go to Houston
and Louisiana for a spell and I hires out to cook. I works till us come to Galveston 'bout ten year ago.
Harrell, Molly -- Additional Interview
Molly Harrell was born a slave on the Swanson Plantation near Palestine, Texas. She was a "house girl" until after
the Civil War. She then moved with her family to Palestine, Texas, and from there to other points in Texas and
Louisiana. About 10 years ago she moved to Galveston and now resides at 3218 Ave. H.
"Don' you tell nobody dat I use to be a slave. I 'most forgot it myself 'til you got 'round me jes' den. Course I ain'
blaming you for it, but what you say 'bout all de plantations having schools den was wrong an' I had to tell it to you.
De other jes' slip out.
"Like I jes' said, I know what I is talking 'bout 'cause I use to be a slave myself an' I don' know how to read an'
write. Dat's why I say I can't see so good. It don' do to let people know dat dey is smarter'n you, 'cause den dey got
you right where dey wan' you.
"Will, dat's de man I is married to, is young'n me, but he don' know it. When you git married you don' tell a man
how ol' you is. He wouldn't have you if you did. Course Will ain' so young hisself, but he was born after de War an'
I was born during slavery, so dat makes me old'n him. Like I jes' said, nobody 'round here know dat I use to be a
slave. Course I guess Mr. Swanson keep some record in Palestine 'bout it, but I ain' been back dere since after
freedom an' 'sides dat all de niggers take dere master's name an' I guess dere's half a dozen Molly Swansons.
Dat's my name 'fore I marry Will.
"Mr. Swanson use to own a big plantation in Palestine. Everybody in dat part of de country know him. He use to
live in a plain wood house on de Palestine road. My mother was his house girl. She use to cook an' wait on de
tables. I 'member one time she spill some coffee on de master. He tol' de overseer to whip 'er. De overseer was nice,
but course he had to do what de master say, so he say, 'Martha, I shore hate to do dis. If'n it was John now I
wouldn't mind.' John was my father. My mother say he hit her hard though, cause de master come to de door to see
him do it. Dey use to have a little whip dey use on de women. Course de field hands got it worse, but den dey was
men. My mother say dat one thing she was always sorry for was dat wasn't lye she spill in de master's lap instead of
coffee.
"Mr. Swanson was good an' he was mean, if you understand what I mean. He was nice one day an' mean as hades de
next. You never know what he going to do. But he never punish nobody 'cept dey had done something. My father
was a field hand an' he work de fire out of 'em. Work, work, dat was all dey knew from de time dey got up in de
morning 'till dey wen' to bed at night. But he wasn't hard on em like some of de masters was. If dey was sick dey
didn' have to work 'til dey got well an' he give 'em de medicine hisself. If he caught 'em trying to play off sick, den
he lay into 'em. Or if he caught 'em loafing. Course I don' blame him for dat 'cause dere ain' anything lazier dan a
lazy nigger.
Will is 'bout the laziest one in de bunch. You ain' never find a lazier nigger dan Will.
"But he wouldn't las long 'round Mr. Swanson. Dat one thing you do 'round dere, work. I was pretty little den, but I
done my share. I had to help my mother dust an' clean up de house an' help her in de kitchen. All I done in de
kitchen was peel 'tatoes 'an little things like dat, but I had to do dat. De Swansons never had much of a place. Course
dere was quite a few niggers dere, but dey don' try to be much. Dey hardly ever had company for dinner or stuff like
dat. Dey didn' even care if we wen' to church or not.
"Dere was some ol' men dere dat was too ol' to work in de fields so dey set in de sun all day an' help wit' de light
work. Some time dey carry grub an' water to de field hands. Dey use to eat dere dinner in de fields, jes' grab a bite
while dey work. My mother use to put up de stuff an' dese ol' men dat I was telling you 'bout use to take it to 'em.
"Do I 'Member any run 'ways? Lord, chile, how many? Somebody run 'way all de time an' hide in de woods 'til dere
gut pinch 'em an' den dey have to come back an git something to eat. Course dey got beat, but dat didn't worry 'em
none an' it wasn't long 'til dey was gone 'gain.
"But here I got 'way from dese ol' men I was telling you 'bout. On Sunday we all use to meet at somebody's house
an' hold services. One of dese ol' men use to git up an' make up a prayer,
we didn' have no regular prayers in dem days, an' think up a sermon an' we all use to sing. It's kind of funny dat I
can't 'member none of de songs dey use to sing den. I guess I never knew any 'cause I'd 'membered 'em if I did.
"My mother say dat dey use to do de same way where she come from too. She was sol' into slavery in Georgia, or
somewhere up north dere from Alabama. She use to tell us some funny things 'bout de way dey use to do up north
dere where she was at. She use to tell me a lot 'bout an' ol' white man who thunk so much 'bout his ol' nigger dat
when he die he free him in his will, an' give him a little bit of money to live on. Dat nigger open up a blacksmith
shop in de town wit' de money his master give him an' done so good dat he buy some slaves to help him out wit' de
shop. It ain' take him long to make a lot of money. My mother always say dat dose free niggers make de hardest
kind of masters. I hear my mother talk 'bout a free nigger in Palestine who marry a slave nigger an' den buy her
from her master an' den tell everybody dat he own a slave hisself 'cause he buy her.
"I can't 'member much 'bout slavery no more. It go out of my mind 'cause I never think 'bout it. I know dat we never
had no schools den, like I said when you first come. An' I know dat some of de people use to make dere own
medicine out of weeds. But de master give us de medicine he wan' us to have when we was sick, so dere wasn't
much use in making your own.
"Dey all marry den by jumping over de broom. Two of de slaves use to hold up de broom an' de marriage ones use
to hol' hands an' jump over it. Dey marry kind of young den. Time a girl is sixteen, she got a family. Most of de
slaves had big families. I was de only one my mother had 'til after freedom. Den my sister an' brother was born. But
most of 'em had more'n dat. Dere was one dat had ten-eleven. I 'clare if I ain' forgot her name. She live right next to
us too. It seem kind of funny when I think 'bout all de things I forget. I must be getting kind of ol' after all.
"Everybody den talk 'bout freedom an' hope dey git free 'fore dey die. I don' 'member much 'bout de War. I must
have been pretty little when it start, 'cause I 'member de first time de Yankees pass by dere my mother lift me up on
de fence an' tol' me to look at 'em. I seen 'em a lot of times after dat. Dey use to pass by wit' wallets on dere mules
and fill 'em wit' stuff from de houses. Dey go in de barn an' help dereself. You ain' got no say so over what dey take.
Dey go in de stables an' turn out de white people's horses an' run off what dey don' take for theirself. Dey never got
to fighting 'round dere dat I know 'bout. Lots of niggers run off like dey 'ways do, but I don't think dey wen' to de
Yankees. You see, if you wen' to de Yankees, you had to git in de War an' fight an' dey don' wan' to do dat. We jes'
wen' on same as always an' didn' pay de Yankees no 'tention save when dey come nosing 'round.
"Den one night I 'member jes' as well me an' my mother was setting in de cabin getting ready to go to bed when we
hear somebody call my mother. We listen an' de overseer whisper under de door an' tol' my mother dat she was free
but not to tell nobody. I don' know why he do it. He always like my mother so I guess he do it for her. The master
read us a freedom paper right after dat an' said we was free.
"Me an' my mother left right off an' wen' to Palestine. Most everybody else wen' wit' us. We all walk down de road
singing an' shouting to beat de band. My father come dere de next day an' join us. He got work at some white folk's
an' my mother got something to do an' we stay dere for a while. My sister was born dere. After dat we come on to
Houston an' Beaumont an' wen' to Louisiana for a spell. I hired out an' cook. I got married in Louisiana, but I still
work. I work 'til we come here to Galveston 'bout ten years 'go.
"I don' 'member ever seeing no Klu Kluxes, but I hear plenty of stories 'bout dem. You can't believe all de stories
you hear though, 'cause dose things get stretched so bad.
"I never had no chance to know no prominent people. What dey wan' know somebody like me for? Course I always
take care for myself an' dat's one thing I like 'bout de young folks today, dey know how to take care of theirself. Dey
won't look like some of de women you see now, all wrinkled an' dried-out looking like a---like a---Dat's it! A prune.
Dat's what some of 'em look like.
I don't know myself how ol' I is, but I is ol'n some of dese ol' women you see hobbling 'long. But I keep my hair
dyed an' fix up my face an' try to look nice. If you don' look ol' you don' feel ol', dat's what I 'ways say. Course if
you look in de looking glass an' see an old woman, you going to feel like an ol' woman. But if you see a young
looking woman wit' a kind of pretty face, you is going to smile an' feel good 'bout it. You take care of yourself,
honey, 'cause it shore will pay you in de long run."
Miss Effie Cowan McLennan County, Texas Dist. #8 (September 20, 1937 (No))
