|
|
||
|
Bastrop County, TX |
||
|
|
||
|
|
Patterson, Mary Anna MARY ANNE PATTERSON,
who now lives with her daughter, Elisabeth Lee, in Austin, Texas, was born in Louisiana, but she does
not know exactly where. She is between 97 and 102 years old. Mary and her mother
belonged to Col. Aaron Burleson of Rogers' Hill, Travis County,
Texas. "Way back
yonder my name was Mary Anne Burleson and I's born in Louisiana somewhere. I knows I's told dey
brung me and my mammy to Texas when I's eighteen months old, and dat
Massa Turner what brung us, sold us to Col. Aaron
Burleson. Massa Burleson buy both of
us, 'cause he a good man and didn't 'lieve in separatin' a chile from de mammy. I do think dat
man gone to Heaven. "When I growed up it was my job to wet nuss
Rufe Burleson, 'cause he
mammy didn't have 'nough milk
for him. Beside dat. I helped in de loom room and have to spin five cuts de day, but I's fast 'nough to make eight cuts. "Durin' cotton pickin' time I larns to count a little, 'cause
I picks de cotton, brung it to de wagon and listen to 'em
countin' on does scales. Purty
soon I could of counted my own cotton. "Massa Burleson
good to we'uns and when a woman have a chile and no husband to take care of her, he make
a man go out and chop wood for her, and dat slave
had better act like he wants to. Massa so good to us he have
lumber hauled clear from de Bastrop pineries and builds us good wood dwellin's. He have de plantation on Rogers' Hill what am
oust of Austin. "Now, let me
tell you 'bout de cooks. Massa Burleson have de cook for de big house and de cook for de slaves. Dere a kitchen in de big house for de white folks and dere a kitchen with a long table for de hands. We had purty good victuals and I 'member we have so much hawg meat
we'd throw de hog's head and feet 'way. Massa raised he own hawgs and everythin' he et, we had it, too. Sometimes we et deer meat and dere times we
had bear meat and honey, 'cause
Massa Burleson have he own bees, too. "I 'member how
at sweet 'tater time my mammy'd sneak out to de
patch and scratch up some sweet 'taters. When Massa Burleson
finds de 'taters gone, he jes' say, 'Now, I know nobody done dis but de Lawd!' "I seed many a Injun and seed 'em in droves.
Dem Injuns never bothered us. A old Injun call Placedo and
he son come on down to massa's place and he give 'em plenty food. When de Injuns come near de cattle'd bellow and cut up. 'cause
dey knowed it was Injuns
'round. "When I's 'bout
20 years old I marries Alex Patterson and he was brung
from Tennessee to Texas and owned by
Massa Joshua Patterson. After freedom we rents land from Massa Patterson and lives dere and farms 'bout seven years. "Me and Alex has 15 chillen and
six of dem is still livin'.
Dere is two here in Texas and two in California and one in Oklahoma and
one in Kansas. My husband am dead now and I's alone. "I owns a
little farm of 36 acres out near Rogers' Hill and I gits
sixty dollars de year for de rentin' of dat
land and now de folks wants me to sell it, But my husband bought dat place and I wants to keep rents don't git no pension. I know dis much. I's worked harder since after freedom dan
I ever worked befo' freedom. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|