William Green

Oak St.* Houston, Texas, is 84. All of her people and their masters came fron Virginia and settled in Louisiana about 1853. Her grandparents belonged to the Green family and her parents, Charity and William Green, "belonged to Tolas Parsons* Ellen lives with friends $iio support her. Her sole belonging is an old trunk and she carries the key on a string around her neck* , ^ \ 9 v ^A "I got borned on de Bayou Teche, clost to Opelousas* Dat in St. Maryfs Parish, in Louisiana, end I belonged to Tolas Parsons, what had fbout 500 slaves, count in1 de big ones and de little ones, snd he had God know what else* When my eyes jes' barely fresh open, Marse Tolas die and will de hull lot of us to he brother. William Tolas. And I tells you dat Marse Willie am de greates1 man what ever walk dis earth* Datfs de truth. I can't lie on him when de pore man's in he grave* H When a whuppin1 got to be done, old Marse do it heself* He don't 'low no overseer to throw he gals down and pull up dere dress and whup on dere bottoms like I hear tell some of 'em do. Hvin1 I fspect one part of he hands be with him today* Was he still I knows I would. "When us niggers go down de road folks say, * Bern's Parson's niggers. D0B!t hit one dem niggers for God's sake, or Parsons sho' eat your jacket up.1 "Aunt Rachel what cook in de big house for Miss Cornelia had four youngfuns and dem chillen fat and slick as I ever seen. All de niggers have to stoop to Annt Rachel jes1 like dey curtsy to Missy* I mind de 75 Ex-slave Stories (Texas) Page Two * time her husband, Uncle Jiraf git mad and hit her over de head with de poker. k "big knot raise tip on Aunt Rachel's head and when Marse 'quire 'bout it, she say she done Trump de he^d. him. She dassn't tell on Uncle Jim or Marse sho1 heat liarse sho' proud dera…

,. 25 Betty Farrow 33 Sarah Ford 41 Louis Fowler 50 Orelia Alexie Franks 60 Priscilla Gibson 66 Andrew Goodman 74 Austin Grant 81 James Green 87 0. W Green and Granddaughter 90 William Green, (Rev. Bill) 96 Pauline Grice 98 Mandy Hadnot 102 William Hamilton 106 Felix Haywood 130 Phoebe Henderson 135 Albert Hill 137 Eliza Holman 148 Bill Homer 153 Scott Hooper 157 Facing page Alice Houston 159 Moses Hursey 169 Charley Hurt 172 Wash Ingram 177 Carter J. Jackson 180 James Jackson 182 Martin Jackson 187 Richard Jackson 195 John James 198 Gus Johnson 208 James D. Johnson 216 Mary Ellen Johnson 223 Pauline Johnson and Felice Boudreaux 225 Spence Johnson 228 Harriet Jones 251 Harriet Jones with Daughter and Granddaughter 231 Lewis Jones 237 Lizzie Jones 246 Sam Kilgore 255 Ben Kinchlow 260 Mary Kindred 285 420*385 Si-SUlVE ST0SI2S (fexas) Page One > flLUS EASTER, 35, was bora near Nacog&oches, Texas, He does not know the name of his first master, Frank Sparks brou^it Willis to Bosqueville, Texas, when he was two years old. Willis believes firmly in Hconjure^ient, and ghosts, and wears several charms for protection against the former. He lives in Waco, Texas, "1*8 birthed below Nacogdoches, and dey tells me it am on March 19th, in 1852. My mammy had some kind of pgper what say dat. But I donft know my master, Marse Frank Sparks f cause when I*s two he done give me to and he brung me to Bosqueville, Dat sizeable place My maamy come fbout a month after, 'cause Marse Prank, he s y dem days. I1 s too much trouble without my mammy. tt Mammy de bes1 cook in de county and a master hand at spinninr and weaving She made her own dye* Walnut and elm makes red dye and walnut brown color, and shumake makes black color. When you wants yallow color, git cedar moss out de brake* W A11 de lint…