LookUP: Slave Narratives
Replies: 3
Dave Owens slave master
|
|
Posted: 13 Jun 2004 5:14AM GMT |
Classification: Query
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
Owens, George
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
GEORGE Owens, medium in height and weight, seated comfortably under the shade of an old oak tree, was clad in a blue shirt and overalls, and brogan shoes with a few slits cut in them to prevent hurting his feet. He has kinky gray hair, a bit of gray hair on his chin and a nicely trimmed mustache on his upper lip. George's right eye is completely closed from an injury which he received while in railroad service. Born near Marshall, Texas, the slave of Dave Owens, he told his story with great interest and enjoyed the opportunity to tell about the old days.
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"I was bo'n right close to de ol' powder mill up in Marshall, Texas, where dey uster mek powder. Understan'? Dey call it Mills Quarters. I was a right sizeable boy twel' year' ol' when freedom come."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Dave Owens, dat was my ol' marster' name, and dat was my daddy' name too. My name' George William David Owen. I use dat William 'cause one of dem other Owens uster git my mail."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Ol' marster he had a big farm plantation. Dey uster raise cotton, and co'n and 'taters and sich like. My daddy was do shoemaker for de plantation."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"One day me and my daddy was talkin'. Dat was de fus' Crismus atter freedom. He say to me, 'Son, does you know how ol' you is?' I say, 'No, suh.' He say, 'Well, you is 12 year' ol'.' I 'member dat and dat was de fus' Crismus atter freedom."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Williams was my fus' marster but he sol' us to Owens. He live in Marshall, but he hab a plantation 'bout t'ree or fo' mile' out. Atter dat Owens he buy out Mills Quarters from Williams."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"My wuk was jis' de odds and en's 'roun' de yard. When ol' mistus call me and tell me to pick up chips, or pull up weeds or bring in wood and sich, I hafter do it. You know how wimmen is, allus havin' you do fus' one t'ing and den anudder. I neber did wuk in de fiel'."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"It was a big plantation. Dey was in de neighborhood of 25 or 30 slaves on de place. Us had a good marster and I 'speck us was pretty lucky. Ol' marster see to it dat us have plenty to eat. Dey feed us milk and 'taters and peas, and bread and meat. No sir, we didn' sit down at no trough for to eat. Dey had tables in de slaves houses. Us sit down to us meals like human bein's. My mammy was de cook on de place. Her name was Sarah Owens."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Dey give de little ones what couldn' come to de table, a pan and spoon for dem to have at meal time. Dem what so little dey can't eat outer a pan, dey have suck bottles for dem."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Dey milk 'bout 12 or 14 head of cow' on do place. Dey had plenty of milk and butter. Dey had a big safe what dey put de milk and butter in to keep it fresh. Dere was a trough wid water in it and dey sot de milk and butter in it in de summer time. Dey had a peg of wood in a hole at do on', and when dey want to change de water dey pull out de peg and drain de water out and put some cool fresh water in."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"When I was a boy us uster play wid spools, and puppies and stick hosses. Us uster have bows and arrers. Sometime us go out in de wood huntin' wid do bows and arrers. Us shoot at birds and sich, but us neber did had no luck at it."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"De grown up folks uster go huntin' at night and kill deers and 'possums. Dey had to have a permit transfer iffen dey go huntin' or go from one plantation to anudder. Iffen dey didn' have a permit do patterrollers would git 'em."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"De patterrollers neber git me. I see 'em chase slaves. When dey ketch 'em dey whip 'em, and tell 'em nex' time be sho' to have a pass from ol' marster."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"I neber see ol' marster beat nobody. What whippin' he done he done it wid his mout'. He mighty keen speakin' den, but when he speak rough to a nigger he need it."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"De kind of chu'ch dey have in dem days on dat place was fence-corner chu'ch. Dey go off down in de fence corner and sing and pray. Dey feerd for anybody to see 'em."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Dey was some cullud preacher' 'roun' but dey warn't on us plantation. I jine' de Baptis' Chu'ch but dat was way atter slavery. I uster be pro tem deacon."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"De fus' money I earn' was wukkin' on the T&P Railroad. I jis' blow it in, you know like boys do. I los' dis eye railroadin'. I was spikin' on a col' frosty mornin'. I hit dat spike and it broke up in t'ree piece' and do middle piece hit me in do eye and put it out."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Seems like I 'members de sojers. I couldn' specify wedder dey was Yankees or not. You know dat ol' battle fo't (fort) was dere at Marshall, two or t'ree mile' from Mills Quarters."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Dem sojers had on long blue overcoats wid brass buttons on 'em. Dey was a eagle on dem button. De way I 'member dat, I find one in de road like it was tore off and I pick it up and make me a play toy outer it."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Description:
Contained here is an incomplete file of Black Death records of Charleston, SC. The dates range from 1871 to 1889. This file contains the following fields: last name, first name, date of death. Some of these names had something written in the margin, which I have added under side notes. There were only a few side notes; they consisted of place names or cause of death. You will find there are many infant/child deaths included in this file, only one parent name if any was provided. These files will allow the researcher to find the date of death and maybe a location or cause of death. The fields of information include, last name, given name, parent name, date of death.
Given Name Surname Date Location
George Owens June 19, 1880
George Owens May 17, 1883
Owens, George
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
GEORGE Owens, medium in height and weight, seated comfortably under the shade of an old oak tree, was clad in a blue shirt and overalls, and brogan shoes with a few slits cut in them to prevent hurting his feet. He has kinky gray hair, a bit of gray hair on his chin and a nicely trimmed mustache on his upper lip. George's right eye is completely closed from an injury which he received while in railroad service. Born near Marshall, Texas, the slave of Dave Owens, he told his story with great interest and enjoyed the opportunity to tell about the old days.
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"I was bo'n right close to de ol' powder mill up in Marshall, Texas, where dey uster mek powder. Understan'? Dey call it Mills Quarters. I was a right sizeable boy twel' year' ol' when freedom come."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Dave Owens, dat was my ol' marster' name, and dat was my daddy' name too. My name' George William David Owen. I use dat William 'cause one of dem other Owens uster git my mail."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Ol' marster he had a big farm plantation. Dey uster raise cotton, and co'n and 'taters and sich like. My daddy was do shoemaker for de plantation."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"One day me and my daddy was talkin'. Dat was de fus' Crismus atter freedom. He say to me, 'Son, does you know how ol' you is?' I say, 'No, suh.' He say, 'Well, you is 12 year' ol'.' I 'member dat and dat was de fus' Crismus atter freedom."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Williams was my fus' marster but he sol' us to Owens. He live in Marshall, but he hab a plantation 'bout t'ree or fo' mile' out. Atter dat Owens he buy out Mills Quarters from Williams."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"My wuk was jis' de odds and en's 'roun' de yard. When ol' mistus call me and tell me to pick up chips, or pull up weeds or bring in wood and sich, I hafter do it. You know how wimmen is, allus havin' you do fus' one t'ing and den anudder. I neber did wuk in de fiel'."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"It was a big plantation. Dey was in de neighborhood of 25 or 30 slaves on de place. Us had a good marster and I 'speck us was pretty lucky. Ol' marster see to it dat us have plenty to eat. Dey feed us milk and 'taters and peas, and bread and meat. No sir, we didn' sit down at no trough for to eat. Dey had tables in de slaves houses. Us sit down to us meals like human bein's. My mammy was de cook on de place. Her name was Sarah Owens."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Dey give de little ones what couldn' come to de table, a pan and spoon for dem to have at meal time. Dem what so little dey can't eat outer a pan, dey have suck bottles for dem."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Dey milk 'bout 12 or 14 head of cow' on do place. Dey had plenty of milk and butter. Dey had a big safe what dey put de milk and butter in to keep it fresh. Dere was a trough wid water in it and dey sot de milk and butter in it in de summer time. Dey had a peg of wood in a hole at do on', and when dey want to change de water dey pull out de peg and drain de water out and put some cool fresh water in."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"When I was a boy us uster play wid spools, and puppies and stick hosses. Us uster have bows and arrers. Sometime us go out in de wood huntin' wid do bows and arrers. Us shoot at birds and sich, but us neber did had no luck at it."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"De grown up folks uster go huntin' at night and kill deers and 'possums. Dey had to have a permit transfer iffen dey go huntin' or go from one plantation to anudder. Iffen dey didn' have a permit do patterrollers would git 'em."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"De patterrollers neber git me. I see 'em chase slaves. When dey ketch 'em dey whip 'em, and tell 'em nex' time be sho' to have a pass from ol' marster."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"I neber see ol' marster beat nobody. What whippin' he done he done it wid his mout'. He mighty keen speakin' den, but when he speak rough to a nigger he need it."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"De kind of chu'ch dey have in dem days on dat place was fence-corner chu'ch. Dey go off down in de fence corner and sing and pray. Dey feerd for anybody to see 'em."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Dey was some cullud preacher' 'roun' but dey warn't on us plantation. I jine' de Baptis' Chu'ch but dat was way atter slavery. I uster be pro tem deacon."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"De fus' money I earn' was wukkin' on the T&P Railroad. I jis' blow it in, you know like boys do. I los' dis eye railroadin'. I was spikin' on a col' frosty mornin'. I hit dat spike and it broke up in t'ree piece' and do middle piece hit me in do eye and put it out."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Seems like I 'members de sojers. I couldn' specify wedder dey was Yankees or not. You know dat ol' battle fo't (fort) was dere at Marshall, two or t'ree mile' from Mills Quarters."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State: Texas Interviewee: Owens, George
"Dem sojers had on long blue overcoats wid brass buttons on 'em. Dey was a eagle on dem button. De way I 'member dat, I find one in de road like it was tore off and I pick it up and make me a play toy outer it."
View Full Context
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Description:
Contained here is an incomplete file of Black Death records of Charleston, SC. The dates range from 1871 to 1889. This file contains the following fields: last name, first name, date of death. Some of these names had something written in the margin, which I have added under side notes. There were only a few side notes; they consisted of place names or cause of death. You will find there are many infant/child deaths included in this file, only one parent name if any was provided. These files will allow the researcher to find the date of death and maybe a location or cause of death. The fields of information include, last name, given name, parent name, date of death.
Given Name Surname Date Location
George Owens June 19, 1880
George Owens May 17, 1883