Zek Brown

Zek Brown , 80, was born a slave of Green Brown , owner of six slave families, in Warren County, Tennessee. Zek came to Texas in 1868, with Sam Bragg . Zek now lives at 407. W. Bluff St., in Fort Worth, Texas.
"My name am Zek Brown and Mason Green Brown owned me. He have a plantation in Tennessee and own all my folks, what was my pappy and mammy and two sisters. I never seed any of dem since I ran 'way from there, when I's ten years old. "I sometimes wishes I's back on de plantation. I's took good care of dere and massa am awful good. Each fam'ly have dere own cabin and it warn't so much for niceness but we lives comfor'ble and has plenty to eat and wear. Mammy work de loom, makin' cloth, and us chillen wears linsey cloth shirts till dey gives us pants. Massa buy he fam'ly nice clothes but dey wears linsey clothes everyday. Same with shoes, dey am made on de plantation and de first store shoes I has am after surrender. My mammy buys me a pair with brass tips on de toe, and am I dress up dem! "De food am bester dan what I's had since dem days. Dey raises it all but de salt and sich. You wouldn't 'lieve how us et den. It am ham and bacon, 'cause dey raises all de hawgs. It am cornmeal and some white flour and fruit and honey and 'lasses and brown sugar. De 'lasses am black as I is and dat am some black. I wishes I was dere and mammy call me, and I can smell dat ham fryin' right now. "Not once does I know of de massa whippin' and him don't 'talk rough even. Jus' so de work am done we does as we pleases, long as us reas'ble. Us have parties and dancin' and singin'. De music am de banjo and de fiddle. "I don't 'member when de war start but I 'member when it stop and massa call all us together and tell us we's no more slaves. Him talk lots 'bout what it mean and how it am diff'rent and we'uns have to make our own way and can't 'pend on him like. He say if us stay dere'll be wages or de can share crop and everybody stay. My folks stays one year and den moves to 'nother he farms. Pappy keep de farm and mammy teach school. Her missie done lernt her to read and sich from time she a young'un, so she have eddication so good dey puts her to teachin'. "De way I leaves home am dis. One day mammy teach in' school and me and my sister on home, and I 'cides she need de haircut. She want it, too. So I gits de shears and goes to work and after I works a while de job don't look so good, so I cuts some more and don it look worse and I tries to fix it and first thing I known dere ain't no hair left to cut. When mammy come home she pays me for de work with de rawhide whip and dat hurts my feelin's so bad I 'cides to git even by runnin' 'way a few days. It am 'bout sundown and I starts to go and comes to Massa Sam Bragg's place. I's tired den and not so strong 'bout de idea and 'cides to rest. I walks into he yard and dere am e covered wagon standin' and loaded with lots of stuff and de front end open. I finds de soft place in de back and goes to sleep, and when I wakes up it am jus' gittin' daylight and dat wagon am a-movin'.  "I don't say nothin'. I's skeert and waits for dat wagon to stop. so's I can crawl out. I jus' sits and sits and when it stop I crawls out and Massa Bragg say. 'Good gosh, look what am crawlin' out de wagon.' He look at me a while and den he say. 'You's too far from home for me to take you back and you'll git lost if you tries to walk home. I guesses I'll have to take you with me.' I thinks him an goin' some place and comin' back, but it an to Texas him come and stop at Birdville. Dat am how dis nigger come to Texas. "I's often wish my mammy done whip me so hard I couldn't walk off de place, 'cause from den am I has mighty hard times. I stays with Massa Bragg four years and then I hurts for a job where I can git some wages. I gits it with Massa Joe Henderson , workin' on he farm and I's been round these parts ever since and farmed most my life. "I gits into a picklement once years ago. I's 'rested on de street. I's not done a thing, jus' walkin' 'long de street with 'nother fellow and dey claim he stole somethin'. I didn't know nothin' 'bout since. Did dey turn me a-loose? Dey turn me loose after six months on de chain gang. I works on de road three months with a hall and chain on de legs. After dat trouble. I sho' picks my comp'ny. "I marries once, 'boat forty years ago, and after four years she drops dead with de heart mis'ry. Us have no chillen so I's alone in de world. It am all right long as I could work, but five years ago dis right arm gits to shakin' so bad I can't work no more. For a year now dey pays me $9.00 pension. It am hard to live on dat for a whole month, but I's glad to git it.

Zek Brown , 80, 407 W. Bluff St., Ft. Worth, born a slave to Green Brown , owner of 6 slave families in Warren County, Tennessee. Zek's parents remained on the plantation for a year after their emancipation and then moved to a farm of their own. Zek came to Ft. Worth with Sam Bragg in 1868. He has been a common laborer all his life. In 1897 he married and separated in 1901; there were no children. "My name am Zek Brown an' Marster Green Brown whar my Marster. He owned a small plantation in Warren County, Tenn'ee. Thar am five tudder families dat am owned 'side my fo'ks. In my family 'twas father an' mother an' two sis' 'sides me. My sis' am oldah dan me but Ise don't know whar any of dem am. Ise never heahs 'bout dem since Ise lef Ten'see, dat am w'en Ise ten yeahs old. Dat am 70 yeahs 'go an' aftah surrendah "Ise often wish Ise back on Marster's plantation 'cause Ise took good care of an' de Marster am awfully good. Each family had thar own cabin. De cabin warnt so much fo' niceness but weuns lived comf'able an' had plenty to eat an' wear. Ise 'membahs de last dress Ise wore 'twas linsey cloth lak home spun am wid strips. Dat am de last dress aftah Ise put in pants. Many days Ise watched my mammy wo'k de loom makin' cloth. 'Twas a tudder woman dat made all de clothes. All de cloth an' clothes am made right thar by de cullud fo'ks. De Marster's family had store clothes fo' de nice dress but hom spun fo' everyday. Dat am de same wid de shoes weuns had a shoemaker dat make de shoes. Ise 'membahs de fust store shoes Ise had 'twas aftah surrendah. My mammy buys me a pair wid brass tips on de toe an' am Ise dressed up den?  "De food am de same way, all weuns have am raised an' fixed on de plant'tion. Weuns lived an' raised on de food dat weuns lived on 'cept de salt an' sich. W'en Ise sez dat weuns lived on what am raised on de place some fo'ks thinks dat weuns don't live good but dat am mistak. Weuns lived bettah dan most fo'ks live now. "Ise tell youse what weuns have. Tis ham 'an bacon dat am cured by Jim, him had charge of de hawses an' de fixin' de meat. 'Course weuns raised all de hawgs, now dis nigger tell youse somethin', dat meat am bester dan any Ise gits now. Weuns have all kinds of veg'ables an' milk all weuns want. Weuns had co'n meal mush, co'n meal bread an' some white flouah. Thar am fruit an' honey. Weuns have de 'lasses an' brown sugar. De 'lasses am as black as Ise is an' dat am some black. Dat 'plains de eats an' as Ise sez Ise wish Ise thar right now. Waitin' fo' my mammy to sez 'comin' an' git it'. Ise can smell dat ham fryin' now.  "'Twarnt once dat Ise knows de Marster whups one of de slaves an' him don't talk rough even. Jus' so de wo'k am done lak he sez weuns could do lak weuns please dat am sich as am reason'ble. De Marster never 'fuse de pass fo' weuns to go to parties an' to visit an' weuns could have friends come to see weuns. At de parties thar am games, dancin' an' singin'. De music am a banjo an' a fiddle. 'Twas some kind of doin's every Saturday night. On Sunday weuns go to church 'twas to a white preacher weuns go. Thar am no dancin' an' sich 'lowed on Sunday. Ise fo'got all de songs, Ise 'membahs jus' little of one: Old uncle Ned have no hair on top of de head whar de wool ought to grow.  "Ise don't 'membahs much 'bout w'en de wah stahts 'course Ise has some 'collection but Ise don't undahstand what it am 'bout. Ise 'membahs w'ens de wah stopped, 'cause de Marster calls all us together an' tol' weuns: "Youse am no mo'e slaves." Him talked lots 'bout what it means an' how 'twould be diffe'ent 'cause weuns have to make our own way an' can't 'pend on him lak. "De Marster offered de cullud fo'ks wages or to sharecrop. All de families stayed thar. My fo'ks stayed one yeah an' den weuns moved to a place dat him buy f'om Chic Ramsey . Den father tends to de farm an' mother helps him w'en she am not teachin' school. She could teach school, her Missie learnt her to read an' sich f'om de time she am a youngun so w'en she am grown she have de edumacation so good dat deys puts her to teachin'. How comes dat Ise don't have de edumaction? Ise de fool. 'Tis 'cause Ise don't stay home 'course Ise don't 'tend to leave home but Ise did. "Ise come to Texas w'en Ise ten years old dis way. One day w'en mammy am teachin' school Ise 'cides my sis' needs de hair cut. She thinks 'twould be good too. Ise gits de shears an' goes to wo'k. Aftah Ise wo'k a little de job don't look so good to me so Ise cuts some mo'e den it looks worst, den Ise tries to fix it an' de fust thing Ise know 'twarnt any hair left to cut so Ise have to quit. W'en all de hair am cut off it looks prutty good to me but w'en mammy comes home she had a tudder idea 'bout de job an' pays me fo' de wo'k wid a rawhide. Dat hurst my feelin's so bad an' Ise 'cides to get even by stayin' away f'om home a few days. Youse know de kid. "W'en Ise gets de whuppin' 'twas 'bout sundown an' Ise starts to go way. Ise come to de Marster Sam Bragg's place Ise den tired an' not so strong 'bout de idea but 'cides to rest. Ise walks into Marster Bragg's yard. Thar am a covered wagon standin' thar an' it am loaded wid lots of stuff an' de f'ont end am open. Ise find a soft place at de back so Ise layed down an' goes to sleep. W'en Ise waked up 'twas jus' gettin' daylight an' dat wagon am amovin'. Ise don't sez a word 'cause Ise skeet but am waitin' fo' de wagon to stop so Ise could get out. Ise don't want Marster Bragg to see me so Ise jus' sit an' sits. Aftah while it stops, den Ise starts to crawl out an' 'course Marster Bragg see me. He sez: "Good gosh look what am crawling out of de wagon. Whar did youse come f'om?" "Ise Zek Brown , Ise sez. "Youse belong to de cullud fo'ks dat live down de road f'om weuns?" he sez. Yas sar Marster, Ise sez. "Youse too far f'om home fo' me to tuks youse back an' youse will get lost if youse try to walk home so Ise guess dat Ise have to tuks youse wid me", he sez. Ise thinks him am gwine some place an' am comin' back but 'twas to Texas him come an' stop at Birdville. Dat am how dis nigger come to Texas. "Ise often wished dat my mammy had whupped me so hahd dat Ise couldn't walk off de place. F'om den on Ise had some mighty hard times. Ise stayed wid Marster Bragg fo' fouah yeahs an' gits fo' my wo'k what he wants to give. Aftah fouah yeahs Ise hunts fo' a tudde job what Ise can get some wages. Ise meets a fellow dat want me to go to Coleman County wid him an' wo'k on a ranch fo' $15. a month. Ise 'greed to go de next day. Ise was tellin' some cullud fellows 'bout it dat night. Deys tell me how de cowboys throws de rope round de cows neck an' pulls dem 'hind de hawses an' dey sez deys do de same wid de niggers. Ise gets to thinkin' 'bout dat an' sez to myself, Ise don't want to have a rope throwed 'round my neck an' run 'hind de hawses. Ise can't keep up wid dem Ise sez. Ise jus' young uns den an' don't know any bettah so believes de fellows an' Ise failed to show up de nex mo'nin"'Twas only short time till Ise get job wid Marster Joe Henderson wo'kin on his farm. Ise stayed 'round heyah ever since, never been out of heahin' distance of de whistles. Ise wo'ked at common labor an' farmin' all my life. "What Ise know 'bout de Patterollers? Ise never had any troubl wid dem but my uncle John had; dey catched him once an' whupped him sho hard dat him am layed up fo' a week aftah de whuppin'. He left his Marster's place widout de pass dat showed he has de right to be off de place. Marster tried to find out who 'twas dat whupped uncle but never could. Marster Brown am sho mad 'bout dat whuppin'.  "Ise never had any trubble in all my life, no fuss or fight. Ise don't know if Ise could whup a baby. Fussin' an' fightin' am all foolishment. Ise gets into a picklement once yeahs 'go. Ise 'rested on de street. Ise not done a thin' jus' walkin' 'long de street wid a tudder fellow. Dey claim dat he had stole somethin' but Ise not know anythin' 'bout sich. What youse sez, did dey turn me loose? Deys turn me loose aftah six months on de chain gang. Ise wo'ked on de road three weeks wid a ball an' chain on my legs. Aftah dat trubble Ise sho picked my company. "Ise mai'ied once 'bout 40 yeahs 'go aftah weuns lived together 'bout fouah yeahs she dropped dead wid heart misery. Thar whar no chulluns bo'n to us so Ise lone in de wo'ld. 'Twas alright wid me long as Ise could wo'k. 'Bout five yeahs 'go des right arm gets to shakin' so bad dat Ise can't do wo'k. Fo' a yeah now dey pay me $9 pension. Tis hard to live on dat fo' a month.