Jeff Calhoun

Jeff Calhoun , about 98. was born a slave of the Calhoun family, in Alton. Alabama. After his sister died. a son-in-law, Jim Robinson . brought Jeff and 200 other slaves to Austin, Texas. Jeff was 22 when the Civil War began. He stayed with his old master, who had moved to Stewart Mills Texas, after he was freed, and raised 23 children. He says, I 'spect I has near a thousand children, grandchildren and great Grandchildren, He ankes his hose among then,  driftins over five states when and as he wishes.

My name an Jeff Calhoun and I was born in Alton, in Alabama, about 1838. 'cause I's told by my massa. Dat makes me 'bout 98 year old now. My father was Henry Robinson and my mammy, she Kary Robinson . She was born in Maryland, in Virginia. but didn't know much 'bout her folks. 'cause she was sold off young. Dere was four of us brothers and ten sisters, but dey all dead now but me. We makes our beds out of forked saplings drove in the ground, 'cause de floors was dirt. We sets de pole in dat ground and it run to de top of de cabin and we ankes one bed down low and one bed above. We big folks sleeps in de low beds and de chillun above. 'cause day can climb. My massa had 15 chillun and my mamma suckled every one of dem. 'cause his wife was no good to give milk. We allus had lots to sat, but for meat we has to go to do woods end git deer and turkey and buffalo and some bear. I have eat hoss and skunk and crow and hawk. We has a big fire to cook on, and to make de com cakes we put one leaf down and put batter on dat and put another leaf over it and cover with hot ashes and by noon it was done. Same thing for supper. Me never have biscuits 'cept on Sunday or Christmas. My mamma was de spinner so I has plenty shirts and some britches, and we raises indigo on de place and makes dye of it. We never wore no shoes in de summer and some winters neither. We has a good pair of pants and shirt we wears Sundays and holidays and was married in. De way day done at weddings dem days,  you picks out a girl and tell your boss. If she was from another plantation you had to git her bosses 'mission and den dey tells you to come up dat night and git hitched up. They says to de girl, 'You's love dis man?' Dey says to de man, 'You loves dis girl?' If you say you don't know, it's all off, but if you say yes, dey brings in de broom and holds it 'bout a foot off de floor and say to you to jump over. Den he says you's married. If either of you stumps you toe on de broom. dat mean you got trouble comin' 'tween you, so you sho' jumps high. My massa was good to us. He lived in a log house with a floor and was all fixed up with pretty furniture and mirrors and silver on de table. De missus was little and frail. but she was good to us and so was de massa. He wasn't no hand to whip like some of he neighbors. Day would tied de slaves' hands to a pole and whip de blood out of them. Dey was whipped for runnin' away. I knowed a slave call Ben Bradley and he was sold on de auction block and his massa chained him hand and foot and started for Texas. Dey got to de Red River and was crossin' and de chains helt his down and he never come up. And I have a uncle what run off and dey took a pack of hounds  a pack sere twelve  and dey cot on his trail and I heared dem runnin' him. Dey run him three days and nights and took a gun loaded with buck shot but was sposed not to shoot above de legs. Dey come back and said he got away, but some boys was out huntin' and finds him and he been shot four times with buck shot. De only time we got to rest was Sunday and de fourth of July and Christmas, and one day Thanksgiving. He got de big dinners on holidays. After supper was have corn shuckings, or on rainy days, and sometimes we shucks 500 bushels. We allus picked de cotton in big baskets, and when we gits it all picked we spreads on big and has a celebration. "I was in Texas when de war broke out and I hauls corn lots of times to de gin where was de soldier camp, and I helped cook awhile and would have been in de battle of Vicksburg only dey takes another man 'stead of me and he gits kilt. I's glad I's a sorry cook, or I'd got kilt instead of him.
 

Jeff Calhoun , a typical replica of the bygone slave days of the plantations of the south was born a slave of the Calhoun family in Alton, Alabama. After the death of his original master, a son-in-law of the Calhouns , Jim Robinson by name, collected a number of slaves and started for Texas along with four other slave owners and approximately two hundred slaves. They traveled overland to Mobile, Alabama, taking a steam boat down the Mississippi River on to Galveston and overland to Houston where wagons and oxen were bought. Then they traveled to Austin, where a nephew of Jim Robinson lived, here they farmed two years. After leaving Austin, they traveled several weeks in ox wagons, only children and provisions allowed in the wagons, men and women walking. After many weary days, they settled at Stewart Mills in Freestone County, some eight miles north east of the present town of Fairfield. Jeff was twenty two years old when war was declared. He was married and had three children. His master put him to hauling corn to the soldier camp which was located on the Navarre-Freestone County line at a church, and later he was tried out as a cook, and at the close of the war he was herding horses for the government. After freedom he traveled with a Mr. Adams , the first year after the war at a salary of six dollars a month, later returning to his master and raising his family of twenty three. When asked how many grand children he had, he answered, "I dunno, I'se specks over two hundred." He has, so he states, near one thousand children, grand children, great grand children, great great grand children. He makes his home among them drifting over five states when he wishes and as he wishes.

Mah name is Jeff Calhoun , I'se bo'n in Alton, Alabama, November 23, about 1838, so's I'se told by mah marster. I'se 98 years old. Mah father was Henry Robinson mah mother she was Mary Robinson . Mah father was bo'n in Alabama, somers jes what I dunno, an mah mother she was bo'n in Maryland, Virginia. She was brought down by a speckalater as sold. I'se seed 200 chillun in one drove collected by them speckalaters that was about all them fellers would have. Der was fo of us'es boys, and ten sisters. Deys is all daid but me now. De way we made our beds was out o'fawked saplings drove in the ground, you know we had dirt floors and when dey got sandy we sprinkle wood ashes on de floo to harden the dirt; yea we would drive a fawked sapling in the ground, mose de time tho we digs a hole and sets in a pole dis pole run to the top o' de cabin, we had no sealin in de cabin, den we would make one bed down low den anothur one above. We cut poles and spiked em to dis pole wid a peg on two sides, as we made de'se beds in one corner of de cabin usin de walls fer two sides and rive out boads fer de slats, and our mattress was made of hay er grass, if you know how, dey makes good ones. De grown folkes sleeps on de lower ones and de babies, the older chilluns sleeps above ca'se dey is young and can clime. I did not know mah mammas folks at all and she did not know much bout dem as she was sole off young. I know mah pappas folks a little saw dem bout three er fo times you'se knows us niggers in dem days was not lowed much privileges. Mah mamma did not talk much she allus wondered bout her folks.

I never did make any money in dem days, what use would a hoss do wid money do'se days, dats how dem folks felt bout us'es niggurs.  As soon as I got up big enuf to handle hosses, I was made carriage driver for mah marster eveh what he went or any of his family, I had to drive de hosses. Mah marster had fifteen chilluns, and mah mamma suckled ebry one of dem as his wife was no good to gib milk. We allus had plenty to eat if we want meat we went to the woods after it, deer turkey, buffalo and some bear. I have eat a little of all meat I guess ceptin' dog. I eat some hoss and skunk, crow and hawk. Neber did eat any wolf or coyote eider, but we allus had plenty to eat but dat was one thing the old marster done, he allus give us'es plenty to eat, but he allus speck us'es to work when he called on us'es day or night. If we would separate gardens, we was allowed a small one, but he had one big garden bout eight acres and Uncle Billy , our Satda night preacher had to work it. We didnt hab no time to work a garden, some ob dem tried dat one year, but one year was enuf. Dey went back to de big garden de next year. We had a big fire dat burned fo foot wood. We cooked on it, mose our bread was roasted like you roast potatoes if you eveh roasted any. We put one leaf down and put corn bread battah on it and put enouther big leaf oveh it and cover wid hot ashes and by noon it would be done. Same thing fo suppah. We neber had no biskits ceptin fer Sunday or Christmas, or foath of July made outn shorts. Sho we eats lots o'possum and sweet taters.We wore shirts and britches in dem days, de cotton was carded, spun, weaved and cut an made into close on de plantation. Mah mamma was de spinner der. De indigo was raised on de plantation and made into dye. We neber wore no shoes in de summer and several wintahs we neber had no shoes to wear. We generally had a good pair of britches an shirt we wore on Sundays and what few holidays we had summer and wintah. Dey was de clothes we married in. De way dey done at de weddins dem days, you'se pick out a girl you'se wanted and tell your boss and if she was from another plantation you'se had to get her bosses permishun and dey tell you'se to git her and come up dat night and git hitched up. You'se would go up, he tell you'se to come in and ketch hands and line up he says to the girl, you'se lub dis man, den he says to de man, you'se lub dis girl. Do you'se both think you'se kin git along to gedder, if you'se say you'se dunno, it is all off. If you'se says yes, he says to some one to bring in de broom, and you still hold hands, he hold de broom bout on nearly a foot offen de floo, and say to you'se to jump oveh. You'se jump oveh, and den he says to de girl jump oveh, den he says you'se married. If eider er of you'se stump you'se toe on de broom as you'se jump oveh, dat means you'se got trouble haid between you'se. Coase we allus jump high. Mah ole marster was shore good to us but mah last marster de first marster son-in-law, he not so good but dey both feed us good and did not whip us only when one got sulky er onery den dey would punish dem other ways and ifen dis did not work dey would whip, dis de drivah done, didn make no difference if hit was his wife er chile, er yer pappa er yer mamma you'se had to do hit, er git licked yer self, and dem you'se couldnt be drivah no more, de boss would make anouthur drivah. Mah marster lived in a log house only his house had a flo in it. Hit was biggah den de slaves of couse and fixed up betteh den ours. De mistress of both marsters was little and frail but dey was both kind and good to us. I'se seed I speck bout two hunnert little niggahs playing on de lawn of mah marsters wid his little chillens. His chilluns was de boss like der poppy, mah last marster had thirteen chilluns, de first one had fifteen as I done told you. De drivah was a big strong niggah and could do lots of work. He had to know how to read and write. Mah marster had two places bout two miles apart, I dunno how much in de two of em, and de grass sho did grow fast. Countin chilluns and all I speck der was bout maybe three hundert er more at work. De horn was blowed at for in de mornin yer had to git up to feed and do your chores, eat you'se breakfast and be in the field and ready to work by five. An dey works from befo day till dawk and den maybe you'se had to haul in fodda dat night er shuk corn iffen de moon was shinin. Der was several reasons fer whippens, but der was little done, fer mah marster fer gittin smart wid de drivah was de thing de most of dem was punished fer, er gittin sulky er not doin der work right and several things I hab seed de slaves hands tied to a pole above der heads and de blood whipped outen dem, dey hab to be carried away. Den I seed dem tied hand and foot and a stick run under der nees and oveh der arms at de elbows and kicked oveh and whipped worsen a dog. Dey too had to be carried away. I helped to carry two eb dem away, dey was whipped fer runnin away. No der wuznt no jail on our plantation.
Der was a man named Ben Bradley , who I knowed, he was sold on de auction block fer $1200.00 and de man dat bought him chained him hand and foot and started fer Texas dey get to de Red Rivah and was crossin first in de watah and he nevah come up. Dey say dat man dat bought Ben was mean. An I hab a uncle what runned off too, his marster was barbarous, he sho was mean, Mah uncle runned off, dey took a pack of hounds a pack is twelve, well dey got on his trail. I herred dem runnin him. Dey run him fer three days and nights. Dey took a gun loaded wid buck shot dey was not sposed to shoot above de legs, dey come back and said mah uncle got away, but a few days later some boys was out huntin and found him. He had been shot fo times wid dis buck shot. De white fols helped de preachah and de drivah to read and write a little. Uncle Billy was our preachah and de garden tendah, Uncle Billy got in trouble once. He didn't like collads and de missus had three big fine collads in de garden and she all time after Billy to take a good care of dese collads. So'es one Sattidy night aftah church Billy slips out and cuts dem down. De next mornin de cook was sent to de garden fer vegetables and some of dese collads fer de mistress but de was gone, de cook hurries to de house and tells de missus. She tells marster, he come in mad and say who done dis, de girl dat is de cook says Billy done it case he dont like collads. He says to get Billy to come here. Billy come to de house marster says Billy you preachah? Billy say yas sah. He says, Billy you'se cut dem collads, Billy says yas sah, I'se got some greens. He says now Billy you preachah, git me de Bible and he reads, Thou shall not steal, den he handed Billy de Bible and sayd read dis, he shore hates to, but Marster makes him do it, den he shore tares loose on Billy bout stealin, finally Billy says now marster I can show you in de Bible where I did not steal, he tells Billy to find it and Billy finds it and reads, "You shall reap when you laborth". Marster sayd to Billy get to hell outn here. We didnt have no church on the plantation sometimes we went to the white peoples church some time people would come and preach to us. We would turn a wash pot up side down to keep the white people from hearing us, cause dey would run us off. Few of them could read a little. I neber did take to dat to much in dem days. They would baptise in a pond of water, lots of people would come. When der was a buryin dey would keep out two to do the buryin and de rest of us would go to work just like nothin had never happened. Only two slaves tried to run away to de north dat I know of but dey didnt git far, dey didnt know the Kentucky and didnt know what to go er how to go. Dey only way any news was carried was through a pass ter go see a girl from anuther plantation. You'se would git what dey called a pass on Sattidy night but you'se must be back by Sunday by two o'clock er dey would come after you'se.

After you'se was through in the field you'se had to shuck co'n er haul in fodder and de women would spin er weave, de men would also pack out cotton and gin it at night in the fall.
We sho did work on Sattidy evenin' jes de same as Monday morning, only time we got to rest in de week days was foath of July and we got three days Christmas. Oh yes, we did git one half day fer Thanksgiving an three big dinners a year at dese times. News Years day we'ns got up early and put in the biggest day ob de year case if we lost that day de marster said he would go broke, case we would do nothin all year. Dat was all the holidays we'ns got, corn shucking, dat always come after supper er raining days and we'ns would some times shuck five hunnert bushels afore we would stop. We allus picked cotton in big baskets, dese young generashuns aint seed none of dem kind. Dat was all the holidays we'uns got. Corn shuckin allus come after supper and rainy days. We would have a few dances, the old marster would come to watch us dance, but dey didn't come from eber where like deys do now, maybe there be some that have wives er men on other plantation dat could get a pass ter come over. When we'ns had dances der was no cuttin up lak dey is dese days, dey had to behave der selves. I'se membahs very well mah ole marster ken tells me to ketch ole dolly, a bay mare and ter ride fer parsons Mills, his two girls was wantin ter be married, both ob dem at the same time. So I rides thirty miles ovah ter the parsons Mills and fetch him back and dey was married sho had a big suppah. Dat night dey had what we'ns call a dance, dey calls it a ball, done changin the English language dese white folks is. And dey has a big dinner the next day, sho spreads on big. When mah ole marster died, hit was jest lak de whole world had come to de end, de cullad pepuls was crying and the white pepuls was cryin wull eber thing had gone to pieces and look lak we'ns would starve, but his son-in-law took part ob us ovah and left part ob us wid de missusWe sometimes played fox and houn and hidin seek and lots of games chilluns played. Oh, I done fergot all dem foolish games and songs. Yes I'se heard lots stories bout "bloody bones" and sech crazy stories, jest kept de devil scariet outn de chilluns in dem days dat was all foolishness. Dey would tell us about things walkin or ridin round wid no haid on and ifn we'd pass a grave yard arter night at a certain time ob night how de haints was walkin round and lookin fer some one. We allus had a leader when we was workin and we allus likes to sing, you'n could hear dem fer three miles. The leader would sing "Whos been here while I was gone", and "Purty little girl wid the red dress on" and "Purty little Sally", and "Look at dem eyes". De marster and de missus lak to hear him sing too, he shore could sing.  One time sum ob us boys goes possum hunting and I was little den, de boys git me bout a mile from home and dey said "Jeff you'se hol dis sack and we'ns goin to scatter out and drive in sum quails, but first dey builds up a big fire and dey said the quails would come to de fire arter night when dey was sterbed, I holes de sack, dey goes off and stays and stays. I waits and waits but dey dont come, den I gets skarit and uneasy and starts hollerin. Dey dont answer me, I walks out away from de fire, I guess youns has seed fox fire, well I sees sum ob dis, and dese gost stories done makes me think dis gost done eats up de other boys, so's I began runnin and hollerin, de other boys says dey hollers at me, dey was hidin behind some trees you know but I didnt hear dem, I'se made fer home, I guess I'se made time dat night but de boss had sum mischevus boys and dey had herd dese boys planin to scare me de sese boys dey rides outen dese woods and waits til dese boys scared de liber outen me and dey was jest lafin der sides out at me when dese boys rides up wif dese sheet a roun dem, and one of dem grunts big and loud, de boys looks roun and starts runnin, dey takes after dem on de horses and now dem boys makes bettern time ter home. One plantation holler was, Uh, Uh, Uh, Uh, Uh, Uh.

Mah ole boss sure lookek ater you'se when you'se was sick, ef you'se was a good hand you'se got good attentin but if you'se was jest customayr you'se got tenshum as soon ad dey could git to you'se. I dont know much bout roots and herbs, but I'se drink lots ob sasfras tea fer malaria. A rabbit foot was good luck. I was married and had three chilluns wen de war broke out, we heard talk ob hit fore hit cum. I'se was in Texas den. I first hauled corn to de county line church on de line between Navarre and Freestone counties what der was a soldier camp to gin wid, and den I help cook fer a while and I would have been in de battle ob Vicksburg but dey took anuther man stidda me and he gits killed dar, I'se shore glad I'se was a sorry cook er hit would have been me stadda him. In de wind up I'se was herdin hosses fer de confederate government. Wen de war was up and all got home, der marster sends fer us to come up dar ter de house and he says well you'se er free and he says you'se can go er stay as yuh please if'n you'se wants to stay I'se gwine ter give each family ten ackers uv land and one mule, but hit was jest lak throwin a stick mongst a bunch of chickens, niggers gwine eber drechun and no wher to go. Me and annuder man lef ter gedder, I'se got a job wid Dr. Adams , a traveling doctor, he paid me six dollahs a month and eatin fer mah family we traviled all de year and wound up in Houston and I'se cum back ter Stewart Mills and raise mah family. I'se been married three times, mah first wifes name was Harriet . We was raised in de same yard.

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