Early in my studies, I took a methods course. The goal of the course was to learn the ins and outs of research, citing, and style for the historian’s profession. The head of the history department was our instructor for this course. He structured the class around the study of slavery in American history. The fascinating part of the class dealt with searching the Library of Congress’ database of Slave Narratives. My search yielded a story that has stuck with me for the last ten years. The following is the account given by ex-slave James Boyd.
James Boyd, Age about 100 [1]
Federal Writers’ Project: Slave Narrative Project, Vol. 16, Texas, Part 1, Adams-Duhon
JAMES BOYD was born in Phantom Valley, Indian Territory, in an Indian hut,
A man named Sanford Wooldridge stole him and “brought him to Texas, somewhere near Waco. James does not know his age, but thinks he is a hundred years or more old. He now lives in Itasca,Texas.
Is torn in dat Phantom Yalley, in de Indian Territory, what am now call Oklahoma.
Us live in a Indian hut.
My pappy Blue Bull Bird and mammy Nancy Will,
She come to de Indian Territory with Santa Anna,
from Mississippi, and pappy raise in de Territory.
I don’ member much ‘”bout my folks, ’cause I stole from dem when I a real li’l feller.
I’s a-fishin’ in de Cherokee River and a man name Sanford Wooldrige come “by.
You see, de white folks and de Indians have de fight ‘hout dat day.
Ifs on de river and I heared yellin1 and shoot in and folkses runnin1 and I slips into son- “bresh right near.
Den come de white man and he say,
Everybody kilt, nigger, and dem Indians gwine kill you iffen day cotch you. Come with me and I ain’t ‘low dem hurt you.1
So I goes with him.
He brung me to Texas, “but I don’t know jus1 where, ’cause I
didn’t know nothin’ ‘”bout dat place,
Massa Sanford good to us, “but look
out for he missus, she sho tough on niggers.
in de plantation and de “big house am nice.
work dey whup fem. in a rush.
Dere ’bout 1,600 acres
When de niggers wouldn’t
Us work all week and sometime Sunday, iffen de crops
Massa not much on presents or money hut us have warm clothes and plenty to eat and de dry place to live, and dat more’n lots of niggers has now,
“Sometime us have de com huskin1 and dere a dollar for de one
what shuck de mos’ corn.
Us have de big dance ’bout twict a year, on
Christmas and sometime in de summer.
When de white folks have dere big
balls us niggers cook and watch dem dance.
Us have fun den.
I likes to think of dem times when as fish all de hot day or hunts
or jus lazed ’round when de crops am laid “by.
and “be back in old times and hear ’em sing,
I likes to shet de eyes
Swing, low, Sweet Chariot.
I can’t sing, now you knows canft no old man sing what ain’t got no teef or hair.
I used to like to swin dat ‘Ginia Reel and I’s spry and young
den.
“Dere’s lots I can’t ‘member, ’cause my mem’ry done gone weak like de res’ of me, but I ‘member when us free us throw de hats in de air and holler.
Old massa sayt ‘How you gwine eat and git clothes and sech?’
Den us sho’ scairt and stays with us white folks long as us can.
But ‘boat a year after dat I gits de job punchin’ catle on a ranch in South Texas.
I drav cattle into Kansas, over what de white folks calls de Chissum Trail.
I worked lots of cattle and is what dey call a top hand.
I’s workin’ for Massa Boyd den, and he gits me to drive some cattle to Mexico.
He say he aint well no more and for me to sell de cattle and send him de money and git de job down dere.
I goes on down to Mexico and do what he say.
I marries a gal name Martina in 1869 down in Matajnoras.
Us have four chillen and she die. Dat break me up and I drifts back to Huntsville. “I done change my name from Scott Bird, what it am up in de Territory, and make it Jaaes Boydf * cause I done work for Massa Boyd.
I’s gwine be *bout 108 year old in next January, if fen de Lawd spare me dat long.
“After I been in Euntsville awhile, I marries Emma Smith “but us
only stay together ’bout a year and a half.
Wasn’t no chillen.
Den I drifts to Port Bend County and dere I marries Mary McDowd and us have two chillen. She die with de yellow fever and off I goes for^Burleson
Dere I marries Sally McDave and she quits rae after us have three chillen.
Down in old Washington County I marries Stances Williams and
us lived together till 1900. Dere am no chillen dere.
Den 1 goes to Austin after she die and marries Eliza Bunton in 1903. Us have eight chillen and she die in 1911.
Mittie Cahee in 1916.
to Milford.
Den I comes to Hill County and marries
She quit me.
In 1924 I marries Hegsr Price clost
Us live together now, in Itasca.
hut dat dont matter, Us didnt have no chillen, !
cause Ifs de daddy of *hout twenty already.
1 raos all us wore de black suit when I marries.
Jes seemed more dressed up like. Some my wives wear white and some colors, didn’t make much diff’rence, so dey a likely lookin gal for me. Sometime it am a preacher and sometime it am Jestice of Peace, but de fust time it am Catholic and priest and all.
“Talkin scar.
bout all dis marryin, I mos1 forgit to show you my
I fit in dat freedom war *long side Massa Sanford and got shot.
Dat bullet go through de breast and out de back and keep me six months in de bed.
De fust battle X’s in am at Halifax, in North Carlina.
Us git de news of freedom when us at Vic^sburg, in Mississippi.
us niggers *fraid say much.
De new niggers spect de give
dem de span of mules and dey be rich and not work.
But dey done larn a lot dese past years.
us git work.
d^y didnt.
Us am sho’ slaves now to hard work, and lucky if fen
Lots dem nigge.^s figgers dey!d git dere massa’3 land, “but
Dey oughta of knowed dey wouldn’t, Warnft no plantation ever
divided I knowed of, “but some de massas give de oldest slaves a li piece land.
“After de cattle days done gone, I farms in Hill County.
I works twelve year for Massa Claude Wakefield, right near Milford, too. De old man ain’t due to live nowhere long and Ifs git tin ’bout ready to cross de river.
Ifs seed a heap of dis here earth and de people in it, but I
tells you it am sho hard time now.
Us is old and cripple and if fen de white folks don’t holp us I don’t know what us gwine do.
Some d^se young niggers gone plumb wild with dere cigars and
cars and truckin nd jazzin’ and sech.
Some go to school and larn like white folks and teach and be real helpful.
slave time ‘twarn’t so hard as now.
now you fuss cause dere ain’t no work.
But talk ’bout workin in Den ^rou fuss ‘cauae dere’s work,
But den us have somethin* to eat and wear and a place to sleep, and now us don’t know one day what gwine fill us tomorrow, or nothin’. “I’d sho’ like to shake Massa Boyd’s hand again and hear him come singin* down de lane.
Us hear Jaim sing or whistle long ‘fore he
git dere and it mighty good to see him.
De slaves allus say, ‘I’s gwine way tomorrow,’ and I guess I’s gwine ‘way pretty soon tomorrow. [2]
James Boyd, Age about 100 [3]
This man had suffered such hardship through his life. His story gripped my mind. He accomplished more in his lifetime than most men today could ever dream. He deserves to be remembered. His story belongs in a Hollywood script. As I have said in previous articles, look deeper into the events of history. the stories you may find will amaze you.
[1] James Boyd, Age about 100. Texas United States, 1936. Between 1936 and 1938. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/mesnp161117b/.
[2] Federal Writers’ Project: Slave Narrative Project, Vol. 16, Texas, Part 1, Adams-Duhon. 1936. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/mesn161/.
[3] James Boyd, Age about 100. Texas United States, 1936. Between 1936 and 1938. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/mesnp161117a/.
Southern Fox Fire 