Matilda Poe, age 80 yrs
Chickasaw Freedwoman, McAlester, Oklahoma
I was born in Indian Territory on de plantation
so Isaac Love. He was old Master, and Henry Love was young Master. Isaac Love was a full blood Chickasaw Indian
but his wife was a white woman
Old Master was good to his slaves. The young negroes never done no heavy work till dey was fully
grown. Dey would carry water to de men in the field and do other light jobs 'round de place.
De Big House set way back from de road 'bout a quarter of a mile. It was a two
story log house,
and the rooms was awful big and they was purty furniture in it. The furniture in de parlor was red
plush and I loved to slip in and rub my hand over it, it was so soft like. The house was made of
square logs and de cracks was filled out even with the edges of de logs. It was white washed and
my but it was purty. They was a long gallery clean across de front of de house and big posts to
support de roof. Back a ways from de house was de kitchen and nearby was de smoke house. Old
Master kept it well filled with meat, lard and molasses all de time. He seen to it that we always
had plenty to eat. The old women done all de cooking in big iron pots that hung over the fire. De
slaves was all served together.
The slave quarters was 'bout two hundred yards back of de Big House. Our furniture was made of
oak 'cepting de chairs and dey was made out of hackberry. I still have a chair dat belonged to my
mammy.
The boys didn't wear no britches in de summer time. Dey just wore long shirts. De girls wore
homespun dresses, either blue or gray.
Old Master never hired no overseer for his slaves, but he looked after
'em hisself. He punished
dem hisself too. He had to go away one time and he hired a white man to oversee while he was gone.
The only orders he left was to keep dem busy. Granny Lucy was awful old but he made her go to the
field. She couldn't hold out to work so he ups and whips her. He beat her scandalous. He cut her
back so bad she couldn't wear her dress. Old Master come home and my, he was mad when he see
Granny Lucyh. He told de man to leave an iffen he ever set foot on his ground again he' shoot him,
sure! Old Master had a big plantation and a hundred or more slaves. Dey always got up at daylight
and de men went out and fed de horses. When de bell ran dey was ready to eat. After breakfast dey
took de teams and went out to plow. Dey come 'bout half past 'leven and at twelve de bell rung
again. Dey eat their dinner and back to plowing dey went. 'Bout five o'clock dey come in again,
and den they'd talk, sing and dance till bedtime.
Old Master never punished his negroes 'cepting dey was sassy or lazy. He never sold his slaves
neither. A owner once sold several babies to traders. Dey stopped at our plantation to stay
awhile. My mammy and de other women had to take care of dem babies for two days, and teach dem to
nuss a bottle or drink from a glass. Dat was awful, dem little children crying for they mothers.
Sometimes dey sold de mothers away from they husbands and children.
Master wasn't a believer in church but he let us have church. My we'd have happy times singing an'
shouting. They'd have church when dey had a preacher, and prayer meeting when dey didn't.
Slaves didn't leave de plantation much on 'count of de Patrollers. De patoller was low white trash
what jest wanted a excuse to shoot negroes. I don't think I ever saw one but I heard lots of 'em.
I don't believe in luck charms and things of the such. Iffen you is in trouble, there ain't
nothing gonna save you but de Good Lawd. I heard of folks keeping all kind of things for good luck
charms. When I was a child different people gave me buttons to string and we called them our charm
string and wore'em round our necks. If we was mean dey would tell us "Old Raw Head and Boody
Bones" would git us. Grand mammy told us ghost stories after supper, but I don't remember any
of dem.
I never did know I was a slave, 'cause I couldn' tell I wasn't free. I always had a good time,
didn't have to work much, an allus had something to eat and wear and that was better than it is
with me now.
When de War was over, and old Master told us we was free, Mammy she say, "Well I'm heading for
Texas." I went out and old Master ask me to bring him a coal of fire to light his pipe. I
went after it and mammy left pretty soon. My pappy wouldn't leave old Master right then but old
Master told us we was free to go where we pleased, so me an pappy left and went to Texas where my
mammy was. We never saw old Master anymore. We stayed a while in Texas and then come back to de
Indian Territory.
Abe Lincoln was a good man, everybody liked him. See, I've got his picture. Jeff Davis was a good
man, too, he just made a mistake. I like Mr. Roosevelt, too.
Contributed by M. Dawson, May 2002
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Asst State Coordinator: Rebecca Maloney
