Typed as spelled - Lena Stone Criswell
The Daily Democrat
Thirty-first year - Number 230
Marlin, Texas, Thursday, January 28, 1932
(This is all one article)
AROUND ABOUT MARLIN
And Falls County
Aunt Nellie Smith, who lives on Mary street claims she is over 100 years old,
said she is a long way from the end of her time when interviewed this week.
She came to Texas from Arkansas several years before the civil war, then a full
grown woman, she said. She was one of twelve or fifteen slaves of Lew
Wardlaw, who settled about 1845 near the Brazos river between Reagan and
Highbank near the location of the so-called Conoly Gin.
"I knows I'se a hundred years old," she said, 'case 'fo we left Arkansas fo de
war, me and a slave of another man-I 'dun forget 'tis name-wanted to git
married, in Arkansas, but ole massa wouldn't sell me and the man wouldn't see ma
sweetheart, and we couldn't marry.
"When we come to Texas, 'way befo' de war, and got down here by de river close
to whare Reagan is, we had to take an ax about this long" measuring about a foot
on her arm," "and git down on our all-fours like this" and Aunt Nellie got down
on the floor and made jestures to illustrate, "and cut the underbrush 'fore we
could git through-the woods was so thick.
"All that time bears, Mexican lions and bugs, and koogars was in de weeds and we
had to watch out. Most injuns wus gone but people kept tellin' us
we'd better watch out.
*****
"First, we built somethin' to live in out 'a logs and chuncked the cracks with
mud. We cleared de land and planted corn and cotton. Some of wile animals
wus dangerous but de bears wus friendly. Many a time some of us slaves
would be toting an armful of corn or somethin' and ole bear would come up and
help 'emself or smell of it and go on 'bout 'is business. Ole massa built
a regular bear pen and shelter for 'em.
"I married Henry Smith and we had chilluns." "How many, Aunt Nellie," was
asked. "Law, I dun fergot-'bout ten or twelve and maybe mo, I speck.
Henry was older tun me and he died a long, long time ago. Yes, I married
again, but Henry Smith was the father of all my children. Dat other
nigger, I dun run 'em off long time ago.
"After the war and we wus set free, we stayed with ole massa for a while and 'e
died. Den we worked awhile for Mr. Churchill Jones. Ku Klux didn't
bother us good niggers, but I allers heard dey was rough on some. Dere wus
rough times just after de war."
Aunt Nellie said she had only a faint recollection of the fallings stars, but
was sure she saw them (it was in 1832 this extraordinary phenomenon took
place-when thousands of meteors struck the sky and fell to earth giving the
appearance of falling stars). "People all thought de world was coming to
an end-and I remember 'em talkin' about it for a long time."
*****
Aunt Nellie said she belonged to the "best M.E. Church" in Marlin, and all she
ever knew was to work and trust Providence," which has worked miracles in her
lifetime. She lives with a son, who worked many years at the oil mill, and is
now over sixty years old. She owns no property, except the humble house on
Marys street.
*******
Copyright permission granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for printing
by The Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co, Texas