Bearing Witness: Memories of Arkansas Slavery

Independence County

would let them fix a table for their own friends that they would want to have along. Personal Occupations “I used to work in the field or in the house or anything I could get to do. I would even go out and saw these big rails when my husband would have a job and wouldn’t get a chance to do it. It has been a good while since I have been able to do any good work. My husband has been dead fifteen years and I had to quit work long before he died. Right after the War “Right after the War my folks worked in the field, washed, cooked, or anything they could do. They left the old place and came down about Washington,Arkansas.I don’t know just how long they stayed in Washington. From Washington, my mother went to Prescott and settled there at a little place they called Sweet Home, just outside of Prescott. That is where my daughter was born and that is where my mother died. I came here about nine years ago. Present Support “I came here to stay with my daughter. But now she doesn’t have any help herself. She had three small children and she’s their only support now. She’s not working either. She just come in from the Urban League looking for a job. They say that they don’t have a thing and that the people don’t want any women now. They just want these young girls because they make them work cheaper.We have both applied for help from the Welfare but neither of us has gotten anything yet.” Independence County Osborne, Harve Age: 101 9 October 1926 [S2:1 (AR): 115–16] A remarkable character seen daily on the streets of Batesville is Uncle Harve Osborne, negroe ex-slave, who is 101 years old, he has the distinction of being the oldest inhabitant of Independence County. “Uncle Harve”is a valued employee of the street cleaning department of 171 Lankfordtext:Lankford / Final Pages 7/14/09 10:06 AM Page 171 the city, and despite his age has not missed a day at work this year. He is liked by whites & negroes alike. T. R. Osborne of Ft. Smith (a son of Uncle Harve’s old master) gives the year of his birth as 1825. He was born on the Osborne farm on the pigeon river near Ashville, N. Carolina. His first owner was Morgan Osborne. His mind is clear on important incidents of his early days especially before the Civil War. He delights to tell of playing with the picaninnies & dancing to the music of the banjo. His first duties were driving his master’s cows to the pasture in the morning and back again in the evening, working in the field between times. Tales of the West caused Harve’s old master to leave his plantation to a brother and start out for Arkansas, in 1850—at which time Harve was separated from his parents and never saw them again.The trip took over a month, the entire party halting at Batesville. Osborne homesteaded a large tract of land on White River about 10 miles from Batesville, known to this day as the Osborne place. Harve tells of being leased for a year to another plantation and while hoeing cotton he broke a hoe handle. The overseer ordered that he be whipped, but somehow this was delayed because of other duties. In the meantime Harve broke and ran away finally reaching his own masters place and told the story in full. The overseer at once came after him but Osborne refused to turn him over, breaking the contract for the lease. The outbreak of the Civil War made many changes, Harve was taken to the front by Jonathan and Arch Osborne, nephews of his master, as their bodyguard and servant.Jonathan was killed in battle.Arch was taken prisoner by theYankees at Helena and never heard of again.After the war ended Harve had many varied experiences. Finally he got back to the old Osborne farm remaining there as hired man till the place was sold. Moving to Batesville 15 years ago, he has been a city employe for the last 5 years & loves the memories of his old master and his slave days. He says he was whipped but 3 times while in slavery and then only with a light switch, his master doing so with reluctance. [Editor...