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“Yes, they was hants sixty years ago. The generation they was interested has bred em out. Ain’t none now. “I never did care much for politics, but I’ve always been for the South. I love the southland. Only thing I don’t like is they don’t give a square deal when it comes between the colored and the whites. Ten years ago, I was worth $15,000 and now I’m not worth fifteen cents. The real estate man got the best of me. I’ve been blind now for four years and all my wife and I have is what we get from the Welfare.” Ashley County Densen, Nelson Age: 90 Waco, Texas Interview 1 Interviewer: ? [M:4: pt. 1 (TX): 305–06] Nelson Densen, 90, was born near Hambirg, Arkansas, a slave of Jim Nelson, who sold Nelsen and his family to Felix Grundy. Nelsen’s memory is poor, but he managed to recall a few incidents. He now lives in Waco, Texas. “I’ll be ninety years old this December (1937). I was born in Arkansas, up in Ashley County, and it was the twenty-second day of December in 1847. My mammy was from Virginny and pappy was from old Kentucky, and I was one of eight chillen. Our owner, Marse Jim Densen, brung us to Texas and settled near Marlin, but got in debt and sold us all to Marse Felix Grundy, and he kep’ us till freedom, and most of us worked for him after that. “Marse Jim Densen had a easy livin’in Arkansas,but folks everywhere was comin’ to Texas and he ’cides to throw in his fortunes. It wasn’t so long after that war with Mexico and folks come in a crowd to ’tect theyselves ’gainst Indians and wild animals.The wolves was the worst to smell cookin’and sneak into camp,but Indians come up and makes the peace sign and has a pow wow with the white folks. Marse git beads or cloth and trade for leather breeches and things. “I want to tell how we crosses the Red River on de Red River Raft. Back in them days the Red River was near closed up by dis timber raft and de big boats couldn’t git up de river at all. We gits a li’l boat, and a Caddo Indian to guide us. Dis Red River raft dey say was centuries old. De driftwood floatin’ 36 Lankfordtext:Lankford / Final Pages 7/14/09 10:06 AM Page 36 down de river stops in de still waters and makes a bunch of trees and de dirt ’cumulates, and broomstraws and willows and brush grows out dis rich dirt what cover de driftwood.Dis raft growed ’bout a mile a year and de oldes’timber rots and breaks away, but dis not fast ’nough to keep de river clear. We found bee trees on de raft and had honey. “It was long time after us come to Texas when the gov’ment opens up de channel. Dat am in 1873. ’Fore dat, a survey done been made and dey found de raft am a hundred and twenty-eight miles long. When we was on dat raft it am like a big swamp, with trees and thick brush and de driftwood and logs all wedge up tight ’tween everything. “’Fore Texas secedes, Marse Jensen done sell us all to Marse Felix Grundy, and he goes to war in General Hardeman’s Brigade and is with him for bodyguard . When de battle of Mansfield come I’m sixteen years old. We was camped on the Sabine River,on the Texas side,and theYanks on the other side a li’l ways. I ’member the night ’fore the battle, how the campfires looked, and a quiet night and the whipporwills callin’in the weeds.We was ’spectin’a ’tack and sings to keep cheerful. The Yanks sings the‘Battle Cry of Freedom’ when they charges us. They come on and on and, Lawd, how they fit! I stays clost to Marse Grundy and the rebels wins and take ’bout a thousand Yanks. “Most the slaves was happy, the ones I knowed. They figgers the white men fightin’ for some principal, but lots of them didn’t care nothin’ ’bout bein’ free. I s’pose some was with bad white folks, but not round us. We had more to eat and now I’m so old I wouldn’t...

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