Chris Franklin
State: Texas Interviewee:
Franklin, Chris
"Yes, suh, dis is Chris Franklin. I signs my name C. C. Franklin,
dat for Christopher Columbus Franklin. I's born in Bossier Parish,
up in Louisiana, jes' twenty-five miles de other side of Shreveport. I's born
dere in 1855, on Christmas Day, but I's raise up in Caddo Parish. Old massa move
over dere when I 'bout a year old.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"Old massa name Robert J. Looney and he a judge and lawyer.
He have a boy name R. J., Jr., but I's talkin' about de old head,
de old 'riginal. De missy, her name Lettie Looney. He weren't no farmer, jes'
truck farm to raise de livin' for he household and slaves. He didn't have over
a half dozen growed up slaves. Course, dey rears a lot of young'uns.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"My pappy's name Solomon Lawson. He 'long to Jedge Lawson,
what live near us. When freedom come, he done take de name Sol
Franklin, what he say am he pappy's name.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"Jedge Looney have de ord'nary frame house. Dey 'bout six,
seven rooms in it, all under one roof. De dinin'room and cook
room wasn't built off to deyself, like mos' big houses. It was a raise house,
raise up on high pillars and dey could drive a hoss and buggy under it. He live
on de Fairview Road.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"Us slaves all live in one big slave cabin, built out of
plank. It built sort-a like de 'partment house. Dey four rooms
and each fam'ly have one room. Dey have a lamp and a candle for our comfort.
It jes' a li'l, ord'nary brass lamp. Dey used to make 'em out of wax and tallow.
Dey raise dere own been and when dey rob de bee gums dey strain de honey and
melt de wax with tallow to make it firmer. Dey tie one end de wick on de stick
'cross de mold and put in de melted wax and tallow.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"Dey have a table and benches, too. But a chair de rare thing
in a cabin. Dey make some with de split hick'ry or rawhide bottom.
Dey have hay mattress. De tickin' am rice sacks. Us have mud chimney. Dey fix
sticks like de ladder and mix mud and moss and grass in what dey calls 'cats'.
Dey have rock backs, and, man, us have a sho' 'nough fire in 'em. Put a stick
long as me and big as a porch post in dat fireplace. In cold weather dat last
all day and all night.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"When de parents workin' in de field, somebody look after
de chillen. De mammies come in and nuss dem when time come. De
white folks never put on 'striction on de chillen till dey twelve, fourteen years
old. Dey all wear de straight-cut slip. Dey give de li'l gale de slip dress and
li'l panties. In wintertime dey give de boys de li'l coat and pants and shoes,
but no drawers or unnerwear. Dey give dem hard russet shoes in wintertime. Dey
have brass toes. Dey plenty dur'ble. In summertime us didn't see no shoe.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"Messa Looney jes' as fine de man as ever make tracks. Christmas
time come, he give 'em a few dollars and say go to the store
and buy what us want. He give all de li'l nigger chillen gif's, jes'
like he own. He git de jug of whiskey and plenty eggs and make
de big eggnog for everybody. He treat us cullud folks jes' like he treat he own
fam'ly. He never take no liquor 'cept at Christmas. He give us lots to eat at
Christmas, too.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"Sometime old missy come out and call all de li'l niggers
in de house to play with her chillen. When us eat us have de
tin plate and cup. Dey give us plenty milk and butter and 'taters
and sich. Us all set on de floor and make 'way with dem rations.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"Dey had a li'l church house for de niggers and preachin'
in de afternoon, and on into de night lots of times. Dey have
de cullud preacher. He couldn't read. He jes' preach from nat'ral wit and what
he larn from white folks. De whole outfit profess to be Baptis'.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"De marryin' business go through by what massa say. De fellow
git de massa's consen'. Massa mos'ly say yes without waitin'.
'cause marryin' mean more niggers for him comin' on. He git de jedge or preacher
to marry dem. Iffen de man live on one plantation and de gal on 'nother, he have
to git de pass to go see her. Dat so de patterrollers not git him.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"De slaves used to have balls and frolics in dey cabins.
But iffen dey go to de frolic on 'nother plantation dey git de
pass. Dat so dey can cotch runaway niggers. I never heared of stealin' niggers.
'cept dis-a-way. Sometime de runaway nigger git fifty or hundred miles away and
show up dere as de stray slave. Dat massa where he show up take care of him so
long, den lay claim to him. Dat call harborin' de nigger.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"Dey lots of places where de young massas has heirs by nigger
gals. Dey sell dem jes' like other slaves. Dat purty common.
It seem like de white women don't mind. Dey didn't 'ject, 'cause
dat mean more slaves.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"Sometimes de white folks has de big deer drive. Dem and
de niggers go down in de bottoms to drive deers up. Dey rid big,
fine hosses and start de deers runnin'. Dey raise dere own dogs. Massa sho' careful
'bout he hounds. He train dem good and treat dem good, too. He have somethin'
cook reg'lar for dem. Dey hunts foxes and wolves and plenty dam kinds varmints.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"I seen sojers by de thousands. When 'mancipation come out
massa come to de back door with de paper and say, 'Yous free.'
He furnish dem with all dey needs and give dem part de crop. He 'vide up de pig
litters and such 'mongst dem. He give dem de start. Den after two, three year
he commence takin' out for dere food and boots and clothes and sich.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"Denight de pusson die dey has de wake and sing and pray
all night long. Dey all very 'ligious in dere profession. Dey
knock off all work so de slaves can go to de buryin'.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"De white folks'low dem to have de frolic with de fiddle
or banjo or windjammer. Dey dances out on de grass, forty or
fifty niggers, and dem big gals nineteen year old git out dere barefoot
as de goose. It jes' de habit of de times. 'cause dey all have
shoes. Sometimes dey call de jig dance and some of dem sho' dance it, too. De
prompter call, 'All git ready.' Den he holler, 'All balance,' and den he sing
out. 'Swing you pardner,' and dey does it. Den he say, 'First men head off to
de right,' and dere dey goes. Or he say, 'All promenade,' and day goes in de
circle. One thing dey calls, 'Bird in de Cage.' Three joins hands round de
gal in de middle, and dance round her, and den she git out and
her pardner git in de center and dey dance dat way awhile.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"After freedom dey have de log cabin schoolhouse. De first
teacher was de cullud women name Mary Chapman. I near wore out
dat old blueblack speller tryin' to larn A B C's.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"I leaves Caddo Parish in 1877 for Galveston, and leaves
dere on de four mast schooner for Leesburg and up de Calcasieu
River. Den I goes to de Cameron Parish and in 1879 I comes to Beaumont. I marries
Mandy Watson in 1882 and she died in 1932. Us never have no chillen but 'dopts
two. Us marry in de hotel dinin'-room, 'cause I's workin' for de hotel man, J.
B. Goodhue. De Rev. Elder Venable, what am de old cullud preacher, marries
us. I didn't git marry like in slavery time. I's got a great
big marriage certificate hangin' on de wall of my house.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"I 'longs to several lodges, de Knights of Labor and de Knights
of Honor and de Pilgrims. I never hold no office. I's jes' de
bench member. I's a member of de Live Lake Missionary Baptist Church.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
"I's got de big house of my own, on de corner of Roberts
Avenue and San Antonio street. After my wife die, I gits de man
to come and live dere with me. Dat's all I knows.
State: Texas Interviewee: Franklin, Chris
Chris Franklin, residing at the corner of San Antonio Street and
Roberts Avenue, Beaumont, Texas, was formerly the slave of Judge
Robert J. Looney, living in Bossier and Caddo Parishes, La. He
is rather small with gray hair and mustache. His head is partly
bald, and the remaining hair is cut short. He was wearing an old
felt hat, his coat was tan, his trousers blue, his shoes in good
condition. He is thrifty and owns his own home. He finds ready
employment with various local people working their vegetable and
flower gardens, raking leaves, and doing other house and yard
work.
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