Lizzie Hawkens
From:
More Arkansas
#656
Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed: Lizzie Hawkens
Biscoe, Arkansas
Age: 65
"I was born close to Magnolia, Arkansas.
"My mother was Harriett Marshal. Her old mistress was a Marshal. She was
a widow woman and had let all her slaves go out to her children but
mama. Mama was her husband's chile, what she tole mama. They come here
from Atlanta, Georgia visiting her married daughter. They was the
Joiners at Magnolia, Arkansas. She brought mama and on her way back home
to Atlanta she died. Her daughter brought her back and buried her in
Arkansas and kept mama.
"Mama said they was nice to her. They wouldn't let her keep company with
no black folks. She was about as white as white folks. She was white as
my husband. Her mother was light or half white. My own papa was a black
man.
"The Joiners and Scotts visited down at Magnolia among themselves but
they didn't want mama to marry in the Scott family (of Negroes). But the
white folks was mighty good friends. Mama took care of the children.
They was in the orchard one day. Papa spied mama. He picked up a plum
and threw at her. She say, 'Where that come from?' He stooped down and
seen her under the limbs. They was under another plum tree. Papa got to
talk to her that day. The old mistress wouldn't let her out of sight.
Papa never could have got her if Mistress Marshal had lived.
"Mama had three or four sisters and brothers in Atlanta, and her mother
was in Atlanta. Her parents were Bob and Lucindy Marshal. Bob was
Lucindy's master. Mama told old mistress to bring Harriett back and she
promised she would. That was one thing made her watch after her so
close. She never had been made a slave. She was to look after old
mistress.
"After she died mama's young mistress let papa have her. He mustered up
courage to ax for her and she said, 'Yes, L (for Elbert), you can have
her.' That was all the marrying they ever done. They never jumped over
no broom she said. They was living together when she died. But in
slavery times mama lived on at Judge Joiner's and papa at Scott's place.
One family lived six miles east of Magnolia and the other six miles
north of Magnolia. Papa went to see mama twelve miles. They cut through
sometimes. It was dense woods. Mama had one boy before freedom. In all
she had three boys and four girls.
"The Scott and Joiner white folks told the slaves about freedom. Papa
homesteaded a place one mile of the courthouse square. The old home is
standing there now.
"Papa said during the Civil War he hauled corn in an ox wagon. The
cavalry met him more than once and took every ear and grain he had. He'd
have to turn and go back.
"He said when freedom come, some of the people tole the slaves, 'You
have to root pig or die poor.'
"My great-grandpa was sold in South Carolina. He said he rather die than
be sold. He went up in the mountains and found a den of rattlesnakes to
bite him. They was under a stone. Said when he seen them he said,
'Uhher! You can't bite me.' They commenced to rattle like dry
butter-beans. He went on and dressed to be sold. Master Scott bought him
and brought him on to Arkansas. He had to leave his wife. He never got
back to see her.
"Grandpa had to come leave his wife. He married ag'in and had five sons
and a girl. They was Glasco, Alex, Hilliard, Elbert, Bill, and
Katherine. They belong to Spencers till the Scotts bought them but all
these children was his Scott children.
"My uncle's wife belong to white folks not Scotts. Scotts wouldn't sell
and her folks wouldn't part from her. They moved down in Louisiana and
took her and one chile. Uncle run away to see her. The Scotts put the
hounds after him and run him two days and two nights. He was so tired he
stopped to rest. The dogs come up around him. He took a pine knot and
killed the lead dog, hit him in the head and put him in a rotten knot
hole of a hollow tree been burned out and just flew. The dogs scattered
and he heard the horns. He heard the dogs howl and the hoofs of the
man's horses. The old master was dead. He didn't allow the boys to slash
in among his niggers. After he died they was bossy. Uncle said he made
his visit and come back. He didn't ever tell them he killed the lead dog
nor how close they come up on him. He said they was glad to see him when
he come back. His wife was named Georgana.
"After freedom grandpa named himself Spencer Scott. He buried his money.
He made a truck garden and had patches in slavery both in South Carolina
and at Magnolia. He told me he had rusty dollars never been turned over
since they made him came here. He left some money buried back there. We
found his money on his place at Magnolia when he died. He tole us where
it was.
"One night he was going across a bridge and taking a sack of melons to
Magnolia to sell in slavery times. A bear met him. He jumped at the bear
and said 'boo'. The bear growled and run on its way. He said he was so
scared he was stiff. They let them work some patches at night and sell
some things to make a little money. The ole master give them some money
if they went to the city. That was about twice a year papa said. He
never seen a city till years after freedom. His pa and grandpa got to go
every now and then. Magnolia was no city in them days.
"It is hard to raise children in this day and time. When I went on the
Betzner place (near Biscoe, Arkansas) my son was eight years old. He
growed up along side Brooks (Betzner). I purt nigh talked my tongue out
of my head and Brooks' (white boy) mother did the same thing. Every year
when we would lay by, me and my husband (white Negro) would go on a
camp. Brooks would ask me if he could go. We took the two of them. (The
Hawkens boy is said to be a dark mulatto--ed.) He's a smart boy, a good
farmer down in Lee County now. He married when he was nineteen years
old. It is hard to raise a boy now. There is boxing and prize fighting
and pool halls and that's not right! Times are not improving as I can
see in that way. Worse than I have ever seen them."
Next:
Becky Hawkins
Previous:
John G Hawkens
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