Around About Marlin and Falls County

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.

*******