Rachel Hinton and gr.daug. Dora Jackson
melissa Hinton
Message:
does anyone recognize any information in this slave narriative? I am trying to connect my family to Africa and this
has been my first clue but now I am stuck again.
Melissa Hinton
[email protected]
Dora Jackson
Ex-slave,
79 years,
1906 - 32nd Ave. (Big Quarters)
Gulfport, Miss.
Dora is 5'-6" in height; weighs 130 pounds, and is light
brown in coloring. She lives in the "Big
Quarters"---Negro section in Gulfport. Her story as told the
writer follows:
"I wuz bawn in Richton, Miss., in 1858. My father's name wuz George Hinton;
my mothers name wuz
Marthy Hinton. Both my parents wuz raised up in slavery. My
mother's old masta wuz Col. Holloman---but
my father's folks all b'longed to Mr. Bud Hinton. My father's
mother wuz Rachel Hinton. Dey bought her in
Virginia when she wuz seven year old and brought her to
Richton, Miss. She wuz raised up for a cook. She
said she 'membered when dey put her on de block and sold her.
She wuz taken away from all her people and
never did see any of 'em agin. She wuz de cook fer de
plantation after she growed up, and wuz always
trusted wid de keys to de smokehouse. Dey trusted her wid
everythin' cause dey had raised her from a chile.
(Page 2 241 - Dora Jackson, ex-slave, Harrison Co. FC Mrs. J.
H. Walsh)
"Gran'ma Rachel said one day her old masta said to her:
"Rachel, kin I trust you to keep a secret?" She tole
him he shorely could. Den he said, 'Come wid me,' and dey took
all his money and put it in a lard can, and
went off down in a big fiel' and buried all dat money under a
hummock in dat fiel' and nobody know
anything bout it but Ole Marse and Rachel. He died 'fore de war
wuz over and Rachel aint told anybody
sence whar dat money is hid, cause she promised Old Marse to
keep it a secret. Now she is daid, and dat
money is still buried out dare somewhar under one of dem
hummocks in dat old fiel. She live to be nearly a
hundred year old and she kep' dat secret all dem years. She
died at Bogomoma, about 8 mile from her old
slavery home. She wuz one of old Masta's most trusted slaves.
She wuz very dark, and said her father wuz a
pure African, but I don't remember anything she tole me bout
him.
"My gran'ma Rachel say she saw de stars fall, and she 'membered
when de earth shook so hard dat de dishes
fell outa de shelves.
"My mama said she got religion between the plow-handles.
(Page 3 241 - Dora Jackson, ex-slave, Harrison Co. FC Mrs. J.
H. Walsh)
She say one night 'fore de war come, she and some other women
wus washing clothes down at a creek, when
all at once dey look up at de sky, and dey see guns and swords
streaking cross de sky. Den all at once de guns
stack up. She said dey wuz so scairt dey run to de house an'
call old Masta and tell him 'bout it. He laughed
at dem and tole dem dey wuz jus' imagining things--but it wuz
jest a few days befo' de war come, and dey
saw dem guns jest like dey did in de sky."
One of de songs I r'member my mama singing to us wuz:
"I wished I wuz in de Heaven,
To see my mother when she enter;
to see her try on de long white robe;
P-r-a-y--let mother be de one!"