Slave Narrative

My name is Mariah Nicole and I was born in Shelby County, Texas on July 20, 1850. Or at least this is what my mother tells me: see she has it all written down in that bible of hers. She has to hide her bible under her bed because if the white people find her bible she will get into a lot of trouble. The white people are afraid if we blacks learn to read and write …

…was awful sorry to see us go. He said he hater to part with all of us and that we had been great to him, but it was the law. He also said we could stay on the plantation if we wanted to and work the land on shares. Most of us left thought but me and my mother and my grandmother and grandfather stayed with our master. Scott Hooper Texas Slave Narrative Page 1-2