View source for Gray, Mamie Slaughter 1977

Mamie Slaughter Gray reviews early 
history and family in the Click and Honey Grove areas of Llano County, 
Texas.

==General Interview Information==

'''Interviewee Name:''' Mamie Slaughter Gray

'''Additional Parties Recorded:'''

'''Date:''' 1977

'''Location:''' Llano County, Texas

'''Interviewer:''' Pam and Ruth Fowler

'''Length:''' 2 hours


==Abstract==

'''Tape 1, Side 1:''' [Much of Tape 1 is inaudible with only some key words noted below],
Gray, Mamie Slaughter,
Campbell bought land,
Mr. Cummings place who delivered mail,
John Cummings father and mother 4 children,
Jim not married brother Will and Amelia,
John’s health failed, Will took up the mail 
contract,
House built on island in the creek burned down,
Irrigation,
Campbell tore the house down,
Her grandparents settled here,
Father a Slaughter from Mississippi,
Mother was Sarah Emmaline Perry,
Land in Missouri,
Slaughter/Perry married in TX/OK lived at 
Marietta Oklahoma,
One child Minnie Moore Slaughter,
To Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, 
child born and died,
Two years later Papa born at Chickasaw 
Nation,
Father Jackson Ward Slaughter,
Nickname “Cub” because a fat baby,
Pasture problems with lost animals,
Move to Honey Creek Texas about 1884,
Father about 3 years old,
Bought land from J. C. Clayton, island in the 
creek,
First house,
Northwest on Warm Springs Hollow- 2 rooms, dirt 
floor,
Indians but not much trouble,
Bought 150 acres at foot of the mountain lived there,
Stuart?-lime kiln, chimneys there,
Grandpa Slaughter bought this place,
1901 when Papa was 21- breaking horses for $5/head,
Papa on his own west to Kerr County,
Worked for Charlie Shriner and Red…? 
Ranch,
Came home after 2 years.
January/February on Marshall Springs at ?Bell 
Mountain,
Grandpa built this house- 2 rooms 14x18, added porch, finished 
April 1st,
Papa married Vale Barnett’s sister Martha Annie Barnett,
Barnetts children of Reverend J F Barnett, 
Cumberland Presbyterian,
Barnett wife was ???? Anne Smith child.
of ?Cary V. Smith,
Smiths were from Tennessee,
Moved to ?,
Signal Mountain in Indian days,
Mother was born in a log cabin,
When crawling lived at foot of the hill,
Newer home built and description,
Mama’s father died when she was 16, she married at 
25,
He was 53 when died a preacher,
Preached at Click and 
prayed around,
Met at Kendalls,
Mother rode horseback,
September when Mammie was 5, moved 
down here,
Up there was a big spring, bog down 
buggies,
Birthday November 6. 
<br>

'''Tape 1, Side 2:''' [This side mostly inaudible],
Gray Mamie Slaughter (again),
A will split of the land Papa bought this place,
Silver mines possible on the place,
Bullion bars ore etc,
Buffalo hides,
Bullets from the ore,
1948 hunt for the ore,
Hired men from Brownwood and Houston,
Adam R. Johnson first to build the rock house,
James Fennel Barnett another preacher married a Riley,
Will Cummings (again),
Papa built a straight good fence,
Campbell on the fence,
We now own the land,
Some fellows killed at the same time,
Adobe hut.
<br>

'''Tape 2, Side 1:''' Mile from highway on west side,
Bridges lived in there,
Will married Etta Rysinger,
Whitless on north side of hill,
Green Mountain and Marks Creek,
Rysinger place bought by Ed,
Patton’s now belongs to Cummings,
Roy Whitless John Hart place Wes Powell,
Barnett family- her grandfather came from Mississippi to 
Nacogdoches,
Cousins ?Small and ?Cornwall/?Cromley,
Washington Morrow,
Grandmother Barnett was a Smith,
C. P. Smith was her uncle,
Pete Smith and Henry Smith,
Pete’s wife was a Coverley,
Henry married Mary Click,
Brother was 
John Click,
Mrs. Byfield married my mother’s only sister,
Uncle Linc his brother Frank and mother,
Had old store in Click Texas,
Mother was full-blood French Lucinda 
Ferguson,
Little shoe store old well still 
there,
Uncle Linc married Viambre Barnett,
Ran store and post office 
at Click built big house,
Several kids born there,
Jim the baby born at 
click,
Uncle Dale’s kids Aunt Minnie’s kids,
Mama had 8 brothers 12 total sibs 2 
died at birth,
Mother and Aunt Molly,
Only 3 Byfield girls now living,
Kelly- nursing home in Houston,
Dick,
Gussie- at nursing home in Austin 
married Arthur Smith,
Old man Eldon Smith’s son
Raymond George,
Blue Hole cousin George visited,
“A good lawyer is a damn crook”,
George and Irene two children George and Jean,
Old timers buried at Comanche,
Honey Creek,
Cub Slaughter- square dance caller,
Leon Ames Martin Hollis also called 
at Llano,
“Chicken in the breadpan” and other 
calls,
Cub knew about 75 calls for 4-6-8 
couples,
When child in Oklahoma got Diptheria,
Doctor poured caustic acid 
in the throat to cure,
Smoke out of 
his mouth burned the palette,
Stuttering but could call 
dances for hours,
She had abscess on tonsil not diptheria,
Bootlegging in Llano County,
They turned down chances to sell booze,
She tells a story “without names” of a bootlegging 
situation,
Masked men held them up sheriff 
caught them,
Dad on Cummings place baling hay teams of horses,
Turberville’s still possibly on Dancers Flat,
No “bad” whiskey made drinking at dances ?cigar 
races,
Election year speeches of Llano County officials,
Grub box picnics pit BBQ coffee in a wash pot, 
tin cups,
Saturday night dances at homes or schools New Years dances,
School on ?Dancers Flat,
Little building, rock foundation 18x20 28 kids,
Some come on horseback buggy or walk,
Smith family- father L. B. Smith,
Etta ?Bylar was teacher,
Leonard Tocquerville and others on mountain at Lindsey place.
<br>

'''Tape 2, Side 2:''' Gray Mamie Slaughter (again),
Grade 1-9 3-4 per grade Evenings older taught younger,
Hours 8-4 various subjects,
About 1915 she was 12 years old,
Started school other places then Click and Honey Creek,
Missed some years she finished 10th grade when 17 years old,
Last year at K???? by the bank building in town,
Boarded with Mama’s brother Sam Barnett and wife,
Barnett family (again),
Grandfather James from Mississippi to Texas after 
Civil War,
He lost brothers in the war left his 
parents riding a pony,
Left one morning and never 
went back,
His mother bought out a Bible he 
grudgingly took it,
He rode up the hill, 
looked back she praying on doorstep,
At cousin Washington Morrow’s in east 
Texas,
Worked cattle avoided gambling and 
drinking went to bed early,
Woke in night remembered 
Mothers bible,
Got it from 
saddlebag and read by campfire,
Married in Nacogdoches to Nancy Ann 
Smith interest in ministry,
He and Jim Moore ordained at Round 
Rock rode their ponies,
Jim Moore married ????????,
Cumberland Presbyterian’s 
out of Nashville Tennessee,
Moore had killed a man in 
self-defense looked like outlaw,
Jim Moore experiences [some inaudible],
Jim or Dan Moore preached at 
?Enchanted Rock,
Grandfather Burnett preached in Click,
Arch and Dave fought going to school,
Log cabin at Click- 100 yards to a 
spring,
Three children John Robert (Bob) and 
Molly,
Molly married George Washington (Linc) 
Byfield,
They had store at Click, 
he owed man a nickel,
Paid back later so 
nickname “Linc” after Abe Lincoln,
Carrying water and Indians,
Grandmother wore a six-shooter,
She thought something 
behind tree was Indian and shot,
It was one of 
their work oxen she shot it in foot,
Fenced 100 acre farm with brush and 
rock no wire,
Children played by live oak tree past 
the fence,
Saw 15 Indians gathering 
their horses up,
Chief with blanket on 
shoulder and feather in hair,
Rode toward 
children waving tomahawk,
She screamed “Indians” and 
they ran to house,
She put on husbands shirt 
and pants and took a hoe out,
Indians left 
with horses but didn’t attack house,
John had a pony named 
?Kachile Indians took,
Dr. ?????? built large home 100 yards 
from the cabin,
Grandfather Barnett (again),
He farmed preached and ranched 1100 
acres, 100 cultivated,
Fence still up and crops 
are cotton maize oats corn,
They had 11 children,
Whole family had measles 
and baby died,
Henry, little brother also died 
buried in Comanche Cemetry,
At age 2 could speak like 
an adult,
Grandfathers 3 brothers John Sam and 
???? also came to Texas,
They settled around 
Nacogdoches,
His mother was to visit east Texas 
from Mississippi,
Jim and Anne to go visit his mother 
with the little children,
Wagon trip to Burnett and 
spent the night,
Henry sick in middle of 
night and doctor came,
Henry said 
“Don’t give me any bitter medicine”,
He died at 3: 30 AM,
Doctor said 
his brain was bigger than his body,
Brain of a 12-15 year old,
Did not see mother 
returned to Click,
Raised 9 sons and 2 
daughters and ran store.
<br>

'''Range Dates:''' 1865-1977

'''Bulk Dates:''' 1870-1930


==Access Information==

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'''Recording Format Notes:'''

'''Transcript:'''



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