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.

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.

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.

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.

Range Dates: 1865-1977

Bulk Dates: 1870-1930

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