Alabama. After his master died, a son-in-law, Jim Robinson,
brought Jeff and 200 other slaves to Austin, Texas. Jeff was 22
when the Civil War began. He stayed with his old master, who had
moved to Stewart Mills Texas, after he was freed, and raised 23
children. He says, "I 'spect I has near a thous- children,
grandchildren and great grandchildren." He makes his home among
them, drifting over five states when and as he wishes.

"My name am Jeff Calhoun and I was born in Alton, in Alabama, about
1838, 'cause I's told by my massa. Dat makes me 'bout 98 year old now.
My father was Henry Robinson and my mammy, she Mary Robinson. She was
born in Maryland, in Virginia, but didn't know much 'bout her folks,
'cause she was sold off young. Dere was four of us brothers and ten
sisters, but dey all dead now but me.

"We makes our beds out of forked saplings drove in the ground, 'cause de
floors was dirt. We sets de pole in dat ground and it run to de top of
de cabin and we makes one bed down low and one bed above. De big folks
sleeps in de low beds and de chillun above, 'cause dey can climb.

"My massa had 15 chillun and my mamma suckled every one of dem, 'cause
his wife was no good to give milk.

"We allus had lots to eat, but for meat we has to go to de woods and git
deer and turkey and buffalo and some bear. I have eat hoss and skunk and
crow and hawk.

"We has a big fire to cook on, and to make de corn cakes we put one leaf
down and put batter on dat and put another leaf over it and cover with
hot ashes and by noon it was done. Same thing for supper. We never have
biscuits 'cept on Sunday or Christmas.

"My mama was de spinner so I has plenty shirts and some britches, and we
raises indigo on de place and makes dye of it. We never wore no shoes in
de summer and some winters neither. We has a good pair of pants and
shirt we wears Sundays and holidays and was married in.

"De way dey done at weddings dem days, you picks out a girl and tell
your boss. If she was from another plantation you had to git her bosses
'mission and den dey tells you to come up dat night and git hitched up.
They says to de girl, 'You's love dis man?' Dey says to de man, 'You
loves dis girl?' If you say you don't know, it's all off, but if you say
yes, dey brings in de broom and holds it 'bout a foot off de floor and
say to you to jump over. Den he says you's married. If either of you
stumps you toe on de broom, dat m