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FOISLORII
Miss Effie Cowan,
MoLenni County, Texas.
Distri 8.
REFERENCE:
Interview with Mrs Annie Shaw, San Antonio, Texas,
Visiting in Mart, Texas.
Pile NO. 240.
Page NO, 1
NO. of 'lords
"I was born on the 29th day of October, 1870, near Griffin,Georgia.
I was one of seven children by my fathers second wife. Their names
were William and Elizabeth Woodward. As I was born at the close of
the days of Reconstruction, I can remember many things that were
banded down to me by my parent'W these days and the days of the
Civil War.
When the war broke out the communities selected one of their
men to stay and look after the women and children, he was in charge
,of the business of those who had, no man in the family left, and my
father was the one selected for oar little community. They were in
nine miles of"Shermans Mar4o the Sea", and his soldiers spread
out in detachmenta and our community suffered from their raids in
the loss of live -stock and feed -461f. So far as I can remember
they did not burn or destroy the homes. But the women were insulted
and force was used if they tried to prevent the taking of the pro-
-visions. They were forced to keep the soldiers in their homes and
cook for them when they paPsed thro' the community.
TT s
MY two 4mcles on my mothers side.were soldiers in the Confederate
army.I do not remember which battles they were in, but they were in
some of the biggest battles of the war. Some in Tennessee. I can
remember hearing my mother tell about how they were stationed at
FOLKLORE:
Miss Effie Cowan,
McLennan County, Texas.
District 8.
File NO. 240.
Page BO. 2.
one time near oar home and the women of the community would go to
the camp and take their boys clothing and food. My uncle's names
were William and Millage Hartsfield. Uncle Will Hartsfield was the
fat4er of "'re J.ff.Howard of Mart. He returned from the war and about
the year 1875 moved to Texas and settled in Milam County, near the
town of Calvert, where he reared his familyoand two of his sons are
gtill living in this county.
"My parents were still in Georgia daring the days of #econstraction
father passed away when I was three years old, but I remember many
things my mother told me of these days. The men who were sent from
the tiorth to hold the main offices were called darpet-liagger's.
Many of them were unprincipled and profiteered off the whites.
hey placed the negroes in the offices over the whites as history
shows, and the white people uunderwent many humiliating things at
the negroes hands during these days. One of the most humiliating
things they had to bear was the insults from the negro guards who
were stationed along the highways and entrance to the towns. If they
spoke to a womanithe women dared not reply.
"The most appealing thing to my heart that she told me was how the
slaves stayed and helped to take care of the family and the crops while
the master's were gone to the war. tspecially do I remember old Aunt
kiarriet who had helped to care for as children. Men we left the neigh-
-bore came in to bid as good bye. They were lined up in a row and the
family marched by and shook hands with each one of the friends to bid
them farewell. Aunt Harriet stood at the end of the row, and today, in
FOLKLORE:
Miss Effie Cowan,
McLennan County, Texas,
District 8.
File NO. pt0.
Page NO...
my memory I can see old Aunt Harriet as she stood at the end of the
row with her handkershief in her ha(40/and a red bandana on her head,
as she wiped the tears away,. which were streaming down her face as
she bade each one of as good-bye, and told as that"she would mearns
in"de hebbenly Ian'," She has long since gone to her .haavenly home.
I can also hear in memory her lullaby's as she sang us to sleep in
our childhood, and when our mother needed as to be kept (inlet it was
always Aunt Harriet who could hold as spoil -bound as she told as the
negro folk and fairy tales, and the ghost stories were our special
delight.
Then there is the memory of Aunt Harriet as she would come up to
"de big house to sit with my mother on a Sunday afternoon and talk
and have my mother read the Bible to her. '-qiuly her soul has found
her "hebbenly home". It was a hard thing for us to leave this dear old
country but the new state of Texas was calling to the ones who were
interested in founding new homes where the land was plentiful and cheapo
"We haI relatives who had already moved to Texas and were urging my
father to come. They were Frank Foster of Mart, Texas, My Aunt and her
family, Mrs Ben 4Ynolds of Mart, and a brother Will Hartsfield of the
county of Milam,.'-near OalveirTixas. All these had written glowing
descriptions of the country and so we were filled with the desire to
try our fortunes in this new land, and especially were my babthers
interested. They were filled with the spirit of adventure and the hope
of the rich and cheap land was also a factor of my father's decision
to come to Texas.
FOLKLORE:
Miss Rifle Cowan,
MoLsanan County, Texas.
District 8.
Pile NO. 040,
Page ROPt.
"While we did not get in on the first rash after the war between the
states, we came tn time to hear ,"The sound of that advancing mul-
--titade, which soon shall fill these deserts", as described by
in his beautiful pees to the pioneer settler s.
We came by way of Atlanta Ge.And New Orleans. Crossed the Missippi
river on a ferry boat and on through South Texas to Waco, as our tickets
were over the new Houston slid texas Central Rail -road, and we were at
the little place they called Harrison Switch,aboat ten miles south of
Waco when to oUrS. sarprise out relatives Mr Foster and Reynolds met the
train and brought as on to the little village of Mart. We came in the
wagons on the 16th day of, December 1884.
Their object in taking as off the train was in order for as to be
in time for a wedding of a cousin, Ada Reynolds and Jack Payne. This
was an important affair to the ones concerned. The relatives and the
neighbors were there in large numbers and the house was filled to over-
-flowing. Old Brother Hardwick, one of Marta first preachers, was the
officiating minister.
"This wedding occurred at the old Lewis Stpehens place, now owned by
Dr J.R.Gillam of Mart,aboat two or three miles north-east of Mart.
It was in December and so we had the Christmas decorations. There was
a reception after a most bountiful dinner which was partaken of by
around a hundred vests. The guests would eat in groups as there was
not enough room at the table for all at a time. There were all kinds of
good things to eat, and truly we felt that Texas wee a place where we
FOLKLORE:
Miss ffie Cowan,
Mcliennanv County, Texas.
District 8.
File NO. 240.
Page NO.4:
would not go hungry. The next day the father and÷met#er af the groom
gave an "infair" and served dinner to the bridal couple and the
relatives.
We rode to it in wagons and the bride and groom rode horseback.
The bride's horse had'a side saddle on which she sat side ways. It
would have been a shocking thing for the ladies to have ridden astride
as the custom is now. She had on a lo/ riding skirt which extended
below her shoes, if she had fallen off the horse her feet would have
become tangled up in the skirt.
As we had just arrived from Georgia where it was a timbered country
and every one had their carriages and buggies the change to riding
in the open prairie in an open wagon and the ladies riding horseback
the contrast was noticable,to say the least,to us. I had never seen
a side saddle before, and I did not understand how one could stay on
one without falling.
"Back in Georgia we had the big open fireplace where the fire burned
all day in the winter and the embers were kept all night, The fire place
had the big andirons and the log of wood for the night kept a warm glow
as we sloft by its light. Here in Texas they used the wood heaters the
first ones we ever saw.
I can also remember how it struck as as novel the western acdent
of speech which our relatives had acquired. To our great surprise within
two years after we came and when other relatives from Georgia came they
were equally shocked and surprised that we, bad acquired the same accent:
FOLKLORE: Pile NO. 240.
Miss Effie Cowan, Page N O. 6.
McLennan Comity, Texas.
District 8/,
"Over in thekresent cemetery at Mart, was where the little house
that was used for a church and school combined)stood. This was the
first school and church hou%e in the community. As I understand it
the first school was taught for three months by a 16 Spickard in
the year 1879 with an enrollment of fifteen pupils and the winter of
1880 Mrs Laura Cowan who was our neighbor when we came to Mart,
and whom we learned to honor and love, taught the next scool with
an enrollment of twenty eight.
In the winter of 1885 and 1886 a Mt and Mrs Chambers taught in
this same school house. I was a pupil and by this time there were many
mote children in the community, as well as I can remember there were
around fifty pupils. I do not recall all the names of the families who
were represented, but some of them were the Howards, Reynolds, Stephens,
Ingrams, Tulle, Barron, Criswell, Vaughan, Snttles, Lumpkin, and I think
Mrs 0owants oldest child 3.J. was one of the pupils, also the Dunn boys
Rogers, and Valentines.
When the winter term closed Mr Chambers got up a private school and
I assisted him.to pay for my tuition. I was fifteen years of age at the
time and was still anxious to keep a, with my studies. I have since
taught in the State school, but was never so proud of any school as
this, my first experience under my teacher and with my neighbors
children for my pupils.
NOLIELORB:
Mies Bffie Cowan,
McLennan County, Texas.
District 8.
Nile NO. 240.
Page NO. 7.
"When we (same to the Mart oommanity in 1884 we rented land from
an old bachelor by the name of Brooks. The country was a ranch
and stock country, the men raised their grain but not until a few
years later did they commenee to raise cotton. Our landlord &mei
ranches and city property in Waoo, but was a confirmed old bacheloi:
/ny were the stories told of why he did not get married, one was
that be took a barrel and every time he (would eat a meal he would
throw an ...nal amount in the barrel, at the end of the month when he
looked into the barrel he said that it would break any man to feed
a woman and be dared not try itl
"W lived on what is now the Bskew Dairy place about half a mile
north of Mart, to the south of as there lived the 'Townsend family
who were among the first settlers and to the east across the road
%AAA,' d'utArt
was the family of Mt and Ars H.8 Cowan whom I have mentionedA as being
the second teacher to teach the Mart school. Better neighbors could
not be found and many times their neighborly kindness helped as in
sickness and in our trials of the new country' to re-adjmot ourselves
to the new life. There is a fond place in my memory-et/2P theseour near-
-eat neighbors.
Mart was a little viilageeith the stores situated on a public
toad on what is now Smith Carpenter Street, at the intersection of
the street which turns off to the present school house. There were
three or.foar stores. That of W.B.Stodgbill, Ward Hawin was working
for Ur Stodghill bat later awned. a business of his own. Mr John
Pearce was a clerk in one of the stores. U-41-0 0911eY) 14/444i
6.-LAxt,e".1- eC-a-44-ti A4•1444-, )14'
FOLKLORE:
Miss -]ffie Cowan,
McLennan County, Texas,
District 8.
Pile NO. 240.
Page NO.8.
Captain Patillo from Waco was the Post Master and Dr R.L.Smith now
of Waco,was just begginning to practice medicine, Then there was Dr
Carpenter and Dr .Stephens. The minister!tI remember best was Brother
3attle and Hardwick who lived until their passing to the Great .6eyond
in this commubildllft.
In 1900 I married Sam Shaw and moved to Henrietta Texas this was
still an unsettled or thinly settled country and the stock and ranchmen
had drifted farther west from Central 'exas. We did not like it here
it was so open and the wind's blew so hard, so we moved to .6ew Aexico,
and took up a government claim, which we still own. But the winds were
so high and the sand would drift so badly th t we found it not to our
liking and so we came later to $an Antonio where we found the climate
mach more to our fancy, mach milder winters and here my husband has been
in business and we reared our children.
'"fie had three girls, wMo are now married and have homes of their own,
they are Mrs -Abel Fisher of Fredericksburg, Mrs Irene Gipson of 31Dorado
Arkansas, and '"rs James Martin of San Antonio, We love our home and our
neighbors, and church in this city, but the dearest place in our hearts
were the kind friend's and neighbors who helped as to adjust our lives
when we came to Texas and found it so different in its unsettled condt^.
-tion from our home back in Georgia, in the little village of Mart, Texas,
These people also had left their homes in the old states and were among
the best friends and neighbors we ever had the good fortune to find*