TX BIOS:  Mrs. M. B. Willis
   Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress.
   
   Washington, 1994.
   
   Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only.
   
   This transcription intended to be 99.95% accurate.
   
   For more information about this text and this American Memory
   collection, refer to accompanying matter.
   
   U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
   Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of
   Congress.Copyright status not determined.
   
   00011
   
   Folkstuff - [?] FOLKWAY
   
   Mrs. Edgerton Arnold, P.W.
   
   McLennan County, Texas
   
   District 8 [?]
   
   No. words 1256
   
   File No. 240
   
   Page No. 1 CONSULTANT: Mrs. M.B. Willis, Waco, Texas REMINISCENCES OF
   MRS. M.B. WILLIS
   
   My parents, Mr. and Mrs. Moses Balwin were natives of Alabama. They
   grew up in the same town. Both married. My mother marrying a Mr.
   Davis. After a few years my mothers first husband died. She left
   Alabama and went to live in Mansfield, Louisana where she met my
   father (whose wife had also died) and a year after the meeting they
   were married.
   
   My father and mother decided to leave Louisianna and come to Texas.
   They, with my two half-brothers and two half-sisters (children by my
   fathers previous marriage) with a bout one hundred slaves went
   directly to Cold Springs, San Jancinto county, Texas, where my father
   bought a very large farm. Two years [after?] they had settled in Cold
   Springs, I was born, November 8, 1855. I was named Armanda, but since
   that was also my mothers name it was shortened to "Mannie" and Mannie
   I have remained all my life.
   
   My childhood was very happy. My niece (daughter of of my half-sister)
   and I were almost the same age, and I remember that my father gave
   each of us a girl slave who was about our own age. It was the custom
   to give each child a slave near their own age so they could grow up
   together, there were also "[mammies?]" who had the complete charge of
   us. My own brother who was a year or so older than I, also had a
   slave. We children were taught at home until we were old enough to go
   to school in Cold Springs. There was no school for the slaves,
   whatever they learned, they learned from us.
   
   I cannot remember much about the war. My two half-brothers fought in
   it, but my fathers health was so bad that he could not take an active
   part.
   
   I remember very distinctly one morning going into the dining room, and
   seeing on the dining table stacked piles of silver dollars. My father
   and mother were standing at the head of the table and grouped around
   were the heads of the famlies of slaves. 00022He was explaining to
   them that the war was ended and that they were free and could [leave?]
   if they so desired, but if they wanted to say and work on, he would
   give them a contract. Just two of them decided to leave, the coachmen
   and my mother's seamstress, whom she had favored more than any of the
   others.
   
   The following spring my father died, and my mother had a trying time.
   The farm was so large, and / the people began coming to our farm and
   hiring the negroes.
   
   The following year we began to attend school in Cold Springs. My
   brother would take me with him on his horse. It was through his
   teachings that I became a fine horsewoman. As we grew up horseback
   riding was our chief sport, and our next favorite past-time was the
   game of crochette and dancing, though my mother would not let me atten
   many dances as she thought too frequent attendance would make a young
   lady common.
   
   Upon finishing school in Cold Springs, I was sent to Waco to attend
   what was then Waco University...which began quite an interesting
   period in my life. I was clever but not very studious. Our recreation
   in those days was picnics, and it was at one of these given on the
   Baptist Encampment grounds that my husband first saw me. He told the
   boys that some day soon he was going to know me. Then came a big
   event...a grand soiree was given and it was there we met. A few days
   later Professor Burleson announced in chaple that we were to be given
   a big picnic, but there was not to be any pairing off, if any one was
   caught disobeying that rule, they would be sent home. There were about
   six couples including Mr. Willis and myself who were very much in
   love, and we determined not to let a rule interfer with us being
   together. So after arriving on the picnic grounds, and at the first
   opportunity, we slipped off. Mr. Willis took me to the bank of the
   creek where he had hidden some ice cream, and we were sitting there
   eating it and having a lovely time, when Professor Burleson walked up
   and caught us. In a very stern manner he said, "Miss Baldwin, you are
   to return home immediate, and are not to have any dinner." When I got
   to the bus, which was driven by Perry Green, I found that the other
   girls had been caught too, and were being sent home from the picnic.
   In some way the boys reached home before we did, and Mrs Caldwell, who
   was then Molly Hayes, 00033felt so sorry for us that she fixed up a
   nice dinner and invited the boys to join us. So we had a nice time in
   spite of Professor Burleson.
   
   In June I returned home and in a few days Mr. Willis came to my home
   and asked my mother for her consent to our marriage. My borther had
   made investigations and found that he was a splendid young man of
   sterling worth, son of a prominant physician in Waco, who had been in
   practice with his father for a little more than a year. He had been
   educated in Virginia and Washington where he had won the Greek
   Certificate and was given a beautiful letter from General Lee
   commending him for his outstanding work. Leaving Washington he
   attended Bellview Medical College in New York where he took his
   medical course, graduating with high honors.
   
   In November we were married and after a short honeymoon spent in
   Galveston we came to Waco which was then known as Waco Village. It was
   very crude but the people were friendly. Our first home was a little
   cottage located out on South Fourth Street. It faced open prairie. One
   of the first attractive buildings that I remember around in Waco was
   the [?]. Another thing that gave the old settlers quite a lot of
   pleasure was the theater parties. We often gave them at the old
   Garland Theater which was one of Waco's leading theaters in those
   days, even though it was built over a livery stable.
   
   The Suspension bridge was also a great event for Waco. The crossing of
   the river had been accom lished in a flat [boat?] since the settlement
   of Waco. The ferry was at the same spot where the bridge now stands,
   and the sight admired by thousands who crossed on that ferry was the
   beautiful Waco Spring. It used to fall over two shelves of rock...a
   miniture cataract, of two or three yards in width, glittering in the
   morning sun like a sheen of diamonds. There were no water companies
   and the spring was free to all.
   
   We had five children, they came very rapidly. One died in infancy. My
   husband 00044died at the age of 37 leaving me the responsibility of
   rearing four babies, the youngest was two years old and the oldest ten
   years old. Being a firm believer in education I was determined with
   the help of God to have my children thoroughly educated. Each of my
   children have from two to three degrees to their credit. I have been
   quite active in the religious, civic and social life of Waco. I was
   one of the organizers of the Home [Association?] of Waco (Old Ladies
   Home). I have been quite active in club work and am an honorary member
   of the Literary Club. When in Waco I attend the Austin Avenue
   Methodist church.
   
   I devide my time [DEL: bewteen :DEL] between my daughter who lives in
   Bryan, Texas and my son Judge J.D. Willis of Waco, Texas. Life has
   given me many blessings for which I am most thankful.

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