Memoirs of Freeman D. Green

The following memoirs were transcribed from a typed copy of an unpublished manuscript handwritten by Freeman D. Green in 1923. A few annotations written by other people are included enclosed in parentheses. Freeman was the son of Reason Green, first of the Green family to come to Texas. He gives an account of Reason's journey to Texas, his service during the Texas Revolution, and the Civil War and its aftermath.

Many thanks to Carolyn Ryherd Green for sending us a copy of the memoirs.

My father and mother, REASON GREEN and MARTHA RODGERS, married in 1822 in Alexandria, La. and moved to Texas on their honeymoon. Their worldly goods were two Indian Ponies, a few quilts and household items which they put on one of the ponies and mother on the other. Father walked and led the pack, carrying his rifle on his shoulder as they came to Nacogdoches. They got provisions, it being The Town on the route to Texas. No one lived on the route, no roads, nothing but Indian trails from one village to another. They made the trip after many days of traveling before they reached the Lower Trinity where they located and built a camp and named the place 'GREEN'S FERRY' and it is known by that name to this day. This was the first flat-boat ever put into the Trinity River. (Note: per E.T.H. this place is also referred to as the "OLD FARM on the RIVER" in many of the various memos).

The war between Mexico and Texas was getting serious. The Alamo had been taken by the Mexicans and all of the Texans murdered. Goliad had been taken and shared the same fate. General Santa Anna was moving on East Texas and General Houston was busy raising volunteers to take him. He had gotten seven hundred when the Mexican Army was at his heels, he continued to retreat until he got to the San Jacinto Bay where he expected to make a stand as there was but one way to get out, that being a bridge on Vince Bayou. Sure enough Santa Anna crossed in the evening of April 20, 1836 and camped for the night. That was what Houston wanted him to do. Next morning Houston had the bridge cut down and commenced firing the TWIN SISTERS and made a charge on the Mexican soldiers and soon the fight was over. The whole push was captured or killed, General Santa Anna was among the prisoners. This victory brought peace between Texas and Mexico. Houston had ordered all the women and children to move to the Sabine and sent a detail to take them there. My father was one of the detail. They moved in ox-carts so my father was not in the battle. They stopped on the West of the Sabine River. I was born there on the 3rd day of August 1837. The place was known as 'GREEN'S BLUFF'. Father bought land there and lived there several years. The place is known as Orange, Texas today.

He (REASON/father) moved back to the Old Farm (from Orange, Tx) on the Trinity River and then built a house 3 miles from West Liberty which was used as a cow-ranch and up-land farm. (note: this was the league granted him 26 Aug. 1835 = 1 League of land, 4428 acres. He'd also been granted a Town Lot in Liberty Town 02 May 1831). (Listed in Photostatic Records covering muster rolls of war of 1836 on page 59, it lists: Under Command of CAPT. FRANKLIN HARDIN were: REASON GREEN, A.B. HARDIN, BEASLEY PRUETT and others.) Mother and he moved to this ranch as it was on the prairie and we would have better health. My oldest brother, STEPHEN, run the farm on the river (meaning the Old Farm), REASON's first land. After JANE married (1852) Father gave her the ranch and moved back to the Old Farm on the River where most of my boyhood days were spent.

What little education I got was in Liberty. While going to school there, I got stuck on Miss MAMIE ABSHIER (MALINA MAY). We got married on the 18th day of September, 1861. We moved to the ranch in the fall of 1861. My brother-in-law, SANDERS HARDIN, having been elected Sheriff of Liberty Co. was compelled to move to town. So we took charge of the ranch. We lived happy in each others love. These were happy days. Little did we think we would ever see trouble. The Civil War now broke out afresh. We thought it would soon be over so paid no attention to the newspaper news. By spring the whole south was calling for volunteers. Soon we had more men than guns. I, and my two brothers, JOHN and REASON were sworn in and the Regiment, 25th Texas Cavalry, mobilized at Hempstead, Tx. I moved my wife to Father's on the Old Farm on the Trinity to keep house for him, Mother having died two years before. We had seventeen negroes on the farm. Most of them had been raised on the Old Farm with us whites.

The Regiment 25 marched to Shreveport, La. and was thrown into Carter's Brigade, the 23 and 24 Texas Cavalry and were ordered to Vicksburg but couldn't get transportation but went to Arkansas Post where the whole push were taken prisoners. A short time they got there I was sick and left to die at Shreveport. I got well enough to get my discharge and was sent home. I regained my health and joined the Coast Guards whose work was hunting up deserters and Jayhawkers and was in it when peace was made. We were land poor, negroes all free. (Note: He states my father, REASON GREEN had 17 negroes and his last statement showed them valued at $22400.00 paid tax in Liberty up to 1864. From another document of F.D. GREEN it states: In the fall of 1867 REASON GREEN, my father decided to leave the United States and get a home in the Southern Mexico. He took between $5,000 and $10,000 in gold with him to buy land. After making the trip and buying land, he came home to settle up everything and get his family and return. However, when he arrived at Galveston on the way home, he became seriously ill. They got him home and he had pneumonia and he died Feb. 11, 1868. The land was never located).

No money in the country but Confederate and that was of no value. These were the days of hard times. DAVIS had been appointed Governor of Texas. The country was over-run with troops, white and negroes. I concluded to take Greely's advice and go West. So I got the few things I had left and moved to Victoria County, Texas. Packed all my worldly effects into an old hack and headed for Victoria. My effects consisted of my wife and three children, a few changes of clothing and $35.00 in good money in my pocket. We landed in Victoria the 9th day of Jan. 1870, and rented an old run-down farm on Coleto Creek about seven miles from the town of Victoria. Invested $25.00 in a cook stove and wash pot. We had no furniture but slept on a pallet. We had brought bedding. I made a bedstead out of some cotton slats. Made it large enough for all of us, 9x9, then bought ticking and made a mattress to fit. Stuffed it with hay. Our chairs were empty bee-gums as there were a lot of them on the old place. We were perrty well fixed for house-keeping so I went to plowing. Got in about thirty acres. Made three bales of cotton and corn enough to do me. I worked for a stockman for two months at Four Bits a Day ($.50). When the two months was up I got a raise of $15.00. Things began to pick up. I soon got $2.00 a day working cattle. The second year I rented the place out and bought land on the East side of Coleto Creek, 5 miles from town. I built a nice two story ranch house. My children were all raised there. I made another start here raising stock. Got well fixed but didn't sell out soon enough and we had a money panic. I was not able to stem the current and went under. Since then I have been on the move.

Am almost blind, deaf, stomach and bowel trouble. I am a fit subject for the junk pile at any time. I have done the best I know how. I am the only one of my generation left. I have four children that take care of me. I have moved so often I hardly know where to call my home. While living in Raton, New Mexico, I buried my wife there. Since then I have lived with my daughter, MRS. W.C. MORGAN, she now lives in Albuquerque, N.M. My daughter, MRS. R.E. WORD, is with us now and will stay until after my birthday. I have enjoyed her visit very much. O how we will miss her when she leaves for home. I have lived in Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico but always claimed Texas as my home and I hope to spend my last days in the State if the Lord so wills. I leave my children poor but honorable and truthful. None of them have been convicted of a crime. If I had my life to live over I would lead a different life. My life has been a failure, but God knows I have done the best I know how. Today is my 86th birthday, the 3rd day of August 1923. Of these I have lived in Texas 82 years. I am living with VERNA. ANNIE took dinner with us today. May God Bless and save all of us is my prayer.

F.D. GREEN

August 3, 1923 Albuquerque, N.M.

Freeman passed away on October 5, 1927 in Albuquerque. He never returned to Texas.