OSCAR I. BREWSTER

The following bio was taken from page 120 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Shirley Koym

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

Life can be understood by looking backward. During the 1850’s and the harvest season, three young men and one young lady were sold by the Mo-Hon Plantation in Georgia. In 1853, these four people were again sold just outside Atlanta, Georgia, to a man by the name of Cannon Hale from Rusk County.

Before winter set in, the four Brewster youngsters and Mr. Hale began their long westward trip toward Texas. Traveling by covered wagon, they journeyed to Chattanooga, to Nashville, to Texas. Their first stop was in Panola County at Beckville, Texas, then to Gregg County, and finally to Rusk County. The four that were sold to the Brewster Plantation were Bill, Jeff, Cressie, and Sam Brewster.

Sam was my great-grandpa. During this time the Negroes were not married; they were mated. Some were sold as slaves. One of the Brewster’s youngins, "Buck," was a run-away slave. Sam had seven children. His son Daniel was my grand-papa. Daniel had three sons, and Oscar I. Brewster was my papa.

Papa had fifteen children, one of whom died in infancy. There are fourteen of us still living. We were raised up around Pine Hill. My papa was a sharecrop farmer on the Osburn farm. He also worked on the W. P. A.; this was during the depression.

We have a family reunion each year. Two of the Brewster boys went into the army. Six of us are school teachers. Six of us live in Rusk County now. We asked that our children, the children of their children, and on down the generation’s keep up the reunion.

Submitted by Essie Dee Hill.