Juneteenth Texas: Essays in African-American Folklore Page: 35
xi, 364 p. : ports. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this book.
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Henry Truvillion of the Big Thicket: A Song Worth Singing T ) 5
It was a Sunday night after church in my native Missis-
sippi. I walked a lady home and then took a short cut to get
back to my own home. It was very dark, but I was not afraid
since, in those days, I traveled at night with a six-shooter in
hand.
But I became lost, engulfed in bramble briars. I knew I was
in a large pasture and there was a large pond of water in the
pasture. I felt that if I moved I would fall into the water. In
desperation, I cried out for help. "I'm lost!" I cried, several
times.
A man opened his back door and yelled, "Wait a minute." I
heard him cut splinters from a stump. I saw him light them.
When they were burning good he held them up, and said, "Can
you see this light?"
"Yes," I answered, "but isn't there water between you and
me?"
"No, just briars, lots of them. Don't stray to the left or to
the right; just come straight to this light."
Now this Bible I'm holding up here is God's splinters; the
Holy Spirit is the fire. My job here is to hold up this light. Now,
is there anyone lost here tonight? I invite you to come to the
light.
That's the night I became a Christian, making my decision to follow
Jesus. Standing up "amidst the briars," I walked straight to him, shook
his hands, and said, "I want to give my life to Jesus Christ." He jumped
up, danced about, and shed a tear or two. In short, he was happy.
When the singing stopped, he was supposed to listen to a deacon
present me, and then they would take a vote and set a date for my
baptism. Instead, he proceeded to talk to the Light, saying, "Lord, this
is my son."
My father's ministry was strongly supported by my mother, Oneal
Bluitt Truvillion, the fourteenth child of Lillie and Jerry Bluitt of Mag-
nolia Springs (still in the Thicket, but in Jasper County). They were
married in 1927. He called her "Sweet" and she called him "Hon."
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Juneteenth Texas: Essays in African-American Folklore (Book)
Volume of essays about African-American folklore, including reminiscences of African-American folk culture in Texas, studies of specific genres of folklore, information about Texas-African food-ways, studies of specific performers, information about songs and other folklore. The index begins on page 353.
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Abernethy, Francis Edward. Juneteenth Texas: Essays in African-American Folklore, book, 1996; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38859/m1/51/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.