Yes, suh, I's a Georgia nigger. I 'longed to Massa Tom Bias , and he lived in Atlanta. I couldn't state jus' how old I is, but I knows I was eleven years old when we come to Marshall, and that's in 1869. Mammy was Lizzie and born in Atlanta, and I's heared her say she was give to Tom Bias to settle a dept her owner owed. I don't know nothin' 'bout my daddy, 'cept he am named Tom Bias , and that am massa's name. So I guess he's my daddy. But I had two brothers. Frank and James , and I don't know if Massa Bias was they daddy or not. Massa Bias refugees me and my mammy to Mansfield, in Louisiana when I's jus' a baby. They come in wagons and was two months on the way, and the big boys and men rode hossback, but all the niggers big 'nough had to walk. Massa Bias opens a farm twelve mile from Mansfield. My mammy plowed and hoed and chopped and picked cotton and jus' as good as the menfolks. I allus worked in the house, nussin the white chillen and spinnin' and housework. Me and my brother, Frank , slep' in Missy Bias house on a pallet. No matter how cold it was we slep on that pallet without no cover, in front the fireplace. Old man Tom never give us no money and half 'nough clothes. I had one dress the year round, two lengths of cloth sewed together, and I didn't know nothin' 'bout playin' neither. If I made too much fuss they put me under the bed. My white folks didn't teach us nothin' 'cept how they could put the whip on us. I had to put on a knittin' of stockin's in the mornin' and if I didn't git it out by night, Missy put the lash on me.

My mammy was sceered of old Tom Bias as if he was a bear. She worked in the field all day and come in at night and help with the stock. After supper they made her spin cloth. Massa fed well 'nough, but made us wear our old lowel clothes till they most fell off us. We was treated jus' like animals, but some owners treated they stock better'n old Tom Bias handled my folks. I still got a scar over my right eye where he put me in the dark two months. We had a young cow and when she had her first calf they sent me to milk her, and she kicked me and run me round a li'l pine tree, fightin' and tryin' to book me. Massa and missy standin' in the gate all the time, hollerin' to me to make the cow stand still. I got clost to her and she kicked me off the stool and I run to the gate, and massa grab me and hit me 'cross the eye with a leather strap and I couldn't see out my right eye for two months. He am dead now, but I's gwine tell the truth 'bout the way we was treated. I could hear the guns shootin' in the war. It sound like a thunder storm when them cannons boomin'. Didn't nary one our menfolks go to war. I know my brother say, 'Annie, when them cannons stops boomin' we's gwine be all freed from old Massa Tom' s beatin's. But massa wouldn't lot us go after surrender. My mammy pretends to go to town and takes Frank and goes to Mansfield and asks the Progoe Marshal what to do. He say we's free as old man Tom and didn't have to stay no more. Frank stays in town and mammy brings a paper from the progoe, but she's sceered to give it to Massa Tom . Me and James out in the yard makin' soap. I's totin' water from the spring and James fetching firewood to put round the pot. Mammy tells James to keep goin' next time he goes after wood and her and me come round 'nother way and meets him down the road. That how we got 'way from old man Bias . Me and mammy walks off and leaves a pot of soap bilin' in the backyard. We sot our pails down at the spring and cuts through the field and meets James down the big road. We left 'bout ten o'clock that mornin' and walks all day till it starts to git dark.   Then we comes to a white man's house and asks could we stay all night. He give us a good supper and let us sleep in his barn and breakfast next mornin' and his wife fixes up some victuals in a box and we starts to Mansfield. We was sceered most to death when we come to that man's house, fear he'd take us back to old man sins. But we had to have somethin' to eat from somewheres. When mammy tells him how we left old man Bias , he says, 'That damn rascal ought to be Ku Kluxed.' He told us not to be 'fraid. We come to Mansfield and finds Frank and mammy hires me and James out to a white widow lady in Mansfield, and she sho' a good, sweet soul. She told mammy to come on and stay there with us till she git a job. We stayed with her two years.

Then old man Charlie Stewart brung us to Marshall, and when I's eighteen I marries and lives with him twenty-six years. He worked on the railroad and helped move the shops from Hallsville to Marshall. He laughed and said the first engine they run from here to Jefferson had a flour barrel for a smokestack. He died and I married Tom Osborne . but he's dead eight years. I raises a whole passel chillen and got a passel grandchillen. They allus brings me a hen or somethin'. My boy is cripple and lives with me, and my gal's husband works for Wiley College. Old man Bias ' son got in jail and sent for me. He say, 'Annie , you is my sister, and help me git out of jail.' I told him I didn't help him in and wouldn't help him out. I washed and ironed and now gits $9.00 pension. My boy got his leg cut off by the railroad. He can't do much.

Annie Osborne , an aged Negress of Marshall was born in 1856, in Atlanta, Georgia, as a slave of Tom Bias . She was refugeed to Louisiana with her parents, by the Bias family, before the Civil War, and remained with them until two years after the war. Annie has resided in Marshall continuously since 1869. She has been married twice and reared six children, two of whom are still living in Marshall. Annie now lives with her single son in Gregg Addition and receives a $9.00 per month pension.

I was bo'n in Atlanta, Georgia and belonged to Tom Bias . I couldn't state just how old I is, but I knows I was eleven years old when we left the Bias place to come to Marshall. My mother told me more times than I can remember. My mother was named Lizzie and was bo'n in Atlanta, Georgia. I'se heard her say that she was give to Tom Bias to help settle a debt her first owner owed him. I couldn't tell you nothing 'bout my daddy, 'cept they said that Tom Bias was my father. I had two brothers, Frank and James , and no sisters. I don't know if old man Tom Bias was their daddy or not. My mother never did tell me nothing 'bout who was my father, and my brothers didn't mention it either. Tom Bias refugeed my mother and two brothers from Georgia when I was just a baby. I'se heard my mother tell 'bout how they come to Mansfield, Louisiana in wagons, and was on the road two months. She say that the boys and men fo'ks rode horseback, but all the Niggers that was big enough had to walk. My Master opened a farm 'bout twelve miles from Mansfield. My mother's family was all the slaves he had. Him and his boys and my mother and brothers done all the farming on the place. My mother plowed, hoed, chopped and picked cotton, and handled stock just as good as any of the men folks. I allus worked in the house, nussing (nursing) Mistress Janes's chil'ren, spinning, churning and helping with the house work. Me and my brother, Frank , slep in the Mistress' house on a pallet. No matter how cold it was we slep on that pallet without any cover. In winter time we allus made our pallet in front of the fireplace. Old man Tom never give us no money and half enough clothes. I had one dress the year round, two widths of cloth sewed together. I didn't know nothing 'bout playing when I was a child. If I made too much fuss they put me under the bed. My white fo'ks didn't teach us nothing but how they could put the whip on us. I had to put on a knitting of stockings in the morning, and if I didn't get it out by night, Mistress would put on the lash on me.  My mother was skeered (scared) of old Tom Bias as if he was a bear. She had to work in the fiel' all day and then come in at night and help with the stock just like the men folks. After supper they made her spin cloth. He fed decent enough, but made us wear our old lowell clothes till they most fell off of us.

We was treated just like animals and beasts in slavery time. Some owners treated the stock better than old Tom Bias handled my fo'ks. I still got a scar over my right eye where Master Tom put me in the dark for two months. We had a young cow on the place. When she had her first calf they sent me to the pen to milk her. I went in the lot to milk her and she kicked me, and run me round a little pine tree there in the middle of the lot, fighting and trying to hook me. Master and Mistress was standing in the cowpen gate all the time hollering at me to make the cow stand still so I could milk her. I got up close to her and she kicked me off the stool and started to hooking me. I got up and run to the gate. Master grabbed me and hit me 'cross the eye with a leather strap and I couldn't see out of my right eye for two months. He is dead now, but I is gonna tell the truth 'bout how we was treated.  I warn't big enough to 'member too much 'bout the war. Our place was 'bout twelve miles from Mansfield, and I 'members hearing the guns shooting. It sounded like a thunder-storm when them cannons was booming. Just fore the battle at Mansfield come on, I 'members seeing soldiers passing and re-passing. Didn't nary one of our men fo'ks go to war. I 'members my oldest brother, Frank , saying to me,  Annie , when them cannons stop shooting, we is going to be freed from old Master Tom's beatings. Our Master wouldn't let us go after surrender. My mother made a pretense of going to town. She took Frank and went to Mansfield and asked the Progoe Marshal what to do. He told her we was just as free as old man Tom and didn't have to stay with him no more. Frank stayed in town, and mother brought a notice of some kind back from the Progoe Marshal to give to Master Tom , but she was skeered (scared) to give it to him when she got home. Me and James was out in the yard making soap. I was toting (carrying) water from the spring, and James was fetching fire wood to put round the pot. My mother told James to keep going when he went after some more wood, and her and me would go by the spring and come round another way and meet him down the road. That's how we got away from Tom Bias . Me and my mother walked right off and left a pot of soap biling (boiling) in the back yard. We set our pails down at the spring and cut through the fiel' and met James down the big road. We left 'bout ten o'clock that morning and walked all day and till it begin to get dark. We come to a white man's house and asked him if we could stay all night.

He give us a good supper and let us sleep in his cotton house. The next morning he fed us breakfast and his wife fixed up some vitals in a box for us and we left for Mansfield. We was skeered most to death when we first come to his house for fear he send us back to old man Tom Bias. We was hungry and had to have something to eat from somewhere. Mother went right up to his house and told him why we left our owner. He say to her,  That dam rascal ought to be Ku Kluxed. He told us not to be 'fraid, he give us plenty to eat and let us stay all night. We come on to Mansfield and found Frank . Then our mother hired me and James out to a white widow lady there in Mansfield. She sho was a good, sweet soul. She told mama to come on and stay there with us till she could get a job for herself. We worked for her two years. I 'members that 'fore we left Tom Bias , he got word that the Progoe soldiers was coming 'round to see if the owners had let the Niggers loose. He told us that when them soldiers come round they took anything they wanted, and they warn't going to get any of his meat. He made Frank and James dig a big hole like a well, down in the edge of the woods. Then he buried a hogshead barrel that dishes come in, in the hole. I help tote (carry) all the hams, shoulders, middlings and sausage out of the smoke-house and put in that barrel. He civered (covered) it up with boards, and dirt and grass so you couldn't tell it was there. He chipped a place on a tree close to where it was buried so he knowed where it was. We left 'fore the soldiers come. I 'members lots of talk 'bout the Ku Klux doing lots of devilment, chasing and beating up Niggers, but I never seed them. They didn't ever bother any of our folks cause none of us ever run round any like some of the Niggers. We had been at Mansfield two years when old man Charley Stewart brought us to Marshall. I stayed with my mother till I was 'bout eighteen, then I married my first husband and lived with him twenty-six years 'fore he died. We married 'bout the time the railroad was built in here. My first man worked on the line that was run from Marshall to Jefferson. He helped move the shops from Hallsville to Marshall. I 'members him laughing 'bout the first engine that they run from here to Jefferson. He say it had a flour barrel for a smoke stack. After my first husband died,

I married Tom Osborne . He's been dead 'bout eight years. I ain't got nothing to say 'bout the young set of our people. They is good to me. I raised six chil'ren and got a whole pacel of grandchil'ren. They is allus bringing me a hen, or something to eat or wear. Two of my chil'ren is still living. My boy is cripple and lives with me. My girl is married and her husband works for Wiley College. They is both well thought of in Marshall. I say a Negro can mount to something if he try. Color don't have nothing to do with it now. Take old man Tom Bias's son. They had plenty and got a good education, but John, his oldest boy, got in trouble and is gone to the pen, I guess. He sent for me when he was in jail here in Marshall. He say to me,  Annie , you is my sister and I want you to help me get out of jail.  I told him I didn't help him get in and warn't going to help him get out. I allus worked hard and honest for a living and led my chil'ren that way. After my last husband died I washed and ironed all over this town to make a living. I just broke down 'bout two years ago. The State gives me $9.00 a month pension and my girl helps me along since my boy got his leg cut off on the railroad. He works some, but can't make much.