I shall gladly relate the story of my life. I was born a slave on January 27th, 1856, and my master's name was John J. Cook , who was a resident of Arlington County, Virginia. He moved to Washington, D. C., when I was nearly two years old and immediately gave my parents their freedom. They separated within a year after that, and my mother earned our living. working as a hairdresser until her death in 1861. I was then adopted by Richard H. Cain , a minister of the Gospel in the African Methodist Church. I remember the beginning of the war well. The conditions made a deep impression on my mind, and the atmosphere of Washington was charged with excitement and expectations. There existed considerable need for assistance to the Negroes who had escaped after the war began, and Rev. Cain took a leading part in rendering aid to them. They came into the city without clothes or money and no idea of how to secure employment. A large member were placed on farms, some given employment as domestic and still others mustered into the Federal Army. The city was one procession of men in blue and the air was full of spirtial music. The fife and drum could be heard almost all the time, so you say imagine what emotions a colored person of my age would experience, especially as father's church was a center for congregating the Negroes and advising them. That was a difficult task, because a large majority were illiterate and ignorant. The year father was called to Charleston. South Carolina, to take charge of a church, we became the center of considerable trouble. It was right after the close of the war. In addition to his ministerial duties, father managed a newspaper and became interested in politics. He was elected a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of South Carolina in 1868. He was also elected a Republican member of the State Senate and served from 1868 to 1872. Then he became the Republican candidate for the United States Representative of the Charleston district, was elected and served in the 45th Congress from March 4, 1877 to March 3, 1879. You can imagine the bitter conflict his candidacy brought on.

A Negro running for public office against a white person in a Southern state that was strong for slavery does not seem the sensible thing for a man to do, but he did and was, of course, successful. From the moment he became delegate to the Constitutional Convention a guard was necessary night and day to watch our home. He was compelled to have a bodyguard wherever he went. We, his family, lived in constant fear at all times. Many times mother pleaded with him to cease his activities, but her pleadings were of no avail. In the beginning the resentment was not so pronounced. The white people were shocked and dejected over the outcome of the war, but gradually recovered. As they did, determination to establish order and prosperity developed, and they resented the Negro taking part in public affairs. On the other side of the cause was the excess and obstinate actions of some ignorant Negroes, acting under ill advice. Father was trying to prevent excesses being done by either side. He realized that the slaves were unfit, at that time, to take their place as dependable citizens, for the want of experience and wisdom, and that there would have to be mental development and wisdom learned by his race, and that such would only come by a gradual process. He entered the contest in the interest of his own race, primarily, but as a whole, to do justice to all. No one could change his course. He often stated. 'It is by the Divine will that I am in this battle.' The climax of the resentment against him took place when he was chosen Republican candidate to the House of Representatives. He had to maintain an armed guard at all times. Several times, despite these guards, attempts were made to either burn the house or injure some member of the family. If it had not been for the fact that the officials of the city and county were afraid of the federal government, which gave aid in protecting him, the mob would have succeeded in harming him. A day or two before election a mob gathered suddenly in front of the house, and we all thought the end had come. Father sent us all upstairs, and said he would, if necessary, give himself up to the mob and let them satisfy their vengeance on him, to save the rest of us. While he was talking, mother noticed another body of men in the alley. They were certainly sinister looking. Father told us to prepare for the worst, saying, 'What they plan to do is for those in front to engage the attention of ourselves and the guard, then those in the rear will fire the place and force us out.' He was calm throughout it all, but mother was greatly agitated and I was crying. The chief of the guard called father for a parley. The mob leader demanded that father come out for a talk. Then the sheriff and deputies appeared and he addressed the crowd of men, and told them if harm came to us the city would be placed under martial law. The men then dispersed, after some discussion among themselves. Father moved to Washington, took the oath of office and served until March 4th, 1879. He then received the appointment of Bishop of the African Methodist Church and served until his death in Washington, on Jan. 18th, 1887.

I began my schooling in Charleston and continued in Washington, where I entered Howard College, but did not continue until graduation. I met James E. Edwards , another student, who graduated in 1881, and my heart overruled my desire for an education. We married and he entered the ministry and was called to Dallas, Texas. He remained two years, then we were called to Los Angeles. The Negroes there were privileged to enter public eating establishments, but a cafe owner we patronized told us the following: After a time, I was compelled to refuse service to Negroes because they abused the privilege. They came in in a boisterous manner and crowded and shoved other patrons. It was due to a lack of wisdom and education.' That was true. The white people tried to give the Negro his rights and he abused the privilege because he was ignorant, a condition he could not then help. My husband and I were called to Kansas City in 1896 and from there to many other towns. Finally we came to Waco, and he had charge of a church there when he died, in 1927. We had a pleasant married life and I tried to do my duty as a pastor's wife and help elevate my race. We were blessed with three children, and the only one now living is in Boston, Massachusetts. I now reside with my granddaughter, Mary Foster , and this shack is the best her husband can afford. In fact, we are living in destitute circumstances. It is depressing to me, after having lived a life in a comfortable home. It is the Lord's will and I must accept what is provided. There is a purpose for all things. I shall soon go to meet my Maker, with the satisfaction of having done my duty - first, to my race, second, to mankind.

Ann J. Edwards , 81, 804 E. 4th St., Ft. Worth, Tex., was born a slave to Mr. John Cook , of Arlington Col, Va., on Jan. 27, 1856. Mr. Cook moved to Washington, D. C., in 1857, taking all his slaves, which included Ann's parents, and there, he manumitted them all. Ann's parents separated after their freedom. Her mother was employed as a hairdresser. She died when Ann was five yrs. of age. Ann was adopted by Richard H. Cain , a colored Minister of the Gospel. When the Civil War terminated, he moved to Charleston, S. C., to accept a pastorate. Richard H. Cain was elected a Republican Congressman to the 45th Congress in 1876, and moved back to Washington, D. C. There he remained until his death on Jan. 18, 1887. Ann , a high school graduate, matriculated in Howard College. James E. Edwards , a Howard College student, graduated in 1881, when he and Ann married. After entering the Ministry, he accepted a call to Dallas, Tex., and elsewhere, serving 13 Yrs. in Cal. Three children were born to them, and he died in Waco, Tex., in 1927. She now lives with her granddaughter, Mary Foster . Her only remaining child now lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Her story:

I shall gladly relate the story of my life, as you all request. I was born a slave on January 27th, 1856. My Master's name was John J. Cook , who was a resident of Arlington County, Virginia. Mister Cook moved to Washington, D. C., when I was two years old, that was in 1858, and he immediately gave my parents their freedom. My folks separated within a year after they were made free people. I can't give you the details of the cause for the divorce, due to my age at the time. My mother earned our livlihood, working as a hairdresser until her death in 1861. I was then adopted by Richard H. Cain , a Minister of the Gospel in the African Methodist Church. It was at the beginning of the Civil War, and I was six years old at the time. I can remember the beginning of the war well. The conditions made a deep impression on my mind. The atmosphere of Washington was charged with excitement and expectations. We were brought in direct contact with events, since my foster father was a minister, and we were of the negro race. There existed considerable need for assistance to the negroes that came to Washington who had escaped from slave territory after the war began. Rev. Cain took a leading part in rendering aid to those that needed it, and most of them did. The negroes came into the city without clothes or money, and with no idea of how to secure employment. It was necessary to care for them and find them employment suitable to their knowledge and ability. A large number were placed on farms, some were given employment as domestics, and still others were mustered into the Federal Army. I am proud of the fact that history records that the black man distinguished himself by his services in many instances. At that time, I was not old enough to understand the full import of all that was taking place, but, of course, I knew there was a conflict taking place and a war waging that was taking thousands of lives, and that my race was the main cause, and I knew that the outcome of the conflict would determine the status of the negroes. The city was one procession of men in blue, and the air was full of martial music, the fife and drum could be heard most all the time. So, you may imagine what emotions a colored person of my age, living in Washington at that time, would experience. Father's church was one of the centers for congregating the negroes and advising them. That was a difficult task because a big majority were illiterate and ignorant. The greatest excitement and shock took place on April 14, 1865, when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. I can't describe the emotions of the people, except to say that it was as if everyone had suddenly experienced the death of their most beloved child. Father held service in his church and I know there was not a dry eye present. For days after the incident the people moved about showing the deep feeling. As young as I was, I could sense the effect. The following year father was called to Charleston, So. Carolina to take charge of a church. There, we became the center of considerable trouble. In addition to his ministerial duties, father managed a newspaper, and became interested in politics and was elected a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of So. Carolina held in 1868. He was elected as a Republican member of the State Senate and served from 1868 to 1872. Then he became the Republican candidate for the United States Representative of the Charleston district, was elected and served in the 45th Congress from March 4, 1877 to March 3, 1879. You can imagine the bitter conflict that his candidacy brought on. A negro running for public office against a white person in a Southern State that was strong for slavery, does not seem the sensible thing for a man to do, but he did and was, of course, successful. Now, I shall explain what he and his family went through during his activities as a politician. From the moment he became a candidate for a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, a guard was necessary night and day to watch our home. He was compelled to have a body-guard everywhere he went. We, his family, lived in constant fear at all times. Many times mother pleaded with him to cease his activities, but her pleadings were of no avail. In the beginning the resentment was not so pronounced. For a time, the white people were shocked and dejected over the outcome of the war, but were gradually recovering. As they did, determination to establish order and prosperity developed, and, of course, they resented the negro taking part in public affairs. On the other side of the cause, was excess and obstinate action of some ignorant negroes acting under ill advice. Father was deeply interested in preventing excess from being done by either side. He realized that the slaves were unfit, at that time, to take their place as dependable citizens, for the want of experience and wisdom. He also realized that before the negro could attain the respect due a good citizen, there would have to be considerable mental development and wisdom learned by his race, and that such would only come by a gradual process. He entered the contest in the interest of his own race, primarily, but as a whole to do justice to all and no one could change his course. He often stated: 'It is by the Divine will that I am in this battle.' What I have just related will give one an understanding of why he took the part he performed. The climax of the resentment against Richard H. Cain's activities took place when he was chosen as the Republican candidate to the House of Representatives. It was imperative that an armed guard be maintained at all times. There were several occasions that, despite the guards, attempts were made to either burn the house or injure some member of the family. If it had not been for the fact that the officials of the city and county were afraid of reprisal from the Federal Government, which gave aid in protecting him, the mob would have succeeded in harming him. It was a day or two before election when a mob gathered suddenly in front of the house, and we all thought the end had come, because of the large number of persons. Father requested all of us to retire to the upstairs. He said he would, if necessary, give himself up to the mob and let them satisfy their vengeance on him, to save the rest of us. While he was talking, mother noticed another body of men in the alley, and called our attention to them. They were certainly sinister looking. Father told us to prepare for the worst, saying,  What they plan to do is for them in front to engage our attention, also the guard's attention. While our attention is directed toward the front, those in the rear will fire the place, and force us out.  Father was calm throughout it all, but mother was greatly agitated, and of course, I was crying, which added to the trouble. The chief of the guards called father for a parley. The leader of the mob had demanded that father come out for a talk. Father and the chief were discussing the advisability of complying with the demand, when suddenly, the sheriff with deputies appeared, and he addressed the crowd of men. He informed them that if harm came to us by their acts, the city would be placed under martial law. The men dispersed after considerable discussion among themselves. It was in late Fall when the election was held, and a surprise to many people that father was the successful candidate. That required moving to Washington, which we did in the month of March. He took the oath of office, and served from March fourth, 1877, to March fourth, 1879. At the end of his Congressional term, father received the appointment of Bishop of the African Episcopal Methodist Church. He served until his death in Washington, January 18th, 1887. I began my schooling in Charleston, and continued in Washington. I finished my common school education, and entered the Howard University, but did not continue 'til graduation. James E. Edwards was a student at Howard, and he was graduated in 1881. He and I met there, and my heart over-ruled my desire for an education. We were married shortly after his graduation. He entered the Ministry, and his first call was to a church in Dallas, Texas. We remained there for two years, then we were called to Los Angeles.

When we first arrived in Los Angeles, the negroes there were privileged to enter public eating establishments and receive service. To give you an example of what happened, I will give you the experience of a cafe owner that we patronized, as he related it to us. After a time, he was compelled to refuse service to the negroes because they abused their privilege. They would come into the cafe in a boisterous manner, and crowd and shove the other patrons. Of course, it was due to a lack of wisdom and education. One could not expect them to conduct themselves otherwise, and the owner should not be censured for refusing to serve them. The white people have tried to give the negro his rights as a citizen. At first, he accepted what was granted, but abused it because he was ignorant, a condition at the time he could not help. I am sure the negro will receive his full rights as a citizen in voting and other matters as fast as he has placed himself in a position to accept without abusing. My opinion of voting women, is that they should vote because they are subject to the laws and economic conditions. I believe they should have a voice in the making of, and the administering of the laws. , about my husband and I. We were called to Kansas City in 1896, and from there to many other towns. Finally, we were called to Waco, Texas. My husband had charge of a church in Waco when he died in 1927. Now, after I have told you about my life, you may understand that I have had a life full of experience and a useful one, a life that was beneficial to my race. My husband and I had a pleasant married life. I did my duty as a pastor's wife, and in so doing, elevated my race. We were blessed with three children, only one now living. She resides in Boston, Massachusetts. I now reside with my grand-daughter, Mary Foster . This shack is the best her husband can afford. In fact, we are living in destitute circumstances. It is depressing to me, after having lived a life in a comfortable home. It is the Lord's will, and I must accept what is provided. There is a purpose for all things. I shall soon go to meet my Maker with the satisfaction of having done my duty, first to my race, and second, to mankind.