I don't know zactly how old I is, but I was helping my old Mistress milk cows when the Niggers was sot free. I was nine or ten years old then. I was born in Macon, Georgia and belonged to old man James Redding . My Mistress was Bibb Redding . My mammy and daddy was both born in Georgia. My fol'ks was Master James wife's fo'ks darkies. I had just two brothers. Daniel and Stephen . There was four girls  Lucy , Liza , Mollie and Millie . I members my mother's mother, Phoebe . She was born in Virginia. She say that her old Master never 'lowed nobody to impose on his darkies. I'se heard her talk 'bout when the Indians was in this country.  Master had a pretty good house and big qua'ters after we come to Texas. The qua'ters had bedsteads with four legs and shuck and hay mattresses. We et bread, meat, taters (potatoes), greens and cabbage. My white fo'ks held my fo'ks in esteem. All the darkies had to be clean and wear good clothes. The Reddings owned 'bout a thousand acres of land and 'bout 150 slaves. There was a overseer on the place and he was 'lowed to whip the darkies sometimes, cept my mother's fo'ks. My fo'ks was Master James wife's fo'ks and she wouldn't 'low the overseer to whip us. Mistress' boys was Dixians and sho would come at anybody that whipped their mother's darkies. Josiah Dixon was my Mistress' people. They come to Texas with the Reddings and didn't mind telling a overseer to gather his tools and authority and get out if he beat up their darkies. They didn't whip much at all on the Redding place. Master James allus give all his darkies a little task to do after they come in from the field, and paid them 10 or 15cents apiece. He give them Saturday after dinner off to work their own patches or do tasks to make money. Master's fo'ks allus give us some kind of little present at Christmas.

We used to ask them for clothes at Christmas and they give us their clothes they didn't want. They warn't ragged clothes, cause Reddings allus got new clothes every year. The white chil'ren on the place taught the colored chil'ren to read and write. The Reddings didn't care how much their darkies knowed. Our fo'ks went to church every Sunday. I'se saw slaves sold on the block and the square at Mansfield but I never seed any whipped 'cept the light brushings that they got on our place. My daddy and Richmond Moore was the "Overlookers" for Redding . I 'members well 'bout the close of the war. They had a fight at Old Pleasant Hill 'fore the battle at Mansfield. When the fighting started at Mansfield the cannons was roaring like thunder and gunpowder smoke in the air looked like black clouds. I don't think the battle went on very long I can't 'member what Master said when they sot the darkies free. I knows he told them they was free to go or stay. Most all the old hands stayed on with him. My fo'ks stayed 'bout five years, then we come to Harrison County. I studied at home and took the examination for a school teacher here at Marshall. They give me a third grade certificate and I taught school round in the country for several years. Then I went to work for the T. & P. Railroad and stayed with them till I wore myself out. I worked for the railroad forty-four years and never did strike. In 1922 the white men tried to make me strike, but I told them I warn't going to strike. They beat up lots of the Niggers cause they wouldn't quit their jobs, but they never did bother me. I allus voted the Democratic ticket till they cut the colored people out of the primary. Now I don't meddle with politics. I think them that is qualified, white or black, should be 'lowed to vote, but I ain't got nothing to do with it. I think that some of the young people of our race is making good use of their education, and some of them won't ever mount to nothing. I got a daughther who finished college and is teaching in El Paso. Them that wants to can make something of themselves, but lots of them don't seem to want to.

Mat Fowler was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1850, a slave of the James Redding family. A few months before the outbreak of the Civil War, the Reddings moved to Hamilton, Texas. Mat remained with them until he was twenty, then secured a third grade certificate and taught in Harrison County several years. Mat has made application for his railroad retirement pension. Meanwhile, a daughter who teaches in El Paso is supporting him. He lives in Marshall, Texas. 

I don't know 'zactly how old I is, but I's holping Old Miss milk cows when us niggers was sot free, and I mus' have been nine or ten then. It was in Macon, over in Georgia where I's born, and 'longed to Massa Redding . My folks was born in Georgia, too, and they was two brothers called Daniel and Stephen , and four gals called Lucy and Liza and Mollie and Millie .  Massa James had a purty good house and big quarters after he come to Texas. The quarters had bedsteads with four legs and shuck and hay mattresses. We et cornbread and sweet 'taters and greens, mos'ly. My white folks held my folks in esteem, but all us niggers had to be clean and have whole clothes, 'cause Massa James owned a thousand acres land and a hundred and fifty slaves.  They was a overseer and he'd whip us sometimes, 'cept my mammy's folks. She 'longed to Old Miss and nobody could whip us. Old Miss was Bibb Dixon till she married Massa James , and her boys didn't mind telling a overseer to gather his tools and 'thority and git out, if he beat up they niggers.  Massa James allus give us a li'l task to do after comin' in from the field and pay ten cents apiece. He give Saturday after dinner to work they own patches or do tasks to make some money. He allus give us some li'l present at Christmas time. We'd ask them for clothes and they give they clothes they didn't want. They wasn't ragged clothes, 'cause the Reddings allus got new clothes every year.  The white chillen larnt us to read and write and they didn't care how much we knowed or if we'd go to church.  Most all the old hands stayed on with massa and we stayed five years and then come to Harrison County, and I studied at home and took the examination for school teacher and got a third-grade certif'cate and taught school round in the country several years. Then I worked for the Texas & Pacific Railroad till I wore myself out, fofty-four years and never did strike. In 1922 the white men tried to make me strike and beat up lots of niggers what wouldn't strike, but never did bother me.  I allus voted Democratic till they cut us niggers out the primary. I think them what is qualified, white and black, should be 'lowed to vote, but I ain't got nothin' to do with it.  Some the white folks has been good to me these last years, and my gal what teaches in El Paso is keepin' me till my pension gits to me. Some the young folks, like her, makes good use of they schoolin', but lots of them don't seem to want to.