When de parents workin' in de field, somebody look after de chillen. De mammies come in and nuss dem when time come. De white folks never put on 'striction on de chillen till dey twelve, fourteen years old. Dey all wear de straight-cut slip. Dey give de li'l gale de slip dress and li'l panties. In wintertime dey give de boys de li'l coat and pants and shoes, but no drawers or unnerwear. Dey give dem hard russet shoes in wintertime. Dey have brass toes. Dey plenty dur'ble. In summertime us didn't see no shoe.  Messa Looney jes' as fine de man as ever make tracks. Christmas time come, he give 'em a few dollars and say go to the store and buy what us want. He give all de li'l nigger chillen gif's, jes' like he own. He git de jug of whiskey and plenty eggs and make de big eggnog for everybody. He treat us cullud folks jes' like he treat he own fam'ly. He never take no liquor 'cept at Christmas. He give us lots to eat at Christmas, too.  Sometime old missy come out and call all de li'l niggers in de house to play with her chillen. When us eat us have de tin plate and cup. Dey give us plenty milk and butter and 'taters and sich. Us all set on de floor and make 'way with dem rations.  Dey had a li'l church house for de niggers and preachin' in de afternoon, and on into de night lots of times. Dey have de cullud preacher. He couldn't read. He jes' preach from nat'ral wit and what he larn from white folks. De whole outfit profess to be Baptis'. 

De marryin' business go through by what massa say. De fellow git de massa's consen'. Massa mos'ly say yes without waitin'. 'cause marryin' mean more niggers for him comin' on. He git de jedge or preacher to marry dem. Iffen de man live on one plantation and de gal on 'nother, he have to git de pass to go see her. Dat so de patterrollers not git him.  De slaves used to have balls and frolics in dey cabins. But iffen dey go to de frolic on 'nother plantation dey git de pass. Dat so dey can cotch runaway niggers. I never heared of stealin' niggers. 'cept dis-a-way. Sometime de runaway nigger git fifty or hundred miles away and show up dere as de stray slave. Dat massa where he show up take care of him so long, den lay claim to him. Dat call harborin' de nigger  Dey lots of places where de young massas has heirs by nigger gals. Dey sell dem jes' like other slaves. Dat purty common. It seem like de white women don't mind. Dey didn't 'ject, 'cause dat mean more slaves.  Sometimes de white folks has de big deer drive. Dem and de niggers go down in de bottoms to drive deers up. Dey rid big, fine hosses and start de deers runnin'. Dey raise dere own dogs. Massa sho' careful 'bout he hounds. He train dem good and treat dem good, too. He have somethin' cook reg'lar for dem. Dey hunts foxes and wolves and plenty dam kinds varmints.

I seen sojers by de thousands. When 'mancipation come out massa come to de back door with de paper and say, 'Yous free.' He furnish dem with all dey needs and give dem part de crop. He 'vide up de pig litters and such 'mongst dem. He give dem de start. Den after two, three year he commence takin' out for dere food and boots and clothes and sich.  Denight de pusson die dey has de wake and sing and pray all night long. Dey all very 'ligious in dere profession. Dey knock off all work so de slaves can go to de buryin'.  De white folks'low dem to have de frolic with de fiddle or banjo or windjammer. Dey dances out on de grass, forty or fifty niggers, and dem big gals nineteen year old git out dere barefoot as de goose. It jes' de habit of de times. 'cause dey all have shoes. Sometimes dey call de jig dance and some of dem sho' dance it, too. De prompter call, 'All git ready.' Den he holler, 'All balance,' and den he sing out. 'Swing you pardner,' and dey does it. Den he say, 'First men head off to de right,' and dere dey goes. Or he say, 'All promenade,' and day goes in de circle. One thing dey calls, 'Bird in de Cage.' Three joins hands round de gal in de middle, and dance round her, and den she git out and her pardner git in de center and dey dance dat way awhile. 

After freedom dey have de log cabin schoolhouse. De first teacher was de cullud women name Mary Chapman . I near wore out dat old blueblack speller tryin' to larn A B C's.  I leaves Caddo Parish in 1877 for Galveston, and leaves dere on de four mast schooner for Leesburg and up de Calcasieu River. Den I goes to de Cameron Parish and in 1879 I comes to Beaumont. I marries Mandy Watson in 1882 and she died in 1932. Us never have no chillen but 'dopts two. Us marry in de hotel dinin'-room, 'cause I's workin' for de hotel man, J. B. Goodhue . De Rev. Elder Venable , what am de old cullud preacher, marries us. I didn't git marry like in slavery time. I's got a great big marriage certificate hangin' on de wall of my house.  I 'longs to several lodges, de Knights of Labor and de Knights of Honor and de Pilgrims. I never hold no office. I's jes' de bench member. I's a member of de Live Lake Missionary Baptist Church.  I's got de big house of my own, on de corner of Roberts Avenue and San Antonio street. After my wife die, I gits de man to come and live dere with me. Dat's all I knows.

Chris Franklin , residing at the corner of San Antonio Street and Roberts Avenue, Beaumont, Texas, was formerly the slave of Judge Robert J. Looney , living in Bossier and Caddo Parishes, La. He is rather small with gray hair and mustache. His head is partly bald, and the remaining hair is cut short. He was wearing an old felt hat, his coat was tan, his trousers blue, his shoes in good condition. He is thrifty and owns his own home. He finds ready employment with various local people working their vegetable and flower gardens, raking leaves, and doing other house and yard work.

Yes, dis is Chris Franklin. I signs my name C. C. Franklin , dat's for Christopher Columbus Franklin . I was born in Bossier Parish up in Louisiana, jes' twenty-five miles de other side of Shreveport. I was born dere in 1855 on Christmas day. But I was raise up in Caddo Parrish. Old marster move over dere when I 'bout a year old. Dey say dat he refugee dere.  My old marster was name Robert J. Looney an' he was a judge an' a lawyer. He had a boy name R.J., Junior . But I's talking 'bout de old head, de old original. De mistus, her name was Lettie V. Looney . Dey had four boy an' one gal. He waren't no farmer. He jes' truck farm to raise a living for de household an' de slaves. He didn't have over half a dozen growed up slaves. Case dey reared up a lot of younguns. He have three families of slaves, my mother, my mother's sister, and another woman.  Mother's name was Maria . Case her last name was Looney at dat time but after she get out of slavery de name change.  My daddy name was Solomon Lawson . He belong to Judge Lawson . He had a big plantation not far from whar Marse Looney live. My daddy de only one I knowed on de Lawson place. When freedom come, my daddy took de name of Sol Franklin . Dat where my name come from. My daddy s'pose to know his parents an' dat where de name Franklin come from.  Judge Looney house was a ordinary frame house. Dey was 'bout six or seven rooms in it, an' dey was all under one roof. De dining room an' cook room warn't built off to dey self. It was a raise house. It raise up on high pillars an' dey can drive a hoss an' buggy under de house. He live 'bout a mile or a mile an' a half out in de country on de Fairview Road. He never own no property in de town.  De slaves dey live in one big slave cabin. It was built out of plank. It warn't a log house. All three of de families live in dat house. It built sorter like a 'partment house. Dey was four rooms in de house. Each family had one room. Dey jes' had a lamp an' a candle for our comfort. It was jes' a li'l ordinary brass lamp. Dey used to make 'em out of wax and tallow. Dey raise dere own bees. When dey rob de bees' gums dey strain de honey out of de comb. Den dey melt de wax with tallow to make it firmer. Dey had de candle molds. Dey have a string for de wick. Dey tie one end of de wick on a stick 'cross de mold so it won't fall down, den dey pour de melted wax an' tallow in de mold an dey got de candle.  Dey had a table an' benches in de cabin, too. A chair in a cabin was a rare thing though. Dem what was dere was jes' home make 'round leg chairs. Dey either had split hickory or white oak, or rawhide bottom. Dey have hay mattress on de beds. I never see no moss mattress til I growed up. Lots of times dey go out an' pull up grass to stuff de mattress. When de hay or de grass in 'em git too old dey throw it way an' go pull up more. De ticking was like rice sacks. Burlap was what dey call it. Dat was de principal ticking for de blacks.  We had mud chim'ly. Dey fix sticks like a ladder. Dey mix mud, an' moss, an' grass in what dey call 'cats'. Dey have rock backs for 'em. An' man, we had a sho' nuff fire in 'em. Put a stick long as me an' big as dat porch post on de fire place. In cold wedder dat las' all day an' all night. "De beds was make out of plain lumber, slats an' all. Dey didn't have none of dem built-in beds. Dey could move 'em 'round in de cabin.  Dat was before I's of age to work. I wasn't old 'nough. De white folks never put no 'strictions on us 'til us git to be twelve or fourteen year old. 

"When de parents was working in de field dey have somebody to look after de chilluns, either de older chilluns look after de li'l ones or dey have some old person what ain't working in de field. Dey never left 'em rambling. De mothers what have li'l babies, dey come in an' nuss 'em when de time come. When it so hot in de summer time dey call 'em in from de field an' give 'em two or three hours 'til it git not so hot. Old marster didn't have no speculation raisin' cotton (he didn't raise cotton for income.) Oh, he raise a li'l cotton for dey own clothes. Dey used to pick de seed out by hand. Dey didn see it to de gin. Den day card it an' spin it an' weave it into cloth. "Dey didn't wear a thing but a straight cut shirt. Dey give de li'l gals a straight-cut slip dress an' li'l panties. In de winter time dey give de boys li'l coat an' pants an' shoes, but dey didn't have no draws or undershirts. Dey give 'em what dey hard russet shoes in winter time. Dey have brass toes on 'em. was plenty durable 'nough. In de summer time day didn't see no shoe.  Marster jes' as fine a man as ever made tracks. Christmas time come he give 'em a few dollars an' let 'em go to de store an' buy what de want. He give all de li'l nigger chilluns gifts jes' like he give he own. Den at Christmas time he git a jug of whiskey an' plenty of eggs an' such an' make a big egg-nog for everybody. He treat de cullud folks jes' like he treat he own family. But he a man what never took no licker no other time of de year, jes' Christmas. He sho' give 'em lots to eat at Christmas. But dey always have plenty to eat every day of de year. He treat his hands good. He never beat 'em either.  Sometime old mistus come out an' call all de li'l darkies in de house where she an' her chillun is an' make 'em all play together. She sorta watch 'em an' see dey all play nice together.  Us li'l niggers have a tin plate an' a tin cup. Dey never give us no coffee. Us never git none of dat 'til way after freedom come. But dey give us plenty of milk, an' butter an' taters an' such. Us all set on de floor an' go to eating an make 'way with dem rations.  On holidays dey celebrate de day. Dey didn't make de niggers work 'cepting de few li'l things dat dey have to do every day like cook, an' feed de stock an' de chickens an such on Saturdays too, dey have a half a day off iffen de work wern't too pushing. Dey didn't put 'em in de field like on other days. Sometime in de fall, dey make de slaves have a general cleaning on Saturday. When de leafs was fallin an' de yard git all kiver, with 'em on Saturday morning dey make de niggers git brush brooms, not de regular house brooms, but dey go out an' cut a bunch of li'l branches off de trees an' tie 'em together an' sweep up all de leaves in de yard an' burn 'em  On Sunday dey had de whole day off. Dey never done no field work 't all. Dey didn't even do as much work in de house on Sunday. Mistus, she make 'em cook a good supply when dey cooking breakfast, and dey eat a cold dinner an' supper. She done dat so de cooks could have jes' as much time for demselfs as dey could. My ma was a cook. She do washing an' ironing, too, but she never do no field work.  Dey had a li'l church house for de darkeys an' dey had preaching an' church in de afternoon. Dey never had no morning church. When dey start preach in de afternoon dey preach on into de night lots of times, an' sing an' pray. Dey was a cullud preacher what preach for 'em but he couldn' read. He jes' preach from natural wit an' what he learn from de white folks. De whole outfit profess to be Baptist. I never heard of no other name in slavery times.  I tell you 'bout de marriage business in dem days. Dat went through by what de marster say. Iffen de feller want to marry a gal he have to take de matter up to headquarters. But de marster he mostly say 'Yes' 'thout waiting 'cause de marrying mean more niggers for him coming on.  De white folks always perform some ceremony. Marster he usually git a alderman or a clergyman or a judge to come out an' marry 'em. He stand up an' de man an' woman dey stand up, an' he read de paper an' dat de way dey git marry on old marster place. "Iffen de man live on one place an' he wife live on another he have to git a pass to see her. Any nigger what want to leave de place have to git a pass 'cause iffen he don't de patter-rollers dey git him. Dey ride 'round de country an' pick up niggers what off dey place. Dey beat 'em iffen dey catch 'em 'cause dey ain't supposed to be away afternight 'thout de pass.

De darkies used to have balls an' frolics in dey cabins. But iffen I want to go to a frolic on another plantation I got to git a pass. De reason of dat pass business was to catch runaway niggers. Some of 'em run away 'cause dey been treat bad. Dey catch a nigger at night 'cause he might be a runaway. "I never hear of 'em stealin' niggers, jes' taking 'em 'way from dere marster, but I hear of 'em stealing like dis' way. Sometime dey was a runaway darkey. Maybe he go fifty or a hundred mile away. He show up dere as a stray slave. Dat marster way off, he take care of de nigger so long, den he lay claim to him. Dat call harborin' a nigger. Dey uster put a gal or a woman on a block an' have a regular auction an' bid 'em off to de highest bidder. Dat was bad 'cause it split up de fam'ly. Sometime dey have a woman an' her daughter an' de sell de daughter first to one man an' de mother she be weeping an' crying 'cause dey sell de daughter to somebody else an' she ain't seen 'em no more maybe. "Dey was lots of places whar de young marsters have heirs by darkey gals. Dey sell 'em jes' like de other slaves. Dat was pretty common. It seem like de white women didn't mind dat. Dey didn't object 'cause dat mean more slaves.  De uster go hunting in dem days. Old marster he had a rifle. He buy a old gun what he call a carbine. Den he have some muskets. Dem was old cap an' ball muskets. Dey put in de powder den you put in de wad an' jam it down with a rod, den you put in de ball an' some more wadding. Den dey put a cap on a li'l pipe at de back 'em of de musket. Dey had two kinds of cap, G.D. an' waterproof.  Sometimes de white folks have a big deer drive. Some of de niggers or some of de whites go down in de bottom to drive de deers up. Dey rid big fine hosses. Dat start de deers running an' dey drive 'em by de stand whar de rest of de white folks was, an' dey shoot 'em. Dey raise dere own dogs. Marster sh' careful 'bout he hounds. Dey was jes' common hounds but he choose 'em careful an' train 'em good. He treat 'em good too. He have something cook regular for 'em. Dey was useful, too, to hunt other thing. Dey was foxes an' wolfs an' plenty of dem kinds of varmints.  I seen sojers by de thousands. I was jes' a li'l bit of a debble. I used to run up to de fence an' peep through 'em. Dat was befo' de war when dey was gwine to de war, an' at de break up when it was done over. Dey wasn' no fighting anywhere near where I was.  Old marster, old marster. Dat what dey allus call him. Marster not 'mister'. It was allus 'Old Marster' an' dat was always consider 'propriate. "When 'mancipation come out an' was declare dat marster must turn all he slaves loose, he come to de back door, an' come down with de paper. He call for all de niggers to come 'round. He call 'em all by name an' say, 'You free. De war is over. You all got no house. You kin stay here an' go on like you was before. De do same thing what you been doing, but I pay you money'.  Marster he furnish 'em wid everything dey need an' give 'em part of de crop. Each one take so much. He divide up de litters of pigs 'mongst 'em. Dat de way dey share de crop. At first he didn't commence taking out for ration. He give 'em a start. Den after two or three year he commence taking out for dere food an' boots an' clothes an' such.  I never heard of Sunday School but it was a common thing for 'em to have prayer meetings in de cabins. Dat was 'lowed to 'em. Dey could visit de neighbors for a prayer meeting.  When a cullud person die, little or big, dey always have a man sufficient to make a coffin. It was jes' made out of common board. De principle shroud was a nice white sheet. "Dey put nice clothes on de corpse. Dey didn't put on no shoes on it but dey put de socks on. De white folks give de nice clothes to bury him in an' dey usually give 'em white gloves. Dey was mighty nice 'bout it. Every coffin was home-made, an' lined with plain black cloth. "De night de person die dey have a wake. Dey sing an' pray all night long. Dey all very 'ligions (religious) in dere profession. De white folks 'lowed 'em to carry on. Dey never come out an' say dey didn't want all dat fuss. An' dat go on all night long. It hardly ever cease.  Dey knock off all work so all niggers could go to de burying. Dey have a small place set aside for dat. Dey sing an' pray. Dey always had some old cullud clergyman in de neighborhood an' dey send an' fetch him for de funeral."De white folks uster 'low 'em to hold frolics like, an' ball on de plantation. Den dey 'vite other darkies from other places. Dey was usually somebody 'round wid a violin or a banjo or a win'jammer. You dunno what a win'jammer is? Dat's a 'corjin (accordian). Sometime they jes' have one piece. Sometime dey git all together but dat a rare thing. When dey git 'em all together dey say dey got a string band.  Dey dance out on de grass, forty or fifty darkeys. Dem big gals eighteen an' nineteen year old git out dere an' go to dancin' barefoot as a goose. Dat weren't 'cause dey didn't have no shoes but it jes' de habit of de times.  Sometime dey call for a jig dance. Den one person or not over two get out dere an' jig dance. It usually one person done it. An' I mean some of 'em sho' dance dat jig dance too.  When dey dancin' on de floor dey was from four to eight couple. Sometimes dey was two at de head an' two at de foot an' two on each side. Dey all stand 'round dere each with he gal, waiting for de music for to start. Dey have what dey call a 'prompter' for to call de figgers. He say, 'All git ready'. De dey start de music an' he holler out, 'All balance', an' dey put de feets to de front. Den he sing out, 'Swing you pardner an', dey grab dere pardner an' swing 'round. Sometimes he say 'Fus' man head off to de right', an' dey go off dat way. When he tell 'em to 'All promenade', dey goes 'round in a circle. Iffen he say, 'Change pardners', dey do dat an' keep on changing pardners again. Dere was lots of different members what he call. "Dey was one t'ing what dey dance call 'bird in de cage'. Dey be three of 'em join hands 'round a gal in de middle an' dey dance 'round, den she come out an' her pardner git in an' she tek his place in de ring an dey dance dat way awhile. "Dey got to break up de dance at twelve o'clock. Iffen dey don't do dat, after twelve o'clock de patter-rollers go huntin' for 'em.  De white folks let 'em all enjoy deyself. Dey have plenty for 'em to eat. Sometime dey give 'em chicken, an' popcorn an' peanut. Dey give 'em tater, an' milk, an' butter, an' meat, an' such an' dey all have a big time an' 'joy demself lots.

After freedom turn us loose, dey put us up in a school. De school house was jes' a log cabin house. Sometime dey teach under a brush arbor. De first teacher I ever had was a cullud lady name Mary Chapman . She got her learning from her white folks in slavery. I 'members I have to study in de old blueback speller. I plum wore it out tryin' to learn A-B-C's. I never went to none of dem teachers from de north. De next teacher was name Mr. Griffin . He was a white man. I dunno where he from. 'Nother teacher was a black man name McClennan . Dem was free school.  Dey was number of de Ku Klux in Louisiana. I didn't see 'em to know 'em. Cose I reckon I see 'em an' pass 'em by long de roads but I didn't know 'em 'cause dey was jes' going 'bout dere business like de other folks, an' dress up in dey everyday clothes. No sir, dey never harass me. Dey never did bother nobody 'round where I was.  I was raise up on a truck farm an' I been farming an' trucking mos' all my life.  I left Caddo parish in 1877 an' went to Galveston. I was dere jes' a short time, jes' 'bout 24 hours. I left dere on a four mast schooner an' went to Leeburg, Louisiana up Culcusho (Calcasieu) River. Den I left dere an' went to Cameron Parish on de Gulf of Mexico. I stay dere till 1879. I come here to Beaumont den an' here I been ever since. " belong to several lodges. I joined de Knights of Labor, an' de Knights of Honor an' de Pilgrims. I never hold no office. I was jes' a bench member. I's a member of de Live Lake Missionary Baptist Church. " git marry to Manda Watson way back in 1882. She been dead now since Oct. 21, 1932. Us never have no chillun but I raise up two chillun for her. An' I raise dere offspring of de second generation, too. But me an' 'Manda , us never did 'cumulate a child.  When us get marry I was working for Mr. J. B. Goodhue in de Crosby House. Me an' my wife, we was both of us working dere at de time. I was working in the dining room an' she was working in de laundry. Us get marry in dining room of de hotel one morning right after breakfast. Dey call in a old cullud preacher, de Rev. Elder Venable , an' he marry us. He was jes' as black as a crow. He dead now a long time. De guests an' owners of de house come in to see us git marry an' dey help us. Us had a li'l wine to drink an' den us go on an 'tend to our work. I didn't get marry like dey did in slavery time. I's got a great big marriage certificate hanging on de wall of my room at home.  I's got a big house of my own. It on de corner of Roberts Avenue an' San Antonio Street. After my wife die I get a man to come an' live dere with me. Dey's jes' me an' him dere by usselfs.