I was bo'n at Caddo Parish, date in Louisiana, on de Doc Alexander plantation. My mother says I was bo'n on de 18th day of December, in de year of 1850. I guess dat's right, 'cause I's 87 years ole dis comin' December. Jus' 'bout dat time dey started shippin' de darkies to Texas. My marster moved to Travis County. Texas, and tuk all his slaves wid him. I was too young to 'member, but my mother, she told me 'bout it. It wasn' long after we was on Marster Alexander's new place in Travis County, till one night a man rode up on a hoss and stole me and my two brothers and rode away wid us. He tuk us to Bastrop County and sold us to Doc Duvall . Marster Duvall sold my brother right after he bought us, but me and John , we stayed wid him till de slaves was freed. On Marster Davall's plantation de slaves all lived in log cabins back of de big house. Dey was one room, two rooms and three room cabins, dependin' on de size of de family. Most had dirt floors, but some of 'em had log slabs. We had dese ole wooden beds wid a rope stretch 'cross de bottom and a mattress of straw or cotton dat de niggers got in de fiel'. We had lots to eat, like biscuit, cornbread, meat and sich stuff. Most times dey made coffee outta parch cornmeal. We had gardens and raised most of de stuff to eat. I herds sheep and is houseboy most of de time. When I was ole enough, I picks cotton. I was jus' learnin' when de slaves was freed. Marster Duvall had over 500 acres in cotton and he kep' us in de fiel' all de time, 'cept Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Dey had meetin' and dances Saturday nights. I was too young to 'member jus' what de songs was, but dey had a fiddle and played all night long. On ever' Sunday de niggers went to Church in de evenin'. Dey had a white preacher in de mornin' and a cullud preacher in de evenin'. Marster Duvall would whip de niggers who was disobedience and he jus' call dem up and ask dem what was de trouble, den he would whip dem wid a cowhide or a rope whip. We could go anywhere iffen we had a pass, but if we didn' de paddlerollers would ketch us. They was kinda like policemen we got today.

In slavery, dey traded and sold niggers like dey do hosses and mules. Dey carry dem to de court house and put dem on de block and auction 'em off. Some sold for roun' $3,000. It was hard to sell one wid scars on him, 'cause nobody wanted him, I seen 'em come by in droves, all chained together. When de slaves was free day was sho' happy. Dey all got together and had a kin' of cel'bration. Marster told dem if dey wanted to stay and help make de drop, he'd give 'em 50 cents a day and a place to stay. Some tuk him up on dat and stayed, but a lot of dam left dere. Me and my brother, we started walkin' to Austin. In Austin we finds our mother, she was working for Judge Paschal . She hires us out to one place and den another. Since freedom I done most everything anybody could do. I been porter and waiter in hotels and rest'rants. I been factory hand, and worked for carpenters and in de roun' house. I picked cotton and worked on de farm. I been married 61 years. I gits married at home, like civilize folks do. I raised a big family, 12 chillen, but only five is alive today. I moved here in 1929 and looks like I's here till I die.

James Jackson , was born a slave to the Alexander family, in Caddo Parrish, Louisiana. When about two years old, his master moved to Travis County, Texas. A short time later he and his two brothers were stole and sold to Dr. Duvall , in Bastrop County. When the slaves were freed he went to live with his mother in Austin, Texas. He worked around Austin till he married, he then moved to Taylor, and then to Kaufman. In the year of 1929, he moved to Fort Worth and has lived here since that time. I waz bo'n at Caddo Parrish, dats in Louisiana, on Doc Alexander plantation. My mother says I waz bo'n on de 18th. day of December, dat waz in de yea' of 1850. I guess dats right becuze I's 87 yea's ole dis cumin' December. Jus' 'bout dis time dey started shippin' de darkies to Texas. My marster, he moved to Travis County, dats whur de state capital is at. As I waz sayin', Marster Alexander moved to Travis County an' tuk all of his slaves wib hem. I waz to young to 'member 'bout dis becuze I was jus' two yea's ole whin dis all happen, but my mother she told me all 'bout it yea's later. My mother an' me wib my two brothers, we all waz wib Marster Alexander . My father, he die back in Louisiana, I didn't know anything 'bout hem, only dat his name waz, John Jackson . My mother, she never talked none 'bout hem. I didn't have no sisters, jus' my two brothers, dere names waz, Alec an' John . John die up in Oklahoma, wib de paralysis. I don't know whur Alec is, he mabe dead fur all I know. It wazn't long 'fter we waz at Marster Alexander new place in Travis County, till one night a man rode up on a hoss an' stole me an' my two brothers an' rode away wib us. He tuk us to Bastrop County, an' sold us to Doc Duvall . I never saw my brother Alec but once 'fter we waz stole, cuze Marster Duvall sold hem right 'fter he bought us. But me an' John , we stayed wib Marster Duvall till de slaves waz freed.

On Marster Duvall plantation de slaves dey all lived in a row of log cabins back of de marsters house. Dey waz one room, two rooms, an' three rooms cabins, it all depend on de size of de family. Most of de cabins had dirt floors, but some of dem had log slabs fur floors. We didn't have no beds lak we do today, No Sah, we had dese ole wooden beds wib a rope stretch 'cross de bottom an' wib a mattress dat waz made out of straw or cotton dat de darkies got in de fiel'. De darkies had lots to eat, lak biscuit, co'n bread, meat an' such stuf as dat. Most of de time dey made der coffee out of parch co'n meal. Den de darkies, dey had der own garden an' dey raised most of der own stuf to eat. While I waz wib Marster Duvall , I's herd sheep an' den I's house boy, I's house boy most of de time, but den I's do's a little bit of ever'thing. Whin I waz ole 'nuf, I waz sent to de fiel' to pick cotton. I waz jus' learnin' to pick cotton whin de slaves waz freed. Now den, de other darkies, dey wokked in de fiel' from sun up to dark. Marster Duvall , he had over 500 acres in cotton, an' he kept de darkies in de fiel' all de time, except on Sat'day 'fternoon an' Sunday. Whin de darkies wazn't wokkin' in de fiel', de women, dey wosh an' patch de clothes. De men, dey would build de fire an' carry de water fur de woshin', den some of dem would wokke in de gardens. De chillen, dey all played an' cut up an' fight an' ever'thing lak dat. Den dey had meetin' an' dances on Sat'day nights. I's to young to 'member jus' whut de songs waz, but dey had a fiddle an' dey danced an' played all night long. But on ever Sunday de darkies went to church, de w'ite folks went in de mornin' an' de darkies went in de evening. Dey had a w'ite preacher in de mornin' an' a w'ite preacher an' a cullud preacher in de evening. Dey had a Methodist church an' a Baptist church. I's 'member de time I's gits a whippin' fur not minding my mistress, I dis'member jus' whut it waz now, but she grabs a cowhide whip an' lit in on me, she hit ever'whur I waz. She hit me 'cross my face an' cut me on de cheek, an' Marster Duvall , he had to fix me up. She never whip me no mo', Marster Duvall never did whip me. He would whip de darkies who waz disobedience an' wouldn't wokke. He jus' call dem up an' ask dem whut waz de trouble, den he would whip dem wib a cowhide or a rope whip. But he never whip de darkies much cuze he would sell or trade dem off whin dey waz mean an' wouldn't mind. I's hear dat on de other plantation, dat dey would whip de darkies till dey die, but I's never saw dem do dis. Some of de darkies would run away an' go to Mexico. Dey had some hound dogs, but dey couldn't catch de darkies ever'time. De darkies could go any whur dey wanted to if dey had a pass, but dey had to have a pass or tak chances wib de paddle-rollers catching dem.

De paddle-rollers waz kinda lak de policeman we got today, dey jus' kinda watch de darkies to see dat dey didn't trouble nobody. De paddle-rollers, dey would cum 'round to whur de darkies waz having a meetin' an' ask de darkies if dey had a pass an' if dey didn't, dey would tak de darkies to de court house an' give dem 39 licks wib a cowhide whip. In slavery, dey sold an' traded de darkies lak dey do hoss's an' mules. Dey would carry dem to de court house an' put dem on de block an' auction dem off to de hightest bidder. Some sold fur 'round 3000 dollars, it waz hard to sell a darkie wib scars on hem, cuze nobody wanted a mean slave. I saw dem cum by de house in droves, all chained together. Dey would tak dem to de court house an' auction dem off or trade dem. I guess I saw a 1000 dis way, mabe mo'. Whin de darkies waz free dey waz sho' happy, dey all got together an' had a kinda celebration. Marster Duvall, he told de darkies dat if dey wanted to stay an' help make an' gather de crop, he would give dem 50 cents a day an' a place to stay. Some tuk hem up on dat an' stayed, but a lot of dem left dere. Me an' my brother, we got out on de road an' started walking to Austin. After we gits to Austin we finds our mother, she waz wokkin' fur Judge Paschall . She hires us out to jus' one place an' den 'nuther, she gits me a job wib a hotel, I's makes 20 dollars a month, but my mother gits de money cuze I's not of age. I's never had de chance to go to school, cuze I had to help my mother make a living. Since freedom I's done most ever'thing anybody ever do. I's been waiter an' porter in hotels an' restaurants, I's wokked in a wholesale house, I's factory hand, I's wokked as helped fur carpenters an' I's help lay brick fur masons. I's wokked in de coalshoot an' in de roundhouse, an' I's wokked keepin' yards an' mowin' lawns. I's also pick cotton an' wokked on de farm, an' I's had all sorts of other jobs. I's been marryed to de same woman fur 61 yea's, Yes Sah, I's git marryed in Austin, I went to de court house an' gits de license an' gits marryed at home, lak civilize folks do. I's raised a big family to, 12 chillens in all, but der is only five of dem living today, de rest of dem die. After I's marryed, I's moved to Taylor, I lived der fur some 20 odd yea's, I den moved to Kaufman an' wokked 'round der as farm hand. I moved back to Austin in 'bout 1924, an' den in 1929, I moved to Fort Worth. Looks lak I's here till I die.