My oldes' brother was larnin' to read on the sly, but the overseer found out 'bout it and stopped him. He found some letters writ on the wall of the quarter with charcoal and made the carkies tell him who writ it. My brother Jack done it. The overseer didn't whip him, but told him he darns't do it 'gain. After surrender my folks left the Rosboroughs right straight and moved clost to Woodlawn. My oldes' hired out in Shreveport. When they asks him what he's worth, he told them he didn't know, but he was allus worth a heap of money when anyone wanted to buy him from the Roseboroughs . The Ku Kluxers come to our house in Woodlawn, and I got scart and crawled under the bed. They told mamny they wasn't gwine hurt her, but jus' wanted water to drink. They didn't call each other by names. When the head man spoke to any of them he'd say, Number 1, or Number 2, and like that. I thunk I heared ghosts on the Driscoll place once, up in the loft of the house. I heared them plain as day. My step-pa done die there and might Warhosn his ghost. We moved away right straight, and old man Driscoll had to burn that house down after that, 'cause wouldn't none the darkies live in it. The only time I voted was when they out whiskey out. I heared a white man one time in Marshall, makin' a speech on the square. He said he was gwine tell us darkies why they didn't low us to vote. He didn't tell us, 'cause the law come out and made him git out the wagon and leave. This young race is sho' livin' fast, but I guess they's all right. Things is jes' different now to when I was a boy. When I was a boy, folks didn't mind helpin' one another, but now they is in too big a hurry to pay you any mind.

Richard Jackson , a Harrison County Negro farmer, was born in 1859, as a slave of Watt Rosborough . His parents left the Rosboroughs immediately after Emancipation, moving to a farm near Woodlawn. Richard remained with his parents until he was 25 years of age, at which time he married and moved to an adjoining farm, which he now owns. He has always earned a living from farming.

I was bo'n on the Rosborough plantation in 1859 and belonged to old man Watt Rosborough . My Master bought my mammy out of the North Carolina. My daddy died when I was a baby and my mammy married Will Jackson . Besides me there was six brothers, Jack , Nathan , Josh , Bill , Ben and Mose . I had three sisters, Matilda , Charity and Anna . I 'members my mothers' father, Jack , but don't know where he come from. I'se heard him tell of fighting the Indians on the fronteer. He say one of his brothers was killed by the Indians and that one of my mother's brothers was shot with an Indian arrow and it stayed in him till after surrender. The Rosborough plantation jined (joined) Sabine River and old man Watt owned many a slave. His old home is still standing cross the road from Rosborough Springs, nine miles south of Marshall. There was a white overseer on the place and my mother's stepdaddy, Kit , was the "Nigger-Driver". He done all the whipping, 'cept of my mother. She was bad 'bout fighting and the overseer allus tended to her. One day he come to the quarters to whip her and she up and throwed a shovel full of live coals from the fireplace in his bosom and run out the door. He run her all over the place 'fore he cotched her. I seed the overseer tie her down and whip her The Niggers warn't whipped much cept for fighting mong themselves.I 'members my mother saying that the darkies allus had to go out in the woods to pray 'cause they warn't 'lowed to make no fuss round the house.

She say they was fed and clothed good enuff, but that the overseer worked the 'lights" out of the darkies. I warn't big enough to do field work in slavery time, but I 'members going to the field to take mammy's pipe to her. There warn't no matches in them days. I allus took fire from the house and set a stump afire in the field so mammy could light her pipe.None of our fo'ks learned to read or write till after slavery. My oldest brother was learning to read on the sly but the overseer found out 'bout it and stopped him. He found some letters made on the wall of the qua'ter with charcoal and made the darkies tell who writ it. My brother Jack done it. The overseer didn't whip him, but told him he darsn't do it again.I warn't big enuff to 'member 'bout the war. I'se seed the Yankee soldiers in blue coats going from Mansfield. They stopped at our place and et supper.After surrender my fo'ks left the Rosboroughs right straight and moved close to Woodlawn. My oldest brother went to Shreveport and hired out. When they ask him how much he was worth, he told them he didn't know, but he was allus worth a heap of money when anyone wanted to buy him from the Rosboroughs .I 'members the Ku Kluxers coming to our house after we moved to Woodlawn. I got scared and crawled under the bed. They told mammy that they warn't gonna hurt her, but just wanted some water to drink. We heard them talking to each other. They didn't call one another by names. When the head man spoke to any of them he'd say No. 1, or No. 2 and like that.

I don't know whether I'se seed ghosts or no. I thought I heard one once on the Driscoll place. I had some hickory nuts in a sack in the loft of the house. I heard someone pouring them out. You'd hear them hitting the floor as plain as day. It warn't long after my step-pa had died there in the house. Some of the fo'ks said it was him, but it was night and we darsn't go see. The next morning we clumbed (climbed) in the loft and the hickory nuts was all over the floor, but we didn't see nothing. We moved away right straight, and old man Driscoll had to burn the house down after that cause wouldn't none of the darkies live in it.The only time I voted was when they put whiskey out. I could of voted once but didn't know nothing 'bout it. I members one time in Marshall hearing a white man making a speech there on the square to the darkies. He told them he was going to tell why they wouldn't 'low the Negroes to vote. He didn't tell them, 'cause the laws come out and made him get out of the wagon and leave.This young race is sho' living fast, but I guess they is alright. Things is just different now than when I was a boy. The white fo'ks and the darkies too is sho' changed in my time. When I was a boy fo'ks didn't mind helping one another, but now they is in too big a hurry to pay you any mind.