Yes, ?uh, I's Cinte . That's Lucy ever there, she my wife and I calls her Bed Heifer, 'cause her papa's name was Juan and he was a Mexican. She and me marry right after 'mancipation. We come long way and we goin' to die together. They named me San Jacinte 'cause I's born durin' do San Jacinte war, but they calls me Cinte . I's born in Fort Bond County. up near Richmond, and my old marster was Marse Dave Randen , and his wife, Miss Nancy , was my missus. She was sister to Marse John McNeel , what with his brothers owned all do land hereabouts. I 'members once I slips away come dark from de plantation. with some others. We is slippin' 'long quiet like and a paddleroller jump out from behin' a bush and say, 'Let's see your pass.' We didn't have none but I has a piece of paper and I gives it to him and he walks to where it am mere light, and then we run, right through old burdock bushes with briars stickin' us and everything. Iffen he ketched us we she' gits a hidin.

I fust went to de field when I 'bent 15 year old. but they larded us to work when we was chaps, we would he'd our mamas in de rows. My mamma's name Maria Simmons and my papa Lewis . They rared me up right. Marse Dave wasn't mean like some. Sometimes de slaves run away to do woods and iffen they don't cotch 'em fust they finally gits hungry and comes home, and then they gits a hidin'. Some niggers jus' come from Africa and old Marse has to watch 'em close, 'cause they is de ones what mostly runs away to de woods. We had better houses then, good plank houses, and de big house was she' big and nice. 'Course they didn't larn us read and write, and didn't 'low no church, but us steal off and have it sometimes, and iffen old Marse cotch us he give us a whalin'. We didn't have no funerals like now, they jus' dig a hole and make you a box, and throw you in end cover you up. But de white folks fed us good and give us good clothes. We wore red russet shoes and good homespun clothes, and we done bettor's now. Come Christmas time old mars sometimes give us two-bits and lets of extra eats. Iffy it come Monday, we has de week off. But we has to watch the eats. 'cause Niger's what they masters don't give 'em no Christmas anneal ever and eat it all up. Sometimes we have dances, and I'd play de fiddle for white folks and cullud folks both. I'd play, 'Young Girl, Old Girl', 'High Heel Shoes,' and 'Calico Stockings.'

When we was freed we was all glad. but I stayed 'round end worked for Marse Dave and he pays me a little. Finally Lucy and me gits married out of de Book and comes down here to Marse McNeels . They puts us in debt and makes us work so many years to pay for it. They gives us our own ground and sometimes we makes two bales of cotton on it. 'Course, we works for them, too, and they pays us a little and when Christmas comes we can buy our own things, Used to haul sugar and 'lasses for Papa John up to Brazoria and sometimes to Columbia. Yes, suh, I been here a long time, long time. All my own stuff is dead now, I guess. I got grandchillen in Galveston, I think, but all my own stuff is dead.

Uncle 'Cinte Lewis , ex-slave, claiming to be 111 years old, lives in a dilapidated brick cabin with his wife Aunt Lucy , on the Huntington Plantation in Brazoria County. According to Miss Kate Huntington , present owner of the plantation, the structure occupied by Uncle 'Cinto and Aunt Lucy is one of the buildings which comprised the original slave quarters of the place, which was owned by J. Greenville McNeel , prior to being acquired by her father Marion Huntington . Uncle 'Cinto and Aunt Lucy' s versions as to past events differ in several instances, but the discrepancies in the two stories can be attributed largely to their extreme age as well as the length of time that has passed since these events transpired. An instance of this is found in how Uncle 'Cinto came by his name as compared with his statement that he is 111 years old. He says that he was named "San Jacinto , 'cause I was bo'n at de time of de San Jacinto War," no doubt refering to the Battle of San Jacinto which occurred in April, 1836, which would make his age at present (1937) 101.

 Yas suh, I'se 'Cinto . Does you love us? Tha's good, tha's good. Tha's Lucy over there, she my wife an' I calls her 'Red Heifer' 'cause her papa's name was Juan an' he was a Mexican. She an' me marry right after 'mancipation. We come long way together an' we goin' to die together. Bible say not to get married no mo' an' I trys to follow the Bible. Yas suh I'se bo'n in slave time an' I'se 111 year old. They named me San Jacinto 'cause I was bo'n at de time of de San Jacinto War, but they calls me 'Cinto 'cause de name too long. I was bo'n in Fort Bond County, yas suh, up near Richmond. My old marster was Marse Dave Randon , an' Mis' Nancy what was Marse Dave's wife then, was my Mistess. She was sister to Marse John McNeel what with his brothers owned all de land here 'bouts. We called Marse John 'papa', 'cause all de little white chillen did, an' we was down here lots 'cause they transfer us back an' forth sometimes to help out, but we allus have to have a paper to go from one plantation to de other 'lessen de white folks was with us, 'cause iffen de 'paddle rollers' catch you without a pass, they whup you good. I 'members once I slip away come dark with some others, I forgets now what for, its been so long, an' we is slippin long quiet like an' a paddle roller jump out from behin' a bush an' say 'Le's see yore pass'. 'Course we didn't have none but I has a piece of paper an' I gives it to him an' he walks to where it is more light, so he can see it, an' then we run, Lawdy right through old burdock bushes with briars stickin' us an' everything, but he never did cotch us, an' when we got back to our quarters we sho was quiet an' make out like we is sleepin'. Iffen he cotched us we sho gets a hidin'.

I fust went to de field when I was 'bout 15 year old, but they learn us to work when we was chaps, - little chaps. Sometimes our mammas would have to help us out on our row so we don't get whupped. Before I went to work in de field I jes' work 'round de house, milk cows an' jes' work 'round what they tell me to. My mamma's name was Maria Simmons an' my Papa's name was Lewis . They belong to Marse Dave too. They rared me up right an' I didn't get so many whuppin's as some of de others got, but Marse Dave wasn' mean like some. Course did you break de laws or don' do right an' Marse cotch you, he throw you down an' hold you an' pour de cowhide on. Sometimes de slaves run away to de woods an' iffen they don' cotch 'em fust they finally gets hungry an' come home anyway, an' then they gets a hidin'. I has seen de 'nigger traders' come 'long with a bunch of slaves what they gather up from fust one place an' de other. Some of them would be Africa niggers what couldn' talk like we do, but de 'nigger traders' would sell 'em to who wanted 'em an' get de money, - jes' like tradin' mules. Some of de niggers what 'jes come from Africa wouldn' know what to do an' we has to learn 'em, an' old Marse has to watch 'em close 'cause they is de ones what mostly run away to de woods. Things is lots changed now from then. We has better houses than we has now - we live in good plank houses an' de big house what Marse Dave an' Mis' Nancy lives in was sho' big an' nice. 'Course they don' learn us to read or write, an' don' 'low us to have no church, but we steal off an' have it sometimes but iffen old Marse cotch us he give us a whalein'. We don' have no funerals like now,-they jes' go an' dig you a hole an' make you a box, not like the ones we have now, an' throw you in an' cover you up. But de white folks feed us good then an' give us good clothes. We wore red russet shoes, good clothes what was home-spun, good shirts an' drawers. Lucy tell you we was doin' better than we is now. Come Christmas time old Marse sometime give us two-bits an' he give us lots of extra eats. We has extra time off 'cordin' to what day Christmas come on. Iffen it come on Monday we has de week off. But we has to watch de eats 'cause sometimes niggers what they marsters don't give 'em no Christmas, would sneak over an' eat it all up. An' sometimes we has dances. I never could dance but I was a fiddler an' I play for white folks an' colored folks both, jes' whatever they calls for,- 'Colorado, 'Washington', 'Young Girl, Old Girl,' 'High Heel shoes' and Calico Stockinks', Lawsy I sho could fiddle. When we was freed we was all glad,-young folks an' old folks, too, but I didn' do nothin', jes' stay 'round an' works for Marse Dave for a while an' he pays me a little for workin'. Then after 'mancipation my mamma and papa die, Marse Dave and 'Mis' Nancy broke up an' Lucy an' me gets married out of de book an' comes down here with Mis' Nancy to Marse McNeel's . Then they puts us in debt an' make us work so many years to pay for it. They gives us our own ground an' sometimes we makes two bales of cotton on it.

Sometimes we sneak the mules out at night to work our own ground an' somebody watch for us an' when Papa John come to cotch us, he holler, 'Wao; Wao'; an' then ev'body run for de lot to git de mules up. 'Course we works for them too an' they pays us a little an' when Christmas comes we can buy our own things. I use to haul sugar an' lasses for Papa John up to Brasoria an' sometimes to Columbia. Yes suh, I'se been here a long time, long time, but I never had no fights since I was bo'n. Jes' don' know how to fight, dogs is all that fights. I jes treat ev'body like I wants to be treated an' follow what de Bible says. All my own stuff is dead now I guess. I'se got gran' chillen in Galveston I think, 'bout fifteen gran' chillen, but all my own stuff is dead. An' I believes in love like it say in de Bible, an' that's how me an' Lucy gets 'long.