Well, I guess I's 'bout 91 year old. I 'member when freedom come. I goes up to reg'stration de year I gits free. I walks up to old Doc Young and say, 'I come reg'ster for de vote.' He say, 'You too young to vote. You ask your missus. 'Missus git de big book 'bout six inch thick where she got all de births and deaths on dat place since she then missus and she give me a letter sayin' I nineteen year old. I kep' dat letter till not so long ago and burns it by mistake, 'cause I can't read. Dave Love he was my daddy and Tildy Love was my mama. My grandmama raise me, though. My massa's name Donaltron Cafrey and he statue stand in de court house square now. He was a leadin' lawyer and a United States senator. When Senator Gibson die massa he serve out he term. Young massa name Donaltron Cafrey , junior , and he keep de big bank in New Orleans now. I never was sold to nobody. I heared folks say my folks come from Kentucky, but my mama born on Massa Cafrey's place. He have de big house, fine old house with galleries all 'round and big lawns. It's far back from de road, pushin' clost to a mile, I guess. He have seven sugar plantation and after freedom come dey rents it out at $3.00 a acre to raise 'taters in. Us live in shacks 'bout like dese 'round here. Dese times am better'n slavery times, 'cause den you couldn't go nowheres 'thout de pass or de patterrollers git you. Dat mean 25 lashes and more when you gits home. My missus took us chillen to de Baptis' church and de white preacher he preach. De cullud folks could have church demselves iffen dey have de manager of 'ligion to kinder preach. Course he couldn't read, me jus' talk what he done heared de white preachers say.

I git ship one time. Dat time de overseer give me de breshin'. Dey have stocks dey put a man in. Dey put de man leg through de holes and shut it down. De man jus' lay dere and bawl. De clothes us wore was shirts and us didn't git no britches till us big. I's wearin' britches a good many year 'fore freedom, though. Dey give us two suit de year and us have beefhide shoes what as call moc'sins. Dey wasn't no better people dan my white folks. Dey didn't 'low us to be brutalize', but dey didn't 'low us to be sassy, neither. I help my grandma milk de cows. When de Yankees come to New Orleans dey go on to Port Hudson and have de big fight dere. Massa order everybody be ready to travel nex' mornin'. Dey 'bout 300 peoples in dat travel wagon and dey camps dat night at Camp Fusilier, where de 'federates have de camp. Dey make only five mile dat day. Dey stops one night at Pin Hook, in Vermilionville. My brudder die dere. Dey kep' on dat way till dey come to Trinity River. I stay dere five year. De overseer on de new plantation name Smoot . I wait on de table and grandma she cook for Smoot . Dey raise sugar cane and corn and peas and sich like. Dey have lots of pork meat. Dey have stock and one time a calf git eat by a panther. Massa hunt dat panther and shoot him in a tree. One day Smoot tell me to bring all de hands to de house when dey blows de horn at noon. When dey gits dere old massa say dey's free as he was. If dey stays he say he give 'em half de crop, but didn't one stay. Six or seven what wants go back to de old home massa done give teams to and it take dem 'bout six week comin' home. I's glad to git dere. I couldn't see free meant no better. Missus plantation seem mighty pleasant. I been marry twict. Fust time a gal name Celeste , but she 'fuse to come to Texas with me and dat 'solve de marriage. I marry dis wife, Sarah , 'bout a few year ago. Us been marry 'bout 22 year.

Diminutive Louis Love , aged negro of Orange, Texas, is almost completely hidden by the high-backed rocker in which he spends most of his time. His feet, shod in huge rubber overshoes, rest comfortably on the rickety porch railing, while a heavy ash stick lays by his side. One pudgy hand shakes constantly, and his reedy voice is likewise tremulous. Louis is 91 years old and was born in Franklin, Louisiana, one of the slaves of Donaltron Cafrey , whom Louis describes as "a leadin' lawyer, 'n' once United States Senator." At the beginning of the Civil War the negro was sent to Texas with about 300 other slaves to escape the "Yankee" invaders. Louis says he has been married "jus' a little w'ile" to his present wife although after computation it appears that they were wed some 22 years ago.

Well, I guess I's 'bout 91 year ol'. I 'member w'en freedom come. I went up t' d' registration d' year I git free. I walk up t' ol' Dr. Young. He say, 'Wa't you lookin' fo', Louis?' I say, 'I come t' register fo' t' vote. My cullud people says fo' me t' come t' register.' He say, 'You too young t' vote. You go back t' yo' missus 'n' git her t' say you twenty-one 'n' I register you, but I t'ink you too young. So I go home t' my gran'mudder. She say she go 'n' see missus 'n' tell 'er dat I want t' talk t' her. She tell me t' wait. I went t' my gran'mudder d' nex' mornin'. She was in d' kitchen. She was d' cook in d' big house. I wait in d' kitchen. Gran'mudder she say, 'Missus ain' up yit. I go tell 'er.' I sit down in d' kitchen. W'en missus come in she say, 'Ain' you Louis Love , Dave Love ' son? I say, 'Yes'm.' She say, 'W'at you want? I say, 'Dr. W'ite won' 'low me t' register co'se he say I too young. D' folks say I ol' 'nuf t' vote. He say fo' me t' come t' you 'n' fin' out from you. So she git up 'n' go 'n' git d' big book 'bout six inch t'ick w'ere she got all d' births 'n' deaths on dat place since she been missus. She look 'n' fin' my name 'n' gimme a letter t' Dr. W'ite dat I was jus' 19 year ol'. I go back t' Dr. W'ite 'n' gi' 'im missus' letter. He say, 'I knowed you was too young.' I tol' 'im, 'D' cullud people say I was 21 but missus say I's 19 dis gone June. I kep' dat letter 'til not so long ago. I bu'n it wid some ol' papers right out dere in d' yard. I couldn' read 'n' I didn' know I was bu'nin' it. Dave Love he was my daddy 'n' Tildy Love was my mudder. My gran'mudder raise' me though. My marster's name in Franklin was Donaltron Cafrey . His statue stan's now in d' co'te house square. He was a leadin' lawyer dere 'n' was United States senator. W'en Senator Gibson die' my marster he serve out he tern. My young marster was Donaltron Cafrey, Jr .. He keeps a big bank in N'Yawlins (New Orleans) now. I neber was sol' t' nobudy. I don' know w'ere I come from but I hear folks say my folks come from Kentucky 'r' somew'eres up dat way. My mudder was bo'n on d' ol' marster's place. D' ol' marster hab a big house, fine ol' house wid galleries all 'roun' 'n' big lawns. It was fur' back from d' road, pushin' close t' a mile I guess. He had seben sugar plantation'.

Atter freedom come dey rent it out at $3.00 a acre t' raise 'taters in. Us uster lib in shacks 'bout like dese 'roun' yere on'y dey warn't so close togedder. I uster wait 'roun' w'en I was young fo' Marster Mack Williams t' come 'long. I coul' see 'im comin' 'way down d' road 'n' I run clear cross d' fiel' so's I coul' open d' gate 'gainst he git dere. Den he t'row me a nickle 'r' maybe a dime 'n' I hab it all t' spen' fo' my own. Dey uster ride in ol' time carriages in dem day. Dese times 's better 'n' slav'ry times co'se den you couldn' go now'ere on Sundays 'n' d' Patter-Rolers git you iffen you git off d' place 'thout a pass. Dat mean 25 lashes dere 'n' mo' w'en you git home. My missus uster tuk us chillen t' d' w'ite folks Baptis' chu'ch. Dat's d' cullud folks Baptis' chu'ch in Franklin now. D' w'ite preacher he preach. Dey didn' hab no reg'lar cullud preachers but d' cullud folks coul' hab chu'ch 'r' dey own iffen dey had a manager 'r' religion. Dat was a man w'at would git up 'n' talk 'n' kinder preach. Co'se he couldn' read but he jus' had t' talk w'at he hear d' w'ite folks preacher say. I git whip' one time. I git in a fight wid a little w'ite boy. Dat time d' oberseer gib me a breshin'. Dey uster hab stocks dey put a man in. I seen 'em six 'r' eight inches wid holes. Dey put d' man leg through d' holes 'n' shut it down. D' man jus' lay dere 'n' bawl. I didn' hab much wuk t' do.

I hab d' w'ite folks fool'. Dey t'ought I was gwinter be a big man co'se I fat. I git heaby but I neber grow tall. W'en I was a little boy I play marbles 'n' sich but I neber see a gun 'til I free. I had mighty good w'ite folks. We wasn' 'lowed t' be treat' like dogs. Marster 'n' missus wouldn' stan' fo' it. D' clo's we wo' was shu'ts (shirts) 'n' us didn' git no britches 'til we big. I was wearin' britches a good many year' fo' freedom through. Dey gib us two suit a year. Us had beef hide shoes. Dey call 'em moc'sin. Us neber had no sto' (store) shoe. I uster go t' town sometime wid my gran'mudder 'r' mudder, but neber did had no money 'r' my own t' spen' much. Lots 'r' time dey hab a Saddy (Saturday) night dance. Durin' slav'ry time you couldn' go t' d' nex' plantation 'thout a pass 'r' d' Patter-Rolers git you. You better not lose dat pass 'r' dat mean a beatin' too. W'en we was sick dey gib us med'cine. Sometime' dey mek it out grasses. I see 'em 'roun' yere sometime. Bitter weeds I calls 'em but I don' know d' right name. Dey wasn' any better people dan my w'ite folks. Dey didn' 'low us t' be brutalize', but dey didn' 'low us t' be sassy neder. I uster help gran'mudder milk d' cows 'n' keep d' calves 'way. I see d' ol' mistus ev'ry day co'se I stay up t' d' big house mos' time. I's 's big 's now fo' I learn t' write 'r' read. W'en d' Yankees come t' N'Yawlins dey went on t' Port Hudson 'n' dey had a big fight dere. D' Yankees mek it onpleasant. D' marster come down 'n' order ev'rybudy t' be ready t' trabble d' nex' mo'nin'. Dey was 'bout 300 peoples in d' trabble wagon. Dey camp dat night at Camp Fusilier. Dat was w'ere d' Confederates hab a camp. Dey mek on'y five mile' dat day. Dey stop one night at Pin Hook in Vermilionville. I los' my brudder dere. Marster bury 'im hisse'f. Atter d' funeral dey kep' on trabble. Fo' sundown dey fin' a place side 'r' a wood 'r' town 'n' mek dey camp. Dey kep' on dat way 'til dey come t' Trinity Ribber. I stay dere five year. D' oberseer on d' new plantation was a man name' Smoot . Us marster come 'long wid us. I wait on d' table at supper time. My gran'mudder she cook fo' Smoot 'n' clean up he house. Dey done a little plowin' on Trinity but not so much. Dey mek gyardin (garden), 'n' raise sugar cane, co'n, peas 'n' sich like. Dey giv slave half day on Saddy (Saturday) t' wuk dey own gyarden. Dey uster hab lots 'r' po'k (pork) meat. Dey picle d' po'k. Dey was some big pieces w'at maybe weigh's much 's twenty poun'. Dey pickle dem in salt brine. One time Marster los' some 'r' 'is stock. Him 'n' me was gwine t'rough d' woods 'n' come across a calf eat by a panther. Little furder on Marster see a tree ben' ober 'n' d' big black panther on d' tree. Marster shoot d' panther 'n' he come down t' d' groun'. I t'ought he was comin' down t' fight 'n' I run hollerin' t' d' quarters. Marster done kill' 'im 'n' he come git me 'n' tuk me back t' see d' dead panther, but I scare' 'n' holler all d' way. He carry me 'long w'en he go huntin' t' go bring 'im d' squirrel w'at he shoot. One night at supper time Marster tol' Smoot t' hab all d' niggers t' come in from d' fiel' tomorrow. Dey was 'bout 600 niggers on d' place. T'ree hunnerd belong t' Dr. Hawkins 'n' d' res' t' my marster. Mister Smoot tol' me at breakfas'. Marster was waitin' on d' stage. Dey tol' me t' tell George t' bring all d' han's t' d' house w'en dey blow d' horn at noon. Dey all come up t' d' house. W'en dey git dere d' ol' marster say dey free's he was. If dey stay on d' place he gib 'em haf d' crop but dey didn' one stay. Six 'r' seben 'r' dem w'at want t' go back t' d' ol' home he gib teams to. It tuk 'em six week comin' home. I don' w'at went wid all d' crops. Dey jus' lef' 'em in d' fiel' rottin' on d' groun'. I went on back home. I was glad t' git dere. I couldn' see dat free meant no better. W'en us git dere d' missus' place seem mighty pleasant. I he'p (help) milk d' cow. I 'member d' las' Islan' sto'ms (storms). We was at Crockett at d' time. On'y one 'r' all d' slaves marster had lef' d' ol' plantation w'en us all come t' Texas. He name George Ginger 'n' he d' onlies' one w'at jine d' Yankee.

I been marry twict. Fus' time w'en I was 25 year' ol' I marry a gal name Celeste . Me 'n' my wife hab fo' 'r' five boy 'n' one gal 'monst 'em. All my chillen dead. I dis'member how many me 'n' my wife hab in all. Celeste she 'fuse (refuse) t' come wid me t' Texas 'n' dat 'solve (dissolve) d' marriage. I marry dis wife Sarah jus' a few year ago. Us been marry now 'bout twenty-two year. One time atter slav'ry I go t' Port Hudson t' git a sugar house engine. Dey was lots 'r' signs 'r' dat battle w'at dey had 'roun' d' ol' wharfs. D' ribber boat boys done tell us dey was sojer (soldier) hants all 'long d' way. I's on d' boat deck one night 'n' hear hosses snortin' 'n' chains rattlin'. I sho' t'ought dat was ghostes of dem po' men 'n' dey hoss w'at got kill in d' fightin'. It kep' up 'n' kep' up, but den Stephen , one 'r' d' boat boys say, 'Le's go upstair 'n' see.' W'en us git dere it was jus' some men wukin' wid hosses 'n' chains. I ain' neber believe in ghostes since dat.