I was bo'n in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1852 and belonged to Parson Nat Terry and Mistress Julia Terry . I don't 'member my Pappy 'cause he was sold when I was a baby. Mammy was willed to the Terrys and allus lived with them till freedom. The Terrys kep' Mammy hired out there in town as a cook and house servant. They hired me out too, during slavery as a nu'se for white fo'ks chil'ren. I nu'sed Tom Thurman's chil'ren. He run a bakery there in Lynchburg and come from the No'th 'fore the war. When the war broke out they made him and another northern man that run a store there take a iron clad oath they wouldn't help the No'th. During the War I wo'ked in Mr. Thurman's bakery helping make "Hard-tack" and doughnuts for the soldiers. Master Terry collected our wages each month, but we never seed none of it. They say "A Nigger don't need no munny". They giv' us plenty to eat and wear and treat us as well as you could hope for. The white fo'ks also say a Nigger don't need no schooling. Some of them learned to write their 'nitials (initials) with char-coal. Mr. Boss man found a Nigger's 'nitials writ on the barn door with char-coal and call us up and make us tell who done it. Then he say he gonna cut our fingers off if he cotch us doing it again. Lynchburg was a good sized town when the war come on. Woodruff's "Nigger-trading yard" was 'bout the biggest thing there. It was all fenced in and had a big stand in the middle of where they sold the slaves. They sold them for a big price, and handcuffed and chained them together and led off like convicts.

The yard was full of Louisiana and Texas slave buyers mos' all the time. A "niggers" doom was done sealed if he was refuged to Louisiana cause that was where they beat them till the hide was raw, salt 'em and beat 'em some more. Mammy was first hired to the Bigger's family. One time Mr. Bigger was over to the Terry's and come down in the kitchen and wanted to whip me fer something I done. He jest drawed back to hit me with a whip when Mistress Julia come in and stopped him. The next day she made Mammy quit the Biggers and hired her to the Thurmans . Master Nat and Mistress Julia was good to their darkies. Slaves of the white fo'ks who lived in town warn't treated like they was on most of the plantations. Course some of the Bosses was hard on them, but if they behave and tend to their work they got along alright. Lynchburg was full of Pattyrollers jest like the country. They had a fenced in whipping post there in town and the Pattyrollers sho put it on a Nigger if he cotch him without a pass. The slaves warn't 'lowed to visit round town at night. There was no parties fer them in slavery time. A little something "special" to eat at Christmas was all they got in way of "extras".

Lee's Camp-ground was at Lynchburg during the war. It look like another town. The 'Federates had a scrimmage with the Yankees two miles out from Lynchburg during the War. After surrender Gen. Wilcox and a big company of Yankees come there. Lots of soldiers that was shot and hurt in the war was treated there in the tobacco factories that was made into hospitals during the war. After surrender a man calls a meeting of all the slaves there in the fair grounds and tells us we was free. We had to go to work for what-ever they would pay us. We didn't have a thing and no place to go when we was turned loose but down the street and road. When I left the Terry's I wo'ked in a tobacco factory fer a dollar a week. That was big munny to me. Mammy wo'ked too and we managed somehow to live. Mistress Julia told us we was free and she say for us to 'member that she had allus taught us to be good, honest and truthful and not be sassy to white fo'ks. I've heard "haunts" call my name since I moved to Texas. A few years ago my last wife who had been dead four years passed through the hallway and called "Charley " three times. If you crave to see your dead fo'ks you'll never see them, but if you don't think 'bout them they'll come back sometime. I live in a house where two Nigger women died. Both of them was old when they died and allus smoked a pipe. My boy and me used to smell the tobacco in their pipes at night when the window was up and the wind was in the right direction. One mo'ning I saw one of them. I got up early and jest happened to go to the window and look out. I saw one of them going toward the cow pen. I knowed her by the bonnet she wore.

There is a "Nigger" church and cemetery up the road away from my house where the dead people come out by twos at night and go in the church and hold service. Me and the preacher what preaches there have seed and heard them. There is a way of keeping off "haunts". That is done by tacking an old shoe by the side of the door, or a horseshoe over the door, or by pulling off part of the planks of your house and putting on some new boards. Lee's Camp was located close to a big college there in Lynchburg. They throwed up a big breast-works out the other side of the college. I never seed the camp till after surrender, 'cause boys warn't 'lowed to go out there. General Shumaker was Commander of the 'Federate Artillery, and killed the first Yankee that come to Lynchburg. It was a large camp, and had lots of soldiers there. They drilled the college boys too. I liked to watch them drill the college boys there in town. They wore grey caps and suits in the winter and white suits in the summer. I didn't know till after surrender what they was drilling them for. The white fo'ks didn't talk the War 'mung (among) us. Some of the old fo'ks knowed what they was fighting for. 'Bout a year after the Yankee's come to Lynchburg they moved the colored free school out to Lee's Camp and met in one of the barracks. They had four white teachers from the North, and it run several years after surrender. Lots of 'Federate soldiers passed through Lynchburg going to Petersburg. Once some Yankee soldiers come through close to Lynchburg and there was a scrimmage between the two armies 'bout two miles from town. It didn't last long. I hear fo'ks say that they found several blue jackets of the Yankees where they fought after the scrimmage was over.General Wilcox had a standing army in Lynchburg after the war when the Yankees took things over. Everything was peaceful and quiet.I was freed there in Lynchburg. Lots of the owners told the slaves they was going to be free the second and third year of the war. The slaves in town was turned loose at freedom. We warn't promised anything. We just had to do the best we could. I hear lots of slaves what lived on farms say they was promised forty acres of land a a mule.I never nu'sed any after slavery. I wo'ked mostly in factories and waiting on white families till I married, then I started farming. Since I got too old to wo'k and my wife died, I live 'round with my chil'ren. I have two sons and a boy I raised still living. One of the boys lives close to Jacksonville, on the farm. The other one lives here in Sabine bottom of Panola County, and the boy I raised lives at Henderson and works on the road. I'se been getting $10.00 pension since January of this year. (1937).I never fool 'round with politics much. We can vote in the General Election if we pay our poll tax by the first of February. I'se voted a few times, but most of the time I don't vote. I leave that for fo'ks what know politics.I say this lots of times 'bout the young set of Niggers, "They not being raised like I was raised". Most of them don't have no manners or no moral self-respect.I don't 'member much 'bout the songs they sung just after the war. Fo'ks can't holler and sing in town like they do in the country. I recalls a fellow saying just after the war: "All the Niggers are singing, 'You Can Have All The World, But Give Me Jesus', but the white fo'ks done grabbed up the world, so the Niggers don't have the world or Jesus either.

Charley Mitchell , farmer in Panola Co., Texas, was born in 1852, a slave of Nat Terry , an itinerant Baptist preacher of Lunchburg, Virginia. Charley left the Terrys one year after he was freed. He worked in a tobacco factory, then as a waiter, until 1887, when he moved to Panola Co. For fifty years he has farmed in the Sabine River bottom, about twenty-five miles southeast of Marshall, Texas. I's born in Virginia, over in Lynchburg, and it was in 1852, and I 'longed to Parson Terry and Missy Julia .

I don't 'member my pappy, 'cause he's sold when I's a baby, but my mammy was willed to the Terrys and allus lived with them till freedom. She worked for them and they hired her out there in town for cook and house servant. They hired me out most times as nuss for white folks chillen, and I nussed Tom Thurman's chillen. He run the bakery there in Lunchburg and come from the north, and when war broke they made him and 'nother northerner take a iron clad oath they wouldn't help the north. Durin' the war I worked in Masse Thurman's bakery, helping make hard tack and doughnuts for the 'federate sojers. He give me plenty to eat and wear and treated me as well as I could hope for. Course, I didn't git no schoolin'. The white folks allus said niggers don't need no larnin'. Some niggers larnt to write their initials on the barn door with charcoal, then they try to find out who done that, the white folks, I mean, and say they cut his fingers off iffen they jus' find out who done it. Lynchburg was good sized when war come on and Woodruff's nigger tradin' yard was 'bout the bigges' thing there. It was all fenced in and had a big stand in middle of where they sold the slaves. They got a big price for 'em and handcuffed and chained 'em together and led 'em off like convicts. That yard was full of Louisiana and Texas slave buyers mos' all the time. None of the niggers wanted to be sold to Louisiana, 'cause that's where they beat 'em till the hide was raw, and salted 'em and beat 'em some more. Course us slaves of white folks what lived in town wasn't treated like they was on most plantations. Massa Nat and Missy Julia was good to us and most the folks we was hired out to was good to us. Lynchburg was full of pattyrollers jus' like the country. though, and they had a fenced in whippin' post there in town and the pattyrollers sho' put it on a nigger iffen they cotch him without a pass. After war broke Lee , you know General Lee himself, come to Lynchburg and had a campground there and it look like 'nother town. The 'federates had a scrimmage with the Yankees 'bout two miles out from Lynchburg, and after surrender General Wilcox and a big company of Yankees come there. De camp was clost to a big college there in Lynchburg and they throwed up a big breastworks out the other side the college. I never seed it till after surrender, 'cause us wasn't 'lowed to go out there. Gen. Shumaker was commander of the 'Federate artillery and kilt the first Yankee that come to Lynchburg. They drilled the college boys, too, there in town. I didn't know till after surrender what they drilled them for, 'cause the white folks didn't talk the war 'mongst us. Bout a year after the Yankees come to Lynchburg they moved the cullud free school out to Lee's Camp and met in one of the barracks and had four white teachers from the north, and that school run sev'ral years after surrender. Lots of 'Federate sojers passed through Lynchburg goin' to Petersburg. Once some Yankee sojers come through clost by and there was a scrimmage 'tween the two armies, but it didn't last long. Gen. Wilcox had a standin' army in Lynchburg after the war, when the Yankees took things over, but everything was peaceful and quiet then. After surrender a man calls a meetin' of all the slaves in the fairgrounds and tells us we's free. We wasn't promised anything. We jus' had to do the best we could. But I heared loss of slaves what lived on farms say they's promised forty acres and a mule but they never did git it. We had to go to work for whatever they'd pay us, and we didn't have nothing and no place to go when we was turned loose, but down the street and road, When I left the Terry's I worked in a tobacco factory for a dollar a week and that was big money to me. Mammy worked too and we managed somehow to live. After I married I started farmin', but since I got too old I live round with my chillen. I has two sons and a boy what I raised. One boy lives clost to Jacksonville and the other in the Sabine bottom and the boy what I raised lives at Henderson.

I been gittin' $10.00 pension since January this year. (1937) I never fool round with politics much. I's voted a few times, but most the time I don't. I leaves that for folks what knows politics. I says this, the young niggers ain't bein' raised like we was. Most of them don't have no manners or no moral self-respect. I don't 'lieve much in hants but I's heared my wife call my name. She's been dead four years. If you crave to see your dead folks, you'll never see them, but if you don't think 'bout them they'll come back sometime. Two nigger women died in this house and both of them allus smoked a pipe. My boy and me used to smell the pipes at night, since they died, and one morning I seed one of them. I jus' happened to look out the window and saw one of them goin' to the cowpen. I knowed her by her bonnet. They's a nigger church and cemetery up the road away from my house mere the dead folks come out by twos at night and go in the church and hold service. Me and the preacher what preaches there done seed and heared them.  They's a way of keepin' off hants. That's done by tackin' an old shoe by the side the door, or a horseshoe over the door, or pullin' off part of the planks of your house and puttin' on some new boards.