After de war started I was nurse for my young Massa's chillen. Massa Jim's oldest chile was boy and his name was Jim Jr . The second chile was a girl, named Moss , dey called her "Mossie ". The third chile was named Frank . I'se 'members well the youngest chile, a girl, was named Emma . Little Massa Joe Montgomery , my ole Massa's son, was the same age I was. When I cotched up wid my work I'd look aroun' for Little Massa Joe . We played together lots when I was not wo'kin'. One day wen I was 'bout ten years ole I heard ole "Big Massa" say "boys" dere is gwine to be war sho as  Adam made little apples.  Wen Little Massa Joe comes out to play wid me, he says,  Isom dere is gwine to be a big war, papa just said so.  It was not long after dat til' "Ole Big Mass", sent away three of his boys, Ben , Scott , Jim , and his son-in-law,  Langston . Wen de war was goin' on us slaves worked right on, and Big Massa looked after us. Dey allus good to us in dem days. Wen cold weather come Big Massa would have each of de slaves com to his house and he asked us if we had plenty shoes and warm winter clothes. Den he would give us all we needed. Then he would say "Niggers, if you don't take care of your clothes and shoes you is gwine to git cold dis winter. Ever Sunday Mo'ning, we all went to the "Big House" to get our weeks supply of food. We got plenty to last us until the next Sunday' such as, meat, flour, lard, peas, beans, potatoes and syrup. Dey allus doctored us wen we was puny, and if any of us got bad off the Big Massa sent for the family doctor. Den ole Missus would come to de cabin and tell us how de medicine was to be tuk. She would come back to see how we is doin', and if we was not doin' good she would have de doctor come back. Dey was good to us dat way. Wen de war was 'bout over, Little Massa Joe , sed to me one day out at de barn,  Isom , you is goin' to be free as I is wen de war is over.  I didn't believe him and said,  Little Massa Joe , if I gits to be free as you is, de fus' thing I'se goin' to do is give you a whipping.  Me and Little Massa Joe was 'bout 14 years ole den, and we was 'bout de same size and weight. One mo'in' "Little Massa Joe ", called me and sed,  Isom you 'member me telling you dat you was goin' to be free as I is.  De fus' thing I 'new I jumped right straddle of Little Massa Joe , and threw him down and give him a few licks wid my fist. Den I sed, "you 'members what I tol' you, de fus' thing I was goin' to do wen I'se free, wus to give you a good whipping." He tuk it as a big joke, and did not do a thing to me, but he laughed at me gettin' so happy cause I wus free as he wus. In my family dar wus my father, Isom , my mother, Liza , and dey wus five of us boys, de oldest was Edmond , de second wus myself, de third was Amos , de fo'th wus Miles and de baby boy wus Jeff . Dey is all dead but me now. I was named after my father. Wen de war ended, "Big Massa" called us slaves all to de "Big House" and tol' us we was free now. Den he asked us what was we goin' to do now. Some of us sed we would stay wid him and some of de other slaves said they would move to other places. We stayed wid ole "Big Massa." He sed he would furnish us wid food and clothes, teams and plow tools and we could have half we made wen de crops wus gathered.

In February dey give us a team and plows to start braking de land we had worked wen we was slaves. 'Bout two weeks after we started braking our land for our crop my father tuk sick wid de measles. He was 'bout over de measles, but had not left de house yet, wen one mo'ning it started raining and we was out in de fiel' plowin'. My father went out in de fiel' to call us to de House, and he got back to de house he was wet and died before mid-night. My mother did'nt want to finish making de crop after father died. "Big Massa", sed to my mother, after this happened, fer us to stay on and work de crop and gather it, and he would give us a hundred dollars Christmas. Which he did. We stayed one more year wid him. Den we moved to another farm near by. I wants to say dat we had good white fo'ks, and we fared lots better den some of de slaves on nearby farms. "Big Massa" dealt in livestock and wuz allos having de slaves butcher beaves, goats, sheep and hogs. Wen he would butcher we wuz all given fresh meat. We all had plenty turnips and sweet potatoes in de winter time. Wen we needed bacon dey allus give it to us. Wen we worked hard we eat lots of food. Big Massa" owned twelve slaves wen de war wuz over. I'se can't forget de ole tan yard for de fus' job I had wuz getting de Red Oak bark for to use on de hides wen we soaked dem in de vats to git de hair off. My mother, she wuz a weaver. Ise 'members wen she would work on de ole spinning wheel 'til' late at night. I'se would help her wid de twine lots of de time. She made all de cloth and dyed it, and den she would give it to de housekeeper, and de housekeeper would make it into clothes for de white folks and de slaves. De housekeeper was allus sitting by the big fire in de kitchen wid a needle and wid out garments, after she gits de house cleaned up. I'se heard "Ole --" de cook, say to her, "you is allus here in de way wen I'se wants to do de cooking. De housekeeper says, "you had better hush nigger, fer if you don't I'se neber goin' to get your Sunday dress made, and dat allus ended de talk. I'se wants to tell you 'bout de time we niggers was helping dig in de big Ole Indian Mound down near the Sabine River. De white folks got us niggers to help dig in de top of dis mound at night, as we wus busy wo'kin' in de fiel's in de day time. De ole mound is down near de ole Allegator Hole in de Sabine River bottom. It is one of de Ole Civil War plantations, but is all growed up wid trees now.

Us niggers was digging a hole in de top of de ole mound. It was easy digging, as it was white sand all de way down. We was digging a hole twelve feet square right on de top of dis mound. We was down in de mound 'bout 22 feet wen I got tired and come out to rest awhile. I wus watching de dirt dey drawed up and was piling up close to where I was sittin' down. De last bucket dey brought up I'se noticed lots of little white balls in de sand. I'se picked up a few of dem and was looking at dem wen de sand come off, and I saw it was man's teeth. I tol' de white man who had us wo'kin' in de mound I was not goin' to work in dat place any mo' for it was a grave yard. Den I showed Mr. Quarls , de white man, and he was looking at dem wen a rooster started to crowing. Den de niggers sed, "was dat a rooster out here in de river bottom? Den we all started to looking for de rooster dat was doin' all dat big crowing away before de break of day. Wen we could not find de rooster we all got scared, but de white folks sed it must be some kind of a frog dat was making a noise like a rooster crowing. But dat did not keep us niggers in dat ole Indian grave yard. We all left dere dat very night. De teeth dat we got wus all we found in dat ole place. Mr. Quarls carried dem teeth to de dentist, and de dentist sed dem teeth was so ole he could mash dem in his fingers. He sed dey might be over two thousand years ole from de way dey would crum'le up wen you mashed dem. Dat ole Indian Mound is so ole it looks like it has allus ben dere. I'se heard de ole Indians say dat de ole Mound was dere befo' de Indians come here, and dat some other folks built it befo' de Indians come to dis part of East Towns. All de Indians done left here now. Dey sed de was goin' to der country dat de white folks give dem. Dey wus lazy, good-for-nothing kind of folks anyway. Dey like to fish and hunt, but dey did not make good fiel' hands. All my folks is dead but me, and I'se 92 years ole. I'se gits a pension of $10.00 a month from de government, and I'se sho thankful. I don't know what I would do if it wus not for de little pension I'se gits.