The Reverend John Perrier is a venerable gentleman who has spent a large part of his life in the Baptist ministry. He is a stout man, clean shaven and with hair cut very short, the gray showing up strongly against the black face. He was dressed in a white shirt and dark trousers, and seated in a comfortable chair. He was quite young when freedom came and much of his story is from conversation with his parents. However, as he lived on the old place a number of years after freedom he was well acquainted with the old master and mistress, and the general appearance and work of the plantation. He spoke with interest of his ministerial work and the "big meetin's" and shoutings of members of his flock at such times.

I was bo'n in Lou'siana in Eas' Baton Rouge parish, not long befo' freedom come, so I can't tell mcuh 'bout slav'ry time' 'cept what my pa and ma uster tell me. My pa was Mill Perrier , and my ma was name Agnes . De ol' marster was Mr. T. T. Young . You know Dr. Hunter what die' here jis' a few days ago? Well, he uster be Mr. Young ' preacher for eighteen years. I was raise up on Mr. Young ' place. My pa and ma they stay there and work after freedom come. I t'ink they uster call ol' missus 'Miss Tooney .' Dey say he a good man. Mr. Young live in a big white two story house. It had po'ches in de front and de back. He was a rich man. De slave quarters was box houses. I don' 'member no log houses. I t'ink dere was t'ree rooms to de house. I heerd 'em talk 'bout de war and fightin' but I didn' know nuthin' 'cuase I too little, course. You see I was raise not fur from Port Hudson and dat was where one of de hardes' battles was. Back in slav'ry times dey had a room to take care of de little chillun when dey mammys was in de fiel' worin'. My ma and pa dey work in de fiel'. Dey was a ol' woman to look atter de little chilluns. Dey had white preachers to come 'roun' through de quarters and preach to de slaves. Dey was a nice place under a big oak tree where dey could gather and be proteck. De preacher uster preach to 'em not to steal. He tell 'em not to steal ol' marster's pigs. Dat got 'em start to stealin' pigs 'cause dey didn' t'ink 'bout stealin' 'em befo' de preacher preach dat dey oughtnt to. When slaves want to git marry dey speak to de marster and tell him dey want to marry dis or dat girl. Iffen it all right wid de gal marster tell 'em dey marry and dat all dey was to it. When anybody die on de place dey hab 'ligious cullud man for to conduc' de fun'rel. My daddy he uster make de box and de coffin. "All my white folks was Presbyterians, but I's a Baptis'.  Dey was one song on de place dey uster sing: 'Free at las', Thank God Almighty I's free at las' Satan thought he had me fas' Broke his chain, and free at las'.' Atter freedom I nuss Mr. Young ' chillen, Walker and Sallie . I jis' hafter play 'roun' wid 'em and see dey git tuck care of. I was a good size' boy when I start to school.

I go to school fus' in Clinton Parish and den later on I go to school in Baton Rouge Parish. My fus' teachers was white folks from de Norf. Dey call him Mr. Mann. I dunno whether he name was Mr. Taylor Mann or Mr. Mann Taylor . I heerd some talk 'bout de Klu Kluxes, but I didn' know nuthin' 'bout 'em. I don't t'ink dey was any in dat part of de country. My marster was de general of dat country, in a manner, and he didn' 'low nuthin' to go on 'roun' us. I was convert' in Baton Rouge Parish. I was call' to preach when I was convert' but I didn' start to preach den. It soon be my forty secon' year in de ministry. I pastored for thirty seben year befo' I git down sick and de chillun sont for me to come so dey could tek care of me. I was married 'bout forty-five year ago. My wife name was Maria . She been dead a good long time. I neber been marry but de one time. Us didn' hab no chillen of us own but us 'dopted dis child whats takin' care of me now. I been here in Beaumont since 1930. De ol' marster warn't so much of a church man but de ol' missus she was sho' a good Christian woman. She uster go through de quarters and have 'ligious conversations wid de han's. Lots of times when she doin' dat dey git 'roun' her and cry and shout jis like dey at church.