My name am Lee Anderson Pierce . borned on the fifteenth of May, in 1850, up in Marshall, and 'longin' to Marse Evans Spencer , what was a surveyor. I never knowed my pappy. He died 'fore I was borned. Mammy was Winnie Spencer and Old Marse's folks fetched her to Texas from Greenwood, what am over in Mississippi. When I was 'bout eleven year old, Marse Spencer done got in debt so bad he had to sell me off from mammy. He sold me to a spec'lator named Buckley , and he taken me to Jefferson and drapped me down there with a man called Sutton . I had a hard time there had to sleep on the floor on hot ashes, to keep warm, in wintertime. I nussed Marse Sutton's kids 'bout a year, den Buckley done got me 'gain and taken me to de nigger trader yard in Marshall. I was put on de block and sold jes' like a cow or horse, to Marse Henry Fowler , what taken me to Sulphur Springs. I lived with him till after surrender. Marse Fowler worked 'bout a hundred and fifty acres of land and had sev'ral cullud families. He done overseeing hisself, but had a black man for foreman. I seed plenty niggers whopped for not doin' dey tasks. He'd whop 'em for not pickin' so many hundreds of cotton a day, buckle 'em down hawg fashion and whop 'em with a strop. Us never stopped work no day, lessen Sunday, and not then iffen grass in the field or crops sufferin'. Most time we at bacon and cornbread and greens. Sometimes we'd git deer meat to eat. 'cause a old man named Buck Thomas am clost friend to Marse Fowler and a big hunter. We got our own fish when we wasn't workin'. The first work I done was herdin' sheep. I never done much field work, but I me kep' busy with them sheep and other jobs round the place. The cullud folks had big breakdowns Saturday night and a good time then and on Christmas. but all the res' the time us jus' worked. On Christmas we never got nothin but white shorts. Them was for biscuits and they was jus' like cake to the niggers in slavery time. Marse Fowler didn't have too much regard for he black folks. Two families of them was stolen niggers. A spec'lator done stole them in Arkansas and fetch them to Texas. I didn't know much 'bout the war, 'cause I'm only ten year old when it starts, and the white folks didn't talk it with us cullud folks. Long 'bout the end of the war a big Yankee camp was at Jefferson right where the courthouse is now, but I wasn't 'lowed to go there and never did know nothin' 'bout it. I stayed with Marse Fowler till the Ku Klux got to ragin'. The Yankees run it out of business. That Ku Klux business started from men tryin' to run the niggers back to they farms. They near all left they masters and didn't have nothin' or nowheres to go. The cullud folks was skeered of them Kluxers. They come round the house and had some kind of riggin' so's they could drink sev'ral buckets of water.  A cullud man at Jefferson, named Dick Walker , got up a cullud militia to keep the Klux off the niggers. The militia met here in the old African Methodist Church. Marse Fowler done git up a bunch of thirty men to break up that cullud militia, and he org'ized his bunch at our place. I helped saddle the hosses the night they went to take the church. Ben Biggerstaff , he was one the main white leaders. They kilt sev'ral of the militia and wounded lots more. That's after the Yankees done leave.

I hired out to Col. King , a Yankee officer in Sulphur Springs, and works for him one year. I was makin' $25,00 a month. Land was sellin' for twenty-five cents an acre but I wouldn't buy none. That same land am worth a fortune now, But I left and come back to Jefferson.  I never found my mammy until 1870. She was workin' in a cafe in Terrell. Judge Estes of Jefferson and some white men done been to Dallas and stopped where she was workin'. She asked 'em if they knowed Lee Pierce and the Judge said he did. When she done tell him how long it am since she seed me, he put her on the train and sent her to Jefferson.  I was here when Jay Gould tried to git them to let him put his railroad through this town and they told him they didn't need a railroad. Then they done somethin' on Red River what done take all the water out of Big Cypress and the town went down to nothin'. Cullud folks run this town 'bout them times. Paul Matthews , a cullud man, was county judge, and Bill Wisham was sheriff.  I think the younger race of our folks has more 'vantages for prosper'ty than what we had. Most of them am makin' good use of it. Some ain't get no principle or ambition, but lots of them are 'spectable people.

Lee Pierce , an aqed Neqro man of Jefferson, Texas, was born May 15, 1850 in Marshall, Texas, as a slave of Evans Spencer . His father died before Lee was born, and at the age of 11 he was sold from his mother to a man named Buckley , a speculator. Buckley hired Lee out as a nurse in Jefferson for about a year and then sold him to Henry Fowler , of Sulphur Springs, Texas. Pierce remained with the Fowlers until 1866, at which time he hired out to a Federal General, who was stationed at Sulphur Springs. After working for Colonel King , the Federal General for one year, Pierce returned to Jefferson, Texas where he still resides. He has always earned a livelihood from public works until a few years ago. At present he resides with a son in Jefferson and receives $9.00 per month old age assistance from the Government.

My name is Lee Anderson Pierce   bo'n May 15, 1850 at Marshall, Texas. I fust (first) belonged to Evans Spencer , a surveyor there at Marshall. I never knowed my father cause he died 'fore I was bo'n. My mother was Winnie Spencer . My old Master's folks fetched (brought) her to Texas from Greenwood, Mississippi. I never seed none of my grandparents. My mother had six chil'ren  all boys. 'Sides me there was Austin , Henry , Anderson and San . When I was 'bout eleven years old Spencer got in debt so heavy he had to sell me off from my mother. He sold me to a speculator named Buckley , and he took me to Jefferson and drapped me down there with a man named Sutton . I had a hard time after I left Spencer . I had to sleep on the floor on hot ashes in the winter time. I nu'sed Sutton's kids for 'bout a year, then Buckley took me to a Nigger Trader Yard at Marshall. Men come from over the country to buy Niggers at the Traders Yard. I was put on the block and sold jest like a cow or horse. Buckley sold me to Henry Fowler and he took me to Sulphur Springs. I lived with the Fowlers till after surrender. Fowler worked 'bout 150 acres of land and had several families of colored people on the place. He done the overseeing hisself, but had a black man for foreman. I'se seed lots of the darkies whipped for not doing their tasks. Fowler whipped them for not picking so many hundred pounds of cotton a day. Lots of them was buckled down hog fashion and whipped with a strap. The darkies never stopped work no day, cept Sunday and sometime they didn't stop then if grass was in the field or craps (crops) was suffering. Most time we et bacon, co'n bread, greens and other vegetables. Sometime we got deer meat to eat. Old man Buck Thomas was a close friend of the Fowlers and a big hunter. There was lots of deer in the country in the early days and when he made a big kill he allus give Master Henry some deer meat for his darkias. The colored people got their own fish on Sunday. The first work I done for Fowler was herding sheep. He bought me to tend to his sheep. I never done much work in the field. The colored folks had big "break-downs" on Saturday nights and all catch hands and go round in a ring, singing "Susie Gal" and other ring plays. Spencer just had my mothers family on his place and allus give us new clothes and the old ones money on Christmas. But there warn't nothing like that on Fowler's place. All he give us was "white sho'ts". White "sho'ts" (shorts) for biscuits was just like cake to the colored people in slavery time. Fowler didn't have too much regard for his black folks. Two families of them was "stolen Niggers". A speculator stole then in Arkansas and fetched them to Texas and sold them off to Fowler .

I saw the first soldiers that went out of Jefferson to the war. They went by Marshall on the west. I was ten years old when the war started, but don't know much 'bout it ca'se the white folks didn't talk it with the colored folks. Long 'bout the close of the war a big "Yankee" Camp was at Jefferson right where the old courthouse is now. They stayed there a good while. I stayed with the Fowlers till the Ku Klux got to raging. The "Yankees" run the Ku Klux out of business. That Ku Klux business started from big men trying to run the Niggers back to their farms. After surrender they most all left their Masters and they got up the Ku Klux to try to run them back. The colored folks was skeered (scared) of the Ku Kluxers. They come round the house and had some kind of rigging fixed so they could drink several buckets of water. The Niggers hadn't ever seed nothing like that and was skeered of them. A colored man at Jefferson named Dick Walker got up a colored malitia to keep the Ku Klux off of the darkies. The malitia met here in Jefferson in the old African (colored) Methodist Church. My Master Henry Fowler help get up a bunch of about thirty men to break up the colored malitia. The whites organized on Fowlers place at Sulphur Springs. I help saddle most of the horses the night they went to take the African Methodist Church. Ben Biggerstaff was one of the main leaders of the whites. They killed several of the colored malitia and wounded lots more. That was after the "Yankees" had left. Right after surrender, when the Ku Klux was raging, I hired out to Colonel King, a "Yankee" officer in Sulphur Springs and worked for him a year at Jacksboro. While I was out there I was making $25.00 a month and had a chance to get rich, and wouldn't take it. Land was selling for 25 dollars an acre and a white man told me he would lend me money to buy 500 acres of land. I told him, "I don't want no land in this country". That same land I could have bought for 25 dollars an acre then is worth a fortune now. I left and come back to Jefferson. I'se lived in Jefferson since 1867 and never had no trouble. My mother allus told me,  Son, if you'll behave and allus be honest, it will carry you farther in dollars.

I never found my mother until 1870. She was working in a cafe in Terrell. Judge Estes of Jefferson and some more white men had been to Dallas and stopped where she was working, on their way home. She heard them say they was from Jefferson and asked Judge Kstes if he knowed Lee Pierce. He said he did, and when she told his how long it was since she had seed me, he put her on the train and sent her to Jefferson. The first time I come to Jefferson was in 1861. There warn't but two streets in the town then  that was Austin and Dallas Streets. Dallas Street was build along the bayou. Jefferson got to be a big ship-port, but it never was a big town. It is bigger now than it ever was. I seed the boats when they come here, and help load them. They was all steering wheel boats .. side-wheelers couldn't get up Big Cypress. It got to be pretty tough, but they kept good order. Four or five boats a week come here when it was a "booming" town. The town was allus full of people ca'se folks from as far off as Dallas hauled cotton here, but they didn't all live here. I was here when Jay Gould tried to get them to let him put his railroad through the town. They told him they didn't need his railroad. Then they done something on Red River that took all the water out of Big Cypress and Caddo Lake and the town went down to nothing. I 'members when the colored folks run this town. A colored man, Paul Matthews , was County Judge and Bill Wisham was Sheriff. Then the colored people voted like the whites, but they got up the White Citizen's Party and cut the Negroes off. I allus voted the Republican ticket till last election. They told me that the Republicans was our friends and I stayed with them till the last election and never seed nothing they done for us. Then Mr. Roosevelt come along and picked us old folks up. Then I decided that the Democrats was the bridge to carry me across on, and I voted for him. I think that the younger race of our folks has more advantages for prosperity than I had. Most of them are making good use of it. Some of them ain't got no principle or ambition, but lots of them are making respectable, learned citizens of themselves. I'se allus followed public work for a living and got along with the white folks ca'se I behaved myself. I knows lots that was done here, but I can't afford to tell it ca'se lots of them that done the devilment had folks living here and if I told all I know, some of them would "put me to sleep.