I's born 'fore war started and 'members when it ceased. I guess mammy's folks allus belonged to the Trammells , 'cause I 'member my grandpa, Josh Chiles , and my grandma, call Jeanette . I's a strappin' big girl when they dies. Grandpa used to say he come to Texas with Massa George Trammell's father when Rusk County was jus' a big woods, and the first two years he was hunter for the massa. He stay in the woods all the time, killing deer and wild hawgs and turkeys and coons and the like for the white folks to eat, and the land's full of Indians. He kinda taken up with them and had holes in the nose and ears. They was put there by the Indians for rings what they wore. Grandpa could talk mos' any Indian talk and he say he used to run off from his massa and stay with the Indians for weeks. The massa'd go to the Indian camp looking for grandpa and the Indians hided him out and say, 'No see him.' How mammy and we'uns come to Texas, Massa George brung his wife and three chillen from Mississippi and he brung we'uns. Pappy belonged to Massa Moore over in Mississippi and Massa George didn't buy him, but after mammy got here, that 'fore I's born, pappy runs off and makes his way to Texas and gits Massa George to buy him.

Massa George and Missy America lived in a fine, big house and they owned more slaves and land than anybody in the county and they's the richest folks 'round there. Us slaves lived down the hill from the big house in a double row of log cabins and us had good beds, like our white folks. My grandpa made all the beds for the white folks and us niggers, too. Massa didn't want anything shoddy 'round him, he say, not even his nigger quarters. I's sot all day handin' thread to my mammy to put in the loom, 'cause they give us homespun clothes, and you'd better keep 'em if you didn't want to go naked. Massa had a overseer and nigger driver call Jacob Green . If a nigger was hard to make do the right thing, they ties him to a tree, but Massa George never whip 'em too hard, jus' 'nough to make 'em 'have. The slaves what worked in the fields was woke up 'fore light with a horn and worked till dark, and then there was the stock to tend to and cloth to weave. The overseer come 'round at nine o'clock to see if all is in the bed and then go back to his own house. When us knowed he's sound asleep we'd slip out and run 'round, sometimes. They locked the young men up in a house at night and on Sunday to keep 'em from runnin' 'round. It was a log house and had cracks in it and once a little nigger boy pokes his hand in tryin' to tease them men and one of 'em chops his fingers off with the ax. Massa didn' 'low no nigger to read and write, if he knowed it George Wood was the only one could read and write and how he larn, a little boy on the 'jining place took up with him and they goes off in the woods and he shows George how to read and write. Massa never did find out 'bout that till after freedom. We slips off and have prayer but daren't 'low the white folks know it and sometime we hums 'ligious songs low like when we's workin'. It was our way of prayin' to be free, but the white folks didn't know it. I 'member mammy used to sing like this: 'Am I born to die, to lay this body down, Must my tremblin' spirit fly into worlds unknown, The land of deepes' shade. Only pierce' by human thought.' Massa George 'lowed them what wanted to work a little ground for theyselves and grandpa made money sellin' wild turkey and hawgs to the poor white folks. He used to go huntin' at night or jus' when he could. Then days we made our own med'cine out of horsemint and butterfly weed and Jerusalem oak and bottled them teas up for the winter. Butterfly Weed tea was for the pleurisy and the others for the chills and fever. As reg'lar as I got up I allus drank my asafoetida and tar water.

I 'member Massa George furnished three of his niggers, Ed Chile and Jacob Greenland , Job Jester , for mule skinners. I seed the government come and take off a big bunch of mules off our place. Mos' onto four year after the war, three men comes to Massa George and makes him call us up and turn us loose. I heared 'em say its close onto four year we's been free. but that's the first we knowed 'bout it. Pappy goes to work at odd jobs and mammy and I goes to keep house for a widow woman and I strays there till I marries, and that to Tom Smith . We had five chillen and now Tom's dead and I lives on that pension from the government, what is $16.00 a month, and I's glad to git it. 'cause I's too old to work.

Millie Ann Smith was born in Rusk County, Texas in 1850 as a slave of George Washington Trammell , a pioneer planter and financier of Rusk County. Her mother was originally from Mississippi and her father from Alabama. Trammell bought Millie's mother and three older children in Mississippi before Millie was born, and brought them to Texas, leaving her father behind. Later he ran away from his Master in Mississippi and came to Texas where he persuaded Trammell to buy him so he could be with his wife and children. Millie moved with her mother to the home of a white widow lady four years after the war, and lived there until she married. She reared five children to be grown. Since the death of her husband she has lived alone in Sunny South addition in Marshall and now draws a $8.00 per month pension from the Government. I was bo'n 'fore the War started and 'members when it "ceased". I guess Mammy's fo'ks allus belonged to the Trammells . I 'member my grandfather, Josh Chiles and my grandmother, Jeanette Chiles . I was a strappin' big girl when they died. I 'member my grandfather say he come to Texas with Master George Trammell's father when Rusk County was jest a "big woods" and that the first two years he was hunter fer his Master.

He say he stay in the woods all the time killing deer, wild hogs, turkeys, coons and the like for the white fo'ks to eat. He say the land was full of Indians when they come to Texas. He kinda took up with them and had holes in his nose and ears put there by the Indians fer rings they wore in their nose and ears. He could talk mos' any Indian language. He say he used to run off from his Master and stay with the Indians weeks at a time. His master would go to the Indian camp looking fer him, and the Indians hided him out and say "No see him". My grandmother Jeanette was baptised by a white preacher and jined the white chu'ch. She wore a white muslin' dress that her Mistress fixed for her. She used to show it to us and tell us how she loved her mistress. She kep' her "baptizing dress" till she died and was buried in it. When Master George Washington Trammell (my Master) come to Texas with his wife and three chil'ren, he brought my mother and her three chil'ren. Pappy belonged to a George Moore there in Mississippi and Master Trammell hadn't bought him when we left to come to Texas. Pappy run off and come to Texas and begged Master in to buying him so he could be with his wife and chil'ren. Master George and Mistress America didn't have no chil'ren but raised two of Mistress' sister's girls. They lived in a big fine house, owned more slaves and land than anybody in Rusk County and was 'bout the richest fo'ks I knowed of. The slaves lived down the hill from Master's house in a double row of log cabins. My grandfather Josh made all the beds for the white fo'ks and the "niggers" too. They was decent to sleep on. Master didn't want anything shoddy round him, not even his "nigger-quarters". We raised rice, wheat, cane and everything there on the place. Master had a big garden where we got peas, beans and garden-truck. The Niggers didn't have no time to fool with gardens. I'se sot all day handing thread to Mammy to put in the loom. They give us home spun clothes and you'd better keep them if you didn't want to go naked. On Christmas Master would fetch us down flour, syrup, sugar and fresh meat so we could have ginger-bread cake. Master had an overseer and a "Nigger-driver" named Jacob Green , but he 'lowed no one to whip one of his Niggers but hisself. If one was hard to control he was tied to a tree. Some of the bosses tied them down 'cross a barrell and beat them might nigh to death. I give justice to Master Trammell , he didn't do nothing like that, but allus call us up and talk to us and then whip us right. Master didn't have no chil'ren of his own. It was the white fo'ks that had a pacel of chil'ren that was so hard on them, and worked them nearly to death. Them what had a bunch of chil'ren would cuse the 'Niggers' of doing something to them so they could whip them. We was woke up 'fore day break with a horn and wo'ked till sundown. When we got in from the fiel' there was stock to tend to and chores to do, and cloth to weave 'fore we went to bed. The overseer come 'round at nine o'clock to see if we was in bed then he go back to the house and turn in. When we knowed he was sound sleep we slip out and run 'round and go to the neighbors sometimes. We warn't lowed to go to chu'ch or nowhere without a pass. I think sometime how did we live through it. The Lord took care of us. They locked the young men up in a house there on the place at night and on Sunday to keep them from running 'round. It was a log house and had cracks in it. One time a little nigger boy was sticking his hand through the crack poking fun at the boys on the inside and one of them chopped his fingers off with an ax. Master Trammell didn't 'low no "Nigger" on the place what could read and write if he knowed it.

George Wood was the only one of his slaves I knowed of that could read and write. A little white boy that belonged to some fo'ks on a jining place took up with George cause he would play with him. They went off in the woods and the boy showed George how to read and write. Master didn't find out 'bout it till after freedom. The white fo'ks had a chu'ch four or five miles off the place. Precious little we went as Master Trammell's fo'ks only went on "big meeting" days. We slipped off and had prayer meetings and prayed to ourselves but darsn't let the white fo'ks know 'bout it. We hummed our religious songs in the fiel' while we was wo'king. It was our way of praying for freedom, but the white fo'ks did not know it.

My favorite spiritual went like this, ... I don't recalls all of it" Am I bo'n to die to lay this body down Must my trembling spirit fly into worlds unknown The land of deepest shades only pierced by human thought. Master Trammell give the "Niggers" a tract of new ground to a family. He 'lowed them Saturday afternoon and to twelve o'clock nights to work the land. They cleared it up, planted it and got what they made off it the first year. Master would take the cotton they raised to Shreveport to sell it and bring us back calico, plaid and nice cloth for clothes and everything else we wanted. He give the old fo'ks the money that was left after he bought what they wanted. Grandpappy Josh made money selling wild turkey and hogs to the poor white fo'ks. Master let them go hunting at night and kill turkeys, hogs and other game to sell to the white fo'ks. We had our own medicine in slavery time. The old wimmen made it out of weeds and things from the woods. We took "Blue Mass", "Everlasting Life", Boneset" Horsemint Tea, Butterfly Weed Teas and Jerasulem Oak and bottled it up for the winter. "Butterfly Weed Tea was good for the plurisy. The other are remedies for chills, fever and sick like. As regular as I got up I allus drank my asfidity and tar water. I'se seen a hundred and fifty hands on one pile of corn at corn-shuckings. They pile it up in wind rows and call in the hands from all round. The wimmen cooked up chicken stews, tater (potato) custard, pies, cakes and all kinds of meats and vegetables. Master come round now and then and give the men a drink. The chil'ren whooped and hollered while the men and wimmen shucked co'n. On Saturday nights Master made us gang up and sing and dance and play ring plays. Our favorite was "Eleven Stars, Eleven Stars Gwine to Fall", "Gwine Up North, Newbound wearing broadcloth", and "Chickens crowing for midnight, its almost day.I 'member when the war was going on. Trammell furnished three of his slaves, Ed Chile , Jacob Green and Job Jester as "mule skinners" for the war.

I seed the Government come to Trammell's place and take off a big bunch of mules. Most on to four years after the War three men come to Masters and made him call us up and turn us loose. He told us we could work on third and fourth or for wages. That's first we knowed 'bout being free. I saw a bunch of soldiers marching by the place long time after the war started and asked Mammy where they was going. She say the war was over. My father went to work for wages after Trammell turn us loose, and my mother went to keep house for a widow white lady. I stayed there with her till I married.