I's borned in Mississippi. Yes, sar. I 'longed to Massa Miller and he name am Sam , and my name am Mariah . My pappy was Weldon and my mammy, Ann . Massa Sam   fetches all us to Texas when I's jos' five year old and we come in wagons and hossback. He done buy my mammy and pappy in the slave market, so I don't know nothin' 'bout none my other 'lations. Massa Sam live in a great big, ceiled house, and had plenty land and niggers. The quarters was logs and any kind beds we could git. We wore lowell clothes and I never seed no other kind of dress till after surrender. We et meat and collards end cornbread and rough grub. and they biled all the victuals in a big, black pot what hung on a rack in the kitchen fireplace. We had red russet. flat shoes and no stockin's, but in winter we made wool panties to wear on our legs. Missy was name Patsy and she was purty good, and Massa Sam was purty good, too. He'd whip us if we needed it. He'd pull of our clothes and whip in the field. But he wouldn't 'low the driver to whip us if we didn't need it. No, sar. And he wouldn't have no patterrollers on the place. The driver come round and woke everybody up and had 'em in the field by daybreak. I's seed a whole field of niggers abreast, hoein'. The rows of cotton was so long you couldn't make but one 'fore dinnertime. I driv the gin, what was run by two mules. The cotton was wrapped in baggin' and tied with ropes. It was a long time after 'fore I seed cotton tied with steel like they bales it now. I seed plenty niggers whipped while I driv that gin. They tied the feets and hands and rawhided 'em good. They tied a bell on one woman what run away all the time. They locks it round her head. I seed lots of niggers put on the block and bid off and carry away in chains. One woman name Venus raises her hands and hollers, 'Weigh dem cattle,' whilst she's bein' bid off.

The big folks dances all night Sat'day. That's all the fun we had. We used to sing I'm in a lady's garden, I'm in a lady's garden, So let me out, I'm sufferin' for water and wine. The slaves most allus sings whilst theys workin' in the field, and one song was When I's here you calls me honey, When I's gone you honies everybody.  or The raccoon am de funny thing, Ramblin' round in de dark. Massa Sam have a cullud man what give us our ABC's. I still got mine, but didn't never git no further. Massa Sam git kilt 'fore the war. A mule throwed him, He had plenty good hosses but allus rid a mule. He come in from a neighbor's one day and the mule throwed him on a stob 'fore he got to the house. We heared a hollerin' down the road, but didn't pay no 'tention, 'cause they's allus all kind racket gwine on. Fin'ly somebody say, 'That sound like a man,' and we goes down there and it was massa. 'Fore he die he calls all the cullud chillen to him and shakes hands and tells 'em to be good. We 'longs to he son, Ruben , then, and stays with him three years after surrender. Lordy me! How I hates to think of 'em talkin' 'bout that war! Young missy cry a whole week, 'cause she fear her men folks gwine git kilt. They did, too. Her two boys, George and Frank , gits kilt, and heap of the neighbors boys gits kilt, too. Fin'ly us leaves Massa Ruben and goes to Shreveport and I marries Snyder . The 'Progo' Marshal marries us. We raises two gals and I lives with Mary . Snyder died twenty-two years ago and all them years I made a livin' washin' and ironin' and cookin', up to six years ago. I gits a pension from the gov'ment now and it am $10.00 a month. It's mighty good of the white folks to take care of this old nigger, but I'd rather work, only I ain't able no more.

Mariah Snyder , an 89 year old negro woman of Marshall, was born in Mississippi, a slave of Sam Miller . She, her father, mother, seven sisters and four brothers were brought to Anderson County, Texas when Mariah was five years old. Upon the death of her original Master, Mariah was willed to her young Master, Ruben Miller . Three years after surrender she left the Millers with her parents, who located in Shreveport, Louisiana. She married twice and reared two children to be grown. Since the death of her second husband, 22 years ago, she always earned a living by washing, ironing and cooking until six years ago when she came to Marshall to live with her only living daughter. She now receives a $10.00 per month pension from the Government. My name is Mariah Snyder.

I was bo'n in Mississippi, slave of Master Sam Miller . My father was Weldon Miller , and my mother's name was Ann . Master Sam "fotched" (brought) my father, mother, me, seven sisters, Laura , Susan , Nancy , Harriet , Polly , Anna , .. and four brothers, Weldon , Billie , Wade and Eli to Anderson County, Texas when I was jest five years old. We come in wagons and walked lots of the way to rest ourselves. Some of Master Sam's fo'ks rode horseback. I never seed my grandparents. Both my father and mother was bought on the slave market and "fotched" to Mississippi. They say their fo'ks was left behind. The way they sold Negroes in slavery time sho' broke up family relations. I first picked up roots and sticks in the fiel' till I was big enough to do other work. The first work I done in the fiel' was plowing. I was a young woman when the war was over; I didn't belong to the kid size. Master Sam lived in a big, ceiled house. He had lots of land and Negroes. The qua'ters was of logs. We slep' on any kinds of beds we could get, with straw and shuck mattresses. We wore good lowell clothes. I never seed nothing but a lowell dress till after surrender. An old woman what couldn't work in the fiel' done the cooking. We et fat meat, greens, collards, co'n bread and other rough grub. They biled (boiled) vitals on a big, black pot that hung on a rack in the kitchen fire-place. We wore "red russett", flat shoes, but had no stockings. In the winter we made wool panties to wear on our legs. My Mistress was named Patsy . She had three girls, Jane , Polly and Francis , and three boys, Ruben , Will and Jack . Master Sam allus had one overseer. Sometimes he got rid of them if he was too mean to the slaves, but allus got another one right away. He had a "Driver" but wouldn't let him mistreat us. Some of the Negroes was so mean he had to whip them anyhow. I'se seed Master pull their clothes off of them and whip them in the fiel'. Master warn't allow the overseer or "Driver" to whip us if we didn't need it; and he warn't stand for a "Pattyroller" coming on the place.

The Negroes on our place warn't so bad, cause Master Sam and his fo'ks had faith in them. Master knowed they wouldn't go off the place without a pass. The chil'ren played over in the fiel' on Sunday. The "Pattyrollers" come round looking for strangers, but they never bothered us cause we was in our own fiel'. The "Driver" come round and woke us all up in the morning and had us in the fiel' by day-break. I'se seed a whole fiel' of Negroes abreast hoeing. The cotton rows was so long you could make only one round fore dinner. Master Sam had a gin on his place. I used to "drive the gin". It was run by two mules, and I driv' them. They baled the cotton pretty fast. It was wrapped in bagging and tied with ropes. It was long time after surrender fore I saw cotton tied with steel like they bale it now. I'se seed lots of Negroes whipped while I was "driving the gin". They tied their feet and hands and raw-hided them good. I seed them tie a bell on one woman that was bad about running away. They locked it round her head someway. I'se seed lots of Negroes put on the block and bid off and carried away in chains like cattle. I 'members one woman, Venus , who raised her hands and hollered "Weigh 'em cattle"; "Weigh 'em cattle" while she was on the block being bid off. In slavery times the chil'ren played "horsie". We made a "horse" of a big hoop of a hogshead (barrel) by tieing strings on it for lines. We rode our "horse" from one house to another looking for sweetbread. We do anything for some sweetbread. We played marbles, dropping handkerchief, hiding switches, and puss in the corner, and other running plays. When we got close to the switch in playing hiding switches, the leader would say, "He's burning up". Somebody would say "Whose burning up?" If it was you that was close to the switch and asked "Whose burning up?", the leader say, "You are burning up". Then you'd tear up the place looking for the switch. The big fo'ks danced all night on Saturday. That was all the fun we had. I only 'members part of the wo'ds to two of the ring plays we played at dances in slavery times. One was: "London Bridge is washing away Oh, boys remember me London Bridge is washing away". The other one was: "I'm in some lady's garden, I'm in some lady's garden So let me out for I'm suffering for water and wine I'm in some lady's garden, I'm in some lady's garden. The Negroes most allus sung while they was working in the fiel' when they was happy. One of the songs was: "When I'm here you'll call me honey, but When I'm gone you'll honey everybody". Another one was: "The Raccoon is a funny thing Rambin 'round in the dark".

Master Sam had a colored man on the place that give us our A B C's. I'se still got mine, but warn't ever able to get any farther. There was a big pine arbor on the place where we 'tended preaching. A white preacher, Rollin, preached to us and the white fo'ks too. They sung old songs like "Am I a Soldier of the Cross" and "Jesus My All To Heaven Has Gone". There was no funeral services for the Negroes when they died. Master Sam got killed fore the war. A mule throwed him. He had plenty good horses but allus rode a mule. He come in from one of the neighbors one day, and his mule throwed him on a stob just fore he got to the house. We heard a hollering down the road but paid no 'tention to it cause there was allus all kinds of racket gwying (going) on round the place. Finally someone said, "That sounds like a man". We went down there and it was Master. I allus liked Master Sam cause he was so good to me. He never whipped me in his life but pinched me once. He was sleep on a pallet on the porch, and had me 'minding the flies off him, with a long piece of brush. I laid it down and went to sleep too. He woke up and pinched me. Fore he died he called all the colored chil'ren to his bed and shake hands and tell them to be good chil'ren. When he died, my mammy, two sisters and me went to his boy, Ruben Miller , and stayed with him till three years after surrender. Lordy me! I hate to think 'bout them talking 'bout that war. My young Mistress cried a whole week when it started cause she feared our men fo'ks would get killed. My old Master Sam had two boys, George and Frank , to get killed, in it. Heap of the neighbors white boys was killed too. Mistress Lila called us up and told us we was free. All my fo'ks stayed on there three years after surrender, then we started to scatter.

I'se seed "Haunts" once in my life. It was here in Texas after my last husband died. I stayed with two white girls till they died. A while after they was dead, I was laying on a pallet there at their fo'ks house and they come right up to the pallet and looked me in the face. It didn't scare me a bit. I never told their fo'ks 'bout it cause they wouldn't believe it. When we left the Millers my father, mother and sisters and me moved on a farm for a while then went to Shreveport. I married a soldier the first time. We was married by the "Progose" Marshal there in Shreveport. But he and I soon split up and I went back to my fo'ks till I married Snyder . We raised two girls to be grown. One of them, Mary Jones , is still living. Then my second husband died and I had to work, ironing, washing and cooking to make a living. In 1931 my daughter come after me and made me live with her. I gets $10.00 a month pension from the Government, and is proud to get it.I never seed the Ku Kluxers, but mammy say one house once with a sheet on him. She set the dogs on got.The young Negroes is lots different now from wh coming up. They is wiser and has a chance to learn likes to talk to them, they can learn me something. will come out alright when they gets grown. I 'spec would have been as wild as they is when we was young the chance they has now. In slavery time you couldn what only what they let you do or say.