I don't 'member much 'bout de war, 'cause I's jus' a young'un when it start and too small to have much mem'randum when it stop. I's still on de place where I's born when surrender come, de Lowoods Place, own by Massa Dave Miles , 'twixt Brazoria and Columbia. Massa Dave sho' have de big plantation but I don' know how many slaves. When I's a young'un, us kids didn't run round late. We'uns am put to bed. When sundown come, my mammy see dat my feets am wash and de gown put on, and in de bunk I goes. I can't 'member my daddy, but mammy told me him am sent to de 'Federate Army and am kilt in Galveston. She say dey puttin' up breastworks and de Yanks am shootin' from de ships. Well, daddy am watchin' de balls comin' from dem guns, fallin' round dere, and a car come down de track loaded with rocks and hit him. Dat car kilt him. Mammy marries Bill Bailey after freedom and moves to de Barnum Place, what Massa John Miles own. I stays with mammy till I's seventeen and help dem share crop. Den I leaves. Dat de way with chillen, dey gives you lots of trouble raisin' dem and den off dey goes. When my chillen am young'uns dey's on my lap, and when dey's growed up, dey's on my heart. Us have de hard time share croppin'. Times was hard den and de niggers didn't know much 'bout takin' care demselves. Course, dey better off free, but dey have to larn. Us work hard and make 'nough to live on de first year us free. Us raise cotton and veg'tables and when I's not helpin' mammy I goes out and gits a li'l work here and yonder. I marries in Galveston, to dat old cuss, settin' right dere, William Thomas am he name and I's stood for him ever since. Him am dock wallopin' when I's marry to him. Sho', him am a dock walloper. If you wants to talk big, you calls it stev'dere on de wharf. Dat cullud gen'man of mine allus brung in de bacon. We'uns am never rich, but allus eats till de last few years. Us goes on do farm and it hand and mouth livin', but us eats someway. After while, us come to Fort Worth and he works as mortar man and cement mixer. We'uns live good till de few years back, when him break down in de back and can't work no more. I

t am ten chillun us raise but only five livin' now. One live at Stop Six, right here in Fort Worth, and de others am all over de world. Us don't know where dey am. Since Bill can't work no more, us git de pension from de State and dat $26.00 de month for de two of us. Does I ever vote? Christ for 'mighty! No. Why yous talk dat foolishment. Why for dis igno'mous old woman want to vote? No. sar, and no tother womens ought to vote. Dat am for de mens to do. My Bill votes couple times, when us in Galveston, and I tells you 'bout dat. Dey gives de eddication with a couple cups whiskey and de cheroot. When de whiskey and de cheroot works on Bill's brain, dere am den de smart nigger, and he votes 'telligent. I asks him what he votes for and him say, 'I's vote for what am on de ticket.' 'What am on de ticket,' I says. 'How does I know, I can't read,' Den I says, 'Better yous not vote, 'cause maybe yous vote to put youself in de jailhouse.' So I guess him think 'bout dat and him see what foolishment and troublement him maybe git into, and him quit votin'. We'uns am lucky with de trouble. Guess it 'cause we'uns knows how to 'have. When I's young my mammy larn me how to 'have and where I 'long, so de patterrollers and de Ku Klux never bother we'uns. Now, we'uns so old us can't git round, so us double safe now. Gosh for 'mighty! What yous want next? Now it for me to sing. Well, yous can't put de bluff on dis old nigger, so here it am: Put on my long white robe, Put on de golden crown, Put on de golden slipper, And forever be Jesus' lamb. But I likes 'nother song better, like dis: Herodias go down to de river one day, Want to know what John Baptist have to say, John spoke de words at risk of he life, Not lawful to marry yous brudder's wife.' Not dat am 'nough. If I's here much longer, yous have dis old woman dancin'.

Philles Thomas , 76, living at 514 Hayes St., Fort Worth, Texas, was born a slave of Dave Miles in 1960, on Mile's plantation situated in Brazoia, County, Texas. Philles does not remember her father. She was informed by her mother that her father was sent to the Confederate Army and received a fatal injury while engaged in building breastworks at Galveston, Texas. When she and her mother were granted their freedom, her mother married Bill Baley . The family moved to a plantation known as the Barnum Place, owned by John Miles and there the family farmed for a long period of time. Philles stayed with her family until she was 16 years old, then she found employment as a domestic. She worked for a period of two years, then married William Thomas . The couple are still living together. They have reared 10 children, only five are now (1937) living. She lives at Stop Six, a suburb of Fort Worth, the others are at various towns, unknown to the parents.

Bout de wah Ise don't 'membahs much, 'cause Ise jus' younguns w'en it starts an' too small to have much knowledge w'en it stops. My mammy tol' me Ise bo'n de yeah befo' de wah starts. Ise can' 'membahs heahin' de fo'ks talk 'bout surrendah an' Ise ask mammy 'what am surrendah?' an' she 'plain dat to me. Youse see Ise 'bout five yeahs old den. W'en surrendah come Ise still on de place whar Ise bo'n. Dat am de Lowoods Place, owned by Marster Dave Miles . Dat am 'twex Brazoria an' Columbia, in Brazoria County. Marster Dave had a big plant'tion. Ise don't 'membahs 'bout de numbah of slaves thar whar on de place. Ise never see dem go to wo'k or come in at night, 'cause Ise sleepin'. Dat how Ise never see dem together. W'en Ise younguns, 'twarnt lak now, kids up runnin' 'round till late, no sar, weuns am put to bed. W'en sundown come mammy see dat my feet am washed and de gown am put on and in de bunk weuns am put. Den weuns sleep till sunup. Bout my father, Ise don't have de mem'randum of him. Mammy tol' me dat him am sent to de Confed'rate Ahmy an' dat he am killed in Galveston. She sez 'twas dis a-way, deys am puttin' up de breastworks an' while deys am wo'kin' de Yank's am shootin' f'om de ships. Well, father am watchin' de balls comin' f'om de guns dat am fallin' 'round thar. Ise guess him think he can dodge dem balls if deys come at him. While him am a-watchin' a car comin' down de track wid rock fo' de breastworks hit father. Him failed to doge a flat car an' thinks he can dodge de cannon ball. Well, dat car hit killed him. Aftah surrendah mammy mai'ied Bill Baley an' moved to de Barnum Place, dat am owned by Marster John Miles . Ise stay wid mammy till Ise 16 yeahs old an' help dem do de farm wo'k, 'twas share cropin' deys do. W'en Ise gettin' to be good help to dem Ise leave. Dat am de way wid de chulluns, deys give youse de trubble raisin' dem an' w'en deys can pay fo' de raisin', off deys go. W'en my chulluns am younguns deys am on my lap, w'ens deys am grown up deys on my heart. Ise wurry lots 'bout dem all de time. Ise de same way wid my fo'ks. Ise 'membahs Ise give my mammy much trubble, 'cause Ise full of devilment all de time. Mammy whups me till she am tired out doin' it, den she change de system. De way she does am put me in f'om de closet. 'Twas a closet whar she keeps de kettles and de pans, it am awful dark an' hot in de summer time. Well, sar, dat am de system dat keep me im line bettah dan whuppin's. Ise sho tries to 'void de closet. Dat sho was a mise'ble place. Ise sweat lak de haws an' gets dry fo' wautah, but 'twarnt any wautah comes to de closet. De furst time Ise stole somethin', Ise put in de closet an' dat am de last thin' Ise ever tuks dat don't belong to me. 'Twas eggs Ise tuks f'om my aunt dat lived 'cross de fence. Ise useter carry wautah fo' her an' once w'en Isse carryin' wautah Ise see de eggs, so Ise gets it in de head to play cookin' on de brick oven. Youse see dem days weuns have de ovens out side fo' de bakin'. So, on dat day Ise tuks two eggs an' am a-fixin' to cooks dem at de oven w'en mammy sees dems. Whars youse gets dem eggs", she asked. F'om auntie", sez Ise. Mammy calls auntie fo' to 'firm what Ise sez an' learnt dat Ise tuks de eggs an' dat Ise lied to her. Mammy sez to me, "tuks dem eggs back an' tell aunt to whups youse". Well, Ise tuks de eggs to auntie an' tol' her mammy sez fo' youse to whup me. Well, auntie 'fuses to whups me. Den Ise go back to mammy an' to' her mammy 'fuses to whup me. Mammy sez, "come heyah an' Ise put youse in de closet". Gosh fo' mighty how Ise runs back to auntie an' sez, "Please auntie and gives me de whuppins'. Again she 'fuses an' Ise beg her to do it. Dat am de furst time Ise ever heah of de chils beggin' fo' a whuppin', but de tudder chulluns don't have de closet fo' de jail lak Ise have. Well, Ise failed to gets auntie to whups me an' in de closet Ise go. Dat am sho good thin' 'cause Ise never steal anythin' since. A tudder thin' de egg stealin' do fo' me am press on my mind 'twas wrong to tuks what belong to tudder fo'ks, so dat am de furst rule Ise give to my chulluns. If deys come home wid somethin' Ise sak: "whars youse get dat" an' m'ybe deys sez, "so an' so give it to me". Ise den sez, "tuks dat right back to de party".

No sar, Ise never 'llows my chulluns to come home luggin' dis an' dat. Fo' dat reason Ise never have de trubble an' de chulluns never have de trubblement wid de stealin'. Yes sar, Ise raised dem right. Lak me, deys never run 'round nights. Look at de younguns one now days, all hours of de night, girls 14, 15 yeahs old, pesterin' round. 'Taint any good gwine to come of it. Ise glad my chulluns am raised befo' kids gets it in thar heads to run 'round an' think deys am smart as de old fo'ks. Ise mai'ied w'en Ise 'bout 18 yeahs old, 'twas in Galveston Texas. Yas sar, 'twas to dat old cuss, sattin' right thar, Marster William Thomas an' Ise stood fo' him ever since. Him an dock-waloppin' w'en Ise mai'ied him. Sho him am a dock-waloper, 'couse if youse want to talk big sez, ste'dore, on de wharf. Hows weuns gets 'long since weuns mai'ied, well, dat cullud gent'mens of mine always bring' in de bacon. Weuns am never rich but always eats until de last few yeahs. W'en Bill was dock-waloppi 'twas good livin' weuns have. W'en weuns goes to de farm 'twas hand an' mouth livin', but weuns eats. Well aftah while weuns come to Fort Worth, an' he wo'ks as de mortar man an' cement mixed. Weuns lived good till few yeahs back w'en him break down in de back an' can't wo'k. Course allus chulluns am raised 'twas ten of dem. Only five am livin' now. One lives at Stop Six, de tudders am all over de world. Weuns don' know whar deys am. How weuns live now? Well, tis on de State pension of $26. dollars a month fo' de both of weuns. Does Ise ever vote? Christ fo' mighty no! Why youse talk foolishment wid me now. Why fo' dis old igno'mus women wants to vote? No sar, an' no tudder women should vote, dat am fo' de mens to do. My Bill votes couple times w'ens weuns am in Galveston, m'ybe youse tell youse 'bout it. Yas sar, deys give de edumacation, wid a couple cups of whiskey an' a cheroot. W'en de whiskey an' cheroot wo'ks on Bill's brain, thar am den a smart nigger an' he voted 'teligent. Ise asked him what he voted fo' an' him sez: Ise voted fo' what am on de ticket What am on de ticket", Ise asked. How Ise know, Ise can't read", him tol' me. Bettah youse not vote", Ise sez." 'cause m'ybe youse vote to put yousself in de jailhouse. Ise guess him think 'bout dat an' him see what foolishment an' trublement him m'ybe get into an' quit votin'. Weuns am lucky wid de trubble, Ise guess it am 'cause weuns know how to behave. Weuns have de proper learnin'. W'ens Ise younguns mammy learnt me hows to behave an' whar Ise belong, so de Pattrollers an' de Ku Klux Klan, never bother weuns. Now weuns am so old weuns can't get 'round, so weuns am safe now. Gosh fo' mighty, what youse want next, now tis fo' me to sing. Well youse can' put de bluff on dis nigger here it am: Put on my long white robe, Put on de golden crown Put on my golden slipper an' fo' ever be Jesus Lam Here am one dat Ise lak bestest: Herodias went down to de river one day. Wanted to know what John de Baptist had to say, John spoke de words at de risk of his life, Not lawful, to mai'iy yous brother's wife. Now, dat am nuff, if Ise stay heayh longer youse have dis old womenin dancin'.