Rosa Washington claims ninety years of life's experiences, which took her from a slave cabin to a little adobe home of her own located at 3911 Manzana St, El Paso, Texas. She was born a slave of the Watson family on a big plantation, seven miles from Saint Joe, Louisiana. Her mother and father came from Georgia. After the Civil War ended she lived away from her marster and mistress, then returned to them to remain until their deaths. She came to Texas in 1921. Three children help to provide for her. Horace Washington lives near Tululah, Louisiana. Elbert is in Arkansas and Le Roy Washington has been in the United States Immigration service for twenty-seven years in El Paso, Texas.

My names Rosa Washington . My husband was Joe Washington . He's been daid a long time. I was born on a big plantation, white man's name Bill Watson , wife Anne Watson , seven miles from St. Joe, Louisiana. My mother and father come from Georgia. Mother and father were both slaves of Watsons , all belonged to white people. Mama had four chillen. I had seben. Creasie was the baby. Jackie he's daid, two more all daid. Marster had a fine house. Plenty of slaves. I dun-no how many. I cum out hyar sixteen years. Fore we was free we was in the field workin and they come out and got us out. Ev'ry body threw up their hands and started to run. Yanks busted open sugar hogs head and give every body all they want. My marsa hid it but Yankes foun it. Dey true all de milk away. Dey carried our marsa by foce (force) and tuk him to jail in Bicksburg. Our missus wept. I went back and stayed until I married in '69. Massa cum back after peace declared. My husban was a slave soldier. Died in 1900. My baby Creasie , daid, Jackie , he daid: I had seben. Marster had a fine house. Plenty of slaves. I come out here sixteen years. Come right from the house of marsa and missus. When the Yankes come out and got us, dey tuk us e'rbout three miles from where we live, put us in a fine house, give us plenty to eat until war's ended. We and my chillen, mother and father. We had a good cabin on the plantation. Made out-a planks. Ole rip-rap plunder. Dey treat us good. I was a servant. Water garden, work in fields when ten years old. Hoed my row ev'ry day. Dey didn't whop me do. My mistress wouldn't let 'em. Marsa and missus good to me. I not tell no lie on 'em. Tell truf. Truf shines. I see the niggahs put in stocks, put em in stocks head in fust. Tear their cloths off backs - whop till sores come den dey pour coal oil and turpentine in sores. I see dat wid my eyes. My dad drive the carrage (carriage). Carried 'em around all time. My mother worked in the field like I do. Work every day. Dey give us everything to eat. Marsa and missus too day. Day give us everything to eat. Marsa and Missus too, give plenty, but if ole cow died wid cholera, they give to us niggahs. I get good shoes once a year. When Marsa went to New Orleans, mama had to tie my feet up in rags. I had to wok with the rest of 'em. Got up at fo-e 'clock. We he'ped on otha plantations when dey'd git behind. Go he'p em out. I waited on over-seers table, Joe Crusa . He was mean. He stuck a fork in ma' haid. Ole Aunt Clarissie cooked fo us. She cook in cabin fo us, had big fiah-place. She cook fo all niggahs on the place. She was mean to me, nevva mahhied (married). She had two rooms, all she do was cook, tell lies on me to white ova-seer. Tha' woman told a lie on me cause said ah left a fock (fork) dirty. He look at it, says "Who rubbed des fork?" Woman says "Rosa ", and he did dat. Nevva put his hand on me. Missus turn him off next day. White folks had a cullud (colored) woman cook fo 'em. Diana was her name, Annabelle another one. We had co'n bread - no flowah (flour) no sugar, ooher coffee. Plenty milk, cose dey had seventeen cows. Dey give us clabber, n' peaches. Eva day ovah-seer blow horn in yard to wake us up, a bugle at fe-o'clock Sundays. We take cotton out'n of field and put it up on scaffold to dry iffen it rain. Ovah-seer sit in dry, big ovah-coat on, we wuk (work) in mud and rain. Ev'ry Monday morning I wash fo myself and mother and daddy. One morning they cahhied (carried) us to stock house to whop us. My missus and marsa neva let em whop me, but no white folks hep me to read and write. Hep me to do nothin but wok.

White folks had church. Had a catachism in the morning on Sunday in the yard. Preacher was named Jenkins , a white man. I couldn't go. I had to mind the white man's chillen. I had to mindem evva Sunday. I could see 'em, had church under big tree in the yard. Cullud people had to go way back in woods to have church. Nevva let white folks see em. Had to slip and hide to have ouh church. Run like deer if found out. We'd get to go out on the creek bank on Sunday, out on the bar and play. Marsa nevva know a hit more'n this chair where we was guine. He couldn't ask us on Sunday, it be against de law. Effen we want to go on anoher place, had to git a pass, iffen he wants you go he give em to you. Iffen he don't he tell you not to go. Iffen niggahs run away, dogs ud catch em. I was sorry fo em. Dey had Doctor right der. Kept us well. Dr. Jones give us medecine iffen we sick. Kept us well so's we could wok. He's kin to em. Brother-in-law to marsa. When the niggas was mahhied (married) dey'd put a broom down and dey jump ovva the broom, same time missus and marsa'd ma'y em. He'd ma'y (marry) em and she as witness. Sometimes celebrate. She'd cook em some cake, give em a fine dress. We'd take meat and skillets down to the bar (creek bank) on Sundays. Had fish frys. Wouldn't take no fussy chillen to the bar. We chillen would have fish fry when dey couldn't watch us. Dey wouldnt watch us, but dey have a boy in watch us. Dey wouldn't watch us, but dey have a boy in woods iffen when we do bad dey take us to stock house and whop us. White folks wouldn't let us fuss, wouldn't take nary fussy ones. Dey don low us to fight. Had to go to gin at foah o'clock in evening. We couldn't play week days. Had to go in cabin and be still. Nevva got to play much till Yanks come and got us, but we had a big ball and dance in yard Christmas. Had candy, dey give us dress and soos and a good feast fo Christmas. Give us things for 4th o July. Dey give us dat day. No dey wouldn't whop us dat day. We had a big quiltin Christmas day. We'd piece de quilts outa scraps. Pick ovah quilters. Some couldnt quilt. Dey'd dance in yard all day.

We niggahs got wool clothes in winter, good clothes woven on de place. Marsa had black sheep and white sheep. He bought ouah (our) summer cloes in New O'leans. Linsey, calicy, plaid, son white ones. Dey'd give us color what we like. Suah (sure) I see ghosts. Dey come with no haid (haid). Cum out-a de field one night so late, bout eight -nine o'clock. I was scared, yes suh, I suah was scared, but my mammy say 'dey aint go'in' to hurt you baby! Dey scare me. My mammy give me beads fo my neck. China-berry beads, to keep me well. They's pretty. I nevva had no otha kind. We nevva git no money befo freedom. I stay away from Marsa and Missus first year, den I go back. Dey give us fifty cents a day after de war. Had to pay for rations. Betta since war do. No whoppins goin on like they did a-fore. se a full Baptist - been evva since sixty-seven. Got religion in sixty-seven. Ise happy, sometimes I gits too happy. I don' move till the spirit move me. I go to church when am able. Shilo Baptist church, my church. But I'se gitten too old to go now. I's just waitin' to go home.

Rosa Washington was born on the Watson plantation near St. Jose, Louisiana, she says and her age is 90 odd. She remembers slavery days as days when she had to work in the field picking cotton and hoeing corn and cotton. My mem'ry is bad since I got so old," Rosa said. "Can't hardly remembah fum one day to the next what happens. I remembah well the Civil War with all the shootin' and runnin' and the Yankees comin' to the cotton field an tellin' us we was free and not to wo'k no mo. 'Cause we had to work to keep eatin' but that's what they said to us. Cant remembah any stories my mothah or fathah told us. Guess they told us a lot but I plum forgit 'em. My mamma died in 1867 and my papa later. I was a slave till the Yanks come and set us free. Never saw New Or-leans nor any other big town till I come to El Paso. It's the biggest size ever seen in my whole life.