It won't be long 'fore I's sleeping the long sleep. I expect I's about the mos' agreeable person in the county, 'cause I's so old. I's born in Tallahassee, in Florida, but I don' know when. The Herrings used to own me and I took their name. Missus' name was Nancy Herring and the marster was still alive when I's born, but he die when I's a baby. I guess I's about 10 or 12 year old when us come to Texas. Dat place where I's born was sho' a place! They have a three-story house with a porch at the front and another at the back. They was posties what stand from one porch floor to the nex' and brace it up. I used to live in the big house. 'cause I's nuss for the white chillen. I didn' stay round with cullud folks a-tall. The missus was a widow woman over since I 'member her. She have two boy and three gal, and that sho' was a lovely house. They have they own self painted in pictures on the wall, jus' as big as they is. They have them in big frame like gold. And they have big mirrors from the floor to the ceilin'. You could see you ownself walk in them. My mother was named Millie and my daddy named Daniel . I don' know how many niggers missus have on the plantation. I was never 'lowed to play with the cullud chillen, but I have two brothers named Abram and Handy and I seed them sometimes. I took care of the white chillen and took 'em to church. Iffen baby git to cryin' I walked round with him, but you better be careful not to let the briar scratch him or he git a scar on him and then they gwinter put a scar on you. They give me pretty clothes to wear and make me keep clean and expectable. I wore homespun and gingham dresses, jus' cut straight down. They didn' have no sewin' 'chine. They have a woman to cut out and sew and she do that all day long. My white folks have mighty nice company. My missus up on the top. They have nice, fine, intelligen' dishes and table cloth.

They give us holiday on Christmas and sometimes a whole week. They treat the white chillen and black chillen all good and give 'em whippin' iffen they needs it. When there's disturbance, missus holler, 'You all chillen, come in here to me,' and whip us all, then she know she whip the right one. I seed the stars fall. God give me a good eyesight. The sun was shinin' and it was plain daylight and the stars fall jus' like hail, only they never fall all the way to the groun'. They fall so far end then they stop and go out. They stay up in the element all the time. Missus sent for the niggers to come up to the house and pray. All that time the stars was a-comin' through the element. All the darkies, little and big, was a-prayin' on their knees, 'cause they thing the jedgment sho' come then. Before us move from Florida us git mos' us goods for clothes from North and South Carolina. The war commence in North Caroline to the good of my recollection. That was six month or a year after us lef' Florida. They was a-tryin' to smuggle it down then. When the missus 'cided come to Texas she sent the niggers on ahead and they done make two crops 'fore us git there. The place was five mile from Woodville. We come to Texas in a boat what's big as a house. When the boat git there I was so 'cited when I seed all the pretty trees. I never mover used to trees, 'cause from where us come was jus' prairie land far's you kin see. No tree round Tallahassee and no hill. My mother was cook and when she like to die one time they starts breakin' me in to do the cookin'. Then when she die I was cook and been doing that two, three year when freedom come. When they tol' us freedom come us thought they was foolin'. My uncle say we's free and to go and look out for number one. They let us stay awhile, but they 'lowanced us. Iffen us spen' the 'lowance us jus' had to go rustle up something to eat or do without. My daddy was a widow man by then and he stay, 'cause he say he want to see further into the subjec'. One time I gwineter see my father and had my baby in my arms, 'cause I done married. I was gwine through the wilderness and I heared something squall like a women cry. I 'gin walk faster. The squall come again. Something say to me. 'You better run.' The hair commence stand on my head and I walk pretty peart. That squall come again and I run fastes' I knows how. I have that poor little baby carried any way. When I get to the fence I jump over and sot down. The chillen come running and say, 'Yonder Daphen .' They help me into the house but I's so scart I couldn' tell 'em till near bedtime and then I say I hear squall like woman cryin'. Mister Goolsbee say, 'Daphne , make soun' like you hear,' and I makes a squall, and he say, 'That a panther and iffen he kotched you that would have been the end of you and that baby or yourn what you was totin'.' So 'bout four o'clock in that mornin' he gits 'bout fourteen neighbors and the dawgs and they hunts that rascal and runs him in 'bout 8 or 10 o'clock. A span or mules couldn' pull that rascal, I don' 'lieve. He have the biggest tushes I ever seed with these two eyes. They put him in a pot and bile him and make soap out of the grease. That panther didn' git me or my baby but they got him and made soap out of him.

A drooping left eyelid gives Daphne Williams a sleepy look which is flatly contradicted by her energetic movements of body, and her brisk manner of speech. At home with a daughter living some six miles from Hillister, Daphne is not content to sit back in idleness. Despite her years which number at least 110 and perhaps more (she claims to have witnessed the fall of the stars in 1833), the aged negress still takes a great interest in everything about her. Born in Tallahassee, Florida on the Herring plantation, she was a good sized girl before the family moved to Texas. She is a spry little person, with stringy gray hair, a broad nose spreading into wide open nostrils and badly pock marked. Her shoulders are slightly humped and her chest narrow.

It warn'n' be long befo' I's sleepin' dat long sleep. I 'spect I's 'bout de mos' ageables' pusson in de county.  was bo'n in Tallahassee, Floridy. De Herrings uster own me an' I went by de name er Herring . Mistus' name was Nancy Herring . De marster was still 'live w'en I's bo'n but he die' w'en I's a baby. I guess I's 'bout ten er twel' year' ol' w'en us come to Texas. Dat's w'en I lef' Floridy an' come to Texas. Dat place w'er I's bo'n was sho' a place. Dey hab a t'ree story house wid a po'ch at de front an' anuder at de back. Dey was pos'es (posts) w'at stand from one po'ch flo' to de nex' an' brace it up. I uster lib in de big house cause I's de nuss fo' de w'ite chillen. I didn' stay 'roun' wid de culled folks a-tall. De mistus was a widder woman. Her husban' die w'en I was jes' a baby. She hab two boy' an' t'ree gal. Dat sho' was a lubly house. Us all uster play 'roun' in de yard togedder. Dey didn' 'low me in de quarters wid de uder niggers an' I allus play 'roun' wid de w'ite chillen.

I 'member befo' I come to Texas I see one 'r' dem t'ing' w'at stan' on de groun' an' eat outn' de top of a tree (giraffe). I ain' neber see airy one er dem since I come to Texas. I 'member too I see cars in Tallahassee. Dey uster hab lotser fruit tree' in Floridy--banana an' orange' an' fruit hangin' on de tree. Sometime dey 'low us to go an' pick some offn' de trees. Lotser time' us play doll baby. W'en de ol' mistus in a good humor she gib us rag fo' a doll baby to play wid. Sometime' us uster draw marks on de groun' an' play 'roun' dem like chillen does now. My mudder was name' Millie an' my daddy name' Daniel . I lef' two of my uncle' in Tallahassee. Dey was name' Shack an' Bob . Den I uster hab anuder uncle name' George . I dunno how many niggers Mistus hab on de plantation. Dey neber 'low us chillen to go close to de fiel' fo' fear of snake' an' de like. I's neber 'low to play wid de culled chillen but I hab two brudder's name' Abram an' Handy . I uster hafter tek de chillen to chu'ch. Iffen de baby git to cryin' I gotter walk 'roun' wid him, but you better be careful not to let de briar scratch him or he git a scar on him 'cause you let scar git on him dey gwinter put a scar on you. My uncle George he de oberseer fo' de ol' mistus. He could say anyt'ing to her. Iffen de darky say dey ain' beleebe w'at George say, ol' mistus she say, 'You better come down an' beleebe him.' He was like a oberseer an' he see de niggers neber git beat. Ol' mistus she say, 'Don' you bodder my darkies. Dey gib me purty clo's to wear an' mek me keep clean an' expectable. Dey didn' 'low me to go all kinder way. I wo' (wore) homespun an' gingham wid short sleebes. Jes' cut straight down. Sometime' dey was a belt to de dress an' sometime dey war'n'. Dey didn' hab no sewin' 'chine. Dey hab a woman to cut out an' sew an' she do dat all day long. Dey uster hab purty li'l t'ings wid figures in dem. Dey crochet quilts. One daughter didn' do Jew's t'ing but crochet. Nancy she hab anyt'ing she want. Den dey hab a cook. My mudder she was de cook. My marster' folk hab mighty nice comp'ny. My mistus up on de top (referring to social position). W'en dey git up from de table dey say, 'Daphne , you go dere an' git your wittle', an' I go ober to de li' side table an' eat. Dey hab nice, fine, intelligent dishes--fine dishe an' table colf'. Mistus she sho' hab a nice house. Dey hab dey ownse'f paint in a picture on de wall jes's' big's dey is. Dey hab it in a big frame like gol'. Dey hab big mirrers from de flo' (floor) to de ceilin'. You could see youse'f walkin' in dem. Dey hab a li'l pantry off to de right han' side of de house. My bed was a pallet so dey could tek it out in de yard an' sun it. Dey didn' 'low dem creepin' t'ings (bed bugs) to stay dere. I hab a li'l box w'at I kep' my t'ings in. I neber tek dem down to my mudder's. She hab a log house but it was fix up alright do' (though). Dey gib us a holiday on Crissmus. Sometime' dey gib us a whole week. De w'ite chillen hang up dey stockin's. Dey treat de chillen all de same, w'ite an' black. Dey gib dem all good whippin' iffen dey need it. Mistus whip me jes' like she do her own chillen. W'en dey's a 'sturbance she holler out, 'W'at de matter? You all chillen come in yere to me.' She call us in one by one, w'ite an' culled, an' whip us all jes' alike, den she know she whip de right one.

I seed de stars fall. God gib me a good eye-sight. De sun was shinin' an' it was plain day-light. De stars fall jes' like hail on'y dey neber fall all de way to de groun'. Dey fall so fur an' den dey stop an' go out. Dey stay up in de element' all de time. Mistus sont fo' de niggers to come up to de house an' pray. All dat time de stars was a-comin' t'roo de element'. Ol' Mistus was a Mef'dis. I's a Holiness woman now. All de darkies li'l an' big was a-praying' down on dey knees. Dey t'ink de Jedgmen' sho' come den. Sometime' us chillen play chu'ch. One time' ol' Mistus watch us from d' winder cu'tin' (curtain). One er de li'l chillen hab a book an' mek like he readin' an' preachin'. Den he mek us all git down on us knee' an' pray. In dem day dey uster go in a buggy or hack or on de stage. Sometime' us go on a picnic. Us carry all kin's of good wittles an' go fishin'. De ol' folks fry dem right on de bank. De woman folks dey scare' to stay out at night 'cause dey kin hear dem alligator' beller like dattle. Eb'rybudy know better dan' to go 'roun' dem t'ings cause dey kotch you an' cut you up. Dey uster ketch mullet an' trout out on dem fishin'trip. Us neber seed no perches 'til us come to Texas. Dey uster hab fish roe, dem de fish egg. I don' see dem no mo' now but dey sho' was good. Befo' us move from Floridy us git mos' us goods fo' clo's from Nor'f Ca'lina an' Sou'f Ca'lina. De war commence in Nor'f Ca'lina to de good of my recollection. Dat was six mont' or a year atter I lef' Floridy. Dey was a-tryin' to smuggle it down den.

W'en de war come on dey come an' git my ol' mistus' daughter' husban' an' tek him 'way to de war. He name Mack Perryman an' he didn' las' two week' atter dey git him in de army. W'en us move from Tallahassee to Texas de w'ite folks come on de boat but dey sen' de growed up niggers 'cross de country by lan'. Dey tek me on de boat wid dem to min' de chillen. De boat was by a big place buil' outn' wood w'at 'sten' (extend) outn' de water an' us go down an' git on it. Dat boat was big's a house w'at us come to Texas in. Dey was a upper deck an' a lower deck on it. Dat boat was sho' crowded. Dey hab people an' cows an' hosses an' I dunno w'at all. Dey war'n' nuthin' on lan' dat dey didn' hab some in dat boat. On dat boat one time dey sho' hab a big win' (wind) come up. Dey t'ink dey all gwinter be blowed 'way. Se dey t'row de anchors out an' drap dem oberbo'd. Den dat hol' de boat in place. Dat sho' was a sto'm. Dat boat jes' rock dis way an' dat, an' you head jes' go dis way an' dat. De w'ite folks an' de culled folks dey sho' git seasick. I t'ink dem crowded hosses an' cows git seasick too. Atter w'ile de sto'm ober. I 'member de lighthouse off fo' to behol' (behold) an' I see sailboat' too. 'Sides de uder t'ings I sho' come t'roo lots of t'ings. I's seed mo' wid one eye dan you is seed in all your life. W'en de boat git yere I git so 'cited w'en I see all de purty tree'. I neber see sich a t'ing befo' in my life. W'er us come from was jes' prairie lan's far's you kin see. War'n' no tree' 'roun' Tallahassee. De lan' low. I don' eben 'member no hill.

Us git off at Town Bluff right down yere by Hank's Ferry on de Neches Riber. Dey was a man dere w'at care fo' it all de time. W'en de mistus 'cided to come from Floridy she sont de niggers on ahead. Dey done mek two crop' befo' us git yere. De place was five mile' from Woodville. W'en I git to Texas I seed my mudder. I ain' been seed her for a long time. She come 'cross de country wid de uder niggers. Mudder wanter lib 'til freedom come but she die befo' den. Dey set up wid her eb'ry night 'til she bury. Dey hab de fun'ral in de grabeyard. De boss man read de Bible an' say dey consider Millie done gone to Hebben. Dey put a w'ite dress on her an' bury her in a ho-make coffin. De culled folks hab dey own buryin' groun' on de plantation an' dat w'er dey bury her. Atter dat my daddy marry Jane w'at belong to ol' man Goolsby . Dat ol' man hab a plantation an' two or t'ree hunnerd head of niggers. Mistus hire out some of her folks to him to wuk. I uster hafter carry de chillen to school an' fetch dem back. Uster hafter go 'long wid dem to school den w'en it time for de school to tu'n (turn) out I hafter go to be dere to come back wid dem. De school 'bout haffer mile down de big road. De teacher' name Davis . He neber 'vite (invite) me to come in an' I didn' know no mo' dan dis pos'. De chillen' mar (mother) wanter keep dem learning' an' mek dem study dey book' at home. Us all sit 'roun' on de groun'. I jes' lisse to dem. One time she up an' ax dem sump'n' an' dey ain' know it. But I know 'cause I 'member dem readin' it outn' de book. Den I up an' say w'at ol' mistus ax dem. Den she say, 'You let Daphne know mo'n' (more than) you an' you ain' neber been to school.' She wanter keep dem learnin' outn' my brain. My mudder was de cook. She like to die one time an' dey start breakin' me in to do de cookin'. Den w'en she die I tuk her cook' place an' I been cookin' two or t'ree year' w'en freedom come.  Did I see any sojers? Jes' ax me how many I did see. Lawd ha' mussy. Dey was w'ite sojers (Confederate). Iffen dey want anyt'ing dey tek it, dat is dey tek it fo' eatin'. Dey didn' bodder nuthin' else. Ol' Mistus she was a widder woman. Eb'rybudy want her fo' to git marry ag'in but she say, 'No, I ain' gwinter marry no mo'.' Dey was men come 'roun' wanter court her but she couldn' 'cept none er dem. W'en dey tell us freedom come us tho't dey was foolin' w'en dey say us free. My uncle tell us, us free. He say ol mistus say, 'You's free's I is an' you kin go w'er you wanter an' ain' nobudy gwinter bodder you.' He tell us to go out an' look out for 'Number one.' Dey 'lowance us. Dey gib us a 'lowance er rations an' iffen us spen' de 'lowance us jes' hatter go russle up sump'n' er do widout. Dem w'at wanter stay could stay. Some of dem lef' right now. My daddy was a widder man by den an' he stay right dere. He say he wanter see furder into de subjeck.

One er de gals on de plantation marry right atter freedom. Dey bofe go up to de big house an' de boss man read de cer'mony an' marry dem de same way. She marry Isom Perryman . Dat was me. Us hab fo' (four) chillen, t'ree boy' an' one gal. One time I was gwinter see my fadder ober on ol' man Goolsbee ' place. I was gwine by myse'f wid dat gal dere w'en she a baby in arms (pointing to her daughter). I was gwine 'long t'roo de wilderness an' passin' a li'l ravine. Sump'n' draw my 'tention behin' me an' I year (hear) sump'n' squall like a woman cry. I 'gin to walk fas'er. De squall come 'gin. Sump'n' seem to say to me, 'You better run.' De hair commence to stan' up on my head. I walk purty peart. Den I year (hear) dat squall 'gin. I run de fas'es' I know how to. I hab dat po' li'l baby all carry' any way. W'en I git to de fence I jump ober an' sot down. De chillen come runnin' out an' say, 'Yonder Daphne .' Dey he'p me 'long an' I git in de house wid de folks. Dey couldn' git no sense out w'at I tell dem 'cause I so scare' I cain' (cannot) tell dem 'til jes' befo' bedtime. I tell dem den I year (hear) sump'n' squall like a woman cry. Mister Goolsbee come down an' say, 'Daphne , w'at dat you year? An' I mek a squall like a woman cry, an' he stay, 'Dat was a panther an' iffen he'd a kotch you dat would been de en' of you an' dat baby or yourn' w'at you was totin'.' 'Bout fo' (four) o'clock de nex' mawnin' he git de dogs an' git 'bout fo'teen neighbors an' dere houn's. Befo' long day dey jump dat rascal an' run' him in 'bout nine or ten o'clock in de mawnin'. A span er mule' couldn' pull dat rascal. He hab de bigges' tushes I eber seed wid dese two eyes. Dey put de panther in a pot an' bile him an' git two er t'ree gallon of grease outn' him. Dey mek soap outn' dat. Dat panther neber git me er dat t'ing ober dere (pointing to her daughter) but us git him an' mek soap outn' him. Dey cook de res' of him an' t'row it to de dogs but de dogs wouldn' eat it 'cause it too strong. Dey uster save all de grease to mek scap outn'. Dey bre'k cow bones an' bile dem to git de grease outn' dem. Dey put de ash' in a keg er barrel. Den dey put water on dem an' ketch de runnin's. Dey put de runnin' in de grease in a i'on (iron) pot an' cook an' bile it an' dat de way dey uster mek soap. One time in de ol' day' mistus tell me to shut up de house. I go t'roo de hall to de pantry at de back of de hall. I seed a man dere. Yes, dey's a man stan'in' in de do' (door). I let out a scream an' Mistus come an' say, 'Wat is it? I tell dem it a man an' dey say, 'No, it warn'n' time for a man to be dere. All de men in de fiel' to wuk. It was a man alright. I seed he shadder but w'en dey git dere dey warn'n nuthin' in de do' (door). Spirits dey jes' shadder' an' dat don' bodder you. I kin see dat. But it sho' kin scare you plenty. My young marster gimme my gol' earring. Dey stick a needle t'roo you years (ears) wid de t'read (thread) in it. You hatter twis' de t'read eb'ry mawnin'. It sorter so' (sore) at fus' but it soon git straight.  I uster smoke a pipe an' snuff de ash' up my nose. I uster chew t'baccy too. Yes, I uster be a pipe-sucker but I too ol' now an' don' do dat no mo'. Ol' mistus an' de gals uster dip snuff, but dey neber smoke a pipe. Dey kep dey snuff in a li'l tin snuff box. Dey uster rechernize (recognize) my mudder like a w'ite woman. My mudder lib on one plantation. My daddy allus hafter git priv'lige to go see ober on de udder place. He ax de w'ite folks 'bout dem git marry. Dey say, iffen she say she want you to git marry, you kin.! So mudder's boss, dat my ol' marster befo' he die, done read de cer'mony.