Ise bo'n in slavery an' Ise 'bout fouah yeahs old w'en de wah am ended an' Emancipation comes. 'Twarnt nothin' to weuns w'en freedom comes 'cause weuns am satisfied whar weuns am. Co'se dat's my mother an' her fam'ly. 'Twarnt no father dere fo' weuns 'cause mammy am de only slave Marster Byas owns. Ise bo'n on Marster Byas ' fahm in Georgia. Ise can't tell youse whar 'twas 'cause Ise fails to 'membahs heahin' anybody talk 'bout it. De fust thing Ise 'membahs am weuns am de refugees f'om de wah in Georgia to 'bout 14 mi. east of Mansfield, Louisiana. W'en weuns gits to de place 'twarnt nothin' but trees, jus' timbah lak whar youse goes huntin'. Ise 'membahs mammy an' de Marster gwine to wo'k cleahin' timbah fo' de house an' de place fo' our cabin. Ise 'membahs seein' mammy wo'k jus' lak de man totin' one end of de logs an' latah plowin' fo' de crops. Co'se she he'ped wid de house cleanin' but de Mistes done de rest of de housewo'k. Weuns have de good Marster an' Mistes, deys have five chilluns an' weuns plays together. Ise fails to 'membahs way weuns 'muse ourse'ves but 'twas mos'ly huntin' rabbits an' things wid rocks. Weuns don't kill of much of de game but 'twas good fo' to pass de time 'way. Sometimes kid lak de tudder boys stahts to give me trouble. De Mistes am so good to me dat if Ise could git to de house dat settles it an' 'twarnt no trouble den. Dere am so many deer 'round dere 'twas de nuisance. Deys am always fouah or five 'round de house an' once weuns find de small deer tangled up an' brings him to de house. Weuns raise him up 'til he am purty good size but have to kill him 'cause he am always gittin' in de house an' 'twas dangerous to have him 'cause de deer's hoof can cut lak de knife. Dey raises up on youse an' jerks deys paws down jus' lak cuttin' wid de butcher knife, so weuns cuts him.
 Many's de time Ise sees de Marster dry meat fo' a week, night an' day. Marster goes huntin' an' takes de pineknot torch. De light f'om de torch blinds de deer an' dey stands still which 'lows youse to walk right up on him. W'en he gits de 'mount of meat he thinks 'twill take weuns through de wintah he stahts dryin'.

He takes 'bout fouah foot posts an' 'ranges dem so to make a platform 'bout ten foot square wid 'bout three inches 'tween de pole of de flooah. Dis 'lows de smoke f'om de meat layin' on top. Dis have to be done real slow an' de Marster have to stay up all night 'tendin' to de fire. Yous see have to keep it smoulderin'. If youse 'lows it to flame up de meat don't dry but cooks 'stead. Aftah de meat am dry de Marster hangs it all up in de smokehouse on hooks. 'Twarnt lak de meat weuns gits nowadays. Youse could see de grease puddle undah each piece. De meat weuns gits nowadays youse have to add lard to cook it. Latah in de wintah tudder meat dryin' takes place fo' de yeahs s'ply. De meat am hung up in de smokehouse an' in de Spring w'en de skippahs--youse calls dem maggots--begins to botah de meat de Marster makes de p'paration to p'serve it. De Marster gits some Chinaberries an' boils dem wid Blackjack or Hickory ashes. He dips de meat into dis w'en 'tis boilin' hot, den sprinkles mo' ashes on it an' hangs it back up. De Summah heat causes de meat to turn yaller an' git rank but w'en deys goes to use it dey cuts de yaller off an' throws it into de scrap box whar dey saves it. 'Twas 'long 'bout Septembah-October w'en de big soap makin' comes off an' de scraps am used. Deys gits de big hogshead barrel an' punches de hole in de side an' at de bottom. Den dey puts it up on blocks 'bout two foot f'om de ground. Co'se 'twas always tilted so de hole am at de very bottom. Den dey puts 'bout one foot ob co'n shucks in de bottom an' fills to de top wid Hickory or Blackjack ashes. Dey puts de big pan under de hole fo' to catch de wautah dat am slowly filtered through de ashes. W'en dis wautah comes out 'tis liquid lye an' 'till blistah youse skin. Dey takes dis lye an' pours de meat scraps in, dem boils fo' de certain time to make de jelly soap, den boils it longah to make de bar soap. Youse have to keep stirrin' long's youse boiling or de soap will spoil.

Weuns grows our veg'tables an' have plenty of good eats all de time. Weuns have de same as Marster an' Mistes have. Tudder thing good to eat am de p'simmon bread an' de p'tater bread. 'Twarnt no stomach trouble den an' ever'body have purtty white teeth. Weuns am fah bettah off in slavery den now. Dis freedom thing brings on bills, troubles, lookin' fo' wo'k, an' gittin' too old to wo'ks. De Marsters in slavery cares fo' de slaves f'om cradles to de grave. Nobody could whup youse in dem days 'cept de fo'ks dat owns youse an' Ise only gits de whuppin's f'om mother den. Nowadays youse lakly to git in de fight wid any cullud or white mans. Co'se youse have to look out fo' de nigger mos'ly 'cause deys neahly all heathen. Youse can put de crew of niggers to wo'k fo' de nigger boss an' dey won't pull together. De nigger boss will try to wo'k tudder niggers to death. Youse put de same crew to wo'k fo' de white man an' 'gardless what he tells dem do dey will try it if it cost dem dey life. De white man will try to make it easy on de nigger an' dat am de diffe'nce an' 'tis a bigun. Ise tellin' 'bout de wo'k an' 'twas de Mistes dat done de house-wo'k mos'ly. Many's de time Ise stands an' fans her while she churns. Ise does dat fo' 'bout ha'f houah den falls over sleep. Ise he'ps her w'en she am weavin' cloth. She have to sat up on de high bench an' Ise gives her de shuttle w'en she draps it. She runs de spinnin' but Ise not needed den. My sistah knits de socks an' gloves dat am used. Ever'thing used on de place am made right dere 'cludin' de shoes de grown fo'ks weahs which Marster makes f'om de hides he gits w'en he kill fo' our meat.

Cause Ise jus' youngun den Ise don't know much 'bout de wah. Ise only sees big bunch Yankee sojers gwine North. 'Twas de day befo' dey comes dat Marster digs big hole in de field 'bout 15 feet f'om big tree. Den he takes big hogshead barrel dat Ise could stand in also lay down in an' puts it in de hole. Den he takes neahly all de meat f'om de smokehouse an' fills it wid de meat an' waht else would keep. W'en de barrel am full he puts de lid on an' finishes fillin' de hole wid dirt. He fells de tree so 'twould be de branches coverin' de top of de hole. Den he spreads dis leftover dirt 'round on de field an' tells weuns not to tell nobody 'bout it. De next day w'en de sojers comes some goes into de smokehouse an' takes all de meat dey could find. Dey even comes into de house an' takes what de finds 'cept 'nough fo' 'bout two days. 'Twas luck fo' sho de Marster beats dem to de punch. De sojers even cusses him 'cause he have so little rations. Tudder thing happens durin' de wah am de battle fit 'bout fouah miles f'om Mansfield. Ise heahs de shots but Ise not 'lowed to go whar de fittin' am taking place. Ise don't know but what 'twas de best 'cause Ise warnt anxious to go dere anyway. Ise see de place in Mansfield Cemetery whar de dead sojers am buried. 'Twarnt no monument dere fo' long time but dere am now. 'Twas big ditch eight by ten feet an' Ise don't know how deep dat all de dead sojers f'om de Union an' de 'Federate Ahmies am buried wid dere uniforms on. Co'se dat's what Ise told. Ise see de place w'en 'twas sunk in lak any tudder fill aftah 'twas rained on. Youse can't see de place fo' de monument now.

Ise never knows w'en freedom comes. Mother don't git any money an' nobody talks 'bout it 'round me. Ise jus' nacherly drifts mo' an' mo' to stayin' down town whar Ise could make some money. Mos'ly Ise wo'ks for Charley Yates big Gen'ral Store. He sells den what 7-8 stores sell now. Ise 'membahs de big hogsheads of flouah, 'lasses meat an' tudder things. Things don't come by de nickles an' dimes worth in dem days Tudder place Ise wo'ks lots am carin' fo' Jason Metters . Both his eyes am blind f'om firin' de cannon. De cannon sojers have to touch de cannon fuse wid de torch an' one don't fire right. Dey gives him de room in de Court House an' Ise cleans up aftah him. Tudder things Ise 'membahs am Sheriff Bob Carr , he am always 'restin' somebody an' warnt 'fraid of de devil; de big Williams Plantation 'bout fouah miles f'om town; Elmo Williams an' de big saloon an' bar he runs; de big gen'ral store Boldin Williams runs an' de big Livery Stable Frank Williams runs. Dey have some mules at de Livery Stable fo' de wagon train. Dey takes cotton to Shreveport an' brings back stuff fo' de stores. Joe Jackson also runs de big Gen'ral Store

Ise could tell youse mo' but let me tell 'bout de trouble young Mistes Jane have.  Mistes Jane am de Marster's daughter an' she wants mai'y Willis McElroy . De whole fam'ly am sot ag'in it. Young Marster Jim gits Willis to go turkey huntin' wid him one evenin' an' he killed Willis . Sheriff Bob Carr am one ahmed but he am a go-gitter. He comes out to de Marster's place an' talks wid him 'bout de killin'. He am gone 'bout a month den Ise heahs talk 'bout him trailin' young Marster Jim to neah Mansfield, Texas. De last thing Ise 'membahs 'bout it am seein' de Marster an' Mistes gwine 'round gittn up money to fit de case. Ise goes to wo'k in sev'ral cotton fields fo' 40 cents de hundred. Mother comes fo' me an' weuns goes to Marshall, Texas, whar she have a job cookin' in de Capitol Hotel. Ise gits me fust real job wo'kin' as de cook's helpah on de TP railroad construction crew, in 1873. Ise wo'k as de section hand 'tween Shreveport an' Marshall in 1877, Ise blacksmith helpah in 1878 an' next Ise washing boilers in de roundhouse an' am boilahmakah helpah aftah dat.
 

Ise mai'ies de widow Annie Pierce Williams on July 8, 1885. Weuns 'cides to come to Fort Worth in 1900. She dies in 1918 heah in Fort Worth. De fust job Ise have aftah comin' to Fort Worth am in de City Sewer department an' den Ise wo'ks in de TP sand drying house 'til Ise goes to wo'k fo' de Fort Worth and Denver wipin' engines. Aftah two yeahs Ise gits job wid de Fort Worth Wreckin' Company 'til dey says Ise too old to wo'k. Den dey lets me go, an' Ise have to d'pend on relief 'til de State stahts sendin' me $12.00 de month pension. Aftah my fust wife dies Ise mai'ies Margarette Bruner in 1922. Weuns don't have no chilluns either an' sep'rates on 'count of her grand'chilluns. Dere am a white woman name Mistes Barwise (Ed. Note: Wife of a prominent Ft. Worth attorney.) dat tries to keep weuns f'om sep'ratin' but Ise can't take it. Ise have to make my gitaway f'om dem devilin' kids. Margarette dies of old age in 1936. De third time Ise mai'ies am to Susie Else Harge in 1930. She am de bestest housekeepah Ise ever sees. Also de good cook but weuns sep'rates 'cause Ise catch her in de act of doin' wrong by me in 1931. Dat causes de sep'ration. Ise will tell youse why Ise 'cides to sep'rate even though she am so good. Dere am de nigger straw-boss in de shops at Marshall who tries to keep his kinfo'ks wo'kin' by gittin' tudder peoples jobs to make de place. Dere am de young fellow wo'kin' at de certain machine an' w'en de straw-boss stahts de 'lectric'ty his machine stahts an' breaks. De straw-boss tells de big boss de machine am left on de night befo' an' de young fellow loses his job. Bout 10 yeahs latah dis same fellow an' me am wo'kin close together 'gain. Long bout 9-10 clock he says, "Ise gonna do it!" he leaves his job. Ise follow him thinkin' he have gone crazy. He goes uptown an' looks in all de places 'til he finds de straw-boss in de saloon. He goes in an' draws his knife on dis fellow who keeps him off wid a stove pokah he gits 'hind de bar. De young man grabs de pokah 'way f'om him an' hits him over de head wid it. 'Twas awful place de pokah makes. Jus' crushes his head in on one side. Now dat am my bestest reason fo' not wantin' to be 'round anybody dat have done me wrong. Ise don't want to have de mem'ry starin' at me ever'time Ise see de person.