. My grandfather told de people all about de war. He said
hit sure was terrible.

"When de war was over de people jus' shouted for joy. De men and women
jus' shouted for joy. 'Twas only because of de prayers of de cullud
people, dey was freed, and de Lawd worked through Lincoln.

"My old masta was a doctor and a surgeon. He trained my grandmother; she
worked under him thirty-seven years as a nurse. When old masta wanted
grandmother to go on a special case he would whip her so she wouldn't
tell none of his secrets. Grandmother used herbs fo' medicine--black
snake root, sasparilla, blackberry briar roots--and nearly all de
young'uns she fooled with she save from diarrhea.

"My old masta was good, but when he found you shoutin' he burnt your
hand. My grandmother said he burnt her hand several times. Masta
wouldn't let de cullud folks have meetin', but dey would go out in de
woods in secret to pray and preach and shout.

"I jist picked up enough readin' to read my bible and scratch my name. I
went to school one mo'ning and didn't git along wid de teacher so I
didn't go no mo'.

"I 'member my folks had big times come Christmas. Dey never did work on
Sundays, jist set around and rest. Dey never worked in bad weather. Dey
never did go to de field till seven o'clock.

"I married in 1919. I have two step-daughters and one step-son. My
step-son lives in San Antonio. I have six step-grandchillen. I was a
member of de Baptist church befo' you was bo'n, lady.

420394

Dibble, Fred
Beaumont, Jefferson Co. Dist. #3

ROSA GREEN, 85 years old, was born at Ketchi, Louisiana, but as
soon as she was old enough became a housegirl on the plantation of
Major "Bob" Hollingsworth at Mansfield, Louisiana. To the best of
her knowledge, she was about 13 when the "freedom papers" were
read. She had had 13 children by her two husbands, both deceased,
and lives with her youngest daughter in Beaumont. Their one-room,
unpainted house is one of a dozen unprepossessing structures
bordering an alleyway leading off Pine Street. Rosa, a spry little
figure, crowned with short, snow-white pigtails extending in
various directions, spends most of her time tending her small
flowerbeds and vegetable garden. She is talkative and her memory
seems quite active.

"When de w'ite folks read de freedom paper I was 13 year old. I jes'
lean up agin de porch, 'cause I didn' know den what it