de cookin' for de chillen in de depot. Dat what dey calls de place
all de chillen stays till dere mammies come home from de field. Aunt
Alice have de big pot to cook in, out in de yard. Some days we had beans
and some day peas. She put great hunks of salt bacon in de pot, and bake
plenty cornbread, and give us plenty milk.

"Some big chillen have to pick cotton. Old Junus was de cullud overseer
for de chillen and he sure mean to dem. He carry a stick and use it,
too.

"One day de blue-bellies come to de fields. Dey Yankee sojers, and tell
de slaves dey free. Some stayed and some left. Papa took us and move to
de Craft plantation, not far 'way, and farm dere.

"I been married three time. First to Peter Collinsworth. I quit him.
Second to George Hoard. We stayed togedder till he die, and have five
chillen. Den I marries he brother, Jim Hoard. I tells you de truth, Jim
never did work much. He'd go fishin' and chop wood by de days, but not
many days. He suffered with de piles. I done de housework and look after
de chillen and den go out and pick two hunerd pound cotton a day. I was
a cripple since one of my boys birthed. I git de rheumatis' and my knees
hurt so much sometime I rub wed sand and mud on dem to ease de pain.

"We had a house at Barton Springs with two rooms, one log and one box. I
never did like it up dere and I told Jim I's gwine. I did, but he come
and got me.

"Since freedom I's been through de toughs. I had to do de man's work,
chop down trees and plow de fields and pick cotton. I want to tell you
how glad I is to git my pension. It is sure nice of de folks to take
care of me in my old age. Befo' I got de pension I had a hard time. You
can sho' say I's been through de toughs.

420286

TOM HOLLAND was born in Walker County, Texas, and thinks he is
about 97 years old. His master, Frank Holland, traded Tom to
William Green just before the Civil War. After Tom was freed, he
farmed both for himself and for others in the vicinity of his old
home. He now lives in Madisonville, Texas.

"My owner was Massa Frank Holland, and I's born on his place in Walker
County. I had one sister named Gena and three brothers, named George and
Will and Joe, but they's all dead now. Mammy's name was Gena and my
father's named Abraham Holland and they's brung from North Carolina to
Texas by Massa Holland when they's real young.

"I chopped cotton and plowed and split rails, then was a hors