leave Marse John. You see, Marse Gibson what owns papa 'fore freedom,
was a good marse and when papa was sot free Marse Gibson gives him some
land to farm. 'Course, papa was gwine have us all with him, but when
mamma dies, Marse Gibson tell him Mr. Will Jones and Miss Susie, he
wife, want a nurse girl for de chilluns, so papa hires me out to 'em and
I want to say right now, dey jes' as good white folks as Marse John and
Old Missy, and sho' treated me good.

"Law me, I never won't forgit one day. Mr. Will say, 'Lucinda, we is
gwine drive you over to Appomatox and take de chilluns and you can come,
too.' Course, I was tickled mos' to pieces but he didn't tell what he
gwine for. You know what? To see a nigger hung. I gettin' long mighty
old now, but I won't never forgit dat. He had kilt a man, and I never
saw so many people 'fore, what dere to see him hang. I jes' shut my
eyes.

"Den Mr. Will he take me to de big tree what have all de bark strip off
it and de branches strip off, and say, 'Lucinda, dis de tree where Gen.
Lee surrendered.' I has put dese two hands right on dat tree, yes, suh,
I sho' has.

"Miss Susie say one day, 'Lucinda, how you like to go with us to Texas?'
Law me, I didn't know where Texas was at, or nothin', but I loved Mr.
Will and Miss Susie and de chilluns was all wrop up in me, so I say I'll
go. And dat how come I'm here, and I ain't never been back, and I ain't
see my own sisters and brother and papa since.

"We come to New Orleans on de train and takes de boat on de Gulf to
Galveston and den de train to Hempstead. Mr. Will farm at first and den
he and Miss Susie run de hotel, and I stays with dem till I gets married
to Will Elder in '75, and I lives with him till de good Lawd takes him
home.

"I has five chilluns but all dead now, 'ceptin' two. I done served de
Lawd now for 64 years and soon he's gwine call old Lucinda, but I'm
ready and I know I'll be better off when I die and go to Heaven, 'cause
I'm old and no 'count now.

420024

[Illustration: John Ellis]

JOHN ELLIS, was born June 26, 1852, a slave of the Ellis family in
Johnson County near Cleburne, Texas. He remained with his white
folks and was paid by the month for his labor for one year after
freedom, when his master died and his mistress returned to
Mississippi. He worked as a laborer for many years around Cleburne,
coming to San Angelo, Texas in 1928. He now lives alone and is very