ver and ran down to near de Lillington Cross roads one mile
from de river. I had one brother and six sisters. My brother wus named
Phil and my sisters name Mary, Caroline, Francis and I don't remember
de others names right now. Been so long since I saw any of 'em. Dey are
all dead. Yes sir, dey are all dead. I do not remember my grandpa and
grandma. No sir, I don't.

"I wus too small to work, dey had me to do little things like feedin'
de chickens, an' mindin' de table sometimes; but I wus too small to
work. Dey didn't let children work much in dem days till dey were
thirteen or fourteen years old. I had plenty to eat, good clothes, a
nice place to sleep an' a good time. Marster loved his slaves an' other
white folks said he loved a nigger more den he did white folks. Our
food wus fixed up fine. It wus fixed by a regular cook who didn't do
anything but cook. We had gardens, a plenty o' meat, a plenty, an' mo'
biscuit den a lot o' white folks had. I kin remember de biscuit. I
never hunted any, but I went bird blindin' an' set bird traps. I caught
lots o' birds.

"Jack Johnson, my marster never had no children of his own. He had a
boy with him by the name of Stephen, a nephew of his, from one of his
brothers. Marster Jack had three brothers Willis, Billy, and Matthew. I
don' remember any of his sisters. There was 'bout four thousand acres
in de plantation an' 'bout 25 slaves. Marster would not have an
overseer.

"No sir, de slaves worked very much as they pleased. He whupped a slave
now an' then, but not much. I have seen him whup 'em. He had some
unruly niggers. Some of 'em were part Indian, an' mean. Dey all loved
him doe. I never saw a slave sold. He kept his slaves together. He
didn't want to git rid of any of 'em. We went to de white folks church
at Neill's Creek a missionary Baptis' Church.

"We played during the Christmas holidays, an' we got 'bout two weeks
4th of July, and lay by time, which wus 'bout the fourth. We had great
times at corn shuckin's, log rollin's and cotton pickin's. We had
dances. Marster lowed his slaves lots o' freedom. My mother used to say
he wus better den other folks. Yes, she said her marster wus better
than other folks.

"The white folks didn't teach us to read an' write. I cannot read an'
write, but de white folks, only 'bout half or less den half, could read
an' write den. Dere were very few pore white folks who could read an'
write. I remember de baptizin's at de Reuben Matthews