chillen and she die. Dat break me up and I drifts back to
Huntsville.

"I done change my name from Scott Bird, what it am up in de Territory,
and make it James Boyd, 'cause I done work for Massa Boyd. I's gwine be
'bout 108 year old in next January, iffen de Lawd spare me dat long.

"After I been in Huntsville awhile, I marries Emma Smith but us only
stay together 'bout a year and a half. Wasn't no chillen. Den I drifts
to Fort Bend County and dere I marries Mary McDowd and us have two
chillen. She die with de yellow fever and off I goes for Burleson
County. Dere I marries Sally McDave and she quits me after us have three
chillen. Down in old Washington County I marries Frances Williams and us
lived together till 1900. Dere am no chillen dere. Den I goes to Austin
after she die and marries Eliza Bunton in 1903. Us have eight chillen
and she die in 1911. Den I comes to Hill County and marries Mittie Cahee
in 1916. She quit me. In 1924 I marries Hegar Price clost to Milford. Us
live together now, in Itasca. Us didn't have no chillen, but dat don't
matter, 'cause I's de daddy of 'bout twenty already.

"I mos' allus wore de black suit when I marries. Jes' seemed more
dressed up like. Some my wives wear white and some colors, didn't make
much diff'rence, so dey a likely lookin' gal for me. Sometime it am a
preacher and sometime it am Jestice of Peace, but de fust time it am
Catholic and priest and all.

"Talkin' 'bout all dis marryin', I mos' forgit to show you my scar. I
fit in dat freedom war 'long side Massa Sanford and got shot. Dat bullet
go through de breast and out de back and keep me six months in de bed.
De fust battle I's in am at Halifax, in North Car'lina. Us git de news
of freedom when us at Vicksburg, in Mississippi. Mos' us niggers 'fraid
say much. De new niggers 'spect de gov'ment give dem de span of mules
and dey be rich and not work. But dey done larn a lot dese past years.
Us am sho' slaves now to hard work, and lucky iffen us git work. Lots
dem niggers figgers dey'd git dere massa's land, but dey didn't. Dey
oughta of knowed dey wouldn't. Warn't no plantation ever divided I
knowed of, but some de massas give de oldest slaves a li'l piece land.

"After de cattle days done gone, I farms in Hill County. I works twelve
year for Massa Claude Wakefield, right near Milford, too. De old man
ain't due to live nowhere long and I's gittin' 'bout ready to cross de
river. I's seed a heap of dis here earth and de p