o it, but he come home
shortly and say he sick with the 'sumption, but he got well real quick
after surrender.

"The white folks didn' let the niggers know they was free till 'bout a
year after the war. Massa Hargrove took sick sev'ral months after and
'fore he did he tell the folks not to let the niggers loose till they
have to. Finally they foun' out and 'gun to leave.

"My pappy died 'fore I was bo'n and mammy married Caesar Peterson and
'bout a year after de war dey moved to a farm close to Lee, but I kep'
on workin' for de Hargroves for four years, helpin' missus cook and keep
house.

420288

TOBY JONES was born in South Carolina, in 1850, a slave of Felix
Jones, who owned a large tobacco plantation. Toby has farmed in
Madisonville, Texas, since 1869, and still supports himself, though
his age makes it hard for him to work.

"My father's name was Eli Jones and mammy's name was Jessie. They was
captured in Africa and brought to this country whilst they was still
young folks, and my father was purty hard to realize he was a slave,
'cause he done what he wanted back in Africa.

"Our owner was Massa Felix Jones and he had lots of tobacco planted. He
was real hard on us slaves and whipped us, but Missie Janie, she was a
real good woman to her black folks. I 'members when their li'l
curlyheaded Janie was borned. She jus' loved this old, black nigger and
I carried her on my back whole days at a time. She was the sweetes' baby
ever borned.

"Massa, he lived in a big, rock house with four rooms and lots of shade
trees, and had 'bout fifty slaves. Our livin' quarters wasn't bad. They
was rock, too, and beds built in the corners, with straw moss to sleep
on.

"We had plenty to eat, 'cause the woods was full of possum and rabbits
and all the mud holes full of fish. I sho' likes a good, old, fat possum
cooked with sweet 'taters round him. We cooked meat in a old-time pot
over the fireplace or on a forked stick. We grated corn by hand for
cornbread and made waterpone in the ashes.

"I was borned 'bout 1850, so I was plenty old to 'member lots 'bout
slave times. I 'members the loyal clothes, a long shirt what come down
below our knees, opened all the way down the front. On Sunday we had
white loyal shirts, but no shoes and when it was real cold we'd wrap our
feet in wool rags so they wouldn't freeze. I married after freedom and
had white loyal breeches. I wouldn't marry 'fore that, 'cause