I born near Marshall what was de county seat and my master was call Hall . My mother name Jennie and my father's name Josh . He come back from de 'federate War and never get over it. He in do army with he young massa. Dat old plantation must have been 'bout 200 acres or even no'. and 'bout 500 head of slaves to work it. Massa Wall he big lawyer and bought more niggers every year. He kep' a overseer what was white and a nigger driver. Sometime day whip de slaves for what dey call disbedjouce. Day tie 'em down and whip 'em. But I was raise' 'round de house, 'cause I a fav'rite nigger. De niggers didn't have no furniture much in dere houses, maybe do bedstead nail up to do side do house, and some old seats and benches. De rations was meat and meal and syrup 'lasses. Day give 'em de shirt to wear, made out of lowers. Dat what day make de cotton sack out of. De growed people has shoes, but de chillen has no need. Christman time and fourth July day have do dance. jus' a reg'lar old breakdown dance. Some was dancin' Swing de Corner, and some in do middle de floor cuttin' de chicken wing. Day has banjo pickers. Seem like my folks was happy when day starts dancin'. Iffen day start without do permit, do patterroles run up on dem and it 150 lashes. Law, dem niggers she' scatter when do patterroles comes. Jus' let a nigger git de start and de patterroles she' got to git a move on hisse'f to git dat nigger, 'cause dat nigger she' move 'way from dat place! When do war comes. I seed plenty soldiers and if dey have do uniform I could tell it jus' in spots, for day so dirty. Day was Yankee soldiers and some stops in Marshall and takes charge of de court martial. Fore long time come to go up and hear de freedom. We has to go up and hear dat we's free. Massa Hall , he say we kin stay and he pay us for de work. We didn' have nothin' so most of us stays, gathering' do crop. Some of dem gits de patch of land from massa and raises a bale of cotton. Massa buy dat cotton and den he sell it. After 'while they slips away, some of 'em works for de white folks and some of 'em goes to farmin' on what they calls de shares. I works nearly everywhere for de white folks and sakes 'nough to eat and git de clothes. It was harder'n bein' de slave at first, but I likes it better, 'cause I kin go what I wants and git what I wants.  Day was conjure men and women in slavery days and day make out dey kin do things. One of 'em give a old lady de bag of sand and told her it keep her massa from shippin' her. Dat same day she git too uppity and sass de massa, 'cause she feel safe. Dat massa, he whip dat nigger so hard he cut dat bag of sand plumb in two. Dat ruint do conjure man business."

A yellow straw hat of two or three summers past, grimy after constant contact with the elements, perched atop his graying head, and a heavy ash cane laid across his knees, Horace Overstreet , heavy set negro, with a massive sweaty face, wreathed in smiles, was sitting on the steps of a negro cafe, beer parlor and dance hall when interviewed, but his conversation terminated rather abruptly because of the raucous revelry of "swing music" and ribald speech from inside. Horace was born in Harrison county, Texas, in 1856, but came to Beaumont in his youth.  I was bo'n in Harrison county 'roun' Marshall w'at was d' county seat. My ownah was Mister M. J. Hall . My mother was name Jane 'r' Jennie , I dunno w'ich. My father's name was Josh . He come back from d' 'Fedrate War 'n' never got ober it. He was in d' army wid 'is young marster. Well, d' plantation muster been 'bout 200 acres 'r' mo'. He muster had 500 head 'r' slaves, maybe mo'. He was a big man, a lawyer, 'n' brought up people ev'ry year. I did right smart work. One t'ing I was a cow boy. I hafter ten' d' cows 'n' tote water. D' marster he warn't any d' bes'. He kep' a overseer w'at was w'ite 'n' a black nigger driver. He se'f didn' do much whippin'. Some didn' want d' overseer t' whip 'em. D' marster hisse'f would come 'n' whip 'em. He neber whip me no mo' 'n' pull my yere (ear) like dat (illustrated by gesture, a slight pulling of the ear). I was one 'r' dem young farmin' nigger. I dunno w'ere lots 'r' dem come from. I jus' see 'em atter dey come w'en couldn' talk like we-uns. Some time I min' d' gaps w'en dey gittin' in d' crops. I see 'em whip some d' uder slaves. Dey tie 'em down 'n' whip dem. Dey whip 'em fo' w'at dey calls dis'bedjouce. Some time 'cause dey steal a pig. I ain' see w'ere dey had no right t' do dat 'cause dey could raise pig fo' deyse'f ifn' dey wanter. I didn' hab sense nuf t' nuss a babe. I jus' do w'at missus 'n' dem tell me. I was raise 'roun' d' house. I was a fav'rite nigger. D' niggers dey didn' hab no furn'cha (furniture) much. Dey maybe had a bedstead nail up wid nails side 'r' d' house. Dey had ol' seats 'n' benches. D' rations was meat 'n' meal 'n' syrup m'lasses. Dey gimme a shu't (shirt) t' wear. It was made'n outer lowers. Day w'at dey make cottonsack outer. Dey had shoemakers 'n' dey make shoes fo' grown up people. We chillun had no need fo' shoes. Dey tan d' hide 'n' make d' shoes. Dey had preachin' in gen'ral in dem days. Sometime' dey didn' had no preachin' but d' cullud folks had a little arbor buil' way down in d' woods. W'en d' w'ite folks preacher come dey all had t' clean up fo' t' go t' hear him. Dey had some cullud preacher 'mong dem. D' cullud preacher jus' had t' preach w'at he hear d' w'ite preacher say 'cause he couldn' read d' Bible hisse'f. Dey had one little chu'ch fo' d' cullud folks 'n' dem dat b'long dere dey go. D' Meth'dis was mos'ly in d' lead but dey was Meth'dis 'n' Baptis' bofe. I's a Baptis'.

Yessir, I see plenty 'r' sojers. W'en d' war broke up I see sojers all day fo' two day passin'. Dey was dress' purty common. If dey eber had uniform' I could only tell it in spots fo' dey was so dirty. Dey was Yankees sojers. Some 'r' 'em stop in Marshall 'n' take charge 'r' d' co'te marshal. W'en I was little I had a big carbuncle on d' back 'r' my neck. My mother she tuk me t' d' camp 'n' d' doctor in d' camp he tuk 'n' lance it. I seen d' uder sojers too. I see dem goin' back. Dey was dress in homely lookin' dress. Some 'r' dem was purty rough. Us chillun run 'n' hide 'n' git outen dey way. Well, soon d' time come t' go up 'n' hear d' freedom. We had t' go up 'n' hear dat we was free. He tol' us t' go home 'n' he pay us fo' wuk. We didn' had nuthin'. Dey issue yo' ration den. We stay 'roun' wukin' in d' fiel' gadderin' in d' crop. Dey was no pay 'til it was bought but us had t' do sumpthin' t' git sumpthin' t' eat. Crismus time 'n' Fo'th 'r' July dey had a dance. Jus' a reg'lar ol' breakdown dance. Some was dancin' 'Swing d' corner,' 'n' some was in d' middle 'r' d' flo' 'Cuttin d' chicken wing.' Some 'r' 'em was banjer (banjo) pickers. My father was a banjer picker. Sometime dey hab 'em in d' big house. D' w'ite folks hab dem fo' dey own fun. Seem like my folks was happy w'en dey start dancin'. Sometime dey hab 'em in d' yard in front 'r' d' big house 'n' sometime dey hab 'em 'roun'. Sometime ifn' dey hab 'em 'thout a permit sometime d' patterroles run up on 'em 'n' den it was 150 lashes. W'en d' patterroles come up, aw, den d' niggers sho' scatter. Ifn' d' patterroles don' git 'em soon's dey come, dey ain' stan' much chance 'r' gittin' dem tall 'less'n dey block d' do' needer less'n dey block all d' winders. At dem time w'en d' patterroles come dem niggers sho' could fin' places t' git out. But jus' let a nigger git a little start, d' patterroles sho' got t' git a move on hisse'f t' git dat nigger, 'cause dat nigger sho' move 'way from dat place. Fo' freedom some 'r' 'um git a track 'r' lan' from d' ol' marster 'n' make a cotton patch. Some 'r' 'um raise a bale 'r' cotton. Dey hab half a day off on Satiday. D' marster buy d' cotton 'n' dey sell it t' who eber dey please. I knowed some dat done dat, 'n' bought deyse'fs free. De marster 'lowed some 'r' his good men t' come down yere t' Beaumont 'n' hire deyse'fs out. Dey had t' pay d' marster so much 'n' d' res' d' money was dere's. Some uders had mean marster w'at hire 'em out 'n' den take all dey make. "I been in Beaumont fo' good long spell. I lib in front 'r' French school.