*Anna Miller, 85, lives with her daughter, Lucy Watkins, at 407 W. Bluff
St., Ft. Worth, Texas. She was born a slave in Kentucky, and was sold,
with her parents, to Mark Loyed, a farmer in Missouri. He later sold
Anna's mother, before Anna was old enough to remember her. When Anna was
8, her owner moved to Palo Pinto, Texas.*
"I'se now 'bout 85 years ole, dat's what de white folks tells me. I'se
bo'n in Kentuck'. My mammy, pappy and I'se sold by our fust marster to
Marster Mark Loyed, who lived in Missouri. He takes us to him's farm.
When I'se 'bout eight years ole, Marster Loyed sold him's farm and comes
to Texas in covered wagons and oxen. He's brung all de slaves wid him.
I'se don' 'member much 'bout de trip, cause I'se sick wid de fever. I'se
so bad, de marster thinks I'se goin' to die. One mornin' he comes and
looks at me and says, 'Dis nigger am too val'able to die. We'd better
doctor her.' We camps for six days.
"We comes to Palo Pinto and dat's wild country den. Plenty of Indians,
but dey never trouble we'uns. My work, 'twas helpin' wid de chores and
pick up de brush whar my pappy was a-clearin' de land. When I gits
bigger, I'se plowed, hoed, and done all de goin' to de mill. I'se helps
card, spins and cuts de thread. We'uns makes all de cloth for to makes
de clothes, but we don' git 'em. In de winter we mos' freeze to death.
De weavin' was de night work, after workin' all de day in de fiel'.
"Dey sho whups us. I'se gits whupped lots a times. Marster whups de men
and missus whups de women. Sometimes she whups wid de nettleweed. When
she uses dat, de licks ain't so bad, but de stingin' and de burnin'
after am sho' misery. Dat jus' plum runs me crazy. De mens use de rope
when dey whups.
"'Bout eatin', we keeps full on what we gits, such as beans, co'nmeal
and 'lasses. We seldom gits meat. White flour, we don' know what dat
taste like. Jus' know what it looks like. We gits 'bout all de milk we
wants, 'cause dey puts it in de trough and we helps ourselves. Dere was
a trough for de niggers and one for de hawgs.
"Jus' 'bout a month befo' freedom, my sis and nigger Horace runs off.
Dey don' go far, and stays in de dugout. Ev'ry night dey'd sneak in and
git 'lasses and milk and what food dey could. My sis had a baby and she
nuss it ev'ry night when she comes. Dey runs off to keep from gettin' a
whuppin'. De marster was mad 'cause dey lets a mule cut hisself wid de
plow. Sis says de bee stung de mule and he gits unruly and tangle in de
plow. Marster says, 'Dey can' go far and will come back when dey gits
hongry.'
"I'se don' know much 'bout de war. De white folks don' talk to us 'bout
de war and we'uns don' go to preachin' or nothin', so we can't larn
much. When freedom comes, marster says to us niggers, 'All dat wants to
go, git now. You has nothin'.' And he turns dem away, nothin' on 'cept
ole rags. 'Twarn't enough to cover dere body. No hat, no shoes, no
unnerwear.
"My pappy and mos' de niggers goes, but I'se have to stay till my pappy
finds a place for me. He tells me dat he'll come for me. I'se have to
wait over two years. De marster gets worser in de disposition and goes
'roun' sort of talkin' to hisse'f and den he gits to cussin' ev'rybody.
"In 'bout a year after freedom, Marster Loyed moves from Palo Pinto to
Fort Worth. He says he don' want to live in a country whar de niggers am
free. He kills hisse'f 'bout a year after dey moves. After dat, I'se
sho' glad when pappy comes for me. He had settled at Azle on a rented
farm and I'se lives wid him for 'bout ten years. Den I'se goes and stays
wid my brudder on Ash Creek. De three of us rents land and us runs dat
farm.
"I'se git married 'bout four years after I'se goes to Ash Creek, to Bell
Johnson. We had four chillen. He works for white folks. 'Bout nine years
after we married my husban' gits drowned and den I works for white folks
and cares for my chillen for fo'teen years. Then I'se gits married
again. I'se married Fred Miller, a cook, and we lived in Fort Worth. In
1915 he goes 'way to cook for de road 'struction camp and dats de las'
I'se hears of dat no 'count nigger!
"Lots of difference when freedom comes. Mos' de time after, I'se have
what I wants to eat. Sometime 'twas a little hard to git, but we gits
on. I'se goes to preachin' and has music and visit wid de folks I'se
like. But Marster Loyed makes us work from daylight to dark in de fiel's
and make cloth at night."