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~LNSLAV~ STŒ:~I:~S
(Texas)

CI~ARA BRLk, slave of William Lyons of Branch, Lc~iisiana, now lives in Beaumont, Texas. The t own of Branch was known in slave (tj~yS as Plaqueinine Bouley. Clara estimates her a~e to be 100 or 102, and from var iOLI8 fact s known to he r and her family, this would see~n to be correct,





	“Old massa‘s name was William Lyons. I didn‘t have no old missus, ‘cause he was a bachelor. He had a big plantation. I don‘t know how bit but dey soinetliln‘ like twenty fam‘lies of slaves ahi1 some dem f~m‘lies had plenty in dem. My ma was Bec1~‘ Brim and pa, he n~rne Louis Brim. She come frorn Old Virginny. Dey work in .de field. I had two sister n~rne Cass and Dormie and a brudder name Washington. He went off to d~ war. When it break Out dey come and take him off to work in de ai~iy. He lost in dat war. Be didn‘t come back. Nobody ever knc~r what happen to him,

	‘Some de houses log house and some plank, but dey all good. Dey well built and had brick chimneys. Dey houses what de wind didn‘t bl~ in. Us had beds, too, not den~ built in de wall. Us sho‘ treat good in. slavery times, yes, euh. Old. massa give us plenty clothes to keep us good and warm. He sho‘ di4.

	“Old massa, he ~ marry and eat de same things de slaves eat. He dii‘ t work dem in de heat of de day. ‚ Bout eleven o‘ cl ock, when dat sun git hot; he call dem out de field. He give dem till it git kind. of cool befo‘ he make dem go beck in de field. He didn‘t have no over~eer. He seed ‘bout de plantation hisself. He raise cotton and corn and sweet ‘taters and peas arid cane, didn‘t fool with rice. He didn‘t go in for Oats, neither,