Residence near Brownsboro and Maysville.

Well I have lived here about 50 years. I reckon to the best of my knowing.

Farming is all the work I know much about.

I was a slave at the beginning of the war. I belongd to Massa Ben Lawler. He was the father of William J. Lawler deceased. I had belonged to Massa Ben Lawler close at fifty years before _________ ________________. I am not indebted to the Estate of Wm.J.Lawler, nor to his wife Miss Octavia Lawler. I have no interest in the success of this claim.

I am here to say what I know about how Mr. William J. Lawler done during the war.

53d I had been knowin William Lawler always, always knew him well, for he never left his father, stayed right in the house with him till he died- and I was right with them always. For I was a head negro about the place and the other black ones said I was favorite.

54th I lived with him in time of the war.

55th I saw him daily.

56th Yes, he talked to me about the war- when the ________ __________ got us he talked about not wanting to go on. That he was a Union man and was going to hold out that way. Oh Miss Octavia was as good for the Union as her husband was- for we black ones all knew that, for havent we heard her talk about the rebels and when the yankees come in she dine and had dinners fixed up for them and havent I heard her talk for the yankees when no yankees were at our house- that was the way all time of the war.

57th Nothing done for the yankees only at the house for the ladies did not go out much them times.

58th If she ever done anything of that kind, I never knew or heard of it, for I was for the Union.

59th I never heard of her doing anything against the union ones. I have heard her sticking for the union side.

60th I know us blackuns all said they were for the yankees. We did not get to hear much about what rebel white folks said about union?- we all said she was our friend and her husband too.

61st Well, I heard Mr.Perry Harrison (?), old uncle Ben , Roda and Massa Jehu and all of our family of Lawlers were for the union and treat us blackuns very right, and said we would all be free, _________ never run us off south when they heard about the yankees coming.

62d Well all I know anyhow was to be for the union.

63d I understood the rebels ___________ our menfolks and they would get after them for being so friendly to the yankees. For the yankees stayed here north of the line and kept the rebels off.

64th you are too hard for me now- I dont know about them things.

His