Interviewer: Anna Pritchett
Person Interviewed: Robert Howard
Location: Indiana
Place of Birth: Clara County, Kentucky
Date of Birth: 1852
Place of Residence: 1840 Boulevard Place
Federal Writers' Project of the W.P.A. District #6 Marion County Anna Pritchett 1200 Kentucky Avenue
FOLKLORE ROBERT HOWARD-EX-SLAVE 1840 Boulevard Place
Robert Howard, an ex-slave, was born in 1852, in Clara County, Kentucky.
His master, Chelton Howard, was very kind to him.
The mother, with her five children, lived on the Howard farm in peace and harmony.
His father, Beverly Howard, was owned by Bill Anderson, who kept a saloon on the river front.
Beverly was “hired out” in the house of Bill Anderson. He was allowed to go to the Howard farm every Saturday night to visit with his wife and children. This visit was always looked forward to with great joy, as they were devoted to the father.
The Howard family was sold only once, being owned first by Dr. Page in Henry County, Kentucky. The family was not separated; the entire family was bought and kept together until slavery was abolished.
Interviewer's Comment
Mr. Howard seems to be a very kind old man, lives in the house for aged colored people (The Alpha Home).
He has no relatives, except a brother. He seems well satisfied living in the home.
Submitted January 10, 1938 Indianapolis, Indiana
There is so much more on this story! The family is in the 1870 census in Worthville, Carroll, Kentucky. Then Robert’s parents and family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana – where they appear in the 1880 census. When his father, Beverly, died in about March 1881, he left a will: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9045/records/337654
In the census in 1880 Beverly says he and both of his parents were born in Virginia.
Second, more on the family’s experience during enslavement. the “Dr. Page” of Henry County, KY was most certainly Dr. Samuel K. Page who was born in 1809 in New Hampshire and was a physician in Henry County from 1843 until ~1857 when he moved to Champaign, Illinois according to the court order books in Henry Co. Two of his children are buried in the Port Royal Cemetery. There is a detailed obituary in the The Champaign Daily Gazette on Tue, Dec 26, 1893 for him.
In the 1850 Slave schedule “Dr. Page” in Henry County has two enslaved persons: 1 male age 29, 1 female age 17 who must be Beverly and his wife Catherine. Robert was not born until ~ 1855.
He died March 13, 1938 just 2 months after this interview.
He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN. There is no photo of a grave marker in FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45975428/robert-howard
I will be adding to this grave record with his death certitificate and a link to the Narrative and a bio.
Death certitificate: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60716/records/1397743
His daughter was the informant and did not know Robert’s father’s name BUT she listed Catherine Ellis as his mother!
The brother he refers to was Beverly Howard who died 3 May 1941 in Indianapolis, IN. He is buried in New Crown Cemetery (different from Crown Hill) but his burial is not cataloged in FindAGrave.
So many threads that can now be pulled from this short narrative!
Here’s the obituary for Samuel K. Page online: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-champaign-daily-gazette-obituary-for/188308077/
Finally, here is link to Robert Howard’s marriage record on 26 Apr 1888 in Marion, Indiana citing his parents as Beverly and Catherine
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61009/records/6778198
In the 1870 census “Beloy”s wife is Catherine.
Carroll County is adjacent to Henry County where his family was previously enslaved by Dr. Page.
The same marriage record at FamilySearch (free): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPW5-L3FX?lang=en
Another option might be Carroll County. In the 1870 census there is a possible hit for Robert Howard (black) in Carroll County. Father is “Beloy” is the census – similar to Beverly?
Phonetically, Carroll is closer to Clara then Clark is. So I agree. Anna being in indiana may not have been familiar with the names of Kentucky counties and wrote phonetically what she heard.
There is no Clara County in KY. Could this have been Clark County?
Having just checked a copy of the original typed transcript I can confirm it says “Clara County.” An a is not in proximity to a k on a typewriter and the type is clear enough to insure it says a. Unfortunately, without seeing Anna Pritchett’s original material it would be hard to second guess what was meant.