Black Genealogy

Slave Narrative of Ned Walker

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Ned Walker Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Place of Birth: Winnsboro, South Carolina Age: 83 Ned Walker lives in the village of White Oak, near Winnsboro, S.C., in a two-room frame house, the dwelling of his son-in-law, Leander Heath, who married his daughter, Nora. Ned is too old to do any work of a remunerative character but looks after the garden and chickens of his daughter and son-in-law. He is a frequent visitor to Winnsboro, S.C. He brings chickens and garden produce, to sell in the town and the Winnsboro Hill’s village. He is tall, thin, and … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mamie Riley

Interviewer: Phoebe Faucette Person Interviewed: Mamie Riley Location: Estill, South Carolina Ex-Slave “Aunt Mamie’s” hair is entirely white. She lives in a neat duplex brick house with one of her husband’s relatives, a younger woman who is a cook for a well established family in Estill, S.C. When questioned about the times before the war, she replied: “Yes’m, I kin tell you ’bout slav’ry time, ’cause I is one myself. I don’ remember how old I is. But I remember when de Yankees come through I bin ’bout so high. (She put her hand out about 3½ feet from the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Morgan Scurry

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Morgan Scurry Date of Interview: May 19, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina Place of Birth: Newberry County SC “I was born in Newberry County, near the Laurens County line, above Chappells Depot. My father and mother were Tom and Francis Scurry and belonged as slaves to the Drury Scurry family. Dr. Drury Scurry bought them from Col. Cooper of Laurens County. He was a fine man and mighty good to his slaves. I worked around the house as a boy, and in the fields when I got old enough. Some of the nigger boys … Read more

Slave Narrative of Martha Richardson

Interviewer: Stiles M. Scruggs Person Interviewed: Martha Richardson Location: Columbia, South Carolina Place of Residence: 924 Senate Street, Columbia, SC Date of Birth: 1860 Martha Richardson, who tells this story, lives at 924 Senate Street, Columbia, S.C. Her father was an Indian and her mother a mulatto. She was born in Columbia in 1860 and was five years old, when General W.T. Sherman’s Federal troops captured and burned the city in 1865. “When I gits big ‘nough to pick up chips for de cook stove, we was livin’ in de rear of Daniel Gardner’s home, on Main Street, and my … Read more

Slave Narrative of “Aunt” Nina Scott

Interviewer: F. S. DuPre Person Interviewed: Nina Scott Date of Interview: May 17, 1937 Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina “Aunt” Nina Scot sat on her front porch. She was drinking some liquid from a bottle which she said would help her trouble. Being short of breath, she was not able to talk very much. She said that she was very small at the time she was set free. “My Marster and his folks did not treat me like a nigger,” she said, “they treated me like they did other white folks.” She said that she and her mother had belonged to … Read more

Slave Narrative of Phillip Rice

Interviewer: Caldwell Sims Person Interviewed: Philip Rice Date of Interview: May 7, 1937 Location: Kelton, South Carolina Occupation: Drove cattle “I’m living on Mr. Russel Emmitt’s place. I never did nothing but drive cows when I was a little boy growing up. Miss Cum and Miss Lizzie Rice was Marse Alex’s sisters. Marse Alex done died, and dey was my mistress. Dey tuck and sold de plantation afo dey died, here ’bout twenty years ago. Dat whar my ma found me and den she died. “My grandparents, Jane and Peter Stevens, brung me up. I was a little farm boy … Read more

Slave Narrative of Jesse Rice

Interviewer: Caldwell Sims Person Interviewed: Jesse Rice Date of Interview: January 8, 1938 Location: Gaffney, South Carolina Stories From Ex-Slaves “My people tells me a lot about when I was a lil’ wee boy. I has a clear mind and I allus has had one. My folks did not talk up people’s age like folks do dese days. Every place dat I be now, ‘specially round dese government folks, first thing dat dey wants to know is your name. Well, dat is quite natu’al, but de very next question is how old you is. I don’t know, why it is, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Anne Rice

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Anne Rice Location: Newberry, South Carolina Place of Birth: Spartanburg County, SC Folk-Lore: Ex-Slaves “I was born in Spartanburg County, S.C., near Glenn Springs. I can’t ‘member slavery or de war, but my ma and pa who was Green Foster and his wife, Mary Posey Foster, always said I was a big gal when the war stopped, when freedom come. “We belonged to Seth Posey who had a big farm there. He was a good man, but sure made us work. I worked in the fields when I was small, hoed and picked cotton, … Read more

Slave Narrative of William Rose

Interviewer: C. S. Murray Person Interviewed: William Rose Location: Edisto Island, South Carolina Going Down To Die (Folklore) Story Told By Ex-Slave Boss Man, you talk about de brave soldier who been in de last big war and how dey look death in de eye and spit on him. I ain’t see dat war. It been ‘cross de water. But I know sump’en ’bout de Civil War. I been young lad when de big gun shoot and de Yankee pile down from de north. Talk ’bout being brave. De bravest thing I ever see was one day at Ashepoo junction. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Ellen Renwick

Interviewer: Mr. G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Ellen Renwick Location: Newberry, South Carolina Folk-Lore: Ex-Slaves “I was born on Capt. John P. Kinard’s place. My mammy and pa was Lucy and Eph Kinard who belonged to Marse Kinard. Marse Kinard was good to his slaves—didn’t whip them much. He whipped me a little. When I was a little girl I slept in the big house in the room with my mistress and her husband, and waited on them. I worked when I got old enough, in the field, and anywhere around. When I wouldn’t work good, my mammy whipped me … Read more

Slave Narrative of Lila Rutherford

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Lila Rutherford Location: Newberry, South Carolina Place of Birth: Dutch Fork, Newberry County, SC Date of Birth: about 1849 “I was born about 1849 in the Dutch Fork section of Newberry County, S.C. I was slave of Ivey Suber and his good wife. My daddy was Bill Suber and my mammy was Mary Suber. I was hired by Marse Suber as a nurse in the big house, and I waited on my mistress when she was sick, and was at her bed when she died. I had two sisters and a brother and when … Read more

Slave Narrative of Frank Range

Interviewer: Hattie Mobley Person Interviewed: Frank Range Location: Greenville, South Carolina Age: 103 Place of Residence: 101 Hudson St. Greenville, S.C Civil War Servant and Hero At the age of one hundred and three, Frank Range is a familiar figure on the streets of Greenville, talking freely of pre-Civil and Civil War days, and the part he played in the war. Frank, the oldest of nine children, was born of slave parents, Lenard and Elizabeth Herbert, on the plantation of Mr. Jim Boler, Newberry, South Carolina. He was sold several times, and is known by the name of one of … Read more

Slave Narrative of Rosa Starke

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Rosa Starke Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Date of Birth: 1854 Age: 83 Occupation: Farm work, hoeing and picking cotton. Rosa’s grandfather was a slave of Solicitor Starke. Although she has had two husbands since slavery, she has thrown their names into the discard and goes by the name of Rosa Starke. She lives in a three-room frame house with her son, John Harrison, two miles south of Winnsboro, S.C., on the plantation of Mrs. Rebecca V. Woodward. She still does farm work, hoeing and picking cotton. “They say I was six years old when … Read more

Slave Narrative of Susie Riser

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Susie Riser Date of Interview: May 17, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina Place of Birth: Dutch Fork, South Carolina “I was born near Broad River in de Dutch Fork of Newberry County. I was a slave of Cage Suber. He was a fair master, but nothing to brag about. I was small at slavery time and had to work in de white folks’ house or around the house until I was big enough to go to de field and work. “Old Marse Cage always made me fan flies off of him when he lay … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mom Jessie Sparrow

Interviewer: Annie Ruth Davis Person Interviewed: Jessie Sparrow Date of Interview: May 1937 Location: Marion, South Carolina Age: 83 “Honey, my white folks been well-to-do peoples. Dey ain’ been no poor white trash. Dey hab ‘stonishing blood in dey vein. I been b’long to Massa Sam Stevenson wha’ lib right down dere ‘cross Ole Smith Swamp. Dey ain’ hab no chillun dey own, but dey is raise uh poor white girl dere, Betty. Dey gi’e (give) she eve’yt’ing she ha’e en dey school she too.” “De ole man, he mind ain’ been zactly right when he die. Dey say he … Read more

Slave Narrative of Silas Smith

Interviewer: Caldwell Sims Person Interviewed: Silas Smith Date of Interview: November 12, 1937 Location: Gaffney, South Carolina “Lawsey, honey chile, how does I know jes’ when I was born. All sech as dat don’t mean nothing to us old slave time darkies. De mis’tus say, ‘Silas, you sho was thirteen years old when dat ‘Federate War wound up! Dat’s all I knows and dat’s what I goes by. De white folks is worrying ’bout my age being in sech and sech a year and all de like of dat. No sech as dat don’t worry Silas, kaise he sho don’t … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mary Scott

Interviewer: Mrs. Lucile Young & H. Grady Davis Person Interviewed: Mary Scott Location: Gourdin, South Carolina Age: 90 Ex-Slave, About 90 years old “Where and when were you born?” “On Gaston Gamble place, between here and Greeleville. In da Gamble’s Bible is my age. Don’t know my age. Pretty much know how old, I bout 90. I wuz little girl when freedom come.” “Give the names of your father and mother.” “Father, John Davis. Mother, Tina Davis. Belonged to last mausa. Darby Fulton. Gamble sold mama and three children to Fulton. Belonged to Davis after freedom. Father belonged to Davis. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Ellen Swindler

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Ellen Swindler Date of Interview: May 20, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina Place of Birth: Newberry County SC “I was born on the Enoree River in Newberry County. Tom Price was my master. I married Nathan Swindler when I was about grown. My father and mother was Dave and Lucy Coleman. I had a brother and several sisters. We children had to work around the home of our master ’till we was old enough to work in de fields, den we would hoe and pick cotton, and do any kinds of field work. We … Read more

Slave Narrative of Joe Rutherford

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Joe Rutherford Location: Newberry, South Carolina “I was born about 1846, ’cause I was in de war and was 19 years old when de war was over. I went to Charleston with my master, Ros Atwood, my mistress’s brother. My mistress was Mrs. Laura Rutherford and my master at home was Dr. Thomas Rutherford. We was on Morris Island. “My father was Allen Rutherford and my mother Barbara Rutherford. My daddy had come from Chili to this country, was a harness maker, and belonged awhile to Nichols. We had a good house or hut … Read more

Slave Narrative of Prince Smith

Interviewer: Augusta Ladson Person Interviewed: Prince Smith Location: Wadmalaw, South Carolina Experiences Of An Ex-Slave On Wardmalaw Island Massa Wus Kind to Slaves Prince Smith, a man who is said to be over a hundred years of age, has lived on Wardmalaw Island practically all of his life. His experiences during slavery are very interesting and true to life. An interview with him revealed the following: “I was bo’n an’ raise’ on dis island and was only frum here when de Civil War had begun. W’en Fort Sumter wus fired on mossa carried seventy of us to Greenville, South Ca’lina … Read more