Black Genealogy

Slave Narrative of Dan Smith

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Dan Smith Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Place of Birth: Richland County SC Date of Birth: January 11, 1862 Age: 75 Occupation: Construction Dan Smith lives in one room, rent free, of a three-room frame house, the property of his son-in-law, Jim Cason. It is situated on the southeast corner of Garden and Palmer streets in the town of Winnsboro, S.C. He is tall, thin and toothless, with watery eyes and a pained expression of weariness on his face. He is slow and deliberate in movements. He still works, and has just finished a day’s … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mary Raines

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Mary Raines Location: South Carolina Age: 99 Ex-Slave 99 Years Old. Mary Raines is the oldest living person, white or black, in Fairfield County. If she survives until next December, she will have attained her century of years. She lives with her widowed daughter, Fannie McCollough, fifty-seven years old, and a son, Joe Raines, aged 76 years. They rent a two-room frame house, on lands of Mrs. Sallie Wylie, Chester County, S.C. Joe, the son, is a day laborer on nearby farms. Fannie cooks for Mrs. W.T. Raines. Old Mother Mary has been receiving … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bettie Suber

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Bettie Suber Date of Interview: May 18, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina Place of Birth: Newberry County, SC “I was born near old Bush River Baptist Church in Newberry County, S.C. This was the white folks’ church, but the colored folks have a Bush River church in that section now. I was grown when the war started. I was a slave of Bonny Floyd. He was a good man who owned several slaves and a big farm. I was the house-girl then, and waited on the table and helped around the house. I was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Uncle Sabe Rutledge

Interviewer: Mrs. Genevieve W. Chandler Person Interviewed: Sabe Rutledge Location: Burgess, South Carolina Date of Birth: 1861 Place of Birth: Horry County SC (Testimony given by old man born 1861, The Ark Plantation. Horry County, owned by Mr. John Tillman) “Fust thing I realize to remember, I nuster cry to go to the old boss—old Massa—for sugar. Massa say: “‘Martha, what Newman (he call me that) crying for?’ Ma say, ‘Wanter come to you for sugar!’ “‘Bring the boy here, Martha!’ “He gi’e me sugar. “Boil salt? Pump! Pump! Pump it! Had a tank. Run from hill to sea. Had a … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mary Smith

Interviewer: Caldwell Sims Person Interviewed: Mary Smith Date of Interview: September 14, 1937 Location: Union, South Carolina “I liked to went crazy when my brother, Bob, went to Arkansas. Den Marse George Young wrote our names in a book and give it to my ma. It was jes’ a small mem’randum book. We kept it till Miss Addie, dat is Mrs. Billy, give ma de Bible storybook, and den she copied our names in dat one. De little book was about wore out den; so it was burned up when Miss Addie had done finished writing our names in de … Read more

Slave Narrative of Jane Smith

Interviewer: F. S. DuPre Person Interviewed: Jane Smith Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina Age: 80 “Aunt” Jane Smith, 80 years old, says that she was only eight years old when the war ended, and that her recollections are very meagre as to conditions during slavery. Her mother belonged to John Snoddy, who owned a farm a few miles west of Spartanburg. Her father was owned by Dr. Miller of a nearby plantation. She stated that she was old enought to rock the cradle for the white babies during slavery. She stated that she could remember seeing some of the slaves being … Read more

Slave Narrative of Sam Rawls

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Sam Rawls Date of Interview: June 9, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina Place of Birth: Lexington County, SC Date of Birth: 1835 Stories From Ex-Slaves “I was born in 1835 in Lexington County, S.C. I know I was 12 years old de last year of de war. I belonged to John Hiller in Lexington County, near Columbia, S.C. Old Marse Hiller was strict to his slaves, wasn’t mean, but often whipped ’em. I thought it was all right then. When de Yankees come through burning, killing and stealing stock, I was in marse’s yard. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Alexander Robertson

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Alexander Robertson Location: White Oak, South Carolina Age: 84 Ex-Slave 84 Years Old Alexander Robertson lives as a member of the household of his son, Charley, on the General Bratton plantation, four miles southeast of White Oak, S.C. It is a box-like house, chimney in the center, four rooms, a porch in front and morning glory vines, in bloom at this season, climbing around the sides and supports. Does Alexander sit here in the autumn sunshine and while the hours away? Nay, in fact he is still one of the active, working members of … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mary Veals

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Mary Veals Date of Interview: September 30, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina “I don’t own no house. I live in a rented house. Yes, I work fer my living. I don’t ‘member much ’bout slavery except what I heard my daddy and mammy say. My pa was Washing Holloway and my ma was Polly Holloway. Dey belonged to Judge O’Neall, and lived at his place ’bout three miles from town, near Bush River. “Judge O’Neall’s house was real old, and dey had a store near it called Springfield, a kind of suburb at dat … Read more

Slave Narrative of Henry Ryan

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Henry Ryan Date of Interview: August 18, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina “I live in a rented three-room house with my daughter. I am too old to do much work, but I work where I can get little jobs that I can do. “The slaves did not expect anything after Freedom, for the South was in such a bad fix. They just got jobs where they could find them. Most of them worked as share-croppers or wage hands on the farms, and have worked like this since that time. Some few have rented farms. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Hector Smith

Interviewer: Annie Ruth Davis Person Interviewed: Hector Smith Date of Interview: July 14, 1937 Location: Marion County, South Carolina Age: 79 “I studied en studied what songs would suit, but dem old familiar hymns bout all I know dese days. You see dem old familiar hymns what de spirit sings. It just like I tell you, I put all dem other kind of songs away when I is change to a better way of livin. I does remember first one en den de other of dem frolicksome song dat my grandparents learnt me.” Nobody Business But Mine Rabbit in de … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bill Williams

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Bill Williams Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Age: 82 Bill Williams lives on the Durham place, nine miles east of Winnsboro, S.C., on the warm charity of Mr. Arthur M. Owens, the present owner. He is decrepit and unable to work. “I was born a slave of old Marster John Durham, on a plantation ’bout five miles east of Blackstock, S.C. My mistress name Margaret. Deir chillun was Miss Cynthia, Marse Johnnie, Marse Willie and Marse Charnel. I forgits de others. Then, when young Marse Johnnie marry Miss Minnie Mobley, my mammy, Kizzie, my daddy, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Tena White

Interviewer: Martha S. Pickney Person Interviewed: Tena White Location: Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina Everybody in the town of Mt. Pleasant, Christ Church Parish (across the Bay from Charleston) knows “Tena White, the washer,” “Tena, the cook,” “Maum Tena” or “Da Tena, the nurse”—the same individual, accomplished in each art, but best as a nurse. The house where Tena lives is the second in a row of Negro houses. The writer, calling from the gate, was answered by Tena, a middle-sized woman of neat figure. As the writer ascended the steps a friendly cur wagged itself forward and was promptly reproved … Read more

Slave Narrative of Uncle Dave White

Interviewer: Laura L. Middleton Person Interviewed: Dave White Location: Charleston, South Carolina An Old Time Negro Uncle Dave White, one of the waning tribe lives in a simple homestead down a dusty and wind-swept curved country lane on the out skirt of McClenville, forty miles North of Charleston rests the simple shanty of David White, aged Negro, affectionally known to the Negro and white population for many miles around as “uncle Dave”. His quiet unadulterated mode of living and his never changing grateful disposition typifies the true Southern Negro of pre-Civil War days; a race that was commonplace and plentiful … Read more

Slave Narrative of Jesse Williams

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Jesse Williams Location: South Carolina Age: 83 At the end of one of the silent streets of west Chester, S.C., that prolongs itself into a road leading to the Potter’s Field and on to the County Poorhouse, sets a whitewashed frame cottage. It has two rooms, the chimney in the center providing each with a fireplace. A porch, supported by red cedar posts, fronts the road side. In this abode lives Jesse Williams with his daughter, Edna, and her six children. Edna pays the rent, and is a grenadier in the warfare of keeping … Read more

Slave Narrative of Daphney Wright

Interviewer: Phoebe Faucette Person Interviewed: Daphney Wright Location: Scotia, South Carolina Age: 106 106 Year Old Ex-Slave Just around the bend from the old mill pond on the way to Davis Swimming Pool lives a very old negro woman. Her name is Daphney Wright, though that name has never been heard by those who affectionately know her as “Aunt Affie”. She says she is 106 years old. She comes to the door without a cane and greets her guests with accustomed curtsey. She is neatly dressed and still wears a fresh white cap as she did when she worked for … Read more

Slave Narrative of Pauline Worth

Interviewer: Annie Ruth Davis Person Interviewed: Pauline Worth Date of Interview: September 1937 Location: Marion, South Carolina Date of Birth: November 1 Age: 79 “Yes’um, I know I been here in slavery time, but wasn’ large enough to do nothin in dat day en time. I reach 79 de first day of November. To be certain dat how old I is, Miss Betty Evans give me my direct age here de other day. She know who I am cause I was raise near bout in de same yard dat she was raise in. Mr. Telathy Henry family was my white … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mary Woodward

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Mary Woodward Location: South Carolina Date of Birth: 1854 Age: 83 “I knows you since you ’bout dis high (indicating). When was it? Where I see you? I see you at your auntie’s house. Dat was your auntie, Miss Roxie Mobley, other side of Blackstock. You was in a little dress dat day, look lak a gal. Oh! Lordy, dat been a long time! What us has come thru since dat day and de days befo’ dat, beyond freedom. “I was born a slave of old Marster Adam Berber, near de Catawba River side … Read more

Slave Narrative of Aleck Woodward

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Aleck Woodward Location: South Carolina Age: 83 “You knows de Simonton place, Mr. Wood? Well, dats just where I was born back yonder befo’ de war, a slave of old Marster Johnnie Simonton. Five miles sorter south sunset side of Woodward Station where you was born, ain’t it so? My pappy was Ike Woodward, but him just call ‘Ike’ time of slavery, and my mammy was name Dinah. My brother Charlie up north, if he ain’t dead, Ike lives in Asheville, North Carolina. Two sisters: Ollie, her marry an Aiken, last counts, and she … Read more

Slave Narrative of George Woods (Wood)

Interviewer: F. S. DuPre Person Interviewed: George Woods Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina Age: 78 While looking for an ex-slave in a certain part of Spartanburg this morning, I was directed across the street to “an old man who lives there”. I knocked at the door but received no answer. Then I noticed an old man walking around by the side of the house. He was tall and straight, standing about 6 feet 2 inches. He said that his name was George Wood and that he was 78 years of age. He stated that he was born during slavery, and lived … Read more