Black Genealogy

Slave Narrative of Julia Woodberry

Interviewer: Annie Ruth Davis Person Interviewed: Julia Woodberry Date of Interview: October-November, 1937 Location: Marion, South Carolina “Well, I can speak bout what I used to hear my auntie en my mammy en my grandmammy talk bout what happen in dey day, but I never didn’ live in slavery time. My mammy, she been broke her leg long time fore freedom come here en I remember she tell me often times, say, ‘Julia, you didn’ lack much of comin here a slavery child.’ Honey, I mean she been in de family way right sharp fore freedom come here. “My mammy, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Al Rosboro

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Al Rosboro Location: Woodward, South Carolina Age: 90 Ex-Slave 90 Years Old Al Rosboro, with his second wife, Julia, a daughter, and six small grandchildren, lives in a three-room frame house, three hundred yards east of the Southern Railway track and US #21, about two miles south of Woodward, S.C., in Fairfield County. Mr. Brice gives the plot of ground, four acres with the house, to Al, rent free. A white man, Mr. W.L. Harvey does the ploughing of the patches for him. Al has cataracts on his eyes and can do no work. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Charlie Robinson

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Charlie Robinson Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Age: 87 Ex-Slave 87 Years Old Charlie Robinson lives nine miles northwest of Winnsboro, S.C., on lands of Mr. R.W. Lemmon. There is one other occupant in the four-room house, John Giles, a share cropper. The house has two fireplaces, the brick chimney being constructed in the center of the two main rooms. The other two rooms are shed rooms. Charlie ekes out a living as a day laborer on the farm. “They been tellin’ me to come to de social circle and see ’bout my pension but … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bob Young

Interviewer: Caldwell Sims Person Interviewed: Bob Young Date of Interview: November 10, 1937 Location: Jonesville, South Carolina Date of Birth: March 15, 1862 Age: 75? “March 15, 1862 is de date I allus takes when folks axes how old is you. Dat’s de best, to follow one date, den no argument don’t follow. “Some see’d it powerful hard in slavery, others never see’d it so bad. Dat ‘pends on you a lot, den it ‘pends on dem dat you stays wid. It still like dat everywhar dat I is been, but I ain’t been no further dan Spartanburg gwine north, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Hector Smith

Interviewer: Annie Ruth Davis Person Interviewed: Hector Smith Date of Interview: July 1937 Location: Marion County, South Carolina Age: 79 “I born down here in Wahee Neck. Easter Avant, dat was my mammy en my father name Hector Smith. Coase I ain’ never see him cause he die fore I was born, but dat what dey tell me. Dat was a pretty rough time wid de people den. I don’ recollect so much bout de times back dere cause in dat day en time chillun didn’ have de heap of knowledge dey have dis day en time, but I remembers … Read more

Slave Narrative of “Uncle” Bill Young

Person Interviewed: Bill Young Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina Seated on the front steps of his house, holding a walking cane and talking to another old colored man from Georgia, who was visiting his children living there, the writer found “Uncle” Bill Young. He readily replied that he had lived in slavery days, that he was 83 years old, and he said that he and Sam were talking about old times. He was owned by Dave Jeter at Santuc, S.C.; though he was just a boy at the time his mother was a slave. He used to mind his “Missus” more … Read more

Slave Narrative of Martha King

Person Interviewed: Martha King Location: McAlester, Oklahoma Age: 85 They hung Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree! They hung Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree! They hung Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree! While we go marching on!” Dat was de song de Yankees sang when they marched by our house. They didn’t harm us in any way. I guess de war was over then ’cause a few days after dat old Master say, “Matt”. and I say. “Suh?” He say, “Come here. You go tall Henry I say come out here and to bring the rest … Read more

Slave Narrative of Eliza Evans

Person Interviewed: Eliza Evans Location: McAlester, Oklahoma Age: 87 I sho’ remember de days when I was a slave and belonged to de best old Master what ever was, Mr. John Mixon. We lived in Selma, Dallas County, Alabama. My grandma was a refugee from Africa. You know dey was white men who went slipping ’round and would capture or entice black folks onto their boats and fetch then over here and sell ’em for slaves. Well, grandma was a little girl ’bout eight or nine years old and her parents had sent her out to get wood. Dey was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Alice Alexander

Person Interviewed: Alice Alexander Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Jackson Parish, Louisiana Date of Birth: 1849 Age: 88 I was 88 years old the 15th of March. I was born in 1849, at Jackson Parish, Louisiana. My mother’s name was Mary Marlow , and father’s Henry Marlow. I can’t remember very much ’bout slavery ’cause I was awful small, but I am remember that my mother’s master, Colonel Threff died, and my mother, her husband, and as three chillun was handed down to Colonel Threff’s ‘poor en folks. Colonel Threff owned about two or three hundred head of … Read more

Slave Narrative of Isaac Adams

Person Interviewed: Issac Adams Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Louisiana Age: 87 I was born in Louisiana, way before the War. I think it was about ten years before, because I can remember everything so well about the start of the War, and I believe I was about ten years old. My Mammy belonged to Mr. Sack P. Gee . I don’t know what his real given name was, but it maybe was Saxon. Anyways we all called him Master Sack. He was a kind of youngish man, and was mighty rich. I think he was born in England. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Matilda Poe

Person Interviewed: Matilda Poe Location: McAlester, Oklahoma Age: 80 I was born in Indian Territory on de plantation of Isaac Love. He was old Master, and Henry Love was young Master. Isaac Love was a full blood Chickasaw Indian but his wife was a white woman. Old Master was sure good to his slaves. The young niggers never done no heavy work till day was fully grown. Dey would carry water to de men in de field and do other light jobs ’round de place. De Big House set way back from de road ’bout a quarter of a mile. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Jane Montgomery

Person Interviewed: Jane Montgomery Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Homer, Louisiana Date of Birth: March 15, 1857 Age: 80 I was born March 15, 1857, in Homer, Louisiana. I claim to be 75 years old, but that’s jest my way of counting. My mother was Sarah Strong and my father was Edmond Beavers. We lived in a log cabin that had jest one door. I had two sisters named Peggy and Katie. Mammy was bought from the Strong family and my pappy was bought from Beavers by Mister Eason. We slept on wooden slabs which was jest make-shift … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bob Maynard

Person Interviewed: Bob Maynard Location: 23 East Choctaw, Weleetka, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Marlin, Texas, Falls County Age: 79 I was born near what is now Marlin, Texas, Falls County. My father was Robert Maynard and my mother was Chanie Maynard, both born slaves. Our Master, Gerard Branum, was a very old man and wore long white whiskers. He sho’ was a fine built man, and walked straight and tall like a young man. I was too little to do much work so my job was to carry the key basket for old Mistress. I sho’ was proud of that … Read more

Slave Narrative of George Kye

Person Interviewed: George Kye Location: Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Age: 110 I was born in Arkansas under Mr. Abraham Stover, on a big farm about twenty miles north of Van Buren. I was plumb grown when the Civil War come along, but I can remember back when the Cherokee Indians was in all that part of the country Joe Kye was my pappy’s name what he was born under back is Garrison County, Virginia, and I took that name when I was freed, but I don’t know whether he took it or not because he was sold off by old Master … Read more

Slave Narrative of Liza Smith

Person Interviewed: Liza Smith Location: Muskogee, Oklahoma Age: 91 Both my mammy and pappy was brought from Africa on a slave boat and sold on de Richmond (Va.) slave market. What year dey come over I don’t know. My mammy was Jane Mason, belonging to Frank Mason; pappy was Frank Smith, belonging to a master wid de same name. I mean, my pappy took his Master’s name, and den after my folks married mammy took de name of Smith, but she stayed on wid de Masons and never did belong to my pappy’s master. Den, after Frank Mason took all … Read more

Slave Narrative of Hal Hutson

Person Interviewed: Hal Hutson Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Galveston, Tennessee Date of Birth: October 12, 1847 Age: 90 I was born at Galveston, Tennessee, October 12, 1847. There were 11 children: 7 brothers; Andrew, George, Clent, Gilbert, Frank, Mack and Horace; and 3 girls Eosie, Marie and Eancy. We were all Hutsons. Together with my mother and father we worked for the same man whose name was Mr. Barton Brown, but who we all call Master Brown, and sometime. Master Brown had a good weather-board house, two story, with five or six rooms. They lived pretty well. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Morris Hillyer

Person Interviewed: Morris Hillyer Location: Alderson, Oklahoma Age: 84 My father was Gabe Hillyer and my mother was Clarisay Hillyer, and our home was in Rose, Georgia. Our owner was Judge Hillyer. He was de last United States senator to Washington, D. C., before de war. My mother died when I was only a few days old and the only mother I ever knew was Judge Hillyer’s wife, Miss Jane. Her nine children were all older than I was and when mother died Miss Jane said mother had raised her children and she would raise here. So she took us … Read more

Slave Narrative of Morris Sheppard

Person Interviewed: Morris Sheppard Location: Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Date of Birth: November, 1852 Age: 85 Old Master tell me I was borned in November 1852, at de old home place about five miles east of Webbers Falls, mebbe kind of northeast, not far from de east bank of de Illinois River. Master’s name was Joe Sheppard, and he was a Cherokee Indian. Tall and slin and handsome. He had black eyes and mustache but his hair was iron gray, and everybody liked him because he was so good-natured and kind. I don’t remember old Mistress’ name. My mammy was a … Read more