Black Genealogy

Slave Narrative of Annie Hawkins

Person Interviewed: Annie HawkinsLocation: Colbert, OklahomaAge: 90 I calls myself 90, but I don’t know jest how old I really am but I was a good sized gal when we moved from Georgia to Texas. We come on a big boat and one night the stars fell. Talk about being scared! We all run and hid and hollered and prayed. We thought the end of the world had come. I never had no whitefolks that was good to me. We all worked jest like dogs and had about half enough to eat and got whupped for everything. Our days was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Daniel William Lucas

Person Interviewed: Daniel William Lucas Location: Red Bird, Oklahoma Age: 94 I remember them slave days well as it was yesterday, and when I get to remembering the very first thing comes back to me is the little log cabin where at I lived when I was a slave boy back ‘fore the war. Just like yesterday I see that little old cabin standing on a bit of hill about a quarter-mile from the Master’s brick mansion, and I see into the cabin and there’s the old home-made bed with rope cords a-holding up the corn shuck bedding where on … Read more

Slave Narrative of Phoebe Banks

Person Interviewed: Phoebe Banks Location: Muskogee, Oklahoma Date of Birth: October 17, 1860 Age: 78 In 1860, there was a little Creek Indian town of Sodom on the north bank of the Arkansas River, in a section the Indians called Chocka Bottoms, where Hose Perryman had a big farm or ranch for a long time before the Civil War. That same year, on October 17, I was born on the Perryman place, which was northwest of where I lived now in Muskogee; only in them days Fort Gibson and Okmulgee was the biggest towns around and Muskogee hadn’t shaped up … Read more

Slave Narrative of Robert R. Grinstead

Person Interviewed: Robert R. Grinstead Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Lawrence County, Mississippi Date of Birth: Feb. 17, 1857 Age: 80 I was born in Lawrence County, Mississippi, February 17, 1857. My father’s name is Elias Grinstead, a German, and my mother’s name is Ann Greenstead after that of her master. I am a son by my mother and her Master. I have four other half brother: William (Bill) oldest, Albert, Silas, and John. I was only eight years of age at freedom and for that reason I was too young to work and on account of being … Read more

Slave Narrative of Phyllis Petite

Person Interviewed: Phyllis Petite Location: Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Rusk County, Texas Age: 83 I was born in Rusk County, Texas, on a plantation about eight miles east of Belleview. There wasn’t no town where I was born, but they had a church. My mammy and pappy belonged to a part Cherokee named W. P. Thompson when I was born. He had kinfolks in the Cherokee Nation, and we all moved up here to a place on Fourteen-Mile Creek close to where Hulbert now is. ‘way before I was big enough to remember anything. Then, so I been … Read more

Slave Narrative of William Curtis

Person Interviewed: William Curtis Location: McAlester, Oklahoma Age: 93 “Run Nigger, run, De Patteroll git ye! Run Nigger, run, He’s almost here!” Please Mr. Pateroll, Don’t ketch me! Jest take dat nigger What’s behind dat tree.” Lawsy, I done heard dat song all my life and it warn’t no joke wither. Do Patrol would git ye too if he caught ye off the plantation thout a pass from your Master, and he’d whey ye too. None of we doesn’t save without a pass. We chillen sung lots of songs and me played marbles, mumble pog, my town call. In de … Read more

Slave Narrative of John White

Person Interviewed: John White Location: Sand Springs, Oklahoma Date of Birth: April 10, 1816 Age: 121 Occupation: Yard Worker Of all my Mammy’s children I am the first born and the longest living. The others all gone to join Mammy. She was named Mary White, the same name as her Mistress, the wife of my first master, James White. About my paopy. I never hear his name and I never see him, not even when I was the least child around the old Master’s place ‘way back there in Georgia more’n one-hundred twenty years ago! Mammy try to make it … Read more

Slave Narrative of Easter Wells

Person Interviewed: Easter Wells Location: Colbert, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Arkansas Date of Birth: 1854 Age: 83 I was born in Arkansas, in 1854, but we moved to Texas in 1855. I’ve heard ’em tell about de trip to Texas. De grown folks rode in wagons and carts but de chaps all walked dat was big enuff. De men walked and toted their guns and hunted all de way. Dey had plenty of fresh game to eat. My mother’s name was Nellie Bell. I had one sister, Liza. I never saw my father; in fact, I never heard my mammy … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mary Frances Webb

Location: McAlester, Oklahoma Age: 92 (deceased) Occupation: Field Hand Mary Frances Webb, grand daughter of Sarah Vest, aged 92, (deceased) McAlester, Okla. I’ve heard my grandmother tell a lot of her experiences during slavery. She remembered things well as she was a grown woman at the time of the war of the Rebellion. Her home was at Sedalia, Mo., and her owner was Baxter West, a prominent farmer and politician. He was very kind and good to his slaves. He provided them with plenty of food and good clothes. He would go to town and buy six or eight bolts … Read more

Slave Narrative of James Southall

Person Interviewed: James Southall Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Clarksville, Tennessee Age: 82 I was born in Clarksville, Tenn. My father was Wesley and my mother was Hagar Southall. Our owner was Dr. John Southall, an old man. Father always belonged to him but he bought my mother when she was a young girl and raised her. She never knew anything ’bout her people but my father’s mother lived with us in de quarter’s at Master Southall’s. Master John never sold any of his slaves. We was known as “Free niggers.” Master said he didn’t believe it was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Tom W. Woods

Person Interviewed: Tom W. Woods Location: Alderson, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Florence, Alabama Age: 83 Lady, if de nigger hadn’t been set free dis country wouldn’t ever been what it is now! Poor white folks wouldn’t never had a chance. De slave holders had most of de money and de land and dey wouldn’t let de poor white folks have a chance to own any land or anything else to speak of. Dese white folks wasn’t much better off dan we was. Dey had to work hard and dey had to worry ’bout food, clothes and shelter and we didn’t. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Lou Smith

Person Interviewed: Lou Smith Location: Platter, Oklahoma Age: 83 Occupation: Nursing Young Sho’, I remembers de slavery days! I was a little gal but I can tell you lots of things about dem days. My job was nussing de younguns. I took keer of them from daylight to dark. I’d have to sing them to sleep too. I’d sing: By-lo Baby Bunting Daddy’s gone a-hunting To get a rabbit skin To wrap Baby Bunting in.” Sometimes I’d sing: Rock-a-bye baby, in a tree top When de wind blows your cradle’ll rock. When de bough breaks de crad’ll fall Down comes … Read more

Slave Narrative of Charley Williams

Person Interviewed: Charley Williams Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Date of Birth: Jan. 11, 1843 Age: 94 Iffen I could see better out’n my old eyes, and I had me something to work with and de feebleness in my back and head would let me ‘lone, I would have me plenty to eat in de kitchen all de time, and plenty tobaccy in my pipe, too, bless God! And dey wouldn’t be no rain trickling through de holes in de roof, and no planks all fell out’n de flo’ on de gallery neither, ’cause dis one old nigger knows everything about making … Read more

Slave Narrative of Willis Cozart

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Willis Cozart Date of Interview: May 12, 1937 Location: Zebulon, North Carolina Place of Birth: Pearson County NC Date of Birth: June 11, 1845 Age: 92 An Interview by Mary A. Hicks with Willis Cozart of Zebulon, (Wake Co. N. C.) Age 92. May 12, 1937. No mam, Mistress, I doan want ter ride in no automobile, thank you, I’se done walked these three miles frum Zebulon an’ walkin’ is what has kept me goin’ all dese years. Yes’m I’se a bachelor an’ I wuz borned on June 11, 1845 in Person County. My … Read more

Slave Narrative of Louisa Adams

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Louisa Adams Location: North Carolina Place of Birth: Rockingham, Richmond County, North Carolina My name is Louisa Adams. I wuz bawned in Rockingham, Richmond County, North Carolina. I wuz eight years old when the Yankees come through. I belonged to Marster Tom A. Covington, Sir. My mother wuz named Easter, and my father wuz named Jacob. We were all Covingtons. No Sir, I don’t know whur my mother and father come from. Soloman wuz brother number one, then Luke, Josh, Stephen, Asbury. My sisters were Jane, Frances, Wincy, and I wuz nex’. I ‘members … Read more

Slave Narrative of Martha Allen

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Martha Allen Location: 1318 South Person Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Place of Birth: Craven County NC Age: 78 Ex-Slave Story An interview with Martha Allen, 78, of 1318 South Person Street, Raleigh. I wuz borned in Craven County seventy eight years ago. My pappa wuz named Andrew Bryant an’ my mammy wuz named Harriet. My brothers wuz John Franklin, Alfred, an’ Andrew. I ain’t had no sisters. I reckon dat we is what yo’ call a general mixture case I am part Injun, part white, an’ part nigger. My mammy belonged ter Tom Edward … Read more

Slave Narrative of Aunt Laura Bell

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Laura Bell Location: 2 Bragg Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 73 An interview with Laura Bell, 73 years old, of 2 Bragg Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. Being informed that Laura Bell was an old slavery Negro, I went immediately to the little two-room shack with its fallen roof and shaky steps. As I approached the shack I noticed that the storm had done great damage to the chaney-berry tree in her yard, fallen limbs litterin’ the ground, which was an inch deep in garbage and water. The porch was littered with old planks and … Read more

Slave Narrative of John C. Bectom

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: John C. Bectom Location: North Carolina Date of Birth: Oct. 7, 1862 My name is John C. Bectom. I was born Oct. 7, 1862, near Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina. My father’s name was Simon Bectom. He was 86 years of age when he died. He died in 1910 at Fayetteville, N. C. My mother’s name was Harriet Bectom. She died in 1907, May 23, when she was seventy years old. My brother’s were named Ed, Kato and Willie. I was third of the boys. My sisters were Lucy, Anne and Alice. My father … Read more

Slave Narrative of Charlie Barbour

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Charlie Barbour Date of Interview: May 20, 1937 Location: Smithfield, North Carolina Age: 86 I belonged ter Mr. Bob Lumsford hyar in Smithfield from de time of my birth. My mammy wuz named Candice an’ my pappy’s name wuz Seth. My brothers wuz Rufus, William an’ George, an’ my sisters wuz Mary an’ Laura. I ‘minds me of de days when as a youngin’ [HW correction: youngun’] I played marbles an’ hide an’ seek. Dar wuzn’t many games den, case nobody ain’t had no time fer ’em. De grown folkses had dances an’ sometimes … Read more

Slave Narrative of Lizzie Baker

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Lizzie Baker Location: 424 Smith Street, Raleigh, North Carolina I was born de las’ year o’ de surrender an’course I don’t remember seein’ any Yankee soldiers, but I knows a plenty my mother and father tole me. I have neuritis, an’ have been unable to work any fer a year and fer seven years I couldn’t do much. My mother wus named Teeny McIntire and my father William McIntire. Mammy belonged to Bryant Newkirk in Duplin County. Pap belonged to someone else, I don’t know who. Dey said dey worked from light till dark, … Read more