Black Genealogy

Slave Narrative of Randall Lee

Interviewer: Viola B. Muse Person Interviewed: Randall Lee Location: Palatka, Florida Randall Lee of 500 Branson Street, Palatka, Florida, was born at Camden, South Carolina about seventy-seven years ago, maybe longer. He was the son of Robert and Delhia Lee, who during slavery were Robert and Delhia Miller, taking the name of their master, as was the custom. His master was Doctor Miller and his mistress was Mrs. Camilla Miller. He does not know his master’s given name as no other name was ever heard around the plantation except Doctor Miller. Randall was a small boy when the war between … Read more

Slave Narrative of Emma Knight

Person Interviewed: Emma Knight Location: Hannibal, Missouri Emma Knight, living at 924 North Street, Hannibal Missouri was born in slavery on the farm of Will and Emily Ely, near Florida, Monroe County. The following is her story as she told it: “We lived on a Creek near Florida. We belonged to Will Ely. He had only five slaves, my father and mother and three of us girls. I was only eight or nine years old. De Elys had eight children. Dere was Paula, Ann, Sarah, Becky, Emily, Lizzie, Will, Ike, and Frank. Lizzie was de oldest girl and I was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Rev. Squires Jackson

Interviewer: Samuel Johnson Person Interviewed: Rev. Squires Jackson Location: Jacksonville, Florida Occupation: Bricklayer, Preacher Lying comfortably in a bed encased with white sheets, Rev. Squires Jackson, former slave and minister of the gospel living at 706 Third Street cheerfully related the story of his life. Born in a weather-beaten shanty in Madison, Fla. September 14, 1841 of a large family, he moved to Jacksonville at the age of three with the “Master” and his mother. Very devoted to his mother, he would follow her into the cotton field as she picked or hoed cotton, urged by the thrashing of the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Josephine Anderson

Interviewer: Jules A. Frost Person Interviewed: Josephine Anderson Location: Tampa, Florida “I kaint tell nothin bout slavery times cept what I heared folks talk about. I was too young to remember much but I recleck seein my granma milk de cows an do de washin. Granpa was old, an dey let him do light work, mosly fish an hunt. “I doan member nothin bout my daddy. He died when I was a baby. My stepfather was Stephen Anderson, an my mammy’s name was Dorcas. He come fum Vajinny, but my mammy was borned an raised in Wilmington. My name was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Della Bess Hilyard

Interviewer: Alfred Farrell Person Interviewed: Della Bess Hilyard (“Aunt Bess”) Location: Titusville, Florida Della Bess Hilyard, or “Aunt Bess” as she is better known, was born in Darlington, South Carolina in 1858, the daughter of Resier and Zilphy Hart, slaves of Gus Hiwards. Both her parents were cotton pickers and as a little girl Della often went with her parents into the fields. One day she stated that the Yankees came through South Carolina with Knapsacks on their shoulders. It wasn’t until later that she learned the reason. When asked if she received any educational training, “Aunt Bess” replied in … Read more

Slave Narrative of Cindy Kinsey

Interviewer: Barbara Darsey Person Interviewed: Cindy Kinsey Age: About 86 years of age “Yes maam, chile, I aint suah ezackly, but I think I bout 85 mebby 86 yeah old. Yes maam, I wus suah bahn in de slavery times, an I bahn right neah de Little Rock in Arkansas, an dere I stay twell I comed right from dere to heah in Floridy bout foah yeah gone. “Yes maam, my people de liv on a big plantation neah de Little Rock an we all hoe cotton. My Ma? Lawzy me, chile, she name Zola Young an my pappy he … Read more

Slave Narrative of Sarah Ross

Interviewer: Alfred Farrell Person Interviewed: Sarah Ross Location: Live Oak, Florida Born in Benton County, Mississippi nearly eighty years ago, Sarah is the daughter of Harriet Elmore and William Donaldson, her white owner. Donaldson was a very cruel man and frequently beat Sarah’s mother because she would not have sexual relations with the overseer, a colored man by the name of Randall. Sarah relates that the slaves did not marry, but were forced – in many cases against their will – to live together as man and wife. It was not until after slavery that they learned about the holy … Read more

Slave Narrative of Charlotte Martin

Interviewer: Alfred Farrell Person Interviewed: Charlotte Martin Location: Live Oak, Florida Occupation: Farmed, made quilts, and made herb cures. Charlotte Mitchell Martin, one of twenty children born to Shepherd and Lucinda Mitchell, eighty-two years ago, was a slave of Judge Wilkerson on a large plantation in Sixteen, Florida, a little town near Madison. Shepherd Mitchell was a wagoner who hauled whiskey from Newport News, Virginia for his owner. Wilkerson was very cruel and held them in constant fear of him. He would not permit them to hold religious meetings or any other kinds of meetings, but they frequently met in … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bolden Hall

Interviewer: Alfred Farrell Person Interviewed: Bolden Hall Location: Live Oak, Florida Age: 83 Occupation: Field Worker Bolden Hall was born in Walkino, Florida, a little town in Jefferson County, on February 13, 1853; the son of Alfred and Tina Hall. The Halls who were the slaves of Thomas Lenton, owner of seventy-five or a hundred slaves, were the parents of twenty-one children. The Halls, who were born before slavery worked on the large plantation of Lenton which was devoted primarily to the growing of cotton and corn and secondarily to the growing of tobacco and pumpkins. Lenton was very good … Read more

Slave Narrative of Harriett Gresham

Interviewer: Pearl Randolph Person Interviewed: Harriett Gresham Location: Jacksonville, Florida Age: 98 Occupation: Field Worker Born on December 6, 1838, Harriett Gresham can recall quite clearly the major events of her life as a slave, also the Civil War as it affected the slaves of Charleston and Barnwell, South Carolina. She was one of a group of mulattoes belonging to Edmond Bellinger, a wealthy plantation owner of Barnwell. With her mother, the plantation seamstress and her father, a driver, she lived in the “big house” quarters, and was known as a “house nigger.” She played with the children of her … Read more

Slave Narrative of Taylor Gilbert

Interviewer: Alfred Farrell Person Interviewed: Taylor Gilbert Location: Titusville, Florida Age: 91 Occupation: Farmer Taylor Gilbert was born in Shellman, Georgia, 91 years ago, of a colored mother and a white father, “which is why I am so white”, he adds. He has never been known to have passed as White, however, in spite of the fact that he could do so without detection. David Ferguson bought Jacob Gilbert from Dr. Gilbert as a husband for Emily, Taylor’s mother. Emily had nine children, two by a white man, Frances and Taylor, and seven by Jacob, only three of whom Gilbert … Read more

Slave Narrative of Clayborn Gantling

Interviewer: Rachel Austin Person Interviewed: Clayborn Gantling Location: Jacksonville, Florida Age: 89 Clayborn Gantling was born in Dawson, Georgia, Terrell County, January 20, 1848 on the plantation of Judge Williams. Judge Williams owned 102 heads of slaves and was known to be “tolable nice to ’em in some way and pretty rough on ’em in other ways” says Mr. Gantling. “He would’nt gi’ us no coffee, ‘cept on Sunday Mornings when we would have shorts or seconds of wheat, which is de leavins’ of flour at mills, yu’ know, but we had plenty bacon, corn bread, taters and peas. “As … Read more

Slave Narrative of Duncan Gaines

Interviewer: Pearl Randolph Person Interviewed: Duncan Gaines Location: Madison, Florida Age: 83? Occupation: Field Worker Duncan Gaines, the son of George and Martha Gaines was born on a plantation in Virginia on March 12, 1853. He was one of four children, all fortunate enough to remain with their parents until maturity. They were sold many times, but Duncan Gaines best remembers the master who was known as “old man Beever.” On this plantation were about 50 slaves, who toiled all day in the cotton and tobacco fields and came home at dusk to cook their meals of corn pone, collards … Read more

Slave Narrative of Rose Adway

Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden Person Interviewed: Rose Adway Location: 405 W. Pullen, Pine Bluff, Arkansas Age: 76 Occupation: Farmed “I was born three years ‘fore surrender. That’s what my people told me. Born in Mississippi. Let me see what county I come out of. Smith County—that’s where I was bred and born. “I know I seen the Yankees but I didn’t know what they was. My mama and papa and all of ’em talked about the War. “My papa was a water toter in durin’ the War. No, he didn’t serve the army—just on the farm. “Mama was the cook … Read more

Slave Narrative of Laura Abromsom

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Laura Abromson, R. F. D. Location: Holly Grove, Arkansas (receives mail at Clarendon, Arkansas) Age: 74 “My mama was named Eloise Rogers. She was born in Missouri. She was sold and brought to three or four miles from Brownsville, Tennessee. Alex Rogers bought her and my papa. She had been a house girl and well cared for. She never got in contact wid her folks no more after she was sold. She was a dark woman. Papa was a ginger cake colored man. Mama talked like Alex Rogers had four or five hundred acres … Read more

Slave Narrative of Josephine Ames

Interviewer: Parnella Anderson Subject: Early Days in Caledonia—Early days in El Dorado Ah wuz bo’n de first year niggers wuz free. Wuz born in Caledonia at de Primm place. Mah ma belonged tuh George Thompson. After mah ma died ah stayed wid de Wommacks, a while. Aftuh dat mah pa taken me home. Pa’s name wuz Jesse Flueur. Ah worked lak er slave. Ah cut wood, sawed logs, picked 400 pounds uv cotton evah day. Ah speck ah married de first time ah wuz about fo’teen years ole. Ah been mahrid three times. All mah husband’s is daid. Ole man … Read more

Slave Narrative of Lucindy Allison

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Lucindy Allison Location: Marked Tree, Arkansas (with children at Biscoe, Arkansas) Age: 61 “Ma was a slave in Arkansas. She said she helped grade a hill and help pile up a road between Wicksburg and Wynne. They couldn’t put the road over the hill, so they put all the slaves about to grade it down. They don’t use the road but it’s still there to show for itself. “She was a tall rawbony woman. Ma was a Hillis and pa’s name was Adam Hillis. He learned to trap in slavery and after freedom he … Read more

Slave Narrative of Ed Allen

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Ed Allen Location: Des Arc, Ark. “I know that after freedom they took care of my pa and ma and give em a home long as they lived. Ma died wid young mistress here in Des Arc. “The present generation is going to the bad. Have dealings wid em, not good to you. Young folks ain’t nice to you like they used to be. “White boys and colored boys, whole crowd of us used to go in the river down here all together, one got in danger help him out. They don’t do it … Read more

Slave Narrative of Lucretia Alexander

Interviewer: Samuel S. Taylor Person Interviewed: Lucretia Alexander Location: 1708 High Street, Little Rock, Arkansas Age: 89 Occupation: Washed. Ironed. Plowed. Hoed “I been married three times and my last name was Lucretia Alexander. I was twelve years old when the War began. My mother died at seventy-three or seventy-five. That was in August 1865—August the ninth. She was buried August twelfth. The reason they kept her was they had refugeed her children off to different places to keep them from the Yankees. They couldn’t get them back. My mother and her children were heir property. Her first master was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Fannie Alexander

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Fannie Alexander Location: Helena, Arkansas Age: 62 Occupation: Teacher “I was an orphant child. My mother-in-law told me during slavery she was a field hand. One day the overseer was going to whoop one of the women ’bout sompin or other and all the women started with the hoes to him and run him clear out of the field. They would killed him if he hadn’t got out of the way. She said the master hadn’t put a overseer over them for a long time. Some of ’em wouldn’t do their part and he … Read more