Federal Writers’ Project. WPA Slave Narratives. Web. 2007-2024. The WPA Slave Narratives must be used with care. There is, of course, the problem of confusion in memory resulting from (73+ years) of the participants. In addition, inexperienced interviewers sometimes pursued question lines related to their own interests and perspectives and attempted to capture the colloquialism of the informant’s speech. The interviews provide fascinating insight and surprisingly candid information, however.
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 […]
Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Jerry Hinton Location: North Carolina Date of Birth: February, 1855 Place of Birth: Wake County, NC My full name is Jerry Hinton. I wus borned in February, 1855. I am not able ter work. I work all I can. I am trying ter do de best I can ter
Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Jerry Davis Location: 228 E. South Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Place of Birth: Warren County NC Age: 74 Jerry Davis Ex-Slave Story and Folk Tale An interview with Jerry Davis 74 of 228 E. South Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. I wus borned in Warren County ter Mataldia an’ Jordan
Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Jennylin Dunn Location: 315 Bledsoe Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina Place of Birth: Wake County NC Age: 87 Ex-Slave Story An interview with Jennylin Dunn 87, of 315 Bledsoe Avenue, Raleigh, N. C. I wuz borned hyar in Wake County eighty-seben years ago. Me an’ my folks an’ bout six
Interviewer: Perry Larkey Person Interviewed: Jenny McKee Location: London, Kentucky Age: (about) 85 Mrs. Jenny McKee, of color, who lives just North of London can tell many interesting things of her life. “Aunt Jenny” as she is called, is about eighty-five years of age, and says she thinks she is older than that as she
Person Interviewed: Jenny Greer Location: Nashville, Tennessee Place of Birth: Florence, Alabama Age: 84 Place of Residence: 706 Overton Street, Nashville, Tennessee “Am 84 y’ars ole en wuz bawn in Florence, Alabama, ’bout seben miles fum town. Wuz bawn on de Collier plantashun en Marster en Missis wuz James en Jeanette Collier. Mah daddy en
Interviewer: Rev. Edward Knox Person Interviewed: Jennie Small Location: Ohio Place of Birth: Pocohontas County, Virginia Age: 80+ INTERVIEW OF EX-SLAVE FROM VIRGINIA Reported by Rev. Edward Knox Jun. 9, 1937 Topic: Ex-slaves Guernsey County, District #2 JENNIE SMALL Ex-slave, over 80 years of age I was born in Pocahontas County, Virginia in the drab
Jennie Colder was born in Georgia on Blatches’ settlement. “Blatches, he kep’s big hotel, too and he kep’ “right smart” slaves. By the time I was old enough to remember anything we was all’ free, but we worked hard. My father and mother died on the settlement. “I picked cotton, shucked cotton, pulled fodder and
Interviewer: Samuel S. Taylor Person Interviewed: Jeff Bailey Location: 713 W. Ninth Street, Little Rock, Arkansas Age: 76 or 77 Occupation: Hostler [HW: A Hostler’s Story] “I was born in Monticello. I was raised there. Then I came up to Pine Bluff and stayed there thirty-two years. Then I came up here and been here
Interviewer: Grace McCune Person Interviewed: Jasper Battle Location: 112 Berry St., Athens, Georgia Age: 80 The shade of the large water oaks in Jasper’s yard was a welcome sight when the interviewer completed the long walk to the old Negro’s place in the sweltering heat of a sunny July afternoon. The old house appeared to
Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Jane Wilson Date of Interview: June 9, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina Age: 77 “I am daughter of Billy Robertson and Louisa Robertson; was born about 77 years ago in Newberry, on Marse Job Johnstone’s place. My father lived with Judge Job Johnstone as his extra man or servant.
Person Interviewed: Jane Sutton Location: Gulfport, Mississippi Place of Birth: Simpson County MS Age: 84 Jane Sutton, ex-slave, is 84 years old. She is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. She is what the Negroes themselves call a “brown-skin.” “I was born in Simpson County, near old Westville, on a big farm
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
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.
Interviewer: Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Jane Birch Age: 74 Location: Brinkley, Arkansas “I was three years old when the Yankees come through. I can’t recollect a thing about them. Ma told us children if we don’t be quiet the Ku Kluck come take us clean off but I never seed none. When we be working
Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Jane Arrington Location: 301 Fowle Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: December 18, 1852 Age: 84 I ort to be able to tell sumpin cause I wus twelve years old when dey had de surrender right up here in Raleigh. If I live to see dis coming December
Person Interviewed: James Wiggins Location: Baltimore, Maryland Place of Birth: Anne Arundel County MD Date of Birth: 1850-1851 Place of Residence: 625 Barre St. Reference: Personal interview with James Wiggins, ex-slave, at his home, 625 Barre St. “I was born in Anne Arundel County, on a farm near West River about 1850 or 1851, I
Interviewer: Rogers Person Interviewed: James V. Deane Date of Interview: Sept. 1937 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Place of Residence: 1514 Druid Hill Ave., Baltimore, Maryland Place of Birth: Charles County MD Place of Birth: May 20, 1850 Reference: Personal interview with James V. Deane, ex-slave, on Sept. 20, 1937, at his home, 1514 Druid Hill Ave.,
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
Person Interviewed: Rev. James Singleton Location: Mississippi Date of Birth: 1856 “My name’s James Singleton. I’se a Baptist preacher. I was born in 1856, but I doan know zactly what date. My mammy was Harr’et Thompson. Her marster was Marse Daniel Thompson over in Simpson County on Strong River at a place called Westville. My
