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: Sue Higgins Person Interviewed: Harriet Mason Location: Garrard County, Kentucky Age: 100 Story of Aunt Harriet Mason age 100-a slave girl: “When I was seven years old my missis took me to Bourbon County, when we got to Lexington I tried to run off and go back to Bryantsville to see my mammy. Mas’r […]
Interviewer: Anna Pritchett Person Interviewed: Harriet Cheatam Location: Indiana Place of Birth: Gallatin, Tennessee Date of Birth: December 25, 1843 Age: 94 Place of Residence: 816 Darnell Street Federal Writers’ Project of the W.P.A. District #8 Marion County Anna Pritchett 1200 Kentucky Avenue FOLKLORE MRS. HARRIET CHEATAM-EX-SLAVE 816 Darnell Street Interviewer’s Comment Incidents in the
Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Harriet Ann Daves Location: 601 E. Cabarrus Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: June 6, 1856 My full name is Harriet Ann Daves, I like to be called Harriet Ann. If my mother called me when she was living, I didn’t want to answer her unless she called
Person Interviewed: Hannah McFarland Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Georgetown, South Carolina Date of Birth: February 29, 1853 Age: 85 I was born in Georgetown, South Carolina, February 29, 1853. My father was name James Gainey and my mother was name Katie Gainey. There was three chillun born to my folks doing slavery.
Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Hannah Crasson Location: North Carolina Location of Birth: Wake County NC Age: 84 My name is Hannah Crasson. I wuz born on John William Walton’s plantation 4 miles from Garner and 13 miles from Raleigh, N. C. in the County of Wake. I am 84 years ole the 2nd
Interviewer: Minnie B. Ross Person Interviewed: Hannah Austin Location: Georgia Age: 70-75 When the writer was presented to Mrs. Hannah Austin she was immediately impressed with her alert youthful appearance. Mrs. Austin is well preserved for her age and speaks clearly and with much intelligence. The interview was a brief but interesting one. This was
Person Interviewed: Hamp Kennedy Location: Mississippi Age: 78 Uncle Hamp Kennedy, a farmer, 78 years old, weighs about 135 pounds, and is about 5 feet 9 inches high. His head is bald with a little gray fuzz over his ears and growing low toward the nape of his neck. He does not wear spectacles nor
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.
Interviewer: Albert Strope Person Interviewed: Rev. H. H. Edmunds Location: Elkhart, Indiana Place of Birth: Lynchburg, Virginia Date of Birth: 1859 Place of Residence: 403 West Hickory Street Elkhart, Indiana Albert Strope, Field Worker Federal Writers’ Project St. Joseph County-District #1 Mishawaka, Indiana EX-SLAVE REV. H.H. EDMUNDS 403 West Hickory Street Elkhart, Indiana Rev. H.H.
Person Interviewed: Gus Clark Location: Howison, Mississippi Place of Birth: Richmond, Virginia Age: (about) 85 Uncle Gus Clark and his aged wife live in a poverty-stricken deserted village about an eighth of a mile east of Howison. Their old mill cabin, a relic of a forgotten lumber industry, is tumbling down. They received direct relief
Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Georgianna Foster Location: 1308 Poole Road, Route #2., Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: 1861 I wus born in 1861. I jes’ can ‘member de Yankees comin’ through, but I ‘members dere wus a lot of ’em wearin’ blue clothes. I wus born at Kerney Upchurch’s plantation twelve miles from
Interviewer: Mrs. Sadie Hornsby Person Interviewed: Georgia Baker Location: Athens, Georgia Georgia’s address proved to be the home of her daughter, Ida Baker. The clean-swept walks of the small yard were brightened by borders of gay colored zinnias and marigolds in front of the drab looking two-story, frame house. “Come in,” answered Ida, in response
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
Interviewer: Lauana Creel Person Interviewed: Dr. George Washington Buckner Location: Evansville, Indiana Date of Birth: December 1st, 1852 Ex-Slave Stories District #5 Vanderburgh County Lauana Creel A SLAVE, AMBASSADOR AND CITY DOCTOR [DR. GEORGE WASHINGTON BUCKNER] This paper was prepared after several interviews had been obtained with the subject of this sketch. Dr. George Washingtin
Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: George W. Harris Location: 604 E Cabarrus Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: November 25, 1855 Age: 82 Hey, don’t go ‘roun’ dat post gitting it ‘tween you and me, it’s bad luck. Don’t you know it’s bad luck? Don’t want no more bad luck den what I’se
Interviewer: Lauana Creel Person Interviewed: George W. Arnold Location: Evansville, Indiana Place of Birth: Bedford County, Tennessee Date of Birth: April 7, 1861 Occupation: porter in a wholesale feed store This is written from an interview with each of the following: George W. Arnold, Professor W.S. Best of the Lincoln High School and Samuel Bell,
Interviewer: William R. Mays Person Interviewed: George Thompson Location: Franklin, Indiana Place of Birth: Monroe County, Kentucky Date of Birth: Oct. 8, 1854 Place of Residence: 651 North Young St., Franklin, Indiana William R. Mays Dist. No. 4 Johnson Co. Aug. 2, 1937 SLAVERY DAYS OF GEORGE THOMPSON My name is George Thompson, I was
Interviewer: Lauana Creel Person Interviewed: George Taylor Burns Location: Evansville, Indiana Ex-Slave Stories District #5 Vanderburgh County Lauana Creel THE LIFE STORY OF GEORGE TAYLOR BURNS [HW: Personal Interview] Ox-carts and flat boats, and pioneer surroundings; crowds of men and women crowding to the rails of river steamboats; gay ladies in holiday attire and gentleman
Interviewer: L. Cherry Person Interviewed: George Scruggs Location: Calloway County, Kentucky Place of Birth: Murray, Kentucky Story of Uncle George Scruggs, a colored slave: I wuz a slave befo de wa. My boss, de man dat I b’long to, wuz Ole Man Vol Scruggs. He wuz a race hoss man. He had a colod boy
Interviewer: Viola B. Muse Person Interviewed: George Pretty Location: Vero Beach and Gifford, Florida Age: 84 George Pretty of Vero Beach and Gifford, Florida, was born a free man, at Altoona, Pennsylvania, January 30, 1852. His father Isaac Pretty was also free born. His maternal grand-father Alec McCoy and his paternal grand-father George Pretty were
