Slave Narratives

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.

Slave Narrative of Emma Blalock

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Emma Blalock Location: 529 Bannon Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 88 I shore do ‘member de Yankees wid dere blue uniforms wid brass buttons on ’em. I wus too small to work any but I played in de yard wid my oldes’ sister, Katie. She is dead long ago. My mother belonged to ole man John Griffith an’ I belonged to him. His plantation wus down here at Auburn in Wake County. My father wus named Edmund Rand. He belonged to Mr. Nat Rand. He lived in Auburn. De plantations wus not fur apart. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Emma Barr

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Emma Barr Location: Madison, Arkansas Age: 65 Occupation: Nursed, Farmed “My parents belong to two people. Mama was born in Mississippi I think and papa come from North Carolina. Papa’s master was Lark Hickerson. Mama was sold from Dr. Ware to Dr. Pope. She was grown when she was sold. She was the mother of twenty-seven children. She had twins three times. “During the Civil War she was run from the Yankees and had twins on the road. They died or was born dead and she nearly died. They was buried between twin trees … Read more

Slave Narrative of Elsie Pryor

The first Mistis I remember was named Mary Ellis, she was part Choctaw Indian. I don’t remember ole Marster at all. When ole Miss’s daughter got married, ole Miss give her a little nigger girl. That was me an’ when I was a little thing, too. I don’t remember who young Miss married. They didn’t tell little niggers nothin’, we just found out what we could and din’t pay much tention to that. An’ not much ‘tention to what we saw. We was jes like little varmints. They’d cut arm holes and head holes in croker sacks and tell us … Read more

Slave Narrative of Elphas P. Hylton

LAWRENCE CO. (Edna Lane Carter) Extract from the Civil War diary kept by Elphas P. Hylton, a Lawrence Co. volunteer in the Union Army. “On 17th of July (1864) I was detailed for picket duty and saw three thousand negro soldiers on a grand review, a black cloud to see. On the 18th I was relieved of duty. Here I became dissatisfied as a soldier on account of the negro, negro, negro. On the 23rd we began to get ready to leave this negro hole and on the 24th, to our great joy and gladness, we were sent into camp … Read more

Slave Narrative of Ellis Ken Kannon

Person Interviewed: Ellis Ken Kannon Location: Nashville, Tennessee Place of Residence: 318 5th Avenue N., St. Mary’s Church, Nashville, Tennessee “I dunno jes how ole I ez. I wuz bawn in Tennessee as a slave. Mah mammy kum frum Virginia. Our marster wuz Ken Kannon.” “Our Mistress wouldn’t let us slaves be whup’d but I member mah daddy tellin’ ’bout de Overseer whuppin’ ‘im en he run ‘way en hid in a log. He tho’t de blood hounds, he heered ’bout a half mile ‘way, on his trail could heer ‘im breathe but de hounds nebber fin’ ‘im. Atter de … Read more

Slave Narrative of Ellen Swindler

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Ellen Swindler Date of Interview: May 20, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina Place of Birth: Newberry County SC “I was born on the Enoree River in Newberry County. Tom Price was my master. I married Nathan Swindler when I was about grown. My father and mother was Dave and Lucy Coleman. I had a brother and several sisters. We children had to work around the home of our master ’till we was old enough to work in de fields, den we would hoe and pick cotton, and do any kinds of field work. We … Read more

Slave Narrative of Ellen Renwick

Interviewer: Mr. G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Ellen Renwick Location: Newberry, South Carolina Folk-Lore: Ex-Slaves “I was born on Capt. John P. Kinard’s place. My mammy and pa was Lucy and Eph Kinard who belonged to Marse Kinard. Marse Kinard was good to his slaves—didn’t whip them much. He whipped me a little. When I was a little girl I slept in the big house in the room with my mistress and her husband, and waited on them. I worked when I got old enough, in the field, and anywhere around. When I wouldn’t work good, my mammy whipped me … Read more

Slave Narrative of Ellen Claibourn

Interviewer: Mrs. Margaret Johnson Person Interviewed: Ellen Claibourn Location: Augusta, Georgia Ellen was born August 19, 1852, on the plantation of Mr. Hezie Boyd in Columbia County, her father being owned by Mr. Hamilton on an adjoining plantation. She remembers being given, at the age of seven, to her young mistress, Elizabeth, who afterward was married to Mr. Gabe Hendricks. At her new home she served as maid, and later as nurse. The dignity of her position as house servant has clung to her through the years, forming her speech in a precision unusual in her race. “I ‘member all … Read more

Slave Narrative of Ellen Cave

Interviewer: Grace Monroe Person Interviewed: Ellen Cave Location: Rising Sun, Indiana Place of Birth: Taylor County Kentucky Grace Monroe Dist. 4 Jefferson County SLAVE STORY OHIO COUNTY EX-SLAVE, MRS. ELLEN CAVE, RELATES HER EXPERIENCES Assistant editor of “The Rising Sun Recorder” furnished the following story which had appeared in the paper, March 19, 1937. Mrs. Cave was in slavery for twelve years before she was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. When she gave her story to Aubrey Robinson she was living in a temporary garage home back of the Rising Sun courthouse having lost everything in the 1937 flood. Mrs. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Elizabeth Alexander

Interviewer: Cecelia Laswell Person Interviewed: Elizabeth Alexander Location: Davies County, Kentucky Place of Residence: Frederica St. The following is a very old Negro sermon I found in an old scrap book dated 1839, belonging to Mrs. Elizabeth Alexander, Frederica St. She says she has heard her family refer to parts of it at different time in her early life and supposed that the negro preacher belonged to her people. Quote: Mine deerly fren: Ub dar’s wun ting wot de Lord abominerates worser nor anudder; it is a wicked nigger! A wicked wite man’s bad snuff, dur Lord nose! but dey … Read more

Slave Narrative of Eliza Whitmire

Person Interviewed: Eliza Whitmire Location: Vinita, Oklahoma Date of Birth: 1833 Age: 102 My name is Eliza Whitmire. I live on a farm, near Estella, where I settled shortly after the Civil War and where I have lived ever since. I was born in slavery in the state of Georgia, my parents having belonged to a Cherokee Indian of the name of George Sanders, who owned a large plantation in the old Cherokee Nation, in Georgia. He also owned a large number of slaves but I was too young to remember how many he owned. I do not know the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Eliza Scantling

Interviewer: Phoebe Faucette Person Interviewed: Eliza Scantling Location: Scotia, South Carolina Age: 87 “If you wants to know about de slavery times,” said old Aunt Eliza, “you’se sure come to de right person; ’cause I wuz right dere.” The statement was easy to believe; for old Aunt Eliza’s wrinkled face and stiff, bent form bore testimony to the fact that she had been here for many a year. As she sat one cold afternoon in December before her fire of fat lightwood knots, in her one-room cabin, she quickly went back to her childhood days. Her cabin walls and floor … 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 Elbert Hunter

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Elbert Hunter Date of Interview: May 19, 1937 Location: Method, North Carolina Date of Birth: 1844 Age: 93 I wuz borned eight miles from Raleigh on de plantation of Mr. Jacob Hunter in 1844. My parents were Stroud and Lucy an’ my brothers wuz Tom, Jeems an’ Henderson. I had three sisters who wuz named Caroline, Emiline an’ Ann. Massa Hunter wuz good to us, an’ young Massa Knox wuz good too. My mammy wuz de cook an’ my pappy wuz a field hand. Massa ain’t ‘lowed no patterollers on his place, but one … Read more

Slave Narrative of Edward Lycurgas

Interviewer: Pearl Randolph Person Interviewed: Edward Lycurgas Location: Jacksonville, Florida “Pap tell us ‘nother story ’bout do war and ’bout de fust time you saw mamma.” It has been almost 60 years since a group of children gathered about their father’s knee, clamoring for another story. They listened round-eyed to stories they already knew because “pap” had told them so many times before. These narratives along with the great changes he has seen, were carefully recorded in the mind of Edward, the only one of this group now alive. “Pap” was always ready to oblige with the story they never … Read more

Slave Narrative of Edna Boysaw

Interviewer: Walter R. Harris Person Interviewed: Edna Boysaw Location: Brazil, Indiana Age: (about) 87 Special Assignment Walter R. Harris District #3 Clay County LIFE STORY OF EX-SLAVE MRS. EDNA BOYSAW Mrs. Boysaw has been a citizen of this community about sixty-five years. She resides on a small farm, two miles east of Brazil on what is known as the Pinkley Street Road. This has been her home for the past forty years. Her youngest son and the son of one of her daughters lives with her. She is still very active, doing her housework and other chores about the farm. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Edd Shirley

Interviewer: Lenneth Jones Person Interviewed: Edd Shirley Location: Kentucky Age: 97 Occupation:  Janitor Monroe County. Folklore. (Lenneth Jones-242) [HW: Essay] Uncle Edd Shirley (97): Janitor at Tompkinsville Drug Co. and Hospital, Tompkinsville, Ky. [TR: Information moved from bottom of page.] Slaves: I am 97 years old and am still working as janitor and support my family. My father was a white man and my mother was a colored lady. I was owned three different times, or rather was sold to three different families. I was first owned by the Waldens; then I was sold to a man by the name of … 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 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 Easter Sudie Campbell

Interviewer: Mamie Hanbery Person Interviewed: Easter Sudie Campbell Location: Hopkinsville, Kentucky Place of Residence: Princeton, Caldwell Co., Kentucky Age: 72 Place of Residence: Webber St., Hopkinsville, Ky CHRISTIAN CO. (Mamie Hanbery) [HW: Ky 3] Story of Easter Sudie Campbell, (age about 72, Webber St., Hopkinsville, Ky.) Born in Princeton, Caldwell Co., Kentucky, her parents were slaves, the property of Will and Martha Grooms of Princeton. Aunt Easter as she is called has followed the profession of a mid-wife for forty years. She is still active and works at present among the negroes of Hopkinsville. “Yes, sho, I make my own … Read more