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 Cecelia Chappel

Person Interviewed: Cecelia Chappel Location: Nashville, Tennessee Place of Birth: Marshall County, Tennessee Age: 102 Place of Residence: 705 Allison Street, Nashville, Tenn. “I’se bawn in Marshall County, Tennessee. I’m de olest ob ten chilluns en I’se 102 ya’rs ole. I feels lak I’se bin ‘yer longer dan dat. Mah mammy wuz brought ter Nashville en sold ter sum peeple dat tuck her ter Mississippi ter live.” “Mah Marster en Missus wuz named Bob en Nancy Lord. Eve’y slave had ter say Missus en Marster en also ter de white babies. I still says hit, en ef I kum ter … Read more

Slave Narrative of Catherine Slim

Interviewer: Bishop & Isleman Person Interviewed: Catherine Slim Location: Steubenville, Ohio Place of Birth: Rockingham, Virginia Age: 87 Place of Residence: 939 N. 6th St., Steubenville, Ohio WPA in Ohio Federal Writers’ Project Bishop & Isleman Jun 9, 1937 Topic: Ex-Slaves Jefferson County, District #2 MRS. CATHERINE SLIM Ex-slave, 87 years, 939 N. 6th St., Steubenville I wuz born in Rockingham, Virginny; a beautiful place where I cum from. My age is en de courthouse, Harrisonburg, Virginny. I dunno de date of my birth, our massa’s wouldn’t tell us our age. My mother’s name wuz Sally. She wuz a colored … Read more

Slave Narrative of Carrie Nancy Fryer

Interviewer: Miss Maude Barregan Person Interviewed: Carrie Nancy Fryer Location: Augusta, Georgia Age: 72 An angular, red-skinned old Negro women was treading heavily down the dusty sidewalk, leaning on a gnarled stick and talking to a little black girl. A “sundown” hat shaded a bony face of typical Indian cast and her red skin was stretched so tight over high cheek bones that few wrinkles showed. “Auntie,” she was asked, “have you time to tell me something about slavery times?” “No’m, I sorry,” she answered, “but I gwine to see a sick lady now, and I gots to ‘tend to … Read more

Slave Narrative of Carrie Bradley Logan Bennett

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Carrie Bradley Logan Bennett Age: 79 plus Location: Helena, Arkansas “I was born not a great piece from Mobile but it was in Mississippi in the country. My mother b’long to Massa Tom Logan. He was a horse trader. He got drowned in 1863—durin’ of the War, the old war. His wife was Miss Liza Jane. They had several children and some gone from home I jus’ seed when they be on visits home. The ones at home I can recollect was Tiney, John, Bill, and Alex. I played wid Tiney and nursed Bill … Read more

Slave Narrative of Caroline Hammond

Interviewer: Rogers Person Interviewed: Caroline Hammond Location: Baltimore, Maryland Place of Birth: Anne Arundel County MD Date of Birth: 1844 Place of Residence: 4710 Road, Baltimore, MD Interview at her home, 4710 Falls Road, Baltimore, Md. “I was born in Anne Arundel County near Davidsonville about 3 miles from South River in the year 1844. The daughter of a free man and a slave woman, who was owned by Thomas Davidson, a slave owner and farmer of Anne Arundel. He had a large farm and about 25 slaves on his farm all of whom lived in small huts with the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Carl Boone

Interviewer: Robert C. IrvinPerson Interviewed: Carl BooneLocation: Anderson, IndianaPlace of Birth: Marion County, KentuckDate of Birth: 1850Place of Residence: 801 West 13th Street, Anderson, Madison County, Indiana Submitted by: Robert C. Irvin District No. 2 Noblesville, Ind. SLAVES IN MADISON COUNTY CARL BOONE Anderson, Indiana This is a story of slavery, told by Carl Boone about his father, his mother and himself. Carl is the last of eighteen children born to Mrs. Stephen Boone, in Marion County, Kentucky, Sept. 15, 1850. He now resides with his children at 801 West 13th Street, Anderson, Madison County, Indiana. At the ripe old … Read more

Slave Narrative of Candus Richardson

Interviewer: Harry Jackson Person Interviewed: Candus Richardson Location: Indiana Place of Residence: 2710 Boulevard Place Age: 90 Federal Writers’ Project of the W.P.A. District #6 Marion County Harry Jackson EX SLAVE STORY MRS. CANDUS RICHARDSON [HW: Personal Interview] Mrs. Candus Richardson, of 2710 Boulevard Place, was 18 years of age when the Civil War was over. She was borned a slave on Jim Scott’s plantation on the “Homer Chitter river” in Franklin county, Mississippi. Scott was the heir of “Old Jake Scott”. “Old Jim Scott” had about fifty slaves, who raised crops, cotton, tobacco, and hogs. Candus cooked for Scott … Read more

Slave Narrative of Callie Elder

Interviewer: Sadie B. Hornsby Person Interviewed: Callie Elder Location: Athens, Georgia Callie lives with her daughter, Cornelia, in a 6-room house near the crest of a hill. Their abode is a short distance from the street and is reached by steep stone steps. In response to the call for Callie, a tall mulatto woman appeared. Her crudely fashioned blue dress was of a coarse cotton fabric and her dingy head rag had long lost its original color. Straight black hair, streaked with gray, and high cheek bones gave the impression that in her ancestry of mixed races, Indian characteristics predominate. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Callie Bracey

Interviewer: Anna Pritchett Person Interviewed: Callie Bracey Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Place of Residence: 414 Blake Street Federal Writers’ Project of the W.P.A. District #6 Marion County Anna Pritchett 1200 Kentucky Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana FOLKLORE MRS. CALLIE BRACEY-DAUGHTER [of Louise Terrell] 414 Blake Street Mrs. Callie Bracey’s mother, Louise Terrell, was bought, when a child, by Andy Ramblet, a farmer, near Jackson, Miss. She had to work very hard in the fields from early morning until as late in the evening, as they could possibly see. No matter how hard she had worked all day after coming in from the field, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Boston Blackwell

Interviewer: Beaulah Sherwood Hagg Person Interviewed: Boston Blackwell Age: 98 Location: 320 Plum, North Little Rock, Arkansas Make yourself comfoble, miss. I can’t see you much ’cause my eyes, they is dim. My voice, it kinder dim too. I knows my age, good. Old Miss, she told me when I got sold—”Boss, you is 13—borned Christmas. Be sure to tell your new misses and she put you down in her book.” My borned name was Pruitt ’cause I got borned on Robert Pruitt’s plantation in Georgia,—Franklin County, Georgia. But Blackwell, it my freed name. You see, miss, after my mammy … 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 Bob Young

Interviewer: Caldwell Sims Person Interviewed: Bob Young Date of Interview: November 10, 1937 Location: Jonesville, South Carolina Date of Birth: March 15, 1862 Age: 75? “March 15, 1862 is de date I allus takes when folks axes how old is you. Dat’s de best, to follow one date, den no argument don’t follow. “Some see’d it powerful hard in slavery, others never see’d it so bad. Dat ‘pends on you a lot, den it ‘pends on dem dat you stays wid. It still like dat everywhar dat I is been, but I ain’t been no further dan Spartanburg gwine north, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bob Maynard

Person Interviewed: Bob Maynard Location: 23 East Choctaw, Weleetka, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Marlin, Texas, Falls County Age: 79 I was born near what is now Marlin, Texas, Falls County. My father was Robert Maynard and my mother was Chanie Maynard, both born slaves. Our Master, Gerard Branum, was a very old man and wore long white whiskers. He sho’ was a fine built man, and walked straight and tall like a young man. I was too little to do much work so my job was to carry the key basket for old Mistress. I sho’ was proud of that … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bob Benford

Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden Person Interviewed: Bob Benford Age: 79 Location: 209 N. Maple Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas “Slavery-time folks? Here’s one of em. Near as I can get at it, I’se seventy-nine. I was born in Alabama. My white folks said I come from Perry County, Alabama, but I come here to this Arkansas country when I was small. “My old master was Jim Ad Benford. He was good to us. I’m goin’ to tell you we was better off then than now. Yes ma’am, they treated us right. We didn’t have to worry bout payin’ the doctor and … Read more

Slave Narrative of Blount Baker

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Blount Baker Location: 106 Spruce Street, Wilson, North Carolina An interview with Blount Baker, 106 Spruce Street, Wilson, North Carolina. Yes’um, I ‘longed ter Marse Henry Allen of Wilson County an’ we always raise terbacker. Marse Henry wus good ter us so we had a heap of prayer meetin’s an’ corn shuckin’s an’ such. I ‘members de big meetin’s dat we’d have in de summer time an’ dat good singin’ we’d have when we’d be singin’ de sinners through. We’d stay pretty nigh all night to make a sinner come through, an’ maybe de … Read more

Slave Narrative of Billy Slaughter

Interviewer: Beulah Van Meter Person Interviewed: Billy Slaughter Location: Jeffersonville, Indiana Place of Birth: Kentucky Date of Birth: Sept. 15, 1858 Beulah Van Meter District 4 Clark County BILLY SLAUGHTER 1123 Watt St. Jeffersonville Billy Slaughter was born Sept. 15, 1858, on the Lincoln Farm near Hodgenville, Ky. The Slaughters who now live between the Dixie Highway and Hodgenville on the right of the road driving toward Hodgenville about four miles off the state highway are the descendants of the old slave’s master. This old slave was sold once and was given away once before he was given his freedom. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bill Williams

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Bill Williams Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Age: 82 Bill Williams lives on the Durham place, nine miles east of Winnsboro, S.C., on the warm charity of Mr. Arthur M. Owens, the present owner. He is decrepit and unable to work. “I was born a slave of old Marster John Durham, on a plantation ’bout five miles east of Blackstock, S.C. My mistress name Margaret. Deir chillun was Miss Cynthia, Marse Johnnie, Marse Willie and Marse Charnel. I forgits de others. Then, when young Marse Johnnie marry Miss Minnie Mobley, my mammy, Kizzie, my daddy, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bill Crump

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Bill Crump Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 82 I reckon dat I wus borned in Davidson County on de plantation of Mr. Whitman Smith, my mammy’s marster. My daddy wus named Tom an’ he ‘longed ter Mr. Ben Murry fust an’ later ter Mr. Jimmy Crump. Daddy wus named atter his young marster. Dey lived in Randolph, de county next ter Davidson whar me mammy an’ de rest of de chilluns, Alt, George, Harriet, Sarah, Mary an’ de baby libed. Both of de marsters wus good ter us, an’ dar wus plenty ter eat … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bill Austin

Interviewer: Martin Richardson Person Interviewed: Bill Austin Location: Greenwood, Florida Bill Austin – he says his name is NOT Williams – is an ex-slave who gained his freedom because his mistress found it more advantageous to free him than to watch him. Austin lives near Greenwood, Jackson County, Florida, on a small farm that he and his children operate. He says that he does not know his age, does not remember ever having heard it. But he must be pretty old, he says, “cause I was a right smart size when Mistuh Smith went off to fight.” He thinks he … Read more

Slave Narrative of Betty Robertson

Person Interviewed: Betty Robertson Location: Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Age: 93 I was born close to Webbers Falls, in the Canadian District of the Cherokee Nation, in the same year that my pappy was blowed up and killed in the big boat accident that killed my old Master. I never did see my daddy excepting when I was a baby and I only know what my mammy told me about him. He come from across the water when he was a little boy, and was grown when old Master Joseph Vann bought him, so he never did learn to talk much … Read more