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 Betty Jones

Interviewer: Lauana Creel Person Interviewed: Elizabeth Jones Location: 429 Oak Street, Evansville, Indiana Ex-Slave Stories District No. 5 Vanderburgh County Lauana Creel THE STORY OF BETTY JONES 429 Oak Street, Evansville, Ind. From an Interview with Elizabeth Jones at 429 Oak Street, Evansville, Ind. “Yes Honey, I was a slave, I was born at Henderson, Kentucky and my mother was born there. We belonged to old Mars John Alvis. Our home was on Alvis’s Hill and a long plank walk had been built from the bank of the Ohio river to the Alvis home. We all liked the long plank … Read more

Slave Narrative of Betty Guwn

Interviewer: William Webb Tuttle Person Interviewed: Betty Guwn Location: Muncie, Indiana Place of Birth: Kentucky Date of Birth: March 25, 1832 Place of Residence: 1101 East Second Street Muncie, Indiana Submitted by: William Webb Tuttle District No. 2 Muncie, Indiana NEGRO SLAVES IN DELAWARE COUNTY MRS. BETTY GUWN MRS. HATTIE CASH, DAUGHTER, residing at 1101 East Second Street Muncie, Indiana Mrs. Betty Guwn was born March 25, 1832, as a slave on a tobacco plantation, near Canton, Kentucky. It was a large plantation whose second largest product was corn. She was married while quite young by the slave method which … Read more

Slave Narrative of Betty Foreman Chessier

Person Interviewed: Betty Foreman Chessier Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: July 11, 1843 Age: 94 I was born July 11, 1843 in Raleigh, N. C. My mother was named Melinda Manley, the slave of Governor Manley of North Carolina, and my father was named Arnold Foreman, slave of Bob and John Foreman, two young masters. They come over from Arkansas to visit my master and my pappy and mammy met and got married, ‘though my pappy only seen my mammy in the summer when his masters come to visit our master and … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bettie Suber

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Bettie Suber Date of Interview: May 18, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina Place of Birth: Newberry County, SC “I was born near old Bush River Baptist Church in Newberry County, S.C. This was the white folks’ church, but the colored folks have a Bush River church in that section now. I was grown when the war started. I was a slave of Bonny Floyd. He was a good man who owned several slaves and a big farm. I was the house-girl then, and waited on the table and helped around the house. I was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bert Mayfield

Interviewer: Eliza Ison Person Interviewed: Bert Mayfield Location: Lancaster, Kentucky Place of Birth: Garrard County KY Date of Birth: May 29, 1852 Garrard County. Ex-Slave Stories. (Eliza Ison) Interview with Bert Mayfield: Bert Mayfield was born in Garrard County, May 29, 1852, two miles south of Bryantsville on Smith Stone’s place. His father and mother were Ped and Matilda Stone Mayfield, who were slaves of Smith Stone who came from Virginia. His brothers were John, Harrison, Jerry, and Laurence, who died at an early age. He lived on a large plantation with a large old farm house, built of logs … Read more

Slave Narrative of Bert Luster

Person Interviewed: Bert Luster Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Watson County, Tennessee Date of Birth: 1853 Age: 85 I’ll be jest frank, I’m not for sho’ when I was born, but it was in 1853. Don’t know the month, but I was sho’ born in 1853 in Watson County, Tennessee. You see my father was owned by Master Luster and my mother was owned by Masters Joe and Bill Asterns (father and son). I can remember when Master Astern moved from Watson County, Tennessee he brought me and my mother with him to Barnum County Seat, Texas. Master … Read more

Slave Narrative of Berry Smith

Interviewer: W. B. Allen Person Interviewed: Berry Smith Location: Forest, Mississippi Place of Birth: Sumpter County, Alabama “Uncle Berry” Smith is five feet two or three inches tall. He is scrupulously neat. He is very independent for his age, which is calculated at one hundred and sixteen years. He believes the figure to be correct. His mind is amazingly clear. “I was born an’ bred in Sumpter County, Alabama, in de prairie lan’, six miles from Gainesville. Dat’s where I hauled cotton. It was close to Livingston, Alabama, where we lived. “I was twelve years old when de stars fell. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Berry Clay

Interviewer: Adella S. Dixon Person Interviewed: Berry Clay Location: Macon, Georgia Age: 89 Telfair County was the home of some colored people who never were slaves, but hired their services for wages just as the race does today. Berry Clay, half Indian, half white, was the son of Fitema Bob Britt, a full blood Indian, who died shortly after his son’s birth. His mother later married William Clay, whose name was taken by the children as well as the mother. The family then moved to Macon. Clay, next [TR: ‘to the’ scratched out] oldest of five children was 89 years … Read more

Slave Narrative of Benny Dillard

Interviewer: Grace McCune Person Interviewed: Benny Dillard Location: Athens, Georgia Age: 80 Benny’s rocky little yard is gay with flowers and a flourishing rose vine shades the small porch at the front of his ramshackle two-room cabin. The old Negro was busily engaged at washing his clothes. He is of medium size, darker than gingerbread in color, and his clothing on this day consisted of a faded blue shirt, pants adorned with many patches, and brogans. A frayed sun hat covered the gray hair that is “gittin’ mighty thin on de top of my haid.” Benny was singing as he … Read more

Slave Narrative of Benjamin Russell

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Benjamin Russell Location: South Carolina Age: 88 Ex-Slave 88 Years “I was born fourteen miles north of Chester, S.C. the property of Mrs. Rebecca Nance. After eighty-eight years, I have a vivid recollection of her sympathy and the ideal relations she maintained with her slaves. “My father was just Baker, my mother just Mary. My father was bought out of a drove of slaves from Virginia. I have been told my mother was born on the Youngblood place. (Youngblood name of my mistress’ people in York County.) My father was a slave of a … Read more

Slave Narrative of Ben Brown

Interviewer: Albert I Dugan Person Interviewed: Ben Brown Location: Keen St., Zanesville, Ohio Age: 100 Occupation: Railroad worker Yes suh I wuz a slave in Vaginyah, Alvamaul (Albermarle) county an’ I didn’t have any good life, I’m tellin’ you dat! It wuz a tough life. I don’t know how old I am, dey never told me down dere, but the folks here say I’m a hunderd yeah old an’ I spect dats about right. My fathah’s name wuz Jack Brown and’ my mammy’s Nellie Brown. Dey wuz six of us chillun, one sistah Hannah an’ three brothers, Jim, Harrison, an’ … Read more

Slave Narrative of Belle Robinson

Interviewer: Eliza Ison Person Interviewed: Belle Robinson Location: Garrard County, Kentucky Place of Birth: Garrard County, Kentucky Date of Birth: June 3rd, 1853 I found Aunt Belle sitting on the porch, dressed nice and clean with a white handkerchief pinned on her neck. When I went to her and told her who I was and the reason for my visit her face beamed with smiles and she said “Lawdy, it has been so long that I have forgot nearly everything I knew”. Further investigation soon proved that she had not forgotten, for her statements were very intelligent. She was working … Read more

Slave Narrative of Beatrice Black

Interviewer: Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Beatrice Black Age: 48 Location: Biscoe, Arkansas Occupation: Store and “eating joint” “I was born below the city pump here in Biscoe. My husband is a twin and the youngest of thirteen children. His twin brother is living. They are fifty years old today (August 6, 1938). His mother lived back and forth with the twins. She died year before last. She was so good. She was sure good to me. She helped me raise my three children. I misses her till this very day. Her name was Dedonia Black when she died. “She said … Read more

Slave Narrative of Barney Stone

Interviewer: Robert C. Irvin Person Interviewed: Barney Stone Location: Noblesville, Indiana Place of Birth: Spencer County, Kentucky Date of Birth: May 17, 1847 Age: 91 (about) Robert C. Irvin District #2 Noblesville, Ind. EX-SLAVE, LIFE STORY OF BARNEY STONE, FORMER SLAVE, HAMILTON CO. This is the life story of Barney Stone, a highly respected colored gentleman of Noblesville, Hamilton County seat. Mr. Stone is near nintey-one years old, is in sound physical condition and still has a remarkable memory. He was a slave in the state of Kentucky for more than sixteen years and a soldier in the Union army … Read more

Slave Narrative of Barbara Haywood

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Barbara Haywood Location: 1111 Mark Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 85 Aunt Barbara’s Love Story An interview with Barbara Haywood, 85 years old. Address 1111 Mark Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. Anything dat I tells you will near ’bout all be ’bout Frank Haywood, my husban’. I wus borned on de John Walton place seben miles southeast of Raleigh. My father, Handy Sturdivant, belonged to somebody in Johnston County but mother an’ her chilluns ‘longed ter Marse John Walton. Marse John had a corn shuckin’ onct an’ at dat corn shuckin’ I fust saw Frank. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Banana Williams

Person Interviewed: Banana Williams Location: Dade County, Florida Banana Williams, 1740 NW 5th Court, Miami, Florida was born in Grady County, Georgia near Cairo in the 16th district. “The man what I belonged to was name Mr. Sacks. My mother and father lived there. I was only about three years old when peace came, but I remember when the paddle rollers came there and whipped a man and woman. “I was awful ‘fraid, for that was somethin’ I nevah see before. We “stayed on” but we left before I was old enough to work, but I did work in the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Aunt Mollie Moss

Person Interviewed: Mollie Moss Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Age: 82-83 Place of Residence: # 88 Auburn Street, Knoxville, Tennessee There is no street sign or a number on any of the ramshackled frame cottages that seemingly lean with the breezes, first one direction, then another, along the alley that wind’s through the city’s northernmost boundary and stops its meanderings at the doorstep of “Uncle Andrew Moss” and his wife, “Aunt Mollie.” The City Directory of Knoxville, Tennessee officially lists the Moss residence as # 88 Auburn Street. It rests upon its foundations more substantially, and is in better kept condition than … Read more

Slave Narrative of Aunt Mary Williams

Interviewer: F. S. DuPre Person Interviewed: Mary Williams Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina Aunt Mary Williams stated she remembered slavery times, for she was a girl large enough to walk four miles to go to work “while slavery was on”. She said Mr. Alfred Brown used to own her mother, but she was raised by Mrs. Margaret Taylor who used to live where the oil mill is now, below Arkwright Mills. Her father was owned by Mr. Simpson Bobo and drove his horse for him. She stated she was a good hoe-hand, but didn’t pick cotton, as Mr. Brown didn’t raise … Read more

Slave Narrative of Aunt Laura Bell

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Laura Bell Location: 2 Bragg Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 73 An interview with Laura Bell, 73 years old, of 2 Bragg Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. Being informed that Laura Bell was an old slavery Negro, I went immediately to the little two-room shack with its fallen roof and shaky steps. As I approached the shack I noticed that the storm had done great damage to the chaney-berry tree in her yard, fallen limbs litterin’ the ground, which was an inch deep in garbage and water. The porch was littered with old planks and … Read more

Slave Narrative of Aunt Harriet Mason

Interviewer: Eliza Ison Person Interviewed: Harriet Mason Location: Lancaster, Kentucky Place of Birth: Garrard County KY Date of Birth: April 14, 1847 Garrard County. Ex-Slave Stories. (Eliza Ison) [HW: Ky 11] Aunt Harriet Mason-Ex-Slave: She was born one mile below Bryantsville on the Lexington Pike in Garrard County, and was owned by B.M. Jones. She gives the date of her birth as April 14, 1847. Aunt Harriet’s father was Daniel Scott, a slave out of Mote Scott’s slave family. Aunt Harriet’s mother’s name was Amy Jones, slave of Marse Briar Jones, who came from Harrodsburg, Ky. The names of her … Read more