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 Vera Roy Bobo

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Vera Roy Bobo (Mulatto, almost white) Location: Holly Grove, Arkansas Age: 68 “My parents come from Macon, Georgia. My mother was Margaret Cobb. Her people were owned by the Cobbs. They reared her. She was a house girl and a seamstress. She sewed for both white and black. She was light color. “My father was St. Roy Holmes. He was a C.M.E. preacher in Georgia and later in Arkansas. He came on the train to Forrest City, 1885. He crossed the Mississippi River on a ferry boat. Later he preached at Wynne. He was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Uncle Willis Williams

Interviewer: Genevieve W. Chandler Person Interviewed: Willis Williams Location: Conway, South Carolina “When wuz I born? Born in August. When I wuz born been August. I wuz a man grown pulling boxes, (turpentine boxes) when the shake wuz. I know the very night the shake come——on a Wednesday night. I wuz on door step loosing my shoe string. There wuz more religion then than they is now. Praying and prayer meeting for a month. Everybody tend meeting. “I been with the Yankee. I kin tell you bout the Yankee. They come home there to Rock Creek when the war wuz … Read more

Slave Narrative of Uncle Sabe Rutledge

Interviewer: Mrs. Genevieve W. Chandler Person Interviewed: Sabe Rutledge Location: Burgess, South Carolina Date of Birth: 1861 Place of Birth: Horry County SC (Testimony given by old man born 1861, The Ark Plantation. Horry County, owned by Mr. John Tillman) “Fust thing I realize to remember, I nuster cry to go to the old boss—old Massa—for sugar. Massa say: “‘Martha, what Newman (he call me that) crying for?’ Ma say, ‘Wanter come to you for sugar!’ “‘Bring the boy here, Martha!’ “He gi’e me sugar. “Boil salt? Pump! Pump! Pump it! Had a tank. Run from hill to sea. Had a … Read more

Slave Narrative of Uncle Ransom Simmons

Interviewer: Hattie Mobley Person Interviewed: Ransom Simmons Location: Columbia, South Carolina Place of Birth: Mississippi Age: 104 Uncle Ransom is one of the few remaining slaves who still lives and whose mind is still clear and active. He has just passed his one-hundred and fourth birthday, was born in Mississippi, and brought to South Carolina by his master Wade Hampton, the father of the illustrious General Wade Hampton, before the Civil War. When the war broke out and General Wade Hampton went to war Uncle Ransom cried to be allowed to follow his young master. He went and served as … Read more

Slave Narrative of Uncle Dick

Interviewer: Mamie Hanbery Person Interviewed: Uncle Dick Location: Christian County, Kentucky Uncle Dick, a negro servant of one of the Hendersons, was the fiddler of the neighborhood at weddings, husking parties and dances. Dick’s presence was essential. Uncle Dick was fully aware of his own importance, and in consequence assumed a great deal of dignity in his bearing. Before setting out he always dressed himself with the greatest nicety. At the appointed time he was at the place with all the weight of his dignity upon him. Woe to the “darkies” who violated any of the laws of etiquette in … Read more

Slave Narrative of Uncle David Blount

Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: David Blount Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Days On The Plantation As told by Uncle David Blount, formerly of Beaufort County, who did not know his age. “De Marster” he refers to was Major Wm. A. Blount, who owned plantations in several parts of North Carolina. Yes mam, de days on de plantation wuz de happy days. De marster made us wuck through de week but on Sadays we uster go swimmin’ in de riber an’ do a lot of other things dat we lak ter do. We didn’t mind de wuck so much case … Read more

Slave Narrative of Uncle Dave White

Interviewer: Samuel Addison Person Interviewed: Dave White Location: Congaree, South Carolina Date of Birth: (about) 1842 Age: 91 There Was No God But Mossa An’ Missus “My pa name was Nat White who tell me dat I was bo’n about 1842. My ma was name Jane White. My pa use to carry all de votes from McClellanville to Charleston. He come from Tibbin, South Carolina. He also been all ’round de United States. My Ma’s Ma bin name Kate. I had sense to know ’em all. “I know a heap o’ sojus had on nice buttons an’ had plumes in … Read more

Slave Narrative of Uncle Dave White

Interviewer: Laura L. Middleton Person Interviewed: Dave White Location: Charleston, South Carolina An Old Time Negro Uncle Dave White, one of the waning tribe lives in a simple homestead down a dusty and wind-swept curved country lane on the out skirt of McClenville, forty miles North of Charleston rests the simple shanty of David White, aged Negro, affectionally known to the Negro and white population for many miles around as “uncle Dave”. His quiet unadulterated mode of living and his never changing grateful disposition typifies the true Southern Negro of pre-Civil War days; a race that was commonplace and plentiful … Read more

Slave Narrative of Tom Wilson

Person Interviewed: Tom Wilson Location: Mississippi Age: 84 “My name is Tom Wilson an’ I’se eighty fo’ years old. My mammy was name Ca’line an’ my pappy was Jeff Wilson. Us lived right out on de old Jim Wilson place, right by New Zion Chu’ch. I lives thar now—owns me a plot of groun’ an’ farms. “Well, us b’longed to Marse Jim an’ Miss Nancy Wilson. I was born right out thar, but my mammy was brung down frum Ten’see. She come by heir to Marse Jim but ‘fo that her was sol’ for ten hun’erd dollars. My mammy was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Tom W. Woods

Person Interviewed: Tom W. Woods Location: Alderson, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Florence, Alabama Age: 83 Lady, if de nigger hadn’t been set free dis country wouldn’t ever been what it is now! Poor white folks wouldn’t never had a chance. De slave holders had most of de money and de land and dey wouldn’t let de poor white folks have a chance to own any land or anything else to speak of. Dese white folks wasn’t much better off dan we was. Dey had to work hard and dey had to worry ’bout food, clothes and shelter and we didn’t. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Tom Rosboro

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Tom Rosboro Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Age: 79 Ex-Slave 79 Years Old Tom Rosboro lives with his daughter, Estelle Perry, in a three-room frame house, on Cemetery Street, Winnsboro, S.C. The house stands on a half-acre plot that is used for garden truck. Estelle owns the fee in the house and lot. Tom peddles the truck, eggs, and chickens, in the town and the suburban Winnsboro mill village. “My pappy was name Tom, just lak I is name Tom. My mammy was name Sarah but they didn’t b’long to de same marster. Pappy b’long … Read more

Slave Narrative of Tom Randall

Interviewer: Rogers Person Interviewed: Tom Randall Location: Oella, Maryland Place of Birth: Ellicott City, Howard County, Maryland Date of Birth: 1856 Reference: Personal interview with Tom Randall, at his home, Oella, Md. “I was born in Ellicott City, Howard County, Maryland, in 1856, in a shack on a small street now known as New Cut Road—the name then, I do not know. My mother’s name was Julia Bacon. Why my name was Randall I do not know, but possibly a man by the name of Randall was my father. I have never known nor seen my father. Mother was the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Titus I. Bynes

Interviewer: Alfred Farrell Person Interviewed: Titus Bynes Location: Titusville, Florida Age: 90 Occupation: Carpenter Titus B. [TR: Titus I. above] Bynes, affectionately known as “Daddy Bynes”, is reminiscent of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s immortal “Uncle Tom” and Joel Chandler Harris’ inimitable ‘Uncle Remus’ with his white beard and hair surrounding a smiling black face. He was born in November 1846 in what is now Clarendon County, South Carolina. Both his father, Cuffy, and mother, Diana, belonged to Gabriel Flowden who owned 75 or 80 slaves and was noted for his kindness to them. Bynes’ father was a common laborer, and his … Read more

Slave Narrative of Thomas McMillan

Interviewer: Bishop & Isleman Person Interviewed: Thomas McMillan Location: Steubenville, Ohio Place of Birth: Monroe County, Alabama Place of Residence: 909 Morris Ave., Steubenville, Ohio WPA in Ohio Federal Writers’ Project Bishop & Isleman Reporter: Bishop July 7, 1937 Topic: Ex-Slaves. Jefferson County, District #5 [HW: Steubenville] THOMAS McMILLAN, Ex-Slave (Does not know age) I was borned in Monroe County, Alabam. I do not know de date. My father’s name was Dave McMillan and my mothers name was Minda. Dey cum from Old Virginny and he was sold from der. We lived in a log house. De beds hed ropes … Read more

Slave Narrative of Thomas Lewis

Interviewer: Estella R. Dodson Person Interviewed: Thomas Lewis Location: North Summit Street, Bloomington, Indiana Place of Birth: Spencer County, Kentucky Date of Birth: 1857 Submitted by: Estella R. Dodson District #11 Monroe County Bloomington, Ind. October 4, 1937 INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS LEWIS, COLORED North Summit Street, Bloomington, Ind. I was born in Spencer County, Kentucky, in 1857. I was born a slave. There was slavery all around on all the adjoining places. I was seven years old when I was set free. My father was killed in the Northern army. My mother, step-father and my mother’s four living children came … Read more

Slave Narrative of Thomas Hall

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Thomas Hall Location: 316 Tarboro Road, Raleigh, North Carolina Location of Birth: Orange County NC Age: 81 My name is Thomas Hall and I was born in Orange County, N. C. on a plantation belonging to Jim Woods whose wife, our missus, was named Polly. I am eighty one years of age as I was born Feb. 14, 1856. My father Daniel Hall and my mother Becke Hall and me all belonged to the same man but it was often the case that this wus not true as one man, perhaps a Johnson, would … Read more

Slave Narrative of Thomas Foote

Interviewer: Rogers Person Interviewed: Thomas Foote Location: Cockeysville, Maryland Place of Birth: Cockeysville, Maryland Date of Birth: 1865 Thomas Foote’s Story, A free Negro. Reference: Personal interview with Thomas Foote, at his home, Cockeysville, Md. “My mother’s name was Eliza Foote and my father’s name was Thomas Foote. Father and mother of a large family that was reared on a small farm about a mile east of Cockeysville, a village situated on the Northern Central Railroad 15 miles north of Baltimore City. “My mother’s maiden name was Myers, a daughter of a free man of Baltimore County. In her younger … Read more

Slave Narrative of Thomas Ash

Interviewer: Emery Turner Person Interviewed: Thomas Ash Location: Mitchell, Indiana Date of Birth: 1856 Age: 81 Emery Turner District #5 Lawrence County Bedford, Indiana I have no way of knowing exactly how old I am, as the old Bible containing a record of my birth was destroyed by fire, many years ago, but I believe I am about eighty-one years old. If so, I must have been born sometime during the year, 1856, four years before the outbreak of the War Between The States. My mother was a slave on the plantation, or farm of Charles Ash, in Anderson county, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Tena White

Interviewer: Martha S. Pickney Person Interviewed: Tena White Location: Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina Everybody in the town of Mt. Pleasant, Christ Church Parish (across the Bay from Charleston) knows “Tena White, the washer,” “Tena, the cook,” “Maum Tena” or “Da Tena, the nurse”—the same individual, accomplished in each art, but best as a nurse. The house where Tena lives is the second in a row of Negro houses. The writer, calling from the gate, was answered by Tena, a middle-sized woman of neat figure. As the writer ascended the steps a friendly cur wagged itself forward and was promptly reproved … Read more

Slave Narrative of Tempie Herndon Durham

Interviewer: Travis Jordan Person Interviewed: Tempie Herndon Durham Location: 1312 Pine St., Durham, North Carolina Age: 103 I was thirty-one years ole when de surrender come. Dat makes me sho nuff ole. Near ’bout a hundred an’ three years done passed over dis here white head of mine. I’se been here, I mean I’se been here. ‘Spects I’se de olest nigger in Durham. I’se been here so long dat I done forgot near ’bout as much as dese here new generation niggers knows or ever gwine know. My white fo’ks lived in Chatham County. Dey was Marse George an’ Mis’ … Read more