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 Acie Thomas

Interviewer: Pearl Randolph Person Interviewed: Acie Thomas Location: Jacksonville, Florida Age: 79 Mr. Thomas was at home today. There are many days when one might pass and repass the shabby lean-to that is his home without seeing any signs of life. That is because he spends much of his time foraging about the streets of Jacksonville for whatever he can get in the way of food or old clothes, and perhaps a little money. He is a heavily bearded, bent old man and a familiar figure in the residential sections of the city, where he earns or begs a very … Read more

Slave Narrative of Acemey Wofford

Person Interviewed: Acemey Wofford Date of Birth: June 13 Age: 100 (about) The folks say I’m about 100 years old but there’s no way of me telling about that. I remember the master told me I was born on June 13, but I don’t know what was the year. Maybe I know once, but not now, for the only things I remember now is about the master. I mean my second master who brought me from somewhere in Mississippi to Texas. He was Doctor Hayes; the mistress was Malissa. She was mean, not like the master himself. When the mistress … Read more

Slave Narrative of “Uncle” Bill Young

Person Interviewed: Bill Young Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina Seated on the front steps of his house, holding a walking cane and talking to another old colored man from Georgia, who was visiting his children living there, the writer found “Uncle” Bill Young. He readily replied that he had lived in slavery days, that he was 83 years old, and he said that he and Sam were talking about old times. He was owned by Dave Jeter at Santuc, S.C.; though he was just a boy at the time his mother was a slave. He used to mind his “Missus” more … Read more

Slave Narrative of “Prophet” John Henry Kemp

Interviewer: L. Rebecca Baker Person Interviewed: “Prophet” John Henry Kemp Location: Daytona Beach, Florida Age: 80 A long grey beard, a pair of piercing owl-like eyes and large bare feet, mark “Prophet” Kemp among the citizenry of Daytona Beach, Florida. The “Prophet”, christened John Henry–as nearly as he can remember–is an 80 year old ex-slave whose remininiscences of the past, delight all those who can prevail upon him to talk of his early life on the plantation of the section. “Prophet” Kemp does not talk only of the past, however, his conversation turns to the future; he believes himself to … Read more

Slave Narrative of “Parson” Rezin Williams

Interviewer: Stansbury Person Interviewed: Rezin (Parson) Williams Date of Interview: September 18 and 24, 1937 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Date of Birth: March 11, 1822 Age: 116 Place of Residence: 2610 Pierpont Street, Mount Winans, Baltimore, MD References: Baltimore Morning Sun, December 10, 1928. Registration Books of Board of Election Supervisors Baltimore Court House. Personal interviews with “Parson” Rezin Williams, on Thursday afternoon, September 18 and 24, 1937, at his home, 2610 Pierpont Street, Mount Winans, Baltimore, Md. Oldest living Negro Civil War veteran; now 116 years old. Oldest registered voter in Maryland and said to be the oldest “freeman” in … Read more

Slave Narrative of “Father” Charles Coates

Interviewer: Viola B. Muse Person Interviewed: “Father” Charles Coates Location: Jacksonville, Florida Age: 108 “Father” Charles Coates, as he is called by all who know him, was born a slave, 108 years ago at Richmond, Virginia, on the plantation of a man named L’Angle. His early boyhood days was spent on the L’Angle place filled with duties such as minding hogs, cows, bringing in wood and such light work. His wearing apparel consisted of one garment, a shirt made to reach below the knees and with three-quarter sleeves. He wore no shoes until he was a man past 20 years … Read more

Slave Narrative of “Aunt” Nina Scott

Interviewer: F. S. DuPre Person Interviewed: Nina Scott Date of Interview: May 17, 1937 Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina “Aunt” Nina Scot sat on her front porch. She was drinking some liquid from a bottle which she said would help her trouble. Being short of breath, she was not able to talk very much. She said that she was very small at the time she was set free. “My Marster and his folks did not treat me like a nigger,” she said, “they treated me like they did other white folks.” She said that she and her mother had belonged to … Read more

Selected Records, Bearing on the History of the Slave Narratives

From the correspondence and memoranda files of the Washington office of the Federal Writers’ Project the following instructions and criticisms relative to the slave narrative collection, issued from April 1 to September 8, 1937, have been selected. They throw light on the progress of the work, the development of materials and methods, and some of the problems encountered. Copy of Memorandum from George Cronyn to Mrs. Eudora R. Richardson. April 1, 1937. Autograph Memorandum from John A. Lomax to George Cronyn. April 9, 1937. [Handwritten version, Typewritten version’] Copy of Memorandum from George Cronyn to Edwin Bjorkman, enclosing a Memorandum … Read more

Recreations of Slaves

Recreations of slaves: The following is an old fashion ballad that was sung during the period of slavery and which was very common throughout the Purchase Region: “Jeff Davis rode a big white horse, but Lincoln rode a mule-Jeff Davis was a fine, smart man, and Lincoln was a fool. Jeff Davis had a fine white; Lincoln only had a mule-Jeff Davis was a wonderful man and Lincoln was a fool”. Ring dancing was largely practiced during the slavery period. Especially was this participated in throughout the Purchase Region. This was a rather primative kind of dancing and was performed … Read more

Negro Holiness Meetings

Negro Holiness Meetings: Once a year a group of 200 or 300 negroes give a religious Camp Meeting in a field on the Canton Pike about one mile southeast of Hopkinsville. There is quite a settlement of negroes call themselves or their church the Holiness Church. They claim to be sanctified and cannot sin. A few nights ago I was invited to attend one of these meetings, the negroes reserve some benches under the tent for white people. The night that I attended there were two preachers and it seems as though it is the duty of these preachers to … Read more

Negro Folk Songs

Negro Folk Songs: (Contributed by William Warfield, Col.) These songs more commonly called plantation melodies, originated with the negroes of the South during the days of slavery. They habe been somewhat collected and written about. These songs have for the Negro the same value that the folk songs of any people have for that people. In the days of slavery they furnished an outlet for aching hearts and anguished souls. Today they help to foster race pride and to remind the race of the “rock from which it was hewn”. Some of these folk songs represented the lighter side of … Read more

Myth at Uncle Tom’s Cabin

GARRARD CO. (Sue Higgins) Myth: Notions about nature when the stars fell in 1833. At the Old Thomas Kennedy farm (Uncle Tom’s Cabin), young Tom and some more boys were playing cards in one of the negro cabins. One of the slaves went to the cabin door and called loudly, “Mas’r Tom! Come quick, the whole heavens is falling.” He continued to call. After much persuasion and repeated calls from the old negro, young Tom said, “I’ll go and see what the D—- old negro wants”. Young Tom went to the door and saw the stars raining down. He ran … Read more

Montgomery Co., Ky

MONTGOMERY CO. (Gladys Robertson) In this community most of the slaves were kept on farms and each family was given a well constructed log house. They were fed by provisions given them by their white masters and they were plentiful. They were clothed by their masters. These clothes were made by the colored women under the direction and supervision of their mistress, the white woman cut the clothes for both men and women, and the colored women did the sewing of the garments. The men did the manual labor on the farm and the women the domestic. Each white woman … Read more

Last Wolf

Last Wolf: [HW: KY4] On January 20, 1910, a famous gray wolf was seen in Christian County and killed by a man named Tyler. This wolf seemed to be the last wolf seen in this County. It had terrorized the farmers in the Sinking Fork neighborhood, and a party organized by Charles L. Dade formed to hunt and kill this wolf which was done on the above date. The wolf measured 48 inches from tip to tip and stood 24 inches high.

Knox Co., Ky

KNOX CO. (Stewart Carey) Some slaves were owned in Knox Co., most of them being in Barbourville where they served as house-servants. The negro men worked around the house and garden, while the women were cooks and maids. The slaves usually lived in small one-room houses at the rear of their masters home, and were generally well fed and clothed. There was some trading of slaves among the Barbourville and Knox County owners, and few were sold at Public Auction. These public sales were held on Courthouse Square, and some few slaves were bought and sold by “Negro Traders” who … Read more

Kentucky Superstitions

CLARK CO. (Mayme Nunnelley) Most Kentucky superstitions are common to all classes of people because the negroes originally obtained most of their superstitions from the white and because the superstitions of most part of Kentucky are in almost all cases not recent invention but old survivals from a time when they were generally accepted by all germanic peoples and by all Indo-Europeans. The only class of original contributions made by the negroes to our stock of superstitions is that of the hoodoo or voodoo signs which are brought from Africa by the ancestors of the present colored people of America. … Read more

Hopkins Co., Ky

HOPKINS CO. (M. Hanberry) [TR: also spelled Hanbery.] In this county practically no one owned more than one or two slaves as this was never a county of large plantations and large homes. These slaves were well housed, in cabins, well clothed and well fed, not overworked and seldom sold, were in closer touch with the “white folks” and therefore more intelligent than farther south where slaves lived in quarters and seldom came in contact with their masters or the masters’ families. When a gentleman wished a slave he usually went to Hopkinsville and bought slaves there. Occasionally one slave … Read more

Hoo-Dooism

CHRISTIAN CO. (Mamie Hanbery) HOO-DOOISM A snake head an’ er lizard tail, Hoo-doo; Not close den a mile o’ jail, Hoo-doo; De snake mus’ be er rattlin’ one, Mus’ be killed at set uv sun, But never while he’s on de run, Hoo-doo. Before you get de lizard cot, Hoo-doo; You mus’ kill it on de spot, Hoo-doo; Take de tail an’ hang it up, Ketch de blood in a copper cup, An’ be sure it’s uv a pup, Hoo-doo. Wait until sum stormy weather, Hoo-doo; Put de head an’ feet together, Hoo-doo; In a dry ol’ terrapin shell, Let … Read more

Floyd County Kentucky: List of Slave Owners

This list is as remembered by the oldest citizens, and one T.J. “Uncle” Jeff Sizemore, 94 years old Civil War Veteran and citizen of Prestonsburg, Kentucky, dictated then to the writer in just this order. The List of People who owned Slaves in Floyd County include: Sophia Lane, Lanesville. Jim Lane, Lanesville Gilbert Higgins, Wilson’s Creek George May, Maytown Hi Morgan, Prestonsburg Penny J. Sizemore, Prestonsburg Samuel P. Davidson, Prestonsburg I. Richmond, Prestonsburg Valentine Mayo, Prestonsburg —- Lanes, Prestonsburg Kennie Hatcher, Lanesville Morgan Clark, John’s Creek Daniel Hager, Hager Shoals near what is Auxier, Ky. Adam Gayheart, Prestonsburg John P. … Read more

Coal Mine Slaves

CALDWELL CO. (Mary E. O’Malley) [HW: Ky 6] Coal Mine Slaves: In 1836 large numbers of slaves were brought into Caldwell and worked by the owners of the ore mines, which necessitated extra patrols, interfered with local workmen, and so on. The taxpayers complained to the Legislature and an extra tax was allowed to be levied for the benefit of the county. In other books we find that the owners of the slaves who worked in these mines was President Andrew Jackson who brought his slaves from Nashville to the iron and lead mines in Caldwell and Crittenden counties; he … Read more