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 Rose Adway

Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden Person Interviewed: Rose Adway Location: 405 W. Pullen, Pine Bluff, Arkansas Age: 76 Occupation: Farmed “I was born three years ‘fore surrender. That’s what my people told me. Born in Mississippi. Let me see what county I come out of. Smith County—that’s where I was bred and born. “I know I seen the Yankees but I didn’t know what they was. My mama and papa and all of ’em talked about the War. “My papa was a water toter in durin’ the War. No, he didn’t serve the army—just on the farm. “Mama was the cook … Read more

Slave Narrative of Rosaline Rogers

Interviewer: Anna Pritchett Person Interviewed: Rosaline Rogers Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Place of Birth: South Carolina Date of Birth: 1827 Age: 100 Place of Residence: 910 North Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana Federal Writers’ Project of the W.P.A. District #6 Marion County Anna Pritchett 1200 Kentucky Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana FOLKLORE MRS. ROSALINE ROGERS-EX-SLAVE-110 YEARS OLD 910 North Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana Mrs. Rogers was born in South Carolina, in 1827, a slave of Dr. Rice Rogers, “Mas. Rogers,” we called him, was the youngest son of a family of eleven children. He was so very mean. Mrs. Rogers was sold and taken … Read more

Slave Narrative of Rosa Starke

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Rosa Starke Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Date of Birth: 1854 Age: 83 Occupation: Farm work, hoeing and picking cotton. Rosa’s grandfather was a slave of Solicitor Starke. Although she has had two husbands since slavery, she has thrown their names into the discard and goes by the name of Rosa Starke. She lives in a three-room frame house with her son, John Harrison, two miles south of Winnsboro, S.C., on the plantation of Mrs. Rebecca V. Woodward. She still does farm work, hoeing and picking cotton. “They say I was six years old when … Read more

Slave Narrative of Rosa Barber

Interviewer: William Webb Tuttle Person Interviewed: Rosa Barber Location: Muncie, Indiana Place of Birth: North Carolina Date of Birth: 1861 Place of Residence: 812 South Jefferson Muncie, Indiana Submitted by: William Webb Tuttle District No. 2 Muncie, Indiana SLAVES IN DELAWARE COUNTY ROSA BARBER 812 South Jefferson Muncie, Indiana Rosa Barber was born in slavery on the Fox Ellison plantation at North Carden[TR:?], in North Carolina, in the year 1861. She was four [HW: ?] years old when freed, but had not reached the age to be of value as a slave. Her memory is confined to that short childhood … Read more

Slave Narrative of Robert Williams

Williams doesn’t know the year of his birth or the place, but he remembers of being “taken” from a plantation somewhere around Pontotoc, Mississippi, when he was a young fellow and here’s the way he tells it. I was a great big boy when the Civil War was going on, so I remember some things about it, but the children didn’t know about things then like they do now. Nowdays we wait and let the young folks talk, but in slave times they didn’t. The master done the talking and everybody better listen! Austin Williams was my father. Nancy was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Robert Toatley

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Robert Toatley Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Date of Birth: May 15, 1855 Age: 82 Robert Toatley lives with his daughter, his son, his son’s wife, and their six children, near White Oak, seven miles north of Winnsboro, S.C. Robert owns the four-room frame house and farm containing 235 acres. He has been prosperous up from slavery, until the boll weevil made its appearance on his farm and the depression came on the country at large, in 1929. He has been compelled to mortgage his home but is now coming forward again, having reduced the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Robert R. Grinstead

Person Interviewed: Robert R. Grinstead Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Lawrence County, Mississippi Date of Birth: Feb. 17, 1857 Age: 80 I was born in Lawrence County, Mississippi, February 17, 1857. My father’s name is Elias Grinstead, a German, and my mother’s name is Ann Greenstead after that of her master. I am a son by my mother and her Master. I have four other half brother: William (Bill) oldest, Albert, Silas, and John. I was only eight years of age at freedom and for that reason I was too young to work and on account of being … Read more

Slave Narrative of Robert McKinley

Interviewer: Anna Pritchett Person Interviewed: Robert McKinley Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Place of Birth: Stanley County, N.C. Date of Birth: 1849 Place of Residence: 1664 Columbia Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana Occupation: “herb doctor” Federal Writers’ Project of the W.P.A. District #6 Marion County Anna Pritchett 1200 Kentucky Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana FOLKLORE ROBERT MCKINLEY-EX-SLAVE 1664 Columbia Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana Robert McKinley was born in Stanley County, N.C., in 1849, a slave of Arnold Parker. His master was a very cruel man, but was always kind to him, because he had given him (Bob) as a present to his favorite daughter, Jane Alice, and … Read more

Slave Narrative of Robert Howard

Interviewer: Anna Pritchett Person Interviewed: Robert Howard Location: Indiana Place of Birth: Clara County, Kentucky Date of Birth: 1852 Place of Residence: 1840 Boulevard Place Federal Writers’ Project of the W.P.A. District #6 Marion County Anna Pritchett 1200 Kentucky Avenue FOLKLORE ROBERT HOWARD-EX-SLAVE 1840 Boulevard Place Robert Howard, an ex-slave, was born in 1852, in Clara County, Kentucky. His master, Chelton Howard, was very kind to him. The mother, with her five children, lived on the Howard farm in peace and harmony. His father, Beverly Howard, was owned by Bill Anderson, who kept a saloon on the river front. Beverly was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Robert Hinton

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Robert Hinton Location: 420 Smith Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: 1856 My name is Robert Hinton. I ain’t able to work, ain’t been able to do any work in five years. My wife, Mary Hinton, supports me by workin’ with the WPA. She was cut off las’ May. Since she has had no job, we have to live on what she makes with what little washin’ she gets from de white folks; an’ a little help from charity; dis ain’t much. Dey give you for one week, one half peck meal, one … Read more

Slave Narrative of Robert Glenn

Interviewer: T. Pat. Matthews Person Interviewed: Robert Glenn Location: 207 Idlewild Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: Sept. 16, 1850 Location of Birth: Orange County NC Age: 87 I was a slave before and during the Civil War. I am 87 years old. I was born Sept. 16, 1850. I was born in Orange County, North Carolina near Hillsboro. At that time Durham was just a platform at the station and no house there whatever. The platform was lighted with a contraption shaped like a basket and burning coal that gave off a blaze. There were holes in this … Read more

Slave Narrative of Robert Falls

Interviewer: Della Yoe Person Interviewed: Robert Falls Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Place of Birth: Claiborne County, North Carolina Date of Birth: December 14, 1840 Place of Residence: 608 South Broadway, Knoxville, Tennessee Robert Falls was born on December 14, 1840, in the rambling one-story shack that accomodated the fifteen slaves of his Old Marster, [HW: Harry] Beattie Goforth, on a farm in Claiborne County, North Carolina. His tall frame is slightly stooped, but he is not subjected to the customary infirmities of the aged, other than poor vision and hearing. Fairly comfortable, he is spending his declining years in contentment, for … Read more

Slave Narrative of Robert Barr

Interviewer: S.S. Taylor Person Interviewed: Robert Barr Location: 3108 West 18th St. Little Rock, Ark. Age: 73 Occupation: Preaching [HW: A Preacher Tells His Story] “I am a minister of the Gospel. I have been preaching for the last thirty years. I am batching here. A man does better to live by himself. Young people got the devil in them now a days. Your own children don’t want you around. “I got one grand-daughter that ain’t never stood on the floor. Her husband kicked her and hit her and she ain’t never been able to stand up since. I got … Read more

Slave Narrative of Rivana Boynton

Person Interviewed: Rivana Boynton Location: Dade County, Florida Rivana-Williams Boynton was born on John and Mollie Hoover’s plantation near Ulmers, S.C. being 15 years of age when the ‘mancipation came. “Our Boss man, he had planty of salves. We lived in a log houses. My father was an Indian and he ran away to war, but I don’t ‘member anything of my mother. She was sold and taken away ‘fore I ever knew of her. I ‘member that I had to thin cotton in the fields and mind the flies in the house. I had a leafy branch that was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Richard Toler

Interviewer: Ruth Thompson Person Interviewed: Richard Toler Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Place of Residence: 515 Poplar St., Cincinnati, Ohio Occupation: Blacksmith Ruth Thompson, Interviewing Graff, Editing Ex-Slave Interviews Hamilton Co., District 12 Cincinnati RICHARD TOLER 515 Poplar St., Cincinnati, O. “Ah never fit in de wah; no suh, ah couldn’t. Mah belly’s been broke! But ah sho’ did want to, and ah went up to be examined, but they didn’t receive me on account of mah broken stomach. But ah sho’ tried, ’cause ah wanted to be free. Ah didn’t like to be no slave. Dat wasn’t good times.” Richard Toler, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Richard Miller

Interviewer: Anna Pritchett Person Interviewed: Richard Miller Location: Indiana Place of Birth: Danville, Kentucky Date of Birth: January 12, 1843 Place of Residence: 1109 North West Street Federal Writers’ Project of the W.P.A. District #6 Marion County Anna Pritchett 1200 Kentucky Avenue FOLKLORE RICHARD MILLER-AN OLD SOLDIER 1109 North West Street Richard Miller was born January 12, 1843 in Danville, Kentucky. His mother was an English subject, born in Bombay, India and was brought into America by a group of people who did not want to be under the English government. They landed in Canada, came on to Detroit, stayed … Read more

Slave Narrative of Richard Macks

Interviewer: Rogers Person Interviewed: Richard Macks Location: Baltimore, Maryland Place of Birth: Charles County MD Date of Birth: 1844 Place of Residence: 541 W. Biddle St., Baltimore, Maryland Occupation: Waiter, Coachman, Butler Reference: Personal interview with Richard Macks, ex-slave, at his home, 541 W. Biddle St., Baltimore. “I was born in Charles County in Southern Maryland in the year of 1844. My father’s name was William (Bill) and Mother’s Harriet Mack, both of whom were born and reared in Charles County—the county that James Wilkes Booth took refuge in after the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865. I had one … Read more

Slave Narrative of Rias Body

Interviewer: J. R. Jones Date of Interview: July 24, 1936 Person Interviewed: Rias Body Place of birth: Harris County, near Waverly Hall, Georgia Date of birth: April 9, 1846 Present residence: 1419-24th Street, Columbus, Georgia Rias Body was born the slave property of Mr. Ben Body, a Harris County planter. He states that he was about fifteen years old when the Civil War started and, many years ago, his old time white folks told him that April 9, 1846, was the date of his birth. The “patarolers,” according to “Uncle” Rias, were always quite active in ante-bellum days. The regular … Read more

Slave Narrative of Reverend Williams

Interviewer: Miriam Logan Person Interviewed: Rev. Williams Location: Lebanon, Ohio Place of Birth: Greenbriar County, West Virginia Date of Birth: 1859 Age: 76 Occupation: Methodist minister Miriam Logan Lebanon, Ohio July 8th Warren County, District 2 Story of REVEREND WILLIAMS, Aged 76, Colored Methodist Minister, Born Greenbriar County, West Virginia (Born 1859) “I was born on the estate of Miss Frances Cree, my mother’s mistress. She had set my grandmother Delilah free with her sixteen children, so my mother was free when I was born, but my father was not. “My father was butler to General Davis, nephew of Jefferson … Read more

Slave Narrative of Reverend Squire Dowd

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Rev. Squire Dowd Location: 202 Battle Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: April 3, 1855 [HW: language not negro, very senternous & interesting.] [TR: The above comment is crossed out.] Reverend Squire Dowd 202 Battle Street Raleigh, N. C. My name is Squire Dowd, and I was born April 3, 1855. My mother’s name was Jennie Dowd. My father’s name was Elias Kennedy. My mother died in Georgia at the age of 70, and my father died in Moore County at the age of 82. I attended his funeral. My sister and her … Read more