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 Ned Walker

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Ned Walker Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Place of Birth: Winnsboro, South Carolina Age: 83 Ned Walker lives in the village of White Oak, near Winnsboro, S.C., in a two-room frame house, the dwelling of his son-in-law, Leander Heath, who married his daughter, Nora. Ned is too old to do any work of a remunerative character but looks after the garden and chickens of his daughter and son-in-law. He is a frequent visitor to Winnsboro, S.C. He brings chickens and garden produce, to sell in the town and the Winnsboro Hill’s village. He is tall, thin, and … Read more

Slave Narrative of Ned Thompson

Grandfather was a Alabama slave. His master had a lot of boys who were named Tom so as Grandfather took care of the cows all the time when he was a boy they started to calling him “Cow Tom” when they wanted him. Each boy called according to his work to keep them all from answering. That name stayed with Grandfather all his life. When the agreement was made to sell the land in Alabama for land here he was forced to follow his master to see if the land was suitable to trade. That trip was made two years … Read more

Slave Narrative of Nathan Jones

Interviewer: Anna Pritchett Person Interviewed: Nathan Jones Location: Indiana Place of Birth: Gibson County, Tennessee Date of Birth: 1858 Place of Residence: 409 Blake Street Federal Writers’ Project of the W.P.A. District #6 Marion County Anna Pritchett 1200 Kentucky Avenue FOLKLORE NATHAN JONES-EX-SLAVE 409 Blake Street Nathan Jones was born in Gibson County, Tennessee in 1858, the son of Caroline Powell, one of Parker Crimm’s slaves. Master Crimm was very abusive and cruel to his slaves. He would beat them for any little offense. He took pleasure in taking little children from their mothers and selling them, sending them as … Read more

Slave Narrative of Narcissus Young

Person Interviewed: Narcissus Young Location: Nashville, Tennessee Age: 96 Place of Residence: Rear 532 1st Street. No., Nashville, Tennessee “I’se 96 y’ars ole. Bawn in slavery en mah marster wuz Isham Lamb en mah missis wuz Martha Lamb. Mah mammy d’ed w’en I wuz three y’ars ole en I wuz raised in de house ’til I wuz big ’nuff ter wuk out in de fiels wid de uthers. Mah missis l’arn me ter sew, weav en spin. I also he’lped ter cook en wuk in de house. Atter I got big’er I went ter chuch wid mah white folks en … Read more

Slave Narrative of Nannie Eaves

Interviewer: Mamie Hanberry Person Interviewed: Nannie Eaves Location: Hopkinsville, Kentucky Place of Birth: McLain County KY Age: 91 Place of Residence: R. R. #2, Hopkinsville, Kentucky Nannie Eaves, age 91, born in McLain County, Ky. being a slave of William Eaves, never sold, address now R.R. #2, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. “I guess I was about twenty one years old wen I was freed.” I’se was neber once treated as a slave cause my Massa was my very own Daddy. Ben Eaves my husband was a slave en chile of George Eaves my Massa’s brother. He ran away from his Massa en … Read more

Slave Narrative of Nancy Whallen

Interviewer: Iris L. Cook Person Interviewed: Nancy Whallen Location: New Albany, Indiana Age: 81 Place of Residence: 924 Pearl St., New Albany, Indiana Iris L Cook District #4 Floyd County SLAVE STORY STORY OF NANCY WHALLEN 924 Pearl St. New Albany, Ind. Nancy Whallen is now about 81 years of age. She doesn’t know exactly. She was about 5 year of age when Freedom was declared. Nancy was born and raised in Hart County near Hardinsburg, Kentucky. She is very hard to talk to as her memory is failing and she can not hear very well. The little negro girl … Read more

Slave Narrative of Nancy Washington

Interviewer: Annie Ruth Davis Person Interviewed: Nancy Washington Date of Interview: May 1937 Location: Marion, South Carolina Age: 104 Ex-Slave, 104 years “Come in child. Jes set right dere in dat chair whey I c’n be mindful uv yuh cause I ain’ hear but sorta hard lak dese days. I jes come in outer de field whey I been chopping ’round uh little wid me hoe, but eve’t’ing is grow so black ‘fore me eye dat I t’ink I better rest meself uh little. I tries to help Sam (her son) aw I c’n, but I ain’ mucha ‘count no … Read more

Slave Narrative of Nancy Rogers Bean

Person Interviewed: Nancy Rogers Bean Location: Hulbert, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Boggy Depot, Oklahoma Age: 82 I’m getting old and it’s easy to forget most of the happenings of slave days; anyway I was too little to know much about them, for my mammy told me I was born about six years before the war. My folks was on their way to Fort Gibson, and on the trip I was born at Boggy Depot, down in southern Oklahoma. There was a lot of us children; I got their names somewheres here. Yes, there was George, Sarah, Emma, Stella, Sylvia, Lucinda, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Nancy Gardner

Person Interviewed: Nancy Gardner Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Franklin, Tennessee Date of Birth: 1858 Age: 79 Well, to tell you de truth I don’t know my age, but I was born in 1858, in Franklin, Tennessee. How, you can figger for yourself and tell how old I is. I is de daughter of Prophet and Callie Isaiah, and dey was natives of Tennessee. Dere was three of us children, two boys and myself. I’m de only girl. My brothers names was Prophet and Billie Isaiah. I don’t ‘member much about dem as we was separated when I … Read more

Slave Narrative of Nancy East

Person Interviewed: Nancy East Location: Middletown, Ohio Place of Residence: 809 Seventeenth Ave., Middletown, Ohio Butler County, District #2 Middletown MRS. NANCY EAST 809 Seventeenth Ave., Middletown, Ohio “Mammy” East, 809 Seventeenth Ave., Middletown, Ohio, rules a four-room bungalow in the negro district set aside by the American Rolling Mill Corporation. She lives there with her sons, workers in the mill, and keeps them an immaculate home in the manner which she was taught on a Southern plantation. Her house is furnished with modern electrical appliances and furniture, but she herself is an anachronism, a personage with no faith in … Read more

Slave Narrative of Nancy Boudry

Interviewer: Barragan – Harris Person Interviewed: Nancy Boudry Location: Thomson, Georgia “If I ain’t a hunnard,” said Nancy, nodding her white-turbaned head, “I sho’ is close to it, ’cause I got a grandson 50 years old.” Nancy’s silky white hair showed long and wavy under her headband. Her gingham dress was clean, and her wrinkled skin was a reddish-yellow color, showing a large proportion of Indian and white blood. Har eyes ware a faded blue. “I speck I is mos’ white,” acknowledged Nancy, “but I ain’t never knowed who my father was. My mother was a dark color.” The cottage … Read more

Slave Narrative of Nan Stewart

Interviewer: Sarah Probst Person Interviewed: Nan Stewart Location: Ohio Place of Birth: Charleston, West Virginia Date of Birth: February 1850 Age: 87 Sarah Probst, Reporter Audrey Meighen, Author-Editor Jun 9, 1937 Folklore Meigs County, District Three [HW: Middeport] “I’se bawned Charl’stun, West Virginia in February 1850.” “My mammy’s name? Hur name wuz Kath’run Paine an’ she wuz bawned down Jackson County, Virginia. My pappy wuz John James, a coopah an’ he wuz bawned at Rock Creek, West Virginia. He cum’d ovah heah with Lightburn’s Retreat. Dey all crossed de ribah at Buffington Island. Yes, I had two bruthahs and three … Read more

Slave Narrative of Naisy Reece

Person Interviewed: Naisy Reece Location: Nashville, Tennessee Place of Birth: Williamson County TN Age: 80 “I wuz bawn in slavery, in Williamson County, guess I’se ’bout 80 y’ars ole. Think I wuz fou’ w’en de wah started.” “Mah mammy en daddy wuz Mary en Ennock Brown.” “Mah missis en marster wuz Polly en Randall Brown.” “Dunno ob any ob our fam’ly bein’ sold. W’en freedum wuz declar’ we wuz tu’n loose wid nothin’. Mah daddy tuk us down in de kuntry, raised crops en made us wuk in de fiel’.” “I’se cooked a leetle fer urther peeple, but mos’ ob … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mrs. Sarah Byrd

Person Interviewed: Sarah Byrd Location: Georgia Age: 95 An Interview On Slavery Obtained From Mrs. Sarah Byrd—ex-Slave Mrs. Sarah Byrd claims to be 95 years of age but the first impression one receives when looking at her is that of an old lady who is very active and possessing a sweet clear voice. When she speaks you can easily understand every word and besides this, each thought is well expressed. Often during the interview she would suddenly break out in a merry laugh as if her own thoughts amused her. Mrs. Sarah Byrd was born in Orange County Virginia the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mrs. Preston

Interviewer: G. Monroe Person Interviewed: Mrs. Preston Location: Madison, Indiana Age: 83 Place of Residence: North Elm Street, Madison, Indiana G. Monroe Dist. 4 Jefferson County SLAVE STORY MRS. PRESTON’S STORY Mrs. Preston is an old lady, 83 years old, very charming and hospitable She lives on North Elm Street, Madison, Indiana. Her first recollections of slavery were of sleeping on the foot of her mistress’ bed, where she could get up during the night to “feed” the fire with chips she had gathered before dark or to get a drink or anything else her mistress might want in the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mrs. Phoebe Bost

Interviewer: Frank Smith Person Interviewed: Phoebe Bost Location: Campbell, Ohio Place of Birth: Louisiana Place of Residence: 3461 Wilson Avenue, Campbell, Ohio Youngstown, Ohio. Mrs. Phoebe Bost, was born on a plantation in Louisiana, near New Orleans. She does not know her exact age but says she was told, when given her freedom that she was about 15 years of age. Phoebe’s first master was a man named Simons, who took her to a slave auction in Baltimore, where she was sold to Vaul Mooney (this name is spelled as pronounced, the correct spelling not known.) When Phoebe was given … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mrs. Melissa (Lowe) Barden

Interviewer: Frank M. Smith Person Interviewed: Melissa (Lowe) Barden Location: Youngstown, Ohio Place of Residence: 1671 Jacobs Road Mrs. Melissa (Lowe) Barden of 1671 Jacobs Road, was “bred and born” on the plantation of David Lowe, near Summersville, Georgia, Chattooga County, and when asked how old she was said “I’s way up yonder somewheres maybe 80 or 90 years.” Melissa assumed her master’s name Lowe, and says he was very good to her and that she loved him. Only once did she feel ill towards him and that was when he sold her mother. She and her sister were left … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mrs. M. S. Fayman

Interviewer: Rogers Person Interviewed: Mrs. M. S. Fayman Location: Baltimore, Maryland Place of Birth: St. Nazaire Parish LA Date of Birth: 1850 Reference: Personal interview with Mrs. Fayman, at her home, Cherry Heights near Baltimore, Md. “I was born in St. Nazaire Parish in Louisiana, about 60 miles south of Baton Rouge, in 1850. My father and mother were Creoles, both of them were people of wealth and prestige in their day and considered very influential. My father’s name was Henri de Sales and mother’s maiden name, Marguerite Sanchez De Haryne. I had two brothers Henri and Jackson named after … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mrs. Hockaday

Interviewer: Archie Koritz Person Interviewed: Mrs. Hockaday Location: Gary, Indiana Place of Residence: 2591 Madison Street, Gary, Indiana Archie Koritz, Field Worker Federal Writers’ Project Porter County-District #1 Valparaiso, Indiana EX-SLAVES MRS. HOCKADAY 2581 Madison Street Gary, Indiana Mrs. Hockaday is the daughter of an ex-slave and like so many others does not care to discuss the dark side of slavery and the cruel treatment that some of them received. After the Civil War the slaves who for the most part were unskilled and ignorant, found it very difficult to adjust themselves to their new life as free persons. Formerly, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mrs. Heyburn

Interviewer: Ruby Garten Person Interviewed: Mrs. Heyburn Location: Union County, Kentucky (These two stories were told by Mrs. Heyburn as she remembered them from her grandmother). “When the War was going on between the States and the Confederate soldiers had gone south, the Yankee soldiers came through. There was a little negro slave boy living on the farm and he had heard quite a bit about the Yankees, so one day they happened to pass through where he could see them and he rushed into the house and said, “Miss Lulu, I saw a Yankee, and he was a man.” … Read more