Columbia South Carolina

Slave Narrative of Isom Roberts

Interviewer: Henry Grant Person Interviewed: Isom Roberts Location: Columbia, South Carolina Place of Residence: 1226 Waverly Street, Columbia, SC Age: 80 Ex-Slave 80 Years Old Isom Roberts rents one room at 1226 Waverly Street, Columbia, S.C., and lives alone. However frail he appears, he is able to support himself by working in the yards about the city. “Well, sir, white folks, I is eighty years old, or leastwise I is so close to it, dat it don’t make much difference. But even if I is dat old, it don’t seem so long since I was a little boy. Years flies … Read more

A Southern Household during the Years 1860 to 1865

Ellen S. Elmore Columbia, S. C, December, 1901 I am told it is my duty to write what I can personally recall of the days of our hard struggle with fate, and because it is so considered, I shall make the effort to penetrate the dark chambers of my heart and brain for what I know lies there, hidden away from even my present consciousness. To bring it back, I must take myself to the beginning of events that bore immediately upon the grand tragedy of the century, to the summer of i860, the last time our whole family was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Jesse Rice

Interviewer: Caldwell Sims Person Interviewed: Jesse Rice Date of Interview: January 8, 1938 Location: Gaffney, South Carolina Stories From Ex-Slaves “My people tells me a lot about when I was a lil’ wee boy. I has a clear mind and I allus has had one. My folks did not talk up people’s age like folks do dese days. Every place dat I be now, ‘specially round dese government folks, first thing dat dey wants to know is your name. Well, dat is quite natu’al, but de very next question is how old you is. I don’t know, why it is, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Charity Austin

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Charity Austin Location: 507 South Bloodworth Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: July 27, 1852 Place of Birth: Granville County NC I wus borned in the year 1852, July 27. I wus born in Granville County, sold to a slave speculator at ten years old and carried to Southwest, Georgia. I belonged to Samuel Howard. His daughter took me to Kinston, North Carolina and I stayed there until I wus sold. She married a man named Bill Brown, and her name wus Julia Howard Brown. My father wus named Paul Howard and my … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mack Taylor

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Mack Taylor Location: Ridgeway, South Carolina Age: 97 Mack Taylor lives six miles southeast of Ridgeway, S.C., on his farm of ninety-seven acres. The house, in which he resides, is a frame house containing six rooms, all on one floor. His son, Charley, lives with him. Charley is married and has a small family. “Howdy do sir! I sees you a good deal goin’ backwards and forwards to Columbia. I has to set way back in de bus and you sets up to de front. I can’t ketch you to speak to you, as … Read more

Biography of Col. R. H. Taylor

Mr. Woodson is a good lawyer, a conscientious officer and a vigorous and successful prosecutor. Of this county, was born in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1825. He began the study of law in the law office of Judge Warner, and was admitted to the bar by a special act of the legislature at the age of 18 years. He moved to Fannin County in 1844, and his abilities as a ‘lawyer were soon recognized, and. he was employed upon one side or the other of every important suit; both criminal and civil, in the county. In a few years, his … Read more

Slave Narrative of Daniel Waring

Interviewer: Stiles M. Scruggs Person Interviewed: Daniel Waring Location: Columbia, South Carolina Place of Birth: Fairfield County, South Carolina Date of Birth: 1849 Age: 88 “I was born in Fairfield County, South Carolina, in 1849, and my parents, Tobias and Becky Waring was slaves of the Waring family, and the Bookters and Warings was kin folks. When I was just a little shaver I was told I b’longed to the family of the late Colonel Edward Bookter of upper Fairfield County. “The Bookter plantation was a big one, with pastures for cattle, hogs and sheep; big field of cotton, corn … Read more

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 Martha Richardson

Interviewer: Stiles M. Scruggs Person Interviewed: Martha Richardson Location: Columbia, South Carolina Place of Residence: 924 Senate Street, Columbia, SC Date of Birth: 1860 Martha Richardson, who tells this story, lives at 924 Senate Street, Columbia, S.C. Her father was an Indian and her mother a mulatto. She was born in Columbia in 1860 and was five years old, when General W.T. Sherman’s Federal troops captured and burned the city in 1865. “When I gits big ‘nough to pick up chips for de cook stove, we was livin’ in de rear of Daniel Gardner’s home, on Main Street, and my … Read more

Slave Narrative of Charlie Robinson

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Charlie Robinson Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Age: 87 Ex-Slave 87 Years Old Charlie Robinson lives nine miles northwest of Winnsboro, S.C., on lands of Mr. R.W. Lemmon. There is one other occupant in the four-room house, John Giles, a share cropper. The house has two fireplaces, the brick chimney being constructed in the center of the two main rooms. The other two rooms are shed rooms. Charlie ekes out a living as a day laborer on the farm. “They been tellin’ me to come to de social circle and see ’bout my pension but … Read more

Hardman, Wallace Emery “Wally” – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Wallace Emery “Wally” Hardman, 81, a lifetime Baker City resident, died Feb. 15, 2002, at his home. His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. The Rev. Lura Kidner-Miesen of the United Methodist Church and the Rev. Raymond Bates of SonRise Free Methodist Church at La Grande will officiate. Vault interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery. Military rites will be accorded by the Baker City Veterans of Foreign Wars. There will be a reception afterward at the United Methodist Church, 1919 Second St. Visitations will be … Read more

Slave Narrative of Alfred Sligh

Interviewer: Stiles M. Scruggs Person Interviewed: Alfred Sligh Location: Columbia, South Carolina Place of Birth: Newberry County, South Carolina Date of Birth: 1837 Age: 100 Place of Residence: 1317 Gregg Street Ex-Slave 100 Years Old Alfred Sligh, who lives in a rented house at 1317 Gregg Street, says he was born in Newberry County, South Carolina, in 1837. His hair is white and he is feeble. He goes about the city, on fair days, collecting small sums of money from his white friends and sometimes from his own race. In this way he earns most of his income. “My folks … Read more

Slave Narrative of Sam Rawls

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Sam Rawls Date of Interview: June 9, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina Place of Birth: Lexington County, SC Date of Birth: 1835 Stories From Ex-Slaves “I was born in 1835 in Lexington County, S.C. I know I was 12 years old de last year of de war. I belonged to John Hiller in Lexington County, near Columbia, S.C. Old Marse Hiller was strict to his slaves, wasn’t mean, but often whipped ’em. I thought it was all right then. When de Yankees come through burning, killing and stealing stock, I was in marse’s yard. … Read more