Summit Mississippi

Slave Narrative of Fanny Smith Hodges

Fanny Smith Hodges, a former slave from Berglundtown, Mississippi, recounts her experiences under the ownership of Hiram Cassedy. Despite the harshness of slavery, Hodges describes Cassedy as relatively kind, providing for slaves and forbidding excessive punishment. She worked as a maid for his daughter, maintaining a bond with fellow slaves through music and community. Post-Civil War, she transitioned to wage labor and faced hardships, yet found solace in church. Now elderly and battling cancer, she relies on a small pension and occasional washing work for survival.

Slave Narrative of Charlie Moses

Charlie Moses, at 84, recounts his painful memories as a slave under the cruel Jim Rankin in Marion County, Mississippi. He describes relentless labor, severe beatings, and inadequate sustenance. Moses emphasizes the fear Rankin instilled not only in slaves but his own family, emphasizing the suffering endured by his community. After the Civil War and his eventual freedom, he traveled across Louisiana for work before becoming a preacher in Brookhaven. Despite his newfound freedom, Moses remains haunted by the horrors of slavery.