Oklahoma

Slave Narrative of Prince Bee

Person Interviewed: Prince Bee Location: Red Bird, Oklahoma Age: 85 I don’t know how old I was when I found myself standing on the toppes part of a high stump with a lot of white folks walking around looking at the little scared boy that was me. Pretty soon the old master, (that’s my first master) Saul Sudville, he say to me that I’m now belonging to Major Bee and for me to get down off the auction block. I do that. Major Bee he comes over and right away I know I’m going to like his. Then when I … Read more

Slave Narrative of William Hutson

Person Interviewed: William Hutson Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Age: 98 When a feller gets as old as me it’s a keep easier to forget things than it is to remember, but I ain’t never forget that old plantation where good old Doctor Allison lived back there in Georgia long before the war that brought us slaves the freedom. I hear the slaves talking about noon maters when I was a boy. They wasn’t talking about Master Allison though, ’cause he was a good man and took part for the slaves when any trouble come up with the overseer. The Mistress’ name … Read more

Slave Narrative of Ida Henry

Person Interviewed: Ida Henry Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Marshall, Texas Date of Birth: 1854 Age: 83 Occupation: House Girl I was born in Marshall, Texas, in 1854. Me mother was named Millie Henderson and me father Silas Hall. Me mother was sold in South Carolina to Mister Hall, who brought her to Texas. Me father was born and raised by Master John Hall. Me mother’s and father’s family consisted of five girls and one boy. My sister’s names were: Margrette, Chalette, Lottie, Gracy and Loyo, and me brother’s name was Dock Howard. I lived with me mother … Read more

Slave Narrative of Betty Robertson

Person Interviewed: Betty Robertson Location: Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Age: 93 I was born close to Webbers Falls, in the Canadian District of the Cherokee Nation, in the same year that my pappy was blowed up and killed in the big boat accident that killed my old Master. I never did see my daddy excepting when I was a baby and I only know what my mammy told me about him. He come from across the water when he was a little boy, and was grown when old Master Joseph Vann bought him, so he never did learn to talk much … Read more

Slave Narrative of Alice Douglass

Person Interviewed: Alice Douglass Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Sumner County, Tennessee Date of Birth: December 22, 1860 Age: 73 I was born December 22, 1880 in Summer County, Tennessee. My mother, I mean mammy, ’cause what did we know ’bout mother and mama. Master and Mistress made dey chillun call all nigger women. “Black Harmy.” Jest as I was saying my mammy was named Millie Elkins and my pappy was named Isaac Garrett. My sisters and brothers was Frank, Susie and Mollie. They is all in Nashville, Tennessee right now. They lived in log houses. I ‘member … Read more

Slave Narrative of Allen V. Manning

Person Interviewed: Allen V. Manning Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Clarke County Mississippi Date of Birth: 1850 Age: 87 Occupation: Sells Milk I always been somewhar in the South, mostly in Texas when I was a young man, and of course us Negroes never got much of a show in court matters, but I reckon if I had of had the chance to set on a jury I would of made a mighty poor out at it. No sir. I jest can’t set in judgement on nobody, ’cause I learned when I was jest a little boy that good … 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 Annie Hawkins

Person Interviewed: Annie HawkinsLocation: Colbert, OklahomaAge: 90 I calls myself 90, but I don’t know jest how old I really am but I was a good sized gal when we moved from Georgia to Texas. We come on a big boat and one night the stars fell. Talk about being scared! We all run and hid and hollered and prayed. We thought the end of the world had come. I never had no whitefolks that was good to me. We all worked jest like dogs and had about half enough to eat and got whupped for everything. Our days was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Daniel William Lucas

Person Interviewed: Daniel William Lucas Location: Red Bird, Oklahoma Age: 94 I remember them slave days well as it was yesterday, and when I get to remembering the very first thing comes back to me is the little log cabin where at I lived when I was a slave boy back ‘fore the war. Just like yesterday I see that little old cabin standing on a bit of hill about a quarter-mile from the Master’s brick mansion, and I see into the cabin and there’s the old home-made bed with rope cords a-holding up the corn shuck bedding where on … Read more

Slave Narrative of Phoebe Banks

Person Interviewed: Phoebe Banks Location: Muskogee, Oklahoma Date of Birth: October 17, 1860 Age: 78 In 1860, there was a little Creek Indian town of Sodom on the north bank of the Arkansas River, in a section the Indians called Chocka Bottoms, where Hose Perryman had a big farm or ranch for a long time before the Civil War. That same year, on October 17, I was born on the Perryman place, which was northwest of where I lived now in Muskogee; only in them days Fort Gibson and Okmulgee was the biggest towns around and Muskogee hadn’t shaped up … 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 Phyllis Petite

Person Interviewed: Phyllis Petite Location: Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Rusk County, Texas Age: 83 I was born in Rusk County, Texas, on a plantation about eight miles east of Belleview. There wasn’t no town where I was born, but they had a church. My mammy and pappy belonged to a part Cherokee named W. P. Thompson when I was born. He had kinfolks in the Cherokee Nation, and we all moved up here to a place on Fourteen-Mile Creek close to where Hulbert now is. ‘way before I was big enough to remember anything. Then, so I been … Read more

Slave Narrative of William Curtis

Person Interviewed: William Curtis Location: McAlester, Oklahoma Age: 93 “Run Nigger, run, De Patteroll git ye! Run Nigger, run, He’s almost here!” Please Mr. Pateroll, Don’t ketch me! Jest take dat nigger What’s behind dat tree.” Lawsy, I done heard dat song all my life and it warn’t no joke wither. Do Patrol would git ye too if he caught ye off the plantation thout a pass from your Master, and he’d whey ye too. None of we doesn’t save without a pass. We chillen sung lots of songs and me played marbles, mumble pog, my town call. In de … Read more

Slave Narrative of John White

Person Interviewed: John White Location: Sand Springs, Oklahoma Date of Birth: April 10, 1816 Age: 121 Occupation: Yard Worker Of all my Mammy’s children I am the first born and the longest living. The others all gone to join Mammy. She was named Mary White, the same name as her Mistress, the wife of my first master, James White. About my paopy. I never hear his name and I never see him, not even when I was the least child around the old Master’s place ‘way back there in Georgia more’n one-hundred twenty years ago! Mammy try to make it … Read more

Slave Narrative of Easter Wells

Person Interviewed: Easter Wells Location: Colbert, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Arkansas Date of Birth: 1854 Age: 83 I was born in Arkansas, in 1854, but we moved to Texas in 1855. I’ve heard ’em tell about de trip to Texas. De grown folks rode in wagons and carts but de chaps all walked dat was big enuff. De men walked and toted their guns and hunted all de way. Dey had plenty of fresh game to eat. My mother’s name was Nellie Bell. I had one sister, Liza. I never saw my father; in fact, I never heard my mammy … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mary Frances Webb

Location: McAlester, Oklahoma Age: 92 (deceased) Occupation: Field Hand Mary Frances Webb, grand daughter of Sarah Vest, aged 92, (deceased) McAlester, Okla. I’ve heard my grandmother tell a lot of her experiences during slavery. She remembered things well as she was a grown woman at the time of the war of the Rebellion. Her home was at Sedalia, Mo., and her owner was Baxter West, a prominent farmer and politician. He was very kind and good to his slaves. He provided them with plenty of food and good clothes. He would go to town and buy six or eight bolts … Read more

Slave Narrative of James Southall

Person Interviewed: James Southall Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Clarksville, Tennessee Age: 82 I was born in Clarksville, Tenn. My father was Wesley and my mother was Hagar Southall. Our owner was Dr. John Southall, an old man. Father always belonged to him but he bought my mother when she was a young girl and raised her. She never knew anything ’bout her people but my father’s mother lived with us in de quarter’s at Master Southall’s. Master John never sold any of his slaves. We was known as “Free niggers.” Master said he didn’t believe it was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Tom W. Woods

Person Interviewed: Tom W. Woods Location: Alderson, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Florence, Alabama Age: 83 Lady, if de nigger hadn’t been set free dis country wouldn’t ever been what it is now! Poor white folks wouldn’t never had a chance. De slave holders had most of de money and de land and dey wouldn’t let de poor white folks have a chance to own any land or anything else to speak of. Dese white folks wasn’t much better off dan we was. Dey had to work hard and dey had to worry ’bout food, clothes and shelter and we didn’t. … Read more

Slave Narrative of Lou Smith

Person Interviewed: Lou Smith Location: Platter, Oklahoma Age: 83 Occupation: Nursing Young Sho’, I remembers de slavery days! I was a little gal but I can tell you lots of things about dem days. My job was nussing de younguns. I took keer of them from daylight to dark. I’d have to sing them to sleep too. I’d sing: By-lo Baby Bunting Daddy’s gone a-hunting To get a rabbit skin To wrap Baby Bunting in.” Sometimes I’d sing: Rock-a-bye baby, in a tree top When de wind blows your cradle’ll rock. When de bough breaks de crad’ll fall Down comes … Read more

Slave Narrative of Charley Williams

Person Interviewed: Charley Williams Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Date of Birth: Jan. 11, 1843 Age: 94 Iffen I could see better out’n my old eyes, and I had me something to work with and de feebleness in my back and head would let me ‘lone, I would have me plenty to eat in de kitchen all de time, and plenty tobaccy in my pipe, too, bless God! And dey wouldn’t be no rain trickling through de holes in de roof, and no planks all fell out’n de flo’ on de gallery neither, ’cause dis one old nigger knows everything about making … Read more