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.
Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Milly Henry Location: 713 South East Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Location of Birth: Yazoo City, Mississippi Age: 82 Ex-Slave Story An interview with Milly Henry 82 of 713 South East Street, Raleigh, N. C. I wus borned a slave ter Mr. Buck Boylan in Yazoo City, Mississippi. I doan […]
Person Interviewed: Millie Simpkins Location: Nashville, Tennessee Age: 109 Place of Residence: 1004 10th Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee “Black Mamie” I claims I’s 109 ye’ars ole en wuz bawn neah Winchester, Tennessee. Mah marster wuz Boyd Sims en mah missis wuz Sarah Ann Ewing Sims. Mah mammy wus named Judy Ewing en mah daddy wuz Moses
Person Interviewed: Millie Sampson Location: Dade County, Florida Millie Sampson, 182 W. 14th St. Miami, Florida, was born in Manning, S.C. only three years ‘bfo’ Peace”. “My mother and father were born on the same plantation and I di’n’t have nothin’ to do ‘sept play with the white children and have plenty to eat. My
Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Midge Burnett Location: 1300 S. Bloodworth Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Age: 80 Plantation Life In Georgia An interview with Midge Burnett, 80 years old, of 1300 S. Bloodworth Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. I wus borned in Georgia eighty years ago, de son of Jim an’ Henretta Burnett an’ de
Interviewer: Rogers Person Interviewed: Menellis Gassaway Date of Interview: Sept. 1937 Location: M.E. Home, Carrollton Ave., Baltimore, Maryland Place of Birth: Carroll County MD Date of Birth: 1850 or 52 Reference: Personal interview with Menellis Gassaway, ex-slave, on Sept. 22, 1937, at M.E. Home, Carrollton Ave., Baltimore. “My name is Menellis Gassaway, son of Owing
Interviewer: Frank M. Smith Person Interviewed: Melissa (Lowe) Barden Location: Youngstown, Ohio Place of Birth: Chattooga County, Georgia Age: 80-90 Place of Residence: 1671 Jacobs Road Ex-Slaves Mahoning County, District #5 Youngstown, Ohio The Story of MRS. MELISSA (LOWE) BARDEN, Youngstown, Ohio. Mrs. Melissa (Lowe) Barden of 1671 Jacobs Road, was “bred and born” on
Person Interviewed: Measy Hudson Location: Nashville, Tennessee Place of Birth: North Carolina Age: 79-80 Place of Residence: 1209 Jefferson St., Nashville, Tennessee “Wuz bawn’ in North Carolina en I’se 90 y’ars ole in November. W’en war broke out we kum ter Tennessee en hab bin ‘yer eber since. Wuz ‘yer w’en old Hood fi’rd de
Person Interviewed: Mattie Hariman Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Gunalis, Texas Date of Birth: January 2, 1859 Age: 78 I was born January 2, 1859, at Gunalis, Texas. My father’s name was William Tensley and my mother’s name Mildred Howard. They was brought from Virginia. I did have 8 brothers and sisters but
Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: Mattie Curtis Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Location of Birth: Orange County NC Age: 98 Occupation: Sewing Before And After The War An interview with Mattie Curtis, 98 years old, of Raleigh, North Carolina, Route # 4. I wus borned on de plantation of Mr. John Hayes in Orange County
Interviewer: Grace Monroe Person Interviewed: Matthew Hume Location: Indiana Grace Monroe Dist. 4 Jefferson County SLAVE STORY MR. MATTHEW HUME, A FORMER SLAVE Mr. Hume had many interesting experiences to tell concerning the part slavery had played in his family. On the whole they were fortunate in having a good master who would not keep
Person Interviewed: Matilda Poe Location: McAlester, Oklahoma Age: 80 I was born in Indian Territory on de plantation of Isaac Love. He was old Master, and Henry Love was young Master. Isaac Love was a full blood Chickasaw Indian but his wife was a white woman. Old Master was sure good to his slaves. The
Interviewer: Alfred Farrell Person Interviewed: Matilda Brooks Location: Monticello, Florida Age: 79 A Governor’s Slave Matilda Brooks, 79, who lives in Monticello, Fla., was once a slave of a South Carolina governor. Mrs. Brooks was born in 1857 or 1858 in Edgefield, S.C. Her parents were Hawkins and Harriet Knox, and at the time of
Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden Person Interviewed: Matilda Bass Location: 1100 Palm Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas Age: 80 Occupation: Farmed “Yes ma’am, I was eight years old when the Old War ceasted. “Honey, I’ve lived here twenty years and I don’t know what this street is. “I was born in Greenville, Mississippi. They took my parents
Interviewer: Mamie Hanberry Person Interviewed: Mary Wright Location: Kentucky Place of Birth: Gracey, Kentucky Date of Birth: August 1, 1865 Place of Residence: 204 W. Fourth St. “I was born at Gracey, Kentucky on Mr. James Colemans far, in a log cabin wid a dirt floor en a stick chimney. “Folks uster weat wat dey
Interviewer: Mamie Hanberry Person Interviewed: Mary Wooldridge Location: Hopkinsville, Kentucky Place of Birth: Washington County, Kentucky, Age: (about) 103 Place of Residence: Clarksville, Pike R.R. #1, Hopkinsville, Kentucky “Mary and her twin sister were slaves born in Washington County, Kentucky, near Lexington, belonging to Bob Eaglin. When Mary was about fourteen years old she and
Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Mary Woodward Location: South Carolina Date of Birth: 1854 Age: 83 “I knows you since you ’bout dis high (indicating). When was it? Where I see you? I see you at your auntie’s house. Dat was your auntie, Miss Roxie Mobley, other side of Blackstock. You was in a
Interviewer: Travis Jordan Person Interviewed: Mary Wallace Bowe Location: Durham, North Carolina Age: 81 My name is Mary Wallace Bowe. I was nine years ole at de surrender. My mammy an’ pappy, Susan an’ Lillman Graves, first belonged to Marse Fountain an’ Mis’ Fanny Tu’berville, but Marse Fountain sold me, my mammy an’ my brother
Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Mary Veals Date of Interview: May 20, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina Place of Birth: Newberry South Carolina “I was born in the town of Newberry, S.C. I do not remember slavery time, but I have heard my father and mother talk about it. They were Washington and Polly
Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Mary Veals Date of Interview: September 30, 1937 Location: Newberry, South Carolina “I don’t own no house. I live in a rented house. Yes, I work fer my living. I don’t ‘member much ’bout slavery except what I heard my daddy and mammy say. My pa was Washing Holloway
Interviewer: Caldwell Sims Person Interviewed: Mary Smith Date of Interview: September 14, 1937 Location: Union, South Carolina “I liked to went crazy when my brother, Bob, went to Arkansas. Den Marse George Young wrote our names in a book and give it to my ma. It was jes’ a small mem’randum book. We kept it
