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: Iris Cook Person Interviewed: George Morrison Location: New Albany, Indiana Place of Residence: 25 East 5t., New Albany, Indiana Place of Birth: Union County, Kentucky Iris Cook District 4 Floyd County STORY OF GEORGE MORRISON 25 East 5th St., New Albany, Ind. Observation of the writer (This old negro, known as “Uncle George” by […]
Person Interviewed: George Kye Location: Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Age: 110 I was born in Arkansas under Mr. Abraham Stover, on a big farm about twenty miles north of Van Buren. I was plumb grown when the Civil War come along, but I can remember back when the Cherokee Indians was in all that part of
Interviewer: Rogers Person Interviewed: George Jones Location: Baltimore, Maryland Place of Birth: Frederick County, Maryland Date of Birth: 1853 Age: 84 Place of Residence: 207 Aisquith St., Baltimore Md. Reference: Personal interview with George Jones, Ex-slave, at African M.E. Home, 207 Aisquith St., Baltimore. “I was born in Frederick County, Maryland, 84 years ago or
Interviewer: Bishop & Isleman Person Interviewed: George Jackson Location: Steubenville, Ohio Place of Birth: Loudon County, Virginia Date of Birth: Feb. 6, 1858 Age: 79 WPA in Ohio Federal Writers’ Project Bishop & Isleman Reporter: Bishop [HW: Revised] Topic: Ex-Slaves. Jefferson County, District #5 July 6, 1937 GEORGE JACKSON Ex-Slave, 79 years I was born
Interviewer: Eliza Ison Person Interviewed: George Henderson Location: Kentucky Place of Birth: Woodford County, Kentucky Date of Birth: May 10, 1860 Garrard County. Ex-Slave Stories. (Eliza Ison) [HW: Ky 13] Interview with George Henderson: Uncle George tells me that he was born May 10, 1860 near Versailles, in Woodford County, Kentucky. His father’s name was
Interviewer: Lauana Creel Person Interviewed: George Fortman Location: Evansville, Indiana Place of Residence: Cor. Bellemeade Ave. and Garvin St. Evansville, Indiana Occupation: Professor of faith in Christ, Janitor Ex-Slave Stories District 5 Vanderburgh County Lauana Creel INDIANS MADE SLAVES AMONG THE NEGROES. INTERVIEWS WITH GEORGE FORTMAN Cor. Bellemeade Ave. and Garvin St. Evansville, Indiana, and
Interviewer: Mary A. Hicks Person Interviewed: George Eatman Date of Interview: May 18, 1937 Location: Cary, North Carolina, R. #1 Age: 93 I belonged ter Mr. Gus Eatman who lived at de ole Templeton place on de Durham highway back as fer as I can ‘member. I doan r’member my mammy an’ pappy case dey
Interviewer: Edwin Driskell Person Interviewed: George Eason Location: Georgia Mr. George Eason was born in Forsyth, Ga., on the plantation of Mr. Jack Ormond. In addition to himself there were six other children, one of whom was his twin brother. He and his brother were the oldest members of this group of children. His mother,
Interviewer: John Forsee Person Interviewed: George Dorsey Location: Owentown, Kentucky Date of Birth: June 16, 1860 Age: 76 Although this article is presented in narrative form and has but few characters, the writer believes it to be an excellent example of life in Owen County sixty or more years ago. With the exception of the
Person Interviewed: George Conrad, Jr. Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Connersville, Harrison County, Kentucky Date of Birth: February 23, 1860 Age: 77 I was born February 23, 1860 at Connersville, Harrison County, Kentucky. I was born and lived just 13 miles from Pariah. My mother’s name is Rachel Conrad, born at Bourbon County,
Date of birth: Year unknown (See below) Place of birth: In Muscogee County, near Columbus, Georgia Present Residence: 502 East 8th Street, Columbus, Georgia Interviewed: August 4, 1936 Age: 112 This old darky, probably the oldest ex-slave in West Georgia, claims to be 112 years of age. His colored friends are also of the opinion
Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden Person Interviewed: George Benson Age: 80 Location: Ezell Quarters, Pine Bluff, Arkansas Occupation: Cotton Farmer “I was here in slavery days—yes ma’m, I was here. When I come here, colored people didn’t have their ages. The boss man had it. After surrender, boss man told me I ought to keep up
Interviewer: Esther de Sola Person Interviewed: Gabe Emanuel Location: Port Gibson, Mississippi Gabe Emanuel is the blackest of Negroes. He is stooped and wobbly from his eighty-five years and weighs about one hundred and thirty-five pounds. His speech is somewhat hindered by an unbelievable amount of tobacco rolled to one side of his mouth. He
Person Interviewed: Frankie Goole Location: Nashville, Tennessee Place of Birth: Smith County TN Age: 84 Place of Residence: 204 5th Ave. So, Nashville, Tennessee “I wuz bawn in Smith County on uther side ob Lebanon. Ah’ll be 85 y’ars ole Christmas Day. Mah ole Missis wuz named Sallie, en mah Marster wuz George Waters. Mah mammy’s
Interviewer: Hattie Mobley Person Interviewed: Frank Range Location: Greenville, South Carolina Age: 103 Place of Residence: 101 Hudson St. Greenville, S.C Civil War Servant and Hero At the age of one hundred and three, Frank Range is a familiar figure on the streets of Greenville, talking freely of pre-Civil and Civil War days, and the
Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Frank Freeman Location: 216 Tuppers Lane, Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: December 14, 1857 Place of Birth: Wake County NC Age: 76 I was born near Rolesville in Wake County Christmas Eve, 24 of December 1857. I am 76 years old. My name is Frank Freeman and my
Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Frank Cannon R.F.D. Location: Palestine, Arkansas Age: 77 “I was born three miles west of Starkville, Mississippi on a pretty tolerable large farm. My folks was bought from a speculator drove come by. They come from Sanders in South Ca’lina. Master Charlie Cannon bought a whole drove of us,
Interviewer: Pearl Randolph Person Interviewed: Frank Berry Location: Jacksonville, Florida Age: 78 Frank Berry, living at 1614 west Twenty-Second street, Jacksonville, Florida, claims to be a grandson of Osceola, last fighting chief of the Seminole tribe. Born in 1858 of a mother who was part of the human chattel belonging to one of the Hearnses
Person Interviewed: Frank Bates Location: Dade County, Florida Frank Bates, 367 N.W. 10th Street, Miami, Florida was born on Hugh Lee Bates’ farm in Alabama in the country not very far from Mulberry Beat. “My mother and father lived on the same plantation, but I was too little to do more than tote water to
Person Interviewed: Francis Bridges Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Red River County, Texas Date of Birth: 1864 Age: 73 Occupatio I was born in Red River County, Texas in 1864, and that makes me 73 years old. I had myself 75, and I went to my white folks and they counted it un
