Slave Narrative of Julia Bowman
Julia Bowman, born in Woodford County, Kentucky, in 1850, was interviewed in Indianapolis, Indiana, by Anna Pritchett as part of the Federal Writers Project. She described her life as a slave under the kind master Joel W. Twyman, emphasizing the family’s generosity toward their slaves, who were treated as kin. Bowman lived in the Twyman household from age six until the abolition of slavery, and she reflected on the difficulties of her current life compared to her experiences during slavery. She cherishes the Twyman family Bible that records her birth.