Slave Narrative

Slave Narrative of Della Bess Hilyard

Interviewer: Alfred Farrell Person Interviewed: Della Bess Hilyard (“Aunt Bess”) Location: Titusville, Florida Della Bess Hilyard, or “Aunt Bess” as she is better known, was born in Darlington, South Carolina in 1858, the daughter of Resier and Zilphy Hart, slaves of Gus Hiwards. Both her parents were cotton pickers and as a little girl Della […]

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Slave Narrative of Sarah Ross

Interviewer: Alfred Farrell Person Interviewed: Sarah Ross Location: Live Oak, Florida Born in Benton County, Mississippi nearly eighty years ago, Sarah is the daughter of Harriet Elmore and William Donaldson, her white owner. Donaldson was a very cruel man and frequently beat Sarah’s mother because she would not have sexual relations with the overseer, a

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Slave Narrative of Charlotte Martin

Interviewer: Alfred Farrell Person Interviewed: Charlotte Martin Location: Live Oak, Florida Occupation: Farmed, made quilts, and made herb cures. Charlotte Mitchell Martin, one of twenty children born to Shepherd and Lucinda Mitchell, eighty-two years ago, was a slave of Judge Wilkerson on a large plantation in Sixteen, Florida, a little town near Madison. Shepherd Mitchell

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Slave Narrative of Harriett Gresham

Interviewer: Pearl Randolph Person Interviewed: Harriett Gresham Location: Jacksonville, Florida Age: 98 Occupation: Field Worker Born on December 6, 1838, Harriett Gresham can recall quite clearly the major events of her life as a slave, also the Civil War as it affected the slaves of Charleston and Barnwell, South Carolina. She was one of a

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Slave Narrative of Clayborn Gantling

Interviewer: Rachel Austin Person Interviewed: Clayborn Gantling Location: Jacksonville, Florida Age: 89 Clayborn Gantling was born in Dawson, Georgia, Terrell County, January 20, 1848 on the plantation of Judge Williams. Judge Williams owned 102 heads of slaves and was known to be “tolable nice to ’em in some way and pretty rough on ’em in

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Slave Narrative of Laura Abromsom

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Laura Abromson, R. F. D. Location: Holly Grove, Arkansas (receives mail at Clarendon, Arkansas) Age: 74 “My mama was named Eloise Rogers. She was born in Missouri. She was sold and brought to three or four miles from Brownsville, Tennessee. Alex Rogers bought her and my papa. She had

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Slave Narrative of Lucretia Alexander

Interviewer: Samuel S. Taylor Person Interviewed: Lucretia Alexander Location: 1708 High Street, Little Rock, Arkansas Age: 89 Occupation: Washed. Ironed. Plowed. Hoed “I been married three times and my last name was Lucretia Alexander. I was twelve years old when the War began. My mother died at seventy-three or seventy-five. That was in August 1865—August

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Slave Narrative of Fannie Alexander

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Fannie Alexander Location: Helena, Arkansas Age: 62 Occupation: Teacher “I was an orphant child. My mother-in-law told me during slavery she was a field hand. One day the overseer was going to whoop one of the women ’bout sompin or other and all the women started with the hoes

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Slave Narrative of Diana Alexander

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Diane Alexander Location: Brinkley, Arkansas Age: 74 Occupation: Worked in field, Washed, Ironed “I was born in Mississippi close to Bihalia. Our owner was Myers(?) Bogan. He had a wife and children. Mama was a field woman. Her name was Sarah Bogan and papa’s name was Hubberd Bogan. “I

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Slave Narrative of Amsy O. Alexander

Interviewer: Samuel S. Taylor Person Interviewed: Amsy O. Alexander Location: 2422 Center Street, Little Rock, Arkansas Age: 74 Occupation: Track laborer, Track foreman, Railroad builder [HW: Helps Build Railroad] “I was born in the country several miles from Charlotte in Macklenberg, County, North Carolina in 1864. “My father’s name was John Alexander and my mother

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Slave Narrative of Selie Anderson

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson Person Interviewed: Selie Anderson Location: Holly Grove, Arkansas Age: 78 Occupation: House girl “I was born near Decatur, Alabama and lived there till I was fifteen years old. Course I members hearin’ em talk bout Mars Newt. I named fur my ma’s old mistress—Miss Selie Thompson and Mars Newt Thompson. Pa

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