Ex-slave Remembers Religion in 19C America

Mariah related, "Master Sam had a colored man on the place that give us our A B C's. I'se still got mine, but warn't ever able to get any farther. There was a big pine arbor on the place where we 'tended preaching. A white preacher, Rollin, preached to us and the white fo'ks too...There was no funeral services for the Negroes when they died."

Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Photo from 20th century.

Ex-slave Alice Houston, about 78, Remembers learning to read in 19C America

Alice recalled, "My white folks, dey tries to teach us to read and spell and write some and after ole marster move into town he lets us go to a real school. That's how come I can read so many docto' books you see."

Photos and quotes of former slaves used in these blog posts come from the Slave Narratives. 

Ex-slave Nicey Pugh, about 85, Remembers Clothes in 19C America

Nicey recalled, "...we jes had home made chothes an' shoes. De men wud shear de sheep and' us chilluns wud pick de burrs out ob de wool and den wash it an' spread it on de grass tuh dry, den we'd card it an den spin de thread, an' weave de cloth. Dat was harder tuh do dan spinning de cotton and weaving it. Our dresses were plain ansenberg an' we would dye it wid cherry bark, dogwood and gallberry, an' our shoes was made dere on de place by George Bettis one ob de slaves, Marse Jim had plenty ob hides an' he had George tuh make de shoes. Dey was plain heavy red tanned shoes. For Sunday us had mingled calico dresses, dat us wore tuh church when us went. Us didn't hab no church our own, but we'd sit in de back ob de white folk's church."

Photos and quotes of former slaves used in these blog posts come from the Slave Narratives.

Ex-slave Penny Thompson, about 86, Remembers slave weddings in 19C America

Penny declared, "We has de weddin's too, but no preacher or cer'mony. When a man sees a girl him likes and de girl am willin', dey says dey wants a weddin'. De womens cooks extra and dey gits do cedar boughs and wets dem and sprinkles flour on dem and puts dem on de table. We sits at de table and eats and sings 'ligious songs and after supper dey pats de broom on de floor and de couple takes de hands and steps over de broom, and den dey am put to bed."

Photos and quotes of former slaves used in these blog posts come from the Slave Narratives. 

Ex-slave Ellen Payne, about 88, Remembers making extra money in 19C America

Ellen said, "They was allus plenty to eat and one nigger didn't do nothin' but raise gardens. They hunted coon and possum and rabbits with dogs and the white folks kilt deer and big game like that. My daddy allus had some money 'cause he made baskets and chair bottoms and sold them, and Master Evans give every slave a patch to work and they could sell it and keep the money."

Photos and quotes of former slaves used in these blog posts come from the Slave Narratives. 

Ex-slave Emma Crockett, about 80, Remembers learning to read in the 19C America

Emma said, "I wish I could read, but I wa'n't never l'arnt nothin' 'ceptin' atter Surrender Miss Sallie Cotes she showed us how to read printin', but I kain't read no writin."

Photos and quotes of former slaves used in these blog posts come from the Slave Narratives. 

Ex-slave Laura Clark, about 87, Remembers being sold away from her mother in 19C America

Larua remembered, "When I was 'bout six or seven years ole, I reckon hit 'twas, Mr. Garret...bought ten of us chillun in North Ca'lina and sent two white men, and one was Mr. Skinner, to fetch us back in waggins. An' he fetch ole Julie Powell and Henry to look atter us. Wa'n't none of dem ten chillun no kin to me, and he never bought my mammy, so I had to leave her behine. I recollect Mammy said to old Julie, 'Take keer my baby chile (dat was me) and iffen I never sees her no mo' raise her for God.' Den she fell off de waggin where us was all settin' and roll over on de groun' jes' a-cryin'."

Photos and quotes of former slaves used in these blog posts come from the Slave Narratives.

Ex-slave Mary Ann Patterson, Texas, Remembers weaving, bear meat, & honey in 19C America

Mary Ann remembered, "I helped wid de work in de 'loom room.' I had to do 'five cuts a day', but I was fast enough to make eight cuts a day. I made five cuts fo' de white folks and three fo' myself...Now, let me tell you about de cooks. Mawster Burleson had a cook fo' de big house and he had a cook fo' de slaves. Dah was a kitchen in de big house fo' de white folks, and dah was a kitchen and long table fo' de hands. We had putty good vittles. I remembah we had so much hog meat dat we'd throw de hogs' head and feet away. Mawster Burleson raised his own hogs. Everythin' dat ole mawster et, we had it too. Sometimes we et deer meat and dah was times when we had bear meat and honey. Mawster Burleson had his own bees."

Photos and quotes of former slaves used in these blog posts come from the Slave Narratives. 

Born a Slave - Clara Brown (1800-1885) Colorado

Clara Brown was born a slave in Virginia in 1800. At 9, she & her mother were sold into Kentucky. By 18, she married & then gave birth to 4 children. At 35, she was sold at auction & separated from her husband & children. Freed by her 3rd owner in 1859, she traveled to Denver by working as a cook on a wagon train in exchange for her transportation. Brown is said to be the first black woman to cross the plains during the Gold Rush.

In Central City, Colorado, she set up shop as a laundress, worked hard, & saved money. After Emancipation, she returned to Kentucky to search for her lost children in 1866 with no luck. On this trip, she helped ex-slaves relocate to Colorado & later took in needy ex-slaves. In 1879, when she was nearly 80, she traveled to Kansas to help poor freedmen "exodusters" relocated on Kansas farms from the South. In 1882, she finally found her daugher Eliza Jane, who had been sold into slavery as a girl & helped her relocate to Iowa with her grandaughter Cindy. She died in 1885.

Ex-slave Julia Williams Wadsworth Remembers the day she was freed in 19C America

Julia declared, "On de plantation where I work day had a great big horn blow every mornin to get de slaves up to de field, I allus get up soon after it blew, most allways, but this mornin dey blew de horn a long time an I says, 'What foh dey blow dat horn so long?' en den de mustah say, 'You all is free'. Den he says ter me, 'What you all goin to do now', and I says, 'I'm goin to fine my mother."

Photos and quotes of former slaves used in these blog posts come from the Slave Narratives. 

Ex-slave Ellen Thomas, about 89, Remembers serving dinner blindfolded in 19C America

Ellen said that her training as a house servant was very broad and involved every feature of a well kept household of that period. She has special pride in her ability to serve at table, particularly when there were guests present. A feature of the training given her and which Ellen says she never knew of anyone else receiving was, after being taught to set the dining table complete for guests, she would be blindfolded and then told to go through the motions of serving and so learn to do so without disturbing anything on the table...So proficient did she become in serving, that a few times when they had guests, Judge Kimball would for their amusement have Ellen blindfolded and direct her to serve the dinner.

Photos and quotes of former slaves used in these blog posts come from the Slave Narratives. 

Ex-slave Lucindy Lawrence Jurdon, abt 79, Alabama, Remembers if slaves tried to read or write, their fingers would be cut off in 19C America

About slavery in the 19C, Lucindy said, "My mother was a fine weaver and did the work for both white and colled, this is her old spinning wheel and hit can still be used. I do some times now. Us made our own cloth and own stockings too...Us lived in a two room log house wid er lean-to...Us had broiled meat, on hot rocks, roasted tatters, ash-cake and course on Sunday, us had ash-cake cooked in collared leaves and beef when dey killed, Moster would always give de colored folks some too...Ef us tried to learn to read or write, dey would cut your forefingers off."

Photos and quotes of former slaves used in these blog posts come from the Slave Narratives. 

Ex-slave Angeline Lester, about 90, Ohio, Remembers being told she was free in 19C America

Angeline related that after the war a celebration was held in Benevolence. Georgia; and Angeline said it was here she first tested a roasted piece of meat...The following Sunday, the negroes were called to their master's house where they were told they were free, and those who wished, could go, and the others could stay and he would pay them a fair wage, but if they left they could take only the clothing on their back.

Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Photo from 20th century.

Ex-slave Cindy Washington, about 80, Remembers going to church with the white folks in 19C America

Cindy remembered, "...we was taught to read an' write, but mos' of de slaves didn't want to learn. Us little niggers would hide our books under de steps to keep f'um havin' to study. Us'd go to church wid de white folks on Sunday and sit in de back, an' den we go home an' eat a big Sunday meal."

Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Photo from 20th century.

Ex-slave Fannie Brown Remembers dancing to fiddle music in 19C America

Fannie recounted, "My how dem niggers could play a fiddle back in de good ole days. On de moon-light nights, us uset to dance by de light ob de moon under a big oak tree 'till mos' time to go to work de nex' mornin'. One time de bes' fiddler in de country was playin' fer us to dance, an' he broke a string. It was too fur to go to Austin to git anodder, so he jus' played on widout de string what broke an' de tune sounded more like a squeech owl dan eny thing, but us danced jus de same."

Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Photo from 20th century.

Ex-slave Leithean Spinks, about 82, Remembers her bossy 1st husband in 19C America

Leithean remembered her first marriage, "Ise gits mai'ied in 1872 to Sol Pleasant. Weuns have 2 chilluns befo' weuns sep'rated in 1876. De trouble am he wants to be de boss of de job an' let me do de wo'k. 'Twarnt long 'til Ise 'cides Ise don't need a boss, so Ise transpo'ted him. Ise told him, 'Nigger, git outer heah, an' don't never come back. If yous come back, Ise smack yous down.' Ise never see him after dat."

Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Photo from 20th century.

Finding her mother after she was freed in 19C America

Mary remembered, "...when the war was over, I started out an' looked for mamma again, an' found her like they said in Wharton County near where Wharton is. Law me, talk 'bout cryin' an' singin' an' cryin' some more, we sure done it. I stayed with mamma an' we worked right there 'til I gets married in 1871 to John Armstrong an' then we all comes to Houston."

Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Photo from 20th century.

Ex-slave Lucy Thomas, about 86, Remembers the 50 gallon barrel of whiskey in 19C America

Lucy remembered, "All the hands was up and in the field by day light. Nobody laid in bed up in the morning like folks do today. Dr. Baldwin allus had a fifty gallon barrel of whiskey on the place. He kept a demijohn of whiskey on the front porch all the time for the darkies to get a drink on the way to the field in the morning. You never heard of nobody getting drunk then."

Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Photo from 20th century.

Ex-slave Millie Williams, about 86, Remembers stealing a chicken in 19C America

Millie laughed, "I's 'member well de time we'ns steal one of de marster's big chicken's. I's had it in a pot in de fireplace an' it waz sho' smelling good an' seen de mistress cumin'. I's grab dat chicken, pot an' all an' put it under de bed, I's grab de bed clothes an' put 'em on de pot. De mistress, she cums 'round an' says, "I's sho do smell somethin' good. I's say, "Whur Miss's? I's don' smell anythin'. She looks 'round an' don' find anythin' an' go's back to de house. Whin she gits gone I's tak dat chicken out from under dat bed an' we'ns eats it in a hurry."

Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Photo from 20th century.

Ex-slave Ellen Butler, about 78, Remembers praying for freedom in 19C America

Ellen related, "Massa never 'lowed us slaves go to church but they have big holes in the fields they gits down in and prays. They done that way 'cause the white folks didn't want them to pray. They used to pray for freedom."

Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Photo from 20th century.