Ex-Slave Narratives

The following recorded sound interviews of ex-slaves come to us courtesy of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. They are compiled from several collections in the Archive of Folk Culture at the library. Some of the recordings were done as part of a Works Progress Administration project in the late 1930s that attempted to interview ex-slaves who were between the ages of 1-50 at the time of emancipation. Approximately 2,000 ex-slaves were interviewed as part of that project. However, the vast majority of these were written word interviews, not recorded sound. Today, only about 6 hours of tape-recorded sound interviews of ex-slaves survive.

Mrs. Laura Smalley - LISTEN
Mrs. Smalley was born into slavery on a plantation in Hempstead, Texas, at an undetermined date in the 1800s. In this portion of her interview, she talks about the Civil War, house and field slaves, the buying and selling of slaves, the whipping of slaves, and emancipation - which came later in Texas than in other slave states.
Recorded at her home in Hempstead, Texas in 1941. Interviewer is folklorist John Henry Faulk.

Charlie Smith - LISTEN
Mr. Smith was born in c.1844 in Liberia. In the interview, he talks about being brought over on a slave ship from Africa, the buying and selling of slaves in New Orleans, the Civil War, the naming of him by his master, his relationship with his master and his time spent in slavery. Interviewer is historian and folklorist Elmer Sparks.

Aunt Harriet Smith - LISTEN
Mrs. Smith was born into slavery in 1851 in Hempstead, Texas. In the interview, Mrs. Smith talks about her remembrances of slavery and Civil War days.
Recorded in 1941 in Hempstead, Texas. Interviewer is folklorist John Henry Faulk.

Joe McDonald and unidentified woman - LISTEN
Mr. McDonald was born into slavery in Livingston, Alabama at an undetermined date in the 1800s. In the monologue, Mr. McDonald and then the unidentified woman talk about the slave/master relationship.
Recorded at Livingston, Alabama in 1940 by folklorists John and Ruby Lomax.

Alice Gaston - LISTEN
Born in Gee's Bend, Alabama into slavery in 1853, Mrs. Gaston talks about her experiences with the institution.
Recorded at Gee's Bend, Alabama in 1941. Interviewer is Robert Sonkin.