SLAVE NARRATIVES A Folk History of Slavery in the United StatesFrom Interviews with Former Slaves TYPEWRITTEN RECORDS PREPARED BYTHE FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT1936-1938ASSEMBLED BYTHE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PROJECTWORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATIONFOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIASPONSORED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON 1941 FEDERAL WORKS AGENCYWORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATIONFOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Paul Edwards, AdministratorAmelie S. Fair, Director, Division of Community Service ProgramsMary Nan Gamble, Chief, Public Activities Programs THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PROJECTOfficial Project No. 165-2-26-7Work Project No. 540 Mary Nan Gamble, Acting Project SupervisorFrancesco M. Bianco, Assistant Project SupervisorB. A. Botkin, Chief Editor, Writers' Unit [Transcriber's Note: The CONTENTS section that follows lists the collectionof Slave Narratives; the SELECTED RECORDS listing after the INTRODUCTION liststhe nine Administrative Files included in this volume. An identifier hasbeen added to the beginning of each of these Files. ] CONTENTS I. ALABAMA II. ARKANSAS III. FLORIDA IV. GEORGIA V. INDIANA VI. KANSAS VII. KENTUCKY VIII. MARYLAND IX. MISSISSIPPI X. MISSOURI XI. NORTH CAROLINA XII. OHIO XIII. OKLAHOMA XIV. SOUTH CAROLINA XV. TENNESSEE XVI. TEXAS XVII. VIRGINIA INTRODUCTION I This collection of slave narratives had its beginning in the second yearof the former Federal Writers' Project (now the Writers' Program), 1936, when several state Writers' Projects--notably those of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina--recorded interviews with ex-slaves residing in thosestates. On April 22, 1937, a standard questionnaire for field workersdrawn up by John A. Lomax, then National Advisor on Folklore andFolkways for the Federal Writers' Project[1], was issued from Washingtonas "Supplementary Instructions #9-E to The American Guide Manual"(appended below). Also associated with the direction and criticism ofthe work in the Washington office of the Federal Writers' Project wereHenry G. Alsberg, Director; George Cronyn, Associate Director; SterlingA. Brown, Editor on Negro Affairs; Mary Lloyd, Editor; and B. A. Botkin, Folklore Editor succeeding Mr. Lomax. [2] [Footnote 1: Mr. Lomax served from June 25, 1936, to October 23, 1937, with a ninety-day furlough beginning July 24, 1937. According to amemorandum written by Mr. Alsberg on March 23, 1937, Mr. Lomax was "incharge of the collection of folklore all over the United States for theWriters' Project. In connection with this work he is making recordingsof Negro songs and cowboy ballads. Though technically on the payroll ofthe Survey of Historical Records, his work is done for the Writers andthe results will make several national volumes of folklore. The essaysin the State Guides devoted to folklore are also under his supervision. "Since 1933 Mr. Lomax has been Honorary Curator of the Archive ofAmerican Folk Song, Library of Congress. ] [Footnote 2: Folklore Consultant, from May 2 to July 31, 1938; FolkloreEditor, from August 1, 1938, to August 31, 1939. ] On August 31, 1939, the Federal Writers' Project became the Writers'Program, and the National Technical Project in Washington wasterminated. On October 17, the first Library of Congress Project, underthe sponsorship of the Library of Congress, was set up by the WorkProjects Administration in the District of Columbia, to continue some ofthe functions of the National Technical Project, chiefly those concernedwith books of a regional or nationwide scope. On February 12, 1940, theproject was reorganized along strictly conservation lines, and on August16 it was succeeded by the present Library of Congress Project (OfficialProject No. 165-2-26-7, Work Project No. 540). The present Library of Congress Project, under the sponsorship of theLibrary of Congress, is a unit of the Public Activities Program of theCommunity Service Programs of the Work Projects Administration for theDistrict of Columbia. According to the Project Proposal (WPA Form 301), the purpose of the Project is to "collect, check, edit, index, andotherwise prepare for use WPA records, Professional and ServiceProjects. " The Writers' Unit of the Library of Congress Project processes materialleft over from or not needed for publication by the state Writers'Projects. On file in the Washington office in August, 1939, was a largebody of slave narratives, photographs of former slaves, interviews withwhite informants regarding slavery, transcripts of laws, advertisements, records of sale, transfer, and manumission of slaves, and otherdocuments. As unpublished manuscripts of the Federal Writers' Projectthese records passed into the hands of the Library of Congress Projectfor processing; and from them has been assembled the present collectionof some two thousand narratives from the following seventeen states:Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, SouthCarolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia[1]. [Footnote 1: The bulk of the Virginia narratives is still in the stateoffice. Excerpts from these are included in _The Negro in Virginia_, compiled by Workers of the Writers' Program of the Work ProjectsAdministration in the State of Virginia, Sponsored by the HamptonInstitute, Hastings House, Publishers, New York, 1940. Other slavenarratives are published in _Drums and Shadows_, Survival Studies amongthe Georgia Coastal Negroes, Savannah Unit, Georgia Writers' Project, Work Projects Administration, University of Georgia Press, 1940. Acomposite article, "Slaves, " based on excerpts from three interviews, was contributed by Elizabeth Lomax to the _American Stuff_ issue of_Direction_, Vol. 1, No. 3, 1935. ] The work of the Writers' Unit in preparing the narratives for deposit inthe Library of Congress consisted principally of arranging themanuscripts and photographs by states and alphabetically by informantswithin the states, listing the informants and illustrations, andcollating the contents in seventeen volumes divided into thirty-threeparts. The following material has been omitted: Most of the interviewswith informants born too late to remember anything of significanceregarding slavery or concerned chiefly with folklore; a few negligiblefragments and unidentified manuscripts; a group of Tennessee interviewsshowing evidence of plagiarism; and the supplementary material gatheredin connection with the narratives. In the course of the preparation ofthese volumes, the Writers' Unit compiled data for an essay on thenarratives and partially completed an index and a glossary. Enoughadditional material is being received from the state Writers' Projects, as part of their surplus, to make a supplement, which, it is hoped, willcontain several states not here represented, such as Louisiana. All editing had previously been done in the states or the Washingtonoffice. Some of the pencilled comments have been identified as those ofJohn A. Lomax and Alan Lomax, who also read the manuscripts. In a fewcases, two drafts or versions of the same interview have been includedfor comparison of interesting variations or alterations. II Set beside the work of formal historians, social scientists, andnovelists, slave autobiographies, and contemporary records ofabolitionists and planters, these life histories, taken down as far aspossible in the narrators' words, constitute an invaluable body ofunconscious evidence or indirect source material, which scholars andwriters dealing with the South, especially social psychologists andcultural anthropologists, cannot afford to reckon without. For the firstand the last time, a large number of surviving slaves (many of whom havesince died) have been permitted to tell their own story, in their ownway. In spite of obvious limitations--bias and fallibility of bothinformants and interviewers, the use of leading questions, unskilledtechniques, and insufficient controls and checks--this saga must remainthe most authentic and colorful source of our knowledge of the lives andthoughts of thousands of slaves, of their attitudes toward one another, toward their masters, mistresses, and overseers, toward poor whites, North and South, the Civil War, Emancipation, Reconstruction, religion, education, and virtually every phase of Negro life in the South. The narratives belong to folk history--history recovered from thememories and lips of participants or eye-witnesses, who mingle groupwith individual experience and both with observation, hearsay, andtradition. Whether the narrators relate what they actually saw andthought and felt, what they imagine, or what they have thought and feltabout slavery since, now we know _why_ they thought and felt as theydid. To the white myth of slavery must be added the slaves' own folkloreand folk-say of slavery. The patterns they reveal are folk and regionalpatterns--the patterns of field hand, house and body servant, andartisan; the patterns of kind and cruel master or mistress; the patternsof Southeast and Southwest, lowland and upland, tidewater and inland, smaller and larger plantations, and racial mixture (including Creole andIndian). The narratives belong also to folk literature. Rich not only in folksongs, folk tales, and folk speech but also in folk humor and poetry, crude or skilful in dialect, uneven in tone and treatment, theyconstantly reward one with earthy imagery, salty phrase, and sensitivedetail. In their unconscious art, exhibited in many a fine and powerfulshort story, they are a contribution to the realistic writing of theNegro. Beneath all the surface contradictions and exaggerations, thefantasy and flattery, they possess an essential truth and humanity whichsurpasses as it supplements history and literature. Washington, D. C. June 12, 1941 B. A. BotkinChief Editor, Writers' UnitLibrary of Congress Project SELECTED RECORDSBearing on the History of the Slave Narratives From the correspondence and memoranda files of the Washington office ofthe Federal Writers' Project the following instructions and criticismsrelative to the slave narrative collection, issued from April 1 toSeptember 8, 1937, have been selected. They throw light on the progressof the work, the development of materials and methods, and some of theproblems encountered. 1. Copy of Memorandum from George Cronyn to Mrs. Eudora R. Richardson. April 1, 1937. 2. Autograph Memorandum from John A. Lomax to George Cronyn. April 9, 1937. 3. Copy of Memorandum from George Cronyn to Edwin Bjorkman, enclosing aMemorandum from John A. Lomax on "Negro Dialect Suggestions. " April 14, 1937. 4. Mimeographed "Supplementary Instructions #9-E to the American GuideManual. Folklore. Stories from Ex-Slaves. " April 22, 1937. Prepared byJohn A. Lomax. 5. Copy of Memorandum from George Cronyn to Edwin Bjorkman. May 3, 1937. 6. Copy of Memorandum from Henry G. Alsberg to State Directors of theFederal Writers' Project. June 9, 1937. 7. Copy of "Notes by an Editor on Dialect Usage in Accounts byInterviews with Ex-Slaves. " June 20, 1937. Prepared by Sterling A. Brown. 8. Copy of Memorandum from Henry G. Alsberg to State Directors of theFederal Writers' Project. July 30, 1937. 9. Copy of Memorandum from Henry G. Alsberg to State Directors of theFederal Writers' Project. September 8, 1937. [Document 1] Sent to: NORTH & SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA, ALABAMA, LOUISIANA, TEXAS, ARKANSAS, TENNESSEE, KENTUCKY, MISSOURI, MISSISSIPPI, OKLA. April 1, 1937 Mrs. Eudora R. Richardson, Acting State DirectorFederal Writers' Project, WPARooms 321-4, American Bank BuildingRichmond, Virginia Subj: Folklore Dear Mrs. Richardson: We have received from Florida a remarkably interesting collection ofautobiographical stories by ex-slaves. Such documentary records by thesurvivors of a historic period in America are invaluable, both to thestudent of history and to creative writers. If a volume of such importance can be assembled we will endeavor tosecure its publication. There undoubtedly is material of this sort to befound in your State by making the proper contact through tactfulinterviewers. While it is desirable to give a running story of the lifeof each subject, the color and human interest will be greatly enhancedif it is told largely in the words of the person interviewed. Thepeculiar idiom is often more expressive than a literary account. We shall be very glad to know if you have undertaken any research ofthis sort, or plan to do so. Very truly yours, George CronynAssociate DirectorFederal Writers' Project GWCronyn/a [Document 2](Transcript of Preceding Autograph Memorandum)[Transcriber's Note: The handwritten version is included in the original volume. ] 4/9/37 Mr. Cronyn: In replying to this letter I should like for you to commend especiallytwo stories: 1. _Lula Flannigan_ by Sarah H. Hall Athens, Ga. 2. _Uncle Willis_, Miss Velma Bell, Supervisor, Athens, Ga. All the stories are worth while but these two are mainly (one entirely)in dialect and abound in human interest touches. _All the interviewersshould copy the Negro expressions_. I much prefer to read _un_edited (but typed) "interviews, " and I shouldlike to see as soon as possible all the seventy-five to which MissDillard refers. It is most important, too, to secure copies of "slave codes, overseerscodes and the like. " This item is new and all the states should send insimilar material. Yours, John A. Lomax [Document 3] Sent to: North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma. April 14, 1937 Mr. Edwin BjorkmanState Director, Federal Writers' ProjectWorks Progress AdministrationCity Hall, Fifth FloorAsheville, North Carolina Dear Mr. Bjorkman: We have received more stories of ex-slaves and are gratified by thequality and interest of the narratives. Some of these stories have beenaccompanied by photographs of the subjects. We would like to haveportraits wherever they can be secured, but we urge your photographersto make the studies as simple, natural, and "unposed" as possible. Letthe background, cabin or whatnot, be the normal setting--in short, justthe picture a visitor would expect to find by "dropping in" on one ofthese old-timers. Enclosed is a memorandum of Mr. Lomax with suggestions for simplifyingthe spelling of certain recurring dialect words. This does not mean thatthe interviews should be entirely in "straight English"--simply, that wewant them to be more readable to those uninitiated in the broadest Negrospeech. Very truly yours, George CronynAssociate DirectorFederal Writers' Project GWCronyn:MEB This paragraph was added to the letter to Arkansas. Mr. Lomax is very eager to get such records as you mention: CourtRecords of Sale, Transfer, and Freeing of Slaves, as well as pricespaid. Negro Dialect Suggestions(Stories of Ex-Slaves) Do not write: _Ah_ for I _Poe_ for po' (poor) _Hit_ for it _Tuh_ for to _Wuz_ for was _Baid_ for bed _Daid_ for dead _Ouh_ for our _Mah_ for my _Ovah_ for over _Othuh_ for other _Wha_ for whar (where) _Undah_ for under _Fuh_ for for _Yondah_ for yonder _Moster_ for marster or massa _Gwainter_ for gwineter (going to) _Oman_ for woman _Ifn_ for iffen (if) _Fiuh_ or _fiah_ for fire _Uz_ or _uv_ or _o'_ for of _Poar_ for poor or po' _J'in_ for jine _Coase_ for cose _Utha_ for other _Yo'_ for you _Gi'_ for give _Cot_ for caught _Kin'_ for kind _Cose_ for 'cause _Tho't_ for thought [Document 4] WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATIONFederal Writers' Project1500 Eye St. N. W. Washington, D. C. SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONS #9-EToTHE AMERICAN GUIDE MANUAL FOLKLORESTORIES FROM EX-SLAVES Note: In some states it may be possible to locate only a very few ex-slaves, but an attempt should be made in every state. Interesting ex-slave data has recently been reported from Rhode Island, for instance. April 22, 1937 STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES The main purpose of these detailed and homely questions is to get theNegro interested in talking about the days of slavery. If he will talkfreely, he should be encouraged to say what he pleases without referenceto the questions. It should be remembered that the Federal Writers'Project is not interested in taking sides on any question. The workershould not censor any material collected, regardless of its nature. It will not be necessary, indeed it will probably be a mistake, to askevery person all of the questions. Any incidents or facts he can recallshould be written down as nearly as possible just as he says them, butdo not use dialect spelling so complicated that it may confuse thereader. A second visit, a few days after the first one, is important, so thatthe worker may gather all the worthwhile recollections that the firsttalk has aroused. Questions: 1. Where and when were you born? 2. Give the names of your father and mother. Where did they come from?Give names of your brothers and sisters. Tell about your life with themand describe your home and the "quarters. " Describe the beds and whereyou slept. Do you remember anything about your grandparents or anystories told you about them? 3. What work did you do in slavery days? Did you ever earn any money?How? What did you buy with this money? 4. What did you eat and how was it cooked? Any possums? Rabbits? Fish?What food did you like best? Did the slaves have their own gardens? 5. What clothing did you wear in hot weather? Cold weather? On Sundays?Any shoes? Describe your wedding clothes. 6. Tell about your master, mistress, their children, the house theylived in, the overseer or driver, poor white neighbors. 7. How many acres in the plantation? How many slaves on it? How and atwhat time did the overseer wake up the slaves? Did they work hard andlate at night? How and for what causes were the slaves punished? Tellwhat you saw. Tell some of the stories you heard. 8. Was there a jail for slaves? Did you ever see any slaves sold orauctioned off? How did groups of slaves travel? Did you ever see slavesin chains? 9. Did the white folks help you to learn to read and write? 10. Did the slaves have a church on your plantation? Did they read theBible? Who was your favorite preacher? Your favorite spirituals? Tellabout the baptizing; baptizing songs. Funerals and funeral songs. 11. Did the slaves ever run away to the North? Why? What did you hearabout patrollers? How did slaves carry news from one plantation toanother? Did you hear of trouble between the blacks and whites? 12. What did the slaves do when they went to their quarters after theday's work was done on the plantation? Did they work on Saturdayafternoons? What did they do Saturday nights? Sundays? Christmasmorning? New Year's Day? Any other holidays? Cornshucking? CottonPicking? Dances? When some of the white master's family married or died?A wedding or death among the slaves? 13. What games did you play as a child? Can you give the words or singany of the play songs or ring games of the children? Riddles? Charms?Stories about "Raw Head and Bloody Bones" or other "hants" of ghosts?Stories about animals? What do you think of voodoo? Can you give thewords or sing any lullabies? Work songs? Plantation hollers? Can youtell a funny story you have heard or something funny that happened toyou? Tell about the ghosts you have seen. 14. When slaves became sick who looked after them? What medicines didtho doctors give them? What medicine (herbs, leaves, or roots) did theslaves use for sickness? What charms did they wear and to keep off whatdiseases? 15. What do you remember about the war that brought your freedom? Whathappened on the day news came that you were free? What did your mastersay and do? When the Yankees came what did they do and say? 16. Tell what work you did and how you lived the first year after thewar and what you saw or heard about the KuKlux Klan and the Nightriders. Any school then for Negroes? Any land? 17. Whom did you marry? Describe the wedding. How many children andgrandchildren have you and what are they doing? 18. What do you think of Abraham Lincoln? Jefferson Davis? BookerWashington? Any other prominent white man or Negro you have known orheard of? 19. Now that slavery is ended what do you think of it? Tell why youjoined a church and why you think all people should be religious. 20. Was the overseer "poor white trash"? What were some of his rules? The details of the interview should be reported as accurately aspossible in the language of the original statements. An example ofmaterial collected through one of the interviews with ex-slaves isattached herewith. Although this material was collected before thestandard questionnaire had been prepared, it represents an excellentmethod of reporting an interview. More information might have beenobtained however, if a comprehensive questionnaire had been used. Sample Interview From Georgia LULA FLANNIGANEx-slave, 78 years. "Dey says I wuz jes fo' years ole when de war wuz over, but I sho' doesmember dat day dem Yankee sojers come down de road. Mary and WillieDurham wuz my mammy and pappy, en dey belong ter Marse Spence Durham atWatkinsville in slav'ry times. " "When word cum dat de Yankee sojers wuz on de way, Marse Spence en hissons wuz 'way at de war. Miss Betsey tole my pappy ter take en hide dehosses down in de swamp. My mammy help Miss Betsey sew up de silver inde cotton bed ticks. Dem Yankee sojers nebber did find our whitefolks'hosses and deir silver. " "Miss Marzee, she wuz Marse Spence en Miss Betsey's daughter. She wuzplayin' on de pianny when de Yankee sojers come down de road. Two sojerscum in de house en ax her fer ter play er tune dat dey liked. I fergitsde name er dey tune. Miss Marzee gits up fum de pianny en she low datshe ain' gwine play no tune for' no Yankee mens. Den de sojers takes herout en set her up on top er de high gate post in front er de big house, en mek her set dar twel de whole regiment pass by. She set dar en cry, but she sho' ain' nebber played no tune for dem Yankee mens!" "De Yankee sojers tuk all de blankets offen de beds. Dey stole all demeat dey want fum de smokehouse. Dey bash in de top er de syrup barrelsen den turn de barrels upside down. " "Marse Spence gave me ter Miss Marzee fer ter be her own maid, butslav'ry time ended fo' I wuz big 'nough ter be much good ter 'er. " "Us had lots better times dem days dan now. Whatter dese niggers know'bout corn shuckin's, en log rollin's, en house raisin's? Marse Spenceused ter let his niggers have candy pullin's in syrup mekkin' time, ende way us wud dance in de moonlight wuz sompin' dese niggers nowadaysdoan know nuffin' 'bout. " "All de white folks love ter see plenty er healthy, strong black chilluncomin' long, en dey wuz watchful ter see dat 'omans had good keer whendey chilluns vuz bawned. Dey let dese 'omans do easy, light wuk towardsde last 'fo' de chilluns is bawned, en den atterwuds dey doan do nuffinmuch twel dey is well en strong ergin. Folks tell 'bout some plantationswhar de 'omans ud run back home fum de fiel' en hev day baby, en den beback in do fiel' swingin' er hoe fo' right dat same day, but dey woannuffin lak dat 'round Watkinsville. " "When er scritch owl holler et night us put en iron in de fire quick, enden us turn all de shoes up side down on de flo', en turn de pocketswrong side out on call de close, kaze effan we diden' do dem thingsquick, sompin' moughty bad wuz sho' ter happen. Mos' en lakly, somebuddygwint'er be daid in dat house fo' long, if us woan quick 'bout fixin'. Whut us do in summer time, 'bout fire at night fer de scritch owl? Usjes' onkivver de coals in de fire place. Us diden' hev no matches en usbank de fire wid ashes evvy night all de year 'roun'. Effen de fire goout, kaze some nigger git keerless 'bout it, den somebuddy gotter go offter de next plantation sometime ter git live coals. Some er de menscould wuk de flints right good, but dat wuz er hard job. Dey jes rub demflint rocks tergedder right fas' en let de sparks day makes drap down oner piece er punk wood, en dey gits er fire dat way effen dey is lucky. " "Dem days nobuddy bring er axe in de house on his shoulder. Dat was ersho' sign er bad luck. En nebber lay no broom crost de bed. One time erlikely pair er black folks git married, en somebuddy give 'em er newbroom. De 'oman she proud uv her nice, spankin' new broom en she lay hiton de bed fer de weddin' crowd ter see it, wid de udder things been give'em. Fo' thee years go by her man wuz beatin' 'er, en not long atter datshe go plum stark crazy. She oughter ter know better'n ter lay dat broomon her bed. It sho' done brung her bad luck. Dey sent her off ter decrazy folks place, en she died dar. " [Document 5] May 3, 1937 Mr. Edwin Bjorkman, State DirectorFederal Writers' Project, WPACity Hall, Fifth FloorAsheville, North Carolina Subj: Ex-slave Narratives Dear Mr. Bjorkman: I am quoting a memorandum of Mr. Lomax, folklore editor, regarding theex-slave stories: "Of the five States which have already sent in reminiscences ofex-slaves, Tennessee is the only one in which the workers are askingex-slaves about their belief in signs, cures, hoodoo, etc. Also, theworkers are requesting the ex-slaves to tell the stories that werecurrent among the Negroes when they were growing up. Some of the bestcopy that has come in to the office is found in these stories. " This suggestion, I believe, will add greatly to the value of thecollection now being made. Very truly yours, George CronynAssociate Director CC--Mr. W. T. Couch, Asso. Director Federal Writers' Project University Press Chapel Hill, No. Car. GWCronyn/a SENT TO: No. And So. Carolina; Georgia; Alabama; Louisiana; Texas; Arkansas; Kentucky; Missouri; Mississippi; Oklahoma; Florida [Document 6] MEMORANDUMJune 9, 1937 TO: STATE DIRECTORS OF THE FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECTFROM: Henry G. Alsberg, Director In connection with the stories of ex-slaves, please send in to thisoffice copies of State, county, or city laws affecting the conduct ofslaves, free Negroes, overseers, patrollers, or any person or customaffecting the institution of slavery. It will, of course, not benecessary to send more than one copy of the laws that were commonthroughout the state, although any special law passed by a particularcity would constitute worthwhile material. In addition, we should like to have you collect and send in copies ofany laws or accounts of any established customs relating to theadmission to your State of bodies of slaves from Africa or othersections, the escape of slaves, etc. Also, we should like to see copiesof advertisements of sales of slaves, published offers of rewards forfugitive slaves, copies of transfers of slaves by will or otherwise, records of freeing of slaves, etc. Public records of very particularinterest regarding any transaction involving slaves should bephotostated and copies furnished to the Washington office. Furthermore, contemporary accounts of any noteworthy occurrences amongthe Negroes during slavery days or the Reconstruction period should becopied, if taken from contemporary newspapers. If such records have beenpublished in books, a reference to the source would be sufficient. Wehave been receiving a large number of extremely interesting stories ofex-slaves. The historic background of the institution of slavery, whichshould be disclosed with the information we are now requesting, will bevery helpful in the execution of the plans we have in mind. Copies sent to:Alabama Georgia Maryland North Carolina TennesseeArkansas Kentucky Mississippi Oklahoma TexasFlorida Louisiana Missouri South Carolina Virginia West Virginia Ohio Kansas [Document 7] Notes by an editor on dialect usage in accountsby interviews with ex-slaves. (To be used inconjunction with Supplementary Instructions 9E. ) Simplicity in recording the dialect is to be desired in order to holdthe interest and attention of the readers. It seems to me that readersare repelled by pages sprinkled with misspellings, commas andapostrophes. The value of exact phonetic transcription is, of course, agreat one. But few artists attempt this completely. Thomas Nelson Pagewas meticulous in his dialect; Joel Chandler Harris less meticulous butin my opinion even more accurate. But the values they sought aredifferent from the values that I believe this book of slave narrativesshould have. Present day readers are less ready for the over-stress ofphonetic spelling than in the days of local color. Authors realize this:Julia Peterkin uses a modified Gullah instead of Gonzales' carefullyspelled out Gullah. Howard Odum has questioned the use of goin' forgoing since the g is seldom pronounced even by the educated. Truth to idiom is more important, I believe, than truth topronunciation. Erskine Caldwell in his stories of Georgia, Ruth Suckowin stories of Iowa, and Nora Neale Hurston in stories of Florida Negroesget a truth to the manner of speaking without excessive misspellings. Inorder to make this volume of slave narratives more appealing and lessdifficult for the average reader, I recommend that truth to idiom beparamount, and exact truth to pronunciation secondary. I appreciate the fact that many of the writers have recordedsensitively. The writer who wrote "ret" for right is probably asaccurate as the one who spelled it "raght. " But in a single publication, not devoted to a study of local speech, the reader may conceivably bepuzzled by different spellings of the same word. The words "whafolks, ""whufolks, " "whi'foiks, " etc. , can all be heard in the South. But"whitefolks" is easier for the reader, and the word itself is suggestiveof the setting and the attitude. Words that definitely have a notably different pronunciation from theusual should be recorded as heard. More important is the recording ofwords with a different local meaning. Most important, however, are theturns of phrase that have flavor and vividness. Examples occurring inthe copy I read are: durin' of de waroutmen my daddy (good, but unnecessarily put into quotes)piddled in de fieldsskit of woodskinder chillish There are, of course, questionable words, for which it may be hard toset up a single standard. Such words are: paddyrollers, padrollers, pattyrollers for patrollersmissis, mistess for mistressmarsa, massa, maussa, mastuh for masterter, tuh, teh for to I believe that there should be, for this book, a uniform word for eachof these. The following list is composed of words which I think should not beused. These are merely samples of certain faults: 1. Ah for I 2. Bawn for born 3. Capper for caper 4. Com' for come 5. Do for dough 6. Ebry, ev'ry for every 7. Hawd for hard 8. Muh for my 9. Nekid for naked10. Ole, ol' for old11. Ret, raght for right12. Sneik for snake13. Sowd for sword14. Sto' for store15. Teh for tell16. Twon't for twan't17. Useter, useta for used to18. Uv for of19. Waggin for wagon20. Whi' for white21. Wuz for was I should like to recommend that the stories be told in the language ofthe ex-slave, without excessive editorializing and "artistic"introductions on the part of the interviewer. The contrast between thedirectness of the ex-slave speech and the roundabout and at timespompous comments of the interviewer is frequently glaring. Care shouldbe taken lest expressions such as the following creep in: "inflictingwounds from which he never fully recovered" (supposed to be spoken by anex-slave). Finally, I should like to recommend that the words darky and nigger andsuch expressions as "a comical little old black woman" be omitted fromthe editorial writing. Where the ex-slave himself uses these, theyshould be retained. This material sent June 20 to states of: Ala. , Ark. , Fla. , Ga. , Ky. , La. , Md. , Miss. , Mo. , N. C. , Ohio, Okla. , Tenn. , Texas, Va. , and S. Car. [Document 8] MEMORANDUMJuly 30, 1937. TO: STATE DIRECTORS OF THE FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECTFROM: Henry G. Alsberg, Director The following general suggestions are being sent to all the States wherethere are ex-slaves still living. They will not apply _in toto_ to yourState as they represent general conclusions reached after reading themass of ex-slave material already submitted. However, they will, I hope, prove helpful as an indication, along broad lines, of what we want. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS: 1. Instead of attempting to interview a large number of ex-slaves theworkers should now concentrate on one or two of the more interesting andintelligent people, revisiting them, establishing friendly relations, and drawing them out over a period of time. 2. The specific questions suggested to be asked of the slaves should beonly a basis, a beginning. The talk should run to all subjects, and theinterviewer should take care to sieze upon the information alreadygiven, and stories already told, and from them derive other questions. 3. The interviewer should take the greatest care not to influence thepoint of view of the informant, and not to let his own opinion on thesubject of slavery become obvious. Should the ex-slave, however, giveonly one side of the picture, the interviewer should suggest that therewere other circumstances, and ask questions about them. 4. We suggest that each state choose one or two of their most successfulex-slave interviewers and have them take down some stories _word_ for_word_. Some Negro informants are marvellous in their ability toparticipate in this type of interview. _All stories should be as nearlyword-for-word as is possible. _ 5. More emphasis should be laid on questions concerning the lives of theindividuals since they were freed. SUGGESTIONS TO INTERVIEWERS: The interviewer should attempt to weave the following questionsnaturally into the conversation, in simple language. Many of theinterviews show that the workers have simply sprung routine questionsout of context, and received routine answers. 1. What did the ex-slaves expect from freedom? Forty acres and a mule? Adistribution of the land of their masters' plantation? 2. What did the slaves get after freedom? Were any of the plantationsactually divided up? Did their masters give them any money? Were theyunder any compulsion after the war to remain as servants? 3. What did the slaves do after the war? What did they receivegenerally? What do they think about the reconstruction period? 4. Did secret organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan exert or attempt toexert any influence over the lives of ex-slaves? 5. Did the ex-slaves ever vote? If so, under what circumstances? Did anyof their friends ever hold political office? What do the ex-slaves thinkof the present restricted suffrage? 6. What have the ex-slaves been doing in the interim between 1864 and1937? What jobs have they held (in detail)? How are they supportednowadays? 7. What do the ex-slaves think of the younger generation of Negroes andof present conditions? 8. Were there any instances of slave uprisings? 9. Were any of the ex-slaves in your community living in Virginia at thetime of the Nat Turner rebellion? Do they remember anything about it? 10. What songs were there of the period? The above sent to: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Ga. , Kentucky, La. , Md. , Mississippi, Mo. , N. Car. , Okla. , S. Car. , Tenn. , Texas, Virginia, W. Va. , Ohio, Kansas, Indiana. [Document 9] MEMORANDUMSeptember 8, 1937 TO: STATE DIRECTORS OF THE FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECTFROM: HENRY G. ALSBERG It would be a good idea if you would ask such of your field workers asare collecting stories from ex-slaves to try to obtain stories given tothe ex-slaves by their parents and grandparents. The workers should tryto obtain information about family traditions and legends passed downfrom generation to generation. There should be a wealth of such materialavailable. We have found that the most reliable way to obtain information about theage of ex-slaves or the time certain events in their lives took place isto ask them to try to recollect some event of importance of known dateand to use that as a point of reference. For instance, Virginia had avery famous snow storm called Cox's Snow Storm which is listed inhistory books by date and which is well remembered by many ex-slaves. InGeorgia and Alabama some ex-slaves remember the falling stars of theyear 1883. An ex-slave will often remember his life story in relation tosuch events. Not only does it help the chronological accuracy ofex-slave stories to ask for dated happenings of this kind, but it oftenserves to show whether the story being told is real or imagined. Sent the following states:Alabama Maryland TennesseeArkansas Mississippi TexasFlorida Missouri VirginiaGeorgia N. Carolina West VirginiaKentucky Oklahoma OhioLouisiana S. Carolina Kansas Indiana