Mr. Gibson is very old, but does not know his exact age. He fought in
the Civil war, and said he could not be very young to have done that.
His sight is very nearly gone, can only distinguish light and dark.
He is very proud of his name, having been named for his old master.
Submitted January 24, 1938
Indianapolis, Indiana
Submitted by:
William Webb Tuttle
District No. 2
Muncie, Indiana
NEGRO SLAVES IN DELAWARE COUNTY
MRS. BETTY GUWN
MRS. HATTIE CASH, DAUGHTER, residing at 1101 East Second Street
Muncie, Indiana
Mrs. Betty Guwn was born March 25, 1832, as a slave on a tobacco
plantation, near Canton, Kentucky. It was a large plantation whose
second largest product was corn. She was married while quite young by
the slave method which was a form of union customary between the white
masters. If the contracting parties were of different plantations the
masters of the two estates bargained and the one sold his rights to the
one on whose plantation they would live. Her master bought her husband,
brought him and set them up a shack. Betty was the personal attendant of
the Mistress. The home was a large Colonial mansion and her duties were
many and responsible. However, when her house duties were caught up her
mistress sent her immediately to the fields. Discipline was quite stern
there and she was "lined up" with the others on several occasions.
Her cabin home began to fill up with children, fifteen in all. The
ventilation was ample and the husband would shoot a prowling dog from
any of the four sides of the room without opening the door. The cracks
between the logs would be used by cats who could step in anywhere. The
slaves had "meetin'" some nights and her mistress would call her and
have her turn a tub against her mansion door to keep out the sound.
Her master was very wealthy. He owned and managed a cotton farm of two
thousand acres down in Mississippi, not far from New Orleans. Once a
year he spent three months there gathering and marketing his cotton.
When he got ready to go there he would call all his slaves about him and
give them a chance to volunteer. They had heard awful tales of the slave
auction block at New Orleans, and the Master would solemnly promise
them that they should not be sold if they went down of their own accord.
"My Mistress called me to her and privately told me that when I was
asked that question I should say to him: "I will go". The Master had to
take much money with him and was afraid of robbers. The day they were to
start my Mistress took me into a private room and had me remove most of
my clothing; she then opened a strong box and took out a great roll of
money in bills; these she strapped to me in tight bundles, arranging
them around my waist in the circle of my body. She put plenty of
dresses over this belt and when she was through I wore a bustle of money
clear around my belt. I made a funny "figger" but no one noticed my odd
shape because I was a slave and no one expected a slave to "know
better". We always got through safely and I went down with my Mistress
every year. Of course my husband stayed at home to see after the family,
and took them to the fields when too young to work under the task
master, or over-seer. Three months was a long time to be separated."
"When the Civil War came on there was great excitement among we slaves.
We were watched sharply, especially soldier timber for either army. My
husband ran away early and helped Grant to take Fort Donaldson. He said
he would free himself, which he did; but when we were finally set free
all our family prepared to leave. The Master begged us to stay and
offered us five pounds of meal and two pounds of pork jowl each week if
we would stay and work. We all went to Burgard, Kentucky, to live. At
that time I was about 34 years old. My husband has been dead a long time
and I live with my children. If the "Good Lord" spares me until next
March the 25th, I will be 106 years old. I walk all about lively without
crutches and eye-glasses and I have never been sick until this year when
a tooth gave me trouble; but I had it pulled."
Archie Koritz, Field Worker
Federal Writers' Project
Porter County--District #1
Valparaiso, Indiana
EX-SLAVES
MRS. HOCKADAY
2581 Madison Street
Gary, Indiana
Mrs. Hockaday is the daughter of an ex-slave and like so many others
does not care to discuss the dark side of slavery and the cruel
treatment that some of them received.
After the Civil War the slaves who for the most part were unskilled and
ignorant, found it very difficult to adjust themselves to their new life
as free persons. Formerly, they lived on the land of their masters and
although compelled to work long hours, their food and lodging were
provided for them. After their emancipation, this life was changed. They
were free and had to think for themselves and make a living. Times for
the negro then was much the same as during the depression. Several of
the slaves started out to secure jobs, but all found it difficult to
adjust themselves to the new life and difficult to secure employment.
Many came back to their old owners and many were afraid to leave and
continued on much as before.
The north set up stores or relief stations where the negro who was
unable to secure employment could obtain food and shelter. Mrs. Hockaday
says it was the same as conditions have been the last few years.
About all the negro was skilled at was servant work and when they came
north, they encountered the same difficulties as several of the colored
folks who, driven by the terrible living conditions in the south four
years ago, came to Gary. Arriving here they believed they were capable
of servant work. However they were not accustomed to modern appliances
and found it very difficult to adjust themselves. It was the same after
the Emancipation.
Many owners were kind and religious and had schools for their slaves,
where they could learn to read and write. These slaves were more
successful in securing employment.
Although the negro loved the Bible most of all books, and were mostly
Methodists and Baptists, their different religious beliefs is caused by
the slave owners having churches for the slaves. Whatever church the
master belonged to, the slaves belonged to, and continued in the same
church after the war.
Since slaves took the name of their owners, children in the same family
would have different names. Mr. Hockaday's father and his brothers and
sisters all had different names. On the plantation they were called
"Jones' Jim," "Brown's Jones," etc. Many on being freed left their old
homes and adopted any name that they took a fancy to. One slave that
Mrs. Hockaday remembers took the name of Green Johnson and says he often
remarked that he surely was green to adopt such a name. His grandson in
Gary is an exact double for Clark Gable, except he is brown, and Gable
is white.
Many slave owners gave their slaves small tracts of land which they
could tend after working hours. Anything raised belonged to them and
they could even sell the products and the money was theirs. Many slaves
were able to save enough from these tracts to purchase their freedom
long before the Emancipation.
Another condition that confronted the negro in the north was that they
were not understood like they were by the southern people. In the south
they were trusted and considered trustworthy by their owners. Even
during the Civil War, they were trusted with the family jewels, silver,
etc., when the northern army came marching by, whereas in the north,
even though they freed the slaves, they would not trust them. For that
reason, many of the slaves did not like the northern people and remained
or returned to the southern plantations.
The slave owners thought that slavery was right and nothing was wrong
about selling and buying human beings if they were colored, much as a
person would purchase a horse or automobile today. The owners who
whipped their slaves usually stripped them to the waist and lashed them
with a long leather whip, commonly called a blacksnake.
Mrs. Hockaday is a large, pleasant, middle-aged woman and does not like
to discuss the cruel side of slavery and only recalls in a general way
what she had heard old slaves discuss.
Federal Writers' Project
of the W.P.A.
District #6
Marion County
Anna Pritchett
1200 Kentucky Avenue
FOLKLORE
ROBERT HOWARD--EX-SLAVE
1840 Boulevard Place
Robert Howard, an ex-slave, was born in 1852, in Clara County, Kentucky.
His master, Chelton Howard, was very kind to him.
The mother, with her five children, lived on the Howard farm in peace
and harmony.
His father, Beverly Howard, was owned by Bill Anderson, who kept a
saloon on the river front.
Beverly was "hired out" in the house of Bill Anderson. He was allowed to
go to the Howard farm every Saturday night to visit with his wife and
children. This visit was always looked forward to with great joy, as
they were devoted to the father.
The Howard family was sold only once, being owned first by Dr. Page in
Henry County, Kentucky. The family was not separated; the entire family
was bought and kept together until slavery was abolished.