Mississippi Slave Narratives

In the late 1930s, Federal Writers as part of the Works Project Administration (WPA) recorded the life stories of more than 10,000 men and women from a variety of regions, occupations and ethnic groups. An important part of this project was the interviews of the surviving ex-slaves. 

The MSGenWeb Project, a division of the USGenWeb Project, has attempted to collect as many of the interviews done of Mississippi residents who were born in slavery as we can.  If you know of any we have missed, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to include it.

African-American Research is extremely difficult because of the lack of historical records before the Civil War. We hope this project will be of some help to researchers of those of African-American ancestry.   While we are aware of what is and is not politically correct today, we are dealing with historical data and all data on this site is transcribed exactly as written and no offense is meant and none should be taken.

The Index of ex-slaves includes the Mississippi County, if known, listed beside the name.

NOTE: Remember many of the slave owner's names are mentioned in these narratives also!

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Search The Mississippi Slave Narratives


Name of Interviewee County or Counties Associated
Ben Lewis Adams
Hamp Kennedy Adams
Charlie Davenport Adams     
Charity Jones Amite
Filmore Ramsey Amite
Jane Louis Amite
Levi Ashley Amite
James Washington Amite & Pike
Oliver Jones Amite, Lincoln & Copiah
Edd Roby   Attala
Porter Bond Bolivar
Hattie Sugg Calhoun
Ike Woodward  Calhoun
Cindy Anderson Carroll
Elbert Myers Carroll
Frances Patterson Chickasaw
Abe Kelley Choctaw
Henrietta Murray Choctaw
Henry Murray Choctaw
Jack Aldredge Choctaw
Rube Montgomery Choctaw
Gabe Emanuel Claiborne
J. P. T. Montgomery Claiborne
Nancy Robinson  Claiborne
George Coleman Clay
Jim Allen Clay
Callie Washington Coahoma
Calline Brown Coahoma
Julius Jones Coahoma
Mark Oliver Coahoma
Louis Davis Coahoma       
Evie Herrin Copiah
Mary Ann Kitchen Copiah
Milton Lackey Copiah
Robert Young  Copiah
Simon Durr Copiah
Robert Laird Copiah & Hinds
Mack Henderson Copiah & Warren
Henry Warfield Copiah, Hinds and Warren
Jane Morgan Forrest & Jasper
Betsy Cotton (Calcote) Franklin
Isaac Stier Franklin
Kisanna Middleton Franklin
Liza McGhee Franklin
Rina Brown Franklin
Adaline Montgomery Harrison
Florence Green Harrison
Frank Childress   (photo Included) Harrison
George Washington Ramsay Harrison
Henri Necaise Harrison
James Augustus Holmes Harrison
Louis J. Piernas Harrison
Lucy Galloway Harrison
Nathan Best   (photo Included) Harrison
Rosa Thomas Harrison
Sarah Thomas Harrison
George Reed   Harrison 
Gus Clark Harrison         
Rachel Reed  Harrison & Leake
Anda Wood  Hinds
Edward Jones Hinds
Ephraim Robinson Hinds
John Cameron Hinds
Laura Ford Hinds
Myra Jones Hinds
Temple Wilson Hinds
Mollie Williams (includes photos)  Hinds
Dicy Windfield Hinds    
John Gilstrap Itawamba
Angie Floyd Jackson
Nat Plummer Jackson
Lewis Wallace Jefferson
Mary Jane Jones Jefferson
Cyrus Bellus Jefferson 
Johanna Thompson Isom Lafayette
Andrew Price Lauderdale
Isaac Pringle Lauderdale
Jeff Johnson Lauderdale
Nettie Henry Lauderdale
Simon Hare Lauderdale
Wayne Holliday  Lauderdale
Jake Dawkins Lauderdale     
Susan Snow Lauderdale and Jasper
Sam McAllum Lauderdale and Kemper
Abe McKlennan Lawrence
Charlie Powers Lawrence
Salem Powell Lawrence
Eugenia Weatherall Lee
George Ward Lee
Tom Hunley Leflore
Aron Carter Lincoln
Charlie Moses Lincoln
Joe Bouy (Buie) Lincoln
Lucy Thurston Lincoln
Jerry Eubanks  Lowndes
Lorena Thomas Lowndes
Aaron Jones Marshall
Callie Gray Marshall
Emma Johnson Marshall
George Washington Albright Marshall
Lizzie Polk Marshall
Nora Goodwin Marshall
Polly Turner Cancer Marshall 
Henry Walton Marshall and Pontotoc
Dora Franks Monroe
Molly Vance Monroe
Turner Jacobs Monroe
Victoria Randle Lawson Monroe
Pet Franks  Monroe 
Clara C. Young Monroe  
Alex McCinney Montgomery
Bell McChristian Montgomery
Andrew Jackson Jarnigan Noxubee
Frances Cobb Noxubee
Mandy Jones Noxubee
Henry Gibbs Oktibbeha
Mollie Hatfield Oktibbeha
Sara Green Oktibbeha
Dave Walker Panola
Duncan McCarstle Panola
Edwin Walker Panola
George Washington Miller Panola
Harriet Walker Panola
Lincoln Watkins Panola
Sally Dixon Panola
Sarah Patterson Panola
Silas Knox Panola
Susan Jones Panola
William McCarty Panola
Ben Richardson Pearl River 
Charlie Bell     (photo Included) Pearl River & Lauderdale
Jeff Rayford   Pearl River     
Fanny Smith Hodges Pike
Harriett Miller Pike
Henry McGaffey Pike
James Cornelius Pike
July Ann Halfen Pike
Laura Montgomery Pike
Lawrence Evans Pike
Nelson Dickerson Pike
Orris Harris Pike
Sarah Felder  Pike
Tom Morris Pike
Barney Alford Pike       
Ann Drake  Pike & Franklin   
Emmeline Trott Pontotoc
Lizzie Norfleet Quitman
Lucy Donald Rankin
Robert Weathersby Rankin
Dave Weathersby Rankin & Lawrence
Berry Smith Scott
Albert Cox Simpson
Manda Boggan Simpson
Allen Ward Simpson
Emily Dixon  Simpson
George Weathersby Simpson
Glasgow Norwood Simpson
Isaac Potter Simpson
Jane Strickland Simpson
Jane Sutton Simpson
Julia Cox Simpson
Julia Stubbs Simpson
Liza Strickland Simpson
Manda Edmonson Simpson
Manus Robinson Simpson
Minerva Grubbs Simpson
Steve Weathersby Simpson
Sylvia Floyd Simpson
Tom Floyd Simpson
Tony Cox Simpson
Wash Hayes Simpson
Foster Weathersby Simpson & Lawrence
Isom Weathersby Simpson & Lawrence
Wesley Little Smith
Andrew Jackson Gill Unknown
Chaney Mack Unknown
Tom Wilson     (photo Included) Unknown
Alex Montgomery Walthall
Hattie Jefferson Walthall
Lewis Jefferson Walthall
Benjamin T. Green Warren
Florida Hewitt Warren
Isaiah T. Montgomery Warren
Rebecca Phillips Warren
Jim Archer Warren 
Ruben Fox Washington
Charlie Jordan Wayne
Riley Moore Webster
Spart Quinn Webster
Phillis Fox Webster & Calhoun
Charlie Holman Webster and Choctaw
Rose Holman   (photo Included) Webster and Choctaw
James Lucas Wilkinson & Adams
Dempsey Pitts Yalobusha
Mattie Dillworth Yalobusha
Prince Johnson Yazoo
Mollie Edmonds Yazoo 


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Transcriptionists: Ann Allen Geoghegan, Debbie Leftwich, and Rose Diamond and Linda Durr Rudd

Banner designed by: Melissa McCoy-Bell

Unknown worker photograph provided by  L. Stephen Bell Photography, and family photo albums of Karen Schweikle, Lucy Gray and Jens Burkhart.

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