Slavery in Texas
A project by Sam Houston State UniversitySlavery in Texas is a co-curricular project sponsored by the History Department and Center for Community Engagement at Sam Houston State University. The website will provide access to slave narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, county data from the federal census, and legal cases from Texas courtrooms.
Read more About UsRecent Narratives
Emma Simpson
I was born in Walker County ten or twelve years before the war between the States. My father’s name was Alex Brown. He was captured in Africa and brought over to America when he was young. Mother's name was Allie Sue Bradson before she married.…
John McAdams
"I was born in Nashville, Tenn., in 1849. My father's name, James McAdams and mother's name, Sallie McAdams. I don't know where they came from. I have 2 brothers, Edgar and Sam, one sister name Josie, one Lucy and one Judie. Our…
Andy McAdams
"Back in slavery time, the first time the padderrollers got hold of a negro he would git 30 licks with that red-heifer. When we went to our quarters at night it would most always be around 9 or 10 o'clock and the negro he would be so tired…
Jeff Hamilton
"I was born in the state of Kentucky, in 1840. I came to Texas when I was three years of age. My mother, Kitty McKem, and three sisters came with me. We came with a man by the name of McKem. We located in Fort Bend County, only stayed there a…
Silvia King
"I know I was borned in Morocco, in Africa, and was married and had three chillen befo' I was stoled from my husband. I don't know who it was stole me, but dey took me to France, to a place called Bordeaux, and drugs me with some…
Nancy King
"I was borned and raised on William Jackson's place, jus' twelve miles east of Gilmer. I was growed and had one child at surrender, and my mother told me I was a woman of my own when Old Missie sot us free, jus' after surrender,…