Original URL 4/21/1997: http://www.umsl.edu/services/library/blackstudies/moslave.htm

University of Missouri-St. Louis
Thomas Jefferson Library
Reference Department
Series 5: Slave Narratives. 1936-1938
George P. Rawick Papers
Slave Narratives--Missouri

Transcripts compiled from the WPA Writer's Projects, 1936-1938. Entries have been taken from the George P. Rawick Papers. The narratives presented here are from ex-slaves who spent most of their time as slaves in Missouri. Narratives of ex-slaves in other states are also included as part of the Rawick Papers. Please contact Western Historical Manuscripts/University Archives (314-516-5143) at the University of Missouri- St. Louis, Thomas Jefferson Library, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, MO, 63121, USA. You may also email Zelli Fischetti (swmf@umslvma.umsl.edu) for information about this collection. (Please note that only those narratives presented here are in an electronic format.) Questions about the electronic presentation should be directed to Anne Taylor (ataylor@jinx.umsl.edu).

Narratives are presented here in text format. There are no photos or graphics in this portion of the collection. Hypertext markup was added to make it easier to move from one file to another. Narratives have been placed in alphabetical order with the narrator's place of residence at the time of the interview. Some files may include text from the writer; often describing physical attributes of the subject, the conditions in which they lived, and the circumstances in which the writer found them. It should be noted that some of the writers brought stereotypical views of blacks to their work.

The recollection of Mr. R. C. Arnett, Fredericktown, Madison County, Missouri, includes list of former slaves residing in Madison County, Missouri, in 1937. A hand written note on the mimeograph states that Mr. Arnett was himself an ex-slave, but nothing in the text of the recollection supports the assertion.
The narratives collection is extensive and time-consuming to convert to electronic format. New narratives will be added as my schedule permits. Many thanks to Carol Robinson for her generous help scanning several of the narratives.
Date Last Modified: April 03, 1997