George Govan (1886 - aft. 1937)

Born 17 Dec 1886 in Conway County, Arkansas, United States

Died after 1937 after age 50 in Pope County, Arkansas, United States

Biography

George Govan is a part of US Black heritage.

George Govan was interviewed in Russellville, Arkansas in about 1937 about his life and his time as an enslaved person. George was born well after freedom.

"George Govan is my name, and I was born in Conway County somewheres in December 1886 -- I guess it was about de seventeenth of December. We lived there till 1911, when I come to Pope County. Both my parents was slaves on de plantation of a Mr. Govan near Charleston, South Carolina. Dat's where we got our name. Folks come to Arkansas after dey was freed."

"Yes, I owns my own home; been livin' in it for ten years, since I's been workin' as janitor at dis Central Presbyterian Church. I belongs to de Missionary Baptis' Church, but my parents were both Methodists."

George does not name any family members in his interview.

Interview: George Govan was interviewed in Russellville, Arkansas by Thomas Elmore Lucy as part of the Federal Writer's Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The results are made available by the Library of Congress. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ [1] Library of Congress - WPA - Slave Narrative - George Govan - Vol. 2, Arkansas, part 3; pages 63-64, images 64-65 of 394.