James W Smith (1860)

Born 1860 in Palestine, Texas, United States

Biography

James Smith is a part of US Black heritage.

James W Smith was interviewed in Fort Worth, Texas in about 1937 about his life and his time as an enslaved person.

"I'm birthed a slave, but never worked as sich, 'cause I's too young. But I 'members hearin' my mother tell all about her slave days and our master. He was John Hallman and owned a place in Palestine, with my mother and father and fifty other slaves."

"My folks stays for five years after de war. Den my father moves to Bertha Creek, where he done 'range for a farm of his own."

"I worked at farmin' till 1895 when I starts preaching in de Baptist church. I kept that up until 1931, but my health got too bad and I had to quit."

"Jennie Goodman and me marries in 1885 and de Lawd never blessed us with any chillen."

Interview: James W Smith was interviewed in Fort Worth, Texas 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 - James W Smith - Vol. 16, Part 4, Texas, pages 33-35, images 39-41 of 243.