Dora Winn (abt. 1845)

Biography

Dora Winn is a part of US Black heritage.

Dora's brother Willis Winn was interviewed in Marshall, Texas in about 1937 about his life and his time as an enslaved person.

"The onliest statement I can make 'bout my age is my old master, Bob Winn, allus told me if anyone ask me how old I is to say I's borned on March the tenth, in 1822. I's knowed my birthday since I's a shirt-tail boy, but can't figure in my head. My pappy was Daniel Winn and he come from Alabama, and I 'member him allus sayin' he'd like to go back there and get some chestnuts. Mammy was named Patsy and there was nine of us chillen. The five boys was me and Willie and Hosea and two Georges, and the gals was Car'lina and Dora and Annie and Ada, and all us lived to be grown and have chillen."

"Bout four years after surrender Pappy say he heared gold was covering the ground at Hope, Arkansas, so we pulled up and moved there. We found lots of money where they'd been a big camp, but no gold. We lived there sixteen years, then I come to Texarkana and worked twelve years for G. W. George Fawcett's sawmill. I never married till I was old, in Little Washington, Arkansas, and lived with my wife thirty-six years 'fore she died. We raised eighteen chillen to be growed and nary one of 'em was ever arrested."

Interview: Willie Williams 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 - Willie Williams - Vol. 16, Part 4, Texas, pages 201-207, images 207-213 of 243.