Willis Woodson (1850 - aft. 1937)

Died after 1937 after age 87 in Texas, United States

Willis says he has seven children, but gives no names. In his interview, Willis implies his mother's name was Eva.

Biography

Willis Woodson is a part of US Black heritage.

Willis Woodson was interviewed in Tyler, Texas in about 1937 about his life and his time as an enslaved person.

"I'm borned at a place called Whiterock, but don't rightly 'member no other name, but it was a long, long way from here, though. I was the prop'ty of Marse Richards, but he sold me and my maw and a lot of darkies to Marse Ike Isom. Maw said Marse Ike done pay $500 for me, cheap 'cause I's pretty little and couldn't do much work. Marse Isom moved to Texas and everybody holped load de wagons, and we starts real early in a cold mornin'."

After freedom- "I stays sev'ral years, den gits a job snakin' logs in a sawmill. Den I marries and has seven chillen and I stays with first one, den 'nother. I holps dem all I can. I been patchin' up some fishin' tackle today."

Interview: Willis Woodson 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 214-215, images 220-221 of 243.

Research Notes

"United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXGW-M11 : 29 May 2021), Willis Woodson in entry for William Woodson, 1870. This Willis married, about 1878, Martha "Mat" (Mast or Moss) Curry, and had children.

Only Willis that came up for 1930: "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HVQ6-HZM : accessed 17 February 2022), Willis Woodson, Precinct 1, Shelby, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 4, sheet 1A, line 16, family 6, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2390; FHL microfilm 2,342,124.