Charley Williams (abt. 1820)

Born about 1820 in Louisiana, United States

Descendants

Biography

Charley Williams is a part of US Black heritage.

Charley was born about 1820.

Charley's son Charley Williams was interviewed in Tulsa, Oklahoma about 1937 about his life and his time as an enslaved person.

"I was borned on the 'leventh of January, in 1843, and was old enough to vote when I got my freedom, but I didn't take no stock in all dat politics and goings on at dat time, and I didn't vote till a long time after old Master passed away, but I was big enough before de War to remember everything pretty plain. Old Master name was John Williams, and old Mistress name was Miss Betty, and she was a Campbell before she married. Young Missy was named Betty after her mommy, and Young Master was named Frank, but I don't know who after."

"De plantation was about as big as any. I think it had about three hundred acres, and it was about two miles northwest of Monroe, Louisiana. Then he had another one not so big, two -- three miles south of the big one, kind of down in the woodsy part along the White river bottoms."

"One evening a big bunch of Yankee officer come up to de Big House and old Master set out de brandy in de yard and dey act purty nice. Next day de whole bunch leave on out of dat part. When de hosses and stuff all go old Master sold all de slaves but about four, but he kept my pappy and mammy and my brother Jimmie and my sister Betty. She was named after old Mistress. Pappy's name was Charley and mammy's was Sally."

"In Shreveport old Master git his cotton and tobacco money what he been afraid to have sent back to de plantation when he sell his stuff, and we strike out north through Arkansas."

"Purty soon we git to Fort Scott, and that was whar de roads forked ever whichaways. One went on north and one east and one went down into de Indian country. It was full of soldiers coming and going back and forth to Arkansas and Fort Gibson. We took de road on west through Kansas, and made for Colorado Springs."

"My pappy and mammy go on a place about five miles away owned by a man named Mr. Bumpas, and I go 'long wid my sister Betty and brother Jimmie to help 'em. I live around dat place and never marry till old mammy and pappy both gone, and Jimmie and Betty both married, and I was gitting about forty years old myself, and den I go up in Kansas and work around till I git married at last. I was in Fort Scott, and I married Mathilda Black in 1900, and she is 73 years old now and was born in Tennessee. We went to Pittsburg, Kansas, and lived from 1907 to 1913 when we come to Tulsa."

"I never had no children."

Interview: Charley Williams was interviewed in Tulsa, Oklahoma by an unknown interviewer 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 - Charley Williams - Vol. 13, Oklahoma; pages 330-343 images 337-350 of 369.