author

Charles Thompson

b. 1833

Born into slavery in Mississippi, this preacher left behind a firsthand account that brings the realities of bondage and family separation into sharp focus. His memoir remains a valuable witness to enslaved life in the American South.

1 Audiobook

Biography of a Slave, Being the Experiences of Rev. Charles Thompson, a Preacher of the United Brethren Church, While a Slave in the South. Together with Startling Occurrences Incidental to Slave Life.

Biography of a Slave, Being the Experiences of Rev. Charles Thompson, a Preacher of the United Brethren Church, While a Slave in the South. Together with Startling Occurrences Incidental to Slave Life.

by Charles Thompson

About the author

Charles Thompson was born on March 3, 1833, near Rockford in Atala County, Mississippi. In his memoir Biography of a Slave, he wrote about being born to enslaved parents and growing up under slavery in the South.

Published in 1875, Biography of a Slave: Being the Experiences of Rev. Charles Thompson is an autobiographical slave narrative. The book describes his childhood, the breakup of families, and other brutal parts of enslaved life, and it has continued to be used by later historians studying slavery.

Sources available here also describe Thompson as a preacher in the United Brethren Church. I wasn’t able to confirm many additional biographical details beyond what is preserved through his book and library records, but his memoir itself is an important part of the historical record.