Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves, Volume IV, Georgia Narratives, Part 4

This volume gathers the spoken memories of dozens of former enslaved people from Georgia, recorded in the late 1930s by the Federal Writers’ Project. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, preserving the cadence, dialect, and personal details that bring each life into focus. Listeners will hear a chorus of voices—men, women, and children—who describe their daily routines, family ties, and the sudden shift to freedom.

Among the narratives is the recollection of a seventy‑four‑year‑old woman from Telfair, who recalls the woods surrounding her father’s plantation, the makeshift cabins they built, and the simple pleasures of roasting potatoes in ash. Other accounts delve into folk remedies, superstitions, and the ways enslaved communities created their own cultural worlds amid hardship. The collection also includes combined interviews that capture shared experiences across households.

Presented with period photographs, these testimonies offer an intimate, ground‑level portrait of life under slavery and its aftermath. Listeners gain a rare opportunity to hear history spoken directly by those who lived it, preserving a vital part of America’s oral heritage.