Peter Barber was a formally enslaved man who took part in the Federal Writer’s Project in the summer of 1940. Barber is one of the few interviewees to be interviewed by a black writer, known only as Burke, which offers some insight into the racial dynamics of the interview and the prejudices of the time. For example, a ‘quantitative analysis’ of these interviews shows that half of the interviewees described their enslavers as ‘good’ when interviewed by black writers compared to 71% interviewed by white writers.i This may be because the interviewees have a fear of the repercussions by criticising white people, especially in the 1940s when Jim Crow laws were still in practice in the South. At the time of the interview Barber claims he is 106 years old though Burke states that according to the dates Barber has given he is 96. A 1910 census in which Barber’s DOB is given as 1848, in which case he would be 92 at the time of the interview. A number of reasons may explain this inconsistency; Barber is undeniably in his old age and so his memory may not be what it once was, Barber may not know his exact date of birth and so the date he gave in the census is only estimation as well as the possibility in Burke’s lack of trust in Barber’s recollection.

Barber was born into slavery in Charlottesville, Virginia and proudly states that he can ‘remember from the time [he] was eight years old’ which offers an explanation for the lack of mention of his parents. This may also be explained by the barbaric antebellum practice of separating enslaved children from their parents and selling them on. However, while I could find no record of Barber’s parents, I was able to find a 1910 census which states that both were born in Virginia, though the information was proffered by Barber and may have been a conjecture.Barber’s first ‘master’, William Granger was a farmer who owned a sawmill (in which logs are sawn into planks or boards) and a gristmill which grinds cereal grains into flour. This suggests Barber worked on a large slaveholding unit that would need to support two mills and that Granger amassed considerable amount of wealth. While I was unable to find any records relating to William Granger, I was able to find a surprising, possible connection to Thomas Jefferson, who owned generations of enslaved people with the name Granger on his famous plantation, Monticello, in Virginia. Enslaved people were often forced to take their enslavers’ names so it is possible that there is a connection, particularly as both men were based in Charlottesville, perhaps Granger worked for Jefferson. It was while enslaved by William Granger that Barber was taught to read and write by none other than Granger’s wife (her name is not given and as I was unable to find any records of Granger I was unable to find any on his wife). This was done so that the enslaved people on the plantation could write their ages in a bible in order to keep a record of them all, most likely so she did not have to spend time doing it herself or employ another to do so. This is particularly surprising considering enslavers views on the education of enslaved people. For example, Frederick Douglass recounts the extreme lengths his enslavers went to in order to stop him from learning to read and write, punishing him if he was suspected of trying to do so.ii At this time enslavers considered it dangerous for an enslaved person to learn and would make them ‘unmanageable’. iii Despite being enslaved by the Granger’s, Barber considered them to be ‘good’, this may be due to a fear of retaliation if he denounces them though this is less likely as his interviewer, Burke, is black.

Barber was then sold on to a ‘tobacco man’ named Sam Austin in for $900; we can assume this was during the American Civil War (1861-1865) as he was paid for with half Confederate and half Union money. While Barber was enslaved by Austin he was a foreman, a kind of overseer, and so had some authority over other slaves. Foremen were often given privileges that were not available to other enslaved people but he still had to take part in a system that kept him and others subjugated. However, Barber and his friend Jimmy Harris decided to runaway when Austin tries to trick them into thinking the ‘Yankees’ (the Union) want to capture them, Barber was one of the few who saw through this, most likely due to his literacy. Barber and Jimmy travelled to Cincinnati first by boat but they had to walk the rest of the way when the crew discovered they were stowaways. It would have taken a great deal of strength to runaway and approach others in order to get on the boat, as many people returned runaway slaves for money and the consequences of being discovered were dire. Runaways who were captured were often punished through amputation of limbs, whippings or death. When Barber and his friend arrived in Cincinnati they tried to enlist in the army, however, he was rejected as he was too young, while Jimmy was accepted, though I have been unable to locate his military records. Instead Barber went to work on a boat called the C.P Hannican, becoming a deck hand within three years. In 1871 Barber made his first trip to New Orleans, where he would come to live for the rest of his life. His friend Jimmy Harris was killed, most likely at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 (General Custer was defeated a combined force of Native Americans under the command of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse) as when Jimmy last wrote to Barber he was stationed in the neighbourhood of the Little Big Horn River. At this time black American soldiers became known as ‘Buffalo soldiers’ by Native Americans, and made up approximately 3000 during their time in the West from 1866-1891.iv It is because of Jimmy’s death that Barber credits being rejected from the army saved his life.

Despite living in slavery up until his twenties, Barber does not disclose much of his experiences as an enslaved person and the lack of documentation of Barber during this time makes it difficult to know a lot about his life during that period. However, census records can tell us something about his life after. The 1910 United States Federal Census reveals that Barber was working as a fireman in a rice mill, something that he had experience with as he had previously worked as a fireman on the boat the R.E. Lee, and that he lived at 3544 Howard Avenue with his wife and son as the head of house and chief wage earner, and was still living there at the time of the 1920 census. Barber and Rachel Brown were married in 1896 and by 1899 they had a son Paul E. Barber, however, in later records his son is named Paul Mathews Barber. The couple had a daughter, Sarah H. Barber in 1901, but she died 11 months later in 1902. Barber and Rachel’s son Paul was drafted during the First World War and stayed in the army for a period of time as records show that he returned to America from Nicaragua in 1925, most likely due to the withdrawal of troops during the occupation of Nicaragua for a nine month period. Paul was later drafted again at the outbreak of World War Two which he also survived and died in 1977 at the age of 76. Peter Barber’s death record was unable to be attained but despite this his legacy lives on, his WPA interview is presently used as a teaching resource at the Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana. Each visitor is given an interview at the start of the tour making Barber’s experiences still resonate today.

Bibliography

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iA. Livesey, 'Introduction to the Louisiana Writers' Project Interviews', Baton Rouge: LSU Press [forthcoming].

ii Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, (United States: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 38.

iii Ibid, 39. iv Rudolph Alexander, Racism, African Americans, and Social Justice, (Rowman and Littlefield: Maryland, 2005) p. 66.