Henry Reed
By Yusuf Mahmoud
Age at emancipation: 8 years old approx.
’Race’: not specified.
Year of interview: Between 1938-1940 approx.
Place of interview: 304, Monroe street, Mcdonoghville.
State of interview: Louisiana
Place of enslavement: Saint Landry, Opelousas
Address of interviewee : 304, Monroe street, McDonoghville
‘Occupation’: Domestic
‘Occupation’ of mother: Domestic
‘Occupation’ of father: Field and Solider
Size of slaveholding unit: Large
Name of enslaver: Governor Alexander Mouton
Name of plantation/farm: Ile Copal Sugar Plantation
Crop produced on slaveholding unit: Cotton and sugar
Name of interviewer: Flossie McElwee
Race of interviewer: White female
Is this included in Rawick’s supplement series?: Yes
Is there evidence of editing: Yes
Henry Reed was born in 1853, at Saint Landry Parish, Opelousas, Louisiana. His father was named Lewis Rud and his mother named Margret, he also had two brothers the oldest called Nat and the youngest Lewis, making Henry the middle child. His family were freed once the soldiers came to take his father to fight in the civil war. The Mouton plantation was captured in 1861. So, it is assumed that is when Reed was freed, making his age of emancipation eight years old.
Once freed, his mother moved the family to Morgan City and he never saw his father again, insinuating he was killed in the war. Reed went on to marry and have children. This is supported by Ancestry records in which a census reveals he had one daughter at the age of 21. The interview date is not stated, but other interviews carried out by Flossie McElwee were between 1938 to 1940. This would make Reed approximately in his 80s when giving the interview.
Henry Reed and his family belonged to Alexander Mouton, the Governor of Louisiana between 1827 to 1842. He was elected under the democratic party, who at the time were pro-slavery. Mouton had a total of nineteen children from two different marriages. He owned a plantation named Ile Copal, which Reed claims was a ‘very large plantation’. This is supported by online archives which state Mouton owned the largest slave holding under the Saint Laundry Parish. The plantation accommodated over hundred and twenty slaves which, made it a large plantation, as according to Lussana any plantation of over fifty slaves was considered large. This is a clear indication of how wealthy the Mouton family were.
Reed claims it was a cotton plantation, although records show it was a large producer of sugar. It may have been a producer of both, or evidence of confusion in Reeds memory of the planation. The lack of slaving records available for such a large plantation can be explained by the burning of the work house and subsequently all its records. Online Archives state, the Mouton’s plantation was seized by unionist soldiers in 1861, during the outbreak of civil war. The work house was burnt down, Mouton was arrested and all his slaves were freed. This is not mentioned by Reed as it diminishes Moutons character, which he holds in fairly high regard throughout the interview.
It is assumed Reeds mother was a house maid, as the interview recollects her making the beds in the main house. Reed himself was a yard boy and house servant as he describes ‘waiting on the Marse and Misses’’. It is assumed his farther would have worked the fields, however this is not confirmed. Henry Reed took a different second name to his farther who was called Lewis Rud. This was not unusual as enslaved people would often take the surname of their enslaver and not parent. However, this is not seen in Reeds case. Many enslaved people choose their own surname after emancipation, this may have been the case for henry reed as he did not like the name Rud, due to the connotations attached to their enslaver.
Reed describes eating well as, ‘mars provides plenty of possum, taters and duck.’ They were also permitted to pick vegetables and hunt for any extra food. Upon research the term ‘Mars’ was used by the enslaved to mean master but in a more endearing way. Indicating his masters treated him well. A section of the interview describes a violent incident in which the ‘Mars’ gave a good lashing to the enslaved people who had gone out to ‘shoot craps’ (gamble/play games for money) under the magnolia tree. He almost justifies this act of violence by describing the games they played as foolish. This is an example of Sharon Mushers thesis, on the way slaveholders were presented as paternal figures in enslaved lives and any form of punishment was for their own good. He recollects Governor Mouton in a gratuitous way, as he describes being well clothed, fed and given access to the family doctor. His justification for this good treatment was due to his slave holder being the Governor of Louisiana, implying others had it much worse. Due to his young age, it is possible the reliability of his accounts as an enslaved person are put into question. Often children are only able to remember the good and not the bad.
Henry Reeds regards religion as being a significant part of his life, he describes how all the white and black ‘folk’ went to the same church. This counters the traditional view that black people were segregated from white people. It also highlights the role of religion, in that Christianity was meant to have a civilising effect on the enslaved. Reed describes being reborn again, after being raised by the Creoles (A Catholic person of French or Spanish descent living in colonial Louisiana). He describes joining the Baptist Church as him becoming a real American. His strong emphasis on the role religion had on his life i.e.; preventing him from lying, cursing and stealing is something he wants to make clear to the interviewee. The interview took place when, the KKK were prominent and ideas surrounding nativism were popular. It is possible he is playing up to the interviewer with his over emphasis on religion. When looking into other interviews conducted by Flossie McElwee, most state some form of religious devotion and how they are thankful to God for what they have been given.
The sequence of events described by Reed, are presented more in a thematic order rather than chronologically. He tends to jump around from different tenses. This could reflect how the old age of the informants impacted the reliability of the accounts given, or possible editing from the interviewer. Unfortunately, there are no original record of the interview given to prove any editorial changes. But the; style of language used by Reed, the insertion of quotes and the hierarchal nature in which he regards Governor Mouton, prove there was some level of editing. McElwee a white, educated and possible middle-class women may have manipulated accounts to serve racial stereotypes of the 1930’s. Or, simply attempted to input her view of how, an enslaved persons narrative should be presented.
Bibliography
Primary Sources:A. Livesey,’Introduction to the Louisiana Writers Project Interviews’, Baton Rouge: LSU Press.Secondary sources:Lussana, Sergio A. My Brother Slaves: Friendship, Masculinity, and Resistance in the Antebellum South. (University Press of Kentucky, 2016.)Musher, Sharon Ann. "Contesting "The Way the Almighty Wants It": Crafting Memories of Ex-Slaves in the Slave Narrative Collection." (American Quarterly 53, no. 1 2001)Weblinks:www.Ancestory.co.uk last (Last accessed on 15/03/2021)https://bioguide.congress.gov (Last accessed on 15/03/2021)https://web.archive.org/web/20080110153613/http://www.sos.louisiana.gov (Last accessed on 15/03/2021)
