Joseph Mosley
From:
Indiana
Federal Writers' Project
of the W.P.A.
District #6
Marion County
Anna Pritchett
1200 Kentucky Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana
FOLKLORE
JOSEPH MOSLEY, EX-SLAVE
2637 Boulevard Place
[TR: Also reported as Moseley in text of interview.]
Joseph Mosley, one of twelve children, was born March 15, 1853, fourteen
miles from Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
His master, Tim Mosley, was a slave trader. He was supposed to have
bought and sold 10,000 slaves. He would go from one state to another
buying slaves, bringing in as many as 75 or 80 slaves at one time.
The slaves would be handcuffed to a chain, each chain would link 16
slaves. The slaves would walk from Virginia to Kentucky, and some from
Mississippi to Virginia.
In front of the chained slaves would be an overseer on horseback with a
gun and dogs. In back of the chained slaves would be another overseer on
horseback with a gun and dogs. They would see that no slave escaped.
Joseph's father was the shoemaker for all the farm hands and all adult
workers. He would start in September making shoes for the year. First
the shoes for the folks in the house, then the workers.
No slave child ever wore shoes, summer or winter.
The father, mother, and all the children were slaves in the same family,
but not in the same house. Some with the daughters, some with the sons,
and so on. No one brother or sister would be allowed to visit with the
others.
After the death of Tim Moseley, little Joseph was given to a daughter.
He was seven years old; he had to pick up chips, tend the cows, and do
small jobs around the house; he wore no clothing except a shirt.
Little Joseph did not see his mother after he was taken to the home of
the daughter until he was set free at the age of 13.
The master was very unkind to the slaves; they sometimes would have
nothing to eat, and would eat from the garbage.
On Christmas morning Joseph was told he could go see his mother; he did
not know he was free, and couldn't understand why he was given the first
suit of clothes he had ever owned, and a pair of shoes. He dressed in
his new finery and was started out on his six mile journey to his
mother.
He was so proud of his new shoes; after he had gotten out of sight, he
stopped and took his shoes off as he did not want them dirty before his
mother had seen them, and walked the rest of the way in his bare feet.
After their freedom, the family came to Indiana.
The mother died here, in Indianapolis, at the age of 105.
Interviewer's Comment
Mr. Moseley, who has been in Indianapolis for 35 years, has been
paralyzed for the last four years. He and a daughter room with a Mrs.
Turner.
He has a very nice clean room; a very pleasant old man was very glad to
talk of his past life.
He gets a pension of $18.00 a month, and said it was not easy to get
along on that little amount, and wondered if the government was ever
going to increase his pension.
Submitted December 1, 1937
Indianapolis, Indiana
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