Mary Reynolds: The 105-Year-Old Woman Who Finally Told the Truth About Cotton Slavery -

Mary Vaughn Reynolds (ca. 1847–ca. 1940) was a formerly enslaved woman whose life story was recorded during the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project WPA Slave Narratives. She was enslaved by the Kilpatrick family on their plantation near the Black River in Concordia Parish, Louisiana. In her oral history interview, she described brutal conditions, noting that slaves were overworked, underfed, and subjected to harsh physical abuse and whippings. She recalled the unpredictable cruelty of the domestic slave trade, recounting how she was once sold away simply because a master's daughter grew too fond of her, only to be bought back later when the daughter fell ill with worry. Sources: 0:00 The life of Mary Reynolds 1:43 The cotton economy 4:42 Early life on the plantation 7:59 Labor and discipline 11:51 Living under constant threat 16:50 Exploitation and secrets 19:35 Community and resistance 23:24 Civil War and emancipation 28:47 Freedom and Reconstruction 33:28 The WPA narrative legacy