Baker, Viney, 1859-
Biography
Viney Baker (1859-?) was a slave in Durham County, North Carolina, in the 1860s.
Viney Baker was born in 1859 in Virginia on the plantation of Mr. S. L. Allen. He was moved with his mother, Hannah Murray, to Durham County, North Carolina as a child. By Baker's account, Mr. Allen had over one hundred slaves and five hundred acres of land. His mother was sold during the night while he was sleeping. Baker did not understand the significance of the end of the Civil War and Mr. Allen kept him on as a slave despite the Confederate surrender. At the age of twelve, Baker's mother came back to free him.
Citation:
Pasquotank.lostsoulsgenealogy.com, via WWW, June 30, 2021 (Viney Baker was born in 1859 in Virginia on the plantation of Mr. S. L. Allen. He was moved with his mother, Hannah Murray, to Durham County, North Carolina as a child. By Baker's account, Mr. Allen had over one hundred slaves and five hundred acres of land. His mother was sold during the night while he was sleeping. He did not understand the significance of the end of the Civil War and Mr. Allen kept him on as a slave despite the Confederate surrender. At the age of twelve, Baker’s mother came for him, and they lived together)Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Mary A. Hicks interview with Viney Baker
Photocopy of a microfilmed copy of a typescript of an interview. Baker was interviewed by Mary A. Hicks in 1937 as part of the Federal Writer's Project for the Works Progress Administration. The item includes handwritten corrections. Baker was freed after the Civil War, but he continued to be forced to work, and he was treated very poorly. His mother was sold in the middle of the night. He describes severe beatings and being reunited with his mother.