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Mrs. Charlotte K. Stephens
Age 83
1420 West 15th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas I was born right here in Little Rock. My father was owned by a
splendid family - the Ashleys. The family of Noah Badgett owned my mother and the children. Pardon me, madam,
and I shall explain how that was. In many cases the father of children born in slavery could not be definitely
determined. There was never a question about the mother. From this you will understand that the children belonged
to the master who owned the mother. This was according to law.
My father's family name was Andrews. How did it happen that it was not Ashley? .... Oh, my dear, you have been
misinformed about all slaves taking the name of the master who owned them when peace came.... No, madam. My
father was named William Wallace Andrews after his father, who was an English gentleman. He had come to
Missouri in early days and owned slaves.... Yes, my grandfather was white. The Ashleys brought my father to
Arkansas Territory when they came. They always permitted him to keep his family name. Many other masters did
the same.
From the standpoint of understanding between the white and colored races, Little Rock has always been a good
place to live. The better class families did not speak of their retainers as slaves; they were called servants. Both my
parents were educated by their masters.
Besides being a teacher and minister my father was a carpenter and expert cabinet worker.
The first school for Negroes in Little Rock was opened in 1863 and was taught by my father. I went to school to
him. A few months later there came from the north a company of missionary teachers and opened a school which I
attended until 1867. My father was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church for colored people on what is now
Kighth and Broadway. He also had a chapel on the property of Mr. Ashley. You probably know that during slavery
days the slaves belonged to and attended the same church as their white folks. They sat in the back, or in a balcony
built for them. My father was considered the founder of Wesley Chapel, which was Methodist Episcopal. From that
time until this day I have been a member of that church. Seventy-three years, I think it is. Before the break came in
the Methodist church, you know, it was all the same, north and south. After the division on account of slavery the
Methodist church in the south had the word "south" attached. For a long time my father did not realize that. In 1863
he and his church went back into the original Methodist church.
In 1867 the Society of Friends - we called them Quakers - came and eracted a large two-story schoolhouse at Sixth
and State streets. It was called Union school. When it was built it was said by the Quakers that it was to be for the
use of colored children forever, but within a year or two the city bought the property and took charge of the school.
As far as I can now recall, white and colored children never did attend the same school in Little Rock.
There have always been separate schools for the races. I am able to remember the names of the first teachers in the
Quaker school; J. H. Binford was the principal and his sister taught the primary department. Other teachers were
Miss Anna Wiles (or Ware), Miss Louise Coffin, Miss Lizzie Garrison and Sarah Hanley.
I was about 11 years old when peace came and was living with my mother and the other children on the Badgett
plantation about 7 miles east of Little Rock. Mother did laundry and general house work. Being a small child, all
that was asked of me was to run errands and amuse the little white children. Madam, if I could tell you the great
difference between slave owners it would help you in understanding conditions of today among the colored people.
Both my father and my mother had peculiar privileges. The Ashley family were exceptional slave owners; they
permitted their servants to hire their time. There was class distinction, perhaps to greater extent than among the
white people. Yes, madam, the slaves who lived in the family with master and mistress were taught just about the
same as their own children. At any rate, they imitated them in all matters; to speak with a low voice, use good
English, the niceties of manners, good form and courtesy in receiving and attending guests.
I began teaching in Little Rock schools when I was 15 years old and am still teaching. In all, it is 69 years, and my
contract is still good. My first experiance as a teacher, (as I told you I was fifteen) was by substituting for a teacher
in that first Missionary school, in 1869. For some reason, she did not return, and the School Board appointed me in
her place. After one year I was given leave of absence to attend Oberlin College in Ohio. I spent three years there,
but not in succession. When my money would give out I would come home and the School Board would provide
work for me until I could earn enough to carry me through another term. I finished at Oberlin in 1873. I extended
my work through courses at Normal schools and Teacher's Institutes. I have taken lecture courses in many colleges,
notably the University of California in 1922. I have taught all grades from the first to the twelfth. My principal
work, for the last 35 years, however, has been high school Latin and English and Science.
At present I am serving as librarian at the Senior high school and Junior College. I have twice served as principal of
city schools in Little Rock. First at Capitol Hill. The Charlotts E. Stephens school at 18th and Maple was named in
my honor. I have a book I have kept for 68 years regarding those first schools, and I'm told it is the only one in
existence. I also have the first monthly report card ever issued in Little Rock. Mr. Hall (Superintendent of Little
Rock City Schools) has asked me to will it to the School Board.
I could recall many interesting events of those early schools for the colored race. Old, old slaves came, desiring to
learn to read and spell. They brought the only books they could find, many of which proved to be almanacs, paper
bound novels discarded by their mistress and ancient dictionaries, about half of which might be missing.
Yes, madam, I do remember that the emancipated slaves were led to believe they would be given property and have
just what their masters had been accustomed to enjoy. I remember hearing my mother tell, in later years, that she
really had expected to live as her mistress had; having some one to wait upon har, plenty of money to spend, ride in
a carriage with a coachman. But she always added that the emancipated ones soon found out that freedom meant
more work and harder than they had ever done before.
What did they work at? Pardon me please for so often reminding you of conditions of that time. Few of the trades
workers were white. Brick makers and brick layers, stone masons, lathers, plasters, - all types of builders were of
the freed men. You must remember that slaves were the only ones who did this work. Their masters had used their
labor as their means of income. Not all slaves were in the cotton fields, as some suppose. The slave owners of towns
and villages had their slaves learn skilled trade occupations and made a great deal of money by their earnings. The
Yankes soldiers and the many Northern people who lived here hired the freed men and paid them. Quite soon the
colored people were buying homes. Many were even hired by their former masters and paid for the work they
formerly did without pay under slavery. I remember Bill Read and Dave Lows. They had been coachmen before
freedom. By combining their first savings, they bought a back, as it was called. It was more of a cab. For all those
who did not have private conveyances, this was the only way of getting about town. It was Little Rock's first
taxi-cab business, I should say. Bill and Dave made a fortune; they had a monopoly of business for years and
evantually had enough cabs to take the entire population to big evening parties, theater, and all places where crowds
would gather.
No, madam, I do not recall that we had any inconvenience from the Ku Klux Klan. If they made trouble in Little
Rock I do not now remember it. I did hear that out in the country they drove people from their homes. Yes, madam,
I do remember, quite distinctly, the times when colored men were voted into public offices. John C. Corbin was
State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Phillips county sent two colored men to the legislature; they were W. H.
Gray and H. H. White, both from Helena. J. E. Bush of this city followed M. W. Gibbs as Police Judge. After
reconstruction when all colored people were eliminated from public life all these people returned to their trade.
I was 22 when I married. My husband was a teacher but knew the carpenter trade. During the time that Negroes
served in public office he served as deputy sheriff and deputy constable. He was with me for 41 years before his
death; we raised a family of six children and gave each one a college education.
Now, you have asked my opinion of present conditions of the younger generation. It seems to me they are living in
an age of confusion; they seem to be all at sea as to what they should get for themselves. I do know this. In some
respects the modern frankness is an improvement over the old suppression and repression in the presence of their
elders. At the same time, I think the young people of today lack the proper reverence and respect for age and the
experience it brings as a guide for them. During my long years of teaching I have had opportunity to study this
question. I am still making a study of the many phases of modern life as it affects the young people.
I do not like the trend of amusements of today; I would like for our young people to become interested in things
more worth while; in a higher type of amusament. Conditions of morality and a lack of regard for conventions is
deplorable. Smoking among the girls has increased the common use of liquor between the sexas.
Did you ask me about the voting restrictions for the colored race in this State? I will tell you frankly that I think the
primary law here is unjust; most unjust. We are citizens in every other respect; the primary voting privilege should
be ours also. This restriction has been explained as coming down from "the grandfather clause" inserted in early
legislation. I cannot give you the exact wording of the clause but the substance was that no person whose ancestor -
grandfather - was not entitled to vote before 1863 should have the right to the ballot. Of course it is readily seen that
this clause was written purely for the purpose of denying the vote to the colored people.
Perhaps, madam, my talk has been too much along educational lines. You asked me about my life since freedom
came and how I have lived to the present time. I have had the blessed privilege of being a teacher - of doing the
work I love best of all in the world to do. I have written the story of my life work; it is all ready to be published. I
have written "The Story of Negro Schools in Little Rock" and "Memoirs of Little Rock." Madam, I have written, I
suppose, what would amount to volumes for our church papers and local Negro newspaper. My daughter was, at
one time, editor of the Womens' Page. Mo, I'm indeed sorry that I have not kept a scrapbook of such writings.
In these latter years my friends scold me for having destroyed all the papers as fast as they were read. The most of
the news in the articles, however, I have used in the manuscripts of the books I hope to have published.
Interviewer Miss Irene Robertson"
