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Ellaine Wright was born March 1, 1840 and is 97 years of age. Was born of slave parents just outside of Springfield, Missouri, and lived there at the beginning of the Civil War.
Her father and mother's name was Evansen taken after "Marse Tom" Evanson who owned both Ellain's mother and father and sixty other slaves. Tom Evanson was a wealthy farmer and ran a big hog and cattle stock ranch.
Ellaine Wright, whose name was Evanson in slavery was married after the war in 1866 to one Pete Wright. She remembers the "Wilson's Creek", fight between the Union and Confederacy and only a short time after that she, with all the other Evanson slaves, was hurriedly taken south. The Evanson slaves with many other of the district were shipped as far south as possible to hide them from the Unionists. Ellaine Wright told of a heart breaking meetings between she and her slave mother when Ellaine was just four years of age. Her mother had been sold to a slave trader and was to be taken to another state.
They permitted the slaves to say good-bye to their children and Ellaine said she would never forget the few words her mother spoke to her just before they were separated. "Ellaine, honey mamma's gran way off and ain't never goin to see her baby agin". "An I can see myself holdin onto my mamma and both of us crying--and then, she was gone and I never seed her since. I hopes I goin to see my good mamma some day, I do. Yes', I'se goin to do it son, I sure is, yes indeed."
Ellaine doesn't seem to remember anything concerning the Civil War, Just this one important thing clings to her memory--her parting with her mammy.
