List of the last surviving American slaves

This article attempts to list the last surviving slaves in the United States who were born into slavery or enslaved prior to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which abolished slavery on December 5, 1865. Some birth dates are difficult to verify due to lack of birth documentation of many enslaved individuals.

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Slavery

List of last surviving slaves
Name Image Birth Death Notes and References
Sylvester Magee May 29, 1841 October 15, 1971 Unverified and purportedly died at 130 years old in Mississippi.[1][2]
Mary Hardway Walker 1848 1969 Purportedly lived to at least 120 years old, and she had child who died in his 90s according to family Bible on ancestry.com, and she moved from Alabama to Chatanooga, Tennessee where newspaper article was published about her learning to read in 1966 at age 116.[3]
Josephus pre-1865 at least August 28, 1963 listed in a bulletin for Martin Luther King's 1963 March on Washington as supposedly the last surviving American slave.[4]
William Casby pre-1865 at least March 24, 1963 Photographed on March 24, 1963 by Richard Avedon in Algiers, Louisiana with multiple generations of his family.[5][6]
Alfred "Teen" Blackburn April 26, 1842 March 8, 1951 One of the last surviving American slaves who remembered slavery, and one of the last Confederate pensioners; resided in North Carolina[7]
Eliza Moore 1843 January 21, 1948 One of the last verified surviving American slaves; Resided in North Carolina.[8]
William Andrew Johnson 1859 1943 Last surviving slave of a U.S. President (Andrew Johnson); visited Franklin Roosevelt at the White House in 1937.[9][10]
Harriet Wilson Whitely March 15, 1855 April 26, 1941 The last living former slave in Fairmont, West Virginia[11]
Matilda McCrear 1857 January 1940 The last known survivor of the Clotilda in 1859-1860, the last trans-Atlantic slave ship to arrive in America from Africa[12]
Redoshi 1848 1937 The next to last known survivor of the Clotilda, the last slave ship to arrive in America[13]
Cudjoe Lewis 1841 July 17, 1935 One of the last survivors of the Clotilda, the last slave ship to arrive in America[14]
Perry Lockwood ca. 1844 1929 allegedly one of the last living former slaves in lower Delaware, died at age 87[15]
David Hendrickson 1799 1900 allegedly the last living former slave sold "on the block" in New Jersey[16] Likely other later survivors because final slaves were not emancipated until 1865 in New Jersey.
Louise Tritton ca. 1780 1891 one of the last living former slaves in Connecticut, and oldest person in New Haven[17]
James Howland ca. 1758 January 3, 1859 One of Rhode Island's last slaves; "Death certificate for James Howland, died January 3, 1859, (age 100), son of Great Peter and Sylvia; parentage listed as Africans...There is a note on the front of the document which reads: "The last slave of Rhode Island freed under the act of 1792."[18] Another RI slave was buried in 1868, which was supposedly the last surviving in the state.[19] Likely not the last, due to RI's gradual emancipation.
Margaret Pint 1778 1857 purportedly the last living former slave in New York; She was born into slavery in West Chester County.[20] Likely not the last living former slave, because final emancipation in New York did not occur until July 5, 1827.
Venus Rowe ca. 1754 1844 purportedly one of the last living former slaves in Massachusetts, resided in Burlington, Massachusetts[21]
"Aunt Sallie" 1828 purportedly one of the last living former slaves in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, formerly owned by John Flower.[22] (unlikely to be the last slave in the state)

Discredited
Name Image Birth Death Notes and References
Charlie Smith (centenarian) 1842 (claimed) or 1874 or 1879 October 5, 1979 allegedly born in Liberia or United States of America, claimed to be the last Civil War veteran and enslaved person, among other false claims. Discredited and died in Florida in 1979.[23]

See also

References
  1. Gerontology Research Group: Oldest American Claimants
  2. "Professor Seeks to Solve the Mystery of the Man Who Claimed to Be the Last Surviving Slave". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  3. http://thinkerumgatherum.blogspot.com/2009/07/americas-oldest-surviving-slave.html
  4. We Shall Overcome: A Collection of Graphic Collages Created As a Memento for Those Who Participated in the Historic March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs (1963) Loose Leaf – Special Limited Edition, January 1, 1963 https://arcade.nyarc.org/record=b1379398~S2
  5. Phillip Gefter, "Why Richard Avedon's Work Has Never Been More Relevant" New York Times Nov 13, 2017
  6. Hilton Als, "Richard Avedon and James Baldwin’s Joint Examination of American Identity," November 6, 2017 www.newyorker.com
  7. W.E. Rutledge Jr., An Illustrated History of Yadkin County, 1850-1980, 1981, pp. 21-22
  8. USGenWeb Archives Obituary], The Advertiser (Montgomery ALA)
  9. "A president's gift: Rare cane given to former slave by FDR is rediscovered" http://archive.knoxnews.com/news/local/a-presidents-gift-rare-cane-given-to-former-slave-by-fdr-is-rediscovered-ep-360278450-356781121.html/
  10. Jesse Holland, The Invisibles: The Untold Story of African American Slaves in the White House, p. 188
  11. column by Ned Smith in a 1941 Fairmont Times http://www.wvculture.org/goldenseal/Spring16/LastLivingSlave.html
  12. Coughlan, Sean (2020-03-25). "Last survivor of transatlantic slave trade discovered". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  13. Coughlan, Sean (2020-03-25). "Last survivor of transatlantic slave trade discovered". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  14. Diouf, Sylviane A. (October 20, 2009). "Cudjo Lewis". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  15. The Evening Journal (Wilmington, Delaware), 25 Sep 1929, Wed, Page 19, accessible on newspapers.com
  16. "Centenarian Buried," The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 05 May 1900, Sat, Page 4
  17. "New Haven's Last Slave," Reading Times (Reading, Pennsylvania) 20 May 1891, Wed Page 2 i
  18. https://jamestown.pastperfectonline.com/archive/58A257FC-BD0D-4F39-B699-459941943140
  19. Yorkville Enquirer (York, South Carolina), 21 May 1868, Thu, Page 2, accessible on newspapers.com
  20. "New York’s Last Slave" By Jeff Richman on June 22nd, 2015 in Green-Wood Historian Blog https://www.green-wood.com/2015/new-yorks-last-slave/
  21. https://burlingtonretro.com/slavery-did-exist-in-early-burlington/
  22. "In Slavery Days: An Interesting Story From a Nearby Section of Pennsylvania," Delaware Gazette and State Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) 07 Jun 1900, Thursday, Page 7 accessible on newspapers.com
  23. Young, Robert (2003-02-17). "Reply from Mr. Robert Young of Atlanta, Georgia". Gerontology Research Group. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
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