Harriet Evans Paine (c. 1822–1917) was a
Texas storyteller and
oral historian. She was born a
slave
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
and was also known as "Aunt Harriet."
Biography
Paine was born as a slave to Jim and Rebecca Evans in
Tennessee, around the year 1822.
They were owned by Swan and Jerusha Hardin.
The Hardins followed their sons to Texas in 1828.
In Texas, Paine was the "thimble girl," threading needles for Jerusha's mother.
In 1834 she became a servant in Benjamin Franklin Hardin's home.
Hardin lived on a
plantation outside of
Liberty.
Paine participated in the
Runaway Scrape; and during 1836 and 1837, served
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
officers captured at the
Battle of San Jacinto and housed at William Hardin's plantation.
It is said that she treated the prisoners kindly.
In 1839, she moved with Franklin's family to Seven Pines, a house within the town of Liberty.
Paine had children with two other slaves, Henry Rowe and Mr. Green. Her children were named Henry Rowe Jr. and Calvin and Melinda Green.
It is unknown what happened to all of her children and no marriages were recorded, although it was noted that she was "not allowed to live with her husband."
She also lived with her children behind the main house.
After
Juneteenth, 1865, when slaves were freed, Paine continued to work for the Hardins, most likely having "signed a Freedmen's contract with Franklin Hardin."
She worked at Seven Pines until 1916, when there was a
fire that nearly destroyed the house.
Paine rescued the Hardin family's letters and documents.
Paine died in 1917.
Her stories and oral histories have been preserved by the Hardin family and are housed in the Hardin Collection at the
Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center is located in unincorporated Liberty County, Texas. The facility is located north of Liberty, east of Downtown Austin and northeast of Downtown Houston. It is owned and operated by the Texa ...
.
References
External links
The Hardin Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paine, Harriet Evans
1820s births
1917 deaths
Oral historians
African-American historians
19th-century American slaves