Copyright © 2014 Truman State University Press, Kirksville, Missouri, 63501All rights reservedtsup.truman.edu

Cover art: original drawing by John Hare; Negroland and Guinea with the European Settlements . . . by Herman Moll, 1729.

Cover design: Teresa Wheeler

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataBarile, Mary.Sam Nightingale : slave, storyteller, and conjure man / Mary Barile.

pages cm — (Notable Missourians)Audience: Grade 4 to 6.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-1-61248-113-5 (library binding : alkaline paper) — ISBN 978-1-61248-109-8 (ebook)1. Nightingale, Sam, –1887—Juvenile literature. 2. African Americans—Missouri—Boonville—Biography—Juvenile literature. 3. Slaves—Missouri—Boonville—Biogra-phy—Juvenile literature. 4. Storytellers—Missouri—Boonville—Biography—Juvenile literature. 5. Herbalists—Missouri—Boonville—Biography—Juvenile literature. 6. Healers—Missouri—Boonville—Biography—Juvenile literature. 7. Boonville (Mo.)—Biography—Juvenile literature. 8. Boonville (Mo.)—Social life and customs—19th century—Juvenile literature. I. Title. F474.B7B37 2014977.8’5103092--dc23[B]

2014003896

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any format by any means without written permission from the publisher.

The paper in this publication meets or exceeds the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1992.

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Chapter 1: A Lost Home . . . . . . . . . .6

Chapter 2: A New and Terrible Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Chapter 3: Boonville on the Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Chapter 4: Dr. Nightingale, Conjure Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Chapter 5: Herbs and Cures . . . . .37

Legacy: Overcoming Slavery . . . . .44

Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

For Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Image Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

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5

Introduction

Sam Nightingale was an herb doctor, a conjure man, and storyteller in Boonville, Missouri. He overcame the terrible experiences of slavery and raised his family in freedom after the Civil War. Sam used old traditions from Africa to help people who were sick or had problems in their lives. When people could not afford a regular doctor, they went to Sam. He mixed herbal medicines and held healing ceremonies for friends and neighbors. People came from all around the state of Missouri for Sam’s help.

He was also known for his storytelling, and his tales of magic are still shared. Sam was not a very famous man during his life, but he was a community leader and was respected by many people. When Sam died, he was one of the old-est African-American men in Missouri. This is his story. s

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Chapter 1

A Lost HomeHistory is based on recorded facts that help tell a story about a certain time, place, or person. But not everyone’s story was written down. When slaves were brought to the United States, they lost ties to their families and their tradi-tions, and many of their stories were not saved for the future. Sometimes, though, historians can be detectives and discover clues about a slave’s life and experiences through newspaper

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stories, interviews, and the stories of others who had similar experiences. Some slaves wrote down their stories or told them to someone who wrote them down. These slave narratives are very useful to historians. Sam did not write down his own story, but by reading stories Sam told about himself and stories by other people, historians can figure out many details of Sam’s life. That is how the story of “Guinea Sam” Nightingale came to be.

Drums have been used in songs and storytelling for thou-sands of years. The rhythm of drums mimics a heartbeat and connects listeners to the music.

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Chapter 2

A New and Terrible Life

The voyage from Africa to America took many weeks. During the long journey, many of the villagers died from illness and bad treatment. Despite the terrible conditions, Sam survived. One day, the ship sailed into the port city of Charleston, South Carolina. Historians think that about half of the slaves brought into the United States came through the port of Charleston.

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People came to the rich city of Charleston to buy slaves to work on plantations all over the South.

Sam was soon sold at a slave auction. He stood next to a man who told the crowd that Sam was young and healthy. People in the

Plantation owners wanted to buy

young, healthy, and strong slaves

for work in the rice and cotton

fields. Before slavery ended in 1865, more than five million men,

women, and children had been

sold as slaves in Charleston, South

Carolina.

15

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Chapter 4

Dr. Nightingale, Conjure Man

Besides working in orchards and tending gardens, Sam was also a conjure man. The conjure man or woman believed that he or she used objects and herbs to ask the natural world, the unseen world, and the religious world for help to restore a per-son’s health or to fight against bad influences. Some people called this magic or “hoodoo,” but many cultures believed in calling on nature and

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spirits to heal someone or to make life better. Many slaves believed they could use this magic to fight back against their mistreatment by slave owners or overseers, the men who made sure the slaves worked. After slavery ended, people might ask a conjure man or woman for help if they thought an enemy had cursed them. The conjure doctor might help people by giving them advice as well as magical cures.

One story about Sam told of his powers. On a cold morning near Boonville, a group of

Wood was used to heat homes, and it took a lot of work to chop down a tree and then trim and split it into logs. An old saying was “You warm yourself twice with wood—first when you chop it and then when you burn it.”

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Legacy

Overcoming SlaveryDespite many obstacles, Guinea Sam Nightingale contributed to his community. This was very dif-ficult for a former slave. He did not speak English when he arrived in the United States. Sam could not read or write. He was poor. Even after being freed Sam struggled, because many people did not accept African-Americans as equals.

Sam worked hard until he was an old man. He raised a large family and owned his own home. He learned how to treat illness with herbs and practiced conjure work. He honored his African ancestors and helped his neighbors. Sam never forgot his homeland; he was proud of being one of the last African-born men in Mis-souri. Sam had many friends when he died. The local newspapers reported his death, which was very unusual for a former slave. Sam’s stories are still shared and we can enjoy his stories. s

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Timeline

1787–1797: Sam Nightingale is born in Guinea, West Africa.

1803: The United States buys the Louisiana Territory from France. The territory included land that became Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida, and Missouri.

Early 1800s: Sam is taken from his home, brought to South Carolina, and sold as a slave.

1808: The United States officially outlaws the import of slaves.

1810s to 1840s: Sam works on plantations in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana.

1817: Fugitive slaves in Florida join with Native Americans to fight against the United States. When Sam is an old man, he tells people that he learned about healing from Native Americans.

1821: Missouri becomes a state. It allows slavery.

1856: Sam is brought to Boonville, Missouri, from Louisiana. He works on a fruit farm. The same year, a slave named Dred Scott sues in a Missouri court for his freedom. He loses.

1859: The last slave ship arrives in the United States.

1861: Southern states begin to leave the United States, and the Civil War begins.

1863: President Abraham Lincoln frees American slaves.

1864: Slavery ends in Missouri. Sam is free.

Sam lives in Boonville with his wife, children, and grandchildren. He does odd jobs around town. He is also a conjure man.

1887: Sam dies in 1887 and is buried in Sunset Cemetery. No one knows the exact location of his grave. He was believed to be between ninety and one hundred years old when he died.

Today: Stories about Sam and his magic are still told in Boonville.

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For Further Reading

For Young ReadersHatt, Christine. Slavery from Africa to the Americas. New York:

Peter Bedrick Books, 1997.Kamma, Anne. If You Lived When There Was Slavery in Amer-

ica. New York: Scholastic Publications, 2004.Nichols, Catherine. African American Culture. Vero Beach, FL:

Rourke, 2006. Reef, Catherine. Africans in America: The Spread of People and

Culture. New York: Facts on File, 1999. Young, Mary, and Gerald Horne. Testaments of Courage: Selec-

tions from Men’s Slave Narratives. New York: Franklin Watts, 1995.

White, Deborah G. Let My People Go: African Americans, 1804–1860. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

WebsitesHistory.com. Photo Gallery: Slave Life. http://www.history.

com/topics/slavery/photos#slavery-slave-life.History.com. Photo Gallery: The Slave Trade. http://www.

history.com/topics/slavery/photos#slavery-slave-trade.Missouri State Archives. Timeline of Missouri’s African Ameri-

can History. http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/africanamerican/timeline/timeline1.asp.

PBS History. Hidden Objects: The Spiritual World of Slaves. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/experience/religion/feature_flash.html.

PBS History. Reflections on Emancipation (1:27 mins). http://

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video.pbs.org/video/2179596560/.Railton, Stephen, and University of Virginia Library. “Folk

Beliefs in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Some Beliefs.” On Mark Twain in His Times website: http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/projects/riedy/list.html.

SourcesNewspapers: Boonville Weekly Advertiser, 1875; Boonville

Weekly Topic, 1886–87; Houma Ceres, November 22, 1887.Anderson, Jeffrey, E. Conjure in African American Society.

Baton Rogue: Louisiana State University Press, 2007.Chireau, Yvonne. Black Magic: Religion and the African Ameri-

can Conjuring Tradition. Berkeley: University of Califor-nia Press, 2003.

Dyer, Robert. Boonville: An Illustrated History. Boonville, MO: Pekitanoui Press, 1987.

Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano… . London: for the Author, 1789. Online at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15399/15399-h/15399-h.htm. Included in Slave Narratives, edited by William L. Andrews and Henry Louis Gates Jr. (New York: Liter-ary Classics, 2000).

Hurt, R. Douglas. Agriculture and Slavery in Missouri’s Little Dixie. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1992.

Morrison-Fuller, Berenice. Plantation Life in Missouri. [Glasgow, MO, 1939.] Online at http://digital.library. umsystem.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=umlib;cc=umlib;sid=6bf5f8cbde2c168bbb1474b87a66dd75;rgn=main;view= text;idno=umlc000015

Van Ravenswaay, Charles (1911–1990), Papers, 1841–1900. State Historical Society of Missouri, C3873. Includes notes and stories about Guinea Sam.

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IndexBoonville, Missouri, 23–24, 27, 28,

32, 33

Charleston, South Carolina, 14–15

creole, 18, 20

emancipation, 25

griots, 9, 10–11, 28

Guinea, Africa, 8, 10–12, 17

Gullah culture, 19–20

herbal medicine, 20, 21, 37–38, 39

hoodoo (magic), 30–31, 37–41

plantations, 15, 16–18, 22

slave life, 17–19, 22

slave names, 10, 18, 19

slave narratives, 7, 13

slave ships, 11, 12, 13, 14

slave trade, 12–13, 14–16

storytelling and tall tales, 28–29, 31–32, 34–35

Image CreditsNo images of Samuel Nightingale are known to exist, but he was described as “one of them little bitty dried up men and he walked with a long, crooked, twisty cane and had big gold earrings and the blackest eyes I ever did see…” He was also described as wearing a suit of jeans cloth (referring to the weave).

Original artwork by John Hare: cover, inside title page, pgs. 4, 6, 14, 23, 30.

Photos by the author: pgs. 26, 43. From iStockphoto.com: p. 7 (#16597264); p. 8 (#5945002); p. 12 (#19654707); p. 16 (#9034410); p. 17 (#27238943); p. 19 (#26023572); p. 20 (#21409947); p. 21 (#14448595); p. 24 (#6351761); p. 25 (#7445100); p. 31 (#28913302); p. 35 (#21158720); p. 38 (#1172481); p. 39 (#24775000); p. 41 (#13621131).Courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri: p. 28, Boonville street, showing Ritchie & Kirton at left (000686); p. 32, Sombart’s Milling and Mercantile Co. (00581(3)); p. 33, Thespian Hall (025300), all from P14 Charles van Ravenswaay Collection. From University of Florida, George A. Smathers Libraries, Historic African Maps: cover and p. 9, Negroland and Guinea with the European Settlements . . . by Herman Moll, 1729. Obtained through Wikimedia Commons, public domain.Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs: p. 10, Am I not a man and a brother? (LC-USZC4-5321); p. 11, “African Slave-Trade,” from The Graphic, June 7, 1884 (LOC1586u); p. 15, The Sale, 1863 (LOC3g02526u).