Mary Estes Peters was born on January 30, 1860, in Missouri. The interviewer, S.S. Taylor, described her as having "a good memory and a clear mind for her age [she was 78 years old at the time of the interview]." Mr. Taylor describes her as being "reticent" to discuss the facts of her birth. Her mother was enslaved, but her father was white, the "white parentage being very evident in her color and features and hair."

WPA Excerpts