The fieldworker deposited only a summary of Angie Boyce’s narrative. Most of Angie’s information came from her mother, Margaret Breeding King.
Angie was born into slavery on March 14, 1861, on the Breeding plantation in Adair County, Kentucky. Her parents were Henry and Margaret King, who were held by James Breeding, a Methodist minister who reportedly was kind to his slaves. Angie’s mother told her that the slaves were in constant dread of the rebel soldiers, and when they heard they were coming, they would hide the infant Angie under leaves.
Angie’s mother was married twice; her first husband was a man named Stines, and her second husband was Henry King, who bought his and his wife’s freedom. He sent his wife and baby, Angie, to Indiana, but upon their arrival they were arrested and returned to Kentucky. They were placed in the Louisville jail, where they had to share a cell with a large, brutal, drunken Irish woman. The jail was so infested with bugs and fleas that Angie cried all night. The drunken white woman became enraged at the cries of the child and threatened to “bash its brains out against the wall if it didn’t stop crying.” Mrs. King was forced to stay awake all night to keep the white woman from carrying out her threat.
The next morning when Mrs. King was tried in court, she produced her free papers. When she was asked why she had not shown those papers to the arresting officers, she replied that she was afraid that they would steal them from her. She was exonerated of all charges and with Angie was sent back to Indiana.