Henry Clay Moorman was born October 1, 1854, in slavery on the Moorman plantation in Breckinridge County, Kentucky. After slavery was abolished, his family remained on the plantation for a year. When they left, they boarded a boat at Cloverport and went to Evansville, Indiana. In 1903 Henry moved to Franklin to become pastor of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which he served for twelve years. When interviewed, Henry was retired and living at 427 West King Street. He related his own personal experiences as well as stories handed down by his mother.
Henry was about twelve years old when freedom was declared. His father, Dorah Moorman, was a cooper who had a wife and seven children. They were held by James Moorman, who owned about twenty slaves. He was kind to his slaves and never whipped any of them. Henry claimed that the slaves loved their owner and were as loyal as family to him.
Henry said that as a boy he did small jobs around the plantation, such as planting tobacco and going to the mill. One day he was placed on a horse with a sack containing about two bushels of grain. After the sack was balanced on the back of the horse, he started to the mill, a distance of about five miles. About halfway there, the sack fell off the horse. Too small to lift the sack of grain, Henry could only cry over the misfortune, powerless to do anything about it. After about two hours, a white man riding by saw Henry’s predicament, kindly lifted the sack up on the horse, and sent Henry on to the mill. As was the custom at the mill, Henry waited his turn and did his own grinding. After the miller had taken his toll, Henry returned to his owner and related his experience. Thereafter, they made sure the sack of grain was secure before sending Henry to the mill.
The slaveholders had so poisoned the minds of the slaves that the slaves were in constant fear of the soldiers. One day when the slaves were alone at the plantation, they sighted around two hundred Union soldiers approaching, and they all went to the woods and hid in the bushes. The smaller children were covered with leaves, and they remained there all night, as the soldiers camped nearby in a horse lot. The soldiers were very orderly but took all the food they could find. The slaveholders hid all their silverware and other valuable articles under the mattresses in the slaves’ cabins for safekeeping when the soldiers were around.
There were three white children in the master’s family. Wickliff was the oldest, and Bob was the middle child. Since the youngest child, Sally, was about the same age as Henry, Henry’s mother served as a wet nurse for the white child, and often she nursed both children at the same time. Sometimes wives of white slaveholders served as midwives for black mothers.
There were two graveyards on the plantation—one for whites and one for blacks. Henry could not remember any deaths among the whites during the time he lived on the plantation. He did, however, recall a wedding of a female slave on the plantation just before slavery was abolished. He said in slavery days, slaves seldom married among themselves on the same plantation. Young men generally courted women on another plantation. It was customary for the young man to get the consent of three people before he was allowed to marry: the woman’s mother, the woman’s owner, and his own owner. When all had given their consent, the marriage would take place, usually on Saturday night. Slaves came from other plantations with a generous supply of fried chicken, hams, cakes, and pies to participate in a great feast, and everyone had a good time, generally with music and dancing. The new husband had to return to his owner after the wedding, but it was understood that he could visit his wife every Saturday night and stay until Monday morning. If by chance one of the two owners would buy the husband or wife, then the couple lived together. Otherwise, any children born to a wife in slavery would become the property of her master.
If a young man could not get consent to marry from all three parties, sometimes a couple attempted to elope, which caused a lot of trouble; in most cases, however, the owners encouraged young couples to marry. Henry could not recall any illegitimate children born on the Moorman plantation.
The slaves had other parties and dances. Slaves would gather from various plantations and hold parties that sometimes lasted all night. It was customary for slaves to get passes from their owners permitting them to attend these parties, but sometimes passes were not given for some reason. Patrollers, a bunch of young white men, would sneak up on defenseless blacks late at night and demand to see their passes. Slaves, both men and women, who could not show passes were whipped. Male slaves often would volunteer to take an extra flogging to protect their girlfriends. The patrollers were a mean bunch who reveled in the shameful practice of whipping blacks.
Henry died in March 1943, and according to the Franklin Evening Star (March 13, 1943), six pastors officiated at his funeral. His obituary appeared in the Franklin Evening Star on March 9, 1943:
Born in slavery, the Rev. Henry Clay Moorman, age 88, retired colored Methodist minister, died early Tuesday afternoon at his home on West King street following an extended illness. The body has been taken to the Flinn mortuary, where the funeral and burial arrangements are to be completed later.
The Rev. Mr. Moorman for years was a pastor of the African Methodist Church, having held pastorates throughout Indiana. He at one time served the local A.M.E. church, then returned to Franklin following his retirement several years ago to make his home. He had preached infrequently as a supply pastor on several occasions since that time.
One of the fine old men of this community, the Rev. Mr. Moorman cast an influence which affected the lives of many. His fine, courteous disposition gained for him the friendship of many and his death comes as a severe shock to all.
He was born in Breckinridge county, Kentucky, on October 1, 1854, and a member of a slave family. He entered the ministry following the Civil War. His survivors include the widow, Mrs. Lulu Carter Moorman, and a son, H. G. Moorman, Jr., who lives at Mount Vernon, Ind. Another son and a daughter have preceded their father in death.