Alice Church and Karon Williams interview for the Veterans History Project at Atlanta History Center

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Catalog number: VIS 508.009
This interview is conducted by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Atlanta Branch. In this interview, Alice Church and Karon Williams recall the life and military service of Ms. Church's father, Fred Andrew Freese (1888-1965), who served in Company C, 801st Pioneer Infantry, during World War I. They read from many of his service records, postcards, and other service-related documents while placing his dog tags and photographs in view of the camera. Ms. Church remembers the American flag flying in their yard while she was growing up and how very politically active her parents were in their community. She remembers her father's poor opinion of the Red Cross because they refused to provide assistance to Black soldiers during the war. Ms. Church describes the strong focus her parents had on education and community service. When Ms. Church's husband entered the military in the 1950's, she remembers her parents intervening to get him stationed stateside rather than overseas and believes it was her father's World War I experiences that compelled him to do so. Of particular interest are Ms. Church's recollections of Fred's parents, Louis/Lewis Freese (1855-1940) and Amanda Burgess Freese (1854-1943), who were born enslaved in Kentucky. She recalls her many visits to the farm on which her grandfather had been enslaved. She describes the enslaver's house that her grandfather labored to build as well as the whipping posts that were still visible there. Louis' first job after emancipation was working on a steamboat and he took the steamboat captain's surname, Freese, as his own. She recalls her grandmother "Manda," who was enslaved by George Burgess, and describes her feelings the first time she saw a list of the individuals Burgess enslaved with her grandmother's name on it. Ms. Church and Ms. Williams reflect on the legacy left by their Freese ancestors and how that legacy has informed their lives.