Ephraim Byrd Drake
Ephraim Byrd Drake, like some enslaved persons, involuntarily provided physical labor for the Confederate Army (e.g., cooking, carrying and moving supplies). Ephraim’s specific duties are unclear, but primarily, he likely met the needs of his enslaver, John Hodge Drake, Jr., and his son, John Hodge Drake, III. Ephraim and the younger John probably shared a close bond as Ephraim was purchased as a little child from the Byrd family in North Carolina—likely being separated from his own family—in part, to be a playmate to John. In addition to the physical brutality of enslavement, Ephraim endured the rarely discussed psychological brutality that exists between a captive and his captor (e.g., dependency, identification, learned helplessness, and the dynamics of abusive relationships). Their lives deeply intertwined, it is not surprising to find the older Ephraim and John Hodge Drake, III reminiscing about both growing up and the Civil War; however despite their shared experiences, their relationship was never one based on equality.
Following the Civil War, Ephraim obtained work at a livery stable on the corner of West Magnolia and North College Streets. Despite being illiterate, he registered to vote in 1867 and soon started his own dray service (transporting goods and luggage) using a team of white horses. On April 13th, he married Sophia Perryman and raised at least five children. Together they rented and worked 20 acres of cotton—producing about $150 in crops a year. Later, they moved to a house on North Gay Street, and Ephraim found steady employment at the Thomas Hotel on North College Street. Ephraim passed away in 1919 at around 75 years of age.