The Wesley Norris interview was originally published April 14, 1866 in the National Anti-Slavery Standard. The National Anti-Slavery Standard was the official weekly newspaper of the American Anti-Slavery Society, an abolitionist society founded in 1833 by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan to spread their movement across the nation with printed materials. Frederick Douglass was a key leader of this society and often addressed meetings at its New York City headquarters.

As such, I would suspect the authenticity of his story.

I found in the 1870 Federal census who I believe to be the same individual.

1870 United States Federal Census about Wesley Norris
Name: Wesley Norris Farm Hand
Age in 1870: 38
Birth Year: abt 1832
Birthplace: Maryland
Home in 1870: Arlington, Alexandria (Independent City), Virginia
Race: Mulatto
Gender: Male
Post Office: Alexandria
Household Members:
Name Age
Sallie Norris 78
Leonard Norris 83
Wesley Norris 38
Sarah Hoffman 33
Edward Hoffman 4
Arcelia Hoffman 5/12

The 1860 Federal Census-Slave Schedule list R. E. Lee of Alexandria, Alexandria, Virginia, as owner of 42 slaves, ages 80- 2. I count only 5 males between the ages 18-45. One, age 35 listed as a Mulatto.

If Wesley was in fact a slave of Lee’s, it’s very possible he had been hired out and would have appeared in another persons census. A difficulty of identifying slaves by name is that the census lists only age, sex and race.