Interview: Rutledge, James D.
Item
Identifier
Mss-0282, Tape 75-77
Title
Interview: Rutledge, James D.
Type
Sound
Format
.mp3
Language
English
Source
Black Heritage in the Upper Piedmont of South Carolina Collection
Rights
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives.
Date
1990-07-17, 1990-08-14
Description
James D. Rutledge was born on December 24, 1921 in Oconee County, SC. He is the son of Morgan and Rosie Lee Wright Rutledge. He graduated from Benedict College, and received a Master's degree from North Carolina State.
Cassette 1
Side 1
1:24--Rutledge states that his paternal grandparents were Jack and Bell Blassingame Rutledge. His maternal grandparents were Sonie and Laura Wright. He can remember only Bell Rutledge, who lived in a large house atop a hill in the "Many Forks" section of town.
4:00--His father was a sharecropper who worked in the Richland community for J.D. McMahan.
5:54--Most of his immediate family is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery.
6:03--Rutledge makes brief comment of funerals and weddings as they were carried out when he was younger.
8:06--A few of the families he is related to are the Rileys, Crafts, Browns, Grants, and Gilberts. His wife's surname was Bezzard (?).
9:29--His siblings are Lucille R. Poole, George, Johnny, Willie Mae R. Webb, and Elizabeth R. Reid.
10:00--Rutledge produces a family bible that was printed by the Southwestern Company of Tennessee.
11:38--His father was a sharecropper. He recalls his mother's work as a midwife. Many of his family members left the area to find work in places such as Ohio and Charlotte. Jobs available to black men were commonly carpentry, farming, and blacksmith work. Women usually were involved with domestic activities. He recounts his family's experiences shopping and eating in cafés in the Seneca area. One local black business owner was Joe Long.
22:07--Rutledge describes the relationships between whites and blacks in Seneca as cooperative. Dr. Sharp, who was black, cared for both white and black patients locally. Most café's and restaurants were segregated, however. His family shopped most often with cash to buy staples such as sugar and coffee. Most clothing was handmade by his mother, who used a spinning wheel. His grandfather Johnson Wright made furniture and chair backs for the house, some of which Rutledge still owns.
31:25--Audio ends.
Cassette 1
Side 2
00:32--He still owns oak baskets made by his grandfather, and can recall his mother making quilts during quilting parties. Two clocks, one of which was his grandmother Bell's is still in his possession. His sister Lucille was quite a talented seamstress who worked utilized handlooms to create artistic patterns. During the flu epidemic of 1917-1918, his grandmother Bell went house-to-house treating white and black patients.
9:54-20:00--He briefly mentions that he had a couple of cousins who may have been stationed in France before moving the conversation toward church related issues. His family has long been associated with Ebenezer Baptist Church, which at the time of this interview was 100 years old. A few of the ministers that he can recall preaching there are Reverend's Morton, Galloway, and Stewart. There were other churches and cemeteries named Ozion and Richland, respectively. Her details the workings of the Seneca River Baptist Organization and its support for Seneca Junior College, which it founded with the help of J.J. Starks.
20:02-31:40--Local whites that saw the importance of an educated local black population supported Seneca Jr. College. He feels local educational opportunities made the Seneca community a little more progressive than other areas. The school covered the eighth through high school grades, plus two years of junior college. Founded in 1899, it provided educational advancement until it closed in 1939. He describes the functions of the 8 campus buildings before detailing the general curriculum offered and the school's common hours of operation.
31:44--Audio ends.
Cassette 2
Side 1
00:22-11:19--Rutledge recalls camp meetings held at Bethel Grove. The event was usually held in September, and visiting families actually would camp out around the festival grounds. Hundreds would come from around the country on the homecoming Sunday, which was the last of three days of worship and fellowship. In addition to this, Rutledge recalls aspects of singing conventions. A couple of active groups within the church were the Missionary Society and the Young Men's Progressive Club.
11:23-31:35--Rutledge began his education at age six at Richland Elementary School. It entailed grades 1-7. He had a 3 1/2 mile walk to and from school everyday. He details school lunches, hours of operation, physical structure of the one room building, numbers of students, and typical makeup of the school term (5 months). Some of his teachers were Pauline Harrison Beals (?), Cora Blassingame, and Elizabeth Gault. He then discusses aspects these same aspects of education as they relate to Oconee County Training School as well as Seneca Junior College.
31:40--Audio ends.
Cassette 2
Side 2
00:20-31:35--Rutledge continues a lengthy recollection of educational issues. Closing thoughts regarding Seneca Jr. College are given before aspects of his parents and siblings education are discussed. He then details his own continuing education at both Benedict College and North Carolina State, where he received his Master's degree. He then recalls his career as a teacher.
31:40--Audio ends.
Cassette 3
Side 1
00:30-12:30--Civic groups such as the WMWA, Freemasons, and Eastern Star were important community benefactors. Black/white relationships in the Seneca area were generally good in his opinion. He is aware of the lynching of Allen Green of Walhalla. There was some friction between the black and mulatto communities because the mulattos "acted white," and sometimes felt they were entitled to more privileges than blacks.
12:37-21:55--Rutledge details trips to Anderson and Greenville, SC, most often in order to shop or attend parades. Common celebrations and holidays included Fourth of July baseball games and picnics, as well as gift giving during Christmas and birthdays. Other popular community events included square dancing and cake walks.
22:04-31:37--Rutledge compares the relationships between whites and blacks in the Seneca area to that of surrounding locales. He feels that in general, the communities have gotten along better in Seneca than in other areas, perhaps because of the elevated educational level of most of the black population, thanks in large part to the efforts of Seneca Jr. College. He goes on to recount his mother's work as a local midwife, and some of his father's most prized possessions. Rutledge states the reasons why his mother was his most admired adult.
31:42--Audio ends
Cassette 3
Side 2
00:17-9:40--He recounts happy memories such as learning to cook from watching his mother, as well as humorous childhood stories regarding church. He states that he has never had any problems with the white community; he had white neighbors and played with them as a child. Overall, Rutledge believes he has been blessed and is thankful for the way his life has turned out.
9:48--Audio ends.
Cassette 1
Side 1
1:24--Rutledge states that his paternal grandparents were Jack and Bell Blassingame Rutledge. His maternal grandparents were Sonie and Laura Wright. He can remember only Bell Rutledge, who lived in a large house atop a hill in the "Many Forks" section of town.
4:00--His father was a sharecropper who worked in the Richland community for J.D. McMahan.
5:54--Most of his immediate family is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery.
6:03--Rutledge makes brief comment of funerals and weddings as they were carried out when he was younger.
8:06--A few of the families he is related to are the Rileys, Crafts, Browns, Grants, and Gilberts. His wife's surname was Bezzard (?).
9:29--His siblings are Lucille R. Poole, George, Johnny, Willie Mae R. Webb, and Elizabeth R. Reid.
10:00--Rutledge produces a family bible that was printed by the Southwestern Company of Tennessee.
11:38--His father was a sharecropper. He recalls his mother's work as a midwife. Many of his family members left the area to find work in places such as Ohio and Charlotte. Jobs available to black men were commonly carpentry, farming, and blacksmith work. Women usually were involved with domestic activities. He recounts his family's experiences shopping and eating in cafés in the Seneca area. One local black business owner was Joe Long.
22:07--Rutledge describes the relationships between whites and blacks in Seneca as cooperative. Dr. Sharp, who was black, cared for both white and black patients locally. Most café's and restaurants were segregated, however. His family shopped most often with cash to buy staples such as sugar and coffee. Most clothing was handmade by his mother, who used a spinning wheel. His grandfather Johnson Wright made furniture and chair backs for the house, some of which Rutledge still owns.
31:25--Audio ends.
Cassette 1
Side 2
00:32--He still owns oak baskets made by his grandfather, and can recall his mother making quilts during quilting parties. Two clocks, one of which was his grandmother Bell's is still in his possession. His sister Lucille was quite a talented seamstress who worked utilized handlooms to create artistic patterns. During the flu epidemic of 1917-1918, his grandmother Bell went house-to-house treating white and black patients.
9:54-20:00--He briefly mentions that he had a couple of cousins who may have been stationed in France before moving the conversation toward church related issues. His family has long been associated with Ebenezer Baptist Church, which at the time of this interview was 100 years old. A few of the ministers that he can recall preaching there are Reverend's Morton, Galloway, and Stewart. There were other churches and cemeteries named Ozion and Richland, respectively. Her details the workings of the Seneca River Baptist Organization and its support for Seneca Junior College, which it founded with the help of J.J. Starks.
20:02-31:40--Local whites that saw the importance of an educated local black population supported Seneca Jr. College. He feels local educational opportunities made the Seneca community a little more progressive than other areas. The school covered the eighth through high school grades, plus two years of junior college. Founded in 1899, it provided educational advancement until it closed in 1939. He describes the functions of the 8 campus buildings before detailing the general curriculum offered and the school's common hours of operation.
31:44--Audio ends.
Cassette 2
Side 1
00:22-11:19--Rutledge recalls camp meetings held at Bethel Grove. The event was usually held in September, and visiting families actually would camp out around the festival grounds. Hundreds would come from around the country on the homecoming Sunday, which was the last of three days of worship and fellowship. In addition to this, Rutledge recalls aspects of singing conventions. A couple of active groups within the church were the Missionary Society and the Young Men's Progressive Club.
11:23-31:35--Rutledge began his education at age six at Richland Elementary School. It entailed grades 1-7. He had a 3 1/2 mile walk to and from school everyday. He details school lunches, hours of operation, physical structure of the one room building, numbers of students, and typical makeup of the school term (5 months). Some of his teachers were Pauline Harrison Beals (?), Cora Blassingame, and Elizabeth Gault. He then discusses aspects these same aspects of education as they relate to Oconee County Training School as well as Seneca Junior College.
31:40--Audio ends.
Cassette 2
Side 2
00:20-31:35--Rutledge continues a lengthy recollection of educational issues. Closing thoughts regarding Seneca Jr. College are given before aspects of his parents and siblings education are discussed. He then details his own continuing education at both Benedict College and North Carolina State, where he received his Master's degree. He then recalls his career as a teacher.
31:40--Audio ends.
Cassette 3
Side 1
00:30-12:30--Civic groups such as the WMWA, Freemasons, and Eastern Star were important community benefactors. Black/white relationships in the Seneca area were generally good in his opinion. He is aware of the lynching of Allen Green of Walhalla. There was some friction between the black and mulatto communities because the mulattos "acted white," and sometimes felt they were entitled to more privileges than blacks.
12:37-21:55--Rutledge details trips to Anderson and Greenville, SC, most often in order to shop or attend parades. Common celebrations and holidays included Fourth of July baseball games and picnics, as well as gift giving during Christmas and birthdays. Other popular community events included square dancing and cake walks.
22:04-31:37--Rutledge compares the relationships between whites and blacks in the Seneca area to that of surrounding locales. He feels that in general, the communities have gotten along better in Seneca than in other areas, perhaps because of the elevated educational level of most of the black population, thanks in large part to the efforts of Seneca Jr. College. He goes on to recount his mother's work as a local midwife, and some of his father's most prized possessions. Rutledge states the reasons why his mother was his most admired adult.
31:42--Audio ends
Cassette 3
Side 2
00:17-9:40--He recounts happy memories such as learning to cook from watching his mother, as well as humorous childhood stories regarding church. He states that he has never had any problems with the white community; he had white neighbors and played with them as a child. Overall, Rutledge believes he has been blessed and is thankful for the way his life has turned out.
9:48--Audio ends.
Subject
African Americans -- History -- South Carolina -- Oconee County
Interviewer
Harrell, Yolanda
Interviewee
Rutledge, James D.
Spatial Coverage
Seneca, Oconee County, South Carolina, United States, 34.68037, -82.9609, SC, 7318113, [34.68037, -82.9609] [id:7318113]
Publisher
Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Repository
