Interview: Williams, Lucile & Grier, Leah
Item
Identifier
Mss-0282, Tape 108
Title
Interview: Williams, Lucile & Grier, Leah
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
1990-08-17
Description
These individuals were sisters; both were the daughters of Jimmy and Leah Wilson Fruster. Lucile Fruster Williams states that she was born around 1915 [death certificate states that she was born on June 7, 1914 and died on February 20, 1999]. She married James Williams and was a domestic worker in the Clemson area. Leah Fruster Grier states that she was born in 1907 [death certificate states that she was born on May 5, 1906 and died in April of 1992]. She married Henry C. Grier and worked at the Clemson Laundry for 37 years.
**NOTE** the interview took place at Lucile Williams home--she signed the donor's agreement--therefore this cassette is placed alphabetically with "W" instead of "G."
Side 1
2:15-7:50--Their parents were from near the Walhalla, SC area. Their paternal grandparents were Thomas and Fanny Fruster. They can only recall their maternal grandmother Julia. They go on to discuss family photos and give brief account of how they met their husbands.
7:56-19:28--Their father Thomas worked at Clemson College in agricultural aspects (horses), while their mother took care of the home. They name their eleven siblings. Jobs available to black men when they were young mostly involved farming and railroad work (they had a brother named Matthew who was killed while working with the railroad). They recall traveling by train to shop at white owned general stores in the Seneca, SC area.
19:31-31:40--They were members of Goldenview Baptist Church; their parents were members of Abel Baptist Church. They discuss aspects of "rowdy" camp meetings; they never personally attended. They go on to briefly comment upon their education at local Clemson elementary schools. The school term was only around three months.
31:44--Audio ends.
Side 2
00:17-11:15--Educational issues continue to be briefly discussed. They didn't know anything about white schools, so what differences there were between the two are unknown to them. A Fruster relative worked for Thomas G. Clemson; the family was some of the first black landowners around the Calhoun/Clemson area. They can vaguely recall the lynching incident involving Mr. Green of Walhalla, SC. Their parents' marriage was one of equality.
11:19-14:55--Their father Jimmy was one of the first blacks in the area to own a car. Holidays and celebrations were important to the black community, though neither sibling were able to get involved much on account of their work schedules.
15:00-28:32--Mrs. Williams and Grier recounts their employment as a laundry worker and domestic, respectively. They make short comment regarding their parents prized moments and possessions (church, car), and their thoughts on being black.
28:45--Audio ends.
**NOTE** the interview took place at Lucile Williams home--she signed the donor's agreement--therefore this cassette is placed alphabetically with "W" instead of "G."
Side 1
2:15-7:50--Their parents were from near the Walhalla, SC area. Their paternal grandparents were Thomas and Fanny Fruster. They can only recall their maternal grandmother Julia. They go on to discuss family photos and give brief account of how they met their husbands.
7:56-19:28--Their father Thomas worked at Clemson College in agricultural aspects (horses), while their mother took care of the home. They name their eleven siblings. Jobs available to black men when they were young mostly involved farming and railroad work (they had a brother named Matthew who was killed while working with the railroad). They recall traveling by train to shop at white owned general stores in the Seneca, SC area.
19:31-31:40--They were members of Goldenview Baptist Church; their parents were members of Abel Baptist Church. They discuss aspects of "rowdy" camp meetings; they never personally attended. They go on to briefly comment upon their education at local Clemson elementary schools. The school term was only around three months.
31:44--Audio ends.
Side 2
00:17-11:15--Educational issues continue to be briefly discussed. They didn't know anything about white schools, so what differences there were between the two are unknown to them. A Fruster relative worked for Thomas G. Clemson; the family was some of the first black landowners around the Calhoun/Clemson area. They can vaguely recall the lynching incident involving Mr. Green of Walhalla, SC. Their parents' marriage was one of equality.
11:19-14:55--Their father Jimmy was one of the first blacks in the area to own a car. Holidays and celebrations were important to the black community, though neither sibling were able to get involved much on account of their work schedules.
15:00-28:32--Mrs. Williams and Grier recounts their employment as a laundry worker and domestic, respectively. They make short comment regarding their parents prized moments and possessions (church, car), and their thoughts on being black.
28:45--Audio ends.
Subject
African Americans -- History. -- South Carolina -- Pickens County
Interviewer
Harrell, Yolanda
Interviewee
Williams, Lucile; Grier, Leah
Spatial Coverage
Clemson, Pickens County, South Carolina, United States, 34.68403, -82.81232, SC, 7169764, [34.68403, -82.81232] [id:7169764]
Publisher
Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Repository
