Stevens Cassette 1 Side 1
Media
Part of Interview: Stevens, Bessie
Title
Stevens Cassette 1 Side 1
Source
Bessie Stevens Interview
Date
1990-07-06
Description
Side 1
00:45--Biographical Information
2:24--Stevens states that her mother was a housekeeper for the family; her father worked on the local railroad as well as at the Physical Plant ay Clemson College.
5:47--Slavery--Some of her family members experienced slavery. She explains, however, that stories were not passed down or overheard because children were expected to clear out of the house when older people visited.
6:40--Her family is buried at Abel Baptist Cemetery.
7:13--Funerals--There wasn't the same amount of music in the old days at services. There weren't any musicians. A local white undertaker (Duckett) worked for both races. Adams Mortuary was a local black establishment.
8:35--Marriages--Stevens' marriage was a simple affair, performed before the minister at his house.
9:30---Stevens briefly points out family photos of her sisters' c. 1930.
11:00--Employment opportunities for black women usually involved some sort of domestic work, while men worked on farms (Clemson College Dairy or local sharecropping).
12:07--Her family did its shopping at the Smith Store in Calhoun, SC. Clothes were homemade, though the cloth was store-bought.
13:00--Stevens had one daughter and one stepdaughter. Her daughter moved to Ohio in 1955.
14:18--One of Mrs. Stevens' sister's was a teacher and pianist in the lower part of SC.
15:32--Education--Stevens attended the Calhoun School. It was a one-room schoolhouse with one teacher. There were eight grades
17:40--During the summers, her mother would let her were pick cotton at the Cochran farms.
18:00--Reading material at the home included the Bible and schoolbooks.
18:46--Curriculum at her school covered reading, writing, arithmetic, and geography.
19:35--Community organizations were usually church related.
20:10--Her family all attended Abel Baptist. She can recall Reverend's Watson and Galloway. She did not attend camp meetings or singing conventions.
23:12--Stevens doesn't recall her parents ever voting, though she herself has.
24:32--White/black relationships--her family never had any troubles or difficulties with white people.
27:26--She can remember occasionally traveling to both Anderson and Greenville, SC. Wagon and train services were commonly utilized.
29:15--Celebrations/holidays--aspects of Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving holidays are recalled.
31:07--Audio ends.
00:45--Biographical Information
2:24--Stevens states that her mother was a housekeeper for the family; her father worked on the local railroad as well as at the Physical Plant ay Clemson College.
5:47--Slavery--Some of her family members experienced slavery. She explains, however, that stories were not passed down or overheard because children were expected to clear out of the house when older people visited.
6:40--Her family is buried at Abel Baptist Cemetery.
7:13--Funerals--There wasn't the same amount of music in the old days at services. There weren't any musicians. A local white undertaker (Duckett) worked for both races. Adams Mortuary was a local black establishment.
8:35--Marriages--Stevens' marriage was a simple affair, performed before the minister at his house.
9:30---Stevens briefly points out family photos of her sisters' c. 1930.
11:00--Employment opportunities for black women usually involved some sort of domestic work, while men worked on farms (Clemson College Dairy or local sharecropping).
12:07--Her family did its shopping at the Smith Store in Calhoun, SC. Clothes were homemade, though the cloth was store-bought.
13:00--Stevens had one daughter and one stepdaughter. Her daughter moved to Ohio in 1955.
14:18--One of Mrs. Stevens' sister's was a teacher and pianist in the lower part of SC.
15:32--Education--Stevens attended the Calhoun School. It was a one-room schoolhouse with one teacher. There were eight grades
17:40--During the summers, her mother would let her were pick cotton at the Cochran farms.
18:00--Reading material at the home included the Bible and schoolbooks.
18:46--Curriculum at her school covered reading, writing, arithmetic, and geography.
19:35--Community organizations were usually church related.
20:10--Her family all attended Abel Baptist. She can recall Reverend's Watson and Galloway. She did not attend camp meetings or singing conventions.
23:12--Stevens doesn't recall her parents ever voting, though she herself has.
24:32--White/black relationships--her family never had any troubles or difficulties with white people.
27:26--She can remember occasionally traveling to both Anderson and Greenville, SC. Wagon and train services were commonly utilized.
29:15--Celebrations/holidays--aspects of Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving holidays are recalled.
31:07--Audio ends.
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.