David Green, Sr. Interview
Item
Identifier
Box 1:30
Title
David Green, Sr. Interview
Type
Interview
Language
Source
Black Heritage in the Upper Piedmont of South Carolina Collection
Rights
Date
July 7, 1990
Description
Speakers-David and Nancy Green, Vennie Deas-Moore
Audio Quality-Good
Location-Clemson, SC
Side 1
2:15--Mr. Green was born in the area known as "The Quarters" near Clemson, SC. He is unaware of where or when his parents were born.
5:10--His parents worked as sharecroppers; his mother was a very hard working woman who taught the children life lessons.
6:25--Mr. Green recalls as a youth washing clothes at "The Branch." He describes the common steps utilized in the washing process such as using a "battling" stick to remove dirt from the clothes.
8:45--He names his siblings: (he speaks in a low tone here, so it is hard to understand) Annie Mae, Rebecca, Pauline, Celina, Robert Lee, Chris, and John Henry. An additional name is not audible enough to understand.
10:30--Mr. Green's mother died of the flu during the epidemic of 1917-1918. Everyone in his family got sick except for he and his father. There was much sickness in the community during that time period.
12:07--Mr. Green's father Edward worked as sharecropper and sold his own produce. Mr. Green can remember his paternal grandparent's names: Sammy and Tiesha.
13:43--Slavery--issues regarding slavery were never really discussed in the Green household.
14:15--Funerals/burials--most of Mr. Green's family is buried at Abel. There were no written headstones in those days; an unadorned stone usually marked the spot. He can recall funeral processions in which the caskets were pulled by horse or mule. There was no embalming in those days. "Wake's" were held at the home of the deceased. Prior to being placed in a casket, the deceased were usually placed on a "cooling board" and covered in a white sheet. He recalls the work of the Burial Aids Society. They would mourn at funerals and place flowers at the grave as well as provide monetary aid to grieving families.
21:34--Marriages/weddings--Mr. Green cannot provide any detail on how weddings were conducted. He and his wife didn't have a wedding; they just got married at the local preacher's home.
22:56--Mr. and Mrs. Green had five children: David, Jr., Matthew, Elizabeth, Anna, and Katie.
23:30--Mr. Green had a brother who moved north and made his home in Cleveland, OH.
24:56--He has a pocket watch that has been passed down from his great-uncle.
25:12--Mr. Green had been a freemason since the 1940's. His wife is a member of the Eastern Star.
27:23--The interviewer is interested in what types of jobs were available to blacks. Other than sharecropping, Clemson College provided employment. Mr. Green worked at the Clemson College dining hall. Women did laundry at the college or did domestic work for families. Younger people farmed in order to earn money.
29:44--Mr. Green and his family usually did its shopping at the local stores in Clemson. They used the credit system to pay for goods. The family raised much of its own food.
31:02--Furniture was bought from stores in nearby Central, SC.
31:33--Audio ends.
Side 2
00:45--As a youth, Mr. Green can recall black women in the community getting together during certain times of the year to do quilting projects.
1:33--Mr. and Mrs. Green cannot recall having ever used cribs for babies. Children did have toys; they were usually received once a year at Christmas.
4:29--Church--Mr. and Mrs. Green are Baptists and attend the local Abel Baptist Church. They can recall that camp meetings were held more frequently in the past. Meetings were held in September. The Green's describe a festival-like atmosphere surrounding the event; many individuals treated the occasion as a family reunion. The preacher would preach from inside the church; the congregation would remain in the church with him. The doors of the church would remain open, however, and huge crowds would gather outside in order to hear the services.
10:20--Education--Mr. Green never got to attend much school, because his services were often needed in farming work. He attended when he could, mostly in the winter. His parents didn't attend school.
11:34--Cotton--workers were not required to pick a certain quota per day. Workers would often aim for 100 pounds per day, though the task was extremely difficult to accomplish. Workers were not paid every day; rather they were given a lump sum.
13:09--All of Mr. Green's children attended college.
13:20--Mr. Green names a few of his children and their occupations.
15:37--White/black relations--Mr. Green states that he didn't really have much interaction with whites. His wife states that things were "hard" for her in those days, but will not elaborate further. Law enforcement didn't seem to be a problem in Mr. Green's estimation.
19:20--Celebrations--the black community celebrated "Watch Nights," camp meetings, and baptisms. The freemason's held "Turnouts" in June around St. John's Day. Emancipation Celebrations were held during the first of the year.
23:17--Mr. Green never thought of himself as being different as in terms of being black; he played with whites as a youth.
24:34--Deas-Moore concludes the interview.
24:16--Audio ends.
David Green, Sr. was born on August 7, 1907 in the area around Clemson, SC known as "The Quarters." He was the son of Edward and Tiesha Green. Mr. Green began working at the Clemson College dining hall when he was around the age of 25. He and his wife Nancy had 5 children: David, Jr., Matthew, Elizabeth, Anna, and Katie. Mr. Green died on October 9, 2003.
Audio Quality-Good
Location-Clemson, SC
Side 1
2:15--Mr. Green was born in the area known as "The Quarters" near Clemson, SC. He is unaware of where or when his parents were born.
5:10--His parents worked as sharecroppers; his mother was a very hard working woman who taught the children life lessons.
6:25--Mr. Green recalls as a youth washing clothes at "The Branch." He describes the common steps utilized in the washing process such as using a "battling" stick to remove dirt from the clothes.
8:45--He names his siblings: (he speaks in a low tone here, so it is hard to understand) Annie Mae, Rebecca, Pauline, Celina, Robert Lee, Chris, and John Henry. An additional name is not audible enough to understand.
10:30--Mr. Green's mother died of the flu during the epidemic of 1917-1918. Everyone in his family got sick except for he and his father. There was much sickness in the community during that time period.
12:07--Mr. Green's father Edward worked as sharecropper and sold his own produce. Mr. Green can remember his paternal grandparent's names: Sammy and Tiesha.
13:43--Slavery--issues regarding slavery were never really discussed in the Green household.
14:15--Funerals/burials--most of Mr. Green's family is buried at Abel. There were no written headstones in those days; an unadorned stone usually marked the spot. He can recall funeral processions in which the caskets were pulled by horse or mule. There was no embalming in those days. "Wake's" were held at the home of the deceased. Prior to being placed in a casket, the deceased were usually placed on a "cooling board" and covered in a white sheet. He recalls the work of the Burial Aids Society. They would mourn at funerals and place flowers at the grave as well as provide monetary aid to grieving families.
21:34--Marriages/weddings--Mr. Green cannot provide any detail on how weddings were conducted. He and his wife didn't have a wedding; they just got married at the local preacher's home.
22:56--Mr. and Mrs. Green had five children: David, Jr., Matthew, Elizabeth, Anna, and Katie.
23:30--Mr. Green had a brother who moved north and made his home in Cleveland, OH.
24:56--He has a pocket watch that has been passed down from his great-uncle.
25:12--Mr. Green had been a freemason since the 1940's. His wife is a member of the Eastern Star.
27:23--The interviewer is interested in what types of jobs were available to blacks. Other than sharecropping, Clemson College provided employment. Mr. Green worked at the Clemson College dining hall. Women did laundry at the college or did domestic work for families. Younger people farmed in order to earn money.
29:44--Mr. Green and his family usually did its shopping at the local stores in Clemson. They used the credit system to pay for goods. The family raised much of its own food.
31:02--Furniture was bought from stores in nearby Central, SC.
31:33--Audio ends.
Side 2
00:45--As a youth, Mr. Green can recall black women in the community getting together during certain times of the year to do quilting projects.
1:33--Mr. and Mrs. Green cannot recall having ever used cribs for babies. Children did have toys; they were usually received once a year at Christmas.
4:29--Church--Mr. and Mrs. Green are Baptists and attend the local Abel Baptist Church. They can recall that camp meetings were held more frequently in the past. Meetings were held in September. The Green's describe a festival-like atmosphere surrounding the event; many individuals treated the occasion as a family reunion. The preacher would preach from inside the church; the congregation would remain in the church with him. The doors of the church would remain open, however, and huge crowds would gather outside in order to hear the services.
10:20--Education--Mr. Green never got to attend much school, because his services were often needed in farming work. He attended when he could, mostly in the winter. His parents didn't attend school.
11:34--Cotton--workers were not required to pick a certain quota per day. Workers would often aim for 100 pounds per day, though the task was extremely difficult to accomplish. Workers were not paid every day; rather they were given a lump sum.
13:09--All of Mr. Green's children attended college.
13:20--Mr. Green names a few of his children and their occupations.
15:37--White/black relations--Mr. Green states that he didn't really have much interaction with whites. His wife states that things were "hard" for her in those days, but will not elaborate further. Law enforcement didn't seem to be a problem in Mr. Green's estimation.
19:20--Celebrations--the black community celebrated "Watch Nights," camp meetings, and baptisms. The freemason's held "Turnouts" in June around St. John's Day. Emancipation Celebrations were held during the first of the year.
23:17--Mr. Green never thought of himself as being different as in terms of being black; he played with whites as a youth.
24:34--Deas-Moore concludes the interview.
24:16--Audio ends.
David Green, Sr. was born on August 7, 1907 in the area around Clemson, SC known as "The Quarters." He was the son of Edward and Tiesha Green. Mr. Green began working at the Clemson College dining hall when he was around the age of 25. He and his wife Nancy had 5 children: David, Jr., Matthew, Elizabeth, Anna, and Katie. Mr. Green died on October 9, 2003.
Publisher
Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Repository