Elsie Henderson Interview
Item
Identifier
Box 2:38
Title
Elsie Henderson Interview
Type
Interview
Language
Source
Black Heritage in the Upper Piedmont of South Carolina Collection
Rights
Date
July 26, 1990
Description
Speakers-unknown female family member of Mrs. Henderson's, Elsie Henderson, Audrey Lawrence
Audio Quality-Good
Location-Seneca, SC
**Note** the first 10:44 of this interview is that of an unknown female family member [possibly a niece of Mrs. Henderson's]. This individual grew up on her grandfather's farm (area was known as Moore's Farm). She makes brief comment regarding her grandfather's land and its connection to the construction of the local Southern Railroad, her father's employment as a cook with the Southern Railroad, her educational experiences, local black churches, and her admiration of the way in which the state of South Carolina handled de-segregation, specifically in regards to Clemson University.
Side 1
10:50--Elsie Henderson gives her name and address.
11:25--As a child, Mrs. Henderson attended a school near the Oakway/South Union community. She had to walk three miles to and from school everyday. She can remember having a male teacher, but doesn't provide his name. The children got an hour for lunch, and usually played baseball at recess.
13:14--She didn't attend the camp meetings held at Bethel Grove until after she was married. She can recall ministers from all around the local area attending, along with much testifying, singing, and plenty of food.
14:46--Mrs. Henderson herself was a member of a local singing convention. The event was usually held once a year during either the summer or spring. There was no preaching, just a multi-denominational gathering of local choir groups. Mrs. Henderson and her mother were a part of the WMA within their church. Her mother, in fact, was president of the group for thirty years.
18:33--Mrs. Henderson explains that when she was a child, education had to revolve around the growing season. She briefly explains the different times of the year that children of farming families generally attended school.
19:30--Mrs. Henderson describes some of her experiences picking cotton. She states that the most amount she ever was involved in picking during one day was 350 pounds. In addition, she recalls that after school as a youth, she would help do the wash for local families.
22:35--Her family raised most of its own food, including livestock. There were not many products that had to be store bought in those days.
22:57--Her mother and one sister were especially gifted with sewing. They did their own sewing and repaired their own clothes.
23:39--Slavery--her grandparents were slaves; she particularly remembers her maternal grandmother whose name was Laura Mann. She was from Hartwell, Georgia. She helped raise her grandchildren and would tell them stories of the slave days. Her grandmother had a vivid memory of when troops (not clear whether Union or Confederate) came through the area where she lived and in general were responsible for a great deal of destruction and looting.
29:57--Funerals--the main differences in the way services were held in the old days was that there were no undertakers, bodies were laid out at home on a board, and wagons were utilized for carrying coffins.
31:43--Audio ends.
Side 2
00:07--Mrs. Henderson giving an answer to a question that had been asked prior to when the recording began. The recollection is of her mother's doctor who was from Fairplay, SC.
2:49--She never traveled to Anderson or Greenville very often; virtually all her shopping was done around the Seneca area.
3:25--Most of her siblings have predeceased her. Several lived and were buried in different parts of the United States such as Cleveland, Ohio, and Seattle, Washington.
5:24--White/black relations--Mrs. Henderson always got along with whites. She can remember occasional schoolyard squabbles as a youth, because the white and black schoolhouses were close in vicinity to each other. After marrying, she lived with her husband in a mostly white neighborhood; there were no real problems.
7:50--During Christmas, her parents would prepare large meals with turkey and ham. She briefly describes the process of how both of these meats were prepared.
10:40--Mrs. Henderson looks back fondly on her life. She cherishes the memories of days in which things were homemade, and families were close-knit.
15:29--Audio ends.
Audio Quality-Good
Location-Seneca, SC
**Note** the first 10:44 of this interview is that of an unknown female family member [possibly a niece of Mrs. Henderson's]. This individual grew up on her grandfather's farm (area was known as Moore's Farm). She makes brief comment regarding her grandfather's land and its connection to the construction of the local Southern Railroad, her father's employment as a cook with the Southern Railroad, her educational experiences, local black churches, and her admiration of the way in which the state of South Carolina handled de-segregation, specifically in regards to Clemson University.
Side 1
10:50--Elsie Henderson gives her name and address.
11:25--As a child, Mrs. Henderson attended a school near the Oakway/South Union community. She had to walk three miles to and from school everyday. She can remember having a male teacher, but doesn't provide his name. The children got an hour for lunch, and usually played baseball at recess.
13:14--She didn't attend the camp meetings held at Bethel Grove until after she was married. She can recall ministers from all around the local area attending, along with much testifying, singing, and plenty of food.
14:46--Mrs. Henderson herself was a member of a local singing convention. The event was usually held once a year during either the summer or spring. There was no preaching, just a multi-denominational gathering of local choir groups. Mrs. Henderson and her mother were a part of the WMA within their church. Her mother, in fact, was president of the group for thirty years.
18:33--Mrs. Henderson explains that when she was a child, education had to revolve around the growing season. She briefly explains the different times of the year that children of farming families generally attended school.
19:30--Mrs. Henderson describes some of her experiences picking cotton. She states that the most amount she ever was involved in picking during one day was 350 pounds. In addition, she recalls that after school as a youth, she would help do the wash for local families.
22:35--Her family raised most of its own food, including livestock. There were not many products that had to be store bought in those days.
22:57--Her mother and one sister were especially gifted with sewing. They did their own sewing and repaired their own clothes.
23:39--Slavery--her grandparents were slaves; she particularly remembers her maternal grandmother whose name was Laura Mann. She was from Hartwell, Georgia. She helped raise her grandchildren and would tell them stories of the slave days. Her grandmother had a vivid memory of when troops (not clear whether Union or Confederate) came through the area where she lived and in general were responsible for a great deal of destruction and looting.
29:57--Funerals--the main differences in the way services were held in the old days was that there were no undertakers, bodies were laid out at home on a board, and wagons were utilized for carrying coffins.
31:43--Audio ends.
Side 2
00:07--Mrs. Henderson giving an answer to a question that had been asked prior to when the recording began. The recollection is of her mother's doctor who was from Fairplay, SC.
2:49--She never traveled to Anderson or Greenville very often; virtually all her shopping was done around the Seneca area.
3:25--Most of her siblings have predeceased her. Several lived and were buried in different parts of the United States such as Cleveland, Ohio, and Seattle, Washington.
5:24--White/black relations--Mrs. Henderson always got along with whites. She can remember occasional schoolyard squabbles as a youth, because the white and black schoolhouses were close in vicinity to each other. After marrying, she lived with her husband in a mostly white neighborhood; there were no real problems.
7:50--During Christmas, her parents would prepare large meals with turkey and ham. She briefly describes the process of how both of these meats were prepared.
10:40--Mrs. Henderson looks back fondly on her life. She cherishes the memories of days in which things were homemade, and families were close-knit.
15:29--Audio ends.
Publisher
Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Repository