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Articles 1 - 12 of 12

Full-Text Articles in History

Oral History Interview: James G. Matthews, James G. Matthews Aug 1974

Oral History Interview: James G. Matthews, James G. Matthews

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

James G. Matthews was a jack-of-all-trades. He worked as a coal miner for James C. Coal Company, worked for United Fuel Gas Company, the Nickel Plant, and as a mail courier. He also performed as part of a singing quartet. Mr. Matthews was born on May 30, 1902. He grew up on a farm near East Lynn, WV. After the death of his mother, Mr. Matthews attended elementary school on a part-time basis in order to work on the family farm. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Matthews discusses alcohol consumption and moonshine stills in East Lynn. During his interview, …


Oral History Interview: Burl Collins, Burl Collins Aug 1974

Oral History Interview: Burl Collins, Burl Collins

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Burl Collins was born on October 25, 1903. He was raised in McDowell County, West Virginia. When he was 15 years old, he started his first job in a coal mine. He worked in this mine for 33 years. Mr. Collins married and had 11 children, including eight girls and three boys. He discusses the social, economic, and technological changes during his lifetime. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Collins discusses his wedding and marriage.


Oral History Interview: Helena Venturino Howell, Helena Venturino Howell Jul 1974

Oral History Interview: Helena Venturino Howell, Helena Venturino Howell

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Helena Venturino Howell was born on September 19, 1913. She was the first child of her family to be born in the United States. Her father emigrated from Italy to Brooklyn, New York, at the age of 16. He first worked as a pin boy in a bowling alley and then took a job on the railroad. Her mother immigrated to Williamson, WV, with Mrs. Howell’s older sister in 1912. Mrs. Howell’s family lived in neighborhood in Williamson comprised primarily of Italians. Her family moved to New Boston, OH, when she was a young girl. During her interview, Mrs. Howell …


Oral History Interview: Helen Adams, Helen Adams Jul 1974

Oral History Interview: Helen Adams, Helen Adams

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Helen Adams was born on January 13, 1898, and was raised in Strange Creek, West Virginia. She lived on a farm with her family. She was one of seven children and her parents also raised two other boys who were orphaned. During her interview, Mrs. Adams discusses working on the farm, raising livestock, and preserving food. She discusses going to church and attending social events like box suppers and socials. She also focuses on folk medicine and the uses of alcohol for medicine and recreational purposes.


Oral History Interview: Alice Hall, Alice Hall Jul 1974

Oral History Interview: Alice Hall, Alice Hall

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Alice Hall was born in December 1897 in Cabell County, WV. She lived with her grandfather on a farm in Putnam County, WV, after the death of her parents. During her interview, she discusses quilting and peddling food items in Huntington, WV, with her grandparents, the lack of supplies during World War I, and the rationing of sugar and coffee during World War II. She also focuses on folk medicine, with emphasis on the herbs and barks her uncle used to make medicines. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Hall discusses food preservation, specifically making apple butter and preserves.


Oral History Interview: Fay Ball, Fay Ball Jul 1974

Oral History Interview: Fay Ball, Fay Ball

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Fay Ball was born on March 28, 1904, in Lincoln County, West Virginia. She was raised on a farm and shared most of the farming responsibilities with her family. Mrs. Ball discusses social interactions within the farming community of Lincoln County, including barn raisings and harvesting. She focuses on entertainment during her childhood and explains styles of popular music and games. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Ball discusses how to play games like “Blind Man,” “Aunt Me Over,” and “Nay Hide.”


Oral History Interview: Josephine R. Gorby, Josephine R. Gorby Jul 1974

Oral History Interview: Josephine R. Gorby, Josephine R. Gorby

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Josephine Gorby was born on February 24, 1908. She began her teaching career in a one-room school in Wimmer, McDowell County, WV. In 1931 she began teaching in Lawrence County, OH. Mrs. Gorby’s interview focuses on growing up on a farm near Proctorville, OH, her experiences as an educator, her family’s experience during World War I, and the 1937 flood of the Ohio River and its tributaries. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Gorby discusses the impact of the 1937 flood on the school house in Athalia, OH. During her interview, she also focuses on the construction and use of …


Oral History Interview: Edward C. Jackson, Edward C. Jackson Jun 1974

Oral History Interview: Edward C. Jackson, Edward C. Jackson

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Edward C. Jackson was born on January 17, 1911, in Canfield, Braxton County, WV. In 1926, he moved to Fenwick, Nicholas County, WV, to pursue jobs in saw mills. In his interview, Mr. Jackson describes in great detail the design and structure of the log home he lived in as a child. He focuses on growing up on a farm and places emphasis on the type of work he did and food preparation and preservation. Mr. Jackson also discusses the tight-knit community in which he was raised. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Jackson discusses working in the lumber industry. …


Oral History Interview: William Allen Cross, William Allen Cross Jun 1974

Oral History Interview: William Allen Cross, William Allen Cross

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

In his interview, William Allen Cross discusses Prohibition and bootlegging in Huntington, West Virginia. Mr. Cross was a theater manager for the Keith Albee Theater (referred to as the State Theater) in Huntington, WV. Although he did not make moonshine, he was a buyer during Prohibition. He discusses how bootleggers sold their whiskey and provides locations for stills. Mr. Cross also focuses on how to make moonshine, whiskey, and wine. He reminiscences about “the Strip” between 10th and 11th Streets in Huntington, WV, that served from 1925-1945 as a red-light, gambling, and bootlegging district. In the audio clip …


Oral History Interview: Doris Copley Miller, Doris Copley Miller Apr 1974

Oral History Interview: Doris Copley Miller, Doris Copley Miller

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Doris Copley Miller resided in Wayne and Cabell Counties, West Virginia, for the majority of her life. She discusses the history of Marshall Academy and its progression to college and university status. She also focuses on education in West Virginia. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Miller discusses teaching in Wayne County, West Virginia. She focuses the decor of her classrooms, the number of students, and the typical school day schedule. She also discusses games and recreation played by her students.


Oral History Interview: Lucy Quarrier, Lucy Quarrier Apr 1974

Oral History Interview: Lucy Quarrier, Lucy Quarrier

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Lucy Quarrier was a renowned weaver and a member of the Southern Highlands Handicraft Guild. During the Depression, representatives from the state of West Virginia chose Mrs. Quarrier to teach rural women how to weave. She was also an accomplished gardener and used her green thumb to create vegetable dyes for her thread and weaving materials. Mrs. Quarrier taught weaving classes and her pupils became known as “The Lucy Quarrier Weavers.” She showcased her talents at arts and crafts festivals and often gave tutorials during the festivals. In her interview, Mrs. Quarrier discusses how she learned to weave. She focuses …


Oral History Interview: William T. Arnold, William T. Arnold Apr 1974

Oral History Interview: William T. Arnold, William T. Arnold

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

William T. Arnold (Bill Arnold), a Native West Virginian, lived the majority of his life in Clay County. Mr. Arnold spent his early childhood on a farm on Galon Mountain. After the death of his father, Mr. Arnold moved with his family to various towns within Clay County. In 1911, when he was eleven years old, Mr. Arnold started his first job in coal mining, working thirteen hours a night as a water dipper. When he was eighteen years old, Mr. Arnold began working as a postman and delivered mail on a route near the New River, between the towns …