Research Guides: Enslavement and Sharecropping in Florida: Oral History

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What are oral histories?

Oral histories are recorded interviews and transcriptions between an interviewer and one or more narrators. Together, narrators and interviewers create an historical record. Oral histories serve different purposes from documenting a personal narrative about a major historical event, to a recollection of the past, or a narrative of someone's life. The oral histories relevant to this guide document sharecropping and race relations.

Engage with transcribed interviews of former enslavers, formerly enslaved people, and sharecroppers.

Where to find oral histories

George P. Rawick, Florida Narratives
The Florida accounts of the Federal Writers' Project interviews of former enslaved people. Of local interest are the narratives of Douglas Parish of Monticello, Matilda Brooks of Monticello, Patience Campbell of Monticello, Florida Clayton of Tallahassee, Bolden Hall of Jefferson County in Walkino, Louis Napoleon of Tallahassee, Margrett Nickerson from Jackson, Leon county, Acie Thomas of Jefferson county, Shack Thomas near Tallahassee, Willis Williams of Tallahassee, Miami's ex-enslaved (Annie Trip of Thomasville GA).
Red Hills of Florida Collection
The collection comprises the materials used by Clifton Paisley during the writing of his book Red Hills of Florida. The "Interview" series contains five interview transcripts.
Reichelt Oral History Collection
Oral history interviews and transcripts created under the Reichelt Oral History Program in FSU's Department of History up until 2014. Access to oral history interviews requires permission from the Manuscript Archivist. Please contact Special Collections staff at (850) 644-3271 or lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu for more information about access to this collection.

OHPC# 0002 Jim Cooper
OHPC# 0003 George E. Lewis
OHPC# 0009 Grady C. Cromartie
OHPC# 0013 S.A. Wahnish
OHPC# 0033 R.H. Cofer
OHPC# 0041 Annie May Brown
OHPC# 0052 Jesse Tyre
OHPC# 0055 Mrs. A.D. Albritton
OHPC# 0064 Frank Moor
OHPC# 0072 William M. Scruggs
OHPC# 0077 Mary Lee Gardner
OHPC# 0124 Clifton Lewis
OHPC# 0335 Annie Mae Macon
OHPC# 0337 Annie Mae Macon
OHPC# 0361 Deilia Mickler
OHPC# 0396 Nell Arnow
OHPC# 0557 Ronald Rentz
OHPC# 0692 Harold Knowles
OHPC# 1570 Sandy Cook
OHPC# 1863 Nancy Dobson
OHPC# 1864 Julian Billingsley
OHPC# 2040 Beverly Fauman
OHPC# 2072 George Johnson