Interview with Marcellus Forrest by Lee Drago, Eugene Hunt, and Margareta Childs, February 21, 1981, AMN 500.001.002, in Avery Normal Institute Oral History Project, of the Avery Research Center at the College of Charleston.
In this interview, Marcellus Forrest emphasizes his attendance of the Mission School on Nassau Street, conducted by the Reformed Church and attended by African Americans, as well as his fathers life as a former slave and subsequently as a freedman. He talks at length about his education and upbringing, his fathers job as a teacher, and focuses on several Charleston area schools and teachers, including the influence of the Episcopal Church headed by Bishop Stevens. Forrest mentions Avery, where he attended one year, and his apprenticeship and subsequent career as a tailor in Charleston, including the difficulties of the job. He also mentions his immediate family, including his sisters attempts to be a schoolteacher in Charleston and the difficulties that black teachers faced. Of special note is the discussion of Forrests father (who died 1904), a former slave originally from Culpepper, Virgina, who was sold to John Blake White of Charleston, South Carolina. His father constantly referred to his owner as his master and benefactor, stating that White was a kind master with two sons who taught the former slave to read and write. He talks of his fathers duties as a slave, his experiences during the Civil War, and his attempts to contact his family after the end of slavery. Once free, Forrest's father, with the benefit of his slight education, held several jobs and became involved with the establishment of the Reformed Episcopal Church in Charleston in 1870. Also of note is his discussion about black politicians during Reconstruction, including Robert Smalls escape from Charleston on the Confederate steamer, The Planter, and the operation and popularity of black newspapers. NOTE: The quality of the sound recording is very difficult to understand, especially the interviewee.
Personal or Corporate Subject:
Avery Normal Institute--History Forrest, Marcellus, 1892-1983--Interviews Planter (Steamship) Smalls, Robert, 1839-1915 White, John Blake
Mp3 derivative audio created with Audacity software.
Internet Media Type:
audio/mpeg
Copyright Status Statement:
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