The Ashe County Oral History Project began as a joint undertaking between the Ashe County Historical Society and the Ashe County Public Library. Historical Society member and librarian Clarice Weaver led the project. Over the course of two years, between 1980 and 1982, Weaver and other volunteers sought out a variety of individuals to capture the varied history and culture of Ashe County through extended interviews. These original interview tapes, after being stored at the public library for over two decades, were eventually digitized by Appalachian Studies students at Ashe County High School.
Below are excerpts from interviews with local women sharing recollections of wartime. The full project can be found here.
Martha Harmon shares recollections of her father’s and uncle’s experiences in the Civil War (clip 1) and her nephews’ service in WWI and WWII (clip 2)
The oldest interview subject of the Oral History Project, Martha Harmon Harman (her maiden and married names were both pronounced the same, but spelled differently) was 99 years old at the time of this recording. These excerpts come from an interview conducted on November 6, 1980, by Clarice Weaver. The original tapes were transcribed by Edie Grandstaff.
Gertrude Waddell shares stories her grandparents told about life during the Civil War
Born in 1892, Gertrude, otherwise known as 'Gert,' Waddell, was one of the oldest Ashe County residents interviewed for the Oral History Project. This excerpt is from an interview conducted on May 28, 1981, by Clarice Weaver. Transcriber unknown.
