Hoffman, Ellen W., September 18, 1980
Scope and Contents
The Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture Oral History Project contains 44 oral history interviews arranged in three series based on the corresponding project or scope of the oral histories. The majority of the oral histories were conducted or coordinated by Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture members with the exception of Phase 2 of the Avery Normal Institute Oral History Project which was conducted by the Avery Research Center. Within each series, the oral histories are arranged alphabetically by last name. Greater details about the contents of each oral history can be found at the file level abstract of each interview. Each oral history, when available, includes a transcript and any supporting documentation like questions, notes, tape logs, and interview release forms. Transcripts do not currently exist for every interview and work to create them is ongoing.
Series I: Avery Normal Institute Oral History Project, 1980-1996 contains oral histories with former students, teachers, principals, and community members of the Avery Normal Institute discussing their attendance at the school including classes, teachers, extracurricular activities as well as perceptions of the school in the larger African American Charleston community and perceived reasons for why the school was closed. 12 of these oral histories are accessible on the Lowcountry Digital Library including the interviews with Ruby Cornwell, Julia Craft DeCosta, Marcellus Forrest, Dr. Joseph Hoffman, Felder Hutchinson, Anna D. Kelly, Louise Mouzon, Peter Poinsette, and both interviews with J. Michael Graves and Eugene C. Hunt.
Series II: Laing School oral histories, 1981 contains two oral histories with former students of the Laing School in which they discuss their time attending the school, their lives after graduation, and their impressions of the Avery Normal Institute.
Series III: Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture oral histories, 1983-1995 contains seven oral histories with members of the Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture discussing the founding of the organization and its grassroots efforts to acquire and preserve the Avery Normal Institute school buildings. There are also oral histories in this series with former students of the Avery Normal Institute and Immaculate Conception discussing their attendance at both institutions.
Dates
- Creation: September 18, 1980
Creator
- From the Collection: Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture (Organization)
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions to this collection; however, a cassette player is required to listen to the audiocassette tapes. A cassette player will be made available to researchers in our reading room.
Full Extent
From the Collection: .834 linear feet (2 Hollinger boxes, 79 audiocassettes, and 27.7 gigabytes (audio and transcripts))
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Abstract
In this interview, Ellen Wiley Hoffman (ca 1908-1993) begins by providing biographical information about herself. As a native Mississippian, she graduated from Fisk University before joining Avery as a teacher from 1929 through 1933. She discusses her knowledge of Avery prior to her involvement as an educator and the teaching offer she received through Helen Cox, one of the daughters of Avery’s principal, Benjamin F. Cox. Hoffman continues by recalling several of the teachers that taught at Avery at that time, of whom most were not native Charlestonians. She also discusses the Cox’s devotion to Avery and the community, in particular during the years of the Depression and their money raising efforts to keep the school alive. She also elaborates on the American Missionary Association (AMA) as Avery’s main supporter. Hereby, she also declines that any religious influence from the presence of the Congregational Church, who was closely affiliated with the AMA, was placed on students or teachers. Hoffman emphasizes her goals as a teacher as well as the values she tried to instill in her students. She also mentions extra curricular activities at Avery, such as Avery’s musical tradition and basketball, before discussing the AMA’s visits to Avery and the faculty living arrangements. Hoffman concludes the interview with recollections of her experiences with segregation in Charleston, including the College of Charleston.
The oral history is conducted by Eugene Hunt and Dr. Edmund Drago.
Repository Details
Part of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture Repository
125 Bull Street
Charleston South Carolina 29424 United States
843-953-7608
averyresearchcenter@cofc.edu