Martin, Fredericka, June 13, 1981
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: June 13, 1981
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
This interview focuses on the life and education of Fredericka McBlair Martin, born in Charleston, SC around 1892. She was raised in Maryville, SC by her godmother, and sent to the Demming School as well as the Avery Normal Institute. After recalling some of her family history, Ms. Martin reminisces about taking long bicycle rides every day to attend Avery. She refers to Avery’s white faculty, especially Principal Owens, and the few black teachers at that time, such as Miss Sally Cruickshank. She continues by emphasizing the standards of academic excellence that Avery maintained as well as some of its famous visitors. She also discusses the type of students who attended Avery, the uniforms and dresses, as well as the problems students faced when paying for tuition. She also mentions the social activities that students were involved with, such as athletics, theater plays, and their participation in the King’s Daughters Society, a charitable group of girls that carried food to the poor and elderly during holidays. At Avery, Martin participated in the teacher training courses under the direction of Miss Birdie Clyde, and later held various jobs before becoming a teacher in Ridgeville, SC and Edisto Island. While there, she mentions the difficulties she faced teaching Gullah students. She reveals several other aspects of her personal life, including meeting her husband. Martin concludes the interview by talking at length about several leading black professionals and businesses in the Charleston area, including doctors such as Dr. Crum and Dr. Johnson, several lawyers, and Congressman Thomas E. Miller. [On a side note: the interviewee sometimes seems a little bit confused regarding names and places].
The oral history is conducted by Dr. Edmund Drago and Eugene Hunt.
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