Rochester Voices

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In the 1970s and early 1980s, Dr. James Wright, a manager at the Phillis Wheatley branch of Rochester Public Libraries, commissioned a project to preserve the history of Rochester's African American community. This oral history project focused on native Rochesterians as well as longtime residents of the city, discussing topics like housing discrimination, segregation, and the importance of community. The recordings, called the Phillis Wheatley Public Library Oral History Collections, consist of 113 audio tapes, with approximately 70 hours currently digitized. 

The collection can be found here.

The following table, with links to audio file pages at www.rochestervoices.org, was prepared by Chloe Tacata.

Informant sex yob yoi age Place of Birth Years in Rochester fieldworker
George Anderson Male 1947 1980 33 Chester, Pennsylvania 15 Unknown Female
Willie Sprattling Male 1924 1980 56 Chicago, Illinois 9 Unknown Female
William Hall Male 1929 1980 51 Oviedo, Florida 27 Unknown Female
William Crimm Male ~1949 1980 31 Tuscaloosa, Alabama/St. Louis, Missouri 13 Unknown Female
Wilbur L. Gerst Male 1931 1980 49 Williamsburg Virginia 25 Unknown Female
Warren Crichlow Male 1951 1979 28 New York, New York 9 Unknown Female
Walter Andrews Male 1941 1980 39 Martin County, North Carolina 4 Unknown Female
Stanley Thomas Male 1908 1980 72 Binghamton, New York 51 Unknown Female
Rozetta McDowell Female ~1946 1980 34 Chicago, Illinois/Buffalo, New York 24

Unknown Female
Roy Wheatly King Male ~1940 1980 40 Cat Island, Bahamas 16 Unknown Female
Ronald Good Male ~1921 1979 59 Nutley, New Jersy/New York, New York 18 Unknown Female
Rev. John Walker Male ~1925 1980 55 Columbus, Ohio 14 Unknown Female
Rev. Frederick Douglass Jefferson Male ~1929 1980 51 Ardmore, Pennsylvania 6 Unknown Female
Rev. Charles Campbell Male 1935 1980 45 Jacksonvile, Florida 20 Unknown Female
Rev. Andrew Gibson Male ~1920 1980 60 Franklin, North Carolina 19 Unknown Female
Reuben Davis Male ~1924 1980 56 Columbus, Mississippi/Chicago, Illinois 25 Unknown Female
Rev. Raymond Graves Male ~1926 1980 54 Greensborough, North Carolina/ Atlanta, Georgia 17 Unknown Female
Rev. Ophelia B. Holmes Female 1922 1978 56 Magnolia, Mississippi 12 Unknown Female
Olga Edwards Female 1913 1980 67 New Orlenes, Louisiana 20 Unknown Female
Nanceau, Carlton Female 1918 1980 62 Charleston, West Virginia 15 Unknown Female
Mary Jane Walker Female 1948 1980 38 Cincinnati, Ohio 15 Unknown Female
Marguerite Jacobs Female ~1933 1980 47 Toledo, Ohio 22 Unknown Female
Luvon Sheppard Male 1940 1980 40 Sandford, Florida 15 Unknown Female
Louise Owens Female ~1920 1980 60 Youngstown, Ohio/Rochester, New York 50 Unknown Female
Loftus Carson Male ~1930 1980 50   24 Unknown Female
Lena Gantt Female 1918 1980 62 Alabama 28 Unknown Female
Lawrence Evans Male 1945 1979 34 Braceville, Ohio 9 Unknown Female
Lamar Jackson Female 1946 1980 34 Rochester, New York 34 Unknown Female
Kijana Crawfrod Female ~1940 1979 39 Tuskegee, Alabama/ Troy, Alabama   Unknown Female
Katherien Golden  Anderson Female ~1920 1980 60 Rochester, New York 60 Unknown Female
Julia Brandon Female 1919 1980 61 Rochester, New York 61 Unknown Female
Juantia Pitts Female ~1920 1980 60 Brimingham, Alabama/Chicago, Illinois 26 Unknown Female
Josh Lofton Male 1927 1980 53 Pearl River County, Mississippi 23 Unknown Female
Joe Sanders Male 1919 1979 60 Mississippi 33 Unknown Female
Jesse James Female ~ 1979   Sanford, Florida 27 Unknown Female
James McCuller Male 1940 1980 40 El Dorado, Arkansas 13 Unknown Female
James Dobson Male 1931 1980 49 Salem, North Carolina 33 Unknown Female
James Christian Male ~1930 1980 50 Union Springs, Alabama 8 Unknown Female
Isaiah Jackson Male 1945 1980 45 Richmond, Virginia 7 Unknown Female
Howard Coles Male 1903 1980 77 Mumford, New York/Belcoda, New York 64 Unknown Female
Howard Baugh Male 1920 1979 59 Petersburg, Virginia 12 Unknown Female
Hazel Jeffries Female 1933 1980 47 Washington, D.C 21 Unknown Female
Harriett Nuciola Female ~1940 1980 40 Greigsville, New York/Rochester New York 38 Unknown Female
Rev. Gayraud S. Wilmore Male 1920 1980 60 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  6 Unknown Female
Frederick Denson Male 1937 1980 43 New Brighton, Pennsylvania 20 Unknown Female
Frank McElrath Male 1932 1980 48 Carettta, West Virginia 27 Unknown Female
Evelyn Brandon Female 1917 1980 63 Rochester, New York 63 Unknown Female
Ernest Dubois Male 1926 1980 54 Rochester, New York 54 Unknown Female
Ellis Cosey Male 1936 1980 44 Chicago, Illinois/Indianapolis, Indiana 6 Unknown Female
Earnest James Male 1905 1980 75 Oklahoma/Cleveland, Ohio 56 Unknown Female
Dwight Hubbard Male 1949 1980 31 Birmingham, Alabama/Rochester, New York 30 Unkmown Female
DeLeon Mcwen Male 1939 1980 41   23 Unknown Female
David Gantt Male 1941 1980 39 Opp, Alabama 28 Unknown Female
David Anderson Male 1930 1980 50 Cincinnati, Ohio 24 Unknown Female
Cynthia Fitzpatrick Female 1865 1980 114 Pontotoc, Mississippi 26 Unknown Female
Clarence T. Ingram Male 1932 1980 48 Lilesville, North Carolina 27 Unknown Female
Charles Price Male 1923 1980 57 Rochester, New York 57 Unknown Female
Caudilla L. Baker Male 1907 1980 73 Texas 28 Unknown Female
Bobbie Johnson Male 1929 1980 50 Rochester, New York 50 Unknown Female
Betty Lattimore Female ~1952 1980 28 Sodus, New York 11 Unknown Female
Bertrand Boddie Male 1924 1980 56 New Rochelle, New York 33 Unknown Female
Bernadine Jones Female 1931 1980 49 Palmetto, Florida 24 Unknown Female
Audrey Fraizier Female 1928 1980 52 Newcastle, Pennsylvania 31 Unknown Female
Anna Byrd Female 1929 1980 51 Rochelle, New York 23 Unknown Female
Andrew Langston Male 1927 1978 53 Dawson, Georgia 18 Unknown Female
Amefika Geuka Male 1940 1979 39 Belle Glade, Florida/Utica, New York 6 Unknown Female
Alvin A. White Male 1937 1980 43 Norvelt, Pennsylvania 14 Unknown Female
Alice H. Young Female 1923 1980 57 Wise, North Carolina 18 Unknown Female
Albert Dean Male   1980   Clermont, Florida 16 Unknown Female

Rights & Access information are available on each page linked above. The Rochester Voices audio files, fieldwork recordings and transcripts have been released to support research, scholarly work, and other non-commercial usage. If you use any of these recordings, please cite the source material.