Bessie Grayson Collection

Collection

Identifier: 0032

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains Bessie Grayson's reminiscences concerning African-American life in rural South Alabama during the 1930s to 1950s. Includes stories of picking and ginning cotton, canning, making syrup and molasses, quilting, school, and religious life, as well as segregation prior to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

Dates

1930 - 1960

Creator

Grayson, Bessie Rivers (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Biographical / Historical

Dr. Bessie Rivers Grayson grew up in rural Thomaston, Alabama, prior to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. She was a professor in the Department of Library Media at Alabama A & M University, as well as a retired professor from Northeast College.

Extent

1 Folder(s)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This finding aid is organized by accessions. Each accession represents an addition to the collection. Each accession also represents a transfer of physical and legal custody of archival materials from the donors to Auburn University Special Collections and Archives.

Processing Information

Accession 95-07 processed by Debbie Eldridge, 1995. HTML Finding Aid listed by Dieter C. Ullridge June 2003. Finding aid added to Archives Space by Cara Eiland October 1, 2019. Revised by Joanna Ashley, 2025.