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Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region.

ORAL HISTORY

Susan "Sudy" McKnight

Susan “Sudy” McKnight was born in 1948 into a military family in Pensacola, Florida. She considers Mobjack on the eastern tip of Mathews County, Virginia, her home. Though her family lived all across the country, McKnight spent childhood summers with her grandparents in Mathews County, Virginia. McKnight’s grandfather ran a general store in Mobjack. It was a source for fresh meat, medicines, and baked goods. It was also a gathering place. McKnight spent time in the store with her grandfather, waiting on customers and getting to know the community. When she was thirteen, McKnight crabbed for a summer in a wooden skiff off the coast of Mathews. She was the youngest person and the only woman crabbing on Mobjack Bay. McKnight married a Navy serviceman and traveled the world. McKnight now lives in Mathews County, Virginia.

Date of interview:
2018-05-21

Interviewer:
Jessica Taylor and Patrick Daglaris

Photographer:
Beth Wood

Download Transcript

“

“My brother or I would sleep in by mistake because we always wanted to go with [our grandfather]. . . We’d be sitting by his potbelly stove in the house, because that’s how they heated the house, and put on your clothes and then go down to the store. And he would [do] whatever he had to do there and then get in the boat and go fishing. And that was more fun because he’d catch breakfast.”

Other Project Interviews

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William Barnhardt

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William “Tootsie” Harwood

William “Tootsie” Harwood farms and raises livestock in Gloucester County, Virginia.

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Susan Hill

Susan Hill owns and manages Car Wash Cafe in Kilmarnock, Virginia.

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Richard Carr

Richard Carr cooks at Berret’s Seafood Restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia

Interview

Kevin Godsey

Kevin Godsey crabs, oysters, and fishes in Mathews County, Virginia.

Interview

Charles and Mary Alice Woerner

Charles and Mary Alice Woerner volunteer at the Church of St. Therese in Gloucester Courthouse, Virginia.

Interview

Ashley Spivey

Ashley Spivey directs the Pamunkey Indian Tribal Resource Center in King William County, Virginia.

Interview

Abigail Fine

Abigail Fine worked as a historical interpreter in the kitchens of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia.

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The Southern Foodways Alliance drives a more progressive future by leading conversations that challenge existing constructs, shape perspectives, and foster meaningful discussions. We reconsider the past with research, scrutiny, and documentation.

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