Interviewed by
Navies, Kelly Elaine, American
Interview of
Wright, Franklin I., American, 1937 - 2020
Subject of
Wright, Ira Samuel, American, 1902 - 1981
Lillian Hull Wright
Bowie State University, founded 1865
Wright Brothers Quartet
Date
2012
Medium
Digital
Dimensions
Duration: 1 hr., 25 min., 7 sec.
File size: 1.82 GB
Description
An oral history interview with Frank Wright. It consists of a single WAVE file (.wav). Mr. Frank Wright was interviewed by Kelly Elaine Navies on August 19th, 2012, at his daughter’s home in Hebron, Maryland. At the time of the interview, Mr. Wright was 75 years old. The purpose of the interview was to record Mr. Wright’s memories of being a third-generation waterman on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and supplements several objects from the oyster boat of Mr. Wright’s father, Ira Samuel Wright in the NMAAHC collection.
The interview begins with Mr. Wright recounting his earliest memories of going out on the oyster boat with his father, Ira Wright. He recalls how he learned to cull, and later, to tong oysters, and he describes a typical day working on the water, including singing spirituals while they worked. He discusses the close-knit community of African American watermen and remembers how they helped each other on and off the water. He describes the relationships between white and Black watermen as well.
Mr. Wright talks about his reverence for his father and mentions how he was in a gospel quartet with his brothers known as the "Wright Brothers Quartet," describing the camp meetings the men would have where they would sing, clap, and stomp in a
circular formation.
Mr. Wright also talks about the various enterprises his family was involved in beyond oystering, such as crabbing, fishing, farming, and operating a general store. He explains how his mother ran the general store and maintained the household, and he shares how she encouraged him to become a teacher. Mr. Wright attended Bowie State, just like his mother, who also taught school. Toward the end of the interview, he talks about his work as a middle school teacher, and later, a store owner. In conclusion, Mr. Wright reflects on what he hopes Museum visitors remember about his family and their work as watermen.
Place collected
Hebron, Wicomico County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Time-based Media - Audio
Type
oral histories
wave (format)
digital media - born digital
Topic
Black Enterprise
Business
Communities
Education
Families
Foodways
Labor
Local and regional
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2024.61.1.1
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5573a6ba4-972d-42bf-acc5-b1b3971eb8af

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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