Rochester Voices

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.

InformantsexyobyoiagePlace of BirthYears in Rochesterfieldworker
George AndersonMale1947198033Chester, Pennsylvania15Unknown Female
Willie SprattlingMale1924198056Chicago, Illinois9Unknown Female
William HallMale1929198051Oviedo, Florida27Unknown Female
William CrimmMale~1949198031Tuscaloosa, Alabama/St. Louis, Missouri13Unknown Female
Wilbur L. GerstMale1931198049Williamsburg Virginia25Unknown Female
Warren CrichlowMale1951197928New York, New York9Unknown Female
Walter AndrewsMale1941198039Martin County, North Carolina4Unknown Female
Stanley ThomasMale1908198072Binghamton, New York51Unknown Female
Rozetta McDowellFemale~1946198034Chicago, Illinois/Buffalo, New York24

Unknown Female

Roy Wheatly KingMale~1940198040Cat Island, Bahamas16Unknown Female
Ronald GoodMale~1921197959Nutley, New Jersy/New York, New York18Unknown Female
Rev. John WalkerMale~1925198055Columbus, Ohio14Unknown Female
Rev. Frederick Douglass JeffersonMale~1929198051Ardmore, Pennsylvania6Unknown Female
Rev. Charles CampbellMale1935198045Jacksonvile, Florida20Unknown Female
Rev. Andrew GibsonMale~1920198060Franklin, North Carolina19Unknown Female
Reuben DavisMale~1924198056Columbus, Mississippi/Chicago, Illinois25Unknown Female
Rev. Raymond GravesMale~1926198054Greensborough, North Carolina/ Atlanta, Georgia17Unknown Female
Rev. Ophelia B. HolmesFemale1922197856Magnolia, Mississippi12Unknown Female
Olga EdwardsFemale1913198067New Orlenes, Louisiana20Unknown Female
Nanceau, CarltonFemale1918198062Charleston, West Virginia15Unknown Female
Mary Jane WalkerFemale1948198038Cincinnati, Ohio15Unknown Female
Marguerite Jacobs Female~1933198047Toledo, Ohio22Unknown Female
Luvon SheppardMale1940198040Sandford, Florida15Unknown Female
Louise OwensFemale~1920198060Youngstown, Ohio/Rochester, New York50Unknown Female
Loftus CarsonMale~1930198050 24Unknown Female
Lena GanttFemale1918198062Alabama28Unknown Female
Lawrence EvansMale1945197934Braceville, Ohio9Unknown Female
Lamar Jackson Female1946198034Rochester, New York34Unknown Female
Kijana CrawfrodFemale~1940197939Tuskegee, Alabama/ Troy, Alabama Unknown Female
Katherien Golden  AndersonFemale~1920198060Rochester, New York60Unknown Female
Julia BrandonFemale1919198061Rochester, New York61Unknown Female
Juantia PittsFemale~1920198060Brimingham, Alabama/Chicago, Illinois26Unknown Female
Josh LoftonMale1927198053Pearl River County, Mississippi23Unknown Female
Joe SandersMale1919197960Mississippi33Unknown Female
Jesse James Female~1979 Sanford, Florida27Unknown Female
James McCullerMale1940198040El Dorado, Arkansas13Unknown Female
James DobsonMale1931198049Salem, North Carolina33Unknown Female
James ChristianMale~1930198050Union Springs, Alabama8Unknown Female
Isaiah JacksonMale1945198045Richmond, Virginia7Unknown Female
Howard ColesMale1903198077Mumford, New York/Belcoda, New York64Unknown Female
Howard BaughMale1920197959Petersburg, Virginia12Unknown Female
Hazel JeffriesFemale1933198047Washington, D.C21Unknown Female
Harriett NuciolaFemale~1940198040Greigsville, New York/Rochester New York38Unknown Female
Rev. Gayraud S. WilmoreMale1920198060Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 6Unknown Female
Frederick DensonMale1937198043New Brighton, Pennsylvania20Unknown Female
Frank McElrathMale1932198048Carettta, West Virginia27Unknown Female
Evelyn BrandonFemale1917198063Rochester, New York63Unknown Female
Ernest DuboisMale1926198054Rochester, New York54Unknown Female
Ellis CoseyMale1936198044Chicago, Illinois/Indianapolis, Indiana6Unknown Female
Earnest JamesMale1905198075Oklahoma/Cleveland, Ohio56Unknown Female
Dwight HubbardMale1949198031Birmingham, Alabama/Rochester, New York30Unkmown Female
DeLeon Mcwen Male1939198041 23Unknown Female
David GanttMale1941198039Opp, Alabama28Unknown Female
David AndersonMale1930198050Cincinnati, Ohio24Unknown Female
Cynthia FitzpatrickFemale18651980114Pontotoc, Mississippi26Unknown Female
Clarence T. IngramMale1932198048Lilesville, North Carolina27Unknown Female
Charles PriceMale1923198057Rochester, New York57Unknown Female
Caudilla L. BakerMale1907198073Texas28Unknown Female
Bobbie JohnsonMale1929198050Rochester, New York50Unknown Female
Betty LattimoreFemale~1952198028Sodus, New York11Unknown Female
Bertrand BoddieMale1924198056New Rochelle, New York33Unknown Female
Bernadine Jones Female1931198049Palmetto, Florida24Unknown Female
Audrey FraizierFemale1928198052Newcastle, Pennsylvania31Unknown Female
Anna ByrdFemale1929198051Rochelle, New York23Unknown Female
Andrew LangstonMale1927197853Dawson, Georgia18Unknown Female
Amefika Geuka Male1940197939Belle Glade, Florida/Utica, New York6Unknown Female
Alvin A. WhiteMale1937198043Norvelt, Pennsylvania14Unknown Female
Alice H. YoungFemale1923198057Wise, North Carolina18Unknown Female
Albert DeanMale 1980 Clermont, Florida16Unknown 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.