RL00170-CS-0245_02 / Jurl Watkins interview recording, 1994 June 28 / Duke Digital Repository

Jurl Portee Watkins

But we never had any problems. So everything was just fine.

0:04

Gregory Hunter

What about social life as a youngster yourself and also later on when you started to teach, what did people do for fun in the Black community? What did children do? What did young people do? What did grown folks do?

0:14

Jurl Portee Watkins

When we were out in the country, we really had no social outlet because—Sometimes they would have little dances and things like that, but they used to have little—Back in my younger days, there was nothing to do as far as social life, not out in the country. You made your own social life. There was some little juke joints around in the community that the old people would go to, but there was really nothing for young people to do. I had to come into town.

0:33

Gregory Hunter

How would you get into town? People would just walk into town a lot?

1:20

Jurl Portee Watkins

No, we wouldn't walk to town. By the time time we got something to do, we had cars by that time. But we used to come to town on the wagon. We'd come to town on the wagon before we got a car and-

1:25

Gregory Hunter

How far did you live from town?

1:38

Jurl Portee Watkins

I guess about eight miles because I lived about three miles from Shingler, about five miles from there to where I lived. It's a beautiful place out there. Since all of my daddy and his brothers and sisters have passed away—Well, we have my daddy's oldest sister, who's 86, is living. She's in Miami. My kid brother bought the farm from all the heirs. I have a brother who lives in DC now. He bought the farm.

1:42

Jurl Portee Watkins

But my brother who died in 1993, he was the one who cared for it. They built two fishing ponds out there, and we'd go out there and fish. Oh, we got fig trees and pear trees still out there and pecan trees, but it's nobody to go out there to gather it.

2:25

Gregory Hunter

So no one lives out there now?

2:43

Jurl Portee Watkins

No, no, no.

2:44

Gregory Hunter

It's just land?

2:44

Jurl Portee Watkins

Just land.

2:44

Gregory Hunter

None of it is being farmed?

2:44

Jurl Portee Watkins

Yes, it's rented. My brother rents it.

2:48

Gregory Hunter

Oh, okay, okay.

2:50

Jurl Portee Watkins

He rents the hunting rights and the farm. Every Thanksgiving, all of my other brothers come and they go squirrel and raccoon hunting. It's still enjoyable to go out there. We go out there and fish whenever we have time. Most of us work, but whenever we have time we go out there and fish and go out there and pick the figs and the pears or whatever. Nobody gathers the pecan because they don't have time to go out there and pick them up. It's beautiful. It's a beautiful place out there.

2:52

Gregory Hunter

What are some of your other recollections from your childhood or from young age about life during the early years in the South?

3:42

Jurl Portee Watkins

Only thing I know when my mother and father used to go out, we used to cook. We used to kill the chickens and cook and get all the eggs and cook the eggs up. We'd finally find the nest and get the eggs. The rolling store came by every day.

3:52

Gregory Hunter

What's the rolling store?

4:14

Jurl Portee Watkins

It was just a big old truck, but it had goodies on it. It would come by every day. We'd get the eggs and buy the stuff out the rolling store, and they would take drink bottles. Back in those days, you got your drink in a bottle. We would trade the bottles on the rolling store. We would cook. One day, we were frying chicken and my mom and daddy came, and we had to put the chicken under the house. The chicken was under there, just frying.

4:15

Jurl Portee Watkins

My daddy went out there, and he smelled it. He went around and told my mother, "I smelled something cooking out there." He went out and looked under the house and found the chicken up under the house cooking.

4:44

Gregory Hunter

So why was he mad that y'all were frying up some chicken outside?

4:55

Jurl Portee Watkins

We had killed a chicken. We would do that every time they leave home. We'd kill a chicken because she had-

4:58

Gregory Hunter

Oh, y'all wasn't supposed to?

5:03

Jurl Portee Watkins

No. She had so many chickens until she couldn't miss them anyway. You could hardly walk in the yard because she had so many chicken, all those different kinds of chicken. We'd just catch the chicken and kill them. But what she would do, she had a pen that she would put all the chicken that she was going to kill. They call it what you call it, cleaning out. She would put those chickens in there.

5:05

Jurl Portee Watkins

So what we would do, we would get one of those chickens out there that been cleaned out and kill it and cook that and put another chicken in there. Sometimes she would discover that. She was like, "That's not the same chicken that I had in there." But we would do that. We'd make cakes. We'd just cook everything. We would get up there and take all that fruit and stuff down and open two or three jar and length them out so she couldn't tell it. We used to have a ball, man. Have a good time out there.

5:26

Jurl Portee Watkins

It was nice and cool and breezy. It was just nice, very nice. One time a snake got in the well, and they had to fish the snake out of the well. It was a man out there by the name of Ben Kessing. He was the one that knew how to get the snake out the well. He had this long hook that he would let go down there, get that snake out of the well, catch that snake. We wouldn't drink the water after the snake was in the well, for a long time.

6:00

Jurl Portee Watkins

My mother started boiling the water because we wouldn't drink it because we said a snake had been in the water and the water was poison. We weren't going to drink it. We would draw the water, and she would heat it for us to drink. Now, during my farming days, me being the oldest girl, on Wednesday, I would stay off. I would work a half a day, and I would stay off a half a day. I would wash.

6:42

Jurl Portee Watkins

On Thursday, I would work a half a day. I'd stay off Thursday, and I would iron everybody's clothes. But it was so many of us, we had 15, 20 sheets. I had to iron all the sheets, all the pillowcases. I had to iron everything. But I've learned better now. You don't have to do all the ironing because the sheets and stuff made out of different material, too, now. You don't have to iron it. You just fold it up. But I had to iron all those sheets and things.

7:13

Jurl Portee Watkins

Of course, we would take the bag that the fertilizer [indistinct 00:07:54] would come in. That's the way we would make our sheets, bleach them out. Sew four of those bags together, and that's the way we would have our sheets. And then bleach it out and you have your pillowcase. They would just come just white and pretty. My daddy used to get the big bag of flour, and they started making these flour bags, making the design a flower, looking just like a material.

7:47

Jurl Portee Watkins

That's what we used for pillowcases, too. We would starch our things and iron them. They'd be so pretty. I started cooking when I was about five years old. I would stand on the bucket and make the biscuits. I'd go out there in the smokehouse and cook the meat, everything. But as the family grew and grew and grew, I had to do more and more and more because, just like I said, all the little kids were under me.

8:24

Gregory Hunter

Did you find that difficult?

9:06

Jurl Portee Watkins

Yes, because I would get mad. Every time my mother got pregnant, I would get angry. I said, "Oh, Lord, not again." But my daddy was so helpful, and he was so supportive. We got up on Sunday morning. If I had to take care of the baby or take care of my mother, my daddy would cook breakfast. If he had to cook, I did the cleaning or he would do the cooking, vice versa. But we had a beautiful life out there as far as I'm concerned.

9:09

Gregory Hunter

When folks got sick, real sick or just a little bit sick, how did they take-

9:45

Jurl Portee Watkins

The doctor came. Dr. Sumner—

9:50

Gregory Hunter

A traveling doctor?

9:52

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm. The doctor came. But most of my mother's kids, they had a midwife. My grandmother was a midwife. But Dr. Sumner delivered most of her last babies.

9:53

Gregory Hunter

Was this a White or a Black doctor?

10:09

Jurl Portee Watkins

White. White. We didn't have a Black doctor.

10:09

Gregory Hunter

There were no Black doctors?

10:13

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-mm. No Black doctors. We didn't have but two White ones, Dr. Sumner and Dr. Stoner. And then after Dr. Sumner died, then Dr. Stoner was a doctor. We had two doctors, one dentist. We didn't even have a hospital that time.

10:17

Gregory Hunter

Was it expensive to see one of the doctors?

10:41

Jurl Portee Watkins

Uh-uh. Like 4 or $5.

10:44

Gregory Hunter

Oh, yeah?

10:46

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm. They charged 15, $20 to deliver a baby.

10:50

Gregory Hunter

And that wasn't that much?

10:56

Jurl Portee Watkins

Well, the cost of living was so low at that time. If I had 15, $20, you had a lot of money. You could do a lot with 15, $20 because you could take a dime and get you a big pop and a big Ike and Mike. Whereas, now you can't take a dollar and get that. So the cost of living was real low. So he would get his little grip and everything. He would come and cut the labor string and that kind of stuff, and that was it.

10:56

Gregory Hunter

Were there any things that you feared?

11:30

Jurl Portee Watkins

Hm?

11:32

Gregory Hunter

Were there any things that you feared when you were younger?

11:33

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-mm. Nothing but kittens and rats because my brother would always chase you with the kittens, and they would put the little rats in a Coca-Cola bottle and bring them home and shake them to us. We'd just run till we just panicked almost. But other than that, no. I didn't fear anything but the rats and kittens, I didn't fear babies, anything like that. I took care of my sisters and brothers. I still do. We're a very close family.

11:36

Jurl Portee Watkins

We look out for each other. Whatever one does for one, she does for the other, especially the ones that live right here. I have one sister who teaches over at Dougherty High School. I have one who's a claim adjuster for State Farm. My baby sister just moved back to Albany. But we just look out for each other, and they overprotect me because I was sick so long. They pamper me a lot.

12:21

Gregory Hunter

That's good. When you started teaching at the junior high school, you said that was around 1960?

13:04

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm. '67 or '8? I think so, yes.

13:15

Gregory Hunter

Also, around that time, that's the height of the civil rights movement, even here in the Albany area and around, the—

13:19

Jurl Portee Watkins

We wouldn't dare. We had a lady superintendent and she said if you march, you will not have a job. If we saw the camera come anywhere, we'd live the building. We could not be seen on any TV or anything like that. We could not participate. [indistinct 00:13:50].

13:27

Gregory Hunter

I mean the threat was that you would lose your job if you did—

13:50

Jurl Portee Watkins

Right.

13:56

Gregory Hunter

—even try to bother? And no one bothered?

13:56

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-mm.

14:00

Gregory Hunter

Not in the school system?

14:01

Jurl Portee Watkins

No. No. Because, see, back in the '60s like that when you taught school, that was a great sacrifice because you scuffled to go to college. Or you scuffled to get out of high school, then you scuffled to go to college. It was a great sacrifice to go to college and finish college, then come back home and teach. So you're not going to do anything detrimental to you or to your job.

14:02

Jurl Portee Watkins

She just let it be known that she didn't believe in marching and she didn't believe in what they were doing and you cannot take a part in it. If you do—

14:34

Gregory Hunter

Was someone who believed in racial equality and—

14:47

Jurl Portee Watkins

Well, at that point, she didn't have a choice because once they integrated, they had to abide.

14:50

Gregory Hunter

But do you know if personally she was someone who believed in—

14:58

Jurl Portee Watkins

Oh, yes. She would never say Negro. Back at that time, you all were Negro before you got Black and before you got African American or whatever. But anyway, she would never say Negro. She would say, "Nigger, nigger." But that's what she had been saying all her life, and so she never took time to learn how to say Negro. "There ain't no nigger going to come down here and tell me what to do about my schools." But she didn't last long. They soon got rid of her.

15:02

Gregory Hunter

Oh, really?

15:45

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm.

15:46

Gregory Hunter

Why?

15:46

Jurl Portee Watkins

Well, she ran and somebody ran against her and voted her out.

15:48

Gregory Hunter

What was her name?

15:54

Jurl Portee Watkins

Deriso. Lizzie J. Deriso.

15:54

Gregory Hunter

Deriso?

15:57

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm.

15:57

Gregory Hunter

How do you spell that name?

15:58

Jurl Portee Watkins

Well, she spells her D-E-R-I-S-O, Lizzie J. She was the superintendent at that time.

15:59

Gregory Hunter

Now, were any protest groups like the NAACP or any of other groups active around here?

16:09

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-mm. Not at that time, no.

16:17

Gregory Hunter

No?

16:19

Jurl Portee Watkins

No.

16:19

Gregory Hunter

This is the beginning of the '60s?

16:19

Jurl Portee Watkins

Around the early '60s. Eventually, they got an NAACP, but it was kind of hush-hush. But there were a few people participating, and they were trying to do some things to start integration, but they had to get into it gradually. And then after they got it organized here, it didn't function because, I don't know, they started falling out. I don't know. I never really been a part of the NAACP, so I don't know what was the problem with it or what.

16:25

Gregory Hunter

Are there any other things that you remember about that period in the early '60s in terms of what was going on? I mean you mentioned that the superintendent of the schools said that no one is to get involved or else they'll lose their job. But clearly, everyone was aware of what was going on in this area and across the South. What kind of an impact did it have on people here?

17:25

Jurl Portee Watkins

Well—

17:53

Gregory Hunter

From what you recall?

17:55

Jurl Portee Watkins

Well, you know how it is in a small city, a small community. But people have always known what they had to do. I hate to use the term Black and White. But the Blacks in this community have always known what they had to do.

17:57

Gregory Hunter

Which is?

18:19

Jurl Portee Watkins

Which is they had to abide by whatever the Whites said. But as time passed when we got more free, we could do things more freely. They always say we wanted equal rights. Well, integration helped in one way, but it hurt in another one. Because you put your Black child in that White teacher's room, if he doesn't get it and keep up, she's not going to take any extra time to go there and say, "Come on. You didn't cross your T or you didn't dot your I." So in that way, it hurt our Black children.

18:20

Jurl Portee Watkins

If you can't go for yourself and get it yourself, then they're not going to give you any extra help. Now, if you got a Black teacher, the teacher can't be partial toward the Black because then the Whites going to say you're prejudiced. So what you got to do is you just got to stand up there before the class and teach. You can't give any personal help because, either way, they're going to say you're prejudiced.

19:02

Jurl Portee Watkins

So if you are not able to function and keep up with your group, whereas some of our Blacks need individual help. You want to go back to this student class and say, "Hey, you spelled the, T-H-E, not T-H-O." But you're kind of tense about doing those type things because it does put you on the spot. Plus, you don't have that time to give the Blacks the type of help that they need because it's no secret. Everybody know that we are behind.

19:31

Jurl Portee Watkins

There are many reasons why we are behind because, in the first place, we didn't have the facilities way back in—Even before they integrated, we didn't have the facilities that we needed. So as the years passed and when time came that we should have been up there where the Whites are, we're just not there. So as a result, the Blacks are behind and, the colleges, they say they're behind. They fall way below the average country.

20:11

Jurl Portee Watkins

But like I said, the Black colleges are behind because the students leaving the high schools and have not gotten what they were supposed to have gotten to be on a normal level. But it's getting better. It's left up. Now, it's kind of left in your hands. You know what you got to do. You going to have to do it because nobody's going to take you by your hand and leave you anymore. You got to be on your own.

20:54

Jurl Portee Watkins

So these students these days, they're wasting their time. Time is so valuable now. The White teachers, they don't care about you learning. You may find one every now and then may take up a little time with the Blacks, but then the Blacks are resentful. So as a result of that, we still stay in the same rut. But our children, they find everything to do except get their lesson. There are some exceptions. Now, when I was teaching, I didn't teach after they integrated. But I've had classes. I've dealt with groups.

21:28

Jurl Portee Watkins

I've had to deal with the groups. I'll tell you a good experience. I always had a homeroom. Even though I was a librarian, I had a homeroom. Every quarter or every year, I would let two people volunteer to assist me because you wouldn't believe the paperwork that—Teachers have so much paperwork until I almost had to teach anyway. But anyway, I would let them volunteer. Every morning, I had a Black one and a White one.

22:46

Jurl Portee Watkins

Every time I changed homeroom, I'd have a Black one and a White one. So every morning, this little White girl would come in and she would sit down and she'd do whatever it is on the desk to be done. The little Black girl wouldn't come until the bell rings. So she told one of her friends. She said, "Ms. Watkins like Melanie better than she does me." So one day, I finally asked her. I said, "Why did you say I like Melanie better than I do you?" I said, "I like you just as much as I do Melanie. Why did you say that?"

23:24

Jurl Portee Watkins

She say, "Well, you let her do everything." I said, "No, I don't let her do everything. She's always here to do it." I said, "Now, if you would come on in when you get here, you'd have the same privilege she does. It's not that because you're Black, because you're White." That's what she said, "Because I'm Black." She said, "She let her do everything because she White. I'm Black."

24:04

Jurl Portee Watkins

I said, "That is not true. You have the same opportunity that she does. Her seat is over here, yours over here. If you want to do it, you have plenty of time to come in every morning." She's like, "Yeah, you let Melanie write all the names and call the roll and all that." I said, "But you're never here to do it. If you would come in here and be here to do it when you're supposed to, then you have the same chance, the same opportunity. You can do the same identical thing."

24:28

Jurl Portee Watkins

So finally, she started coming. She started coming, getting in there. When she get there, she'd come right on in there. She said, "Ms. Watkins, what you want me to do this morning?" I said, "Oh, you can call the roll for me, whatever." But that helped her. She didn't tell me. She told her friend. She told her friend.

24:56

Gregory Hunter

I can pause it.

25:19

Jurl Portee Watkins

That's the thing you have to go up against sometimes. Our children mean well. It's just that they don't know. See, that had to happen for her to know what she was supposed to do. So you have all kinds of experiences with students.

25:23

Gregory Hunter

Earlier, you were talking about community, about how back when you were younger in the country, everyone seemed to support each other. Everyone was really cooperative, Black people and White people. If you had some food left over, you'd give it to other people and everybody would try to help each other out.

25:48

Jurl Portee Watkins

Not left over. If you killed hogs, you just automatically sent everybody a mess of fresh meat.

26:04

Gregory Hunter

Now, do you see it that way today?

26:12

Jurl Portee Watkins

Well, you don't have people in the country anymore. If they're farming, they don't live on the farm. They just go out there and farm. Now, more people are getting back to the country. They're building houses out, but they're not farming. They're not in a farming area. People would rather go buy the meat now rather than go raise a hog, but plus the fact they don't have anything to raise a hog.

26:14

Jurl Portee Watkins

Even if you got a big house out in the country, you don't want a hog around your house, smelling and all that kind of stuff. But you just don't have hogs like that anymore.

26:48

Gregory Hunter

You don't see a real difference in terms of the way people are, but just a difference in terms of the way that people have their jobs—

27:01

Jurl Portee Watkins

[indistinct 00:27:07]—

27:06

Gregory Hunter

—and people live their lives?

27:07

Jurl Portee Watkins

Different in society. But there are so many more opportunities for people than there were back then. There are so many things going on. Automation has grown so until there's just no comparison back in the '60s and now because If you're not going to the movies, you're going to the Polecats game, all that kind of stuff. You're going to the Civic Center for some reason. But back in those days, you didn't have that kind of stuff.

27:08

Jurl Portee Watkins

It's always something to be doing. During the summer, they have so many programs going on now until you don't have to worry. Only thing you got to do is get up. Stop being so lazy and get up and go get your children in a program. They go and they have somebody to take care of them all day. They give them a free meal. But some of us don't even do that. They let the children run around in the streets, get run over by cars and all that kind of stuff when they could have them in a summer program.

28:12

Jurl Portee Watkins

They got all kinds of summer programs. See, that just started happening where you had different activities for the young people. They have the free lunch program where people don't have anything to do but bring their children right here and get their free lunch. They'll come and get that. Sometime they come in here. Ms. Conway tell them. She said, "They want food." We give everybody and anybody food.

28:51

Jurl Portee Watkins

She'll tell them, "Y'all get food stamps." They'll get their food stamps today, and they'll come here tomorrow wanting food. She'll say, "You just got your food stamps. What did you do with your food stamps?" But we help everybody.

29:34

Gregory Hunter

I wanted to turn now and ask you some particular questions about your family, like names and different things like that, and about yourself as well. What's your middle name?

29:56

Jurl Portee Watkins

Lee.

30:09

Gregory Hunter

Lee?

30:09

Jurl Portee Watkins

L-E-E.

30:11

Gregory Hunter

L-E-E?

30:11

Jurl Portee Watkins

Uh-huh.

30:11

Gregory Hunter

And what's your maiden name?

30:14

Jurl Portee Watkins

P-O-R-T-E-E.

30:15

Gregory Hunter

Portee, okay. What's your address?

30:22

Jurl Portee Watkins

1139 East Roosevelt Avenue, Albany 31705.

30:23

Gregory Hunter

What's the ZIP code? 31705? Can you tell me your date of birth again?

30:39

Jurl Portee Watkins

07/24/32.

30:49

Gregory Hunter

You have one coming up soon, huh?

30:53

Jurl Portee Watkins

Yes.

30:55

Gregory Hunter

You were born in

30:55

Jurl Portee Watkins

Worth County.

30:57

Gregory Hunter

In Worth County. What's your home telephone number?

31:14

Jurl Portee Watkins

883-4110.

31:17

Gregory Hunter

4410? What's your husband's name?

31:20

Jurl Portee Watkins

James.

31:34

Gregory Hunter

And his middle name?

31:47

Jurl Portee Watkins

A. Watkins.

31:47

Gregory Hunter

When was he born?

31:47

Jurl Portee Watkins

I can't think right now. Go on to the next question.

32:00

Gregory Hunter

Okay. Where was he born?

32:03

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mitchell County.

32:04

Gregory Hunter

Which one?

32:06

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mitchell.

32:07

Gregory Hunter

Mitchell?

32:08

Jurl Portee Watkins

Uh-huh.

32:09

Gregory Hunter

he's worked on the railroad all of his life or does he do something different now?

32:18

Jurl Portee Watkins

He passed away in '75.

32:23

Gregory Hunter

Oh, he did? Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't remember you saying that. But up until then, he worked in the railroad?

32:25

Jurl Portee Watkins

Yes. And he was a cab driver.

32:34

Gregory Hunter

What's your mother's name?

32:43

Jurl Portee Watkins

Martha, M-A-R-T-H-A.

32:44

Gregory Hunter

Her middle name?

32:47

Jurl Portee Watkins

P. Brown.

32:50

Gregory Hunter

Brown. What was her maiden name?

32:53

Jurl Portee Watkins

Her maiden name was Brown.

32:59

Gregory Hunter

Oh, her maiden name was Brown. Okay.

33:00

Jurl Portee Watkins

Her married name was Portee.

33:00

Gregory Hunter

Oh, okay. Do you remember when she was born?

33:01

Jurl Portee Watkins

March 3, 1911.

33:17

Gregory Hunter

What year did she pass, in '84 you said?

33:37

Jurl Portee Watkins

'83.

33:38

Gregory Hunter

'83. Was she born in—

33:38

Jurl Portee Watkins

Worth County.

33:38

Gregory Hunter

In Worth County, also. What did she do?

33:40

Jurl Portee Watkins

She was a housewife.

33:48

Gregory Hunter

And your father's name?

33:53

Jurl Portee Watkins

Obediah, O-B-E-D-I-A-H.

33:56

Gregory Hunter

His middle name?

33:57

Jurl Portee Watkins

He doesn't have one.

34:00

Gregory Hunter

Portee. Do you remember when he was born?

34:12

Jurl Portee Watkins

February 2, 1909.

34:15

Gregory Hunter

He passed in 1985? He's also from Worth County, born in Worth County?

34:21

Jurl Portee Watkins

Yes.

34:29

Gregory Hunter

Do you remember how they met? No? Your father was a farmer?

34:34

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm.

34:41

Gregory Hunter

And a painter?

34:41

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm.

34:51

Gregory Hunter

Okay. And your brothers and sisters?

34:52

Jurl Portee Watkins

Their names?

34:55

Gregory Hunter

And birthday. If you can—

34:57

Jurl Portee Watkins

Are you kidding me? You should have told me to bring my Bible.

35:01

Gregory Hunter

Oh, is that right? Yeah.

35:06

Jurl Portee Watkins

I can remember—

35:08

Gregory Hunter

Because it's all written in there, huh?

35:09

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm. I'll give you the names. I can't remember the birthdate right now.

35:10

Gregory Hunter

Okay, that's good.

35:15

Jurl Portee Watkins

William Henry Portee. Larmarvin Portee, L-A-R-M-A-R-V-I-N.

35:16

Gregory Hunter

Portee?

35:27

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm.

35:30

Gregory Hunter

Okay. They were all born in Worth County?

35:34

Jurl Portee Watkins

Johnny Lee Portee.

35:40

Gregory Hunter

Okay.

35:40

Jurl Portee Watkins

Obediah Portee.

35:40

Gregory Hunter

Junior?

35:58

Jurl Portee Watkins

He's not really a junior. His name is Darren Obediah.

36:01

Gregory Hunter

Oh, okay.

36:02

Jurl Portee Watkins

I don't know how they got that. He's not a junior, but that's what his name is. Ethel Robinson.

36:03

Gregory Hunter

Robinson?

36:17

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm.

36:20

Gregory Hunter

Okay.

36:20

Jurl Portee Watkins

Gladys Hall. Ralph Portee.

36:23

Gregory Hunter

Okay.

36:31

Jurl Portee Watkins

Freda Venisee.

36:38

Gregory Hunter

Freda, F-R-E-D-A?

36:41

Jurl Portee Watkins

V-E-N-I-S-E-E.

36:43

Gregory Hunter

Okay.

36:43

Jurl Portee Watkins

Gordon Portee. And Brenda Macon.

36:50

Gregory Hunter

What's her last name?

37:00

Jurl Portee Watkins

Macon, M-A-C-O-N.

37:00

Gregory Hunter

Okay. You were the first born or?

37:06

Jurl Portee Watkins

I'm the second.

37:07

Gregory Hunter

Second born. And your children's names?

37:11

Jurl Portee Watkins

Carlton Alonzo Watkins.

37:14

Gregory Hunter

And when was he born?

37:16

Jurl Portee Watkins

January 21, 1954.

37:26

Gregory Hunter

Was he born in Sylvester?

37:32

Jurl Portee Watkins

Worth County?

37:33

Gregory Hunter

Worth County. Okay.

37:33

Jurl Portee Watkins

Not Worth County, Dougherty County. I'm sorry.

37:35

Gregory Hunter

Dougherty County, okay.

37:37

Jurl Portee Watkins

Dougherty County.

37:37

Gregory Hunter

In Albany?

37:37

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm.

37:37

Gregory Hunter

Okay.

37:37

Jurl Portee Watkins

Eartha Johnson.

37:49

Gregory Hunter

When was she born?

37:58

Jurl Portee Watkins

August 12, 1960. See, when I started having children, I forgot all of my sisters' and brothers' birthdate.

37:58

Gregory Hunter

You had to remember your own kids'. Do you have any grandchildren?

38:06

Jurl Portee Watkins

One.

38:22

Gregory Hunter

Okay. Could you just list for me the different places you've lived starting with Worth County out in the country? Just the addresses.

38:22

Jurl Portee Watkins

Okay. I lived in Shingler. You want the address?

38:32

Gregory Hunter

Mm-hmm.

38:38

Jurl Portee Watkins

Route 1, Poulan, Georgia.

38:39

Gregory Hunter

Okay.

38:41

Jurl Portee Watkins

711 North Carroll Street—

38:47

Gregory Hunter

This is a different one or is that the same-

38:49

Jurl Portee Watkins

No, that's all in Worth County.

38:51

Gregory Hunter

Okay. 711?

38:54

Jurl Portee Watkins

North Carroll, Albany.

38:55

Gregory Hunter

How do you spell that? C-A?

38:58

Jurl Portee Watkins

C-A-R-R-O-L-L.

38:59

Gregory Hunter

North Carroll. That's in?

39:03

Jurl Portee Watkins

Albany. 1333 East Hill, Albany. And then 1139 East Roosevelt.

39:04

Gregory Hunter

All right. You lived in Worth County until 1949? Then you lived on North Carroll for how long? From [indistinct 00:39:49]—

39:20

Jurl Portee Watkins

Let me see. About 10 years, I guess. Let me see. I've been in Albany almost 30 years. I've been where I am now about 20 years.

39:49

Gregory Hunter

At which place?

40:23

Jurl Portee Watkins

I've been where I am now about 20 years.

40:28

Gregory Hunter

On what street? You been on Roosevelt Street?

40:30

Jurl Portee Watkins

Roosevelt. So I've been earlier on Carroll, I'll just say. I guess about five years.

40:45

Gregory Hunter

Since when? Since 1950?

40:46

Jurl Portee Watkins

I guess so. I really lived on 1333 East Hill before I lived on Carroll.

40:57

Gregory Hunter

How long did you live there?

41:00

Jurl Portee Watkins

About five or six years.

41:05

Gregory Hunter

What was the name of the schools you went to?

41:15

Jurl Portee Watkins

I went to-

41:19

Gregory Hunter

Starting with the grade school.

41:19

Jurl Portee Watkins

Well, they called it Shingler Elementary, I guess.

41:24

Gregory Hunter

[indistinct 00:41:32]—

41:25

Jurl Portee Watkins

Then Oak Hill High.

41:33

Gregory Hunter

Okay. You stayed at Shingler until sixth grade?

41:44

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm.

41:48

Gregory Hunter

Okay. And then you went to—

41:48

Jurl Portee Watkins

You got Oak Hill?

42:11

Gregory Hunter

Mm-hmm.

42:11

Jurl Portee Watkins

Albany.

42:11

Gregory Hunter

Albany State. How long did you stay at Albany State? Three years?

42:24

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm.

42:26

Gregory Hunter

Okay. And then you went to?

42:27

Jurl Portee Watkins

Florida A&M.

42:34

Gregory Hunter

Where in Florida? Is that in Tallahassee?

42:34

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm.

42:34

Gregory Hunter

Okay. What years did you go there? You said in the late '70s?

42:48

Jurl Portee Watkins

Yes.

42:58

Gregory Hunter

For how long? Just two years you went there?

43:20

Jurl Portee Watkins

Just one year.

43:24

Gregory Hunter

Okay. And then you—

43:24

Jurl Portee Watkins

Went to University of Georgia.

43:28

Gregory Hunter

And that's in Macon?

43:28

Jurl Portee Watkins

Athens.

43:28

Gregory Hunter

Athens, Georgia.

43:28

Jurl Portee Watkins

That was in about 1984.

43:28

Gregory Hunter

How long did you stay there?

43:28

Jurl Portee Watkins

Just one year.

43:28

Gregory Hunter

Now I just want go over your jobs. Your last one, you were the librarian at Worth County Junior High?

43:30

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-hmm.

43:41

Gregory Hunter

And then before that, you were a teacher?

43:49

Jurl Portee Watkins

I was a librarian at—What's the name of that school? Clark? I can't even think of the name of that school.

43:51

Gregory Hunter

That was the one where you were at one year?

43:51

Jurl Portee Watkins

In Athens, uh-huh. I believe it was AS Clark.

43:53

Gregory Hunter

What year was that?

44:45

Jurl Portee Watkins

1955, '56.

44:49

Gregory Hunter

Okay. Before that, you were a teacher, right?

44:49

Jurl Portee Watkins

That was the first job I had then.

45:01

Gregory Hunter

Oh, okay. In Worth County, you started in 1960?

45:02

Jurl Portee Watkins

Uh-uh. I started Worth County. I worked in Athens one year. That was the '55, '56 school year. The next year, which would have been '56, '57 school year, that's when I came back to Worth County.

45:11

Gregory Hunter

And you stayed there till 19—

45:25

Jurl Portee Watkins

Until 1980—

45:26

Gregory Hunter

'4?

45:26

Jurl Portee Watkins

'85. When did I retired? '87. '87.

45:30

Gregory Hunter

Oh, okay. Have you ever received any awards or honors or held any offices in any organization?

45:36

Jurl Portee Watkins

Yes. Then again, I wish I had brought my book. I was woman of the year, but I don't remember the year though.

45:58

Gregory Hunter

For what group?

46:16

Jurl Portee Watkins

That was for Baronettes Club.

46:19

Gregory Hunter

The Baron?

46:23

Jurl Portee Watkins

Baronettes. B-A-R-O-N-E-T-T-E.

46:23

Gregory Hunter

You can't remember the year?

46:31

Jurl Portee Watkins

Mm-mm. I can't remember the year.

46:31

Gregory Hunter

Do you remember any other awards or honor?

46:35

Jurl Portee Watkins

I can't right offhand.

46:40

Gregory Hunter

Okay. What's your religious denominator? Baptist?

46:44

Jurl Portee Watkins

Baptist.

46:47

Gregory Hunter

And the name of the church you go—

46:47

RL00170-CS-0245_02

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John Hope Franklin Research Center