Azree Marable interview recording, 1993 May 29

Download
- Rights
- Limited Re-Use
  CC BY-NC 4.0
  More Rights Info
- Files (2)
- MP3 Part 1
- MP3 Part 2
- Please be patient with media downloads. They are often large files.
Share

Embed Code
<iframe src='//idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4416zd6s?embed=true' height='125px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4416zd6s
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

Rhonda Mawhood	So, the first thing that we'd like to know is how long all of you have been living in Oxford.	0:02
Azree Marable	I was born in Oxford.	0:09
Rhonda Mawhood	You were born here? And Mrs. Cooper also, was she born in Oxford? So, do you know how long your family has been here?	0:11
Azree Marable	All my life.	0:18
Rhonda Mawhood	All your life? Okay—	0:19
Azree Marable	All my life. With that, very standard little house.	0:20
Rhonda Mawhood	And there—	0:27
Azree Marable	[indistinct 00:00:31]. So when my father would be in the store, one by one, they came up here. He ain't run it himself, he had rent it out to a Court Pettiford and his wife. So , they were going to move, so he figured he could take it. So, one by one, we moved here. So we built on to it one room at a time. The whole family came.	0:30
Rhonda Mawhood	How many is in the whole family, Mrs. Marable?	0:57
Azree Marable	At that time it was—Dorothy. That's my baby sister. And my sister, myself—	1:04
Leslie Brown	So there were three girls?	1:09
Azree Marable	No, you was married. No, she wasn't. I got to think more. You was married then. Just, Dorothy and myself. Because I had a sister. I've been telling her I got married. Got married '38.	1:30
Rhonda Mawhood	How old were you then when you married, Mrs. Marable?	1:37
Azree Marable	I'm ashamed to say it. Eighteen. Eighteen.	1:39
Leslie Brown	What do you remember about the three of you children growing up? Did you go to school?	1:49
Azree Marable	Yes, I went to high school. Mary Potter High School.	1:56
Leslie Brown	I'm sorry?	2:00
Azree Marable	Mary Potter High School.	2:01
Leslie Brown	Mary Potter High School?	2:02
Azree Marable	My sister and myself. Young Zion's School right there. I think you—Let me see what year? How many years you had to go to Young Zion before you go to high school? But anyway, I went to Young Zion until I graduated, and I went to high school. Mary Potter High School. And I was going from this house here.	2:05
Leslie Brown	What kinds of things did you do together as children?	2:33
Azree Marable	Oh, when we were together? Well, we played—I remember the other night I was telling my sister-in-law if whippoorwill—You know, they said, "Whippooree, whippooree." And I said, "They used to scare me saying the whippooree, I thought they was going whip me." And I used to cry, and I'd run down to the house and go tell mama, "Don't let them whip me, the whippooree going to whip me." And you know, little simple things like that. And we just played, jumping rope. And my mother used to take us to the neighborhood, I think they name was Allen. They lived way out there in the woods there. The house is gone.	2:36
Azree Marable	And we used to jump rope, and they was out there in the chair in the yard, singing and praying and teaching us the right way. How to play with each other, no fighting or nothing. And we used to play ball with them. Baseball. And we used to play against the boys, like all the neighbors, the girls played against the boys. And that was fun, that's all the recreation we had. You didn't have—I guess they had movies, I couldn't go because we had no way of going to Oxford. And we enjoyed ourself. Wasn't no fighting, no drugs or nothing, you know? Drinking, we didn't know anything about that. Not at my age, you know, we didn't live that type of life. My mother didn't allow that. And you got to say the right thing around them. We'd go singing. Oh, we played church.	3:11
Leslie Brown	You played church?	4:03
Azree Marable	I remember the path right here, my neighbor, my girlfriend she lived—I think it was Irene. Not Irene. Liz Ann Allen. We used to exchange letters in the mailbox. I'd write a note to her, she'd write to me, and we'd go to the mailbox to get our mail. So that's the fun, we enjoyed that. And there was a pig pen, right here. Stop by and play with the pigs, and we'd give them apples and feed them. And it was nice, I enjoyed it.	4:06
Leslie Brown	Did your family own the pigs?	4:42
Azree Marable	Yes.	4:44
Leslie Brown	So, you had a farm?	4:45
Azree Marable	We had a farm, we had watermelon—We used to go up to our uncle—Well, he had a watermelon pit, and we'd go in the field and take a knife and plug and see which watermelon is ripe. It wasn't ripe, we'd put it back so he won't tell we'd been in the field. Little simple things like that. Go get all we want, sitting in the field and just eat all the watermelon. Then we'd get them, we'd go give it to the pigs. And they enjoyed them well, so we did.	4:55
Leslie Brown	What else did the family grow?	5:25
Azree Marable	Let me see. What we lived off was tobacco.	5:27
Azree Marable	Oh, and that's another thing, my sister said that I used to be afraid of worms. When we'd go pluck them off the tobacco, and they would throw them at me. (laughs) So, I was just crying. I don't know why I was like that. I guess I couldn't tell you about that. I always was afraid of worms. And I never could happen to pull the worms off because they'd make me cry, and I'm knocking down the tobacco, breaking the leaves. And my father told me, "Come back y'all. Leave that girl alone, you know she's afraid of the worms." (laughs) So I'd just sit there over in the field until they'd get through. Crying because I was afraid of the worms. (laughs)	5:33
Leslie Brown	Did all of you work?	6:18
Azree Marable	Yes.	6:20
Leslie Brown	Somewhere with the tobacco? Somewhere on the farm?	6:21
Azree Marable	Yes. But at the time I was working with Dr. Taylor was in—I guess you know Doctor Taylor—	6:23
Leslie Brown	No.	6:31
Azree Marable	I guess I was eleven years old when I started working with him. He paid me seventy-five dollars a week to take care of his grandchild. That was in that days, when I was eleven years old—	6:35
Rhonda Mawhood	Seventy-five dollars a week?	6:43
Azree Marable	A week.	6:43
Leslie Brown	Nice.	6:43
Azree Marable	Wasn't that something? I guess, I don't know if I was supposed to work then or not, but I worked with him most of the time. And that's why I didn't do too much work on the farm, like the rest, my sister and family. Because that was, that was terrible—	6:51
Rhonda Mawhood	How did you get the job at Dr. Taylor's?	7:15
Azree Marable	I guess he know us, you know? He know my parents, and I guess my father needed the money. I didn't see the money any. So I guess my father needed the money. I remember it was seventy-five dollars a week. There's something to go into history, huh? The way it is now, people don't work for seventy-five dollars an hour now.	7:17
Leslie Brown	When you took the tobacco crop in, where did the tobacco go to market? Which market?	7:49
Azree Marable	I know it was in Oxford—	7:57
Leslie Brown	Was it Durham? Or into Oxford?	7:59
Azree Marable	In Oxford.	8:06
Leslie Brown	It was the market in Oxford? And did you all go in when it was time to take the tobacco in?	8:06
Azree Marable	No. I never did.	8:09
Leslie Brown	Who went?	8:09
Azree Marable	Just my father. I never did go. He never told us how much tobacco was or anything, because he did it. My sister got married early too, so I didn't stay with her too much after she got married.	8:22
Leslie Brown	When did you get married?	8:26
Azree Marable	It was before—She was worser than I was—Younger than I was.	8:31
Leslie Brown	How old? You're not going to tell?	8:34
Azree Marable	Should I tell on her?	8:37
Leslie Brown	No? All right.	8:39
Azree Marable	Should I tell on you?	8:39
Leslie Brown	Was it all right with everyone?	8:41
Azree Marable	It's all right I tell what you did? You don't want me to tell her?	8:42
Rhonda Mawhood	Was it all right with your parents when you got married then?	8:47
Azree Marable	That's what I'm trying to say. Nobody know when she got married, she was going to high school, riding—What was you riding? The Downy, Roberta Downy. I don't know if you know her.	8:51
Rhonda Mawhood	No.	9:03
Azree Marable	They picked her up, she got dressed, I didn't even know it. Got dressed and put her school clothes on top of a dress, a dress, got married. Mama didn't know it, Papa didn't know it. I didn't know it. Nobody know it. Now I done told. But the beauty part, after she got married, she got her high school diploma. And that made it nicer.	9:05
Azree Marable	And my sister Dorothy, she lived in Roselle, she went to college. And that was—Wasn't it or Greensboro? What was the name of that college she went to? Greensboro?	9:45
Leslie Brown	In Greensboro, or?	10:04
Azree Marable	Anyway, I was in Jersey. I had got married, because I left in '41. In '41, I went to New Jersey, and I've been there ever since.	10:05
Leslie Brown	So you just moved back recently?	10:16
Azree Marable	I didn't move. I'm just staying to take care of my mother after my sister got in an accident. She can't take care of her, but she's telling me she can. But she can't. And I need to be home. And I don't want to take Mama away, because she won't stay in another house. So I'm trying to do my best to please her. I didn't want to put her in a nursing home. And the beauty part, she's not sick. Just senile, she forgets, she don't even know who I am, I think.	10:20
Leslie Brown	Well, let's talk about when you were in school, what do you remember about school?	10:54
Azree Marable	Now, I'm going to be like my sister on that, now I don't want to talk about that. (laughs)	10:58
Leslie Brown	You don't want to talk about school?	11:06
Azree Marable	Because I didn't go like I should. (laughs) I think because—I remember in the country, I was tall and skinny, they wanted me to play basketball, but I couldn't go for practice. I had no way going backwards and forwards. And they, you know, just hated it. Until I just, wanted to get married to get away. Too many people was coming in. I don't know much but—Lot of people coming in the store, just a—No privacy.	11:08
Leslie Brown	Do you remember what year your father opened the store? Or did he always have the store?	11:41
Azree Marable	What year was that? That was before I got married. About 34, 33, something like that, in the thirties.	11:45
Leslie Brown	What kind of people came to the store?	11:54
Azree Marable	Everybody, the whole neighborhood. Everybody stopped by, drinking soda. Instead of getting what they want and going back to business, they got to come in here. I remember we had this one, two.	11:56
Leslie Brown	And they would stay?	12:15
Azree Marable	Sit and wait. When I act all up, then she'd get on my nerves. I didn't say, but when I'm cleaning I want them to stay in the store. Then leave. Maybe I shouldn't be saying this stuff.	12:17
Leslie Brown	What kinds of things did they do when they waited?	12:37
Azree Marable	They'd sit around talking.	12:41
Leslie Brown	Sit around talking? What'd they talk about?	12:42
Azree Marable	That's what I'm saying. Nothing. (all laugh) Just wanted to be—And I remember Mary B., wasn't then, but she's a teacher now. She kind of seemed like that then. And she said—She was young, she loved to come to the store, have somewhere to go. Just get one piece of candy. That was an amusement for her. She just loved—They thought they was going out then they come in the store, this was the main source of entertainment. Entertainment, you know, in the store—	12:43
Leslie Brown	Now, may I ask if both Whites and Blacks came to the store?	13:24
Azree Marable	Both White and Black. And there wasn't no—Got along fine. In fact, Mama had just as many White customers as she did Black. So the man stopped back all day. Wasn't no how—you remember when he was a little boy a used to come to the store? Didn't have no money for candy, so mama would reach over and get him a lollipop. And he was so happy, that's why he stopped by. Because he didn't have money to pay for it. You know how children didn't have no money like this then. But he was so happy that she would give him a lollipop.	13:28
Rhonda Mawhood	Did men and women sit and talk at the store? Or was it—	14:12
Azree Marable	Yeah—	14:16
Rhonda Mawhood	Both?	14:16
Azree Marable	I mean they'd just come in and talk, everybody just have a good time sitting on the porch and—	14:20
Leslie Brown	And they would talk together? Did the men talk together and the women talk together, but they talked to each other?	14:26
Azree Marable	Just talking. Just talking. And I think my mother enjoyed that, because she stayed behind the counter, I don't know how she stood up all that many hours, waiting on whatever they want. She was there to help them. If they had the money, she'd let them have it that didn't have it. That's why she's [indistinct 00:14:59].	14:43
Leslie Brown	What kind of things did you sell at the store?	14:59
Azree Marable	We even had gas. Gas, everything. Candy, sodas, canned food. And what else was there? Gum.	15:01
Leslie Brown	Gum? Flour?	15:15
Azree Marable	Yes, and Crisco. Stuff like that. Sodas.	15:15
Rhonda Mawhood	Anything like cloth or ribbon or something like that?	15:28
Azree Marable	Had stockings.	15:34
Leslie Brown	So when you needed to buy clothes or have clothes, what did you do? Where did you go? Did you shop someplace else, did you shop in Oxford?	15:35
Azree Marable	We'd go to Oxford. It wasn't that big. You know they called it a country store. I think my pa enjoyed it too. But they both didn't have no education. They didn't go to school. So my mother said my father used to slide up and down when she was in school instead of studying, he looking at the girls, so she caught an eye on him. And was a little slower than she was. At least she can write her name and read, I'll say that.	15:51
Leslie Brown	So Mrs. Cooper didn't go to school at all? She went to school some?	16:27
Azree Marable	She went to school in some, but not high school.	16:29
Leslie Brown	And where did she go to school?	16:34
Azree Marable	I would like to know. That's a good question for me to ask her, I don't know. It's somewhere in the woods at New Corinth, back over—That's where she'd been raised, I think. You ever hear of New Corinth Church?	16:36
Leslie Brown	New Corinth?	16:47
Azree Marable	New Corinth.	16:49
Leslie Brown	No. New Corinth. No, I haven't heard of that.	16:53
Azree Marable	Well, that was her church. She was baptized there.	16:55
Leslie Brown	And the school was in the church?	16:58
Azree Marable	No, no. Granted a percent. Just like the school I went to, Young Zion. We had to walk. Maybe I should say this. We used to walk, and the White people was on the bus, they used to throw at us and call us every name in the book. We couldn't do nothing. We walked, and they'd ride. That wasn't fair. Nothing we could do about it.	17:00
Leslie Brown	You never did anything about it?	17:32
Azree Marable	No, we were raised up to be good to people. We would never—Right now, the kids would turn the bus upside down if they did. These days and times. We never did that. We'd just get out of the way of the bus so it wouldn't run over us. That's the only thing we could do.	17:33
Leslie Brown	Who were your neighbors?	18:02
Azree Marable	Let's see, who was my neighbor, Willy Wilson, he lived—His son live there now, Taylor, I don't know if you know Taylor, he's a policeman now.	18:04
Leslie Brown	Is he Black?	18:13
Azree Marable	Uh-huh. Miss Faraland and her daughters, let me see—Patty Miller and her husband, they used to live way—	18:23
Leslie Brown	Down back this way, behind—	18:32
Azree Marable	That way, where I was when I was growing up. I can't remember none—	18:33
Leslie Brown	So, the next closest people were where? How far away?	18:43
Azree Marable	I been knowing everybody all my life. Up until now, I don't remember them. I remember their mother, but the children, I don't remember them. They built beautiful homes. My grandmother used to get rent from West Stone. They even remodeled West Stone. In fact, my grandfather gave them the land to build the church, West Stone Church, because he was the pastor of that church.	18:48
Leslie Brown	Oh was he?	19:15
Azree Marable	Mm-hmm.	19:15
Leslie Brown	What do you remember about your grandparents?	19:26
Azree Marable	Only thing I remember—My sisters here, every night they used to come in there and tell us their story about the little rabbit went to the briar bush, briar patch. And he said, "Sit right there, little one. Right in—"	19:28
Azree Marable	And on this side I'm sitting here. We're looking in the fire. We had a fireplace. And I could see little monkeys—You know how the fire—Picture everything, and I was when afraid he'd be telling the story. He loved to see me get excited, I guess. (Brown laughs)	19:44
Azree Marable	So he kept telling the Br'er Rabbit, "Please do everything to me, but please don't throw me in the briar patch." At that time I didn't know, that's what he wanted because he lived in the briar, and that's what, they threw him in the briar patch. "Oh, thank you! I was bred and born in the briar bushes." (laughs)	20:02
Azree Marable	Every night, he would tell us a story. That's the only thing I really can remember now because I loved, couldn't wait for him to tell us a story before we go to bed.	20:24
Leslie Brown	Now, was your grandfather your mother's father or your father's father?	20:38
Azree Marable	My father's father. But, I don't know about my mother. She never talked about him.	20:41
Leslie Brown	And your father's mother, did your grandmother—Did you ever spend any time with her?	20:50
Azree Marable	No, I didn't see—My grandfather the store, I was small. I don't know how old I was then, but I don't remember when he died. I must was real young. I don't remember. But he lived with his sister, and she was a maid. What do you call that, delivering babies?	20:54
Rhonda Mawhood	A midwife?	21:17
Azree Marable	A midwife. Yeah, that's what his sister was. Now, they two lived together in the house up on the hill.	21:18
Rhonda Mawhood	So, where did your grandfather's sister go? Do you know anything about where she went to deliver babies?	21:28
Azree Marable	All around the neighborhood. I won't forget, I went with her once to deliver, but I didn't know what she was doing. She wanted us to go with her, when she delivered babies. They went down, time she had the baby. I guess she delivered me. I guess.	21:36
Leslie Brown	So, when people needed medical care, what happened if someone got hurt? Who would take care of them?	22:00
Azree Marable	You wouldn't believe me. My father was cutting briar bush there in the field. He split his foot. Don't you know he took care, and didn't go to the doctor?	22:19
Leslie Brown	Really? He took care of it himself?	22:20
Azree Marable	He took care of himself.	22:22
Leslie Brown	Do you remember what he did to take care of it?	22:24
Azree Marable	I really don't know. But I remember I was afraid and say, "Are you going to the doctor?" And I thought that was terrible. At the time, I was fretting he might not walk no more. But God had him took care of the same way take care.	22:26
Leslie Brown	Was there ever a time when a doctor was called?	22:53
Azree Marable	I would say Dr. Taylor. You remember I told you I was working for him? He used to come out.	23:04
Leslie Brown	He used to come out?	23:04
Azree Marable	I remember when my sister, she died with whooping cough. And the funniest thing, I don't know, but my mama said I never had the whooping cough. She was nine months old when she died. I never had it. And I remember because he would play—My father playing with one of the—Must have been Dorothy, and she had a spot on her. The doctor, he said she had that when she had the chicken pox. So, when did she have the chicken pox? He didn't report it or nothing, I guess. I don't know at the time. I remember that.	23:04
Rhonda Mawhood	Did you pay? I'm sorry.	23:46
Azree Marable	I guess so. Now see, I was small then. I don't know, but family. Not the chicken pox. If you scratch, it'll leave you with the little scar. But, we may not understand. My sister died with the whooping cough. I don't know at that time. My family doctor may not even know when she died.	23:56
Rhonda Mawhood	Did you go to church?	24:28
Azree Marable	Oh, yes. I was baptized in the water at 11 years old. I was 11 when I went to work, thought it was later then. Right in the pond down here. I guess it's all trees over it now. The West Stone. It was nothing but West Stone. So I moved. Second Baptist in Rahway, New Jersey. So that's where I'm a member now. And my pastor is Reverend Ealey. He's the pastor at the church for 26 years. And I really enjoy it. So now, it's bothering me because I can't get out like I used to. I've been going to different places. But with mama, if I can't get my sister to look after my mother, I just can't go.	24:29
Speaker 1	You said what?	24:56
Azree Marable	I said if I can't get you to look after mama when I do go—You know, she always take care of mama. If I go shopping or—Other than that, I can't leave because she's not well enough to shower. So I think I took her to church twice since I've been there.	24:58
Leslie Brown	What do you remember about church when you were growing up?	25:48
Azree Marable	Only thing I remember—We didn't have the paved over like it is now. When I'd get dressed with my new shoes—I put on old shoes, hide them in the bushes. Didn't want them getting muddy. They needed to be nice and clean. Getting ready to come back home. We had to walk. Always used old shoes, so I wouldn't mess up my new shoes. My dress shoes. Not only me. We all did that. Be nice mud. If the car passes, our hair and dust be all on your eyebrows. But, we still going to church, celebrating, singing, praise the Lord.	25:53
Leslie Brown	How long did church services last?	26:45
Azree Marable	Oh my goodness. At the time, my father-in-law, I didn't know he was going to be my father-in-law, he preached until sundown. 10:00 to 7:00, hooping and hollering. Reverend Green, remember? Didn't have no particular time to stop preaching. Everybody get happy and start singing. I don't think we had an organ or a piano then. Just pat our hands. One time I remember, we had a program, Children's Day. I had to recite the poem. I got up to say it, and I hit my head against the pulpit, and I forgot it. So I looked around, I said, "What is it, ma?" I don't know what it was, but one word she said then I took it and went I know what the rest of it was. I'll never forget that Sunday with the Children's Day. I guess I was 6 or 7 years old then. But I won't forget how embarrassed I was. I didn't know what to say when I hit my head when I walked up to the pulpit. Then she told me what to say, and I didn't forget it.	26:47
Rhonda Mawhood	Do you remember other activities going on at the church? Like a picnic or something?	28:01
Azree Marable	Picnic? Did we have church picnics?	28:04
Rhonda Mawhood	Or things like that?	28:05
Azree Marable	Only thing I remember, when we had a union. Sunday school union. It seemed like every time I wanted to learn a verse in the Bible, the repeating of when we go to different churches, it seemed like—That was Willy Wilson. He always would take me and tell me to learn a verse in the Bible. I always tried to repeat it on the fifth Sunday it was. I don't know if they do that now or not.	28:12
Rhonda Mawhood	So you would visit other churches?	28:41
Azree Marable	Yeah. Yeah. Every fifth Sunday of the month. That was exciting to me because I loved that. The Lord is shepherd, and I shall not want. No, that's the 23rd Psalm. I'm trying to think. Let not your heart be troubled. I'll never forget that verse. Is that Saint Matthew, the 14th? I want to get it right, now. He believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house have many mansions. I always—I remember that one verse I get to say. I didn't forget that.	28:43
Leslie Brown	Did everybody go to church?	29:23
Azree Marable	Yes, but we didn't go all the time together. Now, my mother was a member of New Corinth, and my father was a member of New Light. All the children was members of West Stone.	29:25
Leslie Brown	So you went to three different churches.	29:40
Azree Marable	But, that sounds—It used to be all of us going to church on Sunday. My brother, he died. He was a member of West Stone. My two brothers died. Sister, she came here and take care of my mother and she died in '77 with cancer. And we all was members of West Stone. We was in church, now. We was raised—All the children were raised in church.	29:54
Leslie Brown	You raised all your children in church, too.	30:12
Azree Marable	Thank God my mother never had one to be in the jailhouse. Holy as we are, she never had to go to the jail to get us out. Her children—Praise to that. To know right and wrong and stay out of trouble. And I thank her right today because I don't have that problem. Never been arrested or anything. Never had.	30:15
Leslie Brown	Do you remember any controversies in the church? Anything that people disagreed about and had to decide as members of the church?	30:41
Azree Marable	No. Not when I was going to church. If it did, maybe they didn't tell me.	30:51
Leslie Brown	What about holidays? Do you remember the holidays? Did you have a favorite holiday?	31:05
Azree Marable	July. That's my favorite holiday.	31:09
Leslie Brown	When in July?	31:14
Azree Marable	The 4th of July.	31:14
Leslie Brown	July the 4th?	31:14
Azree Marable	Yeah.	31:14
Leslie Brown	What was special about that one?	31:14
Azree Marable	4th of July. I don't know. We just had done a cookout. We go to different places, cookout, and just have a good time.	31:19
Leslie Brown	The whole family would go?	31:26
Azree Marable	The whole family. We used to have, take down at the church. Mama would make a basket of string beans, cornpuff, that's what I loved. I just love cornpuff and string beans. We had it ready to go, take it out there in front of the church. Everybody go down and enjoy themselves. I guess that's all.	31:27
Leslie Brown	The members of the church would come?	31:55
Azree Marable	Yes, all the members would come. Now, you wanted to tell something?	31:56
Speaker 1	You done told it all.	32:02
Leslie Brown	There must be more.	32:07
Azree Marable	Is there anything you wanted to tell?	32:08
Leslie Brown	Let's see, what else about church?	32:15
Speaker 1	I don't know. Maybe—	32:16
Azree Marable	I told them when I didn't want my dress shoes to get muddy.	32:21
Rhonda Mawhood	Did the church have a choir?	32:27
Azree Marable	Yes, we had a choir.	32:29
Leslie Brown	Who got to be in the choir?	32:34
Speaker 1	No we didn't.	32:39
Azree Marable	We didn't have no choir?	32:39
Speaker 1	Mm-mm.	32:39
Azree Marable	Because I know I didn't sing in the choir. We didn't have no choir when Reverend Green was pastor? Reverend Jones?	32:39
Speaker 1	No.	32:46
Azree Marable	All I know now, I sing in two choirs and can't lead a song. I love singing.	32:50
Leslie Brown	Do you have a favorite hymn?	32:58
Azree Marable	Yes. The Lord Will Make a Way. I love that. You know when we had that—I was at a birthday party at the Ramada Inn. She was in the hospital, so my kids came up from Jersey to see her and they was staying at the Ramada Inn. They wanted mama to have dinner. So that day, I got up, I said now—I asked my many times to let me lead a song. He said, "You're doing all right in the background." I sing tenor. And you know I sang that song "The Lord Will Make a Way", and everyone recommended said I sung beautifully. I just love that song. I think I. Since my husband died in '75, and I had to be on my own. Thank God I haven't suffered. You know He's the One that make a way somehow. That's all.	33:00
Leslie Brown	So you met your husband here?	33:59
Azree Marable	Yes.	34:01
Leslie Brown	In Oxford.	34:01
Azree Marable	My first boyfriend. Now you know at 18, when I got married, and he was 19.	34:02
Leslie Brown	What did he do?	34:12
Azree Marable	Oh, just take care of his mother, farming, working somewhere, I think that's who he was working with. Getting paid by the day. But his parents, they lived in Stovall. So he walked to see me. Especially after church. Now, when it comes to church I'd wait for him every second Sunday. Second and third Sunday. And we just got married. Fell in love. I guess we was in love. At that age. So when he died, we had been married for 34 years when he died.	34:14
Rhonda Mawhood	So, how did you court? You saw each other at church?	34:58
Azree Marable	Yes.	35:02
Rhonda Mawhood	Did you see each other any other time?	35:02
Azree Marable	He would come to the house. See, I wasn't old enough to have company. He would sneak around—I guess I was young when he was coming to see me. But anyway, 9:00 he's got to be out because my mother would come in and say—My father—"9:00! Bed time!" So, he know what that means. Cannot be in the house after 9:00. And I tell my daughters, well granddaughters now, 9:00 bedtime. Think I'm crazy.	35:04
Rhonda Mawhood	How far away did he live from you?	35:46
Azree Marable	Out in the woods somewhere, I wouldn't know. But near Stovall, and he walked through the woods. Wonder a bear didn't catch him.	35:49
Leslie Brown	What was your wedding like? What was the wedding like?	35:55
Azree Marable	I hate to say it, but I have to tell since you asked me. He had 13 sisters and brothers, and at that time his mother and Reverend Green—He had a lot of children. I think he—How many I said? 12 or 13. At the time, I didn't know no one had a wedding at the church. So, I got married at his house. His mother asked me, so the kids would see us get married. But it should've been at my house here. But, we got married at his house. Just because his sisters and brothers wouldn't be able to come. Isn't that terrible? But anyway, Reverend Green, my father-in-law, he married us. The second day of July, 1938. That's when I got married. That was a great day.	36:06
Azree Marable	That night, they had so much food. My husband was eating, and I was too embarrassed to eat. I said oh my—I'll never forget all that food and stuff. A lot of people were there. I didn't send no invitation or nothing, but people was there. The ones that witnessed me to get married, what's her name, the Wilson, his sister? Anora. And my sister-in-law, Marilyn. Now she's divorced. They signed the witness, when you get married. It was exciting. I was excited.	37:01
Leslie Brown	When did you go to New Jersey?	38:00
Azree Marable	In '41.	38:02
Leslie Brown	So you stayed here for three years after you got married?	38:03
Azree Marable	I guess so, because I know I was pregnant with my second child. And my husband had a job making $17 a week. It was terrible. I was eight months pregnant. I don't know if Dr. Taylor was my doctor, yeah Dr. Taylor. I didn't want to have my baby yet. I wanted to be with him. So I went, and I didn't have no problems. They had made arrangements in the hospital. After no one could visit me, I wouldn't go. I stayed at his aunt. He was staying at her house. At the time, I didn't think it was a burden to her. But, now after I realized I should have been in the hospital. But she was nice to me. She had to take care of me and the baby and everything. But I didn't want to go because I didn't know nobody. So—But anyway, the baby was healthy and I was okay.	38:07
Rhonda Mawhood	How did you get to New Jersey when you moved there?	39:17
Azree Marable	On the train. His aunt met me. I had my son, my oldest boy, then. I guess he wasn't but two or three years old. In the North, I thought it was cold. I remember in September, never forget it. I had him on a snowsuit and zipped it up with the cap. (laughs) And his aunt picked me up at the train station. And they used to call me Sis Azree. So, "What do you got on this boy?" I said, "Auntie, I thought it was cold in the North." (laughs) "I didn't want him to catch a cold." That was funny. The weather just like it is here. But, I think it was going to be real cold in the North. So, that's what I had him dressed up in September. With a snowsuit on. (laughs)	39:20
Leslie Brown	So when you traveled on the trains, did you have to travel in a segregated car?	40:12
Azree Marable	Yes.	40:15
Leslie Brown	Where did you meet the train when you left here?	40:15
Azree Marable	In Henderson.	40:15
Leslie Brown	In Henderson?	40:15
Azree Marable	Henderson, because I remember they had Colored here, White you couldn't go in the bathroom. But at the time, it didn't bother me because I know what the rules are and it didn't bother me.	40:15
Leslie Brown	Did that change while you were—You were in the segregated car when you left Henderson. Did you stay in the same car all the way into New Jersey? Or were you able to move?	40:15
Azree Marable	I think I stayed in the same—I don't remember but, I think it wasn't no to move. I don't think so. Maybe at the time, but I don't remember. But I know it wasn't no—When I got to New York, they didn't have the Colored and—	40:51
Leslie Brown	What did you think of that? Were you surprised?	41:12
Azree Marable	Well, not really. I don't know. Maybe I was too excited going. I didn't have time to think about anything. I didn't think about it. You could go in the bathroom or whatever you want.	41:14
Leslie Brown	Do you remember signs of segregation, Colored and White, in Oxford? When you used to go into Oxford?	41:34
Azree Marable	In the bathroom, yes.	41:41
Azree Marable	Come on.	41:42
Rhonda Mawhood	Hi.	41:45
Speaker 2	You've got company. [INTERRUPTION 00:41:46]	41:46
Azree Marable	You tell some that's there.	41:48
Leslie Brown	We're students at Duke University, and we—[INTERRUPTION 00:41:53]	41:53
Leslie Brown	Should we continue?	41:55
Azree Marable	I guess. I done told it all.	42:01
Leslie Brown	There must be something that she hasn't told.	42:04
Speaker 1	I don't know what it would be.	42:12
Leslie Brown	Well, we were talking about—Do you remember going into Oxford and seeing segregation signs? No, not at all? Not in any of the stores?	42:14
Azree Marable	I remember they had the sign, the bathroom. Colored, White. I remember Rose's Store, when I was young and used to go to Oxford. We couldn't sit down at the counter. The Blacks couldn't. To have a sandwich or eat or whatever.	42:39
Rhonda Mawhood	Did your parents explain that to you, Mrs. Marable?	42:55
Azree Marable	My parents?	42:57
Rhonda Mawhood	Did they explain this to you?	42:59
Azree Marable	I guess it just comes naturally. They didn't think anything of it, I guess.	43:04
Speaker 2	I'm listening, because I don't remember that. The '20s and the '30s.	43:17
Leslie Brown	The '50s and the '60s? I remember the '50s.	43:28
Speaker 2	I don't remember the '60s.	43:28
Leslie Brown	Do you remember when the signs came down? No? Where are you from?	43:34
Speaker 2	Granville County.	43:41
Leslie Brown	Granville County? Where in Granville, may I ask?	43:43
Speaker 2	Right here in Oxford. That's where I was born.	43:46
Azree Marable	But she's out in Long Island. In New York.	43:48
Speaker 2	You moved to New York?	43:54
Leslie Brown	That's where I'm from.	43:55
Speaker 2	What part of New York?	43:57
Leslie Brown	Upstate New York, Albany.	43:57
Speaker 2	Oh yeah?	43:59
Leslie Brown	Yeah.	44:00
Speaker 2	Oh, you're at Duke.	44:00
Leslie Brown	I'm at Duke, yeah.	44:00
Speaker 2	So, could I just ask one question?	44:05
Rhonda Mawhood	Sure.	44:06
Speaker 2	What is the purpose of this?	44:07
Rhonda Mawhood	We—[INTERRUPTION 00:44:10]	44:10
Rhonda Mawhood	What other kinds of questions do we have? I'm interested in the differences you might have seen between living in Oxford and then living in New Jersey. We talked a little bit about signs in the train stations, how they didn't have it in Jersey. But, what about your family in New Jersey? You said that your husband's aunt met you at the train station. Did you have a lot of family in New Jersey?	44:10
Speaker 1	You should be getting paid for what you talking about.	44:48
Azree Marable	His aunt. Because when he went to New Jersey, he stayed there. So, when he sent for me, he asked me to wait until the baby was born before I come to Jersey. But, I didn't want that. I wanted to be with my husband when I had the baby. So, she met me at the train station, and I had my son with the snowsuit.	44:52
Rhonda Mawhood	And where did you live when you got to New Jersey?	45:14
Azree Marable	On Prince Street.	45:17
Rhonda Mawhood	With family or?	45:18
Azree Marable	190—	45:18
Speaker 1	You know you don't give information—	45:18
Azree Marable	190 Prince Street. That was his aunt and uncle, they lived there. And we stayed there. He got a job, then we moved across the street from his aunt. True family. And there I stayed, taking care of the baby. Didn't know no one. Sitting at the window, looking at everybody the street. And I was. Nobody, just my aunt. No one in Jersey.	45:23
Leslie Brown	So, your husband took a job in New Jersey, and that's why he went. What did he do?	46:03
Azree Marable	Make soap.	46:09
Leslie Brown	In factory?	46:11
Azree Marable	Something like that. $17 a week. That's what he was getting. We paid $17 a month for rent. He always said, "If I can make enough a week to pay my rent, I have it made." Long as he can pay it another month to pay his rent. So he paid $17 a month for—	46:12

Azree Marable	We ain't never did that.	0:02
Rhonda Mawhood	Mm-hmm.	0:08
Azree Marable	[indistinct 00:00:09].	0:08
Rhonda Mawhood	Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.	0:09
Rhonda Mawhood	Do you have any other questions?	0:24
Rhonda Mawhood	Did somebody have to [indistinct 00:00:26]?	0:25
Leslie Brown	We covered a lot, we covered a lot.	0:26
Azree Marable	[indistinct 00:00:29], he live up on the hill [indistinct 00:00:30].	0:29
Azree Marable	[INTERRUPTION 00:00:26].	0:29

Item Info

Title:

Azree Marable interview recording, 1993 May 29

Date:

May 29, 1993

Creator:

Marable, Azree Cooper

Contributor:

Description:

Name: Azree Cooper Marable; Date of birth: 1921-05-19; Place of birth: Oxford, NC; Occupation(s): domestic; agriculture; tobacco; Residence: Oxford, NC
Informant ID: 97; Interviewed by: Leslie Brown and Rhonda Mawhood.

Occupation:

Location:

Format:

Language:

English

Digital Collection:

Behind the Veil

Source Collection:

Behind the Veil: Documenting African American Life in the Jim Crow South interviews, photographs, and project records, circa 1864-2011, bulk 1990-1999

Series:

Related Resources:

See below

Provenance:

The David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library acquired the Records of the Behind the Veil Oral History Project from the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies in 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2002.

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

Copyright for content created by the Behind the Veil project is held by Duke University and made available to the public using a Creative Commons Attribution / Non-commercial (CC-BY-NC) license.

Identifier:

Interview number: 407
2324de24-134a-4184-929a-67da58d066de
behindtheveil
btvnc04017
ark:/87924/r4416zd6s
14a0f86b-60d9-40e6-9c08-30ade632889e

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4416zd6s

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection

Azree Marable interview recording, 1993 May 29

Transcript

Item Info

1. Azree Marable administrative file, 1993

John Hope Franklin Research Center

More Info & Options

Azree Marable interview recording, 1993 May 29

Transcript

Item Info

Related Items

John Hope Franklin Research Center

More Info & Options