Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940
These life histories were compiled and transcribed by the staff of the
Folklore Project of the Federal Writers' Project for the U.S. Works Progress
(later Work Projects) Administration (WPA) from 1936-1940. The Library of
Congress collection includes 2,900 documents representing the work of over 300
writers from 24 states. Typically 2,000-15,000 words in length, the documents
consist of drafts and revisions, varying in form from narrative to dialogue to
report to case history. The histories describe the informant's family education,
income, occupation, political views, religion and morals, medical needs, diet
and miscellaneous observations. Pseudonyms are often substituted for individuals
and places named in the narrative texts.
In the 1930's Franklin D. Roosevelt created the New Deal and as a result, the US
Works Project, and then later Works Projects Administration, a project designed
to put millions of out of work Americans back into jobs created by the Federal
Government. Out of that initiative came the Folklore Project of the Federal
Writers' Project. The manuscripts describe the subject matters life history as
it was in the 1930's... the occupation, income, education, moral, political and
other observations as noted by the writer.
The following manuscripts were
submitted to Georgia Genealogy by C.W. Barnum and constitute the entire Georgia
collection of manuscripts.
Note: Individuals and places named in the text often have pseudonyms substituted
for them. The names below are the people that were interviewed for the project.
- Clarke County
- An Air-Minded Family - Mrs. Omie Williams Epps
- Bargain House - J. Buford Dudley
- Dee, The Washwoman -Sarah Hill
Notes About Publication:
Source: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940
Online Publication: This information was donated to Troup County, Georgia
Genealogy by C. W. Barnum.
