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Oral History: Raymond Tarver
Who removed from south Georgia to Washington D.C.
American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940
The plight of the unemployed writer during the depression era, and indeed anyone who could qualify as a writer such as a lawyer, a teacher, or a librarian, during the early years of the Depression, was of concern not only to the Roosevelt Administration, but also to writers' organizations and persons of liberal and academic persuasions. It was felt, generally, that the New Deal could come up with more appropriate work situations for this group other than blue collar jobs on construction projects. Consequently, a project for all the "arts," (labeled Federal One), was devised. This project, which began provided federal employment from 1936 through 1940, gave writers an opportunity to use their skills interviewing Americans and writing oral histories.
The interview transcribed here is part of that collection. The original is part of the holdings of the U.S. Library of Congress.
Raymond Tarver is being interviewed at his home, "in a fashionable section in Washington, D.C.". Tarver states he is from south Georgia, and that his great-great-grandfather, born in Brunswick County, Virginia, in 1765, was a captain in the War of 1812. In the course of his interview, he discusses his family and kinship.
The orginal interview, while consisting of 15 pages, isn't that long. On each of the following pages is a transcription of 3 pages. For each section, a link is provided to the original document image from which each section is transcribed.
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