Oral history with Mrs. Odelier Morgan

              Oral history with Mrs. Odelier Morgan
F341.5 . M57 vol. 748, pt. 2
Funding for this project provided by The Mississippi State Legislature, The Mississippi Humanities Council, The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi.
This transcription of an oral history by the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage of The University of Southern Mississippi may not be reproduced or published in any form except that quotation of short excerpts of unrestricted transcripts and the associated tape recordings is permissible providing written consent is obtained from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. When literary rights have been retained by the interviewee, written permission to use the material must be obtained from both the interviewee and the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Born to Denton and Odelier Jones Sr. on June 8, 1926, Odelier Morgan began her life on a plantation in Bolivar County, Mississippi, one of twelve children. She and her family were sharecroppers, and her parents also did day work to supplement their meager incomes. The children attended school at a local church through eighth grade. After completing the eighth grade, Ms. Morgan stayed at home helping her family make a living.
During the Depression Ms. Morgan was a child living on a Mississippi plantation. Her family raised some of their food and depended on the plantation commissary for some of their food. They raised pigs, and vegetables, and fruits, and they also picked wild berries; her mother would preserve as much of this as she could.
When Ms. Morgan was about nine years old, she started working in the cotton fields, chopping cotton and carrying water to the other workers. She worked from sunup to sundown for about $ 1.50 per day. When she was twenty years old, she married; the marriage failed after several years, and they separated. Ms. Morgan is the mother of five children, one of whom lives with her, and is a helpful, supportive daughter.
In 1958, Ms. Morgan began working at Delta State University in the laundry, making $ 19 a week. She has worked at Delta State University for forty- two years at this writing. Ms. Morgan enjoys attending her church and being active in its affairs.
Table of Contents
I. Childhood
II. Elementary school
III. The Depression on a plantation
IV. Chopping cotton as a child
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