Oral history interview with George and Tessie Dyer, March 5, 1980
Subtitle: interview H-0161, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Dyer, Tessie, 1908- interviewee; Jones, Lu Ann, interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2006
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Textile workers; Women textile workers; Farm life; Social life and customs; Strikes and lockouts; Textile industry; Labor unions; Soldiers; Retirees
Other titles: Interview H-0161, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with George and Tessie Dyer, March 5, 1980; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: George and Tessie Dyer worked in Charlotte textile mills for much of their lives. This interview begins with a discussion of their childhood and the work that their parents and grandparents did. Tessie Dyer began working in Charlotte in 1926. She describes the variety of jobs she had within the mill as well as her relationship with coworkers. George describes his job as a cotton yarn spinner as well as other jobs he had in Virginia and New York. They recall the parties young adults would attend after work--they maintain that people enjoyed their lives despite the difficulty of their jobs. The Dyers also describe how Tessie's mother took care of their sons while they worked at the mill. The interview ends with their observations about union activity at the local mills and their opinion on whether the unions were useful. They both recognize that the lack of a strong union during their working years negatively influenced their financial security during retirement.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on May 9, 2008).

Interview participants: George Dyer, interviewee; Tessie Dyer, interviewee; Lu Ann Jones, interviewer.

Duration: 01:58:57.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-CH digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Mike Millner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 136 kilobytes, 217 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series H, Piedmont industrialization, 1974-1980, interview H-0161, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by Sharon King. Original transcript: 52 p.

Funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.