Oral history interview with Edward Stephenson, September 21, 2002
Subtitle: interview R-0193, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Mansfield, W. T., 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: 2007
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Auctioneers; Tobacco industry; Employees; Auctions; Tobacco; Marketing; Training of; Social life and customs; Tobacco farmers; Prices; Performances
Other titles: Interview R-0193, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Edward Stephenson, September 21, 2002; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: Edward Stephenson, the son of a tobacco auctioneer, followed his father into the business, perfecting his auctioneer's chant and learning the complex mechanics of the profession. From his position on the auction block, Stephenson has observed changes in the tobacco business; he describes those changes, as well as the details of his profession, in this interview. For researchers interested in how tobacco auctions work, Stephenson describes the process and the network of relationships between buyers, sellers, warehouse operators, and auctioneers. Toward the end of the interview, he conducts a mock auction. For those interested in the tobacco industry, Stephenson notes the decline of the industry over the past two decades, exemplified by the quelling of the once-lively atmosphere and the mounting demands that keep farmers from attending auctions at all, let alone bringing their family along. Stephenson describes the consolidation of an industry that thrived on personal contact, and the way in which his own job--an exercise in bridging personal relationships--has been affected by set prices and changes in the agricultural economy. Stephenson fears that he may be among the last of his kind, but he hopes that tobacco auctions will somehow endure.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on May 28, 2008).

Interview participants: Edward Stephenson, interviewee; William Mansfield, interviewer.

Duration: 01:13:47.

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 Jennifer Joyner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 157 kilobytes, 135 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series R, Special research projects, interview R-0193, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by William Mansfield. Original transcript: 29 p.

Funding from the Institute of 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.