Oral History

A

African American Heritage in the Ozarks Collection, 2021-2023 (SP0078)
31 oral history interviews

 Finding Aid

The African American Heritage in the Ozarks Collection contains oral history interviews, transcriptions, and photographs related to the African American Heritage in the Ozarks project coordinated by the State Historical Society of Missouri from November 2021 to November 2022. The interviews cover a wide range of topics related to the African American experience in the Ozarks including family, community, education, religion, travel and leisure, labor, and military service.

African-American Healing Arts and Lore Collection, 1996 (S0749)
0.5 cubic foot, 5 folders, 2 audio cassettes

 Finding Aid

The records of the African-American Healing Arts and Lore Collection documents methods of natural healing passed down from generation to generation through interviews and public discussions. Additionally, the collection contains correspondence, grant proposals, meeting minutes, and budget narratives. Included in this collection are two cassette tapes with audio recordings. The first recording is a group discussion and performance about the relationship between song and healing arts; the second recording is of a group interview discussing various natural remedies for common ailments.

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"As I Recall" Oral History Project Records, 2006 (C4280)
0.2 cubic feet (8 folders), 11 CDs, 13 audio cassettes, 1 computer disc

 Finding Aid

The "As I Recall" Oral History Project records contain audio recordings and some transcripts from a collaborative project between KBIA-FM and the State Historical Society of Missouri. Most oral histories in this collection were conducted by Gary Kremer, Director of the State Historical Society, in 2006.

B

Thomas Hart Benton Collection, 1962-2013 (C4113)
0.2 cubic feet, 2 audio tapes, 1 CD

 Finding Aid

The Thomas Hart Benton Collection contains an interview of the artist and related materials. The interview took place at Benton's home in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 6, 1962, and was largely conducted by Homer Brown of Pittsburg State University (formerly Kansas State College of Pittsburg). Brown published the interview as an article in The Midwest Quarterly.

Beta Phi Mu, Librarian Oral History Project, 1980-1985 (C4071)
0.4 cubic feet (28 folders), 25 audio cassettes, 6 video tapes

 Finding Aid

The Beta Phi Mu Librarian Oral History Project collection contains the audio, video, and transcripts of interviews with Missouri librarians and members of Beta Phi Mu. Also included are an interview guide, correspondence, the interviewers' notes, and background materials on the librarians.

Bittersweet Papers, 1973-1983 (R0669)
27 cubic feet (761 folders)

These are papers of "Bittersweet: The Ozark Quarterly," a journal of Ozark culture published by Ellen Gray Massey and her English classes at Lebanon High School. Included are tape recordings, transcripts, and photographs of interviews. Subjects include fiddling, making railroad ties, one-room rural schools, social customs and more, the African-American experince, and handicrafts.

Boonville Women's Club Oral History Project Collection, 2007-2008 (CA6351)
0.1 cubic feet, 20 audio cassettes, 20 CDs

 Finding Aid

The collection consists of oral history interviews conducted by Meredith Ludwig for the Boonville Women's Club, including audio and transcripts. Ludwig compiled many of the interviews into a 2008 readers' theatre production, "Women's Words: Memories of Boonslick," and supporting material relating to the stage production is also included.

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Bootheel Project Records, 1993-1997 (C3928)
3.2 cubic feet (122 folders), 157 audio cassettes, 9 audio discs, 2 video cassettes

 Finding Aid

The records of the Bootheel Project document the art, culture, and heritage of the Missouri Bootheel. The records include photographs, color slides, audio cassettes, transcripts, and video cassettes of interviews with Bootheel residents. Sound recordings, planning documents, field workers’ notes, and miscellaneous items collected throughout the project are also included.

Melvin Bradley Papers, 1855-2003 (C3026)
13.4 cubic feet, 167 audio cassettes, 1 audio tape, 1 video cassette

 Finding Aid

This collection covers Bradley's work as a livestock specialist in the Cooperative Extension Office of the University of Missouri from 1968 through the 1990s. The papers consist of research materials, correspondence, clippings, photographs, drafts for books, articles, exhibits, and speeches, and interviews on audio cassette conducted for the Missouri Mule History Project.

Leslie Leroy Bucklew Papers, 1897-1997 (S0625)
0.4 cubic foot, 5 folders, 7 photographs, 2 audio tapes

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The Leslie Leroy Buckley Papers consists of photocopied biographical material about the life of Leslie LeRoy Bucklew. The collection features correspondence between Bucklew and soldiers he served with during the Spanish-American War and World War I, and letters from President Harry S Truman and Bess Truman. Other materials of interest include 1917 photographs of World War I servicemen serving at Camp Doniphan and Fort Sill. The collection also contains two oral history interviews of Bucklew recounting his childhood in St. Louis, his mother's friendship with Mary Todd Lincoln's sister, and his experiences in the Spanish-American War.

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C

Carnahan Family Oral History Collection, 2001-2002 (SP0050)
0.5 cubic foot (9 folders, 19 cassette tapes)

 Finding Aid

The Carnahan Family Oral History Collection consists of nineteen cassette tapes featuring interviews with family members of Governor Mel Carnahan. They were interviewed by Alex Primm two to four months following the Governor’s death in a plane crash on October 16, 2000. 

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Central Agency for Jewish Education (CAJE) Records, 1880-2009 (K0670)
7 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Organizational records and other research materials relating to the activities of CAJE and the history of the Jewish Community in Kansas City, particularly in preparation of the book, Mid-America's Promise: A Profile of Kansas City Jewry. (includes oral history cassettes and VHS recordings)

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W. J. Cochran Construction Company Records, 1870-1982 (C4469)
13.8 cubic feet (323 folders, 6 oversize folders), 7 audio cassettes

 Finding Aid

Architectural project files, blueprints, correspondence, estimates, and oral histories from a Boonville, Missouri, construction company that was in existence for over one hundred years from 1870-1981. Includes plans for schools, businesses, residences, post offices, and other public buildings in mid-Missouri counties.

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Elbert C. Cole Papers, 1970-2000 (K0703)
2.5 c.f.

videotapes, scrapbook, film, manuscript material

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Communications Class Oral History Project, 1987-1995 (S0512)
2.5 cubic feet, 116 cassette tapes

 Finding Aid

The collection consists of oral history interviews conducted as class assignments in Elizabeth Kizer's Communication 242 class. The topics reflect St. Louis's history, including African Americans, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, immigrants, sports, and the Great Depression.

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Confluence St. Louis Oral History Project, 1994-1995 (S0619)
1 cubic foot, 7 folders, 42 audio cassettes

 Finding Aid

Confluence St. Louis purports to improve the quality of life in St. Louis through broad-based participation by interested citizens in study and action on issues of importance to the region. The collection includes fifteen oral history tapes, summaries, and consent forms, documenting the history of Confluence St. Louis.

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Anthony R. Crawford Collection, 1980-1983 (S0459)
0.4 cubic foot, 17 folders, 445 photographs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The collection includes black and white prints and negatives of downtown St. Louis buildings taken between 1980 and 1983, including prints and negatives of the 1981 Veiled Prophet Fair and Parade. The collection also includes one folder of newspaper clippings about the razing of historic buildings to redevelop the downtown St. Louis area with the Gateway Mall complex.

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Thomas B. Curtis Oral Interview, 1978 (C1427)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

An interview with a former Republican Congressman who served Missouri's Second District from 1951 to 1969 and was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

D

E.L. Dale Interview, 1965 (C3396)
0.06 cubic feet (3 folders), 1 audio tape

 Finding Aid

Audio tape and transcription of an interview with the editor of the Carthage Evening Press. Topics include Dale’s background, role of news, editor, government role in news media, civil rights, and contemporary issues in U.S. and Missouri.

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Marshall Dial Oral History Collection, 1980s-1990s (CA6033)
275 audio cassettes, 44 CDs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Collection of interviews between Marshall Dial and various residents of the Bootheel for Dial's radio show, "Stories They Tell."

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Irving Dilliard Oral History, 1990 (S0514)
0.01 cubic foot, 1 audio cassette

An Oral history conducted by Christi Fritsch on November 9, 1990 with Irving Dilliard, a long-time editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The interview has been transcribed.

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Douglass Family Collection, 1838-1990 (C3978)
1.4 cubic feet (39 folders), 13 audio cassettes

 Finding Aid

The Douglass Family Collection consists of land deeds, personal and business correspondence, oral history transcripts, photographs, volumes, and other miscellaneous items dealing with farm life and agriculture in McBaine, Missouri. There are also records dealing with a flourmill belonging to Northcutt & Brothers in Mexico, Missouri, and an account book for the Oakdale Graveyard in Shelby County, Missouri.

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William Duff Collection, c. 1968-1970 (CA6378)
17 audio tapes

 Finding Aid

Audio tapes largely consisting of oral history interviews concerning the last hanging in Texas County and bootlegging. Also includes songs of Nancy Pittman.

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E

East Campus Neighborhood Survey (Columbia, Mo.) Records, 1992-1993 (CA5868)
0.2 cubic feet, 8 audio cassettes

Correspondence, proposals and other grant application material, resident contact information and other background material, and oral history recordings, notes, and logs related to a University of Missouri, Department of Art History and Archaeology sponsored architectural/historic survey.

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F

Folklore Genre Collection, 2013 (CA6374)
0.1 cubic feet, 1 CD, 1 computer disc

Collection of folklore oral histories done by students of MU English instructor Raymond Summerville includes transcripts and audio of oral history interviews. Also included in the collection is an ethnography of the Broadway Diner, Columbia, MO.

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Vendla Johnson Frampton Collection, 1919-1988 (K0286)
0.2 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Transcript of an oral history interview in which Mrs. Frampton describes many details of her life, including: Kansas City's "Swede Hill" community; family background and relationships; local Lutheran church history; and holiday food and traditions. Also a Westport High School Memory Book, 1919.

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Paul W. Franklin Oral History, 1976 (C4661)
2 audio cassette tapes

 Finding Aid

Recorded recollections of Franklin about his service in the Army Corps of Engineers. He explains what he witnessed near Dachau, Germany, and other places. Franklin, a former professor of electrical engineering at the University of Missouri, was interviewed by Peggy Johnson.

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French Heritage Oral History Collection, 1989-1999 (CA5821)
0.4 cubic feet, 26 audio cassettes, 3 video cassettes

 Finding Aid

Audio and video recordings of interviews and performances, transcripts, correspondence, field notes, slides, and miscellaneous material related to French settlement and culture in Missouri and the Mississippi valley.

G

Granby, Missouri Oral History Collection, 1984 (R1459)
0.02 cubic foot (1 folder, 1 DVD)

 Finding Aid

The Granby Missouri Oral History Collection consist of a DVD containing interviews of locals that lived in Granby, Missouri in October 1984. The video contains the interviews of John Hurn, Richard Eustler, and Bill Farris. John Tuggle conducted the interviews. Also included is a letter written by R.J. Savage containing background information on how the interviews were conducted.

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Milissa Grant Civil Rights Oral History Collection, 1983-1998 (S1072)
0.25 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

The Milissa Grant Civil Rights Oral History Collection contains oral histories grant conduct with St. Louis Civil Rights leaders.

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H

J. Hurley and Roberta Roland Hagood Papers, no date (CA6049)
12.1 cubic feet, 77 audio cassettes

 Finding Aid

Subject files documenting the history of Hannibal, Missouri. Also oral history interviews with several prominent residents.

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Durward G. Hall Oral Interview, 1979 (C1426)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

An interview with a former Republican Congressman who served Missouri's Seventh District from 1961 to 1973 and was a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Lucy Reed Hazelton Papers, 1946-2003 (S0686)
1 cubic foot, 18 folders, 2 audio tapes

 Finding Aid

The papers of Lucy Reed Hazelton document her career as a poet, writer, commercial, and fine artist in Webster Groves, Missouri. The collection includes awards, booklets, correspondence newspaper clippings, poems written by Lucy Reed Hazelton. Also included is an oral history interview with Ms. Hazelton, on two audio cassettes with a transcript.

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Heart of America Jewish Historical Society Records, 1990-2005 (K0958)
0.27 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Includes audio recording of programs at the society's meetings and oral interviews.(see also K0441 Montague)

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HistorySpeaks Oral History Collection, 2000-2002 (K0400)
10 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Video oral history interviews of individuals whose experiences highlight past events that have shaped Kansas City.

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Charles Henry Howerton Oral History, 1911-1950 (SP0011)
2 DVDs

 Finding Aid

The Charles Howerton Oral History contains an oral history interview with Charles Howerton conducted by his daughter, Sue Howerton Victoria, and son-in-law, Doug Victoria. The interviews took place on June 30, 1995, July 4, 1995, and July 6, 1995.

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I

International Ladies Garment Workers Union in St. Louis Collection, 1933-1978 (S0779)
0.4 cubic feet, 1108 photographic images

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) organized local garment workers in St. Louis in 1933 and was active until 1995. The ILGWU in St. Louis Collection is an artificial collection combining small acquisitions pertaining to the history of the ILGWU Southwest Regional Office, the St. Louis Joint Board, and its affiliated locals. The collection contains photographs and film negatives, a contract, correspondence, newspaper clippings, newsletters, and theatrical programs.

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International Women's Forum Oral History Collection, 2013-2015 (S1148)
3.5 cubic feet, 72 folders, 72 HDV tapes, 72 DVDs, 1 book

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The International Women’s Forum Oral History Collection consists of oral history interviews conducted by Dr. Blanche Touhill with St. Louis City and St. Louis County members of the Missouri chapter of the International Women’s Forum. The collection documents the interviewee’s personal and professional lives and how they established themselves as successful, enterprising women leaders in the St. Louis region. These materials include DVD recordings of the interviews, as well as accompanying transcripts. The interviews date from 2013 to 2015.

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Italian Immigrant Oral History Project Collection, 1973-1984 (S0511)
18 cassette tapes

 Finding Aid

This collection consists of interviews with Italian immigrants residing in the "Hill" neighborhood in South St. Louis, conducted by Gary Ross Mormino for his book, "Immigrants ON the Hill: Italian Americans in St. Louis 1882-1982."

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J

James T. Scott Memorial Collection, 2010-2011 (C4072)
0.2 cubic feet (7 folders), 9 CDs, 2 DVDs, 1 computer disc

 Finding Aid

The collection contains audio, video, and images related to the James T. Scott Monument Committee in Columbia, Missouri. The committee was created to raise funds to purchase a new headstone for lynching victim James T. Scott's burial site in Columbia Cemetery.

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Odis and Ruby James Oral History, 1990 (S0513)
0.01 cubic foot, 1 audio cassette tape

An oral history interview regarding the lives and experiences of Reverend Odis James and Ruby James while working in the Nazarene Ministry in St. Louis.

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Jewish Community Archives Oral History Project, no date (K0440)
0.25 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Video and audio oral history interviews with member of the Jewish community in the Kansas City area.

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Jewish Community Campus Oral History Collection, 1998-1999 (K0433)
1 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Video and audio interviews with individuals in the Jewish community prominent in the development of the Campus.

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Jewish Community Center Centennial Oral History Project, 2013 (K1286)
0.3 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Oral histories of long standing members of the Jewish Community in Greater Kansas City, particularly relating to the Community Center.

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Johnson Family Papers, 1876, 2010-2021 (CG0045)
3.8GB, 0.1 c.f.

 Finding Aid

This collection contains digitized photographs of the Flader, Johnson, and McKinney families. Many of the photos are by or of Jessie Mae Johnson, who lived in Bollinger County and the St. Louis area in Missouri. The original photographs were taken between 1910-1980. The collection also includes some of the donor’s extensive genealogical research for the Bridger, Beal, Fadler, Johnson, McKinney, and Yamnitz families. Also contains 95 short audio recordings made by Jessie Mae (“Mae”) Johnson, Birdie E. Scott, and Norma Jean (“Jean”) Bridger in the late 1990s. 

Niel Melvin Johnson Papers, 1830-2007 (K0963)
4.2 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Research, oral histories, and manuscript materials collected and created by Johnson, archivist and historian, on Swedish-Americans in Kansas City.

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Louisa Poteet Johnston Oral Interviews, 1975 (K0488)
0.1 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Interviews with Johnston, granddaughter of Alexander Majors, and owner/promoter of the Alexander Majors Historic House and Museum.

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Joplin Tornado Oral History Project Records, 2013-2015 (C4095)
0.2 cubic feet (12 folders), 22 CDs, 494 MB of digital files (100 jpgs)

 Finding Aid

The collection consists of interviews with people who experienced, were affected by, and/or were a part of the devastating EF5 multiple-vortex tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011. The focus of this project is to help document the community of Joplin both before and after the tornado, as well as the rebuilding of this community. The collection consists of digitally recorded interviews, transcripts, and photographs.

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K

Kansas City Monarchs Oral History Collection, 1978-1981 (K0047)
0.4 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Oral history interviews and related correspondence and reports with eighteen persons who played with or were associated with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League.

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Mary Paxton Keeley Papers, 1830-1986 (C0848)
13.8 cubic feet (622 folders), 1 audio tape, 4 audio cassettes, 2 oversize items

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Papers of the first woman graduate of the University of Missouri, School of Journalism, in 1910.  She was active as a journalist, teacher, playwright, poet, fiction writer, and photographer.  Material includes correspondence; diaries; manuscripts for Keeley’s articles, fiction, and poetry; clippings; audio cassettes; and photographs.

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