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Oral History Interview with Paul and Pauline Griffith, May 30, 1980. Interview H-0247. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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  • Abstract
    Paul and Pauline Griffith were married in 1927 in Greenville, South Carolina. Paul's family moved from Maudlin, South Carolina, to the area in 1905 in search of work. Initially, his father worked as an overseer on a cotton plantation, but in 1912, when the Judson Mill was built, he became a machinist for the mill while his mother went to work as a weaver. Pauline's family moved to Greenville in 1915 from Hendersonville, South Carolina. She and her family found that it was increasingly difficult to survive as farmers, so they moved to Greenville so that her father could work in the Judson Mill. Both Paul and Pauline describe growing up in Greenville as well as the conditions they faced in the Judson Mill, where both spent their entire working careers. They also describe the changes in technology and work strategies in the mills from the 1920s to the 1970s; how life in Greenville changed during the Great Depression and World War II; and the importance of religion in their lives.
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    This interview is part of the Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007), a collection of over 4,000 interviews housed at the Southern Historical Collection.

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  • Subjects
  • Textile industry--South Carolina--Greenville
  • Greenville (S.C.)--Social life and customs
  • Women in the textile industry
  • Trade-unions--Textile workers--South Carolina--Greenville
  • Textile workers--South Carolina--Health and hygiene
  • Textile workers--South Carolina--Social conditions
  • Funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this title.