The Centenarian Stories is a program by the Center for Family History and Faith-Based Education and Engagement are interviewing African Americans who are 90+. We are trying to record the untold and documented stories before they are lost. The interviews can be in person or virtually. If you know someone email cfh@iaamuseum.org for more information.
Bishop Johnie Johnson reflects on his early life growing up in Summerton, South Carolina, where his family lived and worked as sharecroppers on a plantation. They farmed to provide their own food, raised chickens, and made do with what they had—even creating light using a soda bottle. His oldest brother later moved to Goose Creek, South Carolina, for work, and the plantation owner helped relocate the family to the Marrington Plantation.
In this interview, the 109-year-old Mrs. Ercelle Chillis of James Island, Charleston County, South Carolina shared stories about her family's history and her life. Her interview opens with the story of her birth during a horrific South Carolina hurricane. She also shared the story of how her paternal grandfather walked with his family from Alabama to Charleston in the 1870s in a bid to hire a boat that would take him and his family to Africa!
96-year-old educator and Civil Rights worker Mrs. Jennie Mae Jefferson was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and raised in Berkeley County, South Carolina.
