Interviews
Subject
Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Found in 190 Collections and/or Records:
Oral history of Angy Booker, 2002 June 15, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSAoh-j638a-V02
Abstract
Booker, born in Naco, Arizona, talks about her family's history and her experiences as an African American woman in early Mesa. Her great-grand parents were slaves, and her grandfather and father were Buffalo Soldiers in the army. Her mother did laundry for a living, including for the O.S. Stapley family. She describes early downtown Mesa and mentions some businesses such as Everybody's Drugstore, the post office, J.C. Penney's, the hospital, and some churches. Booker discusses race...
Dates:
2002 June 15; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Blanche Allen Leavitt, 1985 June 11, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MHM2005-027-021-1
Abstract
Leavitt gives a little family history and mentions that her grandfather, a farmer, was the first person in Mesa to dig a well. She mentions several downtown businesses including the post office, Clyde's furniture store, Dennett's drugstore, LeSueur's grocery store, and The Toggery. She also recalls the Mezona dance hall and the Opera House theater. Leavitt talks about the flu epidemic when her entire family was ill and her uncle died leaving behind a wife and ten children. She recalls when...
Dates:
1985 June 11; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Clara Emmett, 1985 October 23, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MHM2005-027-009-1
Abstract
Emmett begins by telling how she and her husband moved from Wyoming to Mesa, Arizona, where they have lived in the same house since 1930. She discusses her volunteer work running the school cafeteria during the Depression, and helping the local Mormon Church start a welfare program. Emmett tells of losing all three of her children and two grandchildren. She describes the development of the streets and sewer systems in early Mesa, and the work she and her husband did on their house. She also...
Dates:
1985 October 23; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Dean and Zeta Thayer, 1983 October 6, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM97-222
Abstract
Mr. Thayer tells the story of his parents' trip to Phoenix, from Lima, Ohio, as tourists in 1900. They ended up staying because the town of Buckeye badly needed a physician. The Thayers, who married in 1927, homesteaded in Mesa where they dug a well and cleared 200 acres of cactus and brush to grow citrus. They also milked dairy cows to pay for the land and trees. They ran a nursery and sold citrus trees to other growers. Mrs. Thayer recounts many funny stories of living on the land and the...
Dates:
1983 October 6; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Dolly Beville Robertson, 1985 March 4, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM02-43
Abstract
Robertson begins by recounting her family's move from California to Arizona in 1911. Her father, Paul Baxter Beville, a citrus farmer, moved to Mesa to grow citrus because the land was plentiful and the temperatures were ideal. Robertson recalls that her father became a community leader, serving on the Mesa City Council and as mayor in the mid-1910's. She mentions several prominent Mesa families and local businesses including Everybody's Drugstore, the Toggery, Wendel's jewelry store,...
Dates:
1985 March 4; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Dr. and Mrs. Lloyd Kent, 1980 April 14, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM97-174
Abstract
Dr. Kent discusses his education and how he decided to come to Mesa in 1931 to practice medicine with Dr. Ralph Palmer. He mentions his musical background and how he and Mrs. Kent have supported the Mesa Fine Arts Association. Mrs. Kent describes Mesa when they arrived: a population of 3500, and one square mile bordered by University and Broadway, and Mesa Drive and Country Club Blvd. She describes the downtown area and mentions several businesses including First National Bank, the Rex...
Dates:
1980 April 14; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Eddie Lewis, 1986 February 3, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MHM2005-027-022-1
Abstract
Lewis recounts his grandfather's move from Iowa to Utah and then to Arizona when some leaders of the Mormon Church asked him to help ?colonize? the area. He describes the 60-acre homestead near Main Street and Stapley in Mesa where his grandparents dug a large pond and stock it with fish. He tells many stories about his grandfather, the pond, and the homestead. Lewis recalls buying groceries and how much he could buy with five dollars. He also talks about the Alma School getting its first...
Dates:
1986 February 3; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Eva Watson Johnson Quist, 1987 April 3, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MHM2005-027-031-1
Abstract
Johnson gives an account of her family's move to Arizona in 1925 to benefit her mother's health. Her family settled on 10 acres on Broadway Road, near the Mormon Temple, where they farmed and raised chickens. She talks about her father, Charles Watson, who was a talented actor and singer. She also tells the story of her mother, Irene Watson, starting Watson's Flowers, a longtime family-owned business in Mesa. Quist tells of training as a registered nurse, taking care of her mother before she...
Dates:
1987 April 3; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Harriet Palmer McCarter, 1979 April 12, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM97-176
Abstract
McCarter, who was born at Roosevelt Dam, tells of her father coming to Arizona in 1902 and becoming the 43rd registered physician in the state. She mentions that the Historical Museum is publishing a book he wrote about his life in Arizona. McCarter talks about her childhood in Mesa, her schooling, and mentions some of her childhood friends. She discusses some of her father's accomplishments including building Everybody's Drugstore, building the Southside Hospital, and starting the Rotary...
Dates:
1979 April 12; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Ida Ione Pomeroy Johnson, 1979 April 23, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM02-28
Abstract
A member of the prominent Pomeroy family, Johnson was born in Mesa in 1896, at Robson and Second Ave. Her father was the first Mormon Bishop of Mesa, and one of her distant cousins served as Mesa's mayor in the 1970s. Johnson's father was also a rancher and a dairyman. She recalls driving a wagon to town with her sister to deliver eggs and milk to the local stores. She describes downtown Mesa with its dusty, and sometimes muddy, streets and mentions a few local business including Everybody's...
Dates:
1979 April 23; Digitization: 2006 March