Roland Alston family papers, circa 1940s-1991, bulk dates 1990-1991

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Summary

Creator:
Alston, Roland, 1908-1994 and Hogan, Judy, 1937-
Abstract:
The Roland Alston family was an African American family residing in Durham, NC. William Roland Alston Sr., known as "Roland," became the head gardener for Mary Duke Biddle at Pinecrest then Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans at Les Terraces. This collection contains eight oral history interviews with Roland and ten photographs of his family.
Extent:
1 Linear Foot (Two document boxes, one half document box, and one audiocassette box.)
Language:
Material in English.
Collection ID:
RL.11789

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains eight oral history interviews that author Judy Hogan conducted with Roland Alston Sr. and ten photographs of his family. These 1990 interviews are on eight audiocassettes, and there are five versions of the transcript from 1991. Three versions are annotated with corrections for a separate typist, and versions four and five are more narrative in format as a deliverable to a Dot (Dorothy) King. Topics include Alston's employment history with Mary Duke Biddle and Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans; growing up on a farm in Chatham County; Durham and regional businesses, especially those for gardeners; his family life; and his views on relationships between people, including employers and employees, men and women, and parents and children. The photographs are mostly studio portraits of him and/or his wife and children.

Biographical / historical:

The Roland Alston family was an African American family residing in Durham, NC. William Roland Alston Sr. (1908-1994), known as "Roland," was born to Ena and Alice Alston in Chatham County, NC. He married Stella Elizabeth Atwater (1913-2009) in 1930 and the couple had two children: William Roland Alston Jr. (1931-1995) and Joeseph Louis Alston (1936-2023). The elder Roland became the head gardener for Mary Duke Biddle at "Pinecrest" then Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans at "Les Terraces," both properties located in Durham.

Acquisition information:
The Roland Alston family papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library as a gift from Margaret Rich in 2019. However, material transferred in 2023 came from a 1992 addition to the Semans family papers.
Processing information:

Processed by Alice Poffinberger and Jasmine Alexander-Greene, November, 2019.

Audiocassettes with transcripts (version 1 in this guide) transferred from Semans family papers by Zachary Tumlin, December 2023.

Accession described in this collection guide: 2019-0122.

Arrangement:

The Rolan Alston family papers are arranged into two series: Oral History Interviews and Photographs.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Access note. Some materials in this collection are fragile audiovisual/photographic formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Roland Alston family papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m17c7w