Born: 1871, United States
Died: 1953
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is republished from the National Park Service. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
In the 1950’s, Lydia Parrish made recordings of traditional songs of the Gullah Geechee culture that are now part of the Margaret Davis Cate Collection at Fort Frederica National Monument. Cate was a local historian of the Golden Isles who collected artifacts and archival material about the area. Parrish and Cate almost certainly knew each other, though we are unsure as to how Cate aquired the recordings. After she passed, her collection was donated to Fort Frederica.
Lydia Parrish was born in a Quaker community in New Jersey just outside of Philadelphia. Claiming that music was often taboo in her community, Parrish was struck by the songs and performances she saw from African Americans who lived nearby. They were descendants of enslaved individuals who had escaped slavery, crossed the border into free territory, and formed a community amongst the Quakers. However, change came to this community with the completion of a rail line through the neighborhood. Parrish claimed that African Americans from Philadelphia visiting the area introduced popular music of the times to friends and family. The songs of formerly enslaved people began to change and disappear.
On a visit to St. Simons Island in 1909, Parrish again heard songs sung by African Americans that reminded her of the ones she had heard as a child. Believing that “opportunity rarely knocks more than once,” Parrish believed she had to find a way to preserve this music. Of course, the music was never totally lost. African Americans often performed musical and religious ceremonies away from the eyes of white overseers or neighbors. However, a genuine interest in the music appears to have motivated Parrish. Though at times displaying some of the paternalistic attitudes and stereotypical tropes of the early 20th century, Parrish sought to establish connections with descendants within the Gullah Geechee communities on St. Simons. She formed the Spiritual Singers Society of Coastal Georgia and made efforts to promote performances along the coast by appealing to former plantation owners to host events in which this music was the main focus. She eventually wrote a book called the Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands, combining her research on these songs.
Parrish hosted events where African Americans and Gullah Geechee descendants performed traditional songs from their culture. These performances ranged from small gatherings at a building on Parrish’s property to the Cloister on Sea Island for larger audiences. Towards the end of her life, she was able to record a number of these performances. These recordings are now a part of the Margaret Davis Cate Collection at Fort Frederica National Monument.
Many of the individuals in these recordings were lifelong residents of St. Simons Island. Most of their ancestors had been enslaved in the coastal region. As members of the Gullah Geechee community, they passed down their traditions from one generation to the next. The songs heard in these recordings reflect not only the traditions of those singing them, but the experiences of their ancestors who were forced to work in the fields and houses of rice and cotton plantations of Georgia.
Though Parrish saw many performances with different individuals over the years, the performances helped create the Georgia Sea Island Singers, a group that gained fame in the 1960’s and continues to this day. Many prominent individuals from this group were well known on St. Simons Island, including Willis Proctor, and Bessie Smith. However, several individuals from the island and the surrounding area were willing to sing and relate songs from their ancestors. Though biographical information is scare, we would like to include their names and recognize their contribution. These names are mentioned in Parrish’s Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Island: Julia and Joe Armstrong, Cornelia and Edith Murphy, Ben Davis, Bessie Cuyler, Catherine Ramsey, Peter Davis, Alec Stewart, Mansfield Jackson, Jeffrey Union, Susyanna Vallion, Clara Roberts, “Coots” Hightower, Gertrude Cohen, Josephine Young, Henry Shaw, Rosa Sallins, Julia Walker, Nancy and Alphonzo Thorpe, “Major” Harris, Will Harrell, the Lukes and the Gibbses, among many, many others.
We owe a debt to Lydia for these recordings so that future generations can hear songs that reverberate through history. And we express our gratitude to all those who partook in these performances, for sharing their culture, for their willingness to record it, and allowing us as listeners to learn a little bit about their world.