Interview with Dudley Posey - OH 334

Interviewee

• Dudley Thayer Posey
• Murphy Village
• Irish Traveler

Interviewer

Ron Chepesiuk

Files

Abstract

This interview was conducted by Winthrop Archivist Ron Chepesiuk with Dudley Thayer Posey (1917–2004), owner of Posey's Funeral Home in North Augusta, South Carolina, as part of the Village of Murphy's Travelers oral history project. The interview was one of a series conducted by Chepesiuk during his research on the Irish Travelers. The Irish Travelers (often referred to historically as "Gypsies") are descendants of an itinerant Irish subculture whose members emigrated from Ireland to the northeastern United States following the Great Famine of the 1840s and later migrated to the southeastern United States. During the 1960s, many members of the community settled in Aiken County, South Carolina, in an area that became known as Murphy Village.

Having served the Irish Traveler community since 1957, Mr. Posey discusses his decades of experience arranging funerals and burials for members of the Murphy Village community. He describes the evolution of their burial practices, explaining how earlier funerals often required transporting the deceased to Atlanta or Nashville before the community became more permanently established in the North Augusta area. Mr. Posey explains that the Irish Travelers he served were Roman Catholic and that their funerals generally followed traditional Catholic burial rites. He discusses embalming practices, the timing of funerals, and the large gatherings that brought together family and community members from across the Southeast. He also describes the community's distinctive use of elaborate floral arrangements depicting the deceased's occupations, hobbies, or personal interests. Throughout the interview, Mr. Posey reflects on the close-knit nature of the Irish Traveler community, emphasizing their strong family ties, their commitment to caring for elderly family members, and the importance they placed on supporting one another during times of loss.

Publication Date

1984

Unique Identifier

OH 334

Format

1 Cassette; MP3; WAV;

Length

00:04:03

Restrictions

This interview is open for use under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections

Disciplines

Oral History

Keywords

Village of Murphy’s Travelers

Recommended Citation

Posey, Dudley Thayer; Murphy Village; and Irish Traveler, "Interview with Dudley Posey - OH 334" (1984). Winthrop University Oral History Program. OH 334.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/oralhistoryprogram/487