In February 2019, the Jessamine County Public Library began recording oral history interviews with several current and former Jessamine County residents about their relatives who are buried in Locust Grove, an African-American cemetery in Nicholasville, Kentucky.
Condensed versions of the interviews were published as part of the Locust Grove Oral History podcast and later re-released as episode two of the Jessamine History Walks podcast.
Now the complete Locust Grove oral history interviews and transcripts are available in the Kentucky Digital Library (KDL). KDL aims “to enhance scholarship, research, and lifelong learning by providing access to shared digital archival collections in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”
These longer interviews help give researchers and community members a better understanding of Black life in Jessamine County.
Interviews with Anna Kenion and Jennifer Smith
Sisters Anna Kenion and Jennifer Smith spoke with us about their parents (pictured), Andrew Thomas Smith (1930-1993) and Dorothy Smith (1930-2014).
Anna shared memories of her parents’ faith, love, and family. She discussed some of the challenges her parents faced, including her father’s loss of sight.
Anna also remembered her brother, Andrew Phillip Smith (1950-2015), who died of mesothelioma after retiring from General Motors. Listen to Anna Kenion’s interview on KDL.
Jennifer spoke to us by phone about her mother. She described her mother’s faith and her love of family, which she often showed through her cooking. Listen to Jennifer Smith’s interview on KDL.
Interview with Frank Cannon, Jr.
Frank Cannon, Jr., who at the time was a board member of the Locust Grove Cemetery, explained the cemetery’s history, the board’s responsibilities, and the challenges of maintaining the cemetery.
He also talked to us about his parents (pictured), Ora Belle Hamilton Cannon (1911-1998) and Frank Cannon, Sr. (1913-1988), and their careers in Jessamine County Schools before and after integration.
Other topics included life on the family’s farm; attending Rosenwald-Dunbar School while his father was principal there; working at his father’s engine repair shop; and his grandmother, Lizzie Cannon (1870-1965).
Interview with Juanita White
Juanita White spoke about her parents, Anna Bell Holloway Jackmon (1912-1985, pictured) and Robert Duncan Jackmon (1909-1962).
She discussed her mother’s jobs cleaning houses and babysitting and her father’s jobs delivering groceries and working at a slaughterhouse. Juanita shared memories of her mother’s faith and favorite recipes.
Juanita also told stories about her siblings and other family members and reminisced about growing up on Maple Street in Nicholasville.
Share Your Stories
If you have loved ones buried in Locust Grove Cemetery, we’d love to add their stories to the Kentucky Digital Library. Email Carrie Green at [email protected] or call her at (859) 885-3523 to arrange an interview.