Family Change in Washington County Tennessee
Faculty Mentor
Tommy Lee
Mentor Home Department
History
Short Abstract
Family Change in Washington County Tennessee Author: Ashley Tuell, URHP History Department, East Tennessee State University Advisor: Dr. Lee, History Department Faculty, East Tennessee State University Project Description: In my thesis, I seek to understand changes of rural life in Washington County, Tennessee, specifically how a shift away from farm life between 1930 and 1950, impacted familial roles. I hypothesize that between 1930 and 1950, Washington County families moved away from farms, which altered the traditional structure of the family and the relation between family and community. This question is important to consider as its answer impacts how individuals experienced life in Washington County generations ago as well as today. My thesis will fill a gap in research because while scholars like Lu Ann Jones and Melissa Walker have looked at the family, shifting family roles in Washington County Tennessee has not yet been studied. I shall use primary sources as the backbone of my thesis. My thesis will be structured around data from the U.S. Census for Washington County, Tennessee, which should illuminate family living arrangements, family size, occupations, and community relationships. Analysis of the census data will be supplemented with newspaper articles that mention family as well as the trend of leaving the farm. I will also use the Archives of Appalachia as well as the Washington County Archives to seek primary sources dealing with family life in this period. Although I have begun research, I have not gotten far enough into my project to garner any results.
Category
Social Sciences
Start Date
5-4-2024 8:00 AM
End Date
5-4-2024 9:00 AM
Location
D.P. Culp Center Room 272 (East Tennessee Room)
Family Change in Washington County Tennessee
D.P. Culp Center Room 272 (East Tennessee Room)
Family Change in Washington County Tennessee Author: Ashley Tuell, URHP History Department, East Tennessee State University Advisor: Dr. Lee, History Department Faculty, East Tennessee State University Project Description: In my thesis, I seek to understand changes of rural life in Washington County, Tennessee, specifically how a shift away from farm life between 1930 and 1950, impacted familial roles. I hypothesize that between 1930 and 1950, Washington County families moved away from farms, which altered the traditional structure of the family and the relation between family and community. This question is important to consider as its answer impacts how individuals experienced life in Washington County generations ago as well as today. My thesis will fill a gap in research because while scholars like Lu Ann Jones and Melissa Walker have looked at the family, shifting family roles in Washington County Tennessee has not yet been studied. I shall use primary sources as the backbone of my thesis. My thesis will be structured around data from the U.S. Census for Washington County, Tennessee, which should illuminate family living arrangements, family size, occupations, and community relationships. Analysis of the census data will be supplemented with newspaper articles that mention family as well as the trend of leaving the farm. I will also use the Archives of Appalachia as well as the Washington County Archives to seek primary sources dealing with family life in this period. Although I have begun research, I have not gotten far enough into my project to garner any results.