Strange Family Folklore

Teresa Roberson
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Documentary

My great grandfather, Jessee Strange, was born a slave and freed in his 20s. His 12 children were born free, and referred to as "The First Freeborn Generation." In this podcast series, I interview Jessee Strange's descendents in order to document our stories.

  1. Apr 25

    From Working Crops to Traveling the World

    In this episode, I interview my first cousin, Carolyn Bell. She’s the youngest daughter of Olivia and Floyd Strange, Jr., granddaughter of Beatrice and Floyd Strange, Sr and great granddaughter of Lucy and Jesse Strange

    27 min

  2. 10/12/2025

    Strange Family Stage Play

    I had the pleasure of talking with one of my cousins, who not only discovered her Strange roots, but wrote a stage play about our family legacies.

    35 min

  3. 08/25/2025

    Strange Narrative Quilt

    For this special episode, I've quilted together 21 narratives from the descendants of Jesse Strange the Elder on Saturday, June 28th. When I first started, I just pulled everyone who'd come early to set up field day activities for the kids and light snacks. As the day progressed, I ensnared more descendants. The changing background sounds add texture of bringing the present to the narratives as family reminisce about the past.

    1h 24m

  4. 01/04/2025

    Strange Quilting Passion

    On the second day of Kwanzaa 2024, Kujichagulia, or Self-Determination, I had the pleasure of interviewing my Cousin Joan Raynor, daughter of Gladys Strange Wilkerson, and granddaughter of Jesse Strange. Her father was Ernest Wilkerson. Cousin Joan shared her quilting passion with me.

    28 min

  5. 12/25/2024

    Strange Holiday Cooking

    As part of my end-of-year holiday vacation, I had the pleasure of visiting with one of my cousins, Georgia Mulholland. Georgia’s mother, Marion Wheeler, was the daughter of Jessie Strange the Younger, son of Jesse Strange the Elder. Georgia’s father was George Hairston. During our conversation, I asked Cousin Georgia about growing up in Cascade, VA and her cooking traditions.

    9 min

  6. 09/30/2024

    Strange Family Hayride

    For this episode, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to interview the oldest living descendent in the Strange family, Walter “Thel” Strange while taking an intergenerational hayride. Let’s just say, I got an abundance of riches in the form of interweaving conversations, enveloped within a bouquet of sounds.

    17 min

  7. 01/06/2024

    Driving Ms Velma

    Once again, Mom and I were busy in the kitchen, when she started dropping some delicious details from her childhood. I’d heard different stories about her learning how to drive, but she added some curious flavor to this retelling.

    11 min

  8. 10/08/2023

    Prolific Strange Artist

    My Cousin Percy Martin had been a practicing artist for 72 years and had been interviewed so many times that for the first time ever, this interview started without me asking an initial question.

    52 min
See All (23)

About

My great grandfather, Jessee Strange, was born a slave and freed in his 20s. His 12 children were born free, and referred to as "The First Freeborn Generation." In this podcast series, I interview Jessee Strange's descendents in order to document our stories.

Information

  • Creator
    Teresa Roberson
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Strange Family Folklore
  • Show Website
    Strange Family Folklore