Wright, Halee. The Bolivar Oral History Project. Through her paternal line, Wright is the great great great granddaughter of blacksmith and freedman Thomas Cook Sr. and his wife, Lethia Perry. Cook’s blacksmith shop was the focus of an archeological excavation in 2021 (Bolivar Archeological Project). Wright’s interview covers her memories of growing up in Southeast Denton. She discusses her family relationships, especially with her parents and grandparents, school, her friends, and attending Mt. Pilgrim C.M.E. Church. This transcript is of Wright’s first of two interviews conducted for the Bolivar Oral History Project. 

Wright, Halee. The Bolivar Oral History Project. Through her paternal line, Wright is the great great great granddaughter of blacksmith and freedman Thomas Cook Sr. and his wife, Lethia Perry. Cook’s blacksmith shop was the focus of an archeological excavation in 2021 (Bolivar Archeological Project). In her second of two interviews for the Bolivar Oral History Project, Wright responds to questions regarding how she learned about Black history growing up in Denton, and what her thoughts were on the archaeological research of her ancestor’s blacksmith shop. She speaks more generally about the importance of knowing one’s family history and of African American history. Wright also shares why she got involved with the Bolivar Archeological Project and the oral history program and what she hopes will transpire with the research.