Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2024/spring/Section13/Ms. Marie Morris - "The Greek American Wife"

Biography

Girl working in Cherryville Mill.

Marie Morris, whose maiden name is Nichols, was interviewed by an unknown author during the Federal Writers Project in the late 1930s. Her interview, titled “The Greek-American Wife” takes place in her husband’s café, where she works occasionally to help him out.

Childhood

Morris’s parents were “mountain families of English descent,” and she was the twelfth of sixteen children. During her childhood, factory work was popular for women and children, so she started working at the mill with her textile-worker family and continued to receive a fair amount of raises due to her skill in the mills. She was first married at age 13 to a husband with whom she had a son, but she revealed that the marriage had an “unsuccessful” ending. After her family moved to Charlotte, NC, she continued working in a cotton mill near the military Camp Green.

Adult Life

Picture of Camp Greene in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Morris was reluctant to get married again, but after several encounters with her sister’s boyfriend’s soldier friend, she fell in love with his kindness towards her son, and they married. His name was Nick Morris, and he was Greek, which meant that through their marriage, she would slowly grow accustomed to Greek culture, the language, and the Greek immigrants. Morris mentions that as she visited his church, and witnessed struggling immigrants, she gained a more accepting view of the world around her.  Her husband got a job as a chef in the Astor Café, and they continued to run the café in the years of their marriage.

Marriage

Much of Marie Morris’s interview is taken up by her romantic story of how she met her husband, Nick Morris. Since she lived next to Camp Greene, the main group of young men she interacted with were soldiers. Mr. Morris was one of those soldiers, and she originally judged him for his Greek origins. At the time of their meeting, she was seeing another man. However, he gained her trust and heart after caring for her son (who was a young boy at the time) and she ultimately chose to marry Nick Morris over the other man, whom she doesn’t name. Their marriage lasted until both of their deaths.

Social Contexts

Child Labor and Textile Factories in the 1900s

Young girls running warping machines in Loray Mill, North Carolina.

During the period of rapid industrialization, children as young as five or six years old were employed in factories, mines, mills, and other industrial settings, working long hours under hazardous conditions. The Industrial Revolution brought about a demand for cheap labor, and children were often seen as ideal workers due to their small size, dexterity, and ability to be paid less than adult workers. Many families, particularly those living in poverty, relied on the income their children could bring to supplement their earnings, as Marie’s family did. Textiles were important components of American industrial advancements and design innovation in the mid-century, when textile consumption tripled between 1920 and 1966, and new applications for textiles were increasing. Similarly, there were industrial advances in chemistry, engineering, and mass production; an expanding and increasingly diverse workforce that included women and those previously employed as domestic help; and social factors such as increased educational opportunities, health care, and access to travel. At one point, Marie says that she moved to Charlotte from South Carolina and could continue her textile work, which was around the time when women could move around the factories. Much of this information came from newspapers and written journals that offer insights into the significance of textiles as functional objects and cultural artifacts in shaping the visual identity of mid-century America.

Greek Immigrant Communities

Greek immigrants came to the United States seeking better economic opportunities and to escape political turmoil and hardship in their homeland. Many settled in urban areas where they could find work, often in the textiles, manufacturing, and food service industries. In the Carolinas, Greek immigrants often found employment in industries such as tobacco, textiles, and restaurants. Often, there would also be established Greek churches, as Ms. Morris talks about.

According to his description, Marie's husband, Nick Morris, is assumed to be a Greek immigrant or a child of Greek immigrants. When they marry, she connects with the Greek church he attends and much of the Greek community that lives around them. Around this time in the early 1900s, America saw a lot of immigration from Asia and Europe. Greek immigrants were usually seen migrating to the North in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, etc. There were two major waves of Greek immigration. The first wave, "the era of mass migration" began in the 1880s and lasted to the mid-1920s. During this time, there was a lot of fighting over immigrants taking away American job availability and much racism and ethnic hate towards those that came from out of the country. The Greek's biggest incident was the Anti-Greek riot of 1909. The riot occurred in South Omaha and targeted the Greek immigrants with violent attacks on its people, racial slurs, and showcased severe xenophobic sentiments that were popular in the early 20th century. The riot underscored the struggles faced by Greek immigrants in navigating a hostile environment characterized by racism and nativism, as they sought to establish themselves in a new country. Yet, throughout the years of racism, Greek immigrants gained a reputation for their diners and persistent faith in the Greek Orthodox Christian Churches, as well as the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHERPA), which was meant to help assimilation Greek immigrants into American culture.

Greek Cafe's Significance

Busy Cafe in Queensland, 1929

Approximately 350,000 Greek immigrants brought the kaffenion culture with them to America between 1900 and 1920 which gave rise to the modern Greek diner. Despite the significant role diners played in propelling the Greek community in the U.S., there were mixed emotions among Greek-Americans about this connection. The prevalence of Greek-owned diners in New York City since the 1940s suggests that about two-thirds of the city's diners are Greek-owned. The efforts of diner owners, often immigrants, were to elevate their establishments from greasy spoon joints to more upscale dining destinations while retaining their proletarian appeal. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Greek immigrants faced discrimination and economic challenges in the United States. Many turned to entrepreneurship as a means of survival, opening small businesses such as cafes and diners. Greek cafes became especially popular in urban areas, where they catered to a diverse clientele, offering affordable meals and a welcoming atmosphere. Greek cafes were known for their simple yet delicious fare, including coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and other comfort foods. They often featured classic diner-style counters and booths, creating a cozy and familiar environment for patrons. Beyond serving food and drinks, Greek cafes also served as meeting places for various community groups, labor unions, and social clubs. They played a role in fostering a sense of belonging and solidarity among immigrants and other marginalized groups. When prefacing the interview, the author comment's in Mrs. Morris's conversations with customers, and her easy-going attitude that suggested she fit into the welcoming atmosphere that followed Greek cafe.

References

"American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association". Wikipedia. 2024-01-27.

"Folder 994: No author: A Greek-American Wife :: Federal Writers Project Papers"

Bitzes, John G., "The anti-Greek riot of 1909: South Omaha" (1964). Student Work. 548. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork/548

Bodnar, John. 1980. “Immigration, Kinship, and the Rise of Working-Class Realism in Industrial America.” Journal of Social History 14 (1). doi:10.1353/jsh/14.1.45.

Kappatos, Nicole. “Greek Immigration to Richmond, Virginia, and the Southern ...” VCU Scholars Compass, April 21, 2014.

Lewine, Edward. “The Kaffenion Connection: How the Greek Diner Evolved.” The New York Times, April 14, 1996. https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/14/nyregion/the-kaffenion-connection-how-the-greek-diner-evolved.html.

Troy, Virginia Gardner. 2019. “Textiles as the Face of Modernity: Artistry and Industry in Mid-Century America.” Textile History 50 (1): 23–40. doi:10.1080/00404969.2019.1587237