Thunderbolt, GA

Interviewee Sort descending Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Annie Lee Thorpe Georgia Black Fishermen

Mrs. Annie Lee Thorpe was the seventh of eight children, born in 1923 in Mayport, Florida. Mrs. Thorpe recalls that her family structure changed when she was 12, after the death of her mother. She then moved to Savannah to live with her older sister; however, she was unable to complete her primary education due to her sister’s illness. Soon after, Mrs. Thorpe married James Joseph “Joe” Thorpe, one of the few African American shrimp boat captains in Savannah. They began their family in 1953 and had four children.

Monet Murphy Thunderbolt, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Cassie Williams Georgia Black Fishermen

Mrs. Cassie Williams, a native of Thunderbolt, Georgia—a small community five miles southeast of Savannah in Chatham County, was born in 1934 and was the youngest of eight children. After completing six years of school in Savannah, she traveled to New York to finish her education, but had to return before graduation to take care of her father. Mrs. Williams grew up surrounded by a fishing community, where she and her husband of 53 years raised their children and grandchildren in the house he built.  Throughout her life, Mrs.

Dionne Hoskins, Money Murphy Thunderbolt, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Charles Murray Georgia Black Fishermen

Mr. Charles Murray grew up in Savannah, Georgia surrounded by a fishing community his entire life. He learned the trade, which he found easy, from his father who was a commercial shrimper and was the first African American in Thunderbolt to own his own boat. Coastal Georgia was the epicenter for shrimping and was where he, his father, and two brothers made their living. Mr. Murray was one of 10 children and joined his father’s business at the age of 16; he married twice and had children and lived his entire life in Savannah.

Dionne Hoskins Thunderbolt, GA NOAA, Savannah State University
Primus Butler Georgia Black Fishermen

Primus Butler was born on January 31, 1932 in Thunderbolt, Georgia—five miles southeast of Savannah in Chatham County. In his youth, he fished and learned how to swim in the river behind Savannah State University. Before he completed high school he was drafted for the Korean War and served one year. He returned and graduated from Beach High School and briefly attended Savannah State College until his GI Bill expired. Mr.

Dionne Hoskins Thunderbolt, GA NOAA, Savannah State University