Storytelling is an art and there was a time, not all that long ago, when the family storyteller was a revered person. Listen here to stories about storytellers from the past.

Return to Family Story Recordings

Panther's and Rattlesnakes  Playing Time 3:57

Robert Morgan is a writer and author of Gap Creek. He grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains and vividly remembers the long dark winter evenings of his youth and the stories that kept him entertained.

Grandma's Tales  Playing Time 6:47

John Lilly loved visiting his grandmother in Chicago who regaled him with wonderful tales some of which were true and others, well, you can decide for yourself.

The Prison Storyteller  Playing Time 5:51

Olga Andreyev Carlisle's family lived through the Russian Revolution. Her grandmother was even imprisoned by the Bolsheviks in Siberia where, Olga was to discover many years later, her grandmother used her talents as a storyteller to help her fellow inmates endure terrible suffering and deprivation.

Jesse James  Playing Time 3:28

Beverly Marks fondly recalls here the stories her grandfather used to tell her including one she suspects is true about the famed Jesse James.