This interview was conducted by Terry Woods in 1970 when Sylvia was 76 years old. She worked along the Ohio and Erie Canal on the family boat between ages 8 and 16. She was born as Sylvia Zoph in 1894. She died in 1976.
Terry was not a trained interviewer, however, this rambling interview covers a lot of ground about life on the canal, dealing with drunken family members, and more. Her memory of details about lock and place names was very clear, but it appears that by the time Terry did this interview, she had been interviewed a couple times prior. That may have prompted her to refresh her memories with her books and pictures that she mentions. So there might be other recordings of her out there in some archives, but nothing on the internet.
I caution that there is a racial slur that I left in. It only happens once.
