Nancy Morgan – Hamilton County Writer

4 min read

Nancy Morgan (1913 to 2010)

White Springs, Fl

Nancy Morgan winner of the 1985 FLORIDA FOLK HERITAGE AWARD

Nancy Morgan (White Springs) grew up in the central north Florida area known as “the Pocket,” where her family carried on many traditional regional practices. Morgan’s mother helped her make her first crazy quilt when she was 13. Morgan remembers her mother stitching together fabric remnants to make crazy looking patterns. For Morgan, the quilts of her youth were utilitarian: “The houses were heated with fireplaces and when the fire went out, you’d be glad to have three or four or five quilts on you and a feather bed to sleep in. That’s what we had.”

During the 1970s, Morgan helped found the Suwannee River Crafts Guild, based in White Springs. Throughout her long involvement with the Guild, she organized many quilt shows and taught numerous quilting workshops in the Suwannee River region. The quilting group functioned much like the communal quilting bees that were part of the traditions of her youth.

Morgan also demonstrated lye soap making, cooking, and other old ways at many cultural and historical centers in north Florida. Morgan and her husband were sponsors of the award winning Suwannee River Cloggers, which met weekly at their home. Morgan also published a book, Out of Pocket: My Life on the Florida/Georgia Border, about her early life in the nearby area.


And from her Obituary

Nancy Morgan, age 97, of White Springs, FL. passed from this life to be with family and friends in Heaven on October 7, 2010 at Suwannee Valley Nursing Center in Jasper, FL. She was loved and known to many as “Aunt Nancy”. She was born January 9, 1913 on Tom’s Creek near Fargo, GA. to James and Vella Padgett Fouraker. She was preceded in death by her father, her mother, seven brothers, five sisters, her husband, Ray Morgan, her son, Hilward Morgan and son-in-law, Robert Waldron.

She was a member of Bethel Primitive Baptist Church, Fargo, GA. until the closing of the church, her membership was then moved to Unity Primitive Baptist Church, Statenville, GA.

Aunt Nancy was very active in the community until ill health forced her retirement. She wrote and published “Aunt Nancy’s Country Cooking” and “Out Of the Pocket”, her memories of the good life she experienced. She won numerous awards, including the Florida Folk Heritage Award as well as recognition for her great recipes. She was a member of the Stephen Foster Citizen Support Organization and volunteered many hours at the State Park and Folk Center, quilting and demonstrating while teaching others. She was a wonderful story-teller and entertained children of all ages with her tales of rural life and the singing of old hymns and ballads.

Aunt Nancy, with God’s grace, accomplished much. She was a sister, daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother. She was loved by her family and friends and will always be cherished for her love for us and her sweet smile.

Books Created by Nancy Morgan

Aunt Nancy’s Country Cooking on the Banks of the Suwannee River – 1989

Out Of Pocket Life on the Florida Georgia BorderOut of Pocket: My Life on the Florida/Georgia Border

Sadly I cannot find either book available anywhere on the internet. If you know of where we could purchase a copy or her family members would like to re-publish this book. Please get in touch using our CONTACT US form

One or both might be available at the SFFCCSP Gift Shop they are closed for remodeling or something right now but hope to be reopened in May sometime.

CLICK HERE to see a picture of one of her quilts on the Florida Memory Website

jolenemac66 https://websandblogsforwriters.com

I am a retired medical office worker who sold everything, bought an old RV and began traveling around the state of Florida with her mother and youngest daughter. We have settled down in the Lake City, Florida area for now as I am writing another book and have began taking on website design and social media content creator clients.

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