Looking Back at Vardy: A Moving Image Snapshot

John Morton from the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound and DruAnna Williams Overbey, a Vardy resident and five-year-old child in the films, will present one-of a-kind 1947 home movies of Vardy, a small community in Hancock County known for the Melungeon heritage of many of its residents. Presenters will discuss the history of the community its relationship with Presbyterian missionaries, as well as the characteristics of the film and its preservation process.

About the presenters

John Morton is the McClung Historical Collection Audiovisual Archivist for the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound. John holds an Honors BA in English and Film Studies from Calvin College, an MA in English from the University of Rochester, and certification in film preservation and archiving from the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation in Rochester, New York.

DruAnna Williams Overbey is a direct descendant of the patriarch of the Melungeons, Vardemon Collins. She was born on the original homestead and is the 6^th generation owner, along with her son and niece, of 200 acres of the homeplace. DruAnna began her education at Vardy Community School and continued her relationships with education through 46 years as a high school English teacher, retiring from Jefferson County Schools in 2009. After a Vardy School reunion in 1996, she and her husband bought the Vardy Presbyterian Church and manse. Shortly thereafter, the Overbey’s and three others formed the Vardy Community Historical Society and she has served on the board since that time. As a part of the preservation and sharing of the Vardy story, DruAnna has written a number of articles and books including Windows on the Past which is rooted in the Humanities Tennessee funded oral history project.