. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Ocracokers. She has since moved to a nursing home in Swan Quarter. For most of her life, Muzel stayed on Ocracoke. She began working as a domestic at age 14, and her employers eventually included historic Ocracoke families such as the O'Neals, the Braggs and the Ballances. She never married, and she only changed her career and location once: During her late teens she worked for relatives in a restaurant in Philadelphia. She returned to the island at age 20, and has lived there ever since. A SPECIAL CONNECT
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Ocracokers. She has since moved to a nursing home in Swan Quarter. For most of her life, Muzel stayed on Ocracoke. She began working as a domestic at age 14, and her employers eventually included historic Ocracoke families such as the O'Neals, the Braggs and the Ballances. She never married, and she only changed her career and location once: During her late teens she worked for relatives in a restaurant in Philadelphia. She returned to the island at age 20, and has lived there ever since. A SPECIAL CONNECT! Today, Muzel lives a quiet retiree's life with her 50-year-old caretaker, Kenny Ballance. His father worked alongside Lewis Bryant, one of Muzel's brothers, in the Army Corps of Engineers, and Muzel and her sister Mildred looked after Kenny Ballance and his siblings, Alton and Kathy. Ballance and others on Ocracoke remember Mildred as the more outgoing and talkative of the two sisters. "She taught us to Charleston," he says, recalling dance lessons. "She was like a mother to ; Although more shy than her younger sister, Muzel's presence was still felt among the community. She was known for her daily walks along the unpaved, sandy road near her house. "We used to say she'd lurk in the bushes," Howard remembers with a smile. The road didn't have a shoulder, she explains, and Muzel had to walk at the edge, often obscured by overgrown bushes and tall oak trees. "She used to walk up and down the street and watch who was coming," Howard recalls. People often stopped their cars or came out of TOP: A traditional island road, similar to where Muzel would take her daily walks. BOTTOM, LEFTTO RIGHT: Winnie Blount, Muzel's grandmother, was a former slave. She died in 1925, and was believed to be about 100years old. ElsieJane and Leonard Bryant, Muzel's parents. They died in 1964 and 1960, respectively. their houses to chat with her. Howard r
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
