Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, Thelma Boltin moved with her family to Gainesville in 1907. She received a B.A. from Emerson College in Boston, where she studied English, drama and speech, with a particular interest in folklore. Boltin returned to teach drama at Gainesville High School, and also became active as an actress and storyteller in theater and recreation programs for Alachua County. Her background won her the position of Program Director for the Stephen Foster Center in White Springs, for which she directed the Florida Folk Festival from 1954 to 1965. At the festival, she was a fixture in her sun bonnet and pioneer dress, often telling stories of early Florida life.
Boltin traveled throughout the state searching for talent and presenting folk traditions through her program called “Florida Lore in Song and Story” to hundreds of school children and civic organizations. She also helped found the Heart of Florida Folk Festival in Dade City. Over the years she became affectionately known as Cousin Thelma to the thousands of people who attended the Florida Folk Festival from 1955 to 1986. 1
Courtesy of the 8 Dec 1992 edition of the Ocala Star-Banner, Ocala, FL:
“The woman who helped keep Florida folklore alive and preserve its history for many years died in Gainesville Saturday at the North Florida Special Care Center following an extended illness. She was 88.
Thelma Ann Boltin, popularly called "Cousin Thelma," was known for her outstanding contributions to Florida folkways, folk music and folklore.
"She was a real wordsmith," said Ed Hoovler, who first met Boltin as she was telling old cracker stories at a folk festival in White Springs about 15 years ago. "She was famous for her Uncle Remus stories and her stories about old cures and recipes. She was also a scholar of the legends of Gainesville."
Forty years ago, Boltin helped found the Florida Folk Festival at the Stephen Foster State Folk Culture Center in White Springs and was the director there for many years. Boltin earned her nickname, "Cousin Thelma," after calling all the participants one year at the festival her "kissin' cousins."
As the first recreational director for the city of Gainesville, Boltin was also active in helping children become performers. She was responsible for the creation of The Children's Creative Theater of Gainesville and was a charter member of the Gainesville Little Theater. She was also the director of the Children's Creative Theater of Gainesville.
Boltin was a member of the First Baptist Church of Gainesville.
Survivors include two brothers, William G. "Bill" Boltin of Gainesville, and Herbert H. Boltin of Dade City; two sisters, Bena B. Wells of Orlando, and Mary B. Perkins of Jacksonville; and numerous nieces and nephews 2
Thelma Ann Boltin
BIRTH: 31 Aug 1904
Beaufort, Beaufort County, South Carolina, USA
DEATH: 5 Dec 1992 (aged 88)
Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida, USA
BURIAL: Evergreen Cemetery
Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida, USA
MEMORIAL ID: 66506753 · View Source
2. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66506753/thelma-ann-boltin