1 50 26 https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/7bfe768740570b7362804ca24404718f.pdf 049b349af65133fac2a31f7e2871a6d8 PDF Text Text An interview wi t h Robert Proffit by Joseph Skelton and Deloris Proffit, on October 3, 1980. The interview was conducted at his home. Mr. Proffit: John Green was probably the first person entering the land we know as Meat Camp now. This entry was in 1788 and the orginial deeds which started at the mouth of Howard ~ s c reek to the New river and it comes up to the lower end of Meat Camp. The line runs through below where Earl Green lives now, goes pretty well east and wes t across there. And the Ragan property joined that. I don ~ t have an} P·IIOO f he re r- on l the "first one, just ex actly where he lived. I don ~ t think Gre en lived in Meat Camp valley He lived back on the other side where Forrest (G r een) lives in that hollow. But still the property comes in Heat CAmp. Then the Ragan land begin with that line and it run thr~ ugh the upper end of the Wilson property where Darrell Green owns now, and across on each side. And it will cover the area you are interested in probably alot more. Now Peter Ragan lived there somewhere, on the land that he entered in the 1780's 90 ~ s. He had a son named James who inherited all of it as far as I know. I don~t have the re cords on it, It wa s probably entered but it is certain he lived in the country at least before 1790 and its certain that James Ragan owned the property. Now from there on the greater partc of the rest of Meat Camp was entered by David Miller. There',s tracts here and there that he missed for sorfie reason. It mifht have been one or two entries that he didn ! t have, I mean that someone else had got in--while he was entering it. And do you want to take in the flat woods and Longhope on this? Interviewer: Yes. Mr. Pro f fit: Well it was up-- James Brown, I think, a Brown anyway entered the flat woods that was in the 1780 ~ s. Henry Harrison ?fains lived on LOng hope, he moved there in 1788. And xcept for that I th i nk David Miller owned practically all the rest of Meat Camp. He entered it in the period a little after 1800 to maybe 1830 or so. And some of it may have been entered in his children ~ s names. They inherited all of it, or all of it he didn ~ t s e ll. Now let !s see you can f lip that off a minute i f you want t o . Now the Ragan ~ s f amily-- I guess Ralph still owns part of that place over there where Bud lives. Floyd Norris if he hadn , t sold it owns a patch in there. His mother was one of them. The rest of it has all been. sold. It reached from well at least from the top of Chestnut Grove hill to Riddle's fork. David Miller owned land on Riddle's fork too. He had one of the fir s t entries ever made but it was over at Green Va lley school house- That's Just about where his house was. He owned from there way back over on the big Hill side that was entered by h~ s daddv . And after he married he started enteru.3 on the creek here. I'll get this burned down a little and we'll go on but before we turn it on (in reference to his pipe). I can give you a list of several people that I've found that lived here. And I don't know that I've got them all. Do you want a description of who lived there at this time on the place and things like that now will that help ~ you? �2 Interviewer: Yes, it sure will. Mr. Proffit: Now Joseph Miller was one of the earliest settlers above the Greens and Ragans. He settled on this place here about 1834 I'd say. He was married in 1834 and probably lived here then. And his land went from I couldn't tell you exactly, but it took in over the top of this ridge over here and over nearly to Riddle's Fork and it went up the creek to about where Will Winebar?er lived or a little above there. And the next one William C. Miller moved to Upper Meat Camp about 1835. He wasn't related to these. His land joined the land Henry Proffit owns now and Flo Proffit owns. It went up somewhere near the Pottertown Gap on the right and went back down toward Zionville on the other side. And he bougnt some of it from David Miller and I think he entered some. And his house was where Lark's family lives now. Levi Wilson lived on the other side of the creek where Gladys Moretz lives. He owned a lot more land than sne owns but his house was somewhere in that bottom, and he lived there from maybe 1835-40 on to the late 50's, he moved to that section in 1839 or 40. He moved into the country in 39 he may of moved there directly or he could ~ have lived somewhere else awhile but he was there probably by 1840, that's the place they call the Tate place now. Tom Davis moved from Holdman's Ford in Wilkes County to what they call the Davis place now. Jack Bryan owns it. You know where it is it's up over the Ridge. And Joha Proffit moved from Holdman's Ford in 1841. He built just out to the right of where Henry Winebarger lives. lie had a mill down on the creek just below Proffit's Grove church. I Can remember when you could see the timbers where the water wheel ~as mounted. Teey are gone no · but --they was logs in the creek back 40 years ago. And this was evidently land that David Miller1 ·m~ssed. The Proffit boys entered it I think. And then David Miller moved from Riddle's Fork up on Meat Camp about 1844. !le lived in an old house do~m just in front of where Roby Wineba~ger lives in that bottom. Jake Winebarger settled here in about 1848. He built his first house just behind where Earl Bryan's house is in that little bottom. Then latter on he built down where Harvey Trivette's house is. You can't remember the old house can yo81 It was a log house. Interviewer: No Mr. Proffit: Well Harvey tore it down and built that house thats there now on the same spot. And he built it in the late 1860's. Now this Winebarger was a millwright, Carpenter, and cabinet maker; he built yha~ orginal mill for John Proffit up on b~e creek before th was married. And he built the Winebarger milJ l Rt t er on. Of course the orginal has been gone a long time this is, , I think, ~ the fourth mill now. And Levi Blackburn moved from down on New river to Meat Camp in 1839. He bought land from Joseph Miller there and he lived on up the hollar above where Richard Greens family lives. He owned that place too. Now he was a Methodist minister and he started the Hopewell church about 1850. The orginial building stood just below the old cemetary down on a little knoll. Latter on they built another one just to the right of the old cemetary above where the road is now. Around 1900 they built the new building over on top of the ridge, where it is, of course its been remodelled and its been moved a little. It blowed off the pillars in 1905 and they had to do something so they pulled it on up on top of the ridge, it was down �3 on this side a little. And they turned it around to face Riddle's Fork. And there was a man named William Tridy that lived on the upper end of the creek on 1850 . He was listed in the 1850 census. He evidently wasn't there so long . There's a place still called the Tridy cabin field, I think Carl Moretz ' s family o~'lls it now, Some of the Moretz ' s. Corning back down Jerry Ellison moved in th the iandr that Clyde Winebarger and Herman Bryan owns now and that was in the 1840's. He married one of the David Miller daughters. This was iand that she recieved as her inheritance from the orginial Miller entries. Efird Miller was one of David ' s sons . He lived on the place that _' Bernard Hodgeson owns now. The Dayton Winebarger place was part of it to. And he probably moved there in the 1840 ' s. He married one of John Woodring ' s daughters and she died and then he didn't marry again up until 1850's. But, I imagine, he probably built there when he first married. John Woodring settled on what we call the Woodring Hollar somewhere in that section about 1839-or-40. Jesse Vannoy moved here from Wilkes in 1850. He owned the place now where Dayton Winebarger lives where Willy Proffit lived. Cristian Lewis married another one of the Miller girls . He moved to this over here where R. 0. Mains owns and the Claude Norris family and probably more but anyhow it covered that . I'm not certain where there was any other outside settlers before that time or not there could have been of course . Now after 1850 most of the new homes in M eQt Camp was set. up by families; children that was r raised here. James Ragan had three sons. John built his house a little , above where Bud:s house is now . Up in that hollar. Calvin built down on the place where Earl Green owns--no I'm wrong there - J . B. Green owns . He built a house just down below where J. B. ' s house is . And Richard built over here where Austin South lives the old house was down in that little hollar just the other side of Austin's house. And on the head of the creek William Proffit built on the land where Claude lived . His house was just above where Claude's barn is out on that little fidge. John Bryan built up in the hollar where Herman lives. Oan Johnson bought the place and lived in the s ame ~ house that John built for years and then he tore it down. Jonathan Miller moved out :Ln the place where Roy Shipley lives now. The house was, I think, a h below or maybe behind the Shipley house. And he may have owned the Todd place too, I don ' t know for certain about that . James Proffit built about where Ralph Moretz's house is now maybe a little below it . John Proffit Jr . built over on t he other side abo ut where Jack Bryan ' s barn is. Austin Miller built pretty close to where Ann Miller's house is or Albert's . John Moretz built on up where Gene lived . And Edmund Blackburn built over across the hill here in this hollar, I don ' t know what it ' s called. But anyhow it was on land that Henry Proffit owned its beens9ld to some bunch of developers now. But it was between the top of the ridge up here and where Richard Green lived . Hopewell Methodist church seemed to have been the first one on this Meat Camp section. It was determined 1850. Levi Blackburn moved in 1839 and they probably had serv~ c es in homes for awh i le but as far as I know they didn ' t organize a church until about 1850 possi~ly a little before of after . I ·-believe I already described where the church stood. The next one was the Meat Camp church. It was established July 6, 1851. And it was a pretty strong congregat ~ on, not so strong when it was set up but it was a fast growing congregation . The orginial meeting house there stood in the little bottom down below where the church house is now . It belongs to Gladys Gragg's . �4 Between 194 and the old cemetary. And I don't know just when the new house was built but probably 40 to 50 years af ter that . And that ' s the only churches I know of on Meat Camp before the Civil war . What I've heard told of, I've a book on Stoneman's raid and ed on Meat CAmp at the time. you would just be things that Interviewer: got a little . The Van Noppen waman she wrote there was a few references to things that happenBut I Can't seperate that. What I can tell I've heard people tell. Well. Mr. Proffit: Well in the war then first calls evidently was for volinteers they had a conscription too. But they was people volinteered that wouldn't have been conscripted, to old or physically probably wouldn ' t have passed . And theymay habe been some I don ' t have. I know some that would have been consideres, Possibly from Meat Camp, But still they are outside a little of the scope that we are covering here. I ' ll give you the names of the people I've found that went into the confedrency service from Meat Camp proper. That was John Blackburn, John Bryan, Elbert Davis, Albert D~vis, Harvey Davis, Thomas Davis Jr., William S. Davis, Richard Green, Alferd Miller, David Miller, Edmund Miller, Elferd Miller, Franklin Miller, John Miller, LOzeno Miller, John Moretz, David Proffit, Jesse Proffit, Thomas Proffit William Proffit, Marcus Woodring, Rufus Woodring, Now out of these Thomas Davis Jr . , Richard Green, David Miller, Edmund Miller, John Miller, David Proffit, Jesse Proffit, and Thomas Proffit all died in the service . There was a time went the war was going on there was raids through the country mostly by outlaws. Stoneman's raid was the only one I know of that was offical. But at times there was bands that would come through and rob the people and go on. There ' s one story of some that went to Jacob Winebarger's and took his horse. They went to William Miller ' s and swapped with him . Left an old pug that looked like it was dead on it's feet . After the war and the horse was feed up it turned out to be a good animal. And I ' ve heard them tell my great-grandmother lived at the Shipley place, it was the Jon a th an Miller place then, he was her uncle . Ane she brought some corn over to tne m il ~l that John Proffit had on the creek and wheb she started back to get her mill she noticed some people coming through the gap of the mountain on horses and she tried to get to the mill before they did, but she'd .; ust got her mill and started back when thay rode up and they took the mill hwa¥ I ~rom her. It was the last she had, and she had to go ovee to Trade over in tenn . to get some more . And another time they had some maple sugarburied . They'd made it and got afraid someone would come in and take it so they buried it in the woods . It started raining and after a few days of fain they got afraid that would ruin it, and went and took it up and that night a bunch come and took it away from them . They was other < <r· things. Out of all this bunch of soldiers Elfird Miller deserted. He ' s the only one I know of. He got back home and layed out in the mountains till the war was over. 1 Interviewer: Is that--- Were roost of the men you mentioned were they confederate? Mr. Proffit: All confederate . �5 Interviewer: soldiers? ..'Were most of the rad.eds that went on here donel by the northern Mr. Proffit : Well I suspect mostly it was just what you might call the trash of the country . Deserters and people who layed out to keep from having to serve and maybe it could have been some sympathers with the northern cause. Interviewer: Yeah . I know I was just wandering because of how bad some of the raids where by northern soldiers further down south. I didn't know i f maybe it might have been some of them . Mr . Proffit: Now they was a trail through in the Tenn. Beach creeR c0.yntry . That was used quite a bit for people who deserted and wanted to get to the north . And they may have been some gone through1here . Over the Rich mountain gap, but from what I've heard I think most of the raiding through here was just you might say a bunch of outlaws. People who had found a way to live off the other people. Interviewer: Yeah. Mr. Proffit: in that. I don't think they was any organized connection with the north There was a school that stood down in this bottom that belongs to Darrell Green now. Of course it was just a conscription school. The people who had children to send payed so much for the course. Interviewer : Uh-huh . Did they pay the teacher? Is that how they did it? Mr . Proffit : I think so, yeah. There wasn ' t any school board's anything like that. Just somebody that was capable of teaching would go through the community and get parents to agree to pay. Maybe a dollar or so a student. Interviewer: something? Un-huh. Did he work kinda like a circuit rider preacher of Mr . Proffit: I don ' t know how that was. Wehad a few people in the country that was qualified as school teachers. I can remember hearing that my greatgrandmother said all she got to go to school was when she would slip off and go down to this school. Her daddy wouldn ' t let her go . He wouldn't pay for the course. As far as I know that was the only school within reach of this section until after --till after the war. pause . in tape. l r. -'- t1:, . Mr . Proffit: He:.;wa·s ' brought r b~ John Moretz. He bought the Cooper place down on the other side of Big Hill . It included part of Big Hill . He put in a set of mills there several different kinds of mills and brought Jacob Winebarger with him to keep up the mill, sharpen his stones and all of that. Interviewer: Un-huh . �6 Mr. Proffit: Then Winebarger married one of his girls and moved over here on Meat Camp. Interviewer: Un-huh. Did they have any stores or anything? Mr. Proffit: Not back at that time. Gargan Council had a store at Boone. That was-- I think he started maybe in the 1820's. He had the first post office in the country too. Interviewer: Un-huh. People were just what more self sufficient than they needed a store for I guess? Mr. Proffit: Yeah. All Council could have sold was just mostly stuff they couldn't raise here. After a while of course they probably got to bringing in more stuff like it has been ever since. But orginally I think it was jist finery mostly and maybe salt and stuff like that. The only store I know of that was anywhere close here was down --was down on Big Hill and that was after the civil war throgh . You've probably heard it called Soda Hill. - l· Do you remember hearing that? P Interviewer: I can't think, I don't know. Mr. Proffit: I can remember when they still called it Soda Hill but its called Big Hill now. But they said the reason they called it that was cause the i· first soda that was ever sold in this country was brought there. .) Uh-Is that drinking soda or baking soda? No baking soda. Interviewer: / Interviewer: Mr. Proffit: 5 They still don't call drinks soda here. Intervierer: Yeah. I guess that's just where where I'm from. 0 Interviewer: / ,) Irterviewer: Yeah. They call them soda. Mr. Proffit: Now what do we need after the civil war? just the same kind of thing? What particular Interviewer: Yeah, What kind of schools, churches, were there---Did the area change a whole lot after the civil war-- were there a lot of changes that happened in here? Mr. Proffit: Not that I know of on Meat Camp. There might have been some Cilffeqmce pt6bablj would· .have been but the way of life all that was the same on. Interviewer: Yeah. Mr. Proffit: There never was anything here to begin with except just the natural things and--- <• �7 Interviewer: Well that's enough. Mr. Proffit: There was no business of ever carried on here . And there's not that unless you have improvements . Of you could pull by tracters things like was very little change in general. ~~ any kind, farming was all that was room for a great amount of change in course after they begin making machinery that has changed . But I guess there ~ cl' ' ..,::' Interviewer: Part of it or something? Yeah . Mr . Proffit: It's actually been a part of five counties in its history but from the time it was settled in here. Wilkes county was formed in 1778 . I think and it included this. This was all Wilkes county then on some says to Mississippi others claim it didn't go that far, but anyway it took in a great part of Tenn . And I don't know I may have given you that date wrong did I say 1778? Interviewer: Yeah. Mr. Proffit : Well that's what I meant anyway . Interviewer : 0 . K. Mr. The and was but Proffit: In 1799, Ashe county was formed and it included all this. line·-went t not , to far from where it is now between Wilkes county, AShe Watauga and partof Mitchell was together at that time all of Avery county in Ashe county. No that ' s wrong part of Avery was formed with Mitchell, a good part of it was Watauga territory and Watauga was formed in 1849. Interviewer: Now Watauga was formed out of thos five counties? Mr. Proffit: No part of that was took off Watauga . Avery county was in Watauga county until 1911. The line between Ashe and Watauga is close to where it was orginially. There's been a few changes to straighten places. And there ' s been other changes, no point in going into it, a little along . The v Caldwell line and so on . But tis section in here sll that's in Watauga now was in Ashe until 1849 that's from 1799 on . Now from there was three years that David Miller represented Watauga county of course he didn't live in Meat CAmp then he lived on Big Hill. But he owned most of Meat Camp he was representive in 18-- I think 1810, 11 and 13 . He skipped one year . It was one year terms then. Interviewer: Un-huh. Mr. Proffit: And as far as I know he was the only politican that we could clairp, Yeah, I was right 1810, 11, and 13. ~'::. -10 Mr . Proffit : I may not have anything down on the others and their homes latter if I don't we can put it together. You've turned that thing off . END OF SIDE ONE . �8 Interviewer: Road, about the same as it was then? Mr . Proffit Yeah, in places the old road bed shows a good it of the way it was , over in the bootom a little out here . You may have noticed this low place in the bottom . And up through there I don't know just about where it left up about Bernard Hodgeson ' s I guess it took up around the spur and went up around the hill instead of going up the creek. Expept for that it's pretty well the same. Now down below here it crossed it about 8 or 10 times . But outside of that well it ' s still about the same instead of going straight it went the easiest way I reckon. Interviewer : What about briages? They just went through the creek? Mr. Proffit : Yeah, had a footlog for walkers--drive horses through the creek . Interviewer : Did they~I know they did in a lot of the rest of the country . Did they get --have people volunteer when they started putting--really cuttin the roads out alot, putting the tops on them. Did they have people volunteer to do that in this area . Mr. Proffit: That was appointed. I don't know wheather local, probably was a state law that a man over 21 years had to serve so many days a year in road work. When they wanted to patch or repair it, they just had an owerseer that notified the people to meet at a certain time . I think it was three days that every man had to give in a year. He could hire somebody if he wanted to, but somebody had to work in his name. Interviewer: Uh- huh. Was that ever really inconvient for the people here? Mr . Proffit : I don ' t know of course at that time everybody just worked at home I guess it wouldn't have made the difference it woild now. After people got on jobs of course it would be inconvient, but when you ' re just working the farm I don't imagine it bothered to much . Interviewer: I was thinking like as times when they might be harvesting and digging up their crops, that i it might be inconvient for them. Mr. Proffit: as possible . Well, I imagine that was arranged probably to avoid that as much Interviewer: Un-huh . Mr . Proffit: Now on the other things-the work- I mean in the community we had several people that could do several different kinds of work, blacksmiths, and cabin makers, and shoe makers and all that. Practically everything was made in the community. Interviewer: When people needed something like that or if they wanted a cabinet made and they went to the cabinet maker did they--I imagine they didn't always pay them with money . They might have changed services or bartered with them ~.· �9 most of the time. Mr. Proffit: Yeah, that was common if a man didn't have money to pay he might have something he could swop for it or work a day or something. Interviewer: I'd kinda like to do that myself. Mr. Proffit: And it didn't run to much. It might have cost you maybe a dollar to have a bed made or--of course that was still alot then waking for about a quarter a day. Interviewer: Let's see- as far as the schools what was the first public school that they had in this area. Mr. Proffit: I guess Winebarger, no I don't know wheather it was called Winebarger then or not. There was an old school that stood where Proffit's Grove church is now on the same spot, but I don't think, yeah it probably was a public school too. I mean open to anybody and it was probably built not to long after the war. After the building got old they condemned that bottom above where Wilcox lives and built a school house in it. That was the Winebarger school there. And I think that's all the schools that's been on Meat Camp. Three's all I know of. Interviewer: Did people usually donate their land and the building materials in order to get a school. Mr. Proffit: They did on the first. Now I dbn't know about the second school. I don't have any information on it at all. Interviewer: Un-huh. Mr. Proffit: They condemned the land for the Winebarger school. It belonged to Chap Proffit and I don't think he wanted to sell it. So they just condemned it and paid him whatever a comminitee said it was worth. Interviewer: Un-huh. Mr. Proffit: And I don't know now about the building. Who paid for it? It could have been paid for by state funds . Of course that was--I don't know the daoe., it could have been after WWl or it could have been before. Interviewer: Unl huh. Mr. Proffit: Proffit's Grove church-if you want more on churches was started orginally as an arm of Meat CAmp, I think I've got records on that somewhere if you want me to check it would be better than guessing. Interviewer: Sure. Mr. Proffit: The next church on Meat Camp was the Lutheran Church. I believe. Do you know what they called it? (Question directed to Laura Proffit) Laura Proffit: What? �10 Mr. Proffit: Laura Proffit: Mr. Proffit: Laura proffit: What did they call the Lutheran church what name ,the old one? The What? The old Lutheran Church? Up here; Well what was the name of that church? Mr. Proffit: Well anyhow it was the Lutheran congregation. down below Lucy Winebarger lived. Laura Proffit: Mr. Proffit: Laura Proffit: I know what the---Well just let it go. But I can't the more think of it than nothing. Mr. Proffit: When they rebuilt they called the new one have been the same as the old one but I don't know. Laura Proffit: I know where the church is and all that. many and a many of a Sunday up there. Interviewer: Now when they rebuilt ~1ount Well what was it? Zion it could I went to Sunday School Where was the first one located? Mr. Proffit: It was on the bank just abive where Dayton Winebarger's house is around a little behind it. Right straight in front of the old Willy house. And it was--oh-I don't know-50 yds above. the Willy house I guess or above the road. It's been down for 30,35 years or more. Laura Proffit: The f irst Christmas card I ever seen. He sent me and Lunda. Sent it to both of us. Put both our names on it. And I guess its in there in that old trunk yet. Well what in the world--I don't know. Mr. Proffit: Laura Proffit: not? Mr. Proffit: Well let it go. We'll get on with this. It wasn't . Mount Zion was it? I don't know whether it was or Anyway it vrns started about 1874. Laura Proffit: Now that one and Hopewell and Meat Camp was the only churches there was through this country at that time. Ana people went to them all when there was meetin or something, everybody -people would all go to each of them and they'd be houses full. Mr. Proffit: Well drop that now. We're going on. The Proffit's Grove church according to the minutes of Meat Camp was first established as an arm of Meat Camp in Feb. 17 or 1890. They had a-- as it says here- a protractal meeting at the head of Meat Camp. Condu c ted by J. F. Dotson, L.A. Wilson~ David Green and they reciev ed some members from that and granted premission to hold services there as f ar as down to Meat Camp and from then on for several years they had minutes in there records from this arm. They begin making up money then to try �11 to build a church house. And I don't know exactly the time I think about 1911 maybe they got it finished and seperated from Meat Camp. That seems to be all I~ got on that. Interviewer: What about the Methodist Church? M~Proffit: Yeah, it was--I forget- Ithink there's a sign on the side of the house there that tells when it was organized- seems like that-- It may have been around 1911 or 12. I'm not certain now. All the people up there went to Hopewell to they got that one started. I know in the early 1900's they still had funeral services for Methodists at Hopewell then. I imagine that it probably was around 1910 or 11 when it was built. I believe that's the last one until the Holiness church wasn't it? I don't rememoer that was in the 50's sometime I don't remember the exact date maybe 55 or 6 somewhere along there could have been 54. Interviewer: Have the people in the different churches always interacted pretty well er have the different churches always interacted pretty well with each other? Mr. Proffit: Well, not to a great extent 1n some ways they have. IN community affairs I think they did pretty much. In there religion they didn't tend to as much. Each one of them was more of less to themselves a lot of people attained services other places but that was about the limits of it. Interviewer: But they did-they were- they did pretty well together in commmnity affairs and stuff like that? Mr. Proffit: Yeah, as far as I know there wasn't any what you would say antagonsism it was just-- .They just differed on what · they believed. Irterviewer: Have different community affairs or at least needs community affairs have they changed very much? i f\' community M~Proffit: Yeah there's been a lot of change in the way things are done--back in the early time according to reports at least they worked together a lot. In the fall maybe they's have corn s lfckins, bean stringins maybe things like that. The whole community about would gather in and do whatever was to be done. In the spring maybe they'd have log rollings clearing fields about all the men would ho for that. Maybe the women go and cook. I guess that's been the biggest change you don't find any of that now. No logs to be rolled no corn to shuck either and it was said that back in the time after the civil war for years when people would have there corn in there was a custom more or less to put a gallon of whiskey under one shuck or pack and when they got down do it. Then whoever get it first got the first drink out of it. Interviewer: M~Proffit: Then pass it around Yeah Interviewer: I thenk its interesting that they were able to take something like that and make it into a community type of affair and have fun with it as well as They could take there work and have fun with it. Its kinda hard to do these days. �12 Mr. Proffit: Yeah. There conditions was all different. You couldn't very well get anything now to draw a whole community in. Of course the community is a whole lot bigger than it was then to, people I mean. Irterveiwer: Right Mr Proffit : And travel and all that was pretty much restricted to home . You couldn't go any distance in a day and no roads either . Back when they first settled this country there wasn't ever a wagon road. Interveiwer: Do you think. One thing I ' ve noticed about Heat Camp is that there's not a whole lot of development in this area and ah. llr _ E roffit ~ : No Inte rveiwer Which I think is good for this area. would like to see a little bit more development. Do you think people around here Mr. Proffit: I'd say most of them probably wouldn't . Interveiwer : Um-huh Mr . Proffit : For one thing its pretty well the same families now as it was back early. Practically everybody in this community is related and with some exceptions most of land still belongs to the descendants of the orginal families . I think Probably that would make some difference . Interveiwer : I hope so M~Proffit: Developing would bring in outsiders . That nobody knows. Of course this Proffit place over here on the back of the mountain was sold to some developers. I don ' t know how much of it has been resold . There ' s a few houses been built on it. I don't know who anybody is . Whether they ' re even from any where in this country or not . I doubt it . Interveiwer : Do most of the people-the few that do move into this country-do they adapt pretty well . Do you think? Mr Proffit: Well I think so of course some of them just stay to themselves . They don ' t get acquainted to many. People here don ' t bother them . Interveiwer : People still pretty close knit? MrProffit : Well pretty much . Nows there ' s a few, the Todd family out on the section toward the flat woods. 0 dpn ' t think they mingle so nuch with the people but yet they don't slight them or anything like that. They ' ve been here several years and I think most people who know them seem to like them . There ' s a man bought a place up here above the mill flune, everyboky that knows him said he ' s a nice man but they'er was very few that knew him . But I think he's sold it now . �13 Interveiwer: Um huh Mr Proffit: But s-till that's not qu~te the same as a development in the since that you mean. I mean a family here and there. Itterveiwer: Right, Yeah I mean like people coming in and building apartments and that sort of t9ing. Mr Proffit: Yeah, I understood what you meant. Itterviewer: Yeah, I think its really unique to this area compared to the rest of .Watauga county that that hasn't happened yet and I hope it never does. Mr. Proffit: Yeah. Interviewer: But maybe the strength is in that this area still in the land everythings still owned by the folks who are descends of the orginial settlers. Where as in so many other places its all just been sold. Mr. Proffit: Mostly everybody involves strangers. Interviewer: They come from some other part of the country, where they come in here and they, they don't really take the time to look at how people live here am the way people are here. They kind o f expect them to be the way. that they are, f rom where they come from. Mr. Proffit: That makes one considerable difference; you hardly ever find customs the same in two places. There are people here, practically all of them can trace connectiona back to some of their earlier families, some of 'em know about all. Mr. Proffit gets up to clean his pipe and tape is shut off at this point. Cut back on as Deloris is asking about work ane outside of the area. Mr. Proffit: I don't believe I quite understand what you mean. Interviewer: Well, I mean like working in Plants. Mr. Proffit: Well, I don't hardly know that. There wasn't but very little of it before World War LL. Course there wasn't any factories here in the county till after the war I guess. Pipe shop at Boone may have been the first to employ any number of people, it didn't employ a lot. And I'd say that was probably in the forties--must have been. Tobacco warehouses in Boone went in somewhere along there, '39 or '40 maybe and that employed a few people at a particular time but it was just seasonal . Some people went to Lenior and other places to work in the furniture factories before that, but it was just one here'n there. There was a hosiery mill--! don't remember the name of it. That could've been in the '40's. And later on I guess probably that I RC may have been t~e first big factory. Probably Shadowline was next and the saw plant may be the last one.Vermont American. Interviewer: There aren't any plants in the Meat ·Camp area ar all? �14 Mr. Proffit: There's H & T Chair down here in my place. It's a amall operation. Course there was a few years that they did a good business. Its still runnin', but-------I don't know of anything else. Interviewer: Most other businesses that would be in this community be like some of the stores? would ~ just Mr. Proffit: I suppose it would. I don't think of anything that --nothing that employs many people or furnishes much business except that. Interviewer: And farming------that some people might do. do it on a large scale anymore, do they? I guess they wouldn't Mr. Proffit: Not, not much. There's a few people that still with a farm' n cattle together earn a good bit of money. The Green's down in the lower end. I don't know, there may be a few others. Farming wouldn't account for too much through here now. Interviewer: Just kind of, you grow what vegetables you need for your own use? Mr. Proffit: Yeah. Interviewer: Did you have a pretty good year this year? Mr. Proffit: Well fair, I didn't have as much yeild as I like to have but everything was good, I mean, all done very well, just didn't turn off too much. Interviewer: Yeah- I didn't get much art of my garden this year so I was wondering? Interviewer: This is off the subject a little but do you know what nationalities the people were that first came? M~Proffit: Pretty well. I'd say that practical all of them, the first one's English, course its' a mixture after all. We got in t .h e country now, the origial, we got English, Welsh, Irish, Scotish, a trace of Belgian, some Danish, German, and Dutch. I don't know of anything else. Practically all of us have got a bit of all of it. Now the Byrans is Danish. Morgan Bryan was born in Denmark and ·.his wife was Dutch. She was ·born somewhere in the Netherlands I think. Interviewer: Holland probably. Mr. Pro ff it: Then her family moved to France and she was raised there. ~h'" y ~ me~· in P;;± i ad~lphia . .. , Th~- Prof.fit~ \<!a~ En,giish. - There Is a ·nifxfore ·a f 'possibly Irish and certainly Scotish in the family. The Lewis'· was Welsh and the Joneses, course we don't have any Joneses now in the community that I know of, used to be some, And there's well been another family of two of Welsh connections. The �15 Greens and certain others were Scottish . The ijoleman's English but their names supposed to it ' s called- a Viking settlement in England. in time. But about all the families here was than the others. After a while anything runs Davis ' was Welsh, I overlooked them. have come from .Danedyher- whatever They mingled with the English people principally English I imagine moreso out, I reckon . Interviewer: Has un-huh- lets see how to word this. Has as far as where people are living now, in the homes that their living in--has Meat Camp gotton any smaller you know people living closer together or do they--is there still a pretty good distance between homes? Mr . Proffit: Well, they is a lot closer than they used to be, course they're more people . P.e say ' s (his uncle) he can remember when there weren't but a half a dozen or so homes on Meat Camp, on the ------ Interviewer: Uh-huh . Are you still able to do a lot of hunting around in this area? Mr. Proffit: Well you could some if there was anything to hunt for . It's pretty cleared out of game now . Course the turn loose deer and bear and so on, but I don't think they allow hunting them yet . The old native games about all gone. Interviewer : Were there any doctors that lived in Mr. Proffit : Uh not that I know of. (addressed to Uncle) Tom Proffit: ~he area? Wllere did Tom Blackburn live, at Todd? Yeah, I think so. Mr. Proffit : I guess he was the closest one, there was one, Sutherland- Stopwell I think. Some at Boone, but I don ' t think we ever had any on Meat Camp . The doctorin here was done mostly by the people in the community without a license . Now Granny Winebarger was a Doctor of sorts . Course she was mainly a midwife, but she treated people for what they had any knowledge of. Interviewer: They depended on a lot on the midwifes for a lot of the doctoring, didn ' tthey? I guess deliverying babies but a lot of general medicine stuff too. Mr. Proffit : Yeah, they treated fevers and ever so many things like that . Practically anything except most serious things. I don't suppose they tried to set bones or anything like that . But they had a pretty good knowledge of most of the general ailments . Now this Granny Winebarger I mentioned was Jacobs ' wife . The one that first settled here. Sne had a doctor book . Had, I suppose , a description of simptons and so on, what to use to treat different things. A lot of it was superstition. Granny Proffit was a midwife too, I don ' t knm.r if she went in for any other kind of doctoring or not . Aunt Evan Moretz was , I believe she had a pretty good knowledge of various things. Interviewer : Did they use a lot of they used a lot of herbs I guess, didn't they? Mr. Proffit : Oh practically all, even the doctors did back at that time . �16 Interviewer: Do they still grow many of those types of herbs or do they grow wild? Mr. Proffit: They mostly grow wild, I don't know wheather anybody cultivates any of them or not. You can still find some of them in the woods places. Interviewer: Do you remember who some of the first teachers were in this area? Mr. Proffit: Well I don't know, about a long way back Epheran Miller was a teacher. Interviewer: Is this the same one that was in the Civil war? Mr. Proffit: No that a different one, his nephew. That would of been at a later time after the war. Probabably a good many years after. I can't give you the names of any before then, now. I don't think of any. Interviewer: Were most of the teachers that came into this area, really at ·any time were they, were many of them from this area originally? Mr. Proffit: Well, I suppose they all would've been, early. Ephan w-s raised I guess in there-- Riddles Fork section, which you would say next door at least. Well he lived on Meat Camp too, I forgot about after he married he lived in the Woodring hollar. So I guess he probably did live here when he was teaching here. Course I can remember on a few would have been teaching, but that's on ahead of where you wanted I guess. Interviewer~ ·: ~ot, 1 well ( '.Delci>;n-is- ) , Yeah . . Mr. Proffit: Glayds Moretz was my first teacher. Eleanor Moretz was a teacher, she lived-uh-well in the house where the Barlow boy lives now. Owen .Winebarger was the first one I can remember I guess. I don't even know back behind them. Burt Davis was a teacher but he lived down at Riddles Fork, too or the other side. Interviewer : How many -uh- months when the schools, like the first schools- were Proffits Grove church is now- how many months of the year did they go? Mr. Proffit: I think that was a three months school. Interviewer: You know what year that it was torn down? Mr. Proffit: No do you know? (addressed to Uncle) Torn Proffit: What? Mr. Proffit: The old school house, when was it tore down? Torn Proffit: I don't know, the main old one I don't know. Mr. Proffit: Now they used it for a church building a long time after they quit using it for a school. Torn Proffit: Now when I went to school the main old school that had been there, �17 it was already tore down. That's been about 80 years ago cause I'm 85 and a little over and that ' s first school I ever went to when Gutter(?) Moretz was the teacher . Mr. Proffit: Now he lived on Big Hill. Interviewer : He traveled over here? Mr . Proffit: to Unclel Yeah, I suppose he did . Tom Proffit: I guess he did. I guess he went home didn't he? (addressed Mr . Proffit: At that time they didn't mind 6 or 8 miles so much . been a pretty good walk, maybe more than that. He lived Course it had --- END OF SIDE 11, TAPE 1 . Tom Proffit: It was usaally out about Christmas. Mr . Proffit: Well it would have been September probably when it started. Interviewer: Did it interfer very much with things you know like the farming end-of what the students had to do at home? Mr. Proffit: No I wouldn't think so, They probably would have had the work pretty well done up by that time. Of course the children that was old enough to do much worked with it and kept up if there was anything to do anyway. Interviewer : know? What was the average number of students that went up there do you Mr . Proffit : Do you know how many went about? (Question addressed to his Uncle) Tom Proffit: No it was about full, but I don ' t know if they ever kept talley or not, how many went . Interviewer: Who paid the teachers? Mr . Proffit: How did they handle the paying then? Tom Proffit : I reckon they did, county one, I don't know which . Did the state pay then or--? Mr . Proffit : County possibly at that time . Of course the earliest one was subscription People just paid so much for their own children. The time he's talking about I guess it was county or state one . Interviewer : Did teachers back then did they ever like talk to the parents of the students very much? You know like they've got the PTA today? Mr. Proffit: No . No I don ' t think so . Interviewer: Un-huh. �18 Mr. Proffit : How it was, was if the parents didn't like something they'd go down and jump on the teacher . But as far as any discussion now what you mean is wherehow they are doing in school and all that, I doubt of there was much of that. Tom Proffit : No. Mr. Proffit : Have you got any other questions? Interviewer: You mentioned a- one fellow around that was from Meat ·camp that had been involved in politics back around the civil war . Mr. Proffit : Yeah, That was before . It was in the early 1800 ' s . Interviewer: Was there anybody after that? Mr. Proffit: 1 don ' t know of anybody office above the county level or not. officers but I don ' t remember anybody Now Spencer Blackburn was raised over but I don't think he lived over there Interviewer: on Meat CAmp that ever served in any political Of course we ' ve had commissariers and local else that went to legislature to congress . here on the Green Place. He was in Congress the time he was in congress . Is that state congress? Mr. Proffit: No. He was national, but he was raised over close above that place I told you about that was sold off to the developers, the Edmund Blackburn place. I don't know how long he served, it was in I think, in the 1890's wouldn ' t it when he was in. Tom Proffit : Probably was. Mr . Proffit : I don't know how long he served he died in office. But he was a young man yet when he died so he might not have served more than two or three terms . Interviewer: As far as Meat CAmp conununity do you-~Has there ever been a time when it was really ever considered as a community? Mr . Proffit : Well of course in the earlier times it wouldn't have been . I ' d say the main development started from about 1835 along there. The Ragan ' s family could have lived on Meat Camp or it could have been a long ways on either side and still have been on there property. I don't know where there orginial home was and the Greens didn ' t live here to latter, I mean, on what we call Meat Camp now, it was on further down . I expect Joe Miller might have been the first one to live right on--in the valley here . Interviewer : Say like about 1835 would they have been having conununity meetings and that sort of things? Mr . Proffit : No, that would have been a little to early for that . It was-He lived here then . Billy Miller on the head of the creek 2 miles apart. And Levi Wilson- 3 or 4 families . They probably wouldn ' t have been much between them at that time. �19 Interviewer: Was it refered to as ~eat Camp at that time? Mr. Proffit: Yeah. According to the old tales that we use--the name comes from back when people from below the mountains would come up and hunt. They'd kill deer and bear and so on, skin it out. And they had a place where they took the meat and stored it to they went back. That's what give it the name. There's two or three places that's been pointed out as the camp. Of course that's just theory but chances are they are all right, there might have been a camp maybe on the lower end and one on the upper end too. There's supposed to be one down in the field I reckon you would call it or use to be a field, belongs to the Greens now. Down the creek below Meat Camp service station in there. Some claims there was one on the land, I guess Gene Moretz owns now. And theres a possibility that there was. They could have stored one time at one place and the other at the other place. Wouldn't necessarily have to be any conflict in it. Tom Proffit: Well the camp burnt. That's what give it the name Meat Camp I think. Interview.er: Has there ever been any conflict between any of the families that have lived in this community? Proffit: No, nothing more than just ordinary spats. No feuds or anything like that. Actually the most of what trouble thats been here has been between people that has moved in from somewhere else,' all the killing that I know of has been between people that use to live somewhere else and moved in here. Of course sometimes there'd be fights and people maybe be mad . for a few days. But in general I imagine its been about as peaceable as any community amoung the originial settlers. ~r. Pause in tape -"') Interviewer: Do you have any more questions? 0 Interviewer: Not that I can think of. J Interviewer: I think we've pretty well covered everythin?. Mr. Proffit: Are you interested in mills and blacksmiths shops? Interviewer: Sure Anythings that's----Yeah. Mr. Proffit: Well of course the Proffit mill I think was the first one on Meat CAmp. I don't know when it was built but I'd say brobably by 1850 or maybe a little before. Jacob Winebarger's very likely was the next. I don't know the date. Thats been argued at different time but very likely in the 1860's. I think Will said about about 1873 I think he's a little late oa it I believe it was a little eearlier than that. I can't give you the dates now or even the order exactly but Poula(?) Moretz had a rollar mill in the bottom where Clint Miller lives now. Thatwas a lot later through. There was one up at the Lester Wilcox place. I think the old wheel may be there yet, I don't remember now. The building is partly there at least. I think the last time I noticed it the water wheel was there but it may be gone. I wouldn't say. And there was one up above where Dean Proffit lives. �20 Lark run it for years, Lark Miller, and--Did Willet have a mill there before Lark did? Tom Proffit : I don't know, probably did have. Mr . Proffit : He had one somewhere in there . Gene Moretz had one on up above his house. I think its still there water wheel and building at least or was a few years ago . I don't remember if there's anymore or not . Jacob Winebarger had a blacksmith shop back early, and latter Will Winebarger had one . I believe the old building is there yet . Noah Winebarger had one between the road and the creek just across from the Harvey Trivette house. Hosea Miller had a shop up upon the mountain a little . Interviewer : Do blacksmiths work on wagons as well as on the horses? Mr. Pro f fit : Yeah . Interviewer: They were kinda like the early auto mechanics I guess. Mr . Proffit : Yeah it was pretty good business putting tires on wagons wheels . They used Iron tires on them. They'd weld the tires and put them on the wheels and they made other metal pieces that had to be used on wagons . They fired plows and things like that. Interviewer: Did they do any tanning or anything the blacksmiths, or would they let someone else? Mr. Proffit : I don't think so. That would have been-or might be somebody that could about everything might have probably-- I don't think it was connected with the blacksmith work. Show us an Iron . Mr. Proffit : Ther ' s an iron Noah Winebarger put a handle in . broke off he made that one . The handle got Interviewer : Do they set this in coals or something set this in and get it hot? Mr. Pro f fit: I don't know how it was done . Interviewer: You would think he bought it like this . Mr. Proffit: Welded without a torch at that time. Interviewer : They welded this without any torch that's amazing . But he welded the handle in it . Mr . Pro f fit: They heated the two pieces of metal red hot and put borers on that piece that was welded to it and hammered it together. Interviewer: Uh-huh. �21 Interviewer: I don't think I'd like that job. shows us a device used to make shoes Mr. Proffit: Put the shoe on there and hanuner it. Interviewer: Did they--! read somewhere that use to---that they use to didn't make shoes for right and · left feet they made so that they could fit on either foot. Mr. Proffit: Laura Proffit: there too? I've heard that, I don't know whether it's right or not. There use to be one size bigger than that like that. Mr. Proffit: That's the only one that's here. Tom Proff i t: Is it under I thought there was two or three in that outfit. Mr. Proffit: Peopl~ made there oym shoes back then too. for others. Roby Bryan could make shoes. Interviewer: Few people made them Where they just all leather is that how they'd make them, the material? Mr. Prof f it: I think so. Yeah. like that for soles, then. END OF INTERVIEW , . I don't suppose they had any rubber or anything MIDDLE OF SIDE 1. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews Description An account of the resource In 1973, representatives from Appalachian State University (ASU) began the process of collecting interviews from Watauga, Avery, Ashe, and Caldwell county citizens to learn about their respective lives and gather stories. From the outset of the project, the interviewers knew that they were reaching out to the “last generation of Appalachian residents to reach maturity before the advent of radio, the last generation to maintain an oral tradition.” The goal was to create a wealth of data for historians, folklorists, musicians, sociologists, and anthropologists interested in the Appalachian Region. The project was known as the “Appalachian Oral History Project” (AOHP), and developed in a consortium with Alice Lloyd College and Lees Junior College (now Hazard County Community College) both in Kentucky, Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and ASU. Predominately funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities, the four schools by 1977 had amassed approximately 3,000 interviews. Each institution had its own director and staff. Most of the interviewers were students. Outgrowths of the project included the Mountain Memories newsletter that shared the stories collected, an advisory council, a Union Catalog, photographs collected, transcripts on microfilm, and the book Our Appalachia. Out of the 3,000 interviews between the three schools, only 663 transcripts were selected to be microfilmed. In 1978, two reels of microfilm were made available with 96 transcripts contributed by ASU. An annotated index referred to as The Appalachian Oral History Project Union Catalog was created to accompany the microfilm. The catalog is broken down into five sections starting with a subject topic index such as Civilian Conservation Corps, Coal Camps, Churches, etc. The next four sections introduced the interviewees by respective school. There was an attempt to include basic biographic information such as date of birth, location, interviewer name, length of interview, and subjects discussed. However, this information was not always consistent per school. This online project features clips from the interviews, complete transcripts, and photographs. The quality and consistency of the interviews vary due to the fact that they were done largely by students. Most of the photos are missing dates and identifying information. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965-1989 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview. Skelton, Joseph Proffit, Deloris Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed. Proffit, Robert Interview Date 10/3/1980 Number of pages 21 pages Date digitized 9/24/2014 File size 14.7MB Checksum alphanumeric code d5ab4a2ab3eac00fce47d679659e8c62 Scanned by Tony Grady Equipment Epson Expression 10000 XL Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright for the interviews on the Appalachian State University Oral History Collection site is held by Appalachian State University. The interviews are available for free personal; non-commercial; and educational use; provided that proper citation is used (e.g. Appalachian State Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records; 1965-1989; W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection; Special Collections; Appalachian State University; Boone; NC). Any commercial use of the materials; without the written permission of the Appalachian State University; is strictly prohibited. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived AC.111 Appalachian Oral History Project Records; 1965 - 1989 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 111_tape490-1_RobertProffit_transcript_M Title A name given to the resource Interview with Robert Proffit [October 3, 1980] Language A language of the resource English English Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/195" target="_blank">Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989</a> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Skelton, Joseph Proffit, Deloris Proffit, Robert Subject The topic of the resource Mountain life--North Carolina--Watauga County--History Mountain life--North Carolina--Ashe County--History Mountain life--North Carolina--Wilkes County--History Mountain life--North Carolina--Avery County--History Description An account of the resource Robert Proffit talks about Meat Camp's early history from the first settler John Green in 1788. Over the next few decades, people began to trickle in to Western North Carolina. He talks about the first churches in the area: Hopewell Methodist Church and Meat Camp Church. He also describes the civil war, how many members of the community enlisted with the confederate army, but after the war there wasn't much difference in Meat Camp. Proffit explains Meat Camp well with this statement: "there was never anything here to begin with except just natural things." Ashe County Avery County Big Hill blacksmith Boone David Miller Early Settlers H&T Chair herbs herbs and roots Hopewell Methodist Church John Green Meat Camp Meat Camp Church Proffit's Grove Church Riddles Fork Robert Proffit roots Spencer Blackburn tobacco warehouse Watauga County N.C. Wilkes County https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/2ecee374740f1c5b14cbd6c822f5d9f4.pdf 95873778cc95a03390e4552e34503883 PDF Text Text ALBERT HASH OUTLINE SIDE A & B I. How he got started in fiddle making business. Grev from need for a fiddle 1. Dreamed how to make the fiddle. 2. Got horse hair for bow. (story) B. Man tuned fiddle for him 1. Stayed with it until he could play c. Dad bought fiddle if he vent to school (in the '20 1 s) D. Played "graphaphone." E. Two brothers played guitars and one brotl"ler was dancer for Ringling Brothers Circus. F. Could play guitar a 1 it tle bit, but decided to master the fiddle. A. U. Other crafts A. Kept on with fiddle while working on others. 1. Made guitar that he could work with left foot to accompany him. (sixteen years old) 2. Liked to carve animals or anything. a. Made skull with workable jaws. 3. Farmed at same time. a. Wun 1 t too strong, so stayed home a lot. ALL THROUGH0t7r TH INTERV!nl 1 WE WERE SOOWN VARIOIB PIECES OF MR. HASH'S WORK. E 4. Desaiption of Mr. Hash's daughter's work. III • Making music A. Recording for radio station in Maryland. IV. Back to instruments Description 1. Leaves guitar making to David Sturgill and Wayne Henderson. 2. Talks of German town of violin makers. A. V. History Borns fifty-eight years ago, 1918. B. Lived around White Top, VA, most of the time. c. Married. D. Tried to farm a while. 1. Made instruments and repairs for neighbors duripg winters E. Various machine shops 1. Could sometimes use machines to make things for hi:mself. F. Took correspondence course in Mechanical Engineering and decided to build clocks. 1. Built works for clocks. 2. Built machinery to take place of five or six people. G. Experience in machine shops. 1. Learn basic steps and then you can make clocks. 2. Was model maker at Brunswick. A. �J. Lots of interesti~g things. Blessed. B. Advice for 'l.D'lhappy people. 1. Look on other side of hill and find out what one can do. 2. Money is beside the point. c. Some people cut out for certain things. 1. Life will be short if you work your life doing wta t you don't want. 4. X. Outstanding things in life. More in line of machinist work. 1. Story of tube making machine. (Long) a. All engineers paid thou8ands and machine wouldn't wcrk. b. Machine wouldn{. work after.putting more money out for. t c. Mr. Hash dtsigns machine and even got a patent on it. (made it in one afternoon) 2. Sometimes one head better than many, because too many people look from too many angles. J. Some people study too much and don't see the simple things. A. XI. Ribbons and Prizes Descriptions of festivals and conventions 1. Went through a flood once. 2. Once played against one hundred and si.xty-f our fiddlers, won second place. J. Judged some Fiddlers Conventions A. XII. Life Nov Stay around home 1. Give people advice. 2. Help students with making instrtlllents. 3. Names instruments. 4. Give people wood. 5. Make tapes for people to learn to play fiddle. B. Only play old time mountain music. c. Recorded for the Library of Congress. D. Recording A. SIDE E Live Performance (JO minutes) �3. Description of gun. H. 4. "Scotch" tricks. Family craftsmen 1. Grandfather could carve but wouldn't. I. Why did you learn to do all you do? 1. Necessity, isolation. 2. Didn't want to hunt or fish, so did more creative things. VI. Craftsman A. How do you make things? 1. See it in my mind. No drawings. 2. Everything I make works. B: Favorites 1. Clock (description) 2. Describes other clocks (famous ones). 3. Takes maybe three weeks work. c. Book on American clocks. D. First clock made in old bus. E. How do you build a clock? 1. Can make case or works either one first. 2. !_ Lo~g description. F. Materials. G. How did you becane famous? 1. Not famous, he says. a.Fiddlers Conventions. b. Smithsonian Institution. c. Fairs (last five or six years) 2. People learn you through fairs and festivals. 3. Made fiddle for back-up van in movies Harold Hensley. White Top) (boy from SIDE C & D VII. VIII. Cornshucks and aances and beanstringings A. Descriptions 1. Played tor thousands of dances 2. Wife danced. 3. Molasses boilings. B. Good social gatherings. No trouble. c. Dancing. Mrs. Hash's grandfather. D. People left for workj changes so these kinds of things stopped. Keeping talent in fmi.ily. A. Daughter Audrey makes instr1.1nents 1. Twenty six years old. B. Other daughter works in church and with scouts, etc. PICTURES OF CHILDREN tx. Craftsman, machinist, artist. A. Jack-of-all-trades. 1. Love of work. 2. Chance to do type of work suited for. �----·- - ' I ALBE ~'T' r!AS H TAPE //1 SIDE A A: Did you read the book, l et's see , it was from Ashe Central, the one with the little magazine that the students fixed up over t here? Qi What's t t e name of it? Ai Timberline. Qt I've some, but I don't, you know, I haven't read it. At I told one of them the story of how I got started in the fiddle ma.king. It was upon the need of a fiddle which I couldn't afford and my folks couldn't afford, so I decided that I, studied on that and studied and studied how in the world I could ever get me a fiddle, you know, and I studied so hard on that, that I began to dream about it, you know. that fiddle. And I dreamed how to make I just took a t hick piece of plank and cut away the inside of it as near as I could figure in t h e shape of the fiddle and then cut t he outside down to look like t he inside,making a little t hin rim all the way around. Then I got some little thin boards and tacked t hem onto it to make the top and the back. There was a fellar plow i ng for m dad over in the fields and y he got out of tobacco and he'd give me a quarter if I'd go to White Top Gap out there. It would have been about t hree miles. Well, I walked out and got his tobacco and brought it back and I bought me a set of fiddle strings. I put them on my home-made fiddle and the bow, I didn't know how to make a bow much, so I got me a hollow stick and made me two ends for it and I �- - -- - - - - -- - ------ - - - / , 2 thought that the hair must be white hair, all the fiddles, I'd never seen, but two fiddles before that you lalow, and I was about ten years old. So,I thought that hair had to be white hair or it wouldn 1 t play and the mail carrier had an old horse over in the field close to where we lived and I got, I talked my brother into helping me hem him up in a corner of the fence. He got him a couple of big corn stalks and drove that old horse into the corner to the fence and I sndaked around through I got in behind him and ~ached the weeds and crawled 'til through the fen ce and got ahold of his tail and I yelled at him and tha horse took off dawn thehill arrl liked to pull me through the crack in the fence. But I had that horse tail wound araund my fingers enough 'til I could pull me out a fiddle bow out of there. So, I brought it back and I put it in the two ends of my fiddle bow you know. It was".a crude looking thing and I pulled it acorss that fiddle and it wouldn't play a lick and I figured, "My goodness, there is someting wrong somewhere or another." Then I looked the whole thing over fau top to bottom, I couldn't figure out what was the matter an:l one of the neighbors passed by and said, "Well, I know wha.t is the matter with it, 11 he said, 11 you need some resin on that bow." I said, "Resin?" we've got sa11e r-esin at home • 11 He said,"Yeah, I'll bring a piece from home, And people used it, you know, back then when they grafted apple trees to make up their grafting wax. So, he brought me a chunk of resin down there and he could play a little bit on a fiddle and he was lazy as he c aild be, just a big old boy you lalow. And he lay down in the chip: yard, where we chopped the wood, and put his head on the chop block and tuned that fiddle and began to play on it there and that liked to nm me crazy that it would play, you lalow. Q: With your horsehair? At Uh, huh, with And he could play tunes on it. my homemade bow and all. It would squeal out about:·like �3 the average J/4 size fiddle will do, you know, and I don't guess anybody was ever so tickled with anything as I was that. As soon as he'd turn it loose and give it to me I headed for the house with it as hard as I coUld go and we had a little stove about like tip.a one here and over in the corner and I got in behind that stove with that fiddle scratching and squeaking on it. (Laughter) I about run all the cats out. I could play one of the tunes t~at But I .stayed with that thing until he 1 d played trere, you know, and that got me started fnom, in the build, making of fiddles and in the playing too and then my dad, he found out. He worked away, you know, all the time. I stayed with my granddad lived on his place and that little fiddle hanging right there next to the mandolin, he bought that for me if I'd go to school 1 t11 Christmas, so I had to leave haue to go to school, you know, I was ten years old and had never gone to shoool, only just a few days because it was, I couldn't walk the distance to the school house, you know. Qa What year As Ah, that was back in the '20 1 s and so ••• Qt You said your daddy :worked away? A1 Uh, huh. Qt Where did he work? A1 He worked for the Virginia Supply Company on, he worked, it was kind of w~ that? Do you remember? a railroad thing, he stayed in a railroad car, you know, and theymoved him from place to place. He was a kind of bookkeeper or sanething of that kind, He'd been there, he'd been a teacher, you now, taught school and so he bought me that fiddle there and I went to school, I went to my mother and went to school from there, you know, and at C hristmas time they brought me that fiddle and I thought that that was the most wonderful thing in the world, you know, and I've kept it all these years cause it wasn't a good one to play �4 on and I pla.fed it for a long ti.me and th en I began t o make good ones, you know. And I made them that was so much batter than it that I just kept on making them over the years. Q: What ever happened to the first one, the one you made to begin with? As I don't know, I wish I could ~ind out or had kept, but it was so c rud~, I guess that when I got to making others that I just, I don't remember what went with it. It has been so long ago. It was, you see, I didn't have glue, I took the, what pins I could steal out of the pin cushion and what tacks I could find around about and tacked my top and back place on. You can, you can begin to get a picture of what it looked like, yet it would play••• Qa And all this came to you in a dream, I mean you dreamed it? At Yeah, I studied so hard that I began to dream about it. Qs H old wer e you? ow At About ten years old, but ••• Qa But you had been thinking ••• • A! Yeah, it had worked on for a year or two, the first time I ever heard a fiddle played, I could remember of, I was scared to death of it, I was just a little kid, you know. And the next time we was, had a corn field on the fellar 1s place and it come up a terrible thunder storm and we run into his house and stayed on the porch and he went in the house and brought out a fiddle and played for us while we waited, you know. And then I had begun . to understand what a tune was and what it sounded like and so on and I thought that was music, I don't know what it, how to explain what it did for me, you know, to hear that. To hear the tunes played on that that I'd heard my brothers sing, you know, and so on. And of course, they wasn't any radios back then and we finally got a hold of an old phonograph. They �5 called it a graphophone then, you know. It played little round records, cylindrical reocrds about so long, jsut a wee tiny thing, you know, and it had some fiddle tunes on it and so on. So that got me started into muaic business and then my brothers, two of them played guitars and one was a dancer. One used to dance with ~ingling Brothers Circus, you know ••• Qt Wowl Aa ••• he was a real dancer, he, ah, tap dancer and so on and he's dead now. He, ah ••• Qt What was hie name? A: Dennis and I had one named Rudy. Qa He played the guitar? Aa Uh, huh. Qa Why did you not take up guitar, I mean you just didn't want to do the And one, Ernest that played the guitar. same thingl. As I did at ~ne time, played, played several years on the guitar, you know, but the fiddle, I liked ao much better that I decided, "Well, you can't master one in a lifetime." So, I gave up the guitar altogether. And tren I tried to learn some on a five string bango and that thing, I could have learned electricity easier than I could have learned that. Qa (Laughter) Aa And I never could learn anything about electricity. I have to see some- thing.moving before I can work on it, like the clock wheels up there. Q.a Well, you can go on-.and tell us how you started making other stuff, too. Aa Well, this I kept up working on the instruments and tren as long as I had time 1 I wruld carve wood, you know, and make all kinds of things and all kinda of little mechanical things. And I decided one time tha,t my bro- thers went off to work that I needed a guitar player to play with me and I �6 took a guitar and got to looking at that thing, knowing the chords and how it should be played and so on, I built me up a device, a rack to put that guitar in and I had some levers that would go over and pegs sticking out of them that would touch the strings at the right place and I had a pick that I worked with my left foot, here on a shaft that run up and down and I could play a guitar am a fiddle at the same time, you know. After I learned and I'd either play the guitar and forget the fiddle or play the fiddle and couldn't play the guitar, after I got them both to going at once, I could keep time with myself there you know, and I could play that thing right along. It'd play good, you know. Q1 How old were you then, ten or eleven? As I was still, I was around sixteen or seventeen, I guess, s<11lewhere around there. (laughter). And I kept carving this, that and the other. I like to carve lit- tle animals and so on and I'd carve frogs and mice and birds and just anything that come along, skulls, time, of white wood. I carved out a skull out of buckeye one It was a pretty weird looking thing and I decided, it looked so good and all that, I'd, ah, it's jaws needed to .work all the time and I fixed that thing up with a set of old clock works. A little wire running out of them so that it would keep that thing's jaws a biting all the time. (laughter) Just anything to be a doing something, you know. Qt Well, were you farming at the same time, I mean ••• Aa Yes, uh, huh. Qi ••• were Aa We farmed all the time, but I was, I wasn't too strong so they'd leave you farming and just doing it as a hobby? me at the house lots of times, my mother was sick alot, too. They'd leav.e me at the house to do the house work arrl after I'd get my house work done, I'd hit out under an apple tree or something, you kn01-1, some wood carving of �7 some kind. I carved everything. Everything you could think of. Qs Did yau give those things away or just ••• As Yeah, uh, huh. of things. I liked to carve things like that, I carved all kinds Everything I could think of. Q: Do you still carve alot? Ai Uh, huh, along. I don't do alot of it anymore, only jut when I have to, like the horse head up there on the dulcimer neck and stuff like that. I'll pull it down here where you can see it. Q1 Oh, wow, that is beautiful! AJ I carved one aide of it, and Audrey carved the other side, I wanted her to learn to carve ••• Qs At Why don't we get a picture of that? ••• and she's, I wanted her to learn to build her instrmnents ela- borate and she is doing a mighty fine job on all of them, I think. Q: What is that right in there? As That's a pearl. shell. So, here's the horse head that'll go on one end of her dulcimer. Qs Now, did she do this or did you this? At She did one side of it and me, the other so that she'd have something as a pattern, you know. But t~ is is entirely her carving there, the dragon which will hold the strings and the, fran the back end of the dulcimer and this should be a very elaborate instrument that she is building up. ~e is building this for a gentleman that's a collector and also ah, does alot of playing the music away from two radio stations that he owns, ah ••• Qs Where are they from? As Up in Havre-De-Grace, Maryland. we record for him ••• Qz Your band recorded? Ee has an FM and AM station there and �A: Well, part of my bmd has been in it. Audrey helps me with her guitar playing and he brings down a young lady with him when he comes down and we'll make our programs for him to take back and play on his staitons there. He says the people like them, Idon't know what they sound like too, never heard too much of them, you know, after we have put them on the tapes. He'll play them back a little, once in a while, but I'm sure that I can't contribute a whole lot ot them (laughter) I put out a whole lot of loud noise. As big, She is getting started in the instrument building now, I won't have leave it all undone will Mrs. Hash: good~ !1 Huh, huh. So, I've made alot of different kinds. I've made some dulcimers and I only made one guitar and it was a good guitar and a pretty thing. I made it out of curly map:te and it was pretty elaborate, but that was the meanest thing I ever worked on. I didn't have the prope~ jigs for holding and so on and I'd get it in my lap and start working on it and it would begin to start turning around with me, (laughter) you know. So, I decided that I'd leave the guitar making to our friend David Sturgill down here and Wayne Henderson. They're good guitar makers, both of them are and this part of the world up in here, we're getting several instrument builders around about. I call it "Little M ittenwall'' now. Q: Oh, yes. At That is a place in Germany, I understand this violin school ah • • • Qs It is very famous for its violins. At Uh, huh. Q: Yes. At ••• kindly started that out over there and from that day on What is that? made some fine violins in a place they call Mittenwall (?) they have I reckon it's �- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - --" 9 just a little community like place w.l th ••• Qi Yes, a very small canmunity. At Uh, huh. Qt ~t A1 Right, uh, huh. Qt Why don't you tell us a little bit a.bout your history before we go on. everybody in that canrnunity makes violins. I'd like to visit them sometime. Like where your family is f ran real brief. As Well, that won't be hard, that wouldn't take me long to get down to where that I was born, right down at the foot of this hill, here. A good many years ago, about fifty-eight of them and I've lived right around this White Top Mcnmtain vicinity here. Most of the time. I lived up, that's where I began to learn the machinist trade, when !roved up toAlexandria, Virginia, there after I found that little girl over there and :married her along, so maJl1 years ago. And we lived up there for, well, I was up there alto- gether around four o r fiv e years, around Washington and Alexandria and I worked, learned the machinist trade over in the naval torpedo station there. It was war time and they took me in there as a helper trainee and this torpedo station and I worked there till the war was over and then !cane back here and decided I was a fa.mer and I bought me a · rhoe .. and a bag of fertilizer, had a little place back up on the head of this creek that rtms over here and I went up there and pretentied to raise a crop of corn (laughter) more blackberries than anything. t~ese I picked But I decided then I moved over across hills over here a little ways and tired farming there for a, I don't know, I must, how long do you reckon, I farmed Ethel? Too long however long it was, for I never did like farming. Qa Did you make instruments and things all the time you were doing that? A1 Of the winter time I would and I'd make gun stocks for people and what- �---- - - - - - - - - - - --- - - -- -- - - - -· 10 ever else they needed repaired and so on, you know. I would do it for thEl!l 1 anything they needed, a piece to a, go to a piece of antique furniture or anything they needed that way, I would try and come up with it and then I •, j I •. went to work for Spraig Electric C ompany and I worked with them for fifteen years and I worked ••• Q1 When was that? As ••• that was, let's see I've been out of there five years. It's been fifteen, it's been twenty years ago, I began to work for them, I'd say, yeah. Q1 Where is the electric company located? A1 That's located over here at Lansing, just over the line, over inAshe County and they was a good canpany to work for and treated me good and I had a big machine shop and it was well equipped to, and alot of ambition and I was alot younger than I am now, so I didn't take any breaks. I'd get there early of the morning and leave late sanetimes and sanetimes·, I'd go in on a Saturday and they'd allow me to make sanething for myself, you lmow. And they was awf'U.l good that way and I began to make alot of guns, made all kinds of hand guns, you know. won the West, you know. And I copied one Frontier Colt, the one that Look, made it, copied one and made the parts in- terchangeable into the one that I made and mine would go into the other e11e and they'd .function, you know, and just for the sake of being,. a building, making sanething, you know. ~ And then I decided that I had, I'd take me course in mechancial engineering and I got up the books and began to study that and I was having to read half the night or more you know and then work nine hours a day and ••• Q1 Thia was a course through the mail? Al Yeah, 1.c.s., good thing and I got along way over in it and I come across �11 this gear. cutting and so on , that is ratio of one gear to another and all that stuff and I mastered all that and I decided, " Now, I ' ve got enough of them books , I'm going to build me a clock ." Arid I pitched my books aside and I started making clocks (laughter) . I built several clocks and I never did try to study anything else , I just built machinery for them , you know, and I've built some very complex machinery , I ' ve built machinery that would take the place of five or six people, you know . Q: Gosh! A: And get it out on the lines to working and go on and build some- thing else . There ' s a machine I built to cut the gears in these pretty clocks now, you know , and that ban saw I built there and the sanders back there and I can look around out here and find alot 01' things . Q: it? A: This kind of stuff that you made . ·How did you learn how to do 1 mean you just .. . tinker around ... Well, actually the experience you have in a machine shop once you learn the basic machines , you know , and how to go on your own and if ,they give you a blue print of something they want made . You learn to do the steps of turning it out and the milling and the shaping and the grinding and so on . Then this other , say making this block up here , that now is not what I call craft or anything , it just goes along , any good machinist ought a be able to turn out the parts of a block , if he is a macninist , you know . Q: They couldn ' t carve all that stuff on there could they . A: I mean the movement of it . So, all the, really all the skill involved in the clock making is in the case, unlesr you want to de- �- - - - - - - -- -.... : • ..l ~ 12 · sign one and put, say a bunch of dancing figures or a ship in the top like mine upstairs. (Laughter) Make it a little different. Then I worked for . ,. 5~""'"-"\U~ ~F~g Electric for fifteen years and I decided that I wanted to go out somewhere else and work. So, I went to Brunswick and worked for them for, I was there about four years, I believe, you know. And the job was compl eted , finished. Q: What is Brunswick, exactly? A: They, it is a company that is involved in making about every- thing from pool tables up to cabin cruisers, anything you can . think of Brunswick has made it at one time or another, even records. They made records. And they had me as a model. I was salaried, and my job was to make the first of everything that they made. If they wanted a certain kind of a rocket, really a model maker is one who makes out of wood or plastics or something a model of something, but their need ... They had a machine shop, maintenance shop,a big machine shop, but there was no one that did alot of design work on these new things. So, if they wanted to make rockets I designed the hardware and built the first hardware, then it was out of my hands, you see. all that thing, you know. I'd get to go see them fired and I built machine guns for them. design the machine guns and things of that nature. do much in the line of explosives. You'd But they don't Theirs is more sporting goods · and tnings of that nature, motors, they build, well, all kinds of motors and so on. Anything else you can think of they have at some time or another built it. paid me real good. A good company to work for and they I hated for the job to close down in a way. I didn't want to make things to destroy people with and 1'ortunately �13 nothing was ever used ·for that purpose that I made, so I felt alot better about . I just like to work at something like that . I like to make it and see it work and then maybe tear it up if it works to ·good . I Q: Where is this factory located? A: lt was over here at Sugar Grove , Virginia, about twenty-nine miles from here , I guess . Q: Did it just totally close up? A: Philco Ford, a company out in California was building the gun for this caseless ammunition which was supposed to have been used on one of those supersonic jets . And this Gatling gun had five barrels and fired, seems to me like it fired a thousand rounds a minute, wasn .' t it , Ethel? Ethel : A: Did I ever tell you or not? I don't know. I can ' t remember now . Anyhow, when I , they'd show us movies on how it was working and so on . I said to myself it will never go . The first movie I ever watched, There ' s no way that it can . They was pouring this ammuntion into these big boxes, just pour it out and then the stoker fed it into these barrels to that gun and a blaze of fire looked like it would go about fifteen feet out and just hold out there in that continous firing you thousand rounds a minute it fired, Ithink it was . kno~. It was a I know the bar- rel s was set spiral and when it would start firing it would straighten themselves, you know. They'd fire away there ' til the heat would get so intense and the breach of these guns that it would begin to burn these cases that was made out of nitre- cellulose and burn them up right there, you see . There was no explosion, just a big roaring fire out of it, you know . �14 Q: I wanted to go back and ask you something about when you took that course in the mail. Did you take that with the inten- tion of making clocks when you finished? A:' 'l'hat was mainly my interest in it and I wanted to see if there was anything in there that would help me in my work. I didn't want to become a mechanical engineer ana have to leave the shop or a.nything, I wanted to always work the machines myself, you know. I found in taking this course that the re was so much of it that I'd already covered that it was simply, wasn't worth my while to bother with it and work out all of the math that had to be worked and all that junk that went along with it, which nine times out of ten, I had a little Scotch trick or a nearer way or a different way of doing it that worked much faster and better. So, you see, we have what is called a machinist's "bible" that always is in the shop and I.have one over here now, because you'd never, no one would ever turn out to be a first class machinist there's just too much to it. Look at the difrerent metals that comes up every day different materials to work with in different types of machines from computerized on down to the most rugged old equipment, some of it antique like my lathe here, . and so on. I had learned all the Scotch tricks, that I like to call them, a Scotchman was •.• SIDE B Q: Your parents did they do any kind of wood work or anything like your father or A: ~randf ather? No, my grandfather, the only one that I could remember, he could carve if he wanted tc but he, it was of little worth to him to do that, because he was of the older generations that didn't �15 believe in any foolishness of any, he called it foolishness, you know, but he could carve. carving out was a duck. .~ The only thing that I remember him He carved out a duck. out anything that he wanted to, though. And he could carve I was the only one that did any carving, but it is a strange thing, I had these three brothers and each one had worked in machine shops at different places and my three brothers and myself all could build any kind of a house we took a notion or about anything else like that. So, I don't know, I guess, if we needed something we would make, it. I guess, necessity is one of the greatest teachers of anything. We could do hlacksmith work. We could work on anything that we took a notion to, you know, and make it work, do it 'til it would work, you know. Any of us could cut anyone else's hair, you name it we'd try to do it, because it was the way we lived. isolated .and we depended on each and we depended on ourselves Q: Bu~ otgne~ We was for the things that we neede for the things that we needed. it seems like other people that were isolated, you know, they didn't start making all tho s e ....• A: No, they was families that was interested in different things. Some like to go out with their dogs and gun and hunt all day. never wanted anything like that. I never wanted to kill the ani- mals, you know. Never did want to do anything like that. never hunted or fished. I So, I My interest was in more creative work. I'd rather of built the bird house than to kill the bird. bird in my life I killed and I killed it by mistake. One I was trying to kill a hawk that had been catching the chickens. It was in a tree, and I never could see out any distance like any- �16 body else. So, I shot and this dove fell out or that tree, and I could of cried over it. hunted for anything. I didn't want to do that. I never I've tried to kill crows that was eating my I corn up when I farmed, but that was altogether a different. So, I guess that was one reason they had me working on the instruments and so on, I didn't like to hunt and I didn't want to freeze myself to death out in the woods, so why not cut a pile of shavings on the hearth and sweep them into the fire and come up with a fiddle. Something that would be worthwhile. (Laughter) Or a dough roller or anything else I took a notion for, if nothing else an ax handle for the ax. Q: I was forever breaking them out. When you carve anything, an instrument or whatever, do you plan it before you make it, or does it sometimes take shape. A: No, everything I do, I always told the boys in shop said I was training, I .always built it upstairs first. before I even start to work on it. I can see it working. always worked a different method from that I have worked with. I can see that thing mos~ every other machinist They would want to make sketches and drawings and compare this to this and so on. them like that. I have I never would make wnen plant manager would come and ask me, lots of times, he'd come over the top of my foreman and ask me if I could make a machine to do a certain job. answer ready for him. Yes sir. And I always had the And I would wonder off some- where and sit down maybe drink a cup of coffee in the time of it. I would begin to say, now this will work this way, but why won't it work this way. I would pick out the reasons why it will work and why it won't work. And when I got the reasons why it will �17 work all in one-and I would start ~ had no reasons why it won't work, then machine1~g out pieces and piling them up in a pile and it would run my boss crazy. He'd try to figure out, "Wnat is he a doing now," and I've caught him several timec trying to assemble parts to get- to see what it was a going to do you know. I didn't want his ten cents worth in with it , you know because everyone has a different idea about things you know. He might have had lots better ones at times than I did but I would get around to the ah making it work after all you know and when I would get it all machined out, I would assemble the machine and put it , on the truck and take it out into the line and put it to work right there. Q: Did you ever made anything that didn't work right? A: Ah very few times that I've ever made any-no pieces of big machinery of any kind have I ever made that was what you'd call a flop you .know. Ah it all worked out because I wouldn't start it till I had figured it out that it would work. I had weighed my- why it will against why it won't, all the questions and come up with the conclusion tnat it will work before I even made any of it you know. Q: What about instruments? A: I have before now changed my mind in the middle of making one that I had decided I would make ah ah design it one way or leave it a certain tnickness and then I would change my mind due to the density of the wood or change design on it maybe somewhere or another, I·d -c.hink maybe, "Well I'll do this to it and then that- no I don 't believe I·l~ do that, I'll go this way and carve it some other way you know but not-I wouldn~'t �·~ I get it far enough along but what 1 cou~d change it without ah it ever being noticed in any way after it was made you know. It was made to look exactly like ah that I had planned it that w~y. Q: Do you have a favorite piece of anything you've ever made, like a A: c~ock, c~ock is that your favorite Ah it is. over there? That clock, I'd rather see the stove and the refrig- erator and everytning go out of here than that. I take it out once in a while to arts ana crafts ah festivals and so on and I•ll leave it in the car, maybe going back the next day and that corner, it worries me to death nearly till that clock is not there you knew. Q: And now long ago did you make A: This ah I··ve had that made about fifteeen years I'd say now and that~ it's ticked away-it ' s run ah I very seldom fcrget to wind it. Now I could have made it an eight day clock by adding two more wheels but I wanted to wind that clock . I wanted tnat to be one of my chores, daily cnores, as I started to go to bed to wind that clock and it's just as natural for me now when I start to go to bed, that's the last thing I do, I'll wind that clock up. Q: Is tnat one of your first efforts at clock making? A: That's one of my first metal movements . I·d made them from wood oerore that, but that ' s one 01· my first brass c~ocks to make and ah the brass in that clocK is an e1gnth of an incn thick, the whee~s ana tne main whee~s are over four and a half inches in diameter and the leaves in the pinions are ah around eighty thousanths thick. clock with clocks th~t So comparing the thickness of that was made beck pre-Civil War out of one �·19 thirty second of an inch brice and have run for a hundred years and that should tell you a story of approximately how long my clocks would run , for they ' re made along the line of what was known as the . '" O. G: clocks made by Terry and Waterbury, and all of Conneticut clocks . t~e old makers After, you see the Grandfather clock the tall clock like that, they used little clocks, Connecticutt clocks they come out and it is no longer practical to make Grandfather clocks . And wouldn ' t be to this day without you got an enormous price for one of them, unless you just, you know , like I am, work if you want to and don ' t if you don ' t . Not but what I can use all the money I can get out of anything, that ' s easy to do . But the thing of it is how long it would take to make one cf them . You couldn ' t, I wouldn ' t want to take it up as something to make a living with making these clocks like that . For two ~easons, one is it would take a long to make them . There ' s every piece of that, you ' d be surprised how many pieces goes into that ~here you make all of it. You see I even made the hinges for th8 case and the knobs for the door and everything but the nails that went into that clock case I made . The little ship up there is rigged up out of tin sails and screen wire ropes and painted the scene back of it of the sea and so on, and the dials and the hands , carved the spiral rungs that comes down the side here and up there . And you ' d be surprised at how long it would take to do that , it'll take ~ou , I'd say that it ' d take approximately three weeks to built one of them , wouldn't it? About like that . So , you ' d get maybe five hundred dollars out of it, for your three weeks work , which wouldn't be too bad nor too good . �20 Q: Could you give us a general idea of the process or kind of the evolution of one of these clocks? A: a Where do you start? Oh , I would say I have a book on American r~al rascinating book, you know . alities of people that made clocks . clocks here . It ' s We had all kinds , all nationAnd we had one woman that I remember reading about in this book that was a clock maker , but most of them were German or Dutch . they ca~led And they called them , alot of times them the Pennsylvania clocks, you know, the tall clock . This pendulum, as I understand, was adapted to the clock in about 1630 , before that they had what was known a.s the balance bar , this piece swung around ana back and around and back, just a balanced up there held by a piece of string . And that was one of the early clocks , that was thirteenth century clocks beginning in the thirteenth century in China, 1 believe it was the origin 01 that clock . Well , before that was the water clock, which was a container filled with water with a tiny hole c.t the bottom and another container which caught the water as it leaked out of that and raise this float which read the hour of the day as it raised up , you know, as this container filled up and then somebody had to be there to watch that clock and pour it back in the other one again . Of course,that I guess they had the sun dial and the hour glass and what have you , or a mark on the porch to see when the sun got down to· a certain time and it ' s time to E .tart doing the work up . some fantastic clocks . appreciated . 'l'hese people made Their ingenuity was something to really be Now there was this one fellow who fastened himself up and stayed for I forgot how many years and he come up with this clock that has the Christ ana the disciple s and they march around , .. �at the time tnis clock is to strike, you know , and then he has Satan and all kinds of figures of that kind that will come out at difrerent times and so on . T~ings like that people have really gone· into the clock making in a big way . One fella made clocks that I have a picture of one of his clocks which is I think the most beautiful clock that I have ever seen any picture of or anything . His clock back in the time that he maae it sold ror about nine hundred dollars which then ir you could buy one now like that it would probably be worth ninety or a hundred thousand dollars , you see . Q: How many clocks have you made? A: I ' ve kind of lost count of them like I have my fiddles . try to keep up with anything like that . I never But I hold some around here and I took some way down into North a couple to one man down there, aidn't 1? C~rolina dovm to Clairmont , Then I would a furnish a set of works if somebody would make me a case for , give them a set of works ana they would make two cases and put their works in , and give me a case to put another set of work s in. deal for a while , you know , not having room . I workea that For I built my first clock in the body of a school bus that I used as a shop . I aian't have room to turn tnat lULmber around and c.round in there when I went to work . bus . Made a good shop, you know, but it wasn ' t big enougn for anything . Q: So, my first clock building happened in that school Plenty or light. How ao you go about builaing one or the clocks? Start with the worksor do you . ... A: You could go either way . I built the case fil·st ana one of my �--- -- I .22 ' neighbors come in and talking over the clocK he said, "What are you building?" I said , "J 'm building me a Grandfather clock." And he looked at the work , I had. it laying dovm , you know , in the floor. 11 ' It looks like it's going to be alright . get your works? " better ~ uild Where are you going to I said, "I'm going to buil cl them. " the works first, then build the case .'' He said , "You (Laughter) I told him, I said , "If I can build the case, I know I can build the works." What really, the way you get started out you know a- bout how many gears you want in ycur chain of gears up each side , providing this clock is going to be a one day movement, a eight day movement, or a thirty day mo ve ment. You'll have to work out your ratio of gears then, but somewhere along the line you've got to reach out into thin &ir and say I want a gear that 'll be, wel l my main gears are, I use eighty and seventy eight teeth on them. 1 use the eighty teeth next to the in that line. firs~ gear up. 1 think of it The one when the pa ir, you see , these are weight- driven clocks, and the one that has the drum on it that the cable winds onto has eighty teeth to begin with and it runs again one which I believe has twenty teeth on the center shalt ana on towards the escapement it runs again one with with seventy eight teeth , which runs against one with six teeth and always tha piniort gear the lit~le up there. gear has six teeth in all the way around in all my clocks So, when you've worked. out the ratio then the size of the movement depends on how you want to blow this up. Say, well , I know that I need eighty teeth so you take , you say , I want to make a clock, a big clock. ment. I want to make say a tower clock move- You would say OK, it has to have eighty teeth on that first �----- --~- · 23 wheel, and I will make this, how big ~ou do l want this fir s t whee.L . can say , Ok, I'l.L make it twelve inches . figure,you know. teeth. Just picking a OK, you have twelve inch diameter with eighty Now how big do I want the tone that it's going to run a- gainst, because if it only has six teeth, then, if I get the diameter too big the gear whell not mesh with the pinion . ~i.Ll That's where your ratio and proportion comes in on that, you work that out. So, it i-:orks out perrect.Ly that way . ure your clock out as you go tether the length ~hat And. you just go right on, fig- way . And. when you get it all to- your penau.Lum tnen, that pendulum rod. that 01 swings back and forth determines the speed that that clock will gu at, the length of that. If you get it t.oo long the clock will run too slow, if you get it too short it will go too fast, so you have to have, keep slipping up on it. Make it plenty long to start with and then keep moving it up and cut t ing it - off, until you get it established to what you need . Then you can make right by tha~ on and on and on and they 'll work out right. Q: What metals did you use? A: .L use steel , coal roll steel and brass in the clocks that I make. I make th~ always have brass. plate, the housing that holas the wheels they And l make the verge out of steel and the es- cape wheel, the one that travels the fastest and does the most work, it's made out of brass and there ' s one for you to figure out I 've never been able to figure . rou take all of your go through your brass ~ hrough wneel ~ and ~hat ~pinales thav tne1r steel and they go through the brass fr a mes on the side of it and they will wear tne ora s s frame, but the escape wheel at the top , the teeth come to a �- - -- - -- - - - -- - ·- - - - - - - - - - - 24 razor snarp edge anu tna-c runs agairn:.t a p1 ece of steel tna.t I wou1d say RocK\v·elJ_ haraened. to 6:> 0 ancl it v.:ill actually wear holec. in that hardened piece of tool steel whi~h ~ith razor sharp edges .of brass don ' t wear out and I can ' t figure that out . (Laughter) That ' s one tnat I don't figure out . Q: Maybe you can work on that . A: I believe I ' ll leave that for somebody else . Q: How , do you have trouble getting the materials you want or ao you just take what you can get? , A: The biggest thing is the expense of it . Brass is high to buy anymore , you know . Q: What about the wood? A: The walnut wcod that I make the cases out of , that ' s just about out of the question anymore . I happened. to ho.ve quite a bit of it on hand., if that was gone I have no idea . where I'd get anymore cf it . Q: Well, do you make you instruments from the same kind of wood . A: No , ..L make tnem , m2ke the instruments mcst of the time from curly maple, a.nd spruce . And it's native wood of th-'-s area . My fidale tops come from the highest mountain that I can get them off of , White Top up here . And that according to the old makers , I have alot of books on violin ma.king , I have one the Vio..t.in En~­ p1opedia and 1 have one on the German and Austrian violin maKers , the work of Antonia Str~divariu s and otners . And they all se- lected their wood from th e higl: mountF..ins, du.e to the slow growth of the tree and that produced close sap rings around the spruce that grew up on the high mountains and the wind would rock it �; 25 year after year and it wpuld be more 1lex1b1e and you woulu get Detter tonal quality and bet~er the maple ' s the same way . wood from around here . a cou s tics that way . And I ' m sure But this is a good area to get fiddle Some of the be s t I ' ve ever had come from the White Top Mountain over here . Q: A: I~ ' s equal or bei::.ter to the Alpine Spruce . iv1artin guitars , Martin is one of the leading gui ta1· makers they make the finest guitars of any , made in this country you knew. If they can on their most expensive guitars , if they can po s sibly get it they use Appalachian Spruce for the tops . they can get They can get Alpine ~pruce ana Spruce and other wooas , they can get any kind of wood that can be had, but tney use Appalachian Spruce on the tops of them . Q: Now , I want to ask you, I wa nt you to tell us how you became famous . I didn ' t knov~ A: WHAT! Q: uh , I re a d about you all the time . A: What . Q: We read about you . A: Oh , I gu e s s I ' m just different fr om oth8r people that ' s all . I ' m not famous . .Q: I was . (.laughter) No . Well , now if they take your music up to Maryland , I mean that ..•. A: Oh, I ' ve liv e d up here a long the best e:: planation I can hc.ve . Q: How did th ey find you? ti n e, young ' uns , that ' s about Mayb e a lot of people know me. �. ' ., .. . ~-­ ~ 26 A: I just happened to be at the wrong place at the right time , or something . Oh , I used to go out and play at the Fiddler ' s Conven- tions that ' s the one good way th?t they learn you . wouldn ' t have any idea hov1 many Fiddler ' c.: I played , I Conventions , you knov1 . Too , I like to go to fairs and festivals and so on , especially I 'v e been to the Richmond Fair dovm here , and stayed there for a week to demonstrate riddle making there , you know . me at the Smithsonian Institutio~ And I , they wanted and I kinda promised them that I would go this sumr:ier , but I don ' t kno1 . ·.- Q: Well , now , how did tney know about you? A: Through some college down in North Carolina somewher e here . A young fellow come up here and talked to me a whil e over there . They wanted the fiadles and the clocks both there , but they wanted to take enough machinery, you know, 'til I could be a show them how both went . I told him that I would go and that if t hey wanted to haul my junky machinery up there why it would be alright with me . Q: If they could find you. A: Yeah . ( laughter) They kinda have to start a day ahead of time to find me in here . Q: It ' s true . Q: Well , what will they do , set up a booth or something that .... A: Uh , huh . That ' s what they had in mind . mend Fair down there . I went Henderson the guitar maker . a~ong with thi s 1 enjoyed that Rich~ood Ana we had alot of fun . right together , had us some tables right close by . of fun . The wood carver , tie· carver and Wayne s quitE' a character . We worked We · had a world �. ..... . 27 Q: When did you start going to all this stu f1? A: Rigt1t within the laf'.t five or six years, I ' d say the arts and crafts thing s I ' ve gotten interested in that . And to the one at always over to the one at Marion there I ' d take things over there . People learn you through that and it ' s a good place . I never can keep any instruments to be ll , because my instrument s leave here, I just turn loose of them when I get them done , that ' s about it . Hensley . Now the last fiddle I made went to California to Harold He ' s if'_ movie work out there. for movies and all that stuff . maae . He plays back up music. And I made him the last one I It , out on , ordinarily where you see the scroll the curled up thing out thert . I had the Indian head carved on there that I put on there on account of a very fine tune that he played called the "Wild Indian , " you kne w. One of his compositions no doubt . the back I had in mother of pea rl and abalone shell ~orked On out a I hummingbird flying tov;ard a white flov.·er and it was a beautiful thing . the Then I had a row of pearl around the top and it was one of fini s hes like I like to put on rny in st rument s . And he was really thrilled with it . When he got it , he T.ook it ana. haa it, compared to one that cost UOO , 1 believe it was . $2L1 ., him it ought to be a shame to compare my of junk like that . he sees me again . ( LEtu g,f1.l, e1 ·) in ~t ruments I told to a piece Sc, I 6ues[; he' 11 Ehoot me when �· --- - - - - - - - -- - - - - . ~ ... Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side C A. Q. A. Q. A. We used to have a dance at somebody ' s house nearly every week , did~ ' t we darling (to his wife)? There was not anything much for entertainment other than things [like] dances and the music and we made good use of that . And we ' d go to a house, say like this ' un , with no more room that I have here , maybe 12 by 20 feet and there wouldn ' t be a whole big crowd like there would be at a dance hall . There ' d be alot of people there , but not too many would dance anyhow , just come to hear the music and so on . They ' d just pick up the furniture and move it out of the way and set here over in the corner and there it went . Girls on one side of the house and the boys on the other and get that dance started you know . Would you play for them? Yeah - played for thousands of them . What did you do? (asking Mrs . Hash) She was a dancer . I never did get to dance with her . That ' s why I can ' t dance to this day . But he had more fun trying (his wife) . But I always did manage to take her home. I had to fiddle till I was ready to fall out of the chair while she had a good time adancing . But I enjoyed every minute of it . Sbmetimes they'd have corn shuckings . They would have a great pile of corn pulled off with the husks all on it and they would tear into that and shuck like mad, getting this all worked out so they could have a dance after it was over . And beans, green beans you know , they ' d have to pull the strings off of them and break them up ~nd so on and they would bean s tringings, apple cuttings and molasses boilings . That was the great thing , the molasses party . You'd go out and there were these vat s . Did you ever see molasses being made? There ' s be a vat about as long as that couch or a little longer and it would take a horse and he pulled this mill around and around and around . It had a little pole out there and you tied it to his bridle and he d i dn ' t know but to follow �---------- - ---- --- ------ - -- Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side C A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. that after they started him . It ' d lead that horse around and around , leading himself around and around and around and it ' d push that cane into these rollers and it would mash the juice out of it and then it went into tte boiler and you ' d take skimmers , they look like a shovel or something with holes in the bott om to keep all the green skimmings off of it and after a while it would turn into a nice amber colored molasses . And then when they all got taken up out of the boiler , we ' d get us a cane stal k or a wooden paddle and sop that boiler with it . Get you a bite out of it and it ' s good and sweet and then we ' d have dances , maybe in a little meadow somewhere away from the cane mills . For a couple of hours . Would your parents come? Oh yeah . Yeah , but they usually just sit back or paid no attention to you , you know . They ' d talk among themselves and it would be just a good social gathering , no trouble . No nothing to bother anybody . Everybody behaved and everybody had a good time . What kind of dances did you dance? It was mostly just old square dances , · wasn ' t it (to his wife ) ? They used to have one called Virginia Reel and maybe now and then we ' d have just a regular old flat foot dancer you know . Now my wife ' s grandfather , he was a real good hand to dance the old time flat foot dancing . He won one of the festiva l s up on the white top here with his dancing . He was a tall man and wore a big white handlebar moustache and wore leather boots made like the old frontier boots you know . And he ' d stand up just as st r aight as he could be and them boots would click out a tune right there on that floor while you played " Arkansas Travelle r". That ' s the tune that he liked to dance to . Mrs . Hash : He wore suspenders , with his thumbs through them . Mr . Hash : Yeah . Can you flat foot? Is it like clogging? It ' s a little bit different from clogging . Mrs . Hash : It ' s more flat footing than anything . Mr . Hash : Yeah , just more or less At the Galax Fiddler ' s Convention , they have flat footing? �Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side A. Uh huh . Q. A. Well what ever happened to these dances? Wel~ , as time went along , the younger folks, they had to get out away from here to go to work , to places , because there wasn ' t any work . Things begin to change and it was years and years that the you ng folks , as soon as they got old enough to work on the job, they left here . That ' s what has hurt so bad , if they could have all stayed around and about . was gone about forty years . My brother , he left here . He He lived in New Jersey and he c ame back t o the upper end of Virginia . He wanted to get back into Vi rginia where he had some land up there . a y ear ago , up there in Virginia . He died last summer That ' s where my brothers are now , my two brothers that [are] living , they live up there , aroun d App omatox and Linchbur g . Q. You were telling us ea r lier about your daughter learning how to make inst r uments and things . about that? Why don ' t you tell us a little more [That] you keep it in the family and soon will pass it on . A. Well , she is· making some nice instruments now and I am trying to teach her . I don ' t know much about anything , butI ' m teaching her everything I know about the instruments . Q. How old is she? A. She ' s 26 I guess now . I raised two daughters . what 30? JO . Uh , 26 , yeah The other ' uh is , She lives out in Creston . mad e a dulcimer but one is all she wanted to make . in other ways . She als o She ' s gifted She could have learned it alright but she puts most of her spare time into church work and the teaching o f c hi ld r en . She likes children , she has her Brownie Scouts and this and that and the other . But Audrey , she ' s the instrument maker and she has two little daughters . So Audr ey is getting ready , I think she is advanced in it enough now to try to make a fiddle so I am going to fix her up for making a fiddle [ as] the next instrument she makes . Q. Who are these pictures of? A. Mrs . Hash : Thi s is Audrey , her husband ... �Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side C Q. Oh, goodness, I thought they were all children . A. Mrs. Hash: This is my other daughter and her family . Q. What do you consider yourself? A craft s man, an artist ..• ? A. Just an old hard working country boy, (laughing) that's been a jack of all trades and not very good at anything I ' d say. I guess the love of work, I think has really been what put me through so many fields of it. I like to do things and I think anybody that's blessed with a chance to do the things, the type of work that he wants to do and is suited for is really wonderfully blessed that way. I never think of the work that I ' ve done as being a job . It was a pleasure to me and was - it's more or less like going to a fiddler's convention or something like that . It ' s been just alot of interesting things . Never was boring. At times you know, you'll have this and that and the other, little frustrations of one kind and another, but my work as a whole has been really interesting and something that I looked forward to doing and felt like that I had really been blessed by being able to follow up the things that I wanted to work at. Q. So many people are unhappy with what they are doing, they are not satisfied . Like today, do you have any suggesti ons for these kind of people . A. I would . We never know what's on the other side of the hill till we go over there and look . I don't ever advise anybody to do that kind of work which he is not qualified to do or which he doesn't want to do, despi s es to do, for that would be a very boresome life . To have to go out and do a job every day of your working career that you didn't like to do. Say for instance, if I had been a doctor, now that I wouldn't have liked at all. Q. · Even if you made twice, three times ... A. Three times the money - that's beside the point. If you do what you want to do, for after all , I would say happiness in what you are doing, being satisfied in what you are doing is well worth more than that money. I could never have been a coal miner, I could never have been a farmer and been satisfied . The only things I liked about farming - I liked to raise little pigs and l \ �--- - - - ------ Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side C A. Q. A. Q. A. calves and things like that you know . And I like bees that I could keep and have . But I didn ' t care anything about any other crops , didn ' t care enough about it to even remember from one year to the next how much fertili z er I should buy for an acre for oats or corn or anything. I just wa s n ' t, had no, absolutely no interest in it at all . Well , do you think people , when you were growing up, went ahead and did the things more that they wanted to do than people are doing today? I know a lot of people now that are just doing things that they really don ' t want to do . I ' m sure that that's been true all the way along but I think this day age with so many fields open , that that person should not bore himself long to work at something that he doesn ' t like or doesn ' t feel that he ' s going to be satisfied or have a growing, big interest in , because I think he should go over on the other side of the hill and get him something else to do . Try, try again till you find what you ar e well qualified for . Well , what would you think if someone wanted to start making instruments or do some kind of carving or something , do you think it has to be something sort of in you, a talent , or can they just learn it? That would help immensely, but I think that, no , every person would not be an instrument maker . We have certain people that are qualified for one thing . Now maybe he could paint a nice picture , but give him a bunch of tools and he ' d only cut his fingers with them . It would be just as different for me, say for instance, I tried to do something with electricity , which I cannot - I can only put batteries in a flashlight - all I know ·about electricity i s to leave it alone . My brother-in-law comes and does everything for me like t hat , that I need . He wired this till it works from all direction s , you know . And where ever I have this light turned on at, I ca n turn it on from my switch there . Now I can ' t see how he ev e r ca n learn that, so there ' s no way that I coul d do that and I ha ve tri ed to learn it from books and I can ' t catch onto a thing in the world . There ' s just nothing for me to see th e r e . And as I said, I can feel it but I �Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side C can ' t see that . If I get into it I ' ll find out that I shouldn ' t have been messing with it in the first place. So let the artist paint a picture and the craftsma n , he can do whatever type of thing he likes to do . another . Some maybe would like one thing and some But if a man likes to build houses then he wouldn ' t be satisfied down in the coal mine somewhere . there building a nice home for somebody . He wants to be up I think that a person should keep looking till they find something that is interesting to them and that they can be interested in all the way through their working career . Then it won ' t hurt you to work . If your work doesn ' t make you tired, it won ' t hurt you, but if you go out to something that you have to do and it makes you tired and you go out there with a bad outlo ok on life then I think if you follow it up, that life is going to be short if you keep it up . I don't think anybody should ever , at any time , should ever knuckle down and work on something they don ' t like to do . Our country has too many things to offer , too many fields are open for them . Maybe one would like to be a doctor or a dentist, another a mini ster , another a black s mith or a machinist or what have you . they can ' t swap places . And You might find one once in a while that can do these other things , but he has his own thing in the long run that he would rather do than something else . So I think he ' ll live longer and be much happier . Q. Mr. Ha sh , are you going to play us a song? A. Oh, I'll make a big noise . Q. Well, let me ask you one more thing before you do it . I don ' t do much playing music . Can you tell us any outstanding things that have happened to you that you can r emember right off hand . ~usician A. Like as an instrument maker or - particular things you remember . I've had lots more happen in th e line of my machinist ' s work than anything else . Q. A. Machinist? Uh huh . I ' ll tell you one story on that line . When I worked for Brunswick , they needed a tube ma king machine that would weld mylore and they gave their engineers about $5 , 000 or $6,000 t o �------ --- - -- -------- Albert Hash Tape 2, Side C that thing, welding as it went, you know . It was a little piece of inch and a quarter wide mylore and when that piece went through there I sent it dovm to the foot of the hill, down where these boys were working with that other and asked them if that looked like about anything they could use (laughing). So one of the engineers came up there in my shop you know , and my shop was only a two-man shop . I had an apprentice boy that worked under me and he never opened his mouth and there it was covered up with a piece of tarp there and he wanted to borrow something . I can't remember what it was now, but that was his excuse to get into the shop. He thought he was going to get to see that thing. I didn't have it, whatever it is and he went off and in a little while he was back and he wanted to borrow something else and he paced around here and he looked this way and he looked that way and I could tell all the time that something was wrong you know. But he wasn't a-going to tell me anything . And I told him I didn't have whatever it was that he wanted that time you know, and I didn't. It was probably something I never heard tell of, but anyhow when he made his third trip back, he said , " Would you mind demonstrating to me how you made that piece of tubing? " I said, "Well, I'll be glad to." And I just went and pitched that old cover off that machine and it was a little compact rig about that long, and I plugged it in and had to wait just a few minutes for the heat to come on you know, so it was welding with a simple little soldering iron that I had turned a little wheel and put out on the hot end of it out here to roll over that mylore and it just welded it together as pretty as you please. I had a variak on it which regulated the amount of heat that would come in · on it. And he got down on the floor and looked at that thing. And he looked at it and looked at it and he said , "According to science , this thing is not supposed to work ." I said , "According to science a bumble bee is not supposed to fly, but it does." And I ran him off several pieces of it. I could run it the length of my shop which is about 60 feet and if I opened the door, I could put . it to the end of the hill to the m dovm there , you know. �-----Albert Hash Tape 2, Side C And they forgot their machine. They never did anything more to it, but they made me get a patent on t hat. I didn't want a patent on ·it, I didn't want any publicity on it or - I didn't ask any favors. All I wanted to do was my day's work you know. all I ever cared about. I didn't want any credits for anything. "Oh, you must have a patent," they s aid. want any patent. That's I said, "No, I don't I don't ever intend to manufacture those things." "Yeah, but you need a patent on it," they said. I said, "No, I wouldn't fill out a bunch of papers to get a patent on that. I know it's going to run into a bunch of paperwork and that I can't stand - to hear papers rattle." So they brought the papers up, "Now fill these out, we want to get you a patent on that. ought to have a patent." And I wouldn't fill them out. You And they come gathered the papers up and went and filled them out. come back and said would you sign thi s . And I signed my name on it. They gave me a dollar for my patent on it. It belongs to Bruns- sick but they can't ever ma nufa ctur e without my signing for it you know, i~ they should ever wa nt to manufacture a machine like that, which they won't, no doub t . But that was one - just one. There's been many many of them. He begins to tune his fiddle ... Sometimes one head is as good as a do z en in something like that and sometimes I think it is better because one man can work out, he can work the details out on anything so much better than a dozen can because they are all looking from a different angle at what you are doing. And one will see this thing and another will see that thing and they finally agree to disagree on everything and that's what slowed our works down a whole lot. involved in something, it begins to drag. If too many people I think if you put it, anything like that in the hand s of a f e w, y ou'll come out much better in the long run. And too, I believe, now I'm not downing education in any way, you know, I think it's a wonderful thing, I wish I could've got a lot more of it than wha t I did, but I think people have studied too much, the y t hink t oo much, they run out yonder and they don't see the s impler way s o f doing things. They go way out yonder and they come b a ck with an elaborate piece of machinery which as I said, you could take the near cuts and do �- ..-:·' - ... - - - - - - .. '· .' Albert Hash Tape 2, Side C A. just like I did. Their machine was an impressive looking thing but it didn't work, that was the worst part of it. Q. That's really something. ~. You get too complex with things sometimes. I think alot of our things that we have in this day and age are that way. that they don't work. So much Q. What can be done about it? A. Simplify everything. Q. How do you get people to go along with it? A. It's hard to do. Q. Just show them like you did. A. That's the only way and then what are they going to take from a Q. man that never - I don't have any diplomas to hang up anywhere. But you have originality. A. Yeah. Q. Alot of those people that have diplomas - they have the education but they don't have the originality. A. That's what I think hurt in that case there. They couldn't actually see that thing working there . Q. You've got alot of ribbon s too . A. Those are the ones I got away from the judges. fast. Why don't you tell us about them. I can run pretty (laughing) Q. Why don't you tell us about some of those. A. Well, alot of hard fiddling went into those. And alot of fun. Got to meet alot of fiddlers, both blue grass and the old timey. Lost many of an hour's sleep over those things. Q. What? A. No, just being there. Worrying? We'd go and stay all night. ·wouldn't get back until daylight, you know. Sometimes I And one time I got my car off the road over back of this mountain here in the fog and didn't make it home till about nine o'clock the next day. I went through [a] flood to get to one of them . Oh, I'd go fur- ther to a fiddler's convention when I was a younger man than most people would to elections. Q. What happened with that flood? �Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side C A. Oh , I got started out , [and] decided to stop over there at Sugar Grove . I came down from the plant and was going to eat my supper, you know , and then go on out to the fiddler ' s convention , which was out in a place they called Adwolf over there . And I looked back out that way and it was so dark you know and raining - Boy it was ever more than a- storming out in there . I decided , well , I ' ll go on and I had my supper and I started on out through there and I finally got to seeing water in the road and I kept venturing along and finally at last there was nothing but water . And the car - I didn ' t know what to do . I came to a bridge and I didn ' t know whether the bridg e was there or not - I could see part of the railing sticking up, you know ... ( Part of the conversation lost as the tape ran out on one side .) ..• let him pass me right here and I stopped my car and he waited a while for me to go on but I wouldn ' t go on and he finally tried to go on and I followed him out that road and there was water in the fields. There was water in the road . And sometimes it was way up towards the floor of the car and .I decided that if I ever ' got to a place where the ground was high enough , you know that ' s low level country out there , I will stay in that thing till this · water goes down and I ' ll turn it around and go back home . But after I got to the high ground , I saw I was getting up above the flood and I went on to the fiddler ' s convention . On that very next morning , coming out of there , that ' s when it rained and got so foggy I couldn ' t see . The highway wasn ' t marked , you know , and there ' s no way in the world - I drove with my head sticking out the window till I was drowned nearly and thought , well if I could , get to the top of this hill , the fog will be lighter , or something or other , and I felt my car bumping over the rocks and I ' d got off the road on the lower side . I sat there till daylight . But I ' d say the one fiddler ' s convention that has meant most to me and the one little ribbon that I got from that which is about the least , scrawniest I ' ve got - wa s the one from Galax . I ' d always wanted to win something down t here . I got down there and I �Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side D believe there was 164 fiddlers to fiddle again . I decided well, it looks like a slim chance of getting anything here but when I went out there I went out for the kill you know . stage . Right on the Now that was a fiddler's convention like they are supposed to be had . You went out and played just the one instrument , you weren ' t backed up by a guitar or a banjo or something like that . You went out there all by yourself and you played . ~I really gave it everything I had but there ' s one other fella - he had it won befo r e he played . Joe Greene - he ' s in television . Has had a lot of records with the major companies , you know , and so on . But Joe , he went out with a flashy green suit with alot of fanc y trimmings on it and all that stuff and they began to scream before he played you know , and naturally he got first place . I was satisfied to get anything . But Now that was on about a Friday and then I didn ' t have to play till Saturday I don't believe . Yeah , I had to play Thursday and Saturday . Then on Sunday morning , getting away towards daylight I had decided to go . I didn ' t look to win anything myself you kno w, but I just couldn ' t leave that place . Everytime I ' d start to leave , somebody would play some- thing pretty on the fiddle up there on that stage and I ' d just have to go back . I started about three times to my car , you know to leave , I ' d decide well , it can ' t hurt nothing to stay a little longer and it ' ll be daylight a-driving home . It had rained and the mud was about four inche s deep there and Wayne Henderson , he and I had just kind of gotten out towards the side of the stage and hunkered down in that mud resting , and we were pretty well r eady to rest , and they began to call out the winners and when they called my name there I couldn ' t hardly remember whether , it was me or somebody else . But I went up and got my r ibbon and that I think was what helped me you know . be as good a loser as I was winner . But I always tried to I never have played at any of them and ever thought that I really deserved anything . I always thought the other fella' s mu s ic sounded lots better than mine and I never - I always jus t t o ok the judges ' decision about anything like that, but ... �Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side D . ; Q. How do they decide? A. Well, they usually have three judges and they judge them on point s . Your tuning, your performance and showmanship . different things . ' to judge them . There ' s several I ' ve judged a couple myself, you know , helped And it is one headache . You get about 25 up there that all play so near alike that you couldn ' t tell any difference in them you know . And maybe - if one doesn ' t stick out better than the rest like a sore thumb - you just don't hardly know who to give that to . You can just do your utmost to be as honest and fair and square as you can and there wouldn't be any way that you would know exactly who should win that . It ' ll give you a headache . Q. Why don't you play a little for us now? A. Okay. (Begins to tune fiddle) Is that all you do now? Working with wood and stuff ... You don't Q. work at a job now . A. I don ' t go out to a job anymore . October a year ago . Q. I haven't worked since last I ' ve just piddled around here and so on . Get in Ethel's way while she ' s working . Well, do peep.le come i.;_ pretty often to get you to show them p how to make something? A. Oh yeah , I give alot of advice . age , David Sturgill? If you remember a fella about my David has a_,guitar factory down here in Allegheny County and it ' s quite a factory too . hundreds of guitars a year there . He can manufacture He had two boys , Johnny and Danny, twin boys, that helped him and he takes ih apprentices , which are students that want to learn the makircg of instruments and they work in there . He starts them out in the rougher works and then wo rks them up tc where they can handle the finished product s you kno w. Alot of these young folks come up from his fac- tory there, boys and girls . He dcesn 't fool much with violins you know and they like to learn something about violins , about violin making, and so on and I tell them how it ' s all done and show them and I always hav e them in all stages of completion and give them a good start on hew to make one . I made one for one of the boys down there - a real good instrument. It turned out real �:· Albert Hash Tape 2, Side D good and he really treasures it . I always have names for my instruments you know . I name them after my grandchildren and this and that and the ether . This one particular one I felt kind of, I had tried it out , I try them out before I put the varnish on and this was a good instrument and I said what am I going to narr,e this one? And then he came to me " vlhy don ' t you name it something appropriate? " I said okay I ' 11 just ca l l it the Screaming. Witch . (laughing) And so I named it the Screaming Witch and when I finished it , I finished it in blood red . Oh , it was red , that fiddle . Q. A. Q. A. You named it after your wife? (laughter) She claimed I did . But I didn ' t think of her just then . I thought she was pretty clever to think about it . ( laughter ) But I had named mandolins and banjos and this and that and the other after my grandchildren . He really likes his instrument and he ' s doing good on playing it . I get to teach him a wh6le lot about the making of the instrt..ment~; and so on . And too , I will hunt him up and give him the wood . Well , would you take on somebody as an apprentice? Uh , I couldn ' t hardly , if I intended to do that on any big scale , I wouldn ' t mir.d doing that . But since I don ' t have any more stock or any more room than I do , why I ' ll tell them anything that I can to help them out but I wouldn ' t have enough work at all to get it to that big a thing . Because I like to keep it to where it would just be , more or less , a hobby and a pleasur e . But if I went into it as a way to make money out of it then I could do it , but I don ' t care if I make any money out of it or not . So I just make them you know . I like to teach them . I always figured that the best thing s c f life were t he free things c>.nd if I can pass on anything that I have happened to stagger on and learn to somebody else that will help them , I ' ve done nothing other than my duty . Mrs . Hash : He make s alot of tapes for these people that come from all around that make tapes of him a-playing the old time tunes you know . So they can learn from ttat , don ' t you Albert? �- - -·- - - - Albert Ha s h Tape 2 , Side D A. Q. A. Yeah . To help t hem to l e a rn to play the fiddle . Because they like the old traditi onal way of pla ying . I had a gr eat uncle that was a fiddler and one of the be st . He could play the best of anybody I have ever heard and he ~a s a l ong , tall , straight fella , wore a vest and he ' d but ton tha t v est up t c th e last button and then he ' d pull it back and stick that fiddle back there . That ' s the way he held it and he ' d just miss hi s face with that bow just by a very littl e , you know a nd how h e could play one of them . .. i inaudible s ection of tape} .. He could heat anybody I ' d ever heard of . I ' d of liked to hear him when he wa s younger and r eally active in playing . Well , do you like classical music with the violins? I like violin music of any kind but the only music that I understand , now I don ' t know a note in music, not one note do I know . It ' s just the music of the mountains here , the music that I was brovght up with a s I came along and heard these old fiddlers playing . I learned that and then the blue grass came along , I decided to learn that and then I decided I didn ' t want to learn it , that I wanted to keep my old traditional kind of music as pure and as unadulturated as I possibly could . I don ' t try to learn blue grass , I don't try to learn any of t he new stuff that comes out . I just keep back and I ' ve got records , I ' ve got hundreds of records you know . Several hundred of them of fiddlers from all over this country and even some from out of it . But unless it ' s my kind , I don ' t pay any attention to it much . I like to hear it now , just for entertainment , but I don't try to learn it , any of it because every locality had its bunch of tunes and I have several of the old original tunes from around here . I have one from down here [in] Crumpler, North Carolina , that ' s just over the line . You know , my grandfather had a cousin that was a lady fiddler and she played a tune called "Nancy Blevins" and he danced , he was two years old and still wearing a dress like little boys wore back in the old days . And he danced with his dress on to the tune of " Nancy Blevins" and he told me about it and I heard a fella play it one time and I got him to teach me this s o I could remember i t on account of t ha t and one about the �Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side D .. ~ inaudible section of tape} .. I know that one too and then I was acquainted with alot of the older musicians. Henry Whittier was a r ecording artist and I played with him after his buddy GB Grayson was · killed . He got killed in action , I [had] played with him and Whittier , he (Whittier) was one of the early recording artists you know . He recorded in , I believe it was Camden or Trenton , New Jersey and then someplace in Georgia then , Atlanta , Georgia I believe it was . We were going to record some records at that time , I was only a lad , but Mr . Whittier ' s health got bad and he finally wound up in the institution you know and died right away . And I never have had any desire to make records or anything . They are at me he r e lately and I recorded , well I recorded alot for the Library of Congress , but I never wanted to go out and p l ay musi c for a living or go on the road with it . That would have made a job out of it and I didn ' t want that and I didn ' t want to make records . I have had several bands together that could have cut some good records you know . But we didn ' t care enough about it to go ahead and do it because - well , [we] just didn ' t do it fo r that reason you know . It wasn ' t a money making thing . never think of it as something to make money with . I Right lately I have recorded two tunes that - You people may have run into him somewhere or other , (name inaudible) who recorded for the Library of Congress and he got at me to record some . There ' s about , (to his wife) what , about 16 or 18 different ones? that pla;ed tunes on this one album that he was trying to gather up of the mountain music . And I played two tunes on that which will be on Rounder Records . And t he paperwork [and] the contracts - just signed [them] and didn ' t mess with them , y ou know . A~d then this mountain record , we have practiced to make an album for mountain rec ords . He wants the old tunes that hardly anybody every plays any:no re . And I ' ve g ot about twelve or fourteen tunes of that kind t ha t we ' l l put on that r e cord with the old five st r uments like they had back t hen , you know . That should be a p retty good ' un for them that want to learn the old time music b e c ause it will be in its purity . There won ' t be any half played �- - - - ---- -- -- ---- Al be rt Hash Tape 2 , Side D stuff in it or anything . I don ' t mean that I ' m any great fiddler o r anything , but it will be , the notes u sed in the right way ... ( tuning his fiddle ) ' So when we get that done , we should have had it already , but the weather ' s been so bad up here and we ' d have to go down to Galax to this fella ' s recording facilities . And he ' s getting old . Q. I don ' t understand about the Library of Congress . are recording for it? A. Yeah , they have this big library of recorded music and folk I mean , you music , folk lore and what have you , you know , and that is just like a book library in a way . Q. It ' s up here in Washington , D. C. Ma r ion - I r emember they were here in Asheville and Columbia . J ane - No , I didn ' t know that , I never heard a thing about it . A. And you can go there . If you should go there and say I would like to hear a tune by or some music by Albert Hash , they can hunt that up right quick and play it for you . And too , alot of it is kept kind of as a record would be kept . So much of i t goes into cylinders and is deposited in certain safe keeping vaults to be 'played , say if time should go on , in a thou sand y ears from now , it ' ll still be ready to play . They came over here , to Wayne Hender s on ' s father , Walter Henderson , he was an old time fiddler and they recorded quite a bit of him . And Slim Ball , you ' ve probably heard his gospel ... Mrs . Hash : Mr . Hash : E . C. Ball I guess you might know him by . Yeah . Music from him and his wife . They reco r ded alot , years ago , for the Library of Congress . Now they are re co r ding alot on their own . They live just across the hills ther e . Q. How long ago did you do this for the Library of Congress? A. Six or seven years ago . ( tuning his fiddle) Q. The bow is not made out of horsehair , is it? Oh , this last one was last summer . (laughing ) Did you catch the horse? A. They have tried everything , even fiberglas s , nylon , rayon and everything else to try to make bows , but nothing will work like that ho r se hair . 'i �•. Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side D Q. Well, I thought you just did that, that you didn ' t really know it was horsehair . ~twas A. No , ~ that I got acquainted with at the arts and crafts festival . horsehair . There ' s a lady who has a bunch of horses In grooming her horses , she cut out alot of their tails and she sent me a r oll of horsehair - oh , that big around . Mrs . Hash : Mr . Hash : Alot of it was too short wasn ' t it? Uh huh . To fill these bows is quite a little trick , to put the hair in them you know . And keep it straight . Q. It doesn ' t need to be white horsehai r though? A. No , it can be black or it can be a sorrel or bay o r any kind , as long as it ' s horsehair it does the same . Q. You made that too ( referring to the bow)? A. No , I didn ' t make the bow . We don ' t have a native wood s u itable fo r mak ing the bows . This bow stick must be a ve r y stro·ng wood to stand the pressure of that hair and still hold its shape in here . Now , I ' ve made bows out of rosewood but we don ' t have a native wood that is suitable for making a fiddle bow . You either get , some people pronounce it Perna'mbico and some Pernamb~k~ wood . It ' s f r om , it ' s Brazil wood to make the bows out of and most of the bows that are made are imported . [There are] not any bow- makers in this country I ' d say that amount to anything . do have some first class violin makers around about . But we Two that I know of , one that I was acquainted with was Scott Herman , he was a German fel l a that had a violin shop in Washington , D.C. When I was up there he wanted me to work with him but I was tied up there with that Navy . with him up there . I would have given anything to have worked He ' d go and open that vault up where he had his inst r uments and he had some out . The wood was , I believe he said the wood was five or six hundred years old . Some of the boys had sent him some wood out the Abbey of Cocina , one the of the spruce beams from the Second World War when they tore the mona stery down over there . was . This monastery in Italy , I believe it They sent him some wood and he had made the top (inaudible ) out of that wood and he was getting about $1400 . each for the fiddles made out of that then , you know . Work wasn ' t so �Albert Hash Tape 2 , Side D high as it is now ... (tuning his fiddle) Now I may be stiffer than an old working mule for I ' ve not tried to play any since I was over to the college ... Continued on Tape 3 - playing his music . � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews Description An account of the resource In 1973, representatives from Appalachian State University (ASU) began the process of collecting interviews from Watauga, Avery, Ashe, and Caldwell county citizens to learn about their respective lives and gather stories. From the outset of the project, the interviewers knew that they were reaching out to the “last generation of Appalachian residents to reach maturity before the advent of radio, the last generation to maintain an oral tradition.” The goal was to create a wealth of data for historians, folklorists, musicians, sociologists, and anthropologists interested in the Appalachian Region. The project was known as the “Appalachian Oral History Project” (AOHP), and developed in a consortium with Alice Lloyd College and Lees Junior College (now Hazard County Community College) both in Kentucky, Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and ASU. Predominately funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities, the four schools by 1977 had amassed approximately 3,000 interviews. Each institution had its own director and staff. Most of the interviewers were students. Outgrowths of the project included the Mountain Memories newsletter that shared the stories collected, an advisory council, a Union Catalog, photographs collected, transcripts on microfilm, and the book Our Appalachia. Out of the 3,000 interviews between the three schools, only 663 transcripts were selected to be microfilmed. In 1978, two reels of microfilm were made available with 96 transcripts contributed by ASU. An annotated index referred to as The Appalachian Oral History Project Union Catalog was created to accompany the microfilm. The catalog is broken down into five sections starting with a subject topic index such as Civilian Conservation Corps, Coal Camps, Churches, etc. The next four sections introduced the interviewees by respective school. There was an attempt to include basic biographic information such as date of birth, location, interviewer name, length of interview, and subjects discussed. However, this information was not always consistent per school. This online project features clips from the interviews, complete transcripts, and photographs. The quality and consistency of the interviews vary due to the fact that they were done largely by students. Most of the photos are missing dates and identifying information. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965-1989 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed. Hash, Albert Interview Date 2/5/1976 Number of pages 48 pages Date digitized 9/19/2014 File size 32.7MB Checksum alphanumeric code f115dd3ecdebb91ef91196e20b9b7f4c Scanned by Tony Grady Equipment Epson Expression 10000 XL Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright for the interviews on the Appalachian State University Oral History Collection site is held by Appalachian State University. The interviews are available for free personal; non-commercial; and educational use; provided that proper citation is used (e.g. Appalachian State Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records; 1965-1989; W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection; Special Collections; Appalachian State University; Boone; NC). Any commercial use of the materials; without the written permission of the Appalachian State University; is strictly prohibited. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived AC.111 Appalachian Oral History Project Records; 1965 - 1989 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 111_tape337_AlbertHash_transcript_M Title A name given to the resource Interview with Albert Hash [Feburary 5, 1976] Language A language of the resource English English Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hash, Albert Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/195" target="_blank">Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989</a> Subject The topic of the resource Appalachian Region, Southern--Social life and customs--20th century Violin--Construction--Appalachian Region, Southern Clock and watch making--Appalachian Region, Southern Hash, Albert Description An account of the resource Albert Hash began making things out of wood at a young age. He had a dream as a child about making a fiddle, and did the best he could with the tools he had and a plank of wood. He continued to perfect his wood-working and carving skills and began to make more instruments. He also worked in clock making, farmed for a short time, and went to school for mechanical engineering. Albert Hash Alexandria Ashe County banjos Brunswick childhood dances clock making clocks corn shucking curly maple David Sturgill farming fiddle fiddle making Fiddler's Convention flat footing guitar making Havre-De-Grace Lansing Library of Congress machine shop machinist mandolins mechanical engineering Richmond Fair Ringling Brothers Circus Smithsonian Institute Sprague Electric Company spruce square dancing Sugar Grove Timberline Magazine Virginia Virginia Reel Virginia Supply Company walnut wood Wayne Henderson White Top Mountain wood carving https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/80c6e96d868d6434c97a40f9fdd09bb7.pdf 6dba4c07388efb0ee777cee6ec3e21a4 PDF Text Text MR . & MRS • ALLEN TOWNSEND (Note. Q: Here the answere are from Mrs. Townsend) What do you first r emember about the Depression? How did you lmow it had starte ? A: Well, food always- got so high . It looked like you didn ' t have enough money to go cwound, I guess , and you just got the notions of things like that . Q. Were you not liVli:ng somewhere w here you could make your own food? Did you have to but it . ? Ai It's been for a few years that now at first we raised our own food and , you . know, we had our own chickens and raised our own meat like that , but then we jus t couldn 1 t do that so we 1 d just have to have money to buy it . to work . I ' ve worked myself to death . Then Allen got unable You know, with young ' uns you just can ' t get out to do. Q: Was there anything besides the high prices that you knew that the Depression was starting? A: Well, I re ot . It was just everything, you lmow , seemed different and a shortage of everything . Q: What were sane of the things that you, that were hard to get, find , or buy? A: Well , I just don •t lmow. Se emed like that we didn 1 t have much of anything or couldn ' t get much of anything or something . Back then there just wasn ' t much work for anybody to do and we lived in Ashe County at that time . awfully sick just coul 1 t d she had double pneumonia . .. d1y g t to the doctor . My mother was She was going to die and , you lmow, At that time it was hard . daddy worked , on a school .gym at Fleet wood and he had to walk . He worked , It ' s four miles �2 there and our miles back . o ' clock in the mornin ~o That's ei t Ue get there in time . got back and he was always so give out . a and he had to leave at four It was alw after dark when he We young ' µns woul ork in the crops So , we cut wood ta make hea:b around there at hane and we had to cut firewood o and bad to carry our own water, for a right smart ways . They couldn ' t hardly make enough to buy soap and Mama would make ho.memade soap ; make it in a big kettle to wash our clothes with . Q: What kind of crops did you raise? A: W ell, we raised about everything that they could raise . We raised potatoes , corn, cabbage, and we'd make corn bread out of the corn that we raised and we ' d make what you call himiney out of it and then we canned a lot of stuff . we dried apples . Then I can remember Mama drying a pumpkin, cutting it in rings and hanging it on sticks over the fireplace to dry. Q: What did she do with them . A: Take it and cook it . Make pumpkin pies for us to eat and dry apples and make dried apple pies . Q. So , did you have enough to eat then at this t A: W ell, we had plenty to eat, I reckon, and the way we managed it , you know, 'l had to do the same thing . Q. Did you have to buy anything? Was there anything that you had to buy'l Well, there were a lot of people that raised wheat that made their own flour , but we ddidn ' t raise any wheat, so we had to buy our own flour , you know, and sugar . The salt and stuff, fix something to eat and they used to be something like chicory that people would raise to be a plant . It would grow in great long roots �3 and they called it chicory and people would dry that and grind i t up and make coffee, chicory coffee . They call it coffee, but it really wasn ' t . They ' d take it and percolate, or boil it in a pot like they did all their c offee . Bout everybody in our neighborhood would raise that and make their own coffee . There would be a lot of young people now that never heard tell of that . They wouldn ' t know what I 1d be talking about and you might not . Q: No , I never heard of it . fas the flour and the sugar and all that hard to find during the Depression? A: Yes , it was . Q: Where did you get the money or how dfri you get it? A: Well, a lot of times we gathered herbs . How did you buy it? Dried herbs like cherry bark and we 1d pull big wood leaves and skin bi g ood bar • thing else to do he would go out in t. woods and mountains , you know, and cut When Daddy couldn ' t get any- the cherry poles and those big wood poles and the closes t one would bring them home and he ' d chop them up into firewood lengths and we ' d burn them , skin them in the house of the night . dry that . Then burn the wood part of the day and you ' d have to Some times it would take about a week, you know, to dry the bark and the leave • Q. What did urou do with it? A: There was a lot of sang in the mountains . called it . I reckon it still grows . They called it ginseng is what they I haven ' t seen any in a long time , but we were always •••• Now there was something you gathered mullen and when it began to get dry it would stick you up . bath . Q: What was it? You just had to change your clothe s and take a �4 A: I don't know . It was a little old fuzz or something, you know, and it would get on you and just itch you to death . Q: Was there anything that you can think of that was good about the Depression? A: No , I think that everything was bad . Q: Well, what was the worst thing about it? A: Well, in clothes and food you just didn't have the money to buy it with and you really couldn 1 t get it because it ;just wasn't there . Q: Well , did you or your mother make, your own clothes? A: Mama went and made our own clothes and she didn ' t even have a sewing mach- ine. She had to sew with her fingers, or maybe there would be a neighbor some- where around that would have a sewing machine that didn 1t mind, but usually people just didn ' t have time for a neighbor to come in, sit down , and stay all day and sew . So , she would sew with her fingers and make our clothes and they would make long dresses that really took more . so hard . I guess that was the reason times were It took more to make the clothes because the dresses were way down to your feet, you know, had big collars to them . It really took a lot of material to make clothes , now you can take a little bit just so your legs are had in it. Q: Where did you get the cloth? A: Well, thake and but it in have now . the town, city. They didn't have cloth like they What you could get, it was awfully hard to iron . then, you lmow. I wonder what we did make it out of . varieties of material, you know, like they have now . I didn 1 t notice it They didn't have different A lot of people that raised sheep would make their own wool, you know , to knit socks and sweaters and things. Q : What do you think caused the Depression? �s A: Well, I just. don ' t know . Q: Did you hear any people around blaming any certain people for the Depression1 Ai No , I don ' t remember if they did . He was the Republican pres dent . A lot of people blamed Hoover, you know . A lot of pe9ple blamed him, because I heard them say that he had a lot of grain thrown in the ocean that the poor people could have usedo It would have made it more plenti'ful, you know , wheat , in the community. Q: They said he threw grain in the ocean? A: Instead of giving it out they did that , you know, to make the prices go up . Q: Did they, was that true or was the just what the people used to tell? A: W ell, now ! don ' t know if it was true , but that is what they all said . They said what made the meat prices go up , they killed a lot of the animals when they were little . They didn ' t have feed to feed them. I think in something like that, if they managed it right, try to help everybody get a start to have sanething, because it ain ' t everybody that is poor because they want to be . Qa So , did the local, what were the local at titudes towards the leaders of the government? A: W ell, I just don!.t remember much about them then , because we always lived back from anybody else and didn ' t have much . Then young ' uns didn ' t pay any attention to what they. . . _-_ _ • Q: How were the farmers, what was their situation during the Depression? Do you thinlc they felt any differently than the people who didn ' t farm? A: Yes , because if they that farmed really fared better because they didn ' t have to buy, you know, all that stuff o It really made a difference all the way around . �6 Give the farmer some of his money back and give the people , you lmow, something to eat that they woul dn ' t have had . Q: Did you ever sell any of your crops other than the herbs that you collected? A. No , not too many, because we were always renters , had the farm on the shares and usually our part, it would take it, for us to eat . was the farm that you were on? Q : How big A: Well , it would just be small farms that we would be on . Sometimes it would be about fi'fteen acres of corn , and then maybe five acres of potatoes , or something like that . Well , by the time the owner of the land would get his share out of i t , we wouldn ' t have too much to sell. We usually always had same potatoes and beans , to sell . Q: How did you think the tenant system worked? A: W ell, you could rent a place and you ' d get house rent . of the stuff, they ' d give you half of what you made . If you furnished half If you couldn't affarEl to pay for farming equipment, they'd pay for it and you could just end it . That's a preetty bad thing, because you had to work a whole lot to make all that . would taice all your time to aake it . It Then , however , it was havested and divided you didn ' t get much by getting a tmird of it . So , if ycu were a big family, you'd have to be careful to make it go around , you know , to do until it was raised again . thl~ Q: Were there very many people doing A: Yes , there were a lot of people doing that . during the Depression? SeliU!lea to me like that there just weren ' t too many people that did own their places . all thouMt was wealthy. It would be sanebody that we Maybe there would be two or three tenants on one farm . The one that did the renting, that owned it, he really come out pretty good , having �7 several different people . Q: Did he sell crops? A: Yes , he would sell. Q: Did he sell maybe part of the CI'9PS that you harvested really? A: Yes , and take it off, maybe to the cities , the town . were just small and maybe one or two stores . could take . Back then the to~ms They ' d but everything that you Then the people that didn 't have it, would come and but it fDom them o Q: .Ih you remember any of the work proje cts that were started? A: Yes , I can renember that but not until I grew up and got married . I had t wo twin brothers so everything was gettin pretty well organized when they got up , you know , old enough to work . Do you remember any of the things that these people on projects did? A: I don ' t . Q: Were there any other efforts that were made to help recover from the Depression? A: I think that what came out when there wasn ' t anything mcuh . Now what was thi s Democratic President after Hoover? What was his name? Q: Roosevel.t ? A: Now it seemed to me like whenever he got in, things began to change . ~an to build these buildings for schools . to good . They be- That gave people jobs but it didn ' t pay They ept on until ••• I think they just changed the nam .of it about the same time . That was baxk when they started it , that building the gymnasiums and bigger schools , different room. Now, back when I went to school , it was just a one room school building arJI they went from the first grade to seventh . �8 O .: W your father on one-. of the work programs? as A: Yes, that was where he had to work to walk eight miles a day. miles there and four miles back . He had to leave at four o 1 clock and cane in at I don ' t know what time it was . dark . It was four He was so far away, he had to take a light of the morning to see how to go and we live in Ashe C omty and that was down at Fleetwood, you know, where tmy built . Q: What was the nome of it where they worked? A: It wasn't W . A. .P husban used to e They had that going on when I was grown and married . My r k on i • ? A t Yes , when me and him were married and then he quit after we got married . Q: Was the Depression about over by then? A: rle~ , yes, pretty much, because everything got to working around until there was a right smart of work going on and it has been ever since . Q: ·11e11, what kind of work did you do , Mr. 'l!ownsend? A: On thew . ed buil a A. He worke hospital ~. on it some clearing the roads, you know, and he help- That was up there in town, well, she don ' t know where it is but they had the old one . �9 because there were just two brothers . They was twins so everything was getting pretty well organized when they got up , you know , old enough to work . Do you remember any of the, the t hings that these proje ts, any of the work that was done on them, wh t they did? A: Q: No, I don't. fore there any other efforts that were made to help recover from the A: ression? I think that what came out when there wasn ' t anything much , ••• ow what was this Democratic President after H oover? Q: As Roosevelt. T Jhat was his name? l oosevelt? ow it seemed to me like whenever he got in , things began to change , because they began to build, these buildings for the schools, and different schools · 1hat gave the pe ople that didn ' t have anything much to do or to live on, it give them a job, but it didn 't pay too good at the time being, 1 hey kept on until. •• I think they just changed the name of it about the same thing is going on now only they raised it up , and gave it different names • 11 t was back when they started it, th t building the gymnasiums and bigger schools , different rooms . Now, back when I went to school , it was just a one room school building and they went from the f irst grade t o seventh. Q: las your father on one of the work programs ? A: Y eah, that was where he had to work or walk eight mi les a day, I.k- �10 was four miles there and four miles back . Had t o leave at four o ' clock arrl cme in at dark j I don ' t know what tbne it was , He was so far away, he had to take a light , of the morning to see how to go and we lived in Ashe County and that was down at Fleetw ood, you know , where they built. Q: lhat was the name of it where they worked? A: Oh . Q: . • p • A•? No , wasn't ·•• P . and married . A., because they had that going on when I was grown y husband used to work on it . He did? Yeah , when me and him ~as married and then he quit after we got married . at year did you all get marrie ? '38 . Q: W the Depression about over by then? as vell , yes , pretty much , because everything got to working around till there was a right smart of work a going on and it has been ever since . Q: · ell what kind of work did you do , M . Townsend? r It was ••• Q: On the work program? A: On the 1• . P . A. he worked on it some clearing the roads , you know 1 H.e built , helped build, you worked on a hospital, , , what ever hes pi tal , the old one , you know, where the old hospital was? That was , up there in town , well , she don ' t know where it is at , but they had the old one . �1Tt. 11 I (Jc. He helped work on it and some of them back ••• ( ote: r . Townsend and Jane Efird have been carrying on a short indecipherable conversation . Q: It will be picked up here . ) rlhy don 1 t you tell, talk into there and tell us about working on the • P. A., what you remember? (Laughter) Q:: ow , you just talk , go ahead and just tell us then . ou said you worked on the roads , what di d you have to do? A: ell, we fixe d the roads , fiXed the roads down in places , places , for people to get in and out . 0 fferent W hauled dirt and rocks and we e fiXed the places so people could get in and out. Trim the roads , keep the road , trim the road of bushes and things like that, so people could, roads would be open . Q: . . A: Did you work on that before you were married or after? Yeah , I worked before I married • ( rs . ·"Townsend) You just worked before , when we was married and quit right after . Q: at did you do at the hospital, what did you say you helped build that? I hauled cement and brick and mortar blocks , I mean cinder blocks . (Jane Efird speakfng to Janice Young) during the Depression (} rs . Townsend) he could If they weren 1 t married, tell something about it . If you could get him to talk till he'd understand, he don't seem to remember much. Q: (Jane Efird speaking to Janice Y oung) aybe if you could let �12 her ask him . ( Janice speaking to Mrs. Tmmsend) You could ask him sane questions that yav. know he would know about . A: (l rs . Townsend speaking to school house at A: Q: A: You helped build that alle Crucis didn't you? (Mr . Townsend) eah . • P. A. in that? (M . Townsend ) rs ( r . Townsend) Q: • Townsend) Yeah , the •T. P . A. Y , the eah • P . ~A . built it. Before you got married , where you living on the farm or · with your parents? W ell, we just had a garden , that' s a ll . Q: ~ as it hard to get food then? I o, it wasn't so hard . I just staye d hane an (lielpe ) my folks , my daddy and mammy and my brother was all there were of us , so me and him just stayed there and helpeJ them , looked after them . Q: A : W hat di d your father do f or a living? Tell , he used to work on t he railroads till after he got disabled till he couldn 't do anything , - couldn't work . He used to carry the mail, too , didn ' t he? used to carry the mail. He kindly ••• ( rs . Townsend) (M . Townsend) r Yeah , he He carried the mail for several years and he used to work on the railroad tracks . Q: What did he do ? Y mean on the railroads? ou Q: A: \ Yeah . He ftel{)id raise til es , I mean cross ties and things like that . �13 Q: Bid you have enough money during the Depression? A: Q: ell , we kindly made out . \ ere there any things that were hard to get that you needed? A: ell, groceries and things like that weren't as high as they are now . There was more and seemed like they were cheaper back then than there was now . Oh , we did raise mostly our own stuff from the garden and things like , we always had corn, corn and potatoes and stuff like that . Always had plenty of app les and things like that to live on. · as there anything that you needed that you had to buy? ell , we bought some stuff that we needed such as flour , and stuff like that at the store that we needed . Q: A: ere did the money come from to buy the stuff that you needed ? ell, that was when I was working for that r. P . A. business and then my mother she drew a check every month . Q: A: t kind of check? County check , they give her a county check , her and my da dy, a county check that way every month . Q: That was during the Depression? A: Y . eah Q: What did they give it for? A: They all got it and, they all got rations and things like that with it . It was kind of what they called the 01 Age Pension . I think he is mixed up, th t was just before they died . (M . Townsend) rs �14 Q: A: How did you get started on the • P . A. ? ell, I just got out there and signed up f or it to give me a job, something, a job t o work , so I signed up . I worked up there , I worked up there the whole time before I was married . Q : ~as it hard work? · ell , some days it was pre tty hard and some days it wasn ' t . I 'blilt fires whenever it was col d weather , whenever it was cold why again they built , kept fires going, to keep warm and everything around. The bossman always told me , give me the job always keeping fires and things like that . Q: How much did you get paid ? A: I couldn't tell you now , how much, it has been •• • Q: as it enough? A: Huh? Q: W what you got paid, was it enough to buy the tllings you needed? as O yeah , we ma e out, I made out alright . h, Again , I'd get stuff on credit at the store and then I would soon pay up. Q: as +,he pay enough f or people t o live on or not? A: W ell, a lot of those ot her peopl e they had rad i os or anything, but they always paid out, took and got groceries and stuff like that with that . Q: A: D d anybody else in y CfUI' fami l y work on any of those proj ects? i o, nobodyA but me worked on i t . �15 Q: as it hard to , to get on with work programs ? A: o, it wasn ' t so hard to get on and I signed up , up here at Boone . It wasn't so hard to ge t on . Q: A: Q: D d people make fun of the people who worked on work projects? i o, they never di d, nobody never di say anything about it . W ell, were a lot of people around in your neighborhood workin g on the project? A: Y , there was a lot of people around over there where I lived eah that worked on it . (EN OF PA_T III ) �16 TAPE .u2 SIDE B PA. T IV Q: 1 1ell, like over in, I was reading a book that said over in Kentucky, people that worked in a coal mine ••• A: Uh, huh ••• Q: They had it real bad, couldn't get money, couldn't ge t food . d you all know people like that? A: No . e never di d have ••• (· rs . Tmms en ) M ost of the people were , th at would work , a few people around that wouldn't work , no m tter what kinds of a good job they had to help them out and they have it pretty rough. I 'm a having it ri ght now . Just like (laughter) A it h s been a couple of nd years that I ain ' t been able to work . The young 'uns helps me out some . (M . Townsend ) A while back I used to work in the furniture shop r down in H ibriten . I was down there f or a year or two . Y eah, Allen did work in Lenoir at Hibriten some back in ( rs . Townsend) ' 43, he worked at H ibriten. ( r . Townsend) ibriten and at G reer's Herb I worked down there at H ouse, where they had herbs and things like that you know . H I worked both places down there . Q: That was after you got married that you were working down there? (Mrs . Townsend ) Uh, huh , because what makes me remember it, my little girl was born while he was working down there and he ha to stay a week at a time. �17 Q: Oh, you didn't live down there? (M . Townsend) rs o, we lived up here and he ' d go down there on the mail of the first of the week and then he ' d come back the next weekend . (He ) Stay a week at the time and I went to my sister's . They lived over in town and I stayed when my little girl was born. Q: D you ever hear of anybody making moonshine during the id pression to pay for things ? Io , I didn't, but I want to tell you sanething my da dy- in-law, A llen's father , said that his mo her , the family that she stayed with that raised her , that they made it and that was on up above where they lived , and Mr . Townsend said that was why he married randmaw . It was to get her out of the furnace , you know, she was hel ping them make ••• Q: M oonshine ? : Q: A: 0: Yeah . D you remember, during the Depression, the banks closing? o o, I don't remember too much about that . How were businesses affected? D they lose trade ? id ell , I just can ' t tell you , ju t didn't know much about it , you see , he ' s fifteen years older than I am . Q: Did a lot of people move out of the mountains during the Depression looking f or work? Y , they did . es Q : There was a lot of people left, trying t o find work . D they come back or what happened to them? id �18 A: ell , I don 't know , some of them after so long a time , would come back , but they waited, I reckon , till sanething, better and , up here where it opened up . eems like ot a little ~it took me a long time to remember , I mean, since now , seems like that I just can't remember back too far or something . I mean, how things went or , about business . Q: D you remember any women working on any of the Federal ·brk o Programs? A: The first that I remember about working, I don ' t remember wh~t women kind it was . It was at ; ~st Jefferson and , it was , now, I ' ve knmri women th t , to be work in the stores , with merchandi se . They went and shipped an awful lot of cattle over there at · rest Jefferson and I don ' t kno 1 where from, I guess it was from everywhere and they had a stockyard over there and they would kill them and fix them, give them out, to the people that needed them, poor people that. and it was a job for , some of the women, to help do To help to give it out or fix it up , to the ones that needed it, it give them a job, like people would . Q: A: Q: A: That was during the D epression? eah . And it was free? eah, it was free , to the main people that didn 't have nothing at all . �19 Q: · ere there a lot of people like that around? A: \· ell , there were several big families , maybe where the families , the mother wasn't able to work , well there wasn't work then for .the women, it's the first I knew women working except , maybe once in a while , in st~res or something or school teacher . they had great big crowds an Q: But - where the man, ju t couldn't provi de for them . •ell, di d you know people like your father who didn 't want to take things free? There was a lot of people that just wouldn't want to take things like that . Q: A: Thy? ell, I don' t lmow , I guess that made them feel a little bit help- less or something . Q: ell, were the schools affected by the epression? ell , back then they didn't have any lunch rooms as I can remember, anything to offer them at school, they ha d to take their own lunch, those that didn't live close enou gh , that they could to eat . And rtm back in a few minutes so , about something like that I don't remember , the parents had to buy the books , and the paper and everything that the child used, see they had to , just buy that and the going to school, it didn't cost them anything but, the books and the paper , the pencils , stuff like th8t , the parents had to pay for it . Q: ~ell, do you lmo they didn't : anybody that had to quit because of that , because ve enough money? •Jell, they couldn't quit . They wouldn't allow them to quit . �20 If they didn 't have it and c ldn't afford it now I guess it was maybe scmeway from the school , to give them paper to do their homework on . But, it seemed like they didn 't do as much , as , like they do now . '·Tere the churches affected in any my? A: No, I don't think that they was . i-. ell, what were , I guess you had people talking about it , what were their i deas or attitudes like durine the Depression, were they worried about it? es , about everybody was woITied, afnaid that they cruldn 't get what they needed, they were going to have to do without, things that they needed and a lot of them did do without a whole lot and I guess about everybody did to a certain extent. Q: Di they feel like maybe it wasn't going to en ? W ere they afraid that it was going to keep on like th t? r ell, I don't know , but I imagine that they do because , now things that happened, we feel like it .' s going an forever . Q: How did they get out of the Depress ion , how did the co1IDtry get out of the ression? ·Jell , I reckon everybody must have got together , and worked in, something to give everybody scmething to do . Q: i at, how did you know it was over, how did you know that the Depression had ended? A: · ell , I guess when everything got better till people could make it alright . �21 Q: A: o you think that the work programs arrl the federal programs helped? Y , that helped . es f hey gave jobs , but what else do you think helped Q: them out? A: : ell, I don't know , I guess it gave people more ideals , till they could, could go on and do more , to keep more going , more to do and causing to be more, ' cause see I reckon it takes talents and knowledge , to keep it up an the more that they try to do, the more you know how to open up , s omething else and I ess , that's the way everything got started and to make people feel better anyway and eally did better . It's been for a few years , seemed like everybody's been doing pretty good , but they have to wo k . Q: D d you see any l asting effects caus ed by the Depression? i o. Q: '"ell, do you think , how would you canpare the ~ression of the 'JO's to the way things are today? A: ell , there's been a lot of difference , but there's a lot of similance (similarity). H ere about a year ago , when they began to close down sane shops and things like that , that reminded me , what it used to be way back yonder , they wasn ' t nothing open, to do . Q: at about family life? Has it been, could you compare the way it is now as to how it was A: uring the Depres ion? o, I think life goes on pretty well the same . �22 Q : at about prices ? A: , ell , there's a difference in prices . Q: There are di fferences ? . Yeah, there are , there 's a lot of differences , well, everything i s higher n than it was back then, but you see , if the prices are ~ low and you don ' t get pay an money, ah , they ain't much difference in whether you c make a lot more and the prices are high, than it i s when you don 1 t get anythin anything . 0 and you don 1 t have to pay much for So, it's just as hard, back then when prices were low , you didn ' t have anything to buy it with , you couldn ' t get any more than enough , it's just like it is now , it's just hard life , I reckon , ' just you get a whol e lot of money, you have to pay a whole lot and if you don ' t get much money, well, now if you ain ' t got much money you have to pay, but then you didn t hav. . to . Q: Is there anything else you ' d like to tell about the D epression, anything you remember? · ell, there ain ' t nothing really that I can remember . Q: fuat about you M . Townsend , i s there anything you' d like to add ? r A: I don ' t know of anything. Q: 0. • , any more questions ? ( END OF APE) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews Description An account of the resource In 1973, representatives from Appalachian State University (ASU) began the process of collecting interviews from Watauga, Avery, Ashe, and Caldwell county citizens to learn about their respective lives and gather stories. From the outset of the project, the interviewers knew that they were reaching out to the “last generation of Appalachian residents to reach maturity before the advent of radio, the last generation to maintain an oral tradition.” The goal was to create a wealth of data for historians, folklorists, musicians, sociologists, and anthropologists interested in the Appalachian Region. The project was known as the “Appalachian Oral History Project” (AOHP), and developed in a consortium with Alice Lloyd College and Lees Junior College (now Hazard County Community College) both in Kentucky, Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and ASU. Predominately funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities, the four schools by 1977 had amassed approximately 3,000 interviews. Each institution had its own director and staff. Most of the interviewers were students. Outgrowths of the project included the Mountain Memories newsletter that shared the stories collected, an advisory council, a Union Catalog, photographs collected, transcripts on microfilm, and the book Our Appalachia. Out of the 3,000 interviews between the three schools, only 663 transcripts were selected to be microfilmed. In 1978, two reels of microfilm were made available with 96 transcripts contributed by ASU. An annotated index referred to as The Appalachian Oral History Project Union Catalog was created to accompany the microfilm. The catalog is broken down into five sections starting with a subject topic index such as Civilian Conservation Corps, Coal Camps, Churches, etc. The next four sections introduced the interviewees by respective school. There was an attempt to include basic biographic information such as date of birth, location, interviewer name, length of interview, and subjects discussed. However, this information was not always consistent per school. This online project features clips from the interviews, complete transcripts, and photographs. The quality and consistency of the interviews vary due to the fact that they were done largely by students. Most of the photos are missing dates and identifying information. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965-1989 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed. Townsend, Mrs. & Mr. Allen Interview Date 9/25/1975 Number of pages 22 pages Date digitized 9/18/2014 File size 10.2MB Checksum alphanumeric code c08dbee4015362a0037fdd0be79ab830 Scanned by Tony Grady Equipment Epson Expression 10000 XL Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright for the interviews on the Appalachian State University Oral History Collection site is held by Appalachian State University. The interviews are available for free personal; non-commercial; and educational use; provided that proper citation is used (e.g. Appalachian State Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records; 1965-1989; W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection; Special Collections; Appalachian State University; Boone; NC). Any commercial use of the materials; without the written permission of the Appalachian State University; is strictly prohibited. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived AC.111 Appalachian Oral History Project Records; 1965 - 1989 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 111_tape335_Mrs&MrAllenTownsend_transcript_M Title A name given to the resource Interview with Mrs. & Mr. Allen Townsend [September 25, 1975] Language A language of the resource English English Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Townsend, Mrs. & Mr. Allen Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/195" target="_blank">Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989</a> Subject The topic of the resource Mountain life--North Carolina--Ashe County--History--20th century--Anecdotes Depression--1929--North Carolina--Ashe County Ashe County (N.C.)--Social life and customs--20th century Townsend, Allen Townsend, Allen, Mrs. Description An account of the resource Mr. and Mrs. Townsend talk about the Depression and how it affected their families. He explains: "It was just everything, you know, seemed different and a shortage of everything." Farmers were the ones who fared the best, because they didn't have to buy in order to support themselves. His family worked on a farm during the Depression, but they didn't own the farm. Most people in Ashe County, because they "lived so far back from everybody else" didn't know much about the political situation, or why the Depression was happening. He remembers that when Roosevelt things changed, and schools started to be built in his area. His father was assigned to a work program and had to walk eight miles a day to get to work. Allen Townsend Ashe County crops dried herbs farming Federal Work Programs Fleetwood Franklin Roosevelt ginseng Great Depression Greer's Herb House Herbert Hoover herbs Hibriten Jane Efrird railroad work projects Works Progress Administration WPA https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/ab8686b5fb4497ba70bd4c6b5182c071.pdf 074f931fb93d3313700b2501b715bc84 PDF Text Text This is an interview with Ruby Trivette for tLe Appalachian Oral History Project by Bill Bullock on February 17, 1973. A: As far back as I can remember when I was a child and lived — I was born in Ashe County, about 20 miles, no, about 15 miles from here; and the family moved to the present location when I was 5 years old. My grandparents lived within sight and I can remember going to my grandparents' home as a child and being homesick. I wanted to go home, and being unable to say "home" or to make that distinction known, I was told I always said, I!I want to ;go walking." Somebody usually pacified me before the time to go home. My memory of life before that time is rather sketchy and varied; I'm not sure what I remember and what I've been told that I was, has become a part of my early memories. Whether this is something I remember or have been told about, it has become a part of my so-called memory. When I was very small, before we moved to this particular area, I can remember riding on the old workhorse (I believe the old horse's name was Kate.). From the barn, I can remember riding the horse with my Father holding me on the horse down to the watering trough in the old spring-place to get — to water the old horse. My Father had some sheep and on this particular Spring, I possibly was four or maybe five, I'm not sure. But among the little lambs there was one black one which became mine by divine right of having my own way; and �I can remember being so proud of that little lamb, and how heartbroken I was when one morning the little lamb did not turn up with the rest of the sheep. When daddy got out to hunting it, why, he found it had died from what reason I have no idea whatsoever. When we first moved to this particular setting, these whole meadows here were covered in mostly laurel, some maple, and other hardwoods of that sort. The creek at that time had many deep holes and my brothers and I found it quite an enticing place to play. There was rather a mythological, scary figure that, we were told, would get us if we went out to the creek. That particular thing we called ol'Bloodybones. I never knew exactly what Bloodybones looked like but it sufficed to keep us away from the creek at a time when we might have been drowned. In fact, I remember one time my younger brother, I recall, was just a small toddler, and he had fallen that crossed the creek. off a footlog At that time we carried water from across the creek from the spring and brought it up the house. He had fallen off into a rather deep hole and fortunately my Mother saw him and was able to yank him out of the hole. And again in those days, toys, such as children have such a number of today, did not exist. For jumpropes, we went over on the hill and cut green briars and very carefully got rid of the briars. But we had some good jumpropes. There was also some sort of a vine and we called it "jackvine". I'm not sure just what the correct name was, but we made ropes and jumpropes and �tied all sorts of things with that. Many times we'd go up onto the mountain into the woods and we'd find wild grapevines. Of course, (at) that age we were not trusted with a knife, but we didn't need a knife many times. We'd find a sharp rock and keep beating and banging and bruising on an old grapevine down at the ground to the point we were able to just get hold of the grapevine and swing out - way out into the woods - it made no difference to us if down underneath us, forty or fifty feet, was a big rock cliff. That didn't bother at all. Q: What was Christmas like? A: What was Christmas like? Christmas for us in the early days was; well, it was a time when we looked forward to it a great deal. It was not commercialized to the extent it is today, and since children didn't have a great deal of toys. If we got one toy, the boys got a jackknife from a Jay Lynn catalog, or a juice harp or French harp. That, maybe one toy, and most of the time we needed shoes or clothing, so maybe we got some clothing, and maybe an orange or nuts, and a little bit of candy - most stick candy than any other kind. I recall one time I got what I thought was the most beautiful doll that I'd ever seen; the first store-bought doll I ever had. or six at the time. Q: What was it like? I must not have been more than five �A: I tell you, I had a rugged life trying to keep up with that bunch of boys; and I didn't think it was fair that they should be able to do anything that I couldn't do. I gave them a hard run for their money - all of them. Q: What was family life like, doing chores? A: Every child had its own particular bit of chores to do, work around the house. In those days there was wood to cut, wood to haul into the woodyard, wood to split for stovewood, and of course, the fireplace wood to be taken care of. There were cattle, cows to milk, and calves to look after, and sheep to be looked after, and horses to be fed and watered, and everybody. . oh, chickens to be looked after. had our own eggs. We raised our own chickens, I remember, possibly when I was five years old, I took a pint cup with my Mother to milk and found out that I could squeeze a little milk out of the old cow. Q: What was the main source of income? A: Farming. That was about all. In those early days people just about raised on the farm what they existed on. Now for sugar and other staples that you couldn't raise, you had maybe some extra chickens and eggs and butter and things like that. It was mostly a barter economy in those days. You would �go to the store with a little jaggard of money and buy a sack of flour or something like that. You traded for it. Particularly in this area, most people just about raised what they lived on. I can remember when we raised our own wheat and had it ground. those days. Buckwheat, we used a lot of buckwheat in We always had that buckwheat. Raised our own, had it thrashed and carried it up to Meatcamp to the Winebarger watermill and had our own flour ground. And all transportation was by horse and wagon, buggy or sled. Q: What about the development of Todd? A: My earliest remembrance of Todd goes back to a time when Todd was quite a prosperous and thriving little metropolis. We had a bank. depot. We had a drugstore. We had, of course, the The train, of course, ran in at that time. The main source of transportation and commerce at that time that brought the railroad in here was the chestnuts, especially the tanbark from the chestnut wood, and cross-ties and things like that. Much of the lumber in the area was sawed up into cross- ties and lumber. It left here by train. Q: Do you remember the train being put in? A: No. I don't remember exactly. I can't recall that, I can just — �I know when the train was here. remember when it came. That probably, no. . .1 don't I couldn't tell you that I knew that. The train was here as far back as I can recall. Q: What about the depression? Do you remember the depression? Can you tell me something about what happened? A: Well, as far as the depression was actually concerned in this area, we had no soup lines, nor did we have anybody on starvation. But again, people who owned their own property or who lived on the land, so to speak, made out with just about what they could raise. Grown men worked many a day for a quarter a day, sometimes fifty cents. But then you could take what you earned (now that was a 10-hour day, not an 8hour day) and go to the local grocery store and carry enough home to feed a huge family on for some time. was just about non-existent. time. Money, as such, Especially at this particular Many people in this area began to raise cabbage for the market, the kro,ut factory at Boone. maybe a quarter of a cent a pound. I believe cabbage was I'm not sure. It finally got to the point that I believe we had a field above the road over here at one time (and) I believe part of it just stood there. Q: There was no sale for it at all. Do you think people were better off out here than they were in the city? �A: In that regard, yes. Because (in) rural life in those days, as well as now, rural people tend to look after each other. If somebody needed help, everybody shared to the last goround. While possibly in towns or in the cities at this particular time, maybe one didn't know what his neighbor needed or maybe there was a different philosophical attitude. Q: Do you think that today that still exists? A: To some extent. However, in this particular area, as far as helping one's neighbor (or it doesn't have to be one who lives nearby, someone in the community who has suffered some misfortune in some way), everybody tends to assist in any way they can. However, the time had come until "my business is not everybody else's business." There is beginning to be a little more of the metropolitan attitude. engrossed in everyone's private affairs. We're not so Now there was a time when practically everyone in any area was somehow related or inter-related and it was just about like one big family in a sense. And today, young people in the rural area have moved out, and as we say, foreigners have come in; and it isn't quite the same. But there's still maybe a sense of a deeper fellowship camaraderie prevalent in many areas. Q: What about the people that are moving in now, the tourists that are at Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain? �A: Well now, I have little connection with Beech Mountain, Sugar Grove, or anything of that sort. Of course, they have moved in here primarily for summer-home and winter recreational facilities. Most of the people who have come into this particular area who have purchased homes, or even have summer homes, they are — let's say — they own the property, maybe they pay taxes, but as for adding much to the general cultural level of the community, there's not much interchange or relationship in that sense. Q: Do you particularly like it? A: Well, I have no objection to anyone getting rid of his property wherever he wants to. But I'll have to get down to dire need before I'd sell any property to anybody of that sort. I have no, no reason for that except that from what we have been able to see from experience. They, maybe, the general cultural level and educational level have not increased any as a result. Q: I should say that. Do you think these people are kind of destroying the mountains as they were? A: Well, there has been a great deal of change throughout this whole area. Much of it has, in the ecological sense, destroyed the native beauty and attractiveness of the landscape. �10 Q: So you could do without them? A: Well, I could. My livelihood and my economy doesn't depend on them in any way. Q: What about your education? I want you to kind of tell me about your early elementary school and on up until you got your degree to be a teacher. A: Well, when I started to school, there was no laws, no law giving a specific age for entry in school. You went when Mom and Dad decided you was big enough to get there, I guess. I started to school in a little frame schoolhouse about a quarter of a mile from here when I was five. However, before I went to school, I have no recollection at all of when or how I learned to read; but before I ever saw the inside of a schoolhouse, I was reading Zane Grey books and things of that sort. It was just a great deal of that, I'm sure, came through my Grandmother who lived with us for years. us all, I guess, in a sense. boxes and so on. and so on. She taught We read, oh, sugar bags and soda We associated words with what she'd tell us One of the earliest teachers I can remember was Graham - D. W. Graham and his wife. Mr. Graham is now dead and Mrs. Graham is the mother of Dr. James Graham in Boone. They taught at the local school. Wilson Norris of Boone and Mrs. Edith Norris, his wife, also were among my early teachers. �11 Mr. Wade Norris, who died a year or two ago, was an early teacher. Mr. Elic Tugman, the father of the Tugman boys in Boone, and then that just about brings it down to the time that Mr. Ron Davis hit us all broadsided as an elementary teacher. Q: I reckon everyone remembers him? A: Everybody remembers Ron, Mr. Ron Davis. He was an excellent teacher, but we thought he was awfully hard. However, if I was every inspired to aspire to becoming a teacher, I think perhaps he gave me the little leverage I needed to send me on the way. He was very hard. He was quite a stern taskmaster. We soon learned when he said something, he didn't beat about the bush about it, we knew it had to be just as he said it was. Then that just about took me up to the time when we went into highschool, and highschool began at the eighth grade. Mr. Davis continued his education along as he taught, and we thought once we had left the elementary grades that we'd get rid of him; but he came right along up the line, and most of us had him for at least a few classes in highschool. Q: When did you go to college? A: I started college in 1936 and went three years, and completed my B.S. degree in 1940. �12 Q: When did you start teaching? A: I started teaching in the fall of the same year at a school in Wilkes County that is now no longer in existence as such. It was Mount Pleasant High School in Wilkes County at that time. Q: What grade did you teach? A: Well, I'm an English teacher. I taught English. in English, French, and History. I was certified My first year I taught some English, some French, and some History to the various levels. Q: That was 1937 you started teaching? A: I started teaching in 1940. Q: You've been teaching ever since? A: I've been teaching continuously ever since. The first year, or when I applied for a job, jobs were pretty scarce in those days and there was no vacancy in either my own home county of Watauga or Ashe. I had a friend who taught, in fact, he was the principal at this particular school. In communication with him, he told me there was a vacancy in my field and I applied at this school and had the fortune to get a school. My salary was $96 a month. in my life — $96 — The biggest money I've ever earned and 8 months school. �13 Q: What would you do in the summer? A: In the summer months when I was not in school and after I got my B.S. degree, I did not return to school for 3 or 4 years, I'm not sure. Most of my summers I spent at home because the first year I taught, I taught in Wilkes County and the illness of my Mother made it necessary that I stay home. I did apply and was fortunate enough to get a job at the local school just across the hill, almost in sight. years. I taught over here about 7 (As for) my summers up until when the war began, my brothers were all in the service except for one, who was 4-F because of high blood pressure and a heart condition. He hadn't been well for years. Q: What war was that? A: World War II. Mother had a heart condition. Eventually it became necessary that she go to the hospital and remain there for, oh, continuously, for the last six months of her life. And again, that was in the time of World War II when gas rationing and tire rationing and sugar rationing and everything was in effect. and back. I just about had to make a trip a day to Boone With a little understanding on the part of the rationing board, I managed to get enough gas to do the necessary running. A. I believe a C rationing gave you a little more than an An ordinary passenger car, I think, got so many A stamps �14 for a month or so and so. You couldn't get anywhere on that. Q: You remember the flood of '40, don't you? A: The flood of '40, yes. begin in Wilkes County. It was just about time for school to It was to be my first school. Before time for school to start, the flood came and, of course, the road washed out over the top of the mountain out in Deep Gap. Many of the roads to Wilkes County were destroyed and schools were delayed. I'm not sure how long . . . several weeks until the road could be repaired before we could start school. Right here in this valley I well remember it rained for, I don't know, 3 or 4 days almost continuously. afternoon it just continued to pour. about have saturated the whole earth. On this particular The rain seemed to just This particular afternoon it got darker than usual along about 3 or 4 o'clock. continued to pour down. Rain The creek out back of my house in ordinary times was nothing more than a little stream you could almost jump over, and there was a footblock, I guess about 15 or 20 feet above the water that we crossed over going over on the hill. Some of my brothers decided they'd better get out and see about the cattle. We had some milk cows and calves, and they were grazing back on the other side of the creek up on the mountain. So a couple of them took the milk bucket over to the cow and maybe milked; I believe they milked. Before they could get back, I had stepped out on the back porch and saw a veritable wall of water coming down to the house over Balm of Gilead trees, �15 some 30 feet high, I guess. That wall of water, it didn't go over the top of them, it just swayed them over and covered the whole thing. By that time, not only was the wall of water between us and the hill on this side, but the water had cut a new channel and spread out all over those meadows out here. The house here was on the highest ground and it did split going on either side. So part of the family was on that side of the creek and part of it was over here. The boys who were on the mountain side just followed the trail on down to the next neighbor's house and there was no way for them to get across, so they spent the night there. When we realized that it was going to be rather dangerous to stay here, we made arrangements to get out. We chained the car to an apple tree and a couple of my brothers veritably carried our mother out— the water striking the boys (and a couple of them were about grown at that time) above the waist. who lived just across the road. We went over to the people Before we got out, we had 3 or 4 hogs in the hogpen where the water was swirling around. My brother, Tom, took a big old hammer, we called it a rock hammer or a go-devil or something of the sort. He knocked the door down to the hogpen and let the hogs out so they swam out and got around the barn. Even before they could get to safety around the barn, the water was so swift that when the hogs came out of the pen, it just swept them off their feet. Some of them were swept down, oh, between the barn and the house and managed to get out and get back up to the barn. �16 One of the calves that couldn't be satisfied without trying to cross the creek and get back upon the hill where its mother was, washed away. down the river. It managed to get to land about 3 miles Somehow or another there was a little island back there and along with other neighbors'' animals (many of them were washed into the mountain side of the river), managed to get out and survive. Q: So did the hogs drown? A: No, the hogs survived. We lost nothing except an awful lot of topsoil, all the fences we had, and that one calf, I believe, the extent ot it. Q: So most of the people took care of each other? A: Absolutely. Q: What was the feeling? A: Well, we'd never experienced anyting like that before. always had rain. Were you really scared? We'd We..had always been accustomed to the old creek out back of the house. It would get up pretty angry at times and maybe get out of its bank, but nobody ever had any conception of what it would be like for just a veritable downpour such as that, and just sweep houses and cattle and fences and everything away. We had some young fryers. �17 We raised our own at that time, and we had a bunch of young fryers. They got drabbled and somehow or other they'd made their way toward the house and had gotten on the back porch. I grabbed up a chicken coop and slammed some of them inside and took it out to set it in the woodhouse. Just as I set foot in the woodhouse, I felt the whole thing give away. It was gone, chicken coop and all, within the space of five minutes. Q: I just did get out in time. What did most of the people think about the flood afterwards? What was the feeling? A: Well, I guess if you are wondering if the people through this area thought it was a judgement of God or something, I didn't hear anything of that sort. It was a natural phenomenon and most people were so grateful in comparison with the horrors that had been reported from the Wilkes County side and down Elk where the landslide was. So many people had lost their lives, a week or two later they were still finding bodies in brush piles on so on. It was a feeling of gratitude and thank- fulness that it was no worse in this area than it was. So as far as I know, no one in our particular area right here lost anything more than . . . (tape ends). Q: What about church life? A: Well, we are certainly in a strict Bible belt. Within this little community there, up the highway 194 towards Boone, is �18 a little Episcopal church that is no longer being pastored, but in those days it was certainly a vital part of it. And again, in those early days, through Mrs. W. S. Miller (who sort of saw to it that the Episcopal church did continue to live) in many instances, books, printed material and sometimes clothing, through her effort were sent outside this little area to help many of the people who had large families. Not many of them had much reading material. Of course there are a lot of these churches in our community. There's the Baptist church, of which I am a member, and all my forefathers before me. The next largest was Methodist and then Holiness church, the Holiness Tabernacle Church. was the pastor. Mr. Ed Blackburn Have you talked with Ed? You must. Q: Ed kind of helps out everybody, right? A: Ed"s mother and my grandmother were sisters, and not only does Ed sort of look after the spiritual welfare of all the people, it doesn't make any difference, rich or poor, stranger or a next-door neighbor, anyone who needs help, Ed's right there. Q: How had the church changed from when you were a little girl to now? A: Well, the biggest change that I see - when I was a little girl the church that I attended was located about a half a mile up South Fork river from Todd. It was just an old frame building. We had the old pot-bellied stove in the middle of the church. �19 The church was just one big room. Of course it was curtained off eventually for Sunday School rooms and then we'd draw the curtains for the auditorium for the preaching and so on. Other than the style, of course, of the so-called ministry, the attitude of the people, I guess you could say, have changed more than anything else. Right now we have a rather comfortable brick building down in the little village itself. We have a beautiful auditorium; and we have, I couldn't tell you, a dozen or more Sunday School rooms, and all the space in the world we need. In those old days, and I can remember back then, we didn't have a regular preacher right here for this particular church, but I don't know, maybe once or twice a month these preachers (one of them a Preacher Roberts) would ride the train in from Abingdon or Bristol or somewhere, I'm not sure just where. And if they came on a Saturday now, we had Saturday services. There were two services, maybe in those days maybe two services a month. There would be a Saturday service and then a Sunday service. The minister who came in to pastor the church would spend the night among some of his parishioners and on Sunday, would preach and, I guess, I don't recall definitely, but I assume that he had to stay over til Monday to take the train back. Transportation, I can remember, we walked to church or if we didn't walk, we rode in a wagon or a buggy or something like that. weather everybody walked. Most of the time in pretty �20 Q: Was Sunday a real exciting time, something to look forward to? A: Well yes, everybody was just . . . church about the only place you went during the week in those days. It was not only the spiritual center, but the recreational center. Friends, relatives, and neighbors seldom saw each other more than on Sunday, you know, and so everybody found out everybody else's affairs and how everybody was doing. It was not only a worship service and Sunday School, but it was just a general get-together. Q: Do you think now that churches have lost that get-together sort of thing? A: Well, not in our rural area. Most people still have that. Taking myself as an example, I certainly would have to say it's different because I'm usually about the first one out of church and I zoom home to get me something to eat. But generally speaking, everybody stands around, especially in pretty weather, and talks, you know, and nobody is in any hurry to get home — except me. I guess perhaps one reason for that — have very few ties with many of the people in that right now I community except church attendance and the little rural store down here. I see more of the people in the West Jefferson area where I teach than I do around here. Perhaps the attitude of people towards spiritual things has changed a little bit in some areas, but we're pretty narrow-minded here. Right's right and wrong's wrong, and there's no gray shades in between. �21 Now I didn't quite finish awhile ago about my education after I got my B.S. degree and went to teaching. Of course, there was a regulation at that particular time that within five years you must renew. So when I started back to renew, I also started work on my Masters degree which I finished in '53, while I taught school 9 months of the year and went to school 12 months, Saturday and extension classes and so forth. Q: You said your mother lived to be 104 years old? A: My grandmother. Q: Could you tell me a little bit about her? A: Well, my grandmother was a Tatun and that is one of the old families of the county. She came from a large family. I don't recall now the names of her brothers, but they were all a longlived people. Q: How many were there? A: I just don't remember. Now when you talk to Mrs. Miller down here (of course, we are related through the Tatun side), she can fill you in on a great deal of this that I do not know a thing about or have forgotten. �22 Q: Remarkable. A: Oh yes. One thing I remember about her was that she was of the old school that believed in many of the superstitions as we would call them now. She thought that when the master of the house died, if you had bees, and you didn't go out and tell the bees that the head of the house was gone that . . .(phone rings). Q: You were talking about the bees. A: Well when my father died I remember distinctly we had I don't know how many hives of bees out here in the yard, about where the pear tree is now. She tied a black arm band or ribbon or something around her arm, and she took her cane her way out there from hive to hive. and she made She was saying to each hive, "The master of the house is dead. The master of the house is dead". Q: I've never heard of that before, A: You haven't. Well, that's an old New England custom at least. But I remember distinctly she believing it. Q: What other folktales? A: Grandmother believed in witches. There was, I'm not sure, �23 I don't recall enough of the details to be specific about it, but among her acquaintances as a young woman, there was someone who had the name of being a witch. And if this particular woman had any grievance against you, she would cast a spell on your milk cow and it would give bloody milk or completely go dry, or cast a spell on a child and it would get sick. There was some tale that she told about this particular woman planting a little handful of some sort of bean that she did some incantation over, and over this little handful of beans when they were planted, when she harvested, she had a bushel. I'm not sure of the amount, 1 just remember some fantastic amount like that. She believed in witches now, she knew from first hand, you know. At least in the cultural society in which she grew up, that was true. I don't remember so much about, oh, many of the older sayings about the weather and, of course, people in an earlier time didn't have the weather report to depend on. all the signs and importance of the weather. Grandma knew I don't recall that she knew any more than just the regular old things, red clouds at night, and an east wind and the things like that, the weather that would naturally follow, so to speak. Q: What does a red cloud mean? A: Well, red clouds in the morning, sailors take warning; red clouds at night, sailors' delight. Of course, atmospheric conditions, it produced the different things. An east wind which would �24 make the smoke from the chimneys settle pretty close to the ground, that was a pretty good sign that it was going to rain or weather because, again, atmospheric conditions being what they were, it would be natural, but that was the way they more or less examined it. Owls, over the hills and hooting around, why, in about 3 days you'd have bad weather. Q: Groundhogs? A: Oh, you'd better believe it. Grandmother was also a devout believer in the phases of the moon. You planted in the moon, you put a new roof on a building in the moon, you killed briars and bushes by cutting them on some phase of the moon. You planted beans at one time, potatoes at another, and cucumbers, the sign just had to be just right. I believe maybe the Twins, I'm not sure, to have a good crop of cucumbers. Q: And she lived this? A: Yes, as much as she could. own sheep. I have seen her take wool from our I have helped wash the wool, clean it, and I remember seeing her spin thread from that wool. Q: What about her crafts? A: Well, Grandmother could do just about most anything, as far as I know. What talent did she have? She would card and spin and knit and do general sewing. �25 I don't recall that she did much cooking after I can remember. I'm sure she did. She had an idiosyncracy about her food: bread, especially her cornbread, was unsalted. her When mother baked cornbread there was always a little tiny cake put in the pan that had no salt in it. Q: Why? A: I don't remember. I just don't remember. I'v e often wondered if that wasn't one reason she did live to be so old, that maybe no salt to have any effect on blood pressure or anything of that sort. Now I do remember, not only she, but my mother, and my mother's mother, who lived right up above us here, saved ashes from the fireplace. Especially if a certain kind of wood had been burned, the ashes were always saved and put into an ash hopper, or an old hollow log that was sitting upon a board. They kept the good ashes — wood ashes, I'm not sure — I guess it was hard- through the wintertime, and come spring after having saved up all the meat scraps and grease and so on through the winter, on a nice warm spring day, an old big wash pot, big old iron pot fixed up on a tripod, you could make a fire underneath it, was filled with water. morning the water was heated. Very early that You kept pouring water up in the ash hopper and gradually it made its way down through — through — and came out as pure lye, old brown lye. seeped After you got I don't know how much, but however large the amount was or what they wanted, then that was put into a wash pot, or wash tub, and the meat scraps and grease, and so on, and mixed in. It came out �26 and made soap. soap. I couldn't tell you how, but it made soap—soft Or cook it a little longer and maybe add a little borax or something, maybe make hard soap. That was about the kind of soap you used for general cleaning and washing. Q: About taking a bath — A: Oh heavens no! you didn't have a bathtub? We had an outdoor "johnnie" winter and summer. You would go out to the "johnnie" in the wintertime and the wind blew through the cracks and sift snow all over you. you got a bath — it was in a washtub — And and you got an all- over bath about once a week, I'd say. Q: You would just wash off? A: You just "swiped" off otherwise. In the springtime, about the first day of May was time to go barefoot. Any child that wasn't allowed to pull off their shoes and go barefoot from then to a frost, was a sissy! The biggest job our mother had was to try to get our feet washed before we went to bed, because we'd always have a stubbed toe or scratched foot or something; and it dirty, it hurt so bad to wash it off. If possible, we liked to sneak off to bed without washing our feet. with that very few times. Q: Did you all have feather beds? A: Oh yes, I reckon so! But I tell you, we got by �27 Q: What about the politics, the first election that you voted in? A: The first election I voted in, uh, let me go back a little bit and tell you about the elections long before I voted. In fact, some of my earliest recollections and especially before Presidential elections in this area, there were about two things you'd get into arguments about, politics and religion. Before Presidential elections, people's emotions ran pretty high. Parents didn't even let their children go down to the little village much on Saturday evenings, when the local gentry gathered together assisted by a little moonshine. high and fights were pretty common. Emotions got pretty Again, I don't remember this, but I do remember hearing that my grandfather was an avid politician. More than once he just about climbed some of his friends, you know — good friends any other time. election time, they differed in their politics. But come Now, they sort of lost track of friendship till after the election. Now I can't tell you what my reaction was to the first election I voted in. I suppose I looked forward to it with a great deal of anticipation because I guess it was a milestone in my life. I have attained my majority, I can vote. Well after all, The first time I voted was just a regular state and local election. I had to wait another 4 years for my first Presidential election. Q: You remember who was running? A: No, I don't remember too much. Let's see. Probably the one that made the greatest impression on me might've been about the �28 first time I voted for a President, was Franklin D. Q: Was he real popular in this area? A: Well, not in the beginning. But he started activities that he brought out in programs that he espoused that did tend to make finances and economic conditions a little more stable. Yes, he was. He was a popular person. Q: What about Mr. Truman? A: Well, everybody through this section that I had any contact with, was a little bit skeptical of Harry S., but were quite pleased when he did show enough initiative to take over and do. He was a peppery little man with his sometime obscenities. He was a popular man. Q: Well, what about Eisenhower? A: Everybody liked "Ike" pretty well. "splash" in this area. He didn't make a great Franklin D. was the flamboyant President. Of course, the President during war times. From Franklin D. to John F. Kennedy, I guess those were the two that made the biggest impression on people or made the biggest impression on me. Q: Do you like Kennedy? �29 A: Well, he presented a different aspect. I think young people had a tendency to identify with him more than any of the others. Q: What about Johnson? A: Well, again, personnally, I'm talking from my own ideas now, my own attitude toward Johnson. I thought when Johnson came in as President under the conditions that he had to become President under, I thought that he conducted himself very well. I'd always been a little bit leary of him because he was such a "wheeler-dealer" all during his earlier political life, and I guess throughout his presidency. Frankly, I was little bit sorry for Johnson during the latter days of his administration. Things had just gotten out of hand, and it looked as if nobody could do anything about it. He was bearing the brunt of something that had started years earlier. Q: And what about Mr. Nixon? A: Well, I guess Mr. Nixon has had to make his mark on the world. I'm not sure just what my attitude toward Mr. Nixon is. Sometimes I think he has, and is doing, a remarkable job. Then again, I begin to think we have a dictator instead of a President. Before I pass judgment on Mr. Nixon, I think maybe I'll have to wait until his term of office is out and do that in retrospecti'\ action rather than perspective. I really don't �30 know. I am glad that he has been able to bring things to a wind-down in Vietnam. wind down much. However, I don't think it's going to All I'm hoping is that we get our POW's out. And then let them have it! Q: What about Vietnam in this area, how did people feel about it? A: Well, it was a useless war. of it. Most people could see little use Just as we take our religion seriously - we still believe in "Mom, God, and apple pie" country and so on. Most people through this area, they weren't in favor of going to fight in Vietnam, or anything of the sort. But I don't recall anyone who deliberately left the country, or anything of the sort to keep out of it. Q: So as far as overall policies are concerned, you think Mr. Roosevelt was good? A: Well, he made a bigger impression on me perhaps at that particular time. colorful. He was the most flamboyant, picturesque, And in that time, when he would come on the radio, "My fellow Americans" — why, it would just about make chills chase up and down your spine! Q: What about the law, police officers, etc? A: Well, when I was a child, about the only police officer we ever saw or heard tell of was maybe the County Sheriff or Deputy, �31 who had a bunch of bloodhounds trying to chase down somebody who had broken in and stolen something. knew. That was about all I The idea of a bloodhound was enough to make my blood curdle.' I don't suppose that other than that, I had much idea of what law was about, because I just didn't come in contact with it. Q: Do you think that the people, when you were small, were the law? Like they said "This is right, this is wrong." A: I'm not sure, I could not answer that. I just don't know. This particular little area through here was pretty law- abiding. We had an individual or two who was known to be what we called just a veritable rogue, and everything that got gone was blamed on one or two individuals, whether they were responsible or not. I remember very well that we had some hams to disappear from the old spring house. We knew where they went. We didn't have any proof or anything, but we knew where they went. Someone broke in the little service station that was in operation right across the road and everybody knew pretty well where the things went. Nobody had any proof, but everybody knew. Q: If you could change something back to the way it was, what would you change? A: I have no idea. �32 Q: As far as the community is concerned? A: Perhaps, if it had been possible or if it were possible to bring our little village back to the status and standards it once had here, it today would have been a private metropolis. If we could go back to that time and continue to grow, I've always wondered what would have happened had our bank and drugstore and all our facilities continued to expand instead become sort of a ghost town, as it did become. The chestnuts sort of all died of blight and the timber supply cut off. Q: Looking at Boone, don't you think the people out here have a little something that they don't find in Boone? A: We have a little something that Boone is missing now, earlier times in when Boone was more provincial, long before we had all the growth. Even the industry — I think industry is the backbone of the county and of the economy. But yes, some of the provincial attitudes and the neighborliness, general neighborliness, has disappeared. life. It was one time a part of I suppose we still have that to an extent out in most of the rural areas. Q: How do you feel about women's lib? A: 1 guess I would have to say that I'm in favor of equal rights �33 for women. A lot of this so-called stuff I read in here, it has little interest for me, except that 1 think a woman should be paid on the same basis as a man for a job she does just as well, and sometimes better. And I have yet to find that. But there are very few men who I would regard to be my intellectual superior. Q: How would your grandmother feel? A: Well, my grandmother on my mother's side was rather conservative. My grandmother on my father's side was quite conservative. However, she lived through the Civil War, when she found that she had to take the old mules or whatever they used, and go out in the fields and plow. than you would expect. She was a little more independent maybe And, of course, that sense of independence came because mostly through that she had to sort of take over and be the head of the house. Q: So, you don't think that a woman's place is at the home? A: For a woman who wants to make the home and family her life, that's fine. For those who want to combine them and have both, that's fine. But as far as carrying it to the extent that some of our women "libbers" are, I think it's mostly to get attention rather than action. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews Description An account of the resource In 1973, representatives from Appalachian State University (ASU) began the process of collecting interviews from Watauga, Avery, Ashe, and Caldwell county citizens to learn about their respective lives and gather stories. From the outset of the project, the interviewers knew that they were reaching out to the “last generation of Appalachian residents to reach maturity before the advent of radio, the last generation to maintain an oral tradition.” The goal was to create a wealth of data for historians, folklorists, musicians, sociologists, and anthropologists interested in the Appalachian Region. The project was known as the “Appalachian Oral History Project” (AOHP), and developed in a consortium with Alice Lloyd College and Lees Junior College (now Hazard County Community College) both in Kentucky, Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and ASU. Predominately funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities, the four schools by 1977 had amassed approximately 3,000 interviews. Each institution had its own director and staff. Most of the interviewers were students. Outgrowths of the project included the Mountain Memories newsletter that shared the stories collected, an advisory council, a Union Catalog, photographs collected, transcripts on microfilm, and the book Our Appalachia. Out of the 3,000 interviews between the three schools, only 663 transcripts were selected to be microfilmed. In 1978, two reels of microfilm were made available with 96 transcripts contributed by ASU. An annotated index referred to as The Appalachian Oral History Project Union Catalog was created to accompany the microfilm. The catalog is broken down into five sections starting with a subject topic index such as Civilian Conservation Corps, Coal Camps, Churches, etc. The next four sections introduced the interviewees by respective school. There was an attempt to include basic biographic information such as date of birth, location, interviewer name, length of interview, and subjects discussed. However, this information was not always consistent per school. This online project features clips from the interviews, complete transcripts, and photographs. The quality and consistency of the interviews vary due to the fact that they were done largely by students. Most of the photos are missing dates and identifying information. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965-1989 Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Scanned by Wetmore, Dana Equipment Hp Scanjet 8200 Scan date 2014-02-11 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Ruby Trivette, February 17, 1973 Description An account of the resource Ms. Trivette's interview consists of many memories from her childhood including growing up on a farm, what the town of Todd was like, and her experiences in the schoolhouse setting. She then goes further talking about her memories of her education leading up to her teaching career. Although she mentions little on World War II, she talks more in detail about the Great Depression and what its effects were like on the neighborhood. Ms. Trivette also recollects her personal experience with the flood of 1940. She explains what local church was like when she was younger compared to her current experiences with church. Ms. Trivette also speaks of the folktales her grandmother believed in. By the end of the interview, Ms.Trivette discusses politics from her childhood to the present including elections and presidents. While speaking of politics, she mentions past laws and offers her opinion on women's equality. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bullock, Bill Trivette, Ruby Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/195" target="_blank">Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2/17/1973 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright for the interviews on the Appalachian State University Oral History Collection site is held by Appalachian State University. The interviews are available for free personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that proper citation is used (e.g. Appalachian State Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989, W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection, Special Collections, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC). Any commercial use of the materials, without the written permission of the Appalachian State University, is strictly prohibited. Extent The size or duration of the resource. 33 pages Language A language of the resource English English Type The nature or genre of the resource document Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 111_tape33_RubyTrivette_1973_02_17M001 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Todd, NC Subject The topic of the resource Country life--North Carolina--Todd Todd (N.C.)--History--20th century Todd (N.C.)--Social life and customs--20th century Ashe County bartering Bible Belt Bloodybones buckwheat Christmas D.W. Graham Deep Gap farming flood of 1940 jackvine Politics red cloud sheep superstition Tatun teacher Todd Wilkes https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/664b6cb8263567f57b79fd1ec08c6515.pdf b50002b5daabd0510c21d4a709dec14f PDF Text Text ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Andrew Jackson Greene Collection Description An account of the resource The Andrew Jackson Greene Collection consists of more than 160 diaries written by Greene who describes Watauga County's education system, including Appalachian State Teachers College, cultural and religious life, and agriculture from 1906 to 1942. <br /><br /><strong>Biographical Note.</strong> Andrew Jackson Greene (March 2, 1883-August 12, 1942) was a life-long resident of Watauga County, North Carolina and instructor in several Watauga schools including Appalachian State Teachers College (A.S.T.C). Greene worked as a farmer, public school teacher, and college professor. Greene was an enthusiastic diarist maintaining regular entries from 1906 to the day before his death. He also recorded A.S.T.C. faculty meetings from January 9, 1915 to May 3, 1940. He married Polly Warren, and they had three children, Ralph, Maxie, and Lester. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Greene, Andrew Jackson, 1883-1942 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/190">AC.105: Andrew Jackson Greene Collection</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1906-1942 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No Copyright - United States</a> Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Diary of Andrew Jackson Greene, Volume 59 [May 23, 1926 - August 26, 1926] Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="Andrew Jackson Greene Collection, 1906-1942" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/190" target="_blank">Andrew Jackson Greene Collection, 1906-1942</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1926 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 68.2 MB 77 pages Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 105_059_1926_0523_1926_0826 Description An account of the resource This diary was recorded daily by Andrew Jackson Greene from May 23 through August 26, 1926. Mr. and Mrs. Greene get to spend more time alone because the children are gone. They frequently visit family and friends. They also have much work to do on the farm during this time. People named throughout this diary include but are not limited to W.H. Brown, T.E. Johnston, and W.J. Mast. Subject The topic of the resource Watauga County (N.C.)--Social life and customs--20th century Baptists--Clergy--North Carolina--Watauga County Greene, Andrew Jackson, 1883-1942 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Greene, Andrew Jackson, 1883-1942 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No Copyright – United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Diaries Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title="Andrew Jackson "Greene collection" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/39" target="_blank"> Andrew Jackson Greene collection </a> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Watauga County (N.C.) Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. <a title="https://www.geonames.org/4497707/watauga-county.html" href="https://www.geonames.org/4497707/watauga-county.html" target="_blank"> https://www.geonames.org/4497707/watauga-county.html</a> Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1920s Ashe County Baptist Church of Boone Chapel Cheese factory College D.C. Mast Demonstration School Dr. Walker N. Johnston Floyd Hagaman Fort Bragg NC John Smith Mars Hill Miss Mae Barlow Miss Maxie Wilson Poplar Grove President Dr. Dougherty Sugar Grove Sunday School Vilas Willowdale Baptist Church Winthrop College https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/745b00052b665b7c98a302694a155bd7.pdf ee34233f3cb980038e1e06fb7577ba50 PDF Text Text & ^ / THE PROPERTY £P , 7 �^T^^TV^Z^' s^tyT^ c/^; <r+ /^-^—^T^—T?^ f I t �r , ' s~zr*s.. &> f^£> &^t^0^~l^ ^ <y ^ ^*>4>&~~yt^ V ' /• '*—' t—""^ ^^ ' W*^~^ •**'} ~~f �~ __/? « o --aO "^tt/jrf ^y^^u^z^ '° __^»w'&~ ^%2-^ •<^6 -^-r~u^u^K? ; /^O^VTC- •+ �^i^r^fi^- £&>- ^A J^^ �—x^^^?"^^ /^*~~*^^7K?? ~~r G~-rrt^r~*2^Tr-tf^' .y /> •*~d-A/f~ drtf*- — / / x7 OT-Z^-^- <7 'It^-jr-r^-rT^- v~^ '7/^~l^^~ Jo O^^rr^P^Y? v S) ' f^n^f^^T^- . �<&~^u/#- J / ( ^^^^^/u^^o^^x--J) -^r^T^z*^i ^??2^zx^7i*y M V �v ^ (J!JJ^/) j �Tyyr^y^ �V J / / l^-^-^^^ -*z-^>->^— / ' / ~-f ff £ / / ' ^^i^^^y^^^/f J -/ZV _ ^ / �'^7 "Z^z ^A^UL^St^ �*+~ ' f -~3ryTi2^T*st^>^^r) / ' 7 ^~^~d—/I— (7 -r / -' ^-&-^ia i I // -/ -~3^^^ ^^ �_/^^-Z*^V y ^f^f^!^-_ / ^?>C- ft �I ^^rUA^ /^U^ /^A^i^ �e^ ^ ^^L~ -zr-*z- y_ ^£/L£--^i_ 1<^JL - U&, �30.- y- ^L-je-^6-*^---/-->^- J<4 d-*L1-*~0-tt— ^t^T^-*-— A ^^o£-->i—<s*—< _^*/~>z-*'-Q—& •yisSl'-r-f-^'— ^l/i^t*^Q, ^r-p^i*-*^* <7 , /) �/? �, //? ^ ^t^A^^L^L- J* i, -^Pi^p^e^ VJ-G- • • /- A? ^ �//2^--7L^^ (f /? -- x / . + ��- ^^f^Zf ty/ -^-/ / (7s T c;T3^yK' —^^ iJ /*j^^~-*^£-*z^z^c^ / - -_9^>^37X' ^ —^^^~i^^ '^l^fj \— ~^ru^^' // ^n^ •-rt~^" rr*^ -T -^T V/ _ //(s . . . -^-»^^^v<? �/ ^ 0 —r#.— V^^^i^i^ '( "fl^rb-~4--T2/h^- nb ^^ -7 r -Tfimrr' -f*, -/ L-^7^^ >y ^ —yvz// ^r^^^r^-^-/^L^^ * (7 /i 'C7*TT ^F3T '-^-f0 -/ >^^/ ^ �k. -^-~*"i?> ^^^ y j? 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Title A name given to the resource Andrew Jackson Greene Collection Description An account of the resource The Andrew Jackson Greene Collection consists of more than 160 diaries written by Greene who describes Watauga County's education system, including Appalachian State Teachers College, cultural and religious life, and agriculture from 1906 to 1942. <br /><br /><strong>Biographical Note.</strong> Andrew Jackson Greene (March 2, 1883-August 12, 1942) was a life-long resident of Watauga County, North Carolina and instructor in several Watauga schools including Appalachian State Teachers College (A.S.T.C). Greene worked as a farmer, public school teacher, and college professor. Greene was an enthusiastic diarist maintaining regular entries from 1906 to the day before his death. He also recorded A.S.T.C. faculty meetings from January 9, 1915 to May 3, 1940. He married Polly Warren, and they had three children, Ralph, Maxie, and Lester. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Greene, Andrew Jackson, 1883-1942 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/190">AC.105: Andrew Jackson Greene Collection</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1906-1942 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No Copyright - United States</a> Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Diary of Andrew Jackson Greene, Volume 64 [July 17, 1926 - October 19, 1927] Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="Andrew Jackson Greene Collection, 1906-1942" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/190" target="_blank">Andrew Jackson Greene Collection, 1906-1942</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1926-1927 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 74.7 MB 98 pages Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 105_064_1927_0717_1927_1019 Description An account of the resource Andrew Jackson Green recorded this diary from July 17, 1926 through October 19, 1927. Greene wrote about church, the weather, the Appalachian Training School, and his family and friends. Places named throughout this diary include but are not limited to Friendship Baptist Church, Watauga County, Boone, Cove Creek, Willowdale Baptist Church, Lenoir, and Mabel. Subject The topic of the resource Watauga County (N.C.)--Social life and customs--20th century Baptists--Clergy--North Carolina--Watauga County--Diaries Greene, Andrew Jackson, 1883-1942 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Greene, Andrew Jackson, 1883-1942 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No Copyright – United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Diaries Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title="Andrew Jackson "Greene collection" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/39" target="_blank"> Andrew Jackson Greene collection </a> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Watauga County (N.C.) Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. <a title="https://www.geonames.org/4497707/watauga-county.html" href="https://www.geonames.org/4497707/watauga-county.html" target="_blank"> https://www.geonames.org/4497707/watauga-county.html</a> Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1920s Advent Church Agnes Fisher Ashe County Baptist Church of Boone Bethel Blue Ridge Clarence Garland Daniel Boone Hotel Elbert Farthing Federation of Women’s Clubs in North Carolina Friendship Baptist Church Georges Gap Gertrude McCorman individual instruction Jacob May Johnson City Chronicle Klondike Stock Farm Miss Ollie Eller Miss Gertrude Weil Mitchell River Mountain View Church Mountain View Institute New River Bridge Normal School North Wilkesboro President Dougherty R.L. Isbel Reverend P.A. Hicks State of Wilkes Sugar Grove Summer School Sunday School Surry County Todd Vilas W.J. Mast Willowdale Baptist Church https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/776e651607006f7c2be1ffa90c4ce5fd.pdf 73fe19397037e0f8798efe0465f94b90 PDF Text Text NRAL COMBINATION THEME AND NOTE BOOK MARGINAL RULfiD PUNCHED TO FIT STANDARD BINDERS No. 842-P Made Under One or More of The Following SPIRAL Patents 1516932-19420^6-19^5776—Other Patents Pending. �_^£-&-o-?C'C*- jL^ ^t&-t *•* A 6-f. ^/(/n-^ / ^L^C^rv^. ^ ^n*^- ^£ p . x^ -^K^-^-^^t^ ^_-^i--«^- ^—^ tr �u u u u u n u u u u u u n u u u u u u i H \H i VH m �r u u u u u n u u u u u l \i n n �Crt^&~~r~ <£? —<.~0<?+j �luuuununuunnunnnnHnnninunnm �*JxJ~ �nnnnnnnnnnnmnnmnnnnnnnnnuy �I ka ^ r> a fO \ \ W 5) nvmnnnmnnnunnnnnnnnmnunn1 <K x\ ^ fe �unuuunuuiuunuunnnnnnnnnninuv �e uunuunnuunnnnunnnnnnHmmnns f �iuuuuuuuuuunumnmnnnnnnnrnuv �umuuHumuuuuuumuuuuuuuuuuu �mwunuunuunuununnnnnnmnnms > �e kt • * nnuununuunnmnnnnnninnnmnnn1 r^o X7 �uuuuuuuuuunnnnnHnnnnHnnnnuv VI �c umuuuinuunmunnnnnnnnnnnnnn *r (M ~x �UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU1 �\ ^ Q A, 's v> 0 ^ > ^5 �c �Y i; . i ^ ^ ^ ii U t ^ ^ t Uit^tA ^ UiU U U U * * *U« * *\*U * i 4\*U*\*\*U*\» * U \ \ \k\^\ i\*\h U* * i U^ i * * i * « * * * U * U » U * \\* A * J ^ i i * ite ^ �lUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUlUUUU �'Uuuumuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu �uuuuuuuuuuuuuurauununnnnunn �11 i i �4.7 3s?--ff^t4>-~*-1 rZ^2-L%!3H*£. ^^ 4^/ (V*M?. ^ ^~& «/ /> st-^+*i-*^~r ' />, ^fa*> •^h'^*-r-<a /? c^X ^^f-- -p?-4^^ff) /> ~^M*-*°^]A~*- ~^rt^p-~~-r- —-CL**-»»_^O—z= &ce^Lt^_^ ^ J ^~M -<>%• /? 2--C-*"»-->*w /? —^fr' ^L^ryi^^y ^>ct^£*- frti^y ^^^1^. -jfefezr �tfftf. * * % % % 444 4444444 4444444 s o tffJLJLJLi i t l t l t t t f t f f f f f !t^t t 1 ^ * t t f l t i t t t t t t i t ^, t t . 44444444 �"~^~SL*4Z -J - 1 y^e> ^ " / V_0^- / '>^^j^-^a-^^- ' ')0~^~*— *—'&?^~ ^t^y^i--^y^f'^Ci^yO ~ff •(/ / j-Mx-^-zxi^-rTx^-^ ^t-^lf -*-~9~?r V -^-a'ff' -*^U-&Tf^~ -Tt^>~**i'lst^ -aff - �Mi !i ! t » i i > \ ..iiii t i. �—^-*t-c-^Tfl^#*t*. / ^L*- , / ^<^-^x-*^£-«^ ~^t^-^-t^ xLfcfc* ^£- —-ft*+S" . «c^?z ,yC-»t^<^- <# ~^V~?-r-?Z, •*- —^t^>— 1st,t-^&--' L^r-^^t^-f <£&£-*—*<-~-p, �amumnuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu ��x3^u_y g^f'&L?. //2zr-T^ T " ' <f-?~-t*£y^' ^J tax.. ^£tUi _^-t-<^-->C--«>- o V • i^fLi~--0~f-^ 7/ - ^isi^tvL^ . y^'-t-e? ^e^-ef-f- /- /t~ ^-^ ^^If—-fa-&^£- f=^^fi~^^K^f- ^^Ljt^. -f-v-r-' ~~^fL-n~*r --^~ ^i^y^i / & ~~^fa*---r>*-*^' s^^-d**— ^/i^nt, ^€^%^T<-*- ^^^-jry--7*-**—7 —-«-=' ^C^-^HJC^^- _-<d^l_ at^-^-t/ s li?£t^tsi+*-^' 7&-<J ^£fLl~+-Ji-' ~^*^fTr^&-y~t- ^?i+-T*r~- ^T^-t™-* ^Jr-^z-ju^la ^£*r*dE ��uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunmunHmm 1 �(*•• (J>st44^~ C -^^-^y^f . &*~r^ ^—^-ci_ ^ -AT -^ * /7 £*-^C4*j-o-~^ ^f �^^Tt^. ^-tx-^6^ ^£bj ^-^ ^£&^ �^ [ I ^. V ^ ^ e» uuuuuuuuuuuuuuumunnuuiiiiiimv ^ V <\k �^&-~0—r>L*— y / ^?2~4^+~~ --f-^&ir- ~s£sp{_e^t^ y/ ^L^tv-T*- , ^Z^C-tf-ft^ ' <f£*4*4Ut~ / . <^yC ^s^iPt*- ^& ^l>-*- x-/ —-^i-e. ^^c^- L~-^L--f-t—^~-~£~ ^^fe-^i=^=> -i^-^1-*-^ �e#-^n^t~* -- ^-^*/- _r^yi^e^3 & c^-^n^ff^c^/^' ^C^lw-' f ^t^+*L^. i—-£*<-*- -4~*^ C?tL0—tAr~7i-~ <_—-C-ct^-sC*— £*-L~*X ^-^<Cc_- �£*-^~*l^-7*~»-r-' J^ * ��� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Andrew Jackson Greene Collection Description An account of the resource The Andrew Jackson Greene Collection consists of more than 160 diaries written by Greene who describes Watauga County's education system, including Appalachian State Teachers College, cultural and religious life, and agriculture from 1906 to 1942. <br /><br /><strong>Biographical Note.</strong> Andrew Jackson Greene (March 2, 1883-August 12, 1942) was a life-long resident of Watauga County, North Carolina and instructor in several Watauga schools including Appalachian State Teachers College (A.S.T.C). Greene worked as a farmer, public school teacher, and college professor. Greene was an enthusiastic diarist maintaining regular entries from 1906 to the day before his death. He also recorded A.S.T.C. faculty meetings from January 9, 1915 to May 3, 1940. He married Polly Warren, and they had three children, Ralph, Maxie, and Lester. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Greene, Andrew Jackson, 1883-1942 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/190">AC.105: Andrew Jackson Greene Collection</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1906-1942 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No Copyright - United States</a> Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="Andrew Jackson Greene Collection, 1906-1942" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/190" target="_blank">Andrew Jackson Greene Collection, 1906-1942</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 41.7 MB 43 pages Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 105_138_1938_0818_1938_0904 Description An account of the resource This diary was recorded by Andrew Jackson Greene from August 18 through September 4, 1938. Inside this diary one will find personal reflections and records. Greene recorded the daily weather, and his many travels. He also wrote each day about what he had done, observed, and heard. Through these writings one can find information about the many different areas of Watauga County from Vilas to Boone, including many landmarks such as Appalachian State Teachers College, and Willowdale Baptist Church. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Greene, Andrew Jackson, 1883-1942 Title A name given to the resource Diary of Andrew Jackson Greene, Volume 138 [August 18, 1938 - September 4, 1938] Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No Copyright – United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Watauga County (N.C.)--Social life and customs--20th century Greene, Andrew Jackson, 1883-1942 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Diaries Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title="Andrew Jackson "Greene collection" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/39" target="_blank"> Andrew Jackson Greene collection </a> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Watauga County (N.C.) Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. <a title="https://www.geonames.org/4497707/watauga-county.html" href="https://www.geonames.org/4497707/watauga-county.html" target="_blank"> https://www.geonames.org/4497707/watauga-county.html</a> Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1930s Albert Wilson Ann Wilson Appalachian State Teachers College Ashe County Attorney T.E. Bingham Avery County Banner Elk Bethel Blowing Rock Boone Boone High School Orchestra Brushy Fork Valley Caldwell County Conly Glenn Cove Creek High School Dorothy Wiseman Dr. G.P. Eggers Ed Hodge Farthing Reunion Forest Crisp G.P. Eggers H.R. Eggers Henry Brinkley J.P. Hughes Mitchell County N.C. Oak Grove Baptist Church Oscar Whittington Shelton Dugger Sunday School Sunny Knoll T.C. Baird Valle Crucis Vilas Vilas Service Station Watauga County N.C. Willowdale Baptist Church Yellow Mountain https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/3845805d55e70b5898615f220ad59cc1.pdf 901eacfdf213b40f30e5a27ca4c3a481 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Envelope to Elizabeth Eller, 12 January 1909 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-01-12 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Envelope_01_12_1909.pdf Description An account of the resource This is an envelope addressed to Elizabeth Eller. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1900-1910 Ashe County Elizabeth Eller envelope North Carolina https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/a3e03b555d02e51da2f05718d5d847f8.pdf e16591af762e6bad1031be5c50484069 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Fannie Kirby to Elizabeth Eller, 31 December 1890 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890-12-31 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Letter_12_31_1890.pdf Description An account of the resource This letter from Fannie Kirby to her aunt Elizabeth talks about Christmas and events in her and her friends’ and family’s lives. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Subject The topic of the resource Christmas Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1890s Ashe County Christmas Elizabeth Eller Eller family family letters Fannie Kirby Fred Dolinger letter Lillie Young Luke Virgil North Carolina Santa Claus https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/8e4e360e87e57e2a1d8dc9cf77a51122.pdf fbbee2b20d065b826fc5860e896dfa70 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Aswell Eller to Brother, 11 February 1892 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1892-02-11 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Letter_02_11_1892.pdf Description An account of the resource This letter from Aswell "A.P." Eller to his brother discusses a trip Aswell plans to make to visit his brother. The letter also mentions the gripe (gastric or intestinal pain). Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1890s Ashe County Aswell Eller Eller family family letters Grippe letter North Carolina https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/098bc8c824a96779af4c91b360fe2fbd.pdf 08c3c0f2420be2b516d7aa06fdf41885 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Envelope to Elizabeth Eller, 26 September 1889 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1889-09-26 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context envelope_09_26_1889.pdf Description An account of the resource This is an envelope addressed to Elizabeth “Bettie” Eller, dated 26 September 1889 Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1880s Ashe County Clifton Edgewater Elizabeth Eller Eller family envelope Virginia https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/746d78f47e5988c41ecac891a72b9431.pdf c250dd4a189072fd622d5252d7bcf4a2 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Envelope from Robert Lee Kirby to Frances Kirby, 10 June 1887 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1887-06-10 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context envelope_06_10_1887.pdf Description An account of the resource This is an envelope from Robert Lee Kirby addressed to Frances “Nan” Kirby, and dated 10 June 1887. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1880s Ashe County envelope Frances Kirby Independence North Carolina Robert Kirby Virginia https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/ac4a1352fe574e3e97def8ab06f77c5d.pdf cd54af08d14b75730ad5dab3020dfb12 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Envelope to Millard Kirby, 26 July 1887 Subject The topic of the resource Kirby, Millard F., 1854-1878 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1887-07-26 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context envelope_July_1887.pdf Description An account of the resource This is an envelope addressed to Millard Kirby and dated 26 July 1887. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1880s Ashe County envelope Kirby family Millard Kirby North Carolina https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/9ea9a08bfcc6cf866211642caf94ae07.pdf b0a11723920782026155d97293cdaa4c PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Envelope to Ada Kirby, 1885 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1885 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context envelope_1885.pdf Description An account of the resource This is an envelope addressed to Ada Kirby and dated 1885. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1880s Ada Kirby Ashe County envelope Helton North Carolina https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/3254e11aed68ab81a2739fa7a1769c48.pdf 4d948b185000e0d0799808541759f5b8 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Emmitt McEwen to Mollie Eller, 28 July 1867 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1867-07-28 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Letter_07_28_1867.pdf Description An account of the resource This is a letter from Emmitt McEwen to Mollie Eller, whom he describes as an acquaintance. Emmitt writes about how he hopes to get married soon and that he worries he will not be able to marry any of the women who live in Ashe County because they might all marry before he gets back. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Subject The topic of the resource Courtship Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1860s Ashe County Eller family Emmitt McEwen James Cocker Kansas letter marriage Missouri Mollie Eller North Carolina https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/ab5364db8b36c725a74beb4e97f1e8ba.pdf e32440e413810eed478cde612b689ea5 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Hansford Eller to Luke Eller, 12 April 1863 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1863-04-12 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Letter_04_12_1864.pdf Description An account of the resource This is a letter from Hansford Eller to his parents, Luke and Sarah Eller. Hansford says that he has heard from his brother Aswell, and that he is fine. There is also mention of an attack planned on a town once a gunboat comes to the area, however, Hansford believes that is some time off. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Subject The topic of the resource United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives, Confederate Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1860s Ashe County Aswell Eller Civil War Eller family family letters Hansford Eller Jones County letter Luke Eller North Carolina https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/3a889f8a813a3195c5496bdd2fd2ca6e.pdf a9085d38b087d9edd65b0a798af2b579 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Martha King to Luke Eller and M. Brooks, 9 February 1860 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1860-02-09 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Letter_02_09_1860.pdf Description An account of the resource This is a letter from Martha King to Luke Eller and M. Brooks. Martha writes the letter to tell her friends about where she is now living as she has moved away from the Ashe County area. She says she is glad not to be in the cold mountains and enjoys where she is in Georgia very much. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1860s Ashe County Eller family Georgia Rail Road Line Knox County letter Luke Eller M. Brooks Margaret Nancy Hamilton Martha King Tennessee https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/0efbead6e3763322a0dd3b3c06bd9461.pdf 800800dbbbff78ccb850f4faed61acb1 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Deed to Edward King signed by C.L. Hinton, 16 September 1841 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1841-09-16 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Deed_1841.pdf Description An account of the resource This is a deed for fifty acres of land purchased by Edward King. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Deeds PDF Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1840s Ashe County C.L. Hinton deed Edward King North Carolina https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/4da5236716c359facce5746a81084474.pdf 202a1d356c32dc60b03e40bbf72a6521 PDF Text Text ( 8 TO 9 A. M. OFFICE HOURS :i 1 TO 2 p. M. ( 7 TO 9 P. M. s 30. S -^Z^G^f / S S±~£ ��3LC-C / ( 8 TO 9 A. M. OFFICE HOUKS :< 1 TO 2 p. M. I 7 TO 9 P. M. C/0 -.iei4te\ ;X ^ ^h^^ x >^ X ^^ __^_^0 ^ /^ / ^^ •.^ �-y �J. EVERETT MARTIN, M. D. BLUEFIELD, WEST VIRGINIA. Xfcl.r � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Emma Baker Martin to Betty Kirby Eller, 24 March, 1898 Subject The topic of the resource Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1898-03-24 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 5 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2012_045_1898_0324 Description An account of the resource This is a letter from Emma Baker Martin to Betty Kirby Eller, her aunt. The letter focuses on domestic affairs, such as the household budget, family, and upcoming trips, along with various friends’ correspondence. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1890s Ashe County Betty Kirby Eller Bluefield Clifton Domestic Life Eller family Emma Baker Martin family letters J Evertt Martin letter Motherhood North Carolina West Virginia https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/f5b30b7a687fe3265f7609cd1ef74f6a.pdf 7f5c8246ec566f000e56c236efeb9ac9 PDF Text Text ���f 4. EVERETT MARTIN, M. D. BLUEFIELD, WEST VIRGINIA. /u > . �\ v AN ?G -• > - > " f—"., X � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Emma Baker Martin to Betty Kirby Eller, 17 January 1898 Subject The topic of the resource Prices Butter Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1898-01-17 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 5 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2012_045_1898_0117 Description An account of the resource This is a letter from Emma Baker Martin to her aunt Betty Kirby Eller. The letter discusses two things primarily, butter and other household items. Betty sent Emma several pounds of butter as part of a long-running exchange of goods they have set up, this is featured heavily in their letters. The rest of the letter continues to discuss the various prices of products and problems friends or people in town are having with certain goods. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1890s Ashe County Betty Kirby Eller Bluefield Butter Clifton Eller family Emma Baker Martin family letters letter Martin family North Carolina Veal West Virginia https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/09f6ad0ea996217dec3846bbf16be712.pdf f7f5f1c916b644dbb44494b427cfcc2f PDF Text Text ^ u, ./> wi /A 6^&-i~-<p4j6*s ^/ ^^ ^^o / // -^^c3 ��6 ���r-i C "^/ ; ^f - ^V" <X -/-j"?t~f �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Emma Baker Martin to Betty Kirby Eller, 17 October 1897 Subject The topic of the resource Prices Indentured servants Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1897-10-17 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 7 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2012_045_1897_1017 Description An account of the resource This is a letter from Emma Baker Martin to her aunt Betty Kirby Eller. The letter opens as usual for Emma, writing about the price of butter, fabric, and postage. Emma also mentions her youngest child, Virginia, who is healthy and playful. The letter closes with a rant about her indentured servant, whom she greatly despises. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1890s Abingdon Ashe County Betty Kirby Eller Bluefield Butter Clifton Depression dressmaking Eller family Emma Baker Martin family letters letter Martin family Motherhood North Carolina Postage Servant West Virginia https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/37917030b2507abed7506f5dd8f89e0d.pdf 0583d8ebc2b85aba81b8b68654496b38 PDF Text Text V V ?Vx ^ ^ ^'^ 0 Nf^ ^ x x. ^S- ^^.V f v C^Kt NJ s> - . $-^ 0 c N X ,\ ^ v- '\. U' > k ^ \ \ \" ^ v j , ~. •v ^ a^^N^ 4 ^^4^1 * ^ i>4 4 v Mv ^ (p4^ii\^' i .NfNL\ ^ \ ^ \^\^ ^ ^'^ V3 \ I -r^^^'^> KMi^lv 6l\-s^ ' V< ^v K A \• ���./ 'fa^L~z_&*Lf\ J^- $ r' �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Emma Baker Martin to Betty Kirby Eller, 04 May 1896 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1896-05-04 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 5 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2012_045_1896_0504 Description An account of the resource This is a letter from Emma Baker Martin to her aunt Betty Kirby Eller. The letter discusses many of the things Emma frequently writes to her aunt about. Butter is the main topic, as Emma has received her regular shipment from her aunt. Emma also mentions her cow, and how she gets some milk from it each day which she turns into butter, but that she never has enough of anything to cover all eight of the boarders they have in their home. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Subject The topic of the resource Butter Boardinghouses Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1890s Ashe County Betty Kirby Eller Bluefield Boarding House Butter Clifton cow Eller family Emma Baker Martin family letters letter Martin family milk North Carolina West Virginia https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/fd644df57d3c67fcdb34913cce66b78a.pdf eb8928d72270d7f168f7ffac18b0d133 PDF Text Text j / < -X— -^V-^^o / -,- . -/,'.,-:./,'1 . ' T �—^^y ^ "-*£**£ �'-n r ff/. > ��After Five Days Return to MARTIN'S PHARMACY, BLUEFIELD. W. VA. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kirby and Eller Family Letters Description An account of the resource The Kirby and Eller Family Letters contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War. The original letters of Collection 495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938 are in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection. <div class="subnote "> <p><span class="less">Elizabeth “Bettie” Kirby (1851-1925) was born on February 15th, 1851 in Meadow Creek, Virginia, to parents Joel Kirby and Frances Roberts. Millard F. Kirby, Samuel J. Kirby, Emory T. Kirby, and Ada B. Kirby were her siblings. She married Joseph Lafayette Eller on September 22, 1875 in Ashe County, NC, where she lived until her death on December 9, 1925.<br /><br />Luke Eller (1806-1883) was born on June 8, 1806 in Ashe Co., NC. He was married to Sarah King<span class="elipses"></span></span><span class="more"> on March 27, 1829 in Ashe Co. He is the father of Joseph Lafayette Eller (Elizabeth’s husband), Hansford Eller, and Aswell Eller. Luke Eller lived in Ashe Co. until his death on December 6, 1883.</span></p> <span class="note-content readmore expanded"><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165#" class="expander">See less</a></span></div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Emma Baker Martin to Betty Kirby Eller, 25 November 1895 Subject The topic of the resource Butter Household employees African Americans Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1895-11-17 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 5 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2012_045_1895_1125 Description An account of the resource This is a letter from Emma Baker Martin to her aunt Betty Kirby Eller. The letter mentions a photo that Emma says she includes in the envelope, but said photo is not present. Emma talks about butter, when she received her regular package of butter, how much money she made off of it, and then moves on to other subjects. Emma talks about her African American help, how working makes her feet hurt, and how her husband sees her working habits. Language A language of the resource English Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <p><a href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/165">AC.495 Kirby and Eller Family Letters</a></p> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted" href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en 8" target="_blank"> In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Kirby and Eller Family Letters" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/17" target="_blank"> Kirby and Eller Family Letters </a> Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453028/ashe-county.html Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Letters (Correspondence) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ashe County (N.C.) Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1890s Ashe County Betty Kirby Eller Bluefield Butter church Clifton curtains Eller family Emma Baker Martin family letters letter marriage Martin family Martin's Pharmacy North Carolina Servant West Virginia https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/3aeeaf308ceb052510e4cdf8e87ad22e.mp3 0b9d918f32fd32d6133a1758eb93924f https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/830a6f5fc4916a88e5a974b7ed6225dd.mp3 0a59da7c9ba4a294023e100f4787e639 https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/15afd20c10710e9d450e93672c800166.pdf dd10ff6e97edcf57fea25183a452af40 PDF Text Text Oral History Transcript Appalachian State University • Collection 111, Tape 34 Interviewee: Edward Blackburn Interviewer: Bill Ballock 2 March 1973 BB: Bill Ballock EB: Edward Blackburn OB: Ollie Blackburn BB: This is an interview for the Appalachian Oral History Project with Edward Blackburn at Todd, North Carolina, on March 2, 1973 by Bill Ballock. Tell your name and start out from there. EB: I’m Ed Blackburn and I live at Todd, North Carolina. I’ve lived here for 80 years and I’m a preacher. I have, in the past been a mail carrier, but today I’m trying to preach. Lived here in the mountains and worked with mountain people, think they’re the finest people in the world. That’s not belittling anybody else, but I appreciate and honor them. Want to be an honor to the mountains. Is that thing (the tape recorder) running now? BB: Just don’t even pay any attention to it. EB: Now, you go ahead and talk to me. BB: Okay. Can you tell me something about your childhood? EB: Yes, a little bit. I remember not too much about it. I remember many years back, born here in Ashe County and lived here, as I said once, all my life. Went to school here, what little I went, and went to the First World War. Went through the First World War through the entire was except for 14 days. Came back and lived here ever since. This has been my home ever since. All my life this has been my home. I have seen Boone when it was just a few white houses there and the streets were two feet deep of mud. If you got across the street you got across on a pile of ashes. You missed the ashes and you went in the mud to your knees. I’ve seen West Jefferson come from a house or two to a nice town. Seen the railroad come in here and helped work on it. I drove pegs for the engineers, helped work on the track and I’ve seen it come and go. BB: What about the railroad? What did you do on the railroad? EB: I helped the engineer survey it and worked on the track work. And then I helped grade it, helped grade the whole thing. Helped make it, everything but the coaches and the engines. 1 �BB: Where did it start out? EB: Where did it start from? Abingdon, Virginia. Came to Todd, 76 miles, 76 miles and so many tenths to Todd. Came in and out once a day. Stayed all night here and then went out in the morning, came back in the evening. Todd used to be a business place. Had a bank, drugstores, and how many grocery stores I’ve forgotten. Lots of numbers of people lived here. It’s just a ghost town now because all the old people are dead and all the young people have moved away. And the banks are gone, the money is gone, the timber is gone, and most of the land is gone. BB: How did people feel about the railroad here in Todd? EB: Well, they wanted it to come in you know. They didn’t know it was going to ruin us and take all our timber out and leave us nothing. We wanted it to come in. BB: So you think after it left it was bad? EB: Yes, yes. It left us in a lot worse shape. All of our timber gone and not anything to show for it. OB: It should have gone on up to Boone. EB: Sure, if it went on up to Boone it would be running today. West Jefferson over there is a thriving town and it came into West Jefferson now one or two times a week. (The railroad) hauls freight in there. No passenger trains, no mail. Used to run a passenger train in there and carried the mail. BB: It did run a passenger train? EB: Yes, oh yes. Two times a day the Lord blessing. One in the morning and one in the evening. In and out. Passenger train and freight, sometimes two freights. Loads of them, double heading out here, a number of cars loaded with timber. BB: So if you wanted to change it back, you wouldn’t let the railroad come back? EB: No. I wouldn’t work on it. In fact, I would get other people not to. That’s right, keep what we have. BB: Well, they tell me you are a preacher. Can you tell me something about how you got started in that? EB: Yes, well the Lord called me. Yes, I’m a preacher honey. Got a lovely church over here. The finest people in the country come there. I got started because the Lord called me to be a preacher. I didn’t want to be a preacher. I wanted anything in the world besides being a 2 �preacher. I really wanted to be a drunkard, and drink liquor and carouse around. But the Lord saved me. Then He called and saved me and delivered me from drinking liquor. He called me to be a preacher. And now I’m preaching and wouldn’t do anything else now. I’m not much of a preacher, but I’m the best preacher I know how to be. God bless you. BB: When did it start? EB: When did I start preaching? I started preaching in about 1922 or ’23. BB: What brought it on? Did you go to school? EB: No, never been, just went through the schoolhouses. Ran a mill, only school college I’ve ever been in. I used to run a mill in Todd and sell meal to the Boone College. That’s the only college I know anything about; selling meal. I’ve been to college anyhow selling them meal. BB: So you just took the preaching on your own? EB: Yes, thank God. On my own. Lived by it. Only way I have of getting a penny is what people give me. Nobody behind me but the Lord and that’s enough. God called me and I’ve worked with everybody that needs help. OB: He’s worked all his life and got Social Security. EB: I draw Social Security, but not enough. BB: Do you get paid for preaching? EB: Yes sir. Got a lovely congregation. Get a little, sometimes get more than others. Take an offering every morning when I preach. I just preached over here at the tabernacle two times a month, second and fourth Saturday. And somebody takes an offering for us. BB: What’s the name of the church? EB: Blackburn Memorial Church and Campground. I want you to go out and get a history of it, get you to look at it and take the history down off of the sign. BB: How did it come about that you’re preaching? How were you called? EB: Well, the Lord just called me you know. I got saved from being a drunkard and the Lord called me to be a preacher. Why, I don’t know, but He called me to be a preacher. I just went to doing things that preachers ought to do. Not like other men can, but the best I could. And God called me to be a preacher and I’ve been faithful to the job ever since. OB: He gets busier everyday about it, counseling with somebody. Some drunkard or some 3 �family having trouble. BB: What people come here? EB: Drunks, folks trying to get delivered from liquor, folks having marriage troubles, about to separate, parting, fussing and fighting. Come here day and night to be prayed with and counseled with, talked to and prayed for. Thank God. God had blessed us so far with a fruitful ministry. BB: They told me that once you got sick. Could you tell me something about that? EB: Once I was seriously sick. So sick they thought I would die you know. They sent me to the hospital against my will. They sent me to West Jefferson and the hospital at Jefferson kept me 18 or 19 days and couldn’t find what was the matter with me. And they sent me from there to Winston-Salem. When I got to Winston I was so near dead they gave me eight pints of blood. And that’s about all of it. But I stayed down there 18 or 19 days and they were going to operate on me, but I couldn’t take it. I was weak. I couldn’t stand an operation. I prayed and before the Lord and the host of heaven, God healed me and I came home the day they were supposed to operate on me. That night – the doctors and nurses came in to get me ready for an operation and I told the nurses, “God’s healed me. I’m going home. I want you to send me home today.” That excited the nurses and the doctor came in and told him that, and then he went out of the room. And several other doctors came in. They pushed me and then rolled me, then looked in my eyes, looked at my fingernails and examined my feet and had a counsel and told me I could go home. But when I got ready to come home there were a number of people there that came to set up the operation. Felt sorry for my mom you know and my children. I was getting my clothes on and getting ready to come home and I told the doctor, “I’ll never be back down here unless I come to pray for somebody.” I’ve been back twice, or three times. OB: Why don’t you tell the whole story? EB: Well, I’ve told enough of it, haven’t I? BB: I want the whole story. OB: The night you were healed, don’t you remember? EB: Yes, yes. I was praying you know, the night before the operation and a nurse came through and turned my pitcher upside down, the water pitcher, and I knew that was bad business. I was burning up and wanted water. The nurse came in and turned my water pitcher upside down, no 4 �more water for me. If I had money I would have hired somebody to pour water for me, but I didn’t have that kind of money and had to depend on the nurses and the orderlies. The nurse came through or one of the aides came through and turned my pitcher upside down and I knew that there was no more water for me. I knew what was coming. I knew that I was so weak and couldn’t take it. I was already dead. I just told God that I couldn’t take it. And sometime through the night, somebody came to by bed and called me name and said, “You don’t need an operation.” Next morning I was able to come home. Thank God. And I’ve been home ever since and I work like a slave, day and night. I haven’t ever been sick any more and I’m 80 years old this coming August. Thank God. That’s what God done for me. BB: You sure don’t look 80 years old. EB: I have been out here sawing wood. BB: My father is 50 years old and you look twice as young as he. EB: What about that? Bless your daddy honey. BB: What about the community itself? What do you think of the Todd community? EB: I think its marvelous and wonderful. One of the best anybody ever had the privilege to live in. Thank God. The best neighbors that God could set down around you. Anything you need, somebody will bring it to you and see about you. That’s what I think about it. It’s so good I nearly disgraced it by living here, that’s what kind of place it is. Marvelous. OB: Tell him how we worship. EB: Well, just like anybody else so far as I know. We go to church. OB: Well, I mean we’re all one. EB: Sure, sure. Our prayer meetings, we all worship together you know. We have a prayer meeting in the Baptist church, and we’re known as Holiness people. We go to the Baptist church and the next night they come to the tabernacle church, and the next night we go to the Methodist church. We worship all the way around. And nobody knows whether uncle Ed belongs to the Baptist church or the Methodist church. And I don’t know whether the Baptist church belongs to our tabernacle or the Baptist church. We don’t pay any attention to that, we just worship God, and get along good. It’s a marvelous community. Nobody’s got a better one. BB: As time goes on, do you think that it’s losing out, that people are getting away from each other? 5 �EB: Yes, I do believe the young people are as time goes on. Yes, I do. And the old people are dying and that cripples us some. But so many of our young people have moved off from this country see, they had to leave here to get a job. And we just get them through high school and many of them through college and they’ve got to go somewhere else to get a job you know, to work out a living. So that just leaves the young and the old folks. You know the old folks die one by one and leave. And then these other children go to college and then they get…raised. Ma’am and me raised five children, two boys and three girls. Our baby is in New Jersey, she’s a librarian. I got a boy in Virginia Beach, Virginia; he’s a printer for the United States government. He has been thee a long time, soon to retire. And I got a boy that lives at Cherryville. He drives for the Carolina Freight and he’s been there for years. We have a daughter that lives in Abingdon, Virginia. She married a builder contractor and they have a supermarket. They are building a supermarket. Our oldest daughter married a sanitary and county health officer and they live here in Ashe County. Five lovely children and all of them seem to be doing well. BB: That’s just great. It’s just beautiful out here. I don’t see why any young people would want to leave. EB: Thank you, it is beautiful. And we live in an old house. OB: I’ll tell you why the young people, our children…every one of them get so homesick to come to the mountains to live. But you see, where we made the mistake was selling every stick of timber we had here for the railroad and letting the companies come in here and carry it off, haul it off on the train out away from here. And wouldn’t let companies come in here. We could have had factories up here, all kind of furniture factories and everything if we hadn’t loved our little dirt. You see we loved the dirt better than if we loved… EB: Sure. They wanted to buy land for factories. OB: And we wouldn’t sell them land. And see that’s the reason our children now had to reap the results of it. They had to get an education and go somewhere else to get a job. BB: What do you think about somebody who would want to come out here and farm and try to preserve what you have? EB: I think it’s wonderful. I think that young people can come and live conservative and buy a farm and get rich, thank God. Say raise enough cattle to get rich. Right here in these mountains, men are doing it. I don’t. I don’t have a cow. Don’t have anything but some fish and wild ducks. That’s all the property we’ve got. I own 27 acres of land here and this old house is over 176 years old, where you’re sitting now. 6 �All handmade, all worked with hands. And there’s a door that doesn’t have a nail in it unless I put it in. The house is put together with wooden pegs. It’s been here we know for 176 years and we think several years longer. BB: Do you know who built it? EB: We think we know. We think a man by the name of “Younce,” who has been dead for many many years you know. We think he built this house here. This house and the soldiers, Northern soldiers came down and burned my grandfather’s house down. This was his workhouse where he loomed, had looms, and wove their cloth and cooked here. OB: Made their shoes. EB: The fireplace was six feet across and I filled it in. But this was just and outhouse. Northern soldiers burnt the house down out here and left our people with nothing. Took their meat and the horses, and burned a lot of their clothes. Just left my grandparents with nothing. BB: So you remember your grandparents talking about the Civil War? EB: Yes, I just barely can, the Lord bless you, just barely. OB: His mother was 11 years old. EB: Yes, when they burned the house and she’s been dead for years. BB: So they did come through this way? EB: They did come right through here and burn the nice home out here on this hill right out here. You can go out there and dig up charcoals from it right now. BB: And you’re 80 years old? EB: I’m 80 years old this coming August. BB: Okay. What do you think about politics? EB: Politics? Well, I think that we need two kinds. I think we need two good parties and I think that both sides do so sorry that I’m ashamed of both sides. I vote for one then I wish I had voted for the other because we do things. They tell us we’re not going to do one thing and the next day they do it. Then I think I ought to have voted for the other fellow. I think we need two good parties and men to be honest and upright and tell us the truth and do the best they can for us and quit lying to us. We know they can’t do all the things they tell us they’re going to do because we haven’t got enough money to do it. 7 �BB: Do you remember the first election you voted in? EB: No, I can’t remember darling. No. BB: Who was the first president that you remember? EB: Oh, I remember Teddy Roosevelt and Mr. McKinley. I remember, I was just a boy though, but I remember when the news traveled so slow you know, about killing McKinley. I remember that. BB: What did you think of Roosevelt? EB: Well, I was just a boy. Didn’t make any different to me darling. Just another man and I heard by father and mother talk about him you know. Teddy Roosevelt. BB: What about Truman? EB: Yes, I loved Harry Truman. I think he was an excellent president. He would tell you what to expect and then he did it. And if you didn’t like it he would fight you if you wanted to fight. I think he was fine. BB: What about Eisenhower? EB: I think he was great. BB: You did? You liked Eisenhower then? EB: Yes, I liked him good enough to vote for him. BB: What about Kennedy? EB: Not struck on Kennedy. I’ll not comment why, but I’m not struck on him. I didn’t give a dime if it’s on the signboards in Broadway, New York City. BB: What about Johnson? EB: I liked Mr. Johnson, thought he was a nice, fine gentleman. BB: What about Mr. Nixon? EB: I think he’s fine. I quarrel with him sometimes, cuss him sometimes for things he does and don’t do. But I think he’s going be a fine president. I think he’s doing the best he can. BB: What was World War One like? 8 �EB: It was rough, rough, rough. World War One was rough. I volunteered and went. The war was declared the 6th day of May and I enlisted in the World War the 17th day of May. I wanted to go to the war and then I went, but wanted to come home. Went to France and fought through the Meuse-Argonne Forest, Mont Saint-Michel, close to Verdun, and sector near Verdun. I saw the Hindenburg line broke where Von Hindenburg said there wasn’t enough men this side of hell to go through that line and the American soldiers went through it and tore it all to pieces and whooped their hind ends off. BB: And you were in it? You were fighting? EB: I was there. Came out of the lines on November 11th, 1918. BB: And then you went to World War Two? EB: I wasn’t in World War Two, no. BB: You were at home right? EB: I was at home, yes. BB: Were you preaching then? EB: Yes. BB: What was it like during World War Two? EB: Well, I wasn’t in it. I just knew all the men that was in it. I knew lots of the men that did go you know. But I wasn’t in it. I didn’t have any part of lot in it except to work you know. I worked in the defense plant, the most of the time during the Second World War in Coats, Pennsylvania for a steel mill. A big steel mill. BB: What about Vietnam? What about the people here at home? How do they feel about it in your community? EB: Well, I think the majority of us thought that we had it to do. That there wasn’t anything else to do is what I think. They didn’t fight as rough as I wanted them to fight. I wanted them to thrash the face out of them and get out of it. Give them a thrashing and come home, but we just played along with them and didn’t whoop them. I wanted to whoop them good and come out. BB: Are you glad that the Peace… EB: I am delighted! I want to be a peacemaker honey. That’s my business, being a peacemaker. But if I have to fight you I’m going to fight awful rough while I fight. 9 �BB: What about the Depression? EB: Yes, I lived through that. It didn’t make much difference to me because we’re kind of depressed every day anyhow. But we did get through it, but it was a hard time, the Lord bless you. It was a hard time. BB: What did you do during the Depression? EB: Well, I lived right here and raised cabbage and Irish potatoes and sent children to school, right here. BB: Do you think that it was easier for the people, the farmers than it was for the people in town? EB: Yes, I do. The man that had the farm knew how to work it and to manage. He had a better chance of surviving than the people in town because they didn’t have anything. They were just out. BB: You didn’t have any trouble getting clothes or shoes and stuff did you? EB: Oh, no. No, we had clothes, had shoes, and had plenty to eat what it was. But we didn’t have any money. BB: You wouldn’t want to see another Depression would you? EB: No, no. Never want to see another Depression. Don’t ever want to see ten-hour workdays come back. I want good wages and honest work. I do believe in a man that’s getting two dollars an hour ought to be able to put out and work for two dollars an hour. BB: I reckon that you remember the flood of 1940 too, don’t you? The flood? EB: Yes, I do. BB: I reckon as a preacher that you had right much to do? EB: Yes, I had much to do the entire time son. OB: When was the flood? EB: 1962, wasn’t the flood the one I’m thinking about here in ’62? We about washed away in this country. I think it was in…no, in 1943, wasn’t it ’43? BB: Yes, somewhere in there. Do you remember it? 10 �EB: Yes, oh yes. I had a mill down here in this little village we call Todd. And I came home and when I came around the curve coming out of Todd, there was a high place there. I turned around, looked around and told God and to myself, “This is the last time I’ll ever see Todd if it doesn’t quit raining.” And that night two or here buildings went out of Todd all together like an ark. The buildings went right down the stream all together. There was a mill there, a big mill. That mill was taken out, a store on the other side of the creek away from the water; the rain took the store just like an ark was floating down the creek. But God ceased the rain and that is the only reason that Todd didn’t wash away. OB: Right here, over there came a big crack on the hill. EB: Yes, the mountain cracked there. And had it slid off, there wouldn’t have been anything left in the village. It would have all went out; too much dirt and water. I saw that. BB: Did anyone come to your house for refuge? EB: Yes, we had company. Some of our kinfolk were here. They got caught in the storm here and had to stay here. BB: Were all of you scared? EB: No, we weren’t scared here on the hill. We thought my, lots of water, but we didn’t think it would get to us and it didn’t. BB: I was talking to Miss Trivette and she said their house almost washed away. EB: Oh, yes. All around them. BB: I reckon that was a pretty bad time. EB: Yes. Serious time, serious time. BB: Getting back to your childhood, what can you remember about it now? Was it like growing up in the mountains? EB: Marvelous, wonderful. I had a good daddy and a good mother and didn’t know what trouble was. He was a hard worker and had a good farm and made all the things we needed to live on except clothes and shoes. It was marvelous. I would love to go back and live through it again. Didn’t know what trouble was. Didn’t know we would ever see a day that we didn’t have enough. Thank God! BB: What kind of games did you play? EB: We just played what we called back in those days “Base.” We didn’t know anything about 11 �baseball and things like that. We just played Base, “Dare Base” and would run like wild men. We would see who could outrun the other and who could break the other side. If we ever made a circle around the others man’s home, we would break him up and had to start over again. If we would catch his men off a base, we would put them in jail. We would get all of his men until he was overpowered, why we broke him up again. BB: What was it called? EB: We called in “Base,” or “Dare Base.” We would have a line and dare a fellow to come put his foot on a line. Then we would take out after him and if we caught him before he got back to his base, why we would bring him and put him in a jail. But then we had to guard him and if another man left his base and came over, we could touch him. But if he touched the guy in jail before we could get to him, then he would get out. But he watched that and if we caught him, we put him in jail. That was our job. The fellows that got the most men in jail or one of our best runners made a circle around the other man’s base, that broke him up and we won the game. Just like war. He just had to surrender, that’s all. OB: Then at night, we danced in the homes. Barn dances. EB: We would have parties in the night. Play the banjo, the violin or fiddle. We danced all night, thank God! Had a good time. BB: Did you know anybody that played the fiddle? EB: They are dead now. Knew a lot of men, but they have gone to heaven now. OB: My daddy played for the parties. My granddaddy played the violin and my daddy played the banjo. BB: Would it be every night? EB: No, we couldn’t take it every night. About two nights a week. BB: Would you all be drinking moonshine? EB: Not much, sometimes. Usually wine, grape wine. Sometimes we had the real stuff…moonshine. BB: Did your dad make moonshine? EB: No sir, he was a Christian gentleman. He didn’t even drink it. My father’s brother was a 12 �Congressman. There is his picture on the wall. Served two terms in the United States Congress. And my father was against liquor. BB: What was his name? EB: E. Spencer Blackburn. Honorable E. Spencer Blackburn. BB: What was the year that he was in Congress? EB: Well, I’ve forgotten little darling boy. I was just a boy. In 1906 and 1908 I expect (Edmond Spencer Blackburn was a Republican U.S. Congressman from 1901-03 and 1905-07). You better put a question mark on that honey, because I was just a little boy. But he would visit my father often. Had a big, high silk hat and fine clothes. BB: What kin was he to you? EB: He was my uncle, my father’s brother. End of side I BB: Have you hunted and fished a lot? EB: Yes, fished a lot. Yes, it wasn’t against the law then to take a net and go into the river and catch fish by the bushel. BB: What about legends and stuff? Old folk tales and myths. Do you remember any? EB: No, not many. People used to tell us ghost tales and that would scare us nearly to death. BB: Who would tell them to you? EB: Old people. But they are all dead and gone many years ago. They would come by and tell us ghost stories you know, and we were afraid to look out of the house after the sun went down. BB: Do you remember any? EB: No, I can’t remember them. One old man lived down here on the river and a man went missing and the people never could find him. They thought he went and jumped in the river at a hole where it wasn’t frozen over. But never could find him. But then in the spring when the ice went out, the ice flow went out, why this old man down here on the river found five bones. What the doctor said was they were five bones of a man and he took them home and put the bones in the loft. He said that every night the five bones would just beat the floor all night. I’ve heard him tell that story many times. He said there was a beat on the floor. But he still had so far as I know, when he died – still had that beating on the floor. 13 �BB: Do you believe that? EB: Don’t believe a word of it, no. But I do believe that he had the bones because I heard people talk about the man disappearing. The man’s name was “Lookabill.” Something happened to his mind. A nice man, but he disappeared and never was found. That’s as close as anything that would come to a ghost story. But that’s just to me a folktale. I know nothing about that, only what was told. BB: Do you remember any old sayings? EB: No, I’ve forgotten them all. We used to have many of them. And they were all so good that they ought to have been remembered. BB: You ought to have written them down. EB: Yes, by all means. BB: If there was anything that you could change back, what would you change that’s now gone? EB: Well, if there was anything that I could change back I would have gone into preaching when I was 14 years old. And I went into the First World War without ever being a Christian. God wanted me to be a preacher when I was 14 years old, but I wanted to drink liquor and I put off preaching until I was about 22 years old. I would change that. BB: Is there anything that you would change in the community? EB: No, I doubt it. Just let her roll, just like it did. BB: Is there anything else you want to tell me? EB: Bless you. I don’t know much more little lad. The Lord blesses you. I never thought about anybody coming to talk to me about things like this because there are so many men that can tell you so much more than I could tell you. But there is nobody in this country much older than I am. BB: They say you are the oldest around? EB: I don’t know any men that are older than I am. I know one lady down here. No, not in this vicinity, I don’t know of any man that’s older than me. BB: And this is your mother? OB: This is my wife and she’s 81 years old. 14 �BB: What’s her name? EB: Ollie Blackburn. OB: I was Ollie Clawson. EB: She was a Clawson. OB: I waited through the war to marry him. EB: We were supposed to get married anytime, but I went to the war and left her here you know. BB: Were you raised here in Todd too? OB: No, I was raised in Watauga County. BB: In Watauga County? OB: Yes, this is Ashe County. EB: Yes, here we are across the line about a hundred feet. When you came up that road you were in Watauga; when you turned in to our house, why you are in Ashe County. BB: So you all live in Ashe County? EB: Just across the line. We pay our taxes on the Ashe side. BB: What was your childhood like? Did your mother teach you how to crochet and all? OB: She taught me how to sew and I sewed and made all my children’s clothes. During the Depression we had some pretty well to do folks and they gave us second hand clothes and I made them over for my children. Some of them got the prize for being the best-dressed in school there. EB: Out of second handed clothes. BB: During the Depression they got the best-dressed? EB: Yes, I guess it was during the Depression. They went to school well-dressed by ma working over old clothes, redoing them. BB: How long have you two been married? 15 �EB: Going on 54 years. We had a 50th anniversary three years ago this June. So this June we will have been married 54 years. BB: Have they all been good years? EB: All have been wonderful. Thank God, I would like to live them all over. Been good years. Ma’s been a darling. BB: How many grandchildren do you have? EB: Fourteen. BB: I bet you have a big Christmas don’t you? EB: Yes. Fourteen. And two great-grandchildren. BB: Do they all usually get home for Christmas? EB: Yes, usually. BB: What’s the difference in Christmas when you were small and Christmas now? EB: Oh, so much difference. When I was small if we got two sticks of candy and an orange we were well fixed. BB: Do you remember any great presents that you once got during Christmas? EB: No. I got a toy truck; as far back as I can remember and thought that was the greatest thing that could be delivered to anybody. OB: Tell him about your pistol. EB: Yes, I used to have a little gun when I was six years old. Lots of folks won’t let boys have pistols and I had a gun. I think this is the same one if I can find it here. OB: I guess it’s gone. EB: I had one like this when I was just a boy and I’d hunt with it you know. I would shoot grouse and rabbits when I was six years old. BB: So it’s a real pistol? EB: Oh, it’s a real .22 pistol. Break it down. That’s a real gun. Dangerous, it would kill you. Single barrel, a Stevens. 16 �BB: Do you still hunt? EB: I still hunt. BB: Do you still hunt with this? EB: No. I carry an automatic shotgun. BB: What do you think about the tourists? EB: Well, I think that they have ruined the mountains, is what I think of them. We can’t go anywhere and get anywhere but they do bring in some money but we were living well before they came. That’s not belittling them; that’s just what I think about them. BB: So you think that Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain… EB: Yes. I think its hurt the morale of the country. I do. And that’s just what I think. That’s my personal opinion. BB: Well, I agree with you. EB: Yes. I think its hurt the morale of the country. I do. And that’s just what I think. That’s my personal opinion. BB: Well, I agree with you. EB: Thank you dear. Bless you darling. Just about ruined us. BB: I hate to see the mountains torn down too. I think it’s real sad. EB: Thank you honey. BB: Is there anything that you want to tell me? Just anything that you would want somebody to know about you as a man? EB: No, I didn’t do well enough to want anybody to know anything about me darling. BB: I think you being a preacher… EB: I’ve done my best on that line. But we got many preachers. BB: Do you baptize? EB: I do. Baptize and marry folks. 17 �BB: You have a license to marry? EB: I do have a license to marry, yes. And to baptize and to establish churches. BB: What was your education? You got as far as… EB: Oh, I wouldn’t know. I just…it pushed me to get through the seventh grade I guess. We just had three months of school you know, when I went to school. Always commenced in September and would be out by Christmas. And we had to walk three miles. We have to walk three miles when I went to school most of the time. BB: So you got about as far as the seventh grade? EB: Yes, I guess it pushed me to go through the seventh grade. BB: Learn enough just to read and write? EB: I can read and write. And I can… OB: Figure (mathematics). BB: I would like to come down to your church sometime. EB: Well, you ought to come darling. You ought to come. You ought to bring some friends. I want you to go up by and look it over darling before you leave here this evening. Open the door, it will not be locked. Just open the door and go in and look around. What God has done. BB: How long has that church been there? EB: Well, this one has not been there that long…I guess 38 or 40 years. That right ma? About 38 years. BB: Is this your first church? EB: Yes, but the first church was burned down over there. BB: I know a good question. Do you remember the first time you preached? The very first time that you preached? EB: No. I don’t remember the first time I ever got up and took a text and preached from it. But for years before I ever went out into the ministry, before I was ordained I would hold funerals you know. So many people would send for Uncle Ed you know, to come and hold funerals. But I can’t remember the first time. 18 �BB: What were the funerals like? EB: Well, they haven’t changed much. They have gotten finer, but the same mode and the same lines. When I was growing up we didn’t know anything about undertakers in the mountains here. Just neighbors, dress people and made their caskets and put them in the ground. BB: When was the first time that you can remember that you preached? EB: I can’t remember. Can’t remember the first time that I ever was called to a funeral. Wish I could. I would like to try and recall the feeling, but I can’t remember to save my life. I’ve had hundreds of them. BB: It wasn’t a good feeling I guess. EB: Wasn’t so good. I was scared. Still am. BB: Are you still scared? EB: Still scared. Scared to death. BB: Do you preach from a text or do you just get up and talk? EB: I preach right out of a book. Never write down a note or take a note and just read by chapter – what I’m going to preach from and go to preaching. If there is one certain verse in it that I want to dwell on and talk about, I pick out such and such verse in such and such chapter and tell my people all I know about it. BB: Do you all have Sunday school? EB: We do have Sunday school every Sunday. One of the finest in the county. BB: What time does preaching start? EB: Eleven o’clock. Every second and fourth Sunday. BB: So you only have preaching the second and fourth Sunday? Why is that? EB: Well, because we found it’s the best. And because my people are not… OB: Well, he preaches in other places. EB: Yes, I’m gone a lot of the time and that gives me a chance to preach here twice a month and go somewhere else two times. 19 �BB: Oh, so you go other places? EB: I go to other places. BB: Where do you usually go? EB: Well, the last meeting I was in was at High Point. Evangelical Methodist in High Point. And next to that one, I go anywhere they call for me…anywhere from Ohio to Pennsylvania. BB: You’ve been up to Pennsylvania? EB: Yes sure, give two meetings in Pennsylvania and two meetings in the city of Baltimore. BB: Well, thanks a lot. EB: Honey, have I been any help to you? BB: I think you have. EB: Have you? Do you? God bless you. (Gives a prayer) “Father in heaven, here’s a lovely, pretty boy. I’d give a billion dollars, God, if I could be like him. But it’s gone from us God. And now Lord we pray that as long as he lives let him remember the two old people, the Blackburn’s on the hill. Came in to have an interview with them and we wasn’t wise enough to give him much of an interview. After he leaves we’ll think of many things that happened to us that might have been amusing to him. I pray you will take good care of this little boy God, and make his successful in the world. Help him to be a Christian gentleman. Because if he gains the whole world and loses his soul, what would he give for that pearl of great price, which is his soul. Take good care of the little boy. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen and amen. Bless you darling. You’re lovely.” End of interview 20 � https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/4615ce05bbb84565ef0b344f0a035eb4.jpg 817b249715bed6fffbc7216c9a3995e5 Omeka Image File The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files. Width 244 Height 293 Bit Depth 8 Channels 3 https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/7cdc319b184689f75ef7c4c69e5fbddc.jpg de048c4d6d65cd672c31b574af86b508 Omeka Image File The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files. Width 235 Height 278 Bit Depth 8 Channels 3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews Description An account of the resource In 1973, representatives from Appalachian State University (ASU) began the process of collecting interviews from Watauga, Avery, Ashe, and Caldwell county citizens to learn about their respective lives and gather stories. From the outset of the project, the interviewers knew that they were reaching out to the “last generation of Appalachian residents to reach maturity before the advent of radio, the last generation to maintain an oral tradition.” The goal was to create a wealth of data for historians, folklorists, musicians, sociologists, and anthropologists interested in the Appalachian Region. The project was known as the “Appalachian Oral History Project” (AOHP), and developed in a consortium with Alice Lloyd College and Lees Junior College (now Hazard County Community College) both in Kentucky, Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and ASU. Predominately funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities, the four schools by 1977 had amassed approximately 3,000 interviews. Each institution had its own director and staff. Most of the interviewers were students. Outgrowths of the project included the Mountain Memories newsletter that shared the stories collected, an advisory council, a Union Catalog, photographs collected, transcripts on microfilm, and the book Our Appalachia. Out of the 3,000 interviews between the three schools, only 663 transcripts were selected to be microfilmed. In 1978, two reels of microfilm were made available with 96 transcripts contributed by ASU. An annotated index referred to as The Appalachian Oral History Project Union Catalog was created to accompany the microfilm. The catalog is broken down into five sections starting with a subject topic index such as Civilian Conservation Corps, Coal Camps, Churches, etc. The next four sections introduced the interviewees by respective school. There was an attempt to include basic biographic information such as date of birth, location, interviewer name, length of interview, and subjects discussed. However, this information was not always consistent per school. This online project features clips from the interviews, complete transcripts, and photographs. The quality and consistency of the interviews vary due to the fact that they were done largely by students. Most of the photos are missing dates and identifying information. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965-1989 Sound A resource whose content is primarily intended to be rendered as audio. Artist Blackburn, Edward (interviewee) Ballock, Bill (interviewer) Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 01:04, Reflects on Todd and Ashe County, 00:32, World War One Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Edward Blackburn, March 2, 1973 Subject The topic of the resource Blackburn, Edward (1893-)--Interviews Todd (N.C.)--History--20th century Todd (N.C.)--Social life and customs--20th century Clergy--North Carolina--Todd--Biography Railroads--North Carolina--Todd--History--20th century Lumber trade--North Carolina--Todd--History--20th century Description An account of the resource Edward Eugene Blackburn was born on August 29, 1893 to Alex (b. 1852 – d. June 1, 1926) and Rhoda Howell Blackburn (b. February 12, 1856 – d. December 6, 1934). He was married to Ollie Clawson Blackburn (b. July 29, 1893 – d. June 1985). He grew up in the Todd community of Ashe County and served in the U.S. Army during the First World War with the 318th Field Hospital of the 80th Division. He experienced combat in France, which is briefly mentioned in the interview. Many affectionately knew him as “Brother Ed” or “Uncle .” The Reverend Ed Blackburn and his wife took over the leadership of The Tabernacle, a non-­‐denominational Holiness church across the hill from his childhood home. This church later became the Blackburn Community Church, was originally started by his father around 1910. His uncle was U.S. Congressman Edmond Spencer Blackburn (b. September 22, 1868 – d. July 21, 1912) who served in 1901-03 and 1905-­07. During the interview Ed Blackburn talks about growing up in rural Ashe County. Topics include explaining the rules to a game called “dare base,” and his experience working at a grist meal and laying railroad track as a young man. He also discusses the railroad in Todd, timber stripping, religion, and family. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/195" target="_blank">Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2-Mar-73 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright for the interviews on the Appalachian State University Oral History Collection site is held by Appalachian State University. The interviews are available for free personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that proper citation is used (e.g. Appalachian State Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989, W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection, Special Collections, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC). Any commercial use of the materials, without the written permission of the Appalachian State University, is strictly prohibited. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 20 pages Language A language of the resource English English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Document Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <kml xmlns="http://earth.google.com/kml/2.0"><Folder><name>OpenLayers export</name><description>Exported on Thu Oct 24 2013 13:40:14 GMT-0400 (Eastern Standard Time)</description></Folder></kml>||||osm Todd (N.C.) Ashe County childhood games Civil War folklore ministry railroad religion timber Todd Watauga County N.C. West Jefferson World War One https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/bfdcde28375a3728f55e2a2522b3adf3.mp3 a7181a389c8b26b4fa24fbbfdd87830c https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/835b560d15d983d54fa5c6a0eaf55317.txt c1edff10e75a42c5708b3924208e5d9a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews Description An account of the resource In 1973, representatives from Appalachian State University (ASU) began the process of collecting interviews from Watauga, Avery, Ashe, and Caldwell county citizens to learn about their respective lives and gather stories. From the outset of the project, the interviewers knew that they were reaching out to the “last generation of Appalachian residents to reach maturity before the advent of radio, the last generation to maintain an oral tradition.” The goal was to create a wealth of data for historians, folklorists, musicians, sociologists, and anthropologists interested in the Appalachian Region. The project was known as the “Appalachian Oral History Project” (AOHP), and developed in a consortium with Alice Lloyd College and Lees Junior College (now Hazard County Community College) both in Kentucky, Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and ASU. Predominately funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities, the four schools by 1977 had amassed approximately 3,000 interviews. Each institution had its own director and staff. Most of the interviewers were students. Outgrowths of the project included the Mountain Memories newsletter that shared the stories collected, an advisory council, a Union Catalog, photographs collected, transcripts on microfilm, and the book Our Appalachia. Out of the 3,000 interviews between the three schools, only 663 transcripts were selected to be microfilmed. In 1978, two reels of microfilm were made available with 96 transcripts contributed by ASU. An annotated index referred to as The Appalachian Oral History Project Union Catalog was created to accompany the microfilm. The catalog is broken down into five sections starting with a subject topic index such as Civilian Conservation Corps, Coal Camps, Churches, etc. The next four sections introduced the interviewees by respective school. There was an attempt to include basic biographic information such as date of birth, location, interviewer name, length of interview, and subjects discussed. However, this information was not always consistent per school. This online project features clips from the interviews, complete transcripts, and photographs. The quality and consistency of the interviews vary due to the fact that they were done largely by students. Most of the photos are missing dates and identifying information. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965-1989 Sound A resource whose content is primarily intended to be rendered as audio. Artist Critcher, Josie (interviewee) Ward, Karen (interviewer) Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 00:53, Making soap Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Josie Critcher, August 8, 1973 Description An account of the resource Josie Mae McGuire Critcher was born on May 10, 1876 to Paul McGuire and Laura Martinee Lewis from Ashe County. She married Gaither Critcher on April 27, 1898 and they had seven children that included Thelma, Lena, Willie, Jessie, Paul, Robert, and Hubert. Gaither was a farmer and carpenter, and also pruned trees and shrubbery. The entire family helped on the farm and mother Josie did the cooking, canned food for the winter, spun cloth to make clothes, made quilts, embroidered pillow cases, made scarves, and crocheted lace and fringe. She also taught weaving at Watauga Handicrafts in Boone. During the interview she talked about her parents, siblings, making soap, quilting, education, using lamps before electricity, and raising children. She died in June 17, 1977 at the age of 101. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/195" target="_blank">Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 8-Aug-73 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright for the interviews on the Appalachian State University Oral History Collection site is held by Appalachian State University. The interviews are available for free personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that proper citation is used (e.g. Appalachian State Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989, W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection, Special Collections, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC). Any commercial use of the materials, without the written permission of the Appalachian State University, is strictly prohibited. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 Language A language of the resource English English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <kml xmlns="http://earth.google.com/kml/2.0"><Folder><name>OpenLayers export</name><description>Exported on Thu Oct 24 2013 14:16:58 GMT-0400 (Eastern Standard Time)</description></Folder></kml>||||osm Boone (N.C.) Watauga County (N.C.) Subject The topic of the resource Critcher, Josie Mae McGuire--Interviews Ashe County (N.C.)--Social life and customs--19th century Ashe County (N.C.)--Social life and customs--20th century Watauga Handicrafts Center Ashe County cooking crafts Education farming quilt making Watauga Handicrafts https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/7279378da62d287a2467250bf1170b40.pdf 8f9a8b5d3b6eecb22ef29b88d6635df0 PDF Text Text Oral History Transcript Appalachian State University • Collection 111, Tape 122/123 Interviewee: Don Davis Interviewer: Donna Clausen 1973 July 5 This is an interview with Mr. Don Davis for the Appalachian Oral History Project by Donna Clausen on July 5, 1973. CD: Donna Clawson RD: Don Davis CD: Mr. Davis, when were you born? RD: July 30, 1986. CD: What year was it when you started school? RD: I suppose I started school in 1902. CD: What school did you go to? RD: Laurel Ford, a little school about a mile toward Todd, off on the right hand side of the road. CD: What kind of school was it? Was it one-room? RD: It was a one-room school. The house was made of “boxing,” we called it in those days. The plants set-up and down, and enclosed the house. Part of it was sealed; part of it wasn’t. It was a rather cold building in the winter. It was heated by a stove sitting near the middle of the room. You’d call it a shack if you saw it now. CD: Was it not a very large building? RD: Small building. CD: How many pupils were in the school? RD: I’m sorry that I don’t know, but there were pupils from the first to the seventh grade. I’d say 20 to 30. 1 �CD: How many teachers did you have? RD: One teacher, Miss Margaret Dobbins. She lived a half-mile from the school. CD: Did she board with someone or was she from the area? RD: Her home was in the area. She stayed at home. I passed by her house every morning as I went to school. I usually waited for her. CD: How far did you have to walk to school? RD: Oh, it was something over a mile. I doubt whether it was a mile and a half. CD: What time of year were you in school? RD: I think we started in September. The first school I went to, I guess, was for four months. CD: Can you remember your first day of school? RD: I’m afraid I can’t remember and pick out the first day as an individual, vivid picture. CD: Did you go through your entire seven years there? RD: No, I changed several times. When I had been going to school for three or four years, they moved the school house down to what I would refer to as Mr. James Miller’s bottom, and built another house. I don’t remember how many years I went to it, but when I was 12 or 13 a new district was created in this area. It was called the Tugman School District. They had to build a house, and for the first term they used a little storehouse that belonged to Mrs. Emma Stevens, about a mile and a half from where we are on the road toward Boone. Then the following year they had the Tugman Schoolhouse built, which was on the road toward Boone near where Donald Woodring now lives. It was a much better house than I’d been accustomed to, but it had only one large room and one teacher. CD: What kind of subjects did you study in school? RD: We studied the traditional subjects I guess: reading, writing, and arithmetic. To that were added geography and history, civil government, physiology. And the last year that I went to the Tugman School we studied a course in elementary agriculture. CD: Did one teach all those subjects? 2 �RD: One teacher attempted to teach all the subjects. The last year that I went to Tugman School, I went there, I guess, three years, a couple of the seventh grade boys assisted a little by working with the second and third grades part of the time. CD: What kind of equipment and furnishings did the school have when you were going to school? RD: When I went to the first school there were no desks, and crude benches. I’m not sure in the second school whether we had any desks, but still it was largely benches. In the Tugman School we had well-constructed desks, through they were homemade. But they had sufficient room for our books, and the top of the desk was large enough to keep all our books and for our writings. CD: What kind of writing materials did you have? RD: The first writing equipment that I recall was what we called a slate. It was made of a type of rock, and had a wooden frame around it. We marked on it with what we called a slate pencil, which was also some type of rock. And of course we had some paper. But I can remember when it was something to have a paper tablet in school, and a pencil to write with. CD: Did you have textbooks for every subject? RD: No, we didn’t have any writing books that I recall. Any books that we had were individually owned. At least they were not furnished by the state or county. It was hoped that each child would have a set of books. Often, it wasn’t true. Many times, two or three pupils tried to work from the same book. CD: What did you do for recreation, like when you had a recess or something? RD: We played various types of ball, and what we called “Dare base.” We threw the ball over the house, caught it over there, ran around on the other side, and went around and the fellow on the other side caught it and ran around the people on that side before he could get around to the opposite side, and thereby caused him to belong to the side which had been successful. In the Dare-base, we divided into teams, somebody chose the players. One from one side would go over and touch something near the other side that they dared us to touch, and then they attempted to catch us before we could get back to the home base. If they did, we became their player. Of course the game was won if they could catch all of those players. CD: Did boys and girls play that game? RD: Yes. Another game we played was a game called “Bull-pen.” It was a type of ball where part of the players were in a circle and part of them were inside the circle. The ones that composed the circle would hit a boy within the circle, and then they would run a certain distance to a defined spot. 3 �The one whom they’d hit would stand at a definite place and try to hit one of the players who’d formed the circle. If they could hit him, he had to come inside the circle, and the other fellows were around him. CD: That sounds exciting. What kind of discipline did the teacher use? RD: Various kinds of discipline. All the teachers that I recall used various types of corporal punishment. Sometimes they switched pupils; sometimes they paddled them in the hand with a ruler. Sometimes they had them stand on one foot. Some had them put their nose in a ring on the blackboard, and then put each hand up on the board at a mark and stand for a definite time. An they were kept it, if they wouldn’t study or misbehaved. When the others went out, they were assigned something to do inside. And there were times when they were required to learn something extra because they’d been lazy and hadn’t learned what they should’ve learned. CD: Did they ever have to memorize anything? RD: Yes. Sometimes they memorized as a form of punishment. I guess that was bad, but the teacher had to do something. Teachers, then as now, I presume, were often at their wit’s end to know what was best to do to control the children. Various teachers had various rules, of course. Some expected a much quieter room than others. Some were stricter about the lesson being well-prepared than others. That, I supposed, still holds. CD: Can you remember the qualifications that your teachers had to have to teach? RD: The earliest teacher that I had was reported to have had a first-grade certificate. That doesn’t mean a certificate to teach the first grate. There were “First-grade” and “Second-grade” certificates issued by the county superintendent when the teachers had followed and completed a definite line of work. It was assumed that a teacher who had a First-grade certificate would be a superior teacher to one who had a second. There may have been “Third-grade” certificates. I’m not sure about that. As now, a certificate was not always definite proof of what type of teaching a person would be able to do. CD: Do you know what kind of salary the teachers received? RD: My first teacher received a dollar a day. When I first attempted to teach I received a dollar and a quarter. The last day I ever taught, I received more salary than I did in the first month, or any month of my first year. 4 �CD: Where did you go to school after you finished grade school? RD: Appalachian Training School. There were no high schools available in this area where one could stay home and go to high school. Because of that I didn’t go to high school as soon as I should have gone. I went back to grade school. I might have entered high school if there’d been one located close enough home so that I could’ve stayed at home and gone. CD: What year did you start at Appalachian Training School? RD: The beginning of 1917, I guess. CD: Did you have to stay there to go to school? RD: Yes. I boarded with a Mr. Henry Lewis and his family. CD: How long did you go to school there? RD: I went to Appalachian Training School, and Appalachian State Normal, and Appalachian Teachers College off and on, periods in the summer. I went one full year during the time but largely taught in the regular school years. During that time I taught in the regular school year. Sometimes I began at Christmas because schools closed in those days generally before Christmas. Other times I just went to summer school, sometimes one summer term and sometimes two. There was a time when I needed credit toward a certificate, thought I did, that Appalachian wasn’t prepared to give and I went to the University to the summer school: two summer schools in 1928, two summer schools in 1929 at Chapel Hill. Then I had the certificate equivalent to what one would secure by graduating from a four-year college. But it seemed after I’d secured that that I still wasn’t satisfied with the training and I continued until I finally earned a degree from Appalachian, which was issued in 1937. CD: What was the first year that you began teaching? RD: In the fall of 1917. CD: Where were you teaching? RD: Zionville. As an assistant teacher in a two-teacher school. CD: What subjects did you teach? RD: I had first, second, and third grades. We had reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic, largely. 5 �CD: At that time, had the schools changed a lot from when you had been in grade school? RD: The schools were about the same then that they were when I was in grade school, and whatever methods I had were, to a great extent, borrowed from the teachers that I had gone to in grade school. CD: Where did you teach after you finished teaching there? RD: I taught there for five years, but there were intervals that I didn’t teach. Once I went to a camp near the close of the First World War. I didn’t teach that year. Then I went back and taught a year. Then I went to school a whole year. And then I guess I went back and taught . All together I taught five years there. And then I came from there to Todd, and I taught 17 years at Todd. Then I went to Jefferson and taught two years, then went to Lansing and taught four years. And then I came back to Todd and taught enough to make 32 years in all at Todd. I went to Jefferson thinking that I would be a teacher only, but it developed that I had to be the principal of a school because the principal resigned to go into defense work before the school opened. And I went to Lansing because they needed a principal. That was during World War II, and the school personnel was scarce. Had to use teachers, oft times that were not really qualified, so far as credits earned at school were concerned, to be teachers. Some of them did excellent work in spite of that. Lansing was a large school, the largest in the county. It was a union school, had 12 grades, and between, as I recall, six or seven hundred. CD: Did you teach as well as being principal? RD: I taught some. As much as the county superintendent would permit me to teach. He had a notion that there were a lot of other things that were important for a principal to do besides teach. And I agreed that he was right. I remember teaching American history and sociology in the Lansing School. I recall having had a class of 9th grade math one year. I also had world history, sometimes. It seems to me now, as I think back, that I had two or three periods of teaching a day. Various subjects during the four years. I taught geography sometimes. CD: Do you prefer teaching or being a principal? RD: Well, I’m not sure how you answer that. I’d say yes, without hesitation if one could have what he considered an efficient principal all the time. Its not always easy to teach if the principal is unable or unwilling to establish procedures for the school to follow that make what one considers a good school. CD: Were there a lot of changes in the curriculum over the years that you taught? 6 �RD: The curriculum expanded considerably during the years I taught. It was enlarged to include many things that hadn’t been included before, and its been enlarged even since I’ve quit teaching to include still other things. Now, I think the curriculum is perhaps the best it’s been. I’m heartily in favor of things they’ve added wherein a child could learn by using his hands to do things that he can use later in life as an occupation, whereby he could make a living. Carpentry and bricklaying, plumbing and auto mechanics, and typing and bookkeeping: Things that will function after the schooldays are over. CD: Do you think that variety is important in a curriculum? RD: Yes, indeed. I think that variety is very important. Now it’s to me quite noticeable that there’s so much more for children to choose from than there used to be. When I worked in the high school at Todd, I was principal there a couple of years, but mainly I worked in the high school there for a number of years. It was a small high school. We had few teachers, four, I guess, though it was accredited. And that was the smallest number one could be accredited for, I guess. But we had what was called a cut-and-dried curriculum. And whether you liked the subject or not, you must take it. If you graduated from the school you had to have 16 units and you had to take all the courses offered to get 16. After a while, it got a little better. And now, is consolidated high schools (Todd High School consolidated at Beaver Creek with Fleetwood and West Jefferson to make the Beaver Creek High School), they have so much additional in the way of courses to offer that its quite gratifying for e to know that a child doesn’t have to take world history if its meaningless to him. And that he’s not obliged to take French if he has no interest or understanding of it, things like that. CD: How do you feel about certain required courses? Do you feel that some courses should be required? RD: I think I do. I would want a child to know something of the background of his country, and I think for that reason American history is a must. Since we try to speak the English language, even though we do it quite poorly, I think English is a must. Of course, if you aim to write, you must know how to spell some. And if you aim to write, you must know how to form your letters. So I think there are a number of courses that one would say has to be required. But I’m quite happy that everything isn’t required; that a child has a right to choose now from among many courses. CD: Do you think math courses should be required? RD: I don’t know how much math should be required. Math, like French, is somewhat of a 7 �riddle to some people. They don’t seem to have an aptitude or interest for it. However, we have to count to do any business. And one does need to know the basics. CD: How have the qualifications for teaching changed over the years? RD: Well, it’s unbelievable to one who hasn’t thought about it. When I began teaching, qualifications were determined by the availability of somebody with some learning to work in the school. If they’d been high when I was a youngster, I think the schools would have had to remain closed. Now they consider a person reasonably well qualified if he has a master’s degree. Some counties a few years ago would hardly employ one who didn’t have a master’s degree. I think maybe they’re not quite as strict on that in Watauga as they were 10 years or longer ago. There are many positions now that one must have at least a master’s degree to fill and its desirable to have a doctor’s degree. Watauga elected a superintendent the other day that I used to teach over a Lansing. He has a doctor’s degree. I’ve been extremely proud of him because o the progress he’s made in the acquiring the necessary understandings to be what I hope will be an outstanding superintendent for Watauga. I think now that degree is generally expected from anybody, certainly a beginning teacher. There may be some still teaching who haven’t a degree who worked, raising their certificate without earning a degree. But I don’t think there’s anyone beginning teaching now without a degree. I don’t know that that’s so. You could find out. CD: I doubt that you could. It’s hard enough to get jobs with degrees. RD: Of course I’m speaking of those subjects that must have a learned background that’s learned from books. There are people teaching bricklaying and carpentry, and those kindred subjects like auto mechanics and things like that who don’t have degrees. They don’t have to have them to teach those subjects. 8 � https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/0bacb7c67ddd82623c1891caed2c2ae7.mp3 926b22193be83e92f3ff03378e1576b2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews Description An account of the resource In 1973, representatives from Appalachian State University (ASU) began the process of collecting interviews from Watauga, Avery, Ashe, and Caldwell county citizens to learn about their respective lives and gather stories. From the outset of the project, the interviewers knew that they were reaching out to the “last generation of Appalachian residents to reach maturity before the advent of radio, the last generation to maintain an oral tradition.” The goal was to create a wealth of data for historians, folklorists, musicians, sociologists, and anthropologists interested in the Appalachian Region. The project was known as the “Appalachian Oral History Project” (AOHP), and developed in a consortium with Alice Lloyd College and Lees Junior College (now Hazard County Community College) both in Kentucky, Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and ASU. Predominately funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities, the four schools by 1977 had amassed approximately 3,000 interviews. Each institution had its own director and staff. Most of the interviewers were students. Outgrowths of the project included the Mountain Memories newsletter that shared the stories collected, an advisory council, a Union Catalog, photographs collected, transcripts on microfilm, and the book Our Appalachia. Out of the 3,000 interviews between the three schools, only 663 transcripts were selected to be microfilmed. In 1978, two reels of microfilm were made available with 96 transcripts contributed by ASU. An annotated index referred to as The Appalachian Oral History Project Union Catalog was created to accompany the microfilm. The catalog is broken down into five sections starting with a subject topic index such as Civilian Conservation Corps, Coal Camps, Churches, etc. The next four sections introduced the interviewees by respective school. There was an attempt to include basic biographic information such as date of birth, location, interviewer name, length of interview, and subjects discussed. However, this information was not always consistent per school. This online project features clips from the interviews, complete transcripts, and photographs. The quality and consistency of the interviews vary due to the fact that they were done largely by students. Most of the photos are missing dates and identifying information. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965-1989 Sound A resource whose content is primarily intended to be rendered as audio. Artist Davis, Ron (interviewee) Clausen, Donna (interviewer) Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 00:44, Bullpen ball game Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Ron Davis, July 5 1973 Description An account of the resource William Ron Davis was born in Todd, North Carolina on July 30, 1896, attended college at Appalachian Training School for Teachers (later became Appalachian State University) starting in 1917, then taught in Watauga and Ashe Counties for 32 years. He passed away on March 9, 1978 at the age of 81. During his interview, Ron reflected on his rearing in rural Ashe County including his education, the rules to games they played as children, and discipline. He spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on education including his thoughts on how education has changed. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Davis, Ron Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/195" target="_blank">Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 5-Jul-73 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright for the interviews on the Appalachian State University Oral History Collection site is held by Appalachian State University. The interviews are available for free personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that proper citation is used (e.g. Appalachian State Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989, W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection, Special Collections, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC). Any commercial use of the materials, without the written permission of the Appalachian State University, is strictly prohibited. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 8 pages Language A language of the resource English English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <kml xmlns="http://earth.google.com/kml/2.0"><Folder><name>OpenLayers export</name><description>Exported on Thu Oct 24 2013 14:25:20 GMT-0400 (Eastern Standard Time)</description></Folder></kml>||||osm Todd (N.C) <kml xmlns="http://earth.google.com/kml/2.0"><Folder><name>OpenLayers export</name><description>Exported on Thu Oct 24 2013 14:25:20 GMT-0400 (Eastern Standard Time)</description></Folder></kml>||||osm Ashe County (N.C.) Subject The topic of the resource Davis, William Ron--Interviews Appalachian Training School for Teachers (N.C.) Teachers--North Carolina--Ashe County--Interviews Teachers--North Carolina--Watauga County--Interviews Appalachian State University Ashe County children games discipline Education Elkville Lansing Todd Watauga County N.C.