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A
Mrs. Texas Ilorgan
Venue, Florida
116/7/3C
Barbara Sorry A ruey
Maria 'too moves the yard with an apron full of vegetables *doh
o no dumped upon the back steps; this, as several little pigs and a few
ohiskons same forward to investigate, she loaned to 460 of the group of
five or six ehildren following at her heels: "Teeny, take them collards
an turnips right on to the kitchen."
Dusting her hands upon her apron she tee to the gate which was
firmly fastened with several 'trends of barbed wire and proceeded to
*pale it. 'won't you 0:7110 in," she said shyly, "sty haus* ain't very tidy
and y:44 must some the looks of things. itionis like I'm so busy all the
time with my garden an the yaunguns, I don't have time to clean up much."
•Je this wont up the steps and across the rickety porch into the
front room shore we stood and talked for a while. "Then chairs ain't
vary strong, but you san set an this bed. I know this spread looks kind
or dirty for the younguns will wailer on it."
:Atria stated that she was born in Florida in a nearby county, but
W40 OUS not sure *ether it was Hardee or JO At o, about forty..two years
ago. „ihe tnJught she might be of Jpanish lineage but was not sure of
that as she had nevtir heard her parents discuss their ancestry, and all
of h..4r grand -parents died bet ore she was born. "Umetines people ask
me if I an 4anish became I an so dark of skin an have such big dark
eyes, they always tell me, but I don't know, an what difference would
it make anyway, I'd just be right on living like 1 am now.
26019
Mrs. Texas Morgun
Venue, Florida
l/7/3b
Barbara Barry oarsey
°I was the fifth of smien chilies*, and was raised on a farm and
I learnt to do must all the kinds of farm work just as god as a ,h1B
could. I mover went to sehool mush for I didn't like it and my Pa he
sunted we to work on the farm at of the tins.
"John and I got married about twenty pars ago and u4 oldoat boy,
Jia, he's ninetoen now. John came nitre from a Asc. called ',;arolina.
tia ma'am, I don't know if it vas isorth or 'Ocuth. Carolina is all I ever
hoard aim say. as vas a farmer too and we skrted in to farm on a
little patch of my Pa's fara but we didn't do so well.
"med iike John just didn't tail' to the uays here and he vas
kinda queer and never w_uld listen to n000dy. My family didn't like it
much the any ha acted but we stayed on there about two years, tnen Jahn
gut reol mad with my Pa and he moved us over hers only we lived way out
in tho woods near a swamp than. I didn't mind living out there, I liked
it for there didn't nobody bother us, we lived so tar out. hits:, you
left the hard road you had to travel the grade for a long ways and then
walk through a patch of weeds for nigh on a mils, so didn't many people
sons to visit as. I never was much to visit anyway, semis like."
aria looked around her littla rod. p any furnished rom and
siged. "This hare little house it's much better than what we had oat
yonder. John, he allays was queer and he said we didn't flood no Ituse
so he built as a shelter of palmetto leaves and pet a floor in it and
we limed there. 4tar a while hi fenced it all round and Got some pigs
and chickens and we had em all right there with us. Una* a man said
he woad give Jahn lumber for a house but that made John awful mad and
Mrs. Texas t4organ
Venus, Florida
14/7/34
Barbara Berry oarse;
as wouldn't have it. He said ballad always lived just likiewas than and
he didn't want to *hangs.*
A look of tsar one into her dark eyes as Oba potored about the
vont "We lived there for a long long time and it basalt been 4t most
four years we boon a livin here now. John he kinder went out his head
and took his shotgun and said he was agoin to kill as all, so 1 got the
youngune togethervwwthet littler one woe just a tiny baby then.awn we ran
into the woods and Aid from him all day. e could bear him warantin
and amwousein and sometimes aosingin gospel songs and we sure vas 'tetrad.
Jona sundown we gads our any to neighbor an another fern about seven
niles off an we all stapod thure for the nigbt. The nox day we got to
town and folks that's looked after us. They got Jim a place to work oa
a poultry farm an they fixed up this old plase for us and here wo boom
over ilium."
liaria.puused as it looking book to the shelter in the swaup that
was her home for so long. Vest of those younguas Ins born any oat th-ro.
1 mover had no doitor tend we, just a nigger wean most the time, but
there wus timas 'hen there vasn't no one there with me but John. 4hen
he went crazy 1 had to grab the little baby out the bed and run with it
in my arms."
he wont an to say that the family had never hod Duch medical
Alla they were Pun the Relief a stares went to see her and then same
again and said the 'bolo family must be treated for worms. Mat made John
mad too but the nurse's* firm and even tame out to give the treatments.
Mrs. 'iconic ;org-n
Venus, eioriJa
147/ 3ts
Aaroara:orry cruoy
'Amon John's eyes got so 'hod hu could hardly ace to work so they were
troatod and gla000s fitted. 'Ito ahildren are rarely ill and cactur oil
ie about all they ever took.
"John went an loot his mind over tninkin t -o much abut religion.
cot so he wouldn't work even in the garden and would just oet out ondor
o. trot) n worry whothr or not he was saved. ,A) didn't go to church much.
,ay -ut that*: it la to fur to walk. how I go to chureh oeiA) when on
Gad 1 t-ke all the J.Aincunci along. ,ome times we walk the crl,dei other
ties 0.biawody comae and picks us up and isrrieu us to town. Jim he gives
to the church and oometimos he gives the yunguns penAes to -at in the
basket Jost like the other chillens do an he zlotys gives me a dime to
t%ke. I don't now at the ehuroh is with all that m,ney. The prener
le .last be powerful rich if thuy Live it ell to him. iiut anyway they al•.
ways ask ue for it. I never know just what the preacher is a sayin, ho
talks too fast but I like to watch him an I sure loves to her the sinLin.
I have a A.ble Out I don't read muoh on account of 4 eyec ain't so good,
Out I u'ius to git the youngune to rend it sometimes. It's kinder hard
for me to read anyway eueue I never want to school much cause I didn't
like to o and would rather du farm work, hat good is sehoolin for a
women anywayl They get on just an well.
"I want my yoongans to le_.rn reizi and writin Oettern i did. ,ney
might need it sometime but I do.. 't see n use much in more than that.
rihese youngene always tryin to tell mo ab.ut a)me fancy learnin they at
Kite. ortun
Venos, qorido
lk/V30
eurbaro lorry reey
Lt iionooi,ohousu, Lot 1 don't as oue in it. Jonn, au oolo rcoo und
writo rool well end rigger U41,10 to ono ther ho is roiw uwai ,ut nder U.
olabolf. Atut good did it do :AM
'..hen Joan run us off es didn't have no money, but we never all ha
ly oono anyway. Alen Jim gut work at the chicken fi-rm he i,ot fifty cants
o doyu ho give) it all to me. i.aw ao MIAGE dollar on o ou rt.:x a 44
out :0) 4.e to keep uo:oa ui it. ,io'a growin up now, y,:.su knot), and oot girls
on aiuilnd. e luid to stay right at the f rm all the time at first to
tend to bid-i u at niiht un start lightb so the heho could get up early
.4;4 oat Olforo ounup. 1.ow he don't hoot) to work taut hard but no don't
Let ILdmo muqh.
4)motimeti 4o °wool' on -otord.y on utoys over Aindoy, but
io„ot Akely ho juut Q106 b little while on undly afturn,on. Le gits
hit; board on we it sone ornaod o6Ls an etowitiues u chicken on it 'elpu
a lot.
"I do .torm werk to; an uo do my oldest girls. They don't I ke to
Eo tu o;ool anymore an I guec, thuy got enough oonolin anyway. .4en
we ore to thiu oleos i used t curry the boUp.athat little one ',hero
in ;4 hrus with that no one stetogtAn ulong, h,Iding moetly to airt
or hand, an wall, soaatimos five ioilo to a ocmgabore to work. ,orlotimen
bore wo got toero I had to carry both these youngune. ;hen L did form
wrArk, wbutovor they tt.1.4 me to do, sometimes I hoed orn, or picked
dowse an boon, or oheilod oouns for market. i got my dinner and sometan
to curry 1141AS t tie other y.:unganu shJ be at school then, an came
tables. never was ration to eat vegotobles except ooL,are or collaroe
oo4led witi side moot, but suMetimos we got so hungry an we d_dn't
have n,.thin out veLetoolee so that I.:ft:mod us to eot most all kinds,
mem
are, Texas Menia
Venus, ;florid*
11/7/3a
earbara 3orry Dares,
lik* beau* an sueh."
ale paused us if raealiing sommothing and then .aids %we time when
.1411n was ost the Haifa A woman same out from the big town to tell us all
what to eat and now to cook it. .1 didn't go to the,meetin,but I tasard
about it. ishat's the use it that! Life is just life, an vegetables just
grov au we all oan °oak them. deems like that woman didn't want us to
boil our grouns with iota of side meat for a lengths., *ay they ain't
fitters to aut ifen you dun't epAi then thataway: rtn6 ane said tho flour
dough fried bread wusn't fitten to out. I glees she never tasted none of
it. 4hen it's fried in hog fat they just ain't nothin any better."
"Jthor time they nantlad to give us olothes for the younguns an
us too and lunehes for th* yaungun* ;pin to sohool. That as John awful
Mod uhd he ,aouldn't talc, none of it. Ate said he knowed it were a trap
of some kind an he ww.uld sure hove to pay for it all sometime, or else
go to jail an het always tias fruid of jail." Uaria paused, shook her head
sadly, and at fariedmemy look WAWA into nor large eapressive gly**2 '"They
was utimrs took all them things an they did have suoh putty clothes an
this, neva, had to poy for them or go to jail neither."
Hhe then looked lovingly at her family olustored about her. "How
seems to we thet I got a lot of younguns. Unly sight. I know some folks
got a Uosen or wore. Cissesti I'd a had threcomfour nor. oome this time It
John hadn't run us off like he did. I have heard tell of some folks not
havin younons ghat they oughter. That's real sinful, I think an it's
*gin nature too, Jost like taiin all that medielna that tins the nurse
made us de. The Lord He don't want as to do all them things; it ain't right.
Oro. Sexes rgvn
Venus, Florida
147/38
Barbara ilorry oareey
lie kLider hard ANNO times gittin enough food an clothes for all my
younguns. The church, it wanted to help us one, but I'm kinder like John
tnataway, I just don't lilt* for people to give we things less I know em
real 7011 an then I want to work for sm. Jim's money don't go so far.
'A -bingo do cost a awful let these hare days, but people don' have more
youaguns than they should and they just get to take their share."
Ovation of polities and votIft brought 4 blank etare, and tit/hi
,"Jim, he wants to vote, whatever that means. I don't vadoral,nd within
about that and don't want to. It ain't for women anyway an the lesser
we knows about it the bettor off we is. got enough to do tondin my
younguns an my garden an workin for other farmers thJot menoin up in vote.
in." Meria's eyes fairly snapped in the first rota emotion one had
evinced.
v,ie talked of town and city life and she stinted; "Jim, he talks
some of movin to the city Cut I won't gel. I like this life now we got
used to it. 1 guests it's better here than livin say out yonder in the
swamp, though I ain't newer thought much about it. But nulls in the city.'
1,-.A.ka pester luJ too much. More comes here to see me than what they did
when we lived out peador but I don't go to see them lose I have work to
do there. I don't want folks aimeemin in and a*tellin me what to do, how
to run my house, an tend my youngune. This way suits no an it's any life.
(Jut hero we don't have much sioknoso neither lika I hear toll they have
in town. 5ems lik. someone iø alsaye sick there. 3ometimee one of my
younguna has the colic an I give him plenty of castor oil and be sou* /site
01,
L r,.'„ozas
-Lrbt.ru
well. If lie 11,0 t *tb iurtin I let ilia. puck undat rend it n it WiL
btOp 14artin rwil soon.
,nuff s good tor ear won() too. if y..d blow it o..an
to ear. it C-n't Cjl aa go -d at first but so:41 nelou. I don't want no
Uf 4 'UV -124 in frau -ut yonder wet. on'.,tigh an I bo satisfied with my
644 of livin. I don't sou why foiku Limeys go a troLnin round frow, place
to
don't they ;it a ?lace and stay there!"
,utteral of the smaller children had gate aut to tho yard and were
ne bail. tiaria gdoed at :lam ponuively and &midi "Jann, de never
did lot no caildr n olay not even 14 the cloarin at tha swamp. AO said
wnen they had tie they should set an think an tiger if they was saved
or not.
wt they don't take neon to that. pseud maybe it'll come 1410.
or with them. :ioeme like they juut ot to have a little fun tut 1 lot em
ilay iota and don't poster em all the time. 'int* is good youngons as any
wili find an I lot the two girls ga to little pas -Lisa sometimes. I
alwaye make am i'romise not to danco for that sure io tho aevil's work.
Li u..drse I ain't got nuch say over Jim flaw, bet always pet,ter him about
it unoin to.
vused and owned in deep thought for sane conds, then vi nod
ond said: "jahn. ho came here one° a long time ago an tried ij git us to
OUL ut yorador t. the swaLm with him but I wouldn't go. I was seuree
:ha look IL ie yes, kinder rod, like when tic 'af,66 awfol mad about some•
"alhe town foli:s they told dir4 if he oestored me twin they would put
;lit! in Jail an I goes 'Met deared him pretty bad :or he in't pestered ma
4., more an I ain't soon din for a long Whilo naw but sometimes he talks
to tdo yaongune in towii..