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FEDERAL WRITERBI PROJEOT
Miami, Florida
Mabel B. Francis
Utter
1,925 words
e Pages
THE NEWTON FAMILY
John Newton Blair's family
Rural Route #1
Pembrook Road
North Miami, Florida
December 14, 1938
Walter A, DeLamater
Bituaied on a little farm near Miami, Florida is the small
cottage that is the home of Jack and Margaret Newton and their
three small children, Joanne, eight years old, Betty five, and Jack
junior, two.
The farm consists of about seven and a half acres of land, half
of whioh is fairly productive muck, suitable for the growing of
vegetables. Black—eyed peas, tomatoes, corn, squash and okra are
the chief crops with a sprinkling of small patches of radishes, car—
rots, onions and other necessities for the family table. The bal—
anoe of the land, Whioh is mostly a sandy loampis used or a few
citrus trees, papaya plants and for the house, barn and pasturage.
The house is a four room frame bungalow, well built, but badly
in need of repairs. The roof leaks in one or two places and a few
of the side boards are somewhat warped. Inside the house, which
found to be kept neat and clean and the floor freshly scrubbed, are
two bedrooms a dining room and a small kitchen.
The furniture is a collection of odd plates gathered here and
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there, a few of which are home.mado from packing boxes and orange
orates. There were a few scattered rugs on the floors and clean
muslin curtains at the windows.
There is no electricity or running water, but upon sampling
the pump water, I found it to be of expellent taste. They do have,
however, a modern gasoline operated washing machine to do the fam-
ily washing and a three burner kerosene stove to cook on.
The livestock consists of two come, named 'Bobbed -Tail' and
"Gold's," about sixty-five chickens, twelve ducks, two white rab-
bits, two dogs of undetermined origin, and three oats, besides
Joanne's two pet gophers which she keeps in a little pen no they
cannot run away.
Joanne, the oldest, is a bright, blue-eyed little girl with
golden brown hair. She is fond of all the animals and has even
found names for most of the chickens. How she tells them apart so
easily is a mystery to everyone.
She has sot out a dented garbage Oan cover on an old tree
stump. This she always keeps full of fresh, clean water and it
makes quite a practical bird bath, muoh used by the birds. Joanne
is especially fond of a small oovy of quail which can be constant-
ly heard calling about the place. They have become so tame that
they will approach within fifteen feet of the house in search of
food. Under no circumstances, will she allow anyone to shoot them,
in season or out.
Joanne attends school during the winter and seems to be get—
ting along very well. She likes to meet other children with whom
she has lots of fun when not too busy with her animals. She is
proud of being "such a big girl" and spends muoh of her time in
looking after and trying to mother her little brother and sister.
letty, the next eldest, looks somewhat like Joanne but is
very different in disposition. 3he is quiet and retiring and I
was unable to get any response from her. She would just look at
me and mAle Ihen I tried to talk to her, then ran off somewhere
out e sight. Her mother said that she is always very bashful with
strangers.
Little Jack, who is very mischievous, is just old enough to
get into everything and every body's way. His special delight is
to knock over Joanne's bird bath and then run as fast as he can
to hide behind his mother's skills. This is Joanne's chief worry
in life and she has begged her Daddy to build a small fence around
her bird bath. He smiles at her anxiety but he has promised to
do as she asks at the first opportunity.
The morning that I visited the :ewton farm, I found them all
at hone, exoept Jack. It was a rather chilly morning and Margaret,
the mother, dii not think that Joanne should go to school because
)f i night cold. She thought the warm sunshine would be the best
remedy for the chill's coll.
Margaret was getting everything ready to do the family wash—
ing and as I drove up she greeted me with her usual pleasant smile.
I have known the family casually for some time. Then I toll her
my mission, and asked her if she would cooperate with me in giving
me a few details of her life, she smiled brightly and said., "I've
never thought much about the things I do in life. I guess I keep
too busy, but I will be only too glad to give you any information
that I can. I have always taken everything as it came along and
just figured that we live about the same as other folks do around."
in she stool there by the washing machine, Margaret made a
pleasing picture. She is a small, well built woman about 35 years
of age, rather prettyf ler dark complexion, blue eyes and brown—
ish colored hair are an unusual combination. She was dressed in a
neat green cotton house dress but was bare footed. Ihe told ma
later that the only time he wore shoes was when she knew that com—
pany was orrning or on her weekly tripe to town. 9he does not like
to wear them then, she said, but must do so for convention sake.
o -re of tle ohiliren wore shoes except Joanne who only lore them
when she went to school.
Then asked how she occupied her time, Margaret said:
'flack gets up at five o'clock every morning and feeds the
ellickJns, luo%s and other anillals, then he milks the owls. I get
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up at six o'clock to cook his breakfast and fix his lunch. 3Y
6:30 Jack has finished with his chores and we eat breakfast, which
usually consists of grits, eggs, biscuits ?nd coffee. Sundays, re
have pancakes and syrup or honey.
R3y seven o'clock, Jack is ready to go to work. He works in
a lumber yard about six miles from here and goes back and forth in
a 12711 Ford sedan, --the same oar that we came to Florida in," she
added. "After Jack leaves it is time to get the children dressed
and feed and get Joanne off to school. Joanne takes a school bus
that picks the children up along the way.
"Then I either wash my clothes or go to work in the garden,
chopping a few weeds and picking some vegetables. I work this way
every Jay until 12:30, when I must stop and fix 'some lunch for
myself and the children. After lunch and in the heat of the day
I just -cannot work in the open no I tidy up my house and, if I
have a little time to spara, I lie down for a little While and make
the ohildren do the same.- At three o'clock Ilm at the garden a—
gain for about an hour and then I must stop to feed the chickens
and milk the 00il,. 2y that time, it is about five o'clock and
Jack has come home from work so I must start preparing supper.
"After Jack gets home he works in the garden, picking and hoe—
ing until dark, then we have our supper. You see we oannot waste
any daylight hours. Jack also works all day Sunday in the field.
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This :roes on -ithout much change from day to day except that on
3aturday night we bundle the children into the oar and we all go
into to -xi to do our weekly shopping, after 41lich we see a moviie."
nye do not have very much in the way of ready cash," contin-
ued :largaret, "but I suppose we are a lot better off than lots of
folks. We are all healthy and happy together so I guess we have
just as nioe a living as anyone. Although Jack only makes A2.00
a week at the lumber company, we have managed to keep ourselves
well and always have plenty of good substantial food to eat. That
ever we have left over in vegetables, we trade or sell to the net-
ghbors or to the local store for something we need. Ye try to
manage our farm so that we always have some kind of fresh vege-
tables at all times of the year. I preserve some and we always
store up a supply of field corn to feel the cows and chickens -Then
the grass is not so good.
hope to get ue a :ew hogs next year so we can have our own
fresh pork. About once a week, Jack will shoot a couple of rabbits
and, of course, we have our chickens. e only eat the roosters and
save all the hens for la:71AG. some Jay we hope to have a nice chiok-
en i'arni iere, but we will have to wait for awhile as we must do
some l'airs on the house. Jack hopes to start on that this coming
lundb.y. we just had more time, we cold do lots more but we
can't afford to hire anybody an!, of course, the children are too
young to
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7e have been here ten years now eild we own this ?arm, and
do not owe anyone a penny. le came here from a little town in
Illinois all laave always been farm folks. This is the only place
we have lived in Florida. Jack had a little saved up when we first
got married and he owned his own farm. He sold his place and we de
oiled to try out luck here. %nee being here, we think that there
is no other place in the world like it and we are contented and
happy here. Of course, like everyoneleve have our dreams and am-
bitione. 7e want to have running water, electricity and a new
and h.Ler house and each week, regardless of what we would like
to eend, we put a little something away toward it. It isn't much,
but wa are still young and strong and feel that aomeday we will
have J7 -)at we want. As it is, we have good land and good health,
plenty of good wholesome fool, a roof over our heads, and good
children so T guess the Lord has not been so hard on us and we are
thankful for all we have."
'hen I first asked Iargaret. about her political affillations
she lid not seem inclined to reply but later she said that they
were Republicans. However, for all purposes of registration and
for anyone's general knowledge they are Democrats since they cams
South. 7evertheless, she thinks that the present administration
has done a lot for the poor folks.
"telt I believe in :religion and formerly belonged to the Tx.p...
ourcil but it sees like now that we never have time to go to
church. I try to teach the children the fundallentAls of our re—
ligion though, and maybe some day we'll get caught up with every—
thing so wc on begin going to church again."
“7e are trying our best to have a good home for our children
and want them all to have a good education and go to school and
maybes to college. Jack managed to graduate from high school but
I was only able to finish grammar school. My folks were ailing
and I Was badly needed at home to help with the work, but I want
my childrer to have a better chance."