Document text
Federal -v.riterst Project
Paul Diggs
Lakeland, Florida
January eth, 196e
Wright, J ha ana Susan
Route 2 Box 72 E
Lakeland, Florida
John and Susan Wright.
26104
Three and one-half miles east, of Lakeland„ on State Highway 3.7
there is a. truck farmer located abut one-half mile oft. the main
highway. along side of the .,Alantic Coast Line Railroad.(Routew2
Box '7 i.). In this quaint old house live John ana Susan Wright
and his two grandchildren.
The occupants receive a welcome blow of the ehistle.fr,,m all
trains that -pass by in the day, from the engineerp.fireman and
brakemen. One passed while interviewing, and the engineer gave a
short blast, John said, nLawdy you see they all know me,"
This place is typical of most places found in this settle-
ment, where the land is low but found to be very rich and produces
good crops. There is a small school building near by which is
crudely built like the rest of the houses- shutters for window
glasses, and an ancient interior with long wooden benches for the
children to sit on.
John's location has been cleared on the north sie of the
railroad, but across the railroad there is sw_wki and wooa land
with lerity of timber on it. John .was very anxious for we to see
what be had on this spot. After crossing the' railr ad we enterea
the wooded section. Here, he had a cleared the ground under the
tail kines, and there were collards,. mustards, and c-bbages growing.
"You see I kut kienty of soda tolem And Air they come. He_stayoa
in front 30 you would not LcCidentally step on his Luang traps that
be had set out in the underbrush. They had the appe,rance of a
machine gun nest hidden in thk wooded land,. .Here John carried on
his trapping catching coots, possums rabbits, and anything that
gets in the way of the traps,- Be stokked after 4lore then twelve
such consealed.trps i.,keLrea from nowhere.. n You see there is
more w.ys than one to wake a living. Ilse good knowledge of all
dis w.A7d land, and wid.,11 deset wild aniwals runhing 'round, I
fix to ketch tem. You know there is a law' bout trapi-ingp.but it
is for those dat get caught." Jebn was full of smiles while dis-
p_aylLg his wit.
on returning across the trz„ck, one sees sh_Jaty crudely
built, one story .high, weather -boarded, standing on cement blocks
about one foot otof the ground. John said, n kut a ditch
'round the kl_ce the water would cover the floor in the house."
It wes unkainted, _nd covered -ith old galvanized tin. There were
sevfiral w_ndows in the h use with glasses in them, the rust ere
board shutters. All around the y:rd and under the house there was•
debris of all descriktion. A few b mane trLes Ivere growing.near
the house, On the side :ma in front was foliage. There were screen
doors to keep out insets weiChwere plentiful in this low land.
Over the gate be bad three home made wind wills ,hose figures cut
ca_ers when the wind'caw,ed them to revolve, Close Lo the Ivuse
there was a :shed erected on four. cypress poles, covered with a
discarded bed spring, ovel- which were old tin and boards, on the
platfarml.was a delapicLted chair 0.Lnd an old autawobile set.
John Aid, n here is where I rest my weary boxes after a herd days
work,"
There are four'r ono and long porch walled in. The interier
ill filled with inelkensive furniture and the walls are covered
with newSkaker. The floorswere bare. In the front room there L.
a very high bed, tables and chairs, with an old out of ci,;_to kiane
sitting in the corner. There were two more bed room with very
little skace except for the bed, He said, n that ho one was .ble
to slay the kiallopit Just sits there in the corner, stating that
the devilish thing was too bean, only yistidy I hd to go under
tho house, and block it uk, to much weight on the fl or."
The little boy arld girl, who were ihabily dress were peeking
A
in the front door, trying to see wh...t as gong on. The boy was
c aded in overalls, and the little gir had on a red biocked
blouse with a white dress that was very soiiedi they both were
barefooted with the black much soil caked on their feet, Suddenly
A
they .ran from the dour and climbed on the old automobile sitcing
in the rear of the house, -On coming out of the house John skied,
them on the car and yelled a. them, they scambled down. John said,
you see d to Old car over dart Ilse cowe by bits by trading demo
two goats I had, kayed 7,50 diffunce„ but I am still in de
.ho:le. The man brought one of demo goats back, De rascal beat de
man4 and his whole family. You know they will beat you down.. He
corn, *ratty nigh whik,ing me when I was :taking dem to tmwn •;Lan
he g.ve me a fit in the ditch between here and Lakeland, I didont
tiriko be would cut uk after I sold him, In fact I didont tole the
an how bad be was, One morning bright and early, uk he goes and
bring back the goat, -What has kuzzeled we is, since be brought
1:k the goat, be claims I owe him one third the dif,umme ,All
the morning I hove ben figureing in this yarsand if I owe him
one third or one fourth „Ilse know the fourth is more than the
third, ivoaybe you can belk me out."
loY,A2 see -I hardly fool with that car cause it kicks like
a mule, It takes the whole fondly to st rt it, I has to block
uese hind wheels to k,ek the fool thing from runDing a —ay„ lidth
disuest he cc ted, oh well d.ts what a feller gets for being so
big, 'en I had my goats I didont have any ti-olible„ only the fool
things w vid run away when it rained. Dey tricked me once in
Lakelana, It as 1:aiming imad and dey ran under a house with
vegetables, wagon and all."
0
All of a sudden a peculior noise like "He haw be haw$ came
from out of .the air, John said, shut up," Be walked around the
house near the railroad on the south, alai there was a Jack in the
gasture. He la ked ug when we aagr ached -him, n See mister Uncle
Sams -data my 'life saVer, after all of aem jimswihgerS didInt wark
I found a Jack dat Wlud," He can out gull a freight traira and
now I go and come fr-m Lakeaand With out any trouale, He 2.11y
baulked onaue'but onme when I tried to whip him, He likea to
kicked 4h$ giece of wagon to aieces, I haysnt whig-ed him since,
You see l',Annst-get another agan. Ha can gull a glow too, atr-nt
as Lli.ox.m
J-hn was ful of smiles au. the time be aas talking, with
his felt hat on his -bead, gatched pants, and an old baue coat
worn over a sweatervwith brogan turned ua at the end, tie still
showing what a wonderful place he owned.
Yu see I'cUm a long way to get here, I was born in Knox..
Ville, Tenn, May 15th, 1677. i parents ware George and ainaie
'ariabt..' I hainst got no estimation how long I lives in Tennesee,
I know noAlins.bout a cussin, ansty, and nobody, I live a in For-
syth, .lorroe County., Georgia, and picket cotton, Donst know when
I claa, tp.Florida, only been. here thirty eight yersf, ay olaeat
4
child is thirty nine yesrs old, Lillie Aae) ,brought her here
when She Was. y-ung. Bow allany chillun I had, you mean haw many
chilunI1 know about. an I now abaut eighteen cbillun w s
bornmasomithing like dat. Now listen mister Uncle Sam, don't kush.
me •t<a6 close, scause use can't give.' count of aal dew chillun
Some born in the woods. Den dat is. lawful Ilse te 1 1 bout. By
my first Wife Isablia. had tea cloilun. Dar .s eight stolen,
1countin dem nit lawful, 1111I Married Isabe-le Rwiinut LL.ke
ark, Georgia. Don't know what Yeti* or nUthin if I hat_ to be hung.
She s bred and born dar. I ma_ried Susan. Green, right out of c4lat
house over dar to the north.41
John entered the IvAise and brought forth box -.decOrated
with holiy. In this box he hail papers that wane valuable to him,
With pride he attempted .L snow them a. certificate of Ordination'
for ,eacon in the at Zion Church and pictures of his children.
I could not nmme all of them, you know a mall has been sick long
time he is bouna to be at..:,dle minded. Now dis is Lillie. aae Love,
now ainnie Lei Willie And John ',,esly rigbt, don't dat
look .1i e me, very spit.of me. Dis is Arthur Wright Osciiina Wright,
.Clifford Wright, Pearline and George deceased.) I got lost
from dem, I don't know where dey is.
n You see mister Uncle Sam, yoU .1e -e one of his boys, data w4y
I can you dat, when I -was young I Flayed a banjo nd gambled. Yes
sir, I dia dat. High life :all wy life- made lots of money piclAng
banjo, and singing the blues; made a feller wove a foot if he did1nt
want to. Since then. I turned a christiall, I has done great work.
I was .such a songster dat I was ordained, I didtnt want hit1. but
they wade me do it, Didtnt .know a word in the song, but I-ctud carry
a -tune, I wled come home an pick it out, and after a while I got
to now am all. Come out some time and hear me sing dem 8,1rituals.
Hit will 40 you good, You know I c;ndo a lAtle of everything and
de it well."
didInt have any schooling at ail, all I learned, I learned
since I :.as ordained for a de con. .4y parents died while I was young
and I ha_. to work, n
II wake a living sel hg vogotobles to
kr.-use in.Ld e_Larld, YOU SO I kush little 4usic to
eiL witeri
goes •Arounc. LS, here cum' vu vegetable won 1 got dem
t(Ly, Co targr ens, gp,hers, and etc. Jey to the fl-te
when 1 art to sing vi_kes from tkwe I four doil,ars --y.
if 1 had dew lazy rascais.se5ting trouri, ku„ ces to -n
ulud
show dem how. to
'1 git and go ten k am well.
.olt•a hit u..ys or in their bones.
U 44t feu woriths Ago 1 s with high bk uPt sure.
ed to ornk that oid Car) au t itscausitl
to have -emor ghes. :)r. D.J. 14,1„soci attendwi- we They rust
t ic hos,ltal, and atter st-yir f'jr -VW., days, Jey
brought k ge-4Airig lieng nicely niw# long I
LI-Jie a L6ne. 1._,Als nee a srter in it. It wan
tier.. ,4Id. rust before .11 crank it iigain. his
wire ,usdn) she kekc, wULL o.fl. tne2a li-tio br ts they -re t.ugh
at lat-er *A
jehn,stepped into t side „o'rchs uere six c on- vere
P.
ohy buy ari wtwaoh ,I(.Jxty
m5.1, reao4 to s
unnint; wild in itia okms.11 The hides froi,. tt c fl or(-!
strezche Jit t C 1 houLe. st:,liotime 6et from two to
threo _oi rs piece- for dem,. Iketdh uem by first rarimitIg a 1;_als
stick in te gokhor bole to se if a rttle snake is in he hole.
It ib said tt til.k4 will Lk...at, their ultiter.heme in g9kher
Li nothin is in hole, 1 re -11
W11 -1.1L4 OUt C AtIS t o,her,
I ketch Oasfilit the sae #ay 1 ketches coAl _n dem tr_s Arcr
fow go_bers iy4e,
floor, which he kes to t-wn to sell,
stting-th,A, ,1 lots of keo,
c0 her stew,' out Of dk.:21.4,11
he s%iii, A gots twenty l've cents ,oice fr.* themPhero were
several bunches of collard greens tied up ready. to take to town.
His wife Susan, came out from the kitchen with several
,ieces of coon cut up, showing me how fat he and krearing
to cook them. She said, ft their meat was .00d and tender."
Susan was very quiet and ha very litt.A3 to say, The kitchen
was not as clean as the other kart of the house. There were
signs of soot on the aaLLs from the small wood stove in the. corner.
The kots and .a.ns were black, and the dishes were lying around
on the table.
Tobn was asked the priviledge of having his picture taken.
Calling, ft 'Iliamma, cOMe ant take your picture wid the Jack rid all,
so Uncle Can send for us, I am ready to go."
The Jack was hitched to the delakidated wagn, boarded on
the side to bold in the vegetables. The harness was mostly made
out of ropes with a leather strap running beneath for a belly band,
The lines were he:vy roe. He had a piece of holey with red and
green Christmas decoration he had picked up in town with which he
de orated the head of the Jaci, aJamMa, and the two children climbed
in the wagon aria tried to look their best John tried to ldok im-
portant and the Jack stood perfectly still a,aiting a comi.ian,L.
After taking the ii.cture he tied the Jack to the fence,
and showed me his artisian well located near -t;Ae- house. This well
is plugged and fr-m it be is able to irrigate his little farm
during tbe dry spell. John said, if he unplUgged it the ,water
would shoot fifty feet or mole in the air from the force of the
well.
John asked if be ever votea. Be said, W what's that,ft
After explaining, he laughed and said, ft you now this is iolk
County, and that is white folkes -business, not mine.ft
Johh's said, he only ate two me ii. (114, be buys some
time fat bacon in town, most 1 his meat come s from the wild anim-ds
caught in the traps. He crows all the vegetables they consLme on
the place. Such as, turnip greens, coILLrds, cabbages, bets, °nits,
radishes, mustards, and peas, He liked corn broai, an iienty of
syruk: to go with it. At a distance could be seen his cane patch
from w ich be makes his sYrupy
Be. said, I as considereu the best truck .grower in this
section. I will have goo ,i strawbs_ries," There is one acre set
out 4161 trawberries. He further saidltikt people put stuff in the
eaith but dey dAilt know how to get it out,
havInt been on relief slice you Left some years
ago. lu"ter y u showed the whLt to do I have been ine,en-ent of it.
AS long as I can keep dem Goats and JacklI wili be C.K. see
beSides..asa, that Jack is my best friend, anything Whelp you
to live is your friend. Lot's of folks don't look at hit at 1,ay„
dose."
In his crude ay of living he is very prod of his success.
Thero is no radio, electricity, or any of the modern conveniences.
His outhouse is a sbackly built ,lace with a burial, sack bang ng
in front. Be burns oil 18,vs at night, and secures his hat from
old coal pots. In leaving he still insisted that I wow_d come to
his church and hear him sing. n After I work hard all of the week
I enjoy myself, going to church., We have a good time singing
and praying. Plmse come"out and hear us."