Document text
August 31,1939
Harriet Crow, House wife,
Newton, N.C.
Ethel real, !4‘iter,
Dudley ,.Crowford,Peviser.
CrigLIal Naes Changed Name'
harriet Cro* Helen Crane
Burke County Banks County
Jd Bacon Jim Banks
Charlotte Riverton
Preacher o3s Preacher oore
b.
My name is Helen Crane. I'll soon be seventy years
old IN1 Pm trying to take it easier now, Owe got to;
ut I have sure worked hard in my tine. I was brought
up in Banks %-ounty on a farm wfutre we raised cotton,
corn, titers, molasses can and other things to eat.
"Money was as scarce as hen's teeth when I was
coming up. I have hoed in the field from sunup to an
down for a quarter 7.1 day. I didn't wit that to spend
for yelf. e never had any sanding money, to tell
you the truth It never seed no ,oney till after I was
married,
"Cotton was so cheap it tcok al4 we :ade to pay the
tax. 4ggs sold for seven cents a dozen; we had to sell
our chickens, eggs and butter to buy sugar, salt 4And thin
we couldn't do Ithout. The corn was made into bread.
Ae eat cornbread three times a day. Jometines 1.4aw had
biscuits, not often. .e cculdn't raise wheat up there
but Paw alters had a couple a sackfuls. ,e made our
cakes from, the shclets of flour-- 14sees oases ,t that,
but they was g...od. There's a hea p of difference in the
tines.
%acuse we I want to slip off my shoes and git
me a dip of snuff. 1 have just come in from the hospit al,
where my eon's wife .6 4ick and I couldn't take no snuff
there I'm kinder ashaed of the habit, but I can't do
without it.
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I ain't got no education, jest what I learned from
the blue back speller. It was four miles to the school
house and we had school three months out of the year.
The teacher, he set up front in a straight cheer, and
the scholars set on slab benches. On long cold days the
teacher dozed while we studied. There was a big fire place
at the end of the room, but it didn't keep nobody warm.
when it woul come a snow flurry it sailed through the
cracks like everything.
"The teacher took turns about going home with the
scholars. Us yOunguns liked that, when it come time for
him to go home with us we had wheat biscuits.
"My girls are good cooks, and I reckori they come
by it honest. Come Saturday morning Maw would tell me
to do enough baking for Sunday, cause if we went to church
we wouldn't have time for any cooking when we got back.
tillers made a lot of cakes and pies.
People don't know nothing about hard times this day
and times. Most of them hain't done nothing uut go to
shhool. Back in my young days poor folks didn't have they
money even to buy coffee, it run about twenty to twenty
five cents a pound. tie jest couldn't git it. Paw allers
had an acre of gyound he eller& planted in rye, we took
that and parched it brown and used it for coffee. This was
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good and if we run out of rye, we used okra seed.
"Paw was a cobbler, and he ellers made our shoes;
they was put together with pegs,. Maw wove the cloth for
our clothes. Yaw would git us Jtore shoes sometimes; and
then we was proud younguns, we jest walked on air. cne
time I had a red woolen frock and law had bought me some
store shoes-- they squeaked, and I wouldn't swopped places
with a millionaire.
"Old preacher Coore was holding a revival meeting,
and I could hardly wait to go to church and I still
remember what he said when I walked in with &y shoes
squeaking. He said,' you're like a holler tree. Sound
on the outside and holler on the inside'; I was so proud
of them shoes I didn't care what he said.
"You young ones," Helen said as she turned facing
her off springs, Don't know nothing. I wasn't raised up
I was pulled up by the hair of the head.
we've done pretty good, I married when I was about
fourteen years old; stayed right on in Banks County and
bought a farm. Just how we got it paid for I don't know.
The next year after I was married I bought a sewing machine.
WI husband give me a piece of cotton to pay for it. I hoed
that cotton and every time I struck a lick with the hoe,
I'd strike a rock. The machine cost ma fifteen dollars
and it still sews good now, but I've got a newer and better
one.
10le.man Jin Banks come up in the mountains hunting
hands. He wanted us to come to the cotton mill, and we did.
I had five younguns then, and have had three since I've
cone here.
"The younguns didn't make each then but we had a
good crowd to work. We saved our money and paid thirty
one hundred dollars to have this house built. I've got
a acre of ground. I like it. I have more here than on
the farm, I mean I raise more to eat. My fruit trees,
grapes and figs supply us with all the preserves und
jellies. I have enough c,-nned right now to last ms
three years.
"livery year I kill three hogs, we have so much
trimming we have to can it up. I've got plenty of
canhed sausaz;e, spare ribs and liver mush to do us all
the summer. Then there's my chickens. I keep aiJout forty
hens and these furnish plenty of eggs and chickens.
niow you jest come in and loot around. The girls
all work eight hours e day except saturday. Lne gets
breakfast for we every morning before whe goes to work.
The other goes on ew,ry evening at two o'clock, she cleans
up and helps me with Ilme cooking and canning.
mThis room on the left is out, living room •ihe
girls always wanted a pretty living room suit, radio
and piano, so I didn't say one work about them buying
it. Don't you think the lace curtains are pretty? This
room across the hall is the company bed room. This bedroom
suit is maple; and did you notice the counterpane and
curtsins match? I never did like a low back rocker, but
the girls wanted to put one in here so there it is. They
'made all these cushions of green and rose. Next to this
room is the dinning room. We thought we might as well ogy
a good dinning room suit while we was about it. I tell
you I've done with cheap things in my house so long that
I'm glad to get something nice. I'm real proud of every
thing in this house.
"I want you to seL. my 11,?w cook stove and washing
machine. I used to think it was silly to try to fix up
the kitchen in different colors, but it was because I
didn't know no better. It is so easy to have things look
nice and don't cost no more, and you feel a lot better
about it. Ain't the green and ivory stove a pruty thing?
This washing machine cost me a hundred and thirty five
dollars and it's worth every cent of it.
mr:y home is all paid for and I've got enough money
to do me anU the girls if they never work no more. They'll
work though as long as they can. I don't guess either
one of them will ever marry. I still own the farm up in
Banks County. It's got a lot of timber on it.
"I've been a widow for sixteen years. We have every
thing we need. I keep a car, carry life insurance, and
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save money. It was all made right here in the cotton mill.
I have three nice bedrooms up stairs and one in the base-
ment.
"I would like for Jim Beaks to see as in my own home,
but as I told you he is dead. His daughter has charge of
that teaching grown people to read and mftte. She lives
in Riverton'.
I wish you wouldt tell me some thing that would make
our hair grow. You see I'm bald on the top of my head; both
of my girls are going to be the same way. .;ie have spent
more money trying to get something to get something to
li.ake our hair come back, but it seems like the more we
try the thinner it gets. Yes, we have one to several
beauty parlor3 and took treatment after tmAtment but
nothing sems to help. I believe the girls feel shy about
it, and maybe that is the reason they don't encourage
the young men to call on them.
Now you jest set right down here and eat your
supper, I ain't going to let you leave here till you do,
we are jest having some of the things that was left over
at dinner. Here's a plenty of cr,med chicken,canned sausage
scrambled eggs,anapbeans, creamed tatersoreserves and jelly,
and even some old fashioned honey. I believe the girls has
got some banana and peach custard with whipped cream.
"Yes, me and the g.,rls vote. I don't think its right
though. I wish I had more education than I got. The girls